An entire week…
Angie had wasted a whole week in that office reading over the most boring documents in existence. She had spent six whole days trying to prove that she really, really wanted to be a stuck up, know-it-all. She had wasted what precious time she had to find something she actually wanted to do, just to be shut down once again.
Not even the Scribes, who were always complaining about being understaffed, wanted her. It was Choosing Day and she had failed to find a Craft Master who would accept her. Johnny and his little pack were right, no one wanted her.
Maybe she could just run away. She had snuck out of Redmont dozens of times, she could do it again. She would be out of there and on to her new life before anyone important knew she had gone. But what life could she hope for? She had no money, no sellable skill, no craft; she was fifteen and had nothing to her name.
She laughed at the expression; she did not even have a name. She was just Angie, the orphan with a bizarre necklace as the only clue to her parentage. What hope did she have out there? Less than there, and that was no comfort.
Choosing Day, her nightmare was upon her, and she was thinking about running away. Pathetic, she told herself miserably sitting on her bed in the Ward. The others were still asleep. She could hear the steady breathing of the other girls while she watched the sky lighten in preparation for the sunrise through the window.
It was the end of her life, her last day.
"Might as well watch the sunrise from the wall," she mumbled quietly slipping out of her bed.
The wall was the best place to watch the sunrise. Or the best place Angie was technically allowed to go. No, scratch that. The wall was the easiest place to hide and still see a wonderful sunrise. She could scale the wall in five minutes without a sound, under three with minimal noise and a minute flat if she absolutely had too; which happened frequently as Choosing Day had approached.
She was up the wall and seated on the roof of the small shelter for the soldiers as the sun crested the horizon. How many more times would she be able to just sit and watch the sunrise; she wondered. After Choosing Day when she was sent to a life of menial labor would she still be able to just enjoy sunrise? Probably not, she would be up working this early for the rest of her life.
This was a cruel irony, spending her last hours as a free person thinking about how horrible her life was about to become. She sighed drawing her knees up to her chest, her left hand reaching for the necklace; her only comfort.
"I could still go," she whispered to the rising sun. "I could survive out there."
And find out what happened to my parents.
It was not the first time she thought about that. Ever since Johnny arrived and their war began, Angie had thought about running away to find her parents. No one ever said they had died, they were just heroes.
They could be alive out there, wondering about her. Maybe they did not know where she had gone. Perhaps she had been abducted as a baby and dropped at Redmont for safe keeping. Or maybe Angie's life would have been in danger if she had stayed with them and they sent her away for her own protection.
That meant they might come back for her. And if they did come for her, it would be on Choosing Day. They could apprentice her so that no one would know the truth except them. And maybe they had talked to all the Craft Masters in Redmont so no one would apprentice her. That must be the reason, it made so much sense!
Her parents were coming for her. Somehow they were going to claim her; but how? What could they possibly do that would warrant an apprentice? And how would they convince the Baron to let them take her away?
None of that mattered, she would find out soon enough. The ceremony with the Baron was only a few hours away, her parents would be on their way to Redmont and soon she would see them. Choosing Day was not the end of her life, it was only the beginning.
She was so elated by her discovery she forgot about the guard change, fresh eyes were more likely to spot her than the half-dozing night watch. And sitting up on the roof with the sun illuminating her was like shouting at them, "Hey, I'm right here!" And that's exactly what happened, the captain of the guard spotted her.
"What are you doing up there," he called standing just close enough to see her fully and not shout. He was so accustomed to seeing Angie that he no longer asked who would be up there; he just wanted to know why?
"Sorry, Thomas," she was so happy she could not even feign guilt for the guard captain. "I wanted to watch the sunrise."
"And what if someone had seen you? What if they took you an enemy?" He shouted watching Angie scoot across the roof to the eave.
"A scrawny little girl," Angie asked slipping down from the roof, she hung over the edge and allowed Thomas to help her to the walkway.
"Yes, scrawny little girls," Thomas scolded taking her by the arm.
Angie knew where this was going, no reprieve from Thomas. She was about to be marched up to the Baron's office. Again.
It was not exactly incorrect to say that Angie was a trouble maker. And even then trouble maker was stretching the truth a bit. She was just perpetually caught doing some-what bothersome things that is some people's opinion was bad. Like sneaking roast chickens for the Yule feast from the kitchens, scaling the walls of the keep, adjusting documents in the library when the Scribes were proof reading, correcting maps for the cartographer when he missed a few minor details, or sneaking in Lady Helena's office to eavesdrop on important meetings. Sadly the list went on, and on, and on.
At some point Thomas had made it his personal mission to catch Angie every time she thought about misbehaving. And he was excellent at it. Most of the time Thomas was on duty, Angie was in the Baron's office or performing her various punishments.
"Come on, it's Choosing Day. I can't start the day off in trouble," she begged trying to pull her arm out of the sleeve of her tunic.
"You should have thought about that before breaking the rules," he tightened his grip on her arm.
Thomas was not a tyrant, he was generally a reasonable person, especially with the wards. And he had not missed the other wards picking on Angie daily. But there were still rules and Angie had broken them, he could not let that go unpunished. She had to learn.
"Please Thomas. I was just watching the sunrise." She attempted to pry the captain's hand off her arm, her brow furrowing in concentration.
"On the wall," he said it like that fully explained how grievously she had erred, it should have but Angie never seemed to catch on.
"It's the best place to watch," she tried to explain giving up on freeing her arm. Being sent to the Baron's office for disciplinary action was not a good way to begin the day. Her parents might not take her if they knew she was a trouble maker. "Can't you let me go? Just this once?"
Thomas might have Angie go, she was laying it on thick. And he knew it was Choosing Day, her chances of being apprenticed could be harmed is she was drug in the office for rule breaking. And Thomas wanted to see Angie apprenticed, she was a good kid. She deserved a break after suffering through her childhood with Johnny Pritchard. But he still had a firm grip on her arm when the Ranger came through the gate astride his little gray horse.
Angie sighed seeing the horse enter the yard. The rider would see that she was in trouble for something, and he was chummy with the Baron. If Thomas released her the man in the mottled cloak would report to the Baron. Then Thomas would get in trouble for not reprimanding her.
"Thomas," the man dismounted, leaving his horse alone in the yard. Angie did not know much about horses, but she was certain that was not the standard procedure. Watching the man cross the yard, she expected the horse to bolt, but it just stood there watching.
"Ranger Will," Thomas turned to face the Ranger. "What brings you to Redmont so early?"
"Business with the Baron," Ranger Will responded in a deep gruff tone, his dark eyes scanning Angie. "What's going on here?"
"She was up on the wall," Thomas tightened his grip on her arm, anticipating a renewed attempt at escape.
"I just wanted to watch the sunrise," she said quietly looking at the ground between her feet.
"I was taking her to see the Baron," Thomas continued reluctantly. Had the Ranger not shown up he would have given Angie a break. But that was no longer an option.
"Why don't I take her up to the Baron," Angie felt her stomach drop at the Ranger's suggestion. It really was the end of her life.
"I would hate to inconvenience you Ranger," Thomas looked down at the child. Angie could see the worry in his eyes and the sorrow etched on his face.
"No inconvenience at all," the Ranger took hold of Angie's other arm. "I have to go up there anyway." Reluctantly Thomas released her, giving her to the Ranger.
His hand was like a vice. Angie squirmed trying to loosen his grip, it was hurting her. He either chose to ignore her squirming or he failed to realize he was cutting off the circulation in her arm. Angie had a sinking suspicion it was the later.
"I use to climb the wall," the Ranger said once they had started climbing the stairs to the Baron's office.
"For an invasion," Angie offered slowly, what other reason could there be for a Ranger to climb a castle wall?
"Retreat," she could see a hint of a smile on his lips, it vanished almost instantly but she knew she saw it.
"To the castle," she was nervous. Why was he telling her that he use to climb the wall at Redmont? Was it leading to a new horrible punishment devised by the Ranger? It must have been, the Ranger was weird and crazy and filled with sorcery.
"From the keep," because that was not vague…
Angie just barely repressed a sigh. The crazy sorcerer in the weird cloak was cryptic and taking her to the Baron's office. She was rethinking her earlier happiness, her life really was about to end, her parents would never take her back now.
In the antechamber of the Baron's office the Ranger released her, pointed at a chair. That was obviously where she was supposed to await her doom. Slowly Angie sank into the chair and watched the Ranger. He entered the office without a word.
For a moment, once the door clicked shut, she entertained the thought of running. The Ranger had left her alone, the annoying secretary Francis, who normally shouted at her constantly, was absent and the door of the office was closed. She had snuck up there before; she could slip out just as easily. She entertained the thought for a full minute, and then dismissed it.
She was too afraid of the Ranger to even attempt to run. He would track her down, drag her back, and then she would really be in trouble. She might have been in trouble for climbing the wall, but that would be nothing compared to the trouble she would be in for running from a Ranger. In particular Ranger of Redmont Fief, the most grimfaced man Angie had ever encountered. No, running away from him was dumb.
So she sat there.
It felt like hours, it might have been hours. Or might have only been a few minutes, Angie was impatient and lost track of time when she had nothing to do. And sitting in the antechamber of the Baron's office was the embodiment of nothing to do. It had never taken so long to devise a punishment before.
Her necklace was spinning slowly around her finger when the door of the antechamber finally opened. Only it was the door from the stairway, not the office. The other wards had arrived for Choosing Day. It had been hours, she had missed breakfast, her hair was a knot from where she had slept on it, and the Ranger was still in the office.
Perfect.
"Angie, what are you doing here," Mandy was the first through the door. "We've been looking everywhere for you."
Angie opened her mouth to respond but as she did the door to the office opened. The Ranger came out, pulling the cowl of his cloak up over his face. The wards stopped, staring at the small intimidating man. Ranger Will crossed the room, cowing the ward children into vacating the doorway. The Ranger stopped in the doorway turning to face the children. His eyes stopped on Angie.
He motioned with his finger, a simple movement that had only one meaning: Come. He was silently telling her to follow him, and the same fear that kept her in that chair in the antechamber compelled her to rise and follow him. At the door she heard words that at one point might have given her immense pleasure. Now it sounded like a death sentence.
"You are now my apprentice."