Chapter Seven
Nel took a deep breath, laying in her bed, not wanting to face the day. It had been two weeks. Two weeks since she had become engaged to a complete stranger. Two weeks since she 'had been sold to the highest bidder' as her father had most recently called it. Halt had become very creative in his vocal objections (read: insults) about the situation (read: the king).
Crowley had tried to get Halt to calm down, as had Pauline, but when Cassandra and the Skandians had joined in, they gave up. They were instantly forgiven of course. Cassandra because she was the princess and the Skandians because of the treaty. Even though they opposed arranged marriages from a moral standpoint, they couldn't do anything about this one. The marriage agreement was specifically between Araluen and Arrida, simply sealing the treaty. As the Skandians couldn't do anything without withdrawing from the treaty itself, which would mean a death sentence from the Temujai, they settled for insults.
Halt was forgiven simply because he was legally allowed to insult Duncan whenever he wanted, as long as it wasn't in an official setting or affecting their new allies and the treaty.
It was kind of funny, she thought. The day after she had gotten engaged, her father had marched right into Duncan's office with a list of demands. Even though she had convinced him that getting married was the right thing to do and she was ok with it, Halt seemed to be going out of his way to make Duncan's life a living hell. As if that would make him change his mind and call off the engagement.
Halt had told Duncan that she would marry the perverted bastard (Halt's words. He didn't have high hopes for his future son-in-law) as long as Duncan agreed to every single request that Halt made regarding the arrangement, including the legal right to insult and criticize him. Duncan had agreed before even knowing what all of Halt's requests were, which he was now starting to regret. Halt was deeply enjoying it though.
Some of his other demands had been that she get married in Araluen, not Arrida (to postpone both the wedding and her leaving the country as long as possible), that she have an Araluen wedding (which was actually her request. Nel couldn't imagine getting married without her father giving her away), and that should she ever ask for it, Nel would be brought home at once. Despite the Emrikir's reassurance that her fiance was a good man, Halt wanted to give her an escape route.
However, Nel couldn't ever see herself doing that. If she tried to leave her husband, annul the marriage in any way, Araluen and Arrida would go straight to war. No one could afford that to happen.
Still, she appreciated her father's efforts. It was the thought that counted.
Her fiance, a man named Seley el'then, was due to arrive in about two weeks time. They would be married about a month after that. The Emrikir and some of the other Arridi who knew him had told her a little of what to expect. Which, she supposed, was more than he was receiving. He was in the same boat as she was, waking up to a normal day and ending it as suddenly engaged.
According to the little information she had been given, he was the Wakir of a town called Al Shabah, essentially the equivalent of a Baron. He was also Captain of the Guard. A very noble, respectable man.
Which was great. Except it didn't tell her anything about him. Nel felt like they were describing anyone. It all felt so generic. Yet she was too embarrassed to ask for more information.
Nel sighed to herself, nuzzling further down into her cocoon of blankets. She had been spending more and more time in her bedroom over the last two weeks, not wanting to face anyone.
Everytime she met someone's gaze, their eyes were full of pity. That was the only expression she saw any more and she hated it. Her family, Duncan, the delegates, they all looked at her in pity. Even Edvin, usually so excited for his lessons from her, couldn't keep the emotion away.
Most of the delegates didn't say anything. They couldn't, not with it being a separate agreement between Araluen and Arrida.
Shigeru at least attempted to talk about something else. He asked to see her art and the two continued to bond over that subject. He was very impressed with her sketches, patting her hand and saying, "Well done Kujaku-san. This is very impressive."
Nel blushed in embarrassment at the memory of the praise. She was sure he was only saying it to cheer her up, but it was working.
The Skandians were almost as vocal as Halt about the situation. The only one who seemed to accept the situation was Borsa, claiming that sacrifices had to be made. (Will instantly hated how he just brushed it to the side. Borsa later found two squirrels had been let into his room somehow). Erak marched right up to her and apologized the first moment he could. The Oberjarl had tried to stop the engagement as best he could when it was first suggested, but had ultimately failed. Nel had smiled, a soft spot for the Skandian growing right there.
The only one that Nel hadn't really discussed the situation with was the Emrikir. There had been a few small conversations, especially in the first few days following the announcement, but Nel avoided anything more than that. It just felt too awkward, too forced. Anything that she might want to say suddenly got stuck in her throat before she could get a single sound out.
Still, her life over the past two weeks could've been much worse.
Cassandra and Pauline had begun planning the wedding, so the three of them had been holed up in her room trying to sort through all of the details. It wasn't impossible to plan a wedding of this importance in two months, especially when you had a very determined princess on your side, but it was difficult. They were lucky that most of the guests were already there.
Of course, it didn't help that Nel was spending most of her days looking for any excuse to avoid the wedding planning. Mostly she just delved right into her work and studies, trusting Pauline to make any of the decisions needed. She still hadn't fully adjusted to the idea that she was engaged, let alone adjusted to actually planning the event, something that was slowly making Pauline more and more agitated. Gilan had a bet with Stig that Pauline was going to snap any day now and force Nel into a planning frenzy, no matter what she wanted.
Nel looked at the sun shining through her window and eventually decided that she had been in bed long enough. Cassandra and Pauline were going to be here soon, typically bringing breakfast with them. Pauline had said something about getting measurements for her dress done today, although Nel hoped that with the afternoon's plans, she could find an excuse to push the measurements off until tomorrow.
Nel smiled at the thought of what today held. It was hard to believe that it had been five years since Halt had taken Will on as an apprentice. Now, that boy was a young man and today he was becoming a Ranger. Nel couldn't be prouder.
Quickly she got ready for the day and practically ran over to her desk. Pulling out a piece of paper, she began to draw.
It was honestly really impressive. There were over a dozen people hiding in the hallway, as close to the door as they dared, and yet Will hadn't noticed them.
Then again, he was fairly distracted by Crowley's apparent 'let's just rush through this, shall we?' attitude, flipping through a whole bunch of papers.
Cassandra and Nel exchanged a glance, trying to stifle their laughter. A few feet away, much closer to the door than anyone else, Gilan grinned as well, remembering his own graduation. He didn't think that he looked as confused or anxious as Will did, but he was probably wrong about that. No one, especially a Ranger, wanted to admit that they had been had.
Everyone listened intently though, easily picking up Crowley saying, "And that just leaves one more thing. Your name."
"My name?" Will asked, confused.
Crowley nodded, "We have about three other Wills in the Corps already. We are going to need some way of telling you apart."
"Oh…" Will said, understanding, "But how are-"
"We're naming you of course!" Crowley cut him off, waving his question away with a small grin, "We've come up with three very good second names for you to choose from."
"To choose from?"
Crowley nodded before raising his eyebrow at him, "That is, unless you didn't want any say in the matter?"
"Oh, no, no! That's not it! I just-it's not what I was expecting is all." Will said hurriedly, trying to explain.
"Good," was Crowley's quick response, "Because there were some suggestions that were absolutely horrible. Will Boar. Will-of-the-bridge. Will-he-ever-shut-up-and-learn-how-to-ask-one-question-at-a-time."
Will slid a sideways glance towards his mentor, "Why thank you Halt."
The Ranger smiled smugly.
"Moving on," Crowley continued, "The first name was actually inspired by our Skandian friends."
"It was?"
He nodded, "Skandian children turn their father's name into their second name. Such as your new friend Hal. He's Hal Mikkelson. So yours would be Will Danielson."
Will furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, "Can we do that? I mean, I'm not Skandian."
"It's your name." Crowley shrugged, "You can call yourself Will the Pretty Pink Princess for all we care."
He rolled his eyes, somehow not hearing the snorts of laughter from the people hiding in the hall, "As tempting as that is…"
Crowley smirked, "Not your style?"
"Obviously not. Since when have I ever worn pink?"
The Ranger Commandant chuckled at that, using the sound to cover up the rest of the noises that the hidden group was making. Luckily, Halt jumped in, distracting Will.
"That's how Gilan got his name too. Davidson."
"I thought that was a specific family tradition for him?"
Halt shrugged, "So?"
Will seemed to consider that for a moment before shrugging his own acceptance.
"There are two more options," Crowley said, "We got these from both Gilan and Halt. They reviewed all your accomplishments and suggested these based off of them."
Will leaned forward eagerly to hear the other two names.
"When you and Halt went undercover to handle the situation at Macindaw, you used the name Will Barton. There, you stopped Keren, saved Orman, found the highest skilled doctor in Araluen, and stopped a Scotti invasion. Gilan suggested that we honor those accomplishments by using your name then as your new name."
Will's eyebrows went up, "Barton?"
The two older Rangers both nodded. He thought it over for a moment before shaking his head, "Sorry, but I'd rather keep that name for any other times I have to go undercover. A lot of people never heard what name I went by, so they all think Will Barton is just a jongleur. I'd hate to waste that."
They nodded again, accepting his decision. Nel glanced at Gilan. He didn't seem insulted that Will turned down his idea.
"This last one is based on your more recent accomplishments," Crowley continued, much to Will's confusion.
"What recent accomplishments?"
"Here with the negotiations. It was your idea to train the non-Senshi class and you volunteered to see the idea through in Nihon-Ja, along with tracking down the Hassanu!" Crowley explained, "Without that, we would all still be trying to figure out what to do."
Will blushed at his Commandant's praise.
"So, Halt suggested the name Will Treaty. What do you think?"
"You…what to name me after the treaty we just signed?"
Crowley was already shaking his head, "No, not for the treaty itself. For your efforts and contributions in the treaty. We wouldn't have it right now if not for your help. I can guarantee that we'd still be debating and participating in peace talks without you."
Everyone was quiet while Will thought it over, mouthing the words to himself. In a few moments, he was smiling, "I like it."
Halt and Crowley returned the smile, the red-headed Ranger making some notes on his papers.
"Ok, Will Treaty it is. And you are now officially a Ranger."
He sat back in his chair, looking very proud of himself. Will just sat there, aghast, "That's…that's it?!"
Crowley exchanged a glance with Halt, looking very confused, "Did I forget something?"
Halt pretended to think about it for a moment before tapping the silver oakleaf on his chest.
Realization dawned in Crowley's eyes, "Oh, that's right! I've got that here somewhere."
He then made a show of checking each pocket, face falling when he realized that it wasn't there.
"I-I must've dropped it somewhere." Crowley looked towards the newest Ranger apologetically, "Here, Halt and I will check in here while you go look in the hall, just in case."
Crowley waved Will out of the room while Halt glanced under the desk.
Sighing, Will did as he was asked, not really sure what else he expected from a Ranger Graduation.
Only to be completely shocked when he opened the door and saw a packed hallway, people cheering as soon as they saw him.
"Congratulations!"
Will almost stumbled back at the sheer amount of pride and enthusiasm being thrown at him. Everyone was there! From Gilan and Nel to the Herons and Arald, even his old wardmates! They were all right there, cheering for him! And, right smack dab in the center of it all, was Duncan, holding out the silver oakleaf to him.
Will turned around to see Crowley and Halt laughing.
"You should've seen your face!" Crowley yelled.
Grinning, Will turned back to Duncan, accepting the silver oakleaf.
"Congratulations Will," Duncan said, slapping his shoulder.
"Thank you sir." Will's face hurt from smiling so hard.
They didn't have time for anymore words as Will was quickly swept into a group hug with Jenny, Alyss, and George, who he hadn't seen in a very long time. Erak quickly led three cheers for the new Ranger, everyone else joining in almost immediately.
Will looked over the entire group as best he could. Friends, both old and new, his family, and people he had admired and looked up to for most of his life.
They were all there celebrating him.
It was the happiest moment of his life.
Hi everyone!
Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I know that I have been gone for ages and I'm so sorry about that. Things happened and it was difficult to post anything for the longest time. But I do plan on updating more frequently now! Also, I did make an AO3 account as well and this story is also posted on that site, for any of you who would prefer to read it there.
Just a few small notes about this chapter. I know it felt like mostly filler/possible fluff, but I just couldn't ignore Will's graduation. He's worked so hard, he deserved it.
With the names, I love the name Will Treaty and still wanted to find a way for him to end up with that name even though there wasn't technically a treaty with Skandia in this story like in the books. Hopefully this was at least somewhat believable?
With Gilan, I know that the fandom has given him his last name and I wanted to reference that in some way, but it also worked with the theory of Will having the option of his dad's name as his last name. Overall, I still prefer Will Treaty, but this was fun.
Anyway, thanks for reading!