➶
3rd person
Sometime in the last afternoon, Halt had ran out of jobs for the two apprentices to do. He eyed the cabin, noting the gleaming kitchen implements, the spotless fireplace, the thoroughly swept floor and totally dust-free rug. A stack of firewood lay beside the fireplace and another stack, cut and split into shorter lengths, filled the wicker basket beside the kitchen stove.
"Hmm. Not bad," he said. "Not bad at all."
Will and Y/n felt a surge of pleasure at the sparing praise, but before they could feel too pleased with eachother, Halt added,
"Can you cook? I know you can child," he said to Y/n, "But can you, boy?"
"Cook, sir?" Will asked uncertainly. Halt raised his eyes to some sort of unseen superior being.
"Why do you people invariably answer a question with another question?" He asked. Then, receiving no reply, he continued, "Yes, cook. Prepare food so that one might eat it. Make meals. I assume you do know what food is - what meals are?"
"Yes.." Will said slowly, careful not to take any questioning infliction out of the word.
"This is no grand castle. If we want food here, we have to cook food here." Y/n answered this time.
"I can't cook," Will admitted, and Y/n and Halt clapped their hands and rubbed them together. They're so much alike it's not funny, Will thought.
"Of course you can't! Most boys can't. So Y/n'll have to show you how. Come on, I'll observe."
Halt led the way to the kitchen and let Y/n take the lead. She introduced Will to the mysteries of cooking: peeling and chopping onions, choosing a piece of beef from the meat safe, trimming it and cutting it into neat cubes, then chopping vegetables, searing the beef in a sizzling pan and finally adding a generous dash of red wine and some of what Y/n called her 'secret ingredients'. She would be good friends with Jenny, Will thought watching and learning from Y/n.
As the stew was cooking above the stove, the trio sat on the verandah in the early evening and talked quietly.
"The Rangers were founded over one hundred and fifty years ago, in King Herbert's reign. Do you know anything about him?" Halt asked the boy. Y/n watched Will hesitate. He vaguely remembers the name from history lessons in the Ward, but he couldn't remember the details. Still, he decided he'd try to bluff his way through it. He didn't want to look too ignorant.
"Oh... yes." He said, "King Herbert. We learned about him."
"Really?" Said the Ranger expansively. "Perhaps you could tell me a little about him?" He leaned back and crossed his legs, getting comfortable. Will cast about desperately in his memory, trying to remember even a shred of detail about the King. He'd done something... but what?
"He was.." he hesitated again, pretending to gather his thoughts, "..the king." He glanced at Y/n who knew he was bluffing. She totally knew. She smiled sweetly and rolled her hand as if to say 'go on'.
"He was the king... a hundred and fifty years ago," Will said, trying to sound certain of his facts. The Ranger gestured for him to continue.
"Ummm well, I seem to recall he was the one who founded the Ranger Corps," he said hopefully and Halt raises his eyebrows in mock surprise.
"Really? You recall that, do you?" He said and Will had a horrible moment when he realised Halt said the Rangers were founded during his reign. Not necessarily by him.
"Ahhh, well, when I say he founded the Rangers, I actually mean he was the king when the Rangers Corps were founded." He said.
"A hundred and fifty years ago?" Y/n prompted.
Will nodded empathetically, "That's right."
YOU ARE READING
Rangers Apprentice
FanfictionY/n, the daughter of Halt, knows more about young Will than he does himself. But she has sworn to her father, the mysterious Ranger, that she will not give away that information until the time is right. After Will is denied of his apprenticeship for...
