"HOLD ON, WILL!" Gilan shouted, thrashing against the restraints the bandits had secured him with. They had used the Ranger thumb cuffs, probably taking them from his satchel that they had confiscated from him. Forcing his arms backwards around a tree, they tied them tightly, cutting off bloodflow.
Will wasn't so lucky.
They decided to have fun with him, forcing him back to the lip of the crumbling cliff. Early on, they had taken and shattered both of their bows, leaving Will with only his knives. Gilan was forced to watch as a group of them got closer and closer to him, pushing him nearer the edge. Rocks crumbled beneath the younger Ranger's feet, falling down into whatever chasm Will stood above.
Gil kicked out, hoping to injure one of the bandits that watched along with him, but they were too far away, paying no attention to him. He jerked some more, pulling harder and harder until his thumbs felt as if they dislocated. "Let me go, you bastards," Gilan snarled at the bandits. "Show me your damn face if you're not afraid of any retribution for this."
The bandit in the lead for Will burst out laughing, before quickly smothering it behind the handkerchief they all had tied around their faces. Not only that, but all were wearing hoods as well, leaving all of their identities a mystery.
Hefting a battleax, the man in the lead took a step forward, quickly closing in the gap between him and Will. Realizing that he had claimed the Ranger as his prey, the others fell back, lowering their weapons to watch what their compatriot did.
Will seemed to pause, with a flash of recognition in his eyes. But from where Gilan was tied, it didn't seem as if he recognized the attacker but something else. Straightening, Will looked over the heads of the bandits, able to do so because of the raised position of the cliff. He looked directly to Gilan, their eyes connecting for a frozen moment.
Gilan realized what he was going to do, seconds before Will did it.
Bow broken. Surrounded. Back to a cliff. Confronted by a battleaxe. Two knives.
"WILL, NO!" Gilan screamed. But for some reason, his body was frozen still, and he didn't fight his bonds any longer.
Not as Will stretched his arms out to either side, a blade held in each hand. He looked back to the axman, staring at him defiantly.
He fell backwards, letting his feet slip off the ground, going into a freefall.
Off the cliff.
To Gilan, the world froze.
The people who had been attacking Will broke out into fits of laughter, falling against each other as the axman angrily swung his weapon into the ground. The few bandits around Gilan tutted, as if disappointed. Gil sat there, staring at the spot where he had last seen his friend.
"Oh, come on, Gilan," a voice said from behind, "Will is not that good of an actor."
Halt stepped out from the shadows behind him, dropping the handkerchief that had been covering his face. One by one, other bandits dropped the hoods and handkerchiefs, revealing familiar faces beneath all of them. The axman dropped his, revealing Rodney still trying to catch his breath from how hard he had been laughing, clutching his gut. Beside him, one of the men that had held a large broadsword dropped their face-coverings as well, revealing the Baron of Redmont, Arald.
Alyss appeared beside him, as well as Jenny standing beside her, and a few villagers from Wensley.
"But . . ." Gilan trailed off as someone started undoing his bonds, "but . . . Will," he tried to say, pointing forwards to the cliff.
"That's just a small gully," Alyss said, loosening her hair from a tie.
Will's head popped up where he had fallen down, a wide, mischievous grin spread across it. Someone apparently vaulted him up there, because he scrabbled up the side, and bent down to help the person up.
Horace.
"I'm . . ." Gilan once again trailed off, but upon seeing Will alive and okay, it began to sink into him that it was a prank. He stood up, rubbing his thumbs.
"Confused?" Halt said, shaking his head. "Those two told me about the lesson you gave them so long ago, and they thought it would be fun to get back at you."
"But . . ." Realizing what had happened, Gil took a moment, looking at his feet to help piece things together. Will was alive. It was a prank. Practically the entire Redmont fief was in on it.
Suddenly, he felt just a little angry.
"But he fell off a damn cliff!" Gilan snapped, gesturing to the approaching boys. Horace had an arm around Will's shoulders, laughing at something he said while they made their way through the crowd of people. Rodney and Arald stopped them, as well as a few others, before they even made it away from the cliff.
"It was a gully," Will repeated as they approached, "like a trust fall."
Gilan paused. "Right," he said, brushing his hands on his pants, "sure. A trust fall. With your boyfriend, right?" Gilan said, smiling smugly.
Will's eyes widened. Horace's eyes widened.
"I knew it," Jenny cried out, snatching onto Alyss' arm and shaking it. "I knew it!"
