AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Hello again! The positive response received from the previous chapter was heartwarming! Thanks to all the readers out there, and to lovesgod12, FirstFandomFangirl, Kairocksrainbow, Naruby7, and TitaniumMasterofAquaLightning for commenting!

Today's chapter is a bit longer than my usual chapter of 1000-1500 words. I didn't plan it that way, but perhaps it will make up for the fact that I'm going to take a short break from writing this story, so the next installment will be in two Mondays from now.

In this chapter, I gave Zane a new last name than the two I've usually seen given to him. He couldn't have the surname of Julien because in this story, he's not related to the town doctor. I've seen the surname of Roberts given to him, too, but I decided to go a different route. I believe I selected one that suits him well, and I hope you do, too.

Relating to Zane, I included a brief flashback to Chapter 24 of The Fire Within a Ninjago Cowboy.

This chapter introduces a few new OCs, mainly cowboys from the Double S Ranch who are friends with the Garmadon Ranch hands. They all are going to war together, so the OCs will appear in future chapters.

So, without further ado…


Chapter 14 - The Soldiers Depart

Kai was the third ranch hand to arrive at the tailor shop. He saw that Zane was sitting on the porch railing. Cole was leaning against a porch pillar. Miss Gayle and Misako Julien sat on plain wooden chairs temporarily located to the porch from the inside of the shop, and Kai tipped his hat to the ladies.

Mr. Wu stood up straight in the center of them all, his arms folded across his chest. The older man with the weathered skin and the white beard was shorter than his male employees, but his piercing blue eyes and his tough-as-nails demeanor commanded respect. He nodded to Kai in acknowledgment of the brown-haired cowboy's arrival.

"Sam taking it hard?" Cole asked Kai as the new arrival stepped on to the tailor shop porch.

"Yep. Brooke, too?"

"Mmm-hmm."

Jay rushed up to them.

"Sorry for being a little late," he apologized, tipping his hat to the ladies. "Nya was pretty emotional. Fortunately Sam walked by and could take her to the hotel."

"That was good," Mr. Wu stated as he unfolded his arms and rested his hands on his hips. "Listen, boys, I want to tell you something before you vamoose. You all are the best ranch hands in the county, and I'm proud to call you my employees. And I'm proud of you for answering the call to defend the freedom of Ninjago, so that future generations" - he gestured toward future father Jay - "can enjoy the same high quality of life that we enjoy now."

"And there's one more thing that I'm proud of." The ranch owner cleared his throat. "Boys, I'm proud to consider you all to be my honorary sons."

"So do the Garmadon Ranch proud and whup some Purples!" he concluded with a grin.

Mr. Wu's admonition was greeted with enthusiastic responses from his honorary sons as each of them went up to their boss and shook his hand vigorously.

Miss Gayle and Mrs. Julien stood up to give out hugs.

"I'm so glad I got to see you all before you left," Mrs. Julien exclaimed. "I've been so busy helping Doc process all the last-minute medical examinations, and we didn't get finished until a few minutes ago!" she explained, speaking of the overloaded morning schedule of her physician husband, who she had just recently married. "Good luck to you all!"

"Adh mor," Miss Gayle told them, wishing them good luck in the language of the faraway land of her birth. "Get those sleeveens!"

And please come back home, she silently implored them.

The cowboys stepped off the porch of the tailor shop. One last wave of goodbye, and then they walked to the livery stable.


Sam and Nya found Brooke at the hotel. Brooke's eyes looked as bleary as Nya's. Sam had no doubt her own eyes looked bleary, too. She felt drained of energy and just wanted to take a nap. The carriage ride on the way back to Garmadon Ranch, however, would likely be the only opportunity to nap today. Once they returned to the the ranch, Mr. Wu and Sam, Nya, and Brooke were planning to switch from the carriage to the wagon and visit each ladies' cottage to pick up their essential belongings, for all three wives had decided that they would live at the main house while their husbands were away at war.

The three young women shared a bench on the hotel porch. It was not long before they were joined by other townsfolk who were looking for a place from which to watch the parade. Two women came and sat on another bench. Sam recognized them as Mrs. Metzger, the wife of the school master, and her daughter Elly, who was a bit younger than Lloyd.

Sam nodded in greeting, and they did likewise, but Sam did not feel like engaging in polite conversation just then, and it did not appear that they were inclined to do so, either, for it appeared that Mrs. Metzger was attempting to console Elly. It dawned on Sam that Elly's beau, Rowan Birk, who was a bank teller that Sam had met during one of her several bank dealings, was probably going to be riding off to war this morning. Sam wondered how Rowan - a thin, mild-mannered young man who seemed more comfortable around books than horses - was going to manage as a cavalryman, but Sam applauded his patriotism.

Miss Gayle and Mrs. Julien soon appeared on the porch. Sam and Brooke gave up their seats on the bench to the older women, as no more seating was to be had at that point.

"Mr. Wu will be collectin' us in the carriage right here after the parade," the housekeeper told the younger ladies.

Mrs. Julien noticed how forlorn the cowboys' wives looked. "I'm going over to my tea shop for a few minutes, but I'll be right back," she informed the others as she stood up and left the hotel porch. She had not opened her shop to the public today due to the necessity of assisting Doc Julien.

The physician's wife returned with a jar of peppermint sticks. "Ordinarily I dissolve these in tea when I want to create a peppermint flavored beverage," she explained as she passed them out, "but obviously they're good all by themselves, and I've learned they have a mood-boosting property to them, too." She also offered some to Elly Metzger and her mother, who gratefully accepted them, as did Mr. Metzger, who had arrived to join his family.

As the hour of ten o'clock approached, the atmosphere among the spectators became more energized. The parade would soon begin.

"The lads be lined up in alphabetical order," Miss Gayle said. "Mr. Wu be hearin' that from Captain Noonan. The captain said there be one hundred and eight enlistin' at Camp Goldland."

Faintly, but then more loudly, the sound of patriotic music could be heard coming down the street. The sitting spectators on the hotel porch stood up to take a look. The music was from the same band that had played on the steps of the bank. Now they were walking down the middle of the street, leading the parade.

Behind the band, two regular army soldiers, who were making the army their career, carried a banner which read, "Company C, 5th Ninjago Volunteer Cavalry Regiment." The crowd cheered as the banner went past. The Garmadon Ranch ladies waved their yellow handkerchiefs.

Captain Noonan followed the banner, sitting tall in his saddle as he rode his magnificent steed. The gray-bearded captain, a military man all his life, cut a swell in his tailored black uniform and hat, both trimmed with yellow accents. He was flanked by his two lieutenants, who looked slightly younger. One carried the Yellow Army flag.

The officers were then followed by the enlistees, riding in a single-file line, all wearing yellow hatbands.

Some men were known by the ladies, some known only by their faces, some not recognized at all.

Sam knew that the men whose last names began with the letter B were passing by when Rowan Birk appeared.

"He looks so handsome!" Elly gushed. "The bank president gave him that horse," she added proudly.

"Rowan!' she shouted out when she saw him, wanting him to look at her one last time.

Unfortunately, Rowan, a novice horseman, was focused on maneuvering his animal and did not hear her, even when she shouted his name again. Sam noticed that Elly was becoming upset, for Rowan at this point was passing the hotel porch.

"Ladies!" Sam quickly spoke to get the attention of her companions. "On the count of three, let's shout Rowan's name. One...two...three!"

"Rowan!" at least a half-dozen women shouted, along with Mr. Metzger.

He heard, looked their way, and smiled at his sweetheart. Elly hugged Sam gratefully after he went by.

"That was actually kind of fun," Brooke admitted. "Let's do some more name shouting!"

So they shouted "Michael!" when their friend Michael Donlan from the Double S Ranch rode by.

And when the F names came along, they got their first opportunity to cheer for a Garmadon Ranch hand. Zane Falk's surname was derived from his ancestral country's word for a falcon and, amazingly, Zane himself possessed incredible eyesight, just like the bird for whom his family was named. His visual ability had made him a natural choice to serve as the lookout for the posse in the search for the kidnapped Kai and Sam last summer. It was to Zane's credit that Kai was able to walk above snakes today. Zane, with the help of his treasured binoculars, had spotted the dead horse in the desert which ultimately alerted the posse to the fact that Kai was in big trouble, and they were then able to save him in time.

"Zane!" the ladies shouted to the platinum-haired cowboy. He smiled and tipped his hat to them as he rode by on his gelding Shard. They waved their yellow squares of cloth at him.

"If we're on the Fs now," Brooke realized, "the Hs are coming soon!" Mrs. Hence stood on her toes and craned her neck to look down the street at the line of riders, trying to spot a familiar horse carrying a familiar rider.

Her search was soon rewarded. Cole and Rocky approached. It appeared Cole was looking for them in the crowd.

"Cole!" they shouted. He lifted his hat and waved it at them.

Brooke suddenly burst through the spectators and ran into the street to walk alongside him. Not being on horseback, she could not keep up the brisk pace for long, but she extended her hand up to him and he briefly held it, leaning down to chivalrously kiss the back of it before letting go and riding off while she slowly turned around and headed back to the hotel porch, wiping her eyes with her yellow handkerchief. Upon her return, Miss Gayle hugged her in consolation.

The line of men continued. Brooke managed to regain her composure.

"Rusty!" they shouted when their friend from the Double S Ranch, Rusty McKanna, went by.

"Robinson!" they shouted when another Double S Ranch friend, Robinson Murphy, passed the hotel.

Sam's heart began to beat faster. The Ss would soon be here.

Sure enough, a familiar chestnut gelding carrying a familiar brown-haired cowboy soon approached.

"Kai!" the ladies shouted. However, the shout of Mrs. Smith came out more like a sob.

Kai spotted them and tipped his hat. For a brief second, his eyes locked with Sam's.

To Sam, her husband looked so handsome and proud as he sat up straight on Flame and rode down Main Street, on the way out of Ninjago Town toward Camp Goldland. Then, all too quickly, he passed by and was gone. That darn lump reappeared in her throat, but she willed herself not to cry. Miss Gayle patted her on the shoulder.

Not far behind Kai was Jay Walker, riding atop Wisp.

"Jay!" they shouted to the remaining Garmadon Ranch hand, prompting him to grab his hat by the brim and sweep it in their direction with a flourish before replacing it on his head. His theatrical action put a smile on Nya's face through her tears.

Some regular army soldiers brought up the rear of the line, commandeering wagons full of supplies.

And then the parade was over.

The Garmadon Ranch ladies remained on the hotel porch while the other spectators, including the Metzgers, departed into the throngs of people that were filling the street in order to return to their daily duties in town, or perhaps return to their homes elsewhere in the county. Misako Julien bid the ladies goodbye before leaving to find her husband. Plenty of seating now was available for the ladies as they waited for Mr. Wu to bring the carriage around. Judging from the amount of people in the street, he would not be coming for quite a while.

He eventually did arrive. The carriage ride home was quiet. Nya napped on Sam's shoulder, but Sam could not fall asleep, though she wanted to.

After a light midday meal back at the ranch, Mr. Wu drove the ladies around to each of the cottages, collecting the two Australian Shepherd dogs and the horses and loading the steamer trunks into the wagon, later unloading them at the main house.

There were five bedrooms upstairs in the main house. Mr. Wu occupied the bedroom at the end of the hallway, farthest away from the stairway. The next two bedrooms, located across the hall from each other, were small in size and meant to accommodate a single occupant. The two remaining bedrooms flanked either side of the upstairs hallway at the point nearest the stairway. One of these bedrooms, which contained a double bed, was the room Nya stayed in for several days last summer before the wedding ceremony, and it was going to serve as her sleeping quarters once again. The fifth bedroom contained two twin beds and was going to be occupied by Brooke and Sam.

As Sam unpacked, she placed the framed wedding photograph of herself and Kai on the table next to her bed. An image of Kai would have to do until she could lay eyes on the real Kai once again.