Ignoring History - Ranger's Apprentice Fanfiction

Chapter 16

~🏹Halt🏹~

Brown eyes stared at him, unwavering and steadfast. If he was any other man, Halt would have withered away into a puddle under Sir Rodney's stare, but he was not. In fact, he didn't give the slightest care to him. Instead, he lay on his back, repeatedly throwing a pebble up into the air.

After his failed escape, he had been thrown back into his sorry cell. The guards had doubled much to his disdain, but much to his amusement, Sir Rodney had been watching him for the past hours. The guards had already changed two times. Halt laughed. He wondered how long the man would last.

Besides, by not giving him a response, Halt was probably irritating the man. Flicking the pebble up into the air, Halt sat up. He turned to face Sir Rodney, a slow smile growing on his face. He caught the pebble as it made its way back down, or maybe the pebble had fallen into his hand. Cocking his head to the side, he leaned back and crossed his arms.

He yawned, smacking his lips as loud as possible. Halt could have laughed at Sir Rodney's obvious scorn. It wouldn't be much longer now, he thought. Soon, the man would have been so infuriated he would have thrown himself into the moat.

Halt smirked, slumping down against the wall. He met Sir Rodney's eyes for a split second. It was enough to catch the man off guard, and Halt threw the pebble as he blinked in surprise. His aim was perfect, and the pebble tapped him on the nose.

That certainly got a reaction.

"Arratay!" he boomed, eyes seeming to turn to fire. "You stinking son of a—" His voice suddenly faltered when a pair of light footsteps suddenly made themselves known. It was almost as if the change in volume was intentional and deliberate.

Sir Rodney narrowed his eyes at Halt before straightening up. He spun on his heels, clasping his hands behind him. "Lady Pauline!"

Halt snickered. Even from behind, he could see the shame that had dawned on the man. His skin had become so red, he thought he was going to explode. Halt wished he could see the look on his face. However, he should have been concerned with his own, for he was not prepared when the tall, graceful lady appeared before his eyes.

She was beautiful. Her ash blonde hair was pinned on her head in a bun. It almost looked silver, and perhaps there were already streaks of silver in it. But Halt couldn't tell. Her skin was fair and smooth, and her eyes. They were stunning. They were so blue, he thought he was drowning in an ocean. Unlike the rest of her face that screamed of innocence, her eyes were old of wisdom. Halt could see a trace of mischief hidden deep within them.

Realizing that his jaw had loosened, Halt snapped his mouth shut and bit down on his tongue. He swallowed hard and looked down at the moss growing between the cracking stone. What in the world was this feeling?

When he looked back up, he fell to the side in surprise. He hadn't realized that Sir Rodney had left. He blinked, cursing under his breath. He would have liked to have been the one to have prompted him to leave.

Lady Pauline watched him carefully. Her expression was no longer sweet-looking. It was more stern, but even then, Halt could see a lightness in her. His chest fluttered, and he grimaced when his heart skipped a beat.

Was he sick?

He made a face. It wasn't exactly a great time to have fallen ill. Really, it was a terrible time.

"Your name is Arratay?" she said.

Halt's coughed, standing. He brushed off dirt, trying his best to subtly freshen up. He swept his uneven hair out of his eyes. His voice came out lower than usual, and his accent seemed to flower.