The Burning Bridge- Character Reaction

8

"Rodney, I believe it's your turn," Duncan said as they sat down.

"Thank you, sir."

"INTO HIS OWN MOAT, YOU SAY?" SAID SIR RODNEY.

He paused to think about the fact. Lady Pauline noticed that he didn't seem overly shocked by Halt's action. If anything, there was a look of grim satisfaction on his face. The Baron frowned at Rodney's tacit approval. Halt smirked.

"I know the man deserved it," he said, "but we can't have people going around throwing knights into the moat. It's not...diplomatic."

Alyss raised one discreet eyebrow; the Baron neglected to noice.

Lady Pauline raised one elegant eyebrow. "Indeed not, sir," she said.

"And Halt has been altogether too high-handed about it all," he continued. "I'm going to have to speak to him about it. Most severely."

It was Crowley's turn to raise an eyebrow. "And since when has speaking severely with Halt ever worked?"

Arald sighed. "Never."

"Someone certainly should," Pauline agreed, and Rodney grunted a reluctant assent.

"He definitely needs taking in hand." Will snickered.

"You wanted to see me, my lord?" said a familiar voice, and they all turned guiltily toward the door, which Rodney had left open when he barged in.

"Way to make an entrance, Halt," Gilan remarked. Halt shrugged.

Halt stood there, clad in his gray-and-green mottled cloak, his face half hidden in the shadows of the deep cowl. It was uncanny, the Baron thought, how the man could appear almost without a sound. Now Arald, like his two department heads, was conscious that he had been caught talking about Halt behind his back. He flushed in embarrassment, while Sir Rodney cleared his throat noisily. Only Lady Pauline appeared unconcerned—and she had a lifetime of practice at appearing unconcerned. Pauline gave a little smile.

"Aaahhhh...yes...Halt. Of course. Of course. Come in, won't you? Shut the door behind you, there's a good fellow." As he said these last words, Baron Arald shot a baleful glance at Sir Rodney, who shrugged guiltily. Halt's smirk widened.

Halt nodded greetings to Lady Pauline and Sir Rodney, then moved to stand before the Baron's massive desk.

There was a long and increasingly awkward silence as the Ranger stood waiting. Arald cleared his throat several times, not sure where to begin. Inevitably, it was Lady Pauline who broke the impasse.

"It does make me wonder why you were so...tense," Halt said, his face deadpan. "One would almost think you were talking about me."

Arald rolled his eyes. "There's better things to talk about that you causing a riffraff."

Halt nodded. "In that case, you wouldn't be so nervous." Will chuckled.

"I imagine you're wondering why the Baron asked to see you, Halt," she said, relieving the tension in the room and forcing Halt to say something— anything—at the same time.

The Ranger, taciturn as ever, glanced at Pauline, then the Baron, and replied in as few words as possible. "Yes, my lord."

Duncan raised an eyebrow. "You do seem to be in a rather touchy mood."

But it was a start and now Baron Arald had been given a chance to gather his thoughts and overcome his embarrassment. He brandished the letter in Halt's general direction.