hands.
‘You’d be placing her in the care of the greatest, most capable Ranger Araluen has ever known,’ he said quietly. He sensed the surprise among the others and looked up at them.
‘Oh, Will’s better than I ever was,’ he said, smiling. Once, his vanity might not have allowed him to say that, but now the words came easily.
‘Maybe not better. But certainly as good,’ Gilan admitted reluctantly.
‘And he’s younger.’ Pauline smiled.
‘Thank you for that reminder,’ Halt told her. Then he turned back to Horace and Cassandra. ‘Think about it. Could Maddie be in safer hands? Will loves her. He’s her godfather. He looks upon her as his niece, if not his surrogatedaughter. You’d be entrusting her to his care and you know he would die before he let any harm come to her.’
‘And Will doesn’t die easily,’ Horace observed. He was beginning to see the logic in Halt’s idea. When he thought about it, he knew Maddie would be in safe hands with Will watching over her.
Halt sensed the change in Horace’s attitude. He pressed his advantage.
‘On top of that, you’ve said yourself that she’s rebellious and difficult. Maybe she needs the discipline that life as an apprentice would bring. I’m not saying she should do the full five-year apprenticeship. A year should be enough – just so she wins her bronze oakleaf. The experience will do her a lot of good.’
Cassandra had drawn breath to reply, but now she stopped, and a thoughtful look came over her face.
‘That’s true,’ she said softly. She had a mental picture of Maddie back-chatting Will, and finding out how such behaviour could rebound on her. Will would take no nonsense from an apprentice, even one he loved.
‘Cassandra,’ Pauline said and the princess looked at the graceful blonde, for a moment seeing her old friend Alyss. ‘I’m reminded of a conversation I had with your father when you wanted to go to Arrida to ransom Erak. I told him, and I’ll tell you now, that a queen-to-be has to do these things – has to take chances. Has to get out in the world. You can’t rule properly from an ivory tower. This is a good idea all round.’
Cassandra found herself nodding. She came to a decision, looked at Horace and saw the agreement in his eyes. As always, he knew what she was thinking.
‘Yes,’ she said briefly.
‘There is one small problem you’re all ignoring,’ Gilan said. ‘She’s a girl. We’ve never had a girl in the Rangers.’
‘Maybe it’s time we did have one,’ Halt said. Pauline looked at him with absolute approval. How far her crusty, grim-faced, traditionally minded husband had come, she thought.
‘But . . .’ Gilan began. He was lost for words until he thought of an objection. ‘She’s small. How would she ever draw an eighty-pound bow? And that’s our principal weapon.’
‘I’m small,’ Halt said. ‘So’s Will.’
‘But girls have a different muscle structure to boys,’ Gilan said. He looked apologetically at Cassandra and Pauline. ‘I’m not being biased against girls here. It’s just a physical fact. In general, we’re more heavily muscled than you. And Maddie is a slightly built girl. She’d never build up the muscle mass that you need to shoot a longbow.’
‘Well, we’ll just have to find a way around that,’ Halt replied. ‘Maybe change our thinking a little. On the other hand, girls are lighter on their feet than boys. She’d be excellent at silent movement and camouflage. She’s agile. She’s nimble. And those are all qualities that a Ranger needs.’
He could see Gilan was struggling with the concept. He smiled to himself. It was actually an idea that he’d been nursing for some months. Not specifically concerning Maddie, but as a general concept. He had been aware that there was a current shortage of suitable apprentice candidates, as Gilan had mentioned. And he’d begun to think that the Corps was ignoring a potential source of suchpeople. Half the
‘You’d be placing her in the care of the greatest, most capable Ranger Araluen has ever known,’ he said quietly. He sensed the surprise among the others and looked up at them.
‘Oh, Will’s better than I ever was,’ he said, smiling. Once, his vanity might not have allowed him to say that, but now the words came easily.
‘Maybe not better. But certainly as good,’ Gilan admitted reluctantly.
‘And he’s younger.’ Pauline smiled.
‘Thank you for that reminder,’ Halt told her. Then he turned back to Horace and Cassandra. ‘Think about it. Could Maddie be in safer hands? Will loves her. He’s her godfather. He looks upon her as his niece, if not his surrogatedaughter. You’d be entrusting her to his care and you know he would die before he let any harm come to her.’
‘And Will doesn’t die easily,’ Horace observed. He was beginning to see the logic in Halt’s idea. When he thought about it, he knew Maddie would be in safe hands with Will watching over her.
Halt sensed the change in Horace’s attitude. He pressed his advantage.
‘On top of that, you’ve said yourself that she’s rebellious and difficult. Maybe she needs the discipline that life as an apprentice would bring. I’m not saying she should do the full five-year apprenticeship. A year should be enough – just so she wins her bronze oakleaf. The experience will do her a lot of good.’
Cassandra had drawn breath to reply, but now she stopped, and a thoughtful look came over her face.
‘That’s true,’ she said softly. She had a mental picture of Maddie back-chatting Will, and finding out how such behaviour could rebound on her. Will would take no nonsense from an apprentice, even one he loved.
‘Cassandra,’ Pauline said and the princess looked at the graceful blonde, for a moment seeing her old friend Alyss. ‘I’m reminded of a conversation I had with your father when you wanted to go to Arrida to ransom Erak. I told him, and I’ll tell you now, that a queen-to-be has to do these things – has to take chances. Has to get out in the world. You can’t rule properly from an ivory tower. This is a good idea all round.’
Cassandra found herself nodding. She came to a decision, looked at Horace and saw the agreement in his eyes. As always, he knew what she was thinking.
‘Yes,’ she said briefly.
‘There is one small problem you’re all ignoring,’ Gilan said. ‘She’s a girl. We’ve never had a girl in the Rangers.’
‘Maybe it’s time we did have one,’ Halt said. Pauline looked at him with absolute approval. How far her crusty, grim-faced, traditionally minded husband had come, she thought.
‘But . . .’ Gilan began. He was lost for words until he thought of an objection. ‘She’s small. How would she ever draw an eighty-pound bow? And that’s our principal weapon.’
‘I’m small,’ Halt said. ‘So’s Will.’
‘But girls have a different muscle structure to boys,’ Gilan said. He looked apologetically at Cassandra and Pauline. ‘I’m not being biased against girls here. It’s just a physical fact. In general, we’re more heavily muscled than you. And Maddie is a slightly built girl. She’d never build up the muscle mass that you need to shoot a longbow.’
‘Well, we’ll just have to find a way around that,’ Halt replied. ‘Maybe change our thinking a little. On the other hand, girls are lighter on their feet than boys. She’d be excellent at silent movement and camouflage. She’s agile. She’s nimble. And those are all qualities that a Ranger needs.’
He could see Gilan was struggling with the concept. He smiled to himself. It was actually an idea that he’d been nursing for some months. Not specifically concerning Maddie, but as a general concept. He had been aware that there was a current shortage of suitable apprentice candidates, as Gilan had mentioned. And he’d begun to think that the Corps was ignoring a potential source of suchpeople. Half the
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