Lovergirl, I will explain ALL in this chapter…or maybe the next. Depends. But no Halt is not in the hall…as of this moment. He's doing paperwork with Crowley. HAHA! Anywho, ON WARD!(No Ward pun intended.)
Chapter 2
Names
The new Ranger laughed as everyone burst into arguments and the consequences of her actually becoming a Ranger. He glanced at the older Ranger who let a small chuckle and a grin show on his otherwise blank face.
"She will not be a Ranger! There has never been a female Ranger, and for that matter archer! Except for that sneaky one that disguised herself. But still!" Mr. Chubb snapped.
"She'd be better as a diplomat." Pauline commented. (I'm praying to God I got that right or Halt will gut me!)
"Accepted." The younger Ranger said, grinning under his cowl.
"Thank you sir." June bowed politely.
"Seven in the morning, pack your bags, and get ready to walk." He said, ignoring the protests around him.
"I walk everyday sir! Now then, may I please know my masters name? It would be appropriate." June inquired.
At the mention of this everyone in the court except for two people turned to look at the young man. He just grinned as they all stared asking a silent question. What was his name? In truth, only two people new, the assistant chief diplomat, and his master, who had a strange love of coffee, and had a knack for coffee lectures from his wife.
"I don't approve of that term…master, it seems inappropriate. SO refer to me by name as soon as you figure it out, or address me as you, hey, or something along those lines!" The Ranger smiled and headed out the door, the other Ranger yawning and helped Mrs. Pauline and her assistant out the door.
"That old geezer better get better soon, I had to help with some of his work!" June heard him mumble as he walked past.
"I take it you don't know his name either." June told the Baron bluntly.
"Yeah, that's pretty much right. One of my friends brought him to me, told me to keep him until the boy had decided. Then that friend took him and trained him into a Ranger. A Smartalic, sneaky, Ranger at that." The Baron said, snorting at the memory.
"He's right behind your chair." June said, pointing at the small form in a cluster of shadows.
"Told you she was good!" He chuckled and really left the room this time.
"Thank you for your time, have a good day. And Mr. Chubb, that cherry pie you had, that Ranger ate it." June said and hurried out the door.
Simila was waiting for her as she came out. He smiled and wrapped his arm around her. "Did ya make it?" He asked, ruffling her hair.
June laughed slightly at Simila's antics and said, " Yeah, and the funniest thing is, nobody know my master's name except for two people! This is going to be fun!" She grinned like she always did when she had a hard weird puzzle to figure out.
"I know that you'll have a lotta fun with this riddle." Simila chuckle and patted her back roughly.
"Hey if you hit me too roughly I might just break, I am a frail little girl, aren't I?" June teased, referring to when Simila first arrived here when they were nine. He was teasing her about breaking her finger somehow.
"I still remember that day, you gave me a black eye. And fractured your finger." Simila smiled.
"I never did get to ask you, do you like Sim, or should I call you Smile?" June asked, annoying him because of his name was a hobby of hers, (seriously Simila, Smile! It's like a two letter difference!) And she enjoyed it.
She came to the Ranger's door and seven and knock quietly on the door. She was answered by the Ranger, who had been shaving and sported a small cut, result of shaving with a knife. He smiled, closed the door, and proceeded to cram things into a bag. At least that's what June assumed the ruckus was it there.
He came back out wearing his Rangers outfit, standard cloak and all, and led her out the castle, part way down a hill, back up the hill and down again. Why he would do such a thing was beyond June. Why he would make HER do such a thing, she could understand.
They arrived a small cabin that had the Ranger walked into and said, "Come on in, this will be your new home! Until I can kick you out and you get your own cabin!" He said, opening the door for her.
The inside was simple, dusty and needed a desperate cleaning. He dusted off one of the three chairs at the table and waved at the cabin. He brought out a set of books and began reading, looked up at her, and gestured towards the mess again.
"You're implying that I clean this WHOLE cabin by myself?" June said, not surprised, she had already heard that Rangers where magicians, tortures and evil so she had prepared nad received the worst.
June was not on of the girls you see running around the whole castle with a rag, searching for a tiny speck of dust, she was the one covered in mud, blood and other crud (yay rhymes!) that stomped into her room and fell asleep on newly cleaned sheets. So cleaning a room, big achievement, cleaning a small cabin, it's the end of the world.
"Shine the pots and pans, dust this place from top to bottom, unpack your things, chomp firewood, get a fresh bag of coffee, actually make it two and don't call me master." He rattled off a list.
June, already scrubbing away at a pan replied, "Yes…master." A sweatdrop appeared on the young Rangers head as he realized June would address him as that until he died. And probably in the afterlife too.
Three hours later, June was lying on the floor, panting as she shook he nub and blistered hands. The Ranger looked up, suddenly noticing the clean and sparkles of the house and nudged June with his foot.
"What now?" June snapped.
"Three things: Have you gotten the coffee, asked Mr. Chubb for a cherry pie and have you unpacked?" He asked, setting his book down.
The other Ranger came in, sat down and looked around at June's handy work. He nodded before pointing to a window. There was a small smudge on the glass, one that she had missed. She sighed, walked outside, and wiped the glass clean. Inside the older Ranger let out a small groan of disappointment.
"What's your name sir?" June asked, referring to the older Ranger.
"Will, Will Treaty, pleasure to meet you June. I was surprised that this old cabin got this clean the first time. And from what I have observed, you are not a clean freak. "The Ranger said.
"Aren't you the one that was Halts apprentice and also was in the battle of Skandia?" June asked.
"Yes, that's me," Will smiled and pushed back his hood.
"You're shorter than they implied." June said bluntly.
At that comment Wills head hit the table with a groan.
"They make you out to be some seven foot giant with a bow as big as this table. Hey where is Halt anyway. I thought he was like the Head of the Ranger Corps?" June asked.
"No, not yet. He and Crowley are sharing the paperwork, and since Halt's sick as of this moment, me and this idiot are taking some of the load from his desk." Will groaned.
"Don't remind me!" The younger Ranger snapped, looking up from his book.
"Can you tell me his name?" June asked.
"And what makes you think that I'd know?" Will asked, smirking.
"The Baron told me that the only two people that knew his name other than himself is a Ranger and since you're the only Ranger in this fief other than Halt, who has already had an apprentice, you, and is too busy with paperwork to have an apprentice. It has to be you. And logically if you know then your wife knows, this is because, I quote, 'Nothing pisses women off more than a secret you can't tell them.'" June said.
"And where did you hear that." Will asked, smiling as the girl before his factored out all the information and produced a logical and plausible answer within seconds of his question.
"The Baron, and old wise man, and Sir Rodney before he died. Also I heard an interesting quote from Horace when he came to visit Battleschool once." June said, smiling as she remembered.
"And what would that be?" Will asked, leaning forward interested.
"Battle I can understand, but women are a hell of a lot more complicated. I charge in with a big stick, women charge in with some weird strategy that nobody can understand." June said, smiling.
"Don't swear; it's a bad habit to start." The Rangers said.
"So now what am I to do? I've finished the entire housework master." June teased.
Will and his old apprentice looked at each other and smiled before saying in harmony, "There is ALWAYS something to do."
A/N: I finally fixed the name problem, Halt is still made and I am still trying to find my liver!