The gathering was, sadly, drawing to a close. There were no graduations this year so it was five days instead of the normal, six. Tents were being packed up, fires were being put out, horses were being saddled, and tearful goodbyes were being said.

The bond between rangers ran deeper than most and their life was a dangerous one. They weren't just coworkers, they were family. Family forged because they were the only ones who understood the daily struggles and secrecy that each ranger had to go through.

Apprentices of all ages watched as their masters said goodbye to all their friends. Embracing them and wishing them the best. The apprentices who were in their last year of training had been to enough gatherings to know that sometimes, rangers wouldn't return for the next year or ever again.

Alexandria walked over to where Gilan was watching Halt say goodbye to Silas, his longtime friend who had just retired. Silas had known Halt since the reformation of the corps and each had saved the life of the other to many times to ever count. Alex knew that Halt considered Silas a uncle and he had appeared at the cabin unannounced to many times to count. He was there so much when she was younger that he had been the one to teach her to ride so well. But now, too old to continue the stressing work of a ranger, he had decided to retire.

"Why does everyone seem so sad?" Gilan whispered to her. "They'll see each other sometimes between gatherings, right?"

"I'm sure you've realized the life of a ranger is a dangerous one?" He nodded. "Sometimes Gilan, rangers don't make it back for another gathering and they die in the line of duty. All of us here consider each other family and you never want your family in danger."

"Oh." He said in a small voice. Then reaching for Blaze's saddle, began concentrating furiously on the task.

"I assume I'll be forced to deal with your presence for another few days?" A grim voice asked next to her.

"Why of course! It's tradition isn't it? And I missed the last gathering so we haven't really talked in two years." She replied, spinning around without missing a beat.

"Well you get to sleep on the couch and do chores why your there, Gilan deserves a break" His sly tone gave away his humor.

Her grin gave away hers. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

The ride to Redmount was short, way shorter than the ride to Meric. Still, in that short time, Alex noticed some changes about Halt. Particularly in the way he treated Gilan.

With her he had been unwaveringly strict after she had started her apprenticeship. When she was younger she got away with almost everything as long as she actually tried. But once she officially started, everything changed.

He became almost downright mean in the way her trained her, drilling her for hours if an arrow or knife missed the bullseye. Even if it was by half an inch. If a map wasn't perfect she would have to redraw it over and over again to complete perfection. If he caught her while training in the art of unseen movement, she would be forced to sprint until her legs literally gave out beneath her.

For the first year she wanted anything but to be a ranger, she hated the corps with every fibre in her being. But yet, at her first gathering she shot better than the second years, and no one could find her until the last second in their unseen movement assessment.

When they got back from the first gathering he pushed her even farther. Which she didn't think was possible. Then, she met her worst nightmare, Silas.

If she thought one ranger was bad, two was hell. She would be woken up at all hours of the night and made to run miles. Between the two, they knew all the languages she did and because of that she would have to switch between them multiple times every conversation. She was forced to wake up ridiculously early every single morning and they kept her awake past midnight every night.

Some weeks, she wouldn't be allowed to sleep for days and eat the bare minimum and was still expected to be able to function at the normal level of a ranger.

She hated both of them with a burning passion. But yet, some small part of her welcomed the challenge. Deep down inside she knew exactly what they were doing. Trying to break her. Training her for sleep and food deprivation, and to still have endurance. Silas and Halt were training her to be able to survive and evade capture. The realization that this is why she had been put through hell for two years didn't make it any easier though. But one day it all ended.

The hiss of a longbow followed by a smack of it hitting the target rang through the clearing. In the center of the clearing stood a young girl, shoulders sagging and dirt covered. It was clear to any rational human being that she had been awake for days and had not received that much food in that time either.

"Dammit Alexandria! Faster!" A harsh voice cut through her like a knife.

"I'm trying Silas!" She lowered the longbow, looking at her fingers. The calluses had recently broke, leaving her fingers bloody and bruised.

"Well you obviously are not or else we wouldn't be having this conversation!" He yelled right into her face, inches away.

Any other teenager would have been terrified of Silas. But Alexandria was no ordinary teenager. Thus, she felt no fear, just downright exhaustion.

"Two miles, fourteen minutes. Hand to hand with Halt once you get back. If you're not sprinting I'll know and you'll do it all again. Go!" He spat out at her and you took off into the woods at a dead sprint. He knew she wouldn't dare disobey him.

"It's time." He said to Halt who came and stood by him. "She's about to break."

"I feel so bad doing this to her! I just want to tell her that I don't mean anything I say or do!" Halt cried.

"I know but this is how we were trained too. And when she breaks we pick up the pieces and then you start actually caring for her again." Silas calmly replied, his hand coming to rest on Halt's shoulder.

"She hates us, me most of all."

"She doesn't know the truth Halt. We were both trained this way, as was Crowley. Everyone was before the reformation. The only reason we don't do it now is because no one has the heart to."

"Thanks for telling me I'm an awful human." Halt replied, dryly.

"I didn't mean it that wa- Quick she's coming!"

Both men separated and donned their masks of steel as Alex rounded the corner, still in a dead sprint. If they were going to finish this phase of her training it had to be today. Her mind may be strong but her body was slowly giving out.

"Till you are pinned twelve times or until you pin Halt." Silas yelled at the heaving Alex, not even giving her a chance to catch her breath. "Begin!"

Halt immediately descended on her, throwing her to the ground without mercy and put her in a choke hold.

"One!" Silas shouted. "Begin again!"

Alex crawled to her knees swaying as Halt pounced on her again. She tried to put up a fight but he once again pinned her.

"Again!"

This time, something in Alex snapped. She punched and kicked but to no avail. Halt slammed her into the dirt, dust clouds flying around them.

"Get up!" Silas yelled, inwardly hoping that this was it.

'Please, please let her be done! Let us be finally done with this!' He prayed to whatever god was out there.

"I said get up!" He yelled again and Alex's shoulders started shaking.

Alex sat hunched on the dirt and cried. She was done.

'Oh thank god!' Silas thought. 'We're finally done!'

Halt sat next to her on the ground and pulled her into a hug.

"Please no more dad! Please no more!" She cried, for the first time since she was small.

"Shhh 'Dria it's all over. You've finished that training for today. I'm proud of you." Halt quietly said to her. "Let's get you inside. Silas and I will explain everything."

Silas came forward now, pulling her out of Halt's arms into a hug and then looking her directly in the eye.

"You've done well Alexa. Very well."

Halt walked over to them and slung one of her arms around his shoulder and Silas copied the action. Slowly, Alex staggered back to the cabin.

Alex remembered after sleeping and eating for two days straight, they sat her down and explained everything that had happened in those two years. Over time, Halt slowly repaired the torn relationship with her and Silas became the fun uncle she knew and loved today.

They told her that back before the reformation of the corps all apprentices were trained like she was for the first two years of their apprenticeship. When the corps was formed for the first time, many rangers died because they couldn't survive capture and interrogation. So all the masters got together at one gathering and devised a system to make sure it wouldn't happen to their apprentices.

By subjecting their apprentices to harsh conditions over a long time they slowly built up their body's resistance. One day, the apprentice would normally snap and that's when the master knew their apprentice had enough and they could finally move on.

When the time came for the next Gathering she outperformed almost all the apprentices there, with the exception of two fifth years. Once Crowley took one look at her, he knew exactly what happened to her that year. Needless to say he was livid at Halt and Silas.

It was clear by the way Gilan behaved around Halt he had never been treated in such a way, even if it was only his first year.

"How far are we Alexandria?" Halt asked her nonchalantly.

Immediately, she recognized the test. He wanted to see if those maps he drilled into her were still there. She quickly scanned the terrain around her, noting the landmarks.

"We're about two miles from the cabin." She answered back, as fast as possible.

He spun around in his saddle and looked her dead in the eye.

"Three seconds too slow."

"Three seconds too dead." She replied with a nod, understanding his silent order. He would begin training her again.