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

Chapter 6

“No, I don’t think that would be a good idea,” the man that had entered the room said, a thoughtful tone in his voice. “You might just get the idea to put your rage out on me and that wouldn’t be very pretty.” Horace muttered something under his breath, causing the man to chuckle. “I don’t think I want to know what you just said,” he stated amusedly. Horace sent him a deadly gaze. How dared that man act as though nothing was going on?! The man made a reassuring gesture.

“There there, you don’t have to act all angry,” he said. “I just want to talk to you for a moment.”

“I have no needs for a conversation with you!” Horace growled, but the man ignored him and started walking through the room. He stopped from time to time to look at the wall, as though certain fascinating aspects were to be seen there.

“Do you know who I am?” the man asked, gazing up Horace curiously. Horace frowned. The man did have a familiar air over him, but the knight couldn’t tell who his capturer was. He felt like firing every insult he knew at him, but that probably wouldn’t do any good in this situation.

“No,” Horace mumbled.

“Hm,” did the man, seeming to be lost in thought. “Well, alright. I am Evan,” he continued with a smiled. His behaviour reminded Horace of a child, but he thought it best if he didn’t say that aloud. He decided to play along.

“My name is… George,” ‘George’ said. Horace knew it could get him in trouble if he used his own name, in case that Evan knew he was part of the royal family and he used that knowledge against him – or Araluen. Evan’s smile broadened.

“See, there you are! Being nice is way easier!” he said. Horace suppressed the urge to roll his eyes.

“What am I doing here?” he asked, faking a light, curious tone. Evan chuckled.

“No, George, I ask the questions in here,” Evan told him, still using the happy childish voice, but Horace could see the dangerous glint in the man’s eyes. He swallowed. Evan’s behaviour was making him nervous. He wondered if he could up this strange game for much longer, but he had the unsettling feeling he didn’t. Evan studied the surface of the wall for a little while, before turning around abruptly, as though he had forgotten Horace was still there.

“Tell me, George,” he said pensively, “what do you know about the battle of Hackham Heath?” This question was the last Horace would’ve expected, causing him to be tongue-tied for a moment.

“Well, uh, that was the battle which caused Morgarath banishment,” he then said hesitantly, not sure if this was the information Evan was aiming for. Evan nodded slowly.

“Yes…” he said and walked back to his position in front of the knight. “But that’s not all, you know.” Horace frowned, not seeing what the man was referring to. The dangerous glint in Evan’s eyes returned and Horace flinched subconsciously. “No, a lot more happened during that battle.” Evan didn’t elaborate, but the glint in his eyes changed from dangerous to a mixture of murderous and something else. Horace couldn’t tell what exactly the other half of the mixture was.

                              Evan broke free from the wall with a sudden movement and he left the room without saying another word. An astonished Horace was left alone in the semi-darkness. The guards came back inside and reluctantly started to remove the ropes. Horace didn’t struggle this time. He wanted to go back to his friends, even though that meant he had to go back into the dungeon. The guards dragged him out of the room, past Evan in the corridor. Suddenly Horace realized what he had seen in his eyes: grief. Intense grief. That meant that Evan had suffered under the war.