Disclaimer: I done't own Ranger's Apprentice :(

Thanks to the awesome WritersBlock-is-Lazyness for his/her help with cleaning my story up!

Prologue

She woke up to somebody walking around her. She slowly opened her eyes expecting to see a bandit. Instead, she saw the back of a mottled gray and green cloak facing her. She groaned as her leg was moved. The figure in front of her turned around.

"Oh good your awake, I need to set your arm and leg." She quickly place d the voice as being male. Seeing the worry in her eyes, he added, "Don't worry- I'm a Ranger. I know what I'm doing."

"Where am I?" the girl asked.

"You don't remember?" The Ranger looked curious, if a bit confused. "You're in Redmond."

"Where is Redmount?"

"In Araulen" he said as he grabbed two fairly good-sized branches and gingerly cut off her boot. "I need to pull your leg back in place, so I need you to grab on something to keep yourself from sliding."

She nodded and held onto the nearest sapling with her uninjured arm.

"Are you ready?"

She nodded as he slowly and carefully positioned his hands around you leg to get a better grip.

"I'm going to do it on three," the Ranger informed her. She nodded her acknowledgment as he counted to said number. She screamed as he pushed the bone back into place, and once more as he pushed her arm back into place."

Then she blacked out.

A cold nose pressed up against her foot, instantly waking her up. She tried to sit up, bt was gently pushed back down.

"Careful," said a clean-shaven, smiling man.

" Who are you?" the girl asked

"Will Treaty. I figured this wolf here was your wolf-dog or something- he kept following me and after shooting a few arrows near him I figured he was your dog. He just wouldn't leave!" Will said with a laugh.

"His name is Alyward," the girl said, snapping her fingers. Will watched with interest as Alyward slowly got up and padded over to her hand. "By the way, I'm Aella."

I see."

"Good boy," she said quietly as he pressed his cold, wet nose up against her hand. She slowly drifted off to sleep.

Aella felt someone lift her up off of the bed, and was greeted by an unfamiliar face.

"Put me down!" she screamed while struggling.

"Hold still!"

"Alyward!" She heard a bark then a growl as he entered the room.

"Wait, I'm Will's friend!"

"Hold, Alyward," She ordered, and the wolf-dog hesitantly sat down.

"He asked me to move you into a different room," the man said just as Will burst through the door way.

"What's going on in here?"

"This man just startled me is all," she said as her eyes scanned the room. She saw that Will had a large knife- almost a short sword- drawn. Aella looked at the man carrying her.

"What's your name?"

"Horace Altman. And your's is?" He let the question hang in the air as he set her down on the bed

"Aella."

"How old are you?" he asked

"Sixteen."

" Where are you from?"

"And where," Will interrupted, "are your parents?"

"I'm from Hibernia and both of them died in a fire. I lived with an old man until five years ago,"

"What was his name?" Will persisted.

"I don't know, he always said names weren't important. However he was dressed like you." She was talking so quietly that even the attentive ranger ears couldn't make out her words.

Then she fell asleep.