The end...? (Ranger's apprentice/ Brotherband fan-fiction)

Chapter 6

Hey there, dear readers! Sorry for keeping you waiting for so long again... I guess you could just call me slow, or lazy. Probably both. Next time, just keep bugging me, that'll make me get a move on ;) Anyways, enjoy! :D

Halt didn’t move a finger when the guards captured him again and led him back through the maze of corridors; he was too stunned. He noticed they’d arrived at the cellar and while one guard made sure he couldn’t get away, the other one got out a key and opened the door. Halt was lost in thought so deeply that he didn’t notice he got pushed inside by the guard until he was lying on the cold, dirty ground. He slowly got up, hearing the door slam shut behind him, followed by the creaking sound of the key locking that same door.

                              He crouched, letting his head rest in his hands. Why could the past hunt him like this? And why did the entire kingdom of Araluen have to bear the consequences of his mistakes?

“Halt? What’s wrong?” he heard Pauline ask, a worried tone in her voice. He didn’t answer. What could he have said? Yeah, sorry, I caused this war about thirty years ago? That would only stress them all out even more. A short moment of silence followed.

“Halt, was in heaven’s sake is going on?!” Duncan exclaimed desperately. Halt couldn’t blame him. The man felt responsible for his kingdom and now he saw it slipping out of his hands. The corner of Halt’s mouth moved upwards a little. Not that anyone could see that. His friends had used the worried voice, then the desperate one, so it wouldn’t take long before…

“Halt! Tell us what’s going on! Immediately!” Horace ordered. … they’d use authority. Halt slowly lifted his head and raised an eyebrow at the younger man. It was almost funny to see how his confident attitude crumbled away, before Horace hastily muttered an apology. Halt sighed. If he kept his secret to himself, the others would think there was something terrible going on. If he told them a lie, they would get false hope. If he told them the truth… Halt sighed again. If he told them the truth, they would hate him and that would get them nowhere.

                              Before he could decide what to do, the lock creaked open again. The door flew open, causing Halt to flinch, remembering the conversation with Evan. He got to his feet and turned around, hoping that would make the matter easier, but they didn’t come for him. This time Horace was the one to be dragged outside. The young knight struggled to break free even more than the ranger had done, having seen Halt’s reaction, causing the guards to call for back up. It was almost funny. Almost. A painful silence was all that remained. Cassandra started to sob silently and Alyss put her arm around the princess. Halt looked at the two young women. He felt the urge to cry with Cassandra, but he got himself together. He needed to stay strong for his friends. He stared ahead of him for a moment, wondering how Horace was doing. He realized it was far less hard to be taken away himself. At least he had known what was going on before. The guards would have gotten Horace at the interrogation room by now, probably. What would Evan tell him? Or would he only ask what Horace knew about the matter and use that again Halt? Frustrated, he got up and started pacing, something he rarely did. He tried to get his mind clear, but it didn’t work. What was there to clear, after all? He didn’t know the answer to any of his questions. He slid down the wall to the ground and stared to the brick wall in front of him without really seeing it. What did he have to do?

Horace dragged at the ropes that held him tied up to the chair. It had taken four guards to take him down, before a fifth was able to tie the ropes around him. As soon as he heard the door open, he gazed up angrily.

“Let me go!” he ordered furiously, instead of getting frustrated or frightened. He didn’t feel like being locked up or interrogated. Neither did he feel like war. He knew very well that it didn’t matter how he felt, everything would happen the way it should, but it still angered him.