A/N: Ohmigosh guys, I got not one, not two, but THREE reviews on my last chapter! You make me so happy! But seriously, thank you, I really appreciate it.
Heads up, this chapter is REALLY long. 11,400 words. So, you know, get settled in, make some popcorn, whatever.
Prohime: So, hi. Thanks for reviewing. But I'm assuming I must know you... You've read my Sherlock Holmes story, and apparently 'The Dream' (the Halt dream right?) which are only posted on Goodreads, and, well, no one who I don't know reads my Goodreads things, and yet, you write unlike anyone I know (I think), and "The Dream" was written a long time ago, so... yeah. Who are you? And have no fear, the dream is going to be included, though those of us who haven't read that won't get it... oh shwell.
Farmersdaughter: Oh haha I was really unclear with that wasn't I? Feel free to read this chapter, it's already been updated, edited, etc. The link that I'm gonna post below is to another website, the one where I originally posted this story's rough draft. There are more chapters up there than here, and THAT is where I don't want you to read ahead, becuase it won't be as good or as coherent as it will be here. I'm making major changes to the plot, so if you read that and then come back you're going to be like "Whoa what just happened." So yeah. You can read this, just don't read ahead in that, okay? :)
goodreads(.com)/story/show/249495-the-switch?chapter=7
You're going to have to take the parenthasis out of the .com, but it should take you to the place. And it's not all the way at the bottom, all the way at the bottom is what was once another plot line with Will + Halt's apprentices, but I got so incredibly bored of them that I've cut them out. You can read that if you want, but don't expect me to be finishing it. I'm watching you. No reading past chapter nine... *stares pointedly*
Okay and now on to the actual story!
"Our actual mission went entirely according to plan. It was when we returned that things went wrong." Will's voice warbled slightly, as if he was holding back tears. Sarah, Alyss, Lady Pauline, and I were all gathered around the table in the cabin, listening intently"The servants hadn't even woken up yet when it happened. There was no noise, no clatter. All that we know is that when his manservant came in with his breakfast, he was lying dead on his bed, with a blade in his heart. There was a rope out the window, apparently where the murderer escaped, but we couldn't track him. That's where we've been these last two weeks - looking for the killer."
"The entire country is in a sort of lockdown in an attempt to find him, but we aren't holding out much hope." Halt was also strongly affected by the loss of the king, I could tell, but he showed it in an entirely different way than Will. His face was impassive, unreadable, and if you didn't know him well, you might have mistaken it for apathy. "Not to mention that, since the current heir to the throne is on holiday in Nihon-Ja, there is no one to direct the goings on of the government." He pauses. "But perhaps Horace's absence is for the best." However, I could hear in his tone of voice that he was thinking the same thing that we were; If the killer's sponsor was able to get him close enough to King Duncan to kill, how hard would they have to try to get an assassin close enough to an unsuspecting Horace?
Alyss, eyes watery and cheeks flushed red, stood abruptly, saying "I'm going to bed, goodnight." She quickly did an about face and hastened from the cabin. As the door swung shut, we could hear her quiet sobs.
"Oh dear." Lady Pauline said, standing and following her out. If Lady Pauline was at all upset, she was masking her emotions as well as her husband.
"Perhaps that would be a good idea for all of us." Halt said, he too rising from the table where we had all been sitting. Will stood, and the pair exited to their rooms. Sarah and I stared at each other across the table. The tension of moments before still hung in the air, making it uncomfortable to stay, and uncomfortable to go.
"I always liked Duncan." Sarah told me. "He was a good guy."
"Yeah." I nod. "I feel like I almost knew him."
The silence stretched on, seemingly forever. Finally, I stood, and without a word, strode down the corridor to my small room. Sitting on my bed, I stared at the wall across, elbows resting on my knees. It was the strangest disconnect; I had never personally known the man, and so I couldn't really feel that much sadness. I mean, it wasn't a good thing he was dead - death is very rarely good news - but it was someone dying in a book. Someone who isn't the main character. (Okay, I'll admit it. I love reading, and whenever a mannish character dies that I really loved, I will cry.) But King Duncan had never been a main character - he'd been a... a plot moving tool. It felt awful to say, but it was close to true. But now, he wasn't a character, he was as real as you or me... Trying to push the thoughts and negative vibes I was feeling away, I unbuckled my knife belt, removed my cloak, and then, fully clothed, laid out to go to sleep.
Just to stay in the mood, nature decided to thunderstorm all night. And it wasn't just a normal thunderstorm either. This was the kind of thunderstorm where you're convinced that some aliens decided to play a practical joke and dump the atlantic ocean on your house. Not to mention that my house happened to be a rickety old wooden cabin in the woods. After the first clap of thunder woke me up, I was convinced that the house was literally going to get washed away. I'm not afraid of thunder, but most of my night was spent with my head partially buried under a pillow, the blankets drawn up over my head, and one eye peeking out to watch as a slight amount of moisture ran through the cracks in my walls.
BANG BANG BANG!
I sat bolt upright. I'm not afraid of the dark, or things that go bump in the night, but I am afraid of things going bang bang bang loudly on doors, because in books this is always a prelude to something very very bad.
And in case you hadn't noticed, I was now inside a book.
I jumped to my feet, snatching my knife belt from where I had discarded it. If something was going to go down, you better believe I was going to be ready. I trew open my door and stepping into the hall, where I was blinded almost instantly by a light that completely ruined my night vision. I blinked a couple of times, before being able to focus on the face that was illumined there. It was Halt, holding his candle again. For the first time, I could see real emotion on his face. Grief was written in deep lines all across it. Who could blame him? He had just lost one of his best friends. There was something else in his face too, though. Dread. In my tired state, it took me a moment, but after a while, I was able to figure it out; it was perfectly possible, perhaps even probable, that this was a messenger telling us of Horace's death, his assassination, his -
"OPEN THE DOOR! IN THE NAME OF THE KING, OPEN THIS DOOR!"
Halt flinched at the second line, ever so slightly, before steeling himself, completely masking his emotion, and starting down the hallway. I followed, moving as silently as I could, just as Halt had taught me. It's amazing what one learns in a month.
Halt opened the door, at first just a crack, then flinging it open all the way. There stood a man, soaked to the skin, jaw line length black hair plastered to his scalp, getting dumped on by the storm. He looked exhausted, the look accentuated by the mud splattered all over himself.
"Who're you?" Halt said testily. I peered at the man curiously from behind Halt, standing perhaps two feet behind him. I felt a hand on my shoulder and tensed, eyes dilating, but when I turned back, it was just Will, placing a hand intended to comfort. Grief was written even more deeply on his face than on Halt's, although he hadn't known the King as well. Then again, Halt was, like, the master masker of emotions. Even if Halt was twice as aggrieved as Will, Will would appear to be more distressed. He was all too clearly expecting bad news as well. I wished I could reassure him, but of course, I couldn't.
Sarah wasn't up. Sarah is a deep sleeper. Once, her uncle was at her house and he had a stroke, and she slept through ambulance sirens, pounding footsteps, and yelling medics right outside her door. She's also slept through a huge hole falling out of her ceiling at home. So, a thunderstorm and someone pounding on the door would not be waking her tonight.
"I come bearing a message from Castle Araluen." the stranger replied, slyly sticking a foot into the door frame in case Halt tried to shut him out.
"If it's that Duncan's dead, we've already heard." Halt said bitterly. He began to close the door, despite the fact that he had undoubtedly noticed the man's foot by now.
"No, it's not that." The man said, placing his hand on the other side of the door, giving a gentle shove. "It's a summons. May I come in?"
Halt hesitated, and Will stepped up. "Yes, of course." He gently but firmly opened the door, pushing away Halt's hand. The man gratefully entered just as a flash of lightning illuminated the doorway, showing the man's horse standing in the small clearing.
"Thank you." said the man. Will shut the door, and the sound of rain dimmed slightly, although the sound of it drumming on the roof was still clearly audible. The man didn't make a move to enter the house past the area of the door, however, so we were all forced to stand out of courtesy.
"I come to inform you that our late king's nephew, Thomas, has requested you and all the other Rangers to be at Castle Araluen by next week. In the absence of the heir to the throne, Sir Horace, Thomas has...temporarily taken the throne in an attempt to keep the country in some sort of order." The man informed them, wiping away a strand of soaked hair from his face. A small puddle had formed at his feet, his dripping clothes continuing to make it larger.
"I see." Halt said. "Is that all?"
"Well, yes but-"
"The we shall bid you goodnight." Halt re-opened the door, and gestured for the man to leave. Looking somewhat confused and startled, the man stepped back into the downpour, and Halt slammed the door.
Halt stood rigid for a moment, looking inordinately irate, then turned slowly. There was still no emotion on his face, but somehow this lack emotion seemed dire. He looked at me for a moment before saying, "Well, get back to bed." I did as I was told, moving slowly through the dark to my room, and crawled back into my bed after replacing my knives. As I drifted to sleep, I heard Halt and Will's voices in the other room, the steady drone punctuated with claps of thunder a background as I fell asleep.
"Get up! I said get up!" Halt's voice was accompanied by several hard thuds on my door. "Pack your things, we're going to Castle Araluen."
Groggily, I pushed myself up, looking about the room for the faint light that should have been seeping through the cracks in my wall in the morning. Finding none, I called, "What time is it?"
"Three in the morning. Now get up!"
I groaned. Three in the morning? "I need a candle! Mine's burned down!" I call, my hand finding nothing but a stub in my holder.
The door opened a crack, and a light slid in, before the smacking shut again, followed by the sound of retreating footsteps. Down the hall, I heard a similar conversation happening , except it was Will, and he sounded a bit groggy himself.
I swung my legs out of bed, shaking my head to wake myself. Somewhat unsteadily, I packed my bag, and completed my uniform by donning my cloak and knives. Then, after shaking the wrinkles out of the clothes I had slept in and grabbing the candle, I stumbled out of my room and out into the hallway.
Will was still pounding on Sarah's door. "Get up, please Sarah!"
I dropped my bag on the floor and moved over to him. "Let me handle this." I said. Opening her door, I silently moved in before shutting it. "Sarah," I coaxed, "If you don't get up, I'll have to pull you out of bed."
Sarah groaned a response. Personally, I was feeling the same way, but I didn't want to face Halt's wrath because Sarah wouldn't get up.
"Fine, you asked for it." I set down the candle, grabbed her by the ankles, and with a jerk, I yanked her out of the narrow bed and onto the floor.
"Ow!" Sarah said, sitting up, rubbing her elbow where she had landed on it. "You weren't actually supposed to do that!"
"Yeah, well." I opened her clothes chest and tossed her her outfits. "Put these in a bag, we're leaving soon."
"Why? What time is it?" She pulled out her own bag and started stuffing the articles of clothing into it.
"Three in the morning."
"Figures. Is it still raining?"
I listened for a moment. "Not hard." I decided, as there was still a faint hiss of rain but it wasn't very loud.
"Oh good. So we'll only be soaked after an hour, instead of instantly."
"Yeah."
Sarah staggered to her feet, with a little assistance from me. I was starting to wake up by now, and so I rushed Sarah along a bit as we made our way to the front of the cabin. Halt and will were waiting impatiently for us at the door, and as soon as we were in the room, Halt was exiting, saying, "Let's go."
I'll compact our journey to Castle Araluen into a paragraph. It was wet. And cold. And exhausting. Halt was adamant that we had to get to the Castle in one day, despite the fact that we had a week to get there. It took all day and all night. We got there just as the watery looking sun was rising over the horizon on the second day of our travels. I don't even remember what happened once we got there. It was all a vague blur, and before I knew it a was waking up in a warm, heavily downed bed. I yawned hugely, rubbed my eyes, and sat up. I was in a room that was made of a warmly colored stone, giving the room a cosy feel. There was a large window that had two shutters pulled back to reveal the midday sun. The chairs in the room were every bit as cushy as the bed; definitely a king's furniture. An exking's furniture, I thought with a grimace.
"Good morning!" said a peppy voice. I virtually leaped out of bed, whirling to find the source. There sat a young maid, perhaps a few years older than me. Or how old I was now. So, like, eighteen. She had an infectious smile on her face, and she looked at me like it was perfectly normal to wake up in a castle and find a maid staring at you. Well, I guess I don't know, is it normal to have people staring at you when you wake up at a castle?
"Sorry I startled you!" The maid said in that cheery voice. "I suppose you're not used to having maids, are you?"
"Um, no..."
"Well, while you're staying here, you'll be taken care of by me!" the maid informed me. "I'm Julian." I took the hand she offered.
"Kathryn." I replied.
"Well it's very nice to meet you. I suppose you'll be wanting to wear your own clothes for now." she said. She was one of those people who was perfectly happy to have a one sided conversation. "But, if you need any dresses for when you go before Sir Thomas, I can lend you one. They're not as nice as you might like, but they're better than wearing that cloak. Not that it's not good, I mean, I'm sure it's good for being a Ranger and all, but it's not becoming for a woman to go in trousers to a formal occasion. I can lend you some earrings too, although it doesn't look like you have your ears pierced. That's okay, a necklace will do just fine." I reached up to my ears, and was surprised to find that my ears were indeed unpierced. I shrugged philosophically. Not like I needed them pierced in this place any who.
Julian continued on her train of thought for a while, bustling around the room doing various tasks. Eventually, there was a stack of my clothes for the day folded neatly on my bed, even my cloak and my knives, laid delicately across the bed. My bow remained in the corner, however. "I'll go make you a bath, so you just sit tight and I'll come get you when it's ready, okay? Emelia will be in in just a minute to bring you your breakfast too, so you can have that while you wait." She continued to talk as she exited the room, but they were soon shut out by the door.
I sat back down on my bed, feeling tired already just from listening to tha girl talk. I'd have to find Sarah's room, I thought idly, looking about the room. There was a book sitting on the bedside table, and I picked it up. Becoming a ranger had not dulled my love of reading. As I skimmed the first page, I discovered it was a realistic fiction, or I guess it would be sci-fi for the time period. It wasn't all that outlandish, though one couldn't say it perfectly described the twenty first century. After the first couple pages, I set it back down, realising that the main attraction in the book was the 'futuristic' technology, which was not all that amazing to me.
A few minutes afterward, another girl, presumably Emilia, walked in and gave me a small metal tray laden with something that looked like pancakes, a sauce of some sort, some small sausage like meats, and a glass of milk. I ate them greedily, as our meals the day before had been small and less frequent than usual. Emilia returned a few minutes later to retrieve the tray, followed soon afterward by Julian, who led me to the bath that she had drawn up. "You can wash up, the towels are over there," at this time she pointed to a corner of the bathroom, "and you remember where your room is, right? You can go back there when you're done, and ring for me and I'll help you with your hair. You've woken up a bit late, so after that you can join your companions for lunch. You know, you're not the only ones who came yesterday. There were two other groups, and they'll be eating with you. Well, enjoy!" Julian bustled out of the room, shutting the bulky wooden door behind her.
I turned back to the bath. I definitely needed to relax after that burst of energy.
When I finished with my bath and had changed into my fresh clothes, I walked back to my room, trying to move silently on the stone floors, which I hadn't yet had a chance to try yet. It was very much the same as with packed earth, but you had to be more careful not to scuff on this one, as not only would it hiss, like with dirt, but it would let out a little squeak that would easily give you away. It was useful knowledge, and I noted it mentally.
When I entered my room again, I stood, somewhat unsure of what to do. I'd seen this in movies, I thought. There had to be a bell pull somewhere.. ah! There is was. I grabbed it and yanked it lightly, listening with curiosity to the faint jingle I heard from somewhere below me. It seemed only moments before Julian bustled in.
"I hope your bath was relaxing! Come, let's sit you down and we'll see what we can do with your hair." She said. She dragged a chair from the corner and moved it to a small desk near the window that was letting sunlight stream into the room. The desk had a mirror in the back board, and so could be used for hair styling and (heaven forbid) makeup application. A brush came out of a hidden pocket in Julian's dress, and it began running through my hair. I don't know how, but as she brushed my hair out, she managed not to cause even the slightest pain to my scalp. Even I yank my hair when I brush it! As she pulled the tangles from my hair, she talked up a storm. "Unfortunately, the temporary king can't eat with you until everyone who's coming has gotten here. He's very busy, trying to hold everything together, you know, with our late king's tragic death. He is meeting with tons of people, all of them a bit strange, but I'm sure it'll all come to good. He's been requesting so many maps lately - I've been delivering them - it's as if he's planning a war! But of course, now would not be the time for that, he's probably trying to figure out how best to manage all the chaos that's no doubt running rampant everywhere else. You know, it's really lucky that Sir Thomas was here when the King was assassinated, otherwise there would be no order here at all... there. We'll just let those dry in those nice little ringlets, and we can look at what you can wear when you are called for an audience with Sir Thomas. I've got a couple dresses that you can use..."
You get the idea. She had pinned my hair around little cylinders like curlers before leading me to her quarters. After much fuss (on her part, not mine), we finally picked out a emerald green dress that was of course floor length, but had rebelliously short sleeves. She also brought me a nice little emerald necklace, that came with a pair of earrings, but unfortunately, in this universe, my ears were not pierced. She offered to pierce them for me, but I figured that Halt wouldn't let them stay anyways, and politely declined. By the time we had this all figured out, my hair was dry. We went back up to my room and, after hanging the dress up and placing the necklace in one of the desk drawers, Julian delicately extracted the curlers. My hair was curled the same way Alyss's was, like it was wrapped around a pole. It wasn't nearly as elegant, as hers were like pure gold, and mine was more like a wood bark color, but they were much better looking than my normal, slightly wavy style. And, much more obnoxious, might I add. They continually fell in my face and I had to keep pushing them back.
"Make up, I think." Julian said thoughtfully. "You'd look nice in a lush green eyeliner if you plan to wear that cloak, and a bit of dusky blush to match with the brown..."
"No no, really, that's not necessary..." I'd never really found time for makeup, even when everyone else in my grade was wearing it. I'm not particularly beautiful, but I'm not so un-proud of my face that I want to hide it behind dust and paint. "I don't want to take up your time."
"Oh, it's no trouble!" Julian informed me. "It won't take a minute..."
All too unfortunately, it took much more than a minute, more like ten. I came out looking like I had been attacked by a makeup store, or like the average American teen, take your pick. It didn't look bad, but it was still much more than I was used to. Her above description was pretty accurate, with the addition of a subtle red lipstick, and something similar to mascara. It was awful, but I put up with it, if only to make Julian happy. She seemed like the kind of person who would be very hurt by someone not liking her makeup application.
"Oh, you look gorgeous!" Julian exclaimed, pulling my hair back behind my shoulders. I did look very girly, at least.
"Um thanks Julian..." I said slowly, not letting my discomfort at the makeup show through my words.
"Oh, of course you'll be hungry now." Julian said, standing. "Come along, it's just lunch time now! I'll show you to the dining area."
We passed through a seemingly endless maze of corridors and passageways, and I found myself being given a tour of the building as I went. "This is the library. It's got a collection that's as old as the castle. I bet you like books; feel free to take as many as you like, as long as you return them. This is the ballroom; yes, it's quite impressive. But you wouldn't believe how long it takes to clean. This here leads to the courtyard; the king uses, I mean, used, it as a place for sword practice. It really is a tragedy you know, the king's death. We all loved him, the servants you know. He was so kind, and never seemed to get angry-"
"JULIAN! BE QUIET FOR ONCE AND COME SHOW THIS GIRL TO THE DINING HALL!" The call came from down a hallway, and although it was loud, it was not an unkind comment.
Julian rolled her eyes. "YES SUSAN!" she called back. "Susan's the head maid. She's the oldest here, almost forty, can you believe it? You would think she would have retired..."
We came to a door, and Julian and I waited patiently outside of it. There was a muffled conversation, a bit like an argument, that I only caught snatches of, with two different voices. "Come on-" "-it's fine-" Don't want-" "Stop your-" "Just-" The door swung open, and out staggered Sarah, before the door smacked shut. She immediately swung around and pounded on the door, yelling, "Just let me take it off!" When there was no answer, Sarah sighed. "I'm doomed." she muttered, before turning around.
Apparently, maids like makeup. Sarah, too, had insisted that she wear ranger wear for today, but apparently her hair and make up status had been left unchecked until it was too late. Sarah has always been pretty; her hair is a really nice brown, she has a pretty face, etc. But now, she was pretty. Her hair was done up in a bun that was twisted on top of her head in the medieval style. Her face had been lightly powdered, making her deep tan somewhat more like her complexion from home, which had been more pale, though not ghost white like some people. She had a bit of lipstick on, some very lightly applied blue eyeliner, and just a hint of blush on her cheeks.
"Wow." I said. "You look good."
"Thanks." Sarah said dryly, "I feel like I was attacked by a bag of flour."
Julian laughed. "Susan never has been the most gentle person to attend to personal appearance, but the result is always good. This way."
And so, our guided tour began once more. "Oh, that? It's just the stables, where you entered yesterday, don't you remember? No, of course not, you were both exhausted. But don't worry, both of your horses are being taken care of. Their a bit small, if I do say so my self, as I saw them riding in, but they are beautiful creatures. And so fast! I could have sworn you were galloping, but you were just at a canter! I suppose you could, since you two don't ride side saddle. I always wear dresses, you see, so I have to ride side saddle, but you are rangers so you don't have to wear dresses. But on the down side, it must be quite drab wearing the same things every day, especially when they're - oh, here we are! The dining room's just through these doors. Ring for me anytime, okay? Bye!" Julian half sauntered, half skipped down the hallway, humming softly to herself.
Sarah looked at me. "Is she always like that?"
I nodded. " I wonder what Halt and Will will say?" I say, gesturing to my face.
Sarah shrugged. "Only one way to find out." She twisted the door handle and heaved backwards. The heavy oaken doors swung open, and we stepped through.
First thing that happened: Both Halt and Will caught sight of us, with Halt raising a condescending eyebrow, and Will's eyes growing huge as he gasped, "What happened to you?!"
Second thing that happened: Every eye in the room, maybe twenty in all, swung to face us. We were the center of attention.
I flushed, and I'm sure had I not had a coating of makeup on, my face would have been bright red. Sarah, for her part, didn't seem to flush at all, so it's possible that my blush was covered too. "Ah..." I said, not sure what to say.
Sarah spoke properly first. "That's what every girl wants to hear as a first reaction when they walk through the door."
Her sarcastic words released some of the tension in the room, and the others laughed softly. It sounded very much like something Alyss would have said, in the same situation.
Will, though he looked slightly sheepish now, continued, "But, but how...?"
"But what? We look like girls? It's a miracle! A girl looking like a girl!" I commented as I sat, and a couple others chuckled. "No, but seriously, this happened by force."
"I normally wouldn't be caught dead wearing this." Sarah remarked, reaching up to touch her towering hair before sitting next to me. "But the maid - Suzan - shut me out of my room so I couldn't wash it off."
"You should see what I am gonna have to wear when we see the king." I told them. "Julian is loaning me a dress... It's something, that's for sure."
"No." Halt said. "Even if you are girls, Rangers do not wear dresses."
"I don't think I have a whole lot of say in the matter." I informed him. "Julian and Susan would team up on me and force me into that thing if it killed them."
"And Suzan is... something." Sarah added. Apparently, a couple of the other rangers had also encountered her, as there were a couple grumbles of agreement.
"Anyways." Will said, still looking a bit bewildered. "These are our fellow Rangers. You knew them at a time, but you probably don't anymore. This here's Gillan, and this is Jim, and this is..." the list went on and on, and I gave up trying to remember them all. Two of the twenty were apprentices, both of them male. Them and Gillan were the only people who I could remember the names of.
Gillan was more or less as I had imagined him. He was indeed a redhead, though it had brown mixed into it, and he did have a small, neatly trimmed beard upon his chin. His eyes were a deep brown that I could tell normally were filled with jovial happiness, but were currently filled with a deep sadness. The two apprentices were named Justin and Ian. Justin was perhaps a year older than I, and had jaw line black hair, with eyes of the same color. He looked very much like I had imagined Fang from the Maximum Ride series. Well, minus the black wings. I think I would have noticed those. Ian was a boy of perhaps fourteen, and had shortcut platinum blond hair. He was oddly pale for an apprentice ranger, and I could guess that he was a fairly new addition to the ranger corps. His eyes were a pale blue that seemed both two dimensional and to be bottomless at the same time. Both seemed kind enough, and also seemed to be untouched by the king's passing, although they seemed to be trying to be. Very much like me, I thought. To them too, King Duncan had been a secondary character in their stories, and so the tragedy wasn't a direct hit. All the other Rangers were looking very distraught, and I was a bit surprised that all these people had known him personally.
"Greetings, Katie, Sal." Gillan said, a little smile flicking across his face. "I regret that you seem to not remember me, or anyone else. I could make things very complicated."
"Gillan." Halt said with mock severity, "It's not Katie and Sal. It's now Kathryn and Sarah. Don't ask," he hastened as Gillan's mouth opened. "I don't know."
"Okaaayyy..." Gillan said, looking at us with a jokingly disdainful look. "If you say so."
"And I do." Sarah said. She had been most adamant in the use of her real name, more so than me. And I had been pretty annoyed. "Now, what's for lunch?"
"Salad." Justin said, making a face. "With no meat."
"Joy." I said dryly. Sarah of course, didn't care a bit. Vegetarians. What do you do with them?
We ate the meal, hiding from reality with small talk and idle chatter. As soon as the plates were empty, we all stood and, trying not to be rude, but also wanting to get out of the somewhat awkward atmosphere, exited the room. As it turned out, we all kind of swarmed the hallway, just trying to vacate the premise. Halt stopped me on my way back through the maze. "Meet me in the courtyard in half an hour. Bring your bow - we'll be practicing your archery. And bring your knives too." I nodded, and he strode off down an adjacent hallway. Then, I went back to my task of trying to retrace my steps to my room.
"No, no, no. You're releasing too soon. You do it like this, see?" Justin threw his knife, and it impaled the target in the second to center ring. I nodded, mutely, and strode quickly to get my knife, which had arced over the target and gone sparking against the cobble stones of the yard.
Halt had left me with Justin a little while ago, to go talk with Will and Gillan. And, it was still at that awkward stage where the person who's teaching you doesn't know you very well, and so they feel weird correcting you. And the person being corrected wants to show that they understand, but doesn't want to look mopey about being corrected... so, yeah. Not much progress there. We'd changed almost immediately to knife throwing when he'd seen that skill compared to my archery. It was, to say the least, a little shabby. And Justin was trying, really hard, to fix my still awful technique.
I came back, and gripping my knife by the tip, whipped it about, releasing ever so slightly later. The knife thunked into the edge of the target, just barely edging into the second to outside ring.
"Better." Justin commented, and he went over and pulled both blades from the target. He handed mine back by the hilt, before saying, "Perhaps we should move on for now, end on a positive note. Do you know double knife defense?"
"Um, I know the theory of it, but I guess I don't actually know how to do it." I told him. I knew the general idea, as I'd said, from the Ranger's Apprentice books, namely book two. But, as might be expected from an average American girl in the suburbs, I'd never actually tried the maneuvers.
"Alright. So, first, I'll be needing to get a sword. I'll get Gillan's."
"Will Gillan be okay with that?" I asked tentatively, not wanting to bring anyone's rage down upon me, especially if they had a sword.
"Don't worry, I borrow it all the time." He grinned and walked into the castle, presumably to fetch the weapon. It took me a few moments, but after a while, I inferred that Justin was most likely Gillan's apprentice.
When the boy returned, he had a glinting scabbard in his hand. He pulled the blade out as he stepped onto the courtyard cobbles. He handled it easily, as if he had some training with it. "First things first, over hand cut." He brought the sword down in a demonstratory manner, in slow motion, miming a cut from over his head. "You make an X with your knife blades, bracing one against the other. No, like this." he replaced the sword in it's scabbard for a moment, which was now strapped to his waist, and adjusted my hands slightly. Then, without warning, he had the sword out, and cutting downward with lightning speed. I yelped, and braced my arms without thinking. There was an impact in my hands, and then the motion stopped. I looked up, as I had turned my head away in fear, and found the sword blade stuck in the crossed knives. "See? Like that."
I scowled at him a moment, before laughing. "Gee, never thought that I'd get a demonstration like that."
"Yeah, well. Just copying Gillan." then he flushed slightly. "Not that I'd ever do that."
I laughed, flushing slightly as well, feeling embarrassed along with him because I knew I did that with my Dad, and was doing it somewhat with Halt already. And, Justin undoubtedly could see it, because as soon as I'd gotten back to my room, I'd washed every spot of makeup off of my face. My excuse, "Oh, Julian, I'm so sorry, but I couldn't wear that during practice! It was reflecting the light in my eyes..." No, it didn't make any sense, but Julian didn't have to know that. "No, no, not at all."
By the end of the day, I could block overhead, side hand, and undercut swipes with the sword. It wasn't easy, and I was sweating in the summer heat, but I got it, after a little work. By the time we were done, not only were we good friends, but it was also time for dinner.
Dinner was nothing special. A few more people were there, no new apprentices though. Afterward, I returned to my rooms, after making a quick pit stop in the library, and read in my bed until the sunlight died, which, it being summer, was quite late. Then, tired after a day of training, I gratefully snuggled into the bed, and fell asleep.
The next day, Sarah and I switched lessons. Instead of doing lessons with Halt and Justin, I did lessons with Will, which was geography. It was quite difficult for me, because in class we'd never examined the geography of England, which is the equivalent of Araluen, as far as I can tell. Trying to remember where this river was and where this city was and how much land was taken up by this forest. Geography is not my strong point, it never has been, but this was inordinately difficult because I'd never seen the land before in my life. But, by the end of the day, I was in fact able to figure out where the biggest cities were, and about how long it would take to get there for the average horseman and man on foot to get to them. It wasn't what you might call exciting, but it was necessary, or at least that's what Will said.
When we went to dinner that night, everyone was there. There were three more apprentices, making five apprentices not counting us, and of course, fifty Rangers. Everyone seemed suspended between mourning and happiness, mourning for reasons I don't need to explain, but happy because we were all together, and we need not mourn alone. There was chatter around the table, of the same mood, with reports of what was going on in their respective fifes, and sound of friends catching up after a long time apart. For Sarah and I, at least, it was fairly uneventful; we chatted with the other apprentices, but couldn't talk about much of the same things as we hadn't been here long enough. But, when it came to the part of idle chatter, we were as good as the next guy.
As the meal was nearing it's end, there was a knock on the door of the dining room, and everyone turned. A small, butler like man stepped through, and cleared his throat nervously. "Now that you are all here," he began, "Sir Thomas would like to see you tomorrow morning at ten. That is all." Then he stepped back out into the corridor once again.
There was a silence, before Gilan stood and said, "Well then. I suppose we should all get a good night's rest." before exiting the room.
Soon afterward, I was back in my room, laid out on my bed, reading. Ask any of my friends, and they would say, "Big surprise." Hey, I like to read. Some girls said that was nerdy and weird, but look where it had gotten me! Ha ha! Take that stupid popular girls!
I was in the middle of some ancient battle, as this book turned out to be a historical non-fiction narrative book, when there was a soft knock on my door. Without looking up, as I sometimes do, I called, "Come in."
I heard the creak of the door and the soft thunk as it swung back into place. I looked up and, to my surprise, saw Halt, standing by the far wall. I placed my book down, slipping a scrap of paper in as a bookmark ("Big surprise") and sat up. Seeing my questioning look, Halt moved over to the bed as I swung my legs over the edge so I could actually sit like I was in a chair. He motioned for me to stand, and I did.
"I figured that, as we'll be seeing the stand-in king tomorrow, this would be as good a time as any to do this." He said without prologue. He reached inside his cloak as he continued. "Even though you have lost your memory, you have in fact been my apprentice for a year. And that means that you can have this." With his last word, he pulled out a small chain, which held a small oval pendant with the oakleaf insignia ebossed on it. "The symbol that a ranger wears. Copper-"
"For an apprentice, silver for a Ranger." I finished his sentence, transfixed by the glinting metal piece. Even though I myself hadn't been with them a year, I still felt proud and accomplished to be getting this symbolic piece. And it was shiny, and therefore I was halfway zoned out on it. (Little side note on this - I've never actually been diagnosed with ADD, and neither has Sarah, although we both have some of the symptoms. I pay attention in class well, but when I'm speaking I'll break off in the middle of a sentence to point out something else. Sarah is the opposite. I also tend to zone out sometimes, and when I do, I usually stare at something, typically things that move or are shiny.) But I wasn't zoned for long.
"How did you know that?" Halt asked suspiciously, "Who've you been talking too?"
"Ahm..." I said, unsure how to explain this, "I.. just observed that all the apprentices had copper ones. Sometimes you can see then under their cloaks, especially when their doing combat practice." I thought about making an allusion to Sherlock, but refrained, realizing that there was no chance of him understanding it.
Halt looked at me skeptically, but said nothing about it. "Alright. Here you are." In an oddly ceremonial way for Halt, he lowered the chain into my hand, then closed my fingers around it. "Goodnight." Then, without further comment, he left.
I sat back down on the bed, and in the last of the sunlight examined my new possession. It was smaller than I had imagined, only perhaps one by one, in a elliptical shape. In the sunlight, it was the color of fire. I slipped it gently over my head, feeling the cold metal rest against my neck. Then, tucking it gently inside of my shirt, I took a deep breath and let it out slowly before turning back to my book. After all of that, it wasn't nearly as exciting.
"Kathryn! Kathryn wake up!" I felt hands shaking me to wakefulness. I jerked up, eyes instantly snapping open, completely awake. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, there were no enemies charging at me from the corner. There was just Julian, looking very, very excited standing over my bed.
"Come on! Get up! We need to get you ready!" She said. She veritably yanked me from the bed onto my feet. "Alright, I'll get you a bath ready, and while you're doing that I can get everything else ready,"
One thing I can say about the girl: Julian is good to her word. After an aromatic bath filled with strongly scented salts, I was whisked back to my room, where Julian quickly yanked the tangles from my hair before very carefully positioning it, making one of those buns that look like puffy flowers on the back of your head, before pinning it with a beautiful emerald circle pin. Then, as my hair dried, she helped me into the dress. It was quite beautiful, as it was dark emerald green, with gold embroidered patterns on it, and the sleeves cut at the mid upper arm, and skirts that just brushed the floor. But, I really don't do dresses, and it was most uncomfortable. Guys don't have to go through this, but girls? Oh yes. Of course we do. Despite all Julian's fuss about it, I hid my knives in my boots by tucking their tips in and using small strips of cloth to bind them to my calves.
After that, she placed the necklace around my neck. It was a simple pendulum necklace, a green jewel set in a silver circle, that was like a choker around my neck. Then, of course, came the makeup. A hearty amount of blush, and then green eyeliner. Deep cherry lipstick, with that mascara stuff again. And then, to top it all off, she sprinkled some tiny green sparkles in my hair. I didn't eve know that those were invented yet. Joy. Luckily, I at least got to wear my own shoes, because no one would be able to see them under the long skirt. Thank heavens! If I'd had to wear high heels, I swear I would have killed myself right there and then. All my other clothes and possessions were then packed away into my bag again, and a servant took it away to tie it to Tiron's saddle, as we were leaving to go back home as soon as the meeting was over. I objected to having someone else do this, as I was very close to Tiron, and I could just tell he'd be offended, but by that time, it was time to get to Sir Thomas, so I had no choice.
Again, we picked up Sarah on the way (sky blue dress, blue eyeliner, blush, lipstick, sapphire ring, hair bound up with a silver chain into Princess Laya style buns.) except this time were whisked past the dining hall and in front of the throne room doors. Again, there was general astonishment at our dress, but instead of just Halt and Will this time, it was everyone. But I digress. We waited for a little while while Sir Thomas got ready, then the butler guy came in and told us that we could enter. The big oak doors were pulled open and we stepped through into the throne room.
The room was admittedly impressive. The high vaulted ceilings were held up by arches of polished wood, perhaps cherry by their slightly rose-ish color. There were chandeliers with real candles in them, although there were none currently lit. The large stained-glass windows depicted various parts of Araluen - deep forest, a waterfall, etc. - and made huge colored patterns on the floor. At the far end of the room, there was a small step, and then the throne, made also of the rose colored wood. And, sitting in it, was a young man, of perhaps Will's age, with curly light brown hair, a clear shaven face, and sparkling blue eyes. They were so blue in fact, to be almost startling, like ice. I actually took an involuntary step back as I saw his eyes, before quickly recovering and proceeding forward, halfway hiding behind the older Rangers. Of course, this didn't last for long, as the people in the front fanned out so that we were in a line, and this made me and Sarah, having been camping out at the back of the line, dead center in front of the man. For a moment he just examined us, looking us up and down (he did a double take on Sarah and I). Then, with a smile, he stood and stepped down in front of us.
"Greeting, Rangers." he said. "I see you have all come out, despite whatever other obligations you may have had. I am grateful to you." His voice was a soothing tenor, and it seemed to keep your attention, like Morgan Freeman's voice keeps your attention. "I have brought you here for a very important reason, one that affects you all. But first, I would like to formally invite you to the burial ceremony of our dear departed King. It will be tomorrow at noon, if you would like to attend." A general murmur of gratitude and assent came from the Rangers, and Sir Thomas, as this undoubtedly was he, smiled again. "Good. I though you might like to come. Now, on to our next matter of business." The smile faded from his face, replaced by a very serious expression. "As you know, your craft was created to defend the kingdom and it's residents, by finding secret information, being the masters of your art, and helping us in times of war or other hardship. But, as can be seen, this could not help my dear Uncle, who was murdered in his own home."
All the Rangers, even me, looked at each other. Where was he going with this?
"So, as a matter of efficiency, I have decided to disband the Ranger Corp."
There was a moment of dead silence, before the flood of comments came roaring uninvited from the gathered men (me and Sarah just stood and looked shocked).
"You're crazy!"
"You think this is our fault?!"
"The country will fall into chaos!"
"This is ludicrous!"
"SILENCE!" Thomas yelled over them, and after a few moments, the hubbub died down. "Now, as acting King and ruler I expect you to follow my commands." He gave us a serious look. "Or there will be dire consequences."
"I don't recall swearing any oaths to you!" Halt exclaimed disgustedly. "And there is no way you will be able to rule this country when it's fundamental forces are disbanded! What next, shall you disband our army too?!"
"You're not king!" I turned with surprise, as it was Sarah who had spoken. "Horace is King!"
Sir Thomas gave her a small little smile. "Oh yes?" He stood, stepping towards her until he was only inches away, forcing her to take an uncomfortable step back. Then, in a very low, sinister voice, said in just above a whisper.
"Him and what army?"
Then he let out a piercing whistle, and the doors behind Thomas (that I think led to the King's private chambers) burst open as men swarmed into the room. "I was hoping it wouldn't come to this." Thomas said sadly, though he had to raise his voice to be heard over pounding footsteps, "But there's simply nothing to be done." Then he turned to his guards, and, pointing, said with none of his previous regret, "Take them into custody."
And that was when all hell broke loose.
The men charged at us, and together we raised our weapons. Well, not together exactly. In the terror of the moment, Sarah and I jumped behind the other Rangers, sort of as a barrier. Embarrassing but true. Not that it did very much. Within a few moments, our line was breached, and Sarah and I were thrown into the fray anyways.
I don't really know how Sarah did in the fight, as we were almost instantly separated. I know I last saw her as I desperately flung my arms up, locking my by now retrieved knives in place as a long, curved sword arced down at my head. With a clang, it locked into place. I tried to twist it out of his grip from there, but the man was strong, and I was unable to. From there, it was a wrestling match, a contest of who would give in first, me or him. It was abruptly ended when another sword, this one straight, slammed sideways into my opponent's weapon. It shattered, tiny shards of metal slamming everywhere as the sword snapped in two. Gillan. Where would I be without Gillan.
I turned to find the others, when there was a call from the center of the fighting. "There's to many of them! Run!"
And I had no trouble with that command at all. I was near the far end of the fighting, so I just had to duck one or two swinging blades before I could just sprint for freedom.
But, as you might recall, I was wearing a dress. Damn.
I tripped and fell as my skirt tangled in my feet. Cursing, I took the knives which were still in my hands, and cut the skirt off to the knee, saying "Sorry Julian.", before getting up again and sprinting off into the corridor.
I heard pounding feet and yelling in a different language from behind me as I ran. Thank goodness I wasn't wearing high heels. I'd undoubtedly would have been captured or killed. See? Not being fashionable saved my life. I always knew it was a good choice.
I ran madly around, darting down hallways as they appeared, trying to wind as wildly as possible while still getting further away. I stumbled a couple times, and I knew that even if I hadn't, the men were still gaining on me. The only thing I had on them was agility; they were all bulky, lumbering men with a lot of momentum, and therefore didn't corner very well. I took as many turns as I could, but it turned out to be my down fall. In a very literal sense. As I wound around another corner, I found myself at a dead end. I tried to get back around the corner, but my opponents were already there, blue war paint and all. I skidded to a stop, turning on a dime and dashing for the nearest door, swinging in, and slamming the door as fast as I could, before I planned to bolt it and find a way out. But of course, that was too simple. Before I could shut the door all the way, there was a foot jammed into the frame, and I yelped and skittered away. The door was slammed open, and I found myself cornered against the window on the far side of the room. I took a few steps forward, ready to fight, but there were so many. The first man through ran up and swung a right hook towards my face. I blocked, but before I could do much of anything, there was a foot in my ribs, a foot swiping mine out from under me, and the first man was throwing another punch at me. It crashed into my temple, and I blacked out for a few seconds, before I felt another hand lifting me by the neck. No, scratch that; by the necklace. I gasped, as the thin chain was cutting off my air with surprising effectiveness. Like that wasn't planned, I though bitterly, as I clawed at my attacker's hand. And I though Julian had been nice. I looked up to meet my opponent's eyes, and was stunned by the fact that it was the man who had come to get us that stormy night what seemed like forever ago.
"Remember me, pet?" he asked with mock concern. His hand was twisted in the chain, that was how he was choking me. I lashed feebly at him, but air depletion was already making me weak, and black dots swam before my eyes. "Feisty are we?" he slammed me back against the wall, causing me to see nothing for a moment. In desperation, I thought of a crazy, completely insane idea, and decided it was my only hope.
I lashed at the man again, even weaker this time. Just as I expected, he slammed me against the wall again. Except this time I added a little twist, in the literal sense of the word. I twisted my body as much as I could to one side, so instead of slamming me into the wall, he slammed me into the stained glass window. It shattered, and I went flying out into thin air. The chain might have been strong enough to choke me, but it wasn't enough to hold my body weight, so instead of snapping my neck, like a noose, I snapped the necklace and went flipping out into an unstoppable plummet.
Now I know what you're thinking. You committed suicide instead of getting captured? But that's not quite how it was. From the day we came in, I had a vague memory of a moat. I was putting faith in that and hoped that it wasn't just my imagination, and that I wasn't going to go splat on the ground. And, as it turned out, it was just as I hoped. I smacked into the water on my side, causing a shock of pain to run up my entire body, but in relation to the situation I had been in only moments before, it was like a pat on the back. Pushing myself up to the surface, I shook my now very messy hair out of my face and started stroking towards the far shore with all my might. I heard yells behind me, and a couple splashes, and picked up the pace, my air deprived lungs crying out for more than I gave them. When I reached the edge of the moat, there was a bit of a climb, but luckily years of weather and erosion had made some nice little hand and foot holds for me to climb up with. Then, still gasping painfully, I sprinted full speed towards the stables, or where I remembered them to be.
I was surprised to be the first one to think of this, but when I ran in it seemed I was the only one there. I dashed through stalls, at first looking for Tiron, before giving up and just whistling at the top of my lungs, the special series of notes that only Tiron responded to. I followed the preceding whinny, and bolted into the stall. Never in my life have I been more relieved to see a horse saddled and ready to go. I swung up onto his back, and, giving him a good kick that meant full gallop. I pulled on the reigns in a way that I had would spin him around and face out of the stables. Tiron, on the other hand, had other ideas. Instead of whirling and running, he reared, making me grip his mane for dear life, and kicked the boards of the stall out with his front hooves before galloping at full speed forward. I crouched close over his back, knowing that the men who had jumped in after me would be coming in a matter of seconds, even if they did choose a ranger horse first. If I could make things go even the tiniest bit faster, it would be better.
We galloped around the edge of the castle, aiming for the forest perhaps a mile away as castle Araluen had the drawbridge down, when I saw her. Sarah was sprinting away from a couple men, dashing towards Castle Araluen's town. I turned slightly, aiming towards her instead. I would have fired a shot or two at the men with the bow I had freed from my saddle, except that on horseback, I would have been as likely to hit Sarah as the men, and I decided it wasn't worth the risk. I urged Tiron to go faster, and to my astonishment, he did. I didn't know a horse could hit thirty five. Well, ya learn something new every day.
I gained on the group, getting closer, closer... now! I yelled, "Sarah! Pick me up!" It was a code from a camp we'd gone to once. She half turned, still running, but keeping her eyes on me. Then, when I was close enough, she stopped, I arced around her pursuers, and stormed straight towards her. I stretched out my arm, and she grabbed it as I passed. From there she swung up and landed behind me on the saddle. "Ya! Ya!" I yelled, and Tiron somehow found a burst of speed to get us out of reach of the mens' weapons. Then, we were in the town.
Now, it's not an everyday occurrence for a horse to go careening down the street of any town, but one with two women who were dressed in bedraggled finery (Sarah too had removed some of her skirt's length.) with multiple cuts on them was just unheard of. People were screaming, running, charging, attacking, retreating, doing everything but helping us. The longer we were trapped in this town, the closer those men got.
"EVERYONE OUT OF THE WAY!" Sarah bellowed. Sarah is a loud person when she wants to be, but this was a new level of loud that I had never heard reached by anyone. "THE PALACE HAS BEEN COMPROMISED, AND WE ARE UNDER ATTACK! NOW GET OUT OF THE WAY!"
This did a remarkably good job at opening a path of flight for us. We shot down the little alley, and anyone who didn't hear were more or less run over, although Tiron did his best to jump over them. We exited the town, streaming down the dirt road, before leaving the path and entering the thick forest. I gave the foot signal to Tiron that said "You choose the best path." He did so, and I let go of the reigns, gripping instead his mane, as Sarah gripped my waist to prevent herself from being thrown off as we wove between the trees. We moved at surprising speed for a forest ride, and we passed an amazing variety of things; roads, rivers, fallen tress, a startled group of gypsies. But eventually, we got deep enough into the forest that we no longer saw any signs of civilization. I reigned in, and Tiron came to a staggering halt, sides heaving.
I slid from the saddle, knees coming close to buckling as I landed on the ground. Sarah plopped down beside me, looking equally exhausted. She had a long, if not too deep, gash running down her leg, which was clearly visible from her short cut skirt.
First thing I did: Said a few words about our pursuers that, had my grandparents heard, would have gotten my mouth washed out with the world's supply of soap.
Second thing I did: Burst out laughing at how ridiculous we looked. Our dresses were tattered and torn, coated in dirt and blood and debris. Our hair was a bedraggled mess, knotted in many odd ways. We had makeup running down our faces, a wild look of terror still lingering in our eyes, and a note of hysteria in our voices. It was laugh or cry, and honestly, at that moment, laughing was less taxing.
After sobering up a little, we started doing some slightly more rational things. We started by helping each other with our injuries; I helped Sarah bind up that cut on her leg with strips of my ruined skirt, and Sarah examined my neck, which had a pretty nice gash left in it by that chain. Apparently, not only had the chain been engineered to cut off breathing easily, but it was also sharp as a dagger. Despite Sarah's aversion to blood, she managed to clean it out with a bit of water from her bottle, and then lightly wrap a strip of cloth around it. We also had some minor cuts and abrasions, but those were easily dealt with. Still nursing our injuries, we set about loosening Tiron's girth strap and the likes, because although we needed a quick getaway just in case, we didn't want him to be uncomfortable either. "You did a good job," I told him, whispering in his ear. "If I had any oats, I'd give you some." He nickered softly and shook his head before lowering it to munch some of the tender foliage about us.
I turned back and was surprised to see normally cheery Sarah looking glum, sitting on the ground. She met my questioning glance, sighed, then said, "They've got Correr."
I frowned, sitting beside her. "You think he'd let them do anything bad with him? If anything he'll come find you." I gave her an encouraging nudge. "C'mon, let's get a fire started if nothing else. I've got some ingredients for stew in my pack, if we can just get a fire and some water."
She nodded unhappily, but did as I said. Before long, we had a nice little dinner in some small wooden bowls, and were slurping it solemnly. When we finished, we didn't bother to clean our dishes, but instead pulled a blanket out from Tiron's bag and laid it out on the ground. Our tents hadn't accompanied us on what we had assumed would be a short trip, so Sarah and I were left to wrapping ourselves in our cloaks. We laid down by Tiron, hoping that if anyone sinister came our way, they would be spotted by Tiron, who would wake us. Trusting in our guardian, we forced ourselves to relax, and, after what seemed like ages, feel asleep.
So I apologise if any of that seemed rushed, disconnected, etc. I was reading it, and was like "Well, this is disconjointed... oh well, it's too long as is." So I hope it's not terrible, but no guarantees.
