Ranger's Apprentice I: Arising Danger

| Chapter III

"Are you sure you want him as your Apprentice?" Baron Arald asked the Ranger.
The Ranger turned around and came back. Then he nodded his head and said: "He is small like every Ranger and. . ."
I chuckled. "I won't be small for long," I calmly insisted. Well, I was trying to stay calm.
"But he has a dirty mouth," the Ranger continued. "But with the right training I can give him, he will learn what it is like to be a Ranger."
"Hey!" I protested. "Did you even heard a word of what I said? I want to be a Battlemaster!"
The Ranger turned his gaze to me. He even stepped forward from behind the chair of Baron Arald and let his arms hang aside his upper body. Then he cleared his throat. "I heard everything you said, and I can't recall you speaking of a preference, let alone mentioning the Battlemaster." The cowl on his head was hiding his face, and I think that is a stupid, pathetic thing to do. Why would you hide your face?
"If you want me as your Apprentice, then we should be at the same page. Why on earth would I want to become someone like you?" I asked.
The Ranger didn't flinch as he said: "And why is there something wrong with being a Ranger?"
"I heard tales of wizards and witches about you," I simply answered. No way I was gonna tell him something about Mom. And there was no way he was buying this shit.
If it was not for the fact that the Ranger was wearing a cowl, I swear he was raising an eyebrow. So, I looked at the ground and muttered under my breath: "And also because I have to avenge my mother. . ."
I heard Archie grinning and laughing. I knew it. So, I angrily turned to Archie and saw him quickly looking down to the ground. I looked up at the Ranger and saw him hesitating. Then he finally said: "If you're late tomorrow, you're gonna do fifty pushups."
     With the best death stare I could pull off, I watched him walk out of the room. Then I followed. I smashed the door behind me and ran towards my room. Once again, I smashed the door behind me and then lied on my bed. I hid my face in the pillow and unconsciously grabbed my stuffed animal. It was a grey wolf with blue eyes, same blue eyes as me. I have it since I was little.
     I grabbed the bed sheets and pulled them over my body and hid myself under it. Why was I destined to be a Ranger? I wanted to be a warrior, someone who was able to take revenge for my dead parents. I wanted to be a knight and follow my mother's footsteps. It was important for me to become what my mother once was.
I don't know for how long I laid there on my bed, but at some point, I got up and I burst out. I walked over to my closet which has a mirror on one side. I slammed my fist against the mirror, which broke in a thousand pieces. I then walked over to my desk, put my hands on it and then started throwing everything I had in hand reach.
My outburst didn't last long, just thirty minutes — I once lost control for a solid three hours. And once I was done raging, I sat down on the ground and rested my back against the door. I laid my head between my arms and tried to calm down. I realized I had to do something against my anger issues.
Someone knocked on my door. Without raising my head, I said: "Go away."
"It's me. . . Charlotte. . ." Charlotte said from the other side of the door. "Please let me in!" she begged.
I looked up and pulled myself together. Stop acting like a pathetic coward, I told myself. I stood up and opened the door. I saw Charlotte impatiently waiting. When she saw me, she hugged me and said: "Don't overreact, Silver! Being a Ranger is a great honor!" Then she let me go and held my face with her hands, which I was surprised she did. "Calm down a little, would you?"
Charlotte always holds my hands when she comforts me. Then she laid her forehead against mine and said: "You're going to do so many great things for Kingdom Araluen, you just have to believe in yourself. It's really an honor, because not everyone becomes a Ranger."
I nodded my head and calmed down little by little. Just having Charlotte's hands around my face was enough to calm me down. Then she let me go and said: "You're gonna be an excellent Ranger!"
I closed my eyes and when I opened them, she was gone. I closed the door and wanted to sit on my bed again, but there was another knock on my door. So, I quickly went to the door and opened, hoping it would be Charlotte again. But surprisingly, someone else wanted to talk with me.
"S-sir! . . ." I said.
The Ranger slowly pushed the door open and walked in. He sat down on my chair next to my desk and took off his cowl. Honestly, I was surprised to see his face.
Ranger Will has brown hair and brown eyes. His beard was showing his age with a few grey hair locks. His eyes looked with an intelligent look to the world. Ranger Will was also just as skinny as me and I just noticed that he was also small, just like me.
"Surprised?" Ranger Will asked.
"Eh. . . I. . . Why do you want to talk with me, sir?"
"First, you can call me Will or Sir," he said. "And second, I wanted to help you."
Okay, this was getting weird. Paranoia grew inside me as I replied: "Why would you wanna help me, Will Sir? I don't need help."
Will stood up and laid his hand on my shoulder. "Charlotte told me about your anger issues." He waited a moment and then said with a very friendly voice: "Let me at least help you with this."
I shook my head. I've done everything on my own since I can remember, and I didn't see a reason to start asking for help now. "No need, sir."
Will grinned and said: "If you feel you need to rage again, then think of something else. If you have something in your mind that can calm you down, then think of it. If that doesn't work, then try to think of one grain of sand. If you try to focus on one specific small thing, you will notice that your heart doesn't beat so fast anymore and that your breath is slowing down. Do you understand?"
I nodded my head. "Yes, si— Will, I mean."
"Thank me later," he said, smiling at me. Then he walked to the door. "And don't be late tomorrow." Six o'clock sharp — hadn't forgotten it yet.
I watched as Will shut the door behind him. Then I smiled. Maybe I'll try what Will said. . .