Chapter Three

Hal's assessment had been slightly off. It took them two hours and forty-five minutes, not an hour and a half. But either way, it didn't change what they saw when they arrived on the coast of Araluen.

The entire crew had gathered at the stern of the ship as it docked and what they saw there made them blink their eyes in shock and rub their eyes in amazement.

There was a ship that looked like the Raven anchored at the dock. She seemed to be empty, though it was impossible to know where her crew was. At that moment however, they saw a box suddenly fall over the edge like it had been pushed.

"Is that...the Raven?" Jesper said with a shocked whisper, verbalizing the crew's befuddlement.

"What?!" Ingvar interrupted, annoyed at being the only one who couldn't see what had everyone else spellbound.

"There's a ship at the dock that looks like the Raven," explained Lydia.

"Huh," Ulf said. "I remember distinctly seeing that ship sink."

"That's because you have the memory of a drunk goldfish," his twin rebuttled.

"Yeah? Well, you..."

"Uh, uh," Hal interrupted. "We're still aboard the ship."

"But we're docked," whined Wulf.

"Would you like to test that theory," warned Hal, looking pointedly at Ingvar.

"Um, no, that's OK," Ulf said quickly.

The crew returned to gawking at the ship when Thorn noticed something.

"Look, you numbskulls," Thorn said, pointing to the side of the ship as if he hadn't been equally confused seconds before. "It says Raven II. This is obviously a replica of the original Raven."

"You're right," Hal agreed. "Looks like our calculations were correct. This is the place."

"No," Stig corrected him. "You were right. The rest of us didn't have much to do with it."

"Whether you did or didn't, we're almost sure of taking it."

"Almost?"

"We just barely got the original Raven in Raguza. Its successor will probably be even harder," Hal pointed out.

"True. But we'll win again for the same reason we won last time: your cunning plans."

"Thanks, I guess. It wasn't just me, though. All of us, together, was what brought us victory before and it will again."

Roxie arrived at the town fairly quickly: only a few hours. She dismounted in the shadowy corner on the edge of the town where the town met the forest, under the cover of the trees.

She then turned to Starlight. "Hey, Star. I need you to stay here for a minute - um, I mean, probably an hour or so."

You know there are commands for that sort of thing.

Roxie stared at the horse for a long moment, considering. "You're probably right. Do you want me to order you about?"

Of course you shouldn't order me about; it's my job to order you about.

"Really? So why do you listen to my commands and not the other way around?"

It is a partnership. I need to listen to commands in the field but I am the master at all other times.

"How do you suppose that?"

For what other reason would you feed me and brush me and generally act as my servant?

"…You got me there," Roxie conceded, smiling and patting her house before walking away, slipping silently through the trees toward the port. Roxie licked her lips, suddenly nervous, flicked up the cowl of her cloak, and stepped onto Zavac's ship, doing her best not to be seen.

Roxie searched the entire ship, but there was no one there. She couldn't help but feel increasingly frustrated. Roxie shoved a box in frustration and it fell off the side of the ship. Then, in the same instant, she caught sight of another ship, coming closer.

Instinctively, Roxie froze, praying that her cloak would hide her. It did. Or, at least, it seemed to from her perspective. One could never be too sure.

Roxie frowned at the new ship. It seemed to be a Skandian wolfship, but it was different; it seemed to be lighter in the water. Added to that, the crew seemed to be unusually young.

After a moment more's hesitation, Roxie stepped off the ship and found a place in the shadows where she could watch easily and unseen as the Skandian ship came into port, hoping she could make out more details in the ship's crew.

However, when the ship did anchor, the entire crew had their faces covered. Roxie glared at the sight for a moment, then, with a sigh, she carefully shuffled over to them, until she could hear what they were saying.

"All right," one of the figures began. "Ulf, Stefan, Jesper – you find out more about this town. Wulf, Stig, Edvin, Thorn, you get information about where this supposed Zavac might be or is. Ingvar, Lydia, and I will find a clearing in the forest nearby and start setting up camp. Meet us there once you've got the general idea, then we'll see about finding a guide."

A guide? They needed a guide? Maybe this was her chance to get the extra help she needed! Then again, she didn't know if she could trust these people. Hmm…how to find out their trustworthiness and exchange help… This was a tricky situation. She wished Richard was there. No, she reprimanded herself, shaking off the thought; she could do this herself. But what to do…

Now one of the others was talking. "Hal," the person began. "What exactly do you want to know about the town?"

"Anything you think might be useful. Find out what their main trade is, how many fighters, that sort of thing."

"Hey, Hal," a familiar feminine voice said in an agitated tone, looking at the slowly lowering sun. "We should probably get going if we are to set up camp before dark."

Was that…Lydia? What was she doing here and with a band of Skandians, no less?

Roxie whistled like a robin, the signal between her and Lydia from the very few times they had played together as children.

No one seemed at all fazed from the sound except the one she assumed was Lydia who had supposedly recognized the sound. Lydia whipped her head towards where Roxie was hiding, cutting off Hal before he even got to reply.

"Was that…no, it can't be," Lydia muttered.

"What is it Lydia?" asked the biggest Skandian worriedly.

"It's nothing, Ingvar. Just thought I heard something," Lydia replied reassuringly. "I'll be right back; I just need to relieve myself."

Lydia walked off into the forest and Roxie followed silently behind until they had reached a sufficient distance from the clearing. Roxie then walked over to Lydia, startling her.

"Wha- Roxie! I was right" exclaimed Lydia in an excited whisper. "You've certainly gotten better at your sneaking skills. Gotten taller too."

They embraced and exchanged silent greetings.

"We've both changed a lot," said Roxie, continuing the conversation. "It has been almost eight years since we last saw each other."

"I know! I was so upset when my grandfather told me that he was getting too old to be taking me on long trips to visit my only living relative."

"Speaking of your grandfather, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in Limmat?"

"Shouldn't you be in Caraway?"

"I suppose. I was following a lead on…you know."

"Oh," Lydia nodded, then stopped suddenly and tilted her head. "It's been a long time. I thought you would have given up by now."

"Of course not! He was my best friend…even though it was a while ago. Besides, I feel kind of responsible as he went missing while supposedly with me." There was a slight silence as Lydia digested that and then Roxie continued, "So…what about you?"

"Well," Lydia said after a moment's reflection. "The boys were dropping by when my town was attacked by Zavac and I ended up leaving with them. My grandfather was killed in the attack and Barat was getting kind of annoying," she added.

"When you say boys, I suppose you mean the Skandians?"

"Yes."

"Do you trust them?"

"With my life," Lydia declared with an emphatic nod.

"…And maybe with more?" asked Roxie teasingly.

"Well…Ingvar, the big one, is kind of my boyfriend," admitted Lydia with a slight blush.

"Seriously?! Huh."

Lydia suddenly glanced back toward the camp, remembering the Herons. "We should probably go back. I've been gone a while."

"Alright," Roxie agreed.

The two headed back, startling the Herons with there being a strange girl walking back with Lydia.

"Hey, everyone!" called Lydia to the Herons, drawing them towards her and Roxie. "This is my cousin, Roxie."

Hal came forward, studying Roxie and sticking out his hand to shake Roxie's. "I'm Hal, the skirl of Heron, the ship over there. This is Stig, Jesper, Edvin, Thorn, Ulf and Wulf, Ingvar, and of course, you already know Lydia," said Hal, gesturing to each crewmember as he introduced them.

"It's nice to meet everyone," said Roxie, shaking hands with the Herons. "Oh, and about the questions you asked earlier, about what their main trade is and how many fighters there are: their main trade is fishing and there are almost no fighters and no Rangers."

"How did you know that?" asked Thorn sharply, eyes narrowing.

"What's a Ranger?" asked Ulf and Wulf at the same time and then glared at each other for being 'interrupted' by the other.

"I knew what Hal asked because I was watching you-" Roxie started to answer.

"More like eavesdropping," muttered Thorn.

"-And I know what I do about Highcliff because I'm an apprentice Ranger to Ranger Richard Forestel of Caraway Fief and Rangers need to know about the different fiefs," continued Roxie, chosing to ignore Thorn's interruption. The Ranger Corps is the intelligence force of Araluen. We are the eyes and ears of the kingdom. We patrol Araluen – and beyond -, take care of the situations, and report back. There is no Ranger at Highcliff because the Ranger there got injured and he was never replaced since it is such a quiet area.* "

"Two Rangers came to Skandia to help us against a Temujai raid one," Thorn put in thoughtfully. "They were actually quite helpful," he added, glancing appreciatively at Roxie's cloak.

"All right, then," Hal announced. "Since we will not be needing anyone to go check out the village and it appears as if we found ourselves a guide, let's go find a clearing in the forest and make camp."

Everyone followed Hal towards the forest, grabbing their belongings before they clumped after Hal. Roxie told Lydia that she had to get her horse and possessions and would meet them at the campsite and went off towards where she had left Star.

She quickly retrieved Star and when she found the Herons, they had only just started making camp. Roxie set up her own camp efficiently and then started helping the Skandians with theirs.

Hal studied Roxie as she helped set up their camp.

The first thing he noticed about her were her eyes. They were bright green, with a slightly guarded look, and incredibly alert. Then he took in the rest of her. Something about her honey-colored skin and glossy black hair reminded him of Lydia. They probably both took after the same ancestor. Hal also noticed that in the way Roxie carried herself, it was clear she was more dangerous than she looked. It was apparent that she didn't have an inflated opinion of herself, but she had an air of confidence in the way she held her weapons that she was comfortable with them.

In turn, Roxie studied Hal as he helped Jesper gather firewood.

He was tall for an Araluen, though not so for a Skandian, with fair skin, blond hair, and blue eyes. He had the kind of easy grace that seemed to follow all talented swordsmen. He had a quiet air of confidence – not too obvious, but clear enough that he knew how to fight. He was also a good leader which was evident in the way the rest of the Herons respected Hal's authority and listened without question. And, of course, she had already seen his skills as a helmsman, coming into harbor.

When they were done setting up camp, Roxie volunteered to make dinner.

"Really?" Edvin brightened, then suddenly frowned. "Wait. How well can you cook?"

"You'll like it," Roxie assured him. "Cooking is part of the Ranger curriculum."

"But…you're still an apprentice, aren't you? I mean, you're kind of young to be a full Ranger," Thorn pointed out.

Roxie hesitated. "I'm an…interesting case. I've had more non-formal training than the average Ranger apprentice."

"All right then," conceded Edvin, allowing Roxie to take over the job for that night. Roxie started on the dinner with Edvin standing guard protectively next to the cooking pot.

"Old habits die hard," he admitted sheepishly when Roxie asked him what he was doing.

"So what were you doing in this area?" asked Hal.

"I am trying to find Sam, my best friend when I was little, who I think might have been abducted by Zavac. I decided to make myself known to you because I hadn't seen Lydia in ages and I could probably use some help against Zavac."

"About that…" Hal said hesitantly with an apologetic look on his face. "Zavac stole something from my people a while ago and when my band and I went to retrieve it we kind of sunk his ship with him trapped inside. We came here because we heard rumors that Zavac was here and we didn't much like the idea of him still running around."

Roxie stopped stirring the stew she was making, a shocked look on her face. "But what about the ship I saw in the dock?" she asked, starting to stir again.

"If you looked closely you would see that it says Raven II on the side, not Raven."

"Oh. Oh no! Finally, there's a clue and it might not be anything!"

"Well, it might also be something," put in Edvin reassuringly from his position by the campfire.

"That's right," agreed Hal. "If it is Zavac, he might know where your friend is or the might be some papers hiding around that mention where your friend is or we might find your friend at the castle hideout when we reach it."

"I suppose you're right," Roxie conceded. "Thanks, guys."

"No problem," and "Anytime," they reassured her.

"I just realized something," said Thorn as he came over to join Roxie, Hal, and Edvin by the campfire. "You said you're an apprentice so shouldn't you be with your master?"

"You're right, I should be," answered Roxie. "He's gone on a solo mission. When I heard about Zavac, I had to come see if I could find a lead on a missing friend of mine – you can get the details from Hal or Edvin later. My brother, Nick, will tell him when he comes back from his mission."

"All right," Thorn replied. "As long as you take the responsibility for disappearing. We can't have an angry Ranger spoiling the relations between Araluen and Skandia."

"Don't worry," Roxie said. "I might have some faults, but blaming my misdeeds on others is not one of them."

"Hey, I think the stew is ready," Edvin cut in.

"I think you're right," Roxie answered after tasting the stew. She put out the fire and distributed the bowls.

After the delicious and warming supper, it, combined with the long exciting day, caused people to start yawning.

"Okay, I'm ready for bed," Roxie announced. "Who's going to take first watch?"

"I can," Stig volunteered.

"Alright, wake me if there's trouble or you want me to take a watch," Roxie said, stifling another yawn. She stood and stretched, hen walked to her tent to go to sleep.

"Stefan, you take the second watch," Hal announced, "after you, I will and then, I suppose Roxie can take the last one."

Everyone agreed to the arrangement and headed off to bed, leaving Stig alone to take watch with only his thoughts for company.

Stig wondered about the temporary new member of their crew. He had noticed how all the boys hadn't fallen over themselves for a girl's attention like they had for Lydia and hoped no one would make the same mistakes as last time. They couldn't afford to be distracted and he didn't want there to be another love triangle. It had been hard enough between him and Hal and didn't want the same thing to happen again.

Stig resolutely decided not to pay attention to any girls until he got back to Skandia; he needed a break to completely get over Lydia. Hal however, seemed rather interested in Roxie. It was rather obvious in the way he had been looking at Roxie during their conversations. Oh, well. It was something for another day. Stig glanced around and settled in for his watch.

*This is mentioned in The Lost Stories when Gilan goes to Highcliff to investigate a problem there because of the lack of a Ranger.