The Skandian Ranger

The Skandians

Here we go! I hope you lads enjoy this story, as always criticism is always welcome. No quote this time let's just get into it!

Gorman looked at his livestock, life in Redmont fief has been easy for him, he had a wife...a farm...and a view of the river. He sighs feeding the chickens before he hears a chilling sound...oars beating the water. His eyes glide to the river as he sees it, a wounded Skandian wolfship limping up the river. "By the gods..." Gorman muttered as the ship impacted the shore near his barn, he saw the Skandians climb over the edge.

The group was unarmed, made up of tall blond warriors clearly injured as they limped foward, "You!" The only woman among them shouted to Gorman. "Please they are hunting us...my son...my baby boy..."

The cries of a baby echoed as the other Skandians surrounded her, but she kept approaching Gorman with a fire in her eyes. "Take him, he would die if we had to fight our way out...we are traders not raiders but your people never listen." In her hands was a newborn, small blond hairs covering his head, Gorman was conflicted as he heard another ship approaching...a ship sure to be filled with knights from castle Redmont, but he wasn't a heartless man.

Grabbing the child from her he nodded "I...I can't care for em' but I know people who can...what's his name?" Gorman asked the woman who was now walking back to the group, she turned to look at him "His name is Stug...care for him well...please."

As such the strange woman left, the wolfship once again limping away. Gorman now was left with a Skandian child in his arms, looking at the child he made up his mind and brought it to the ward. Attaching a single note to the thatch basket"His name is Stug"

Life in the ward was nice, surrounded by orphans Stug was around others who had lost their parents...but Stug didn't know his family's name. He was one of two in the ward who didn't know their family name. Stug and Will...both called no-name. A bond formed between the two as they grew, both getting i it trouble together. Soon it would be selection day...when all the ward children would be forced to become apprentices.

"Try to eat something, you two know what a big day we have tomorrow."

Jenny, blond, pretty and cheerful, gestured toward Will's barely touched plate and smiled encouragingly at him before doing the same to Stug. Will made an attempt to return the smile, but it was a dismal failure.

Stug picked at the plate before him, piled
high with his favorite foods. Tonight, his stomach knotted tight with tension and anticipation, he could hardly bring himself to swallow a bite.

Tomorrow would be a big day, he knew. They knew it all too well, in fact. Tomorrow would be the biggest day in all of their lives, because tomorrow was the Choosing Day and it would determine how they spent the rest of their life.

"Nerves,  I  imagine,"  said  George,  setting  down  his  loaded  fork  and seizing the lapels of his jacket in a judicious manner. He was a thin, gangly and studious boy, fascinated by rules and regulations and with a penchant for examining and debating both sides of any question—sometimes at great length.

"Dreadful thing, nervousness. It can just freeze you up so you can't think, can't eat, can't speak."

"I'm not nervous," Will said quickly, noticing that Horace had looked up, ready to form a sarcastic comment but looked back down when he caught Stug's glare.

George nodded several times, considering Will's statement."On the other hand," he added, "a little nervousness can actually improve performance. It
can heighten your perceptions and sharpen your reactions. So, the fact that you  are  worried,  if,  in  fact,  you  are,  is  not  necessarily  something  to  be
worried about, of itself—so to speak."