Ranger's Apprentice Quick Stories

The Broken Treaty Part 1

Will stood up so fast, his chair was knocked over.
"What!" The Ranger hissed.
Baron Arald had invited Will, Halt, and Pauline to his office for a private meeting late at night. Will knew from the start it was urgent, since Gilan, the Ranger Commandant was also present. Any news that would bring him all the way from Castle Araluen was not to be taken lightly.
As it turned out, the news was much worse than anything he could have suspected.
"The treaty can't be off. How does a treaty as important and successful as this one simply become broken!"
Gilan only shrugged.
"There was a new Oberjarl elected." The Ranger Commandant said. "It simply did not seem important to him. We were taken by surprise as a wolfship raided our coast. That was enough for us to gather the information. We caught one of the Skandians and questioned them, a fellow named Tursgud." Gilan added the last sentence after he received a few confused glances.
"Well what happened to Erak?" Will demanded. Gilan's eyes became downcast, and Will felt a sickening twist of his stomach.
"This new Oberjarl poisoned him. Apparently he's been gaining fame on the stance of overtaking Araluen for years now. Erak's supporters were scattered."
Will bit his lip so hard it drew blood.
"Will-" Halt began, knowing what the young man was about to do.
Will was a full Ranger now, but he was still young enough to act strictly on his instincts.
"I'm going to fix it." Will said, his face showing his determination.
Baron Arald looked genuinely taken aback.
"And how do you plan to do that?" He asked incredulously.
Will glanced to Halt. It was an instinct he couldn't help. For years, he had sought Halt's approval before he acted. Now, the man only seemed to be disappointed in Will and his outburst.
The thought only made Will more determined to fix the situation.
"I don't know," will admitted. "But I did it once before. I can do it again."
"Will, the first time was only possible because Erak was a reasonable man," Gilan piped in. "This new Oberjarl clearly is not."
Will rounded on the man.
"I SAID I will fix it," he said in a low voice.
Nobody spoke. Finally, Will rose.
"Gilan, I hope you can allow me to go?"
The Ranger Commandant clearly did not want Will to go. But with Halt there to take Will's place, there was no real reason to not let Will go to Skandia, at least to scout around.
"I..." Gilan said slowly. "I supposed I can admit a few month' leave. But you are ONLY to scout around. Do NOT engage."
"Understood," Will said, before leaving to room. Apparently he would not be waiting very long before leaving.
"You do realize that he has full intentions to engage, right?" Halt informed Gilan.
Gilan sighed, running a hand over his face.
"Of course I do," the man said in a tired voice.
"After all, look at who his mentor is."