they never found Alyss’s body therefore she is still alive
Will and Alyss ran, giggling, into their bedroom. It was Will’s birthday and they had just been at Jenny’s restaurant, celebrating with Halt, Pauline, Jenny and Gilan. Gilan had come all the way from castle Araluen to wish Will a happy birthday. They had all shared a cask of wine and by the time they left it was empty. Will pulled his belt off and left it on the bedside table. Alyss unbuttoned Will’s shirt then pulled off her own dress. Will got tangled in the blankets and fell out of the bed, making Alyss laugh until she threw up.
Alyss woke with a start when she heard Sean calling her. “Mummy! Mummy, I’m scared.”
She walked over to his bed in the corner of the room. “It’s alright, Honey, I’m right here.” As she talked, she picked up her son and hugged him.
It had been two weeks since Lilian died. Sean had seen the body. Every night since then, Sean had woken up with nightmares. More than three years ago, Alyss had stumbled into the small village. She was covered in burns and had no memory of the past ten years. Lilian was the closest friend to Alyss in the village. She had taken Alyss in and helped her get her memories back. Most nights Alyss had dreams of her adventures with Will. Lilian had left all her possessions to Alyss in her will, including the house. As soon as she could sell the house, she was going to move back to Redmont.
The house was sold within the week. Alyss packed all their belongings into a bag, bought a horse with some of the money from the house, and they rode all day for weeks to get to Redmont. Whenever they could, they stayed at an inn.
When she finally got to Redmont, it was almost midnight. Sean was curled up on Alyss’s lap and she didn’t want to ride through the dark forest alone. Instead she went to Jenny’s restaurant. She took Sean in with her, still asleep. It was almost empty with only one man finishing his meal at the back of the room. As she was standing in the doorway, he finished his supper and brushed past her on his way out the door. Alyss walked to the counter and asked for Jenny. The waiter told her the restaurant was closed.
“Just tell Jenny that I’m here. When she sees me, she will know me. My name is Alyss.”
The waiter shrugged and walked to the back room where Jenny was directing the cleaning. “there is a woman at the counter claiming that you know her. Her name is Alyss.”
Jenny wiped her hands on her apron and moved to the front of the building. “Alyss? She can’t be Alyss. She’s dead. But she looks exactly like her. And Alyss hasn’t got a baby,” she muttered.
“A lot has changed in the last three years, after I was trapped in the fire, three months after Will’s birthday, four years ago. That was the best apple pie I ever had, by the way. The one you made for Will’s birthday.” Alyss overheard Jenny’s muttering.
“so, you really are my Alyss? I’ll have to send someone to get Will!” Jenny walked out and found one of her new apprentices. “Get the Ranger. Tell him that I sent you and to come here immediately. It is urgent.”
The apprentice ran outside, saddled a horse and rode out to the cabin in the trees.
Will heard Tug and Bumper whinny and woke. In the next room, Maddie did the same. They donned their belts with their double knife scabbard and walked to the front door. Will opened the door before the apprentice could knock. “what do you want?”
“Mistress Jenny sent me to get you. She said it was urgent and you have to come immediately.”
“we’ll be there in a few minutes. You can go now.” The apprentice mounted his horse and rode back to the restaurant. Will turned to Maddie, “get dressed and string your bow. We are going to Jenny’s.”
Five minutes later they walked out to the stable and saddled their horses. They rode down the dark path in silence. Jenny was waiting just inside the restaurant door and when she saw the Ranger and his apprentice, she stepped out and hugged them both. She had a huge grin on her face, and they could both see she was bursting with excitement. Jenny grabbed Will’s hand and pulled him inside, Maddie followed a few steps behind them. Jenny led them to a back room. Inside, a woman was sitting on a bench as a toddler ran around her legs. She had her back to them, but she looked strangely familiar.
Alyss turned and saw Will. He just stood there as he registered who was now hugging him and then he lifted her up and spun her in a small circle. She laughed in excitement. They stopped spinning and just stood there hugging and crying. After a couple of minutes, Maddie broke the silence. “Alyss? How is this possible? You… died. Four years ago.”
Alyss looked at her. She saw the double knife scabbard at her waist, the mottled cloak and the recurve bow over her shoulder. “Maddie! Are you a Ranger now?”
Maddie nodded. “Will’s apprentice.”
Alyss held her at arm’s length. “You’ve grown so much since I saw you last. You’re almost twenty now, aren’t you?”
“Yes. But, enough about me! How are you here? Who is the kid?”
“It’s a long story but since we have all night we might as well get comfortable.” Alyss sat and motioned for the others to do the same.
“When I went back to save the girl in the fire, the roof collapsed but only one beam landed on me. It burnt my back and legs, but I pulled myself out and crawled through a break in the flames. There was a stream in the woods behind the inn and I dragged myself to it and laid in it. I must have passed out because I woke up and couldn’t remember what had happened or where I was. I don’t think I could remember what had happened for the last twenty years. I remember thinking of the time Keren had me locked in the tower. I couldn’t recall anything after that. My mind was blank.
I walked to a village and an old woman took me in and cured me. Her name was Lilian. She had no family left. Her only daughter and her husband had died in a fire. She died only a few weeks ago now. It turned out I was pregnant when I went to Celtica. Seven months after the fire I gave birth to Sean. His birthday is only a few days before yours, Maddie. I had regained most of my memories by then but with a newborn baby and no money I couldn’t travel. I wanted to come back here so much, so I got a job as a waitress in the local inn to get money. I never used my real name. I was known as Jessica Sama. As I said before, Lilian died a few weeks ago and since I was her only friend in the village, she left me all her possessions. Sean found her dead one morning. When she didn’t move, he got me to come in. The funeral traumatised him and every night since then he has had nightmares. I sold the house as soon as I could and brought a horse then came here as fast as I could.”
“is Sean my son?” Asked Will.
Will looked pale so Jenny stood and motioned for Maddie to come outside. “we’ll give you two some privacy.”
Alyss pulled Will up and wrapped him in a hug. He returned the embrace and kissed her. They stood together for several minutes, only stopping when Sean tugged on Alyss’s dress. “Mummy, I’m hungry.”
“I’m sure Jenny will have some food for you, honey.” She grabbed his hand. “come on let’s find you some food.” She walked to the door but noticed Will wasn’t following her. “are you coming, Will?”
“yes, but I think I’ll stay in here a bit longer. This is a lot to take in.”
In the kitchen, Jenny and Maddie were making an apple pie. While they worked, they talked about Gilan.
Maddie turned to the door as she heard Alyss talking to Sean. He was running up the hall. He saw Maddie and Jenny and started running faster. He tried to climb onto the stool beside Maddie, but it was too tall so, she lifted him and sat him on her own lap. Alyss had walked into the kitchen by then. As she walked past the oven, she smelled something.
“Are you baking an apple pie, Jenny? It smells so good.”
“Yes. It should be ready in a few minutes.”
“I can’t wait.” Alyss sat on the stool beside Maddie. “so, Maddie, how did you become a Ranger? Last I heard, you were a princess.”
“Mum and Dad thought I was misbehaving, and Will was almost going to quit the Ranger corps to avenge your… death, I guess. Halt, Gilan, Mum and Dad all agreed that this would be the best way to get us both to behave better. It did. I was only supposed to train for a year, but I loved it so much that I continued.”
Alyss had frowned slightly when she heard that Will almost quit the Corps. “What are you going to do when you finish your training? I don’t think your parents would like it if you became a full time Ranger.”
“Mum didn’t like it when she found out that I wanted to continue my training. Only a few people know that I am training to be a Ranger. Most people think I am learning how to sew and act like a princess with lady Sandra. I don’t stay all year. I visit Mum and Dad for a few months a year and become a princess again. After I finish my training, I will go back to be a princess. But I will still practice my skills.”
Alyss smiled, “I see Will has taught you well.”
Maddie looked confused so she elaborated.
“getting completely off track when you talk, then going back and answering the question after heaps of pointless information. All the while confusing anyone that is listening. It is quite a useful skill, but it gets annoying sometimes.”
“so, you think I am annoying sometimes?” The voice came from behind Alyss and she turned, recognising the voice. It belonged to Will. He kissed her and sat.
As Maddie and Alyss talked, Jenny had pulled the apple pie out of the fire and left it to cool. Now she cut it into slices and put them on plates. “Maddie can you help me?”
She stood and sat Sean on the chair, then moved to the kitchen. She took her own plate and Sean’s plate as well as five sets of forks. Jenny carried the rest of the plates.
Maddie put the plates and cutlery on the table and picked up Sean and put him on her lap and sat down.
Alyss took a bite and sighed. “I forgot how good your cooking is. I missed it so much.”
Jenny filled everyone’s mugs with coffee. Alyss filled everyone else in on what had happened to her, going into more detail. The others in turn filled her in on the happenings of the kingdom. Just after they started talking, Sean had curled up, asleep on Maddie’s lap so, they talked in slightly more than whispers.
At around 2 am Alyss, Maddie and Will said goodnight to Jenny and rode to the cabin in the trees. They were almost there when Alyss realised the problem. There were not enough beds in the house. Will and Alyss would share a bed of course. Maddie had the other room, but there was nowhere for Sean to sleep. When she addressed the problem to the others, Maddie suggested that Sean could sleep in her bed. Alyss was riding with the sleeping child so Maddie decided to ride ahead to get the house ready. As she approached the house, she saw a bay horse waiting beside the building. It was a ranger horse. Maddie thought she recognised her and the thought was confirmed when she walked inside. Gilan was sitting at the table, drinking a cup of coffee. He looked up as she walked in. “good morning. Where’s Will?”
“he’s coming. How long have you been here?”
Maddie walked into her room. “Hey Gil, would you be able to help me move my bed? I don’t want it to leave marks on the floor.”
Gilan sat his coffee down and stood. He picked up one end of the bed while Maddie lifted the other. They positioned the bed next to the wall. Gilan went back to his coffee but Maddie walked around the cabin picking up any items low enough for Sean to grab and putting them on higher shelves. She put another blanket on her bed as well. Gilan watched her, perplexed, but didn’t interrupt her. When she finally sat, he poured her a cup of coffee and topped up his own cup. She nodded her thanks. He was about to ask her what she was doing, when Blaze and Bumper whinnied a welcome. There was an answering call from Tug. Maddie looked in the coffee pot and seeing that it was almost empty, refilled it and put it to boil, then walked outside to greet Will. Gilan stayed inside. By the time Maddie had stepped off the veranda, two horses walked out of the trees. Sean was still asleep on Alyss’s lap and she lifted him down into Maddie’s waiting arms. Careful to not wake Sean, Maddie walked to the cabin. She walked through the open door, straight into her room. She rested Sean on her bed and tucked him in. She sat at the table once again to finish her coffee. Gilan looked at her puzzled. He had no idea what was happening. Will walked in with a tall, graceful figure beside him. Will saw the coffee pot and filled a mug.
“Coffee, Alyss?” He asked. She nodded. He poured her a cup and handed it to her.
Gilan looked at her then at Will and at Sean, sleeping in Maddie’s room. “what am I missing?”
“Gilan, this is Alyss, my wife.”
“But she died years ago.” He looked at her.
Will was about to answer but Alyss put a hand on his arm to stop him.
She answered Gilan’s question. “I escaped the fire but lost my memory from the shock. I got it back eventually and came home with my son.”
“when did you have a kid?”
“I was pregnant when I went to Celtica. I didn’t know. No one knew.”
“so that kid Maddie brought in before, is your son?” There was a note of disbelief in his voice.
Will answered before Alyss could stop him. “yes, Sean is our son!”
“was he, by any chance, named after Halt’s nephew, King Sean?”
“yes, he was.” Alyss replied.
“Halt is going to love this! Have you told him yet?” Gilan grinned.
“no. We were just at Jenny’s. I went straight there when I got here, and Sean was asleep. I didn’t want to wake him.”
“she’s fine. What did you come here for?”
“I have a mission for you two Ranger’s, but I see you might want to stay here for a while, Will.”
“yes. I don’t want to just leave Alyss here all alone with Sean again. Not so soon. Maddie might want to still go.” Will answered.
Gilan turned to Maddie but was surprised to see that she had fallen asleep at the table, her cold cup of coffee still sitting in front of her.
“I guess we should take her to bed. I’ll come back tomorrow.”
“Bring Halt and Pauline if they aren’t busy.” Will lifted Maddie and carried her to bed and laid her beside Sean. He pulled the blanket up and tucked her in.
An hour later she woke to the sound of Sean crying. She sat up and saw him beside her with tears rolling down his cheeks. “Hey Sean, what’s wrong?” She whispered to him.
He looked at her and said. “I’m scared.”
She picked him up and hugged him. “it’s okay, I’m here for you. What are you scared of?”
“the lady that played with me when mummy went to work.”
Realisation dawned on Maddie. “was her name Lilian?”
“she’s grey like she was in the box.”
The box must have been the coffin, Maddie realised. “don’t worry Sean, I will make her go away.”
There was a knock on the door and Maddie, still holding Sean opened it. Alyss was standing there.
“he’s fine now. He had a nightmare.” Maddie reassured her.
“mummy! The nice girl made the lady go away.”
“he’s been having nightmares about Lilian.” Maddie said.
“thank you, Maddie. You are really good with him.”
“I’m sure I fell asleep at the table earlier. How did I get in here?”
“Will carried you in here and tucked you in.”
Maddie raised her voice slightly. “Thanks, Will!”
“you’re welcome!” Will called from his bedroom.
Maddie grinned. “I knew he’d be awake. I’ll put Sean back to sleep, now. Goodnight.”
Alyss nodded. “thank you.”
Alyss shut the door and went back to her room. Maddie put Sean on the bed and laid beside him. “are you ready to go back to sleep, Sean?”
“will you keep the lady away?”
“okay.” He rolled onto his side and fell asleep.
Maddie closed her eyes and fell asleep as well.
In the next room, Alyss listened as Maddie got Sean to sleep. “She is so good with him.” She whispered to Will.
“yes, she is. She is a good kid.”
Alyss looked at him. “she is not exactly a kid anymore. She will be an adult soon.”
Will grunted his agreement. “’night.”
The next morning Will woke to the smell of bacon and coffee. He pulled a shirt on and buckled his belt around his hips. He tucked his shirt in as he walked out of his room.
“’Morning, sleepyhead.” Alyss was standing at the stove, cooking bacon and eggs.
“good morning. Is Maddie up yet?”
“no. Sean is still sleeping as well.”
Will poured himself a cup of coffee and sat at the table.
“I forgot how nice it was to have someone cook breakfast for me.” Will grinned.
“didn’t Maddie cook you breakfast?”
“a few failed attempts. It didn’t taste very good. It was a good effort, considering she had never cooked before. At least she made me laugh.”
“good morning, Sean.” Maddie said as the child moved beside her. She had only been awake for a few minutes but, fearing that she would wake Sean, stayed in bed. She heard Will talking to Alyss. She smiled as she remembered her first attempt at cooking bacon and eggs. Maddie sat on the edge of the bed. “Sean, do you want a piggyback ride?”
Alyss smiled as Maddie came out of her room, Sean on her back.
“Gilan’s coming over later, Maddie. He wants to talk to you. And you can have a day off today, to watch Sean.” Will said.
For a couple of hours, Maddie played with Sean, making mud patties and playing tag. It was almost noon when Gilan, Halt and Pauline rode into the clearing. Sean wanted to go over and see the horses, so Maddie held his hand and walked over to the small group. Pauline tethered her horse but Halt and Gilan just let the reins drop to the ground as usual. They turned as Maddie called out to them. Gilan hadn’t told Halt or Pauline why they had to come, so neither of them knew why Maddie was leading a small child towards them. As they approached, Halt turned to Gilan, “I suppose that has something to do with why we are here.” Gilan nodded and smiled.
Sean whispered something to Maddie, and she picked him up and walked faster towards the trio.
“and who’s this little angel?” Pauline asked.
“this is Sean. Sean, this is Gilan, Halt and Pauline.” She pointed to each as she said their names.
“hullo, Sean. Where did you come from?” Halt asked.
“come inside and we’ll tell you.” Alyss called from the doorway.
“who else is here? That was definitely not Will. But the voice sounds familiar.” Halt hated not knowing.
Gilan and Maddie exchanged a glance and Halt decided he would get them back for this later. While they were talking, Sean had started patting Blaze’s nose. Now he grabbed it and Blaze snorted. They all looked at her and Maddie laughed.
“Sean, be gentle.” She scolded light-heartedly.
She stepped onto the veranda and put Sean down. The door was open, and he ran inside.
“mummy!” He shouted happily as Alyss scooped him up. Maddie followed him inside and after a moment’s hesitation the others also stepped inside. Pauline recognised her first. Afterall, the graceful blonde had been her protegee. Halt took a few seconds longer and concluded that it must be Alyss. Then he realised that Sean had called her ‘mummy’.
“Two things.” Halt said. “first. Alyss? Second. Mummy?”
Alyss smiled. “yes, to both those questions Halt. Before you ask, no, I am not dead.” She had seen his mouth open to ask a question and close as she answered it.
“his name is Sean, like my nephew.” He said
“that’s who he is named after.”
“mummy, what does nefew mean?”
“nephew is a brother or sister’s son.”
“coffee’s ready if anyone wants it.” Will said. He was sitting at the table drinking his cup of coffee.
There were not enough chairs, so Gilan and Maddie sat on the floor with Sean.
“Last night I was going to ask you if you wanted to go on a mission, but Will is going to stay here. If you want to still go, I will go with you.” Gilan told Maddie.
“Where is it? And what is it about?”
“Toscana, Arridi. It’s just a routine trip to check the treaty. Do you want to come?”
“yes.” Maddie said after a moment’s hesitation.
“We leave in two days. At dawn.”
Maddie’s smile slid off her face. “I knew you would say that. Sean, do you want to help me pack?”
Maddie stood and lifted Sean up and walked to her room. “how long is this going to take?”
“two or three weeks.” Gilan replied.
“am I a princess or a Ranger?”
“both. In Arridi you will be a Ranger but in Toscana you will be a princess.”
After Maddie left with Gilan, Will sent a letter to Horace and Cassandra. ‘I will be coming to castle Araluen with a surprise. Have a big room prepared for me. I’m bringing a friend. We’ll be staying a few days. We’ll be there in less than a week.’
Will, Alyss and Sean left for the castle later that day. It was an uninteresting trip until they got within a day’s ride of castle Araluen. They stopped for the night in the ever-present woods beside the road. There was a small brook near the clearing they had chosen for their campsite. Will and Alyss had two cloaks each and they had a few blankets. It was a cold night, so Alyss had piled all the blankets on top of herself and Sean. She was curled around him to keep him warm. Will was sitting at the edge of the clearing, wrapped in his warm cloak, keeping watch. Tug and the other horses were on the other side of the clearing, closest to the road.
Alyss slept facing Will and he could see the details on her face clearly with the moonlight. As she slept, a single tear slid down her cheek and froze on the tip of her nose. It glistened in the moonlight and Will was struck by a sudden urge to wipe it off his wife’s face. Sean was squirming in his mother’s embrace, but she was in a deep sleep and didn’t notice. Will checked around for any intruders one last time before darting across the clearing. Alyss unconsciously stroked the air where Sean’s head had laid seconds before and woke up immediately when she realised, he was gone. She looked around anxiously, searching for her son and relaxed when she saw Will at Tug’s side, and Sean perched on top of the horse.
“Will,” she called with mock severity. “bring that cheeky little boy back to bed!”
Will pulled Sean off Tug and tucked him back in with Alyss. He hesitated, looking at Tug then as the little shaggy horse seemed to nod, he laid down beside her and wrapped her in his arms. They lay undisturbed for hours until Tug whinnied a warning. There is someone nearby, the warning said. Will was awake instantly. As was usual for a Ranger, he made no outward sign that he was awake. His hand searched under his pillow for his saxe knife.
The man watched, shocked to find that a mysterious, green and grey clad Ranger was curled up with a woman and child, with no sentries. If he hit the Ranger now, he would be able to get the woman easily. The Ranger looked like he was still asleep. The man crouched behind the bush, formulating his plan. He would throw his spear at the Ranger. If he missed, he would use his second spear. Or he would threaten to kill the woman. The Ranger obviously cared about her.
Will saw the man crouch behind the bush. This was his chance. He rolled away from Alyss, saxe knife in hand. He grabbed his longbow and quiver as he ran to the edge of the clearing.
The man behind the bush stood with his spear ready to throw at the Ranger but he had disappeared. What he didn’t know was that the Ranger was creeping toward him. He brought the spear back to throw it at Alyss. Will stepped out of the trees, arrow already nocked. He hadn’t seen the man draw back the spear to throw. The spear sped across the open ground and Will fired at the man. He knew it was a good shot and he dropped his bow, turning to face his family.
“Alyss!” He screamed, the agony clear in his voice, as he sprinted toward her. She had cried out as the spear flew at her.
She was sobbing when Will reached her. Her hands were covered in blood. He Searched for the wound and cried out in shock when he saw it. Sean’s upper arm was sliced to the bone. Alyss didn’t seem to be hurt but her eyes were haunted as she looked at her child. Will bundled up Sean and carried him to the pond. He washed the blood off his arm and whistled for Tug. There was a first aid kit in his saddlebag. He smeared a pain killer in Sean’s wound. As it took effect, Will noticed the torture in his son’s eyes dissipated. Will stitched the lips of the wound together.
Alyss was sitting up on her blankets, hands in her hair, rocking back and forth, muttering to herself and crying. She was oblivious to the blood staining her ash blonde hair.
Will heard hoofbeats and decided to investigate. He carried Sean. It was the mail carrier cart and its entourage. Six armed knights. The captain saw Will and recognised him. He stopped the cart.
“Good morning Ranger Will. I am captain Wurel.” The captain dismounted.
“Not all that good of a morning, I’m afraid captain.” Will replied, indicating the bandage wrapped around Sean’s arm. “Sean got a spear through his arm.”
“what happened to the man that got him?”
“he is sleeping in the woods. My arrow is with him.” Will grinned.
Alyss had finally stopped crying. She heard voices from the road, Will was not in the clearing so she reasoned that he was talking at the roadside. Her suspicions were confirmed when she heard his voice. Alyss stumbled toward the voices. Will turned when he heard her coming. He saw the blood in her hair and on her face and hands. He hurried over to her asking if she was alright. She threw her arms around Wills neck and burst into tears again.
“It was all my fault, Will.” She whispered between sobs.
“No, it wasn’t, honey.” His hands were full so he couldn’t hug her back. He kissed her cheek instead.
The captain was looking embarrassed as he watched the famous Will Treaty kiss this unknown woman.
Will saw his look and called to him as his own face reddened. “you should get back to work.”
Captain Wurel nodded his thanks and ordered his men to get back to work. Most of them had dismounted and slumped on the ground. They all stepped up into their saddles again and rode off with the wagon. As they rounded the corner, Will kissed Alyss again. It was more passionate but still clumsy because of Sean. They broke apart as Alyss broke down into another bout of tears. Will lead Alyss to the brook and started to wash her face and hair.
The blood had dried, and her hair was matted with it. Will soaked her hair then combed it out with his hands. Most of the dried blood came out so he just combed it with his fingers, occasionally wetting it again. Eventually her hair was back to normal. He wiped Alyss’s face with a wet cloth removing the layer of blood. The sun had risen over an hour ago. They packed up camp and headed for castle Araluen.
They arrived a few hours after lunch. They were greeted at the gate by the Queen herself and her husband Sir Horace.
“Your majesty.” Will said grinning.
“Who are your friends?” Horace asked.
“I believe that you have met Alyss? My wife.”
“It can’t be!” Cassandra stated.
“It is Cass. And this is our son, Sean.” Alyss replied.
“hold up a minute! Will. You’re telling us your wife has been brought back from the dead and you have a kid?” Sir Horace challenged.
“why didn’t she come back three years ago? It would have saved us all a lot of grief. It would have saved Maddie from that spear she took for you.”
“Maddie save your life?” Alyss intervened.
“Yes.” Will answered briefly.
“what did it have to do with me not coming back?”
“Jory Ruhl threw the spear. I was tied to a post to be burned alive. Maddie jumped in front of me. I was hunting him down. I thought she was dead. She was all I had left. I wanted to die.” Will’s voice lowered to a hoarse whisper as he said the last words. A tear slipped down his cheek.
Alyss’s eyes were watering and seeing the tear on Will’s cheek was the last straw. She burst into tears for the third time that day. Will handed Sean to Cassandra after pointing out the cut on his arm. He leaped off Tug and lifted Alyss off her horse. Her whole body was shaking. Will held her close. He gestured for the four of them to go into the castle. Horace looked at Will then at Tug the question was obvious. ‘What about the horses?’ Will tilted his head toward Alyss. ‘She comes first.’HHhhhhhhhhhh5eryhrb
Horace called out to a stable hand and told him to look after the visitor’s horses. The hand nodded and took the bridle.
“Tug, go along.” Will said to his horse. He reluctantly followed the stable hand into the stable.
Will walked Alyss into the castle. Cassie led the way and Horace came behind them. suddenly he stopped. “did you name your son after Halt’s nephew?”
Will grinned. “did you just realise that?”
“Alyss did. That was one of the first questions Halt asked. The first was, Alyss? Then it was, Mummy? Then he asked if Sean was named after King Sean.”
“Sean came running into the house laughing and yelling, Mummy! Your daughter was right behind him.”
“Maddie knew. And she didn’t tell us!”
Will grinned sheepishly. “I told her not to.”
The Queen opened the door and held it open for the others to pass her. She had moved into her fathers’ old room. Will led Alyss straight to the bed and sat her on it. He sat with his arm around her shaking shoulders. She laid her head on his shoulder. It didn’t take long for Will’s shoulder to become soaked with tears. He kissed her forehead. Her cries eventually stopped as she sank into asleep. Will laid her on the bed and kissed her again.
Sean tugged on Will’s sleeve. “Daddy? What’s wrong with Mummy?”
“She’s having a bad day.”
“poor girl. She used to be so strong. Now she is so stressed.” Cassie said sympathetically. She hated seeing her friend like this and not being able to do anything. They all hated it.
“she has been like this all day. Early this morning, Sean got hit by the spear. She blamed herself for him getting hit. The spear was aimed at her, but they overshot. It cut his arm all the way to the bone.” Will frowned.
“how can she blame herself for that? She couldn’t do anything to stop a spear.” Horace argued.
“I know. I tried to tell her that. She had blood all over her hands and she got it all through her hair and on her face.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes. Horace randomly asked if Will wanted the doctor to check Sean’s cut. Will thought about it for a couple of minutes before he answered.
“If Alyss says yes.” He naturally surrendered to his wife’s authority.
Cassandra and Horace both had work to do. They left Will, Sean and Alyss in the room alone. After a few hours, Alyss finally woke up. Sean had gone exploring around the suite of rooms. Will was going to kiss her forehead, but she pulled his lips down onto her own. He didn’t resist. Neither pulled away until Alyss had to come up for a breath. A servant was backing out of the room and Will turned and saw him. They all turned red with embarrassment. The servant turned and ran out of the room. Will turned and kissed Alyss again. He pulled away, remembering what Horace had said hours earlier. He asked Alyss if she wanted to take Sean to the doctor. She nodded.
They found Sean in the office, balancing on the big oak desk. They walked him down to the doctor. Just outside the doctor’s office Cassandra was busy planning a celebration. They told him to go straight to aunty Cass when the doctor was finished.
They walked back up to the Queens rooms. This time they locked the door. They caught up on the three years of missed kisses in the hours before Horace and Cassie knocked on the door. Will kissed Alyss one more time, before getting up to open the door. He was surprised to find it already open and the couple were obviously trying hard not to laugh.
“they’ve been like that for hours, Horace.” Halt was standing inside the doorway.
Horace burst into peals of laughter. “And you managed to stay in here that whole time?”
“What!?” Will looked at Halt accusingly.
“you didn’t even look around the room when you locked the door. Even Horace could have hidden in plain sight and you wouldn’t have noticed him.” Halt looked disappointed.
“No-o-o! You saw the whole thing? And heard it all?” Will looked more horrified as Halt nodded to both his questions.
Will was horrified that his former teacher had seen and heard everything.
Halt decided that Will was embarrassed enough. He softened his gaze. “you two deserved the love after what you have been through.”
Will’s face was bright red. Alyss, trained in not showing her emotions, was only slightly less red. Lady Pauline was standing behind Cassandra, Sean clinging to her arm. They stepped forward and Sean ran into Alyss’s waiting arms. His arm was wrapped in a new bandage.
Alyss lifted him up, kissing his cheek and her embarrassment faded away.
“when did you get here, Halt?” Alyss asked.
“Daddy.” Sean said and Alyss put him on the floor and he walked to Will, who picked him up.
“we left Redmont a couple of hours after you did, and we got here just as you were walking inside. I came in here to see you, but you were… too busy.” Halt answered Alyss’s question.
“why didn’t you say anything?” Will interrupted.
“I did. But that’s not important. Dinner is important.”
“finally, someone agrees with me!” Horace said and everyone laughed.
The group of six camped in the woods that night. They were heading to Seacliff to see Maddie and Gilan who were due to arrive late the next day.
Horace had second watch. Less than an hour into it, Cassandra woke. They talked for a while until Sean woke up. He walked to them, telling them he need to use the privy. Horace and Cassie started to argue who would take him. As they had their whispered squabble, Sean wandered into the woods. Neither of them noticed. Will heard the fight and slowly stirred.
“What are you doing?” Will whispered, still hazy with sleep.
Cassie looked around and noticed Sean was gone. “Nothing.”
As Will laid back down Cassie murmured to Horace that Sean was missing. He looked around and his eyes widened. Will was almost asleep, and he looked at his wife, thinking, ‘She looks so peaceful when she is asleep. She is not worrying about Sean.’ He realised that Sean was not curled up beside his mother anymore. He shot up, looking around. Cassie and Horace were whispering fighting again. His son was not in the campsite.
“Where is he?” Will stood in front of the Queen, hands on his hips. They were on watch. They were supposed to be watching.
Cassandra and Horace avoided Will’s angry eyes.
“Where is he?” He repeated, his voice was ominously low.
“We don’t know.” Cassandra said in a small voice.
Halt’s bedroll was the closest to where they were arguing. He roused when he heard Will’s voice rise with anger.
“what do you mean, you don’t know? You were supposed to be watching!”
“What’s the problem, Will?” Halt was suddenly standing behind him.
“Them.” Will pointed to Horace and his partner. “They weren’t watching Sean.”
Alyss and Pauline heard Will and decided to find out what happened. They walked together to the scene. Will turned as he heard the familiar sound of his wife’s voice.
“What’s the problem, Will?” Alyss asked.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.” He apologised.
“Nothing. You should go back to bed.”
Alyss and Pauline simultaneously raised their right eyebrow in disbelief. Then Alyss realised what the problem was. Her baby was gone.
“Sean?” She breathed. Her legs seemed to become jelly. They wouldn’t hold her up and she fell to the ground. Will’s arms stopped her at the last moment.
“We’ll find him. Don’t worry.”
Alyss stood. “I’m going.”
“No! You’re staying here.”
A child’s high-pitched scream rung out from the forest. Will immediately let go of Alyss who screamed out her son’s name. He sprinted toward the noise, snatching up his bow and quiver as he went. Alyss tried to follow but Halt grabbed her around the waist, stopping her.
“Let go of me, Halt! Sean! My baby!” She clawed at Halt’s arms and screamed again when she heard her son.
“Mummy! Da…!” His voice was muffled by a hand clamped over his mouth as he screamed for his parents.
Alyss slumped in Halt’s arms, realising that he wouldn’t let her go. She twisted in his embrace and buried her tear-stained face in his chest.
Will followed the muffled screams. His cowl was up, shading his face and he carried his longbow easily, ready to shoot in a second. He moved, silent as a cat stalking its prey, toward the bandit who was holding Sean.
The outlaw spoke to the small boy. “Guess Mummy and Daddy aren’t coming, kid.” He pressed a knife under Sean’s chin. “Guess I’ll just have to kill you.” The knife was moved closer to the child’s neck, causing a thin line of blood to appear.
“Don’t move!” Will shouted. “King’s Ranger!”
The bandit, Ramen, pressed the knife harder into Sean’s neck. He knew what Rangers were like. If he ran, the Ranger would come after him and kill him. If he stayed, the Ranger would kill him. It wouldn’t matter what he did, the Ranger would kill him. Ramen decided he would not go down without the pleasure of killing the boy. Sean whimpered in pain and fear. Will threw back his cowl, revealing his face to his son.
Ramen cursed and put his hand over the kids mouth again, smothering the shout. Seconds later he realised what the kid had said. His eyes widened and he smiled cruelly.
“Guess Daddy did come after all. Dressed as a Ranger.”
Will brought his bow up, pulling it to full draw and sighted on the hand holding the knife to Sean’s throat. If the man moved, the arrow could hit Sean. Will didn’t want to take that risk, so he released the tension of the bow and dropped it on the forest floor, replacing the arrow in his quiver. He moved forward, drawing his heavy saxe knife. Ramen dug his own knife further into Sean’s neck. Blood was running freely down and soaking into the kid’s shirt.
Will leaped, twisting the knife from Ramen’s fingers and Sean sunk to the ground. Will dragged the bandit away and threw him to the ground. As the bandit got unsteadily to his feet, the pommel of Will’s saxe knife came down heavily on his head, knocking him out instantly. He was tied to a tree and Will left.
Will took off his cloak, wrapped his sleepy son in it and carried him back to the campsite. As the child was drifting off to sleep, he remembered something. He opened his eyes.
“Daddy? The man said his friends were going to get Mummy.” Sean whispered.
Will silently cursed and started to run. “Alyss! Halt!” he yelled.
Halt and Alyss turned at Will’s voice and ran toward him. He didn’t hear the man behind him. The sword stabbed into his back and he reeled forward. The world turned black. Alyss leaped forward to the man who had cut her husband. Her dagger slipped between his ribs and found his heart. She dropped to her knees beside Will. The sword had gone through, below his ribcage. Alyss was torn between helping her husband or her son. Halt stopped another brigand and seeing no other enemies around, also dropped to the ground beside Will.
“I have Sean. You get Will.” Halt reassured her. Alyss carefully pulled the bloodstained sword out of her husband’s body. His breathing was ragged and so was his pulse. He opened his eyes at Alyss’s gentle touch. She pulled his ruined shirt away from the wound and wiped the injury with a clean linen bandage.
While Will was sleeping, the others talked. Horace volunteered to get a healer from the castle. It would be half a day’s ride to get there and another half day ride back. It would be more than twelve hours before Will could get proper treatment. Cassandra and Pauline would continue to the docks to meet with Maddie and Gilan. Sean would go with them.
Cassandra and Pauline trotted their horses slowly down the street. Sean was sitting in the saddle in front of Pauline. Two horses trailed behind them. A piebald and a bay. Wolfwill, the sleek wolfship captained by Gundar Hardstriker, glided to the wharf. Maddie and Gilan were standing at the port side railings and leaped off as soon as the ship stopped. Maddie ran to her horse and threw her arms around his neck. Then she seemed to notice everyone around her.
“Mum!” she shouted excitedly. She looked around only seeing Pauline and Sean. “Where’s Dad?”
“He is… with Will, Halt and Alyss. They are camped in the woods less than a day’s ride away,” Pauline answered. “We will be staying there for a couple of days.”
It was obvious that she was not telling them something. Maddie wondered what it was for a few seconds before realising that they would find out in due time.
Gilan was watching Maddie from beside his own horse. “I have to get back to work but I can come with you to the campsite.”
As they rode into the campsite Maddie expected to be greeted by her mentor, not by the site of him lying unconscious on the ground with a bloodstained bandage around his bare chest. Maddie and Gilan both stopped their horses as they saw Will. Alyss looked up as the hoofbeats stopped. Her eyes were filled with tears.
“What happened to Will? Is he going to be okay?” Maddie cried out as she jumped off Bumper and ran to her teacher, dropping to her knees beside him.
At the sound of Maddie’s voice, Will’s eyes flickered open.
“Hey Maddie.” His voice was weak and his eyes were full of pain.
