Bonds
Chapter 1
Beginner's Luck
Dammit.
They were coming. All of them.
The young man darted through Redmont Forest. It was a nice night. The sun was gone, and replaced by the moon, perfectly full in the midnight sky. Its white light cast eerie shadows among the tall oak trees, and across the dirt paths. The forest itself was not exactly the best place to run into for hiding, despite the good covering for camouflage. A Ranger lived here. And the fact that Redmont guards were on his tail.
Even his usually light footsteps could not mask the crunch and snap of every single dead leaf, shrub, and tree branch he somehow always managed to step on. Not to mention that he lost his boot.
He could hear the voices of of the sentries shouting:
"That way!"
"Over here! I hear im'!"
"He's getting away!"
The man grinned. They wouldn't catch him. Not tonight.
He sprinted behind a tree to catch his breath. Panting softly, he looked behind him, his keen eyes seeking out any unwelcome guards or animals that could give him away.
There was nothing.
He leaned against the oak, closing his eyes in relief, and ran a gloved hand through his face, tugging his cowl closer to his head. The voices of the sentries drifted away, and the forest became silent once more, with the exception of his level breathing.
Taking a few steps, he walked warily away from his previous position, his eyes moving from side to side, using peripheral vision. When it seemed he truly was alone, he began to move more swiftly, but then–
"Did you really think you would escape?" asked a low, deadly voice.
The young man whipped his head around, but surprisingly, did not jump or flinch in fright. He simply stood, tired and hungry, with sweat and blood clinging to his blonde hair as his hazel eyes met a darker, colder pair beneath a cowled cloak similar to his.
A Ranger.
"One could hope." He replied, feeling a trickle of blood slip down his cheek from the deep gash on his forehead.
The Ranger smiled a wolfish smile. "A lot of people were killed today because of you."
The man shook his head, his tone hard, "That wasn't me. I swear on my honor."
"Then we have a problem here, don't we?" The Ranger replied, pacing in circles around his captive. "From the actions I've seen today, it seems you have little honor to swear on–"
"Fool, that wasn't me! I told you this. It was another man; one whose intentions are much worse than what I have been accused of."
"What is your name?" said the Ranger, curious, "You're quite brave. I didn't even see you flinch when I first spoke to you."
"Conrad." said he, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, Conrad, you seem to have some brains for a captive."
Conrad narrowed his eyes, "What game do you play, Ranger? I don't want any trouble. You accuse me of crimes I never committed. I am innocent, despite what you believe."
"They all say that." said the Ranger, "What makes you any different?"
"What you and everyone else saw was a different man. It was too dark to see his face, Ranger! We can barely see each other now."
"Then why in heaven's name were you running?" The Ranger persisted.
"I had no choice but to flee, since your damn guards immediately thought I was the culprit!" Conrad replied, exasperated.
"Can you prove it?" asked the Ranger, rubbing the bit of fuzz on his face.
"If I, or one of your people catches him, then obviously yes." Conrad retorted.
The Ranger chuckled. "I like you. Despite you're bad start here, you seem like a good man. Perhaps, instead of killing you where you stand, we can get you a trial with the Baron. For now, however, you'll have to come with me."
"Like hell, I will." Conrad muttered. "I know of your kind, Ranger. You're skilled, cunning, and damn sneaky when you want to be!"
"Indeed." said the Ranger, amused. "Have you not heard of our black magic? Or, of our disappearing acts?"
Conrad snorted, "I don't believe in that crap. I'm not a superstitious man, nor do I believe in magic or sorcery. I doubt you even know how to use any of it. Just some very old tricks, and hard training."
The cowled figure inclined his head, his brown eyes showing signs of mirth. He was shorter than Conrad suspected. The cloak had made him seem taller in the dark, but now that his eyes had adjusted, Conrad realized he was at least two heads taller than the man. "You give us less credit, than our knights do." The Ranger replied. He gazed at Conrad with a glint of amusement, and... respect? Conrad didn't know, but he was surprised to find anything short of hatred from the man opposite him. "Listen, Conrad. Come with me to the castle. We'll put you on trial tomorrow, and I'll vouch for your release, as well as your innocence. I believe you, and I'm trusting that you are telling the truth about this... other man. Do you know anything of him?"
"I know many things. But, I've never seen this person before in my life. He was just there." Conrad said in a low voice, "But, I did see a mask on his face. White, with red marking across the eye slits, and mouth."
"Hmm..." The Ranger sighed, "Well, that's definitely something. Come with me. I'll have to cuff you, for now. It's part of the procedure." He winked, then took out a pair of thumb cuffs, and linked them to Conrad's hands and fingers. "Now, you'll have to pretend to struggle. And, you'll agree to this, right? Of course you will." He answered himself.
Conrad sighed, "It seems I have no choice on the matter." He walked with an easy grace towards Redmont castle, his hands, or rather thumbs, were cuffed behind him.
The Ranger seemed to study him with that same penetrating gaze, as they strode carefully out of the forest.
At some point during their journey, Conrad heard the Ranger whistle a loud and clear tune. A gray pony materialized out of the trees, and the blonde held a sense of uneasiness at the horse's fierce look.
"Hullo, Tug." said the Ranger, patting his friend gently. "I'd like you to meet someone." He gestured to the young man next him, "This is Conrad."
Conrad raised an eyebrow, "You're talking to a horse."
Nodding, the other man replied, "Yes. I am."
Shaking his head, Conrad continued, "You know my name, and I grow weary of calling you 'Ranger.' Who are you?"
A grin, "Will. Will Treaty."
~ooOOoo~
"Sir! You've got the bastard then?" asked the sentry, smiling.
"Of course I did, Michael. How could you ever doubt me?"
Michael laughed, "Well, Ranger Will, tis a good thing we have you on our side!"
Will smiled, and nodded, dismounting Tug. "I don't feel right doing this, but I'm in a hurry. Could you see that Tug gets fed properly?"
"Of course sir. I'll give it to Sage immediately." Michael saluted, then looked at the 'prisoner' with a hint of disgust in his eyes. He took the faithful pony to the stable to be taken care of, while Will immediately grabbed his 'convict' by the collar of his tunic, and dragged him towards the doors of Redmont Castle.
"Must you be so rough?" Conrad hissed, picking himself up for the fourth time.
"I can't help it if you're too slow." Will replied, unfazed.
"To slow, my ass." The blonde muttered. He heard a faint chuckle.
"Oh, I'm going to enjoy this." said Will, smiling broadly. He pulled Conrad in front of him, then pushed him up the steps through the castle doors.
"The dungeons are underground." Will informed the blonde, "I'll put you in one of the nicer cells, then report to the Baron. Hopefully, he'll give you a trial tomorrow, so we won't have to wait so long."
Conrad raised an eyebrow, "We? You're not the one in the dungeon."
Will shrugged, "True. But I'm helping you remember? It counts for something."
Conrad muttered incoherent words under his breath, and he could hear another amused chuckle, as the two descended the stone stairs towards the dungeon.
Going down was slow and uneventful. The stairs were spiraled across a stone column, so it seemed as if they were going in circles, as the torches lit their way through. Their footstep were light, and so they made no sound against the stone floor.
They made little talk. Only their soft breathing could be heard, and Conrad shifted uncomfortably, when they finally descended the last step.
The dungeons were even worse than the trip down. It was like every dungeon he had been in before. Dark, smelly, and damp. The cells were made of metal bars bolted to the stone walls, and piles of hay were laid in each corner of every room. Rats scampered across the floor.
It was simple. It was disgusting.
It was your everyday dungeon.
"Wonderful, isn't it?" asked Will, his face deadpan.
Conrad wrinkled his nose, "Lovely." He gazed at the prison that would hold him for a few days. "Am I the only one here?"
Will laughed, "No. Not at all. There's more sections. This one is unoccupied. So you will be... safer here than you would be with all the cutthroats and bastards that have littered the first floor."
"I'm honored." said Conrad dryly.
"You should be." said Will, dragging the young man to the left side of the prison. He opened the barred door, and gestured inside. "Welcome to your new home."
Conrad glared at the Ranger, reluctantly walking inside. "What time is it?"
"Last I saw, it was almost two in the morning." He checked the water clock that had been made for the underground, since there were no windows to check the position of the sun or moon. "It's almost three now." He straightened, "I have to go now. I'll have food brought to you, and a physician to clean your forehead."
Conrad nodded, sitting himself down atop the pile of hay. "Thank you, Ranger. I owe you."
Will shrugged, "Maybe you'll save my life later on. But, for now, rest. It's been a long night. Be ready for a trial tomorrow. No one will come down here, except the occasional guard to bring you food, if you stay here long. You're forehead will be fixed tonight. I'll have you out of here in 2 days at the most."
Conrad nodded, "Alright. Have a good night, Will."
Will nodded, "And you, Conrad." He ascended the staircase once more, and silence followed.
Conrad closed his eyes, leaning back as his head touched the cool stone, and darkness overwhelmed him with its cold embrace.
I'm back. Yes, I am back. Those of you who are reading The Humorous Adventures of Will Treaty, let me first apologize for not posting in a LONG time. I've been extremely busy, you know, life and and all that crap. Plus, I've been having writer's block, which quite frankly, is the most annoying, most horrible feeling to have. I don't know what to write about for the next chapter, so if any of you are reading this, and have ideas, please; I am BEGGING you, enlighten me. Your ideas will be given credit as well. PM me, or review. It doesn't matter.
Also, I really do hope you enjoy this story. Or at least like it. This one is more descriptive, and on the better side of my works, I guess I could say. Remember, the more reviews, the faster an author will write, so please, please, REVIEW! :D It will make me so so happy! And of course read it... I should have said that first... oh well.
Anyways, I hope you have a great day, and God bless!
–SilkBourne