DISCLAIMER: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters. They all belong to John Flanagan.

Jeez, this story is going faster than I thought it would. Hmm...

Well, you know the drill. R&R!

CHAPTER 3:

Axel slipped silently back to his house. He had known there was something special about the young Battleschool apprentices. He had sensed it, but he had pushed it away the entire day.

When he walked in, his mother, Alyss Mainwaring, saw his blank face and knew there was something wrong. As a diplomat, she had had to hide her emotions on many occasions, and so could also tell when someone else was doing so. Except Will. She could never tell with Will.

"What's wrong?" she asked as he made to go up the stone stairs to his room.

"Nothing," he said without stopping. Alyss sighed.

"Will?" she called.

"Yes?" Will's voice came from somewhere in the house.

"Axel wants to talk to you."

"No he doesn't!" Axel's voice came from upstairs.

"On my way," Will said.

Alyss heard the faint brush of a cloak on stone and knew that Will had gone upstairs after Axel. Satisfied, she returned to her work, preparing for a trip she had to make soon.

Will slipped up the stairs into Axel's room. Axel was practising throwing knives. Will allowed him to do so in the house because the young apprentice had uncanny accuracy with the well balanced throwing knife that Rangers carried. But his expert aim was thrown off when he was angry or frustrated. As Will watched, the knife sailed out of Axel hand to thunk into the target towards the top, almost missing the target completely. He grabbed Axel's shoulder as he made to retrieve the knife. His son glared up at him.

"There is definitely something bothering you," Will said. Axel tried to protest but Will held up a hand. "I wasn't finished. It's to do with Rayna and James."

Axel frowned. "How did you know that?"

Will smiled. "Because when you're thinking about Rayna you hand closes around the hilt of an imaginary sword, and when you're thinking about James, your knuckles turn white around the hilt of said imaginary sword."

Axel slumped, defeated. He would never get anything past his dad, he knew. "Yeah," he grumbled. Will steered him towards his bed with the hand that was on his shoulder, and sat down on the edge, with Axel beside him. "What happened?" Will asked.

Axel didn't talk for a while. Then he opened his mouth, said "They . . ." and then shut it again. Will nodded his understanding.

"Did he, or did she?" he asked.

"He did," he answered, and Will nodded again.

Axel sighed. "It's not fair!" he complained. Will smiled inwardly.

"Life isn't fair, Axel," he said philosophically. Axel glared at him.

"Easy for you to say," he muttered. "Mum never wanted anyone but you and you know it."

Will said nothing. He supposed it would have been different for him, had Alyss fallen for anyone else. He supposed he would have been dealing with the same jealousy that Axel was.

"Axel," he said. Axel looked at him. "Did she say anything? Did she react?"

"Not that I saw," Axel said. "She stared at him as he was riding away but I only stayed for a few seconds of that."

Will nodded. "Chances are she's as surprised as you are. Not quite as angry, probably, but I doubt that she saw it coming either."

Axel's spirits lifted slightly at that. His father was right, he decided. Rayna probably had no idea. Will squeezed his son's shoulder as Axel sat up a little straighter, and he knew there wasn't much else he could do.

"I'll be off then. Never miss a chance to practice," he said cheerfully, and Axel watched him walk back down the stairs. Then the door opened, he heard a muffled conversation and then his father called him down. He knew who it would be.

"Hi, Rayna," he said as he came to the door.

She looked up from her boots as he came down and tried for a smile. "Axel, I–"

Axel held up a hand to stop her. "Don't try to apologize. Please, just . . . don't."

Rayna looked at him. He was acting strange. "Axel?" she said quietly.

"Don't –" he started but she cut him off.

"No, you don't. Look, I'm sorry, okay? Lord knows when the next time I see James will be, and. . . It's just his way of saying he cares. And that he won't forget."

Axel looked at her. She was right, he figured. She knew James better than he did and if that's what she thought then she was probably right.

"Okay," he said quietly. Rayna sighed. Then she forced a smile, made a show of looking at the sky and then turned back to Axel.

"It's getting late, I should head back," she said apologetically. Axel nodded.

"See you tomorrow, I suppose," he said.

Rayna grinned. "That's a first." Axel's smile widened a bit and she walked up and wrapped her arms around his neck. Then she kissed him on the cheek and was gone.

There you go, chappie three!

Please revieeeeeew!

-The Demons