Rat & Will Chapter 20: Into Darkness She Walks

It was nearly dinner time when Rat tossed boots at a lazily dressing Will. “Do try to get finished before tomorrow, won’t you?” She continued to grumble as she pulled on her own soft leather boots. “I swear, you are the slowest moving man.”

He grinned and sent her a meaningful look. “I thought you liked that about me.”

Rolling her eyes, she grinned back. “There’s a time and place. Get your boots on. We’ve got places to be.”

“And guards to poison, fires to start, wild dogs to release…” Will cackled at his own joke and tugged on a boot. “You’re right. We’ve got a pretty full dance card.”

“I don’t even know what that means.” Rat was redistributing items to hidden pockets throughout her coat for the final time. “But I hope it means you’re about finished, finally.”

“Yes, yes.” Will stood and bowed grandly, nearly knocking over the small table as he did so. “It helps that I’ve got a lot fewer things to pack than you do.”

“Right.” She grimaced and tossed him two pouches. “So you can carry these.” 

He shrugged and attached them to his belt. “Sure. Got pouches. Got sword. Got shield. Got fake uniform. Got the other sword. Anything else you need?”

Rat buckled a final pouch closed on her belt. She whirled experimentally and reached for hidden daggers that quickly slipped into her hands. Grinning, she re-holstered them and turned to Will. “Just this.” Reaching up, she grabbed hold of his hair and pulled him down into a hard, deep kiss. A moment later, she broke the kiss still grinning darkly, turned, and stalked from the room. 

Will stood still a long moment, watching her go, wearing his own wide wolfish grin. There was nothing more beautiful than his wife in the moments right before she knowingly jumped into a fight that was likely to get them both killed. With his own fierce grin, he followed her into the darkness.