❝𝘼 𝙈𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙎𝙠𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙖❞

Chapter 16: Going to War

The door closed behind Halt with a soft click.

"Pauline?" He called softly. There was no reply. "Are you there?"

Obviously, the room did not hold many places to hide, so after a quick inspection and a knock at their bathroom door, he had determined that she was not there. It took little consideration to know where she went though. Alyss.

Without further thought, Halt left his room again.

>>>———>

Alaric sat quietly on the porch of a side door that leads to a yard. He had left the hall after the outburst of the discussion, and was currently polishing his sword, simply out of a lack for something better to do. Despite living in a castle all his life, he still hated it whenever a court erupts in fierce arguments such as the one he just escaped from. He stared at the dark outline of the ships on the quay, black against the setting sun. So peaceful, in a day of chaos.

"Sir Alaric?"

He did not turn. "Hmm?" He hummed softly, not caring who it was. Whoever would call him sir would scarcely expect him to be particularly polite in return.

"Erak has ordered that two thirds of all our men will go out and meet the Temujai in war. He sent me to ask you if you would wish to join them."

It was probably the young page, Alaric decided.

"When?" He said shortly.

"Tomorrow first light."

Alaric stood up and sheathed his sword in one fluid movement. Turning, he nodded at the boy. "I'll think about it," he said quietly and not unkindly.

>>>———>

Alyss had her head buried under the sheets of her bed. The sheets of the bed that she should have been sharing with Will. Would have, if his stupid Ranger conscience hadn't pulled him to ask Halt to come back while he continued scouting. Wait, that wasn't fair to Halt. Or Pauline. She would never wish for her own pain, or Will's pain, to be replaced by being put on their mentors. And Pauline had waited for Halt way more years than she ever waited for Will, so she deserves every minute she has with Halt.

Even then, Pauline was sitting quietly beside her on the bed, stroking her hair gently, soothing away her sobbing.

The low rap at the door a few minutes later startled them both.

"That would be Halt, I believe." Pauline said softly. Alyss only nodded. Taking that as her permission, Pauline then stood up quickly and opened the door.

Unsurprisingly, it was, in fact, Halt. As the door closed again behind him, he kissed Pauline quickly on her cheeks, then stepped into the room, towards Alyss. Who had just sat up and had tears still under her eyelashes. In one hand, she still clutched the grey arrow that must have been taken from Will's quiver.

"What happens next, Halt?" She asked, a tremor in her voice. Pauline had, of course, stayed at the council gathering for much longer than Alyss had, and had heard most of what she wanted to know, but for some reason Alyss felt as though the news should come from Halt, whom she considered her father in all but name, just as Pauline was like her mother.

Halt sighed long and deeply, and sat down on a chair close by. "I don't know, Alyss, I really don't know." Such words do not come often from the grim Ranger's lips, yet that day all his despair and his grief fell out through those words. "There's nothing I can do, and nothing they can do."

"Maybe he'll find a way to escape before worst comes to the worst," Pauline said softly, yet they all heard the lie in her words.

"If they go out to fight the Temujai outright, what would you do, Halt?" Alyss asked.

"I cannot seek to convince them to stay and then go out with them myself. It doesn't work that way. And I doubt the Skandians will consciously look for him. Not when the battle goes wrong, and especially not when the trap that the Temujai have been preparing is unleashed." Halt was breaking apart with every passing minute, longing to go out and find Will yet knowing that he could not, unless he abandoned Skandia to its fate, and both the Couriers could see it well.

"Halt." Pauline said soothingly, walking over and letting herself sit in his lap. In spite of her considerably greater height, she was obviously not as sturdily built, and fit well in his embrace. Quietly, she stroked his hair and his beard, murmuring wordless comforts in his ears.

Wrapping his arms around her, Halt sighed again, and leaned his head heavily against her shoulders. "I've failed him, I've failed my son." He whispered.

"No, there is still hope. There will always be hope." Pauline replied firmly.

"Halt," Alyss said slowly, drawing her words out, "You do realize, other than you, we still have another warrior? Alaric could go with the Skandians and find Will. True, he doesn't have your skill, but he does at least know and care for Will enough to not just forget about him, as you say the Skandians would."

Halt said nothing. Pauline, however, firmly chose not to give up. "Yes," she said confidently, "he shall have to take on that task. We must inform him at once."

A knock sounded at the door. Halt raised an eyebrow, then went and opened it.

"Halt," Alaric said immediately as the door opened, "I think I ought to go out to the battle with the Skandians. Will needs-"

He stopped when he noticed the expression in all three of the other Araluans as they looked at him. "What, did I say something wrong? I don't mean any offense to Halt's belief that it's trap, you know. I also think that, but we really ought to have at lea-"

"At least one person go and find Will." Pauline finished for him. "That's exactly what we've been talking about before you came!"

Alaric's eyes widen fractionally. "Oh. Well."

"When are they going?" Halt asked, suddenly urgent.

"Tomorrow morning."

Halt's eyes closed briefly, then flicked open again. "How many of them."

"Two thirds," Alaric's expression was no less grim than Halt.

"Oh no." Halt whispered.

Alaric nodded in silent agreement. There was no need to give voice to their fear.

"Good luck, Halt, and wish we'll be back soon enough." Alaric said, earnestly but grimly. With absolutely none of the qualms he once may have had, he stepped forward and laid a hand on the Ranger's arm.

Halt sighed heavily and let his shoulders sag. "What could I have done? And what can we do now? All we can is to just wait and see, I guess."

On either side of him, the two women rose up, as if in slow motion. As one, the four Araluans set their hands in each other's, forming a circle.

"But we will always have hope nonetheless," Pauline said softly.

A/N: 😳I'm taking way longer than even I thought I'd take to get to the climax...but no worries I'm getting there. (I hope!)

Oh and, I guess I'm kind of stealing this from other writers and readers, but why don't you guys comment your favorite characters from RA here? For fun😉