Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters
I didn't think I'd get to this before Wednesday but I did:) Anywho, here ye go
Crowley tapped his foot impatiently on the ground as he waited for the King. It was an hour or so after midnight and Crowley had had to scare the guard into awakening the king for this meeting. It had to be discussed now so he could move on; otherwise it would be too late. Around five minutes later a door behind the desk in the room opened and King Duncan walked into the room in semi-formal attire. He looked tired and Crowley felt a little guilty at waking him at such a late hour but his remorse faded as his priority came to mind. The king took his seat across from Crowley much like he had with Halt when discussing evidence earlier. The king stifled a yawn while taking in the anxious Ranger. He noticed a slight movement as Crowley tapped his leg and could see his mouth set in a determined line but other than that nothing was defined in the weak light.
"And to what do I owe the pleasure?" Duncan said with his usual humor. He had a feeling Crowley was here for something important but what he knew not.
"Sorry to have to wake you, Your Majesty, but I need to discuss something of importance with you," Crowley answered. His voice was steady but his leg kept the bouncing movement, a sign of his restlessness.
"It's only sleep," Duncan said in a somewhat dark manner. It had been quite a long day and he wasn't too happy to have been woken. "So what brings you here?" he continued.
"I need to go to Candell fief," Crowley stated. "Things are not looking bright for Lord Feller and the fief will most likely be in a state of confusion at the moment so I thought that I could go check in and make sure there's order," he added. Earlier in the day he had heard rumors about Feller and none seemed promising that he would live much longer.
"I'm sure it's nothing the fief's Ranger can't handle," Duncan said drowsily.
"No, Your Majesty, I think it would be best if I went. Yes, Nick is a very talented Ranger but not in what is required here. He is excellent in keeping crime rates down and all that but this is a legal matter and as you very well know, Rangers aren't too accomplished in the area of politics. I, however, know the workings for what would need to happen and I believe that it would be best if I went," Crowley stated. Duncan rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and thought for a moment.
"What about Halt's trial? The Redmont party should arrive in four days and it will take you at least four days for a round trip if you ride at Ranger's march pace to get to Candell. We need you at the trial; not only that but I was going to call you in tomorrow for questioning on the subject. Halt mentioned that you were present at the stabbing; in fact he said that you were the reason he stabbed Lord Feller. That makes you a witness and it would be best if you were there. Not only that but I would think you would want to be there for Halt," Duncan answered and frowned. Something was up but his groggy mind couldn't sort through it at the moment.
"Just question me now then so I can be on my way. Araluen can't really have one fief in a state of disarray. Confusion will take over and with confusion will come panic and with panic comes fear. No matter how small a fief Candell is, fear there could spread to other fiefs and just cause a lot of unwanted and unneeded trouble," Crowley said. It seemed a good reason to him but Duncan frowned again.
"What about the trial? I would have thought you would be there for Halt." Duncan sat forward in his chair with his tiredness fading. Now that his mind was somewhat unclouded he knew something was wrong.
"I really do want to be there but I am a Ranger first and foremost. My duty is to help keep this kingdom in order and therefore Candell is my top priority," Crowley answered easily. Duncan's frown deepened. "So what do you need to ask me?" Crowley inquired before Duncan could ask more about why he wanted to go.
"Right," he said distractedly. "Well I need your account of what happened," he continued in a less troubled voice.
"Well, I was at the cabin sorting through the mountains of papers when Halt showed up. He stayed the night but seeing as the cabin is in no way an acceptable place to sleep, he set up a small camp in the fringes of the woods surrounding the cabin. I couldn't get to sleep so I went to make myself a cup of coffee and while I was drinking it I started to smell smoke. I got out of the cabin when I realized it was on fire and met Halt but before we could exchange any pleasantries, a rider came out of the forest and attacked us," Crowley recalled. He avoided mentioning the skirmish he and Feller had had a few days previously. "We had to face Feller's knights before he came out to meet us himself."
"On that note I have a few questions," Duncan said. Crowley nodded. "What was Halt doing here?"
"I called him here to discuss a possible mission," Crowley lied. He hoped the king wouldn't ask for specifics and felt relieved when Duncan merely nodded. The affairs of the Corps weren't completely his business. They would report to him what needed to be spoken about but not much more. Many times a Ranger was dispatched on a mission without his input.
"But what were you two doing down at the cabin? You would have been more than welcome to stay here at the castle."
"Well you know Halt; he's not much of a people person. I thought it better if we just stayed down there," the commandant said. "I've been spending my time down there because I needed a break from all of this," he added. "Some of these nobles can be a little uppity." Duncan nodded again though he looked a little unconvinced.
"You mentioned that Lord Feller attacked you." Crowley nodded, his panic rising again. "And was that how he ended up getting stabbed?" Crowley nodded again. The commandant felt terrible for lying and accepting the story Halt had come up with but he knew this was Halt's last chance and he needed to do this in order to save him. Duncan sighed. "One more thing," he said.
"Anything Your Majesty," Crowley said formally.
"Do you have any association or hostility with Lord Feller?" Crowley felt his stomach fall into his feet. No way could he lie about this but if he told the truth he was going to make this mess a whole lot worse.
"I can honestly say I'm not fond of the man and I can say that I've been tempted to remove his head on several occasions but I've never done anything about it. And I can say I've met him before a long time ago when training with Pritchard," Crowley said, avoiding his true association with the baron without lying. The king frowned.
"I believe your account of things Crowley. I believe that Lord Feller would attack you but there seems to be no reason for him to have done so whereas there is proof that Halt did do it. Everybody is aware of his unlawful ways and sometimes short temper. It's not pointing in the right direction for him. Your say on things matches what he told me basically but there is one difference," he said a little ponderously. Crowley motioned for him to go on. "Halt told me that it wasn't his place to tell him what he had against Feller. I have a suspicion that it has something to do with you. Are you sure there is nothing else between you and him?"
"Well, Your Majesty, when I was apprenticed to Pritchard and I met Lord Feller, we weren't exactly warm towards each other. He isn't exactly the likeable kind," Crowley responded, carefully avoiding the question's specifics. Duncan eyed him but gave a slight nod.
"I wish I could do more to help you but there's nothing to defend Halt. Ranger's words are highly trustworthy to me, I assure you, but the people have different opinions," Duncan said somberly.
"I understand. Now, may I have leave to go to Candell?" Crowley prompted. In the low light Crowley watched as the king's face contorted in thought.
Duncan frowned as his uneasy feeling about Crowley's request came back. Crowley and Halt went back a long ways and he knew from experience that they rarely left each other in these kinds of situations. Crowley knew that Halt was most likely going to be condemned to death and it made no sense for him to just leave Halt. Duncan frowned deeper and looked back at the commandant. Nothing about his decision made any sense and that's what felt odd.
"Crowley, I'm warning you. Things don't look good for Halt as it is; don't go mixing things up further." Duncan could have sworn that Crowley gave a slight smile.
"I make no promises. I am a Ranger after all," he responded while standing and making his way to the door. "Have a nice night Your Majesty, you won't regret this," he added before he slipped out the door.
"This should be interesting," Duncan mumbled once the door to the room swung shut.
The next chapter isn't going to be much action but it will explain a few things I hope...after that more action will pick up and it won't be so hum drum. Again, there must be something bad in here:)