Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction, made possible by the Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan. I have only borrowed his creation and I make no money. For this story I have used several other Rangers from the books, though I've also added my own. I do this only in the hope to entertain…
Author's Note: No harm shall come to the characters that can't be fixed with enough coffee…

Chapter 7

Leaning back against the stone wall Gilan idly swung his leg back and forth, looking down across the courtyard. From his perch he had an excellent view of the battlements and the courtyard as well as most of the surrounding area. He could see the knights milling around, the servants hurrying to and fro, and the odd farmer or villager coming or going. It was a good view, one that gave him an advantage and one he thoroughly enjoyed. He'd already been there for near two hours, just watching, knowing that his green and grey mottled cloak that helped him blend in so well in the woods, would not work quite as well against the reddish rock he had forgone it. Instead, he had put on a shirt of rough homespun linen, faded and a bit worn and patched, together with the rough woollen pants and his jerkin it did a far better job of helping him fade into the background.

"Gilan, I wish you would not do that," the voice from behind him caused him to turn his head, and he gracefully slid down from the balcony banister he had been perched on. "Lady Sandra," he inclined his head in a graceful half-bow.

The Baron's wife shuddered as she looked over the banister and down at the courtyard far below. "How you can do that I shall never know," she shook her head. The boy had been sitting with both legs over the edge, as if it was the most secure position in the world. She knew he was confident in his ability to keep his balance, but it was really terrifying to behold.

"I'm sorry, Lady Sandra," he bit his lip, ducking his head. "I merely wished to find a place I could observe. I did not mean to cause you any distress."

"Oh, I know that," she shook her head. "I am not cross with you, but it is quite terrifying, can't you at least keep to the right side of the railing?"

"I think I did when I came up," he mused. "I suppose I got a bit distracted…"

"I suppose you did," feeling a lot better about it when the young man was not dangling on the wrong side of a deadly drop Lady Sandra rested her hands on the balustrade. "The view is rather lovely," she smiled.

"It is," Gilan nodded. "I used to climb the tower back in Caraway when I needed to think, it was always quiet there. No one liked going up all the stairs very much."

"I'm certain they did not, and I'm certain you gave them just as big a fright as you gave me now," she chided gently. "Is something troubling you Gilan?"

"I suppose so, but I'm trying to work it out," he shrugged.

"You won't tell me what it is? Perhaps I can help?" she did not think he would, but it was worth a try.

He shook his head slightly, "when I'm a full Ranger, I need to work these things out for myself. I might as well start now."

"You will be an excellent Ranger," she smiled, and she was certain of it. "But don't forget that even a Ranger might need a hand sometimes, Gilan. There is no shame in asking for help if you need it." She ran a critical eye over him, he had a large bruise at his temple, and she did not doubt that she knew where it came from. She had talked to her husband about it, and was frustrated that there seemed to be nothing they could do. To have three young men who would torment a sweet young man like Gilan angered her. At the same time, she was relieved they seemed to have restricted themselves to Gilan. She wished he would ask for help, or do something, but at least it was not some poor servant boy who did not dare to speak up.

Gilan was bad enough, but at least she knew he was capable of defending himself if he got the chance, and could handle it if he did not.

"Halt tells me I need to be self-reliant, but I know," he smiled brightly.

He still needed to fill out some she mused, and he had a bit more growing to do as likely as not, but he would be a very handsome young man. That was another thing she was certain of. "I'll leave you to your thinking then," she decided. "Will you be joining us for dinner?"

"Thank you, but I thought I'd do a bit of fishing," he shone up.

She hesitated, worried, and for a moment she considered ordering him to ignore it and eat with them. As far as she knew, it was the fishing that had brought about the trouble. Then she caught herself, Gilan was a very clever and very capable young man. He knew what he was doing and she had to respect that. She could not undermine him by ordering him to do something. Instead she sighed softly, looking over him again. He was tall for his age, but he was still so very young. She knew he was as well trained in many aspects as her husband was, and as skilled as Arald, but he was so young…

"You do that," she put a gentle hand on his arm. "But just in case you don't catch anything, I'll ask Master Chubb to have something small ready for you. You can come by if you need it."

"Thank you Lady Sandra," Gilan inclined his head.

Nodding to herself she headed inside, making her way to her husband's office. Shaking her head as she found him in his office, hard at work, with equal attention to the papers in front of him and the bowl of sweets at his side.

"You really do need to do something about those three," she stated as she moved the bowl a little farther away from him while sitting down.

"Have they gone after Gilan again, or anyone else?" Arald did not need to ask whom she was referring to.

"Gilan it would seem," she sighed. "Why do they take such delight in going after the poor boy?"

"I think it's the sword," Arald mused. "It confuses them to see someone so young with a sword like that. He carries it well, that scares them. And then he won't be goaded into using it against his will, that angers them."

"Well, it angers me to," she stated. "The boy just gave me the fright of my life."

"One of those three?" Arald's eyes narrowed.

"No, Gilan," she clarified. "He was up in the tower, sitting on the balcony balustrade, I had the most horrifying feeling he was going to fall."

"He won't," Arald waved it away. "He knows what he's doing,

"You can't let this go on, I don't care what we need their father for, I won't stand by and let them torment Gilan, the poor thing looks like he hasn't got anything to eat since Halt left."

"Gilan always looks like he hasn't got anything to eat," Arald mused. "And I've offered to feed him from the kitchen. I don't know why Halt thinks he needs to leave him all alone there in the cabin, we could have looked after him here while he's gone."

"Because he needs to learn to take care of these things, but that doesn't include brutes and bullies like that," Sandra objected.

"Honestly, I think he finds cooking his own food more intimidating than those three morons," Arald mused. "Gilan's been trained as a knight, don't forget, and he's well trained. He faced the Wargals with the rest of us. I'd just as soon take him as most anyone of my knights. He could have given those three the whipping of their lives."

"Then why won't he do so?" Sandra stated, annoyed. "You can't have told him he mustn't."

"No, though it would have certainly given me a problem if he did," Arald sighed. "He's too well trained sometimes I think, he knows he's so much better than they, and he's afraid of injuring them permanently if they overreach. But I have done what I can."

"What have you done?" Sandra queried, hiding a smile as he eyed the bowl of sweets longingly.

"I told him I would like nothing more than to see those three get what's coming to them. Gilan is a clever little devil, he'll know what I meant, and he'll figure out what to do, no doubt when you saw him he was planning something." He smiled, a smile that grew wider when his wife pushed the bowl back within his grasp. "I don't know what else he would be doing up in the tower."

"He is rather clever at that," Sandra mused.

"He is, and he don't take lightly to anyone breaking the honour code," Arald confirmed. Hurriedly helping himself to a few of the sweets in case his wife should choose to remove them again. "He'll find some way of teaching them a lesson, I'm sure of it."

"I certainly hope so," she stated. "So far we haven't really done a very good job of looking after him."

"Not that I disagree, but we were never really supposed to look after him," Arald mused, then hurried to hold up a hand. "I do not disagree, and I rather think we should have, if we were supposed to or not. The devil of the thing is that Sir Lionel had to come here with his brood just now… If Halt had been here, Gilan would have been occupied, and I am not sure if it would have been any trouble. It's regretfully just a matter of poor timing."

"I just hope Gilan does something soon, or I will," Sandra stood. "He said he was going to get some fish, I said if he didn't get any, I'd make sure Chubb had something ready for him. I had better see to it."

"I could do that," Arald offered but she waved a finger at him.

"Absolutely not, if you go down there, you'll eat twice as much yourself. And he's one boy, not a whole troop of knights, he needs a good sturdy healthy meal, not a whole mountain of food all at once."

"I suppose so," he admitted. "Though he does look a bit on the thin side," he mused, hopefully.

"Yes, I really had thought he should have started to fill out some by now," Sandra tapped a finger to her chin thoughtfully. Having no children of her own, she tended to inflict some of her motherly instincts to those she felt needed it. The children in the Castle's ward, orphans, were directly under her supervision and she made certain they were raised and cared for in the best way. Gilan was another one, though most seemed to feel he was too old to need it. She did however not, a view she knew she shared with Pauline. The courier who had captured Halt's heart had a soft spot for his apprentice, and Sandra would never overstep, knowing very well how Pauline felt for the boy. She did however pay him close attention and did not hesitate to step in if she thought there was cause. She nodded to herself as her mind was made up. "I'll make sure it's good hearty food, and enough of it for a growing boy."

Still tapping one finger to her lips in a thoughtful manner she left the office and Arald smiled to himself as he watched his wife go. She was a strong woman, smart and cunning and he loved her dearly. He knew better than to object when her mind was made up, and was glad that she respected him.

Gilan was a good boy, independent and capable, but he was still young and sometimes needed a bit of looking after, if he wanted it or not. Between Pauline and his wife, the boy wouldn't stand a chance…

TBC

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