Author's notes: My first Guild Wars fanfiction. I am so proud, Let me know what you think about it ;)

Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own Guild Wars

Prologue

Once, Ascalon was a beautiful, fertile land of rolling green countryside and magnificent cities. Her people were viewed as grim by their neighbors. This was perhaps, to be expected, given their never-ending war against the aggressive Charr. Indeed, it was their unfailing vigilance, their Great Northern Wall, and the blood they shed each year to defend it that had protected not only Ascalon, but also Kryta and Orr through the ages.

Then came the invasion, and with it, the Searing.

Anyone alive today will remember the day the lands of Ascalon were blasted and torn with magic fire. Whole cities and guilds were destroyed in the Searing, and the might of Ascalon was shattered. Now the Great Northern Wall lies broken, and the Charr have overrun much of the kingdom, defiling it with their unholy shrines, killing those who stand in their way.

The rangers of Ascalon once lived in Regent Valley, before the Searing it was a lush forest area. It was there where King Doric was crowned at King's Watch, and was a place of both great beauty and great importance to Ascalonians. It was there where my father and his best friend, Master Ranger Nente trained me and the other rangers. It was there where I tamed my first pet. It was there where I became one of the greatest rangers, Ascalon had seen in a long time. It was there where I lived, until the day of the invasion. My name is Rowenna Trueshot, daughter of Ivor Trueshot and this is my story.

OOO

When I was seven my father started to train me "The early bird catches the worms" he always said. I can still remember the day that we left the village, the first day of my training. It was the day after my seventh birthday, he had asked me if I wanted to become a ranger like him and Nente. I said yes, I have never regretted it.

We left early that day, the only things we brought with us were my father's bow, quiver and arrows, food for a day, a few hunting knifes and the clothes we were wearing. My father gave our house away to the needy. When I asked why he told me we didn't need it anymore. Most children would be afraid if they have to leave everything behind in just one morning, but I was not and still not am like most children. I don't remember much about my time in the village, only that I had felt terrible locked up in the time I was there. I think that is because of my father's blood.

We traveled the whole day through the forest. I had never been outside the village before, and I can't remember a time when I was more happy than back then. I was finally free, and I knew my father felt the same way. He had been locked up in the village too in order to take care of me. My mother had took off two years after my birth, I can't remember her but my father often tells me that I look a lot like her.

When the sun was setting we arrived at a large meadow. A large fig tree grew in the middle of the cleared ground surrounded by eleven other, smaller fig trees. Each tree had one or two tree houses in it, the houses were connected to each other by suspension bridges and ropes.

"The biggest tree contains the house of Master Ranger Nente" Father had told me. On the ground there were a over a dozen wooden huts, when he saw me looking at them he explained "That's where the apprentices live. Every ranger and every apprentice gets his or hers own house."

"Do I have to live on my own?" I had asked.

"No sweetie, not yet." Father had smiled while he picked me up "We are going to live up there." I can still remember him pointing towards the second-biggest house, high in the second-biggest tree.

The first couple of years in the ranger camp I couldn't carry a bow yet. So Nente trained me as a beastmaster while Will of the Fens trained me in wilderness survival, he was technically still an apprentice and only a few years older than me but already an expert in this area. Apart from that I was mostly trained in tracking and how to move around without disturbing the animals and nature around me.

When I turned ten I became a full apprentice. I moved to one of the huts in the neighborhood of my father's tree house. He began to train me, together with the other apprentices, in archery. Surprisingly I appeared to have a natural talent of it. Much to the despise of my fellow apprentices who were already training years with my father and still didn't managed to shoot as good as I did with my first few attempts.

I was also the youngest apprentice at that time. Most started their training when they turned twelve, others when they turned fifteen and some where even older than that, but those chose ranger as their second profession and were not allowed to enter or go search for the ranger camp. The camp was for rangers, and rangers only. Even the king did not know the exact location.

I have trained for many years, until the day that I'm finally old enough to end my apprenticeship. Today it's my seventeenth birthday, I've already become an expert in all areas of my rangership many years ago. Some say that once I become a true ranger I would be one of the best since Nente himself, before he became a master, even though I'm not even half his age.

OOO

I was just making new arrows when I heard someone entering my hut. Even without looking up from my work I knew it was father. "Master Ivor" I said when I quickly stood up, he had thought me to never call him father while we were in camp. "What brings you here?"

He smiled "Can't a father congratulate his daughter on her birthday?" He asked while spreading his arms. Without hesitation I gave him a hug. "Thanks dad" I mumbled. Moments like this were the only times he could actually show the love for his daughter. Normally it was always Master Ivor Trueshot and Apprentice Rowenna. Some people in camp didn't even knew he was my father.

"I brought you a gift." He said while taking a few steps back, in order to hand me a large package wrapped in some sort of light leather.

I shook my head disapprovingly "I thought you'd said no gifts?" I teased while taking the gift from him, it was kind of heavy.

He raised an eyebrow at me "You don't want it? Then give it back."

"No" I answered while sticking out my tongue, he laughed. I shoved the half-finished arrows from the small table in the center of the hut and placed the package on it.

Ivor shook his head "It's armor not a table flower." I saw a teasing smile playing on his lips "Armor means that you have to wear it. Now change, quickly, it's a big day."

"How so?" I asked but when he refused to say anything, I decided to do what he'd said and change. When I disappeared behind the door to the small bedroom I quickly unwrapped the package.

I quickly took off the armor I was currently wearing in order to be able to put on the armor father had gave me. It consisted a green legging, knee-high leather boots, a green top with leather straps on the right side which were attached to a leather shoulder pad, Fortunately there is only one shoulder pad. I thought. Another one would give me a great discomfort if I wanted to keep holding my bow in my left hand. I also found a new quiver, some new arrows and a belt with two dagger sheaths, one for each hip. The last thing that I found inside the package was a thick green leather glove for my left arm, with cut off fingers. The glove reached till my upper arm and was kept in place by an piece of brown leather. On my right wrist I placed the leather bracelets I always wore and on my right upper arm I placed the rest of the leather bracelets.

When I looked in the mirror I was pretty happy with the results. The armor was tight-fitting so it wouldn't bother me while hunting, the forest green color of the armor was exact the same color everywhere just like the brown of the leather. It was almost like the armor was made especially for me. On second thoughts, it was probably made especially for me. I´ve never seen another ranger in this armor and it fits perfectly. When I noticed the low cut in the top I decided to wear my mother´s golden necklace. It was the only thing that I still had from her and I was glad when my father gave it to me a few summers ago.

Finally completely content with the results I grabbed my bow and went back to the living room where Ivor was still waiting for me. When he heard me entering the room again he turned around. "And?" I asked. "How do I look?"

"Well, better late than never." He said with a sigh, but he couldn't hide his smile.

Even though I looked a lot like my mother (except that I have the same forest green eyes and ruby red hair as Ivor) I acted more like my father. "Someone once told me: Patience is a virtue." I said while mirroring his smile and the tone of his voice.

"That sounds like a wise person to me." Ivor noted with a smile before he turned serious. "Master Ranger Nente wants to see you. You can find him in the neighborhood of Melandru's shrine."

I nodded and walked towards the door, before I left I felt a hand on my shoulder "Good luck, Rowenna." I smiled to my father one last time before I exited my hut and went to the shrine.

"Rowenna wait up!" I looked over my shoulder. From the direction of the camp I saw Will and his moss spider running towards me. "Ranger Will," I greeted "What's wrong?"

"Haven't I told you that you do not have to call me by my title?" He smiled at me, Will had become a full ranger two summers ago, when he had turned eighteen.

"Oh, right I am sorry. What's wrong, Will?"

"Ivor told me you were on your way to see my father." I tilted my head at him "So..?"

"He told me to accompany you. There is a lot of charr activity in the forest lately, because of this apprentices and even rangers are not allowed to travel alone."

"So you've come to babysit me?" I asked with a amused voice.

Will let out a sigh "It was babysitting or risking an arrow through my head from your father... I think I made the right choice." He added with a smile.

"Well let's go then! I want to see what Nante wants from me."

"Yes ma'am." Will answered, still smiling.

We arrived at Master Ranger Nente's group without much trouble. He saw his son and me arriving he smiled and waved us over. When I asked him why he had summoned me he answered, "One of the great joys in a Ranger's life is earning the trust of an animal companion. If you are able to charm an animal you would become a true Ranger. However, it would not be fitting, so close to a shrine of Melandru, to charm just any creature. Along the path here you will find the shrine. Nearby you may find one of the rare cats known by the name Melandru's Stalker. If you can charm one of these animals, you will truly have Melandru's blessing."

I smiled. This I wasn't expecting. When Will had become a true Ranger at the age of eighteen he was already one of the youngest rangers in history, I was even a year younger than he was back then, "I am willing." I said.

"Good, you have to do this test on your own. Will, you have to stay here and accompany her back to the camp when she has managed to tame her first pet." Will nodded and I began the quest that, once I had finished it, would end my apprenticeship.

OOO

"You have done very well; it's not easy to charm one of these great cats. The gods are smiling on you." I smiled while petting my new Melandru's Stalker, Arrow on her head. Nente looked at me approvingly "And now, are you ready to put your apprenticeship behind you and become a true Ranger?"

I bowed my head "I am." Nente, Ivor and I were sitting in the middle of an clearing, a few miles away from camp. Ivor took my right hand in his and began applying the tattoo representing the Ascalonian Rangers, a graceful green wing. Underneath the wing -the place where my leather bracelets used to be- he applied a maple leaf with an arrow on it and made a flourish of curls and circles around it. While he was doing this Nente recited the Scriptures of Melandru: 48 BE.

"And it was that a tribe of godless humans wandered the land. Where camped did they lay waste, senselessly destroying everything nearby. And so the tribe set out to find another camp, when suddenly sprouted a wall of thorny branches, which blocked their exit. Then saith Ewan, leader of the tribe, "Know ye our ways. Whosoever does magic in this tribe shall be put to death." Yet none comes forward. Then, from the earth grows forth a large tree, and unfurling its branches, reveals the upper torso of a woman. Saith She, "I am Melandru, the Mother of earth and nature. Henceforth I bind ye to these lands. When they suffer, so shall ye suffer." And as She saith, so was it done. From their limbs sprouted branches, and the blood in their veins was the sap of trees. Then was Ewan and his tribe converted, and became they stewards of nature." Nente took a deep breath "This land is blessed by Melandru and kept by the Rangers. From this day forth you shall be known as Rowenna Trueshot, daughter of Ivor Trueshot and proud member of the Ascalonian Rangers."

"The green wing is the sign of the Ascalonian Rangers, wear it proudly." Ivor said. "The leaf and arrow are the signs of a Trueshot. Cover it with the leather bracelets, so no one can abuse our name. But never forget that you are a Ranger just like you are a Trueshot."

"Thank you both, I shall honor the Rangers as well as the name I bear from now on. Melandru's blessing be upon you."

"And upon you, child."