Halt's Ranger Apprentices- John Flanagan Ranger Apprentice fan-fiction

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

"No! No, Halt shut up!" She turned to face Halt as she said this, then turned back to Horace. "Horace, it's ok, you don't have to come in" Will let a smile touch his lips, realising what Halt was trying to do. Obviously, Halt was trying to get Horace inside the cabin, then him and Halt could interrogate both, Horace and Annabelle.

"No, Horace please come in, we all would love your company" he said in a polite voice. Horace stared at him strangely. Only a few hours ago, they had been punching each other and, now Will was smiling and speaking to him in a polite tone. He turned to Annabelle.

"What's going on Annabelle?" Annabelle hit Will at the back of the head

"Shut up Will! Nothing Horace. Halt and Will just want to get you in side so they can interrogate you" she said. Horace cocked his head

"About what?" he asked. Will turned to Annabelle smiling. If what she had said about Hermy wasn't true, Horace would find it difficult to comprehend what Annabelle was talking about.

"Yeah Annabelle, what are we going to ask Horace about?" Will gave her a cheeky look. Annabelle went wide-eyed, flushing pink

"Uh....You remember today at the battle school grounds?" Annabelle said. Horace flushed pink now, he had thought for a split second that Annabelle had told them

"Yes, what about it?" Annabelle cleared her throat several times, before speaking

"Well remember how we tried to stop Alda, Bryn and Jerome from hurting Hermy" she said. Horace put his eye brows in a furrow

"Hermy, who the heck is Hermy?" he asked. Annabelle sighed, she slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand. Halt showed a grim smile, while Will laughed

"I knew it was a lie" Halt said. Horace, realising that she was trying to cover for him, tensed a bit more.

"Oh! Hermy, yes I understand now" Will shook his head

"Sorry Horace, but we know that it's a lie" he said and patted his shoulder. Horace angry at himself for spoiling the cover up pushed Will's hand off his shoulder. He was still angry at Will for the punch on, and gave him a smirk.

"Get off!" Horace yelled. Will gave a smirk back. Halt frowned at the boys' exchange

"Something going on between you two?" Horace nodded

"Oh haven't you heard of what happened with me and Will today?" Horace said. Will went wide-eyed.

"Will?" Halt asked him, waiting for Will to tell him what happened.

"Nothing, nothing!!" Will said in alarm. Halt raised an eye brow. Annabelle saw the tension growing around the place, she decided to step in

"Horace why are you here? she asked him. Horace looked away from Will, his smirk disappearing from his face immediately.

"Oh, right" he said "Sir Rodney told me to come and tell you that he wanted to see you and me about today" Annabelle sighed in irritation, she wasn't liking Sir Rodney right now. 'And..." Horace said "I sort of wanted to talk to you....In private" Annabelle nodded, unsure about hat he wanted to talk about.

"Uh...Yeah, sure" Horace gave a slight smile and Annabelle walked out die shutting the cabin door firmly. She glanced at Halt and Will as she left, giving them a warning look, to let them know that she didn't want them eaves dropping. Horace and Annabelle went over to a tree about 10 metres away from the cabin well out of ear shot.

"What's going on?" Annabelle asked. Horace took a deep breath

"Well....Where exactly do I stand in your life?" he asked. Annabelle frowned, not comprehending

"What do you mean?" she asked. It obviously was hard for Horace asking these questions to her.

"Well, for example, you see Halt as your mentor and best friend and King Duncan as your father.....So, what am I?" Annabelle nodded her understanding

'Well, I think you stand as my friend" she said. Horace looked somewhat crestfallen

Oh, just friends?" he asked. Annabelle now realised what this was about.

"Oh....Um...Well, I don't know, do you want to be just friends?" Horace shrugged

"I-I don't know" he said and started shuffling his feet.

"Horace, is there something that you want to tell me?" Horace cleared his throat nearly ten times before answering.

"well....I might.....Just might.......like you" The last two words were barely audible. Annabelle smiled broadly.

'You like me?" she asked. Horace looked up from his nervous gaze on his muddy boots and saw Annabelle smiling. He smiled back at her.

"Well...Yes" he said. Horace saw her blushing. "Do you....like me?" he asked. Annabelle couldn't help giggling slightly. This was so weird, she thought, it sounded funny because this had never happened to her, and....she did sort of...like him.

"Maybe.." she said. Then she heard her name. She turned to see Halt

"Annabelle, Dinner's ready!" he called. Annabelle nodded and waved acknowledgment. Halt went back in side, then Annabelle turned back to Horace

"I've got to go, but....I'll try and catch up with you tomorrow. She ran off, and went back in side that cabin. Now that Horace thought about it, he was quite hungry as well.

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As Annabelle walked back in to the cabin she saw Will sitting at the table. She felt a sinking feeling in her chest. She had just admitted to herself that she liked Horace, but now that she saw Will, she realised that she like him too. Will's back was facing the door and he turned and gave her one of his cheeky smiles

"What did Horace want?" he asked. Will saw Annabelle blush slightly and hesitate. He had a good idea what they were talking about and his smile disappeared

"Nothing much" she said. Halt put down the plates in fron of the three chairs placed at the table. He lifted an eye brow

"'Nothing much' sounds suspicious to me, what were you two talking about?" Halt asked. Again Annabelle blushed.

"We were just discussing tomorrow, and what we were going to say" she said. Will raised an eyebrow this time.

"oh, right so that means that he has to talk to you in private?" he asked. Annabelle's mind was racing trying to find a good comeback but she got nothing. Will laughed grimly

"Looks like Annabelle has something to tell us" Will said turning away from Annabelle who was still standing at the door to hide his disappointed face.

"And what might that be?" Annabelle asked, starting to head towards her seat at the table. Will, hearing her footstep quickly wipe away his disappointment off his face and put a normal and placid look, as if he didn't care about saying what he was about to say

"You have a thing for Horace" he said. Annabelle was sitting at the table now and blushed a bright pink. Halt dropped his cutlery he was holding.

"What?" Halt asked "but I thought you punched him?" Annabelle sighed, angry that it was found out

"I did punch him, but now we've become good friends" she said. Will looked up from his plate, looking in her eyes.

"So you admit that you do have a thing for Horace" Annabelle watched his face carefully trying to see any emotion on his face from the news.

"Would you mind if I did?" she asked. Will simply shrugged, like he didn't care about what was happening.

"I don't mind" he said, but Annabelle saw a flicker of doubt in his eyes.

"Are you sure?" she asked. Will took his gaze off her eyes and back to his plate

"Of course I don't mind, it's not like I like you or anything" Annabelle nodded slowly

"If you say so" she said, and they ate in silence.