THIS IS UNFINISHED!

Based on John Flanagan's Ranger's Apprentice

I only take credit for Amaranth. All other people, places and things are creations of John Flanagan and as such, they belong to him.

Socialization Mishaps

 Amaranth saw him running towards the tree. Her first instinct was to run.  She made a slight move, grabbing a ( )anch to lower herself down to the ground, but then she let go. She would stay and figure out why he had come. Quickly, she slid further up the tree, being careful to make absolutely no sound as she did so. From her new vantage point, she admired how the boy innately knew how to move with the shadows, his smooth transitions between pools of darkness and careful tread, to be silent as was possible. With a little more practice and training, he could make even an open space seem like a dark forest as she could. She snapped herself out of her reverie and saw that the boy was now climbing the tree. Settling himself comfortably, the boy looked out at the vast grounds of Castle Redmont, took a deep ( )eath and let it out slowly. Amaranth looked down at the small boy below her, she recognized him as Will, the witty young man who had caught her eye on the first day. He was obviously upset about something and had come out here to calm down. Lapsing into thought again, but this time keeping a small part of her mind aware to its surroundings, she realized that she could drop down on the other side of the tree and make her way back to the castle without him ever knowing she had been there. She knew she could… but. Another idea occurred to her in the second before she slipped down the tree and into the darkness, “Or, I could scare him half out of his mind. Hmm… yes. Sounds much more entertaining and like the most interesting thing I’ll have gotten to do all day!” she thought cheerily. This would sound like a terrible idea to anyone else, but to Amaranth, who had grown up with much more horrific things happening to and around her, it only sounded like something to lift her depression for a couple minutes. She weighed her options for a few seconds and came to a conclusion, “frightening him out of his wits it is then.” she thought decisively. Looking down at the boy again, she waited for him to move his head in such a way that there was no possibility of him missing what she was about to say. “How come no one ever looks up?” she asked conversationally. Will started, almost falling out of the tree. “What the-!” he yelped. A( )uptly he looked up. Seeing Amaranth, Will’s eyes widened, “you,” he said accusingly, “what the heck are you doing here!” Amaranth replied somewhat defensively, “Same as you I believe. Getting some air,” She snorted, “getting away from everyone… there.” She said, motioning towards the castle, its battlements clearly etched into the sky by the summer half-light. “No,” Will said, “I mean, what are you doing in my tree?” He asked irritably. “I wasn’t aware it was your tree” Amaranth said, surprised. Will looked away, embarrassed, “Well, it’s not mine exactly but…” he trailed off. After a couple seconds of uncomfortable silence Amaranth said, “If it helps, I think it’s a very nice tree.” It took a few moments for Will to respond then, unaccountably, he burst out laughing. They looked at each other, both aware that they had reached a point of understanding. The two Wards sat in amiable silence. “So, really, why are you out here?” Will asked, interrupting the quiet. Amaranth took a moment to answer, “I suppose it’s because up here in the trees,” she stroked a ( )anch almost lovingly, “is the only place I really know.” She paused, “Trees don’t tend to be unpredictable, unlike most humans. When I’m up here, it’s like I’ve finally gotten away from everything. Like no one, no matter how hard they look, will ever find me. Unfortunately, the second my feet touch the ground again I’m back to my life, or as I see it, a waking nightmare.” She finished bitterly and realized that she had been closing her eyes and her fingers grasping the tree limb were white with the pressure of her grip. Relaxing her hand and mind, Amaranth glanced down at Will. He was staring with wide eyes at her. This was the first time he had gotten to really hear her speak without being deafened by fear or anger and he was entranced by what he heard. She had a soft, flowing voice but in the blink of an eye it could turn dangerous, steely and sharp as a dagger. Even in anger, her voice stayed even and somewhat soft. He got the feeling she almost never raised it above conversational levels. It was obvious from her voice that she had spent the majority of her life in Araluen, but she had no single, definable accent. She had a lilt to her voice that was undeniably Hibernian and she rolled some of her R’s ever so slightly, suggesting a Pictish undertone. There were other accents as well, but he couldn’t pick them out. He looked up, shaking his head to clear it of its wanderings. Amaranth flashed him a slight smile and asked, “How about you? What are you doing out here so close to dark?” “I… I” he stuttered, “I came out here to get away from someone in there…” He trailed off, gesturing vaguely towards Castle Redmont. They sat in awkward quiet for a few minutes. Finally, Amaranth couldn’t stand it any longer and she said suddenly, “Nervous?”, “Darn!” she thought and grimaced. Chatting was not her strong suit. Give her anything else, threats, negotiations, coercion, confrontations, but not small talk. She could talk her way out of almost anything but when faced with inane, endless dialogue about the weather or the newest styles, she was lost. That was not to say that she couldn’t participate if given a concrete question to answer, it was just that if she was the one who had to start the conversation, she came up with something along the lines of ‘incredibly stupid and extremely mortifying’. Hence what she had just said. “About what?” Will asked, perplexed. “Nothing.”, Amaranth said quickly - too quickly. Another embarrassing silence followed. Finally, Will ( )oke the mute tension, “Which Craft do you want to be accepted into?” he asked, “the Ranger Corps.” Amaranth replied without a second’s hesitation. There was a shocked silence while Will took in her answer. “The Ranger Corps?” He asked incredulously, “Yes.” She retorted hotly. Although Amaranth understood why Will had reacted to her answer this way - folklore, stories and old wives tales - she was still annoyed.