Amryn regained her composure after staring the mysterious man down. Bracing her arms at her side, she built up the guts to speak to him.
"Who are you?" Curiosity getting the best of her, her eyes still lingered on what part of his face that showed through the modest helmet.
"You will not address me, mage." His magenta eyes sent a harsh and sudden glare at the lady mage who stood there, ultimately defenseless. She didn't want to start a scene with an unknown templar, so she stood there in silence. Soon enough, his attention turned back towards the other off duty knights who stood around behind Amryn, still in their initial spots around the table.
"The Knight Commander wishes to speak with the Mage. I am here to escort it to his office."
Amryn's stomach lurched at the fact that the Templar referred to her as an 'it'. Which, indeed, was a first for her, even after all of her years as a residence in the circle. Still, she didn't dare say a word in fear of being punished.
"/She/ has a name." Amryn turned her body to see who had spoken. It was Knight Captain Ian, and he had a very displeased look on his face.
His eyebrows were furrowed as he sent a nasty look towards the taller man on the other side of the table, his posture perfectly straight and chest slightly puffed out.
The tall, mystery man scoffed in response.
"As if I care." He snarked back to Ian who grew more fierce looking each passing moment.
"What is your name?" Ian inquired, his tone strict and demanding as he folded his hands behind his back, still staring long and hard at the unknown man.
"That is none of your business." The man argued back, straightening his posture and crossing his arms, glowering down at the Captain from across the table.
Amryn was shocked, to say the least, at the man's response. Surely he didn't have superiority over Ian. At least not here, anyways.
Ian's jaw clenched and he raised his voice in an authoritative manner.
"Maybe you aren't aware of who you are speaking to." Ian spat through gritted teeth.
"Please, enlighten me." the man tested the Knight Captain, remaining in his tall stance.
"I am Knight Captain Ian of the Circle of Ostwick. Second in command after Knight Commander Armstrong. You /will/ answer my inquiry lest you be detained for insubordination."
The man immediately fell silent, his voice seemingly caught in his throat. Ian's harshness and aggravation sparked curiosity within nearby acolytes, scholars, and other templars. The sudden attention made the man uneasy as he shifted on his feet and his arms fell back to his sides. Quietly, he walked over to the Knight Captain's side, not looking at him. Sternly, he spoke in a hushed, forced voice.
"Lieutenant Maddox." His voice came out through gritted teeth causing it to sound even more forced as he continued. "Sir."
Ian didn't say anything but in turn just stared at the Lieutenant.
"Now, if you will allow me to continue my duty of escorting the mage..." Maddox began to speak.
"No." Ian glared at the man, turning his body fully towards Maddox. "You are dismissed. /I/ will escort Amryn to the Knight Commander."
"But-"
"Dismissed."
The two shared a silent exchange before Maddox walked away angrily, his strides long and foot steps heavy.
Groves and Clemont looked at each other, then to Amryn, and then to Ian. The duo were completely unsure of how to react so they stayed silent.
Ian spoke up after a moment of silence, clearing his throat.
"Groves, Clemont. Dismissed." The two men who Ian addressed nodded their heads and walked away, saying their good-bye's to their newly found Mage friend.
Amryn looked at Ian curiously who approached her and whispered quietly to her.
"Follow me."
Amryn followed him without question, leaving the books on the table and heading in the same direction that Ian started in.
Several moments passed and they came across a room with an average sized door, miniscule details elegantly carved into the stained wooden surface. There was no sign of anyone in he halls of where they now stood, causing suspicion to arise in Amryn's chest.
"Ian..." She questioned, only to be shushed by him. A small noise escaped her lips when he gently grabbed her hand and led her into the room, closing the large door behind them and thoroughly scanning the room for any signs of people.
"All clear." he whispered to himself and sighed.
"Ian. What's going on?" Amryn whispered questioningly towards the man in front of her. He turned to face her, but his eyes didn't lock with hers, but stared at the floor.
"I didn't recognize that man. And nor did he recognize me." Ian stated.
"So?" Amryn asked. She didn't understand where he was going with his.
"Something is going on, Amryn." He sighed, whiping his face with his hand and pushing his hair back in one fluid motion. He continued.
"We didn't recognize each other. He claims he is a lieutenant but if he were, I would have known him. If we recieved any new transfers, then I would have been notified of their arrival to greet them. I've never met that man in my life." He sighed again, leaning against the wall next to he door.
Amryn let out a low chuckle. The Knight Captain seemed exceptionally tense and unnerved about this.
"Maybe they just made a mistake with the scheduling?" Amryn suggested, walking to Ian's side, trying to find reason.
"It's not just that. /I/ am your designated escort to the conference. Which doesn't take place for another 5 hours."
Amryn didn't know what to say to this, and Ian took it as a sign to continue.
"They wouldn't change who the escort was without alerting me first. Nothing goes to the lower ranks witthout going by me first." He crossed his arms, exhaling in disbelief.
"You're really bothered by this." Amryn stated, knowing that it truly was.
"If I were not there... Groves and Clemont wouldn't have known better. They'd have let you go with an unknown 'Templar' who claimed to be your escort... Five hours before the scheduled meeting time."
Amryn gave him an incredulous look.
"What are you thinking he was up to?"
"I can't be entirely sure. But I have a feeling that Conrad is behind it." Ian gave a sneer of disgust as he said the criminals name.
"Oh..." Was all Amryn could muster, her eyes finding their way to the rug that covered the majority of the floor. "I'm sorry Ian. I didn't mean to cause so much trouble for you." Her voice was quiet and regretful.
She didn't hear Ian say anything immediately but instead heard him push himself off the wall and close the gap between them. He didn't touch her but stood close enough to her to where she could feel him.
"Amryn." He looked down at her, his eyes soft as the low light caught on the green of his irises. Hearing her name escape his lips, she looked up at him, their eyes locking.
"You are very important to me. I'd hate for anything to happen to you. It's not you that is causing the trouble. It's Conrad." His eyebrows furrowed yet again at the mention of the foul man but his eyes still locked with Amryn's blue ones. Slowly, he found his hand was lifting up to the side of her face where bandages were taped over her wounds. His fingers a mere fraction of an inch away from her cheek, he forced his hand down back to his side.
Amryn's voice hitched in her throat. She wanted to say something yet nothing came to her mind, so instead she just looked at the ground past Ian.
"Whatever happens, Amryn..." Ian began to speak. The blonde mage didn't look at him. Feeling she wasn't paying attention, he once again lifted his hand. This time he took hold of her chin and gently lifted her face so he could look at her when he continued to speak.
"Whatever happens, I will always be here for you. I will always believe you, be on your side. I'll fight for you if it comes to it. To ensure your safety and well being."
Amryn was speechless. She felt the blood rush to her cheeks as tears stung her eyes, threatening to fall. The room fell utterly soundless as Ian slowly moved his face towards hers, studying her face as her grew closer and closer.
Amryn felt like her head was going to explode and her chest was going to burst due to her heart beating so firmly against her chest.
"Amryn" Ian breathed her name quietly. The anticipation started slowly sinking in. It seemed like the closer he got, the slower he moved. And Amryn wasn't okay with that.
