Chapter 3
A/N: I really apologize for the delay guys- sorry it took so long. It unfortunately took me a good long while to find a few days to write. School has been pretty nasty lately when it comes to homework, projects, and test- and life has been little kinder XD But I did manage to snag a few days to myself to get his out. I truly hope it proves to be worth the wait.
CrazedFangirl13: That's good to hear. That was just about what I was thinking when I wrote it XD Thanks for the compliment, and the review!
Guest: Thanks so much for the reviews, and the compliment, it really brightened my day to read. I'm glad it came across the way I intended—sometimes that doesn't happen after all X)
Meralyin: I'm not sure I would have been able to live with myself if I had killed him XD Thanks for the review and the kind words! It was really encouraging! :)
TrustTheCloak: Nice one! XD I'm glad you liked it, Thanks so much for the review, it really means a lot!
Chapter 3
It was a silent party that made its way through the woods. The three Ranger horses moved at a much slower pace than usual to accommodate the litter that was currently being dragged at a low angle by a rider-less Blaze.
The one battle horse in the group didn't seem as bothered by slower pace but he, like the other horses and riders, could sense the despondent atmosphere that hung around the group like a dark cloud.
"Here seems as good a spot as any," Halt said finally, reining in at a very small clearing. "I doubt anyone could have trailed us here."
Halt dismounted then and Will and Horace followed suit. Will pointed to a spot near the edge, where a large tree root jutted above the ground to make a comfortable little hollow. Horace nodded with mute understanding and laid the stones for a fireplace. Will meanwhile found some dried leaves and pine needles and laid them near the root to make as soft a bed as possible before spreading a blanket on top of it.
Halt, meanwhile, was tending to the horses and to Blaze's charge in particular. When Horace was finished with the fire, he headed towards where the grizzled Ranger knelt over Gilan. At a nod from the Halt, Horace scooped up the still unconscious Ranger into his arms and carried him towards the makeshift bed near the warmth of the small fire. He set Gilan on top of the blankets before stepping back. Halt moved forwards then and, after checking him over once more, wrapped his former apprentice in the blanket with rare gentleness. At the sight, Will felt his heart both warm slightly and ache.
They had gotten Gilan out of his wet clothes and into dry breeches and a simple shirt. They had removed the arrows, cleaned and applied healing salve to the wounds. His upper chest and arm were bandaged cleanly.
The first arrow had hit towards the very upper left of his chest, near his shoulder, and had, by some miracle, just missed piercing his lung and the major arteries and veins just below the collar bone—it had still bled quite a lot though. That arrow, and the one in his shoulder hadn't made it completely through, unlike the shot that had pierced his arm. That had made those two much harder and more painful to remove.
When an arrow made it all the way through, like the one that had hit his arm, all that had to be done was to break the head off and pull the shaft out. But that hadn't been an option for the other two, since they had glanced off his bones, so Halt had been forced to use his knife to keep the barbs from catching as he pulled them out the hard way. To make matters even worse, Gilan had also amassed more than his fair share of bruises and gashes from the sharp rocks in the stream. Those also had been cleaned and tended with healing salves and bandages where needed.
Will sat on his haunches near where his friend lay and Halt crouched. He directed concerned eyes towards his mentor, seeking assurance there.
"Will he be alright?" he finally asked.
"He should be able to pull through alright," Halt replied. "The bolts weren't poisoned and the bleeding is under control now. As long as we can keep infection away, he should recover."
Will let out a barely audible sigh of relief.
"But that doesn't answer the biggest question," Halt said then with a trace of anger in his voice, "that being: who set all that up, and what did Alyss have to do with it all?"
And that was the heart of the problem, Will knew. For all intents and purposes, it looked very much like Alyss had betrayed them: specifically sent them into an ambush. But Will refused to believe that it was a simple as that, and he knew Halt didn't either.
Will shook his head slightly; he was having a hard time trying to focus, trying to think.
"Which is why we need to find out what is going on," his mentor stated gently, looking to where Will had set himself down next to his injured friend as if for a long determined vigil. Halt knew that Will wouldn't take very kindly to what he was going to suggest next, but he knew he had to say it. "And, at the moment, I can't think of a man better for the job than you."
"But..." Will started to protest then trailed.
"But, what?" Halt asked him, an eyebrow raised.
Will shifted uncomfortably,
"It's just that, the last time that I was in trouble and hurting, with that warmweed incident, Gilan stayed by me. He was there the whole night to help me through it. It would be the least I could do to do the same for him."
Halt put a hand on the young man's shoulder.
"I'm sure Gilan knows that and appreciates it. But the best way for you to help him now would be for you to get to the bottom of all this."
Will saw the truth in his words and was wavering, he knew and Halt took that moment to drive the point home. "Will, think about it, if Gilan were awake, what do you think he would want you to do?"
Will's shoulders slumped as he answered the question in his mind and realized that Halt was right.
"Gil would want me to do my duty," he said reluctantly, but not a bit doubtfully.
Then his thoughts shifted back towards Alyss. He'd been turning the question of how exactly Alyss had been involved in all this over in his mind since Halt had brought it up, and he thought he had the beginnings of an answer. And the more he thought of that, the more his heart sank. The only other logical explanations were unpleasant possibilities—Alyss had been careless and let it slip somehow, she had been overheard, she had been betrayed, or she had been found out and forced to give the information. If any one those options were true, she could be in danger. He felt his face pale slightly at the thought. Alyss could be in just as much danger as Gilan was, though in a different way. He absolutely had to get to her. The thought of her in trouble made him feel sick to his stomach all over again.
"I can watch over him," Horace said softly, having heard the last part of the conversation as he approached.
But Halt shook his head.
"No, I want you to go with Will to Devon Castle; he might need you to support him if he needs to make a hasty retreat."
Horace nodded, seeing the sense in the proposed plan.
"I'll stay here and watch over Gilan," Halt said then.
Will nodded, knowing that Halt would do just that. Rangers were a tight-knit group, and there was a special bond that formed between a master and his student after all. It was a bond that lasted long after the apprentice had graduated.
"Keep off the main roads," Halt added then. "There could still be people out looking for us. You don't need to make it easy for them. And keep your eyes open."
Will nodded again and he and Horace moved to get their horses and any gear they thought they might need. Will felt Halt's hand on his shoulder the moment before he was about to mount Tug.
"Stay safe, Will," Halt said simply and Will nodded mutely, able to read the concern that his mentor hadn't voiced. "You too, Horace," the grizzled Ranger added at the knight.
Horace nodded back—none of them feeling the heart to smile or poke fun like they usually might.
As Halt watched them leave, he settled down by the fire near where his first apprentice lay motionless. The air had gotten progressively cooler as the sun began to set. Noting this, Halt draped his own blanket over Gilan's, knowing that he needed to keep him warm.
He sat back again then, studying his former apprentice's too pale face, the slight grimace of pain that marked it even in sleep, the way his breath occasionally hitched or ended in a soft barely audible groan. It tore at his heart to see him like this. He reached under the blankets and took the young man's bandaged right hand gently in his.
"I'm right here, Gilan," he said softly, "and I'll stay for as long as you need. You pull through for me, alright?"
Gilan's hand twitched fractionally and, for the briefest of moments, Halt thought he saw his former apprentice's mouth tilt up slightly at the corners. In that moment Halt half expected him to say some cheerful rejoinder to his words, "getting sentimental in your old age, Halt?" The thought made an echo of that ghost smile appear on his own face— though it was mixed with a twinge of sorrow, because Gilan was too hurt to speak. In the end, Halt merely contended himself with fancying that he had heard it.
~x~X~x~
Horace and Will were unusually quiet on the ride to Devon castle, both lost in their own thoughts. Finally, as they were nearing their destination, Horace broke the silence.
"I can't imagine Alyss betraying us like that. It just doesn't make any sense."
Will only nodded, his expression grim.
"There has to be some sort of misunderstanding."
Again Will nodded. Alyss's note seemed to be weighing heavily in the breast of his jerkin. They both reigned in at the treeline and dismounted. The dark shadow of the walls and towers of Devon Castle were silhouetted against the twilight sky overhead.
"You wait here, and I'll see if I can't sneak inside and find Alyss."
Horace nodded. With so many unknowns, it wouldn't be wise for either of them to just knock on the castle doors and demand to be let it, he knew.
"Just call if you need me, and I'll storm the castle to rescue you," Horace said, and it was only partially in jest.
"I'd call just to see that," Will said, managing a smile for the first time that night, before heading off.
He approached the castle carefully and then lay low in some convenient long grass. He stayed still, accustoming himself with the scene of everything around him and especially with the movements of the sentries keeping watch and patrolling the ramparts.
Once he had familiarized himself with it, he moved forwards again. He headed towards the shadowed bulk of the castle, moving with the shadows cast by the scudding clouds overhead. He used his Ranger training, which had become almost second nature to him, to approach the outer wall unseen.
The huge blocks of stones that made up the outer wall did not have very large gaps between them but they were large enough for Will. He carefully began scaling it. Once he was about a meter from the top of the crenellated battlements, he stopped as a sentry paced parallel to his position. The soft chinck of his chainmail carried clearly to Will's ears and he listened carefully as the soldier passed.
Once he was certain the man had moved far enough away, Will cautiously eased himself over the wall. He landed in a crouch, freezing in place until he was certain that no eyes had seen him or were on him. He made his way down from the battlements, securing himself in a place where he could watch the guard movements on the inside.
A short while later found him inside the castle, making his way up the stairs of the central tower, which was used as the living quarters and to house any guests. He was dressed in the livery of a castle servant that he had found in the laundry room on the way in.
But that was not the only thing helping him. Though he had not planned it quite that way, his timing in infiltrating the castle had been impeccable. He had discovered, as soon as he had arrived in the main body of the castle, that he had broken in just as everyone was beginning to sit at banquet. There were few about to see him. And the few who did paid him no mind.
If you look and act like you belong, very few will question you, Halt had told him before and he had been right.
Will made a guess of the general area that he suspected Alyss would be quartered in. She was an official officer negotiating on behest of the king— she would be given a nice room.
There were a few of these to choose from, and he poked his head into two of the empty ones with no luck. The third room he tried, however, he knew belonged to her; he recognized some of her things.
He made his way inside, re-donning his Ranger cloak and moving to a shadowed corner of the room in order to wait for her to return. It did not take long. About a half an hour later, he heard light footsteps heading to the door. It opened to reveal Alyss in her white Courier's gown. He felt an odd twisting sensation in his chest as he saw her. He needed to know that she was alright, needed to know what was going on. As soon as she had shut the door behind her, he moved forward from the shadows. She startled slightly when she saw him.
"Will," she said after a few seconds.
She relaxed instantly when she recognized him—relaxed maybe, but she didn't smile like she usually did whenever she saw him, she didn't embrace him. Instead she stood a little stiffly, a small amount of anger bleeding through her neutral expression.
"Where were you?" she demanded and, though her tone was level, there was ice in it."You weren't there to meet the diplomat, but her enemies certainly were. I've gotten word that she's been taken! The peace talks are at a complete standstill. Worse than that, there is only so long that we can cover for it before her kinsmen find out. We are on the brink of all out hostility between our two countries, maybe even war. Why weren't you Halt and Horace there to meet her? It's like you didn't even try to follow the instructions in my letter!"
But now it was Will's turn to feel a rush of anger, anger that had been seething for a long time in response to his earlier fears and fury, now kindled abruptly by her accusing tone and words.
"Your letter nearly killed Gilan! And it would have killed Horace, Halt, and me too, if Gilan hadn't seen that ambush line when he did!"
"Ambush?" Alyss recoiled slightly.
"Yes, ambush. We were there exactly when you specified and there was no ship, only a line of men with crossbows." He pulled her letter from the breast of his jerkin and handed it to her.
She took it wordlessly.
"I was hoping that you could tell me why that was," he said then, his still angry, but not at her—this wasn't her fault after all, he knew that.
"I don't understand how that could have happened," she replied, her voice slightly breathy with shock. "My team and I were very careful in planning this; we made sure we weren't overheard." As she said it, her eyes scanned the parchment and she frowned, "This looks like my handwriting, but the time on it isn't right. The Scotti's boat was supposed to arrive at midday."
"You're sure you wrote it right?" Will asked, though he already knew the answer. If she had, then there could only be one explanation as to how all this happened.
Alyss didn't answer him, her eyes fixed levelly on him.
"Of course you did," he said moving his hands in a peacemaking gesture. Then he added, "Did anyone other than you have access to the letter before it was sent?"
"Well… yes," Alyss admitted, but then hastily added, "but it can't believe that it was him; he's been working with the Couriers, and me, for years now. I trusted him."
"Who," Will asked.
No sooner were the words out of his mouth when the door opened suddenly. Three men, one of whom Will recognized as having worked with Alyss before, stepped into the room.
"Sorry for barging in my lady," the first— John, Will remembered his name was—said, "It's just that I have something absolutely urgent that…" He trailed as soon as his eyes lit on Will and then on the letter that Alyss still held in her hand. His moment of surprise soon passed however. And just like that his demeanor changed. He dropped the obviously false air or concern he had come in with and then sneered.
"Well then," he said heavily, "I see there's no point in me trying to make the excuse I prepared now that the Ranger has gotten to you first." He turned to Will. "It really is a pity my men didn't manage to kill all of your party when they had a chance—you've turned out to be much more trouble than your worth. I've been scrambling to find a way to cover it all up ever since my assassins returned, saying that they probably missed two of you."
As he spoke, he drew his sword and the other man at his back raised a loaded crossbow, the third raced away—probably intent of finding more people who were allied with their cause.
Will had been just a quick as quick as John, though. He had already knocked an arrow and had his bow at full draw. The same burning anger from earlier was boiling just under the surface of his calm exterior. This man had betrayed his kingdom, betrayed Alyss, hurt Gilan, had very nearly killed Halt, Horace and himself, and, on top of it all, had the nerve to taunt and act condescending.
"But I suppose I'll just have to finish the job now," John said airily, "before word gets out any further."
"So you did betray us," Alyss said coldly. "Why?"
"Let's just say that it's because war, under the right conditions, happens to be more profitable than peace."
"This was all for money?" Will asked through gritted teeth, disgusted.
"Well, not only," John said, but didn't elaborate.
The two men faced each other silently, each recognizing that they were currently at an impasse. All four of them were too far from suitable cover. If Will shot John, the crossbow men could shoot at either him or Alyss, and if he shot at the crossbow man, John, since he was hardly more than two meters from him, might have enough time to get in with his sword before Will could shoot again— fast as he was.
Will also recognized that this impasse couldn't be allowed to last for much longer. The third man who had escaped made certain of that. He had no idea how many of the people in Devon Castle were allied with John and they couldn't afford to wait and find out. That put Alyss and himself at a slight disadvantage. They needed to get out while it was still an option.
"Alyss," he said quietly, "see if that rope will reach to the ground outside." He inclined his head towards some thickly coiled hemp that lay near the corner of the room. He knew that getting out through the door was an impossibility, so the window was their only option.
"If she moves, I'll shoot her!" the crossbow man threatened.
"If you shoot her, I'll shoot your friend and then, if I'm fast enough, I might get you too, before you can reload," Will said coolly.
The crossbow man assessed that threat for a moment, meeting Will's steady, angry gaze. What he saw there made him quail. He didn't move.
Alyss had taken stock of the situation too and moved to do as Will had asked—securing the rope to something solid before tossing it out of the window. It was long enough. She felt herself trembling slightly. This whole situation was sickeningly familiar to one she had once faced as a prisoner in Norgate Fief. She remembered distinctly that she had missed a chance to escape then because she had been too afraid of heights to make it down the rope in time.
She had promised herself then that, should any such situation arise again, she would not let fear get the better of her and allow herself to hesitate. It was time to make good on that self promise, she knew. Will was aware of how much she hated heights, and he wouldn't have asked her to do this unless he knew there was no other way. Besides, this was not going to be as bad as the tower in Norgate; this room was only three stories high, after all, she tried to tell herself. And she had managed to get down from a higher precipice than this by rope before in Nihon-Ja. She could do this. She clenched her fists, and felt a cold sweat begging to bead her brow.
"It reaches," she called to Will.
"Good, I want you to start making you way down it, alright?"
She could hear the concern in his voice and it helped to steady her nerves slightly.
"I can," she said decisively, as much to convince herself as him.
"Shout when you're down," he said.
She made her way to the ledge gripping the rope fiercely, whilst telling herself over and over not to look down. As she prepared herself, she saw Will edging backwards towards her. The window was a fairly large one, low enough to the floor so that it was at hip height and the top was high enough so that someone of Will's height might be able to stand fairly upright in the opening.
Alyss took a deep breath and then began her decent. Her progress was slow, but steady and soon she was on the ground. She shouted, and then watched with bated breath as the silhouette of Will moved carefully so that he was standing upon the sill in a low crouch, his bow still pointed at the two traitors in the room.
Suddenly he moved, throwing himself to the side so he was away from the open window and perching precariously on the outermost edge of the stone lip that framed the base of the window from outside. She saw a crossbow bolt fly through the open window space where he'd just been. Will moved again, with lightning speed, after he heard the smack of the crossbow being released, back into the open to grab the rope and begin his own decent— moving much more surly and faster than she had done.
She saw the taught rope quiver and someone, John probably, moved to cut it. But the rope was thick. He didn't make it all the way through before Will was already safely on the ground. He grabbed her hand and they ran. Once they reached the gate, Will used his Ranger name and authority to full advantage to get the sentry on duty to open the gate for them. Soon they were running on the open planes outside the castle. They had made it more than halfway across before a mounted soldier came riding in pursuit of them.
The rider closed the distance between them fairly rapidly. He was about to run them down and Will moved to un-sling his bow. Horace, however, was quicker. He'd been watching their progress and burst through the tree line to intercept the mounted soldier—interposing himself in between the soldier and his two friends.
Their swords met in a ringing clash of steel. The battle between them was short; Horace obviously had the edge when it came to blade work. Horace was able to knock the man's third side cut aside and then bring the hilt of his own cavalry sword crashing into the man's jaw before he could recover enough to parry. He slumped off his horse unconscious.
"I've wanted to do that to someone all day," Horace said, glancing at the downed soldier.
"I know the feeling," Will said, smiling ruefully, and then added, "thanks."
"Will!"Alyss pointed back the way they had come.
Even from that distance, the three of them could see some more soldiers leaving the castle. It was too far and too dark to try shooting at them, Will knew. Horace, knowing that also, gave Alyss and hand up, so she could sit behind him. Will retrieved and mounted Tug. Together, the three of them rode into the forest, disappearing into the trees.
~x~X~x~
They arrived at their little camp in the dark of the very small hours of the morning—after making sure they had both outdistanced and thrown any pursuit. The three of them dismounted into the small fire-lit clearing. Halt rose to greet them from where he had been sitting.
"How's Gilan?" Will asked immediately, as he moved forwards. "Is he any better?" he finished in a rush, his tone hopeful.
Horace looked up expectantly at the question, also wanting to know the answer. The brightness in Will's eyes faded a little when he took in Halt's expression.
"He's about the same as he was when you left." Halt said finally.
Will's shoulders slumped and he made his way over to where Gilan lay, wrapped in blankets near the fire, still and nearly lifeless aside from the gentle rise and fall of his chest.
Will brushed his fingertips feather lightly along edge of the think bandage that swathed his upper chest and shoulder which he could just see under Gilan's light, unlaced, shirt. His friend didn't respond at all and Will felt his heart sink slightly. He bowed his head. Then he felt a presence beside him, and looked up into his mentor's dark eyes.
"You have to give it time," Halt said softly.
"That doesn't mean I have to like it," Will replied, knowing, and hating, that his mentor was right. He pulled the blankets more snugly about his friend's shoulders.
He listened absently while Alyss and Horace explained the situation as they knew it to Halt. He was content, in that moment, to let them do the talking. After a while, he felt another presence beside him and turned to see Alyss.
"Will, I didn't get the chance to tell you this earlier, because everything was just so..." she trailed, then tried again, "I just wanted to tell you that I'm so sorry," she said as she knelt beside him. "I had no idea about John or the ambush. If I'd known I…"
He could see that tears were not far from her eyes and he touched her hand to calm her.
"I know," he said softly. "I'm just glad that you're alright."
He gave her hand a light squeeze and leaned slightly towards her so that their shoulders were brushing, and she responded in kind. For a while they simply sat there, neither of them speaking—both lending the other quiet support and comfort.
Finally, Alyss took a breath. "Is there anything I can do for him?" She gestured towards Gilan. "Or you?" she added.
But Will shook his head. "Halt says that all we can do is wait now." he paused for a moment then added with a smile. "You could get some sleep for me though— here take my cloak; I'm warm enough here by the fire, and you didn't get the chance to get anything for yourself before we left, after all."
"Alright, If you're sure," Alyss said then, accepting his wool cloak. "You should try to get some sleep too," she suggested quietly, but again Will shook his head.
Alyss shrugged slightly, she had expected as much. She was about to leave but stopped short and frowned as Gilan suddenly shuddered and then muttered softly as he shifted uncomfortably. She gently put one cool, soothing, hand on his forehead and her other on the uninjured side of his chest to calm him and keep him still so that he would not aggravate his injuries. She saw that Will had moved to grip the taller Ranger's bandaged hand reassuringly, speaking softly to him. Gilan quieted, seeming to relax at their touch and the sound of Will's voice. Soon he was lying as still and unresponsive as before.
Alyss exchanged a sorrowful glance with Will. She liked Gilan; he had her respect, and he also had her friendship. Needless to say, she didn't like seeing him this way—and she liked even less that she'd had a hand, however unwitting, in the events that had rendered him thus.
Sighing, she rose to her feet, situated herself on the other side of the campfire, and lay down to sleep. She yawned, watching as Halt and Horace set the watch for what little was left of the night—dividing it between the two of them so that Will could watch over Gilan. As reunions went, this had started out as a pretty poor one, she thought then, grimly. It did not take much longer after that for her to fall asleep.
~x~X~x~
Will woke with a guilty start, realizing that he had fallen asleep. It had been full dark but now light was creeping over the eastern horizon. He looked over at Gilan, fearing to see that he'd gotten worse and hoping that he'd gotten better all at once.
There was still nothing, still no change. Somehow, that seemed almost worse than the other two options.
A sudden worried thought struck him and he reached out a tentative hand to feel his friend's forehead. It was warm but not feverish. He relaxed and then sat back on his haunches, feeling useless. As Halt had said, there was nothing to be done but wait.
He tried that for a moment but soon became restless. He just felt he needed to do something. He glanced sidelong at his mandola case. That would give him something to do and Gilan liked his paying. Maybe it would even help him in some way.
He had another song that he was working on. He had a moment of misgiving as he thought of Halt and Horace's reaction to his other songs and then shrugged. It was not as if Gilan could really hear him.
He brought his instrument into playing position and began quietly tuning it. He strummed a few experimental chords, going over the words in his mind. He went over some verse corrections until he settled on one he really liked. Then he launched into his latest parody: a song he'd entitled Gilan Was Never.
Gilan was never a respectable lad,
His tongue tells tales of mischief.
But he was so very quick with his bow,
No one ever sees him coming.
.
Gilan was never the most passive of lads,
Pulling pranks and acting recklessly.
He was born to the ways of nobler men,
But quickly chose to leave them.
.
He'd forever like to say,
"Why stand still when you can seize the day?"
Always he'll fight in the Ranger's way.
He's a devious rouge and that's how he'll stay.
.
Gilan was never quite the wealthiest lad,
Some say he lives in a pine tree.
But he was so very quick with his bow,
Arrows strike like a banshee.
.
Gilan was never quite the gentlest lad
His sword skills sharp as a razor.
He knew the ways of commoner men,
And knew just how to outwit them.
.
He'd forever like to say,
"Why stand still when you can seize the day?"
Always he'll fight in the Ranger's way.
He's a devious rouge and that's how he'll stay.
As soon as he finished playing, and the last note drifted off into the early morning, he became aware of another sound—soft laughter. He jerked his head up and looked to the side to see that Gilan was awake—pale faced and weary, but awake. The tall Ranger's eyes were bright and practically sparking with amusement. His mouth was tilted upwards in that familiar grin of his.
A/N: Thanks for reading! Only two more chapters left. I hope you all have a brilliant rest of the month! I really appreciate feedback, don't hesitate to let me know if you see anything that I can improve. (I've never really written Alyss before, so I hope she came across as being in character...) *nervously chews off all my nails* XD I'll get the next chapter out as soon as I possibly can. Here's to more mild amounts of schoolwork and good health!
*side note* I wrote Gilan's song to the tune of Sera Was Never from Dragon Age (It's hilarious X)