Halt and Will are finally going to meet some of the Merlin characters today! I hope that you all enjoy this chapter. Please tell me what you think at the end.
Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin or The Ranger's Apprentice Series.
Will rode beside Halt as they approached the city gates of Camelot. Even though he knew they were there on a dangerous mission, he could not help getting a little excited about finally getting the chance to travel to another kingdom. He looked up over the top of the gates. He could see the banners with the Pendragon crest on them waiving in the breeze.
He and Halt joined the crowd entering through the city gates. They were about to make their way through when they were stopped by one of the guards that were standing at the entrance to the city. "Stop right there you two," the guard said. Will noticed that Halt was raising his eyebrows into the air. "What's your business in Camelot?"
Even though being stopped at the gates was slightly annoying, Will could understand why they had been stopped. They were strangers, both clothed in dark clothing with strange cloaks. Plus, each of them carried a bow and a quiver full of arrows. Will turned his attention back to Halt as he answered the guard's question. "We're here to see the Court Physician, Gaius."
The guards continued to give them both a suspicious glare, but he allowed them to pass through the gates. "Halt, where are we going to keep Tug and Abelard while we go and see the physician?"
Will watched as Halt turned his head towards him. "Where do you think, boy? We'll find an inn to stay in before going into the castle itself. If it's like most inns, it will have a stable that we can house the horses in."
Will nodded his head, thinking that his question had been a little pointless. As they made their way through the streets, Will allowed himself to look around. The streets were filled with various people making their way through the streets. The sounds of laughter and people talking could be heard everywhere, making it hard for Will to hear his own thoughts. All in all, Camelot was not so different from Castle Redmount. It was just a tad bit…bigger.
Will was brought from his musings when he suddenly realized that Halt had been talking to him. "Will? Have you been listening to a word I've said?"
From past experience, Will knew it would do no good to try and pretend that he had been listening to what Halt was saying. Instead, he looked at Halt and said, "Sorry, Halt. What were you saying?"
Halt sighed in exasperation. He then muttered quietly to himself something that Will could not make out, and said, "There's an inn right over there. Let's try and get a room there."
The two headed over to the building that Halt had indicated. A large sign proclaimed the place to be called The Rising Sun Tavern. They dismounted from their horses and looped their reins over a rail. Halt then led the way into the building, pulling up the hood of his cloak as he did so. Will followed his lead, pulling up his hood and then stepping into the building. He stayed behind Halt as he talked with a man at the bar. Will saw money exchanged, which he took to mean that the two now had a place to stay during their time in Camelot.
"Go take the horse around back to the stables. I'll take our belongings and put them in our room," Halt told Will. Will went to do as he was told. He handed their bags to Halt and then took the reins of the horses and led them towards the stables. After seeing that the horses were properly looked after, he met Halt back in front of the inn.
"Let's go to the castle now. We need to meet with Gaius as soon as possible." With that being said, the two headed towards the castle. They entered and began walking down a corridor, trying to find someone so they could ask directions. Eventually, they came across a maid, who in Will's opinion was very pretty. She had dark skin, long curly hair, and a sweet smile.
"Excuse me, but could you point us in the direction of the Court Physician's chambers?" Halt asked the maid.
The maid gave them a look, obviously curious about their mottled gray and green cloaks. She shook off her curiosity and answered their question. "If you keep following this corridor to the very end you'll come to staircase on the left-hand side. Just go up those stairs and you'll see a sign right outside his door."
"Thank you," Halt said.
Will gave the girl a smile as they passed her by. He and Halt continued down the corridor, eventually coming to the set of stairs that the maid had indicated. They climbed to the top. There, Will noticed a sign clearly labeling the entrance to the physician's chambers.
Reaching the door, Halt raised his fist and knocked on the door. They waited outside for several seconds, but they received no indication that they had been heard. Halt knocked one more time, but the same thing happened. Shrugging, Halt proceeded to open the door and step inside, followed closely by Will.
Will was amazed by what he found inside. The room was a complete jumble of clutter. There were multiple tables in the room, each covered with different objects. One held all sorts of vials and jars, each containing mysterious liquids. Another table held gigantic books, some showing pages with strange illustrations. He even saw a table with a creepy rabbit mask on it. Why the physician would keep such a thing in his chambers was beyond Will.
It soon became clear to Will that there was no one in the room. "Halt, I don't think there's anyone in here."
"I never would have guessed," was all Halt said in response.
A question popped into Will's head. He debated about whether or not he should ask it, eventually deciding to go for it. "Halt, what are we going to do now?"
"We're going to wait until Gaius returns. We don't have any other choice," Halt answered. Halt and Will stood in silence. Will grew bored of just standing there and went about exploring the room. He was just beginning to look at the books on Gaius' shelves, when he heard the door open.
Out of habit, both he and Halt drew back into the shadows, waiting to see who had entered the room. Will watched as a young man a couple years older than himself entered the room. He looked somewhat annoyed, possibly because he was covered in a very unpleasant substance. He did not even realize that the room he had entered was occupied by two other people. The man walked right past Halt and Will, muttering something about a pompous prat, and went up a set of stairs in the back of the room. He came back down several minutes later and poured some water into a bowl. He began to wash off his face and arms.
Glancing over at Halt, Will watched as his older companion stepped forward out of the shadows. "Excuse me-" Halt was cut off by the startled sound that came out of the man. Will hid a smile as he watched the man's head shoot up and glance about the room. His glance finally landed on Halt.
"What are you doing in here?" the man asked.
"We're here to see the Gaius," Halt answered.
"Oh, well Gaius is out doing his rounds right now. He should be back soon, though," the man informed them.
Halt nodded his head. The three men stood in the center of the room. An awkward silence filled the room. Will was on the verge of feeling extremely uncomfortable when he heard the sound of the door opening again. The man standing in front of him visibly relaxed at the sound.
An old man came into Will's view. He had long white hair and was wearing a strange blue robe. Slung over his should was a bag where Will assumed he kept his supply of medicines.
"Merlin, there you are. I need you to run and-" The man cut himself off when he noticed that there were other people in the room. Will watched the old man turn his head back and forth between him and Halt. A look of recognition came across the man's face.
"Halt? Is that you?" he asked.
Halt stepped towards the man who Will assumed to be Gaius. "Gaius, it's been a long time. We came as soon as we received your letter."
A look of relief came over not only Gaius' face, but Merlin's as well. "Thank God, Halt. I fear that Camelot will be in trouble if we don't figure something out soon."
"I agree, Gaius. Camelot's not the only one in trouble, though. If my suspicions are correct, Araluen will be in trouble as well. The sooner we get to the bottom of this, the better."
"What do you mean, Halt?" Gaius asked.
Will watched as a troubled look appeared on Halt's face. "If the Kalkara are once again causing trouble than that can only mean one thing. Morgarath is once again planning something."
I should probably mention that I start school again soon. Once that happens, I might not be able to update every day like I have been. I'll try my best to update as often as I can.