The Amethyst Order - Ranger's Apprentice Fanfiction

Chapter 22

A couple of days had passed, and Araluen was near. Halt leaned over to railing of the boat, his knuckles white as he gripped onto it. He could hear the snickers coming from Kelton, Abelard, and Blaze, but he couldn't do anything about it, his nausea was taking over everything.

Taking heavy breaths, Halt shut his eyes. There were many times where he wanted to throw Kelton and the horses overboard, but he just couldn't.

Halt heaved himself up and turned to slowly walk over to a place to sit. "How long... til... we get... t-there?" he slowly croaked, hiding his weak voice with a cough.

Kelton grinned, his eyes shining with mischief. "A week. Maybe two."

Halt swung his head over to Kelton, his eyes bulging. "What?!" he roared. His hair was messier than usual, his clothes were rugged, his face had specks of dirt, and his eyes were wild. Halt hadn't even realized that Kelton was laughing until Abelard nudged him with his head.

"You should have seen your face!" Kelton grinned, grasping onto the tiller. His laughter faded as Halt marched up to him, his seasickness suddenly gone from rage."W-we'll arrive in a couple of hours!" Kelton desperately exclaimed.

Halt ignored Kelton's words and without any thought or doubt, Halt tossed him overboard like he was a feather. He then walked away from the railing and plopped down next to Abelard and Blaze, his arms crossed.

Kelton coughed out water as he clambered back onto Belpetrole. "What was that for?" he wheezed out as he collapsed, stomach first, onto the deck.

Halt raised an eyebrow. "Do you really need to ask?

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As Araluen came to view, Halt frowned, his seasickness forgotten, not remembering the terrain that approached. "Where are we?" he asked.

Kelton frowned. "We're at Araluen, like you asked.

"No..." Halt shook his head. "Redmont is at the west coast of Araluen. And I know Redmont."

Kelton's face was blank for a minute before it lit up with understanding. "Oh!" he exclaimed. "That's because I went up north then turned east. I didn't go straight across."

Halt raised an eyebrow. "And why would you do that?"

Kelton grinned. "Because I heard the fishing was good here."

Sighing with exasperation, Halt shook his head. He waited for Kelton to dock before leaping down onto land, the two horses following. Turning back to Kelton, Halt tilted his head. "Take care of Caitlyn," he murmured.

Kelton bowed his head. "I will."

Halt stared at Kelton for a moment in silence before nodding. "I know you will."

With that, Halt spun on his heels and walked away. Kelton raised his hand up in farewell, and it was the last time they would ever see each other.

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Halt rode on Abelard, his cowl over his head. His eyes darted from side to side and Abelard's and Blaze's steps were silent. This was unfamiliar territory for him, and the sooner he got out the better.

After awhile, Halt began to think that something was wrong. He felt like he was being watched. Looking around, he frowned, seeing no one. But the feeling lingered.

"Who goes there?" Halt called out, doing something he normally wouldn't do.

A cloaked figure emerged from the bushes, wearing clothing that was similar to Halt's. He had wavy brown hair, and strikingly blue eyes. His eyes were slightly tilted upwards, telling Halt that his origin wasn't Araluen.

"I should be asking you that question," the stranger replied. "You are, after all, on my fief."

Halt studied the new figure, concluding that he was a ranger. He was in Drayden fief, if his memory of the many maps he had studied was correct. "Bloise, is it?" Halt muttered, remembering the names of fifty rangers.

The ranger tilted his head and slightly nodded, already taking note that Halt was also a ranger. "And you are?" he asked, a slight accent evident in his voice.

"Halt," Halt simply answered, shaking Bloise's hand. He took notice that Bloise's eyes widened, but it went back to normal a second later.

"And what would you be doing here in Drayden. Last I checked, you are stationed in Redmont," Bloise said before he let out a whistle.

Halt's eyes shifted to a black horse trotting over to Bloise in response to the the whistle. "I have just returned from Hibernia," he answered, turning back to Bloise. "I'm headed back to Castle Araluen."

Tilting his head, Bloise curiously asked, "Why were you in Hibernia?"

Halt internally sighed and started to explain the missing children and cult to Bloise, who listened intently. When he was done talking, Bloise nodded.

"I'll be coming with you."

Halt raised an eyebrow. "What?!" he exclaimed. "There is no need."

Bloise shook his head. "No, there is a need," he said. "There is child missing in this fief that I have been trying to track for weeks," he paused. "I believe he is with this so called cult."

A/N:

*emerges from a bunch of paper* Hi! Just going to continue sorting out the OCs. Don't mind me! See y'all next week.

Oh, and to save y'all the hassle, I'll ask you now. What are the appearances of your OCs? And if they have a horse, would you care to explain? I would also need the fief if you haven't already given it to me. Thanks!

P.S. This chapter might have typos.