<div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Outskirts of Ashburne - Heading home to Amberthorne</strong><br/><br/><div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/0/05/Graham_Ellery_1.jpg)<div align="center"><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: georgia;"><strong>Graham Ellery</strong></span></div></div><div class="floatleft">(http://)</div>Graham was no fool. Anyone with half a brain could tell not all was as it seemed, though in what capacity, he couldn't quite saw yet. He did not tilt his visage to meet the pleading stare of the maiden at his horse's hooves, though his eyes did dart down to her whenever she spoke. He carried himself with the dignity of a nobleman, something he figured the cronies in front of him would respect. They seemed the type to bow to their lords for some coin constantly. As shady as they seemed, Graham's uncle had always taught him never to take things at face value, in one way or another. He did not know the young woman, so he could not trust her word anymore than he could the others. Where did that leave him? Simple. The law would have to sort this out. But chasing through the swamps to have her torn to shreds by hounds was savagery and utterly despicable. If her family did wrong; if she directly did wrong - evidence was required. That burden lay with the accusers.<br/><br/>He tugged at his reign once to keep his mount from panicking at the constant sound of aggressive barking. <strong>"These are serious accusations. Where is the evidence for this? Or are we operating by a system where we lob people's heads off at the drop of a hat?"</strong> the young woman interjected, refuting the claims as any sane person would. He couldn't detect lies in her eyes, but then again, he had met many a good liar over the years. It was easy to see only innocence in eyes are intensely beautiful as hers. Before he could proclaim his decision and order the men to leave, however, hell broke loose for a few moments. The unleashed hound headed straight for the prey it had been riled up to want to shred apart, but was stopped by the timely intervention of Grimsby. Man needed promotion. In fact, they all did, but house Ellery was too poor. A mental note for some extra rations for the week was made instead. He would have felt shame at that if he was not otherwise preoccupied with the chaos at hand.<br/><br/><strong>"Let go of me, you swampland pig! That was a prized hound! You'll pay for-"</strong> the struggling soldier's words were cut short, impotent as the threats had been given the bead of sweat that had already begun its descent down his brow at the touch of Asher's cold steel.<br/><strong>"Enough! Now you think to level threats?!"</strong> Graham would have no more of this. He was not in the mood to deal with squabbles and even though Asher could vouch for the fact that he wasn't the most easygoing of lords to serve, he only got quite so touchy when already in a bad place. With a poorly hidden wince, the young lord dismounted and took a few steps towards the terrified Abigail. A gloved hand reached out for her to help her up, after which he studied her face for a few moments.<br/><strong>"Can you ride? Get on the back of my horse,"</strong> he nodded in the direction of the steed just behind him, while he turned his attention back to the hunters present.<br/><br/><strong>"We will pay for the loss of your hound, but you will leave these lands this instant. tell your lord to come to me with evidence so he may present his case to the king. Then this young lady's fate will be decided,"</strong> eyes narrowed dangerously while a single hand clenched into a fist. <strong>"The right way."</strong><br/>He let the words sink in, and one-by-one, they began to sheathe their arms and reign in their hounds more securely than their officer had. <strong>"Do I make myself clear, sirs?"</strong><br/><strong>"Perfectly, lord Ellery,"</strong> the answer was filled with vitriol, but Asher's skillful ambush left them outflanked, with no knowledge of the terrain, and down one hound. They weren't going to be risking any blood or diplomatic incidents over this. Not yet at least. If they were going to make a problem about it, they'd come back packing many more blades and trained hands. <strong>"Hard to leave with one of -your- dogs at my throat..."</strong> he added.<br/><br/><strong>"Only dogs hunt unarmed people down with the threat of death. My -men- have human decency,"</strong> a nod to Asher would be enough to relay the order of release, and Graham joined Abigail in the saddle of his horse. Angered eyes would bore a way through the backs of their skulls as they left. This wasn't over yet...<br/><br/><hr/><br/><strong>"My name is lord Graham Ellery,"</strong> he chose to speak only when he felt safe enough to do so, though he did not turn to look upon the maiden's face. An open palm motioned for Asher, who was riding beside him. <strong>"And this is Asher Bray. Captain of the Guard and my personal bodyguard. It is no overstatement that you owe your life to him; he is the one that saw you running,"</strong> credit where credit was due. He only hoped this wasn't going to compound the problems they were having.<br/><strong>"Care to tell me why you disturb the peace in my swamp, my lady?"</strong> the question sounded like an accusatory stab, but it was in his nature to be skeptical of everyone and everything. Best thing to do around him was to never take it personally. He had meant what he had said. She was under his protection - what little that signified anymore - until evidence was produced and the courts decided. But, something told him there would never be evidence, nor would there be any sort of fair trial. Someone wanted her dead, badly, and they were going to throw their political weight around to see it done. He had his grandfather to thank for having enough empathy to put personal concerns last and a stranger's safety first...</div>