To my lower reviewer (you know who you are)…

OMG! IKR! Poor Tug, hope their keeping him comfy. He's probably kickin' their ass as they are trying to ride him. Lolz.

Will walked. He walked for hours under the half crescent moon. The moon shown with its pearly light on the ground. The stars twinkled overhead. However, it was bitterly, bitterly cold. Will sighed and continued walking. In retrospect, Will should have waited till morning before going to Port Caynn. But Will was so caught up in his rage that his mind just blanked. He was so pissed.

Will continued to walk, his head down with his cowl pulled over his head to somewhat protect himself from the cold, biting wind. 'Odd weather for summer' Will thought. And it was odd. In the middle of summer, it must have been 10 degrees (Celsius) outside. In the summer, it's normally hot and sticky, but Will could see his own breath, frosting in the night air. Will sighed. Tug had been a constant throughout his life, and now he being taken away, it was devastating. That thought spurred him on, and he walked even faster, determined to walk the near 50 kilometers to Port Caynn by morning.

Later, long after this adventure, Will would laugh at the fact that he was more mad that his horse was stolen that he possibly not having a wife anymore. That of course, did not amuse Alyss one bit.

By morning, Will was roaming the streets of Port Caynn. Port Caynn was a busy shipping town with the smell of fish in the air. Hundreds of boats lined the harbor as men, up early to prep the ships for fishing, were hopping about on the boats. Will didn't know where to go, after all, the letter never told him where the exchange would take place. Suddenly, Will did a double take. He had to get the dress by today and into Alyss' hands by tomorrow. Will decided to go to a random tavern and sit down and hopefully, the "watchers" would give him a note telling him where to go.

Will walked into the first tavern that he saw, which was called: The Wine Glass. Sure enough, they did serve wine there. Will however was exhausted and asked for a cup of coffee. He flipped two bronze coins on the table, layered his coffee with cream and honey, and took a sip. The coffee rejuvenated him and made Will feel a whole lot better, even without rest and walking 50 kilometers through the night.

Will sat and waited. He waited and waited for a long time. He nursed at least 15 cups of coffee. Finally, a man dressed likewise as the other men before him dropped off a letter before walking out the door. It never occurred to Will's now sluggish mind to follow the man. Will tore open the letter which read:

Hello my friend. So you know what is at stake. Your marriage and your horse.

Will did a double-take. "How did he know that?" Will muttered. He continued reading.

You've had something that I've always wanted. Your cloak. So at midnight tonight, your marriage and your horse will be saved for the price of your cloak. If you refuse to give up your cloak, your marriage is ruined and your horse will be slaughtered. I will have no qualms killing your horse as that devil has injured four of my men. Anyways, meet me at the Port Caynn Harbor Sandpit tonight at midnight. If you are one minute late, I will leave. You know what happens if I leave. Be there.

Yours Truly,

Nobody

Will crumpled up the paper and tossed it in the fireplace. He looked at the sun and estimated there to be about seven hours to midnight. Will walked out the tavern, found the nearest inn, ordered a room, and slept. However, his sleep was tormented by dreams of Alyss leaving him, Tug dead, and various other scenarios that could happen even if he complied with the person's deal.

A Ranger's cloak is one of the most important tools in the trade. The mottled green, grey, and brown allow an experienced ranger to disappear into the forest. Without it, a Ranger is as useless as a soldier without armor, or a sword. A Ranger cannot randomly give away his cloak; this was a very important decision for Will to make.

Will got up an hour before midnight. He went down, and asked the innkeeper about the Port Caynn Harbor Sandpit. The innkeeper told him how to get there. It was about a half an hour walk to get there.

Will walked to the Port Caynn Harbor Sandpit. It was a huge bowlike bunch of sand. Will sat down at the edge of the bowl and waited. At exactly midnight, a short, stocky figure came behind Will and tapped on his shoulder. Will whipped around and jumped up very quickly, holding his saxe knife at the person's throat. "Give me my belongings back," Will seethed. The man smiled.

The man pulled the hood off his cloak to reveal his mentor, Halt. Halt smiled, and then laughed. He laughed so hard that he collapsed. It was very rare that Halt even smiled, laughing was impossible. But it was happening.

"Halt? What's happening?" Will asked.

"Ohhhh." Halt laughed. He wiped his eyes, looked at Will, and then burst into laughter again.

"Ha ha ha!" Halt laughed. "Oh, it's rare that I get the better of you youngsters. Ha! This was difficult to pull off, but I did it!"

"Wait? So it was you all along?" Will asked, stunned.

"Yes," Halt laughed again. Halt whistled as soon as he stopped laughed. Abelard, with Tug trailing behind came out from the trees not far from the sandpit. The figure on Tug was a familiar one. The figure mounted off Will and ran towards him, enveloping him in a big hug.

"Alyss? What are you doing here?" Will asked, seriously confused.

"Oh Will!" Alyss cried. "This was one big joke? Don't you see?"

"Alyss did a great acting job getting you on this wild good chase," Halt chuckled. "I did the rest,"

"So the dress isn't missing?" Will asked, the events finally catching up to him.

"No. It's at home silly," Alyss laughed and kissed Will. Will sighed.

"Alright. Let's go home," Will mounted Tug and helped Alyss up. Halt mounted Abelard. They turned around and trotted back home.

"Will. Get ready for the ball!"

"Do I have to go?" Will asked.

"YES! Get the clothes I picked for you and get those on!"

"Fine." Will sighed. He put on a white shirt, a blazer over it, some extremely uncomfortable black pants, and shiny black boots. Alyss came in with the beautiful pearl pink dress. Will was stunned. Alyss had curled her hair, and ringlets of blond hair ran all the way down to the small of her back. She had done her makeup, and had earrings, the ones Will had bought for Yuletide, and gold bracelets on her wrists. She was beautiful. Will smiled.

Will walked to Alyss and gave a small bow, offering his elbow. "Are you ready to go my lady?" Will inquired, smiling slightly.

"Yes I am," Alyss smiled back and took his elbow, and they walked, all the way to the castle for the Midsummer's ball.

How'd you like it? It's done. R&R!