Alright guys, thank you for continuing to read this story! I'm always open to suggestions if you think of somewhere you would really want this story to go, so please review! Post any thoughts you have :).

Disclaimer: Okay, I know I'm posting under a username, and I'm not going to say my real name here, but I can tell you what it is definitely NOT: John Flanagan.

Everything was in order within an hour. The official documents were signed, and Caroline had packed her few belongings and gotten ready to leave. She didn't need to say goodbye to anyone; she didn't really know her ward-mates anyway.

Caroline, for her part, didn't know what to feel. In fact, she didn't feel much of anything besides surprise. Children of the ward were rarely ever adopted. Once in the ward, you stayed in the ward until Choosing Day. She wasn't sure what to expect from her new parents either. She didn't really know anything about them besides what the stories said, and even at eight years old, she knew that things were often exaggerated. She thought of a phrase her mother used to say: "Hope for the best, and expect the worst. That way, you'll never be disappointed."

She gathered her meager belongings—a few changes of clothes, a comb, her sketchbook, charcoal pencils, parchment, a quill, and ink—in a sack that Martin had given her, and stood in the courtyard, waiting to be picked up by her new parents. She wondered if she would get to visit the horses anymore—that had always been her favorite thing to do. Six of the sketches in her book were of the horses. Her favorite was the black stallion in the second stall, with a white star on his head, and stockings on his hind legs. She always brought him dandelions when she visited.

She'd never ridden a horse, but the stablehands sometimes let her take care of the ponies when she came. She'd always dreamed of having her own horse someday, but she knew it would probably never happen. She'd heard that rangers had horses. Perhaps Ranger Halt would let her ride his.

She shook herself out of her daydream when she saw her new parents enter the courtyard. Hefting her bag over her shoulder, she looked up at them expectantly.

"Hello, dear," Lady Pauline said with a smile. "How are you doing?"

Caroline shrugged. "Okay, I guess, ma'am," she murmured nervously. Pauline flashed her a kind smile, and gently reached out to brush some hair out of her face.

"Our room is in the castle, so you won't be moving far. You'll have the same tutors as you did in the ward, is that okay?"

Caroline nodded. She liked her tutors. School was always something she was good at. Pauline smiled again, and took her hand, guiding her inside and up the stairs to their apartments. She gestured to the spare bedroom.

"This will be your room from now on. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. We'll fetch you when it's time for supper."

Caroline nodded again, and quietly entered her room, looking around as she did so. The main apartment area was sparse, yet comfortable, with a coffee table, a dining table, some chairs, and a small kitchen area. Her bedroom had the same feel. There was a bed, a desk, a chair, a bedside table, and a small wardrobe, all made from oak. She liked it, it wasn't too crowded.

Setting her stuff down next to the bed, she set about organizing. She placed her quill, ink, parchment, and charcoal pencils on the desk, set her sketchbook on the bedside table, and hung her clothes in the wardrobe, rolling up the bag and putting it in the wardrobe as well. On the inside of the door of the wardrobe she found a full length mirror. She combed her hair, observing that Lady Pauline preferred that it was not in her face. Then she made her way over to the bed and sat down. So far, things seemed to be going well. She didn't think of the grizzled ranger and his graceful wife as her parents, but they were kind to her at least, and she was comfortable. She lay down on the bed and closed her eyes, thinking about what was in store for her.

Two hours later, Pauline knocked on her door.

"Dinner's ready," she called. Caroline got up and exited her room, wandering over to the dinner table where Halt and Pauline already sat. There was a basket of rolls and a pot of soup, as well as three place settings. Halt had a steaming mug of what looked like coffee, Pauline had water, and Caroline's place setting had a glass of milk.

Caroline's heart rate sped up. Now was the time that they were going to ask her about herself. She always felt pressure during the introductory dinner. When she had first entered the ward, the first dinner was a nightmare. Everybody had wanted to talk to her, and all she'd wanted was for them to leave her alone. She ended up saying as little as possible, which probably discouraged the other children from befriending her. She hoped this one would go better.

Caroline silently took a seat at the table, and waited for her new parents to serve themselves before claiming her own portion. She bit her lip as she waited for someone to ask the first question.

It was Lady Pauline who finally did it.

"So, Caroline, how do you like your room?" she inquired, as Caroline sipped her soup. Caroline swallowed quickly and answered.

"It's perfect, thank you."

Pauline nodded, and took a bite of her own meal before continuing.

"Is there anything that you need? Any way we can make you more comfortable?"

Caroline shook her head. "No, thank you, ma'am. Everything is fine."

Pauline smiled. "That's good to hear. So, what did you like to do in the ward?"

Caroline shrugged. "I sketched mostly. And I looked after the horses."

Pauline's eyebrows raised in interest. "Really? Do you like horses?"

Caroline nodded vigorously, happy to talk about a subject she was passionate about. "I especially like the black stallion in the second stall. His name is Starfire."

"Did you take care of him?"

"No, ma'am. They only let me brush the ponies. I don't know why, he never would have hurt me," she shrugged. Pauline nodded her understanding. She was happy that Caroline was starting to open up.

After a couple moments of silence while they ate their food, Pauline spoke again.

"What is your favorite subject to learn about?"

Caroline thought about it. She liked them all, but some were certainly more fun to learn about than others.

"I like all of them, but history is my favorite," she admitted. This time Halt glanced up with interest.

"And why is that?" he asked.

She shrugged. "It's the most interesting to learn about. It's like stories."

Halt grunted in reply.

Dinner went on like this for some time, with Caroline answering their questions to the best of her ability. They mostly talked about her time in the ward, for they sensed that her parents may have been a sensitive topic. By the end of supper, Caroline felt much more comfortable, and she was relieved that it had gone so well.

When Halt returned with Pauline and Caroline, he was trying to process one tremendous thought: He had a daughter now. He was going to raise a child. That eight-year-old girl he'd met an hour ago would spend the rest of his life with him. He almost felt faint. How was he going to raise a girl? He didn't know a thing about children. The only thing he had to go off of was his sister, Caitlyn. He consoled himself with the fact that he had Pauline.

When dinner arrived (something he usually objected to, preferring to cook his own meals), Halt waited with anticipation for Pauline's inevitable questioning. He needed to get to know this girl who was his daughter, preferably without frightening her. This was his wife's area of expertise.

He knew, after years of performing interrogations, that he could find out more about the girl from her body language than from her actual answers. He spent the meal assessing her, taking interest in her demeanor, as well as her hobbies. She barely spoke above a whisper the entire meal. She had a naturally soft voice, and shy countenance. Even when she was clearly excited about a subject, thankfully a subject the Halt could relate to, her mannerisms were meek and polite, something he would not have expected from any eight-year-old. And he could not help thinking that she had several qualities of a good ranger.

She was quiet, paid close attention to detail, and was interested in horses and history, as well as being naturally curious and willing to learn. He wondered what she would be like in seven years, when she was fifteen, and if he should try to cultivate these qualities, and bring up the subject with Gilan. Madelyn was already being trained as a ranger, why not add another girl to the Corps? But he was getting ahead of himself. The girl wasn't even ten yet.

After they had eaten, and Caroline had gone to bed, Halt climb into bed with his wife. As usual, she started the conversation.

"So, what do you think?" she asked.

He glanced at her. "About what?"

Pauline rolled her eyes. "Fatherhood. Caroline."

Halt was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't know."

Pauline nodded her understanding. "I guess we'll have a lot to learn," she said. "Just...hold off on the knife throwing lessons until she's a bit older, will you?" She smirked. Halt snorted, and laid his head down on the pillow. Pauline sighed.

She hoped this was a good idea.