Ignoring History - Ranger's Apprentice Fanfiction

Chapter 20

~🏹Halt🏹~

Baron Arald was scheduled to die within two days, leaving Halt with no idea of what to do during the time leading up to it. The stares he got when he had attempted to help the preparation were insufferable, and the whispers seemed to magnify by a hundred. To be frank, Halt was slowing down the process by trying. His dark and gloomy presence was enough to distract many.

With the sun high in the sky, Halt walked slowly through the green forest. The morning dewdrops still clung onto the leaves, showering onto him when a gust of wind tore through. Sunlight filtered down between the leaves, illuminating the soft, glossy grass. Thick tree roots burst through the ground, and the soil that it uprooted spilt into the little stream that trickled down the hill.

Halt hopped across the stepping stones and crossed the stream with ease. The breeze went against him, and he didn't even bother to readjust his cowl when it fell. Pressing his palm against a tree, he stopped to listen to the wildlife. The birds sang their songs, and the fuzzy squirrels darted across the tree branches.

Then, there was also the snapping of a tree branch.

Sighing, he shook his head. He didn't need to turn to see who it was. The quick bustling afterwards only confirmed his suspicions.

Will had been following him around ever since they had met in the tree. Halt assumed that the boy also had nothing else better to do, and surprisingly, he wasn't annoyed at him for choosing to spend his time by tailing him. He was actually quite impressed with the way he moved through the shadows, using the wind to guide him. It was as if it was second nature.

"I know you're there," he said ominously. "You can stop hiding."

Halt could imagine the stricken look on Will's round face, the heat that would rise to his cheeks. Turning to face the bush that Will was crouched behind, he raised an eyebrow. "Come on."

Will scurried up onto his feet and brushed the leaves off of his head. "I'm sorry, sir!" he gasped.

"Halt," Halt muttered.

"Sorry, Halt!" Will quickly corrected himself. He sheepishly clapped his hands behind his back. "I uh... I didn't mean to start following you?"

Halt stared, and he could see the slight movement of his throat gulping. He shook his head at him, crossing his arms. "You're a terrible liar," he grunted before walking away. "Are you coming or not?" he called over his shoulder when Will didn't follow.

They walked in silence for quite some while before Will asked his first question.

"So you're going to Gorlan?" he said.

Halt glanced back at him. "Yes." He nodded once.

"What are you going to tell Morgarath?" Will asked. "Wouldn't he see through your bluff?"

Halt shrugged. "I'll tell him that I've stumbled upon a group of rangers that were planning to overthrow him," he said. "It isn't too far from the truth."

"But what if he does find out? How are you going to escape him?"

"Questions, questions," Halt tsked. "You sure have a lot of questions for someone who isn't going anywhere."

"Can I come?"

Snorting, Halt stopped in his tracks. "No," he said. "You weren't the one tasked with murdering Baron Arald. Besides, Morgarath would recognize you."

"Oh."

They walked a little longer, and this time, the silence wasn't as uncomfortable before. Halt found himself relaxing in Will's company. He would never admit it if he was asked, but it was nice to be in the company of a young person. Now, that was not to say that he had become attached to Will in such a short time. Because he hadn't. Halt was sure of that.

"So why do you have those?" Will asked, pointing at the two scabbards on Halt's hip. "Aren't they ranger tools?"

"That would be another question," Halt said.

Will shut his mouth to that, but to his surprise, Halt answered the question.

"There was a ranger that came into my hometown," he said. "He trained me."

"Do you want to be a ranger, then?"

Halt hesitated. "That was a long time ago," he said. "Morgarath was barely king."

"So this is the perfect chance for you!" Will exclaimed. "Surely, Crowley will let you become a ranger when all this is over."

Would he? Halt didn't know Crowley well enough to know. He doubted it though. Who would want an assassin as a ranger? He didn't have the trust of anyone in Araluen, save Will and perhaps even Pauline. However, it would be strange to just return to Gallica after everything that had happened. Halt didn't know if he could kill another person after this failure.

"I want to become a knight," Will continued on his chatter. "But I don't think that can happen until Morgarath is gone. My parents need all the help they can get right now."

"A knight?" Halt mused. He glanced over at Will, who wasn't much taller than him. They were around the same height, shorter than the average man. Unlike most knights, Will was slim, not bulky. Halt had a hard time imagining him in a full suit of armor.

"You could make a good ranger," he said out loud.

"Really?"

"You seem to have a talent for sneaking around."

Will flushed at that. "I don't mean to," he muttered. "At least, I don't think so."

"Then, don't think," Halt said. "You're not ready to think yet."

By this point, they had circled back around to walk back to Castle Redmont. The sun wasn't ready to set, but Halt knew it would have been well below the horizon by the time they returned. 

"You were using the cover of the shadows," Halt began explaining, pointing at the various spots that he would have hidden. "And then there's the wind. It creates a pattern that resembles motion, allowing you to go from the first hiding place to the next without being seen."

Will nodded along, following Halt into the shadows. He mimicked Halt's maneuvers as best as he could, and the slight nod that he received sent a jolt of excitement through his body.

Practicing their unseen movement, Halt and Will didn't manage to return to the castle until late at night. With the stars watching, they finally walked through the grand doors of Castle Redmont and parted ways. Halt allowed himself a small smile as he retired into his room.