Disclaimer: I don't own Ranger's Apprentice
Long live the King
Ever since the boar hunt, Horace and Will had been friends.
Ever since Celtica, they had been brothers.
Brothers who joked and ate and laughed and lived together.
Brothers who fought and lost and mourned together.
Long live the King and his Ranger
When King Duncan was injured, Horace took his place on the battlefield.
When Halt retired, Will took his place in Redmont.
Will was Horace's trusted friend. Trusted to keep the kingdom safe. Trusted to train Madelyn as a Ranger.
Trusted to watch and protect.
The sword is shattered, the shield is split
There was no grand battle to mark their passing.
It was just a skirmish. Just a skirmish where the enemy was hired and paid in good coin.
Just a skirmish where Will couldn't shoot right because of the trees.
Just a skirmish where Horace's luck ran out and skill wasn't enough.
The bow is broken, the cloak is ripped
The axe broke the shield almost clean in two - Horace's shield, with the green oakleaf set atop a rising sun.
The dodge and the rock snapped the sword. The dagger pierced his side.
The sword sheared the bow in half.
The knife couldn't stop it from cleaving Will in two.
Long live the Queen
Horace was still alive when the search party found him an hour and a half later.
Halt and Madelyn were leading it.
Horace died in his daughter's arms.
Halt knelt next to the two halves of Will.
Long live the Queen and her Ranger
When Cassandra heard the news, she vowed she would not cry.
She would not cry until she had found who had done this.
She would not cry until they were all dead.
Madelyn and Halt vowed the same.