Alyss' Return: She Lives

Chapter Fifteen: Alyss

"Alyss..." Will whispered.

The man sneered as he pressed a blade to Alyss' throat. "Weren't expecting this, were you, Ranger?" He asked. What he wasn't seeing, was that Alyss was lifting her skirt so she could kick him where it hurt the most.

She lifted the nearest leg and threw it backwards, hitting exactly where she had wanted.

He keeled over to hold his groin, while she took his knife and gave him a good whack on the back of the head. "That's for taking me away from my husband." She said.

The two guards launched themselves at her and she caught their wrists after dodging their blades. She let go of the wrists and, in a blur, grabbed their collars and slammed their heads together with as much force as she could muster, with whatever strength she had left. "And that's for filling my husband and his father." She said.

She'd always thought of Halt as Will's father, so she called Halt by what she thought of him as.

She turned to the servant and instantly recognized him. "Carlos." She said.

Carlos was the servant who had betrayed the soldiers. He bowed to Alyss now. "My lady." He said.

Alyss bowed in return. Even though she was starved, she still maintained a substantial amount of grace about her.

She took the keys away from the man who had her captured and entered the cell.

She unlocked Halt's chains first before beginning to unlock Will's. "It was you I saw in the Baron's office at Anselm." He whispered.

Alyss nodded. "Yes. To be honest, it took every bit of strength in my body not to cry out your name and that it was really me." She said.

Will chuckled as she unlocked the chains. He stood and wrapped his arms tightly around her. "Oh, my sweet Alyss. You're alive." He said.

Alyss smiled. "Yes." She said in reply.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The ride home was an easy one, as they were in no rush at all.

And Will wanted more time with his wife before they came home.

"Will. Don't be mad at Halt for this but, he knew that it was me before I was taken." She said during a lunch break.

Will stopped eating his lunch and looked at her. "What?" He asked.

"It's true, Will. I figured out it was her because there was a little strip of blond showing through the black of the hair dye. And I called her bluff a few moments before she was taken." Halt admitted.

Will looked a little upset.

"Believe me, Will. No one else knew except for Halt." Said Alyss.

Will looked between her and Halt. "Really?" He asked.

"Really." Said Halt.

"No wonder you called her Alyss instead of Catherine." Will said, shaking his head in wonder.

Alyss smiled at her husband. It's good to be Alyss again, instead of Catherine. She thought.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Maddie was especially surprised at the fact that Catherine was really Alyss.

"Auntie Alyss! You're alive?!" She cried.

Alyss nodded. "Very much so." She said.

Will, who was helping Halt make dinner, chuckled as he made his way over to the stove with a pot full of water.

Maddie and Alyss would've talked all night, had Alyss and Maddie both not been hungry.

After dinner was done and done in by Alyss and Maddie's appetites, everyone was happy to go to sleep.

Especially Halt, but that was only natural.

Alyss was happy to rest easy alongside her husband, Will.

After making love in celebration to their reunion, they slept peacefully, wrapped in each other's arms and dreaming of future plans.

Like children.