Rangers Apprentice

• [4] Surprise, Surprise

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3rd Person POV

It was long after midnight. The flickers torches around the castle yard, already replaced once, had begun to burn low again. Will had watched patiently for hours, waiting for this moment - when the light was uncertain and the guards were yawning, in the last hour of their shift.
The day had been one of the worst he could remember.
While his yearmates were out celebrating, enjoying their feasts and then spending their time in light-hearted horseplay in the village, Will had slipped away to the silence of the forest, a kilometre or so away from the castle walls. There, in the dim green coolness beneath the trees, he had spent the afternoon reacting bitterly on the events of the Choosing, nursing the deep pain of disappointment and wondering what the Rangers paper said.

As long as the day wore on, and the shadows began to lengthen in the open fields beside the forest, he came to a decision. He had to know what was in that paper. And he had to know tonight.

Once night fell, he made his way back to the castle, avoiding villagers and castle folk alike, and secreted himself in the branches of the fig tree again. On the way, he had slipped unnoticed in the kitchen and helped himself to bread, cheese and apples. He munched moodily on these, barely tasting them, as the evening passed and the castle began to settle down for the night.
He observed the movement of the guards, getting a feeling for their original timing as they went on their regular rounds. In addition to the guard troop, there was a sergeant on duty at the doorway of the tower that led to Baron Aralds quarters. But he was overweight and sleepy and there was little chance that he would pose a risk to Will. After all, he had no intention of using the door or the stairway.

Over the years, his insatiable curiosity, and a penchant for going places he wasn't supposed to, had developed within him the skill of moving across seemingly open places without being seen.
As the wind stirred the upper branches of the trees, they created moving patterns in the moonlight - patterns that Will now used to great effect. He instinctively matched his movement to the rhythm of the trees, blending easily into the pattern of the yard, becoming part of it and so being concealed by it. In a way, the lack of obvious cover made his task a little easier. The fat sergeant didn't expect anyone to be moving across the open space of the yard. So, not expecting to see anyone, he failed to do so.

Breathless, Will flattened himself against the rough stone of the tower wall. The sergeant was barely five metres away and Will could hear his heavy breathing, but a small buttress in the wall hid him from the mans sight. He studied the wall infront of him, craning back to look up. The Barons office window was a long way up, and further round the tower. To reach it, he would have to climb up; then work his way across the face of the wall, to a spot beyond the point where the sergeant stood guard, then up again to the window. He licked his lips nervously. The blocks on the outer tower had large gaps in between them. Climbing would be no problem. Thinking of all the bad things that could be done to him if he got caught, he rubbed his hands together nervously. He could be condemned to life in the fields? Like he was already. What could be worse than that?

A faint spark of hope remained. Perhaps the Baron would relent. Perhaps, if Will pleaded with him in the morning, and explain about his father and how important it was for him to be accepted for Battleschool, there was a faint chance that his wish would be granted. And then, once he was accepted, he could show how his eagerness and dedication would make him a worthy student, until his growth spurt happened. However, if he was caught in the next few minutes, not even that small chance would remain.

Hearing the fat sergeant take in a heavy breath and shuffling his boots against the flagstones as he gathered his equipment together, Will realised that the sergeant was about to make one of his irregular circuits of his beat. Usually, this entailed going a few metres around the tower to either side of the doorway, then returning to his original position. It was more for the purpose of staying awake than anything else but Will realised that it would bring them face to face within the next few seconds if he didn't do something.