Summary: Will Treaty had been sent to Ito, not knowing why. Duncan had promised things would happen and people would come. They never did. A month later, he got a letter from Horace. Araluen had been sieged, and was gone. Six years later, Will receives a package, which contains the Seven Reasons why he wasn't allowed to save his country. But with dead men walking, who can focus on letters?
**On hiatus until further notice. Full note: Hey everyone! Seven Reasons as to Why will be going on hiatus until further notice. I'm sorry, but I'm not exactly *into* this story any more. I might never finish it. I might decide to restart in a few years. I might just think "hey, maybe I'll continue 7RATW today" in a few days, and this will mean nothing. Either way, sorry if you were invested in this story, but I'm not. Thanks!
Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice, nor any of the characters in this story.
(A/N): You may notice that this is the only chapter up at the moment, as before there was five. Well, I've gotten to the point in my editing and rewriting that I don't need them any more, and I don't want new readers to be confused! I'll have a more informative (larger) author's note when I actually add Chapter 1, but for now, 'how bout a review?
The young Ranger stood on the balcony, leaning over the railing. He was looking over the grand castle and to the city beyond. It was a familiar landscape, yet it wasn't Redmont, or even Castle Araluen. How it was that familiar to be considered as close as Redmont was odd in its own way, considering the Ranger hadn't been here in years. Ito was a large sprawling city, not counting the castle. The Emperor and all his dignitaries, the Senshi and most servants, all lived there. That wasn't even counting the guests; many came in daily, and the foreign dignitaries weren't even half.
Will Treaty had been sent there, suddenly and without explanation. Even Horace didn't know why, and he just had to go along with Duncan's wishes. The King's wishes didn't really make much sense at the moment though - Araluen was being invaded, from the north and east, and they needed all the help they could get. One might say Will was sent there to ask for help from Nihon-Ja, but they had troops heading over already.
Taking in the beautiful land ahead and behind, the Ranger took a deep breath. The flawless weather currently plaguing the land made the air cool and crisp and the air refreshed the Ranger. As golden leaves started raining down, someone knocked lightly on the door.
'Odd,' the Ranger thought, 'it's nearly dark. Who would be looking for me now?' The young man crossed his small room, passing his cloak and bow, which he had thrown down on a chair near the deep fireplace. Unconsciously, his hand slipped up his side, and rested on his saxe.
Feeling the wrongness in the air, and the dreary silence after the quiet knock, he hesitated at the door. And still feeling something was off, he kept a tight grip on his saxe, while he turned the knob, and opened the door.
Mikeru, the young Kikori who had come back to Ito with Shigeru, was standing on the other side. His eyes showed the exhaustion, and his slouching posture told it all. Something was wrong.
"Chocho!" Mikeru cried. Before the Ranger could do anything, Mikeru burst into tears, which were leaving trails down his dirtied face. Shakily, the Kikori pulled a crumpled pile of papers from his bag. He shoved it into Will's arms, and ran.
"Mikeru-san! Mikeru, come back!" He was gone. Everything was pointing to something being wrong. The top paper had Duncan's royal seal stamped hurriedly on the bottom next to his signature.
-Will Treaty, Ranger 50
You are probably wondering why I sent you off to Nihon-Ja, when Emperor Shigeru was one of the first to send aid. I am sorry to admit this to you, Will, and you probably will not be too happy about my decision, but it was mandatory that I send you away, for your own protection. All though you may not have realized it, but if you would have stayed, this war would have hit you harder than any other here. I will not get too far into details, and I have said what I need to say.
I have also sent a copy of this to Emperor Shigeru, so he knows that you must, and I repeat, must, stay where you are. I am not asking, or telling, but am ordering you to stay. Knowing Rangers, you will want to know what it is I am keeping from you, so this next paragraph is not in Shigeru's copy.
You may remember this more vividly than I, but you did tell me in detail what happened to you in southern Arrida. You should also remember the ib'n Talud family whom you are friends with. Umar, Ceilema, their child, and their grandchildren. The last time you were there, if I remember correctly, you helped prevent another run-in with the Tualaghi . . . a very dangerous run-in. From what you collected, Iqbal had made friends with very dangerous people, although you couldn't pinpoint who exactly. Along with Meissa, one of Umar's grandchildren, and your friend Hassan, you were able to prevent him from receiving the support he needed to invade Araluen.
Sometime soon after you receive this letter, Hassan and Meissa will meet up with you.
You are to do what you did sometime before, and catch Iqbal again. But stay safe, and alive, and try not to stray too far from Nihon-Ja, because we do suspect that he is around that area. There is a reason why I sent you to Nihon-Ja instead of another country, and that is why.
Below that was his signature and seal.
'But it was mandatory that I send you away, for your own protection'? Will was sent away for his own protection, yet underneath that in the last paragraph, it clearly states that he's probably going to get into life threating situations.
The Ranger looked up. The hall was deserted, and it was completely silent. Will slid the note to the bottom of the pile, and he stepped back into his small, but cozy room.
SIX YEARS LATER
The Ex-Ranger slid the door shut, and sighed heavily. The paper doors were still something to get used to in Shigeru's summer palace. He tugged off his boots, and slipped on the slippers on the mat next to the door. He shook out his sopping wet hair, and wiped his forehead from the rain pouring down.
Behind him, someone tapped lightly on the paper door. As Will turned, the door slid silently open to admit Shigeru.
"Shigeru-san, did you need something? I was just about to wash up and come down for dinner." Will brushed the wet hair out of his eyes, and meet eyes with his friend. The Ex-Ranger grinned.
"Ah, yes, Chocho. I was awaiting your return, in a sort of agitation. You received a package." He pushed out his hands towards Will, and showed him the package. Something seemed a bit odd about it . . .
"Th-that says it's from Araluen."
The last time had heard Will from Araluen, was six years ago. A month after he had gotten a letter from the former King Duncan, explaining why he had been sent out, he had gotten another letter, from Horace. Araluen had been completely sieged. First to go was Seacliff, than Macindaw. Slowly, the whole country had been taken over. The two people who had been promised to come, never came, therefore he never left. He never got to see he beloved country, or even his family, since then. No word has been heard from anyone. Will assumed they all died.
Shigeru nodded, and handed the package over to Will. When the package was safely rested in Will's hands, Shigeru put his hand down softly on the top. "If it is serious, you do not need to come down for dinner. You can ask for me whenever, if you need help." With that, the Emperor stepped back, and slid the door shut.
The Ex-Ranger was still shell-shocked. His eyes were blank, and his mouth slightly opened in disbelief. A note was tied to the top of the brown package, which was dated from less than a month ago. It was from Duncan.
-Will
Many things have happened in the past six years. Mostly the first half-year for you, though. I am aware Horace sent you a letter, telling you that Araluen had fallen. Well, he wasn't lying. I understand that you may be angry with me, and may not even read this letter after seeing it was from me. Though, you might keep the package, and this letter explains what the package means – so I will keep another copy of this inside the package. If you read this, the letter with five ink drops on the top is the same letter as this one.
Inside this package, the separate folders inside keep the Seven Reasons, and their explanations. Some of the stories may bother you, but if you wish to find out exactly what happened, you MUST keep reading. There are Seven Reasons, as said before, each with one letter of explanation, and six events. Read all of it, if you wish to discover what happened.
Underneath that was his signature. There was no sign of a royal seal next to that. Will slowly walked over to the table near the door, and fell into a chair.
After a month of staying in Ito, Will had received a letter from Horace, as was explained before. Thing is, something else Horace had explained was that not a week after Will had left, Duncan had gone missing. No one had seen him since then.
The young man warily sat up, and set the small brown package on the table in front of him. He quickly pulled the brown paper off the package, and opened the flaps of the box. As promised, there were seven leather folders resting inside. Each had a thick pile of papers inside, separated with thinner folders. Will placed a hand on the folder on the top, labeled First Reason.
The Ex-Ranger took a deep breath, drew the thick leather folder out of the package, and flipped it open.