A/N: Hello everyone! I hope you are all well. This is a story that I have been planning to write for quite a while now, and was finally able to get the motivation and inspiration to fully write it. It should be fairly short story, probably about only 3-4 chapters. I hope it proves to be as enjoyable to read as it was to write.
Full Summary: "Never be too quick to rush into things." The memory of Halt's warning rang in his ears with all the condemnation of regret—regret he hadn't heeded it when it mattered most. And now, stranded and alone with Halt's life in the balance, it was already far too late. And what was worse was that he had no idea how he could fix it or make it right.
Chapter 1
"I finished my studies!" Gilan announced as he practically bounded into the main room of the cabin. He placed a stack of finished geography papers on the table near where Halt sat. "May I go to Redmont Castle?" he asked excitedly, already heading to the door to fetch his cloak.
Halt grumbled in answer and Gilan smiled to himself; he knew the reason why. It was because he'd just thwarted Halt's usage of one of his favorite retorts with his deliberate wording of 'may I' instead of 'can I'. It had taken him a few times of bitter experience but, lately, he usually managed to steer clear of 'can I'—unless he wasn't paying enough attention.
"Can I go to Wensly Village, Halt?" he remembered asking once without thinking.
Halt had nodded immediately, before adding dryly, "Yes, of course you can go to Wensly Village, but will I let you? No."
Even as Gilan thought on it, Halt glanced around the neat little cabin as if in the hopes of finding some undone chore that would provide a good excuse to say no. He found nothing.
Gilan grinned visibly this time.
Halt, looking slightly disappointed, eventually seemed to shrug.
"Fine by me," he said finally, "Though it beats me why you'd want to be going anywhere on a day like today; snow's almost a quarter of a meter deep already, and still coming down."
"I know," Gilan said happily. "Isn't it wonderful?"
"That's not the word I would use."
"No, I suppose not; considering that you are… well… you, after all." Gilan inclined his head solemnly, trying his best to hide a smile.
"Perhaps you'd like to expand on that point?" Halt asked dangerously.
Gilan, suddenly seeing what was left of his afternoon off on the verge of being cut short, realized that it would be best to do some hasty back-paddling. He made a quick negative gesture.
"I only meant it as the highest of compliments…" he tried. Then, apparently possessed by a much more daring and foolhardy version of himself, couldn't stop himself from adding, "Besides, I wouldn't want to make your condition worse."
"Condition, is it?" Halt asked blankly, the glare nearing its full intensity.
There was a moment of silence as Gilan shifted slightly, trying to think on how to turn that last bit around. Halt spoke again before he had the chance.
"You know, the rug appears to have suddenly gotten very dirty. I think it could use a good cleaning."
Gilan's face fell, his cloak only half on. "Please, Halt—today's my only chance."
"Your only chance to… what?"
"Sir Ian is clearing out the Redmont Armory today. He'll be finished by tomorrow."
Halt raised an eyebrow. "You want to help Sir Ian clean out and organize the Redmont armory?" When Gilan nodded, he continued, "If you want to clean and organize that badly, you don't have to go all the way to Redmont Castle to do it. I'm sure I can find plenty of that kind of work right here."
"Oh, believe me, I know that," Gilan said, grinning and shaking his head. "No. It's not that I want to help him clean. It's just that he promised that, if I helped him, he'd give me that old circular shield that hangs on the south-facing wall of the armory; do you know it?"
"No," Halt said flatly. "I usually don't make a habit out of memorizing every piece of armor in the Redmont armory. But, more to the point, what in the name of Tír na nÓg do you want with a shield?" Halt asked, colorfully citing a place known in Hibernian legend. "They are too cumbersome for Rangers to carry around with their standard gear—or have you suddenly forgotten that?"
"I don't want it to fight with," Gilan said.
A heavy moment of silence greeted that announcement.
"Perhaps you can tell me what exactly the point of having a shield is if you're not going to use it to fight with?" Halt asked incredulously, fixing his apprentice with his best scathing look.
Enthusiasm allowed Gilan to weather the look unscathed. In truth, he couldn't temper the sense of admittedly mischievous excitement that had been building inside him all day even if he wanted to—which, of course, he didn't. That would simply be no fun at all.
"I need it for a project," he said enigmatically. Then, before Halt could make any more scathing comments about the exact nature of this project or anything else, he added, "Please, may I go?"
Halt sighed but eventually nodded. "Try not to be back too long after dark."
Gilan grinned. "Thanks Halt."
He turned to leave. He had just opened the door to step outside when Halt called after him.
"By the way, you're not going to be hanging that shield on your wall."
Gilan turned back, genuinely puzzled. "Why would I want to hang a shield on my wall?"
"How should I know?" Halt snorted. "It wouldn't be the first time today that you haven't made any sort of sense."
Gilan only laughed at that and waved farewell to Halt before closing the door and jogging happily over to the stables to fetch Blaze.
~x~X~x~
True to his word, Gilan came back shortly after dark, grinning happily with the shield in hand. Halt glanced at the object in question, silently scrutinizing it. It was circular in shape and convex, bowing outward slightly. It was wooden but the front had been plated with polished metal. In short, it was a typical circular shield; and he could see no reason why it had interested his student so much. Halt shrugged to himself in resignation, knowing he'd probably find out sooner or later.
That night he could hear Gilan staying up late in his bedroom: fiddling with the shield, Halt supposed. The grizzled Ranger had seen Gilan take it, some rope, and leather strips into his room right after their evening meal after all.
It wasn't until the next morning that Halt learned the nature of Gilan's 'project'. After morning chores and lessons, Halt decided to give his apprentice until noon to shovel the path to the cabin free of snow. A few hours in, Halt became aware of the distinct lack of shoveling sounds coming from outside. He stepped out then to see that the walk had been shoveled completely clear. He saw also that much of the missing snow had been piled in the middle of the yard instead of neatly set to either side of the path. At first, he thought they were several isolated humps, but as he looked closer, he realized that they were shaped more like ramps. Halt raised an eyebrow at the haphazard piles littering the yard before realizing that they were not quite as random as he'd previously thought.
Even as he came to the realization, he heard the sounds of hoof beets churning up the snow. He turned towards the sound and the other eyebrow went up to join the first.
Blaze was galloping across the yard and dragging Gilan behind her. He was balanced on the metal shield, a rope that was tied to Blaze's saddle in one hand, and another rope that he had tied to her bridle like extra-long reins in the other.
Even as Halt watched, the pair turned towards the first snow ramp. Blaze cleared it to the side and, milliseconds later, Gilan angled his body slightly as he stood, roughly steering his craft towards the left so that he went over the ramp. He launched off the end of it, hanging in the air for a few seconds before plunging back to earth. He somehow managed to keep his feet. He landed fairly gracefully, actually, and then continued forwards as Blaze kept on galloping. Soon he was over another ramp. Once again, he easily kept his feet as he landed, careering towards, and then over, the third ramp within seconds.
This jump was much higher than the other two and he didn't manage to keep his balance as well after he landed it. He teetered dangerously for a moment before crashing off his makeshift sled, letting go of the pull rope and the guide rope as he fell. He tumbled into the snow, sending it flying in a burst of powder.
The shield, without Gilan on it to keep it going, slid along the top of the snow for several paces before gradually coming to a stop. Blaze also came to a stop and then turned to circle around and see exactly what had become of her master. Halt had unconsciously been following nearly parallel, though slightly behind, his mad-cap student's progress, and arrived at the indentation Gilan had made in the snow at about the same time as the horse.
Gilan had stayed where he'd landed for a moment, slightly winded, but unharmed. He rolled onto his back, still caught up in the breathtaking exhilaration of the speed and moments of near flight and weightlessness. He couldn't keep the smile off his face—a smile which grew into helpless laughter as he tilted his head back and saw two faces looking solemnly down at him: Blaze curiously, snuffling slightly, and Halt blank faced with a raised eyebrow.
"Interesting use of a shield; I don't think I've ever seen that before," Halt said dryly, "Though considering how you ended up, I think I can see why. Most people don't usually enjoy such close personal relationships with snow."
"It wasn't that bad," Gilan said, chuckling. He rose easily to his feet, and then dusting himself off. "I think I can get the hang of it."
"Of course you can," Halt said, nodding once. "The question is: will it be before or after you wind up in the infirmary?"
Gilan only grinned as we went to fetch the circular shield.
Then curiosity got the better of Halt and he asked, "how did you manage to get Blaze to pull you like that?"
Halt knew that most horses would sooner spook than drag a person on a makeshift sled behind and slightly to the side of them. Ranger horses were better disciplined and more intelligent than most horses, but the fact remained.
Gilan's smile turned decidedly mischievous. "I've been training her to get used to it every now and then when I had some free time for these past few months."
"You mean you've been planning this for months?" Halt said in disbelief.
Gilan seemed unfazed by that or the scathing tone and nodded seriously.
"I actually had the idea last winter. I thought it might be fun."
"Your idea of fun is beginning to get a little worrisome, Gilan."
"Well at least it's better than being no fun at all," Gilan shot back.
"No fun at all? Forgive me for enjoying staying alive. It beats me how you still happen to be around sometimes."
Halt was about to say more when Blaze let out a horsey sounding call. It was more of a greeting than a warning. Sure enough, Halt looked up to see none other than a castle messenger riding down the path to the cabin.
The young page pulled his horse up sharply as he reached them, taking a few moments to catch his breath before he addressed them. Since the sky had been clear for some time now, the snow that had accumulated on the youth's hat and cloak had likely come from brushing against the foliage that grew out into the forest path leading to the cabin. That he had not taken the time to avoid the snow laden lower hanging branches only spoke to his haste. This made the nature of the harried words he spoke unsurprising.
"The Baron needs to see you right away Sir… um Ranger Halt! He says it's a right emergency, it is!"
"I'll get our kits," Gilan offered with a quick smile and without being asked. Halt inclined his head, not sparing his student a glance as he made for the cabin. Instead, he fixed his gaze on the messenger.
"Did the Baron say what the emergency was?" Halt pressed, hoping to glean as much information as he could.
But the young page shook his head, dislodging some of the snow from his hat in the process.
"He just said that you were needed right away and that I should come and fetch you as quick as I can."
Halt nodded once with a sigh, making a gesture of acknowledgement, knowing he would likely get nothing more from the youth.
"Tell the Baron we will be there as soon as we can."
"Thank you, Sir," the youth touched a hand to his cap, causing another small cascade of snow, before turning his horse and speeding off as quickly as he had come.
By then, Gilan had returned with their kits and the two of them set off for the stable to saddle Blaze and Warren. Abelard had recently suffered a stone bruise and so was resting at the castle under the care of the horse master and farrier. Because of this, Halt had borrowed Warren from the Baron. He was a sturdy little palfrey that was good tempered and not easily spooked. Though nowhere near the level of a Ranger horse, he was dependable enough.
Whenever a Ranger horse suffered a serious injury, they were usually taken to Old Bob, the Ranger horse breeder to be tended, and given a retired Ranger horse to use in the interim. But since Abelard's injury hadn't been that serious of one, nor one that would take a long time to heal, he had opted to simply take the little horse to Redmont instead while he recovered.
As soon as he had Warren saddled, he turned to his apprentice.
"Ready?" he asked.
Gilan grinned at him, after two years together, he well knew their routines.
~x~X~x~
It didn't take long before they reached Redmont. Gilan easily followed Halt up the winding set of stairs to the Baron's office. It was a route that had well worn itself into familiarity over the course of his apprenticeship so far. Once through the door, Martin, the Baron's secretary, hardly hassled them. Instead, he waved them through immediately before wringing his hands together. Gilan felt his eyebrows raise in mild surprise at that incongruity. It added to the growing sense of unease in the pit of his stomach as to the potentially serious nature of this emergency.
"Halt, you're here!" Baron Arald stood to greet them as soon as they stepped foot in his office.
Gilan turned sharp ascertaining eyes on Baron, attempting to glean… something, anything at all. Though, for the most part, Arald's expression gave nothing away, there was a tightness around his eyes and to the set of his mouth.
"Has something happened?" Halt asked immediately—likely as not, he had also noted Martin's uncharacteristic behavior and had seen the same signs of stress on Arald's face that Gilan had. "The page said there was an emergency."
Baron Arald inclined his head, gesturing for them to take a seat on the other side of his desk.
"Yes, and a troubling one at that." His expression now openly showed concern. "An entire patrol of knights has gone missing. They were due back last night and still haven't arrived. It's not entirely uncommon for a patrol to be a little late, but…" he glanced out the window to the snow shrouded outdoors and his shoulders slumped. "With the weather being what it is I must admit I am concerned. The storm yesterday came on fast and without much warning.
"It could be that they have simply been delayed by the storm, or it could be something much worse. To make matters worse, their route took them by Fernan woods. I don't need to tell you about the frequent bandit activity there. It is even possible that they could have been attacked or ambushed."
"And you'd rather not leave it up to chance either way," Halt finished for him. "How many were in the patrol?"
"Four: Sir James, Alban, Godwin, and young Kenric too."
Gilan winced inwardly, concern causing him to glance at his mentor. Gilan knew Kenric. The young man had just recently been knighted and Gilan had sparred with him more than a few times over the past two years when he went to the Redmont Battleschool to practice his bladework. The three others he did not know as well—other than having seen them around the castle and at the Battleschool a few times in passing. They were all good men and accomplished knights.
Halt was frowning deeply, troubled too. Gilan knew the implications were not good any way it was looked at. If it was bandits, there would have to have been a very large and very bold group to take down four fully trained knights. Having all of them lost or trapped because of the potentially deadly weather was precious little better. He looked back as the Baron spoke again.
"I had Rodney prepare a copy of their route map for you. Hopefully, following it will get you close enough to find some kind of trail or indication."
Halt took the map he offered before standing. "We'll leave right away. I saw more snow clouds on the horizon as we rode in. If these are like the ones yesterday, we'll need to move quickly before we lose the trail."
"Thank you," The Baron said, expression still tight. The barest edge of pleading came into his words as he continued to intercede for the sake of his soldiers. "They are all good men, good knights. Find them, Halt. Find them and bring them back home."
Halt said nothing but nodded once in acknowledgment. Map in hand, he turned and headed for the door. Gilan was up right after him, urgency and anticipation making him restless to be off. Four lives were at stake after all.
A/N: Thanks so much for reading! Feedback is always appreciated if you have the time or inclination to leave any. I hope to get the next chapters out soon.
I wish you all the very best until next time!