The Quest for Skandia (Ranger's Apprentice Fanfiction)

5

"I hope you realize you disobeyed the guards exact orders." Halt said, frowning. 'We do it all the time. Thanks to Samantha's sense of curiosity.' Kane thought. He watched Samantha carefully as she took in that sentence. She seemed calm, too calm. Kane's eyes widened slightly. He saw Samantha's cheeks turn red and coughed a message saying 'He'll stop talking soon, don't freak out.' Her answer was exhaling quietly and stepping backwards an inch. Halt watched this display slightly puzzled, then said at last. "This conversation isn't over yet, you two. But go ahead and go to sleep." Samantha closed her eyes and sighed.
The next day went by very fast. After saying good morning to everyone they had to say a long apology to the guards and the guards knew that they didn't entirely mean it the way they said it quickly. Then Kane went to go meet with some other kids, which made Samantha think for a millisecond that he joined a gang. She quickly discarded the thought as she opened the door to the Ward library and picked up her book of the Skandians. "So much is incorrect here." She muttered as she put it back on the shelf. She got out a piece of paper and a pen and started writing down what Emily told her. When she was through, she put it in her book bag, got a few other books she could reread and went off to find Kane. "Let me guess, another visit to the Skandian girl." Samantha nodded quickly and dragged him to the gates. "Going to get Kane to read King Arthur even if it means barring his windows and locking the door!" Samantha said to the guards as she shoved the book in Kane's hands. They nodded and smiled, knowing her reading reputation and that she read all the Ward library books. Kane rolled his eyes at her when they came inside and she shrugged at him. "What can I say? I have always wanted to use that excuse and I do in fact want you to read it. It's one of my favorites." He grinned. They opened the door an inch and peered in. Samantha stepped back quickly, pulled Kane back and hid behind a pillar. "I admittedly almost said that curse word." Samantha murmured. Instead of seeing Emily in the room, they saw Halt and Baron Arauld in there, talking. "Same." Kane choked. "Hey! Kane and Samantha right?" A voice said. They turned around and saw Emily. They nodded. "It's good to see you two! Boy, these Araluens are nicer than I expected. I just met this man, Halt, and he was very nice too. He asked me if I saw two 13 year olds last night and I said, 'yes, in fact, they were really nice. It's good to see others my age.'" Samantha smacked her head on the pillar a few times, then turned around and left to her room in the Ward. "Is it something I said?" Emily asked Kane. "Her social skills are bad... Once you tell Halt that, I bet he will be yelling at us AGAIN. You should have seen Samantha, she was as pink as a strawberry! Hehehe." Kane started doubling over with laughter. Emily went after Samantha. "Okay, I wrote down everything that she told us, but something is missing, something's familiar about her... She looks an awful lot like Erak... Except she doesn't... She got here from a shipwreck.... Who else was on there though?..." Emily heard Samantha mumbling and saw her pacing around the room. "Erm... Bad time?" Emily asked rhetorically. Samantha looked up. "No. Just... When Kane and I opened the door, the Baron and Halt were talking about something. What? I don't really know. But, I think it has something to do with the Skandian Oberjarl, Erak. Have you met him?" Oof, she went full detective on Emily now, Kane thought with a smile as he came in. "Of course I did! The orphanage was literally right next to the Great Hall! Plus, the raid I went on was with Erak and his... Crew! Oh no... Oh no no no no no no! They might think badly about me being here when they find out I'm alive! I bet they think I'm dead right now.... Oh Gorlog's beard..." Samantha looked at her quizzically, unfamiliar with the term. "He's a deity. Many Skandians call his name when something bothers them, or something is wrong." Samantha got out her pen and paper and added it to the last paragraph. "Emily?" Samantha mused. "Emily..." She repeated slowly. "Yes! I remember you! When I was around eight years old I overheard Halt and Gilan talking about your baby shower, and how they miss Erak and his wife, Mirium (sorry) and wish they were able to meet you! That explains why you resemble Erak! That explains also why you went on the raid with HIS crew! That's also why you are probably allowed to know him so well! You're his DAUGHTER!" Samantha was jumping with excitement over her discovery while Kane looked at Emily's reaction. Emily stood there, dumbstruck over the Araluen's theory. "I can't be, no way am I the Oberjarl's daughter! Of all the crazy ideas..." "But it makes sense! My explanation fits! Your description of how you knew Erak backs my theory up! You might very well be his-" Samantha shut her mouth with a snap when Baron Arauld came in, with Halt and the Ranger Commandent Gilan trailing. "What's with all the screaming? It sounds as if someone was being murdered in here." The Baron said with a grin. Emily turned around. "Am I really Erak's daughter? I mean, when she said it," she gestured towards a very pink Samantha. "It made sense. But is it true?" Halt and Gilan looked at Samantha, expecting an explanation, when none came and all they got were embarrassed stares from the girl, they looked at Kane. "Well, Emily's description plus her resemblance to the Oberjarl Erak got Samantha thinking. Then she remembered a while back overhearing you two talking about Erak and his wife's baby shower and how you wish you could've met EMILY, which was the same name as her," he pointed to Emily. "Confirmed Samantha's suspicion. Did I get the explanation right?" Kane looked at Samantha for approval. She nodded to him. Halt looked impressed.