Winter morning
Sometimes you get inspired by the little things in life such as a change in weather and a morning of frost. Just a little fluff story. :)
It was early morning and Halt wondered what the noise was all about. It wasn't the horses, who were still sleeping in the stable, but rather it sounded suspiciously like his apprentice in the next room. What on Earth is he doing? Halt wondered. Trying to wake up the entire forest?
Rangers normally went about their business as quietly as they could, but there was nothing quiet about Will right now. Halt thought he heard a distinctive swearing coming through the wall. Heck even a Ranger party, which could get loud and festive, was still more quiet than the same number of partying knights or half as many partying Skandians. It was just completely uncharacteristic of a Ranger to be making as much noise as Will was right now.
Halt scowled. He was barely out of bed and only just getting dressed; he didn't want to deal with whatever it was this early in the morning. He hadn't even had any coffee yet.
Halt stalked out of his room and turned towards Will's just as Will came out of it looking annoyed.
"What was all that about? Trying to wake the whole forest?"
Will shook his head. "The shutters are frozen shut. Won't budge no matter how much pressure I put on them."
Halt blinked. All this noise for a pair of shutters? "What?"
"Must be all the rain of the last days," Will mused, oblivious to Halt's disbelief. "And the change in weather caused them to freeze shut overnight."
Halt stared at Will. He had felt the shift in weather, of course, but he didn't see why Will was so concerned about not being able to open the damn shutters. "Just leave them be," Halt said gruffly. "We need to make breakfast."
Will still didn't look pleased, but he complied and started on breakfast while Halt got a new fire going in the fireplace. The place had definitely cooled down with the frost and it was almost cold enough for Halt to see his breath on the air.
They worked in their usual silence, though Halt couldn't help but wonder why it was so important for Will to get the shutters open.
The heat spreading from the fireplace and the small cooking fire in the kitchenette slowly dispelled the chill in the cottage and a couple of candles provided extra light on the table.
Will had a thoughtful look as he ate and Halt felt sure there was a question coming. He was right.
"Do you think I could get it open if I sliced my knife between the panels first and then gave it a shove?"
Halt gave Will an exasperated look. "It's frozen shut, Will. It's been raining for days and the wood is soaked. You might be able to get the shutters overlooking the veranda open since they don't get as much rain, but –"
Halt didn't get any further before Will shot out of his chair and to the nearest window, quickly pulling the curtain aside. At first it didn't budge either, but when Will gave it a good shove and put his shoulder into it, the shutters sprang apart and a stream of cold air flowed into the room.
"Please get that curtain back in place, Will. It was just getting warm in here."
Will grinned at him, but did as Halt said.
"Now for the other one."
"What is it with you and the shutters today? It's not even light outside yet."
"I know," Will replied. "But it will be soon, and I want to see the light coming."
Halt raised an eyebrow. "See the light coming?" He wondered if his apprentice might have lost his mind.
Will nodded as he pushed at the other set. "Yeah. It's freezing outside. It's been wet and grey for days now, but with the change in weather it'll be a clear day, so today we can see it coming. There," he said, smiling as the now open window. "That was two of them."
And suddenly Halt understood. It wasn't about the shutters at all, but about being able to see and feel the sunlight for the first time in a week. Will just wanted to experience the sunrise and catch the early beams as the sun rose, and Halt couldn't blame him for that. He, too, enjoyed the sunrise more than any other time of day and he felt a sudden appreciation for Will's efforts to let in the light as it slowly grew.
"Get back to your breakfast," Halt told Will. "Your coffee's getting cold."
Will just grinned at him, but did hurry back. He made a face as he realised his coffee had gotten lukewarm. Then he shrugged and poured a himself a new cup.
Fifteen minutes later the table was clean and Will went to do his customary sweep of the cabin. Halt shook his head. "Not now. Get your gear on; we're going out."
Will lit up in a smile and bounced away to his room. Halt went to his own room, a slight smile on his face. Will's excitement over even small things were infectious. He made sure his face was back in its usual expression before he went into the living space again to finish dressing up, quiver and cloak in place. Will was ready only a few moment after Halt.
Halt could see Will was right about the morning; the sky was already full of colours though a few stars could still be seen on the darker part of it. The horses greeted them as they came into the stable and ten minutes later they were on their way, bows in hand.
They rode eastward towards the dawning day until they came out of the forest onto a big, open meadow on a high hill. The hill sloped up a bit, but then down and away from them to the east and south-east. Without speaking they both stopped the horses on top of the hill and faced the south-east.
Their timing was perfect. The sky was alive with colours and a sunbeam like a pillar of light rose up from the horizon from where the sun was about to rise, heralding its coming. And then the sun itself started crawling above the distant line in the horizon, dazzling them both with its light.
Will closed his eyes, face turned fully to the sun to enjoy the first rays of the day for the first time in days.
Halt looked at him out of the corner of his eye. With Will's eyes closed Halt should keep a lookout. Then he realised the horses would warn them if anyone approached, and even if they didn't, the frozen grass and leaves on the meadow made it impossible to sneak up on them.
Halt closed his eyes and turned his face fully to the sun, too, enjoying the quiet moment with his apprentice. There were certain perks to being a Ranger, he thought. And this was one of them.