"Stealth is about more than simply tip toeing about quietly," Halt explained.

Holly snorted and rolled her eyes. "We know that, Dad. We've practically been Rangers our entire lives."

He leveled a steady gaze on her and waited several beats before he spoke. "Really? Well then, let's see how you do it." He swept a hand out toward the field of tall grass they stood beside. "Go right ahead and let's see if you can get past Will."

Holly eyed the field of tall green grass. It swayed slightly in the gentle breeze. It would be to her advantage that little breeze, helping to hide signs of her movement. The grass was wasit high, moving through it would be difficult.

Her head tilted slightly to the left as she studied the field, deciding which way would be the best to go. Her eyes swept over the field, plotting and planning. There was nothing in the way the grass shifted or moved that told her where Will was hiding out in the field. Honestly she could run right into him out there or slip right past him and never know it. Taking a deep breath, she slipped into the field and moved as unobtrusively through the gently swaying blades as she could.

Only a few minutes passed before Will's voice called out from somewhere distant and to her left. "If I were an enemy looking to kill you you'd be quite dead already, Holly."

She froze where she stood and looked around in wide eyed shock, wondering exactly where he was. He could be trying to get her to reveal herself. It was possible he didn't actually know where she was. It might be a ruse. She remained still.

"Ahhh!" she shrieked, jumping back as Will melted out of the grass to her left. "Do not do that!"

He chuckled at her fright. "You'll learn how to move without disturbing the grass around you so much and giving away your position. It doesn't come naturally to everyone. Head back and let Deva know it's her turn."

She grumbled her way back out of the field. "Your turn," she told Deva glumly.

The only consolation to her failure was that Deva didn't do any better than she had.

"All right, let's see how our new apprentice does, shall we?" Halt turned a look on Logan.

"All right." Logan headed for the field and slipped between the blades of grass, disappearing into the field with a soft swishing of the grass.

Holly stood waiting, eyes trying to pick out where Logan was. The time passed and she began tapping a boot. "Where is he?" she grumbled. She'd expected him to fail just as she and Deva had, despite the fact he had two years training on them. Will was a formidable Ranger. Another ten minutes passed before Will melted out of the grass with a small frown.

He arched a brow at Halt. "I thought for a moment you hadn't sent him in."

"You lost him?" Halt asked incredulously.

"It does appear as if I have, doesn't it?"

"You lost him, how do you lose an entire person?" Holly screeched.

A piercing whistle gained their attention and they turned, looking across the field to where Logan sat complacently on the lower branch of a tree on the opposite side of the field waving at them.

Halt chuckled and shook his head as he waved at Logan, shouting as he did, "Only person I know that good is Gilan!"

Will frowned, watching as Logan hopped down from the tree. "I never saw him, Halt. Not once. We should do a real concealment test. I want to see how good he is in comparison to Gilan and Crowley. They're the only two that good."

Halt sent him a sidelong glance. "You really think he's better than Crowley and Gilan?"

"Possibly, we won't know unless we see exactly how well he can hide."

"This is so not fair. You're supposed to be our mentors," Holly complained.

"You both know there are no other mentors available. Crowley told you that. With Paul out of the corps, Logan has no mentor. What do you expect Crowley to do? Would you prefer he suspend Logan's training until a mentor becomes available? Maybe toss him from the corps?"

Holly groaned and let her head drop back so that she was staring at the sky. She hated when her father gave speeches that seemed aimed at making them look stupid. "No, of course not. Sorry."

Halt nodded, turning away as Logan slipped out of the grass, a giant smile on his face. "So, how did I do?"

"You did all right," Halt told him blandly.

"All right? Will never saw me! I made it all the way across the field," Logan replied, throwing a hand out at the field.

"Doesn't do good to get cocky about it. The second you do is when you get complacent and end up with a knife in your back." Halt turned and headed back toward the castle.

Logan stared after him. Holly walked up beside him and gave him a little pat on the back "Get used to it, he doesn't give praise lightly or you know ... lavishly."

"Or you know, ever," Deva added with a snort.

"He gives it when he believes it's deserved. You need to learn to recognize when he's giving it," Will told them as he followed Halt.

The three watched them go. When the two mentors were out of sight, Logan turned to the two girls with a sigh. "Now what do we do?"

"We go annoy Mitchell, what else?" Deva answered him cheerfully as she passed him by, heading in the direction of the Battleschool.

Logan's brows rose. "Isn't Mitchell busy with his own training?"

Holly shrugged. "Probably, it's never bothered us much before. Besides, with those losers he's stuck with in class he needs us nearby. Come on, Deva's getting away." She tromped off after Deva, expecting that Logan would either follow or he wouldn't. She figured Deva had a bit more interest in annoying Mitchell than simple fun, she had the feeling that perhaps her best friend liked him more than just a little bit.

By the time they reached the Battleschool training field they caught up to Deva. Together they found a spot to sit and watch what was happening. The Battleschool students were all standing around. It appeared as if their training just ended or perhaps they were waiting for Sir Rodney to finish his meeting with the instructors so they could begin.

Deva leaned closer to Holly. "Keep an eye on our buddy Griffin, he's a little too close to Mitchell for my liking."

Logan frowned and looked at Holly. "Is there a problem?"

She pointed out the four boys that seemed to be an ongoing issue as she explained to him what had happened. "Deva's worried they might try something while the instructors are distracted over with Sir Rodney."

As if given some silent cue, Griffin leaned over and said something to Mitchell before he took a swing. Mitchel ducked the swing and returned one of his own, connecting and breaking Griffin's nose. It took only those two swings for it to turn into an all out brawl. Griffin's friends surrounded them, attempting to keep the fight from the sight of the instructors for as long as possible.

Deva jumped to her feet when she saw two of Griffin's buddies kick Mitchell.

Holly cursed as Deva vaulted the fence, running toward Mitchell. They were only apprentices, not full fledged Rangers, but they took what they did seriously and if Mitchell was in danger they would protect him. Even if he was a big doofus. He was, after all, heir to the throne of Araluen.

Deva launched her body at Griffin, wrapping one arm around his throat while pressing the blade of her saxe against his neck with her other hand. "I suggest you step back and do it now."

His body went rigid and he held his hands up in surrender. "All right, I give."

Mitchell rolled and came to his feet, glaring, not at Griffin but at Deva where she clung to Griffin's back. He was probably angry at her for interfering again. There was no way she was going to stand back and let Griffin and his friends beat Mitchell while the instructors were standing nearby.

Sir Rodney pushed his way through the gathered crowd of Battleschool students until he reached the spot where Mitchell stood glaring at Deva where she still clung to Griffin's back. His eyes went from Deva to Mitchell. "Mitchell?"

"Sir."

Sir Rodney sighed when he realized Mitchell wasn't going to say a word. He glanced at Griffin. "And you?"

"Alt started it, Sir. He swung first!" Griffin stabbed a finger at Mitchell.

Deva growled, tightening her grip on Griffin, pressing the knife tighter against his throat. "He did not, you liar! You swung first we saw it."

Sir Rodney rubbed a hand over his forehead. "Deva, please release my student."

She grumbled, but did as Sir Rodney asked, releasing him slowly before backing away from him, keeping her body between Griffin and Mitchell.

"If neither of you are going to give me an answer about what really took place then I'll have no choice but to punish the both of you."

"That's not fair!" Holly burst out.

Rodney shot her a glare that had her looking anywhere but at the Battlemaster. "Until further notice the both of you are confined to the barracks unless you are in classes. Understood?"

"Confined, as in together? Oh yeah, that sounds like the best idea ever," Deva told him sarcastically.

"Are you in charge here Ranger Apprentice Deva?"

"Um ... no sir."

"Then I'll ask you to please refrain from commenting on how I handle things. You are all dismissed. Alt, Coffey the two of you get to the barracks and stay there."

"That last name is totally wasted on a guy like him," Holly said as they watched Griffin drag off behind Mitchell, with his friends trailing slowly after him.

Deva chuckled. "I'll second that. Let's go and make sure Griffin and his buddies don't give Mitchell a beat down as soon as they get inside the barracks."

Holly nodded. "Griffin's friends are there, it's only fair Mitchell's friends join the party too."

Logan chuckled. "Indeed."

They trailed behind Mitchell, Griffin and Griffin's friends, and slipped inside the barracks behind them. The three of them remained silently in the shadows as Mitchell went to collapse on his bunk. Griffin walked to the far side of the room to his own bunk. His friends slunk after him and gathered around his bunk, crowding together as they whispered.

"Well that isn't good," Holly muttered as she watched them

"No, it isn't." Logan sighed. He hadn't planned on getting involved in any of this, but he was already here and he liked the girls and Mitchell. He was also fairly certain of who Mitchell was, even if no one would come straight out and tell him for whatever reason. It was seriously idiotic no one at the Battleschool had figured it out. It was his duty to help protect Mitchell. There was also the fact that his father would be upset if he didn't step in to help those in need.

Leaning back, he propped his shoulders against the wall and waited to see how things would develop. Deva stepped out of the shadows, moving across the room to speak with Mitchell. He and Holly stayed put, keeping their eyes on Griffin and his pals.

Deva stepped close to Mitchell. "Are you all right?"

He sent her a glare. "I can take care of myself. I am not helpless."

She pulled in a slow breath and released it even slower. She sent a brief glance over her shoulder toward Griffin's bunk where the boys were crowded. They were undoubtedly plotting their next attack.

She leaned closer to him, speaking in a low voice so no one else could overhear. "I know you can handle yourself, Mitchell. I'm not stupid. However, we need to look at this rationally. Griffin and his buddies won't attack you when you're expecting it nor will they do it one on one. They will do it the second you drop your guard and they will do it en masse when we aren't around to help you. Do you think that fool would have swung on you if he'd know we were nearby?"

Mitchell's gaze went beyond her as he watched Griffin. "No, he isn't stupid. Especially after the way you and Holly handled them before," he answered, his eyes going to his hands where they rested limply in his lap.

He felt useless. It didn't matter how good he was with a blade, he couldn't fight Griffin and the others on his own. Not when the group wouldn't play fair. Yet, he didn't want to depend on Deva, Holly, and Logan to save his behind. How could he be King if he couldn't even handle four bullies?

Deva nudged him. "Listen, don't worry I don't think they would be stupid enough to try anything in here. It looks like Sir Rodney has placed guards outside the door." She dipped her head toward the door.

Mitchell's gaze went to the door and he spotted soldiers from the castle flanking the door on either side. It appeared as if Sir Rodney wasn't going to take any chances that he and Griffin might start another fight.

"So, you think as long as I'm in here I'm good?"

She shrugged. "The rest of the time you'll be in classes with the rest of the students. I don't think he'll try anything."

"He did today," he replied sullenly.

"After today you can bet Sir Rodney has told the instructors to keep a close eye on the two of you. Griffin isn't stupid, well not completly, he won't try anything if he thinks you two are being watched. And we'll be around as often as we can."

He nodded. He still wasn't certain it really mattered to Griffin who was watching. For whatever reason he had decided he didn't like Mitchell. Perhaps it was because he was smarter or maybe the bully just randomly picked him as a target.

Considering everything, he should simply challenge Griffin to a fight. One on one. Maybe that would put an end to things. He sent a glance over at the other boys. Griffin was staring at him as if he'd like to personally gut him and feed him to the stray cats that hung out behind the castle kitchen door. Okay, so maybe a challenge wasn't a good idea after all. It didn't matter what he did, Griffin would never fight fair.

Deva gave his arm another sympathetic pat, rose and left the barracks with Logan and Holly. As they left, Logan sent him a nod before slipping out after the girls. He settled back on his bunk with a sigh.

This idea of his father's had been so fabulous. Battleschool at Redmont. Yep, great idea Dad, thanks. He closed his eyes and decided maybe he didn't really need this training. His father could train him, after all, he'd been doing that anyway. Maybe tomorrow he'd ask to speak with Sir Rodney and request he be allowed to send a message to his parents. Perhaps it was time he simply went home.

***

Halt scowled at Baron Arald. "She's here? Is she insane? How can she expect us to keep this a secret when she insists on showing up like this!"

The baron shrugged. "Sir Rodney informed her of the fight and she came immediately. Knowing her did you expect anything less?"

Halt looked to Will, who shrugged. "He's correct. I wouldn't expect any less from Evanlyn."

In response to Will's reasonable answer, Halt scowled. "She's not here as Evanlyn, she hasn't been Evanlyn in an extremely long time, Will. She is Princess Cassandra, Crown Princess of Araluen."

Will shrugged. "Mitchell is her baby boy. Honestly, Halt, would you act any differently if it was Holly?" He watched as Halt struggled to come up with an answer that wouldn't make him look as if he were trying to dance around the issue. After several minutes Will took pity on his former mentor. "Just give it up and let's go speak with her."

Halt grumbled as he followed Will from the room.

Will gave his head a shake, smiling as they went to speak with Cassandra. They found her waiting for them outside the Baron's office. He came to an abrupt stop when he spotted her standing there. He hadn't expected her to be lurking outside the Baron's office.

"Princess, it's good to see you," Will told her.

She snorted at his form of address. They'd been friends too long for him to use the formal form of address unless they were around others who might take note of it without understanding their long friendship. "Where's my son, Will?"

"Ah, ever the proper princess aren't you?" Halt remarked with a smirk.

"Do not try and get smart with me because I'm not in the mood. Where is Mitchell?"

Halt held up his hands. "I'd never dream of getting smart with you. Rodney has confined both Mitchell and the other boy to the barracks. If you'd like to speak with him it's going to have to be in front of the other boy I'm afraid. Rodney is rather adamant about them serving out their punishment."

Will cleared his throat. "You know you can't let anyone know who he is."

She scowled at him. "You don't think I don't know that? It's the only reason Horace isn't here with me. If I brought him and anyone saw them together ..." she trailed off with a small sigh. "Can I please see him?"

Halt turned and led her toward the Battleschool barracks.

Mitchell sat up on his bunk when Halt strolled into the room. He stopped, looked around and then walked to where Mitchell sat on his bunk.

"You have a visitor and I suggest you behave." He switched his gaze to Griffin. "I suggest you refrain from lobbing out any stupid remarks else you wind up somewhere you mightn't want to be."

Mitchell frowned over Halt's cryptic remark as the Ranger stepped to one side. He didn't have long to wonder who his visitor might be. She strode through the door only seconds after Halt finished speaking. There was no hesitation in her steps, she walked directly to him. He swallowed hard and rose, son or not, he knew how to address the crown princess. He bowed. "Your Highness."

She waved a hand at him. "Do stop it, Mitchell and sit down."

Her worry was there in her eyes for him to see, despite her bland tone of voice. He sat on the edge of his bunk and stared up at her. Despite his age, all he wanted to do was have her hold him and tell him that everything was going to be all right. A quick glance told him Griffin was both shocked by the appearance of the Princess and very interested to see why she was here to see Mitchell. After all, how many people were lucky enough to get a personal visit from the Princess?

"Um, can I ask why you're here?"

She took a moment to settle on the bunk across the aisle from him before answering. "Your father wanted to be certain you were all right. His duties precluded a visit, so I volunteered to come."

"I'm certain you have plenty of your own work to do."

"Yes, I suppose I do but your father and I are quite close, so here I am." She gave him a small smile.

They both knew the truth behind the words she spoke, the things she left unspoken. How much this visit meant to both of them. He also knew how much his father wished to come simply by his mother's words.

He was also keenly aware of Griffin watching them closely. "I appreciate that you took the time to come here, it means a lot to me. Could you let my father know that I'm fine?"

"Of course, I'd be happy to." She rose, shaking the wrinkles from her gown as she did. "I'm going to be staying for a bit, there are some things I need to discuss with Ranger Halt and Ranger Will while I'm here. If you're up to it, and Sir Rodney will allow it, I would like you to join us for dinner at the castle this evening."

"I would be honored, thank you." His mother smiled and he saw the slightest hesitation as she went to leave. He had the distinct feeling she wanted to hug him as badly as he wanted that hug.

"I'll speak with Sir Rodney about dinner." With a smile, she left. Halt followed her out.

Throughout the entire discussion his mother never once looked in Griffin's direction and Mitchell knew why. It wasn't to show the other boy how unimportant he was, no, it was because she'd probably throw a punch of her own at the Griffin for attacking her son.

"Your dad really is a knight and he knows Princess Cassandra and Sir Horace," Griffin said in a slightly awed tone of voice.

Mitchell really wanted to ignore Griffin, but he knew ignoring the other boy was useless. He'd keep poking until he got what he wanted. "No, it wasn't a lie. My father is a knight." He turned to look at Griffin. "I want you to know something."

"Yeah, what is it?"

"You don't scare me. You never have." It was the truth. Griffin and his buddies didn't frighten him. Not really. What he feared was the consequences of whatever actions he took in confronting Griffin and the rest of his bully friends.

Griffin snorted in disbelief. "Sure, whatever you tell yourself so you can sleep at night."

Mitchell shook his head and lay back down. "I don't need to tell myself lies in order to sleep at night. I know exactly who I am and what I've done. How about you, Griffin, what do you tell yourself before bed at night?"

There was no answer from the other side of the room.