Who stays by your side?
~
The darkling Alley way,
Avenues of the Town of Crimsonton,
Kingdom of Velicia,
Darkling hours of Nightfall,
The Eighth Day of the Month of November,
Thirty Third Year of the Reign of King Jesse Crestings
The damsel of long brown curls walked over to the mysterious man who had saved her that night and looked over to see her cloak draped over his forearm, but he did not seem like he was going to hand it to her.
"And you are..?" she asked, her voice quiet against the night.
There was a drawn moment of hesitation, before the masked man said, "Lance."
"Oh", she nodded to herself. "Are you new here, Mister Lance?" she asked.
The man glanced down at her, with an amused look in his eyes, before saying, "I'm a merchant from afar."
"I see", she nodded, assuming he was a foreigner. "I'm glad you were around to save me. It was very kind of you to have taken your time and step in at my moment of danger. Thank you so much, sir", she said, eyes fluttering towards her feet, for she was unable to meet his intense gaze upon her.
Her fingers fiddled with the hem of his cape nervously, and she looked up to see a side of his lips lifted with a fascinated smile. "I'm glad I was around to save you", the gentleman said, before holding her the book up. "Yours?" a brow raised.
"Yes, it is", Amelia replied, with a shy smile. "I got it at Miss Charlene's Reading Association."
The man nodded, handing it to her and she softly took it from him. Her eyes went towards her cloak draped over his arm and she hesitantly asked, "May I have it, please? If you don't mind?"
The man shifted his gaze to the fabric, before holding it up, revealing that it was ripped. "I doubt this can meet your needs anymore", the tall stranger who went by the name Lance replied, his eyes going over the tears of her bodice.
Feeling her cheeks burning, the damsel held the man's cloak like a shield against herself, her face reflecting how flustered and vulnerable she felt. "O-okay then", she said, trying to look like his snide glance did not affect her the way it did.
"How come you are out this late?" the tall stranger by the name Lance asked, pocketing his hands and looking over at her.
"Well I was at the Florist's, tending to her because she was sick. And she is feeling much better now, so I decided I'd head home, since my brother is all alone. I did not expect the night to be so cruel", she admitted, tucking a long lock of curling hair behind her ear.
"How fortunate for the woman to have your company", the man smiled.
"Ah, it's nothing really", the damsel smiled, flustered. There was something about the way he looked at her, that was making her feel conscious. "I should be heading home now, Sir", Amelia said, avoiding contact with his eyes.
"Thank you for saving me tonight. I wish I could return the favour to you, but I have nothing right now. If you ever need anything, at any time, you can visit the Village of Drift-Combe and look for me, Amelia Luna-dynn. I will help you in any way I can", she said, with a bright smile.
"That is kind", the tall, masked gentleman smiled back. "It is too dangerous for a lady to be by herself this late. Please, allow me to escort you", he offered, holding his hand out for her to take.
Amelia placed her soft palm upon his, realising that his hand was much larger than hers. "I- thank you, but I do believe I can go home by myself", she said, feeling dumb for giving him her hand.
Before she could take it back, his long thumb swept over her soft skin, and he said, "Isn't it beyond this town? I could give you a ride." He nodded over to his stallion that was waiting on the street where he had saved her.
"Yes, but it is alright", she said.
Although Amelia wished for his protective company to stay longer with her until she reached home, she did not want to be seen with a man, where Knight Erion could be about. After all, the man had shown a great deal of interest in her that morning and she wished to stay faithful.
There was a burst of laughter from a few men at the tavern, which was about a couple of shops away.
The couple looked over and Amelia gasped, for she found Knight Erion to be one amongst them, staggering out of the tavern with a few men around him.
"Ah, a friend of mine is here! I'm sure he will take me back home safely, Sir", she said, turning to the tall man by the name Lance.
His expression seemed to darken, and he did not say anything. He loosened his grasp on her hand and took a step back, before giving her a nod.
Amelia withdrew her hand from his and gave him a curtsy. "And thank you for your cloak, I am so sorry that I have borrowed it. I can visit you soon and have it returned to you safely", she said with a smile.
"No, it is alright. You may keep it. Stay safe, my lady", he nodded, before turning around and striding over to his awaiting horse.
Amelia felt a weight settle in her chest from his change of ambience. There was something safe she had felt when he was with her that was missing when he left. But there was nothing about Lance that she knew, save the fact that he was a foreign merchant who had saved her.
She did not even know if he would stay in the kingdom long enough for her to find him again. The damsel hugged his cloak close to her voluptuous body and watched until the man mounted his stallion and looked over to gaze at her.
She smiled and gave him a wave and the tall man returned the expression before nodding over to the tavern, where she had mentioned her friend was waiting. The damsel of chestnut hair nodded, before scurrying away to the place, knowing that the man on his horse was still watching her.
Her heart didn't feel the same sparks she had expected it would, when she saw Erion talking to a few of the drunk men there. He slaughtered out of the establishment, seeming rather pleased.
"E-Erion?" she called, standing at the lamppost outside the tavern, holding on to Lance's cloak as tight as she could, for there were many men around.
"Char?" the man looked over, before blinking a couple of times. "Oh Amelia! Mel!"
~