The Battle of Mackindaw - Ranger's Apprentice

Never

The next morning at dawn, everyone at the camp were in their respective battle stations. The soldiers all formed up in ranks just in front of the camp. Crowley had ridden back to Araluen the day before to deliver news to most of the castle's staff. In front of them, standing in a long line was King Duncan, Cassandra, Halt, Will, Alyss, and Gilan. They all had their weapons ready and they were ready to fight. But as Halt had described last night at the briefing, there probably wouldn't be any fighting. Now that Will wasn't there, they didn't have their reassurance or safety of their ransom. But that they might still attack simply because it would affect their honor of they abandoned their mission now. So everyone was standing ready.

Will was excited for the coming action, but he wasn't really looking forward to seeing MacHaddish again. He felt a strange sense of lust for revenge. He knew it was a feeling he shouldn't have, but the fact that his head was bandaged helped him feel more angry inside. But he knew that killing MacHaddish wasn't going to solve his problem, it was destroying everything he had worked for a second time. He instinctively tightened his grip on his bow, his knuckles turning white.

Halt noticed, and leaned over and took the bow from Will's hand. "Will, we discussed this last night. Are you certain you want to do this? I know that this feels personal for you, and I don't want that to hinder your judgement - "

"Yes, Halt, we did discuss this, and I have already stated that it will not be a problem." Will almost snapped at Halt as he took his bow back, but resolved to keep a looser grip.

Halt raised both eyebrows but said nothing. He knew that nothing he could say would keep Will from doing this. Will had a personal goal, and he wasn't about to get in his way.

As both Will and Halt mulled over their thoughts, suddenly a sound began coming from the forest. It was a huge rumbling sound, and it eventually turned into the thump thump thump of a hundred feet stomping the ground in unison, and everyone knew the Scotti were coming. Will nervously plucked two arrows from his quiver and held them between the fingers of his right hand. He turned and noticed that Halt had done the same, and he smiled slightly in anticipation of the face off.

All at once, the army exploded from the trees. Long lines of men stepped out of the forest and , without even faltering, marched through the tall grass. But at a call from an officer, they all thundered to a stop just in front of the trees. Their number of about two hundred suddenly seemed very small compared to the five hundred plus men the Araluen war camp was housing. And they were all lined up in their armor, row after row, almost to show off their superior numbers. A small party of men, perhaps about ten, began to advance slowly towards the Araluen camp. They were too far away to see exactly who was coming, but it was impossible to miss the white flag the front-most man was hoisting into the air. "What? They think they are going to get a fair truce meeting after - " Will spluttered indignantly, but Halt stopped him.

"Yes, I'm afraid they do." Will fell silent, but was still angry inside. He reached up to touch his still throbbing head, and his anger swelled. He squinted out at the group coming towards them, and he recognized the one in the lead. It was the huge Scotti who had been patrolling the forest when Will had first arrived at the camp. He had nearly caught Will before he had even started. Adair, that was his name. And the figure walking behind him was impossible to miss. Half of his face was covered in blue paint, and his ball and chain was unmistakable. MacHaddish had come to work out, hopefully, surrender papers. But Will suspected, as did practically everyone else, that he had something else up his sleeves.... if he had any. He wasn't exactly wearing a shirt. He was only wearing a kilt and a huge harness around his chest that held a huge broadsword across his back, along with tall boots and bracers and greavers. He had a helmet where half of it was painted blue.

Will reached up again and gently touched his head where MacHaddish had cut him. This time Horace noticed the action. "Will, are you sure you're alright? You seem to be touching your head a lot..."

"No, it's alright, Horace, I'm fine." Horace sensed the emotions broiling beneath the surface of Will's voice, and he decided not to push it, and he fell silent.

The truce party came up to about a hundred meters from the lines of men and stopped. Then MacHaddish's herald shouted out, "The great and mighty General MacHaddish wishes to discuss terms with the honorable King Duncan and whosoever joins him! He declares that when you give the signal he will advance to wherever you decide our two great nations will meet!" Then the herald stepped backward and silence settled over the camp.

Without hesitation, Duncan turned and called out to the troops, "Bring a tent out here, with some tables and chairs! Get some refreshments as well!" The soldiers behind immediately brought them out, and in just minutes the tent was set up. Duncan gestured to Cassandra, Halt, Will, Alyss, and Gilan to join him in the large tent. They all walked over and Duncan sat in the large chair at the head of the table, and Halt sat next to him on his right. Everyone else stood behind him, with Will standing just behind his right shoulder, near Halt. Then MacHaddish's party advanced and MacHaddish took his place at the opposite end of the table, with Adair behind him, and many of his advisors. As soon as MacHaddish was settled in his chair, he lifted his eyes and they looked around at all the faces at the other end of the table. He glanced at Duncan and Halt, and didn't even look at the others as his gaze settled on Will. Will met his eyes without hesitation. Halt noticed and saw that MacHaddish's eyes burned with pure, unbridled hatred and contempt on Will. His lip curled in a snarl and his brows lowered down until his eyes were shadowed heavily. Will's face was expressionless, but his eyes burned with anger and steel. Halt met Duncan's eyes and then Duncan began to speak. "So, General, I assume you have come to discuss a certain matter with us? Could you please specify what sort of matter this might be?"

After just a second more of glaring at Will, he finally broke eye contact and looked at Duncan. He finally spoke, acting as though he hadn't heard what Duncan had said. "I think that you assume that I have come to discuss surrender terms with you. But you have assumed wrong." His eyes switched to Halt. Halt met those horrible, dark eyes, but he could see in the gaze that MacHaddish didn't care about him, or Duncan, or anyone else in the tent. And sure enough, his gaze slid back to Will, and suddenly the hatred and contempt burned again. Duncan sensing the tension, said, "So then what, exactly, have you come to discuss?"

This time MacHaddish didn't even look at Duncan, and keeping his gaze fixed on Will, said, "I have come with a request... a request that you return my escaped prisoner to me immediately. Also, the one who helped him escape, he is also rightfully mine."

Now anger blossomed on Will's face. He opened his mouth to speak, but Duncan interrupted him, saying, "Unfortunately, we will not be complying with that request. Neither person shall be handed over to you willingly."

But surprisingly, MacHaddish, again, had stopped paying attention to Duncan again. His gaze was again glued to Will, but his eyebrows were raised slightly, his mouth open in what seemed to be surprise. "Well, I was not expecting that at all..." he murmured softly.

Duncan said, a little uncertainly, "What, you were not expecting us to reject your request?"

"No, no..." MacHaddish said, interrupting Duncan. "Ranger Will." He now addressed Will openly. "That person who helped you escape from my camp... Myself and my men all assumed that it was a man. But that woman next to you, she has the same color of hair and has almost identical features to the 'man' that my men reported seeing escape with you. What is she, a Courier? Ha, I know all about them. They are experts in disguise and deception. She could have very easily become a man to help you escape. I was not expecting it to be a woman, though." He laughed slightly at his last few words. Will glanced at Alyss, who shrugged, and then at the King for permission to speak, and Duncan gave an almost imperceptible nod.

"I hope you listened to my King, MacHaddish, because what he said was the truth." Will said. He hoped he sounded calm, because he was just barely holding his anger for this wretched man. "We are no longer your property. I escaped from your camp, and so did she, and we will not be going with you. You must be crazy if you think we would even consider it."