I just noticed that this story is the longest I have ever written on here 0.0 And (baring a 100 themes thing I did for a different category that no one has read and I don't recommend reading) has the most chapters!

WOO! XD

If anyone here is doing Nanowrimo (how dare you procrastinate by reading my story!) then feel free to PM me and I'll give you my user name and add you. :)

I love those moments when you are writing a story that has chapter plans and even you can't remember who the things ends. So the ending is a surprise to everyone!

Unbeknownst to Halt and Will the witch had relocated to the gathering grounds, where a large majority of the Rangers, well the ones who hadn't already been placed on the proscription list, were currently stationed. Each was staying there uncomfortable at the concept of leaving their fief without a protector for a long time without the Baron knowing, or even a replacement standing in.

They stood in quiet groups off the the sides of well walked paths and the tension that even this small action created was immense. Conversation was quiet and every now and then there was forced laughter when Crowley came over and nearly acted like his old self by using constant jokes. It was obviously fake laughter however and occasionally Crowley called them out on it. Everyone was just waiting for the point where he would punish someone physically for it.

For the first two days that the Rangers had been recalled, rather confusingly as they hadn't been given an approximate time frame for their return, which was something they always generally told their Barons before leaving, everything was as normal. Whilst the tension was beginning to build, and the noticeable absence of a few members such as Gil, it was bearable.

On the third day the witch arrived.

At first after seeing a fairly young woman wandering around, some had assumed that for some reason one of them had taken a female apprentice and had only just arrived due to being delayed for some reason or another. This was disproved using a careful system of elimination coordinated by a Ranger called Michael. That left the option that she was someone else not previously associated with the Rangers but now was.

No one was brave enough to go up and ask her however until Gil arrived on the sixth day.

"Gil?!" Michael called. He had been nominated by his fellow Rangers to take that shift watching for any late arriving Rangers. They had organised to do so to provide some warning as to the state of everything. At their chosen time they climbed a tree that was random each time and sat there waiting. Only twice had they managed to perform this successfully, but they still kept the practice in action because a further ten Rangers were missing.

"Hey Michael. What are you doing up there? If you were attempting to catch me unawares I have to say you failed. Didn't anyone teach you not to call out to your victim using their name beforehand?"

"I'm here to stop you," Michael replied straight faced. Gil found this strange. He liked MIchael, well, liked him normally, as the man shared a similar personality trait to him and Will, when with friends was always joking unless it was something serious.

Now apparently something serious was happening.

"Why's that?" Gil asked sliding off Blaze. If this was meant to be a warning he wasn't going to move from this position until he had managed to gather as much information from his fellow Ranger as possible.

"Things have gone to shit, if you pardon my blunt nature."

"I think in this time nothing else is more appreciated." Michael grinned before asking the one burning question he had felt this whole time.

"Why are you here? I thought you were looking after things in your fief?"

"Technically I haven't been kicked out yet," Gil muttered darkly. "It was compulsory for me to turn up to this shit."

"I thought you would have been the second on for that to happen to."

"No. You know the saying, keep your enemies close but your friends closer? Well I was a friend. I can do the most damage and he knows it."

"Makes sense. Back onto the reasoning for me being here, there is a random woman at the grounds right now and no one knows who she is. Crowley is being his normal, well normal for the recent times, prick. When he is around her though he seems to change. I don't know what it is but he just goes blank and it is as though he is willing to do anything that she tells him to do. I gue-"

Gil cut him off by leaping back on Blaze and quickly testing to see if everything was still adjusted right. He needed to get back to Redmont as soon as he physically could and he sould have been there yesterday with this latest news.

"Wait! What did I say?" Michael asked.

"In Will's mission he saw a witch!" Gil replied then rode off into the sunset the way he came. The gathering ground used to be a place that he loved to be. It was the are time when te was properly surrounded by friends and there wasn't anything major to concentrate on. He avoided it now, feeling no regret over it as well.

Michael, who was left standing there in the dust was frozen. Crowley wasn't being Crowley. Mystery woman.

"Witch," he hissed.

When he walked back into the gathering ten minutes later there wasn't anyone standing around just talking to each other in hushed whispers. He frowned before realising what was going on. Every day at three they all had to line up according to their numbers for Crowley to walk up and down and tell them things. He was meant to come back before that happened but he was caught up on seeing Gil. Now he had to create a feasible excuse as to why he was missing for so long.

Might as well be hung for a sheep as a loaf of bread, he thought and just walked off slowly to his tent. Unfortunately Michael was intercepted by everyone else who had just been dismissed from the lines.

"Why weren't you there?" hissed Kyle.

"I found someone. I had to give them warning," replied Michael. Kyle gave him a narrowed look before gasping.

"Who was it?"

"Gil. Apparently he is still in for the moment and got the summons as well, if only a little later than we did."

"Woah! Anyway, we all told Crowley that we didn't know where you were so if you keep to that you should be good in terms of story linking," Kyle helped then walked off. Michael nodded to himself happy. That made his job a lot easier. There were only twenty four Rangers still left in the corps, counting those who had retired and had still been allowed to continue providing advice so getting the same information from all people was impossible. At least with 50 people word got around faster and it was easier to disappear into crowds.

"Michael!" called Crowley.

"Yes?" he replied, turning around, dreading whatever happened next. Crowley walked up to him with the witch by his side.

"Here I was being nice and introducing this lady to everyone in the corps and you show immense disrespect and don't turn up on the agreed upon time. Why was this?"

"I had lost track of time. I had been out practicing my marksmanship by shoot right next to animals but not hitting them."

"Did you have permission to do so?"

"Did I need permission?" Michael had to ftown. When had anyone in the corps ever needed permission to do half the things they did that would have been illegal if they didn't have their status.

"What do you think dear, did he need permission?" Crowley turned to the woman.

So this is the witch. She is more annoying than I had pictured her, Michael thought.

"I think he does. I think he was very disrespectful to his title and even to his kingdom!" She laughed sickeningly sweetly.

"I have to agree. If you do that again I will have to mark you as a traitor of the kingdom," Crowley said. He offered his arm for the witch and led her away. Just as they were leaving Michael heard her whisper coyly to Crowley.

"You should add him to the proscription lists."

The next day at 3 Michael made sure that he turned up to the lineup, not that it was going to make a difference, he knew. The night before he had explained that Will had seen a witch and other ideas and had all of the Rangers agreeing with him. He had also warned them about what was going to happen today.

Being number 48, he was the last person in the line and had to wait there as Crowley inspected each and every person. He didn't even make a comment on the state of their uniforms, just stared into their eyes and as if he was being told mentally, said to them that they were now on the run, or just walked past.

As he watched the number of Rangers dismissed grew.

Dustin.

Sean.

Then him.

Crowley gave him a letter as his was reaching into his collar to pass over his oakleaf pendant whilst holding his breath at the thought that he was no longer a part of the thing he had given his life to.

"What is it?" Michael asked, flipping it over so he could see the front.

"You need to give it to Gilan. He failed to report here when I asked him to and is now out as well." Crowley took a deep breath in to finish the day's lineup by yelling. Those who had just been thrown out prepared to run off in the direction of their tents. They weren't worried about their fellow Rangers hurting them, they were afraid of Crowley and the witch.

"If anyone sees any of you ever again you will be killed on sight! Leave now whilst you have the chance!"

Just in case someone doesn't know what I mean, or I have gotten it really wrong and this is what I mean:

Proscription - people who were banned. In Roman times this meant that people were after your head and that's how I took it. But those Rangers now can be hunted by normal people for a reward.

So yeah. Mainly from the perspective of Michael who is my own creation. Feel free to rip into him!

What's your favourite accent?

Aly