A/N: OLAF! It's me, IFYOUCOULDFLY! So…whoa. Thanks so super much for everything you guys do for me! Like…seriously. You're amazing. Oh, and sorry I took longer than expected to update :P. Anyways, read on my little duckies (my friend got a pet duckling today…sorry)
-Chapter Two: Choosing Day-
-One year later-
"Come on, Will, eat something!" Jenny urged, pushing his plate towards him. Will sighed and poked at his food. Normally, he loved the food, but his stomach was too nervous to eat anything.
"You won't get into battleschool if you don't eat anything!" Alyss tried, and Will rolled his eyes. Obviously, one meal wouldn't buff him up. "Not that he'll get in anyways!" Horace cut in, mouth full of food. Alyss frowned. "Close your mouth, Horace! That's disgusting! Besides, Will can get in if he wants to!"
Will sighed as Horace laughed. He knew that it was hopeless, but for some reason, he wanted to go to battleschool. He had wanted it since arriving at the Ward. Some small part of him thought that maybe, if he became a warrior like his father had once been, he would be compensating for leaving.
"Will the Wanderer couldn't get into battleschool if he ate the all of Araluen!" Horace guffawed, and, ignoring Jenny, George, and Alyss's glares, continued, sensing he was on a roll. "Nobody wanted him in their life, so nobody will want him as an apprentice!"
For a moment, the room was silent. Then, eyes blazing with anger, Will got up and, without a word, stormed out the door.
HEY GUYS, IT'S PAGEBREAK! SO, UM…YEAH. COOL. SEEYA.
Araluen seemed to stretch on forever. This tree was his favorite spot to be alone. Sometimes, he would sit up here for hours, just thinking.
Horace's words were floating around in his head now. The more he thought about it, the more sense it made. Nobody knew about his father, of course, but Horace's jibe felt like he was talking about just that. "My father didn't want me." He thought, tears forming in his eyes, threatening to fall. "Why would the craftmasters? I'm to small for battleschool, I can't cook, I'm not at all diplomatic, I'd never fit in at scribe school, and battlehorses would squash me to a pulp." He let a little sob escape his lips and, to his horror, heard a voice call out, "Who's there?"
Will glanced down to see a tall figure dressed in a cloak. He cursed under his breath. "Go away, please!" He mentally persuaded, but the tall young man didn't move. "How," the man called, "did you get up there?"
Will smiled in spite of himself. "I climbed." He called down cheekily, and the man laughed. "Obviously. Well, I'm Gilan. Who might you be?" Gilan asked. "Will. I'm from the ward. Actually, it's Choosing Day tomorrow…I should get going." He replied.
With barely a sound, Will dropped from the tree like a cat, and turned to Gilan. "Well…see you round, I guess." He said, smiling. "Here, I'll take you back to the Ward. It's getting dark." Gilan replied, and the two set off, talking like childhood friends.
HEHE YEAH SORRY FOR WILL CRYING. I GUESS IT WAS WEIRD. BUT I NEEDED SOME GIL IN HERE AND…YEAH. WELL, PAGEBREAK OUT! PEACE!
"Tallest to shortest! Let's go!" Martin bellowed in his typical high-strung tone. They filed into order: Horace first, then Alyss and George, and finally, Jenny and Will. Reluctantly, Will took his place as the shortest, and the craftmasters entered the room.
Of course, Horace was accepted into battleschool, Alyss was apprenticed to Lady Pauline, George chose scribe school, and Chubb gladly took Jenny. Finally, it was Will's turn, and his stomach was churning. This was it.
"Any preferences as to what apprenticeship you would like to take on?" Baron Arald asked, and all of Will's friends braced for it. They were certain what Will was going to choose, so when their friend spoke, it was a shock to everyone.
"I'm not sure." Will mumbled, shrugging awkwardly, then stared at his feet. He had been thinking since last night, and decided that asking for battleschool was hopeless. Horace was right. He might as well accept it: he was doomed to become a farmer. Who knew? Maybe one day, his dad would find him, and then all would be lost.
The baron cleared his throat. "I see. Would anybody like to take Will on as their apprentice?" As expected, the room was painfully quiet. Jenny and George stood awkwardly, Horace failed to stifle a snort, and Alyss, being very unladylike, elbowed him lightly. Suddenly, a gruff voice came from the shadows. "I will."
Everybody turned to see who the speaker was. The man was dressed in a cloak, face hidden behind the hood. Will immediately recognized him as one of the men who found him on his fourteenth birthday, the night he had escaped.
Martin quickly piped up. "Well, boy, do you accept?" For a moment, Will was silent. He was obviously a Ranger, and he had heard some strange talk about Rangers. Then again, Gilan was a Ranger, and he wasn't so bad…it couldn't be as bad as farming, anyways.
"I accept." He mumbled, not exactly happy, but not entirely upset either.
HEY GUYS. WHATUUUP? IT'S PAGEBREAK AGAIN! K, SO GO AHEAD AND READ :)
The pair walked along awkwardly. Will kept trying to make conversation, and kept failing. "So…what's being a Ranger like?" His new mentor just grunted and said, "I don't know, boy, it's a lot of things." Will nodded, completely unsatisfied. "But what do I do? Is…is it true what people say about Rangers? That they use magic and stuff? My d-caretaker-once told me a story about a Ranger at Hack-"
"We're here." Halt said, cutting him off and walking inside the small cabin in front of them. Will sighed. So far, Halt wasn't being very friendly at all. Still, he followed the Ranger inside. Once he reached his new home, he looked around, trying to find anything peculiar about it. To his slight disappointment, it looked like a regular old cabin to him.
"Once you're done gawping, I'll tell you what Ranger apprentices do." Halt said sarcastically, and Will nodded eagerly, ignoring his mentor's tone. Before he knew it, he was sweeping the entire cabin. As he cleaned, he started to wonder if he made the right choice.
A/N: And…another chapter done! Hehe…yeah. I should probably be doing something right now to fill this A/N. Maybe I should make a corny joke, or maybe I should thank you for the millionth time for all the amazing things you do for me…oh look, it's a decently sized A/N now! Hehe…anyways, keep reading/reviewing/being awesome!-FLY