"...Heila and Virve will be relieved to hear that Ollie is well," Nyrielle said when Ashlynn had finished. Her fingers hadn't stopped their gentle movement through Ashlynn's hair, but her touch had grown slower and more contemplative as the weight of everything Ashlynn had described settled over the garden like a second canopy. "They've been worrying about him ever since he left. Heila especially."
"He's been extraordinary," Ashlynn said, gazing up at the stars that shimmered between the branches overhead. "I never would have imagined he'd come so far so quickly," Ashlynn said, still somewhat taken aback by the extent of the injuries that Ollie had dared to heal. "Or that he'd be foolish enough to risk as much as he did."
"And who do you think he gets that last part from?" Nyrielle said, playfully tapping the tip of Ashlynn's nose as a light, musical laugh filled the air. "The boy has more courage than half the knights I've known in two centuries," Nyrielle agreed.
