AN: here's the next chapter. Chapter ten will be up right after it. I do not own Ranger's Apprentice.
CHAPTER 9
Will, Horace, Alyss and Cassandra were calmly chatting in the sitting room of Horace and Cassandra's rooms when two of Selethen's guards came in dragging Daniel and Josiah by their shirt collars. Selethen came behind them, less messy, but he still had some potato peels in his hair and sludge on his shirt.
"What is going on?" Horace asked but he could probably figure it out.
"Your boys pranked me." Selethen said calmly but let it show that he was not amused. Horace and Will sighed as they looked at their sons still in the grip of the Ariddi guards.
"It was just a joke dad!" Josiah protested. Horace stood up and replaced the guards hand on his sons shoulder with his own. Will did the same with Daniel. The king and the ranger steered their sons into another room.
The lectures were short yet remembered. Both boys were sternly told about the difference between harmless pranks and dangerous ones. This was a dangerous one seeing as Selethen was someone from a different country with a delicate relationship with Araluen. Josiah and Daniel were punished with cleaning up the mess, apologizing to Selethen, and confinement to their rooms. Also, both boys got a hard whack or so upside his head as they left the side room.
"We are truly sorry sir." Josiah started the apology.
"We never meant any harm and we hope that you can forgive us and not hold any animosity towards our parents." Daniel finished. Both boys were looking down in a sort of bow as they spoke.
"I forgive you. But next time, stop and think, and then stop and think again." Selethen said with a half smile. While the boys were getting in trouble, Selethen had cleaned up and now looked presentable. Josiah and Daniel smiled then set about with their other punishments.
"I will never understand the way young boys minds work." Will said as he sat down again with the ladies. Horace chuckled,
"Yours was just as irresponsible." He retorted. Will just stared at him, without a comeback, and at a loss for words.
