A Ranger's Duty

Chapter 11: The News

Halt returned to camp just before the moon hit it's peak. He was greeted by Will, who was on watch at the time. Lea, who was wrapped in her cloak sleeping nearby, waved a hand at her former mentor before resuming her dozing and Will and Halt sat down by the smouldering remains of the fire. Will offered Halt what was left of the coffee and he accepted it.

"Good news." Halt said after a few minutes of silence. "I got a solid idea what they're up to." He put up a hand to stall the questions he knew was coming. "Bad news, it's not just Geldon they managed to kill. They got Ansalon as well."

"How do we know for sure." Will already knew the answer, but he wanted to hear it.

"I don't think any Ranger would willingly give up their bow Will." Halt said evenly. Will nodded and he saw Lea had sat up listening to their conversation.

Ansalon Prier was the Ranger of the Fief to the south. He was around the same age as Will and Lea and a close friend of theirs. On top of that, he was Geldon's son. Will felt a pit in his stomach.

"This is all getting very big, very fast." Will said, leaning forward on his knees and Halt nodded.

"We were right. They're after Rangers as well." Halt said. "'An army can take a castle, and I can kill a Ranger' So this mystery man says" There was silence for more than a few minutes.

"We did have an idea on where to start." Will said breaking the silence. "We just need your approval."

"If you need my approval you must know what I'm going to say." Halt said.

"It was mostly Horace's idea." Will said and Halt nodded for him to continue. He respected the young knights tact in situations like these. Listening to his former apprentice describe the plan, however, he regretted it slightly.

"It's not your worst plan." Halt said "But its not exactly the best one."

"Well originally it was going to be me and Will." Lea had gotten up and made her way over to the firepit. She sat down with the two men. "But Horace made a compelling argument for himself." Halt nodded as if considering the idea.

"He is the bigger target." Halt said thoughtfully "Literally."

"We could go back to our room at the Inn. No one will notice we're gone until breakfast anyhow. Horace can ride in in the morning, he has a whole day to get acquainted with the town until those goons show up the next night." Will explained. "It's a bit of a waiting game but Lea and I have been getting enough tips to justify sticking around. We shouldn't arouse any suspicion. Lord knows the inn keeper likes having us around" Halt nodded again.

"Which one of you is going to post up in Horace's room then" Halt asked. "There isn't enough room in there for the both of you."

"I am." Lea said "Will is going to stay in our room. We had been making a habit of staying up a bit late and talking amongst ourselves. He's going to keep that up.

"We assume they aren't incredibly stealthy." Will added "Considering it looks like this masked character seems to let his lackeys do the heavy lifting, I should be able to hear them coming."

Halt considered their plan for a moment looking between his two former apprentices. They seemed confident and he had faith in their decision making.

"Alright" Halt said finally. "Then you two go ahead and get back to the Inn. I'll fill Horace in in the morning." Will and Lea smiled at each other and got up from their seats to start gathering their things. "I think I'll have another look at their camp tomorrow night. Get a better lay of the land. Has Horace taken watch yet?"  The two young Rangers shook their heads and Halt nodded. "I'll wake him up in a few hours then."

-

Will and Lea slipped their way back into their inn room, depositing their Ranger gear under their beds and redonning their Jongleur gear. They hadn't spoken since they left camp, Halt's news echoing in their minds. 

"I wonder if he even knew that his father had died." Lea was laying in her bed staring at the ceiling. "He must have had someone waiting for him, just like Geldon.." Will was sitting at the table checking all of the buckles on his knife sheathes.

"I almost want to go see it for myself." Will said replacing a knife in its sheath with Ranger's throwing knife. "Geldon is surprising enough. Ansalon was every bit the Ranger he was, when it came to close combat he was better." Lea put a forearm over her eyes and Will sighed. Another bout of silence grew. They were both close with Ansalon. Will knew that Lea had a particular fondness for him that he had always encouraged her to act upon, knowing Ansalon had felt the same. Lea had always tossed the idea aside, "It's not professional"  she would always say. There was a rather large betting pool between Will, Gilan and Crowley as to who would confess first. 

Will had almost won the whole pot at the last gathering, at least he was convinced he had. During a session of practice sparring between the two Ansalon had managed to sweep Lea's legs out from under her and had her pinned to the ground. Before the match was called Lea caught him off guard with a surprisingly smooth compliment on his "Striking amber eyes." leaving him flustered just long enough for Lea to overtake him and win the match. Will smiled to himself as he recalled how excited Gilan had gotten, and how he saw Crowley's eyes widen as he nudged Halt in the arm across the clearing. As Lea pulled Ansalon to his feet he made a passing comment on her own "Precious sapphire eyes". Lea's cheeks flushed red almost immediately and she quickly excused herself, to the disappointment of Will.

He looked over at his friend and his smile faded. None of that mattered now. Ansalon was dead.