It was a bright morning. Alyss had opted to stay in the castle; if she had come down to Will's it would have been more travel and she didn't want to do too much of that due to her limited mobility. Will saw her moving briefly in her window in the keep. He knew she would be right on time, she was never early or late—it was almost unnerving. Will was always early, in fact, he currently stood beside the keep tower near the door. He had only gotten here a few minutes ago and he noticed extra movement on the battlements. He realized the men must have spotted the royal caravan and were preparing to greet them. Will stood beside Tug and rubbed his coarse mane as he waited.
The sun was only just creating the horizon, cascading its golden shower onto the clouds. The air felt clearer than normal and Will instinctively took a deep breath to enjoy it. He had a good feeling about today and how nothing could spoil his mood. Of course, spending the next several hours in a saddle will dampen his mood but he was used to that aspect of life and it never bothered him anymore. Will was beaming as he smiled upon his own fortune in life. Today felt more perfect than any other day he has had in the past couple of months as he was finally given a task—albeit a simple one. Out of nowhere, a bad feeling began to creep onto his shoulders. Cold fingers clutched his spine and the feeling sent shivers through his body as he realized what it was. Anytime, at any point in his life, when something seemed to go right for Will, something else would usually go wrong; so now as everything he had with Alyss and his friends felt like heaven, he knew that something was coming. Everything has a balance, and right now Will knew that his life was tipped too far into prosperity. His tongue went dry as his mind cycled through an aspect of his routine that could go wrong—trying to find a mistake that could cause devastation to him or anyone around him. However, a click of the keep doors snapped him out of his suddenly paranoid mindset. The feeling immediately faded as Will rest his eyes on his beloved—who was looking at him skeptically.
Alyss came out of the tower just seconds before the royal caravan poured into the courtyard—not giving her a chance to see what was on Will's mind. Her white Courier gown glittered in the sunlight, creating an illusion of her blonde hair glowing. It only took Will a second to register how beautiful she looked, he's actually gotten used to doing this quickly as it happened every time he saw her. However, his attention was diverted towards the mass of horses that marched into the courtyard.
Will watched in awe as twenty men strode into the courtyard in a large rectangle. In the centre was Horace, astride Kicker, and Cassandra on her horse. Will frowned as he realized she never had a name for the large stallion. He let his grin grow even larger as Horace dismounted immediately and hugged Will. Will stepped into it as he was embraced into his friend's brutish bear hug. His breath was shoved out of his lungs and he chuckled saying, "I do want some ribs left after today."
Horace laughed and put Will down and ignored his friendly jab while saying, "it's so good to see you again! Were you waiting for us?"
Horace asked this as he hugged Alyss also. Cassandra stepped down off of her mount and embraced with Will too. Alyss and the Queen even embraced, they'd grown to like each other over the years. Alyss put a hand on her hip and leaned onto her left easily saying, "you'll be seeing a lot more of us since we're coming with you to Vergo Castle."
Will smiled again as he looked at the bright smiles on Horace and Evanlyn's faces. Will could have sworn he saw movement on the face of one of her men. He could have sworn it was some sort of scowl or frown, but as soon as he began to search for the sudden movement, it disappeared. Will simply shrugged it off as a cough. He brought his attention back to Horace as his friend shouted, "it's an honour to have you escort us Will Treaty."
Horace grinned, knowing he was bragging about Will's achievements to the royal party of knights and men-at-arms. They all roared their approval with their king. Evanlyn elbowed Horace none too gently saying, "it'll be nice to catch up with you both."
Evanlyn's smile faded to a frown of motherly concern when she looked down at Alyss. The brown leather brace showed a contrast against the white gown as it came into view once in a while as her skirt billowed slightly with the changing winds.
Alyss tried to hide it for a second saying, "oh that? It's nothing serious, I just need to learn how to unsaddle myself before the horse falls next time." Horace's smile faded also. He had seen many accidents in horse schools where a horse would trip and trap its rider underneath. He knew that Alyss had gotten off luckily as the horse didn't roll. Will nodded at him as their eyes met. Horace's smile brightened a more—knowing that she was recovering.
He put an arm around Cassandra saying, "I'm sure Will hasn't left her alone since. Now, we can catch up while on the road. We're already late."
It was late afternoon as they were walking their horses along the high road. Their twenty soldiers were all spaced out, making sure that no one could breach into the rectangle to get to the king and queen. They all rode battle horses that could keep this slow walking all day. Tug, with Alyss atop him, was stamping his feet constantly and wanting to go faster, knowing how this slow walk wasn't as effective at eating kilometres. Will ignored the signs because he knew Tug was disciplined and for the fortieth time that morning, Will checked Alyss's horse with the reins. Alyss, who had gotten used to the smooth motion grinned at him as he flicked the reins back for a second. Will grumbled to himself as the horse seemed to constantly sidestep for fun. Will checked him again and said, "Alyss I'm not surprised he fell on you. He's going to fall on me."
Horace, who was to Will's right, chuckled saying, "I'd love to see that." Will shot a sharp glance with irises made of daggers at him as he brought the horse under control.
He sighed and looked at Cassandra, trying to change the subject, "so, how do you manage the estate of the kingdom while taking care of Maddi?"
The Queen smiled warmingly and let her gaze drifted upward as she thought of her cherished possession.
Horace spoke proudly before she could, "I help take care of any minor problems in the kingdom while caring for Maddi. Oh and-"
"-and we wouldn't have been able to do it without Anthony." Cassandra butt in with a glare at her husband. Horace shut his mouth with an audible click—realizing he had cut her off. Cassandra continued, "he's been a father beforehand and taught Horace and I a few things about being good parents. He's taking care of her while we are going to this meeting."
Alyss nodded and chipped in playfully, "but Maddi is so cute! I've got to come by sometime just to see her!"
Cassandra smiled proudly softly speaking, "I'd love that. I think she'd love it most."
Will noticed that Horace had broken away from his wife to come sidling closer to his old friend. He knew that Will wanted questions answered instead of having all this small talk. Horace answered them before Will could even ask, "Halt is overloaded with paperwork, as is Crowley, and lady Pauline is happy just to have Halt with her at all times. Can't say that Halt is exactly enjoying retirement though. He's more strict with guards than their commanders and they don't even work him. Although I will say that they still avidly listen to him." Horace finished with a smile fluttering on his lips as he remembered how Halt would constantly keep lookout upon the guards that are on the lookout—making sure they do their jobs.
Horace grinned as Will as his mouth shut with an audible click when he heard movement beside him. Will looked at Alyss as she struggled to resettle her bottom on Tugs saddle.
Horace followed his gaze, "you're enjoying taking care of her, aren't you?"
"I'm having the time of my life," Will spoke with a guilty expression, "and if you ask her, I bet she would say the same thing. I tried to get her to abstain from taking a mission, and when she decided she was going to anyways, she brought me along."
Horace chuckled saying, "oh yes. I've heard that you solved all of Redmont's problems. A little boring now isn't it?"
"I wish that someone would die once in a while, you know?" Will frowned at the reprimanding expression on Horace's face. He realized what he'd said and re-worded his statement, "Well... not like that. I just needed to get out for a while—to do something worthwhile. Taking care of my wife when she's injured, that's worthwhile."
Horace nodded his agreement, "you know I felt the same way not too long ago." Will looked at Horace in astonishment. It seemed so long since they had gone on their adventures, saving Skandia from the Temujai, trekking the Arridi deserts. Yet now they were talking about their wives and Horace's child.
Will zoned back in as Horace started speaking again, "Oh yes. Cassandra had fallen sick with a simple cold and I'd treated her as if she'd had the plague. I smothered her, doing anything I could to make her more comfortable. It was fun, she had fun too. She loves it when I treat her like that. She's my literal queen." Horace's eyes lit up at that statement. Will knew how proud he was of Cassandra, how far she'd gotten in so little time. Will thought of how far they'd all gotten. He and Horace stared into each other's eyes for a moment; seeing a mutual spark of recognition between them. This was one of the happiest times of their lives, and they both knew it. Horace pat Will on the back and Will grabbed his other hand, shaking it prominently.
"Thank you, Horace, for everything you've ever done. We've lived great lives together."
Horace returned the bright smile saying, "no Will, thank you. We went through thick and thin together. Although I have a feeling that Araluen isn't done with us yet." Horace broke off and rejoined Evanlyn and Alyss. Will grinned knowing that he'd never get used to calling her Cassandra but a feeling of déjà vu swept over him like a wave. The cold feeling of paranoia as he knew something that was off. He had an uncomfortable feeling of omniscience as another feeling of dread crept along his arms as it had before they had set out onto the road.
Then it was gone.
As fast as it arrived, the paranoia slithered away before Will was able to place what exactly he was afraid of. Either way, he knew it was malevolent in nature and would turn his entire world upside down. He shook his head and rubbed his temples—trying to push away the sudden fear within his soul.
It was going to be a long ride, at the slow canter of the royal caravan it would take them most of the day to get to Vergo. It would be a nice place to spend the night. Even with the conversation between his old friends, the ride was still painstakingly slow. Will felt as if their horses were trudging through syrup. Will was jostled out of his thoughts as his horse jumped excitedly. He tugged the reins sharply and glanced over at Tug. The shaggy pony was looking at him and Will could have sworn he had an eyebrow raised. Will curled his lip in frustration as he looked down at Alyss's former horse. He glanced back and saw her smile as she rode on Tug. The frustration and contempt he felt melted away as she slowly undulated whilst on Tug. She let out a laugh as Horace delivered a punchline. Her head moved back and her golden hair moved with her, accentuating her looks. Her white gown was spotless as she rode. Her right leg sat out of the stirrup and the ugly leather brace caught the eye. Will knew it was good for her to be riding Tug as he was trained to hold an injured passenger but Will couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy as he looked at her. A thought struck him and he pressured the horse's ribs ever so slightly with his knees.
He came alongside Cassandra and spoke calmly and level, "you know our mission right?"
Cassandra looked at Will inquisitively asking, "you're on your way to Vergo Castle, are you not?"
Will nodded and continued, "yes, and we are going because they never sent a report."
Cassandra squinted and asked, "what are you going to ask?"
Will shrugged and stopped trying to lead slowly into his request, "well... in case something is wrong at Vergo Castle, a large royal presence might not be the best thing." Cassandra took in a breath to argue. Will was about to cut her off but realized who she was and shut his mouth.
"Why wouldn't it be a good thing?"
"Well if someone is doing something they're not supposed to..."
Cassandra caught onto his reasoning and said, "then they'll start doing their job once they see the King and Queen."
Her shoulders sagged as she realized she'd be spending the night outside instead of in a warm castle. She shook her head knowing she was getting soft. Will went to put a hand on her shoulder but decided not to—it wasn't proper etiquette.
"Only for that one night. If something is seriously wrong and we can't deal with it alone, you'll be our cavalry. Or if the message was just lost in the mail, then you can come along. But the fact no one knows you're coming can work out in our favour." Will reassured her.
Cassandra nodded and held herself straight again stating, "I understand. Let's hope you're not right."
Will grinned saying, "let's hope."
The sun was beginning to set over the trees when Will and Alyss rode ahead of the main group. Horace was completely fine with spending the night in the wilderness—he actually enjoyed it. He didn't like saying goodbye to his friends for the night, but he saw Will's reasoning. Alyss knew it was needed and didn't deny the offer to spend the night in a castle.
Horace and Cassandra's party set up about a kilometre away from Vergo Castle. It only took Will and Alyss ten minutes to get to it. The sun was halfway below the horizon as they moved. Will knew that they didn't have much daylight left. He looked ahead and saw Vergo Castle looming over them. He looked over at Alyss and she peered at him.
"Let's hope this goes as planned." She spoke to him with hopeful undertones. Will nodded to her and looked ahead towards their destination; Vergo was a small castle, it had a small village attached outside of the walls which only rose five or six meters off the ground. It was all stone with four towers and a small keep in the centre. It was more of a pit stop than a castle, but it still had a garrison. It also had a moat to protect it and a large drawbridge that could be lowered over it. It was up now as it was getting late in the day. They got closer to it and had to stop before the ground sloped down. Will looked up expectantly at the drawbridge and frowned—it wasn't being lowered yet. They waited an extra minute and it still didn't budge. Will sighed and rubbed his eyebrows.
"This isn't a good sign." Will sighed exasperatedly. He and Alyss knew fully that the drawbridge was supposed to be lowered at the sight of a Courier or Ranger yet alone both. Will dusted off his cloak and held his bow, that he had strung five minutes prior, on his lap as they waited. He saw no movement on the ramparts so he hailed the guards. Now he saw a head poke up in alarm and dart away. Within seconds the drawbridge started to lower. Alyss kept her composure and swayed lightly in her straight-backed pose.
The drawbridge made a muffled thud as it landed on the grass in front of them. Will and Alyss exchanged a look of disappointment and then began to move across it. Hooves clopped onto the wood, and then onto the flagstones below them. They both stepped outside the keep and walked their horses along to the stables. Will got down first and then helped Alyss down before anyone could see. The guards promptly, and uncharacteristically ignored them and kept a look outwards. Will frowned at them—if they'd been looking outward the entire time, he and Alyss should have been spotted long ago.
It took a few minutes for them to unsaddle their horses and settled them into the stable. One of the stable-boys helped Alyss with the large horse as Will had chosen to care for Tug. After a few more minutes to ready herself, Alyss strode graciously to the door. Albeit the limp in her gait, she still looked beautiful and authoritative. Will had to partially run to keep up with her long legs. There were times when he hated being a head shorter than most people, and this was one of those times.
Two large double wooden doors loomed above them from the keep. They were curved at the top to create one continuous arc from one door to the next and the wood was studded with metal. One large brass ring was on each door for when someone needed to knock. Will now reached for one of the rings to get someone's attention but the door swung open before he could grab it. He had expected the Baron to come down and greet them but instead, it was the Battlemaster who had opened it.
Will took his hand back quickly as he was about to ask a question to the man looking above them now. The Battlemaster was a tall man with a large red mustache that covered most of his mouth. He had no beard, albeit a five o'clock shadow, with a chiselled jaw and was wearing chainmail with his coat of arms on it. He quickly hushed Will and stepped out of the keep towards them. The man looked around and squinted suspiciously at the guards posted along the walls who now refused to look at their guests. Will caught a whiff of the malodorous scent of the chainmail the man wore. Will was about to demand an explanation as more alarm bells rang in his head. He kept a hand near the hilt of his saxe knife—ready to draw it if this new character were to become hostile. Will kept this mentality as the red-mustached guard ushered the two of them in rather unceremoniously. He looked around worriedly at the oblivious guards and closed the door behind Will and Alyss.
Will turned around angrily at the Battlemaster, he could excuse treating a Ranger like this, but not the head diplomat herself. He was about to berate the man when he saw him in greater detail within the candlelight. His eyes had bags under them, his surcoat was rumpled, splotched with dirt and mud along with his ruffled hair. His eyes were wide open with worry, the whites of his eyes larger than his iris. Will's hand relaxed ever so slightly away from his saxe as he took note of how the Battlemaster kept his distance as he glanced at Alyss—she wasn't too happy about their treatment either. The man rubbed his hands and straightened his chain mail. He held out a hand politely for Alyss and said, "I'm very sorry about that Lady Alyss." Relief flashed over Alyss's face as she realized that the Battlemaster wasn't a danger to them. Will felt the same relief when he realized the man didn't even have his sword on him.
"It's okay but what happened to you?! You're a mess!" Alyss spoke as she looked him up and down.
"Name's Talion, and you're not wrong about that—not at all." He looked over to Will and shook his outstretched hand eagerly. "Thank god you're here." Talion, unlike most people, wasn't fretted at all by the fact that a Ranger had just walked into his castle. However, his words drilled into Will as his suspicions came true.
"So there is something wrong. What is it?" Will asked, pleading for a problem that would take his at least a week to solve.
"You… you don't know?" Talion looked at Will and Alyss dumbfounded. Alyss could hear a scratching as the Battlemaster rubbed his jowl.
"No, we don't," Alyss replied with a simple statement, not complimenting nor degrading Talion.
Talion barely heard her as his mind raced. His hand slipped from his jaw as he spoke—presenting his dilemma to his two visitors.
"It's Baron Vallan. He's on the verge of inciting a mutiny against the crown."
