Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice because a) I'm not smart enough to come up with an idea like this, and b) I'm not John Flanagan.

And just by the way, this story is set after the main events of the seventh book but before Will's graduation. If this is popular, or if I feel like it, I will write a sequel.

Ranger's Apprentice: Unfinished Business

Prologue

Slagor II, Slagor's son, snuck into the courtyard of Castle Araluen. He had a ship waiting at the Fens. His crew was made entirely of men who were eager to see the Oberjarl removed from his position. It was a pity that my father was beheaded, Slagor II thought, he was cunning, but not cunning enough, and not nearly as cunning as me. This was true. It had been Slagor II who had tricked Ragnak into taking the Vallasvow by telling him 'that cowardly King Duncan's forces had taken the Skandians' by surprise while they were camping'. He had considered telling Ragnak that his son had died without a weapon in his hand, playing on the Skandian belief that if one were to die in battle without a weapon in one's hand, his soul would wander hopelessly for all eternity. This was all a lie, as Ragnak's son had been killed while the Skandian army was heading out to surprise Duncan's forces by attacking from the rear. Almost nobody knew that Slagor II had told Ragnak this, in fact, few people had heard of Slagor II's existence. Only his father, Slagor I, knew. Slagor had unsuccessfully trieed to have the Crown Princess executed. Slagor II was here to gain revenge on the Ranger who had brought his father's downfall, the Ranger Halt and his silly apprentice. Oberjarl Erak didn't know he was at Araluen – he was on a secret mission.

Chapter One: The Man in Black Returns

Will rode tug towards the main gate at Redmont. The guards nodded, and greeted him cordially. Will called out a 'Good day!' to them and sped on towards the stables. Tug's hooves clattered on the road as he rode through the town. They soon reached the stable where Will settled Tug. Quickly giving Tug an apple, he raced off to Halt and Pauline's quarters to find out what Halt wanted him for.

--

'So what you're saying is this, uh, Slagor II has made a successful raid on the village just outside Castle Araluen?' Will asked, surprised. He had never heard of a Skandian raiding an inland settlement. Nor had he known that Slagor had a son.

'Not only that, but Foldar has been hiding there the whole time.' Halt told Will. Foldar had been Morgarath's senior lieutenant before Morgarath's defeat. The Ranger Corps had been trying to locate him for quite a while. It didn't help that many robbers and bandits used his name to strike terror into their victims' minds.

'So this Slagor Junior is in league with Foldar?' Will asked, more than a little confused. 'I thought Skandians were meant to be simple folk, you know, sail right, stop here, move forward, attack.'

'Don't forget that his father wasn't simple. Don't assume like the Temujai did. It was their fatal mistake.' Halt warned. The Temujai were fierce fighters, known as the Riders of the Eastern Steppes. Not long ago, they had decided they wanted to take over the world, and for that, they needed ships. They were quick to learn, and soon developed clever tactics against straightforward, head-on attacks. This was the normal Skandian battle tactic, if it could be called a tactic, but Halt taught them how to beat the Temujai, after deciding that the Skandians were a more controllable enemy. It had been a bloody war, but eventually the Skandians had won.

'We're sending Gilan over to investigate. Him and his blue stone are a tough pair.' Gilan was the newest member of the Ranger Corps, and Halt's previous apprentice. He was also a good friend of both Will and Halt.

'Blue stone?'

'Never mind. I just want to find out if the rumours are true.'

'But I thought…' Will began.

'Always a problem.' Halt interrupted.

'I though you would have gone.' Will continued.

'You and I are going to meet Gilan there. If it's urgent, he'll send news.'

'But I thought…' Will began again, realising his mistake too late.

'You're an apprentice. You're not ready to think.' Halt replied as he strode off to saddle Abelard.

--

For two days, Will and Halt rode towards Castle Araluen. It took half a day to reach the ruins of the recently raided village. As Will dismounted, Gilan emerged.

'Bad news.' Gilan stated. 'Foldar has been hiding here all along. He was disguised as a rich merchant, and lived in a large house just over in that direction.' Gilan pointed, then continued unhappily. 'If he could remain hidden right under our noses, who else could?'

'Relax, Gilan.' Halt said, trying to reassure him. 'Foldar's much smarter than the majority of villains put together. Besides, can't do anything about it now, except look for him. At least we know what to look for.'

'Gilan?' Will asked. 'When were you informed of this?'

'About a week ago. Why?' Gilan replied.

Will shot a hurt look in Halt's direction. Halt raised an eyebrow.

'News reaches Meric Fief faster than Redmont.' Halt said. Will was silent.

'Anyway,' Gilan continued. 'Slagor II and Foldar left Araluen about a week ago, through the Fens. That would mean they probably rode.'

'How do we know that it was Foldar and Slagor II? Surely they woulds have killed every eyewitness.' Will commented. Then he realised what Gilan had just said. 'You mean Slagor junior rode a bucking machine?!' No Skandian liked to ride a horse. They kept falling off every time the horse moved, and claimed that the horse had bucked him off. Or at least Svengal did. Will smiled at the thought. He missed the burly figures of Erak and Svengal.

'Spoken like a few Ranger.' Gilan muttered, refering to Will's original question. 'It was hard to miss the fact that the town was raided by a Skandian. I mean, look around, almost everything that wasn't nailed down was taken.' Gilan said with a smile, remembering Cassandra's, or to Will and Horace, Evanlyn's description of Erak on a raid. 'As for Foldar, there's a lot of his handiwork around. It's pretty hard to miss. Well, if you're a Ranger. They might as well have put up a sign saying 'SLAGOR II AND FOLDAR WERE HERE'. Actually, they did.'

'What do you mean?' Halt asked, and Will nodded his agreement.

'Well, we know it was definitely them because they scratched their names into the floor of the house Foldar was staying at. Halt, I think they want to be found.'