Chapter One

Soft sunlight streaked the floor through dusty windowpanes. As was the fashion of Rangers, they should have been cleaned and polished two weeks ago, but Madelyn had found herself far too busy with other tasks within her own fief to attend to the needs of the windows. Things of little consequence - a lost cow here, a runaway child there, a dispute or two thrown in – but always something to take up her time and energy and distract from the housekeeping.

She sat now at the old oak table, sipping at the mug of coffee in her hands and staring at a report she had long since given up on. Mundane as her adventures may be, there were always reports to be sent. She shivered as an icy draft seeped under the door. Shifting, she crossed her legs and tucked her bare feet under her knees, balancing on the wooden bench.

Funny how quiet it felt after having so much activity the last few days. Maddie rubbed a hand over her face to ease her tired eyes. The longer the days, the shorter the nights were, it seemed. And the lack of sleep was starting to take its toll on her body. As her fingers brushed her skin, she noted the rough, lined quality her face had taken on. She remembered teasing Gilan, the Corps Commandment, over the very same thing as a teen in the castle. How the tables had turned.

It had been a while since she'd had the opportunity to visit Araluen castle. Living, as she was, at Harrows Fief, she was less than a day's ride from her childhood home. And yet the bustle of life hardly allowed her time to breathe, let alone sneak a visit to her parents and Gilan.

She rose, placing the half-completed report on a shelf and depositing her empty cup in the sink. A wry smile touched her lips at the memory of her first days as an apprentice. The castaway princess, sentenced to a life of rigorous work and training under her grieving uncle. At the time, she would have deemed even washing dishes to be a task far beneath her status. And what's more, she would never have touched coffee, let alone drank two cup in a single morning. She wondered, at times, how Will had put up with her, but she was thankful he had.

A soft rumbling caught Maddie's attention and she lifted her head. Bumper, from his stall behind the cabin, warned her of an approaching visitor. It was a friendly sound, though, the kind he made when another Ranger was approaching.

Strange, she thought. It had only been a month since her former mentor had stopped in to catch up, as he did on occasion. The aging Ranger seemed to get some satisfaction out of dropping in without warning. Not that Maddie minded the visits, but he always depleted her coffee supplies. However, the short time since his last visit made Will a less likely option. And he was the only Ranger who regularly visited Maddie at the cabin. Gilan more often summoned her to see him than vise versa. And each of the other forty-eight Rangers had their own fiefs to attend to, so visits were not a common thing among the Corps. Though not impossible, she reasoned.

She set the hot water pot back on the stove. It would be a three-cups-of-coffee morning, then. She reflected sadly that her honey jar was in serious want of honey. She rummaged the cupboard for a sweet substitute and found a sealed jar of current jelly, a gift from Jenny for her thirtieth birthday.

"I'm getting a little too old for birthdays, don't you think?" Maddie had teased. Cheerful as always, the older woman had reasoned,

"You're never too old for a good gift."

Maddie smiled at the memory, determining to visit Jenny before the year was up. It would give her a chance to catch up with Halt as well. The retired ranger hardly left Redmont anymore, save for emergencies and other momentous events, and she missed him dearly. Since the passing of his wife, he hadn't even been to any of the ranger gatherings. Will visited with him as often as possible, though he'd confided in Maddie that Halt's mulish temper was finally starting to grind his nerves after almost forty years. But Maddie knew her mentor was enjoying every minute of it. Besides, Will himself would be retiring before long; a rather significant shoulder injury was seeing to that.

"Then you two can be bitter old men together," Maddie had told him.

Wisps of steam were rising from the pot on the stove when Bumper snorted again. Maddie listened to the unknown horse's hooves as Ranger and rider pulled to a stop in front of the cabin. The Ranger wasn't too careful on his feet; Maddie guessed him to be an apprentice.

She poured two cups of coffee as the young man knocked on the door.

"It's unlocked," she called, turning to set the steaming mugs on the table. The door slid open slowly, though she noticed he hadn't lifted it to clear the floorboards.

"You need to work on your silent movement there, kid," she informed him.

The boy, who was indeed an apprentice, as noted by the bronze oak leaf hanging from his neck, blinked in surprise.

"My apologies, Miss Madelyn." He couldn't have been more than sixteen. His frame was thin but wiry, and a little taller than average. Black hair was cropped short on his head and a few nicks on his clean-shaven face told her he wasn't used to being so.

"You're the latest of Gilan's indentured servants, I take it?" She felt no qualms about teasing the Corps Commandment so. His apprentice rotation system had been going for twenty years now and he still hadn't chosen an official apprentice.

The young man hesitated a moment before he replied.

"That's right, ma'am… though I'm not sure 'indentured servant' is really what I'd call it…" He trailed off, seeming to collect his thoughts. "My name is Rion, and I've come with a message for you."

Maddie nodded, sitting at the table and crossing her knees carelessly.

"I figured as much." She gestured to the cup of coffee across from her. "Coffee?"

The boy hesitated again.

"I really shouldn't stay long."

"What's your horse's name?"

The question caught him off guard and Rion stumbled over his words.

"Wh-what?"

"Your horse," Maddie repeated. "What do you call him?"

"…Drifter."

"Well then, why don't you unsaddle Drifter for a while and get him some of the hay in the back. There are probably a couple apples in the bin as well, if Bumper hasn't eaten them all. Once you've tended to him, you can come back in here and we can talk."

Rion hesitated again; a trait Maddie assumed was going to be regular. "But–"

Maddie shook her head and waved him to the door. "Go on, go on."

Rion stared at her a moment before biting his lip and stepping backwards out the door, closing it roughly behind him.

Maddie heaved a sigh, reaching for the jelly jar and scooping a generous portion into her coffee. It was a far cry from honey, but it was better than drinking it black. She listened as Rion fumbled around the stall and the horses whinnied to one another. Maddie marveled at the thought that she had been an apprentice once. Was she as clumsy as this kid? She shook her head. Certainly not. Stubborn and fool-headed, admittedly, but hardly clumsy.

Finally, Rion re-opened the door and re-entered the cabin.

"Find the apples?" Maddie asked, sipping deeply on her coffee.

"Yes. Drifter thanks you."

Maddie raised an eyebrow at him. "Drifter does? Or you do?"

"Both."

She snickered and tapped the table opposite her, directing him to sit. He obliged, taking the coffee cup in front of him and sniffing it experimentally. He took a small sip and Maddie saw his eyes widen.

"You make good coffee, Miss Madelyn."

"Gilan doesn't?"

"I don't," he corrected, taking another sip. Maddie felt no need to tell him about her first coffee making experience, when she had thrown whole beans into the pot. Every apprentice learned their own way, she supposed. When Rion set the cup down again, his expression was serious. "Miss Madel–"

"Maddie's fine, Rion."

"Then…Miss Maddie," he amended. "I've come to you on two orders of business. First, Gilan said you have some reports for him that he'd like me to collect."

"Ah yes… I may need a few more hours to complete them." Maddie glanced at the shelf, where a stack of papers had gathered. Most were complete, but a couple – such as the one from this morning - had yet to be finished, the result of several interruptions. She didn't tell him his visit was one of those interruptions.

Rion nodded. "That's fine… I can rent a room in town, and leave in the morning if I need to."

"Or you could stay here," Maddie offered. "No need to dip into your money when I have an extra room."

Rion seemed to think it over a moment before accepting. "Thank you. I'll take you up, if it comes to that. I could make breakfast in the morning, then."

"So long as I can make the coffee."

"The second order of business is a summons to Castle Araluen."

Maddie set her cup heavily on the table. "You could have started with that."

Rion, as per usual, hesitated. "Well…"

"Is this a summons from Gilan, or the Queen?"

Rion's eyebrows pinched together. "Gilan. Why would the queen–"

"Never mind. When does he need me?" Maddie hadn't noticed how sharp she'd allowed her voice to become. Although she had been wishing for an excuse to visit the castle, there were always loose ends to tie up in Harrows.

"Uh…he said as soon as you're free to."

"Tell him I'll be there by the end of Autumn."

As it was barely Spring now, Rion bit his lip again.

"Um…well…I think he assumed sooner than that."

"Did he now." Maddie stood and placed her cup in the sink, a flutter of excitement in her heart. "And he couldn't come to me himself?"

"He…has a lot to attend to at Castle Araluen," Rion defended.

Maddie nodded. That was only fair, she supposed. As Commandment, he had far more reports to write and send than she did. And besides, she had only been teasing. She stared at the stack of reports on her shelf.

"Very well, then." Maddie pulled the papers down and slammed them heavily on the table, causing Rion to flinch. "Change of plans. Go saddle Drifter, and you can do the same to Bumper while you're at it. As soon as I've finished these reports, we're taking off." If they left now, she thought, they could make it a few hours after sunset, and they'd be gone before the people of Harrows came pounding on her door again.

As she could have guessed, Rion hesitated.

"Drifter's been riding since early this morning."

"He's a Ranger horse. He'll be fine. Unless you're trying to tell me your behind is sore."

Rion's face flushed and he stood up.

"No ma'am." Hurriedly, he put his mug in the sink and headed for the door.

"Don't forget to give them both a brush-down," Maddie called after him, furiously scribbling notes on the unfinished reports.