Halt
((I'm making up a new king because fight me))
While Halt normally enjoyed being in the saddle, he didn't take much time to savor this ride. His mind wandered, trying to make sense of everything. The letter from Lina had caught him off guard, even shook him a bit. She had asked to see him in person in Araluen fief, so he had dropped everything and set off immediately. Lina's letter had mentioned an assassination plot against King Christaupher.
Halt remembered meeting the new king when Christaupher was just a boy, nearly a decade ago. He was crowned king less than a year before, after his father was murdered by a usurper by the name of Valentine. It seemed that someone was trying to repeat Valentine's actions to take the throne once again.
The senior ranger breathed a sigh of relief as he crested the hill that overlooked the great keep. Araluen was an impressive sight even in broad daylight, but it looked massive in the light of the setting sun. Sharp shadows made the battlements seem impossibly high. He pulled the reins back to stop his shaggy horse. Abelard tossed his head, as if grateful for the break.
"It's been awhile since we've been here, eh?" Halt pulled his hood farther over his head as he felt raindrops fall on his bare forearms. Soon it would be too cold to go without an undershirt, but for now, the ranger would take advantage of the warmer weather. He gave his horse a gentle tap on its sides to get it moving again. Maybe it was his imagination, but Abelard seemed to step higher and faster than before.
It was raining quite hard by the time the horse and rider crossed the wooden drawbridge over the moat. The still, black water at the bottom seemed to look back at Halt as he watched his reflection cross the water. The moment he was inside the castle walls, he knew there were evil hands at work, and that he needed to be especially careful who he trusted. Halt needed people he knew...rangers. He made up his mind to send for the ones that had helped with Valentine's overthrow as soon as he got the chance.
Halt reluctantly left Abelard in the capable hands of a stablemaster. As much as he hated leaving his furry friend, he knew time was of the essence. The short man noticed the awed gazes that followed him as he made his way to the castle. Lina had asked him to meet her at the top of the tower in the servant's wing. Halt guessed this was to keep his arrival a secret, but that seemed impossible now.
The top of the tower turned out to be a storage room that had clearly been abandoned long ago. Now all that it held was empty boxes and cobwebs. A good place for a secret meeting. Halt leaned against the stone wall in the back of the room, watching the door. Lina would arrive soon, he was sure. People talked and word would reach her that he was here.
The ranger shut his eyes, and felt them burn from the strain of being open since the early morning. His cloak was soaked through and his shaggy hair was clinging to his forehead, but the ranger refused to remove it. Though he didn't actually fall asleep, Halt felt his body relax and his thoughts felt far away, as if he was dreaming.
Halt was shaken from his momentary rest by the sound of the heavy oak door swinging open. He didn't move anything but his eyes to watch Lina walk in. At first, Halt wasn't sure that it was Lina. The figure that entered was cloaked and there was no way to determine the person's gender. Soon, though, they noticed him in the corner and removed their hood. Short, red locks fell around the young woman's face.
"I didn't see you at first. That's not something I say very often," Lina said with a smirk. Halt stepped out of the shadows and into the light of the oil lantern hanging near the door. He was feeling particularly grumpy and exhausted, so he chose not to acknowledge her comment and jump straight to business.
"Do you know who's trying to kill the king?" The grey-bearded ranger asked gruffly.
"No. Not yet. Just that someone is." Lina pushed a loose red strand of hair out of her eyes.
"What evidence do you have?" Halt crossed his arms and straightened, trying to look taller. Unfortunately for him, Lina had nearly a head on him.
"Well, Chris's-," Lina cleared her throat, "excuse me, King Christaupher's mead was poisoned a fortnight ago. One of the servants apparently sampled some of it before it reached his dinner table. He was found dead in the wine cellar. Then last night, a young man went into the private quarters with a dagger, saying that he was sent to kill a rat. Some of the guards stopped him. He's being held in the dungeon below the castle if you want to question him." Halt nodded slowly. He would certainly question the boy, but he had a few more questions for the red-haired girl.
"Does His Majesty know about these attempts on his life?"
"Yes. I told him, but he's taken no action against them. I've begged him to increase his guard or have someone look into, but he insists that I'm all he needs." Lina looked away from Halt's cold grey eyes. There was something she wasn't telling him.
"And you called me here because you're not as confident in your abilities as he is," Halt finished, uncrossing his arms and putting his hands on his hips. Lina shook her head and began to pace nervously.
"These attempts got past me. I thought...I hoped that you would be able to give me some assistance in figuring this out. His Majesty also said that he doesn't want me to call any help in because he's entertaining diplomats from several of our allied countries. He doesn't want them to think that we're in trouble...politically." Halt felt there was something else she wanted to say, so he stayed silent, waiting for her to continue. "I think it's the work of one of the nobles that are visiting," she said, finally.
"You want me to investigate them, then?" Halt asked with a sigh. He wasn't looking forward to spending time with a group of people who were chiefly interested in politics and gossip.
"Precisely. I was hoping that, since you technically are Hibernian royalty, and since we don't have any ambassadors from Hibernia you could..." She trailed off with a grin. The ranger grumbled something under his breath and turned away from the girl. Halt had run from his former life long ago, and he had no interest in returning to it. Now, he was being asked to go back to it. Unfortunately, it seemed he didn't have much choice. At least, not if he wanted his king to live.
"Very well, I'll need help, though," he agreed after a good minute and a half of contemplation. Lina's grin turned into a beam and she hugged the short ranger. Halt stiffened, uncomfortable with the girl's reaction.
"Thank you! And yes, of course, whoever you need. We'll send for them right away."
*****
"...and so, I'm requesting your aid in this investigation. I would not bother to ask if I didn't think that you were capable. I'm aware that things may have changed; that you may have a new apprentice, or no apprentice at all, but I will need assistance and your help would be invaluable. Please come to Araluen fief at your earliest convenience and be discreet." Halt finished the last of the letters, slipping it into an envelope. He dripped a glob of wax on the edge of the fold and used the oak leaf signet ring to seal it. Now to mail them.
((Now we can have everyone start on their way to Araluen! Super sorry for the long post.))
to the second version of this roleplay!
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