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With the dying boy in my arms I cried out for help, which quickly came. Multiple guards took him from me and carried him over to what looked like an infirmary tent. I wanted to follow them, but was held back by a short, wiry Ranger with black hair.
"What are you doing?" I said as I pushed him away and tried to get past him, "I need to go with him, I need to make sure he's okay." The man just shook his head and I stood there looking at him with unbelieving, teary eyes.
"You need to go to Crowley, he asked for you." he commanded while grabbing my shoulders and turning me towards a big green tent, like the one at the yearly gatherings. I swallowed thickly, but then faced Halt again.
"Halt please," I pleaded softly, "he's all I have."
The sobs came out of me uncontrollably. I must look so pathetic to him, I thought. But surprisingly he put a hand on my shoulder.
"I'm worried about him too, but duty comes first." For the first time he spoke to me kindly, and I hadn't even known he could talk like that. All those years I'd wondered why Gilan loved this man so much, but in that moment I finally got it.
I threw one last longing glance at the infirmary, and then entered the commander's tent, while quickly wiping away some tears. It was very large, I reckoned even Horace could stand in it. A central wooden support post held the roof up, and around it was a big wooden desk with papers spread all about it. In the corner was a bed on which sheets were messily lying around. The red haired corps commander sat behind his desk, reading a sheet of paper. He looked up when I came in and immediately stood up with serious look on his face, which made me nervous.
"Sir," I said, nodding my head.
"Ah, my star pupil, I'm glad to see you survived the battle," he wrung his hands together and looked me up and down with raised eyebrows, "you've got a change of outfit, I see?"
A lot of people seem to wonder about my clothes, I thought irritatedly. The more people reminded me of them, the more I was remember of how I got them.
"Yeah, hand picked by Morgarath himself," I grumbled as Crowley motioned for me to sit down on one of the chairs in front of his desk.
"No wonder it's so tight then." he said knowingly, and I froze in my seat. The events of that night flashed before my eyes and sent a shudder down my spine. His eyes looked at me with a fatherly warmth that I'd only seen in other kid's parents.
"I know what he did, and I'm sorry that had to happen to you," he continued, while I looked at him bewilderedly. I hadn't told anybody, but somehow he knew? "look, the reason I called you in here was to discuss your first mission." he said, getting serious again.
I looked at him irritatedly and raised a brow. "Do we have to do that now?" I hadn't slept the last twenty four hours, barely gotten any food and had to fight in one of the most important battles in Araluanian history, so my filter was zero.
