Ignoring History - Ranger's Apprentice Fanfiction

Chapter 8

~🏹Halt🏹~ 

Araluen was gloomier than the last time Halt had passed through. It wasn't just the people, who now kept to themselves and whispered gossip. The surrounding environment seemed to be dimmer as well. Even the animals were jumpier than usual.

Rain stormed down from the clouds like they were charging a battle. Halt lazily pulled up his cowl and sighed. Arriving at Araluen had only made him wish that he found a way to join the rangers. It made him think of what could have been, what could have happened if Morgarath had lost. Would he have been part of the Ranger Corps then?

Halt shook his head, steeling himself. After all these years of mastering a stone face, he would not let it falter only by traveling through a kingdom.

He had a job to finish.

The elimination of Baron Arald of Redmont. Nothing else and nothing more. No emotion was required for the task, so none shall he have.

If only it were that simple.

The more he forced himself to ignore everything, the more he thought. Halt gritted his teeth, fists clenching and unclenching. Vigorously, he shook his head until dizziness overtook him. Halt squeezed his eyes shut, tilting his face upwards to meet the rain that shot down between the leaves.

It was fine. Just fine.

The sooner he finished the job, the sooner he could be on his way.

Halt pushed through the thick forest foliage, grunting. Morgarath should have provided him with a horse.

Redmont was close though. Just a couple hundred of meters, and the castle would be in sight. But for now, he needed a plan. A way to infiltrate the castle, find the baron, and to escape.

When Castle Redmont finally reached Halt's eyes, Halt grimaced in frustration. Peering through the treeline, Halt scanned the area. Wensley Village and the Battleschool was situated near the castle, and if things went wrong, the people would not hesitate to attack him on sight. But that didn't bother Halt. Things would go just as planned. The castle, however, was not up to plan.

Instead of the traditional four walls, Castle Redmont had three, just as effective and maybe even more. With less walls, the guards and soldiers on duty had less distance to cover, and Halt had little room for dallying. He frowned to himself and walked along the treeline. There was little to no chance he would succeed in scaling the walls without anyone seeing him.

He needed a different plan. Running his hand through his graying hair, he frowned. Halt looked to Wensley Village, where he could see many of its people chattering while they worked. His lips drew a thin line. From what he had heard from Morgarath's two servants, Baron Arald stood against Morgarath's rule. He was a supporter of the Ranger Corps and wanted Oswald's line to return to power.

Halt sighed. If he killed Arald, there would truly be no chance of joining the Ranger Corps. The man was the only thing strong enough to stand in Morgarath's way to true destruction. Halt leaned against a tree, pressing his palm against it. He let his head rest against it. It wasn't like he could bail on his task. Morgarath would stop at nothing to see him executed, and if he wasn't found, Halt would be running for the rest of his life. Besides, he was getting paid five hundred gold royals. That was enough to last him for over a year.

Halt cracked his knuckles, getting off the tree. He dusted himself off. There was no way around Morgarath, so he had to go straight through. He had to assassinate Arald or run for the rest of his life. His eyes darted to the castle. He grimly smirked to himself. He had to kill the baron. He just had to keep telling himself that.