For me, I would be more than willing to play as a more minor role such as a servant for the witch or even just some other magical being that lives nearby. Just some sort of small tie in that wouldn't compromise the original story you might have had.
After all the original plot was for the soldier to recover and spend time with each other before trying to persuade the witch to come live with him. So having characters that revolved around being able to help make that transition would be beneficial I think.