After the tournament

Disclaimer: Just me playing around in John's world. :) Updates every week until completion.

The procession moved slowly, but steadily forward, with the large carriage in the middle surrounded by knights and a few green, grey and brown clad Rangers. Crowley had stationed a Ranger on each side of the carriage as well as one to ride ahead and one to stay well behind the rest to ensure no one could sneak up on them. Sure, you would have to be pretty bold to attack a large and well armed party like this, but with Morgarath's supporters still around, Crowley didn't want to take any chances.

Neither did the King or Prince Duncan, which was why the carriage was now well protected by knights known to be loyal to the crown and four Rangers. Four others had been dispatched right after Morgarath's retreat to fight the damage done by Tiller and his men to Duncan's reputation and try and repair it as much as possible in a short time.

Crowley let his eyes wander over the road and the forest next to them. He was well aware that Duncan would most likely be declared Prince Regent once they reached Castle Araluen and settled in again. The King's health had suffered further while being Morgarath's captive and he wouldn't be able to rule the country. That would very soon fall to Duncan. And so knowing this Crowley had sent Halt and the others out on their mission of truth even though Crowley would much rather have had Halt's company on this journey. Still, he had three other Rangers with him and he knew everyone of them were worth their weight in gold.

A movement caught Crowley's eyes up ahead. "Look sharp," he informed the surrounding knights.

They immediately closed in on the carriage while Crowley nudged Cropper with his knees to speed up. The Ranger he had sent ahead was riding back, but Crowley relaxed somewhat when he saw he rode at the standard Ranger's canter. No one is about to attack us then, Crowley thought.

They met about ten meters in front of the rest of the procession and Berwick turned around to ride the same direction as the rest again.

"Well?" Crowley asked.

"I got a visual on Castle Araluen. Everything looks normal, but I didn't spend a lot of time studying it before turning around."

Crowley breathed a silent sigh of relief. Their greatest fear had been that Morgarath and his supporters should somehow have taken the castle.

"I trust no one saw you." It wasn't a question since people usually never saw a Ranger unless the Ranger wanted to be seen. "Anything of interest along the road?"

"Not really," Berwick answered. "It's a pretty boring stretch of road." He grinned at Crowley. "Just like the rest of the trip has been."

Crowley raised an eyebrow at him, but silently agreed. The combination of a larger party and a slow carriage with the King in poor health in it had meant travelling much slower than any of the Rangers were used to. They had all found it a pretty boring experience and had silently hoped that something would happen along the way. Just a small ambush to break the monotony or something. But it had been a decidedly uneventful journey.

Crowley sighed. "How far do you estimate we have left?"

Berwick seemed to consider it for a moment. "Not too far, but the party is slow moving, so it will probably still take a couple of hours. Unless of course, we ride on straight to the castle without any more breaks, then I'd say we could make it in less than an hour and a half."

Crowley glanced at the sky. An hour and a half would mean arriving early in the evening, and they could probably get dinner at the castle. But there was the King to consider and it had been a while since their last break. Waiting two hours would be a long time for the King in his frail state. Crowley sighed again.

"I think you are being too optimistic with the two hours, Berwick. We will need to take a break soon, and we won't be able to get quickly on the road again. I expect the break to take at least an hour before we're back on the road."

"You want me to ride up and take a closer look at the castle in the meantime?"

"That's exactly what I want you to do," Crowley answered. "We'll find a spot to stop and water the horses and get some food. Then hopefully we'll be back on the road after an hour and will meet up with you near Castle Araluen."

Berwick nodded. "I guess it's another round of hard rations for me tonight then." But he said it cheerfully enough and Crowley knew he wasn't really complaining.

"One thing before you ride off; don't enter the castle itself. We don't want Stilson to know we're here before the King arrives. So just observe from the outside for a couple of hours, then fall back, and observe from afar and wait for us to catch up."

"Will do. Oh, and there's a clearing around the next bend. You might use that for your camp. See you later." Berwick nudged his horse to speed up and settled into Ranger's canter again.

Crowley held Cropper back and soon fell into his position next to the carriage again. "Loosen up," he told the knights, who had kept their tight formation around the carriage even when they saw the Rangers were merely talking and didn't look concerned. Crowley was glad they still kept vigilant despite the boring trip.

He slipped in between the larger battle horses until he was right next to the carriage. Duncan looked out.

"Something up, Crowley?"

Crowley shook his head. "No, everything looks clear, but Berwick will keep an eye on the castle just in case."

Duncan smiled with relief. "So we're almost there then? I think my father will appreciate that."

"No doubt, your highness. But it will still take some time for us to reach the castle as we are a slow moving party."

"I could always ride ahead and prepare the castle for my father's return," he suggested.

But Crowley shook his head and the King spoke from his side of the carriage.

"Too dangerous, Duncan. We cannot know for certain that Morgarath does not have people in the castle and the knights and Rangers will have a harder time protecting us if we split up."

Duncan looked as if he was about to protest and say he could protect himself, but the King spoke on.

"I know you are a fine warrior, but in this it is best to listen to the Rangers; they know how to handle situations like this."

Crowley smiled slightly. "Thank you, your majesty. While I can see the appeal of reaching the castle fast it is better that we take a break and continue on the last part of the journey refreshed. We do not want to be tired, sore, and hungry when reaching the castle."

King Oswald leaned forward so he could look out at Crowley. "Will we reached the castle tonight, Ranger Crowley?"

Crowley nodded. "Yes, your majesty. It is still early enough in the day that we can take a break and reach the castle with light to spare. And there is no reason the spend a night out here. We will take a short rest soon and then continue to Castle Araluen."

The King nodded and leaned back again.

"Good. I look forward to returning to my castle."

Duncan made eye contact with Crowley. "Did you send Berwick ahead again?"

Crowley smiled. He liked that Duncan had learned the names of the Rangers and he was pretty sure he had also memorised the names of the knights travelling with them. "Yes, your highness. He will keep an eye on the castle just in case and we will meet up with him just before we make the final stretch to the castle."

"Good. I'll leave you to organise the rest."

Crowley nodded, then held Cropper back so the carriage pushed ahead of him. Then he rode up on its other side.

"So were do we stop?" Despite being the senior Ranger Pritchard had both accepted and insisted on Crowley staying on as the leader of the Rangers. He was quite proud of how far Crowley had come and had great expectations to his future. His and Halt's both.

"There's a clearing around the next bend. It should be the best place for us to make camp."

Pritchard looked ahead. "That's only a couple of hundred meters. Of course, at this pace it will still take a little time to get there." He looked at Crowley. "Do you want me to ride ahead and start setting up a camp?"

Crowley smiled. They had worked together for five years while Crowley was Pritchard's apprentice and knew how they other thought well. "Yes. I don't want to waste too much time, and you're a fine cook, so if you can start a fire and get started on the food preparation, then we can be back on the road again faster."

Pritchard nodded. He fully agreed with that. "No reason for me to hang around any longer then." He grinned at Crowley and then went ahead at full speed.

Well, he always did have a dramatic flair. Crowley looked at the unrest the sudden speed of Pritchard had left in the surrounding knights.

"Ease up, boys. We'll make camp soon and take a rest before reaching Castle Araluen. You two ride ahead and help Pritchard set up camp." He pointed out two knights in front and they both acknowledged the command before speeding up to catch up with Pritchard.

He glanced back, but couldn't see Egon. He hadn't expected to either, but it didn't hurt to check every now and again. Then he nudged Cropper forward to take up the space left by the two knights. Soon they would rest and have food, and then they would get back on the road so they could reach the castle in the early evening.

§

Crowley had to nearly bite his tongue not to yell at the rest and tell them to hurry up. I'm too used to travelling with Rangers; Rangers are efficient, knights are less so. And a frail King even less so. But you didn't yell at your King to hurry up, so he had to impatiently wait for everyone to get ready.

He glanced at the sky. It was still plenty light, but he also knew they would be slow moving and he wanted to reach the castle before sundown. The camp had already taken 1½ hours to settle and break again. Pritchard and Egon had switched positions and that meant Pritchard had ridden back a bit to watch the rear when they had started striking camp. That was almost half an hour ago.

Finally the last knight was seated on his horse and back in formation around the carriage and Crowley could start the procession again. He couldn't wait to be at Araluen and sleep in a good bed. But first they had some cleaning to do.

He smiled tightly to himself and steeled himself for the final leg of their slow journey.

§

"Took you long enough," Berwick said as a way of greeting.

"Yeah, yeah, told you you was being optimistic."

"So was you, it seems."

Crowley sighed. "Yeah. Getting a dozen knights mounted and back into formation takes time. It would have helped if the food had been ready sooner, but even Pritchard can't get food done in such a short amount of time."

"It was good though," Egon commented.

"Rub it in, why don't you?" Berwick made a face at Egon, but then went serious again. "Anyway, I've been watching the castle and even went right up to it to listen to the guards talk and it seems people are aware of some of the things happening at Gorlan, but that they aren't sure what to believe of it. Lots of rumours have made their way here ahead of us. But they know the King is returning, just not when."

Crowley nodded. "That is to be expected. We have not exactly been the fastest moving party in history. Anything that might look like trouble?"

Berwick shook his head. "Not that I could see or hear. Mind you, I have only seen the outside, so I can't be sure nothing is amiss inside, but it seems things are safe enough."

"Well, that's good. In that case I want us all to fall in around the rest of the party so we can arrive together. Let people see the King return surrounded by loyal knights and Rangers."

"Shouldn't be long before Pritchard catch up with us," Egon commented. "You have a plan for how we should spread out?"

Crowley nodded. "You and I take each side, Berwick rides in the back, Pritchard takes point."

Berwick grinned. "I'm sure there will be some very surprised people when they see Pritchard is back."

Crowley grinned back. "Oh, I count on it."

§

The King's party moved at a slow, but steady pace towards the castle across the open land that only had a few trees spread around the large park in front of it. The King's banner flew on top of the wagon clearly marking it from far away and letting everyone at the castle know the King had returned. Because of it there was quite a buzz in the castle and people was flocking to the courtyard to see their King and his men. The fact that he was surrounded by four Rangers had not gone unnoticed either and Commandant Stilson had also hurried to down to the castle doors, worried about what this might mean. He had heard about the renegade Rangers and hoped these wouldn't be any of those. Just one of them could be a lot of trouble for him.

Crowley silently watched the reactions of the castle servants and knights as they rode through the courtyards to the inner one. He saw curiosity, respect, awe and a little fear in most of them, but fear wasn't unusual when it came to the Rangers. And the Rangers generally liked it that way. Their mysticism was all part of the deal when you became a Ranger or at least it was for the real Rangers, not Morgarath's toadies.

As they halted in front of the castle's main doors, the doors flew open to reveal the Queen. She strode down the steps her eyes locked on the wagon. Right behind her Stilson came scurrying.

Well, then, now the fun begins, Crowley thought. Unlike Morgarath's other toadies Stilson actually wore the Ranger's uniform, but somehow that seemed even more offensive than those untrained idiots, who wore flashy clothes. Stilson had received the training, but didn't have any real skill and had only barely passed his exams. Crowley couldn't wait to put him in his place, but reminded himself to be patient.

The knights surrounding the wagon parted to create a pathway from the stairs to the wagon for the Queen. The wagon door opened and there was a gasp of surprise as Duncan exited the wagon. However, he immediately turned around and extended a hand inside to help his father out, only casting a brief glance at his mother, who returned the look.

There was another gasp as the King stepped out of the wagon; he had lost weight and it was obvious that his health was much worse than when he had left Castle Araluen. But he still stood upright and locked gazes with the Queen, who stepped forward to embrace him.

"Husband. It is good to see you back again."

He nodded. "It is good to be back."

The Queen let go of him and looked to Duncan. "Son. It is also good to see you back again."

"Likewise, Mother. I am glad to be home." He embraced her lightly. "But neither of us would be here without the Rangers." As he said it he stepped back and made a gesture towards the four Rangers, who had quietly dismounted and stood along the line of surrounding knights, bow in hand.

The Queen appraised the Rangers. "Yes, we've heard quite a lot of stories, but half of them seem to contradict each other. I shall look forward to hearing your stories." There was no doubt the Queen would listen and if told a lie see through it. She had not been happy with the stories about Duncan and had never truly believed them, because she knew her son was not like that. She looked at the nearest Ranger.

"It seems I have you to thank for the safe return of my husband and son. And I am sure the Commandant is also thankful that you have been protecting your King and prince so well. You may relax and lower you hood." The way she said it made it clear it was not a suggestion.

"Of course, your majesty," Pritchard replied and lifted a hand to push it back.

"You! What are you doing here?!" Stilson was staring at Pritchard. Then he looked at the King. "Your majesty! This man was banned from Araluen for treason. He should be arrested!"

Duncan opened his mouth to speak, but a light pressure on his arm from Oswald caused him to close it again. Oswald was still the King and this was a matter for the King and Regent.

"He is here on my command, Stilson. After all, Ranger Pritchard helped free me from Morgarath's claws, and as it has turned out the accusations of treason were a lie told by Morgarath." He paused to take a breath, and Stilson took that as opportunity to speak.

"But your majesty, surely the rumours cannot be true. Lord Morgarath has long been the knight of the realm and a loyal supporter of yours."

"Morgarath has lied and played us all for fools. He is the one behind the rumours about Duncan's raids, but in reality Duncan was held captive while a look-a-like pretended to be him." The King looked Stilson squarely in the eyes. "Morgarath has hidden himself away in Castle Gorlan, but he will answer for his treason before all the barons in Araluen."

Stilson was still staring at the King and his jaw was moving, but no sound came. Clearly he didn't know what to say without sounding like he didn't believe his King.

The Queen looked at King Oswald and Duncan. "So, it is true then; Morgarath has betrayed us all."

The both nodded.

"Yes, Mother," Duncan replied. "And if it hadn't been for the Rangers learning of his plans to take over the kingdom, we would most likely both have been death by now."

Another gasp rose from the onlookers at that. Several started mumbling and whispering to their neighbours.

Duncan looked at Pritchard. "Ranger Pritchard and the other Rangers dismissed by Morgarath have all been reinstated and will form the core of a reformed Ranger Corps."

At that Stilson bristled, but he was smart enough not to take his ire out on the prince. Instead he turned to Pritchard. "You think you can come back and take over the Corps, Pritchard?" He shook his head. "There were several testimonies to your treasonous behaviour and those will be re-examined. With such a spot on your record you can't simply return and expect to take over."

Pritchard just let Stilson went and actually looked mildly amused by his anger. "Who said I'm taking over anything, Stilson?"

"That would be Commandant Stilson to you," was the court reply.

But Pritchard shook his head. "Sorry, but I won't address anyone as such if they haven't earned it. And as Prince Duncan said the corps will be reformed. I think that means a chance in leadership, too." He smiled sweetly at Stilson, who started sputtering.

"You, you, you will not be the new commandant. There won't be a new commandant."

"Actually, Stilson, there will." Pritchard seemed to be enjoying himself. "The standards have slipped to a shocking level while I have been gone and the King will need properly trained Rangers to protect him and the country." He paused while he watched Stilson get redder by the second. Then he scratched his beard thoughtfully. "But you are right about one thing; I will not be the new commandant."

Stilson seemed about to rant some more, then paused. He hadn't expected those words. Suddenly he remembered there were three other Rangers present and he narrowed his eyes as he looked them over. Unlike Pritchard these other Rangers still had their hoods up, which made it hard to identify them. "So, one of you hope to be the commandant then?"

"Stilson, enough of this," King Oswald said. "I have no desire to stand around the the courtyard all day. I have announcements to make and then you can continue your discussions with the other Rangers."

"Of course, your majesty," Stilson said readily, bowing slightly.

So far, so good. But I can't wait to see his face when I'm announced the new commandant, Crowley thought to himself as he and the other Rangers followed the King, Queen and Prince Duncan into the castle. Stilson, of course, walked as close to the King as he could without offending, but he did cast a calculating glance at Crowley, Berwick and Egon as they went through the doors.

§

The throne room had quickly filled up with nobles, knights and various castle servants not wanting to miss the King's announcements after the King, Queen, Prince Duncan and the Rangers had made their way there, and the King had sat on his throne again. The Rangers all stood to one side with Stilson on the opposite side with his gaze fixed on them. They had all lowered their hoods now and Stilson seemed to be staring at Egon and Berwick the most. Crowley had to fight a smile. It was so typical of Stilson to dismiss him because he was so young.

The knights from the King's party lined the large hall standing at attention and ready should anyone try anything foolish.

The King lifted a hand and his chamberlain knocked his staff into the floor two times to get people to quiet down.

Then the King rose.

"Gentlemen and ladies, knights, Rangers and people of the realm. This is for all of you to hear." The King took a deep breath. "As you are aware there was an attempt on my life some months ago here at Castle Araluen. Lord Morgarath used that to convince me to go to Castle Gorlan, with the pretence that I would be safer there. However, it quickly became apparent that my safety was not his concern and when I demanded that he call for the royal guard he refused and locked me in the tower."

There was a mumbling at those words and the chamberlain knocked his staff again for silence.

"Lord Morgarath showed me his true colours then and these past many years have merely been a ploy to take over the throne. He tried to discredit my son, Prince Duncan, to set himself up as heir to the throne."

The King let his gaze wander over the people in the room. Frail his health might be, but he needed to be strong for this. Then he could rest. "Let it be known to all, that is it only thanks to the loyalty, bravery and cunning of the King's Rangers that the prince and myself stand here today, alive.

"Morgarath threatened to kill Prince Duncan if I did not make him heir and thus he has utterly betrayed the crown and the kingdom. Therefore I hereby strip him of all titles and he will no longer by known as a Lord of Araluen or knight of the realm."

Another round of murmur broke out at those words. The chamberlain had to stomp his staff three times and call out for quiet to get people to quiet down this time.

The King took another deep breath. This was important and he couldn't falter now. "Because of the poor treatment I received at the hands of Morgarath my health has become frail. Therefore I have decided to make Duncan Prince Regent of Araluen. From this day on he will rule the country and set our course."

"All hail the King and Prince," the chamberlain shouted.

"Hail the King! Hail the Prince!" came the shouts from the gathered crowd. Some people started clapping and whistling; Duncan had always been quite popular with the servants and they let their faith in him show now.

Duncan looked both relieved and happy and just a little embarrassed by the reactions, but he took it in in a dignified manner and with a serious expression. He was well aware of the responsibility his father had just put on his shoulders, but they had spend half the journey back talking about this and how to handle it. The other half they had spend on catching up and Oswald apologising for ever believing the lies Morgarath had told about him.

As the King sat back down, Duncan stood. He was the Regent now and needed to show everybody that he had what it took to be one.

"Good people of Araluen. I know that many rumours have circulated about my person, none of them flattering, but know that they are lies spread by Morgarath and his men. Unfortunately, the impersonator have caused much grief in the northern fiefs and have disrupted our treaty with Picta. It will take time to undo that damage, but know that we have already taken the first steps to stop the lies from spreading and stop the attacks on villages in the fiefs; four Rangers have been dispatched as well as couriers to the barons in the affected fiefs.

"Meanwhile Morgarath is being contained in Castle Gorlan by Baron Arald of Redmont Fief until such a time as when he can be put on trial on front of the council of barons."

Duncan had their full attention, but he noticed many cast glances at the Rangers standing to the side with their bows in hand as he mentioned them.

"It has become apparent that Morgarath has worked to undermine and destroy the Ranger Corps in recent years, because of their loyalty to the crown. Because of this few fully trained Rangers remain, but those who do have shown themselves to be truly loyal, skilled and diligent. They will form the core of a reformed Ranger Corps under the leadership of Ranger Crowley."

A sudden sputtering, hacking sound was heard from Stilson's side, which he somehow quickly managed to turn into a cough. But he couldn't hide his outrageousness as he looked across at Crowley, who had now been confirmed as the new Commandant.

Duncan also looked at Crowley. "Commandant Crowley, I have complete faith in your ability to raise the Ranger Corps back up to its full strength."

Crowley bowed to Duncan. "It is a privilege, your highness," he responded.

There was another murmur. Almost no one knew the names of the different Rangers and no one had expected someone as young as Crowley to be announced commandant. They had all thought Crowley must be one of the other three, older Rangers, but some seemed to quickly notice that except for Stilson the other Rangers seemed perfectly fine with this announcement. In fact it looked as if they had expected it and had just been waiting for it to be made official.

Duncan looked around again catching the eyes of the people in the room. A dark haired lady smiled at him as he did so and he had to quickly let his gaze wander on to not get distracted by her sweet smile. "There will be much work to do for all of us, but for now you should all return to your duties. A group of knights, soldiers and archers will be sent to help Baron Arald keeping Castle Gorlan secure, and orders will be sent out to people individually." Duncan sat back down indicating that the gathering was over.

People started filling out, except for the five Rangers, the four of them staying because they had been told so beforehand, Stilson, because he wasn't going to let go without a fight and was determined to keep the other four, especially Crowley, in his sight.

As the throne room finally emptied of the last stragglers casting curious glances over their shoulders, Oswald slumped a little in his throne. This whole thing had taken a lot out of him and his energy was low.

"Duncan, my son, I will retire and leave the rest in your capable hands." He both sounded and looked tired.

"Yes, Father. Rest well."

The Queen rose from her chair and kissed Duncan's forehead before she took King Oswald's arm and lead him from the room out of a side door. Only Duncan, the Rangers, the chamberlain and the dozen knights from the travelling party remained.

Stilson pointed a finger at Crowley. "You can't possibly be Commandant; you have only been commissioned for three years."

Somewhere in the back of his mind Crowley was impressed Stilson even remembered, but it was a fleeting feeling. He had probably kept tabs on all the real Rangers for Morgarath.

"Why not? I'm a fully trained Ranger, Stilson."

Stilson shook his head adamantly. "You're too young and inexperienced for the job."

Duncan raised an eyebrow. "Too young? Those are words that have been used by Morgarath to separate me from the throne. Surely you do not want to follow in the footsteps of a traitor, Stilson."

Stilson paled a little as he realised he had inadvertently insulted the Prince Regent. "Ah, of course not, your highness. But it does take some experience leading the Rangers and as leader he will need to command a mottled bunch of people, many many years his senior. It might be difficult for him to get the respect needed for this job."

"I don't have a problem with it," Pritchard said, smiling at Stilson. He was clearly enjoying seeing Stilson dig himself into a hole.

Stilson glared daggers at him. "Of course not. He was your apprentice. I guess this was all your idea, wasn't it?"

"Not in the slightest," Pritchard answered cheerfully.

"We elected him leader," Egon said. "Had a vote on it."

Berwick nodded. "It was even confirmed when my group of Rangers joined up with Crowley's. He had a plan, he had a vision, and he had proven his leader skills." He looked towards Duncan. "Frankly, we would have been rather disappointed if you and the King hadn't accepted Crowley as the new commandant; we did vote for him."

Duncan nodded. "Of course. I respect the Rangers and have seen his abilities in person myself. He and Halt did get me out of Castle Wildriver."

Stilson was getting redder by the minute again, but he noticed the new name. "Halt? Who's Halt? There's no Rangers by that name." He glared at the other Rangers.

"Oh, he's new," Egon said.

"Fresh out of Hibernia," Berwick added.

"And a very good archer," Pritchard put in.

Stilson raised an eyebrow. He knew enough of Pritchard to know he wouldn't say so unless he was an absolute expert. Then he narrowed his eyes as a thought hit him. "Hibernia? And who would have trained a Hibernian?"

"That would be me," Pritchard said proudly.

"Ha!" Stilson exclaimed, pointing a finger at him. "You admit to teaching a foreigner our ways! That will not go unheard, Pritchard."

Duncan suppressed a sigh. He knew they had to deal with Stilson and he knew the other Rangers had fun taunting him, but Duncan found it tiring to listen to Stilson's attempts to discredit the others and get his position back.

"I see no problem, Stilson," Crowley put in. "Pritchard wasn't a part of the corps at the time and thus wasn't bound by our rules and regulations. And besides there's no actual rule against taking apprentices from another country, and Halt is ready to swear allegiance to Araluen. Rangers can't serve another King, but he won't. Once he's sworn in he will be an Araluen Ranger."

Duncan couldn't hide a slight smile. Crowley had clearly put some thought into how he would deal with Stilson. Either that or he was just really good at thinking on the spot. He guessed it was probably a mix of the two.

Stilson looked outrageous at Crowley's calm remark. "You see no problem? I suppose you would welcome any stranger wanting to be a Ranger no matter their country then?" he demanded.

"If they have the skills needed, the right mentality, and are willing to swear allegiance to the crown, then yes, I would," Crowley calmly replied. "Otherwise no."

"Your highness, this is outrageous! You can't let him run the Corps like that; he will surely ruin it!"

Duncan decided he had had enough of this bickering. He was Prince Regent; it was time to put an end to this. "Enough, Stilson. The Rangers have elected Crowley their leader, and both the King and myself approve of the choice. Crowley is the new Commandant, whether you like it or not. The question is: will you follow his orders or not?" Duncan's tone made it clear those were his only two options.

Stilson opened and closed his mouth a few times. He clearly did not want to give up, but neither did he want to deal with whatever the consequences would be if he refused. Finally he bowed his head to Duncan. "I will, of course, follow your wish, your highness. And if it is your wish that there is a new Commandant then I will abide by it."

Duncan noticed how he didn't quite answer the question of whether or not he would follow Crowley's orders, but he suspected the Rangers would most likely deal with that themselves. And at any rate Duncan would need to start an inquiry to find out how deeply Stilson had been involved with Morgarath. The Rangers had told him they generally believed him to be a dupe and toady, who had sucked up to Morgarath to gain influence, but likely wasn't part of Morgarath's inner circle. But they would soon find out.

"In that case, I believe we are done here," said Duncan. "Commandant Crowley, please get to work on reorganising the Ranger Corps right away; we need the Rangers more than ever."

Crowley bowed to Duncan. "Of course, your highness."

Duncan gave him a curt nod and dismissed the Rangers with a wave of his hand. He had his own work to do and needed to get started right away himself.

The Rangers all bowed to him before they turned around and walked out of the hall, Stilson rather stiffly and glaring daggers at Crowley's back. He would get him for this.