I don't own Rangers Apprentice, but thank you John Flanagan for creating it for us!
-Angelica
During lunch that day the word had got around about Isabel. The older Rangers smiled at her and clapped her on the shoulder for proving the boys wrong. Halt showed a small smile when he saw her walking over for lunch. He turned to Will and said when Isabel got close enough to hear.
"Did you hear that a girl showed up all the other three first years?" Will nodded.
"Yeah, I heard that all ten of her arrows went in the bull's eye and her time was best."
Isabel sat on the log taking the food they had saved for her and looked at them, giving them the signature Halt look.
"How was it?" Halt asked her.
"Okay," she said.
"Just 'okay'?" Halt said.
"Yeah," she said taking a bit of her sandwich.
"Good, people don't like braggers," he told her.
She laughed and turned when Gilan and Derrick sat down. "Heard Isabel shoot better than the three boys," Gilan said.
"Well I hope she did," Derrick said with a worried face. "She's shoots better than me."
After lunch Isabel went with Halt to talk to Crowley.
"Halt," Isabel asked. "Why does everyone underestimate girls?"
Halt looked at her; she was like Will in so many ways. Always asking questions. "Because they think of woman as lesser beings."
"And you don't?"
"Well Pauline has proven to me that woman can do many things that men don't think they can do. As well as your mother and the Queen. And right know your proving that a girl can be a Ranger."
"So if a girl can do anything a boy can do, but a boy can't do everything a girl can do," she said looking around at all the tents.
"Really?"
"Yeah," she said. "I mean have you ever seen a guy ride side-saddle or wear a dress or give birth?"
"No, yes and no." Isabel stopped and slowly turned to him.
"You've seen a guy in a dress?"
"Yes I have," he said. "He was drunk and lost a bet." She held back a laugh and smiled.
"And is he someone I might know?"
"Possibly," he said with a straight face.
When they reach the commanding tent, Halt goes in then motions for Isabel to follow. Inside Crowley was standing behind the table with papers spread out in front of him. He looked up as they walked in.
"Isabel, how are you?" He asked. He heard all about Isabel's first test today and honestly got a good laugh about it.
"Okay," she said.
"Hiding your emotions like your mother," he said.
"Sure," she said nodding.
"Anyway, I wanted to tell you great job this morning. Those boys need to know that they shouldn't underestimate girls. And a few of the Rangers need to learn that too."
"And what Rangers might that be?" Halt asked him.
"You know, some other newer ones," he said.
"Really," Halt responded.
"So," Crowley said clapping his hands together. "Tomorrow is the next two tests on the throwing knifes and planning."
"Doesn't seem that hard," she told him.
"Halt," Crowley said more serious. "Can I talk to Isabel for a moment alone please?" He turned and walked out of the tent.
"Isabel, no one else besides the five of us know that your Will's daughter." She nodded. "And you know that one day you will be a Ranger, just you won't have your own fief."
Crowley had gone over with her that one day she would gone the special tasks force with Derrick when her training was done. So both Derrick and she would stay in the same fiefs with their masters.
"This is something I only want to tell you, no one else is going to know, not Halt or your father." She sat down in the chair across from him. "I know that you're going to be one of the greatest Rangers, I can tell from experience. But there's going to be a lot of hard ships for you. Many people will underestimate you."
"Yeah I know," she said looking at her hands.
"But the thing I wanted to tell you, or really the thing I wanted to give you is this." Crowley walks over and pulls out something wrapped in a silk cloth.
Placing the cloth on the table he opened it up and pulled out a leather cord with an oak leaf on it.
"I'm not so post to get my necklace till I'm a full pledged apprentice," Isabel told him
"I know," Crowley said. "You see this one is different. Instead of a chain the leaf is on a leather cord. I'm going to give this to you after the meeting is over. You'll get one like the others will, but you can just give it back to me. But there's something else that's different about this necklace."
He turned the oak leaf around; on the back was the crest of the King and Queen.
"I also have a silver one made for when you're a full pledged Ranger."
"Why are you giving me one with the crest on it?"
"You see Isabel; you're going to be going on many missions to different countries. If your ever captured or trying to prove who you are you can show the crest. And they agreed to give you a copy of the crest so you can seal things if you're even in trouble."
"Why would they do that?" She asked him.
"They trust you Isabel, and they are your godparents. They don't want anything to happen to you."
"And my dad and Halt don't know."
"Yes," Crowley said. She nodded. "So at the end of the meeting come back here and I'll give you what you need."
He put everything back in the cloth and turned back to Isabel. "I can't wait to see how your next tests turn out."
Isabel left and found Halt talking to a Ranger a few tents down.
"What did Crowley want to talk to you about?" He asked.
"He wanted to tell me a few things on how to handle the boys," she told him. It's a good thing Isabel was a good at "bending the truth".