Will rolled over in bed and looked at the still figure next to him. He still couldn't believe his luck. How was he lucky enough to marry this beautiful woman? Her long blonde hair was sprawled out on the pillow beside her. Her expression was as calm as it ever had been. She always kept her emotions in control, seemingly so much easier than he ever could. Alyss was so perfect. He had to find a way to make this day special for her.
Slowly, he eased himself up out of bed, careful not to wake his wife. Silently, Will pulled on his soft-soled, brown leather boots and stood up. He ghosted across the bedroom into the main room of the cabin. The bouquet of flowers that he picked late last night after Alyss had gone to sleep sat in their vase in the center of the table. In front of the vase lay an envelope with Alyss's name carefully inscribed on the outside. She wouldn't be happy when she found out that he had left on a mission with Halt.
At the door, Will made sure to pull it open with extreme care. At one point he always kept the door hinges oiled so as to avoid squeaking. Unfortunately, it was only after having his cabin broken into that Will found the importance of letting the hinges be squeaky so as to be warned of any potential intruders. For anyone else, opening the door silently would be extremely tricky, but for a Ranger, moving things silently was a piece of cake.
Once safely outside, Will crept toward the small stable where Tug nickered to him softly.
You know she is going to be furious at you for leaving, on today of all days.
"Nonsense," replied Will. "She will only be slightly upset and I will be making it up to her in the end. Even she can't be too mad at me when the King sends for me."
Keep telling yourself that, Tug snorted.
Not for the first time, and surely not the last, Will wondered if he would ever have the last word with his horse.
You never will.
Will rolled his eyes as he saddled Tug. They had more important things to do then fight about this right now. Halt was surely waiting for him by now.
In Castle Redmont, Halt was indeed trying to leave to meet Will but was finding it much more difficult to escape the astute senses of his wife. Having left his copy of the note on the table for Lady Pauline to find, Halt was almost out the door when his senses picked up movement behind him. Whirling around, he found Pauline holding up the note with a questioning look on her face.
"Don't tell me that you are actually leaving on a mission with Will today."
"I'm not."
"Then why does this note say that you are."
"Because…," But he had nothing to say. The questioning look had turned to an accusing glare. As much as he loved his wife, he feared her glares. Looking towards the door, Halt calculated whether or not he could get away from that glare. Pauline was no Ranger, but as a courier she was just as good as a Ranger in most things. He had no doubt that she would follow him and confront him once again. There seemed to be no way to sneak out of this.
Will sat atop Tug, his body so tense that even Tug was starting to get anxious. Halt was never this late. As a Ranger, Will was trained to keep his body still in even the tensest of moments, but his eyes were always constantly scanning, looking for any possible sign of someone approaching. His thoughts raced as he considered why Halt must be late. Halt was possibly the best Ranger Will had ever known. If he ran into trouble then he was more than capable of taking care of himself. But if it was an ambush then it could be different. Halt wasn't as young as he pretended to be. Yet, his skills were so good that it would be hard to ambush him. So maybe it was something else. Tug's snort interrupted his thoughts.
Stop worrying so much. I'm sure there is an excellent reason that may have even been more important than you and this mission.
"Yes. But still. I need him on this mission. I'm not sure I can do it by myself," Will trailed off. Tug's sense had picked up someone approaching and he had whinnied in a friendly greeting. Relaxing, Will knew it must be Abelard, Halt's horse, otherwise Tug would have given a low warning sound for Will to prepare to meet a stranger.
As Halt and Abelard came into view, Will had Tug trot over to greet them.
"Your late," said Will.
"Well I had a good reason," came the gruff reply.
See, I told you. Ignoring his horse, Will continued on.
"Well what would that good reason be?"
"Lady Pauline." Will stood shocked as that was not what he had anticipated Halt to say.
"What does she have to do with anything?" he asked in bewilderment.
"Everything. She now knows the details of our mission and she is determined to help."
Will's mind once again raced. He knew they could trust Pauline. A courier was well practiced in handling items that contained the need for secrecy. But Halt had no right to tell her. He had sworn that he would keep this mission a secret. There was no use in letting the whole fief know. As if he could read his mind, Halt gave a sheepish reply.
"She had me cornered and demanded to know the true identity of this mission. You know how she is, I couldn't sneak out of this one with a lie." More gruffly, he continued. I swore her to secrecy on it. But, you know that she would be a benefit to this mission. She gave some excellent advice that I think we would be wise to take. Plus, she might prove to be an excellent distraction if we should need it. You know how deceptive couriers can be."
Nodding, Will agreed. "Okay. You're right. If we run into a snag we will send for her help. We do need this mission to go perfectly and a woman's view on it will definitely be a benefit for perfection."
A rare hint of smile formed on Halt's lips. Thinking of his wife, he couldn't agree more.