My first ever RA fanfiction or at least the first one I fell in love with was "Shadows that can't be Seen." The fic disappeared from ffnet and for me, that was one of the biggest losses since that was really one of my favorites. I decided to create a story similar (but with my own twist) to make up for the loss of that fanfic. This probably won't be able to completely match the writing style and plot of that fanfic, but I will still do my best to keep up to that standard.
Enjoy!
"Will? You mean Ranger Will? Apprentice to the Legendary Halt? Hero of Araluen?"
If anyone mentioned his name, that was always the first reaction of the listener. WIll Treaty had become a household name.
Everyone knew of how he defeated the Kalkara, his first year as an apprentice. Everyone knew of how he diminished the forces of Morgarath by destroying an important part of his plan during the war. They knew he was also responsible for the treaty Araluans signed with the Skandians and that those were just his accomplishments during his apprenticeship.
By the time, he became a full fledged ranger, he was already well-known face around Araluen. Most people would hear his name and their eyes would light up in recognition. Only the most delicate missions were assigned to the special task force, he was a part of. Every time he came back, there was always a banquet or a celebration honoring another accomplishment he had made during such mission.
Will has the luck of the devil. Other people would comment as the nobles watch his conversations with the king or with the princess which always ended with a pat on the back or a peck on the cheek.
Others would argue that WIll deserved every single praise given to him. He obviously has the talent for it. Besides, he was trained by the legendary Halt.
Everyone also knew, celebrated and gossiped when he had chosen the beautiful courier as his wife. Some of his fangirls even cried in frustration and anger, finding out that the ranger they had come to admire and love was to be married.
"That's a lot of competition." Alyss commented as they sat together in WIll's cabin, one lazy afternoon.
"I can bet you a majority of them would be disappointed when they see me."WIll said, grinning at his wife.
The couple exchanged playful glances as they recalled Gilan's story a few days before that. According to him, the women he had eavesdropped on in Whitby fief were swooning over a six-feet-tall apprentice of the legendary Halt who can crush bears with his bare hands and carry fifty-pound battle axes with just three fingers.
Will may be a well-known face in his fief but to the commoners in the farther fiefs who relied on hearsay, he was as much a legend as Halt was.
Also, WIll had much more potential to invest in that legend. A few more missions, a few more heroic deeds that can fuel the stories of the scribesand the bards of every fief and Will could have probably overtaken Halt's status as the legendary ranger of Araluen and as the face of the ranger corps.
That was not WIll's intention though as he accepted a reconnaissance mission from Crowley and from King Duncan.
"I don't think Alyss would be too happy with me running off to another country for a mission." Will joked after Crowley had given him a brief introduction of the mission.
By then, he had been married to Alyss for almost a year and the two of them were already talking about and working on a new addition to their family.
"This is an important mission. You're not just carrying the fate of Redmont but of the 49 other fiefs of Araluen.
Diplomatic tensions among Picta, Araluen and Celtica were arising. WIth Araluen in the middle of both countries, the ranger commandant and King Duncan knew it would be disastrous if they were to suddenly start a war.
"This is just a basic reconnassaince mission though right?" Will asked calmly, he had done reconnaissance missions too many times to count. The mission they were giving him sounded almost too routine even with its weight
"Yes, we sent Halt and Horace to Picta, the more dangerous adversary here..." Crowley started. "Celtica is not as much of a war country as Picta, so you will be able to handle this on your own, besides, you are Will Treaty." Crowley had joked, alluding to the stories of the bards and the scribes that were too quickly and easily spreading around Araluen.
Will put the cowl of his cloak over his head, hiding the blush that was spreading across his cheeks. "Understood. I'll just do a quick survey of the military right? Arms? Weapons? Resources?"
"That's all we need for now, so if ever they declare war, we'll know what to expect." Crowley nodded. "Well then, good luck Will, though you probably won't need it." He added with a smirk.
"Celtica is only a few days ride away. Give me a week." The young ranger adjusted the knives on his scabbard and the quiver strapped on his back and with that, he left the room.
One week went by too quickly.
Having left Araluen a few days before Will, Halt and Horace had arrived the day before WIll promised to return.
"We should wait for Will before we have a formal debriefing." Crowley suggested. "Ït would be easier to hold a meeting if we already know the status of Picta and Celtica." He scheduled a meeting with the battlemasters and the king, exactly a week after Will promised to return.
That next week went by too quickly too and Will still hadn't come back.
Alyss, his wife, kept her face calm as she walked through town, running errands that week. The more perceptive ones had to note that she didn't make as much of an effort to keep appearances. She kept her hair in a messy bun or in a single braid as she went through town, her eyes were swollen and some of the onlookers could not help but notice the dark circles under her eyes, as if she hadn't been sleeping.
The workers who lived in Castle Redmonts and around the outskirts, also started to notice that as the days went by, she was starting to visit the castle more and more frequently.
Unbeknownst to them them, those afternoons in Redmont were spent on meetings with Halt, Horace and Crowley on the possible whereabouts of Will. The meetings were mostly Halt and Horace trying to convince Crowley that there must be an urgent and dangerous reason behind Will's delay and that the best course of action was for Halt and Horace to go and search for Will in Celtica.
The next day, Halt and Horace made their way out of Redmont fief, passing by the roads along Wensley village and through the forests until they reached the souther border.
Along with them, went the hearsays on Will's whereabouts.
To the townspeople of Wensley village and Redmont fief,Will had left on a routine mission and was still not yet home. According to the traveling minstrels and the bards, Will had gone on a suicide mission and won't be coming back.
One week went by, then two weeks. Most of the bystanders lost track of how many weeks passed before they started to see Halt and Horace around the town again. Halt's face seemed a bit grimmer than usual to them. Horace started to spend more time around Wensley woods. Maybe to visit Halt? They guessed.
Everyone was curious to know what had become of WIll Treaty. The townspeople who had the nerve to approach Horace about the issue, were answered with a shrug or his awkward attempt to avoid their gaze. Others who tried to ask Alyss were answered with an apologetic smile.
The townspeople were then left to their own devices to figure out what happened. The bards and minstrels had started to create their own stories to complete that left by Will Treaty.
It was most probably a suicide mission.
The end of the world was looming before Araluen and Will had taken his place as a sacrifice.
He had vanished into thin air, too good for this cruel world.
The stories varied with fief and village but one thing remind constant. Will had vanished from the radar. No one would hear anymore about new missions he is sent to. No one would hear anymore about his cunnings and heroics.
Will, formerly a celebrity to the nobles and the residents of Redmont fief and a hero to outlying fiefs, had become merely something like a legend of Araluan folktales
Tell me what you think. This will be a multi-chapter fic but it most probably won't be novel length.
Hope you enjoyed the first chapter. :)