(A/N: Sophia will always be my OC I use for every fan fiction story.)
I do not own Ranger's Apprentice.
Do not sue me, please, John Flanagan!
Sophia knew she was in trouble even before the ranger had come. She had been trailing an assassin who had been murdering barons and nobles around the world. The chase had led her to the Arluen forests that surrounded Redmount fief. But, alas the killer had led her astray and she was lost in the woods.
She cursed as she kicked a stone off the path and watched it spin off into the brush. Every tree looked the same, she thought ruefully, and even the rocks could have been copies of each other. She had never gotten lost before, all the missions she had ever been on had always been successful. She wasn't famous just for her good looks.
She gave up trying to find her way out of the forest and sat down on a boulder that was a little ways off the path. The day was nice at least, she thought as she looked at the terrain around her. Flowers dotted the grass and clustered under the tall oaks that dominated the area. The sun shone with a faint, but warm glow and rain had just blessed the land, water dripping off of the leaves of trees, bushes, and flower pedals.
She breathed in its earthy smell and leaned back against her rock, she had missed her home land. It had been four years since the last winter she had spent in this country, when the first snow of December had fallen heavily on the land. It had been the day that…
She pushed her thoughts away; she didn't want to think about it, not now at least.
Suddenly, she heard voices off to the side, "Rabbits?"
"Are you asking me or telling me?" A gruff voice asked the younger one.
"Rabbits." The young voice said firmly and Sophia heard the clopping of horse hooves against the trail. She stood up quickly and silently melted into the shadows, pulling the cowl of her cloak over her head.
She watched as a man and a boy emerged from around the trail corner, both wearing identical outfits. The man was bent over his horse, staring at the ground as he pointed something out to the boy. "See here, Will, it is a deeper impression on the right foot of that one, what does that tell us?"
The boy, Will, looked at what his friend was staring at, "It was injured?"
"Don't answer a question with a question." The man said as he sighed and looked to the heavens.
"It was injured." Will repeated, looking at the man.
The man wasn't listening, though as his horse's ears perked forward and the beast's eyes turned to where Sophia hid in the brush. Its master looked where his horse was, but saw nothing. His eyes narrowed and faster then Sophia could curse, he let out three arrows to where she stood.
They embedded themselves into the trunk of a tree three centimeters away from her head. Her eyes went wide and she felt a tiny bit of blood trail down from her forehead where the arrow had grazed. But, though she wanted to sneak away, she stood still.
The man muttered under his breath and walked to retrieve his arrows. Sophia knew she had to do something, less be interrogated by a man and his apprentice. She slowly picked up a stone without the ranger seeing her and threw it off to her right.
The man turned quickly to the sound and shouted, "King's Ranger, come out with your hands in the air."
When no one came out, he stomped to the place the stone had landed. Sophia took the opportunity and without making a sound, walked deeper into the forest where she knew no one would find her.
Halt stooped to pick up a stone, it was ordinary enough but what had caught his eye was a single drop of blood on its rough surface. Someone had been here, and now was hurt.
He looked at the forest, then pocketed the stone and turned back to Will. "Go home, Will, tell Arald that I've gone to track a suspicious person and will be back as soon as I can."