Run Away
*Okay, well I'm not certain whether or not I put this here, but this is an author's note. Um, this is my first fanfic. I thought of this a while ago, but never got a chance to really write it down. As far as a summary goes, this is about a girl who runs away from her family to live the life as a King's Ranger. On her escape, she meets Halt and Will, and they take her under their wing, as she trains beside Will. There's different pairings here, and sorry if you're all mad at me for changing this up! Will/OOC, Alyss/Horace, Gilan/Jenny, Halt/Pauline, Cassandra/OOC. Oh, and it's told from a first point of view just so you know. So, yeah! Enjoy!*
**Disclaimer: I do not own The Ranger's Apprentice Series or anything inside it. All I own are my own ideas, and the characters that I made up on my own.
Cowering I tried to protect myself with my arms, knowing it was a vague attempt to keep myself from being hurt. The fist struck hard against me and I felt myself hitting the countertop with a thunk. Tears flowed out of my eyes, as I tried hard to keep them reined in. Shakily I stood, "I… I'm… s…orry! I… I… wo…n't do… it again!" I croaked out, before feeling another blow, this time to the side of my head.
"You bet you won't! I don't want to see your God damn face again, you dirty mutt! You know nothing, and can do nothing! You're a worthless lump (thanks Aubii for that word!), that's just junk in this house!" my father screamed at me. The fresh aroma of alcohol drifted over to me, as more tears streamed down my face. I didn't know what to respond to that, instead I hid my head in my hands, cowering into a corner, hoping that the tirade was over.
Stuttering and crying, I looked up through heavy eyelids, glad to hear the slamming over his bedroom door shut. Unsteadily I stood, but soon got pushed over by the young kids that trampled me. 'That's it!' I thought angrily. 'I won't stand for this longer, I need to get the heck out of this place, immediately.' Shakily I stood again, gently pushing the swarm of children away from me. Heading up to my bedroom, or otherwise known as a closet, I packed a small satchel of long clothing and pulled on the only shoes, that decently fit me. I stayed in there, listening to the sounds around me as I locked the door, and kept the light off. They wouldn't bother me. The children would be running like hooligans by now, scouting for miscellaneous food, while my father went through the next stage of his hangover.
Gathering by the quietness in the house, I figured it was around midnight. Slowly, making sure not to make loud noises, I crept out of my closet. Yes, it definitely was dark enough outside. Tiptoeing to the front door, I slunk out into the hot night. It was middle of summer and was quite warm, in Araluen.
As much as I wanted to stay out in the main city I knew it was better to move out. I remembered from a map that I read over quickly, that a place named Castle Redmont, was only about a day's ride. Looking down, I saw the stolen money, that I took from my father and sighed a breath of relief. I could get enough money for a horse to take me out to this castle. It was vaguely enough, but it'd be enough.
Walking through the streets I huddled into my torn and raggedy cloak. Even though it might have been warm, there was a cold breeze that blew straight through my tattered clothing. Shaking my head I briskly trotted over to the nearest stables. Thankfully there was a stable hand that was still awake and working.
"Hullo, 'm. May I b' of yo'r assist'nce?" the stable hand asked, politely.
"Yes, please. How much for your cheapest horse here?" I whispered, not wanting to awake anyone.
"Two silver coins m'ss, and four copper pieces, please," he responded without hesitation. "'N she's yo'rs fo' the takin'."
I nodded, sure it was the most expensive thing I've ever paid for, but worth it completely. Counting out the money I thought of tack, and frowned. "What about tack? Should I worry about that?" The stable hand shrugged, "I guess fo' a pre'ty young laddie like yo'rself, I could thro' it in fo' free. The master would ne'er know it went a missing!"
Smiling gratefully at the old man, I counted out another silver piece, and two more copper coins. "Here, keep this for the tack, and for not telling anybody I was here," I said cautiously, watching his eyes widen.
Nodding his head quickly he smiled toothily, "I won't tell a person, 'm thank yo'! Yo'r a nice 'un! I ap'reciate it!"
I nodded myself, as he helped show me how to tack up and mount. He gave me a run over on the basics of how to ride and then led me on my way.
"Thank you for everything," I said politely.
"Anytime 'm. I hope'll see yo' 'round again!"
I smiled gently, and mounted the horse, unsteadily. It hurt the bruises and wounds, especially the fresh ones, but I ignored it. Quickly I touched my heels to the sides of the horse, Serenity was her name, as I picked up a quick lope in the direction of the castle. 'I wish I could've found out his name, I thought sullenly, but I didn't have time to think on it as I loped through the unfamiliar countryside in the middle of the night.
