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Description
The Note
A small girl was sitting uncomfortably against a tree, her arms and legs tied up so she couldn't escape. She was a little dirty, her copper hair frizzy and blocking her vision of the Ranger who was lighting a fire.

Her mother had always told her that 'curiosity killed the cat'. But did Wynnifred ever listen to her oh-so-wise mother? No. And because of that she was tied up and at the mercy of the Ranger.

It's all the Ranger's fault, Wynn thought miserably, if he hadn't paraded with that damn piece of paper, announcing to the world that it was about me then I wouldn't have followed him into these damn woods!

Wynn tried again to blow her horrid hair out of her eyes so she could see what that man was doing however, as it was the last ten times she'd tried, Wynn's hair was too stubborn for its own good. I'm cutting you off when this is over, she thought viciously, I don't care what mama says about how 'a lady should have long locks' I'm cutting the damn stuff off. But first I've got to get away... maybe if I ask for something to tie my hair back with... mmm that smells fantastic...

Meanwhile, the Ranger that had the fifteen year old girl tied up smiled to himself, half because of the delicious stew he was preparing and half because his test had worked. It reminded him slightly of Halt's test for him when he was fifteen. It was mostly different of course, all that was similar was the bait.

Will had been aware that Wynn possessed the ability to become a Ranger the very day he'd first set foot in Saltrock fief, a little over five years ago.

There had been a sort of war between two groups of children in the town that day and Will had decided it would be interesting to watch. Will had seen a small redhead with a large bucketful of water sneak right past the 'enemy lines', using the shadows to mask her movement. Once behind the group of boys she climbed up to a rooftop using only one hand and her feet, found a place in the shadow of a chimney and put her bucket there, next to three or four other buckets that will assumed she had collected.

And then she just sat there for half an hour, completely still while the war ran through the village. The boys came trickling back to their base camp gradually. When all of the boys were back and planning their next attack she struck, pouring all four buckets of water onto the boys before they even knew she was there.

Will remembered how the group just stared up at the only girl participating in the war, stunned while said girl rolled around on the roof laughing. Which turned out to be a bad idea considering the fact that she fell and broke her arm.

Returning to the present, Will dished himself a large helping of the stew and started eating. He ate it all, very slowly before addressing the girl.

"So girl," he started. He knew Wynnifred's name, however a few years back Halt had given him some advice on apprentices. At first never address them by their name, only call them by their name when they've progressed well, it's a subtle reward for their work but not praise. "What are you doing thumping around in these woods? Attempting—and I'm using the word attempting very loosely—to sneak up on a Ranger is a serious thing."

"Can you please tie my hair back so I can see you?" She asked.

"Of course not," Will responded lightly. "Now why were you following me?" Of course Will already knew why she was following him, but it wouldn't do to let her know just yet. This was test number two.

"I wanted to know what was on that note. You said to my parents that it was about me but they won't tell me what it says."

Will allowed himself a smile, after all Wynn couldn't possibly see him behind all that hair. "So you decided to follow me into the woods?"

"Yes. Though it was damned stupid of me." She growled.

"No denying that." Will got to his feet and walked over to where Wynn was sitting; only taking him a second to untie the knots. "Don't try and get away. That would be stupider than getting here."

Will stepped back and the girl hurriedly pulled her hair out of her face so she could see him.

Wynn looked up to see the Ranger standing above her. "What was on the note?" she asked. The Ranger raised an eyebrow fractionally.

"What makes you think that I'm going to tell you?"

"You said it was about me!" She burst out.

Will seemed to think about this. "So I did." He decided then pointed to the west. "There's a freshwater stream that way. Fetch some water. Bucket's by my horse." He then seemed to lose interest in her, putting away his bowl and spoon.

Sighing, Wynn stood up and went to fetch the water.

"So what exactly does a Ranger do?" Wynn asked, three days after Will had caught her. Apparently the Ranger had decided to keep her for the trip.

Will paused for a moment before answering. "Ranger's form Araluen's intelligence network. They make it their job to know everything that's going on in the Kingdom."

"But there's only fifty of them. How can they know everything?"

"Trade secret." He grunted.

Wynn sat up a little straighter. "That reminds me! I was planning on asking this earlier: Will, how did you become a Ranger?"

Will leaned back on a rock and faced the girl. "Many long, hard years of apprenticeship." He announced, studying the girl closely; he had a feeling that this question was less innocent than it seemed.

Wynn jumped in with another question that confirmed Will's suspicions. "Have there ever been any female Ranger's?"

Will smiled inwardly. "No there hasn't."

Wynn frowned slightly. "Why not?"

"Women generally aren't interested in a Ranger's life. It can get very lonely. Also a Ranger's life isn't for the faint hearted."

"That is an unfair generalization of women." Wynn said indignantly. Will resisted the urge to smile.

"True." He agreed. He noticed that the small redhead next to him was biting her lip as if trying to decide to ask something.

"What?" He asked.

"Could you teach me how you walk around without people seeing?" Will smiled thinly.
"I could teach you the basics but the key to a Ranger's unseen movement is their cloak. It uses a term called camouflage, have you heard of it?"

Wynn shook her head mutely.

"I didn't think you would." Will spent the rest of the afternoon teaching the girl about camouflage.

"Tomorrow, we'll be back," Will announced over supper on the fifth night, "so I thought it was about time that I gave you this." He passed a small piece of folded paper to Wynn.
She looked at the Ranger, confusion sparkling in her emerald eyes. "What's this?" She asked.

Will laughed. "Don't you remember why you followed me in the first place, girl?"
Wynn's eyes widened. "But I thought you weren't going to show it to me!"

"I never said that I wasn't going to show it to you. Now do you want to know what it says or not, because if you're not interested anymore I can—"

"No, no!" Wynn cried. "I'll read it."

Quickly, before Will could change his mind, Wynn unfolded the note and read it.
Your daughter has the potential to become a Ranger. I would like to take her as my apprentice.

Description
The Note
A small girl was sitting uncomfortably against a tree, her arms and legs tied up so she couldn't escape. She was a little dirty, her copper hair frizzy and blocking her vision of the Ranger who was lighting a fire.

Her mother had always told her that 'curiosity killed the cat'. But did Wynnifred ever listen to her oh-so-wise mother? No. And because of that she was tied up and at the mercy of the Ranger.

It's all the Ranger's fault, Wynn thought miserably, if he hadn't paraded with that damn piece of paper, announcing to the world that it was about me then I wouldn't have followed him into these damn woods!

Wynn tried again to blow her horrid hair out of her eyes so she could see what that man was doing however, as it was the last ten times she'd tried, Wynn's hair was too stubborn for its own good. I'm cutting you off when this is over, she thought viciously, I don't care what mama says about how 'a lady should have long locks' I'm cutting the damn stuff off. But first I've got to get away... maybe if I ask for something to tie my hair back with... mmm that smells fantastic...

Meanwhile, the Ranger that had the fifteen year old girl tied up smiled to himself, half because of the delicious stew he was preparing and half because his test had worked. It reminded him slightly of Halt's test for him when he was fifteen. It was mostly different of course, all that was similar was the bait.

Will had been aware that Wynn possessed the ability to become a Ranger the very day he'd first set foot in Saltrock fief, a little over five years ago.

There had been a sort of war between two groups of children in the town that day and Will had decided it would be interesting to watch. Will had seen a small redhead with a large bucketful of water sneak right past the 'enemy lines', using the shadows to mask her movement. Once behind the group of boys she climbed up to a rooftop using only one hand and her feet, found a place in the shadow of a chimney and put her bucket there, next to three or four other buckets that will assumed she had collected.

And then she just sat there for half an hour, completely still while the war ran through the village. The boys came trickling back to their base camp gradually. When all of the boys were back and planning their next attack she struck, pouring all four buckets of water onto the boys before they even knew she was there.

Will remembered how the group just stared up at the only girl participating in the war, stunned while said girl rolled around on the roof laughing. Which turned out to be a bad idea considering the fact that she fell and broke her arm.

Returning to the present, Will dished himself a large helping of the stew and started eating. He ate it all, very slowly before addressing the girl.

"So girl," he started. He knew Wynnifred's name, however a few years back Halt had given him some advice on apprentices. At first never address them by their name, only call them by their name when they've progressed well, it's a subtle reward for their work but not praise. "What are you doing thumping around in these woods? Attempting—and I'm using the word attempting very loosely—to sneak up on a Ranger is a serious thing."

"Can you please tie my hair back so I can see you?" She asked.

"Of course not," Will responded lightly. "Now why were you following me?" Of course Will already knew why she was following him, but it wouldn't do to let her know just yet. This was test number two.

"I wanted to know what was on that note. You said to my parents that it was about me but they won't tell me what it says."

Will allowed himself a smile, after all Wynn couldn't possibly see him behind all that hair. "So you decided to follow me into the woods?"

"Yes. Though it was damned stupid of me." She growled.

"No denying that." Will got to his feet and walked over to where Wynn was sitting; only taking him a second to untie the knots. "Don't try and get away. That would be stupider than getting here."

Will stepped back and the girl hurriedly pulled her hair out of her face so she could see him.

Wynn looked up to see the Ranger standing above her. "What was on the note?" she asked. The Ranger raised an eyebrow fractionally.

"What makes you think that I'm going to tell you?"

"You said it was about me!" She burst out.

Will seemed to think about this. "So I did." He decided then pointed to the west. "There's a freshwater stream that way. Fetch some water. Bucket's by my horse." He then seemed to lose interest in her, putting away his bowl and spoon.

Sighing, Wynn stood up and went to fetch the water.

"So what exactly does a Ranger do?" Wynn asked, three days after Will had caught her. Apparently the Ranger had decided to keep her for the trip.

Will paused for a moment before answering. "Ranger's form Araluen's intelligence network. They make it their job to know everything that's going on in the Kingdom."

"But there's only fifty of them. How can they know everything?"

"Trade secret." He grunted.

Wynn sat up a little straighter. "That reminds me! I was planning on asking this earlier: Will, how did you become a Ranger?"

Will leaned back on a rock and faced the girl. "Many long, hard years of apprenticeship." He announced, studying the girl closely; he had a feeling that this question was less innocent than it seemed.

Wynn jumped in with another question that confirmed Will's suspicions. "Have there ever been any female Ranger's?"

Will smiled inwardly. "No there hasn't."

Wynn frowned slightly. "Why not?"

"Women generally aren't interested in a Ranger's life. It can get very lonely. Also a Ranger's life isn't for the faint hearted."

"That is an unfair generalization of women." Wynn said indignantly. Will resisted the urge to smile.

"True." He agreed. He noticed that the small redhead next to him was biting her lip as if trying to decide to ask something.

"What?" He asked.

"Could you teach me how you walk around without people seeing?" Will smiled thinly.
"I could teach you the basics but the key to a Ranger's unseen movement is their cloak. It uses a term called camouflage, have you heard of it?"

Wynn shook her head mutely.

"I didn't think you would." Will spent the rest of the afternoon teaching the girl about camouflage.

"Tomorrow, we'll be back," Will announced over supper on the fifth night, "so I thought it was about time that I gave you this." He passed a small piece of folded paper to Wynn.
She looked at the Ranger, confusion sparkling in her emerald eyes. "What's this?" She asked.

Will laughed. "Don't you remember why you followed me in the first place, girl?"
Wynn's eyes widened. "But I thought you weren't going to show it to me!"

"I never said that I wasn't going to show it to you. Now do you want to know what it says or not, because if you're not interested anymore I can—"

"No, no!" Wynn cried. "I'll read it."

Quickly, before Will could change his mind, Wynn unfolded the note and read it.
Your daughter has the potential to become a Ranger. I would like to take her as my apprentice.