Author's Note
Hello all! As a huge fan of the RA fandom I noticed a lack of fanfiction about Gilan's apprenticeship, so I've decided to take up the pen myself! As a new author any criticism or suggestions to make the story better would be extremely welcome. As of now, I intend for this story to be the first in a series chronicling Gilan's escapades on the road to becoming a Ranger, but that may change as we progress further into the story. It will likely only cover the story of how exactly Gilan got to be Halt's apprentice.
I rated it T to start just to be safe but probably won't be any more graphic than the books themselves.
So without further ado, here's the first chapter!
Crowley drummed his fingers across the well-worn wooden desk that populated his otherwise barren office space. Although it had been two years since the battle of Hackham Heath he lacked the both the time and desire to properly fill it. After all, as Commandant of the recently reformed Ranger Corps, free time wasn't something he often found himself with. The current state of his work space was a testament to that very fact.
The auburn haired ranger gazed ruefully at the seemingly never-ending parchment. From reports regarding newly-completed missions or the state of the fiefs across Araluen to the requests for apprentices and - more commonly - retirement.
None of us are getting any younger, thought Crowley. Although Morgarath's forces had long since been routed to the Mountains of Rain and Night and many of the Rangers of the old tradition had returned to their posts, the Corps had still hadn't returned to its former glory as the younger generation of Rangers was virtually non-existent. Not that Crowley blamed many of the older rangers who were still taking the time to get back on their feet after the leave of absence, but it made things difficult when the older members of the Corps wanted to take the golden oakleaf.
And that was the crux of the matter. There simply weren't enough Ranger's to fill the assignments. Sure, some of the quieter fiefs could do without a Ranger for a period of time but many of the current Rangers were having difficulties juggling their primary fiefs with the extra responsibilities of the smaller fiefs like Meric and Seacliff, and not to mention the auxiliary missions to other countries. It simply wasn't practical to have his force so thinly spread out.
The Ranger Corps was, to put it bluntly, severely understaffed. The newer recruits needed to be held to the high standards of the Corps and so it seemed there wouldn't be an influx of new blood for another two to three years barring any unexpected events. However, even with these recruits, the Corps would still wouldn't be at its full strength.
The Corps currently had around twelve apprentices with around six nearing the end of their third year of training. By Ranger standards it was an unusually high number, but Crowley thought, not nearly enough. Many of the current Rangers were working to fix the issue by taking on apprentices themselves, but the more stubborn members of the Corps refused to take an apprentice that they believed wasn't up to snuff. Halt specifically was being unreasonably obstinate, despite their being a number of suitable candidates.
It was well within a Ranger's right to refuse to take an apprentice if the candidate didn't suit said Ranger, however it was becoming an increasingly rare occurrence to do so do to the shortage of Rangers. Unless of course the said Ranger was Halt. The only time Halt had even mentioned taking an apprentice was in the aftermath of Hackham Heath when Halt had told Battlemaster David's son to seek out the Rangers should he have an interest in becoming one.
Now that Crowley thought about it, the boy should be nearing the age of apprenticeship around this time of year. Unfortunately, he wouldn't be a great candidate for Rangerhood due to his lineage. As David's successor, he would have a direct path to knighthood and likely began his training to do so at a young age. He couldn't imagine David allowing his son to forsake knighthood in favor of joining the Ranger Corps, regardless of the man's history of working with Rangers.
The Corps reputation had taken a hit in the recent years due to Morgarath's interference. Although the general public had never been particularly comfortable with the Ranger Corps, they were seen as the protectors of the public and their interference in the issues of the common people was welcomed if not solicited. During Morgarath's tenure, the Corps had become something of a joke, with the untrained puppet ranger's filling their days with alcohol in the taverns at best, and at worst causing more problems than they solved believing they were entitled to anything in the village.
In recent years the Corps had taken great strides towards reclaiming its former glory, however it would be many years before the damage was completely undone. As a result the families of many potential recruits were weary to let their sons go off and join the Corps for a rather lackluster salary and little notoriety. As a result most of the current apprentices were the third or fourth sons of the peasantry that wouldn't inherit much otherwise.
It would be unlikely that David would be willing to let his son become a Ranger if that was indeed the boy's wish. However Halt had a way of convincing people, and while the Corps couldn't force David's hand it wouldn't hurt to put the two in each other's path once again. Luckily, Caraway just happened to be without its Ranger who was on a lengthy mission in a neighboring fief and experiencing trouble with ongoing bandit raids. As Redmont was relatively close to Caraway, Halt would be the perfect candidate for the mission.
Grinning to himself Crowley picked up his quill once again, penning a letter to the grim Ranger of Redmont fief before sealing it in an envelope bearing the oakleaf seal. Setting it to the side to be delivered by way of messenger, Crowley gazed once more at the sea of parchment before him. Sighing the Commandant once more picked up a stack of reports. After all, the paperwork wouldn't do itself.
Halt himself understood the problems facing the Ranger Corps all too well. As one of the few fully fledged Rangers without an apprentice, it wasn't uncommon that he was sent on many missions without lengthy periods of rest. Having just returned from hunting down a large black bear causing issues on the outskirts of Redmont fief, he was eager to have some time for himself in the relative quiet of his cottage.
Abelard nudged the shoulder of his master in agreement. Halt shook his head, he'd never quite get used to the intuition of Ranger horses. Stroking the pony's nose fondly he removed the bridle and quickly rubbed the horse down. With one last pet Halt turned to head back to the cabin.
Abelard shoved Halt's shoulder, causing the ranger to stumble forward. Slightly miffed he turned back towards his steed. "What?", he exclaimed. Abelard gave a meaningful glance towards the bucket of fresh apples Halt kept in the stable.
Halt raised an eyebrow. "Another one? If you keep eating them at this rate they'll be no more apples in Redmont!" he said wryly. Abelard snorted indignantly pushing the point once more.
Halt sighed before feeding his horse an apple, "You're going to get fat". Abelard seemed to shrug unconcerned, before resuming crunching contentedly.
Once more Halt turned and exited the stable, calling over his shoulder,"Goodnight!"
His ever faithful companion whinnied in response.
Despite being exhausted following the mission, Halt decided to head off to Castle Redmont to notify the Baron of his return and, with some luck, see Lady Pauline.
The times when Halt could visit the graceful courier were few and far between, so often times when Halt got the opportunity to visit Castle Redmont the two would share dinner.
Halt shrugged out of his cloak and quickly donned a clean spare before setting off for Castle Redmont.
Baron Arald heard three sharp knocks at the door to his office. He looked out the window slightly confused. It was rather late for visitors. "Come in!" he yelled. The door creaked open to reveal the Ranger Halt.
Arald beamed at the grim ranger, "You've returned! I daresay even the villagers were beginning to miss your cheerful presence!"
Halt raised an eyebrow, "Is that so? I was under the impression that you had enough cheer for three villages."
Arald's smile dimmed a bit. "Yes, well, unfortunately I haven't had much opportunity to visit Wensley in a while. I fear we've all been a bit swamped with work lately," the Baron admitted ruefully. Since the Ranger Corps had been forced to prioritize its duties many of the day to day responsibilities of the rangers had fallen to the wayside. Due to Halt's extended leave of absence, Arald had been forced to take on some extra duties in order to compensate. Fortunately, Redmont's Baron was a competent leader so the fief appeared to be doing well in spite of it all.
Halt nodded in agreement. "Indeed," he began, sitting down at the desk, "hopefully that'll be the last mission for a little bit. I think Crowley's beginning to worry Redmont needs a break. Besides, Farrel and Leander both have apprentices nearing the mission age. He'll likely want to give them some missions before the next Gathering."
It was Arald's turn to be skeptical,"I hope you're right."
As it on cue there was another more timid knock on the door. "Come in!" chimed Arald.
A small mousy boy peered in through the doorway. "I said come in. No need to loiter out there letting the flies in. We don't bite!" Arald glanced at Halt who looked as grim as ever, "Well I don't at least," he added quickly.
The young ranger rolled his eyes as the messenger scrambled in. "Well, out with it," he said gruffly.
The boy opened his mouth to speak but appeared to be stunned into silence at the sight of the ranger. Quickly, he shoved an envelope at Halt before scurrying out the door. Arald sighed, "Please forgive young Matthew. He's new and a bit wary of rangers. His parents moved from a fief with one of the worst of Morgarath's lackeys, so he hasn't known anything else."
Halt waved him off. He was used to the treatment by now, and it didn't bother him much. He focused on the envelope before him noting the oakleaf seal. He quickly drew his throwing knife, breaking the seal in one smooth motion, before removing the letter. Skimming it briefly, before replacing it in the envelope and tucking it in his cloak.
Arald inclined his head towards the letter in question, as Halt stood up.
"New mission in Caraway fief. Bandits. I'll likely be gone another week or so," the ranger answered the unspoken question.
Arald shook his head, "Best of luck. Hopefully this one will be the last for a while." Somehow both men doubted it. Halt opened the door to leave.
"Oh, and Halt?" The ranger in question turned back. "Mistress DuLacy is out by Castle Araluen on a mission of her own and won't be back for a while."
Outwardly there was no change in his demeanor, but the ranger cursed internally. It would likely be a long time before he would get to see the graceful courier again, and despite Halt's predisposition towards solitude, he did get lonely on occasion.
Halt nodded in acknowledgment before waving the kindly Baron goodbye and heading back to his cabin to rest before the oncoming mission.
Another Note: Thanks to TheRanger'sDaughter and Elvish Kiwi's favorite sister for letting me know about the age discrepancy, it should be fixed now!