Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters

Okay, this is just a filler so you all know what Crowley's doing and all that. I'm hoping to have more action in the next chapter soooo...here you go for now

Crowley sighed for the millionth time in the past ten minutes and again wondered why tonight of all nights it was raining. For the past two weeks it hadn't rained at all and it seemed as if the clouds had been holding in all their water specifically to torture the commandant on this night. His cloak had long past given up protecting him from the rain and he shivered as a stream ran down his back. In the east, he could start to see a hazy light through the downpour signaling that morning was going to be upon him soon. He looked over his shoulder unnecessarily and saw with no surprise that Cropper was still following him while he rode on Abelard. As soon as he had left the King's room, he had grabbed the two rucksacks he had packed earlier along with his extra bow and arrows and gone to the stables and saddled the two horses so he could make the normal four day ride to Candell in around two or three at forced march pace. Abelard was an old friend to him as he had been on many missions with Halt in the past and on one in particular the need for them to have to share their horse's passcodes had come up. Neither had any problem with it and Crowley was grateful for it now.

As he passed a somewhat sheltered spot from the rain, he stopped Abelard and dismounted stiffly. He was on a muddy track that wound through the country away from main roads and towns. The route would be faster to travel by and it would avoid him having to pass through large towns where questions might be asked of his presence. The only downside was the lack of comfortable sleeping spots. As he led the horses a meter or two off the side of the track and under the cover of the trees, he scanned the area to make sure nobody was following them. After brushing the horses down and giving them some grain, he sat down on the damp ground against a tree. His position was behind a large bush and a few thick trees where he could see the track well enough to have warning of approach but still be hidden from prying eyes. It had only been a few hours of riding but he was already beginning to get the familiar aches in his bum, thighs and back. For as long as he had been commandant, he hadn't had to go on long missions that required lots of riding and un-comfortableness. It was an added perk to the position.

After a few minutes of grousing, he took a sip of water and bit into the apple he had removed from the pack while mulling over the situation. This was Halt's last hope as far as he could tell. There was definitely not going to be anything to prove Halt was innocent directly but there was something that would help his case immensely. Crowley had moved to Araluen to get far away from Candell but he had always kept an eye on it. Feller had never been a trustworthy man and therefore the commandant had had good reasons to be suspicious when Feller disappeared a few weeks before the war with Morgorath had started. Later, he had discovered faint hints that Feller had turned over to the dark lord and left Seth in command of the fief while he served as an assassin. The clues were faint and not completely dependable but something told Crowley that it was true. It was so much like Feller to do so as it would guarantee him immunity if Morgorath had won. And leaving Seth in control of the fief would keep him safe if Duncan won because there had been so much confusion in the weeks before the war that many had believed that Feller had gone to help plan the war effort in other areas while Seth took control. If he could prove that Feller had been an assassin before and had gotten away with all his murders, it would make his word completely worthless and many would accept Halt's account without question. The only problem was he didn't know what he could find to show Feller had been an assassin.

After a few more minutes, he sighed again and looked up at the tree limbs above him. They were thrashing in the high wind and causing water to cascade down onto him. Wiping water out of his eyes, he stood up and stretched then walked over to where Cropper and Abelard stood. He packed the canteen away and frowned as he thought of the long day he had ahead of him. As he swung up onto his own horse, he grunted in pain as his sore muscles were forced to work again. Cropper started forwards and Abelard followed close behind as they headed east towards Candell fief. When it was time to walk the horses, Crowley dismounted, stretched a little and started off again in a worse mood than before. He was freezing and the rain showed no sign of easing. As he was trudging up a steep incline in the trail, he heard a rumble followed by a flash.

"You better not die before I get back Halt," he muttered darkly along with a few curses as the rain came down in larger amounts. He sighed deeply and trudged on with the horses behind him only to hit a slick spot and fall face first into the mud. "Dammit," he cursed and stood up again. "The things I go through," he grumbled and was surprised to see Cropper watching him with an amused look. After he had glared sufficiently at the horse, he continued on.

The rest of the day went by and when he stopped at twilight the rain was starting to ease and the thunder had stopped completely. Crowley felt his spirits lighten considerably. He dismounted and went off the track a few meters until he found a suitable place to set up camp for the night. He knew he should probably push on until he could no longer see the trail but he was too tired and if he was tired it wouldn't help Halt in any way. The horses, that had been following him as he sought out a place, started munching on the grass as he unpacked what he needed and set up a small camp. When he was done he brushed each of them down and gave them water and a few apples. Realizing a fire would be a bad move; he curled up inside his small tent and studied the map he had. Judging by the landmarks he had noticed earlier that was mapped on the chart, he estimated he was about half a day of hard riding away from Candell. He sighed and rolled up the map then lay on his back thinking.

"This should be fun," he muttered as he drifted to sleep.

Review please:)...I want to hear if there are any mistakes and your least favorite part and all that as usual if you would...thanks:)