Ignoring History - Ranger's Apprentice Fanfiction

Chapter 18

~🌲Gilan🌲~

Leaning against a wall, Gilan watched as Baron Arald's most trusted entered the study. His hand rested subconsciously over his side, acting as a protective shield. The fresh clothes that had been provided for him were a godsend, and he had never thought that clothes would have such an impact on him.

Gilan hissed when something bumped into him. He steadied himself, turning to face a rather rugged man. Unlike everyone else in the room, he held himself with ease. However, when Gilan met his eyes, a shiver ran down his spine. They were hard, laced with tension and irritation.

"Sorry," he muttered, quickly brushing past him. Will was on his heels, and he gave Gilan a nod before following.

Taken aback, Gilan stared at the man as he took his place in a corner. Confusion was an understatement on how he was feeling. The man carried himself with an easygoing manner, but one look at his face proved the opposite. Then, there was his voice. It was neither of the two personas he exemplified. Instead, it was quiet. Borderline harsh even. Gilan didn't know what to think of him.

"Do you want to sit down, sir?" A voice drew him out of his thoughts.

"No thank you," he said, clearing his throat.

The girl was almost as tall as him, and her hair was golden as if the sun was upon it. Gilan smiled back at her when he realized that he had seen her before.

"I should thank you," he said. "I don't think I would have gotten out of Gorlan alive without the help."

"It wasn't me," she laughed. "Thank Will. He fought off the guards as we tended to you."

Gilan hadn't heard that part of the story before. He cocked his head to the side, glancing towards the corner where Will was still standing near the man. "I will," he said thoughtfully. "Thank you for telling me."

"Did you know he wants to become a knight?" she said. "He'd be a good student."

"A knight, you say?"

"That's right."

"I'll keep that in mind," he said.

"Do you think that could be possible?"

Gilan eyed the girl, narrowing his eyes. "I'm afraid I am the wrong person to be answering that."

"But you're a knight, aren't you? Sir Gilan?"

Sighing, he nodded. "Not by choice," he said. "I—why are you so interested in this?"

The girl smiled innocently. "I don't have any idea what you're talking about."

Gilan stared at her, silent for a moment. Then, he laughed, wincing as his side began to ache. "You're a good courier," he said.

"Apprentice," she said. "Courier's apprentice."

"Still very good," Gilan said. "I'm impressed."

Beaming, the girl nodded. "Thank you."

Gilan nodded, turning away to face the baron who was just about ready to begin the meeting. He paused, looking back. "I haven't caught your name," he said.

"Alyss Mainwaring," she said. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Gilan trailed off as the baron clapped to get everyone's attention.

"I'm sure you know why we're here today," Arald started. "But before we start, I'd like to preface that the topics of this council are highly confidential. Everything discussed today will remain private."

Gilan nodded. That made sense. Redmont was a big fief, and Morgarath was bound to have spies everywhere. Even the guards couldn't have been trusted, and the ones near their vicinity had been replaced by Crowley's rangers.

Tapping on a map that laid on his desk, Baron Arald cleared his throat. He met the eyes of every single person in the room before continuing.

"Morgarath's tyranny has gone on for long enough!" he said. "He needs to be stopped."

"Who's going to take his place?" someone quietly asked. "You?"

The baron grinned. "No, Nigel. Not me. That would be Prince Duncan's job."

Gilan almost laughed at the collective gasps. He smiled at Duncan, who had stepped out of the crowd. If it weren't for his wound, he would have bowed.

"The Prince Duncan?" someone said.

"Indeed," he said. "I am not dead like some of you believe, and it was not I who raided the villages at Picta."

"How do we know he's telling the truth?"

Duncan smiled sadly. "You don't," he said. "You just have to trust my word."

"But you're going to be the king!"

Duncan sighed, running a hand through his blond hair. "That is not the problem we face today," he said slowly. "The task at hand is defeating Morgarath. That must be handled first before we settle the matter of king."

"But why would you go against Morgarath?" Nigel asked.

This time, Will stepped in. Gilan straightened as he spoke. He smiled at the boy.

"He isn't lying," Will said. With each word, Gilan could hear his confidence growing. "When Gilan and I were in Gorlan, I overheard some of Morgarath's men talking about the raids at Picta. They said it was Tiller who did it."

"Tiller?" Sir Rodney said. "You mean Baron Tiller? From Araluen?"

"The same."

"He's telling the truth." Alyss stepped forward. "I was there as well."

Whispering started to emerge from the group, and Baron Arald had to ring a little bell to get everyone's attention. "Now that all of that is settled, we need to talk strategy. We have to be smart about this. Our forces are incredibly small compared to Morgarath's."

"Sir, that may not be as much of a problem," Crowley spoke. "You have a group of rangers on your side. We can get the job done."

"Your little group can't possibly fight off the whole kingdom! And from what I've been told, Morgarath has an army marching to Celtica at this very moment."

"I didn't say we'd fight an army," Crowley said. "As you said, we have to be smart about this. I'm sure there are a few fiefs that could be swayed to join our cause. Morgarath's taxes have done a lot of damage."

"What about Morgarath himself?" Gilan piped up. He shifted as everyone turned to face him, moving his hand away from his wound. "Gorlan is also heavily guarded, and Morgarath is cunning. He knew of my intentions from the moment I stepped into his castle. An army isn't going to be enough to get through those walls."

"What if..."

Gilan spun around at the voice. His eyes found the man in the corner. His lips parted at his next words.

"What if I killed Baron Arald?"