Disclaimer: Ranger's Apprentice belongs to Mr. John Flanagan, not me.

Mitch Longman strode through the collection of tents gathered within the meadow. King Duncan and his Ranger escort were to be arriving soon, and he needed to be ready. Will Treaty had made a very detailed plan to get the royal family north and away from Castle Araluen. So far, everything was going to plan. "They'll be here soon!" He heard one of the fellow Rangers within the camp yell.

There were six Rangers within the camp, two Couriers, and one chef. "Two to three people per tent, Mitch. We need to save resources." Mitch recalled what Will had told him about the tents. Three more Rangers were supposed to be coming soon; Will, Halt, and whoever was assigned to escort King Duncan through the tunnels.

"He's here! King Duncan and the Princess are here!" Mitch heard the overjoyed yells from a young apprentice. Luke, he recalled the boy's name. Might as well go greet them, Mitch thought with a smile. The tall, lean, and muscular man began to walk towards the cheers. "Mitch! Come on, Mitch!" Luke continued to yell, a huge grin on his face.

"Your majesty," Mitch said with a bow. Duncan smiled and nodded, even though a great tragedy had happened only moments before. Mitch raised himself up and looked around confused. "W-where is your escort? A Ranger was supposed to escort you through the tunnels…"

"Our… our escort had to stay behind… there wasn't enough time for him to get through…" Duncan said with a mournful glance around the gathered people. His glance stopped at a young blonde Courier. Alyss Treaty… he realized. He nodded to the young woman who looked around confused.

"No, the escort had to come! Will said that he told someone to come. He was sending someone who knew the plan…" Mitch began to speak. "Will sent someone, I know he did! He told someone to go with you- that person was supposed to know the plan! I don't know what to do now…" Mitch drowned off.

Cassandra couldn't help but bite her lip. How was she supposed to give that letter to Alyss? "Who… who was the escort?" Mitch finally asked. Duncan looked around at the people gathered here. These people were supposed to escort he and his daughter to a safer place, and there leader was Will, the man who just died saving him.

"The escort was… Will…"

.

Logan looked over the man. He wore a cloak that reminded him of something he'd seen in a museum… he just couldn't put his foot down on it. The man's eyes were shut tight, Logan's fingers weren't able to pry them open. Logan looked around for anyone nearby. Sam will know what to do! The boy realized. "Sam! Sam! Saaam!" Logan began yelling for his eldest brother.

Logan got up from his perch next to the man and began to climb back up the ditch. "Saaaam!" He yelled the entire way. "Sam! Sam! SAAAAAM!" Logan kept running, out of fear and out of wanting to help the stranger. "Sam! Help! SAAAM!"

.

Samuel Anderson, or Sam as his little siblings called him, awoke with a start from his family's couch. He'd been enjoying a very nice nap, only to be awoken by Logan's yells. "Logan? Logan!" He began to run towards the calls for help. He noticed his father's rifle leaned against the door way and grabbed it, just in case. "I'm coming, Logan!" He yelled to his little brother.

Logan was at the edge of the woods. "Sam, there's a man in the woods-"

"What were you doing in the woods?" Sam asked sternly. No one was to be in the woods.

"I was getting the ball, Lily threw it. Sam, there's a man!"

"It's the woods, of course there's going to be a man. That's why you stay out-"

"Sam, the man looks hurt! He looks hurt…" Logan said, his face showing deep concern for the mysterious stranger.

Sam sighed and ran a hand through his trademark-Anderson hair. "Logan… you're not supposed to be in the woods…" Sam finally replied. He honestly and truthfully didn't know what to do.

"Sam… the man is hurt… he looks like he might die if someone doesn't help him." Logan countered towards his older brother.

Sam sighed and looked towards the woods. Logan wasn't the type to lie about something like this. I'm going to regret this… Sam thought as he loaded his father's rifle and began to make his way towards the woods.

.

Sam's eyes just about popped out of his head when Logan showed him the man. The man looked to be about Sam's age; 24. He also wore a mottled cloak. Sam recognized the cloak… he didn't know where. There was also a quiver of arrows on this man's back. Out of worry, Sam snatched up the arrows- and the knives- from this man. "Logan… hold these."

Logan looked in awe at the weapons his older brother was telling him to hold. A quiver of arrows and two knives… and a mottled cloak? Something was egging at Logan's mind. Araluen… he realized. Rangers… he continued. "Sam… I think this man is a Ranger…"

"What? Rangers are from at least 500 years ago, Logan. They're all long gone, remember? The guy at the museum said that." Sam replied, a sheepish grin across his face.

"Still…"

.

Halt looked over the camp that was to escort the king north. He could pick out different people. Mitch, Luke, Alyss, Pauline, Duncan, he thought. Everyone is here except for Will… he realized. Pauline noticed him at the edge of the camp and beckoned for him to come closer. Raising his eyebrow, Halt urged Abelard into a trot towards the awaiting Courier. "Is everyone here? Some scouts noticed a few raiding parties coming this way…" Halt began.

Pauline shook her head sadly. "Everyone that can be here is here. You do know the plan, right?" She asked. Halt looked at her confused, but still nodded. Will told him the plan multiple times. "Good… you'll need to tell Mitch, he's freaking out."

"W-why?" Halt asked. Will is coming… right? He asked himself. "Will is supposed to be coming, right?" He asked her. She shook her head sadly. "What about Duncan's escort? Will told them the plan, right?" He asked again.

"Halt… Will was the escort." She began sadly.

"Then he should be here, so where is he? He knows the plan."

"Halt… Will had to stay behind. They were attacked before Will could get them out, so he told them to go alone. Halt… Will is dead." Halt didn't believe what he heard.

"No, Will could hold them off. I'm going back… we need someone anyway." Halt said as he turned Abelard back towards Castle Araluen.

.

"Horace!" Horace heard Halt's yells. He couldn't help but notice and edge in his voice. "Horace!" Horace rolled his eyes and turned towards the older man- who shot down the man Horace was about to get. Halt beckoned for the young knight to come closer, so he did. "I need you to come with me."

.

Halt looked around the small tower room. He could see enemy bodies, but he didn't see a single Ranger body. He did indeed find Will's bow, but that's it. "Search for Will…" He told Horace. When Halt examined the enemy bodies, he noticed that each one had a grey shafted arrow in them.

"He's not here…" Horace said. Halt went over to the cabinet and found it locked. Using the key each Ranger had, he unlocked it and examined the inside.

"No… no no no no…" Halt muttered sadly. The cabinet could only be locked from the outside…

.

Sam looked at the stranger now wearing his clothing. The man had a wound in his side that Sam wrapped up after folding the stranger's weird clothing. The man now wore sweats and the local high school's logo tee shirt. "Logan… I think he's waking up." Sam said as the man rustled in his sleep.

The man sat up and looked around his surroundings. Instinctively, the man reached for the knife he couldn't find. "Sir, calm down…" Sam told the stranger. "We aren't going to hurt you, we're trying to help."

The man looked at Sam and Logan confusedly. They're barely children… he thought. He looked down at himself, searching for his knives, but found himself in some strange clothing. "W-where are my things?" He asked the boys. Logan handed him his cloak, but not his weapons. The stranger nodded thankfully.

"Who are you?" Logan asked the man.

It dawned on the man that these people could speak his language. I must be in Araluen still… the man thought. "I am Ranger Will Treaty."

.

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