Chapter 4

The rather confused sentry had only made it a few paces from the cooking ground when it occurred to him that he had absolutely no idea where to find the rather elusive Rangers.

He hadn't come across a Ranger camp before, nor did he have any idea if there even was one. He swore silently to himself as he turned on the spot, slowly wondering where exactly he was supposed to go. Finally, he decided to go in the direction of the command tents. After all, despite their strange talents, Rangers were important and influential people so; it made sense that there would be at least one Ranger at the command pavilion. Even if the two Rangers he was looking for weren't there, another Ranger would probably know where to find them.

With this definite course of action in mind, the sentry strode off towards the centre of the camp, weaving his way through messengers and wandering knights as he went.

"Excuse me, sir?"

Ranger Commander Crowley was slightly startled at being addressed by what appeared to be a common sentry. Normally common folk avoided the Rangers, but he hastily covered up his confusion before answering the sentry, "May I help you?"

The sentry wouldn't look him in the eye as he replied and shifted his weight nervously from one foot to the other, his confidence in his plan of action wilting somewhat now that he was face to face with an actual Ranger. "I hope so, sir," he began, taking a deep breath. "I was looking for Ranger Halt and Ranger Gilan, and I was wondering if you might be able to tell me where I could find them."

Crowley refrained from rolled his eyes at the formal speech of the man, but he was used to getting this kind of reaction from people. People tended to only interact with Rangers when they were forced to, so he, being the leader of the mysterious Ranger corps, was avoided as much as possible.

"Both Rangers are in a meeting with the King at the moment I'm afraid, sir. May I pass on a message?" Despite himself, Crowley was curious. He normally wouldn't play messenger, but he wanted to know why this sentry needed to talk to two Rangers.

"I, um, yes sir," stuttered the sentry, rather thrown by this turn of events. He hadn't been expecting to be able to finish the task so easily; of course, finding someone willing to pass on his message was definitely helpful, even if somewhat unexpected. "There is a girl waiting at the cooking tents sir. I met her about an hour ago as she approached the west side of the camp, and when I asked her who she was, she just asked me to take her to King Duncan. I took her to the cooking tents instead, so she asked me to find Rangers Gilan and Halt, and to tell them that she wants to see them."

Curious, pondered Crowley. He gave a small frown as he tried to figure out exactly what an apparently common girl was doing wandering around a battlefield and why she would ask to speak to two specific Rangers. "Did she mention why she wanted to talk to Halt and Gilan?"

"She said only to tell them that Evanlyn was waiting in the cooking tents. I assume that was her name, sir. Evanlyn." He added rather unnecessarily. Once more, Crowley managed to stop himself from rolling his eyes.

Sure that the sentry had nothing else of use, Crowley dismissed the man and assured him that he would pass on the message before heading towards the command tent where a rather important meeting was currently taking place. He was late as it was. As he pushed open the tent flap, he wondered who the girl was. Evanlyn. He was sure that he had heard that name before somewhere, and there was a niggling feeling in the back of his mind that he was missing something. Well, he was sure that he wouldn't have to wait very long to find out.

Gilan was rather mystified as to why he had been invited to a meeting of the War Council, as he wasn't a senior Ranger, although he suspected that Halt was trying to keep him busy to stop him running off to find Will and the Princess.

Looking around, Gilan could tell that he didn't really belong there. He was by far the lowest ranked person in the tent. There were three Senior Barons; Arald of Redmount, Thorn of Drayden and Fergus of Carraway, along with his father, Sir David, Battlemaster of Carraway, and field commander of the King's army, all sitting around a long wooden table. King Duncan himself sat at the head of the table with Halt sitting to his right, as he was one of the King's most trusted advisors. Crowley was late.

Speak of the devil, Gilan thought. Crowley had just walked into the tent and nodding informally to the King, he joined Halt and Gilan at their spot around the table rough wooden table. As the Barons continued their talk of tactics and other necessities of the coming war, Crowley lent close to Halt's ear and beckoned to Gilan with a wink.

"So," Halt said, raising his eyebrow, "how come you're late?"

"I was talking to a sentry." From the smug look on Crowley's face Gilan assumed that this was supposed to mean something to him and he said so.

"He was looking for you two. Do you have any idea why?"

"No." Halt had little patience for Crowley's stalling tactics and decided to get right to the point. "Did you ask him what he wanted? Surely a brilliant mind such as yourself would have thought to ask the sentry why he was looking for us." Halt didn't bother to disguise the sarcasm in his voice.

After stalling for a moment longer, Crowley decided to tell them. Hopefully they would figure out what the cryptic message meant. "He said a girl named Evanlyn was waiting for you at the cooking tents. Said she had arrived on the west side of camp looking exhausted and filthy. Apparently she requested you two specifically and told the sentry that you would know who she was."

Halt was looking confused. He had no idea why a girl named Evanlyn was asking for him, so it was a bit of a shock when Gilan shouted loudly beside him.

"Oh my god!" Everyone in the tent turned to look at Gilan as he shouted and followed the exclamation with some rather colourful swear words. Obviously, the name meant something to him.

"Care to explain, Gilan?" Despite his suspicions about the girl, Crowley hadn't expected such a violent response to his news.

"Yes, care to explain, Gilan?" This time it was King Duncan who spoke, holing up a hand to stall Sir David, who looked about ready to give his son a sharp clout around the head for his language. Duncan wasn't the kind of man to miss things, and he had a feeling that whatever Crowley had just told Gilan was rather important.

"Sorry, sir." Gilan sent a guilty look at his father before continuing. "Crowley just told me that a girl named Evanlyn has arrived at the camp and has requested to see Halt and myself." Breathless, he waited for the King to recognize the significance of the name the girl had given.

As he saw the sudden recognition in Duncan's eyes, Gilan told the curious onlookers what was going on. "Evanlyn was the name Princess Cassandra used when she wished to keep her identity a secret in Celtica. I think that she and Will managed to escape their captors and are here in camp."

Without further hesitation, Duncan ran from the tent, closely followed by Halt and Gilan, leaving a rather stunned Crowley to scramble after them.

Evanlyn had just finished her third bowl of beef stew, when she heard a commotion behind her. The young girl turned and began to scan the tents behind her, just in time to see her father, the King, run up to Master Chubb, gesturing wildly. He was closely followed by two men in grey and green mottled cloaks—Rangers. The taller man she recognized as Gilan, and an older man whom she assumed to be Will's mentor, Halt.

The cowl had fallen from the grizzled Ranger's face, and as his sharp eyes scanned the tents, she could clearly see that he cared deeply for his apprentice.

Cassandra felt a stab of pity and guilt, before she pushed it to the back of her mind and stood up, the empty wooden bowl in her hands falling to the ground with a clatter. "Dad!" she cried, her voice carrying over the busy campground.

Duncan had arrived at the cooking tents when he found Master Chubb. He frantically asked the chef where the shorthaired girl had been taken, but before Chubb could answer, he heard a shout behind him. He recognized the voice instantly, despite having not heard it in months. It was his daughter. Turning sharply, he easily spotted her, covered in mud and dirt, as she rushed forward, and flung herself, sobbing, into his embrace.

"Cassie," The King muttered softly as he let his tears of joy run freely down his face.

Gilan politely looked away from his King, and began scanning the area where Evanlyn had come from, trying to spot Will. He saw Halt standing beside him anxiously doing the same, obviously expecting his missing apprentice to appear any second from a gap between some tents. Gilan began to feel a sense of foreboding as no small green figure appeared.

Halt felt the same uneasy sense of foreboding. Pushing the feeling away, the gruff Ranger turned to a very bewildered Master Chubb. "Where is the boy?" he demanded.

"What boy? The girl arrived alone."

At Chubb's puzzled tone, Cassandra pulled herself reluctantly out of her father's comforting arms and turned her tear stained face towards the two Rangers.

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." Cassandra couldn't say it. Her eyes begged the two men to understand.

Halt's blood went cold. His voice went quiet and deadly as he spoke once more, and his polite tone made him even more terrifying. "What do you mean, Princess? What are you sorry for?"

Cassandra gave a small sob and she began to shake as she looked the greying Ranger in the eyes. "Will's dead. We-we were escaping but everything went wr-wrong. They chased us and th-the Skandian he-he-he killed him. He was trying to save me, to give me time to escape and the b-b-bastard killed him! I'm sorry. I am truly sorry." Her voice was desperate as she tried to make Halt understand. "Will was my fr-friend. I didn't want him to die for me!" Cassandra's voice finally broke and her father wrapped his arms around her, gently pressing her head into his chest.

Halt couldn't believe it. It was impossible. It was all a giant mistake. But he knew it wasn't. He sunk to the ground and allowed the world around him to fade away, his eyes filling with tears as his body was raked by silent tremors.

Without prompting, various memories rose to the front of his mind. Will, a guilty expression on his face, as he was caught stealing pies. Will, laughing as he darted in and out of the trees, his Ranger cloak darting around behind him, filled with life and energy. Will, gently praising Tug as he fed the barrel-chested pony an apple after a day's lesson. Will, determination showing in every line of his body as he drew the bowstring back to touch his cheek, the flaming arrow licking at his hand. Will, holding a glinting bronze oakleaf amulet as he looked Halt in the eye, finally having found a home in the small wooden cabin in the woods; finally having found a family.

Dimly, Halt realized that there were tears slowing making their way down his face, and he made to wipe them away before he stopped and let his hand fall back down to his side. There was no shame in letting his grief be shown. Will deserved these tears.

King Duncan was shocked. He felt a pang of guilt for the death of a Ranger Apprentice that he had never met. However, at the same time he was infinitely grateful to the boy. He had saved his daughter, and he would make sure the boy, Will, would be remembered for his sacrifice.

What puzzled Duncan though, were the reactions of the two Rangers. Halt had seemed to crumple within himself, and Duncan saw with shock that there were tears running down his face as he stared blankly into the sky, not truly seeing. Even more puzzling than Halt's reaction though was Gilan's. The young Ranger hadn't moved. He seemed frozen to the spot. As Duncan watched Gilan with growing concern he finally moved, quick as a snake.

Gilan drew his sword, heedless of his surroundings, and swung it viciously, point first, into the ground with an ear-splitting shout. Will was dead! And it was his fault! If he hadn't left them then Will would still be alive! He stared at the quivering blade for a long moment, before slowly pulling it out of the dirt. He didn't bother to sheath the weapon, and simply held it in his tightly clenched fist as he spun around and left the cooking grounds, brushing passed a dumbstruck Crowley as he went.

A/N

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, and I'm sorry I haven't replied to any the previous week. Things have been a bit hectic where I am at the moment.

I live in New Zealand, and as some of you might have heard, there was a serious earthquake on the 22nd, centered around our second biggest city, Christchurch. It was the middle of the day and a lot of office buildings and churchs collased. So far over 150 bodies have been found, but there is still somewhere between 50-200 people missing, depending on your source. To be honest, I think the media is downplaying it. My dad has some close friends in Christchurch and they said that there were buses full of people that were crushed by falling buildings, and that the body count doesn't include them. I have a great-aunt and uncle, and a great-grandma living in the affected areas, but thankfully they are alright. I live about 4-5 hours drive out of Chch, so thankfully my immidiate family and friends are ok. Many of the evacuees have taken come to the areas around where I live, and there have been some students that have joined my school.

New Zealand is a relatively small country, so everyone here has been hit really hard by this. Pretty much everyone knows someone who has been affected by the quake.

Thank you to my beta TwilightsCalling for doing such a wonderful job! This chapter was quite a bit below my normal standard, and more than one word was missing a letter or had some other blindingly obvious error...

I would like to dedicate this chapter to those that lost their lives or loved ones in the Christchurch Quake, and I am praying for a miracal that someone could still be pulled alive from the rubble.

Ali Ranger51