Chapter 4

Pauline, sat next to Crowley, picked up the book and started reading.

"Will? Will who?" Martin asked in exasperation, flicking through the sheets of paper with the candidates' details written on them. He had only been the Baron's secretary for five years and so knew nothing of Will's history. He realized now that there was no family name on the boy's papers and, assuming he had let this mistake slip past, he was annoyed at himself.

Halt stiffened in his seat, looking down at the table, before clearing his throat and muttering "He would be…"

"At least someone tries to be organised with his paperwork." Crowley added.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Halt deadpanned.

"What's your family name, boy?" he asked severely. Will looked at him, hesitating, hating this moment. "I … don't have … ," he began, but mercifully the Baron interceded. "Will is a special case, Martin," he said quietly, his look telling the secretary to let the matter go. He turned back to Will, smiling encouragement. "What school did you wish to apply for, Will?" he asked. "Battleschool, please, my lord," Will replied, trying to sound confident in his choice. The Baron allowed a frown to crease his forehead and Will felt his hopes sinking. "Battleschool, Will? You don't think you're … a little on the small side?" the Baron asked gently. Will bit his lip. He had all but convinced himself that if he wanted this badly enough, if he believed in himself strongly enough, he would be accepted—in spite of his obvious shortcomings. "I haven't had my growing spurt yet, sir,"

Gilan looked at Will while grinning mischievously, "You still haven't had it." causing Will to glare back, trying to hold back a grin, and Jenny, sat besides him, dug her elbow into his ribs.

he said desperately. "Everybody says that." The Baron rubbed his bearded chin with thumb and forefinger as he considered the boy before him. He glanced to his Battlemaster. "Rodney?" he said. The tall knight stepped forward, studied Will for a moment or two, then slowly shook his head. "I'm afraid he's too small, my lord," he said. Will felt a cold hand clutch his heart. "I'm stronger than I look, sir," he said. But the Battlemaster was unswayed by the plea. He glanced at the Baron, obviously not enjoying the situation,

"I don't think anyone was enjoying it…" Arold sighed,

"I am!" Gilan added.

and shook his head. "Any second choice, Will?" the Baron asked. His voice was gentle, even concerned. Will hesitated for a long moment. He had never considered any other selection. "Horseschool, sir?" he asked finally. Horseschool trained and cared for the mighty battlehorses that the castle's knights rode. It was at least a link to Battleschool, Will thought. But Ulf, the Horsemaster, was shaking his head already, even before the Baron asked his opinion. "I need apprentices, my lord," he said, "but this one's too small. He'd never control one of my battlehorses. They'd stomp him into the ground as soon as look at him."

"I did well with Kicker…" Will muttered lightheartedly, causing a small burst of laughter.

Will could only see the Baron through a watery blur now. He fought desperately to keep the tears from sliding down his cheeks. That would be the ultimate humiliation: to be rejected from Battleschool and then to break down and cry like a baby in front of the Baron, all the Craftmasters and his wardmates. "What skills do you have, Will?" the Baron was asking him. Will racked his brain. He wasn't good at lessons and languages,

"You're still not." Halt interjected causing Will to roll his eyes.

as Alyss was. He couldn't form neat, perfect letters, the way George did.

"You still can't." Crowley added, joining in the friendly mocking of the newest Ranger.

Nor did he have Jenny's interest in cooking.

"That I do have!" Will exclaimed before anyone could add anything else.

And he certainly didn't have Horace's muscles and strength.

" I have muscles now!" Will added, jumping from his chair, until he met Horace's eyes, and the knight shook his head slowly, trying to keep the smirk off his face, before adding "No you don't" in an exaggerated whisper.

"I'm a good climber, sir," he said finally, seeing that the Baron was waiting for him to say something. It was a mistake, he realized instantly. Chubb, the cook, glared at him angrily. "He can climb, all right. I remember when he climbed up a drain-pipe into my kitchen and stole a tray of sweetcakes that were cooling on the windowsill." Will's jaw dropped with the unfairness of it all. That had been two years ago! He was a child then and it was a mere childish prank, he wanted to say. But now the Scribemaster was talking too.

Halt suddenly sat up straight in his chair, a grin slowly growing on his face. The sudden movement caused Duncan to look at him, curiously.

"This part was hilarious." Halt said to answer the unspoken question.

Meanwhile Will pulled the cowl of his hood over his head and hid his face in his hands, preparing for the embarrassment. A quiet "Oh no." could be heard from his direction. This caused Gilan to lean forward, concentrating to find something to tease his friend with later.

"And just this last spring he climbed up to our third-floor study and turned two rabbits loose during one of our legal debates. Most disruptive. Absolutely!"

Another "Oh no." came from Will's direction.

"Rabbits, you say, Scribemaster?" said the Baron, and Nigel nodded emphatically. "A male and a female rabbit, my lord,

"Please say this is going where I think it's going." Gilan wished, crossing his fingers.

if you take my meaning?" he replied."Most disruptive indeed!" Unseen by Will, the very serious Lady Pauline put one elegant hand in front of her mouth. She might have been concealing a yawn. But when she removed the hand, the corners of her mouth were slightly uptilted still.

Duncan raised his eyebrows at the diplomat, who copied the facial expression but otherwise keeping her poker face intact.

"Well, yes," said the Baron. "We all know how rabbits are." "And, as I said, my lord, it was spring," Nigel went on, in case the Baron had missed the point.

"Why couldn't I have been there?" Gilan asked through his laughter.

Lady Pauline gave vent to an unladylike cough.

"You did well up to then." Halt said to his wife.

"Well I wasn't hiding under a hood." Pauline replied.

The Baron looked in her direction, in some surprise. "I think we get the picture, Scribemaster," he said,

Gilan suddenly stopped laughing, and almost shouted in desperation, "No! No! More! Why did you stop it!" he pouted at the Arald who looked exasperated in return.

then returned his gaze to the desperate figure who stood in front of him. Will kept his chin up and stared straight ahead. The Baron felt for the young lad in that moment.

"Only in that moment?" Will asked, finally emerging from his hands.

He could see the tears welling up in those lively brown eyes, held back only by an infinite determination. Willpower, he thought abstractedly, recognizing the play on the boy's name.

Will looked embarrassed again, but for a different reason than earlier. Horace made a mental note to tease him about it later.

He didn't enjoy putting the boy through all this, but it had to be done. He sighed inwardly. "Is there any one of you who could use this boy?" he said. Despite himself, Will allowed his head to turn and gaze pleadingly at the line of Craftmasters, praying that one of them would relent and accept him.

"Who would have thought stubborn Halt would be the one to relent?" Erak said, remembering how stubborn the Ranger could be, and said Ranger glared in the Oberjarl's direction.

One by one, silently, they shook their heads. Surprisingly, it was the Ranger who broke the awful silence in the room.

"See!" Erak added, causing a return of the glare.

"There is something you should know about this boy, my lord," he said. Will had never heard Halt speak before. His voice was deep and soft-spoken, with the slightest burr of a Hibernian accent still noticeable.

Horace and Will shared a grin, knowing what it meant.

He stepped forward now and handed the Baron a sheet of paper, folded double. Arald unfolded it, studied the words written there and frowned. "You're sure of this, Halt?"

"When is he not?" Crowley asked.

he said. "Indeed, my lord." The Baron carefully refolded the paper and placed it on his desk. He drummed his fingers thoughtfully on the desktop, then said: "I'll have to think on this overnight." Halt nodded and stepped back, seeming to fade into the background as he did so. Will stared anxiously at him, wondering what information the mysterious figure had passed on to the Baron. Like most people, Will had grown up believing that Rangers were people who were best avoided.

Crowley frowned, looking genuinely hurt.

They were a secretive, arcane group,

Gilan looked proud at the description of the group he was a part of.

shrouded in mystery and uncertainty,

It was Will's turn to look pleased.

and that uncertainty led to fear.

And then a smirk grew on Halt's face.

Will didn't like the thought that Halt knew something about him—something that he felt was important enough to bring to the Baron's attention today, of all days. The sheet of paper lay there, tantalizingly close, yet impossibly far away.

"You wouldn't have been stopped if you'd looked at that moment." Halt commented.

"Thanks. That's such useful information now." Will said sarcastically.

He realized that there was movement around him and the Baron was speaking to the other people in the room. "Congratulations to those who were selected here today. It's a big day for all of you, so you're free to have the rest of the day off and enjoy yourselves.

"Skyvers!" Gilan called out, causing the former Ward mates to glare at him.

"Says the one who tried, and failed, to follow Halt for half a day." Horace retorted.

The kitchens will provide a banquet for you in your quarters and for the rest of the day you have free run of the castle and the village. "Tomorrow, you'll report to your new Craftmasters first thing in the morning. And if you'll take a tip from me, you'll make sure you're on time."

"Yes, Gilan!" Halt said, looking at his first apprentice.

He smiled at the other four, then addressed Will, with a hint of sympathy in his voice. "Will, I'll let you know tomorrow what I've decided about you."

"It was technically the next day when I found out…" Will tried to defend.

He turned to Martin and gestured for him to show the new apprentices out. "Thank you, everyone," he said, and left the room through the door behind his desk. The Craftmasters followed his lead, then Martin ushered the former wards to the door. They chatted together excitedly, relieved and delighted that they had been selected by the Craftmasters of their choice. Will hung back behind the others, hesitating as he passed the desk where that sheet of paper still lay.

"You really could have just taken it, no one would have stopped you." Arald said with humor behind his eyes.

He stared at it for a moment, as if somehow he could see through to the words written on the reverse side. Then he felt that same sensation that he had felt earlier, that someone was watching him. He looked up and found himself staring into the dark eyes of the Ranger, who remained behind the Baron's high-backed chair, almost invisible in that strange cloak of his. Will shuddered in a sudden frisson of fear and hurried out of the room.

"What were you even scared of?" Horace said with a grin.

"The scary Ranger in the room." Will answered.

A/N Sorry for not posting in ages, I found myself not being able to come up with any ideas for a few month, but now I've found a solution which should let me update more regularly. Hope you enjoyed.