•For such wonderful readers, I think you deserved this!•

Horses ran down the small deer trail, barley being seen by the riders on top of them. They didn't care, they trusted the horses judgment. Commander Calloway had handed the two of them a specific task, and they didn't feel like failing at it.

They both wore black cloths and silvery metal cuffs in an arrow like formation. Their weapons consisted of a thinly curved bladed sword, an array of hidden knives and wooden-metal recurve bow with heavy war arrows to match it. Their horses were sleek and dressed in half amour, the black stallion in silver with etched designs, the sign that his rider was a first officer while the palomino had embed gold color with his silver designs, a lieutenant.

Without spoken words, they both brought their horses to a stop by a river that ran by smoothly, like liquid crystal to let their horses drink. The lieutenant looked around before speaking in a quieted voice to his companion, "Nice place isn't it?" The other looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Oh don't give me that look Will, I'm just trying to have a nice conversation." Will shook his head, "Since when have you become the talking type Gunther?" Gunther shifted in his saddle with a pained look, "Since I became to old to be doing this." "Still thinking about retiring any time soon? I'm sure Calloway would let you just so he wouldn't gave to hear you complain over every single report you have to look over." Will said with a straight face.

Gunter turned to look at him, glaring, "Just you wait, your time will come and we'll see who's laughing then." Will grinned, "You won't be, you'd be long dead before that happens." "Oh we'll see who croaks first." Gunther challenged.

They both were silent for a while enjoying the forest while they could when they moved their horses into a trot once they were sure that they were rested. They made camp further in the woods, less chance of someone finding them. Setting up camp swiftly, they went over the plan.

"So the entrances are heavily guarded, making climbing through the window our only option without a sure chance of discovery. Once inside we find the document and then get out of there as fast as we can." Gunther told Will, who nodded. "A simple mission really, don't see why Calloway couldn't have sent any of the second or third officers to do it," But Gunther was ready shaking his head.

"This document is to important to be retrieved by a second or third officer. He needed to send people he trusted and that's me and you." Will nodded. Gunther looked at the sun, "Best we get some rest, the action won't start till nightfall."

"What fun," Will commented dryly.

>>>-------->

Night had come quicker than Will expected and his blood raced with excitement. Gunther had fallen straight asleep but Will couldn't so he decided to take a look at the maps. They where currently in Redmont, the out skirts of Wensley Village. The file that Calloway had given them said that it was the domain of a man called Baron Arald and the two currently stationed Rangers; Ranger Halt and Ranger Gilan. Will did some more reading about the people who lived in the Redmont Castle or the people in the village to pass the time, by the time he was done, night had began to fall.

Waking Gunther up, they broke camp and mounted the horses, putting them into a trot to the castle. Once there after a several long minuet ride, they dismounted and left the horses in the tree line. Being carful about their movements, they ghosted to the castle walls and slipped over them, past any and all sentries.

Sticking to the hidden shadows they walked to the central tower and looked up at it to where the window to the Barons study was. "This should be a breeze," Will said, Gunther merely nodded. Getting a foot hold and starting to climb up, both spider climbed up the tower and to find luck on their side when Will pushed gently against the window for it to swing smoothly open. Climbing in, they looked around the darkened place.

As Gunther moved to sort through some pieces of parchment on the great wooden desk, Will looked at a corner of the room close to the desk consumed in shadow and frowned. Gunther looked up at him, "What?" Will just shook his head, "Just thought that there should be someone there..." Gunther just looked at him for a while before speaking, "Well don't just stand there, help me look."

Launching into movement, Will scanned the desk and other places before confirming what Gunther was about to say; "It's not here." Gunther bit his lip before speaking, "Let's split up, look around quickly, if we don't find anything then we come back the next night." Lifting the door of it's hinges so it wouldn't make a sound, they slipped into the hallway and split up.

Will walked down the many corridors and had already searched some offices but had found nothing so far when he came upon an open door. Stepping in, he realized that it wasn't an office, but a bedroom. Looking around he almost thought that it was empty when he noticed the slender figure lying on the bed. Intrigued, he walked forward to find that it was a women with a halo of long, blonde hair spread about her with the most beautiful face he has ever seen. So familiar, and yet so different, he thought.

He whirled around when the smallest sound alerted him. Now that he looked, he could see a separate room with the door wide open. Carefully moving toward it, he saw what looked to be a crib in the room. Approaching it, he looked inside to see a small child with wisps of blonde hair and wide brown eyes. The thing that had made the noise was the child accidentally throwing his toy out of the crib causing it to thud onto the ground. Picking it up Will slowly lowered his hand into the crib to give it back.

The little infant took the toy and when Will was pulling his hand back, he felt the child's small hand reach up and grab his finger. Will froze, looking into the eyes of the baby's he smiled and after a while he carefully disengaged his finger from the child's hand.

Keeping quiet, Will backed out of the room and then ghosted out of the other room, taking one last look at the women on the bed. When he slipped out of her still open door he ran into Gunther. "There you are, I'v been looking everywhere, I found the document now let's go." He looked past Will and to the women inside the room. "Do you know her?" he asked curiously.

"I thought I did," Will whispered.