For what felt like an eternity, but was really only a few heartbeats, no one moved. The soldiers had yet to notice the standoff that had suddenly broken out between their hosts, and both Ollie and Marcel were staring so intently at Hugo that the Steward felt like his knees would give out any minute. Blessedly, much like the intensity of Ashlynn's reunion with Isabell, moments this fragile couldn't last long either.
"Is there a problem?" Ashlynn's voice called, breaking the tense silence as she stepped away from Isabell. Rubbing the tears from her emerald eyes, her gaze immediately hardened as she saw Marcel holding Sir Rain hostage.
The look on her face grew dark, and for a moment, she nearly forgot herself enough to call upon the power of the forest to restrain Sir Rain, or to somehow punish him for spoiling the moment that had been so joyous just a moment ago.
