Ranger's Apprentice; The Final Pieces

Headcanon: The Diplomatic Service of Redmont

When Alyss died, she had been about to become the new head of the Diplomatic Service of Redmont. Almost everything had already been made ready, as Pauline was already trying to work less and less. It would only take some short time to get the last things done, and Alyss would be the new head of the Diplomatic Service of Redmont. They were already that far that it would basically only take as much time as it would take Alyss and her escort to get back to Castle Redmont - although this was something Alyss didn't know. Finishing the treaty with the Celts should have been her last task as 'normal' Courier.

But then she died and someone else had to be assigned the task. That took longer than absolutely necessary; Pauline decided to keep working until they had chosen another candidate - someone about as good as Alyss had been. Only after about a year after her student's death, Pauline completely retired. Her place was taken over by another young woman, someone who had been almost as good as Alyss had been. But not just as good.

Pauline was - especially at the beginning - asked regularly advice, about who could do this and how they had to respond at that. Every time this happened, Pauline was in a short meeting with the new head and when this happened, or when she just saw the head walking through the Castle, she couldn't do else than thinking of what could have been... She couldn't do else but thinking how that place should have been from Alyss and she couldn't do else than again missing her former student who had been like a daughter to her.