Ranger's Apprentice I: Arising Danger

| Chapter XIV

After weeks and weeks of training, I was forming a special bond with Shimmer, making me forget worrying about the Wargals and all dangerous stuff. I was just enjoying the training. Even the hard days of training so hard paid off. I was improving with my bow and arrow so much that I started to shoot at a fast pace automatically. But of course, Will was still better. Of course he was better. How can I even think I can ever get the better of him?
     Throwing my knife at targets has also improved. To be honest, it was satisfying when my knife hits the target. The blade sliding into the stem of the tree was quite satisfying. It tells me I did do good.
     And of course, we have Shimmer and Heidi. I did not want them to get hurt in my battles against Will, but Will told me I needed Shimmer. Heidi wanted to be in the party too, but I told her not to. So she always walked along with me wherever I go. And eventually, she learned how to be silent. Not as silent as Will or me, but pretty silent.
Shimmer, on the other hand, didn't do anything to be quite and silent as Heidi. I knew Shimmer is trained to be silent, but even Heidi sounded more silent. But Shimmer made it up by being a very good friend. I always sit with Shimmer and Heidi on the porch, just watching and enjoying the sunset.
     It was just one night like that when Will decided to join me. He pet Heidi and then laid a hand on Shimmer's nose, before he turned to me. He looked at me while I ignored him, but I looked up when he asked: "What's that around your index finger?" Then he pointed to my left hand.
     I looked down at my hand and covered it with my long sleeve. I shook my hand and made a gesture that was supposed to tell him to stop about it.
     "Just tell me," Will insisted.
     I sighed and placed my hands on my knees. I turned to Will and hesitated for a moment. I opened my mouth but closed it and unconsciously touched the silver ring around my index finger.
     "You got it from someone," Will guessed.
     "Don't do that please," I said as I stood up.
     "What did I do?"
     "Guessing what I think, correct?" I answered. "Just, please, don't ask again about it." I turned around and wanted to get inside, but Will was literally standing before me. "This is ridiculous," was all I calmly said.
     "Silver," Will began. He placed his hands on my shoulders and slowly pushed me away from the door. "You sometimes act so strange! Just spit it out already."
     "A silver ring," I simply answered. I looked behind me to Heidi who already got up and snarled at Will. She sensed my tensions, and it was the cause of her protective reaction. I knew she liked Will, but I was still the one who cared about her the most. So, in return, she protects me. She may like Will, but I still remained her owner.
     "I can give Heidi a signal to protect me," I said, consciously not using the word 'attack'. She kinda responds to absolute words like, "attack", "food", "pony".
     "Silver," Will said with a careful slow voice. "Don't try to bluff yourself through it."
     I nervously smiled. "Okay fine!" I said with a shaky voice. I quickly sat down and motioned Will to sit down. I placed my head between my arms and organized my thoughts a little. Then I said, clear and loud: "This silver ring used to be my Dad's."
     Will slowly nodded and asked: "What kind of person was your father?"
     "Dunno," I replied. "This is just a normal smooth ring made of silver. My father wore it in the battle against the Wargals and Kalkara. He was a true Ranger."
     Will frowned, as if something was bothering him. I've noticed that same look over and over again once I start talking talking about my parents. Then he asked: "Then, why didn't you want to become my Apprentice?"
     I hesitated and slowly said: "I, eh. . ." I didn't want to tell him, but since I was gonna stay with Will for at least five years, he has all rights to know. "I remember something from the past. My mother was a knight and fought against the Wargals. She survived the first fight and was already pregnant. She gave birth to me and still survived. But then the second wave came and that's when she didn't have enough energy. And in the end, the Wargals. . ." I stopped and took a deep breath. I decided not to tell Will about the part that I have an older brother, who is one year older than me. My older brother was born before the first wave of Wargals, and I believe he died along with my parents.
Will placed his hand on my shoulder and then said: "My parents are both killed. My father, Daniel, has fought on Hackam Heath. When he returned home, two men were waiting for him. At least, only my mother — those two men wanted to steal from her after Daniel had died. She tried to protect me and somewhat succeeded, but in the end, she still died. Halt couldn't save her at all," he sadly said.
I frowned. "Halt was there?"
"Yep," Will said. "He tried to stop those two men. After that, he brought me to Redmont with a letter in my hands. How did you know all this, about your past, by the way?"
I shrugged it off. "I don't know either. . . But either way, after my father saw my mother got killed by a Wargal, he fought more than he ever did. If I think about it now, Baron Arald told me all of this." Baron Arald had once spoken to me in his office. He had given me a letter and said it is from my aunt. My aunt — whoever it is, I don't know — was poor, that time, so she had given me to Redmont. I still want to once search for my aunt, actually, so I can have at least one family relative.
     Baron Arald had told me that my aunt had told him that my mother's name Helena was. And my father's name was Marc.
Will chuckled. Then he pointed at the ring. "So, your father is a Ranger?"
I nodded. "Because I found his longbow in the chest of Baron Arald in his office." I hadn't finished my sentence before I realized what I just had told Will. I put my hand over my mouth and waited for his reaction.
Will crossed his arms and looked with a mad face at me. "You broke into Baron Arald's office?" he repeated.
"I didn't say 'breaking in', did I?" I said, trying to throw wordplays so he wouldn't notice.
"But you used a definition and synonym of 'breaking in'," Will insisted. He shrugged it off and said: "Never mind it. Because I saw you breaking in."
My eyes went huge. "You what?!"
     Heidi threw up her head and barked once.
Will chuckled again and placed his hand on my shoulder. "It was funny! The way you did it was so good! I meant to ask you: You seem to know exactly how to break into someone's office. Ever done that in the past?"
I nervously smile and then chuckled too. "Eh. . . Maybe." I saw Will raising an eyebrow and said: "Fine! One day, I stole six cookies from Jenny, another day I read some important documents from George, another day I decided to visit the horses and another day I decided break into Baron Arald's office — again — and read some notes."
"Notes?" Will repeated.
"Fine!" I said. "I was fourteen back then and I just wanted to know why he had been talking with the Craftmaster that often. And when I read the notes, I saw that he had been making plans with us. And I also saw that he had made notes about me and my father. Will, when did you decide to take me as your Apprentice?"
"When you turned six," Will replied. "Remember you were six when you stole those cookies?"
I nodded.
"Back then, you were already so fast that Jenny hadn't noticed you."
"I must say, the cookies were delicious!" I said.
"Well, what's more important now is supper!"
     I couldn't deny that.