A/N: Hello Everyone, sorry for the long delay, finals and PATs are coming up, and I have been trying to figure out what would be the next significant change. Those are my excuses, and again, sorry.

As for the rest of the Ruins of Gorlan, I decided that not much would have changed. Halt and Gilan (and possibly a third Ranger) would have set out from the extremely short gathering, and hunted the Kalkara. Gilan or the possible third Ranger would have ridden to Redmont to get reinforcements, and gotten back to the Ruins as quickly as Will had. I am also pretty certain that any Ranger would have figured out the fire arrow thing after seeing the first Kalkara turn into fireworks.

Therefore, I have decided that the next change I will write about is the mission to Celtica in the Burning Bridge. Everything is pretty much the same except Alyss replaced Will. The Wargal's have left with their Celtican prisoners and Alyss, Horace and "Evanlyn" (or Cassandra, whichever you prefer) have decided to head back to Araluen instead of follow the Wargals. I do not believe that the trip back will be particularly exciting, so I will skip to the battle. If you have read the books recently, you will remember that this entire battle is a trap for Araluen. I hope you enjoy the last chapter in this particular fanfiction.

Willow Treaty, and anyone else who read the previous fourth chapter and was confused when it had very little information and suddenly disappeared: Sorry, I posted the chapter then realized that the work that I put into it over the last half-hour was deleted. Needless to say, I was rather frustrated, and I apologize for the mess up.

Also, to answer the review that Willow Treaty posted while the fourth chapter was up: I have no idea what CAT's are, I am from Canada and PAT stands for Provincial Achievement Tests. Very much like the US has SATs (I assume that they stand for State-wide Achievement Tests or somewhat, feel free to correct me if I am wrong .) . They are when the entire province is given the same exam so the government knows the effectiveness of each school. I hope that made sense.

Once again, I will type the last line before I pick up the story.

Chapter 30 – "Sir," said the scout hesitantly. "Sir Vincent's respects, sir, and… there appear to be Skandians behind us."

King Duncan whirled around to see around one hundred arrowhead formations with circular shields and horned helmets. He cursed. Of course it had been a trap! How could he not have seen it?

Turning to face Morgorath's main army, he realized that they were now coming into the open. Barely restraining his panic, he turned towards the messengers. Get half of the men to turn around and face the rear. Tell everyone to assume defensive positions.

He watched anxiously as his army raced to follow his orders while their enemies came steadily closer. His men seemed to be taking this in stride, forming up with speed and precision. Shield bearers made the first line, then the spearmen, ready to thrust through the gaps. Another two such layers, and then the swordsmen. Following that were the archers, on a slightly elevated position in order to shoot over their comrades. One side of the battle held the cavalry. They would not be very effective against the massive Skandians, but were able to crush the Wargals, and Duncan intended to take every advantage of that fact.

The Skandians were drawing close to the battle line now, and half of the archers let loose their arrows. With expert timing, the Skandians raised their shields, arrows thunking harmlessly into the thick wood.

Their mistake came right after. Unable to see through the wall, they lowered them again, just in time to see a second volley already on the way. The majority of Skandians on the front line fell to this second attack, which caused a great deal of confusion in their ranks as they tripped over their companions. Immediately more started falling under the deadly hail of arrows that never seemed to stop.

This was not to last, however. As the initial confusion faded, the Skandians decided to go every man to himself, holding their shields in front of them and charging into the Araluen lines. Yet more fell to the spearmen, but they soon rid themselves of this first defense. Having lost momentum, they were fighting on more even ground, yet they still managed to take at least two Araluens with them before they fell. Most took closer to a dozen.

On the other side of the battle, the Araluens were pushing back the Wargals, mainly due to the Hammerblows maneuver that Sir David of Caraway fief had made. Nearly half of the Wargals were dead or injured and the cavalry kept taking more. It was doubtful that they would lose this half of the battle.

Seeing this, King Duncan ordered more forces be sent to the Skandian side, along with all forty-seven Rangers currently available. The results to the reinforcements were instantly recognizable. The Rangers easily pinpointed the better warriors and took each down with a single arrow. This being done, they started aiming further back in the ranks, hoping to thin out the attacking force and unwilling to shoot close to their men unless necessary.

Their expert shooting entered the gaps in the circular shields and always took down at least one Skandian. In a few cases, they even took down two. This show of marksmanship had the added bonus of making the Skandians wary, which affected their fighting. It also encouraged their own soldiers, who were now fighting with more vigor.

King Duncan surveyed the battlefield once more before deciding that he need not issue any more orders for the time being. Leaving Baron Arald in charge, he moved quickly towards his pavilion.

Upon entering, he was greeted enthusiastically by his daughter, and, more formally, by apprentice Courier Alyss Mainwaring. He hugged his daughter and nodded to Alyss.

Knowing there was not much time, he immediately broke into a hurried explanation. "Cassandra," he told her urgently, "I need you to leave. There is the chance that we will fail here today, and I do not want you to be in harms reach. You will leave immediately for Hibernia with Lady Alyss. You will not tell anyone of your identity, and you will wait there until a message is sent to you, or you receive the news that we have lost to Morgorath." He shook her shoulders lightly, desperate for the information to sink in. "You must not, under any circumstances, come back to Araluen unless you receive the message, understood?" Cassandra nodded her head. "It will help to know that I will be sending a Ranger."

Turning, he now addressed Alyss. "Go with her, and make sure she follows my instructions. Gather your things, and ride out immediately. "

As Alyss nodded and turned to follow the orders, the King called to her again.

"Oh, and Alyss," Turning to face the King once more, she raised one elegant eyebrow. "You will require this to make your way to and in Hibernia." He told her, holding out a small sack of gold.

"Yes, your highness," Alyss told him, accepting the money. "We will use it carefully." With that, she turned on her heal to usher the Princess out of the tent.

(time lapse)

Duncan stared in disbelief as he saw the Wargals pouring in from the east. Despair etched in his features, he called his men to face the new enemy. They had already defeated the other attacking parties, but these troops were fresh. They marched in a perfect, hurried rythym, chanting the unnerving battle song of the Wargals.

His men knew that it would be a miracle, should they survive this day, yet they grimly faced the new threat, determined to take ten times as many Wargals for each fallen comrade.

It did not take long for the rested troops top cut through the front lines, methodically cutting down anyone who stood in their way.

In the next hour the battle was finished and the Wargals wandered around taking any survivors to their master. They were each given a choice. Serve him or die.

Will was pushed through the fields of grass, surrounded by Wargals and other prisoners, to face the new King. Having already heard of the choice that awaited him, he pondered his answer continuously. Finally, a few scant hours from the capital, he made up his mind. He would never surrender.

Will's final action was to spit on Morgorath's boots, earning him a quick and painless execution by the hands of the King himself.

A/N: Sorry for all of you who hate the ending, I did warn you in the summary that it would be dark. For any of you who are disappointed in the story in general, I would love to hear your suggestions.

Thank you for everyone who read, and double thank you for the reviewers. I am hoping to come up with more 'what if' stories for Ranger's Apprentice, so anyone who has suggestions, feel free to add them. Nothing that results in Will not becoming a Ranger, please, as it would have the same results.

Thank you for bearing with me through my entire first story. Also, I would love for anyone to leave suggestions on their favorite fanfictions.