Halt heard the horse much earlier than usual. The gallop was uneven, clumsy, and rushed. It was like Gilan had no control of his horse.

Something was wrong.

At first, Halt hadn't allowed himself to worry. He tried to convince himself that they were just kids, staying out late, doing what kids did.

But now that he heard Gilan's horse rushing home, he knew something had happened.

Sure enough, before Halt could even make it to the door, Gilan came rushing in sobbing and stumbling over his own feet. He crashed into Halt's arms and collapsed to the floor.

Halt had never seen Gilan like this. Never. He was at such a loss Halt couldn't even get any words out of him for a few minutes.

He questioned now if he should have been harder on Gilan. To not have allowed him to grow so close to Y/N. But he realized that would have been just been cruel.

"Gilan," Halt, his voice low, pushed Gilan off of him and held the boy by his shoulders a small distance away. "Where's Y/N?"

"Gone." Gilan beat his fist against his thigh, trying to stop himself from crying. "It was like...like I'd forgotten her. I don't know—"

"Gone?" Halt questioned. "What do you mean gone?"

"She ran away." Gilan seethed. "Some men attacked us, saying they wanted her. Then I just—forgot she was there and went to defend myself when I heard her running up behind me. Then she—"

Halt had it all pieced together in his head now. Gilan, somehow, had forgotten the girl was there with him. And in the heat of the moment of being attacked, he'd lashed out at her.

It was just about the worst thing that could have happened.

"She told my why people forget her. I get that." Gilan's hands went into his hair and his fingers dug into his skull. "But why did I forget her? I'd never—"

"It's not your fault, Gilan." Halt sighed, squeezing the boys shoulder. He knew this was going to happen and now questioned if he should have made Y/N tell Gilan sooner. But that was a matter of the past now. At least she had told him one way or another. It had just come a little late.

"C'mon then," Halt got up and made sure Gilan was registering his orders. "We're going to find her."

"What?" Gilan asked. "She—"

"Is good at hiding." Halt agreed. "But I'm better. We're going to find her." He repeated, forcefully.

Once he saw Gilan nod, Halt grabbed his bow and opened the door. "Let's go."

Halt wasn't going to waste time tacking up Abelard. He simply threw open the stable doors and whistled for his horse. And in a split second, he was on the horses back and racing out into the dark woods with Gilan on his tail.

Halt prayed his intuition was correct. Y/N was once again on the run, but he knew she wouldn't be running anywhere that had people. But, it was a cold night and she'd need shelter. The best guess was that she'd be headed for the storehouse, not far from the cliffs where Gilan had last seen her.

If she wasn't there, Halt wasn't yet sure what he was going to do. So, he simply banked on the fact that he was going to be right.

He blamed himself for what had happened. He'd told the two of them to deliver the letter to the Baron knowing full well Gilan wouldn't be able to resist bringing Y/N into the city with him. He'd let her leave with that damn hair of hers knowing also full well of the recent rumours of Dearmad running about around Redmont.

As Abelard strode through the dark, the freezing wind burning at Halt's cheeks, he cursed himself for all of the little things he let slide which now amounted to this.

"You there!"

Halt was broken from his rampant thoughts as the voice caught his attention. On the path ahead of him there was a man, a farmer, standing in the middle of the path with a lantern.

Halt slowed Abelard, not intending to stay long, but just to see what was going on.

"Yes?" Halt questioned, walking up on the farmer.

"Sir, be careful going that way." The farmer warned. "Words out there's a Dearmad in these woods."

"And?" Halt remained expressionless. Gilan rode up and stopped beside him but the apprentice knew not to speak with the small wave of Halt's hand at him.

"Well, sir, they're dangerous. Don't you know?" The farmer seemed to shake at the thought.

"Dearmad are folk tale," Halt spat. "No danger if they don't even exist."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." The farmer whispered. "There's men with proof."

"Proof?" Halt tried not to let off he was anxious. "What proof?"

"They say it's a girl. She was spotted at Redmont and they just recently found long white hair in the stream. Roughly the same length of the girls that was seen in Redmont."

"And you've seen this hair, have you?" Halt scoffed. "What does hair have anything to do with being Dearmad?"

The farmer shift uncomfortably, seeming confused as to why this man didn't know much about Dearmad. "They say Dearmad are marked by Morgarath himself, sir. Hair streaked white on the left side of the head."

"News to me." Halt shrugged. "Good night, then."

He was too anxious to get going to keep questioning this man who seemed to have no more information for him than those of normal rumours.

Halt was gone before the farmer could bid him goodnight in return. He wanted to ask Gilan if he knew what the farmer was talking about, this hair in the stream, but figured it wasn't worth riling the boy up again.

Everything had just gotten worse. There were people after Y/N. One's who saw her and remembered her. One's who were after her now.

Making it to the store house, Halt leapt off of Abelard and motioned for the stables which the horse knew what he meant.

"Stay with the horses for now, alright?" Halt asked of Gilan and the boy nod. It was good enough of a response.

From inside the well concealed cottage, Halt could see a faint orange glow coming from under the door. Someone was inside.

Of all the uncertain situations Halt had ever walked into during his life, he knew this was going to be one of the most difficult.

Silently, Halt crept into the storehouse. There was scuffling about inside that masked the sound of his entrance and he fell into the shadows.

There, sure enough, was Y/N. She paced back and fourth with her head in her hands. Scattered all over the table and the floor around her were drawings—not so unalike to the one of the meadow and the dead animals.

Suddenly, she stopped. She lift her head and remained silent.

"Halt?" She whispered, turning around just to have her eyes latch right onto his location. Which, rather impressed Halt.

He stepped out from the shadows with his hands out.

"Is Gilan okay?" She begged for an immediate answer.

"A little torn up," Halt got close enough to the girl to put a hand on her shoulder and guide her to sit down. "But he's safe."

Y/N's eyebrows knit together and she looked to be in pain.

"Better question," Halt spoke up. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I—they didn't get me." She confirmed. "But I left him, Halt. I ran away from him."

"Because you felt it was the best thing in the moment." Halt tried to assure her. "No shame in that."

Y/N tried to accept his words but she struggled to do so.

The girls eyes became glassy. "He knows now. And he saw the worst of it all right away."

Halt felt for her. "So, you told him?"

"Yeah. Do you think he's scared of me now?" She further questioned.

"No." Halt answered with complete honesty. "You know that."

"Yeah." She muttered, eyes falling to the floor.

"But easier to look for reasons to believe he does hate you so that running away is easier, right?" He asked.

Y/N didn't answer.

Halt pulled out his throwing knife and motioned to the girl. "Come here."

Y/N sighed and slumped down in the chair across from Halt. He smiled at her sadly.

"Gilan loves it, you know? Your hair." Halt said to her softly.

Y/N hardly let a smile pass her lips. "Oh, he's told me."

"Which you should take as a sign," Halt motioned for the girl to lean towards him. "That Gilan, no matter what, will still care for you. Dearmad or not."

Y/N had no reply for what Halt had to stay. More so because she knew he wasn't really finished speaking.

"But someone is tracking you by it." Halt muttered.

"So it has to go." She finished his thought.

Halt nod slowly. "Though I see you already did most of the work yourself?" Halt asked, noticing most of that white streak cropped close to her skull buried under the rest of the hair that fell over it.

The girl scoot her chair closer to Halt, their knees almost touching. She looked to him with complete and utter defeat, but knowing what had to be done.

"Just don't make it look as bad as yours."

Halt let out a short, sharp laugh. Something Y/N not often had the joy of hearing.

As the minutes passed, the more of the girls strands of hair piled up on the floor. Halt tried to blend in the surrounding hair with the close cropped white patch. But there was only so much he could do. At least now, she would be able to cover it easier.

"Now," Halt leaned back away from the girl. Her exhausted and broken expression tore at him. "Are you going to come back with us?"

Y/N didn't think Halt was going to put the decision on her. She thought he was either going to force her to leave or force her to come back with him. That she'd have no say in the matter.

"Us?" The girl stiffened.

Gilan, as clever as ever, crept in through the door hearing his signal to enter. He closed the door with a creak and eyed her with a deep, sinking guilt. She returned it.

"I made a promise to Crowley that I would protect you. And I will do just that, whether you are staying with me or you are on the road. But the decision is yours and I will understand whichever you choose." He explained. "Seems Morgarath knows you're here and maybe things have cooled off enough for you to go back to Crowley for a while, if you want."

"I can't put the two of you in more danger," Y/N struggled to hold back her tears, looking between Halt and Gilan. "I don't want to go. But I think I have to."

Halt offered nothing other than a shrug in response to her words. Gilan now made his way to the table they sat at and sat on it. "I understand. But know you're no burden nor are you putting us in any more danger than we normally find ourselves in."

"Good to know," Y/N tried to laugh but it failed miserably. "I just—"

Y/N sighed. "There's no good option if Morgarath is after me."

"The drawings," Halt motioned to the papers scattered everywhere. "Anything there to help us?"

Y/N shook her head. "No. It's all nonsense."

"For the moment," Halt said.

Gilan looked awfully confused and Halt noticed. "Don't worry, I'll explain the drawings later."

"Right, well," Halt got up and re-sheathed his throwing knife. "How about your first mission as an official messenger of the Ranger Corps to set you on the move, then?"

"Where to?" She asked as she watched Halt begin scribbling down something on a piece of paper.

Once done writing, Halt gathered up all of the drawings on the floor and handed them to her. "To Crowley. See if he can decipher any of these drawings and return to me with his findings."

Y/N smiled thankfully at Halt. "That might be a good idea."

Though it caused a deep ache in his chest, Halt moved for the door, hoping to leave his two apprentices together.

The girl noticed he was about to leave and dropped the papers, running for him and wrapping her arms around him. Halt was startled ever so slightly but he quickly eased into the hug and felt his own foundations shaking.

"It'll be alright," Halt assured her. "And one day, the three of us can be together again." Looking over across the room to Gilan, he tried to also reassure his apprentice with his words just as much as he was to Y/N.

"Stay on the move. Get back to Crowley as quickly as you can." Halt whispered to her as he gently pushed away from her.

Y/N nod in understanding and tried not to think too much about what the coming months would hold for her. At least right now, all she had on her mind was getting back to Crowley. She could do that.

Halt gave her one last soft smile as he disappeared into the dark.

The cold wind from outside hit Y/N in the face and briefly stunned her. By the time she lowered her hands from shielding her eyes, the flickering firelight had filled the room once again and the door was shut in front of her.

Bravely, she turned around to Gilan.

In perfect unison, they both bleat out "I'm sorry."

Y/N moved towards the table where he still sat atop it and tried to keep herself together.

"It's okay, you know—" Y/N choked on her words. "If you're scared of me now."

"Scared?" Gilan scoffed. "No. Never."

Gilan could never be scared of someone who spent their whole life being the one who ran away.

"If I were you, I'd be scared of me." He looked down and away, pain flashing across his face. "I forgot."

Y/N countered with the same fervour Gilan had. "Never."

Gilan jumped off of the table and lunged for the girl. He wrapped his arms around her and held tight, afraid of what the prospect of her leaving meant.

"I don't want you to go." He pleaded. "And I don't ever want to forget like I did. I don't know what happened. It just—All I wanted to bring you into Redmont for was to show you the new library. And look where it's got us."

"Gilan, it's ok." Y/N held him tight.

"No it's not." He said now with a deeper tone. "What if you leave and I do forget? Really forget this time?"

Y/N pushed away from Gilan gently and tilt her head. "You won't."

Defeated, Gilan reached up and brushed his fingers through the girls hair, searching for any remaining strand of white. He was disappointed to find none. With a sigh, his arms fell down and he stepped back a pace, knowing he had to leave. She had to go. It was just how things were. The sooner he tore himself away and let her go, the better.

"I'd like to see the library when I'm back," Y/N said shyly. "If you'd take me."

Gilan, a warmth spreading in his stomach, didn't even try to hold back the small smile that broke on his face. "A date, then?"

"Ah," Y/N hesitated with a small, uncertain laugh.

"I'll see you soon." Gilan didn't need her to say anything else. Now, he we just focused on forcing himself to leave. "I promise."

Y/N nod with a smile and her gut sank as Gilan moved to leave. With one last weak and beaten smile, he snuck out of the door.

Once it shut, the light in the hut seemed to dim and the air became colder. She was alone again.

The truth was, she wasn't sure if she would ever see Gilan again but didn't have the heart to tell him that this might be the last time they saw one another.

At least she knew she could go back to Crowley. She still had someone.

The note Halt had given her to bring to Crowley still hung in her hand. Halt had never told her not to read it. With a spark of curiosity, she lift it up and unfolded the letter.

Get this girl a damn horse that remembers her before she steals one of ours for good.

- Halt