The Forgotten Ranger - A Ranger's Apprentice Fanfiction

Chapter 3

Smells of ash and charred wood hit Aidens nose, it was faint but it was there. Sure enough within a few metres he came across the remnants of a fire. It was slightly warm to the touch but had clearly been out a while, probably left to burn out early that morning. Looking around it seemed someone had done a crude job of trying to cover it up, a few leaf piles half obscuring it but those on the centre were singed by hot embers. The remainder of the area had quite a few half impressions of boots, clearly whoever had been here knew little about covering their tracks and were sloppy in their attempts.

Upon recognising this his heart began to race slightly, few would try to cover their presence in such a way unless they were up to no good. From here the faint sound of water trickling over rocks was audible, so he pressed on towards the bridge quickly, aware his pace would be slightly slower than the stranger had been riding. Taking extra care to watch his step as he edged his way closer to the road, he was finally able to get a glimpse of the small, solid oak bridge spanning the small but deep river.

Two men were on the opposite side, hovering over a small wagon that had been driven into the side of the road, the big draft horse in its harness quietly snoozing. It looked like the men were moving something around in the back, but the sides prevented him from seeing what. From what he could see, it seemed almost ordinary. Almost. With the knowledge he had, their true intentions seemed too obvious, he didn't need to see the details to know that. Aiden turned and started to head in the opposite direction, trying to think of a plausible story to give to the man when he reached him.

Light thuds flitted on the air, confusing him slightly. Until he looked up towards the final bend in the road, and a now familiar figure popped into view. "Damn it," Aiden muttered under his breath, freezing as the little chestnut horse trotted into view. With the increase in speed he had caught up quickly to the boy despite his more direct route. He froze, keeping himself concealed as the man passed by having already been spotted by the men on the bridge. As he rode closer to the bridge he slowed to a walk, the men on the other side had already started to amble over the bridge in a poor attempt to masquerade their intentions. Aiden made his way carefully through the small amount of cover there was near the bridge, getting as close as he could without being seen. Unfortunately this still left him almost 20 metres away from the road itself.

The two who had begun to cross the bridge now spread themselves out, blocking the way forward to prevent the man's passage. They stood eyeing the rider. From his position Aiden had a much clearer view of them, and tried to evaluate them quickly. Closest to him was a short, stocky, clean shaven man who had positioned himself slightly ahead of his companion, seemingly the leader of the two. At his waist he carried a shortsword, the hilt was adorned with ornate patterns covering every inch, the scabbard matched it's appearance in a similar garish fashion. In his urgency Aiden almost missed the dagger he had, partially concealed by his crumpled shirt on the opposite side of his waist. It featured a sizable gem on the pommel, clearly he cared more for form than function, such a weight in the small blades pommel would cause it to lose all balance it would've had. At the opposite side of him was a much taller man, they were almost opposites in appearance. His frame was thin and his face slightly gaunt, partially concealed by a short beard. Cursing his luck, this man had an axe slid into his belt. It strained against the leather, the weight obvious. It didn't look built for fighting, rather the kind that would be common amongst farmers and mill workers.

Since reining in his horse, the rider had dismounted rather clumsily and approached the men. His horse seemed content to stay where he had left it, which seemed rather odd and Aiden couldn't help but feel a slight sense of familiarity from it. Shaking his head slightly he pushed it down, he wanted to stay focused on the encounter. Despite not being able to make out what was said, the demands were clear as the leader of the two stuck his hand out to take coins. The rider put his hand inside his vest and for a second Aiden thought he might just pay the men to continue on. Of course this wasn't the case and instead he withdrew a small dagger and pointed it towards the man. Barking laughter rang out as the two bandits found the display of defiance amusing, before reaching towards their own weapons. Aiden could've laughed himself if it hadn't been for the imminent danger he saw for the rider. He knew he had to act, so he did.