A/N: Hey everyone! I hope you all are doing well! I'm really sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out. Life seems to be conspiring against me lately and I've not had much time to indulge in my hobbies. I really do hope to get the next chapter out faster than this, though. Thanks so much for your patience and thanks for reading!
RangerPippin: Goodness, that's so kind of you to say. :3 Thanks so much for the compliments and encouragement it means so much to hear. I really am sorry for the wait; I hope I didn't make you too frantic with all my delays. It's been fun exploring new dynamics while keeping in touch with the old ones, and I've been having a lot of fun exploring and writing each of the different subplots. Longing was one of my bigger themes in this too, so I'm really happy to hear it's all come across well. Thanks again for the review! It made my day to read.
TrustTheCloak: I've been looking forward to reuniting Halt with all his friends/family and reestablishing all those relationships has been very fun to explore. I agree that every now and then there needs to be a little bit of breathing room, it helps you explore characters, growth, and relationships a little better. The answer to that question is coming up in this arc so I hope it proves satisfactory. Glad I could help! Your review made my day a lot brighter too. Thanks so much!
EbonyandTug: Sorry for making you cry! But I'm really glad to hear that you liked it. Yeah, Gil has not had the best time in this timeline. This chapter arc will most probably answer that question. Thanks so much for the review!
Oceanera12: Gilan's in a bit of a tricky spot since he doesn't have all his old memories and does indeed have this timeline's memories of his family. It's going to look pretty interesting and there may be a few rough patches here and there because of it. As for Will and Horace... well, I'll get to how much they remember... or don't remember soon XD Thanks so much for the encouragement and for your patience, it means a lot.
Jammeke: Awww thanks so much! I'm really glad that you liked it. I really love the bond between Gilan and Halt too and I also wish it was explored more in the books. I'm super excited that I'm able to have them together again, their dynamic is very fun to work with. Thanks so much for the compliment and review! I really appreciate it.
KingTritium: Thanks so much for the review! And thanks so much for taking the time to critique my writing. I enjoyed/appreciated reading your thoughts and suggestions. As for the first part: not to worry, I have done this head-hopping intentionally. Whenever I write for a fandom, I intentionally try to mimic the style of the original author as much as I can (my own style sometimes shows itself a little overmuch, but I do try), just as I try to keep characters as in character as I can, and be accurate as to the history and world itself as I can. I thought that, even though head-hopping could potentially jar people out of the narrative, if I wrote in a completely different style than what Ranger's Apprentice is, I might jar readers out of the world itself? I've even often phrased and described things much differently than I myself would have done for that reason. When I'm doing my own works, I keep my style limited to my own only, which is not all that influenced by John Fanagan's (although I do love his books and often enjoy his style). XD As an avid history nerd who is fascinated with weapon and armor development and use throughout history, I appreciate your pointing out how worthless knives (and a lack of armor) would be, historically, against weapons like spears, maces, and clubs and armored opponents. I promise I was not intimating that Pauline was fighting successfully against the more heavily armored and armed Wargals and heroicly/magically holding the line, rather that she was retreating to desperately avoid them and staying mostly behind that established defensive line. And the only reason she survived, as I wrote it, was that the people better equipped to deal with the Wargals: Gilan, and the knights who had been towards the front, saw the problem and came to her, and the other beleaguered soldiers', aid just in time. What she did do: find an opening when an opponent was distracted by something else and then quickly move back behind those actually holding the line, avoid a club strike by rolling out of the way, and throwing a knife precisely, is something that I believe a Courier could do (they're supposed to be experts in knife skills after all and trained at least a little in combat). But since it didn't come across that way, I realized that there was obviously a break in my thoughts/visualization and my actual writing and that I should have been more clear. I have edited the spot to fix the issue. Hope it reads better now! XD Again, thanks so much for taking the time to help me out/improve my craft. I very much appreciate it! (Thanks for the book suggestions too! I love reading and learning from other authors. I'm an avid reader, and RA is only one of many, many favorites after all X). Sorry for the novel X3
Also: special thanks to Gerbilfriend and Ranger-of-the-shadows.
Chapter 19: Highcliff Fief Part I
~x~X~x~
Will crawled out of the low shelter that he and Horace had erected a few days previous and grumbled to himself as he had to get his hands and knees wet on the snow outside the opening when it melted with his body heat. Maybe, he thought tiredly, if he were to place a pine bough before the tent opening, he'd save himself the trouble of having wet knees. He'd have to search for one later, he decided.
Sighing, he straightened and stretched, wishing idly that he could have a hot meal—or even a hot cup of coffee. He had developed quite a fondness for the bitter drink over the months he been with Horace and Gilan. It had gotten to the point where its absence, when mixed with the constant chill in the air and lack of hot food, had become almost painfully noticeable. Because it was too risky to light a fire, it had been several days of cold hard rations, mixed with cold hard weather, constant vigilance, and worry. Needless to say, his first visit to Morgarath's lands hadn't been a pleasant one. But he hadn't really expected otherwise. Morgarath's name was one of infamy, terror, and fearfully whispered legend. Apart from that, it was Morgarath's war that had killed his family and reduced the kingdom to its current state. So, it really wasn't surprising that a visit to his lands would be just as terrible.
Rubbing some life back into his cold arms, he moved out of their camp to the low ridge that overlooked both the camp and the surrounding area. He knew he'd find Horace there on watch. Sure enough, the bigger boy was sitting at the top of the ridge, concealed by some boulders and foliage.
"Anything?" Will asked as he drew near. He was, admittedly, a little miffed that Horace hadn't startled when he'd appeared. But, then again, he hadn't been all the quiet emerging from his tent, and he hadn't really been trying to conceal his approach. As Will thought about it, he realized he probably should be grateful that Horace was alert and vigilant enough not to be startled this time—especially considering that he was supposed to be on watch.
"No, nothing. It's been quiet." Horace responded, taking the opportunity to stretch his cramped muscles a little.
Will felt a mix of relief and disappointment at that: relief that Horace had spotted no potential enemies, disappointment that there was still no sign of Gilan.
"Gil should have been back by now, shouldn't he have?" Will asked quietly.
Horace shrugged, looking worried. Neither wanted to voice their worries aloud on the superstition that saying it would only make it true. They didn't need to say it though, to know that the other was thinking it.
Will's posture slumped a little in resigned worry. "I guess I'll go scout the area again," he said finally. It had been his custom to do so every morning since they'd come after all.
Horace nodded as he rose to his feet. "Would you mind if I go with you? I could use a change of scenery."
Will was about to protest, but then shrugged. They didn't especially need stealth on a small scouting trip around the immediate area, and he would be glad of the company.
"Just so long as you don't sound as loud as twenty herds of elephants this time," he jibed, beckoning Horace to follow.
Horace looked genuinely confused as he followed after. "How would you know what one elephant sounds like, let alone twenty herds?" he asked finally.
Will stopped short, fumbling for an answer for a moment. Horace had a point. Will had never seen an elephant before.
"Well… all you really need to know is that they're big and loud, like you."
Horace nodded understanding then asked, "but, what if they're not?"
"Not what?"
"Not loud. What if they're like big cats and are silent?"
Will regarded him for a long moment—unable to tell if Horace was having a go at him or if he was genuinely serious. But Horace's guileless eyes gave nothing away. Will floundered momentarily.
"Well, I doubt it'd be an expression if they were silent... And besides that, you definitely aren't!" He said finally, striding off into the woods and leaving Horace to catch up—which inevitably made him move more loudly in his haste until they were again side by side.
They had only gone about a kilometer to the south before Will held up a hand. He thought he'd heard something faint, yet decidedly out of place. Horace stopped immediately, hand reaching for his sword hilt. They both listened tensely. It wasn't long before they heard it again, this time much clearer than before. It was an unpleasant chanting sound that had become uncomfortably familiar over the past few days they had been hiding here. Will saw Horace pale at the same time he felt the blood drain from his own face.
"Wargals," he whispered unnecessarily, gesturing for them to find cover.
They knew well what to do, settling into a long-practiced routine. They carefully lowered themselves behind cover, Horace laying still and face down, while Will crept forwards a little to watch, face shadowed by his grey cloak. They weren't a moment too soon. A column of Wargals appeared about a kilometer away from where they hid. They were, thankfully, heading in a direction that would take them parallel to their hidden camp rather than through it.
This party was small and much like the others they had seen. But that was only up to a point. Unlike the other groups, this one was led by a mounted human commander. Despite the frequency with which this had happened over the past few days, Will hadn't become accustomed or numb to it. Each time he saw the creatures he was filled with a sick terror as his heartbeat raced. It was the same this time; he only relaxed as soon as they were out of sight and well away from their position. Will let out his breath in a quiet huff of air before he whispered the all-clear to Horace.
"That makes four parties so far," Horace said, fear and resignation hanging heavy in his words.
Will nodded, looking out towards the direction the Wargals had gone, despite no longer being able to see them.
The two of them finished their scouting loop around their camp fairly quickly after that. Quicker still since Will found himself lost in thoughts over a question that had been troubling him for a while—as soon as the terror of the Wargals had eased enough for him to think clearly again.
"Have you ever thought about what you'll do when all this is over?" he blurted suddenly.
Horace seemed surprised by the sudden and seemingly out of the blue question before his face took on a contemplative look. "Do you mean after this mission, or do you mean when winter is over?" he finally asked.
"I guess the last one," Will said, shrugging uncomfortably.
Horace was quiet for a moment before he finally answered, voice a little hesitant. "I suppose I was thinking about maybe trying to join a Battleschool and try for knighthood again. If I say nothing about my already having been dropped from Battleschool, I could join with you." He took a breath. "It still seems… dishonest to do that. But, then again, there wouldn't be much hope for knighthood in just joining a garrison."
He was right about that. And Will knew that it was indeed possible now for both of them to be able to enlist together. Because of that run-in with the Outsiders, they had enough money to apply to one of the Kingdom's Battleschools despite not being of noble birth. Will could finally start working towards his lifelong dream of becoming a knight. And, if he and Horace applied together, neither of them would be alone. They'd both have a friend to rely on, which was already a step up from what Horace had gone through before, and did a lot for soothing Will's own reservations about Battlecshool.
Better still, Gilan had told him that he'd help them pick one of the better ones… But therein lay the problem that was troubling Will, because Gilan had also offered Will a different suggestion: to head up north where the King was based and try to apply to Crowley about becoming a Ranger.
"What about you?" Horace asked when the silence had carried on a touch too long to be comfortable.
"I was thinking the same…" Will trailed off.
"But?" Horace asked, hearing the uncertainty in his words.
"But I'm not so sure anymore. For as long as I can remember I wanted to be a knight. But, ever since all of this," he gestured around vaguely at their surroundings, "after everything we've been doing and learning, I'm not exactly as sure as I was. And Gilan mentioned something about applying to be a Ranger. He said I have the skills for it and he said that Rangers live more like this—like how we are living now. I'm just not as sure as I was before…" he trailed again, gnawing on his lip thoughtfully.
But Horace nodded understanding, knowing what Will meant even if he couldn't say it. The way they were living now wasn't easy, and it wasn't always comfortable. It often meant risk and going without. But, somehow, as the months had passed, stretching and blending into one another, it had started to feel like... home. And to two people who had never truly experienced that before, the feeling was as strange, warm, and welcoming as it was terrifying to lose again.
"And there is always this," Horace pointed out, "the option of just continuing on as we are with Gilan. It's not a bad way to live and we're doing a lot of what knights do after all. And I'm learning a lot, more than I ever learned in Battleschool if I'm being honest. Gilan really is a master swordsman, probably one of the best I've seen."
Will was about to open his mouth to reply something in kind when he stopped suddenly. For the second time that day he could feel that something wasn't right. As they'd talked, they had been drawing nearer to their camp and were just about to crest the ridge that overlooked it. Horace had stopped when Will did and, as soon as they both had frozen in place and fallen silent, Will became aware of what it was that had seemed so out of place. There were low voices coming from their camp.
He was a little too far to make out the words of the one speaking, but he did know that it wasn't a voice he recognized—and neither was its accent. Silently, hearts pounding, both he and Horace moved forward, trying to see who had found, or stumbled upon, their camp. Then Will relaxed as he heard another voice answer the first. It was Gilan.
"Gil's back," Horace whispered happily and Will nodded. Both gave up their stealthy crouches and moved forward more obviously, hardly unable to contain their relief and excitement. As they moved forward, the voices grew clearer, even though they still couldn't see Gilan and the other person yet.
"That's Blaze," the unknown person's low accented voice said. The words were tinged with incredulity, accusation and the barest edge of surprise. "How on earth did you manage to get Blaze?"
"I don't know. I just found her one day in the woods when I was younger—" Gilan's voice came in reply before it turned suddenly thoughtful, "Or maybe she found me." There was a small pause before he added almost wonderingly, "you don't suppose animals remember, do you?"
Will and Horace were close enough to see them now. Gilan was standing near his horse and another, shorter, man.
"I have no idea," the other man put in, "but Ranger horses don't just wander off. Suppose Abelard and Tug…" he trailed, both he and Gilan turning swiftly in Will and Horace's direction just moments before both boys burst through the brush, and before he even had the chance to finish framing his thoughts.
"Gilan!" Will said, grinning as he dashed forward to meet him.
"You're back!" Horace said at almost the same time, not more than a few steps behind.
Gilan embraced both of them before Will pulled back, bursting with curiosity.
"Did you find the Ranger? Is that him? Did you manage to get the information your contact needed?" Will asked all at once.
"Yes, yes, and sort of?" Gilan answered the questions succinctly, well used to Will's rapid-fire questions by now.
But Will barely heard him. He was too busy taking a better, if not slightly wary, look at the other man in question. He was, as Will had noted, shorter than Gilan, but obviously older than him. Neither of those facts seemed to diminish his presence though. He was grizzled, grim, and, though he wasn't a large man, he gave off an almost intimidating impression of capability. Despite not having the traditional mottled cloak that most Rangers wore, he held himself like one.
Will could tell by the way Horace was sizing him up that he could also read the air of competence and readiness the man gave off. He would be a handful in a fight. Truth be told, he made Will a little nervous. Gilan had tried to tell him many times before that the commoners' notion that Rangers were dark magicians was false. But an idea that had been believed for such a long time was never that easy to let go of completely. Especially not when this man seemed to fit the picture of those dark secretive and grim Rangers that the villagers often whispered of so perfectly.
All the same… there was something about him that Will couldn't quite put his finger on… his thoughts were interrupted as the strange man spoke.
"Finished staring?" he asked mildly, his dry tone seeming to fit perfectly with the overall impression he gave off.
Will flinched, his face reddening with embarrassment. He glanced at Horace to see that he was also a little shamefaced and seemed on the verge of stuttering out some apology before Gilan cheerfully interrupted the little tableau.
"Will, Horace, I want you to meet someone. This is Halt, my former mentor, and a former Ranger."
"You mean like one of the ones that were banished at the start of the war?" Horace asked, picking up on the last piece of information.
Will, however, had focused on the first part. He shot a triumphant look towards Horace as his earlier guess of Gilan having once been apprenticed to a Ranger was seemingly proven correct.
"So you finally remembered him?" Will said excitedly, not missing the sudden surprised and startled look that the two men shared.
"Remembered?" Gilan asked finally carefully.
Will nodded, warming to his theme. "You've been teaching us, well mostly me, Ranger skills, but you said you didn't remember where you learned them. Horace and I thought you might have had a Ranger for a teacher once, and then got amnesia or something."
Understanding dawned in Gilan's eyes. It was an understanding that seemed almost a mirror to the look in the grim former Ranger's eyes—although, his also held a look of something else just beneath the surface. Sadness or disappointment, Will finally decided before looking back at Gilan when he spoke.
"It was actually the other way around. Halt moved to Gallica when he was banished. While he was there, he ended up getting amnesia after suffering through a head injury in a battle. When he trained me, he had no idea he was teaching me Ranger skills—I didn't know either. Apparently, he only just remembered who he really was and, as soon as he did, he came back to Araluen."
It wasn't exactly what Will had predicted or expected, but it made a lot of sense and answered nearly all of the questions that hadn't fit with their theory—well, all of them except for the question as to why Gilan hadn't become a knight. Before he could think of a way to ask, Gilan spoke again.
"I'm sure we all have a lot of catching up to do; we can do it over the noon meal. Halt and I haven't eaten yet."
Horace brightened considerably at the suggestion and moved quickly to break out some of their supplies. Will shook his head fondly at his friend. Food never seemed to be far from his mind. Will was personally more interested in satisfying his curiosity over Gilan's trip and his former mentor, but he'd be lying if he claimed that the thought of food didn't appeal to him as well.
~x~X~x~
An hour later found them seated in a rough circle, sharing out the provisions and catching up. Halt was content enough to let Gilan do most of the talking; only partially resisting the urge to shoot glares and sarcastic comments at Gilan's far too excited and cheerful description of their harrowing and narrow escape. He wasn't, however, quite able to resist the urge of sneaking glances at Will who, like Horace, was listening with wide-eyed fascination to the tale. He hadn't seen Will in what felt like ages but knew that those incommensurate stolen glances were the best he could do. There would be no comfortable ease of making up for lost time when Will didn't know him. He felt his expression growing noticeably more grim and was quick to equate it, in his mind, to the rather lacking quality of Gilan's storytelling—it was easier that way.
When Gilan had finished, Will and Horace were quick to fill the silence with a recounting of their own experiences guarding the camp and of the disturbing number of Wargal parties that they had seen making their way northwest. Halt exchanged a concerned glance with Gilan. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see how intently Will was looking at them. Obviously, he'd noticed their concerned glance and was already trying to puzzle out the reason behind it. Halt couldn't help but feel a measure of approval at the sight: approval and relief that this Will was as observant and curious as he had been in the other time. From what Gilan had told him of what he learned, or in some cases surmised, about Will's past, he easily could have lost that spark curiosity and passion for life. But he had not, and he was just as quick to put two and two together as he always had been. Sure enough, Will shifted a little uncomfortably before he ventured to ask them what was wrong.
Halt nodded once at him before launching into an explanation of everything he'd seen and heard while trapped on the mountains. When Halt had finished, silence descended on the camp as they all considered the implications of it all.
"So Morgarath is going to try and launch his invasion through Highcliff Fief? Are you sure?" Horace asked finally, his voice cracking with a mix or worry and incredulity.
"That's the problem, I don't know for sure. I wasn't close enough to hear the conversation fully. But, as best as I can guess, I think he might be. Either way, it's something to look into." Halt said grimly.
Will brightened substantially as a thought struck him. "It makes a lot of sense if you think about it. Remember Morgarath's deal with the Outsiders? If he invaded Highcliff and continued north from there, he'd have an easy time of it, what with the Outsiders providing support along the way."
Halt nodded approvingly at Will. He remembered thinking much the same when Gilan had told him of the incident with the Outsiders on their way over. If it was true, it was something they needed to stop, and quickly. He turned to his first apprentice.
"You used to live in Highcliff, didn't you?" he asked suddenly.
He didn't miss the nearly imperceptible flinch he received in answer before Gilan eventually nodded, eyes slightly narrowed and expression uncharacteristically closed off and grim. He also didn't miss the twin expressions of surprise on Will and Horace's young faces at that news. Halt didn't comment on that however and merely pressed on with his question.
"Do you know of any place, most likely near the southern border, where there might be anything like I thought I overheard: fen-lands and watchtowers?"
"We didn't have the resources to build an actual wall between the King's land and Morgarath's, but there are many small garrisons and outposts along the border in Highcliff where the troops keep constant watch," Gilan admitted after a pause. He seemed to think back before a brightened a little. "There aren't too many fenlands in Highcliff fief, and I can only think of one near the border." Gilan rummaged around in his pack before withdrawing and then spreading out a worn map that showed Highcliff and the Fiefs that bordered it. He indicated a spot, tapping idly at it with a forefinger. Everyone bent forward to take a closer look.
"You mean to scout that area and find out?" Will asked hesitantly, looking up from the map and Halt nodded.
"There might be a little bit of a problem there," Horace said suddenly, a smile growing on his face. "Gil doesn't ever travel to Highcliff Fief. He thinks he's too handsome and smart."
Halt raised an eyebrow and Will moved quickly to answer the silently scathing and unasked question, also grinning. Halt got the distinct impression, knowing the three as he did, that Will and Horace were probably currently unable to pass up an opportunity to get Gilan back a little for some previous prank or joke.
"According to Gilan, there's a horrible beast that wanders the fief. And, apparently, it only eats good looking and intelligent people."
"Is that so?" Halt asked blankly, giving Gilan a look that could wilt flowers. "Well, if my old apprentice is that standard, then I'm surprised that any horse in that fief is still left with a backside."
He'd said it completely deadpan, without an ounce of humor in his words, but Will and Horace couldn't stop themselves from snickering, and then quickly, and unsuccessfully, trying to hide it. Gilan merly smiled winningly at his former mentor.
"The good thing is that neither I nor my horse will have to worry if Halt comes with us. One look at his face ought to be enough to scare the beast off for good."
"Oh, really, Gilan?" Halt asked, un-amused before his lips pulled back faintly in a smile that was decidedly wolfish and even a little terrifying. "Perhaps I should just stay behind and leave you to it then. I could use the peace and quiet."
"Halt, you wouldn't do that to me!" Gilan protested, eyes laughing despite his ability to say it with a straight face.
But the flat look on Halt's face seemed to say plainly that he would. And Will decided it might be better for Gilan's heath for him to, as the villagers of Bawtry often liked to say, 'stop poking the bear'.
~x~X~x~
Only about a day and a half later, Halt, Gilan, Horace, and Will found themselves overlooking two watchtowers on Highcliff's border from the cover of a nearby rise. They'd been silently observing the spot for several hours and were watching the changing of the guard.
"What do you see?" Gilan asked, voice quiet.
"That it doesn't make sense," Horace said. Then, when he saw their questioning faces he made an uncertain gesture and elaborated. "Their watch rotations overlap for a moment; if they wanted the area to be guarded at all times, they should have staggered the timing a little, is all," Horace said.
Both Gilan and Halt nodded approval.
"Exactly," Halt said, then turned to Gilan. "Seems you did teach them something useful after all."
"Horace knows what he's about—Will too usually. Besides, I'm more than a pretty face, you know."
"Seeing as you haven't been eaten by that beast of yours yet, I'm not so sure you're as pretty as you think you are."
Gilan smiled and opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted when Will suddenly shook his shoulder and pointed.
"Look," he said urgently, pointing two-thirds of the way between the tree line and the open ground behind the towers.
Four dark shapes were making their way across the ground in the unsettling loping stride that Wargals had. As the four of them watched, the dark shapes below disappeared into the shadows of the trees, heading north.
"You said that the fens are to the north," Will whispered. "Do you think that's where they're going?"
"That would be my guess," Halt said back just a softly. "It'd make a decent rally point."
He turned again to Gilan. "What would you say to following those four and seeing what's what?"
"I thought you'd never ask," Gilan replied, already starting to move back.
"Keep to the trees and make sure not to approach too closely until the moon has set; there isn't good cloud cover tonight. And make sure to cover your tracks," Halt started before stopping himself when he caught sight of Gilan's tolerant smile. "But you know all that already," he said ruefully.
Gilan merely shrugged, still smiling. "I had a good teacher."
"Meet back at camp," Halt said and Gilan nodded understanding before making ready to set off.
He was final checking his supplies when Will approached him and cleared his throat softly.
"Do you want any company?"
Gilan hesitated a moment, unwilling to hurt Will's feelings. "It'd probably be best if I handled this one alone, Will."
Will wasn't quite able to hide his disappointment—despite the fact he likely suspected he'd get that answer.
"Battles and serious situations aren't always the best places to learn and practice on," Gilan said. Will nodded reluctantly, knowing he was right. Gilan laid a hand on Will's shoulder. "You'll get a chance soon enough. Stick with Halt for now. And if you're interested in learning something new, watch him; you couldn't ask for a better teacher."
"What about you?" Will asked, a little taken aback.
"He's better than me," Gilan said simply.
"Better than you?" Will asked skeptically and was surprised when Gilan nodded seriously.
"He's probably the best in the entire Ranger Corps."
With that, Gilan was ready to leave, and bid them all farewell before moving off. As soon as he had faded out of sight, Halt signaled the two boys to follow him.
~x~X~x~
Halt glanced towards where Will lay sleeping from where he sat on watch, and could not quite suppress the ghost of a smile from crossing his face at the sight. Despite having seen it innumerable times over the past few days, its effects had yet to lessen. Will was safe. But, more than that, he seemed happy and healthy—which was honestly more than he had ever dared to hope for. He also seemed much like how he had in that other time. Young Horace also seemed alright from what he could tell—even though he hadn't known the young knight apprentice as well as he'd known Will. Even he couldn't deny that it seemed fitting, that they had somehow managed to become as fast of friends in this time as they had been in the other. Again, it was more than he had dared to hope for.
Still, he could not help but frown inwardly. Neither boy had had an easy time of it and already it showed in subtle and sometimes more obvious ways during the short time they'd been together. The most noticeable of which was the fact that Will seemed to be giving him a marginally wide berth, Horace too. It was painfully obvious that neither boy trusted him much if at all. He sighed, knowing that there was nothing for it but to be patient and start back at the beginning. Nothing about this was going to be easy.
He resisted the urge to rub at his temples. That wasn't the only troubling thing wearing on his mind. Halt was pretty sure that Gilan was hiding something from him, that something was a little… off, he supposed. His mind flew back to a conversation that they'd had on their way to meet up with Horace and Will that had troubled him. After they had invented a cover story, Halt had moved on to discussing potential first steps to try and right the sorry state of the kingdom.
"As we are now, we don't have the authority or position to affect real change in the kingdom, and that's something we'll need. But if we run into Crowley again, I'm certain well both be able to join the Corps in this time. With the shortage of well-trained Rangers, he'd probably be more than happy to have us," Halt remembered saying.
"If Crowley knew who I was, I doubt he'd want me—shortage of Rangers or no." Gilan had replied after a pause, as nonchalantly as if he'd been commenting on the weather.
Halt had been a little taken aback by that answer and had turned sharply to his student. "You can't be blamed for not being there in this time, or so you told me," he pointed out with devastating logic.
But Gilan had shaken his head in a negative gesture. "I didn't mean me from the other time."
Gilan hadn't elaborated further than that, and something had distracted them from that particular conversation, leaving it unfinished. The more Halt thought about it, the more it unsettled him.
He was still puzzling over it when he caught a motion in his periphery. He turned in time to see the former apprentice in question materialize before his eyes at the edge of the clearing. He loosened his grip on his bow, releasing the tension in the string.
"I really hope that, when you surveyed the Wargals, you showed a little more skill than that—or rather didn't show at all," Halt said dryly.
"I wasn't trying to sneak up unannounced," Gilan grinned. "I remember what you're like, and I wasn't particularly keen on getting accidentally shot so early in the morning."
Halt shook his head. "What did you find out?"
"It isn't good, Halt. There are about one hundred Wargals, maybe more, camped out near the fenlands, several human commanders too. I also managed to overhear that this was only about half of the force they are amassing. Highcliff has a fairly large standing garrison due to its position on the border, but they're probably already outnumbered—that is, if things stayed how I left them anyway. And there's no reason to think they wouldn't have."
Halt nodded grimly as he digested this information. "And nobody saw you?" he asked, an old habit he couldn't stop even though he was certain that his former student wouldn't have made a novice mistake like that—and that he would already have told Halt if he had. Sure enough, Gilan confirmed his thoughts.
"No," Gilan said seriously before he smiled. "In fact, now that I've gotten my memories back, I've become so good at unseen movement that I couldn't even see myself."
Aside from shooting his apprentice a withering glare, Halt decided to ignore him in favor of focusing on what was important.
"So, it's safe to assume that Highcliff is going to be the place where Morgarath is planning to launch a full-scale invasion from," Halt mused. "And based on what you, Will, and Horace told me about the Outsiders, it could be a devastating first strike." Halt thought for a minute, puzzling out what their next move should be. "Outnumbered or no, we should first try to alert the Baron of Highcliff and the knights. But we need to do it in a way that the warning won't be ignored. After all," Halt added harkening to their earlier conversation, "we still don't have authority or notoriety we had in that other time."
Gilan nodded agreement. It was an uncomfortable truth, and already it was proving to be an unfortunate obstacle.
"And it occurs to me that we have the connections to do that at our disposal." Halt said then, coming to a decision.
Gilan looked up at him then, his eyes questioning.
"Your father," Halt said, "he's the Battlemaster of the fief that's about to be attacked after all. He's also close to the King which, if played right, can allow us a way in. That's something we'll need to fix all this."
Gilan nodded at the wisdom of this but Halt saw in him a trace of that foreign and uncharacteristic hardness that he had seen before.
"You'd have to be the one to make and bridge connections since I'm unknown in this time." He paused then and added more softly, "It won't be a problem, will it?"
He knew that the subject was touchy and the last thing he wanted was to hurt the young Ranger, but it had to be said. Gilan got to his feet and moved a few paces away. There was a long uncomfortable moment of silence before he finally spoke.
"My father and I haven't spoken in years," he admitted, his voice a little tight.
Halt got to his feet too and hesitated a moment before he placed a reassuring hand on his former apprentice's shoulder. Gilan was tense. The muscles of his shoulder and arm had jumped in a minute flinch at the initial unexpected contact before Halt felt him relax into the touch. This was the first time that Gilan had spoken frankly about the situation that Halt suspected existed between him and his father.
"How bad?" Halt asked finally.
Gilan looked sidelong at him, meeting his steady gaze and smiling ruefully.
"Pretty bad," he said finally. Then he squared his shoulders. "But compared to the scale of everything going on…" he laughed softly. "It won't be easy, but I should be able to make connections."
"Then let's get together a plan," Halt said, giving his former apprentice a nod of approval.
"One thing," Gilan ventured, his voice quiet, not meeting Halt's eyes, and looking suddenly very much like an apprentice again under his old mentor's scrutiny. "This plan needs to involve a certain amount of stealth; I can't just go knocking at the castle gates and ask to visit with my father."
Halt looked sharply up at him, a question in his glance. Gilan saw it but didn't answer right away.
"Why's that?" Halt asked finally, blankly, unable to completely hide the note of suspicion in his words. There was an unsettling sort of feeling starting to grow in his chest.
Gilan let out his breath in a short wry laugh, before looking up to face his mentor fully. "It's because I've been told, in no uncertain terms, that I'm never to set foot in Highcliff Fief again," he admitted finally. His tone and the small smile on his face seemed to be an attempt at making light of the matter, but it didn't wholly succeed. Halt knew him too well, even if it was not in this time, to buy it completely.
A/N: Thanks again for reading! I hope you all have an awesome day! Reviews make me very happy if you're of a mind to leave one! As usual, constructive criticism is valued. I'm always looking to improve. So, for those of you who have been wondering about Gilan's past, we have finally made it to the arc that should explain it. Next chapter he'll meet again with Sir David and I'm actually quite looking forward to writing it—as well as finally bringing everyone together for the main conflict. Things should probably be moving a little faster after this arc. Anyhow, thanks again! I wish you all the very best!
Until next time!