A/N: OLAF! It's me, IFYOUCOULDFLY!...whoa. This is already 10 chapters long, and even better, my MOST REVIEWED STORY YET! Thank you so much for all the awesome stuff you do :D! Sooooooo….wazzup? :P I'm sorry I've been so busy lately, but….ya. Today kinda sucked for me, so I'm just gonna jump right into the story.

-Chapter 10: Yet Another Escape-

He clutched his stale bread fiercely, determined not to take a bite. "Maybe just a little piece…I'm so hungry…" Will thought, then shook his head. "No! This is the only food you have! You must save it!"

Arguing with himself seemed to be his only occupation for the past three days, and it started to bother him. "Maybe I'm going insane." Will thought, then frowned. "Then again…how would I know? Does realizing my insanity-if it does exist-make it impossible? If I was really insane, would I realize it?"

He laughed quietly. "I must be insane." He decided, then let out a wrenching scream as the whip struck his back. He fell to the cold ground, and heard a taunting voice above him: "What's so funny, baby? Already anticipating your next interrogation? I'm certainly excited!"

Will grudgingly attempted to ignore Alda as he climbed awkwardly to his feet again. To his relief, Alda moved on to whip one of the prisoners that was unfortunate enough to have stumbled.

Will was tempted to shut his eyes, try and block out the horrid screaming of the prisoners and the odd chanting of the Wargals. But he couldn't. He couldn't just give up, not when there was a chance of escape.

"The battle. I'll run away in the battle." Will promised, then sighed. "If I make it that long." He glanced at the sun that was doing nothing to warm the marching men and Wargals. Will shuddered. "Where are you, Halt?"

PAGEBREAK HERE! LololOLololOloLoLOlOLolOloL…SORRY. I'M JUST A LITTLE….SUGARY :D

Halt rode Abelard towards Castle Araluen, careful to keep him at nothing above a brisk walk. He didn't want to alarm the citizens by rushing, as they would immediately assume that something was wrong. On the other hand, something was wrong.

With that, he sped up his pace to a near-trot, forcing Gilan and Crowley, who were directly behind him, to do the same.

The three rode through the streets towards Castle Araluen, attracting curious glances from the civilians as they approached the castle gate. After displaying their silver oakleaves, the Rangers entered, still under the watchful eye of the townsfolk.

Halt strode quickly across the outdoor path, stopping only when Gilan gave a quick gulp. "Erm, Halt?" His former apprentice mumbled, and Halt glanced towards him. Crowley pointed across the lawn toward the stables, where a shaggy, gray, and somewhat distraught pony stood, held in place by a tall blonde.

All three Rangers broke into a run, and Halt called Tug's name. Immediately, the pony's ears pricked forward, and the blonde girl, who Halt recognized as Will's friend Alyss, spun around. To the Rangers' alarm, Alyss dropped her gaze to the ground, not able to look them in the eye.

"I'm sorry." The normally gathered apprentice sighed, still staring at the ground intently. Halt frowned. "Sorry? For what?"

At this, Alyss glanced up, pain in her eyes. "He rode by me the day he left. He-he told me to tell you that he was sorry. Then he rode away, and-." The courier stopped for a moment, closed her eyes, and continued. "The next day, Tug was found wandering the forest. Lady Pauline and I took him with us, because we knew you would be here."

The poor girl opened here eyes again and stared into Halt's. "I don't know where he is, and I-I feel so guilty!" Alyss looked as if she were going to burst into tears, and Gilan placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It's not your fault. We're not sure what's gotten into him either." The young Ranger said, and Alyss nodded, recollecting herself. "Yes, you're right. I'm sorry." With that, the young courier spun on her heels and drifted off to look for Pauline.

The Rangers stared after her. Or, more accurately, Halt stared after her. Crowley and Gilan were busy staring at Halt, trying (though failing) to read the grizzled man's expression. They knew that inside, he was desperately worried for his apprentice.

After a moment, Halt glanced down at Will's pony. "An awful mess this has turned into, huh?" He muttered, stroking the pony's neck. Tug snorted in agreement, just as a voice sounded from the tower.

"SMOKE ON THE HORIZON!" The sentry bellowed, and sure enough, a thick black haze was rising from the trees. "Something tells me that's not just a little brushfire." Crowley muttered. He was most certainly correct.

PAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGEBRREEEEEAAAAAK PEACE OUT LOL I LOVE GUACAMOLE ACTUALLY NO I DON'T WHATEVER LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

-One Hour Earlier-

Will trudged on, ignoring the screams as usual. His mind felt numb. Just hours before, he had been brutally beaten for information he would never give. "Strange," he thought bitterly, "how that's not even unusual anymore. Just part of the schedule!"

He nearly laughed aloud, but thought better of it. Again, he turned his focus to trying to stay awake, trying to find away to keep the pressure off of certain spots while applying them to others.

Suddenly, the steady marching halted, and Will glanced up, a little spark of his formerly curious self showing through. But only for a moment.

"Should we kill 'er?" A voice shouted from the front of the line. "Naw, just send 'er back with the others." Another voice, one of the men who had whipped him, called. Slowly, the line began to move again.

Will sighed and began to trudge along once more, when he was nearly knocked off his feet by a sudden force. He yelped as the force smashed against his tender skin, causing his wounds throb.

"Oh, sorry!" A voice cried, and Will turned dumbly to face a girl. "'So kay." Will mumbled, and the girl nodded carefully. "I'm…Evanlyn. Where-where are we going?"

Will stared at Evanlyn, tempted to lie. She looked very worried, after all, and he didn't want to alarm her. Then again, she'd better brace herself.

"Well, you're a captive of Morgarath now." Will said slowly, trying not to strain himself, smiling sympathetically as Evanlyn gasped quietly. "And we're going to war. Don't know what'll happen when we get there, just that that's where we're going." He finished, then glanced at his new companion. Evanlyn stared at the ground for a while, listening to the whips cracking and Wargals chanting.

"There's a bridge." She said suddenly, but quietly, suspicious of the other prisoners. Will frowned. "How would you know?" He asked, and Evanlyn sighed. "Look, I trust you, so I'll tell you. But if you betray me…." She trailed off, and Will raised his eyebrows.

Finally, Evanlyn continued. "My maiden, a couple other servants, and I were traveling through the countryside when Morgarath's men attacked. I escaped, but the others were killed. As I fled, I learned about the bridge. Morgarath's army is going to use it. I…I was going to burn it."

Will glanced at his companion, impressed, and Evanlyn sighed. "Well, now there's no hope. We must be half an hour away at most. There's no way. What if-." Evanlyn cut herself off, but Will knew what she was going to say: "What if Duncan loses this battle?"

He stared at this girl for a moment, troubled. She seemed so…empty. Like a flame had been taken out of her. This awakened something in Will. "They took my flame, too." He thought, then smiled mischievously. "Well, as long as we're playing with fire…."

"We're getting out of here." He whispered to Evanlyn, whose eyebrows shot up. "How?" She mouthed to him, and Will glanced around. "Wait for my signal." Will whispered, a small idea forming in his mind. "I'll hold up my hand when I'm ready."

Evanlyn frowned doubtfully, but nodded. She watched as he bent down and picked up a decent-sized stone. After making sure the guards were looking away, he chucked it at a nearby Wargal's head.

Though Will was exhausted, malnourished, and injured, his aim remained steady. The rock flew in a perfect arc, hitting the back of the beast's head with a satisfying thunk.

The Wargal spun around, roaring madly. In the process, it tripped another Wargal, which provoked a fight. Some of the surrounding Wargals noticed and joined in, creating the perfect diversion.

The guards rushed forward, whips cracking wildly in a frantic attempt to stop the crazed beasts. Will immediately held his hand up, and Evanlyn followed him as he ducked off the trail with ease.

The two, for fear that they may have been seen by a guard, ran. Will ached like never before. He wanted to stop, fall to the ground, and rest. But he couldn't. He just kept running, running until the Wargals' chanting had faded long ago.

After around fifteen minutes of running like madmen, the two stopped, relief spreading over their faces. Just before them was a bridge, and a huge one at that. It looked truly magnificent. As if reading his thoughts, Evanlyn managed to joke between gasps; "It'll look better up in flames."

Will grinned deviously, and began to gather materials from the forest floor. It was time for a bonfire.

A/N: GAAAAH I know I'm a terrible person :(! Lately, my chapters have been taking longer and longer to upload, and they've been getting worse and worse. I'm really, really sorry about that! My life's just way too busy! GAAAAH I hate stress…but at least you guys are here for me! :D That means so much! Keep reading/reviewing/being awesome!-FLY