NOTE: I don't own any of the characters from Ranger's Apprentice! I just own Will's family and the country of Quarize.

Things will start moving a little faster. The doctors think that the ligaments in my wrist are damaged. More than likely it will be permanent. However, I intend to keep on writing. It's one of my dreams to publish a book. Just in case plans get hectic, I need to finish as much as possible. Expect a posting by every Saturday. That's my plan.

Just so you guys know, the future of this story is set. The Blood Series will continue with the sequel: Dripping Blood. I will tell you no more for fear of ruining the secret ending.

Review and Enjoy!

Unknown Blood Chapter 12

It was a beautiful day. The birds were singing there songs to one another. A spring breeze blew past the pasture. The tall grass swayed gently back and forth. Several horses were munching peacefully, enjoying the warm sun. Most of them stayed close together. They were friends or family and liked being close. Only one horse remained separated from the others. He did not get along with the others because he was different. He could outrun all of them in a race. For days he could keep a brisk pace, long after they all dropped dead. However, he came from a different place. He looked and smelled differently. That made him an outcast, different, something to be avoided.

Tug shook his mane as the breeze blew past. Then he nickered softly at his rider. Ever since the cloaked figure had broken into the castle Will had been withdrawn. Bruce was really worried about him. He had placed several guards on his son to keep him safe. He never learned of the letters. Will kept those to himself. Grayson had sworn not to say a word about them without Will's direct permission. The guards were good but Will was trained as a Ranger. He had easily snuck past them and out to the pasture. Here he knew he could find Tug. Only his horse seemed to understand him fully. Will smiled weakly as Tug head-butted him playfully. Then he began stroking the horse's nose. He was not afraid of anything as long as his horse was nearby. Tug would never let any danger come near his master.

Will sighed and picked up a stick, "What am I going to do, Tug? Whoever the figure was meant for me to see those paintings and read those messages. What do they mean? What secrets don't I know?"

"Maybe your father could tell you. It's obvious that the person was referring to any secrets he was hiding," Tug snorted.

The stick began to twirl in Will's fingers. "I doubt my father would answer. Plus, the figure seemed to think my father was some sort of liar. A traitor."

"Do you think so?"

"No! Of course not. He's my father. He would never hide anything major from me." Will paused for a moment then looked up at Tug. "He wouldn't, would he?"

Tug seemed to shrug, "What are you asking me for? How would I know?"

Will returned his gaze to the stick, "You wouldn't. Father barely lets me see you anymore. It's like he doesn't want you around me. Like he doesn't want anything from my past in Araluen around me."

That thought made Will sit straight. He had sent several letters to Araluen but had never received replies. Was it possible his father never had them sent? Or maybe he ordered the mailer to lose the letters. Maybe he intercepted responses and refused to give them to Will. If so, why? What could he possibly hope to gain? Why was he keeping Will away from Tug? Then again, why could Will not practice his silent movement, knife, and camouflage skills? Bruce was constantly telling him what a waste of time they were. Will knew that were not. After all, such skills had saved his life several times. Without them, he and Evanlyn would have never made it home from Skandia.

Will's eyes narrowed as he whispered, "What secrets are you hiding, Father?"

"Far too many to count," a soft voice replied.

Instantly Will leaped to his feet, drew an arrow, and turned with it ready to fire. A man leaned lazily against a tree nearby. A long sword could be seen under his black cloak. The hood was up, hiding his face. His right leg was bent, foot pressed against the tree trunk. Tug snorted nervously. In a moment's notice, he would sound an alarm and protect his rider. The man, however, did not seem hostile. Instead he munched on an apple he had picked from a tree.

Slowly Will lowered the bow, "Who are you?"

"A friend," was the flat response.

Will's upper lip curled back in a snarl, "Give me a real answer. Who are you?"

The figure put his foot down. Both gloved hands reached up and removed the hood. Will gasped in shock as he looked at the face. A face he had been memorizing ever since the cloth had been removed from the painting. A black haired, brown eyed face he never thought he would see. The man gave him a small smile. Then he walked forward, hands clasped behind his back. Coming next to Will, he leaned down slightly so they could look eye to eye.

"I'm surprised you know my face. My name is Tyler. You, Will, are my brother," Tyler whispered.

Will stepped backward in shock, "You're supposed to be dead. Father said you died in his arms."

"An easy trick but one that took months of planning and lots of coin," Tyler said, taking another bite of his apple. Then he held out a hand to Tug, who sniffed it. When the horse allowed Tyler to pet him, Tyler continued, "A nice horse you have here. I hear Ranger horses are a breed apart. Shame Bruce won't let you ride him anymore."

That made Will clenched his fists, "I can ride him whenever I like."

"Really?" Tyler drawled, those brown eyes boring into Will's. Will had no choice but to drop his gaze, admitting the truth. Tyler smirked, "Bruce will never let you do anything he doesn't want you to do. Trust me, I know more than you can imagine."

Will cocked his head to the side, "Why did you pretend to die? How did you do it?"

"That's an answer you won't like," his brother replied, giving Tug the rest of the apple.

A growl emanated from Will's throat, "I want the truth. Or are you going to lie about everything."

Tyler's eyes sparked with rage. His right hand seized ahold of Will's shirt. Both of their faces were inches apart before Will knew what had happened. Shock ran through his body. Only Halt had ever shown such speed. Then he looked deep into his brother's eyes. Anger, hate, and sadness glowed like coals of a suppressed flame. Gingerly Tyler released him. Then he let out a shuddering breath.

"I can't be mad at you," he whispered. "You don't know enough. You understand everything that is going on."

Will crossed his arms over his chest, "Tell me then and tell me the truth."

"Very well but not here. You say you can go for a ride so let's ride," Tyler said with a nod.

He turned and vanished into the woods where he came from. Will raced back to the castle, saddled Tug, and set off. No guard stopped him, no guard questioned him. After all, he was the lord's son. That meant he had the power to do whatever he wanted. For all the guards knew, Bruce had given permission for his son to leave. Luckily Bruce and Othon were deep in discussion in Bruce's office and did not see Will leave. Only one did and that one quickly followed.

It was not long before Tug warned his rider of another. It was Tyler, riding a grey stallion. The horse was strong and lean, bred specifically for living in the rocky mountains. Almost instantly the grey horse stepped forward to meet Tug. He wanted to know if Tug could be a new friend. Tug, himself, was taken aback by the horse's friendliness. The two exchange a quick sniff then some soft whinnies. After that, they liked each other enough to call the other a friend. Tyler and Will let the horses be for those few minutes before spurring them onward. Tyler wanted to be as far from the castle as possible before he spoke. One never knew when spies were nearby. He did not want to risk Bruce finding out about him.

Will barely registered the rustling bushes behind them. Both he and Tyler spun their horses around at the same time. Will's bow was ready to fire an arrow within those few moments. Tyler had drawn his sword. Just like that, they were ready for a fight. Will did not know whether to trust his brother or not but he wanted answers. Maybe he could compare Tyler's answers with Bruce's. Then he could decide who to trust. As of right then, he did not know if there was anyone in Quarize that he could trust to tell him a straight answer. He hated mysteries. He hoped to solve this one soon. A threat right now was something he did not want to deal with. Depending on whoever came out of the bushes, Will hoped to end questions quickly.

"Weren't planning on leaving me out, were you?" came the familiar voice of Grayson.

It was at that moment the young servant stepped from the bushes. Will lowered his bow with a breath. Surprisingly even Tyler lowered his weapon. Will's older brother knew Grayson was Will's servant. He had seen how trustworthy the young man was. That made him trust the young man. Also, an extra pair of ears inside the castle could never hurt. Seeing that Will was looking at him, he nodded to indicate that he would allow Grayson to come along. Grayson took Will's offered hand and mounted Tug. With that, the little group headed off to talk.

Once settled in a quite glade, Tyler began to speak:

"I understand if you doubt what I say. However, I need to warn you so that what happened to me never happens to you. Will, we are the only heirs to the throne of Quarize. That throne has been in our family for at least twenty generations. We have guided this country through many hardships and prosperous years. However, those harder years also did something to our family, to our country as a whole. You may have realized that our people are slow to talk and quick to anger. (Will nods quietly) That's what came from countless wars with our neighbors. We became so fearful of others, so distrusting, so ready to fight. Our armies always had to be alert and ready. Our knights had to be the best possible to fight off those who wished to destroy us. Quarize hates all outsiders but the royal family is even worse.

You were lucky to be raised in a different environment. I was not. I thought everyone outside of my father's castle was trying to kill me. I was trained to be merciless with a sword, the very sword you wear at your side. Mother never approved of such teachings. She tried to make me see that others were trustworthy, that I could make friends from them. I often heard mother and father fighting over my training after I was supposed to be asleep. It was tough, trying to decide who to believe. Everyone seemed to love Mother while they feared Father. I couldn't figure out if it was better to be loved or feared.

Then I met a friend while training. He had come from a lower class knight's family. My father said he was just a sparring partner. However, we quickly became friends as we made sword practice into a game. Justin and I were close to one another. Justin, however, feared our father above everything." Tyler shut his eyes in pain. "I tried to stand up for him, tried to help him prove that he could be a great knight. Father was enraged by it, believing I was wasting my time with a worthless peasant. His words. When I was about to be knighted, Father said I had to prove to my family that I could carry on the royal legacy proudly. I was ready to do anything…until I learned what I had to do."

Tyler looked away, tears pricking his eyes. Will felt his heart twist deep inside of him. What was Tyler carrying inside of himself? What did Bruce make him do? Then Tyler looked back at them and continued in a whisper.

"I had to defeat another apprentice in combat. They put me in a hidden ring deep under Father's castle. I figured that it wasn't that hard. Force the other to surrender then it would all be over. The doors opposite me opened and two guards shoved Justin through. Will…Justin was unarmed and without any armor. The only thing they gave him was a shield. I heard Father's voice from above us say:

'Prove yourself by killing your opponent.'

I couldn't believe what they wanted me to do. And to my own friend! I attacked Justin, breaking his shield in half within minutes. Then I stopped. I wouldn't kill him. He was my only friend. That's when my father came behind me. He was angry, angrier than I had ever seen him. He grabbed my sword hand, told me to never hesitate, then shoved my sword through Justin's heart. Before he died, Justin told me that he knew I would never betray him.

Mother was furious with our father. She yelled at him for a good deal of time. That's when I first heard it happen. I raced out of my room to stop it but Father just struck me across the face. He told me that we had to be ruthless and unforgiving. Any weakness meant that Quarize and our family's rule would be over. There was nothing I could do to stop him from hurting Mother. It was that day I knew what having power here meant. That night I began to dream of escape.

Two days later we heard the eastern border had been attacked.

A day later, Mother admitted she was pregnant with another child.

Will, I was so happy to know I was going to have a baby sibling. I hope it would be a boy so I could play and practice with you. Father was happy too. He always wanted another child. However, he had to deal with the war before he could focus on his family. Country before family. It was then I saw a way out, for me and Mother. A way to protect you. Maybe then some sense would be knocked into Father's head.

I planned everything so carefully. I bribed the right people on the enemy lines. Mother and I planned the escape route. There was even an herbalist who could make a drug that would cause me to 'die'. That way Father would never know the difference. Then the battles began. With my information the enemy quickly surged towards the back lines. I raced to help some men fight off the enemy. Took a crossbolt with that drug on it. Then pretended to get stabbed in the back. Father thought I was gone. Then the enemy dragged away my body so that I wouldn't be buried alive. Once I awoke, I took an armed force to this castle. Mother and I escaped, finally free. She told me that she would head to Araluen, where her brother lived. I chose to stay here, to help others slowly erode the royal family's control."

Tyler looked into Will's eyes, his hate burning like a wildfire.

"Yes, brother, I hate Father. Not for what he did to me but for what he did to Mother. Haven't you wondered why Araluen hasn't responded to your letters? Father has been intercepting them and having them destroyed. They have never left that castle. The same was for Mother. She received word that her father was sick and wanted to go to him. Father and King Othon quickly made some excuse to keep her locked up. When she tried to forcefully leave, Father beat her for it. It was as if she was a slave. A priced animal he didn't want stolen. Daniel, our uncle, came down here once, asking if we would go to his wedding. I thought Bruce was going to kill or drive him out like a thief. Mother and I never had any true freedom. Face it, you don't have any freedom either.

I hate Father because he betrayed us in every way."

Will sat in silence for a few minutes. He had to digest everything. So much of what Tyler was saying made sense. Bruce did control every aspect of Will's life. He tried to drive away anyone close to Will, especially when they were in Araluen. But Bruce had many good points as well. Were they all lies? If so, who was the liar? Bruce or Tyler? Will's thumping heart told him that Bruce was the liar. Why else would Tyler still be alive? Then another thought struck him. Tyler had to go through a "cleansing initiation" to become a knight. Maybe Bruce would want Will to do the same thing. If so, what would he ask of Will?

"I know where your mind is going, brother," Tyler whispered. "Father does have an initiation planned for you, one that will put mine to shame."

Will looked at him. Grayson's eyes darted back and forth between the family members. Finally Will managed to ask, "What's his plan?"

Tyler leaned forward and growled:

"Listen when he thinks you're asleep. That way you can be sure that I tell the truth. He plans to make the rivers run red with blood.

Araluen's blood."

I may or may not have the next chapter up before next Saturday. Depends on schoolwork. Turns out I have a lot more than first expected.