Will Treaty stood silently behind the baron of Redmont fief Baron Arauld. If the baron hadn't known this man for all his life and that he was planning on being there today, he would have had no idea he was there. As it stood no one else in the room knew. It was an important day in the life of the ward kids of the fief. The day they would be chosen as the apprentices of one of the many craft masters of the area. Still on this the most important of days two of the youngsters looked almost like stone. They were the twins Carrie and Jerome, two orphans of the last battle with Molgarath.
Neither of these poor kids had many friends among their ward mates. They had not particular skills that would make them stand out to anyone of the masters. James wasn't big enough to be a knight, was only an average cook and was not very good with horses. Carrie was a worse cook than her brother, and the last horse she even tried to ride bucked her off and tried to kick her.
After twenty minutes of waiting it was Carrie's turn to announce where she wanted to go. Hesitantly she stepped forward, glancing back at her brother she nods.
" Sir, I don't know where I want to go I don't have the skills required for anything, all I know is that I want to be near my brother." She mumbled.
" What Carrie?" Arauld asked quietly.
"Sir, I said, I don't know where I want to go I don't have the skills required for anything, all I know is that I want to be near my brother." She said again more forcefully.
" And what of you James? Do you feel the same?"
" Yes sir."
"Alright well I will need time to think about this. We shall see what will happen. No promises."
As everyone was filing out of the room with their new apprentice or master Carrie and Jerome look at each other and raise their eyebrows. "Sir" they said together. "Who is that standing behind you?" they finished as the door slammed.
" No one you need to concern yourselves with" the baron said shortly. "You are dismissed. I will tell you of my choice in the morning."
"Yes sir..." they said as they walked slowly out of the room.
After they were gone Arauld turned slowly around with a look of surprise on his face. "They... they saw you... How?"
"I don't know, but I have a feeling that after your curt response they may try to leave." Will replied. "If I'm right the next time you see me I will have two new apprentices. Good bye." With not even a rustle of cloth, Will leapt out the 3rd floor window.
"Carrie are you ready?" James asked in a whisper.
"Let's go. I don't know who that guy in the cloak was but I don't think I want to know." She replied.
Creeping quietly through the castle and avoiding all the soldiers they made their way to the small gate used for late night travel. Unbeknownst to them they were not making their way unnoticed. From the top of the wall a ranger watched.
They are rather good at this. If I didn't know what I was looking for I wouldn't see them at all. Will Thought.
"Quick we're almost there!" Carrie whispered urgently.
"I know" James sighed.
With a small click the gate opened and closed and the kids were on their way. Moving quietly through the sparse shrubbery next to the road they made their way to the forest.
"I know of this cabin about a hundred yards in that direction. It is always empty when I'm out here. Maybe we should go there I doubt anybody would think to look for us there." James said.
"And how do you know this?" Carrie asked. "Just wondering..." she whispered when Jerome glared at her. "And what makes you so sure that it will be empty?"
"Carrie? Is that a dog back there? I think its following us."
Turning around to look Carrie said, "If you are just trying to change the topic... Why yes that is a dog. SHOO!"
The dog tilted its head to the side, like it wasn't used to being yelled at. After a second it turned and moved off into the forest, and the twins continued on.
Out of the side of a tree stepped a cloaked man. "Please excuse me just passing through." He said, as he stepped into another tree across their path.
"WHAT THE HELL?" The twins yell as he fades away. Then as one they slap their hands to each other's mouths. Looking around in a panic they start forward again.
"Did he sound a little young to you?"
"Why does it matter Carrie? Let's just get moving before he comes back wondering why two kids are out so late."
" We aren't exactly the youngest people out on their own. Besides thirteen isn't that young."
They walked on in silence for the rest of the way to the cabin. When they get to the cabin it is dark and there is a lantern sitting on the porch.
"Well that is handy. Oh and there is oil too." Carrie says as she pulls out her flint and steel.
"Let's go inside. I've got my knives to take care of any animals but I doubt there are any." James replies as he moves to the door drawing two knives that were hidden underneath his cloak.
When the door opened they found themselves in a small den.
" I thought you said there is never anyone here?" Carrie said as she noticed how clean it was and how there was the smell of fresh stew coming from the other side of the house.
Cautiously they moved towards the source of the smell. Only stopping when they reached the door to what was probably to the kitchen.
"Here hold this." James said, handing his shorter knife to Carrie. "I'm going to open the door slowly and when I do hand it back to me ok?"
"Alright..."
James Turns the handle slowly and reaches back for his knife, using the handle of the other knife to push open the door. He looks in slowly and sees the very same dog sleeping in front of the table. He raises his larger knife to throw.
"If I were you I'd throw the smaller one and not at the dog either" a voice said from the other side of the table that was bathed in shadows.
Whipping to the side James hurled his knife into the shadow. Hearing nothing he moved cautiously towards the shadows. As he moves he sees a glint of steel in lamplight and hears a clang of steel on steel. His knives, both of them landed tip down in the floor between him and Carrie. Jumping back James lands near his knives and yank them out of the floor.
"I would put those away if I were you. I would hate to be forced to kill two promising students." The shadow said calmly.
"Students?" Carrie asked.
"Yea what do you mean students?" James said as he put his knives back.
"Did I speak unclearly?"
"Show yourself, if you want us to trust you we need to know who you are." James said forcefully.
"I can do that." Stepping out of the shadows is none other than the man that had been in the barons office, and can walk in and out of trees. "My name is Will Treaty. Kings Ranger, friend of Princess Cassandra, and close friend and adviser to the Baron."
"YOU! You were following us. But why are you here?" Carrie asked.
"That might be because it is my house," Will said with a smile.
Carrie slapped James and said "You said no one lived here!"
"That's what I thought!" He growled and slapped her back.
"Knock it off. Both of you." Will growled. "You have two choices. One, train with me and become rangers; two, get sent back to the castle and be forced to work the farms."
The twins froze. "Are you serious? We can be rangers? We don't know how."
James said as he turned to face the mysterious man in the mottled cloak.
"Sure you do. Or at least in part. You can throw knives, I assume that you can fight with them as well. You can move silently and invisibly, or at least in part. When you two were crossing the courtyard I wouldn't have been able to see you if I wasn't trained to. You obviously know how to pack for the any occurrence and I'm sure you can improvise. Archery can be taught and practice ill get you to my standards. "Will said. "You would be fine. Assuming you want to try."
The twins looked at each other and smiled. It seemed that they had found their place in this world. "We're in" Carrie and James said together as the turned to face their new craft master.
"I sent the corps commander a message this morning asking him to come here in a week's time. He said he would be. We are going to get you ready and presentable. In the morning I will help you with your movement skills." Will said with a gentle smile. "Now on the other side of the house is a room with a bed and I put a cot in there earlier as well. That will be your room. After we impress the commander next week we will put another bed in there until we can add another room. Have some stew and go get some rest."
The sun had not yet risen when the twins were woken by a small bark next to them.
"Ugh. Is it morning already?" Carrie mumbled tiredly.
"Yes it is dear sister." James replied with a smile. "Are you ready for our new lives to begin?"
"No, My new life needs another hour or two of sleep."
"Just get up sis. We finally found what we are destined for. We need to jump on the now, Before it passes us by."
"Oh all right." She said as she climbed out of the bed.
They got dressed and followed the dog out of the house. As they made their way into a clearing around the back of the house, they thought about what they were going to have to do.
"Good girl Ebony" Will said when the twins walked into the clearing. "Welcome to day one of your training. Now go out around fifty feet out James, Carrie stand here. James your goal is to use the shadows to hide from us while avoiding pitfalls and tripwires I have placed! GO!"
After about ten seconds of Carrie seeing nothing both She and Will Hear a thump and a yelp. "Well he did ok for a first go." Will said happily.
"My turn?" Asked Carrie excitedly.
"Of course" Will replied. "James climb out of the pit and come back here!"
"Yes sir!" James replied as he climbed out of the hole.
"Same thing Carrie! Begin!" Called Will.
Five minutes had passed in easy silence when James says "where is she?"
"I don't know..."
"Turn around. maybe you will see me."
James jumped and fell back, Will's hand slid unconsciously to his knives, and Ebony barked happily. "Well done Carrie. Who taught you that?" Will said.
"James remember that time I ran away for three weeks? Well I was nearly caught by bandits, I would have been if this gruff old man hadn't scared them off. He asked me to come with him and I figured I owed it to him. He took me around a kilometer of the road. When we stopped we were in a small clearing much like this one. He showed me how to move unnoticed."
"Why didn't you teach me? I am your brother after all." James said in a mock sadness.
"I have been, but you are a slow learner with this. How do you think we were able to get out of the castle?" Carrie replied carefully.
"Yea well when you left so did I, I was gone for about two and a half weeks. I met some guy out on the road and saw him fight off three different bandits with just his two knives even though he had a sword on his hip. I asked him to show me. He said no. So I followed him and watched him fight. I taught myself."
"Ok you two. Knock it off. You are family." Will said sharply. "Besides I think I know who those two men were. James, did the man with the knives look a little bit older than me?"
"Yes but I don't see how that matters."
"And Carrie did the old man have untidy hair that looks like it was cut with a knife?"
"Yes"
"The Men you met are two of my greatest friends. Carrie you met my old teacher Halt. James you met my predecessor as Halt's Student, Gilan. Now you two are going to take turns working on this while the other watches. When the sun reaches its zenith come back to the cabin for lunch."
"Yes sir" the twins said as one, while Will walked away.
Will walked into the small stable set to the side of his house. "Hey Tug. got a couple of newcomers to introduce you to. I'll bring them by before lunch." Tug shook his head and bobbed it up and down. Will turned and started to leave. "Yea I know it's weird having two of them, but they are twins. So far I think they will work really well together. Even Crawly will probably accept it. They may even get to work as a unit" Will said.
Will went towards the front door of the cabin and froze. The door was slightly ajar.
It could have been the kids... I doubt it. Besides I can't take the chance.
Gently he loosened his large sax knife in its scabbard, and drew his throwing knife hiding it up his sleeve. Walking into the cabin like nothing was wrong he made his way to the kitchen. A glint if steel was all the warning Will got before a massive sword swung right at him.
The twins drenched in sweat staggered into the cabin and made their way into the kitchen. A very strange sight waited for them. A torn cloak over a bump they could only assume was the body of their new friend and mentor Will, and a massive man sitting at the table with a massive sword laying on the table next to him.
Reacting fast as always James pushed Carrie back through the door and drew his knives, setting his small one poised to throw and the big one to fight.
I won't stand a chance in a fight with him. But at least Carrie can get away. " Carrie get out of here!" James yelled.
Spinning wildly Carrie ran towards the door, but came up short. Next to the door lay two small bows and quivers. Drawing an arrow and putting it to the bow she spun back around. "James DUCK!"
James hit the deck just as her fingers slipped off the bowstring. A slight whistle and a thump was all that was heard as the arrow struck the side of the man's head.
"Well excuse me miss. That kind of hurt." The man said as he reached down to pick up the arrow from where it lay on the floor.
However he wasn't quite fast enough. A hand shot out from underneath the cloak and grabbed it. As everyone looked on, the body underneath began to sit up.
"Well done my students" Will said as he removed the cloak and rose to a standing position. "I want you to meet my friend and bodyguard to the princess. Horace." Will gestured to the man at the table.
"Very nice to meet you kids. I hope Will hasn't been working you to hard." Horace said jokingly.
The twins looked to each other, then to Will. "Are you serious? This was a test?" Carrie shouted.
"Carrie calm down. He has to test us in weird ways because he's a ranger." James said calmly. Putting his knives away he walked up to Horace, Stuck out his hand and said, "nice to meet you Horace, I'm James."
"Nice to meet you James," Horace said grasping James' hand tightly.
"And this is my sister Carrie. Carrie you should come over here." James said lightly.
Carrie just stood there shaking. Her face was red and she had a death grip on the bow in her left hand.
"Carrie do you want to meet the princess? If so you need to go put the bow down." Will said.
At that Carries shaking stopped and she smiled "Do you want me to put the arrow back?"
"You mean this piece of plastic? No its fine." Will replied with a smile.
Carrie very nearly skipped out of the room. When she walked back into the room Will could she how hard she was working to keep herself calm.
"May I present, Eva... Princess Cassandra." Will said jerkily.
As he finished, a beautiful woman in a long, flowing red dress stepped into sight. "Good afternoon. Thank you for the introduction Will" she said lightly, not even mentioning his slight botching of it.
Carrie curtsied awkwardly. James just stood there staring.
"Ouch!" James yelped as Carrie elbowed him.
"Carrie please stand up. I don't stand too much on formalities when I'm with friends." Princess Cassandra said with a smile.
"Yes ma'am." Carrie said as she stood up.
"Ok you two I know you want to chat but you might want to do so over food because we start working again in twenty minutes." Will laughed.
The twins looked around and realized there was a warm stew on the stove. "May I get you some Princess Cassandra? Or you sir Horace?"
"Will's stew? Ya I'll have some." Horace replied eagerly.
"I too will have some, but please call me Cassandra when we are alone like this." Cassandra replied with a smile.
"Master, how about you?"
"Call me Will. And yes please"