N/A:I've realised I keep making spelling mistakes. Please don't judge cause my 5 foot 9 hands are to big for this IPad on screen keyboard. I also use Google translate for the other languages. I translate English to French, as I've found the fact being that Hibernia is medeival...France, or something like that. Anyway, hope you've been enjoying, and let's go without further ado into Chapter 5.
Alice was finally out of that retched place. She hated hospitals. It was late. Alice would camp that night. She wasn't going to go to the inn. She went to the inn stable. Annabelle neighed happily and tossed her head.
Alice!
Alice walked up to Annabelle.
"Hey girl"She said. Annabelle looked at her.
Where've you been?
"Hospital" Alice replied. Annabelle tossed her mane.
Why?
"I was injured, remember?" Alice said. Annabelle looked at Alice, confused.
But that was 2 weeks ago, wasn't it?
"Turns out it was worse than we thought" Alice said in reply. Annabelle tossed her mane again.
Worse than you thought. Alice rolled her eyes. Once she'd tacked Annabelle, she got on and rode out into the forest. She knew the path the others were taking. She found a used campsite, where the others must've been. She grabbed some left over wood and set up a fire.
"Good to be on the road again" Alice said. A nose bumped into her shoulder. Annabelle. Alice reached out and stroked her horse down the muzzle. There was the sound of a thump as Annabelle layed down next to her. The pony rested her head in Alice's lap. Annabelle sniffed her, then looked up at her.
Apples? Alice shook her head, smiling. She handed Annabelle an apple, and the horse crunched on it happily. The two had a long few days ahead of them.
Like Alice had asked, someone was sent to check on her. It had been a week since Will had gotten her orders. He went the way they'd came. It was dark, but he was determined. The gallop he forced Tug to do wasn't very wise, when anybody could be around. Will shrugged it off. They hadn't been on the road for long. Two nights max. He couldn't hear anything over the rattle of Tug's bridle,and the thumping of Tug's hooves. As a matter of fact, it didn't take him long to get to the previous campsite. What struck him was that familiar sound. That resounding crash of steel against steel. A duel.
Alice parried the stranger's stroke with ease. She was using one hand. Not because she was skilled, also because of her arm. She looked around as she heard the sound of a horse. Her eyes fell on a familiar green clad man. Will? She parried another stroke, using both hands. Her arm was fine. She smiled. Time to show this man what she had. She switched her sword to her right hand, and in the same motion, cut at the man's side. She knew Will was watching with his bow at half draw. She pushed the man back.
"Now!" She called, looking at Will. The arrow flew straight through the air, hitting home in the man's chest. He jerked back, then fell. Alice breathed heavily, her breath coming ragged. Will swung off Tug and came to Alice's side.
"Everything alright?" Will asked. "Halt was beginning to worry." Alice smiled grimly.
"I'm fine" Alice replied. She threw her arms around Will. It'd been so long. Will looked down in suprise at the young Ranger girl. It's like he had a sister. He wondered what it really felt like to have an actual sister. When they got back to camp, Halt was straight to her.
"You sure your alright?" Halt asked.
"Oui, arrête, j'en suis sûr" Alice replied. Halt just rolled his eyes.
"Je te prendrai au mot"Halt said in reply. The two eventually sat down. Alice told them what happened between her and Keren, and that she was playing him. Horace smiled at this. Alice sensed the joke before he said it, and slapped him in the face.
"Don't even think about it" Alice said.
"How'd she know?"Horace asked.
"Ranger" Chorused everyone else in reply.
The days between that night and getting to Clonmel were short, and the group was there quicker than expected. With every day, Will and Alice got to know each other better. Horace was a slight bit jealous, but not much. He felt happy for his friend. Of course, Alice did occupy him in training, so he could fight against another skilled, probably higher leveled, warrior. When they reached Clonmel, Alice looked to the towering figure of the castle, and whistled in admiration.
"Not bad" She said, before looking at Halt. He just shrugged. They rode through the village straight to the Castle. It wasn't night time, so there was no need to check in at the inn or something like that. When they reached the castle, Alice took the explaining as an easy task.
"Nous sommes ici pour voir sa majesté" Alice said. "Motifs commerciaux autorisés." The two guards nodded, and let the group in. The horses were taken to the stables. Halt led the group, knowing the most about the castle. The group reached the throne room anteroom, and entered. Sean was up. He recognised the others except one. Who was the other person? It was a girl, but who?
"Sorry for the sudden notice" Halt said. "Don't worry about it" Sean replied. "And uh, who's she?" He asked in a lower tone.
"My step sister" Halt replied in the same tone. Sean nodded. Alice.
"Alright" He said. "You know the drill." Halt smiled grimly at him. Once the weapons were laid down, they went into the throne room, Alice slipping into the corner's shadows. She wasn't shy, she just didn't want to show her face around her blackmailer.
"Hello again" Halt said plainly. Ferris looked at him.
"Hullo" He replied. "Not a pleaseant suprise to see you." He sneered condescendingly at his brother. Halt just rolled his eyes.
"So" Ferris said. "What brings you here?" Alice stepped out of the shadows, and to Halt's side. "Your majesty" She said, curtsying with as much politeness as she could muster. Why am I this way, she thought, annoyed. Ferris sat up straight. Alice. The girl he'd been blackmailing. She looked a lot more dangerous than he thought. And Halt knew.
"I heard you've been blackmailing Alice?" Halt said. Alice had neared closer to Halt, who put his arm around her now. Why would anyone be scared of Ferris, Halt thoght.
"How'd you-" Ferris began before he was cut off by Alice.
"I-I t-told h-him" She stuttered.
"I said not to tell anyone!" Ferris exclaimed, Alice shrinking down. Halt glared at him. Those firm, deep set eyes, and the danger in them, made Ferris lighten his mood.
"I-I know, b-but I thought..." Alice began to stutter, before drifting off. Ferrid looked at Alice, a question in his eyes. "I-I th-thought it w-would be th-the right thing to d-do" She stuttered. Halt's grip tightened around her.
"It was" He said. "It's just Ferris's decisions that are wrong." Ferris glared at his brother, then his step sister, and back again. He did this twice more, before coming to a decision.
"Can I talk to Alice, alone?" Ferris asked. Halt went to protest, but Alice elbowed his ribs.
"Go on" She said in a low tone. "You know I can handle it if he tries anything stupid." Halt sighed, then walked out, gesturing for he others to follow suit. Once the heavy doors closed, Alice seemed to almost flinch at the sound. Ferris approached her in three swift strides, Alice turning in alarm to face Ferris.
"I told you" Ferris said. Alice swallowed nervously.
"I-I'm sorry, I-I just..." Alice said. Ferris glared at Alice.
"I wasn't making the same mistake again" Alice said. "My past is troubled and I'm not letting any of that happen again." Ferris snarled at Alice, making the girl take a pace back. With every step she took, he neared, until she was against the wall. Ferris took out his hidden dagger, Alice tensing at the sight of it. Ferris could see there was thoughts and maybe even memories racing through her mind in her eyes. He cut her on the arm, and she automatically grabbed it, crying out slightly at the pain. Then the cool metal was on her neck, and she froze.
"I told you, do not tell anyone" Ferris said. "You know what's coming." Alice smiled.
"Yes, I do" She said. Before Ferris knew it, Alice knocked him off his feet, face first, then he felt her knee on his back. It all happened so fast he didn't realise what was happening until his own dagger tip was on the centre of his back.
"And you won't be cutting my throat today" She said. Ferris smiled, he had a few ticks of his own. He slipped from under the girl's grip, grabbed his dagger and slit her wrists. She fell to her knees, than the ground, bleeding. The others burst in.
"What have you done!" Will yelled after he looked at Alice, bleeding on the floor. Sean looked at him. Halt and Horace had to hold back Will so he didn't attack Ferris. Sean attended to the bleeding girl on the floor, grabbing a first aid kit he carried and beginning to treat it correctly.
"I told her I would slit her neck if she told anybody" Ferris said. "I guessed this was close enough when she had a knee and dagger on my back." Halt snarled at his brother.
"Horace?" He asked the night.
"Yeah?" Horace asked in reply.
"Knock him out, would you" Halt replied. Horace cracked his knuckles threateningly.
"With pleasure" Horace said. Seconds later, Ferris was out. Will walked to Sean and Alice, kneeling beside Sean and looking at his comrade. How could Ferris do this? Alice was taken to the hospital wing afterwards. Will stayed with her until she woke up.
