Commission for this story comes from madgamer456. This was originally suppose to be a one chapter story, I think. All I know is I need time to work on it and change things on it. That was an earlier message. Now the chapters are edited.

XXX

Will nocked his bow.

It had been three days since he first started tracking this bandit and he missed Alyss. A little irrational, perhaps - he'd been away for much longer stretches of time - but this wasn't supposed to be a long stretch of time.

He pulled the drawstring back and released.

The arrow slammed into the bandits chest.

The bandit dropped, dead before he hit the ground. Will took the corpse and slung it across the saddle before climbing up behind it, moving automatically, half-lost in memories before he shook them off angrily.

It had been almost a year ever since Alyss came back to him. He lost her in a fire, but she came his rescue. He remembered it all very clearly. It was impossible to forget, really.

He was on his way back to Baron Arald to give his report when he heard the sobbing.

Slipping out of the saddle and dropping Tug's reins to the ground, Will tore off towards the sound and was about to yell, before he stopped himself. If he had to rescue someone, he didn't want to advertise his presence. Silently, he apologized to Tug for not loosening the saddle, but he might need to make a quick exit - and he wouldn't be gone for long anyway.

Dropping into a crouch, he pulled his hood over his face, sinking back into the shadows as he glided silently towards the sound until he came upon a small clearing. A young girl was crouched over two still figures, both adults. Her parents, Will realized. Four men - outlaws by their garb, bandits by their weapons - were closing in on her. One raised a studded club, about to smash her head in. A grey arrow sprouted from his skull.

The three remaining bandits panicked and fled, but they didn't get far before Will shot them down as well.

The girl kept sobbing in terror as Will crouched in front of her. Assuming she was afraid of the Ranger in front of her, he lowered his hood and smiled reassuringly. "I won't hurt you, I promise," he said soothingly. She kept crying.

"My name's Will. What's yours?" He continued. But the girl kept crying in fear.

Almost too late, Will realized she wasn't afraid of him, but something behind him. A horribly familiar scream rang out over the forest. Fighting back the onslaught of memories - Baron Arald falling, Halt bleeding from the leg, Sir Rodney struck still by the Kalkara -

Pushing the memories away, Will lifted the girl in his arms and raced for Tug, slinging her into the saddle before he swung up behind her. He signaled Tug to gallop and the little horse shot off, needing no further encouragement.

The girl had stopped crying - which was a good thing - but she had passed out, and Will worried. He didn't see any blood, but there were other ways to hurt a person.

"Tug, we need to get to Redmont," he muttered through teeth clenched tight with tension. Briefly, he considered shooting, at the Kalkara - he could hear it crashing through the bushes behind him, then dismissed the idea, as turning around would be required and was highly inadvisable when dealing with Kalkara.

Tug, sensing his master's urgency, poured on the speed.

A flaming arrow slammed into the Kalkara, lighting it on fire and turning it into so much charred body and smoking ash. Will's head whipped around to the spot the arrow had originated from.

Halt stepped out of the woods, eyed the Kalkara, and shot it with the already-nocked fiery arrow once more for good measure before turning around. "You alright, Will?" He asked shortly, a raised eyebrow asking the question of the little girl.

"I'm fine, but I may need some new trousers," he said, smiling a little shakily before he glanced down at the girl. "She was attacked by bandits. Her parents were already dead."

Halt nodded once, then turned Abelard back towards home. "Then let's get her back to Redmont."

They were in the Baron's office an hour later.

"This is the bandit we were tracking. He might have been associated with - or belonged to - the larger group I ran into later," Will informed him, standing with his hands clasped behind his back.

Then the Baron personally took the little girl and her parents to the medic.

"Good timing with the rescue, Halt." Will said.

Halt gave what passed for a smile as Will reclaimed Tug from the Redmont stableboy and trotted down towards the cabin.

"So that was mildly exciting," Will remarked as he pushed open the door.

"You'll have to tell me about it later," Alyss laughed quietly, kissing Will on the cheek as she breezed through the room. "Why don't we go for a walk?" She offered, nearly dragging Will out the door. Will, recognizing a cover when he saw one, didn't protest.

Once they were a fair distance away from the cabin, Will took a deep breath and faced his wife. "What's going on, Alyss?"

Alyss looked nervous, fidgeting with her collar, eyes darting to and fro. Alarm bells began to go off in Will's head.

"Alyss..." he said slowly, hoping to coax it out of her.

"Impregnant." Alyss blurted out.

Will's jaw dropped open in shock.

"How - how long have you known?" Will asked.

"Just after you left to catch the bandit." Alyss answered.

"So...two weeks." Will asked.

"Slippy little weasel, was he?"

"Not half as slipper as you."

"Will!"

XXX

Will knew all kinds of things. He knew how to fire an arrow to pierce through even the
strongest armor. He knew how to riding a horse. How to outsmart an opponent that outnumbered him twenty to one.

Raising a baby was something they never taught you. It's something you can never
be prepared for. There were many questions Will asked himself while processing
this information. First was how were they going to fed the baby? Will would have
to do the hunting and Alyss would take care of the baby. He didn't know what to
feed the baby. Could the baby eat chicken or bread? When would be a good time to
feed it milk?

Would the baby even look at him as a father when he or she was older?

He was looking at Alyss, holding her hand, with so many questions he forgot to
ask the people around him.

"So who knows?" Will asked.

"So far, just Lady Pauline. And by extension, probably Halt."

Will nodded, then looked uncertainly at his wife.

Alyss smiled reassuringly at him and patted his hand. "Don't worry. I'll tell who needs to be told."

XXX

They were almost back at the cabin when the messenger knocked on the front door.

"Something the matter?" Will called out, automatically taking the lead, drawing the attention away from Alyss.

The boy turned, flustered. "Oh - er - Ranger, sir - there's a boy up at the castle. 'e wants to speak to you." He
mumbled. Will smiled gently. "Thank you - ?"

"Walt, sir. Walt Champen." The boy stammered, before fleeing.

XXX

Twenty minutes later, Will knew that the boy's name was Gunter, and he was the little girl's (Sienna's) brother. He was fifteen. And he was traveling with a midget.

"So, do you know where they were going?" Will asked.

"Sie and my parents were on their way to Redmont." The midget answered. "Ranger, if you could take us to the heal-"

A cluster of arrows chose that particular moment to soar through the window, halting all speech.

Gunter and Will reacted at the same time. Will jumped sideways, out of the path of one arrow, and parried a second with his saxe. Gunter had chosen a similar tactic, cutting the third arrow in half. The midget carefully peeled himself off the floor.

Will aimed four shots out the window. Four traitorous bowmen fell with arrows embedded in their legs.

Then Will turned to Gunter and the midget. "Are you all ri - Gunter!" Will asked.

Gunter looked down at his torso, dully noting that there seemed to be an arrow sticking out of his side before blacking out completely.