Obviously its an authors note.
Alright my bitches. I was squealing with joy while reading my dear friends story. This one does have to do with magic but honestly who cares this story is badass. I wont reveal her name she will remain Anonymous, but! *Puts hands together* I will tell you that as soon as i post the first chapter of My detectives story the character Ebony is based off of her. So maybe you'll get to know her better via story. Crap i forgot what else i was gonna say but oh well.
*Sudden realization* it wasnt what i wanted to say but the cover photo is not mind i found it and it just seemed too cute. I HAD to have it as a cover.
ONWARD WITH THE STORY!
Horace slammed his hand down on the table, causing it to shake under the force of the blow, and looked at everyone else crowded around the table with blazing eyes, "Damn it, Halt! Why are you waiting so long to save the boy that you say is like the son that you never had?" Horace's eyes contained so much frustration, anger, and annoyance towards Halt that if it weren't for the fact that it was Halt, Horace would've already had their head. He wanted to save his best friend, and he was furious that no one else seemed to share the same determination and need to save him.
"Horace, I advise you to calm down. We want to get him back just as much as you do, but we have to be smart about this. We can't just go barging in and expect him to waltz back to our side," Halt said in his calm tone of voice that also had a firm edge to it and held an air of authority that left no room for argument. Horace mumbled a protest, but eventually he reluctantly backed off.
"Smart choice," Gilan whispered to Horace, but Horace was barely even paying attention. His thoughts kept wandering back to the night that they had found out that Will had gone missing. He wasn't sure what possessed the boy to make him to want to leave. After Will had been apprenticed to Halt, all he wanted to be was a Ranger, so it bewildered Horace to think that Will would run off without a second thought, especially with why he ran off. It just wasn't like Will, or at least it wasn't like the Will that Horace had always known and loved.
"Horace?" Crowley called out to him, snapping his fingers in front of his nose to bring him back to where he was coherent. Horace jumped a little from the sudden, unexpected action.
"Yes, Crowley?" Horace asked Crowley.
"Did you catch that?"
"Catch what?" Crowley sighed at Horace's incapability of paying attention to anything that lasts longer than five minutes, unless of course it was a meal being served. Gilan smiled in amusement, and Halt simply stared at the dense warrior that was always so clueless, causing Halt to wonder how he was actually capable of not decapitating himself with the sword he carried around with him and swung around when posed with a threat.
"Your part in our plan to get Will back," Halt explained and watched as the young knight leaned forward, his attention now completely on what Halt was saying.
"I'm listening," Horace said and stared at Halt with such intensity that Halt couldn't do anything but simply smile at the transformation that had happened at the flick of a switch.
"Oh, I know you are, Horace," Halt said, and Gilan smiled wide, and Halt continued on to explain Horace's role in the strategy that every person in the room hoped would work.
"Does everyone know what the plan is and what they have to do?" Crowley asked and swept his eyes across every face in the room. Everyone nodded in understanding. "Good," Crowley said and nodded once, "then this meeting is adjourned. We will meet tomorrow morning at sunrise."
The Rangers put their cloaks on and gracefully left the room, not even making the slightest noise. As the door creaked to a standstill, Horace began to think about the night Will left again. The night that Horace and Will had gotten into an argument over something Horace couldn't even remember. All he could remember were the last words Will had said to him, and the last words Horace had said to Will. He couldn't help but feel that Will's departure was partially his fault. If the argument had never happened, Horace truly believed that Will most likely wouldn't have left that night.
Horace abruptly stood up; causing the wooden chair he had been sitting on to clatter to the floor behind him. He took long, brisk strides out of the castle, and once he was outside, he closed his eyes and deeply inhaled the fresh air. Horace opened his eyes and slowly exhaled. That helped to clear the conflicting emotions he had, but there was only one thing that would actually calm him down.
As Horace made his way to the battle school's training ground, flashbacks kept playing here and there, bits and pieces finding cracks in his barrier he had put up until he was at the training ground. Once he was there, he would take the barrier down and let them come and go freely, but not yet. Not when they would only cause things to be worse.
Horace could tell that the barrier was crumbling, so he increased his walk to a jog and soon enough he was there. Even though Horace was an official Araluen knight, he still came here when he needed to clear his head.
Horace grabbed a wooden sword and walked out to the open field that had straw dummies placed in the occasional spot here and there. Horace picked one at random and walked over to it. He began to hack at it, and it was as if the barrier was chipped away with each strike, because as he continued to incessantly hit the straw dummy, the barrier fell away one piece at a time until the onslaught of memories and emotions consumed him.
Will stared at Horace, in complete shock that he had really said that to him. "I don't ever want to see, or speak to you again, Horace. Stay out of my life from now on," Will said, trying to use anger to mask the hurt he didn't want Horace to see.
"Fine. I'll have no problem doing that, seeing as I don't want anything to do with you either," Horace said and stormed out of Halt's home, leaving his childhood friend behind, and not once ever looking back.
Horace began to add more and more force to each blow he made until he was hitting the dummy as hard as he could. Horace sorted through the memories that clouded his thoughts, and was relieved when that one left his thoughts. The next one took over just as fast as the other one was discarded.
Halt, Gilan, Horace, and Crowley were all searching the town for Will. He had been gone from Halt's home in the morning when Halt had woken up, and he hadn't been at the Ranger's practice place, nor had he been out hunting. Halt had already checked, and Horace was searching Will's room for anything that might tell them where he would've gone. Halt, Gilan, and Crowley were all out searching for him.
Horace stifled through the pages of a large book he had found and his eyes were brought elsewhere when he saw a loose page flutter out of the book and slowly drift to the floor. As soon as the parchment had settled on the floor, unmoving, Horace closed the book he was holding and set it off to the side. He leaned down and picked up the paper. At first glance, it looked like a letter from Will to whoever found it.
To whomever finds this (Halt probably),
I'm sorry to say, but I have left Araluen. I've been thinking about this for a while, and I've finally decided that this was the best thing to do. I've left to become a sorcerer. Don't be mad, and don't bother looking for me. Don't bother trying to bring me back; I'm not ever coming back.
Sincerely,
Will
As soon as he was finished reading, Horace wasted no time in sprinting to town to find the Rangers to let them know what he had found. Horace was sure that they would be setting out immediately to find Will and bring him back, but much to his dismay, it took them a few months before they made an effort to get Will back.
Horace struck the dummy one last time, with so much force that the dummy was uprooted from the ground and launched to the side a few feet. Horace stood there, staring at the ground and breathing deeply.
What in his right mind caused him to want to become a sorcerer of all things? Will never was one to want to dabble in the black arts, Horace thought to himself. He simply left the straw dummy lying where it was on the ground as he turned to leave. He put the wooden sword back where he found it and started to walk to Halt's home. He was staying there for tonight since the four of them were meeting in the morning, and Horace had finally emptied his head of thoughts and mostly cleared his emotions. The only emotion left was excitement for tomorrow when Will would finally be back in Araluen and training to be a Ranger once more.
Horace entered the home and walked to the spare bedroom, collapsing onto the cot and almost instantly falling asleep.
The sun rose and the four comrades prepared their horses for a long ride to Macindaw. Abelard, Blaze, Kicker, and Cropper all stamped their hooves impatiently. They could sense the urgency in their master, and they wanted to be on their way.
Halt mounted Abelard, and soon enough Crowley mounted Cropper, Gilan mounted Blaze, and Horace mounted Kicker, all ready to make the ride to the only place they could possibly think that Will had gone. At least, with their logic, it was the most likely place, and it was the most worthy of being checked out. The Rangers were armed with their longbow, arrows, and saxe knives. Horace had his sword and shield, and he couldn't stop imagining what would happen as soon as they found Will. Will would probably try to fight back, and he would definitely refuse to come back with them willingly, but they would manage. If push came to shove, Horace would have to use his last resort.
The four of them entered Macindaw, slowing their horses to a stop just inside the gates. Halt looked around and saw an inn nearby. He slid off of Abelard and guided his horse to the side of the inn. The other three men followed suit and the Rangers told their horses to stay, knowing that with that simple word, they would do exactly that. Horace on the other hand, had to tether his horse to a wooden pole that was precisely made for that. Halt and Gilan entered the inn while Crowley and Horace were left to care for the horses.
"Excuse me," Halt said to the back of the innkeeper as they approached the front desk. The innkeeper turned around to see the customers awaiting service.
"What can I do for you?" The innkeeper asked and Halt thought for a moment before replying.
"I was wondering if we could rent a couple of rooms for the night and if you had a stable that we could allow our weary horses to rest in," Halt said.
"Yes, the stable is out back. As for the rooms, how many people will be staying in these two rooms?"
"There're four of us."
The innkeeper collected the payment from the Ranger and told him where he would find the rooms. Halt thanked him and Gilan went to go find the rooms while Halt went back outside. Having led the horses into the stable, the three men went into the inn to accompany Gilan. Halt was sharing a room with Gilan, and Horace and Crowley would be sharing the room next to theirs. The four of them retired for the night and decided to set out for the Healer's Clearing in the morning.
Horace, Halt, Gilan, and Crowley all entered the clearing. Malcolm was outside, and Halt called out to him.
"Malcolm," Halt greeted with a nod of his head. Malcolm smiled and looked at the four people entering his clearing.
"Halt," Malcolm greeted back. "What brings you and your friends," he gestured to the other three, "here?"
"Has Will come here, by chance?" Halt wasn't going to beat around the bush. He came here to find out one thing, and he was going to get an answer. Malcolm paled and suddenly his features began to reflect that of uneasiness.
"What makes you ask that?" Malcolm asked nervously, and it was made apparent that he knew something about Will's disappearance. Halt stared intently at Malcolm for a while before replying, which made Malcolm start to shift uncomfortably.
"Well, it seems that Will had left Araluen, and he left a note saying that he left to become a sorcerer. We believe that he would have come here since you are the only known sorcerer around. So, have you seen him?"
"I'm sorry, Halt. I haven't seen Will. I hope that you find him. It's terrible that he's missing," Malcolm said quickly. "Now if you don't mind, I have business to attend to."
"Yes, of course. Sorry to trouble you. It's a shame really. We rode all this way, and went through all this trouble to find out that our dear Will wasn't here after all. I guess that's what we get for only going off of logic, isn't that right Gilan?" Halt said. Malcolm started fidgeting again, making it clear that he was feeling guilty.
"Yes, it is such a shame. We could've used the time we spent travelling trying to figure out where Will actually is instead of wasting all of that time and energy coming to a place where Will obviously isn't. I guess Rangers aren't as legendary as we're made out to be," Gilan said and shook his head in fake, but seemingly and convincingly real, disappointment.
"Hey Malcolm, where did the book on—" Will's voice came from inside Malcolm's home, and Will stepped outside, but cut himself off as soon as he saw four people he left behind standing in the clearing. Horace grinned at the sight of his best friend, and Halt sighed in relief. Gilan tried hiding a smile, and Crowley didn't really do anything.
"Will!" Horace said ecstatically and made his way towards Will when Halt stopped him.
"What are you guys doing here?" Will asked angrily and muttered something. He snapped his finger and in his open palm was a flickering fireball. Will took a stance that would allow the fireball to sail at them quicker than the blink of an eye if they so much as tried to approach him.
"We came to take you back to Araluen, Will," Crowley said calmly. "We came to take you back home where you belong, to become a Ranger like you wanted, not be a sorcerer."
"I don't want to go back. I don't want to be a Ranger, but what I do want is to be a sorcerer, and to stay here and learn more magic," Will spat back.
"Will, please come back home. I can't be a great knight without my best friend, and Ranger, by my side."
Will hesitated, but that didn't even last a second before Will shook his head, "I don't really care."
Horace was taken aback by this, and he even stumbled backwards a step as if Will had struck him. "You… you don't care?"
"No. I don't, Horace. Like I said, all I want is to be a sorcerer. I don't really care about anything else."
"What the hell changed you, Will? The Will I knew would never talk like this!" Horace yelled angrily.
"You mean the Will you walked out on without a second thought?" Will retorted. "Well surprise! I left that Will behind."
Horace was speechless, so he simply stared at Will. His words stung Horace, and only if Will knew how much he regretted that, maybe then he might understand. He was just infuriated at that time, he wasn't thinking clearly, and he made a rash decision that he wish he could've taken back. Horace ran towards Will, determined to get back the Will that Horace knew. Will didn't even have to think about it, he reflexively thrust his hand forward and shot the fireball towards Horace, hitting him square in the chest with it. Horace's armor kept him from catching aflame, but it did send him flying backwards onto his back. Halt had already armed himself with his longbow and knocked an arrow. He released it and the arrow went flying towards its target. Will saw it coming and waved his hand towards the arrow, muttering something. The arrow stopped dead in its track, hanging in midair. It slowly turned around and Will mumbled something else, which in turn sent the arrow flying back.
Halt dived out of the way and the arrow sunk deeply into the tree behind him, quivering in its place in the trunk. Halt rolled to a crouch, steadied, aimed, knocked an arrow, and let it loose all in one smooth motion in less than ten seconds. Horace had risen by now, and the arrow flew right past his ear towards Will. Will used the same spell he did last time and sent it launching back. Horace dived out of the way, and Halt had already moved from his previous position, assuming that Will would do that same trick once more.
Gilan was sneaking around, using the shadows to conceal himself, as he made his way behind Will. He was wielding a saxe knife in one hand. Gilan stopped when he was in the shadow of a tree off to the right of Will. Gilan was sure that Will wouldn't be able to see him since he couldn't see off to the side of him, so he balanced the knife in his hand and threw it at Will. Will had seen Gilan making his way there though, so he ducked, and the knife flew past him, continuing in its path and striking Crowley in the shoulder who had been on the other side of the clearing trying to get Will from his other side. Crowley cried out in pain as the knife bit deeply into his shoulder.
Crowley fell to a crouch and gripped his shoulder. Will hesitated at the sight of Crowley being injured, and started to second guess on whether or not he really didn't care. Sure he didn't want to go back, and he didn't want to be a Ranger, he wanted to be a sorcerer, but he didn't want anyone to get hurt either. It didn't seem like they were going to leave without him though, so the only other option was to fight them. Will came out of his thoughts just in time to see Horace charging him.
Will opened his palm and thrust his hand out in front of him at Horace. The air rippled and a strong force hit Horace, causing him to fly across the clearing and smack into a tree. He fell through the air towards the earth and didn't move from his position on the ground. He had landed on his stomach, and his face was shoved in the dirt. Halt had sneaked his way behind Will, taking his saxe knife and slashing his calf. Will cried out and collapsed on the ground. He spun around and glared at Halt. He used the same move he used on Horace and Halt went flying across the clearing, colliding with Gilan, who had been running to support Halt.
Will muttered words over and over again as he moved his hands over his wound, a faint, green aurora emitting from his hands. The cut skin began to thread back together, gradually closing the would, and by the time that Halt and Gilan had risen again, Will's wound was already completely healed. Will muttered something and gestured towards Gilan and Halt. The ground began to shake and the ground beneath the two Rangers concaved about ten feet, causing them to fall into the hole. Will sat there, panting. He wasn't used to using so much magic at once, and having to do that drained most of his energy.
Will surveyed the area one last time to make sure that there was no one else to take care of before he finally relaxed. Will's breathing was regulated by now, and he closed his eyes, leaning back and focusing on gaining his energy back. Horace rose from his position on the ground, slowly and silently making his way towards Will. Since Will's eyes were closed, he didn't notice, and once Horace was close enough to Will, he tackled him. Will's eyes shot open and he squirmed beneath Horace's grip on him. Horace wasn't even budging though. He was firmly holding Will's shoulders down to the ground, and he had used his legs to pin Will's legs to the ground as well, disabling Will's ability to move.
"Let me go, Horace!" Will yelled, still struggling against his hold on him.
"No, Will," Horace replied firmly, leaving no room for protest. Horace wasn't going to let him go, and Will knew that now. Will stopped struggling and relaxed. He looked into Horace's eyes for a while before turning his head to the side, avoiding having to look at Horace.
"Will, look at me," Horace said. He wasn't going to force Will to come back if he didn't want to. If he was willing to harm Crowley, Halt, Gilan, and even Horace, then he really didn't want to go back to Araluen, and he really wanted to be a sorcerer for whatever reason. Horace just wanted Will to be happy above all else, and if dabbling in the dark arts is what satisfied him, then Horace would just suck it up and let him.
"No."
"Fine, but know this: Halt misses the boy he sees as a son, Gilan misses his fellow Ranger, Crowley misses one of the greatest Rangers to live, Alyss misses you as more than just a friend, Jenny misses you, and I miss my best friend. I'm sure I'm missing a couple of people, but you get the gist of it," The tone of voice that Horace was using made Will feel guilty, and most of all it just made him feel like an imbecile. Whenever Horace used that tone of voice with him, it always made him want to do whatever it was that would make the others feel better.
"What do you want?" Will asked, failing in keeping the irritation out of his voice.
"Why did you leave, Will?"
"I already told you in the letter, to become a sorcerer."
"No, I mean why did you want to become a sorcerer?"
Will thought about it for a while, trying to come up with an answer, but to no avail. "I don't know."
"Think."
"I did! I don't know!"
"No, Will. Think."
Will ignored Horace's request. He stayed silent since he didn't have an answer.
"I'll tell you why. Because of the argument you two had. If you didn't want him in your life, then there was no reason for Will to stay in Araluen anymore. It's just like you said, you can't be a knight without Will as the Ranger by your side, just as Will can't be a Ranger without you as the knight at his side," Halt said from across the clearing. He lay down on his stomach and stretched his arm out, reaching for Gilan. He pulled Gilan up and out of the hole, and both of them gathered up Malcolm and Crowley.
"We'll leave you two alone to chat while we go patch Crowley up," Halt called over to them as they all went inside Malcolm's home. Horace looked back down at Will who was staring back up at Horace.
"Was he right? Is that why you left?" Horace questioned while leaning away from Will, sitting with his legs crossed. Will raised himself into a sitting position as well, and they continued to talk.
"I don't know. Probably. Halt knows me better than I know myself, after all," Will said and shrugged. Horace and Will stayed there for a while until Horace leaned closer to Will and whispered something to him.
"I guess we can't do our duties without one another, can we? So what do you say to coming back home with us and filling your rightful spot in the Ranger Corps?"
Will fidgeted a bit nervously but replied with, "Yeah, okay. Does that mean you want me back in your life?" Will hesitated with asking the question, but decided to ask anyways since he needed to know.
"Well of course! I need my best friend, and Ranger sidekick," Horace said and smiled mischievously.
Will scoffed, "What do you mean sidekick? I'm sure you would be the sidekick, my thick headed friend."
Horace simply laughed and shook his head, "Sure, Will. Whatever you would like to think. You're just in denial." Will glared at Horace.
"Shall we get back to Araluen then?" Horace asked and Will nodded slowly while still glaring. Horace smiled in amusement and the three Rangers came walking out of Malcolm's home.
"Bye, Malcolm!" Each Ranger bid farewell to the healer separately. Malcolm called out a farewell, too, and Gilan smiled mischievously.
"Horace has quite the silver tongue, doesn't he, Will?" Gilan asked with a knowing look in his eyes. "He can convince just about anyone to do just about anything, wouldn't you agree?"
Will looked away from Gilan and answered with, "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Who cares, I just want some damn coffee. My morning was ruined when my apprentice kicked my ass. I mean, I'm Halt for God's sake! My apprentice shouldn't be beating me," Halt mumbled his complaints as he trudged off back to the village.
"Oh, Halt. You have to get used to old age," Crowley called back to him as he followed close behind him.
"How will Halt's ego ever be repaired?" Gilan questioned in mock horror, and followed after the other two Rangers.
"Shall we?" Horace raised his arm, gesturing for Will to go forward. Will began walking and thanked Malcolm for everything, bidding him farewell, Horace doing the same thing and slinging his arm around his small friend as they walked together to the town.
"It's good to have you back, Will."
I was badass wasnt it? The part where Crowley got hit was my favorite. I dont know why but whenever a favorite character of mine is in pain, being tortured, dying, abused, etc. I cant help but love it.