Into The World Of Ranger's Apprentice

Prison! How Fun...

A/N Heyo peeps. Sorry this took waaay longer than it should have, and yes, I know I said I'd update in a week around two or three weeks ago. The good news is that winter break starts next week, which mean more time to write! Yay. Anyways, ONWARDS TO THE STORY...
Disclaimer: Once again, I don't own any RA

Halt was fuming by the time they arrived at Castle Redmont. The girl was simply annoying to be around. Strangely, she seemed a bit more excited than scared, even though she was probably going to be locked up in a few hours time. He almost smiled in grim satisfaction. Soon, their troublesome little bugger would be out of their hair for good. Little did he know just how wrong he was.

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Jill gaped in awe as the towering three-sided figure of Castle Redmont loomed ever closer. Shivering in anticipation, she tugged hopelessly at the rope tethering her to Halt's saddle. This was it.

Tug and Abelard's hooves clopped noisily on the flagstones as the small shaggy ponies trotted in. They didn't seem any worse for wear from the long journey, but Jill was a different matter. Exhaustion flooded every inch of her body and her legs felt like lead from all the walking. The rope tied tightly around her wrists had left bright red marks, and she could feel herself beginning to drop off to sleep. Then, they were there.

The huge rough wooden drawbridge was already lowered when they reached it, and two sentries stood tall at either side. They had already seen the telltale mottled cloaks that marked Will and Halt as rangers, and they nodded to the two, knowing that they came and went through the castle often.

Riding into the gigantic courtyard, Halt went immediately to a servant passing by and sent him to fetch the Baron. Meanwhile, Jill was gaping at her surroundings in awe. She had dreamed and wished and imagined herself coming here, and though not under ideal circumstances, it was still magnificent. She was so focused on taking everything in that she completely missed Will walking up to her. He finally brought her back to her senses by snatching her tied wrists and swiftly working on the knot.

"Gorlog's beard, Will, what are you doing?" Halt came striding over, thunderclouds descending over his already grim face. Loose pebbles skittered over the hard stone beneath our feet, and two servants standing nearby quickly scuttled away. However, Will didn't seem the least bit apologetic.

"Look at her!" Will waved a hand at JIll. "She's practically dead on her feet. Besides, we're gonna have to untie her anyway as soon as Arald's guards get here."

It was true. Jill was swaying back and forth like a tree branch in the wind, and there was no way she could even think about escape at the moment. Finally, Will finished undoing the complex knot, and she was free.

Jill closed her eyes, not really wanting to see what her wrists looked like after being tied together and jostled around for an hour or so, but she knew she would have to eventually. Wincing, she slowly cracked open one eye, then the other.

Bright red marks wrapped around her tiny wrists, and her pale hands throbbed painfully. Jill attempted to bend her wrist experimentally, but immediately stopped when shoots of pain sparked up. She groaned and sank to the ground, holding her wrists close and wishing the horrible world would just fade and let unconsciousness take over.

Halt glanced critically at her huddling figure, seeming to realize that this girl was not used to pain, and had probably grown up a sheltered life. A movement in the corner of his eye must've caught his attention, for all of a sudden, he turned his head to the side. Jill recognized the brilliance of the action, as Halt could keep her in his peripheral vision as well as investigate the source of the movement. His eyes were narrowed suspiciously until a young servant girl came hurrying around the corner and fading into another corridor. The ranger let out a pent up breath and seemed to relax.

Finally, loud footsteps clomp clomp clomped down a set of stairs from the opposite side of the courtyard. Jill raised her head from her knees and examined the three figures as they arrived. In the middle, a burly man with a slight potbelly held himself a little taller than the other two. He must be the Baron, Jill thought, dismissing him and turning to the other two. Both were tall and muscled, and it was impossible to overlook the fact that each had a sheath at his side that could only hold a broadsword. Jill shuddered just looking at them.

"Halt," the Baron nodded to the ranger, then turned to Jill. "Is this the one?" He addressed the question to Halt, who gave a brief confirmation. Halt then motioned the other man to the side of the courtyard. Together, they walked to stand by the ivy-covered wall while talking in low tones.

Of the few words she overheard, perhaps the most worrying to Jill were "traitor," "information," and "liar." Of course, she'd known that Halt would see through her. In fact, she'd have been stupid not to have expected it. Now, all she needed was a plan to get out of there...

So consumed in her thoughts, Jill didn't hear the two men approaching until it was too late. The heavily built guards hoised her up by the arms and swiftly pinned them behind her back. She struggled, kicking and twisting, but it was no use. The guards were at least thrice the size of her, and they easily hauled her towards the depths of the castle. Down a long, badly-lit corridor they went, until finally, Jill was brought to a stop in front of the castle's holding cells.

Tall, dirty iron bars stretched up to the ceiling, and shadows moved ominously in the depths of the cells. Jill had retreated, pressing her back into the wall, until she realized that it was only the flickering torchlight that cast the eerie designs swirling and jabbing out at random moments. There were only a few cells in the area, and Jill assumed that most of the prisoners must have been moved to Castle Araluen, as the country's capital would obviously be the safest place to keep them.

Now, one of the guards shoved Jill in the direction of a cell to her direct left, and she stumbled on the hard, uneven stone. The Baron himself, having followed, swiftly unlocked the door, if you could even call it that. A section of bars swung open on creaky hinges, and Jill didn't even have a second to blink before she was inside. The door crashed shut, causing her to jump a  mile high. Looking back through the bars, she could see Baron Arald's face looming there. Then he was gone. Peering around as the guards stomped away, Jill caught a slight movement from the shadows. Then it too had disappeared. Finally, the exhausted girl curled into a ball on the hard slab of rock below her and began to cry. Everything poured out of her until she was silently sobbing against her knees. She stayed like that for who knows how long until finally she drifted off to sleep. Before the blissful blackness enveloped her, Jill heard, for just a moment, yelling in the distance. She didn't even have time to contemplate what it could mean before she was out for good.

A/N: Was it horrible? Was it okay? Tell me in the comments! I love to hear feedback, and as always, constructive criticism welcome! Please R&R, and I should have the next part done within the next two weeks. Adios my fellow Rangers!
-QA