| Halt's Ranger Apprentices | This is War | Volume 2 |

CHAPTER ONE

"How could you let this happen!" Duncan's voice bellowed, his words echoing off of the walls. Tears had formed in his eyes, blurring his vision.

Halt and Will stood infront of Duncan, who had told the heartbreaking news that Annabelle was missing.

It had been over a month since Annabelle's disappearance and there was still no sign of her.

The two ranger's kept their heads down, their cowls over their heads. Will was glad that he was able to hide his tears behind the shadow of his cowl.

Will had been blaming himself for Annabelle's disappearance. He had made her run away. And for all they know, she could be lying in a ditch somewhere, dead.

The hall remained silent, tension growing between the three friends. That's when Will decided to speak up.

"It was my fault, your highness." Will said, lifting his head up, revealing his tear-stained face. Duncan's gaze was cold hard and pitiless. He gave Will a killer look.

"You! You will pay for this! You will-" Duncan started shouting, making Will flinch, but Halt interrupted.

"Nothing is going to happen to him, he has nothing to be blamed for!" Duncan then averted his gaze back to his long-time friend.

"He just admitted that he was responsible for my daughter's disappearance!" Duncan shouted in protest, but Halt shook his head.

"It was Annabelle's choice to run away and disapear, not Will's!" Halt shouted back. Duncan's eyes turned into a more raged look. It looked almost as if he was going to kill someone.

"Are you blaming me own daughter for her possible death!" Duncan challenged. His voice louder than ever.

To both Halt and Will's relief, the double doors of the entrance of the thorne room were thrown open. Duncan, Halt and Will looked up simultaneously to see a Skandian being held by 3 knights, forced forward toward Duncan.

He was a big burly figure and his hair was worn down to his hips, as well as his beard.

Once the knights reached Duncan, them all restraining the heavily built Skandian, one of the knights began to talking, his voice strained from the effort of holding the Skandian back.

"Your Highness, we found this Skandian wondering around Thorntree Forest."

Since Halt, Will, Gilan, Rodney and the Baron Arald returned and informed Duncan about the disappearance of Princess Annabelle, knights were sent as far as the Solitary plains in search for her. But, so far it hadn't been very sucessful, since only a few knights could be spared since there was an upcoming war with Morgarath now.

The Skandian tried to scramble out of the knights grip, with a not-so-very welcoming roar of effort.

Duncan eyed the Skandian suspiciously. After several minutes of trying to scramble out of the knights grip, he slumped on his knees, exhausted. That's when Duncan decided to speak.

"What's your name, Skandian?" The throne room was silent for a while, the Skandian debating with himself for if her should tell his name. Then, he decided it couldn't hurt.

"Scar." he answered, panting from the amount of energy he had used to escape. Duncan nodded.

"Why are you here, Scar?" Duncan asked. His voice was surprisingly calm, since only minutes ago, he was bellowing and shouting, ready to kill someone. The Skandian went silent. Duncan knew he wasn't going to say a word about why he was here, but Duncan already had a good idea that he was here to work as allies with Morgarath. Duncan then decided to take a different approach. "Where have you been in Araluen, other than Thorntree Forest." Scar looked up from his exhausted gaze on the floor boards of the throne room.

Why would he want to know that? The Skandian thought. He shrugged before speaking.

"I've been adventuring around Araluen, it's a nice country," The Skandian began, making up lies as he went. "I haven't gone further than Thorntree Forest."

Duncan gave Scar a threatening look but the Skandian didn't say anything else. Duncan realised there was only one way to get a Skandian to talk.

The knights were holding the Skandian's arms behind his back, but he noticed they hadn't stipped him of his weapons and saw a sword at his waist. Duncan let a grim smile crease his face. Duncan then, stepped forward and unsheathed the sword, the Skandian unable to stop him in anyway.

"Halt, may I borrow that Saxe Knife of yours?" Duncan said, his voice still calm. Halt was confused of Duncan's goal in what he was doing, but still obliged. Halt handed Duncan the Saxe Knife, hilt first and Duncan nodded his thanks as he took it from Halt's grasp. He then, handed Halt the Skandian's sword and put the Saxe Knife to Scar's throat.

"Now," Duncan began. "I'm having a bad day today and I'm in a very grumpy mood, so I will not hesitate to slit your throat right here, right now. But, if I do that, you will die with-out your sword in your grasp. Now, tell me the truth or you can say goodbye to your soul." Duncan's tone filled with irritation. The Skandian went wide-eyed at Duncan's threat.

Duncan knew, that when a Skandian died, they had to be holding their sword, or their soul would wander in torment for eternity.

Scar swallowed loudly, and Duncan started to become very impatient and pressed the blade against the skin of the neck making a trickle of blood roll down.

"Gorlan." The Skandian said in a hurry. "I've been to Gorlan and the Mountains of Rain and Night. And after we gave our prisoners to Morgarath, he sent me to go and scout at Thorntree Forest to make sure no one came after our prisoners." Scar said. Duncan felt his heart beat faster as he heard that they had taken prisoners.

"Who were the prisoners?" Duncan said. Scar gave him a strange look, but when he felt the Saxe Knife blade dig deeper in his skin, he didn't hesitate to answer Duncan's question.

"We had two boys and a girl." He answered. Duncan looked back at Halt and Will with a light of hope in his eyes.

"Who was the girl?" Duncan asked, keeping the blade at Scar's throat.

"She was unlike any girl I had ever met before. She could sword fight, and she killed one of the Wargals that we were travelling with and she carried a bronze necklace that was shaped like an oakleaf." Scar said, remebering how well she deflected the Wargal's sword strokes and how fast and in time she could use her own sword.

Duncan felt tears form in his eyes in happiness, that was Annabelle for sure. But then is happiness turned into horror as he remembered Scar said that they gave their prisoners to Morgarath.

"You gave her to Morgarath!" Duncan bellowed in rage. His daughter was as good as dead if Morgarath found out Annabelle's identity. Scar nodded. Duncan felt the urge to slit Scar's throat right there. But, he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to look into the eyes of his long-time friend and companion, Halt.

Halt gave a warning look, as Halt knew the effects of Duncan's rage, and slowly Duncan lowered the Saxe Knife. Scar let out a sigh of relief. Then a thought struck him.

"How do you know the girl?" Scar asked. Scar knew that Duncan was the king of Araluen and very few civilians of Araluen would have met him. Which only means that she was a daughter of some sort of knight.

But, he wouldn't rage like that if the girl was just a knight's daughter. Scar thought.

Then Duncan's next words left Scar speechless.

"She's my daughter."