A.N: Hi! I wrote two chapters today, so super speedy update (don't expect this). Hopefully I can bring you more each Saturday if not more often! Please review!
Maddie steeled herself as she walked through the door to the royal apartments, determined not to show her nervousness.
"Welcome Maddie," Horace said. Maddie carefully searched his face and tone for traces of anger. When she found none, she let her guard drop slightly, but her training caused her to continue to search their tones throughout their conversation.
"Hello Father, Mother," she nodded to each then replied, "You requested my presence?"
"Maddie, we need to talk about your future," Cassandra explained in a motherly tone that Maddie knew too well.
Here it comes. Most discussions of her future ended with more rules and more restrictions. Now, however, her worries lay in being allowed to continue with her next four years of training.
"As you know, you will rule this land when we are no longer fit to do so. You will guide the people of Araluen through hard times, through droughts, wars, rebellions, and times of peace. You know as well as I do that you must be prepared, and that you cannot run away from your responsibilities." Cassandra paused, allowing Maddie to recollect her thoughts. Each word of her mother's speech had been familiar, and it had led to extra classes, less freedom, and more time spent accompanying her parents in long, boring meetings.
"However," Cassandra continued, "I have tried time and time again to make decisions for you and you seem stubbornly inclined to ignore them. Will has definitely made progress in controlling your... character, and has suggested that I let you make your own choice."
There was a knock on the door, and Horace opened it to admit Halt, Gilan, and Will. "I thought we might have company," Cassandra added with a chuckle, "It seems they wish to help you make up your mind."
Gilan ignored Cassandra's comment and instead spoke directly to Maddie. "As you know, you have served as an apprentice to Ranger Will for one year now. You have proved yourself very capable as a Ranger and performed very well. You even seem to have saved Will's life. Very few people can claim to have done that. As is custom for those who have trained for a year, I wish to give you this." He pulled out an oakleaf pendant made of solid bronze and placed it in her hands. As she recognized it, she wondered why she wasn't expecting this.
She had learned at the gathering that every apprentice received one after completing a full year of training, which she was very aware she had done, and she knew that it marked them as official apprentice ranger until their training was over in four years. Suddenly it all made sense. Will's meeting with Halt and Gilan, the mysterious meeting with her parents, the talk of futures.
"Mother, Father, I want to remain with Will to complete my training in the Ranger Corps and earn my silver oakleaf. I want to serve the realm as a ranger. Is that okay?"
"You have our blessing," Responded Horace. "Just one thing."
"What's that?" asked Maddie
"Make sure to visit. We've missed you."
Maddie ran over and hugged him tight, then pulled her mother into her embrace. "I will," she said, and wasn't surprised to find that she meant it.
Whatever she had thought becoming a real apprentice would be, this wasn't it. Maddie's first assignment was to work with Gilan and learn what it means to be Commandant. She understood that each commandant was once an apprentice and this training would help her if she ever came into that position. After only one week of searching through and categorizing reports, she was sure this was no work that she would ever choose to do. A significant boredom was coming over her, and it was resulting in her work sliding. After only getting in the way all day, Gilan knew he needed to talk to her.
"Maddie, I know you have a higher potential than this. You aren't applying yourself."
"I'm sorry Gilan, I'll do better, I promise." She half expected this to be the end of it and to just go back to work.
"No Maddie. I've seen you make apologies to your parents and they seem to last about as long as it takes to say them, if that long. You need to understand how much potential you truly have. You were trained by Will Treaty, the greatest ranger Araluen has ever seen. You are the princess and will inherit the throne. You are the first female in the Corps. You have introduced a new weapon to Rangers. You have already done more than most earning their silver oakleaf. Do you understand?"
Maddie thought this over. Gilan's speech was much better than anything her parents had told her, but it seemed to give her more reason to want to be back on the field. She didn't see what this had to do with paperwork. "I understand. Do I go back to work now?" she asked?
"You have the rest of the day off. I want you to go on a long ride on Bumper and think this over. I want you to understand how many people want you to do well. Slacking because you are bored gives you the weak character that will bring disappointment. I'm sure Bumper is going to be happy to see you."
Maddie took this to mean she was excused, and went to saddle up Bumper. Trying to combat her natural cynicism, she gave honest thought to what Gilan had said. She try end to think of who had expectations for her. He definitely did, but he had expectations for every apprentice. His job was to keep all of the rangers top notch.
Her parents had expectations for her. They wanted to see her grow in not so much in ranger skills, but in the skills needed to run a kingdom. They needed to see her growing in judgement and leadership. They had been so happy to see her change in her regard to those of lower rank. She was their only child, they needed her to be an heir.
Will had expectations for her. She was his apprentice, after all. Every time she accomplished something new the grief in his face faded a little, even if it was only for a moment. She suddenly remembered his words from so many months ago.
Thank heavens for Maddie. At least she gives me something to take my mind away from the pain and grief. She's the one bright spot in my life.
If anyone could relieve Will's grief, it was her. She had to make his bright spot brighter.