After Jay had the Guardian's horse returned to him outside the fort, Silver took the long way home. In the spirit of hypervigilance, the Guardian made a sweep along the border just to make sure that no one had replaced Sir Kent in the raiding the border towns.
Although he found no soldiers, the Guardian did find many travelers and merchants braving the border for the first time in over a month. It was a refreshing sight. While some seemed wary of Daisy and her inscrutable rider, others looked at him and smiled warmly.
One gentleman in particular, with an unnatural stoop and a cloud across one eye, seemed keen on making sure the danger was gone. "Are those bad men really locked away, sir?" he asked as he waved down Silver with his wide-brim hat.
"They have been apprehended." The Guardian assured the man.
"See, sonny! I told you it was safe. My son has been very concerned the men were still running amuck." The old man winked his blind eye.
"Looks like you were right, father," the younger man next to him tried to usher his elder along. "Thank you, sir!"
Silver watched the pair saunter safely off with the rest of their group and a cart full of goods.
'Word travels fast, I guess.' As the small caravan moved out of sight, Silver's mind turned to the troublesome knight. There was always a chance he had escaped a second time. 'But its unlikely...'
Deciding against going all the way to make sure Sir Kent was still locked safely away in his new prison cell, Silver finally turned back home.
The Guardian had to admit, it would not feel as much like home as it had the last couple of days. With both Rose and Ethyn around, the Guardian had finally found a sense of completeness that he thought he had lost long ago.
Now that they had left, the house would feel very empty. There was a chance that the ghosts which used to haunt his mind might return, goading him into desolation once more, but he did not think it would be so. Still, the worm of doubt lingered.
Shaking off the unpleasant thoughts, Silver hurried Daisy's pace. The sooner he got to his house, the sooner he would be able to dismiss the feeling of doom. Withouth hesitation, the spunky mare easily sped up enjoying the feel of the warm the afternoon breeze in her mane.
When Silver at last made it to the edge of town, he spied the usual sight of Aiden giving a lesson to some of the villagers which had pledged to defend the town in case of attack. These sessions had been going on for years now, with varying levels of participation from the town.
With the recent raids by Sir Kent and his men, attendance at these meetings was at an all time high. People were eager to be able to defend themselves. And as a former soldier and the current marshal of the town, Aiden was very enthusiastic as he ran the meeting.
Because the capable fighter had shown interest, the Guardian had eagerly left the task of such gatherings solely to Aiden a few years before. Silver himself popped in when he could, but he hadn't stopped by in a couple of weeks.
That's when the Guardian remembered that Aiden had asked him to drop by after he returned from the castle. Because things had gotten busy after his fateful meeting with his sister, that time had not yet come.
'Another few days won't hurt. Aiden has things well in hand, and Conall is always happy to lend a hand.' Silver nudged his knees into Daisy's side to make her swing wide of the gathering. If asked, he could claim ignorance for the purpose of their meeting.
But just when he thought he had been successful in his evasion, he overheard Aiden's words. "And then there are those who like to take evasive movements, hoping we don't see their covert sneaking through the woods. I wouldn't call them cowards exactly, but..."
Silver scowled. He knew he was being baited, but the Guardian was more annoyed that the marshal had seen through his ploy to pretend that he hadn't seen them.
To be fair, it wasn't a great maneuver to begin with. Everyone knew that Silver saw and heard everything around him unless he was severely distracted. And those moments were rare.
Aiden was calling his bluff.
Silver reluctantly maneuvered Daisy over to the snickering townsfolk. The marshal was well-liked and his jokes were always well received. This job was no exception.
But when the Guardian came into their midst and turned his gaze on them, the crowd quickly quieted. Even though they could not see the face beneath the tenebrous hood, they knew Silver was not pleased. Most either looked away or became intensely fascinated with their practice weapons.
Silver smirked. 'Still got it.' Then he turned to the marshal with a derisive snort.
"I heard someone besmirching my name over here and wanted to set the record straight," the Guardian said, his voice laced with annoyance.
But Aiden looked at him innocently. "I was simply giving a lecture on people who hide from a problem rather than face up to it. What made you think I was talking about you, Silver?"
Realizing he had walked into the marshal's trap, the cloaked man straightened his shoulders. "Perhaps I am just used to people accusing me of things. I am glad to see you were not dragging my name through the mud."
"I would never!" Aiden's mouth went so wide that a bird could have made its home. This reaction was met with chuckles from the listening crowd. "But since you are here, I have been trying to find a proper sparring partner to give a demonstration. I don't suppose you would take a turn with me in the ring?"
'Sneaky Aiden. If I say no, I will look like a coward and if I say yes and beat you, then I will forever be roped into showing off my techniques. And if I hurt you...oh boy.' Silver shuddered at the thought.
There was a reason he did not seriously spar with anyone but Ethyn. There was enough fear surrounding the man that such a display could set off a new wave of avoidance.
Silver had just gotten to where people outside of his inner circle seemed to accept him not just as their Guardian, but as a fellow citizen of Rynnlee. That had taken years of work. He didn't want to jeopardize that by pummeling the marshal.
Aiden seemed unconcerned. He tossed off the special cape which had been made to indicate his position, and began rolling up his sleeves.
Silver sighed. 'If it were anyone but Aiden, then I would suspect a hidden ulterior motive. But he just seems intent on showing the villagers something that will help them. He's a good man.'
"Alright, let's get this over with. What will be the weapon of choice?" The Guardian shrugged. It made no difference to him.
While he excelled at a few types of combat, he was only passable at others. But his inhuman strength and agility often made up for what he lacked in practice.
That kind of natural talent would make most people become complacent or lazy, but with Silver it was the opposite. The abilities motivated him to push his limits.
"The only weapons we will use are what a person naturally has on their body." Aiden held up a finger before Silver could exploit the loophole. "I mean what normal people have, not you and your crazy cloak. That would be unfair."
"You are talking about fists, then?" The Guardian asked.
Aiden stepped into a ring made of ropes and closed his palms. He raised them in challenge. "As I said, we will use our bodies. No blades."
Silver's eyes flashed.
"Very well." The Guardian pushed back his cloak over his shoulders and entered the ring. The people gathered around.
The show was about to start.