Yeah, I had some trouble editing this. T-T Either way, new chapter. Enjoy. Read and Review please. Any and all feed back is allowed and much appreciated. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The world returned again to his eyes. He blinked once, to be sure that he was seeing everything correctly. He was. That was a ceiling above his head. An actually ceiling. And there was a blanket thrown over him. It was made of rough material, and was plain brown, but it was a blanket. Slowly, he inched slightly further under the covers, delightfully warm. This proved to be a mistake as every muscle and fiber within his whole entire person screamed in protest of the movement.
" Uhg." he muttered, sad to find that this familiar feeling was still with him. Sitting up ever so slowly, he only frowned at the feeling of his sore muscles. Certainly he'd prefer to stay under the warmth of the blanket as long as he could, but this was a strange place to him. He wanted to know where he was, how he got here. Investigate the place, so to speak. Getting to his feet he found his boots had been removed, but the mud coated pants and shirt were still on him.

" I tried to clean you up as best I could."the sudden voice made the boy jolt in fright. Whipping around, he caught sight of the Ranger. He'd chosen a shadowy spot at the entrance of the room. " I figured you wouldn't appreciate a stranger changing your clothes for you while you slept." The man half laughed at the boy from the corner of the room.
" I never heard you enter." he said, somewhat stiff. The Ranger shrugged to him.
" Most don't hear or see us. It's a Ranger thing." he said, still smiling at his uneasy guest. The boy shifted, awkwardly at this point. " In case you were wondering this is my spare bedroom your in, borrowing some of my extra sleeping things." he indicated the blanket. " It's made of rough material, but certainly makes for a good, warm night sleep, don't you think?" To this, the boy couldn't deny, that the Ranger was right. He felt well refreshed. Better then he'd felt in a very long time, despite some pain.

The Ranger threw some things to the boy now. The boy juggled the few objects, but caught them all despite that. " There's a place to clean yourself out in back. Change into those clothes once your clean and wash your own. There's a line on the right side of the building where you can hang them to dry." The Ranger told him, directing the boy by pointing to what he meant along the way. " We can eat and talk once you've done all of that." The boy looked a bit overwhelmed, and so took the objects without a question and did as he was told right away. Before he did, however, the boy turned to the Ranger on his way out the door.
" Can you take your hood down, please?" he requested, and the Ranger thought this an odd thing to ask. Even so, Gilan slid the hood off his head, so that the boy could observe him with a keen set of, what Gilan just noticed, green eyes. He shrugged his shoulders at the boy.
" That better?" he asked, laughing a bit. The boy looked Gilan over again, then nodded once. The boy kept a straight face as he took in the features of Gilan's face and form as a whole now. Then he gave a quick smile, that vanished as quickly as it appeared.
" Much better." the boy said, then walked away, leaving a rather befuddled Gilan standing in the door frame of the formally unoccupied space, watching the young boy leave. ~~~~~~

Gilan heard the boy coming from inside his house, but he didn't look up when the boy joined him on the porch of his cabin. The boy seemed tense, almost on edge as he shifted uneasily behind Gilan. " Feeling better?" asked Gilan and the boy jolted slightly. This brought a grin to Gilan's face and he chuckled, lightly. " I'm not going to hurt you. If I wanted to hurt you, I would've by now, don't you think?"
" Not necessarily," was the boy's reply, as he decided to take a seat next to Gilan on the porch, " you could just want to use me before you get rid of me." Gilan frowned at the boy now, gesturing around.
" Use you for what? Cleaning the house? It's small enough as is. Cleaning the stable? Blaze wouldn't let you near her without me there anyways." he continued, but the boy was persistent in his argument.
" There are other uses of people, I'm not ignorant, you know?" was the boy's answer, but gave a half-smile towards Gilan. " You don't seen bad to me, though." Gilan chuckled and the young man held back his laughs.
" I'm glad you approve." Gilan said, grinning widely, really taking in the boy's appearance now. He was a bit underweight, and very slight of figure. 16 or 17 years old, the boy might have been mistaken for a small man in his early 20s if not looked upon closely. In fact, the boy had such a serious and weathered face and body that he would've easily convinced someone he was over 20 if the thought ever stuck the boy. The boy had black hair,but it was long enough he tied it high up and out of his way.
Gilan couldn't help but muse about the boy's small size. It reminded him of his master, Halt. He mused that Halt may have looked just like this boy when he had been this age. Forcing back a laugh, Gilan thought of a 17 year old Halt with a huge grin. His eyes flicked to the boy; He could only grin more. Yeah, Halt would look just like that, except more grim. And his hair would be shorter and jagged. The boy looked at him, befuddled, and Gilan finally let out his laughter all at once.
" I'm sorry," he giggled behind the hand he'd previously been trying to hide his grinning behind. The boy tilted his head at Gilan, confused," you remind me of someone I know," he laughed more now, but calmed down after a moment or two and taking a deep breath to sigh out the end of his sentence," ha, I'm never going to be able to look at my Master with a straight face ever again now . . ." he continued to giggle.
" Sorry." the boy apologized, but Gilan waved his hand at the young man.
" No, no, it's fine," he gasped slightly, not realizing just how funny the thought had been to him, easing his laughter down to a grin, " I'm always up for a good laugh." Taking a few moments to fully compose himself, Gilan asked. " What's your name?" The boy looked at him, uncomprehendingly for a moment or so.
" My name?" he asked. Gilan raised his brows at the boy, finding it hard to believe the boy didn't understand what his question meant.
" Yeah," he spoke slowly to the boy," your name, what people call you? I can't very well call you 'boy' all the time, can I?" then he thought it over a moment. " Well, I could, but that just wouldn't be proper." he shook his head and frowned, then smiled again with a shrug. he was rewarded with a half smile from the boy next to him.
" It's Aaron." the boy informed Gilan, whom gave an approving nod, then stuck out his hand.
"I'm Gilan, and this here is Meric Fief, of coarse, I'm assuming you're not sure where you are." Gilan said thoughtfully. Aaron gave a grin, looking around himself at the place he found he was in now.

" You'd be right, Gilan," he tested the name, addressing his rescuer, slowly, looking around," but this is in Araluen, right? The land that King Duncan resides over?"

" Hey, you're not totally and helplessly lost." Gilan told him cheerfully. Aaron laughed a single, dry laugh.
" Yeah, well, at least not helplessly lost. Totally is still possible." he answered the older man, plainly. " I was supposed to be heading toward Redmont Fief . . .or Castle Araluen . . . I dunno which now that I think about it." Gilan frowned, thinking.

" You're from the Continent?" he asked the boy. Aaron shrugged slightly.

" Looked like some bad marshes to my left when I got dropped here. Came in from Gallica, across the Narrows, and the ship men told me to head around the marshes. I did, more or less, but I had trouble finding my way from there." Aaron explained to Gilan, whom was thinking this over.

" Must have been the Fens that you saw." Gilan informed Aaron thoughtfully. " How did you miss the way to Castle Araluen? You went right past it on ended up here." Aaron's head hung with shame and he sighed. The boy began to mutter what sounded like curses under his breath. When Gilan listened close he realized that Aaron was speaking Gallican. " You speak Gallican?" Aaron shifted slightly at this question, not looking Gilan in the face with embarrassment.
" I spent some time in Gallica before I came here." he answered, sheepish, and quiet voiced." I had to work to get money for the ship service over here. Its hard to communicate with customers at a bar without knowing some of the language." Gilan nodded once to him, fully curious about young Aaron's situation and intention. It might be well worth looking into, or that's what his instincts were telling him. He heeded what his instincts told him when he had some sort of gut feeling. However a movement caught his eyes, one that wasn't as simple as a small move of a branch that a bird made. Gilan let his gaze move about, searching for its source.
" Relax." Aaron suddenly said, catching Gilan off guard.
" Pardon?" Gilan asked, and Aaron met the older man's eyes. This boy really did remind Gilan of a young version of Halt, even to the cool, reassuring eyes of someone with experience. It seemed out of place on Aaron's face, however.

" Relax," Aaron repeated himself. Looking forwards, calm as could be, Aaron let out a long.
high pitched whistle that seemed to echo out and around the two of them for miles, though it obviously didn't. Then, out of the trees, clopping along and chewing a tangle of dark green mosses, was a tall black stallion. The horse walked casually toward the hut tucked in the woods, " that a boy, come on," spoke Aaron as the horse came right up to him, sticking its nose right out to him, " that a boy, you're so good," the horse gave a snort and Aaron smiled a bit as he stroked the only white spot on the nose, forming a diamond just above its dark eyes, " this is my horse, Rurin." Aaron informed Gilan, whom was observing the docile horse. Aaron stroked the horse, checking the animal over. " I see you found a way to sustain yourself in my absence, Rurin." the horse merely continued contently munching on the moss while Aaron gave him a pat. " Ah, off you go, that a boy." The horse tossed its head in acknowledgement, and clopped a few yards away then lay down.
" You brought your horse along after you?" Gilan asked, quite befuddled by the horse's lack of a saddle or reins. Aaron's eyes hit the wood of the porch again before he answered.

" He's the only thing I have left to my name right now." he mumbled, humbly, then added." I had a hunting bow and arrows up until yesterday, but I dropped it by mistake." he gave a sigh,looking disappointed but not totally disheartened by the whole matter.
" I'm sorry." Gilan apologized, but Aaron simply shrugged it off.
" 'The world is always darkest before the dawn'," was his quoted reply, rewarding him with an increasingly curious look from Gilan, " a wise man told me that once. It sounded so true I never forgot it." Gilan nodded slowly to this.
" Still, that's rough." Gilan replied sympathetically, but Aaron just shrugged again at him.
" I can handle it," he insisted back, then added after thinking," I've been riding Rurin bare back, I'm not just leading him along after me." Gilan's brows rose, doubt in his eyes. " Seriously, I can show you." Aaron said, almost eagerly. Gilan threw his arms out.
" Be my guest." he said and Aaron smirked slightly at him.
" I already am, where did you think I got these clothes?" he said and Gilan frowned in a way that suggested a joke was being made. " Rurin, up you go, boy." Aaron says, and the stallion get to its feet with a grunt of disapproval. Aaron whistled a lo note that was soft and soothing in tone. Rurin settled down. And, right before Gilan's shocked eyes, the boy lifted himself easily from the ground over the horse's tall form. Dangling for a moment, Aaron swings his leg over the big chest of the beast then sat upright, as though riding with a saddle. The stallion moved a few paces forwards and Aaron gave a full grin at Gilan astride the horse. It was a bright smile, and Gilan thought for the first and certainly not the last time, that the smile was a particularly bright one because it was so rare. This was a true smile of Aaron's. After all, the smiles and grins previously hadn't reached Aaron's cool eyes, this time it did. " It's a little uncomfortable, but its withstand able. I like it, honestly."

" Oh . . ." Gilan answered, somewhat unsure of himself. As awkward silence stretched between the two for a few moments. " What business do you have in Redmont and Castle Araluen, if you don't mind me asking?" Aaron took a moment, lowering then plopping himself onto the ground. He was delaying to get time to think, Gilan knew. Aaron stroked the black, dust covered coat of the stallion, then patted the horse as it meandered away to lay down once more. Still he was silent for a few moments. Then Aaron resolved.
" I'm-" his voice squeaked, so he cleared his throat so that he sounded normal as he went on, " - I"m supposed to be delivering a message to these three different people from my master." Aaron took a deep breath before gong on. " One to someone in Redmont, another to someone in Castle Araluen. As for the third one," he added, seeing Gilan was about to ask about it," I'm supposed to ask the one I give the message to in Redmont to direct me to the where abouts of the third person." Gilan nodded understanding, interested now.
" Do you have the names of who you're looking for?" he asked, hand to his chin. Aaron looked glum, and he sighed at a memory that felt like so long ago.

" No," he replied in failure," he told me that he couldn't speak their names to me aloud or write them down for the security of the three of them. Told me to commit the clues and messages to memory."

" And?" Gilan prompted Aaron, whom still chose not to meet the man's gaze. He shook his head.
" I've a poor memory under pressure." he replied, helplessly, and Gilan looked at him in horror.

" How are you supposed to find them if you don't remember the clues?!" he exclaimed back and Aaron shrank from the hard tone the older man used. Then Gilan, realizing he'd crossed the line on this one, sighed and shook his head. " No, I'm sorry. It just sounds like your plan is half made. That makes me uneasy." Aaron nodded in turn to him.
"My master knew I don't have a good memory when I'm under pressure. All he told me is that I would remember when I needed to. That and I'd recognize them when I saw them." he said, shaking his head slightly. Clearly, Aaron wasn't completely confident in himself or his mission. However, he certainly was determined with all of the efforts Gilan had heard from the boy.

" He's certainly given you a vote of confidence." Gilan said, smiling to Aaron.

" He always does."
" Is he right to trust you?"
" Uh, sort of yeah." Aaron said. Gilan didn't like the sound of that answer.
" 'Sort of'?" Those words certainly didn't sound good in a simple yes or no question for Gilan currently. Aaron nodded, frowning profoundly. This worried Gilan, more then he ever thought possible from a single look made by a person.
" Yeah, well, he was always right, but never in the way I quite expected." he mentioned half to Gilan, half to himself, as if just realizing that this happened to him all the time with his master. Yeah, Gilan was nervous now. Just then, a loud, obnoxious growl sounded from Aaron's gut. The boy shrank slightly, as if trying to hide the noise with a physical motion. His face flushed, and he glanced shyly up at Gilan. Gilan had fallen over laughing on the porch boards. Getting to his feet he grinned at Aaron.
" I believe I promised you food when I gave you those spare clothes?" he asked still laughing a bit. Aaron shifted uncomfortably and said nothing in reply. However, he nodded once to acknowledge the fact. " I think now is the best time for me to hold true on that promise, don't you?" The boy gave a small smile and nodded. Then Gilan led the way into his small house, with Aaron in toe. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yep, that's the end. Nothing exciting yet, but trust me, I'll get to doing something soon. Remember read and review please.