Enjoy the Diary that Will would have kept during his trip to Arrida. If you have not read Erak's Ransom, then don't read as this diary does contain spoilers.
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Diary: The Ranger's Apprentice: Erak's Ransom Will's POV
Day 1: Today, we set off for Erak. I'm not really surprised he got himself captured from raiding. Skandians will do anything for riches, which kind of does include getting captured… The trip was uneventful, but it felt good to be back on a wolfship. It also felt good to be spending time with Evanlyn and Horace again. We should arrive in Al Shabah, the town that Erak was captured in, soon. Also, something funny happened today. Halt is one of the most capable people I know, but he is also seasick. Svengal made fun of him, which I can't really blame since Halt, Gilan, and I made fun of Svengal when he fell off the horse he was riding. I realized that this adventure would be a great opportunity to get ready for my final assessment that's coming up soon. I'm nervous, but Gilan told me being nervous was normal so hopefully I'll do alright. Time to go; Horace is tired, and wants me to blow out the candles.
Day 4: I forgot to write for the past three days, mainly because mostly we just sat and talked with one another. We arrived in Al Shabah today. We put up Araluen's flag and thankfully the Arridi didn't kill us. Evanlyn was amazing at this noble lady thing. She really does look and sound like a princess. I really hope that we can get this ransom negotiating done and get Erak back. I don't want to wait here for long, the people here are different. The captain, Selethen, made us wait, because their ruler, the Wakir, was not available. I really doubt that though. They provided us with a good dinner. It's time to sleep, tomorrow we will begin bargaining.
Day 5: Today Evanlyn finally got to meet the Wakir. Unfortunately, they couldn't trust us enough to have the real Wakir deal with us. They sent in some fake, fat guy, but Evanlyn saw right through him. The real Wakir was Selethen, the captain we had met on the first day we came to Al Shabah. We negotiated and agreed on sixty-six thousand four hundred and eight reels of silver. It's a lot of money, but since Erak is Oberjarl, he should have enough money to pay. Unfortunately, they took Erak away and now we have to go on a perilous journey through the desert to fetch him. Tomorrow, we're setting out at dawn, so I've got to sleep now.
Day 6: I can't tell you how distraught I am. Today, there was a sandstorm. Tug ran away in the middle of it. I am now leaving the others to search for him. I have water, a horse named Arrow, and a map. I hope Tug didn't go too far or die of thirst. This is going to be an uncomfortable night. I keep thinking of Evanlyn, Horace, Gilan, and all the others. I can't sleep for fear of the Tualaghi raiders who kill mercilessly for riches. It's going to be a long night.
Day 25: I've come back from the dead. I nearly died of thirst, but the kind man Aseikh Umar saved me. I thank god he managed to find me before I died of thirst. However, there is one cloud on the horizon. Tug is now owned by a man named Hassan ib'n Talouk. Apparently, he found it, so now Tug has to be his horse. He can't ride him, so he's going to use him as a pack pony! That was the final straw, so I'm racing Hassan tomorrow. If I win, I get Tug. If I lose, Tug will be lost forever. I should get some sleep, I need my strength tomorrow.
Day 26: I won! I beat Hassan by thirty meters. We were losing almost the entire race, but Tug performed at a level I have never seen him do before. He planned everything, faking out the other horse. Then, at the end, he accelerated to an amazing speed to take the win. It was close though, think, THIRTY meters. It was a fair race, and Hassan doesn't seem to be angry. He has good sportsmanship. Now, since I have Tug back, I can actually like him a little. However, today one of their scouts called Jamir found out that my friends were captured by the Tualaghi. I hope I can save them in time. I'll never forgive myself if I let Halt or Evanlyn or any of the others die. However, the Bedullin, as these desert people are called, are organizing an army. There is hope yet. We're leaving tomorrow, and I need to rest now.
Day 30: We have been tracking the Tualaghi for many days now. The Aseikh thinks that their headed towards this city. We plan to head there faster. We also found some of Selethen's men. Apparently, they were dying of thirst, but we saved them and now they are going to help us. We should reach the town soon. Then, we would infiltrate it. Hopefully, when we get there, I'll find that my friends haven't been executed yet. I need to sleep, although I doubt I could, because I'm worrying about my friends, and especially Evanlyn. I can't let her die.
Day 31 (midday): I'm at the site. I can see where my friends are being kept. I wanted to fight my way in, but the Aseikh talked me out of it. Instead, the lieutenant of the Wakir, Aloom, is going to infiltrate the enemy with me. We visited this inn, and there was a fat man there named Saoud. I don't trust the look of him. He looks and feels like he's going to betray us somehow. I'm writing this now, because I'm not sure if I can survive this. I have to try, for my friends. It's time, if I ever write in this diary again, then I will have to be very lucky.
Day 32: We saved them! The Bedullin, Arridi, and I worked together and stopped the execution just in time. Halt was actually two seconds away from getting executed. I shot the executioner from 120 meters away and managed to kill him just in time. This would have never have happened, however, if Aloom hadn't sacrificed himself. He held off three Tualaghi warriors to give me a chance to kill the executioner. He died, sadly, from loss of blood. I couldn't save him, and neither could the surgeon. We captured the Tualaghi leader, Yusal, who got hit in the head by a nice shot from Evanlyn with a sling. We plan to head back tomorrow. Halt needs sleep, so I'm going to blow out the lamp now.
Day 34: Today, we arrived at the Bedullin oasis. There was a feast prepared. The food included roast, spiced lamb, roasted fowl, fruit, delicious flat bread, etc. Horace would think he died and went to heaven. I talked to Aseikh Umar and his wife Ceilema. I noticed Evanlyn was staring at me wistfully, and I guess I'll admit that it gave me a nice feeling; one can never have enough admirers. It's almost time for my final assessment as a Ranger, and it's making me scared and nervous all over again. Tomorrow, we're setting off for Al Shabah early, so I need my rest.
Day 36: We arrived in Al Shabah today. Selethen negotiated with Evanlyn about Erak's ransom. Evanlyn said that she would pay Selethen twenty thousand reels of silver. She would also pay the Bedullin twenty thousand. We handed over the prisoners, because we didn't need them. It's time for us to return to Araluen, so we are going to leave soon. I've got to go; Gilan's calling me from the other room. He says it has something to do with paint on his bed. I swear it wasn't me.
Day 39: We arrived in Araluen today. There was the greeting, the banquet, all the formal stuff that happens at the end of an expedition. The journey was a success, we were all acknowledged for it. Halt and I bid our friends goodbye, sadly, and left for Castle Redmont. There, I should be taking my final assessment. I'm scared, but determined to do it.
Day 130: I haven't written in this diary for the past three months due to the fact that I have been training hard. Halt has kept me practicing until I feel like I can't hold my eyes open a second longer. Tomorrow is the day when I will become a graduate Ranger. I can't wait, but I'm also a bit nervous since I have no idea what to expect. I hope Crowley and Halt make things easy for me although I doubt it since they never make things easy for me. I should get a good night's sleep to prepare myself tomorrow.
Day 131: I was so impatient today. Crowley was late, and I got more nervous by the second. I kept on checking my clothes to make sure that I didn't have a speck of dust on my shirt. This would never have happened on a normal day as a Ranger. Halt seemed so at ease, but I was more nervous than a cat. When Crowley finally arrived, he did not do everything the way I expected. Later, I found out it was all a practical joke. All my friends were waiting outside to congratulate me, while Crowley mumbled and bumbled and threw bits of paper around inside. I received my Silver Oakleaf from Alyss and Evanlyn. Halt said only the luckiest or the best got that. Well, as I said before one can never have enough admirers. The party lasted all night and into the next day. I need to sleep now, I feel like I'm about to drop dead from fatigue.
To be continued…