Good Bye Ranger Corps
I'm done. I'm finished. I can't stand this anymore. The pain, the torture, it's just to constant. I need to jump, but it's just to hard. They all will know. They'll know who did this. And they won't care. They'll be glad I'm finally out of their hair after all these years. So I'm leaving. I know no one will follow. I know that they're just waiting. Since the day, I saw them together, I knew I was going to be pushed aside. Torn apart from the one who always was there. But now I stand on front steps, watching them laugh together. I know I'm not wanted. I know they won't care. I was coming to say good bye, but now I just dont know what to do.
I stumbled as I leave. I hear him get up and walk to the door. I run as fast I can, mounting my horse. We take off at a neck breaking gallop. But he shouts my name. Shoot. He saw me. If I keep going, he'll know something is going on. But I can't go back. I can't go back to there. There's to many memories, to many things that might stop me. So we keep going. It's not until long after sundown that we stop. I get off, lossening the girth, and letting my horse drink, I removed my silver oakleaf from around my neck. I stab an arrow into the ground, and loosely wrap my oakleaf around it. I know they'll find it. A Ranger can't go missing for long before they start looking.
We start back out. I'm not sure where I am or where I'm going. My heart's pounding, my head is spinning. All around me I hear talk of the missing Ranger. Glad I had abandoned my cloak, longbow, and arrows, I walk into a tavern, one of the cleaner ones. The bar keeper offers me coffee. I readily accept. I take a sip and cringe at the taste. Honey. It needs honey. I reach for the honey in front of me. I go to spoon it in when the scent hits me. It doesn't smell bad, just it smelled of memories. Everything reaked of memories. Resenting my choice, I drink the coffee black. After I'm done, I toss a silver on the table. I rise and go to leave when I see them coming towards me. One guarded the door, as the other came to me. I duck my head, and dash for the door. Right before I escape, he grabs the back of my tunic.
My head hits the floor with a thud, forcing me to look into their eyes. I stare into them before whispering a small explanation. "I'm sorry." Escaping their grip, I take off once more. As long as I got a good headstart, I knew I could outrun them. But they were Rangers too. They knew this. Long after sunrise, I dismounted. Giving my horse the stay signal, I walked towards the cliff. Standing there, I asked myself things.
Would it hurt? Would they miss me? Why did I even become a Ranger? What would they think? Would they be angry? Did they even care to begin with?
I hear them shout behind me, and I know it's time. They run as fast as they can, but I just whisper something before stepping off. "Goodbye Ranger Corps." I hear the strangled cry of fear and shut my eyes. Right before I hit the water, I say my explanation again.
"I'm sorry."
One last thought ran through my head. The only one who would miss me. The one I had spent years with training. "Goodbye Halt."