A/N: Two chapters in one day because I'm procrastinating. Enjoy!
AER: Hm...you could take the $30 and turn it into the $200 you need if you are crafty enough. You could make necklaces...get a wood burning kit...make Harry Potter wands out of sticks you find in a ditch...or you could find some work cleaning houses or something.
TheRanger'sDaughter: Season 4? Yeah...that family tree is going to get A LOT more twisted before you're caught up.
Aubrey: Calvin's not inherently evil, which makes him harder to dislike. He's not dealing with his issues and ends up taking it out on the people close to him. He's kind of like Caleb from Divergent in that sense...not one of the bad guys, but can't be trusted by the good guys either.
Disclaimer: I'm not John Flanagan.
Russ and Reese jerked their heads towards the scream.
"What was that?" Reese asked.
"Sounded like a girl," Russ answered, his sarcasm a bit too thick.
The shriek came again. Russ turned his horse towards the cry. Reese followed. The two tore through the trees and across a stream. Russ paused in a clearing, looking around. The scream came again. The two bolted after it.
Finally, they found its source.
Turns out, it wasn't a girl. It was a young boy dangling by his ankle from the treetops above. He had to be eleven or twelve, young enough for his voice to be high pitched but old enough to take offense if anyone pointed it out.
"What are you doing up there?" Russ called up.
"Help me!" the kid shouted. "Please!"
Just as Russ prepped an arrow two more horses emerged from the woods. First Will then Alyss joined them. Both chuckled at the dangling lad high above their heads. Clearly this trap was meant for wild game. Had it been intended for a human victim it would have been closer to the main road. Russ let his arrow fly and the boy came crashing to the ground. The Araluens dismounted and waited for him to right himself.
"What's your name?" Alyss asked. She knelt in front of him and attempted to brush the dust from his clothes.
"I have to get back," the boy protested. He attempted to jerk away but she kept his arm in a motherly grip.
"Where are your parents?" Will pressed further. The boy shook his head.
"I have to get back," he repeated. "Please."
Alyss caught the boy's chin and held it still. She stared into his eyes long and hard, then brought Will to study him as well.
"Russ?" Will prompted. Alyss released the boy to collect the bag he'd obviously dropped when he sprung the snare. He lunged for it first. Kid was quick, and he would have gotten away if he weren't dealing with two trained Rangers. Russ caught his arm and, as he had Holt and sometimes Robin when they were children, wrestled the boy to the ground.
"Let me up!" the boy demanded.
"Why did you try to protect this?" Alyss asked, yanking the bag away from him.
"Stop fighting," Russ ordered. Of course the boy refused. Reese joined Alyss in searching the bag while Will went to help Russ contain the child. Russ was capable of holding down grown men, even those who resisted. He was bigger than the average Ranger and could manage burly ruffians without knocking them out. However, this was a child. The child was fighting hard enough he could hurt himself if Will didn't step in with a second pair of hands.
Reese held the bag open while Alyss rummaged around inside. He pulled out handfuls of tiny green poppy buds. He looked from Alyss back to Russ. Will was holding the child in a bear hug from behind while Russ checked the boy's eyes. He didn't grow up to enter into his mother's profession, but he had been raised by a physician. Not only that but he'd been raised by a physician who relied on him to describe visual symptoms when he accompanied her on house calls. Russ had learned a lot being raised by Gabby. Reese knew enough about the poppy buds from his time studying under Caitlyn their only use was as a medicine. They had a few other uses, but their properties were best used as painkillers.
They were also highly addictive and popular for recreational use. They could turn even the strongest man into a walking corpse. By the look on Russ' face, this child was addicted to the stuff. Russ looked to Will.
Will released the child. "Give him back his bag. Run home, son. I'm sure your parents are missing you."
Russ did as ordered. The child scrambled to get his bag and darted off through the trees.
"Why did you do that?" Reese asked once the boy was out of sight. "Clearly he needs help."
"He does," Will agreed. "Liam, Talia, and Gabe are over the hill there. That boy is going to go straight to whomever makes the drug for him. Let's get Liam and see where he goes."
"But Maggie…" Russ trailed. Will shook his head.
"We have no leads on Maggie," Will said, clearly pained by saying the words aloud. "We do have a lead on that boy. There are several teams out looking for Maggie. We can spare a couple of days helping this boy."
"Don't peek!"
"I'm not."
Robin finished slipping the new traveling dress over her head. Hazen wanted a love interest? He was going to get one worthy of his title. She exchanged her sensible outfit for an extravagant one at his expense the first village they came to. She picked up a bottle of Persian scent and a set of exquisite jewelry that would help set off her short hair. They'd come to the woods to make a plan and give Robin a chance to change. While Robin prepared herself, Hazen worked on rubbing down both their horses so they wouldn't look so worn. Even if they were playing the part of runaway lovers, a crown prince and his lady would look their best.
"Three days in each place," Robin said as she emerged from her hiding place behind bushes. "That's all."
"That's all we need," Hazen agreed. "You will have to insist on thanking the staff whenever we're served dinner. Make sure you get a good look at all the children Maggie's age."
"I know," Robin rolled her eyes. "We've been over this a dozen times or more."
Hazen sighed. "I know," he admitted. "It's just…this was supposed to be my little sister. And Maggie…"
"We both care about her," Robin assured him. "After the Treaty family moved to Araluen, Maggie came to play with Anne a lot. She didn't take to her easily but…well, aside from Mara she's the friend Anne is most comfortable with."
"Mara's good at connecting to people. She would have been a good queen if she'd been born first."
"No," Robin corrected him. "She'll make a good ambassador. You're going to be the king."
"If my parents accept me."
"Your parents aren't so harsh they'd shove so many responsibilities onto you if they didn't plan to keep you in your place. They're challenging you because they know you can take it."
"My parents have high expectations," Hazen shook his head. "Even if they decide to train Mara to be queen, they'll still expect me to serve the country in some way."
"Hazen, you could walk away from your crown tomorrow and they'd still support you. You want to be king. They're preparing you for that."
"I don't know. Sometimes I wonder what it would have been like to grow up away from this life."
Robin laughed. "You're starting to sound like Reese."
That got a smile from him. He really did need to relax more. "How is it you handle the stress of your family's company so well?"
Robin could only shrug after thinking for several moments. "No one told me I had to do this apprenticeship. I chose it of my own free will, and my mother and aunt support me. They're both harder on me than the other apprentices, but…I know they push me because they want me to do well."
"I want to be king," Hazen went on as they mounted back up. "I'm just not sure how I can be half the leaders my parents are. I really think they are the way they are because they grew up outside castles."
Robin couldn't argue that. Mason and Scout were far more relatable than William and Anamaria. Mason and Scout were also harder on their children than William and Anamaria ever were on Reese. While the Hibernian royals started 'training' Hazen and Mara from a young age William and Anamaria doted on Reese. Perhaps that was part of why Hazen was so focused while Reese lacked direction. Hazen had to work and was still working to maintain his position. Reese didn't.