"Halt, please try to relax. We'll be at Castle Araluen in little less than an hour."

Of course, that's the reason I can't relax. "What happens if Quinton doesn't approve of me?"

"He will."

"But…"

"Halt, listen to me. Quinton has been my good friend for many years. He also trusts my judgment. If I recommend something, he almost always goes along with it."

"Almost always?"

"He will approve of you."

"But how…"

Aron cuts me off again, holding up his hand to signal complete silence. An arrow is instantly nocked on the massive longbow he's carried all day, though he hasn't bothered to aim or even draw the bow. If someone attacks, it will take him much too long to react and defend us.

"King's Ranger. Show yourself." He's not shouting, but his voice carries so I know anyone hiding could have seen it. There's no reaction to his challenge. "Show yourself or I'll shoot. I see you hiding in the bushes at the base of that giant oak."

A head pops up from the bushes exactly where he must have known someone was hiding, but instead of making threats, he laughs. "Quinton, how long have you been following us?"

"About a quarter hour. I've just gotten back from the Gathering Ground and I have nothing left to do to prepare. No last second practice sessions to set up."

"Different without Crowley under your feet?" Aron looks amused.

"Definitely. But tell me—who is this?"

"This is my young friend Halt. I know it's unheard-of so close to Gathering time, but I've taken him on as my apprentice. There were…unusual circumstances that prevented me from waiting until after the Gathering, but I was hoping we could discuss it over a cup of coffee back at Castle Araluen."

"Certainly. Just let me fetch my horse and we'll be off."

The two men exchange friendly gibes the entire ride back to the castle, obviously glad to see each other again. As we reach the town surrounding the castle, Quinton leads us off towards the woods. "I'd rather we went straight to my cabin. I'm not expected back until tomorrow anyway, and I don't want to be swamped with paperwork yet tonight."

His cabin is surprisingly similar to Aron's, and I find myself wondering whether all Rangers have lodgings like this. Once the horses are bedded down for the night, we head inside for coffee. I've personally never liked the bitter drink, but Aron and Quinton are definitely fond of it. They won't let me refuse it completely and Aron suggests I try mixing some honey in it. The result is much better and actually enjoyable.

"Aron, you had something you wanted to discuss?" Quinton seems interested. "Something that couldn't wait for a letter?"

"I went about things in an unusual order with Halt. I should have requested supplies for him before accepting him as my apprentice. So now I just need your official approval for that."

"You said there were unique circumstances?"

"Very unique." He glances at me. "I think it would be better if he explained the reason for them himself."

"I'm Hibernian. Or at least I have been up until I escaped to Araluen." The story of Ferris's jealousy isn't an easy one to tell, but I get through it because Aron seems to expect me to. He's not going to help me tell my story and Quinton needs to hear all of it.

When I'm finally done, Aron takes over. "I'm not sending him back to Hibernia; he'll be killed. I can't leave him to find work for himself before his arm has healed. There were various other possibilities and good reasons why none of them worked. The only one I found acceptable was to make him my apprentice. He's determined, curious, intelligent, and creative. Under normal circumstances, I would have accepted him after the Gathering anyway."

"We'll come up with a way to make it work. I believe we could assess him for the first time at the Gathering and if he doesn't pass—which I doubt he will with so little time to prepare—we can give him the first assessment again next year. We'll adopt that system for the entire Corps so no one can argue he's getting special treatment as the heir to the throne of Hibernia."

"Can we please not even tell anyone who I am? I'm a runaway from Hibernia; that should be enough to satisfy most people."

"Rangers are more curious than most people," Aron reminds me. "They'll need a reason for you being a runaway."

"My brother tried to kill me and I was scared. I ran to Araluen in a panic."

"That should work. Quinton and I won't give out any more information than that, and you can choose who you want to share more with."

"Congratulations, Aron. You officially have an apprentice. I'll just finish the paperwork and get his supplies first thing tomorrow morning."