It was dark and she knew she shouldn't be out here but the stars were so beautiful. They always were, she dreamed and dreamed that one day she could live the life of a traveller. Never stopping, moving on and seeing the world. But it was not her place. She had been told so many times; as capable as she was it didn't matter. She was a woman and therefore her goal in life was to be married. It just wasn't fair.

She had heard about Alyss, the ranger Will Treaty's wife. She was capable, she was a courier. That was something that a woman could be without being looked down upon, but that was not for Jade. Forever the independent inquisitive type she never much enjoyed the calm approach the couriers practiced. She loved her weapons to much.

Maybe, she'd thought, she could be a ranger; the first female to be respected and held to prestige; the first female to be truly heard throughout the country – besides the Queen of course – it was a fantasy, a dream but she dreamed with all her might. She practiced with a bow, a beautiful longbow, which had been given to her as a gift.

Once, the Ranger Crowley had been traveling and he stopped at their farm house. He was kind, rather rough around the edges but he inspired her. His horse had been injured and he needed a place to stay. Jade had been intrigued with his appearance. He treated his horse with such care and although her father had scoffed at the scrawny beast, Jade had seen a certain finesse and elegance about the way it moved. She fell in love with the ranger horse.

Crowley had been shooting once while she was out getting water. She stopped to admire his technique and the consistent, thwack of the arrow hitting the target. He saw her looking.

"Do you know how to shoot?" She had jumped startled.

"Me? Oh no, mother says it's not for a lady." she tried not to scoff but failed miserably.

"Allow me to teach you. It's the least I can do." Jade nodded eagerly and waited for instruction. Although she was bursting to try straight away she knew that it was best to be patient. Some of her mother's lessons were worth it after all.

He waited to; she could feel his eyes piercing through her, as if he could read everything about her. It was as if he was testing her, waiting to see what she would do first.

The piercing gaze was almost too much but she resisted. After a moment she was rewarded as he picked up the bow and began to teach her how to use it.

"Have you ever used a bow before?" he asked. Jade hesitated, her mother had no idea that her father had taught her to hunt. She used a smaller bow, a cross bow; one that was used by the Genovese; the cruel herb masters she had read so many stories about. Crowley could see the hesitation in her eyes and sensed a wariness to trust him.

"Yes, I have used a cross bow." Jade finally answered. He nodded, cross bows were very different, and they required little to no training and little skill. They were very easy to use.

"They are quite different Jade, so I will have to teach you from scratch." But will it work? He thought to himself. Although he had the utmost respect for women and knew that some could be independent and were able to defend themselves well, he had never known one to shoot a bow such as the big long bow. Yet he sensed a determination in Jade he had not experienced since Will Treaty.

Jade nodded, acknowledging this but she knew that she could do it. She would prove her mother wrong.

Days and days she was taught, learning to shoot at target after target. If she got one right it didn't matter. Practice and more practice; she learnt a saying, one she had never heard before.

An archer practices until he gets it right, a ranger practices until he never gets it wrong. In this case the ranger changed it to a she.

As she got better with the bow, Crowley began to teach her more skills. She spent days learning to track – something she did quite well, being a hunter – and learning to move silently.

Jade, he noticed was the perfect size to be a ranger. Small, fast and lithe, she had the physical capabilities to become exceptional. She was a fast learner, picking up the silent movement quicker than even Gilan did. Her climbing rivalled that of Will's.

3 months had gone by and his horse was almost healed. Jade had excelled faster than he thought she could. She could track as well as he, Crowley now found it hard to find her as she stalked him; her black hair and fair complexion blending with the shadows. Crowley hardly ever heard her coming, something that reminded him of Halt's skill as he looked for her.

But it was her bow work and tactical skill that impressed him the most.

She rarely missed and when she did, she took it in her stride practicing more and more. The thwack of her bow was consistent. Jade had studied up on past wars, she had memorised the geographical landscape and under his instruction could draw maps from memory.

Jade had noticed as she trained how the muscles in her back had strengthened, she held the long bow with practiced ease now; she was fitter; running faster and further than she ever had before. But Crowley would leave soon and she would have to go back to the life she had always known. But how could she? This had changed her, her ambitions were stronger, and she knew that all she wanted was to become a ranger.

Crowley left the next day. Waving in farewell and thanking her for tending to his horse; she thanked him for the training. She didn't know it but Crowley intended to come back and make her the first female ranger apprentice.

Now, Jade looked up at the sky, it had been two months since the ranger left. She missed him, his advice; he understood her need to use weapons unlike her mother, who couldn't understand why she went outside at all.

Jade kept training, she didn't want to lose her touch, she didn't want to become rusty, and she didn't want to slack. One day she would get her chance. When she had enough money saved up to travel to either Redmont or Castle Araluen. But Jade didn't think her time would come so soon.

For now, she was stuck only with her dreams of grandeur and battles. She was stuck with only the tiny possibility that she may one day amount to something other than a wife. One day, Jade could be great, heroic and revered. Maybe that was a bad reason to be motivated by, it didn't matter. The thought of fighting for her country, upholding the rule of law or travelling the lands lit a fire of determination deep inside Jade. Making her feel more capable then she ever thought she could be.

She just might get her chance.