Chapter 2
While Halt searched through the medical supplies Crowley had brought, the Commandant procured some meat, enough that Will wondered if he and Halt had already planned making their food together. It wasn't impossible after all. Halt studied the meat for a moment, then nodded to Will. "You might as well get back the potatoes from my pack."
"There is some spice in mine, and a bottle of wine," Gilan told him.
"Wine?" Will frowned, Halt almost never drank any wine. Or any alcohol at all for that matter.
"It's for cooking," Gilan gave an easy laugh. "I know Halt has showed you how to make his wine sauce."
"He makes it almost better than I do," Halt nodded.
"Which is why I bring the wine," Gilan smiled. "Because I don't make it better than Halt. I do however not have any shame of whining until he makes it."
"I don't think I have any either," Crowley licked his lips as if he could already taste the dish. "Better bring the wine Will…"
Nodding, Will hurried off. He quickly fioud the bag of flour in his own pack for bread. The potatoes in Halt's and searching through Gilan's he found not only a small bottle of wine but a small wooden box, with many smaller compartments set together in an intricate way. Even without being opened it had a slightly spicy smell to it.
Taking his find he hurried back to the others. Setting them down he glanced to where Halt was busy wrapping Gilan's ankle. Halt had given him first aid lessons, and insisted he practiced the procedure. Telling him that knowing how to treat such an injury in the field was imperative. He knew how to wrap a sprain, but this was the first time he saw it done on someone who actually was injured. Gilan had his teeth clenched together against the pain, while Crowley was offering helpful comments, all of which Halt ignored.
"Don't we have any of that painkiller salve?" Will frowned. Gilan's boots were bigger than his own, he had always thought someone who was as tall would have to have large and clumsy feet, but the older Ranger's feet had nothing clumsy about them at all. Bigger than Will's but slender and almost skinny with the knuckles on the toes standing out in a knobly way. Even with the swelling spreading all over he could tell as much.
"It doesn't really work on this," Crowley was the one who answered. "It's made for open wounds, unless it gets into the blood, it doesn't do a lot of good."
"I could give you a bit of a cut and rub it in, if you don't hold still I very well might," Halt raised his eyes to look at his former apprentice.
"I think I'm good," Gilan muttered through gritted teeth.
"Poppy juice?" Will looked to Crowley. It was not something the Ranger's carried in their wound packs, but Crowley had a larger more well stocked set with him. Surely there was some poppy juice there.
"I got some for when it's needed," Crowley nodded.
"And I don't need it," Gilan gave a shrug and took a deep breath. He seemed to force himself to relax more.
"Poppy juice is a very potent painkiller," Crowley stated, nodding to Will. "But not something to be given lightly, and there are some people for whom it's not really all that suitable. Gilan's one of them."
"I didn't know that," the surgeon in the infirmary at Redmont gave people poppy juice he knew, though he had never been given it himself. If they didn't want to give any to Gilan now, he supposed they had at some point. Even if he didn't know what it meant that it wasn't suitable. Though he supposed that it might make them nauseas.
"We don't issue poppy juice to Rangers for the very reason that it can be really tricky, and dangerous," Crowley told him. "For most people, given by someone who knows what they're doing, it's not a problem. But like I said, it can be, so we don't issue it. I have a small supply in the medicine chest, but I do know how to handle it. It can be really dangerous if you don't."
"And he's a special case, even then," Halt nodded his chin to the tall Ranger, his hands busy fastening the bandage. "Even if we teach you, which I suppose we should, you don't give him any unless he's had his arm chopped off."
"Chop off arm first, poppy juice later," Will gave him a cheeky grin, then stepped out of the way. "Got it…"
Halt gave his old friend a long suffering sigh, "why does apprentices always think they're amusing?"
"I don't know, I've never really had one," Crowley grinned. "Oh wait, the reason I haven't is because someone got me picked for this job…"
"Given that you convinced me to take on that one," Halt nodded to Gilan again. "I'd say you deserve it."
"Or, because you got me picked for this job, you deserve him," Crowley shot back.
"You know Will, I'm beginning to think I'm not really appreciated here," Gilan mused, giving Will a wink. "Maybe we should go off and make our own dinner, what do you think?"
"You're not going anywhere," Halt's tone was sharp and not to be ignored. At the same time as Will spoke.
"If we did, I'd be stuck doing all of the cooking, so no thanks." Out of the dry ingredients most Ranger's carried with them in their pack he knew Gilan could make a fair stew, but all one needed to know with those was how much water to add. He was a little surprised over how firm Halt's command had been, as if he really was afraid Gilan would get up and walk away.
"Well, give me the potatoes and tell me what you want done with them then," Gilan shrugged.
"Clean them off, and dice them," Will put them down beside him.
With a bowl of water beside him on the ground and his bandaged ankle still propped on a folded cloak Gilan cleaned the potatoes, before dicing them and putting them in another bowl with some water to keep them from blackening. While he worked, he chatted easily with Crowley who seemed to delight in annoying Halt to some small degree Will noted. He found himself laughing from time to time as he listened while he was preparing the meat. Before long, there was a pot placed in the hot coals that had been raked out of the fire. The fragrance rising from it was enough to make Will's stomach growl.
They were just waiting for it to be ready when Perry came walking over, giving Gilan a sheepish smile as he nodded to him. "I heard Hubert didn't quite manage the unseen movement, though he didn't tell me much about what the problem was," he mused. Then he sniffed the air in the vicinity of the pot. "Must be nice being commandant, eh Crowley?"
"Has to be some perks to the job, or no one would want it," Crowley grinned. "Not that there really are any perks to it, and no one really wants it…"
"But we got three people who are all really good camp cooks," Gilan added with a cheerful grin. "And one who's happy to make shameless use of them."
"Huh?" Perry blinked.
"That's him," Halt jerked his thumb towards Gilan.
"Oh," Perry nodded slowly. "I suppose that makes sense."
"It does," Halt confirmed. "He thinks we'll feel sorry for him just because he can't keep his feet to himself."
"Which seems to be working," Gilan mused, then though he still smiled his tone became serious. "Perry, Hubert doesn't need a 'a few tips' to unseen movements. He barely knows what he's doing at all. I told them to give it their best, and he pulled down branches over himself. He didn't use his cloak at all. Anyone would have seen him. And when I told them to try and spot me as I slipped past them, he didn't keep his place as I told him. He left a far too long distance between himself and the others, and he stepped on me. I really think he should have noticed that!"
"You are pretty good at that stuff," Perry mused. "I can't always see you when you do that."
"You've never seen me when I do that," Gilan shook his head. "He does, often enough," he nodded to Halt. "But you never did, though I don't think you'd step one me…"
Will realized he wasn't bragging as he listened. Gilan was only stating the facts, and there was no pride in his voice as he said so. It was simply that he knew he was good, and for his own part he doubted Halt could see Gilan as often as the taller Ranger credited him with. He had seen Gilan move, or rather, he had seen where Gilan would probably be when he moved, but he had never seen him move. You could sometimes see where he had been, but you never really saw when he was.
"He's not really had a full year," Perry started. "He's a good boy, he'll make a fine Ranger. One of our best, but he's not had a full year yet, and he does have a bit of difficulty with the unseen movements. Most people do."
"Not like this," Gilan shook his head. "He showed no aptitude for it at all. And he's had nine months. That's close enough to a year for him to be supposed to have a fairly good idea of it. Unless there's a miracle in the next few days, I don't think he'll pass in unseen movements."
"You couldn't give him another lesson?" Perry asked hopefully.
"You're doing no such thing on that ankle," Halt snapped before Gilan could even answer for himself and Will frowned. He had come to know that Halt could be a bit overbearing when he was worried about you, but he didn't think a sprained ankle qualified. He couldn't remember Halt acting even half that worried when he twisted his ankle falling out of the tree, and that had really hurt. He had been limping for a week…
"Perry, Hubert has put one of our Rangers out of commission, even if it was an accident," Crowley spoke up. "Gilan's probably not going to be able to do much for the next few weeks, which means he'll need help. Now, I've got an idea how to arrange it, but it still presents a problem."
"He might need a little bit more time is all," Perry defended his apprentice. "I did promise him he'd be a Ranger. He really wants it, and he's a hard worker."
"Send him to me later tonight," Gilan told him. "I'm not going out into the woods with him, but I can probably give him a few more pointers."
"Thanks, I'll make sure he's there," Perry nodded eagerly.
"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Halt asked his former apprentice once the Ranger had left.
"No," Gilan sighed softly. "I honestly don't think Hubert will pass this year. It's not just unseen movements, it's tracking as well. I'm pretty sure he has no real idea of how to read a map, and he's had nine months… If I can give him some points though, and if he really listens to me, he might at least be able to improve."
"Well, you're not going anywhere on that ankle," Halt stated firmly, and once more Will got the feeling that Halt was being overcautious. Surely Gilan himself knew what he would be able to do and not to do.
"I'll go with him to the edge of the forest," Gilan shrugged. "I can do as much if I only have a crutch. It'll be enough for me to give him a few points on how to use the surroundings."
"It's probably our best option at the moment Halt," Crowley started. "I was going to put Gilan on assessment for the unseen movements, all years." There were no graduating apprentices this year Will knew, but the three first years, two second year, and four third year.
"I don't think that's a good idea," Halt shook his head.
"If he doesn't do it, it will have to be you," Crowley told him. "I want our best on it, and that's Gilan. Though at least you got more experience than the rest of us trying to spot him."
"I'm not sure," Halt paused but now Gilan spoke up.
"It'll be fine Halt," he stated firmly. "You're being a bit overprotective you know."
Testing the stew to see if it was ready Will had to agree with him.
"It's not like I'll be out in the middle of nowhere on my own without anyone knowing where I am," Gilan went on. Hist tone was soft and cheerful, but still serious and firm.
"He'll be fine, and you're starting to fuss," Crowley stated as he passed four bowls to Will before carefully using two sticks to retrieve the camp bread from the ashes where it had baked. Brushing off the ash with a cloth he touched his finger to it, and stuck it in his mouth with a curse.
"And I suppose now you want me to fuss over you?" Halt asked dryly.
"Would you?" Crowley gave him the kind of cheeky grin only a long time friend could afford. "Here Will," not waiting for a reply he passed the bread to Will who wrapped his shirt around his hand before breaking the golden bread in four quarters.
As they ate, Will noted that Halt didn't seem to know which one to scowl the most at, Crowley or Gilan. Both of which met each stare with a cheerful smile.
TBC
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