Ranger's Apprentice - Rescue

Chapter 5

"I suppose I should start with how I got lost in the first place," Annalise began slowly as she took a seat beside Will on the edge of the bed. It amazed Will how much more composed the girl was after a night of rest. She no longer stuttered in her speech, though she did still seem to regard Will with a bit of hesitation.

"I was a serving girl at Castle Highcliff for two years," Annalise continued slowly, a faraway look in her eyes. Will briefly wondered why Baron Philip hadn't recognized her name if she had worked in the castle, but quickly dismissed the question as he realized that it was unfair to expect the baron to know the name of every person working under him.

"They treated me fairly, I suppose," Annalise said. "But I let my imagination get away from me. I wanted more than just a life of serving platters to the higher ranked people in the land. So one night I packed a bag and took off."

"When was this?" Will asked politely. He hated to interrupt the story, almost glancing around for a disapproving Halt somewhere in the corner, but he felt that the timeline was important. Annalise, however, didn't seem bothered by the question.

"I left the castle about two months ago, if I had to guess. It's hard to tell time, though, when you're... when you..."

Her voice trailed off, and a few tears sprang to her eyes. Awkwardly, Will averted his gaze, giving her a moment of privacy to regain her composure before she continued.

"I was trying to make my way here, but along the way I realized that someone might recognize me. I ran several errands, you know. I didn't want to be sent back to the castle and risk punishment. So, I changed my course at the last minute. In hind sight, it wasn't a great idea, especially not in the mid of night. Somehow I found myself in those woods. I was taken astride a horse by someone I never could catch sight of. He was strong, though. And the next thing I knew, I was in some fortress in the middle of the woods."

Will frowned. He had studied his map thorough before embarking on this mission, and he had never seen any listed fortress in the woods.

"What was the fortress made of?" he questioned. Annalise frowned, thinking back to her time as a captive.

"It was definitely some kind of stone," she replied confidently. "I'm not sure what kind, though. It was cold inside, though. And damp where I was being kept."

Will nodded. The fact that the structure was made of stone meant that it had likely been built some years prior, for a good reason that someone in Highcliff fief would know about. He made a mental note to do some research in the libraries and to ask around the village and castle for information.

"Why did the men want to keep you?" Will asked, hoping Annalise could give him an idea of what these men were doing hiding in the fortress. He waited patiently for her to reply. When she didn't he glanced at her. She was blushing, but in a way that was due to something almost like heartbreak and guilt. For the first time, Will noticed the bruising around her neck and collar bone, just barely showing above her new clothes. He frowned, wondering why she was being so secretive about the men's reasoning for keeping her captive.

Then, with a nasty mixture of anger and disgust, he began to understand. The thought of what Annalise must have gone through instantly made her suspicion of Will seem more reasonable. She hadn't been weary of him because he was a Ranger and she had something to hide. She was weary of him because he was a man, and she had just learned first hand what unidentified men could do to her.

"My God," Will breathed, staring at Annalise in amazement. "I'm... so sorry, Annalise. I didn't know..."

"It's alright," she said quickly, obviously eager to change the subject. "By any means, I managed to escape when my guard drank too much one night. I took off running and didn't stop until you found me that night."

Will was silent for several seconds, struggling to pull his mind from the hatred he suddenly felt toward Annalise's captors. Gather the information, he told himself, forcing his body to stop trembling in anger. Then you can track them down and make them pay.

"Did you see anything on your way out?" he asked. "Maybe a spare room, or a parchment of some kind with notes on it?"

Annalise considered the question carefully. 

"There was another room," she said slowly, trying to remember the place even as she spoke. "It was dark and there was an awful smell coming from inside. I didn't stay long enough to learn much, but I could see a young man about your age inside. He looked awful. He was bloody, and he was handing from the wall, bound by chains on his wrists. I assumed they'd beaten him, probably for information about whatever it is they're gathering in that fortress to do. I wanted to rescue him but I..."

Her voice trailed off. Will patted her shoulder gently, understanding the guilt she felt.

"Don't feel bad," he told her reassuringly. "You were scared. You were trying to escape. You did the right thing."

Even as he said the words, Will's mind was at work. He was almost positive that the boy she had mentioned was the scribe that he had been sent to rescue. How he'd been so lucky to find Annalise and gather so much information so quickly, Will didn't know. What he did know was that if Annalise was right, the scribe had little time left.

Will rose to his feet decisively.

"Where are you going?" Annalise asked, watching him in confusion.

"I'm going to find this fortress and get that man out," Will told her evenly. His back turned to her, he didn't see her face pale at the words.

"You can't," she protested, standing and rushing to stop him. "You'll be killed, there are too many of them!"

Will regarded her closely, raising one eyebrow.

"I'm a Ranger, miss," he told her, not unkindly. "I'm trained specifically for this type of thing."

Annalise hesitated, finally nodding.

"But what am I supposed to do?" she asked, almost fearfully. "I can't just go back to the castle, and I can't... I can't find a husband. I'm... I'm spoiled good now. No one will want me."

"No," Will told her firmly, taking her hand in both of his to comfort her. "What happened to you was not your fault, do you hear me? Don't let what those men did to you ruin the rest of your young life. Overcome it. Grow from it. But don't let them win."

Tears shone in Annalise's eyes at the words. She nodded slowly.

"I... I understand," she replied. Will nodded.

"Good. But as for the moment, there is one thing you can do for me."

"Anything," she said with determination.

"I need you to go back to the castle. Not as a servant-" he rushed to say as she moved to protest. "As my liasan. I need you to tell Baron Philip what you told me about the fortress. Tell him to send troops to back me up."

Annalise's wide eyes searched Will's face.

"But I'm just a serving girl," she said. "How will I get into his office to see him?"

"Tell the assistant I sent you. Describe my appearance if you have to."

"But what if the baron doesn't believe me?"

Will thought for a moment, finally coming up with a solution.

"If he doesn't believe you after you give my name and description, say the words 'Ranger Gilan.' He'll recognize that name and know I sent you."

For a moment, Annalise was frozen in fear. Then, she took a deep breath and nodded.

"I'll do it," she said firmly.

"Thank you," Will told her. "And in case I don't see you again, take care. Remember what I told you. Don't let them win."

Again, Annalise nodded, this time, with more fire in her eyes than ever before upon hearing the Ranger's words.