She stood by at the tavern, hands holding on to the mug of apple cider they had given her. Head Knight Erion, her escort, seemed to have had far beyond his senses could afford him, and had left to nap. She was alone and felt like she needed a safe and dark corner to wait in until he had returned. The sinister sensation of being watched had returned to her and she was unsure of what to do. She was too afraid to return home by herself, lest the secret eyes on her would encompass her being with some unforeseen dangers. Her eyes watched the scantily clad women that made their way into the Tavern, dressed to dance before the eyes of the drunkards for pleasure.
And that was when a man that could barely hold his wine staggered over to her and leaned beside her, tipping awfully close. Amelia flinched and tried to move away, without drawing attention. He followed her keenly and drew near enough for the stench of his breath to engulf her.
He draped a hand over her shoulders and chuckled with a throaty voice, saying, "What's a pretty girl like you doing here? Would you like to entertain some nice old men, eh?"
The damsel could feel tears piercing her eyes as she hugged herself, trying to make her way out. His cold grip around her shoulders tightened and his other hand tugged at her skirts.
"No", she said through grit teeth, feeling her eyes burning with tears as she struggled to break away from his grasp.
Just then, his hand was wrenched away from her shoulder and the man stumbled back, staring up in shock as a taller, hooded man hid the shafts of light that was by them. He gently gripped her waist and drew her close against his body and said, "Don't you dare lay a finger on my girl again."
His voice was much deeper than Erion's, with a calm yet deathly threat intoned. A snarl from the creep was heard, before he scrambled away before the tall man would have his body impaled.
Amelia slowly mellowed into the protective man's embrace, feeling her tears begin to drip down her cheeks and dampen his shirt. Somehow, she felt weak and all her emotions were collapsing under the safe grasp of this stranger.
"Take it easy", she heard his deep and gentle voice reverberate out of his chest and she swallowed several times and choked, hoping to calm down. Part of her was glad it wasn't Erion who had to witness her miserable situation.
Drying her tears with her hands, she looked up to see the kind stranger, noticing that the lower part of his face was covered by high collars and his hood shaded over his face, since he was standing against the light. Her voice tumbled out like a shattering glass, "I-I'm sorry for the trouble and-" her gaze fell to the wet part of his poet shirt where her tears had spilt. "I'm sorry about that as well", she scurried to lift her skirts and wipe the mess.
A chuckle rolled out of the man, before he removed his hands from her hips, and she could still feel the warm shape of his palms on her. "It is always a pleasure to save a lovely damsel like you. Have you come to a dangerous place as this unaccompanied?" he quirked a brow.
"No, sir", she shook her head, "A friend of mine asked me to come here with him, but he left for a nap and asked me to stay by until he returns and escorts me home."
"An uncommon place to bring a naïve companion as you", he said, folding his arms like he was struck by how irresponsible her companion was.
"Well, he was giving me immediate company all this while", the maiden tried. Just then, all the lamps were being lit for the dancers' performance. "So it's quite alright. He is a protective friend otherwise, there's no need to worry", she went on. Her voice was still in curdles, hitching in her throat.
The tall stranger's eyes shifted to the lights and with a quick nod to wat she was saying, he lent her a hand. "You should take a seat."
"R-right", she nodded, placing her soft hand in his large palm, realising that her nails were still shivering. Her body was jittery, since the tension that the creep had caused her hadn't left, although the new companion she had had a calming effect.
The damsel of long curly hair took the only available seat, while the hooded stranger took to leaning against the counter.
Soon, the women began dancing, receiving a great lively audience from the men at the tavern. And that was when Amelia noticed that the lights from the furnace and the lanterns were rendering the dancers' garments transparent, till the shadows of their body were visible against the light.
She looked over to glance at him, wondering if he had meant for her to be seated and prevent her skirts from being lit up, which could have had her feel embarrassed. A soft smile tugged at her lips when she noticed that his eyes were scanning the people in the room, barely even engaged by the beautiful dance.
Amelia wondered what his purpose was, for he had not drunk, nor seemed to be a familiar man from the locality. With such thoughts colouring her mind, she gazed about the place and its people, before a familiar couple caught her eyes.
It was Head Knight Erion, whose attention wasn't at the dance, but was completely devoted to the beautiful Charlene Walterus, who was present there next to him, talking ceaselessly. He was holding her hand passively and smiling as he nodded, gaze soft and pleased.
Amelia felt like a large stone had crushed her heart and pierced it through. It was difficult to tear her eyes away from the two, like she was memorising her heartache. She tried to swallow slowly, but felt her tears returning to the back of her eyes.