“What are you looking at, foreigner?” the guard demanded roughly. The smile was a little unsettling. A prisoner shouldn’t smile at his captors like that.“I’m just making sure I can remember you,” Gilan told him. “Never know when that might be useful.”

“But...what if I mistime it?"Gilan smiled widely. "Well, in that case, I'll probably lop your head off your shoulders."Horace and Gilan”

“And with his arm around the younger man's shoulders still, he led him away from the bow and back to the small group by the tiller. Halt glanced up as they approached, caught a look from Gilan and had a pretty good idea what they had been talking about."Where have you two been?" he asked, his tone light.admiring the view," Gilan told him. "Thought you might need a hand from the two wisest heads on board.”

“Would you trust him with your life, Halt?" Gilan interrupted, and Halt looked up at him."Yes," he said quietly. Gilan patted his shoulder once more."Then trust him with his own," he said simply.”

“He looked up at Stig and Hal. 'Told you this one was a keeper.' Lydia flushed as the two boys smiled. 'Shut up. You make sure you do your stuff with those two overgrown dinner bowls you call shields.”

“Will looked up angrily, shaking his head in disbelief. Will you shut up? he said tautly.Horace shrugged in apology. 'I'm sorry' he said, I sneezed. A person can't help it when they sneeze.Perhaps not. But you could try to make it sound a little less like an elephant trumpeting in agony; Will told him. ”

“You really miss him don't you?"The Ranger nodded. "More than I realized," he said. Alyss urged her horse close beside his and learned over to kiss him on the cheek.That's for Will when you see him." A ghost of a smile touched Halt's face.You'll understand if I don't pass it on in person?" he said. Alyss smiled and leaned over and kissed him again.And that's for you, you jaded, bad-tempered old Ranger."A little surprised by her own impulsivness, she urged her horse ahead of him. Halt touched his cheek and looked at the slim blonde figure.If I were twenty years younger...he began.The he sighed and had to be honest with himself. Make that thirty years, he thought.”