A/N: I am shocked how much you guys liked this story. And, truth be told, I had a jolly good time writing those snippets. So, I'll give it a second go.
Ranger's Apprentice © John Flanagan.
All songs © listed artists.
KEY:
#. Song Title (Song Artist)
See chapter 1 for challenge rules!
Okay, you know what? SCRATCH THE RULES ABOUT TIME LIMITS. I'm going off of the song with little snippets. Some are short, some are long, but while trying to write them in the time limits, I was getting a bit frustrated. So I took out the time limit rule temporarily.
I promise I'll go back to time limits later, but these are going to be some long drabbles without constraints of writing time limits.
1. Not in Blood, But in Bond (Hans Zimmer)
"Will, get out of there!" Halt found himself yelling at an abnormally loud volume as he realized that the building would collapse at any moment.
Will had gone inside to search for anyone else trapped inside. Halt had warned him not to, but he had insisted. The fire was slowly licking its way up the ramshackle hut, higher and higher. It creaked with signs of impending collapse. Halt's heart was beating out of his chest. Will was in there. Will was trapped in there. It was all he could think about. The survivors of the fire stood nearby, and they watched the building nervously, their ash-smeared faces showing concern for the brave ranger's apprentice, who'd yet to emerge from the fire.
Halt's pulse increased. "Will!" He cried again, desperately. To go in after him would be sure suicide for both of them. But to stand here was torture. Will's in there. Halt looked at the black smoke and orange flames with apprehension. My son is in there.
It was his last thought before the twin oil lamps on the front of the building finally caught flame. With a rocking explosion the building erupted in a huge ball of fire.
"Will!" Halt screamed.
Son. Not in blood, but in bond.
A/N: Gah, The end was painfully choppy, but I didn't know what to write …Has anyone else noticed that the first songs for both of these chapters so far have started with Will trapped in a burning building? I think my subconscious must have a vendetta against poor Will… :P
2. My Heart Would Know (Hank Williams)
The answer had always aggravated Alyss to no end, ever since she'd tried asking Pauline as a young teen.
"But, Pauline, how do you know when you love a man enough to marry him?" She'd asked.
Pauline had smiled knowingly, but had merely shrugged and said: "Oh, you just know."
Alyss ruefully remembered the frustration she'd encountered over trying to pry an actual answer from her mentor, or any other older woman in the whole of Redmont Castle. 'You'll just know' had been the overall consensus, and it drove Alyss up the wall. She wanted a straight answer.
Unfortunately, she would eventually have to give up the chase for one, because she would grow into her twenties without one logically straightforward reply. It still confused her as much as it ever did.
But then, one miraculous day, a beam of realization came down from above, and Alyss finally came to an understanding. A few feet away, Will swung off Tug with a flourish of mottled grey, and Ebony shot over to her in a swirling ball of tail-wagging. Will was soon to follow, and something about him, whether it was his bright, off-center smile, that horribly messy hair, or maybe just the fact that she'd known him since before she could walk, but something about him standing there made something click in Alyss' mind.
And all of a sudden, it all made sense. She just knew.
After all, not all matters of the heart could be explained in words.
A/N: UGH, I do NOT like that song… it's painful to listen to. The only reason it's on my iPod is because it was on a soundtrack. :P
3. All Wrapped Up (Jason Castro)
"What on earth are you doing?"
Horace turned to look up at the Princess with an innocent expression. "Wrapping presents." He told her.
Cassandra glanced at the mess of fabric and ribbon before her, and resisted the urge to laugh. She picked up a package, and glanced skeptically at the off-hue orange and purple wrappings.
"I see." She said. She placed her hand oddly in front of her mouth as to cover the smile there. She watched as Horace tied a bow clumsily on another package, apparently pleased with himself. She just couldn't hold it back. She burst out in laughter. Horace looked up at her in confusion.
"Cassie, are you alright?"
"Oh, Horace." She calmed down, and went over to where he sat on the floor. "I think you need a yuletide gift-wrapping lesson."
"What?" Horace looked indignant. "I am managing perfectly fine, thank you."
As he was speaking, Cassandra plopped down next to him and picked up a recently-wrapped present. The fabric wrappings were loose, and the bow was drooping sadly. She pulled at a corner, and the whole thing came undone.
"Hey, now- what are you doing?" Horace demanded.
"Helping you, that's what." Cassandra told him, and she went to work at re-wrapping the gift.
"But I was doing perfectly fine before you showed up, and-" Horace stopped talking as Cassandra held out the present, now wrapped neatly and beautifully, with a smooth bow on top. "Oh…" Horace seemed deflated. "Yes, I suppose that's much better…" He thought on this for a moment, and then looked balefully at the small, crinkled mess of wrapping cloth in his hand.
Cassie laughed. "Oh, Horace, don't look so glum. It is yuletide, after all." She leaned over and gave him a sound kiss on his cheek, leaving his face burning red. She chose to ignore it, but smiled inwardly. "Now how about those gift-wrapping lessons?" She picked up another poorly-wrapped box and started at fixing it.
Horace smiled, paying the boxes no attention whatsoever. "I'd like that."
4. Counter Attack (John Powell)
The battle with the Scotti so far had been quite straightforward. They were at a break in the battle, the Scotti having retreated for the time being to regroup. They would return, and the Araluens were planning for it. Among the chief planners were the King, his daughter, and the Rangers. As it seemed, Duncan and the senior rangers were mostly staying out of it, only lending advice occasionally.
In all honesty, the battle was so small, it was almost a joke. So, Duncan had thought that it was a good time to hand the reins to his daughter, for some field experience. Crowley had echoed his thoughts. Now, the two were questioning their own sanity.
Currently, Cassandra was trying to plan out the details of the counter-attack with Will. Unfortunately, the two didn't seem to be getting along. Halt, standing not too far off from the command tent, glanced in the direction of their 'discussion' with an eyebrow raised. As Horace entered the tent, the ranger gave his young friend a 'good luck' glance. Upon entering, the knight could see his two friends huddled over a table, a map and various battlemarkers lying before them.
"Yes!" Cassandra forcefully pushed a small figurine across the map, setting a 'troop' into position over a certain area.
"No!" Will shoved it back with just as much force.
"Yes!"
"No!"
"Yes!"
"No!"
"Yes!"
"No!"
Horace stared. He tried to comment. Then, he watched. He blinked. He sniffed. And then, he turned around and left, shaking his head as he went.
God save them the day that Cassandra and Will were put in charge of a major war.
5. You and Me (Lifehouse)
Heaven help him, Horace hated dancing. It suited him much better to be the one standing off in a corner, keeping an eye on everything, ensuring that everything ran smoothly. Unfortunately, that was not a champion's job, so it seemed. In fact, so far, all his newly-appointed title had brought him was excessive dancing, scratchy clothes, noble strangers trying to engage him in small talk, and a fancy medal with Cassandra's crest on it.
Overall, he enjoyed being known as a figure attached directly with the Princess. But, then again… He tried not to be too awkward with the kind young lady he was currently dancing with. He didn't know her, and yet for some reason, he was expected to dance with her. She looked a bit uncomfortable at his inability to engage in conversation, and Horace was sorry for the fact. He just couldn't talk and dance at the same time – it was one or the other, not both at the same time.
He was saved when the song ended. He thanked the lady for the dance and quickly made his escape, hiding in the back of the room, trying desperately not to be noticed.
Of course, Cassandra had always been rather good at noticing things.
"What are you doing back here?" She asked kindly. Horace jumped.
"Oh, your Highness," He addressed her with a small bow. She swatted his shoulder.
"Oh, stop it. I didn't make you my champion just so you could bow to me – quite the opposite, actually. It's just 'Cassie', Horace, and you know it."
Horace smiled. Something about her presence put him immediately at ease.
"Now come on, you need to get out there and dance if you're going to give a good first impression." She offered him her hand, slender but strong. "Come dance with me. You'll have to get used to it sooner or later." She smiled.
He took her hand, and wordlessly led her to the dance floor. For some reason, dancing didn't seem so bad, now.
6. It's Not Me It's You (Skillet)
Halt stood silently in front of his parents as they bombarded him with harsh words. His head was hung low in submission, but his heart was grasping at tendrils of rebellion. From beneath his darkened brow, Halt glared over at Ferris, who held his head high and glanced at Halt with a kind of contempt. Their gazes met momentarily, and in that moment, identical pairs of deep brown eyes glared into each other. Halt's gaze was silent and smoldering with anger. Ferris eventually looked away. He could never look his brother in the eye.
How could they be so blind? Halt asked silently, trying to zone out the familiar words of discipline. Time and time again, day after day, week after week, year after frustrating year, Halt had become Ferris' personal scapegoat for all of his shenanigans. The fact that Halt and Ferris were identical only made matters worse. Both brothers often resented the fact that they were identical twins, both for different reasons. But at the tender age of six, Ferris had discovered that because Halt looked just like him, he could pass his own blame onto his brother whenever his actions brought about unpleasant consequences. Since then, he'd not only perfected the art of making everything look like Halt's fault, but had singlehandedly earned Halt a filthy reputation.
And now, at age fourteen, with that mistaken reputation set in stone, Halt was wondering why he even tried to prove his parents wrong in the first place. They had blinded themselves to seeing Ferris' deception years ago. After rejecting Halt's protests, they'd continued on believing the second twin. Halt silently brooded this as he glared again at his brother again. Ferris felt it and turned discreetly to meet Halt's gaze once more. Halt sent him a deadly glare.
It's not me, it said, it's you.
7. I Have Been There (Mark Schultz)
Will yanked at his hair fiercely as tears streamed down his face. The sobs that racked his body were interwoven with screams of rage as he stomped about outside of his cabin. Pacing back and forth, back and forth, he stopped momentarily to punch at the huge barrel of water outside of his door. Ebony glanced at him, before laying her sad head back between her front paws and pining once more.
Halt had come to see why Will wasn't at the Castle. The Baron had been expecting both rangers that day, and Will wasn't the type to go against his word, so Halt had insisted on checking on his old pupil. When he found Will, crying and pacing and punching and screaming, he didn't know what to think.
"Will," He asked upon arrival, seeing his former apprentice in such a state, "What on earth is the matter?" His face was riddled up in a strange expression of concern. Ebony looked up at the older ranger, her manic eye rolling over to him slowly, sadly.
Will didn't notice Halt. Frowning deeper, Halt came up behind Will and grabbed the younger man's shoulder, turning him around.
Will started with a small, strangled cry. Once he saw Halt, he kept weeping freely, except now he hung his head in shame.
"Will, what's wrong?" Halt demanded, shaking Will's shoulders. Will just shook his head, unable to speak through the gasping sobs. He fell to the ground where he was, face in his hands.
"Will?"
Will pointed towards the lean-to not that stood too far away. Halt glanced at him, and then went to the small stable. Once inside, he understood.
Halt returned to Will's side, and sat down next to his weeping apprentice, wrapping the man in a rare embrace.
"I'm so sorry, Will." Halt said, trying to dispel the image of Tug's dead form. "I've been there too, Will." He told the younger ranger. He recalled his old friend, Abelard. "I've been there, too."
A/N: So sad! I could hardly bring myself to write it! I'm so evil!
8. Ultimate Contest (James Dooley)
It was a well-known fact in the Ranger Corps.: Graduated apprentices always wanted to get the better of their former masters. And former masters always wanted to show their graduated apprentices that this was a hopeless endeavor.
It was also a well-known fact that Halt was the most accomplished, legendary ranger ever to work in the Corps.
But it was also a well-known fact that Will Treaty was arguably just as skilled as his old mentor.
These three common-knowledge facts, all mixed together at the annual Ranger Gathering, had culminated to create the greatest entertainment event of the year, if not the decade.
The marksmanship contest had started out as it did every year. It was voluntary entry as always, but unlike most years, this year, by some miracle, Halt had been persuaded into joining. After whittling out first the apprentices and then the less-practiced archers among the rangers, the finalists had come down to the top shooters of the Corps. After several more rounds of tournament-style shooting, it had come down to two contestants: Halt and Will Treaty. Master and apprentice. Teacher and pupil. The Legend and the The Legend's Shadow.
It was the ultimate contest.
Every single ranger in the Corps. had come to see the event. Apprentices sat by their masters with gape-mouthed, awed expressions as former master and apprentice took up their bows. Who would win? Both contestants were legends not only among the rangers, but across the whole nation. It was a legendary ranger pitted against his legendary apprentice.
Gilan dropped down on a log bench next to his Commandant, not taking his eyes off Halt and Will, who rose to the shooting line. Everything was deathly quiet – no one clapped or cheered, out of respect for the archers' concentration. Quietly, Gilan handed Crowley a cup of steaming coffee before sipping at his own. Gilan had been eliminated from the tournament near the finals, but he could have hardly cared about his own performance - he was getting to watch his best friend and his beloved teacher duke it out on the archery field. This was the chance of a lifetime.
"This," Gilan told Crowley quietly, as Halt plucked an arrow from his quiver, "is going to be good."
9. I Know (MercyMe)
For some reason, watching the grim, guarded, legendary ranger Halt squirm so uncomfortably gave her a sick kind of pleasure. Pauline put on an innocent face as he shuffled awkwardly beside her. It was late at night, and the noise and music of the party at Castle Redmont could be heard from where they were, walking back towards the woods. The party itself was just part of a national celebration. The young King Duncan, crowned only three years ago, had recently announced the birth of his daughter and first-born heir, Cassandra. As was the tendency, the birth of a royal gave the whole nation a reason (or even an excuse) to celebrate. Practically everyone in the fief was invited to Castle Redmont, and Halt and Pauline were no exceptions.
But Halt, being a reserved, private person, viewed parties with slight distaste. He could only stay for so long before growing tired of the whole thing. He had left early, and Pauline had followed him.
Halt had only been Redmont's ranger for a little under a year. He and Pauline had met long ago while in their late teens, after Halt had quite literally washed ashore from Hibernia. She'd been one of the few people to accept him despite his awkward situation and nationality. They quickly became good friends, out of necessity on Halt's part, out of compassion on Pauline's. They stayed close friends throughout Halt's apprenticeship, but after he graduated, they lost track of each other. Halt had been assigned to a northern fief, and Pauline to Redmont.
Then, wonder of wonders, Halt had been transferred to Redmont. They reunited and continued on with their former friendship. Both had matured a good deal, but they were still friends. Halt still spoke with a slight Hibernian accent, and Pauline still carried herself with a natural grace and poise. They got along just as well as they used to, and, whether Halt would like to admit it or not, their relationship had lately evolved into a romantic one.
In fact, it seemed that he was on the verge of finally confessing the fact.
So, when, after a long while of quiet talking, Halt finally turned to Pauline in all seriousness, she was only slightly caught off guard.
"Pauline?"
"Hmm?"
"You know… I… I think…" He trailed off.
"Yes, Halt?" She asked patiently.
Halt sighed, and she could make out a blush on his cheeks despite the failing light. "I love you." He said, very, very quietly, almost too quiet to hear.
Pauline beamed, and kissed him on the cheek before taking his hand.
"I know."
A/N: Exactly why half of these drabbles became romance flicks, I don't know. I'm not a romance person, but somehow… ugh. Anyway, I hope they weren't too bad.
And yes, I do realize that they get longer and longer… :P Sorry. I just couldn't take the whole 'time limits' thing again. It's kind of constraining, when you are bursting with ideas.
Oh, and in case you're listening to some of these songs and wondering how on EARTH I came up with the stories, know this: I draw inspiration from the titles, not the lyrics themselves. Sometimes, the melody inspires me, but the lyrics are pretty much left out of the equation.
Thanks for reading! Drop me a review if you enjoyed the drabbles (or even if you didn't)