A couple Rangers watched with interest as the senior Rangers left the tent. There had been a lot of yelling. There were a couple sounds of confusion as one more person than the people who went into the tent came out. One of the younger Rangers called out to them.

"No one told we it was bring your daughter to work day!" he shouted mock-accusingly at them. The others gasped when they realized he was right, that the extra person was indeed a girl.

"It isn't. It's bring your maybe-apprentice-without-telling-anyone-else day,'' said Gilan tossing his head towards Will.

"No, it's be-stalked-by-your-maybe-apprentice-then-get-blamed-for-it day," Will replied.

"A girl wants to be a Ranger?" someone asked and soon everyone was talking with each other on wether a girl would be a good Ranger or not.

"We already know you are good at unseen movement, but we have to test your archery skills, knife throwing skills, and critical thinking skills." Crowley said as he slowed down a little to walk next to her.

"Sounds good to me," she replied, looking around the camp at all the Rangers in well hidden awe. Halt smiled. Her shoulders were thrown back, her stride was confidant and easy, but her eyes had a hint of nervousness in them. She followed them to the archery course.

"Let's see this magic bow of yours," Crowley said, leaning back as she strung the ugly weapon.

"I call it a compound bow," she said, notching an arrow with ease. "It uses a pulley system to reduce the draw weight," she continued as she walked up to the starting line. "That makes it easier to be accurate from farther away and makes me able to shoot from farther away," she finished as she released a volley of arrows, fast for a non-Ranger, but slower then nearly everyone at the Gathering. Nearly all the arrows found their mark, the bullseye or the ring directly around it, a few on the outer rings. Someone whistled. "Good enough?" she asked in a sweet voice contradicted by the rebellious stare and toss of her head.

"I suppose it will have to do," said Halt with a half-smirk. She turned to him with a cold look on her face and a look of complete joy playing in her eyes.

"What's next?"

Knife throwing was not nearly as dramatic. Ellya had only just started learning how to throw them, so she missed several times, and didn't get a bullseye, though a couple got very close. She didn't have a pithy remark when they passed her, and she chose instead to stare at the targets with a look of dissatisfaction. The spring returned to her step when they went over critical thinking skills. It was like the tests they devised for apprentices, where they had to figure out a problem with only a few limited resources. This is where they learned that she was not only intelligent but also terrifyingly ruthless, and that being a beautiful young woman opened up a lot more doors for her.

"How would you get past the guard?" said the annoyed Ranger who was testing her.

He had been throwing all his toughest questions at her, yet she hardly ever hesitated on coming up with an effective idea, though a few were not the most original.

"Just one guard on this door? I'd seduce him or pretend to be a lady-friend of the lord of the castle. I might even use some of that alcohol I took from the guards at the first gate to offer to him. When he lowered his guard, I would knock him out and hopefully find a place to hide his body or tie him up with something if I had the materials or time." The instructor shook his head before continuing the test.

""I'd hate to be an enemy of the Kingdom with her in the corps," He said when they finished, shaking his head in admiration. Ellya struggled to keep the smug look off her face.

"Very well. Senior Rangers, testers, and Will, let's meet in the tent and deliberate if she can be a Ranger or not," Crowley said as they all filed in to the tent. Ellya stood in a sea of unfamiliar people, so she naturally started to blend in with the background unconsciously. Of course, this didn't work with Rangers, and soon a small crowd gathered round her.

"You really think you got what it takes to be a Ranger, girl?" asked a boy who looked old enough to be in his last year of apprenticeship.

"Yes, I do, and I have yet to find any evidence to the contrary," Ellya said back, studying him. She didn't ant to seem hostile, but she didn't to seem weak either.

"Pretty little girlies like you don't belong in this world. You belong in the kitchen or bedroom mak..." he was cut off when Ellya roundhouse kicked in the face. He staggered back and shouts of confusion filled the air. Halt poked his head out of the tent only to see everyone backing away from Ellya and blood gushing from the broken nose of a particularly simpleminded and annoying apprentice. He didn't say anything, only raising one eyebrow in question.

'"I felt like my wellbeing was being threatened and defended myself," Ellya called to him. Halt smiled, nodded, and went back into the tent.