Rangers apprentice fanfiction

chapter 20-getting to know Holly

CHAPTER 20-GETTING TO KNOW HOLLY

I hesitated before knocking on the door to Arald's study. A deep voice boomed "come in" and I opened the door silently and swiftly stepped in. In one quiet and fast movement I stepped in and closed the door without making a single sound.

"Ah, Echo. Lovely to see you came to see your sister, and I expect you came to see her on her choosing day I believe?"

I nodded and looked around to make sure me and Arald were the only ones in the room before pulling my cowl off. "Yes, it is amazing to see you again! You have no idea how full of drama my life can be." Arald chuckled and sighed, "Perhaps you are the one giving it the drama, miss Carrick."

I chuckled and shrugged, "Maybe." I saw Arald turn from the window he was looking out of and smile at me, forming wrinkles around his eyes.

"Oh, Arald, you don't look like you have aged a bit from the last time I saw you!" His smile grew wider, and I joined in smiling to.

"I expect Holly will become a courier?" Arald sighed, then shook his head sadly. "No, her and Deva have their hearts set on being rangers."

I nodded and remembered Will's cheerful mood this morning. He was probably hoping against hope that I could persuade his daughter into becoming a courier like Alyss.

"I know, now I actually feel glad I came early. I need to try and persuade them to be couriers, think of how Pauline and Alyss would feel if they became rangers." Arald nodded gravely.

"Well, I should try finding Holly, I need to befriend her as soon as possible. By the way, if anyone asked I'm a friend of Halt's named Jerry, and I graduated last ranger gathering."

Arald nodded and hugged me before I pulled up my cowl and went to find Holly.

I was going to get Holly out of trying on a dress, but I didn't need to. Much to my dismay, because that would have gotten me some extra points for friendship.

I heard a commotion to my left, I got into a steady jog and turned a corner. Nothing would have prepared me for this.

Plates and food was scattered across the floor, I saw chef chubs yelling at some of his careless apprentice's. I wanted to walk over to him, take his wooden ladle, and slap him with it. I resisted the urge and spread my eyesight. I looked for footprints in the food, possible signs of someone running away.

But I saw something.

I looked over at the white curtains being chubs, no one was paying attention to it at all. I wanted to scream fools! and go on a shooting frenzy with my bow, but I didn't.

I sighed, a smile on my face. The shadow of my cowl didn't hide the obvious amusement on my face. Everyone turned to look and me and you could hear a feather drop. I resisted the urge to shuffle in my cloak and try to blend in.

"Ah, I heard ranger Jerry would be paying a visit." I chuckled and nodded slightly, "Of course for Holly's choosing day."

Chef chubs nodded his encouragement. "Oh, I had heard you and Halt have become close friends now, ah?" I nodded again.

"Well, I should bit keep you any longer, farewell ranger Jerry." I nodded goodbye and walked away, at least that was what they thought.

I waited by the corner, waited for everyone to leave the hallway. Once everyone left, I swiftly snuck beside the curtain and stared at it. If anyone were to walk by they would think I was crazy, but any ranger would know perfectly well I wasn't.

I heard a small feminine sigh and watched as someone quietly pushed the curtain away, but froze when they saw me.

Her brown hair was straight, her stunning brown eyes wide with shock. She wore black tights and a green shirt.

"I expect you did that?" I asked in my Jerry voice, smiling with an eyebrow raised. She nodded. "Up top." I put up one of my hands and she hesitated before giving me a high five.

"I'm Jerry, and I expect you're Holly?" She nodded and grinned, "You like what I did there?" I smiled and nodded, "Genius, but it would have been better if it ended with chubs getting set on fire." Holly giggled at that.

We started talking, walking aimlessly. Eventually we had reached the village and the sun started to set. She was telling me about how much she wanted to be a ranger, and if she became a diplomat that we would be at war with everyone.

To bad for mothers little girl.

To be honest, from how everyone is describing Holly I find it hard to picture her in the white courier dress. She would get it dirty within five minutes.

"Won't... Halt start worrying about you?" She shrugged it off, then sat down by a tree overlooking the battle school.

"He'll be fine, and besides, I wanna learn a bit about you." I felt my stomach drop to my feet and sat beside her.

"Sure." I started thinking of the most believable back story I could come up with. I mentally prayed that I wouldn't hesitate at all. "I was a ward kid much like Will. My fief got a ward because we were attacked by hundreds of bandits, but they only killed adults, they didn't have the heart to kill kids. Lots of kids were orphaned, and I was one of them."

Holly nodded, then made a circle motion with her hands for me to go on.

"I made three best friends, Talia, Johnathan and Brie. We were the best of friends, we did everything together. One night one of the other wards had gone insane, I think her name was Anna. Not sure. She had attempted to kill me. She grabbed a knife and held me down, I kicked her off and ran the fastest I ever had. I ran into the forest and my friends were still tired from sleep, but the girl wasn't. She chased after me and I fell, she got on top of me and was about to stab me when..."

I hesitated, clearly not sure if I should tell her about my encounter with out father. Holly mistook it for shyness. "Y-you don't really have to tell me anyways. If you don't want to then you-"

"Holly! There you are!" I turned to see our father behind us with a smirk on his face. Holly looked from me to dad and eventually let her shoulders slump. And besides, from what she sees of me with my shadowed features I look a bit like Pauline. The likeliness of me and Halt is hidden.

"I see you are getting along with Jerry well." Me and Holly smiled to each other, "Well, we should get going. We will see you tomorrow." I nodded goodbye to Holly and gracefully got up and waved to the two while they walked away.

Once Holly was facing forward, I noticed Halt was still staring back at me. I knew what he was expecting.

I mouthed the words Yeah, I'll tell the kid tomorrow and he nodded his approval, and I nodded back before heading towards the cabin.