The next chapter! We will be seeing some Gilan action now. So, I think a recap is in order. For the past few weeks, Gilan has been carrying on with life as normal as a ranger, doing his thing, but still is not over Jenny. He's not as depressed, though. Jenny, on the other hand has been with Steven. Steven is an abusive jerk, but Jenny doesn't quite see that. She thinks he's a good person with some drinking problems, and that if she sticks with him she can change him. Well, we'll see about that.

Ranger 23,

Your presence is requested in the fiefdom of Redmont. You are to leave immediately after recieving this letter.

Halt

Senior Ranger, Counsel Member

Gilan frowned. He had been relaxing after a rather bothersome day in the Baron's office when a messenger came running up to his cabin bearing a letter with the Ranger's seal on it. What was the vague letter about? Normally he got more information than that. It was highly unusual. But whatever it was, it was urgent.

He got up off the porch and started packing. Instead of leaving the next morning like he would normally do, he left within the hour.

On the way, the same questions kept circulating through his mind. What was so urgent? He hadn't heard of anything big happening lately. Why was the letter so vague? It was only two sentences. All it said was where and when to go. Not a hint of why. And it had been from Halt. Halt almost always gives an explanation.

Oh well,he thought to himself. He would be arriving in Redmont late the next night, so his questions would be answered then.

It was early morning when Gilan came up over the hill and into view of Redmont. Gilan sighed sleepily. He had rode all night the night before, paused briefly for a small snooze midday, than rode through the night again. He was exhausted. All together, over the last two days, he had slept about one hour. He could use a few good, solid hours of sleep.

Gilan approached the castle gates at a trot. He showed the guards the letter from Halt, and after a few minutes of explaining that he had absolutely no idea what the letter was about, was admitted. Now, should I go to Halt or the Baron first?He decided on Halt. After all, Baron Arald was probably not up to seeing people yet. He didn't want to be rude. Also, he wanted to sleep.

After settling Blaze into the stables, he went up to Halt's apartment. Before he had time to knock, Halt opened the door and nearly ran into him.

"Oh! Hello, Gilan." Halt said. "You certainly got here fast."

"I left as soon as I got your letter." he said, grinning tiredly. "I was wondering, what's so urgent here in Redmont? I was having a hard time deciphering it from all the details in the letter, so I was wondering if you could explain?"

A smile threatened to spread across Halt's face. "Sorry about that. Come in, and I'll explain."

Gilan frowned. "That's not good." Halt had just finished explaining the situation. The King hadn't heard anything out of Skandia in a while, so he sent a small party to check up on things. He waited for a response, but none were forthcoming. So he sent a larger party to see what the heck was going on. Only one man came back, and he was in critical condition. After explaining that his party had been attacked by Skandians just after coming through the mountain pass, he died. Overall, it seemed that they were no longer on friendly terms with Skandia, which was very worrisome indeed. Last they knew, relationships with Skandia were very good, due to Will's strong friendship with Erak, the Oberjarl. Suddenly, it seemed that relationship was gone, or Erak was overthrown and no longer in control of the country. But Erak had been a very popular choice for Oberjarl, so if he was booted from the throne, it meant things in Skandia were not good at all.

"No, it's not." Halt sighed. "It doesn't make any sense, though. Five months ago, we got our last report from Skandia. Things were good there. Nothing out of the ordinary. Two months ago, the next report never came. We send a party to see what's happening, and they never return. We send another, and one man comes back, saying they were attacked by Skandians. In a few months, things have reverted back to how they were before the treaty, if not worse."

"So Crowley is wanting to send you and Will up there so see what's going on?" Gilan asked.

"That would be the logical choice." Halt said. "We still don't have enough details to make a choice, but the King is calling a meeting here."

Gilan nodded. "I should report in to the Baron, then."

Halt shook his head. "Stay here and rest. I'll tell him you're here. You can check in formally after some sleep and a bath. You look half-mad."

Gilan got up and looked in the mirror. Now that he saw himself, he grinned. He could see why the guards were reluctant to let him in. His eyes were red from lack of sleep, and his clothes were slightly rumpled. His hair was messy, and several sections stuck out at odd angles. "You're right."

"You can stay here. We have a guest room you're more than welcome to." Halt told him.

"Thanks."

Jenny frowned. Looking in the mirror, she thought about how she would cover up the bruise that was blossoming just below her jaw. She grabbed some of the face powder she had and spread it on the purple-blue mark, but it didn't do much. She mixed some of the powder with some lotion, and tried that. It worked quite well. Somehow, she would have to find a way to stop Steven from drinking. She knew he was a good person deep down. He just had to stop him from drinking.

Jenny strolled into the kitchen and started preparing breakfast. There were always some people who came in early. It was barely light out, but Jenny was wide awake. A fifteen minutes later, Rafe came in the kitchen and called out, "Breakfast for two, mistress!" Jenny smiled to herself. Always a few early birds.

In another hour and a half, things were rolling. The dining room was so full of hungry customers the wait staff could barely keep up. She made sure things were relatively up to speed in the kitchen, than took out a tray of food to a table. It was a group of travelers. They were on their way to Norgate to see about settling there and starting a farm.

"Thank you, Miss." the leader of the group said. Biting into the soft bread, he said, "Give our compliments to the chef."

Smiling, she said, "I will. Thank you, sir." She didn't bother to mention that she was the chef. It was good to hear it. On her way back into the kitchen, Rafe stopped her. "Yes, Rafe?" she asked curiously. It must be something important. They were both very busy, so they didn't have time for idle chat.

"Can I speak to you privately, Miss?" he said seriously.

"Of course." Jenny lead him out into the hall. "What's the matter, Rafe?"

He sighed awkwardly, as if he didn't know how to say what he wanted to. Finally, he said, "The staff and I have been very concerned about you lately."

"What do you mean?" she asked. She already had an idea of what he meant.

"Well, you seem, different. And I've seen many a bruise on you." he replied.

"And?" Jenny said.

"And, well, we were wonderin' just how they got there, is all." Rafe looked at her. "You and that blacksmith have been seeing an awful lot of each other lately, and were wondering if maybe-"

"Nothing is wrong, Rafe." Jenny cut him off. "I don't believe it's any of your business, either."

Rafe looked shocked. True, it wasn't normally his place to discuss such matters with his boss, but he and Jenny had become friends of sorts. They were always open with their personal lives, so it was shocking to hear Jenny speak as she did. "Yes, mistress, of course. We were just worried, is all."

Jenny immediately felt bad for snapping at him. she knew he was genuinely concerned about her, and wanted the best for her. But if he knew what was going on with Steven, that would be the end of their relationship. And she loved Steven, and she wanted to help him get better. She planned on telling Rafe about what happened after Steven got better, but for now, it would be her secret. She sighed, then said "I'm sorry, Rafe. I've just been working hard lately, and haven't been sleeping all that well. All the bruises are from dropping things on myself or falling. I'm just a clutz, that's all."

Rafe looked at her suspiciously, then accepted what she said. She wasn't the most coordinated person, after all. Maybe what she said was true. Rafe would still be watching her closely, but was satisfied for the moment. "Alright, Miss, if you say so. We've just been worried, that's all."

"Thank you for understanding, Rafe." Jenny smiled. "I guess we'd better get back to work."

Rafe nodded. "Guess so."

Jenny went back to the kitchen. That was close. She thought to herself. She'd have to be more careful. She didn't want Rafe worrying about her, or discovering the truth.

Gilan felt a lot better. He had some sleep and a good meal, and no longer looked as if he belonged in an asylum. He had just finished checking in with the Baron and was intercepted by Halt. "Hello, Halt!" Gilan said cheerfully.

Halt grunted back.

"Well, there's a happy sound." Gilan said, grinning.

"What're you so cheerful about?" Halt said.

"It's a beautiful day out!" Gilan said. It was actually gray and overcast. The clouds threatened rain.

Halt glanced up at the sky. "You have an interesting taste in weather, then. Now, come on, we're going to go see Will."

Gilan hesitated at the door. Will was now living in Halt's old cabin. Gilan was still unsure. He didn't know if Will was still mad at him or not. He shook his head. There was no reason to be scared of Will. He was one of his best friends. He knocked on the door. Will opened it. "Oh, hello, Gilan. I didn't think you'd be here so soon. Where's Halt?" he asked. Mentally, Gilan let out a sigh of relief. So Will wasn't still angry with him.

"He's taking care of Abelard still. You know how he is with that horse." he replied, grinning. "He'll be done in a minute."

"Well, come in." Will said. When they were inside, he said, "Hey, Gilan, I'm sorry I was such a jerk."

"What do you mean?" Gilan asked.

"About, you know," Will began awkwardly.

"Oh." Gilan said, realising he was talking about Jenny. "It's no matter."

Will shook his head. "No, I shouldn't have assumed you'd hit her. It was wrong of me."

"It's the past." Gilan said. "Anyways, I think we have more important problems."

Will nodded. He was happy Gilan wasn't holding a grudge against him. "Like lunch?" he asked, grinning.

"Well, I was thinking about Skandia, but lunch is fine too." Gilan replied.

"Good to see you two in the same vicinity without considering murder." Halt said.

"Hello, Halt." Will said. "And I never thought about murder."

Halt looked at him, but let the matter go. "You mentioned lunch?"

So, what did you think? I apologise for taking over a month to update. I know, it's a ridiculous amount of time, but you were warned in the beginning, remember? I think it was chapter two. I'm pretty much making this up as I go, so yeah. Anyways, I'm pretty much over my writer's block with this story, so you should see regular updates for a little while. Anyways, please review!