A/N: Hey all :)

So... Ranger's Apprentice as been my favourite series for a long time now ... and eight years later I am still head over heels for Gilan. So I thought I'd give fanfiction a shot ... and voila :)

Depending on how successful this is I may keep going.

Please read and review, I'd really appreciate it.

And of course, the Ranger's Apprentice series belongs wholly to the wonderful John Flanagan; only Kathryn is mine. Thanks.

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"Admit it. This year I've succeeded in ambushing you, and you know how many years I've been trying." Gilan leant casually on his bow, a smirk hiding at the corner of his mouth as he observed his former teacher. Yet the man's apparent nonchalance sprouted a seed of unease in the his mind.

"Oh, you did, did you?"
Gilan hesitated, of course Halt had been known to bluff his way through situations,
"Beats me why you keep trying actually."
Gilan scoffed: "As your former apprentice it is my duty to catch you with your trousers down."

The grizzled Ranger looked unimpressed, and raised his eyebrow in a way that was horribly familiar to his old student. "Ah yes.. apprentices … they're a funny thing aren't they?"

Gilan furrowed his brows, shifting from foot to foot. The stress on the word rang bells and his eyes widened suddenly at his mistake. An apprentice, Halt was bringing his new apprentice this year and Gilan had completely forgotten about it, he began turning in order to look for the boy when an arrow suddenly thudded into a tree but a foot away.

Gilan started, but even in his shock, turned sharply in the arrow's direction and his keen eyes quickly sought out a small mottled figure hidden amongst the leaves. He grinned ruefully whilst Halt chastened him, "Always rushing into things aren't you? Even as a boy."
The tall man looked even more crestfallen as the apprentice dropped from the tree. Young, short and no older than fifteen, the boy nodded to Halt who called out to him. "Will, come and meet Gilan, one of the more careless Rangers."

Giving a resigned sigh, Gilan nodded at the apprentice, "Well done Will, nice shot by the way."
The boy grinned, "Thanks, but the way you moved? It was amazing."

Gilan laughed, "Not really, I bet you saw me coming from a long way off." Will shook his head, "No I didn't. I could see where'd you been but not where you were. It was brilliant, could you teach me to move like that?"
Gilan smiled, "Polite aren't you?"

Halt studied the two boys; "Gil's one of the best unseen movers in the corps, you'd do well if he agreed to tutor you."

The elder nodded before pressing his fingers to his lips in a shrill whistle. A few seconds later a brown mare trotted around the bend and nuzzled up to Gilan who climbed onto her back easily, the others mounted too, and the three of them continued on with their journey, chatting happily.

They were on the topic of Gilan's sword when Will noticed his teacher busy studying the sides of the forest again, and occasionally glancing behind them. "Uhh… Halt?" The bearded Ranger regarded him quizzically, "Yes?"

"What are you doing?"

"Looking."

"Looking for what?"

"Ask Gilan." Will swung his attention the tall man beside him, but he just shrugged. Halt gave a sigh, and spoke to his former pupil as if it was obvious. "Where's Kathryn? Is she going to jump out at us any minute?"The easy grin slipped from Gilan's face and he swallowed before answering. "No, she's on a mission."
Halt's eyebrow quirked up, the only movement to hint at the shock he felt on the inside. "Must be important."
Gilan nodded and gave a valiant attempt at a smile but his teacher could see the concern written in his eyes. Will shifted uneasily in his saddle… "Uhh.. sorry but who's Kathryn? And why is it unusual that she's on a mission?"

The two older men turned to look at him and the boy again shifted under their scrutiny. It was Gilan who broke the silence, as they continued their slow amble towards the gathering ground. "Kathryn, or Kath, is a Ranger. The first and only female in the corps."

Will nodded appreciatively as Gilan continued. "She is also my best friend. Together we patrol Meric fief." He stopped at the frown on the boys face.

"Together? But I thought -"

"Always a dangerous pastime!"
Will scowled at the chorus. "I was told that there was one riot, one Ranger. One fief, one Ranger." He glanced apologetically at Gilan, but the man only smiled.
"Well.. that's true. But we're…. an exception."

Will looked to his teacher for an explanation which Halt was only quick to provide. "There are several reasons for this. Firstly Meric fief is a larger fief, rather like Redmont and it does help to have some extra hands. Secondly Kath is a female. And whether she likes it or not, which she doesn't, she simply isn't as strong as any man. She can't even draw a full 80 pound bow so we had to invent one specially for her to use. Being a girl she's lighter on her feet and excels at silent and hidden movement amongst many things, however she just can't match some of her opponents in physical skills. It was these two points, and a few others, which invited Crowley to suggest a pair." Will nodded. "So why you Gilan? Cause you were the youngest?"

The young Ranger smiled, "Well yes. But more so, because we were both apprentices together."
Will's jaw dropped slightly, "Seriously?"

"Seriously."

Will turned accusingly at his mentor. "You never mentioned you had two apprentices." Halt shrugged, "We don't like to make a big deal about it because technically I wasn't supposed to. I was already several months into Gil's training, and a Ranger's only supposed to have one apprentice. But then, I … came across Kath." If Will detected the slight pause, he didn't mention it. "I decided rules were only guidelines after all and took her on board too. Crowley wasn't too happy with that, but then we found a loophole in paperwork. Basically it meant that because Kath was a girl, she wasn't considered an apprentice which meant I technically didn't have two. Now here she is, and one of the best Rangers I've seen," He added.

Will digested this, "Okay. That makes sense I guess. But is that why it's weird that she's on a mission because you do everything together?"
Gilan nodded glumly. "We're a team. But, a while ago I woke to find her gone with only a note on the table. Apparently she'd received an urgent from Crowley, but had to go alone. That was two weeks yesterday."

Halt noticed the dejected tone in the handsome man's voice and turned an unblinking gaze upon him. "She'll be alright. She always is."

Something was wrong. Even from the crest above the camp, the three could sense the frantic energy. They watched as man detached himself from the main pavilion, jumped on an already saddled horse, spun around and galloped away in a cloud of hoofbeats just as another man arrived from the opposite direction. Halt directed the two younger men to look for a suitable campsite, before walking towards the command tent himself. Now Gilan and Will sat waiting on a fallen log for his approach. As a senior Ranger, Halt was granted access to the tent, but they had to content themselves with preparing a small supper. Another Ranger by the name of Merron had just joined them when Halt reappeared. "War's coming." He said, in answer to their questioning glances. "We have orders to mobilize the army. Morgarath's on the move."

Gilan and Will shivered, whilst Merron took a step back. The warlord was a name no one wanted to hear. "Has this something to do with the platoon of Wargals released?" Gilan asked. The small skirmish had broken out a few months ago, causing minor damage but widespread alert. Halt considered him thoughtfully. "Not entirely. Small breakaways have been known to happen, but Crowley reckons that this was intended as a diversion. He, and I both think that whilst the garrison of soldiers chased after the Wargals, something else slipped out of the mountains. Something much more dangerous -"

"Kalkara."

So there you have it.

Hope you like it so far!

Now, for those of you out there wondering about Gilan's age I've come up with a little timeline of the series since John Flanagan only gives us short glimpses into his life. His age is in bold, Kath's is in italics. :)

Become Apprentices: 14 13

Ruins of Gorlan: 20 19

Burning Bridge: 20 19

Oakleaf Bearers:21 20

Erak's Ransom:24 23

Sorcerer in the North/ Siege of Macindaw: 25 24

Kings of Clonmel/ Halt's Peril: 26 25

Emperor or Nihon-Ja: 28 27

Slaves of Soccoro/ Scorpion Mountain:29 28

Gilan becoming Chief Ranger: 41 40

The Royal Ranger: 44 43