Ranger's Apprentice - Rescue

Chapter 1

Unless he's not following me, Will realized with a jolt of surprise. As a Ranger, he had been trained to always assume someone was his enemy until they proved themselves otherwise. Even now, as he prepared to call out to the hidden figure, he unslung his bow and notched an arrow. Still, something told him the man meant no harm.

"Stop where you are, or I'll shoot," Will called out. He was thankful that years of training had taught him to keep his voice both low and steady, which would make him appear even more ominous and intimidating then he already seemed in his Ranger's apparel. 

Instantly, upon hearing Will's voice, the man froze. He turned ever so slowly, his hands in the air submissively.

"Now step out from the woods," Will demanded, and the man obliged. Will urged Tug forward until he was only a few meters away from the man. Still far enough away that his bow would keep the man at bay, but close enough to get a better look at who he was facing.

Will frowned as he studied the man. He had a hood over his face, which concealed his features almost as well as Will's own cloak. Still, even without the face, there was something about the man that seemed off.  He wore dirty, ripped leggings and an over-sized woolen shirt. His boots were scuffed and seemed oddly large, as if they were several sizes too big, and one of the laces was untied. Even with the baggy clothes, Will could tell he looked thin, almost unhealthily so. His waist was unnaturally curved for a man his age, for even without seeing his face, Will could tell by his height that he was at least a teenager. His arms and legs were also rather small, judging by the amount of extra room in his clothes.

"Remove your cowl," Will said decisively, his thumb playing with the feather of his still notched arrow absently. There was definitely something off about this man.

As he lifted a hand to remove the hood, Will saw what it was that had troubled his mind.

The man was no man at all. Rather, an older teenage girl with long, deep brown hair stood before him, her eyes refusing to meet his. A concerned frown plagued her otherwise beautiful face. A face that was covered in dirt, Will noticed with mild interest.

"What's your name?" he asked, deciding she was no threat. He replaced his arrow in his quiver and dismounted, slinging his bow around his shoulder as he did.

"A-A-Annalise," the girl stuttered, keeping her eyes on the dirt path below her feet. Will shifted from one foot to the other awkwardly.

"Annalise?" he repeated, trying his best to make his tone reassuring. In an attempt to further comfort the girl, he removed his own hood.

She raised her eyes, which were a startling green, just long enough to realize he was nearly as young as she was. She blushed slightly, dropping her gaze again, and nodded as he had pronounced her name correctly.

Will watched her closely, wondering what her secret was. Though most people were unnerved by the presence of a Ranger, especially being singled out by one, this girl seemed unusually reserved. 

"Can you tell me why you were sneaking through the woods, Annalise?" Will asked gently. He meant to ask her another question about her behavior, but the girl suddenly sagged, barely righting herself again before she'd fallen. Will frowned.

She's utterly exhausted, he realized, suddenly worried about the girl. For the first time, he noticed that there was more than just dirt and mud on her face and in her hair. There was also a small bit of dried blood mixed in. It looked as if most had been washed off, but the attempt had been brief and rushed, and had left some blood behind.

"Annalise," Will asked quietly, moving to place his body protectively between the girl and the woods where she had been hiding. "You weren't hiding from me, were you?"

Silently, Annalise shook her head.

"Did someone hurt you?" Will asked, and he felt rather uncomfortable as he noticed that her shoulders were shaking in silent sobs. Awkwardly, he patted her back in the best form of comfort he could think of. He had grown up with Halt during the past five years, after all. The grizzled older Ranger did little in terms of teaching how to console others.

"H-he was trying t-to get information," Annalise said between sniffles. "I w-wouldn't tell him."

Will nodded, patting her back once more.

"Alright," he said, remounting Tug and scooting back int he saddle to make room for Annalise. He knew Tug wouldn't buck her off if Will was in the saddle with her. It was part of his advanced training. "We can talk about it later. For now, you're safe. Why don't you come on up and I'll give you a ride away from here?"

Will held a hand out to Annalise. The girl hesitated, staring at Will's hand unsurely, for several seconds. Finally, her fear of whomever had been torturing her seemed to outweigh her skepticism of Will, and she took his hand. Will swung her into the saddle easily, allowing her to lean back against his chest as they rode along the path again.

Eventually, Will noticed that the pressure on his chest was growing heavier. With some deal of surprise, he realized that Annalise had fallen asleep. Feeling rather awkward, he cleared his throat and shifted in the saddle as gently as he could.

Beneath him, Tug snorted.

Alyss would disapprove.

Will blushed at the mention of his longtime friend and recent love interest from Redmont.

"I'm just giving her a ride," he whispered indignantly, painfully aware of the fact that if Annalise woke up, she would hear Will talking to his horse and think him mad.

Tug whinnied softly.

Whatever you say.

Will frowned, blushing slightly again.

"Shut up," he told the horse.

Though now, as he rode on to Highcliff, he couldn't help but wish it were Alyss leaning against his chest.