"Deva," Will called, then waited a moment before trying again. It seemed routine of late for his daughter to ignore him the first couple of times he tried to get her attention. He rolled his eyes, knowing he'd never been like this when he was her age. Though, if he were to ask Halt the older Ranger would probably disagree. "Deva, stop ignoring me."

She sighed and lifted her head to meet his gaze, her brown eyes so much like his own. "What is it, Dad?"

Now that he had her attention, he pulled out the chair across the table from where she sat and took a seat. "Look, you do know what tomorrow is, correct?"

"Um, yeah ... and?" she replied in a bored tone.

He could have sworn she rolled her eyes before looking back down at the book that stood open on the table before her. "You're fifteen now, Dev. You aren't a ward of Redmont, but still ..." he trailed off, leaving the sentence hanging in the air between them unfinished.

She flipped the book shut, sat back in her chair and stared at him a moment before she finally spoke, "Yes, I'm fifteen. We all know it. You shouldn't have to ask me what I want to do with my life. I want to be a Ranger, you know I always have. Since I could walk I've been slinking through the forest, hiding in trees, and generally attempting to prove I can be a Ranger. I could throw a knife before most kids knew you could use it for more than cutting meat."

He grimaced at the mention of her knife throwing. "Yes, I remember your attempts at knife throwing."

"Hey, wait, I wasn't aiming at you and that was only the first attempt! The throw went a little wide, that's all and it healed perfectly fine!" she said with a wave of her hand in his general direction.

"Are you certain you want to become a Ranger? It isn't an easy life, sweetheart." Despite the fact that he loved every moment of being a King's Ranger, he wasn't certain it was something he wanted for his daughter. Wasn't certain he wanted her facing the same sort of dangers that he had.

She reached across the table, grasped his hand, and held it in both of hers. "Dad, it's all I've ever wanted. You know that. Holly and I made little cloaks as soon as Mom and Pauline taught us to sew. They were a disaster, but we tried." She grinned at him.

He chuckled. "Yes they were, but you wore them anyway." The memory of those badly sewn cloaks was a fond one. The girls were seven at the time. Deva and Holly, Halt's daughter, were the best of friends. As it should be, he thought.

She grinned and nodded.

"I just want you to be certain. It's a big decision."

She stood and rounded the table, leaned down and wrapped him in a hug. "It's what I want. I'm certain."

He sighed, how could he argue with that? "All right, we'll see Crowley in the morning then."

As she headed for her room, she flung her response over her shoulder at him. "I know we will, I already spoke to Mom about it earlier and told her I was going to go talk to him about it."

He scowled after her. Honestly, she should have chosen to be a Courier, the girl was crafty. A small smile turned up the corners of his lips. He couldn't see his daughter in a white Courier's dress. The second you put her in white she'd somehow end up filthy. He chuckled quietly.

He settled back in his chair with a sigh. It was the truth Deva and Holly had wanted to be Rangers for as long as any of them could remember, but he worried for her safety. Ranger's were tasked with not only keeping the kingdom safe, but they also were sent on missions to gather intelligence and solve issues that required a bit more than the simple brute force of a troop of soldiers. Missions could be dangerous.

And all of that was only if an apprentice made it through the rigorous training needed to become a Ranger.

***

"Holly, where are you?" Halt exited his daughter's room perplexed, uncertain where she could possibly be hiding.

He turned and headed off down the corridor in search of her. It was possible she was down at Will's cabin visiting Deva. Sighing heavily, he stepped out of Castle Redmont, stopping with a frown as he spotted his daughter.

She was in the castle yard or more precisely, she was about to be in the yard. Currently she hung from the tower. Pressing his lips together, he walked over, waiting where she would drop and hit bricks when she completed her descent.

Holly hummed as she reached down with her right foot, searching for a secure foothold before she settled her weight on the foot. Then her right hand moved down, followed by her left foot, then the left hand. She glanced down to see how close to the courtyard she was. The moment she did, she wished she hadn't. Her father stood below her, hands on his hips, glaring up at her.

"Oh ... umm ... hi, Dad!"

"Down! Now!" He pointed to the cobbles beneath his feet.

She dropped the last few feet, landing in front of her father. "I didn't do anything, I was just practicing!"

"Inside," he grumbled before spinning around and heading back toward the castle.

Holly dragged after her father, knowing he expected her to follow without complaint. She had hoped to be down from the tower before he discovered what she was doing. It wasn't as if she hadn't climbed the tower before. She had, dozens of times. Baron Arald didn't mind her popping through his office window now and then, either on the way up or down. Why did her father care so much?

Her father trudged along in front of her, stomping through the door into her room before he turned on her. "How could you put yourself in that kind of danger? What do you have to say for yourself?"

She shrugged. "I'm fine, as you can see."

He took a deep breath and she could tell he was trying to keep hold of his temper. "I do not want you climbing the tower again, do you understand me?"

"Come on, Uncle Will did it all the time!"

"You are not Will!"

She rolled her eyes. "No, of course not. I'm nowhere near as famous as the great Will Treaty, which of course means I'll immediately fall to my death without preamble because no one can ever be his equal. Thanks so much for the reminder, Dad."

He grumbled under his breath. "You are fifteen, Holly. You have a decision to make, I suggest you choose wisely."

"I already made my decision and if you paid attention at all you'd already know what I've chosen. I want to be a Ranger!"

"Why not choose to be a Courier like your mother?" he asked.

"Seriously, Dad, a Courier? We'd end up at war with everyone if I did! I am not a diplomat. Someone would end up getting tossed out a window the moment they annoyed me." He didn't want to admit it, but she was right. His daughter didn't have a diplomatic bone in her body. Joining the Diplomatic Corps and becoming a Courier would probably doom the kingdom.

He rubbed a hand over his face. "Fine. All right, a Ranger. You understand that you're going to have to take the training seriously? It's hard work and you must be dedicated."

"I understand! I'm not an idiot, despite what you seem to believe. This is all I've ever wanted! Please?" She clasped her hands together and sent him a pleading look.

He knew she'd become an exceptional Ranger, if she straightened out and made an attempt to follow the rules. "If this is what you really wish to do then we'll speak with Crowley in the morning about finding you a mentor."

She leapt forward and hugged him tightly. "Thank you! Thank you!" She released him. "I need to go tell Deva!" she shouted before turning and sprinting from the room.

He watched her go, her dark brown hair flying around her. She and Deva were thick as thieves. He shook his head. It was fitting, he supposed, knowing how close he was with Will. It was strange knowing his former apprentice was grown with a family of his own.

"I suddenly feel quite old," he muttered.

***

Mitchell frowned at his father. "Dad, are you sure about this?" He pushed his bottom lip out, tipping his head to the side as he stared at his father.

Horace chuckled and shook his head at his son. "I'm certain. You're going to be King someday. Your mother and I both believe it would benefit you a great deal to attend the Battleschool. You'll learn to fight, learn the history of Araluen, strategy, geography, and more, all of it alongside other young men who will be serving Araluen."

He chewed his bottom lip, paced back and forth, then stopped and looked at his father again. "I've never been away from the castle for long and never on my own, except for my visits to see Uncle Halt and Uncle Will. Besides, I know how to fight. You've been training me. Why do I need to go to the Battleschool?"

"It will be a good experience for you. You'll be around boys your own age and you get to put some space between yourself and your stuffy, boring parents. You'll also get to spend some time with Halt and Will."

He smiled brightly. He hadn't seen Uncle Halt and Uncle Will in a while and he liked spending time with them both. The two Rangers taught him how to hunt and fish. They'd also made a small attempt at teaching him some Ranger skills, like moving silently. He wasn't built to move as they did, he was large and muscular like his father. He'd tried though and he was much better at it than his father was.

He grinned widely at his father. "All right, I'll go. And Redmont isn't far from the castle should I need to return home."

Horace slapped him on the back with a smile of his own. "Let's hope you'll be enjoying your studies so much you won't even think about your old parents and you won't be worrying about coming to visit."

"It doesn't matter how busy I am, I'll miss you both."

His father grinned. "While you're there, you'll also have an opportunity to become reacquainted with Holly and Deva."

Mitchell scratched his head. "Holly and Deva?"

"Holly, Halt's daughter and Will's daughter, Deva. You've met them, but it's been a while since we've been able to get everyone together. I think the last time you saw them you were around eight or so."

He had a fuzzy memory of two skinny little girls in sloppy green cloaks trying to sneak up on him and shoot him in the behind with badly made bows and arrows. He wasn't really looking forward to seeing them again. He really didn't want an arrow in his posterior. At least things at Redmont would be interesting.