"Hey, Amryn!" A loud voice sounded off from across the large room. It was filled with bunks and desks which were available for use by the apprentice mages of the Circle of Ostwick. Amryn was sitting at one of said desks, writing a letter to her parents, heads of the Trevelyan family. At the sound of the voice, she sat her quill down at the right hand side of her letter and turned to reveal who was calling to her. There stood the familiar face of her good friend, Sully. A bright smile was plastered across his face, which was not unusual. He was a very happy and kind soul. He loved to make people smile, and had the power to do just that. He always knew exactly what to say. Amryn gave him a questioning look.
He walked up to her and placed his hand on the desk and leaned over her slightly. It was a pose that looked like he was reading her letter, but his eyes were focused on her face.
"Do you know what today is?" He asked. His voice was hushed but Amryn could still hear the excitement. His eyes were practically glowing with it as well.
She spoke, though not as quiet as her friend.
"No, what?" He looked at her, shocked, his mouth hung slightly open in an exaggerated manner.
"Oh maker. You haven't forgotten! But you have..." Sully grabbed her by the waist, pulling her out of her seat and bagan to swing her around, playfully dancing in circles. "Honestly woman! How could you forget your own birthday!" He said jokingly as he stopped dancing and stood in place, standing in front of his long time friend. They stared at each other for a time before Sully embraced her. Amryn enjoyed the warmness of her friend for a few brief moments until a deep, stern voice disrupted them.
"Hands to yourselves." The two friends stepped away from one another at the order of the Templar guard who walked into the room. Amryn looked at the Templar. Of course, it had to be him.
"Conrad." She said his name politely and with a smile, though she despised this man. He was a living example of why Mages hate Templars. He wasn't wearing his helmet, which was likely due to his overgrown beard or the fact that his fat head couldn't fit into it.
"Oh come on Conrad! It's the lovely lady's birthday today. Even you can't deny her a birthday hug!"
Amryn sent a glare at her friend and she heard Conrad release a disgusted grunt from his throat.
"As if I'd even let one of you demons lay a finger on me. I'd see you all culled first." The burly, older man threatened the two.
"That's enough, Conrad." Yet another voice emerged. This one was quite deeper, but was a bit more smooth that the old mans' voice. Conrad glared at the two mages before turning around to greet the person behind the new voice.
"Knight Captain." Conrad said, saluting. His voice hinted with disgust and hate and his eyes glared as he walked past the taller man and excused himself out of the room to return to his duties.
The man who remained was indeed, the Knight Captain of Ostwick's Templars. He wore full metal armor which was adorned with th symbols of the Templars as well as the Chantry. A shield rested on his back and a simple, silver longsword could be found hanging on his left hip. In his right arm, he held his helmet, which also allowed them the ability to receive a long look of his features. The Knight Captain was a younger man, late twenties, maybe early thirties. Silky, Dark brown hair rested on his head, cut short to prevent 'premature death' as some Templars would claim. If a mage wanted to kill them, they wouldn't grab for their hair, they would simply shoot a fireball at them and watch them burn. Amryn wondered where most people got their ideas of Mage's hostility. It made them look like idiots. She was snapped from her thoughts by her friend speaking to her.
"Look who it is, Amryn." Sully nudged his friend with his elbow, raising an eyebrow at her.
Amryn sighed, "I can see who it is, Sully." Her eyes locked onto the tall man who had recently joined them, whose dark, emerald green eyes stared back at her.
"Knight Captain Ian." Amryn slightly bowed her head to him as a show of respect before continuing speaking to him.
"Thank you for that. Conrad seems to have it out for us." She half joked. "Is there something you needed or...?" She trailed off, waiting for an answer. It took him a few minutes to answer, like he was contemplating what to say. He straightened up before speaking, trying to sound professional.
"I am here to escort you, Lady Trevelyan, to your Estate in Ostwick."
Amryn's face filled up with confusion. She looked at the Knight Captain, "And why is that? We just visited not even two months ago..."
"It was by demand of the Knight Commander, My Lady." He informed her. "Your parents have urgent business to discuss with you."
Amryn sighed, looking at Sully, then back to Ian.
"Give me a few moments to collect my things." With that, Ian bowed and waited outside the apprentice's quarters, leaving Amryn and Sully, mostly, to themselves.
"Leaving already..." Sully looked at her, his eyes filled with sadness. "It feels like you just got back. But at least you are able to visit your family." He smiled at her which made her feel a twinge of guilt.
"Sometimes I wish I could cut ties with my family. It's a hassle constantly having to be escorted by Templars outside the circle every few months."
Sully scoffed and folded his arms, "Yeah, because that's such a problem. You should count yourself lucky that you get to leave at all, some of us don't have that luxury."
Amryn stopped packing her stuff and looked at him, speaking softly,
"I know... I'm sorry Sully, I didn't mean it like that. It's just..." She paused to find the words.
"The circle is my home. I barely know my family. They act as if I'm the heir to their fortune when it's obvious I can't be. I'm not even the oldest. I'd rather just leave all of that behind me."
Sully gave her an odd look.
"So you'd rather be trapped here, every day for the rest of your life, than to be out there and be nobility? You're more dumb than I thought, Trevelyan." A smirk found its way to Sully's lips as the two started to laugh.
"I'll miss you Sully." Amryn said, patting her friend's shoulder, with her bag in the other hand. He didn't say a word, only took her into a quick embrace. When he released her, he leaned in and whispered into her ear.
"Sir Ian is escorting you, personally. Don't waste this chance." He backed away and winked at her, smiling as her face turned a soft shade of pink.
"Shut it, Sully." She laughed, "I'll see you in a few weeks." She hugged him one last time before she headed out the large iron doors into the hallway where Ian, Conrad, and two other Templars waited. They surrounded her and escorted her in a formation designed specifically to keep the mage from escaping. They put cuffs on her wrists, enchanted with runes that nulled her ability to use her magic, suppressing her mana. Each Templar held onto a short, thick chain that was attached to her cuffs.
Amryn looked at each Templar.
"Well... to prevent me from running I suppose?" She tried to make a joke to lighten the mood before continuing.
"You all have escorted me before. You know I won't run. I don't exactly feel like dying today. Besides, I rather like the circle." She smiled at them before she spoke more, "I mean, have you seen the library here? Much more to read than back home. Better food too." She smiled at each of them, knowing they wouldn't let her go.
"Apologies, My Lady. Orders are orders." Knight Captain Ian spoke to her in a calm, soft voice.. Conrad, on the other hand, made her feel very uncomfortable.
"You damn mages never can be trusted." He sent her a nasty glare as he tugged roughly on his portion of the chain, causing Amryn to stumble a bit.
"That's enough, Conrad!" Ian stepped in, standing in between the two. "While I am in charge, you will not address a woman in such a manner. Mage or no." He paused a moment before speaking again. "In fact, you will not speak at all." Ian glared down at the older man, making his order final.
Amryn couldn't help but smile in triumph. If only Conrad would actually follow orders. It's a wonder he's still in service to the Templars and the Chantry.
Once that was dealt with, the group of five headed on their way out of the circle and down a small trail that went on for a few miles. Soon, they would arrive at their destination; The city of Ostwick.