Maria looked across the Fissure in contempt, her cloak cowl hiding the tears that streamed down her face. She rode for two days to get here. By now her father and Will would have realized that she was gone, and would have sent out a warning to all the Rangers. She sighed and kicked the burnt stub of wood, the only reminder of Will's heroics that burned Moragarth's bridge. Maria wished that she could be more like Will. He was brave, strong, and a Ranger. Her father loved him. If I where more like Will, Father would train me to be a Ranger... thought Maria.
A flash of brown blurred across the Mountains of Rain and Night. It didn't escape Maria's Ranger trained eyes. The shape had looked like something that Halt had told her about, but she couldn't place it. A rustle came from behind Maria. She whirled in Blizzards saddle, trying in vain to locate the sound's source. Panic began to well up in her throat, and Maria tried to swallow it. Fear makes the enemy think that they have something over you, Halt's voice chimed in her head.
With a mighty crash, four large, furry creatures broke free of the under brush.
Maria gasped and tried to force her terrified horse to get away, but with no avail. Furry arms grasped her and Blizzard, forcing her to stay still. Wargels! her mind screamed at her. Why didn't I see that before?
"We has the spy." a slow, raspy voice drawled out. Maria had no doubt that the
Wargel leader had spoken.
"Good. Bring him to me." a sleek, well tuned voice replied. Out of the trees stepped a pale, gaunt man. He looked like someone everyone in the kingdom of Araluen had feared. Moragarth. Maria's cowl hid her face, so she was assumed to be a a male. The rising fear had conquered her stomach, and it took all of her Ranger patience not to vomit on this strange man's shoes.
"Hello, lad. I am Olc, son of Moragarth. I am glad you showed up, lad. Deliver this message to whomever sent you. I am coming, and I want revenge against the country that killed my father. Wargel, remove the spy's cowl, I want to see the fear in his eyes." said Olc. A rough Wargel paw gripped the back of Maria's cowl and tore it back, taking some of her hair with it. Cascades of chestnut-brown tresses billowed down her back. Olc seemed shocked, and the Wargels did nothing.
Maria glared, a very well-trained glare that she learned from the feared Ranger
Halt himself, and spat, "I will deliver you message Olc, but with one condition. I hope to slay you myself in a battle you will never forget."
Olc chuckled. "Those are fighting words, lassy. Very well, release the Ranger brat. I expect a battle that will be remembered forever! If I don't see you on the battlefield, I will hunt you down. Come now, nothing should keep the little Ranger lass from delivering my message."
With a grunt, the Wargels left Maria and Blizzard and they stumbled after their master into the undergrowth. Maria felt faint, and clung to Blizzard for support. Moragarth's son... battle to remember... what have I gotten myself into? thought Maria as the blackness consumed her.
Gilan plodded through the woods in search of a figure in a Ranger cloak that had been seen by a farmer. But Gilan's mind was somewhere else. He had just received a note from his former master, Halt, that his daughter had run away. Of all the reasons for her to run away, it was because Halt had refused her request to become a Ranger. Smooth move Halt, smooth move, thought Gilan. Perhaps the Ranger sighting and Maria's disappearance are connected, but why would Maria come to the Fissure? He already knew. Maria envied Will, his bravery, his loyalty. Gilan knew that Maria thought if she could be more like Will, she could be a Ranger.
By now, Gilan had reached the Fissure. He hated it there. The sight constantly
reminded him of when Will was captured and it was his fault. But this is where
one of Will's greatest victories took place, so no doubt Maria would come here.
But how will I know it's her? thought Gilan. He hasn't seen Maria in years.
He rode closer to the spot where Moragarth's bridge once stood. A flash of white caught his eye. Gilan rode onward towards the white. He gasped at the sight. A small white horse was lay one the ground, trying to protect the small, Ranger-cloak clad figure next to it. Gilan leaped off Blaze and ran to the fallen figure. The figure stirred, her long hair falling away from her face as she stared at Gilan with a blank expression.
"Hold on, I'm going to take you back to my cabin." said Gilan as the Ranger girl slipped back into incoherency. He lifted her body and placed in onto Blaze, with much ado from her horse. Gilan made the silent signal, and the horse quieted.
Good thing my cabin is close by... thought Gilan.
After about an hour or so of blacking out, Maria woke with a scream. A tall man scrambled away from the coffee he was making to come and check on her. It was
Gilan, she realized after a few minutes. But he didn't know it was her.
"What wrong?" cried Gilan. Although he was a Ranger, he was kindhearted and didn't like anyone to be hurt on his watch. The girl was panting, as if she had just woke from an awful nightmare.
"Morgarath's son." she gasped, "He's going to attack us! He has the Wargels under his control and everything!" Maria was near hysterics. Gilan walked over and gathered the sobbing girl into his arms. She clung to him like a lifeline, the only think that kept her from droning in her fear.
"Are you sure that this is true?" asked Gilan.
"I'm positive." Maria snapped, getting defensive, "He told me himself, to tell King Duncan that he wanted to get revenge against the kingdom that killed his father!" Deep down, Maria was glad that Gilan hadn't asked for her name.
"Oh. Well then, we have a long ride ahead of us, now don't we? Would you like some coffee?" asked Gilan. Maria nodded viciously.
Two riders clad in the Ranger molted cloaks approached Castle Arelean. A
elegant carriage passed them by a little while back. Finally reaching the castle
gate, the riders entered. Leaving their horses with the stable master, they proceded on to the Kings Chamber.
King Duncan sighed as he finished up some paper work before leaving for
Redmont. Horace and his Cassie had just left, but he had some paperwork to finish up before leaving. He picked up a note with the simple oakleaf insignia of the Rangers. Tearing it open, he scanned the letters contents. It was a letter from Halt to all the Rangers and the King to keep an eye out for his runaway daughter. Duncan leaned back, pondering the letter, when two figures in the typical Ranger garb burst through the door.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" cried the King.
"Gilan, Ranger fourty-three. This is a girl I found by the Fissure. She has uncovered a dangerous and deadly plot." said Gilan. Maria quaked in fear behind him, she had never met Cassandra's father before.
The cowering girl did not escape the King's eye. He felt bad for the mud-covered girl, but what could be so important that a Ranger would come bursting in demanding that he listen to hat she had to say?
"What did you find out, hon?" asked King Duncan in a soft voice. He was trying to avoid frightening the girl any more than he had already.
"I saw Wargels," Maria whispered. "They captured me and a man who claimed to be
Olc, the son of Moragarth's said to tell you that he wants revenge. He looked like my father described him."
"Wow. By the way, who is your father?" asked the King. Gilan nodded, agreeing with the King. Who was this strange girl's father?
"Ranger Halt is my father. I am Maria. Please don't send me back! I want to help, and Olc told me that if I didn't fight he would hunt me down!" Maria cried. Gilan and the King looked shocked. If she gets hurt, Halt will have our
hides. But she has all of the information about Olc, so we have to let her
fight. thought Duncan and Gilan.
"You can stay, but by no means are you fighting." King Duncan said.
"Thank you so much!" cried the girl.
"You're welcome." Duncan said. Gilan wasn't so sure that this was a good idea.
She will find someway to fight this Olc character. I'll think of someway for her to fight without being in the center of things. Gilan swore.
"Wait!" Gilan called. "Wargels are afraid of horses, right?" King Duncan and
Maria nodded. Gilan continued, "So why don't we have Maria lead a cavalry of horses? That way she can fight, but still be relatively safe."
Maria loved that idea. "Yes! Olc will probably go through Three Steps Pass because he wants to reenact that battle, but he thinks that he will win instead of us! It's perfect!"
"Alright. If anyone asks, Gilan came up with this idea. I don't want Halt to kill me if she gets hurt." said King Duncan. The Ranger's laughed, and they headed off to plan a war.
A/N: I hope you liked this chapter! The name Olc means evil in Irish, thanks for all of your wonderful name ideas! I don't know where Gilan was posted before his promotion, so lets just say that he lives there still and it was near the Fissure... Just to let you know, there are only a few chapters left! Sorry! Dodges stuff everyone is throwing at me. Sorry, but it's true!