All right. Crap balls; I forgot to start it out like that last time XD! But whatevas haha(:
So how do you like Our Solemn Hour so far? And yes, I know I got the title from one of my fave songs, by Within Temptation...XD! But the song really matches the fanfiction! You should listen to it while reading this, all right? Yes, Within Temptation is my most favorite band besides Nightwish, Avenged Sevenfold, or Killswitch Engaged XD! Anyway, why don't you begin to read? XD!
Chapter Two: A Snowbound Mission
The two Rangers had been traveling all day and night, and soon they had reached a large, wide chasm that seemed to go on forever. "I've never seen this before," Halt said in concern. "When did it get here?"
Will shrugged; he had no idea. "Haven't we been here before?" he asked. "It wasn't there last time we passed here, just last month."
"It wasn't here last time, no," Halt agreed. He shook his head. "This is odd," he admitted. "I don't like this. There's...something wrong here; can't you feel it?" Will nodded, worried. It was very rare for something to make Halt so edgy and concerned. It frightened him.
"Do you think that beast thing is around here?" he asked, trying to sound casual, not as if he were absolutely terrified at the moment. They had to set up camp around here, for God's sake! They had to sleep around here, while a dangerous, toxic monster could be watching them—or be right behind them the entire time, stalking them silently, just waiting for the moment where they would show themselves. Halt noticed that his apprentice was just about ready to begin bawling with fright, and moved to the boy's side, placing a comforting arm around his shoulder.
Will leaned against his mentor, both because he was freezing cold, shivering in the frosty winter air, and because Halt was somebody he knew could always keep him safe, and that would never let anything bad happen to him. "Halt?" he asked quietly.
"Yes, Will?" Halt asked after a moment, gazing at the chasm still, expressionless. Will could almost hear the little gears working in Halt's fantastic mind, and wondered what he was thinking.
"Do you think we're going to die from the monsters?" He was ashamed by the question, asked in a small voice, and Halt seemed to sense that, for he didn't berate Will on the simple worry. He was asking himself the same exact thing. This mission was becoming plenty more dangerous, and he was definitely not looking forward to camping in this area. Who knew what would happen?
But he couldn't let Will know that, of course. No sense in worrying the boy. "Of course not, Will. You know me; I'll never die," he said, unusually in a feigned joking manner. "I'll be here long after you want to be finally rid of me."
Will grinned. Halt always knew how to cheer him up. "It's getting a bit late," he reported, looking up at the rapidly setting sun. "Should we set up camp? Or should we keep investigating some more? Who knows what we could find."
Although Halt was tempted to keep looking around and not settle down in the area, he knew that when darkness fell, they would most definitely be in danger of being either ambushed of assassinated by whatever was out there, perhaps watching them right now. "We'll set up camp," he said firmly, as if convincing himself as well. "Searching for those things in the dark would be extremely dangerous. And we're not stupid."
"All right," Will sighed, and then followed Halt, who was walking alongside the chasm, trying to see how far it went. After a few minutes of nonstop chasm-land, he stopped, shaking his head.
"It just goes on and on," he said. He turned to Will. "Let's go back to the horses, where we left them, and then that's where we'll set up camp. Did you remember to bring the coffee pot?" he asked his apprentice, who nodded immediately. Forgetting the coffee was like forgetting food to them, or Tug and Abelard. Coffee, it seemed, was the most important thing to a Ranger.
They went to find their horses, and then settled down in the small clearing they had found, about a quarter of a mile away from the strange chasm they had seen, that separated the land. That was what made Halt most concerned; did it go all the way around Redmont fief? If so, that could be a big problem. They could all be trapped on the fief, with these strange beasts with them. What would happen, then? Would they all be killed?
But now was not the time to think about that; it was time to set up camp and make dinner. Will took care of the horses and their belongings, while Halt began to cook, making one of those stews they almost always ate on one of these missions, although this one was most certainly odd. At first he hesitated to make a fire, as it might attract those beasts, but then he was reminded by the fact that, in the dark, it would be all the more dangerous. It would be better to face the animals where they could actually see.
"This is really good, Halt," Will said as he began to shovel food into his mouth. Halt raised an eyebrow at him, and Will swallowed the mouthful. "Sorry. I forgot it was rude to talk with your mouth full."
Halt nodded. The boy had definitely adjusted to his way of life. After watching his used-to-be-enemy, Horace eat, Will had come to Halt's cabin for the first time with absolutely horrid manners. Halt didn't even want to think about how Horace ate. If Will said his manners had been fine, Horace must be some kind of monster. (This is only somewhat after the boar hunt, this fanfiction, if you can tell. So, yes, Horace is still getting beat up by those other boys(: I thought that was something I should do to him, since I despise Horace XD!)
"Did you bring the honey?" Halt asked Will, setting down his mug of coffee to go digging in the pack supplies. Will frowned, sure that he had.
"You reminded me to, remember?" he said. Halt nodded somewhat absently, now dumping the contents out. Coffee wasn't good without honey in it. Finally he spotted it, and gave a triumphant, "Aha!" Will grinned, holding out his own mug of coffee so Halt could put some honey into it, and then into his own.
Both of them took long drafts of the hot drinks, and then sighed in contentment. There was nothing like warm coffee on a snowy, cold night like this, while they were camping out in a frosty clearing. The two Rangers stretched out, and Halt closed his eyes after a moment. "I wonder why those damned beasts chose this time of the year to show themselves? They could have chosen a warmer time to come and try to kill everybody."
"That's an interesting thing to say," Will said from where he was lying, sitting up slightly to grin at his mentor, who opened one eye and shot him a glare. "Halt, the famous Ranger, is upset over a little bit of snow."
"Just shut up, Will," Halt muttered, turning over onto his side and then closing his eyes, trying to keep himself warm under his Ranger cloak and blankets, while Will did the same from across the fire, but sitting up, since he was taking the first watch and was to wake Halt if he heard any sound at all. That would be no problem, as it was abnormally quiet; even the crickets and the wind was silent. It was unnerving, really, but there would be no apparent trouble to hear someone—or something—coming.
And anyway, he told himself somewhat nervously, who said something would be coming while he was awake and listening, all alone, since Halt would be asleep? Nobody had said that, he reminded himself. Everything will be fine.
Even though he was taking measures to keep himself awake, Will began to drowse, head nodding forward every few seconds, and after a moment he had fallen asleep, the snow drifting in like a white blanket.
Will woke with a start, having had heard a movement from a few feet away—a shuffling noise. The snowfall had thickened while he had been asleep, and he now could see hardly two feet in front of him in the blizzard; the campfire had gone out. "Halt?" he whispered, and then immediately there came a reply.
"Mm...yes?" Halt had obviously been asleep this entire time, and now sat up. "Dear God, Will! How long have I been sleeping?"
At first, Will hesitated to tell him that he had fallen asleep as well, but then decided that telling the truth was the best thing he could do at the moment. "I don't know. I fell asleep after a while. I'm sorry," he said, and then fell silent as Halt sighed.
"Where are you? I can't see anything; the snow is blocking everything out." There was a movement, and this time Will knew it to be Halt. Carefully Will stood up, and then fell over again as he tripped over a small hill of snow. Instead he crawled, shivering, and then finally found Halt, who was gazing around, frowning.
Will felt very cold. Leaning against his mentor for warmth, Will heard Halt say in a shocked voice, "You're freezing! Didn't you have a blanket with you?"
"It fell off while I was sleeping," Will replied, welcoming the warmth that came when Halt draped a few blankets over him, and then put his arm around the boy, trying to make sure Will didn't die from cold. He was shivering so much, Halt could hear his teeth chattering, and frowned. Will had never fallen asleep during his watch before; it was something new that he had.
Then they both froze as there was a strange sound from a few meters away—in the direction of the chasm they had found earlier, whenever that had been. It could be morning now, Halt realized, and that made him upset. How long had they been out here? Abelard and Tug were all right, it seemed, though a bit cold looking; they had been keeping watch instead, knowing that Will was unable to once the boy had fallen asleep. Good horses, Halt thought approvingly, reaching out to pat Abelard on the neck.
He stopped moving once there was another strange sound—this time in their camp, and then he saw a dark shape moving from between the trees, very dimly though, and then it was gone. Three more of the same shapes followed afterward, heading in the direction of Redmont castle, it seemed. Horrible realization fell into place. They were heading toward Redmont castle, where everyone was, most likely sleeping or huddling inside of their houses, trying to keep warm! Defenseless.
And here he and Will were sitting, so terrified that they were frozen where they sat, in the cold, knowing that everyone in Redmont could die if they didn't do something. Will tried to get himself to move, but found that he could barely do so. For Alyss, he told himself, and then gave a shuddering sigh. Swallowing hard, he began to stand, knowing that Halt was getting his weapons—and found them missing.
"Will, have you seen my longbow and saxe knife?" he asked. He knew he had brought them; he never left them anywhere. So where were they?
"No," Will said, and then paused. "They could have been buried under the snow."
Halt nodded, and began to dig, Will joining him after a moment. The weapons were nowhere to be seen. In a clearly worried voice, Halt told Will to get his own knives and bow, and then his suspicions were faced as true: Will's weapons were gone as well. While they had been asleep, something had taken them—or something. Why had Abelard and Tug not warned them? Halt wondered. They should have woken the two Rangers.
Without weapons, the two were practically defenseless, and would not be able to fight off anybody that tried to hurt people in Redmont. That was probably the reason they had taken all the weapons, Halt thought bitterly. Now what would they do? He voiced this thought aloud, and after a moment Will sighed.
"We can still ride to Redmont and warn people," he suggested. "We're not a complete loss to them, are we? We're still useful, Halt. Just don't worry, all right?"
"I'm not worrying," Halt snapped. "I'm just angry that we let ourselves fall asleep while somebody sneaked into our camp and stole our weapons, and the horses didn't do a thing about it."
Will nodded. He was upset about that, too. "Maybe Tug and Abelard fell asleep as well," he suggested, and Halt reluctantly shrugged, knowing that could be a possibility, but not wanting to admit that their beloved horses had failed at something. It was unusual for them to do so.
"Let's hurry on to Redmont, then," Halt said, throwing their supplies together and packing it all away again, yanking on his Ranger cloak and throwing Will his; finally they were ready, and the two of them swung up into their saddles.
It was time to warn Redmont.
