Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice in any way whatsoever.
Author's Note: I do realise that Will's reaction might have been a little bit over-done, but do keep in mind that he has the mentality of a twelve-year-old and not all of them are super mature. Well, here's the next episode. I hope you like it!
Chapter 3: Bonds and Bedlam
"What in damnation is going on here?" Halt hissed, rounding on Horace angrily.
Horace paled at Halt's furious demeanour, but quickly strengthened his manly resolve and recalled why he had come here.
"Evanlyn and Will have formed a Soul Bond," Horace explained.
Halt wrinkled his brow, completely confused by the unexpected answer.
Horace sighed, sensing his confusion, and set about the task of explaining what a Soul Bond was.
"They are ancient things," Horace said. "And of a forgotten era of Araluen when magic thrived in the land. There used to be wizards and witches back then and Soul Bonds were a common thing. But now you must be wondering what a Soul Bond is?"
Halt nodded and Horace continued, taking a big gulp of air. "A Soul Bond is a magical connection between two people – usually a man and woman. It was very rare for a Bond to form between youth and children, almost unheard of as a matter of fact so you can understand my surprise when it transpired between Will and Evanlyn!"
"Just get to the point," Halt growled in frustration.
Horace gave the Ranger a smug grin.
"You see," He said. "This Soul Bond is a very powerful thing. It has several different properties that connect the two people by magic so that they can sense when each other is around. Usually, they are forced to stay together depending on the strength of their Bond. If their Bond is too strong and they go too far away from each other, the Bond will separate and they will die."
A look of worry flashed across Halt's eyes and Horace continued.
"But the Bond also has it's benefits," He said, soothingly. "For one, it enables the two people Bonded to read each other's minds. They can also usually communicate with each other via their minds preventing normal people from listening in on their conversation. If they possessed magic, then this would strengthen their magic making them far more powerful than if they were alone. This would make them an almost indestructible pair of magic-users."
"But I thought magic did not exist!" Halt asked.
"How then did this happen?" Horace replied. "You heard Will: He clearly does not remember anything that happened. Moreover, his voice sounds like that of a twelve-year-old when in reality he is sixteen years of age. This could have only happened because of the Soul Bond and, thus, magic."
Horace waited patiently while Halt processed all of this information. At last, the Ranger heaved a sigh and looked up wearily at him.
"Are there any more people with a Soul Bond?" He asked curiously.
Horace shook his head sadly. "As I said, the Soul Bond amplified the designated couple's magic. Unfortunately, not all of them were good and this caused a lot of strife and evil for the land. Those couples not of a good intent, used this power for their own dark agendas most of them vying for more power then they already had. This led to what I like to call the Battle of Bonds in which couples with the Soul Bond fought against each other.
"They used their powers in an attempt to kill off all the other Bonded couples so that they would be the only remaining couple. This would give them unlimited power as most of the wizards and witches had a Soul Bond back then. Luckily for us, the Battle of Bonds ended in a stalemate with heavy losses on all sides whipping out nearly all of the Bonded couples. The few who remained crawled away in shame to live out the rest of their lives as they could, with their tails tucked between their legs.
"They had lost much in the Battle and most of their power had been sapped out by the clash. Due to the massive loss of life, people stopped forming Soul Bonds lest the same thing happen again. Eventually, this led to the supposed extinction of Bonded couples and the eventual demise of magic."
"So how do Will and Evanlyn fit in here?" Halt asked suspiciously, feeling suddenly worried for his apprentice.
Horace's face fell and his eyes took on a faraway look.
"Remember the arrow I found in the woods?" He asked in a small voice.
Halt nodded, wondering what new theory Horace had in mind. But nothing could prepare him for what the knight-in-training said next. Horace balled his fists and clenched his jaw. In a voice that could have cut through solid rock, he spoke.
"As you said, the arrow is of Temujai make," Horace said gravely. "And you are correct in your theory: The Temujai are on the move again. However, this is not just some random invasion to get more land as you had assumed."
Halt's brow furrowed, as he frowned, perplexed. How had Horace known that when he had never told the young man of his thoughts on the matter? Glancing up at Horace, he was alarmed to see a look of sheer fury fillings his every feature.
"What are they after then, Horace?" Halt asked cautiously, hoping that by using his name it would make the young man snap out of his trance-like state.
Horace heaved a sigh and stared at Halt with a determined look. "The Temujai are not invading to acquire more land as you like to think, Halt. No, indeed! They are after none other than Will and Evanlyn because they share a Soul Bond. The Temujai hope that by capturing them, they can manipulate the Bond to force the couple into using their magic for their own agenda. The Temujai are invading the kingdom to capture Will and Evanlyn, Halt. And they will let nothing, absolutely nothing, stand in their way!"
X~X~X~X~X
Will felt guilty.
His face burned with embarrassment and he felt horribly foolish for running off into the middle of nowhere after his childish outburst.
His father was a knight and would be ashamed to see him act like this. He should not behave like a child, not in the presence of others anyways. He had to follow in his father's footsteps and regain their family honour.
Still, that did not stop him from feeling horrible and confused at all that had happened. He had run off from the cabin into the nearby woods to get some time alone and take stock of things.
He had always felt a connection with the forest. He would come here for solace often to escape Horace's teasing. Now that mean brute believed he was a friend and was trying to fuddle his mind. It was probably just another sick prank!
Oh, where was Alyss when he needed her? If he ever had a friend, it was her and missed her more than ever. He hadn't been with her often, but had watched her from afar and spoken with her on one or two occasions. She had seemed friendly, but more like in a way between a brother and sister.
He had no idea what to think about this new girl who claimed to be a friend: He had never ever seen her before in his life! Or had he? It just didn't make sense. Oh, why did things have to be so complicated and just damn confusing? Perhaps he was cursed and that was why his parents died because he was a devil's spawn and could only cause darkness and terror to all those who followed him.
Poor Will was so caught up in his moping and misery that he failed to hear the soft padding of feet as a few lithe soldiers dressed an eastern outfit ghosted up to him as silent as a wraith. His vision was blurred by tears, so he did not realise he was in danger until it was far too late. A burst of hot pain lanced down Will's back as something sharp and hard struck him across the shoulders.
The confused and anxious boy fell down into a crumpled heap on the ground, crying out in agony as the pain hit him. Black spots danced in his vision and Will struggled to rise only to be beat down again and again. He just managed to get a glance of several men with leering grins, spears, and whips all gathered around him. Even more disheartening was the small form of Evanlyn with a sack tied over her face.
"Well, well, well," A voice crooned patronizingly. "What do we have here?"
And that was all Will saw and heard before a spear butt rammed into his head. Then everything went black!
To Be Continued...
A/N: So, Horace has explained what his the history of Soul Bonds to Halt but will the grizzled, old Ranger believe him? And who has captured Will and Evanlyn? Is it the Temujai or a worse foe? Will Halt and Horace find out? If so, how will they react? More answers await you in the next episode of "Forget Me Not" so stay tuned!
~ Elf Knight ~