AN: Ok here's the next chapter. Hope everyone had a nice weekend, mine was great, hung out with my brother and new niece then went to a ropes course on Sunday. I own nothing but my own characters; I don't own any of the Rangers Apprentice series, and now on to the Story.
Updated 12/11/12
Letting Halt lead Tonalea, Taryn sat quietly waiting for Halt to tell her that it was ok to take of the blindfold. As the hour wore on Halt noticed that Taryn was getting antsy.
"You'll be able to take the blindfold off soon." He told her has he led them around a corner in the trail.
"Hopefully that time will be soon, because if not I fear that I'm going to ripe it off soon!" Taryn exclaimed with a sense of hope. Will chuckled, he too was wondering when they would get to the Gathering, glancing over at Halt he thought he saw a grim smirk but if he did it was gone before he could even identify it for what it was.
"Are we nearly there?" Will asked, for perhaps the tenth time since they had blindfolded Taryn. Halt gave a small sigh of exasperation. Other than that, he made no reply. Taryn sensed that Halt was getting aggravated with the young boy so she tried not to ask again about how much longer not wanting to upset the Ranger.
Smelling something in the air Will asked, "What's that smell?"
"It's Salt. We're getting close to the ocean." Halt answered briefly then refused to elaborate any further.
"You can take the blindfold off now Taryn." Halt said as he paused to let her do just that.
"Finally." Taryn said as she pulled the piece of material off and then passed it to Will. Taking the offered lead rope from Halt Taryn unclipped it and put it back in her saddle pack and picked up the reins. Will handed her back the lead for King's Storm and trotted up till he was level with Halt.
"Are you looking for something?" Will asked when he got level with him.
Halt turned in the saddle to look at him and said, "Finally, a useful question. Yes, as a matter of fact, I am. The chief Ranger will have sentries out around the Gathering Ground. I always like to try to fool them as I'm approaching."
"Why?" asked Will. Taryn glanced at Halt and saw him give a tight little grin.
"It keeps them on their toes." He explained. "They'll try to slip behind us and follow us in, just so they can say they've ambushed me. It's a silly game they like to play."
Taryn grinned with expectation; she tried to picture Halt and the other Rangers playing this game and mentally said, "now that would be a sight to see." Signaling that they should get moving again, Halt lead the way.
"When will we…" Will began, but was suddenly cut of by Halt holding up a warning finger in silence. Will stopped speaking instantly. Halt's head turned slightly to listen, Taryn was tempted to ask what he was listening for but one look between the to Rangers and she kept her mouth shut, following after the too.
"Hear it?" Halt asked Will and Taryn both craned their heads to listen. Taryn didn't hear anything but she could tell that Will had heard something.
"Get ready to change gaits Taryn." Halt instructed her. "On three, One, Two, Three." Simultaneously, they all nudged their left toes into the horses' shoulders. It was just one of many signals that Taryn had taught to many Ranger horses including Abelard. Instantly all the horse hesitated in their stride. They seemed to skip a pace, then continued in their even gait.
Finally hearing what the two Rangers had heard Taryn picked up the sound of another horses hoof beats, then a quickly she heard it, it was gone.
"It's a Ranger horse." Taryn said.
"It'll be Gilan, for sure." Halt finished after looking at Taryn.
"How can you two tell?" Questioned Will looking back and forth between Taryn and Halt.
Taryn replied slightly faster than Halt saying, "Only a Ranger horse could change his pace as quickly as that."
"Taryn rights and it'll be Gilan because it's always Gilan. He loves trying to catch me out."
"Why" Will asked and Halt shot him a stern look.
"Because he was my last apprentice." He explained. " And for some reason, former apprentices just love to catch their former masters with their breeches down." Halt looked accusingly at Will.
Taryn tried to smuggle a slight giggle from escaping her mouth. Halt signaled for silence, and scanned the trail ahead of them. Then he pointed, "That's the spot there," he said. "Ready?"
"Ready for what?" Taryn questioned. Halt didn't answer her just continued riding down the road. As they got closer to the place that Halt had indicated. Taryn saw Will study the spot, then nod to Halt before slipping his feet out of his stirrups and rose to a crouch on his horses saddle. When they got close enough Will reached up and swung himself up into the branches.
Observing the two, Taryn watched with a sense of pride when Tug started to pace more vigorously, forcing his hooves into the ground with each step so that there would be no sign to a tracker behind them that his load had suddenly lightened. Halt was watching her as she did this and gave her a slight nod when she looked up and caught his eye. When she and Halt reached the next bend Halt signaled Tug to keep going and for her and him to stop. When he swung down from Abelard and dropped to his knees to study the ground around them Taryn sat patently in her saddle waiting to see how this 'game' would play out.
Tayrn was startled when a voice suddenly said "Halt, Halt!" Halt turned and rose slowly to his feet, brushing the dirt from his knees as he rose.
"Well, Gilan," he called, "I see you're still making that old joke."
The tall figure that seemed to be this Gilan that Halt had been talking about shrugged and replied cheerfully, "The joke appears to be on you this year, Halt." Tayrn kept quiet as she watched the two of them exchange banter.
"Really, Gilan? And what joke would that be, I wonder?"
Taryn could see the amusement that was evident in Gilan's voice as he replied to his old teacher. "Come now, Halt. Admit it. For once I've got the best of you, and you know how many years I've been trying."
Halt rubbed one handover his grizzled beard as Taryn kept glancing between the two. "It beat's me why you keep on trying, Gilan, as a matter of fact."
Gilan laughed. "You should know how much pleasure it gives an ex-apprentice get the better of his old teacher, Halt. Now come on. Admit it. This year, I've won."
Halt hadn't moved from his position and Taryn could see Gilan start shifting his weight uneasily from one foot to another. Taryn could tell that because of Halt's unperturbed manner of the whole situation was beginning to bother Gilan. She suspected that Halts next words confirmed her suspicions. "Ah, yes . . . apprentices and masters. They're a strange combination, all right. But tell me Gilan, my old apprentice, aren't you forgetting something this year?"
Taryn picked up the stressing on the word 'apprentice', and from what she could tell so had Gilan; his head began to turn, searching for the Will. All of a sudden a black shaft hissed through the air past the tall Ranger and thudded, quivering, into the tree next to Gilan. Taryn couldn't help but laugh at the tall Rangers look of surprise on his face.
"Come down Will," Halt called. "And meet Gilan, one of our more careless Rangers." He shook his head at Gilan. "I told you when you were a boy, didn't I? Never be too hasty. Don't rush into things."
Gilan nodded as he glanced over at Will who dropped to the ground from the lowest branch. "It appears," he said, "that I was so intent on catching myself an old gray fox that I over looked the small monkey hiding in the trees and the beautiful young minx riding with them." He grinned at his own mistake, while he stared up at Taryn.
"Monkey, is it?" Halt said gruffly. "I'd say he's made a monkey out of you today. Will this is Gilan, my former apprentice and now Ranger of Meric Fief, although what they did to deserve him is beyond me. Taryn I'd like you to meet Gilan, Gilan this is Taryn she's coming to the Gathering to evaluate the graduates this year in their riding techniques." Halt introduced the two young adults.
Gilan's grin widened and he held his hand to Will, then glanced up and did the same with Taryn only instead of shaking hers, he kiss her knuckles. "He's not to bad on the eyes." Taryn though as she blushed and pulled her hand back and watched as the three men continued talking.
"Could you perhaps teach me how to move like that? It was brilliant." Will asked.
Gilan laughed ruefully. "Not too brilliant, I think. You obviously saw me coming from a long way away."
Taryn decided to focus more on how she would evaluate the graduate's verses listen to the handsome Ranger converse with the young apprentice.
Startled from her thinking by a whistle, Taryn glanced up to see a horse trotting around the bend in the road. Taryn couldn't help but admire the way the ranger swung up on his horse. "He is really tall and lanky, I wonder . . .? No Taryn don't think like that. Remember you're here to evaluate the apprentices not ogle tall Rangers." Taryn was pulled out of her thoughts when Gilan rode up beside her and asked her what fief she was from.
"I'm originally from Araluen Fief but since my apprenticeship ended I've set up a horse farm in the north of Whitby." Taryn replied glancing over at him to see his reaction. Gilan smiled when he caught her eye. Taryn felt her heart skip a beat.
"We're almost to the Gathering." Halt said as he watched as his former apprentice and the young horse trainer talk. He couldn't help but think that they looked, dare he think it or even say it, cute together. Wondering where it might end up he left the two alone. The two looked up when they heard him and smiled in acknowledgement. When they rounded the last bend in the trail and came upon the Gathering clearing Taryn couldn't keep from saying to herself "Wow."
"Yeah, it really is a sight to behold." Gilan smiled as he watched her reaction to the busy clearing.
"It's very impressive." Taryn replied with a grin as she watched two apprentices working on setting up a campsite while their Ranger mentors supervised them.
Upon closer inspection Taryn could make out an Archery range on one end of the clearing and in the center was what looked to be a command tent. As she and the others made their way into the clearing they noticed a group of Rangers standing by the tent. Then one detached from the group and running to a horse waiting just outside the circle the figure mounted and spun the horse on his back legs, setting out through the camp at a gallop, heading for a narrow track on the other side of the clearing.
"Something's wrong. Gilan, Will, why don't you two go find a campsite, and take Taryn's other horse with you. Taryn, you and I are going to go report to Crowley, he'll tell you when and where you're going to set up for the tests." Halt interrupted the Ranger and the Trainers thoughts as he instructed them on what to do.
Taryn follow Halt as he led the way to the command tent. Dismounting she told Tonalea to stay and turned to follow the older Ranger into the tent. Finding Crowley leaning over a low table that was covered with papers, Halt stopped and waited for him to finish talking to another senior Ranger. Crowley finished and then turned to Halt and motioned for him to follow him. Crowley then turned to her and did the same.
"Halt, Miss Gallagher, I'm afraid that we have a bit of a problem. Halt I need to speak with you privately. Miss Gallagher would you mind waiting here for a few minutes?" Crowley turned and addressed them when they were out of hearing range of the other Rangers that where milling around. Nodding Taryn waited till Crowley had finished talking with Halt. When Halt left the tent he came back over to her and motioned for her to sit on one of the many low stools around the low table.
"Miss Gallagher." Crowley started only to be interrupted by Taryn.
"Please call my Taryn" She interrupted.
"Taryn. I'm sorry to tell you this but the Gathering is going to be rather short this year. Because of this new development that I can't share with you, the testing's have been canceled. Once again I'm sorry. Another Ranger will escort you back to your farm. Halt, Gilan and Will are being sent on a mission and I can't spare them to take you back home." Crowley finished as he motioned for another Ranger to come over.
"Okay, maybe next year?" Taryn said as she followed Crowley's lead in standing to meet this new Ranger.
"Taryn I'd like you to meet Mark. Mark is the Ranger assigned to Whitby so he will take you home. Maybe we can work out for you to come again next year." Crowley introduced her to a medium build middle age man.
Mark shook her hand and said "Nice to meet you ma'am. Follow me; we will leave in the morning."
"Wait I need to go get my other horse from Gilan." Taryn said as she walked out of the tent into the sunshine.
"Ok, I'll follow you and then take you over to my campsite." Mark replied.
Taryn took Tonalea's lead and started walking over to where she could see Gilan and Will sitting and talking with Halt. Walking up to them they went silent when they saw her.
"Halt said that the Gathering had been canceled" Gilan said when she and Mark reached them. Mark nodded as Taryn reached to take the lead for King's Strom that Gilan offered.
"Yeah, Ranger Mark is going to take me home in the morning. It was nice meeting you Will and you too Gilan. Take care on whatever mission you are going on." Taryn nodded to the men as she made to follow Mark back to his campsite.
"Wait Taryn." Gilan called after her.
"Yes?" She questioned. "
Um, I um, was wondering if I could come by sometime and see this farm that you talked about." Gilan replied sheepishly.
"Ya I'd love to show you around the farm." She smiled at him.
"Ok then." Gilan smiled at her too, then turned back to Halt and Will to get ready for the mission.
"So you and Gilan huh?" Mark questioned Taryn once they got settled at his campsite.
"What do you mean 'me and Gilan'?" Taryn looked at him with a surprised look on her face.
"You and he look good together." Mark went on.
"There is not me and him, we just meet for the first time today." She argued.
"I'm just saying" Mark continued preparing supper as he kept glancing at her. Taryn decided to not read into this any more and went to check on her horses.
AN: Ok that was a long one. My fingers are hurting. Hope you guys enjoy this one. Please let me know if you have any feedback.