Sparks Flying - A Ranger's Apprentice Story

Chapter Five

The grumpy old healer wouldn't let Halt and Will stay in her house - "Too crowded," she muttered - so the two Rangers set up their one-man tents in the overgrown yard to one side of the little cottage. 

Will spent most of his time with Alyss, just talking with her or watching how Madge changed Alyss's bandages. He'd need to know how to take care of her and her injuries when they returned to Redmont, whenever that might be.

Halt spent the nights in Rensdale, but during the day he looked for clues to the whereabouts of Jory Ruhl and his criminal gang. Besides harming a King's Official like Alyss, which in itself was a capital offense, Jory and his gang had kidnapped helpless children, several of whom were still missing.

Alyss was obviously in a lot of pain, but she did her very best to hide it. Will knew her well enough to see right through it - he could read it in the tightness of her voice and of her mouth - but he pretended not to see it.

Three days after Halt and Will got to Rensdale, Lady Pauline and Gilan arrived. It had taken the Courier and the Ranger a total of five days to make the journey from Redmont to Anselm. They'd had a slower rate of travel because the Courier and her mount couldn't handle the Rangers' forced march pace, and they'd taken a slight detour to Castle Anselm to pick up Malcolm's message pigeon reply.

As soon as she dismounted, Pauline rushed in to see Alyss. She gently embraced her student, almost overwhelmed by relief at seeing Alyss alive and healing. Pauline had been severely worrying for almost six days, and like Will it had affected her sleeping and eating patterns, leaving her exhausted.

Madge took an instant liking to the older Courier. She had no problems with Pauline staying in the cottage and set up another cot in Alyss's room. Halt was jealous; he didn't begrudge his wife the relative comfort of staying indoors, but he was getting a little old to be camping.

"So, what have you been using on Alyss's burns?" Pauline asked tentatively, almost afraid to broach the subject with the abrasive old woman. Pauline's knowledge of medicine wasn't as thorough as Malcolm's or Madge's, and she didn't want the old healer to think Pauline was criticizing her.

"A tincture of aloe and honey, three times a day," Madge said. 

Pauline consulted the note she had received from Malcolm and nodded. "Good," she said. "That's exactly what Malcolm said to do."

Madge cackled. "Malcolm? That old geezer?"

Pauline looked startled. "You know him?"

"Know him? I was his student for nigh on twenty years!" Madge says. "Mind you, that was nearly thirty years ago. But I learned from the best!"

Gilan stayed for a day, visiting Alyss and helping Halt work through the information the older Ranger had managed to pick up about Ruhl and his gang, but he had to leave quickly to return to his post at Castle Araluen. As the Ranger Commandant, he couldn't be away for that long, and he needed to find a replacement Ranger for Redmont until Halt and Will's return.

The days passed slowly as Alyss's bruises faded and her burns continued to heal. One day, Madge took Will aside.

"Thought you should know, Ranger Will, that Alyss's burns will scar permanently," the old woman said quietly.

"But they will heal, right?" Will said.

"Yes," Madge said, "but the scars won't ever fade."

"What of it?" Will said. "She'll be healthy. Isn't that what really matters?"

Madge sighed. Men, she thought. They never understand anything. "They'll look pretty terrible," she said seriously. "Alyss, she's used to being pretty, has been her entire life. She might look at those burns and begin to doubt her beauty. Whatever happens, Ranger Will, you can't let that happen. You need to show her she's still beautiful no matter what."