Disclamer: I still don't own Ranger's Apprentice :(

Thanks to WritersBlock-is-Lazyness for correcting my stories!

Chapter 1

It had been a month since Aella had been found by Will. She had moved on with Alyward, and had started working at a small dirty inn. Although it didn't have the best reputation, there had been no work, and winter was closing in and she had no other way of obtaining shelter.

Aella walked towards a table holding three drinks for the men- for the second time that night- when one of them grabbed her by the waist, hauling her onto his lap. She had just managed to push herself from the guy's lap when another man grabbed the offender from the front of his vest.

"These men troubling you miss?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Aella said staring him straight in the eyes. She noticed that he had the exact same mottled gray green cloak that Halt and Will had worn.

"Leave the nice lady alone" he said dropping the man on the floor.

Just as he turned around to head back to his table the man on the floor got back up and reached for his knife. Without thinking, she let loose the small throwing knife that she kept underneath the sleeve of her dress, pinning his arm with the knife to a post. The Ranger spun around grabbing the man's wrists and handcuffing him.

"You are under arrest for attacking a King's Ranger," he said. After he had taken care of the man, he noticed that Aella- though he didn't know that that was her name- was being dragged off by the owner of the inn into the kitchen.

"What do you think you were doing!?" he yelled, spittle landing on Aella's cheek.

"I wasn't thinking, it was instinct-"

"Exactly! You weren't thinking!" he yelled, slapping her across the face. She could feel the sting of his hand, however pushed it aside.

"Do you know how many customers I could lose from that outburst! I'll be the laugh of the town!"

"You already are" she muttered. The inn keeper slapped her across the other side of her face, his nails slashing cuts into her cheeks.

"Leave my inn! After everything I have done for you, this is how you repay me? You are a disgrace!" He stormed out of the kitchen.

Aella quietly walked upstairs. A few of the other waitresses stared at her with pity in their eyes as the floorboards groaned quietly under her weight. As she entered her cold drafty room, Alyward stood up, staring at her intently.

"Come on boy, we need to find a new home," Aella said as she changed her tunic. She strapped her knifes onto her waist, then slung her brown cloak on, and as she gently picked up the longbow her former mentor-the old man she had lived with-had given her, she couldn't help but feel a bit of sadness over the loss of her mentor.

"Heel," she told Alyward as she left the small room.

The icy blast of a winter's night air greeted her as she headed outside.

"Come on boy let's head out into the forest, that's the most likely place we will find shelter

for tonight," she said, pushing against the snow and wind, heading towards the line of trees. By the time she had reached a good place to sleep, she was trudging through knee high snow. Aella dug a small dent in the snow to lay in.

"You know, you would probably be warmer in that inn."

Aella jumped, then replied back with, "I was fired."

"You need a place to stay," the man said. It was the man who had rescued her, however she wasn't going to be spending the night with a stranger.

"No."

"That wasn't a question." Well, he was wearing the same cloak as her mentor. She went to stand up but her legs gave way, causing her to all face first onto the snow. He hooked his arm around her stomach, hauling Aella's light frame up and setting her onto the back of his horse.

"Thanks," she said slowly drifting off into sleep.

The smell of bacon and coffee woke her up, and she looked around at the strange room until she remembered last night. She swung her legs over the edge of her bed causing Alyward to look up at her.

"Hello Alyward, sleep well?" He let a small woof of air in response. "Okay, let's go meet this stranger."

She walked out of the small bedroom right into the dining room.

"Good you're awake." She whipped around and saw a man on her right drinking coffee. He pushed a plate with bacon and eggs towards her.

"You should eat," he said.

"I really should be going though-" Aella tried to protest, however was quickly cut off.

"You should at least wait to give your leg a chance to recover fully. I noticed you were limping slightly out in the forest. Hiding your splint underneath you dress while you were in the inn was smart," he said

"And how would you know this?" Aella said, raising one of her eyebrows.

"I checked your leg to make sure you weren't injured after I saw you limping."

"Thanks, but I imposed on you long enough, I really should be going," Aella persisted.

"What's you name?" he asked.

"Aella, and your's is?" Aella asked

"Gilan"

Aella shrugged her pack in while thanking Gilan for the supplies he had given her, grateful that she had donned a pair of trousers and a jerkin last night.

"You sure you don't need any help? I know some people you could work for," Gilan tried again.

"I'm sorry Gilan, but I have to keep traveling back to Gallica," Aella replied, opening the door. With Alyward following her, she nodded at the man on the shaggy pony as she walked towards the forest,

"Hello Halt!" Gilan called out.

"Who was that?" Halt replied.

"A girl who helped me out at an inn. Come on in, the coffee's fresh," Gilan tried again to get Halt stay.

"I can't stay, Crowely wants you, Will, Horace, and I to take another mission,"

Halt said, shaking his head at his former apprentice's antics. Truthfully however, he found it kind- Although he'd never admit it.

"What's the mission?"

"Crowely has got a report from Clonmel, and apparently Ferris had a daughter with a maid. However, the mother died so the daughter left. Ever since Sean has become king, he has been looking for her, and he has asked us to look for a girl named Cecily O'Carrick."