Into the Wild
Chapter 2
The massive wolfship was anchored in Marsden river, exactly where Crowley had told them it would be. Will recognised the hideous figurehead of the ship immediately.
"That's Svengals ship," he said.
Halt nodded. He had also recognised the firgurehead. It bought back memories for both of them. Memories of separation, a snow covered country, a war and a spring that took forever to come. He wondered briefly what the Temujai were up to, then pushed that thought away. It was superfluous to their current mission.
"Will Treaty!"
Svengal was leaning of the railing, waving at them.
"Hello Svengal," Will smiled. "Good to see you."
"Aye!" the captain grinned.
The two rangers boarded the ship. They had decided to leave their horses behind, as it would be a long voyage. That decision had taken them a whole night of soul searching. But they both felt it was a good one, for Oramin was meant to be a country covered with thick forestry that would be unsuitable for the horses.
Svengal seized Will in a bearhug, very nearly squeezing the life out of him. When he finally released the young ranger, Will stumbled against the railing, gasping for breath like a fish out of water.
Halt hastily retreated. "Is the courier here yet?" he asked, deliberatly distracting the skandian so he wouldn't suffer the same fate as Will.
"I'm here," a quiet voice said. The Skandian crew parted to let her through. She was slim and quite small, seeming miniscule compared to the bulky Skandians around her. Will was pleased to note that he stood a few centimetres taller than her.
Halt nodded a greeting.
"Ranger Halt," he introduced himself. "And this buffoon behind me is Ranger Will Treaty."
"I'm Lillian Carister," the young woman said, holding out a perfectly manicured hand. "Pleased to meet you."
Lillian was a very beautiful girl, Will thought, though he himself preffered Alyss. She wasn't wearing a couriers uniform, instead opting for more practical clothes. She wore a plain tawny coloured tunic, tied at the waist with a leather belt. Her shirt was silk, her pants light grey. She wore boots that nearly reached her knees. Her hair was dark blonde and touched her shoulders.
Halt shook her hand. Will followed his example. She was tense, he saw.
"This is my first overseas assignment," Lillian said.
"It'll be fine," Will said. He couldn't help wondering if Alyss would be jealous of him going off with a pretty girl. He hoped so.
"That's what my mentor said," Lillian nodded. She had a very serious face, Will thought. All business. Not the kind of person to joke around.
"You know all about the mission, of course," Halt said, just to be sure.
Lillian hesitated, her brown eyes deepening as she thought over everything she knew. "I think so," she confirmed. "And I've been learning their native language."
Halt gave her an approving nod. "Good. It's always diplomatic to address our future allies in their native tongue."
"I've also learnt some of their customs and traditions," Lillian said.
"Excellent! Excellent!" Svengal said, not wanting to be left out of the conversation. He liked the word excellent. It was three syllables, so it sounded smarter than just 'good'. Ex-cel-lant. Say it twice made it six syllables. Syllable was a good word too.
Will grinned at him. "Are we ready to go?"
"No time like the present," Halt said.
"Alright," Svengal boomed. "Oars out! Cast off and fend!"
"And away we go," Will said to himself.
…...
Will leaned on the railing, watching the waves roll, breaking with white foam. Halt was huddled on the starboard side of the ship. Will knew from experience that his mentor did not appreciate company in his delicate state at sea. He also knew that Halt would recover in a few days but until then, he would stay well away.
Lillian was below deck, studying maps of Oramin. She hadn't appeared on deck since their first meeting. Once or twice, Will, who was naturally friendly, had gone to find her. On these occasions, he found her reading handbooks on the Oramin language, going over the mission report or practising her mannerisms in the mirror.
He rested his chin on his folded arms, remembering a time when he'd been on the same ship but surrounded by his closest friends, laughing and joking. He missed Alyss already. Will needed a distraction.
It was Svengal who provided it. Will heard him approaching (it was hard to miss) and glanced up as the burly skandian leaned on the railing beside him.
"Aaah," Svengal said. "Beautiful day today. Nothing quite like the fresh ocean breeze."
"Halt doesn't seem to be enjoying it so much," Will said, glancing over at his mentor, a small grin forming on his face.
Svengal laughed loudly. "Aye, I'm going to cook him up a big lunch!"
Halt, obviously overhearing, turned around. His dark eyes glared at them from behind his pale, clammy skin.
"You like that idea, Halt?" Svengal said cheerfully. "We have chicken, pork, fish, you name it. Good and greasy and filling. I like chicken myself, cooked up with a good thick sauce."
Halt cocked his head, a dangerous little smile turning up the corners of his mouth.
"Is there anything you want to do before you die?"
Svengal frowned. "Lots of things," he said.
Halt's wolfish smile widened. "Do them fast, Svengal, do them fast."
…...
One night, Will invited Lillian to his and Halt's cabin, in an attempt to get to know her better. She came willingly enough and Will thought he would finally get to talk to her about something other than business.
No such luck. She arrived with her arms full of papers.
"Where's Ranger Halt?" she asked, her papers clutched tightly to her chest.
"I think he's talking with Svengal," Will told her with a shrug. "You can put those on the desk there."
Lillian dropped the papers onto the desk.
"Was there something you wanted?" she asked.
Will shook his head. He pulled back her chair, inviting her to sit.
"Not at all," he said. "I just thought that since we are working together, we might get to know each other a little better."
Lillian pursed her lips. "Oh, I see," she said. She sounded disappointed.
"Coffee?" Will asked.
She hesitated, then sat in her chair. "No thank you," she said. "I don't drink coffee."
Will's eyes widened slightly. "You don't drink coffee?"
Lillian gave him a strange look. "No-oo," she said carefully.
Will shrugged slightly, letting the matter go. "No matter. What would you like to drink?"
"I'm not thirsty, thank you Ranger Will."
Will suppressed a sigh. She was perched on the edge of her chair. He had no doubt that as soon as she could politely leave, she would.
"So, where are you from?" he asked her.
Lillian's shoulders lifted slightly. "Caraway," she said.
"Hmm, that's a nice fief," Will said, giving her an encouraging smile.
"I suppose."
"What do you like to do in your spare time?"
Lillian shifted in her chair. "Well, I like to read, I guess."
Will grinned, pleased that he was getting somewhere. He gestured to the pile of papers on the desk.
"What are those?" he asked.
She rose, picking them up, then laying them down one by one in front of him.
"Here, this is background on Oramin. These are their legends, their kings, famous warriors and such like. This one here is the weapons they use. Their laws. Their social positions. Customs. Langua-"
"Whoa, whoa!" Will laughed. "Is all this really necessary?"
Lillian's face flushed red. She gathered her papers, clutching them tightly.
"W-well, maybe some of us need these sorts of references. Not everyone is a famous ranger!" she snapped. She spun on her heel, storming out of the cabin, hiding the moisture in her eyes.
Will blinked. He poured himself a cup of coffee with a heavy sigh.
"That went badly," he muttered to himself.
…...
"Good morning," Svengal said cheerfully. His beard was dripping water onto the deck as he pulled on the ropes securing the mast.
Halt was sitting on a barrel, a steaming cup of coffee in his hands. The sun had just touched the horizen and it was still very cold. He raised an eyebrow at Will as the younger man walked on deck.
"Morning, Svengal, Halt," Will said. "Lillian," he added, catching sight of the slim women trying to look inconspicious behind the bulky skandians.
"How are you enjoying life at sea, Miss Lillian?" Svengal asked.
"It's fine," she said stiffly.
"Svengal, why are you wet?" Will asked.
Grinning, Svengal shook his long, matted hair rather like a giant dog spraying water everywhere. "Nothing like an early morning swim 'round the boat to clear your head." He started towards Will. "There's still time if you want to take a dip."
Will stepped backwards hurridly. "No, I'll pass," he said.
"Whatever you say. And hows Alyss?"
Will smiled at the thought of her. "She's great," he said. Was she missing him? He longed to run his fingers through her hair, so soft, so fragile. He'd kiss her, tasting her beauty, her lingering smell of flower petals filling his nose, staying with him in his dreams.
"Lovesick," Halt said, a mixture of sympathy and pity.
"Aye, so I see," Svengal said. "Will you marry her?"
Hidden in the cowl of his cloak, Will's ears glowed red. "Uh, yes, I'm going to ask her when we get back."
Halt shook his head in mock sadness. "He's been trying for months now. It's quite pathetic really."
"It hasn't been months!" Will said defensively.
Halt raised an eyebrow at him.
"Well, what about you and Pauline?" Will pointed out. "It took you years!"
"Enough chit chatter," Halt said calmly. "How far are we from Oramin?"
"Six days," Svengal answered. "The same distance as when you asked me this morning." Apparently, Will wasn't the only one who had noticed Halt was avoiding the question.
"Having fun, Lillian?" Halt asked.
Lillian stiffened at her name. "Oh.. oh, yes, I suppose so."
"Enough adventure for you?"
"I guess."
She was very unsure of herself, Will saw. He was naturally friendly and flashed her an encouraging smile. She ignored it. Obviously, she hadn't yet forgotten their awkward evening together.
He missed Alyss. A pleasant night with a pretty girl would be welcome to him. Not that Alyss would like that very much, he realised. There was no way he would ever cheat on her, but he would be working with Lillian and they would work better together if they weren't so ill at ease.
Maybe if he talked to her in that light, she would be more friendly. If it was part of her job description.
And after all, she would have to show some confidence when they talked to the Oramin officials.
"Come on, then," Svengal said, grinning wildly. "Let's see the ring."
A little embarrassed, Will dug around in his back pocket, pulling out the ring. He held it out in front of him. The Skandians gathered around to get a good look. Lillian also craned her head to see. It was a simple ring, plain gold with no fancy engravings. For some reason, he thought it suited Alyss more than the ones embedded with diamonds. She didn't need flashy jewellry to be pretty.
"What's she like?" Lillian asked, looking shy.
"Alyss?" She's amazing!" Will said, his eyes misting as he thought of her. "She's the most beautiful girl I know. She's graceful, kind, compassionate and she always knows exactly what to say to make me feel better. One time, when..."
"Lovesick," Halt and Svengal said, along with a few of the Skandians.
"As I said, it's quite pathetic," Halt said, shaking his head in mock sadness.
"I don't think it's pathetic," Lillian said suddenly. She flushed red when everyone looked at her.
"Thank you, Lillian," Will said.
He tucked the ring away. When they returned home, he would propose. He'd do it. He'd really do it.
He just prayed to every god he knew she would say yes.
…...
Finally, the green hills, rugged with trees, appeared on the horizen.
"Here we are," Halt said softly.
Sorry, Gwedhiel0117, more mentions of the whole Halt/Pauline proposal thing. It just seemed to work... sometimes things happen on their own when I'm writing...
Thank you everyone for your reviews! You should review this chapter too, hmm?