"That's right! Run away, Will No-Name! You're a no-name and nobody will want you as an apprentice!" Horace yelled after the small retreating figure of Will, thinking he had won the verbal joust. The three others watched sadly as their friend disappeared after the continued taunting of Horace. Will was his favorite target and although the others tried to mitigate some of the fights, they were unsuccessful. That is, all but the last member of their Ward group.
"You sure showed him," The silky smooth voice of their last acquaintance spoke and the others jumped at having forgot about him. All four of them turned their eyes to the raven haired individual that was as tall as Horace, though not as wide. "Are you proud of the fact that you were able to get your last bit of bullying in before you yourself become the smaller and weaker one?" His blue eyes seemed to peer into Horace's soul and he flinched involuntarily.
"Well Alan, you see…" Horace began, but was stopped by a hand.
"You do not have to explain yourself to me Horace. I'm sure it was simple nerves," Alan smiled, but anyone could see that the smile was mocking and a little cold. "However, I want you to realize that you will be joining Battleschool tomorrow, that I have no doubt," Horace smiled here even as he was reprimanded by Alan, "But do remember that if you succeed you will be a knight of this land. No one will ever look up to a bully."
Suitably chastised, the knight hopeful nodded and returned to his meal in a more subdued manner, his face a bit more contemplative. The silence was a bit awkward for a moment before Alyss, the hopeful diplomat, broke it. "So Alan, which craft do you hope to take tomorrow?"
"You'll see soon enough my dear," Alan said with a small smile as Alyss blushed beautifully. The two girls of their ward had small but obvious crushes on Alan, nothing serious, but Horace and Will had yet to come into their own whether it be personality or body build. None of them would date yet, seeing as how they lived so close together and would have had many awkward moments if a relationship had fallen apart within the ward. "Although, I'm sorry Jenny I will not be joining you in the kitchens."
The other four laughed as they remembered Alan's attempted cooking lessons with Master Chubb. When Alan had managed to burn the pot full of boiling water, Master Chubb threatened the poor boy to stay well away from any kitchen. Alan was hopeful that when Jenny had suitably progressed she would teach him when she had the time. It was a bit embarrassing that the only thing he could cook were things over an open fire.
"Well come on," Horace said, getting out of his funk fairly quickly even if it was expected. Horace had to first experience hardship before the lesson could really sink in. "This is our last night and we'll all be busy soon enough. It's time to relax and enjoy the last day." None of the others could argue though Alyss did try to go find Will.
It was later that night when Will slipped quietly into the room that he shared with Horace, George, and Alan, and he had assumed that everyone was asleep. That was not so as Alan was looking directly at him as he climbed into bed. "If you're going to survive in this world, you will need to grow thicker skin. While I agree that Horace went too far tonight, he will not be the only one that uses what they know against you."
Will nodded numbly, knowing what the usually silent boy said was true though not knowing exactly what to do about it. "I highly doubt you will get into Battle School, though stranger things have happened, but remember that when one door closes another one opens." Alan didn't give the smaller boy anytime to reply as he rolled over to get comfortable in bed. Will stayed up for another hour, trying to figure out what his friend meant.
The heads of the expected crafts looked impeccable as they stood before the six fifteen year olds, each of them embodying their respected craft in both their dress and stance. "And that leaves two more," Baron Alrad said after Jenny's beaming smile diminished slightly. Neither of the two waiting could begrudge the girl of her happiness as she had passed a most rigorous test for the castle's cook and she deserved to be happy. "Which one of you will be next?"
Alan glanced towards Will, but he could see the nervousness that he had in every fiber of his body. Alan guessed that he needed a bit more time and stepped up. "I will go first I guess," Alan said, his stance still the same, though his heart was now beating a bit faster when all eyes turned towards him.
"And what is your name?" Martin, the Baron's clerk, asked a bit pompously. Nobody in the room paid it any mind as it only happened when Martin was a bit nervous.
"Alan, sir. Alan Travers."
"Very well Alan, do you have any craft that catches your particular interest?" The Baron asked and those Craftmasters all turned towards Alan. He was a fit lad and everyone knew he was not unintelligent, so each of them would be willing to accept him into their crafts.
"If the service will have me my lord, I would like to join the Diplomatic Service," Alan sent a small smile towards Alyss who was positively beaming at the thought of having one of her friends join her in her apprenticeship.
"My lady," The Baron asked, "Is this acceptable?"
Lady Pauline startled, it was hardly noticeable, but it was still surprising although she could be forgiven. Very rarely did a male ask to enter the diplomats when they had a chance to go into Battle School or some other occupation related to it. Even the Scribemasters had more applicants from both genders than the Service. "Alyss has told me about you and you would be suited for the work as a diplomat, but are you certain? While I am hesitant to throw doubts on your convictions, there seems to be a reason for boys not joining and becoming a diplomat."
Alan nodded, no hint of uncertainty evident in his answer, "I'm sure Lady Pauline, I have thought about this long and hard."
"Very well, I gladly accept you into the Diplomatic Service," Pauline smiled while the rest of the Craft Masters were a little disappointed in missing one of the better prospects. There was nothing against the other wards of the castle, but Alan had the carry of one that would succeed in whatever he tried. All except Master Chubb of course.
Alan zoned out for the Will's choosing, he knew his acquaintance wouldn't be able to go into his top two picks, but he was slightly surprised that no other craft would be willing to take the young man. That is until the ranger, whom Alan had seen enter but had forgotten about during the meeting, spoke up. "There is something that you need to know about the boy my lord."
The piece of paper was folded when the local ranger handed it over to the baron meaning it was written before the ranger had even entered the room, but the baron was turned just the right way when he opened it for Alan to see what was partially written. He smirked at his friend's good fortune. Halt seemed to notice that Alan had caught enough of the writing and signaled for the young man to remain silent for whatever he had planned. Alan certainly didn't even Will, but he was not going to get on the bad side of a ranger. He wasn't as superstitious as most individuals, but even so, rangers were not meant to be crossed.
"If you are sure Halt, then I would like to think this over tonight and have an answer for you by morning," Baron Arald nodded and Halt accepted his lord's decision easily enough. True, a ranger was not under the command of any of the barons, but Arald had a close bond with Halt from the war.
As the group was breaking up with a few of the kids looking at Will sadly, Halt made his way over to Pauline and her two new apprentices. "Excuse me my lady," He said as she finished giving her instructions, "But I may I borrow Alan for a moment."
"Of course Halt," Pauline smiled. She was a force to be reckoned with in the kingdom and was unafraid of the rangers in general and this one in particular.
Alan was of course nervous, not knowing much about rangers, but he liked to think he was a bit more logical than the regular kitchen staff and Halt wouldn't have been able to pull him away from his new mentor. "You have sharp eyes Alan, not many people would have caught what the slip of paper said," Halt gruffly spoke when they were away from everyone. "Have you had any inclination of joining the rangers?"
"Not in truth, but there isn't a lot that you can find about the rangers. What little I did find out made me wonder if perhaps my mother had once been one or had at least been taught by one," Alan mused and idly brushed his hair behind his ear.
"She was," Halt told him and Alan looked at Halt with a penetrating glare. "She was actually trained with me and was a quick study. She left the corps after the war though and only said she would be called back if there was another war. When we heard what had happened, most of the corps had to be physically restrained from hunting down the bastards. This is for you from Crowley," Halt handed him a letter, "We all decided that it would be best that you knew just what had happened after the Baron had found you, but I wanted to wait until you had chosen your craft. A bit of a boost for those nights you feel too tired to move, so to speak."
Alan took the note reverently, hoping that the letter had the cure to the answers that he had witnessed those four years ago and the atrocities that he committed against all but one man. Alan looked up sharply, "You are the one that carried me, aren't you? Though I don't remember what you said, I remember a cloak much like yours and a gruff voice that is similar."
"Indeed I am," Halt nodded. "Go now and read the letter and put your ghosts to rest. I do have a question though. If Pauline does not mind, would you be willing to improve the few lessons your mother was able to give you? I won't give you the secrets of the Corps of course, but Crowley and the rest of us would not begrudge you of your connection."
"Thank you sir, I would love that," Alan nodded his head.
"Just Halt," The older Ranger said and patted the boy on his shoulder before leaving the room.
Alan begged off the celebration with his friends for just a moment, he needed to read the letter that had just been given to him. He quickly found himself in a rarely used corridor of the keep that he had discovered the first month he had become a ward. Seeing that no one was around, as it was an out of the way and inconvenient smaller hallway, Alan ripped open the letter and devoured the words on the page hungrily. When he finished he let his head recline on the wall, his mind blank for a few moments as he took time to process just what the letter had said. When the information had finally sunk in, tears fell freely as the letter slipped through his fingers and onto the ground. It was a time before Alan was able to get control of his emotions and when he left the hall, he didn't notice the pair of concerned eyes that had watched him.
It was later that afternoon, an hour before darkness descended when a knock at the door interrupted Halt and Arald's conversation. Letting in the individual, they were surprised to see who was at the door. "What can I do for you Pauline?" Arald asked, no longer having to bother with the formalities of this morning and being able to address his friends as such.
"What is Alan's story?" Pauline asked without preamble. From the flinches of both men, the same men who had played a large part in the war, she knew it wasn't going to be a pretty story, but she needed to hear it. From the sigh of Halt and the Baron retrieving three glasses, the two men knew she would not be persuaded.
When the glasses were filled, the Baron began the tale. "It's not much of a story, truth be told. Alan grew up with his mother and father as well as an older sister. His father died when the boy was eight, but things were fine as his mother had training as a ranger and taught her children many of her skills. The life he knew ended in just one day though and we came upon them two days after that."
"I have seen many things Pauline," Halt stated gruffly, "But what we came upon that day on our way back from the king will haunt me to my dying days. His sister and mother were laying out in the open, bruises upon them for a reason I'm sure you can guess and received a deep, but clean cut in their chests and straight through their heart. When the end came, it was swift and gentle. It was the men around them that gives me nightmares."
Halt took a calming draught from his glass and now Pauline was decidedly nervous about what was to come. "We never did get the full story from Alan, but the bodies of the deceased told their own. Each of the bodies had wounds on the tendons in the legs and arms that would prevent them from ever healing properly, let alone support any weight what-so-ever." Halt described the various states the bodies had been found in and Pauline found herself nursing her third glass by the time the descriptions were over.
"When we found Alan," The Baron took over, "He looked so lost with the knife clutched loosely in his hand, his eyes wide open but seeing nothing. The only thing we could get out of him for months was that there was one more man. The ranger's took care of finding that man rather quickly as he had a lame leg and a barely useable arm. He was summarily executed and we decided to wait and see where Alan's life would take him before letting the boy know that that man had been brought to justice. I assume you saw him read it and that's what prompted the question?"
Pauline managed to nod. "From what we can tell Pauline," Halt said, "He is a well-adjusted young man and no one need fear him as long as they stay on the right side of the law. I have asked him to join me in a few lessons that his mother probably taught him and I plan to help him in his knife work. It scared me, but at the same time, he needs to hone all his skills to be well protected."
"Yes, that's quite alright. I think I'll retire for the evening." Pauline waived off their offers of an escort down to her rooms, needing time alone to process what she had learned about one of her newest apprentices. Halt and Arald continued their discussion for a few hours more as they waited for the newest ranger's apprentice to join them. Not that Will knew anything of the sort of course.
A/N: This is just something that struck me a few days ago and I couldn't stop until I wrote it. I've loved this series for years, so I'm hoping I can do justice to it. I won't promise regular or quick updates as I will write as inspiration strikes me and I really can't promise anything for the story. Hopefully, you all will enjoy it anyways.