Halt frowned. "You're certain?"

Will sat back in his seat on the porch and stared out at the trees surrounding the cabin. "Yes, quite. Deva told me herself."

Halt's frown turned into a scowl. "I know Mithcell and he's much like his father. He would never do this other boy's work not without some kind of coercion."

Will acknowledged Halt's reasoning with a slight inclination of his head.

Halt cast a sidelong glance at his former apprentice. "What are you thinking?"

"That perhaps we should let the kids figure this one out on their own."

Halt sat back in his own chair and cast his gaze out over the forest. "Perhaps. You don't believe they'll muck it up?"

Will chuckled softly. "Oh, I'm certain they will, but there are certain times that I think we need to let them bungle just a bit or they'll never learn."

A tiny hint of a smile tilted the corners of Halt's lips upward. "You learned that lesson well many times, eh?"

Will reached over and gave Halt's shoulder a small shove. "I did perfectly well, thank you very much."

Halt arched a brow at him. "All right then."

Will didn't miss the implication behind his former mentor's words but he made no response. There was no sense in getting Halt started. They'd end up being here all night.

***

Holly trailed after Deva. "This is ridiculous."

"You're welcome to leave. I didn't ask you to tag along."

Holly mocked her best friend behind her back. "I came because you're my best friend! Why are we following these knuckle dragging losers anyway?"

"Shush!" Deva waved a hand back at her and crept closer to where Griffin and his friends were standing to the side of the road a bit. Bullies to the end of the line. They had shuffled two boys from the village off the road so they could harass them.

She pinched the bridge of her nose. This was getting her nowhere. For five days she'd been lurking around, following the boys while she attempted to figure out why Mithcell was allowing Griffin to use him. She was no closer to the reason than she'd been five days ago.

Now it seemed she needed to keep Griffin and his idiot friends from injuring two innocent boys. She didn't have time for this nonsense. Still, she couldn't let these fools pick on those boys simply because they were looking for some sort of sport.

Reaching back over her shoulder, she pulled an arrow free and nocked it to her bow before taking careful aim at Griffin.

Just when she would have released the arrow, Mitchell stepped into the midst of the group, blocking her shot. She cursed quietly and lowered her arm slightly. "What is he doing there?" she hissed quietly.

"Beats me, but this is starting to look like it's leaning toward the explosive side."

Deva ignored Holly's words and stared into the little clearing. She did however, have the feeling Holly's assessment of the situation was quite correct. Griffin looked less than pleased by Mitchell's interference.

Mitchell kept his gaze firmly fixed on Griffin as he spoke to the two boys huddled together in the center of the little knot Griffin's little ruffin friends formed. "Go on now, get out of here."

"That isn't up to you, Mitchell." Griffin growled.

"I won't stand by and let you harm people because it entertains you." He focused on the two boys. "Go on now, get out of here." The boys needed no further urging, they turned and fled.

"You think you can pick and choose when to obey me? You can't, I will ruin you, Altman. Everyone will know who you are ... who you really are!" He stalked past Mitchell and left the clearing with his buddies trailing after him.

In the trees, Deva slowly replaced her arrow and stood there silently staring at Mitchell as his shoulders slumped, his knees buckled and he sank to the ground with his head bowed. She wanted to go to him and let him know he wasn't alone, but she remained where she stood. They parted badly the last time they had spoken and he wouldn't take kindly to the fact she had been spying on him.

Turning away, she gestured at Holly to follow her.

"What are we going to do? You hear Griffin, he knows who Mitchell is! We can't let him go running off and telling everyone that Mitchell is," she paused and looked around. "You know who," she finished quietly.

She pinched the bridge of her nose, it was either that or begin shouting. She'd been doing a lot of frustrated nose pinching lately. "I know that, but what do you want me to do? Mitchell made it very clear that he doesn't want my help. He doesn't want anyone's help. All we can do is keep an eye on those boys and make certain they don't talk to anyone."

Holly snorted. "Right and how do we keep them from talking to people? We can't follow them all hours of the day and night."

Deva shrugged and continued walking until Holly dragged her to a stop by grabbing her a fist full of her cloak. "What?" she snapped.

"Stop, all right! We need to help. Ignore for a moment that you and Mitchell are all ...whatever it is the two of you are doing right now and focus on the fact that we are Rangers and it is our job to protect Araluen. That means protecting the crown. Which includes Mitchell's stubborn butt."

Deva groaned. "Fine, but you need to remember that we are still technically apprentice Rangers. I'll protect Mitchell but only because he's the prince, not for any other reason."

Holly held in the sort she wanted to let loose at Deva's words. She doubted Mitchell's title was the only reason her friend was giving in. "Good, let's go fetch Logan and then we'll corner Mitchell and get this taken care of before Griffin and his pals can do any damage."

"Why do we need Logan?"

"Because Mitchell is a boy and Logan is a boy and it's more likely he'll listen to Logan before he listens to us. Just come on."

With a grumble, Deva followed Holly.

A short time later, they walked back with Logan to the clearing where they'd last seen Mitchell, only because they couldn't find him anywhere else. They found him sitting with his back against a tree, staring blankly across the clearing.

Logan stopped and looked at the two girls. "Give me a minute to talk to him first."

"Why you?" Deva asked.

"Because you two havne't been getting along and he's spent more time talking to me than either of you. Just let me talk to him."

Logan left them standing there staring after him as he went and took a seat beside Mitchell.

Deva glanced at Holly. "Did you know they had become friends?"

Holly shrugged. "I had an idea but I didn't want you to bring anything up that would lead to Mitchell's name being mentioned because I was afraid you would burst into random tears."

Deva gave her a shove. "I would not!"

"Suuure you wouldn't."

They went silent as they listened to Logan speaking to Mitchell quietly. "Mitchell, you wanna talk about it?"

Mitchell lifted his head, smiling at Logan. "Not really. I couldn't talk you into shoving one of those knives into my chest, could I?"

"No, never. First, because you're my friend and second, I'm fairly certain your mother would have me beheaded if I so much as ruffled the hair on her precious baby boy's head."

Mitchell gave a small laugh. "You're probably right about my mother. Still, it would save me the trouble of having to explain why everyone in Redmont knows who I am."

"However it happened, I'm sure it isn't something you planned out, am I right?"

"Yes, you are."

"Look, none of that matters as long as we handle the situation." Logan told him.

"No, I suppose not. I hate to admit it, but Deva was right, I should have asked for help. Trying to handle this on my own isn't working. It's only getting worse."

Logan patted his arm and smiled. "We're still here and we'll still offer whatever help you need." Logan glanced at Deva and Holly where they stood several feet away. He looked back at Mitchell. "You should probably apologize to Deva though. You know how girls are," he told Mitchell in a lowered voice.

Mitchell glanced at the two Rangers with a sigh. Logan was right. If he didn't apologize she'd never let him forget it. He didn't want to admit to her of all people that he'd been wrong. It was probably for the best if he wanted peace between them. He'd missed her since their fight. He missed everything about her. Most of all, he missed simply spending time with her.

He looked at Logan and sighed heavily. "You're right."

Logan patted his arm once more before he stood and went to tell Holly and Deva to join them. He moved to where the girls stood. "Come on, join us."

They moved back to where Mitchell sat.

The prince smiled up at them. "Thank you."

Logan grinned at him. "That's what friends are for."

Deva remained standing several feet away from where Holly and Logan now sat on either side of Mitchell. After their argument she had no idea what to say to him.

"Deva?"

She looked down at him with a sigh. "Mitchell." Well that was a great start, now what?

He rose and moved to where she stood, took her hand in his and led her into the trees. He stopped and released her hand, turning to face her. He took a breath and let it out as he stared down at her. He couldn't seem to find the words to tell her how sorry he was. He shifted and tugged at his tunic. He didn't know why he found it so difficult to form a coherent thought around her at times. It was as if his brain shut down. He sucked in another breath and the words blurted from him in an unplanned burst. "I'm sorry I'm an idiot."

She laughed. "I'm sorry you're an idiot too. I'm glad you came to your senses."

He smiled and shook his head, chuckling. "So, friends again?"

"Yes and now we need to figure out how to save your behind."

"I suppose we do." He led the way back to Holly and Logan and they took seats with their friends.

They spent some time discussing how to handle Griffin, discarding plans and moving on to others, only to discard those as well. Holly's suggested plan involved, of course, setting Griffin aflame. They finally came to a decision they could all agree on.

Deva glanced sidelong at Mitchell as they walked back toward the Battleschool. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"No, I don't want to do it, but I don't see another choice."

"We're all here if you need us." She smiled at him.

He gave a small, jerky nod as they stopped to knock on Sir Rodeny's door. His voice boomed from inside, calling for them to enter. Mitchell shoved the door open and stepped inside. The others followed him in.

"And what can I do for the four of you?"

Mitchell stepped forward. "Is it possible to call all the students together?"

Rodney frowned at him. "Why?"

Mitchell shook his head. "There's an announcement I'd like to make."

"Would it be too much trouble if I asked what it is you feel the need to announce?" Sir Rodney asked.

"I want to tell everyone who I am."

Sir Rodney sat forward and folded his arms atop his desk. "Are you certain that's a wise decision, Mitchell?"

"No, sir, but I have little choice. Griffin and his friends have discovered who I am and he's threatening to tell everyone unless I do all his work for him."

Sir Rodney's face turned a mottled shade of red. "I can handle that issue rather easily."

"No, sir, I appreciate it. If I tell everyone who I am he'll have no ammunition to use against me."

Rodney nodded. "All right, but if he becomes an issue we handle things my way and he'll be leaving the school. I'll call everyone together on the practice field."

"Thank you, sir" Mitchell smiled.

Rodney waved them from the room so he could make the arrangements for the announcement.

They went straight to the practice field to wait for everyone else. Mitchell paced back and forth in a long line. Announcing who he was to everyone wasn't the ideal situation, there would be those who would resent him because of the title he carried. They would feel as if he had some sort of advantage because of that title. Others would suddenly want to be friends because of the position of power he held.

This wasn't something he had ever planned or wanted to do. He stopped pacing and looked to the edge of the field as the other students began to arrive. Sir Rodney trailed behind the group of students. Rodney crossed the field, moving past the Battleschool apprentices until he came to stand beside Mitchell, giving him an encouraging smile.

Mitchell waited a moment longer to be certain everyone had arrived, then stepped forward. A few of the students look curiously from Sir Rodney to Mitchell. At the back of the group, Griffin and his friends talked noisily, ignoring Mitchell as he loudly cleared his throat.

Deva scowled, stepped forward and emitted a piercing whistle, before she pulled an arrow free of her quiver and nocked it to the string of her bow. "Pay attention or I swear I'll shoot the lot of you!" she yelled.

Mitchell sent her a nod of thanks, followed by a smile when he saw Griffin's pale face eying Deva. "I have an announcement I'd like to make." He paused, glancing out over the gathered group to be certain they were all paying attention. "Not many of you know much about me and that's my fault. What I have told you is a handful of half truths. I live at Castle Araluen, but my father isn't simply a knight who knows Princess Cassandra and Sir Horace."

One of the other boys frowned at him. "I don't understand, why are you telling us this?"

"I felt that you deserved the truth."

"So, then what's the truth?" the boy asked.

"My name is Mitchell Altman, Prince of Araluen. My parents are Princess Cassandra and Sir Horace."

There was a collective gasp from the gathered group, followed by an outburst of voices.

Deva growled and raised her bow, shouting at the group, "Shut up!" The boys immediately went quiet, several sending her frightened looks.

Mitchell sent her a look of thanks before he turned back to the group. "I don't expect any forgiveness for the lies I told, I certainly don't deserve any. I wanted to learn and I didn't want any special treatment from anyone. It has become a burden and I'm tired of lying to all of you."

A pause followed his announcement. The boys remained rooted to the spot, staring at him. Sir Rodney finally stepped forward, clapping his hands together once, he addressed the boys. "All right that's all, you're dismissed."

Mitchell turned to Deva with a grimace. "I'll probably be forced to go home after this."

She frowned at him. "You don't want to stay and finish your training?"

"I doubt I'll be welcomed by any of the other apprentices now. It's probably for the best that I leave."

"You're going to leave?" a voice asked from behind him.

Mitchell turned to address the speaker, finding the boy who had asked the questions standing there. A small group of other apprentices surrounded him.

"I don't see a point in remaining and upsetting anyone further," Mitchell told the group.

The boy smiled at him. "I think I speak for all of us standing here." He paused to glance at the others and they all nodded. "We'd be more than honored to have you in our class, after all, how often do you get to train with a prince?"

"I thank you for the support, um, I'm sorry I don't know your name."

"Davey Harvey," the boy replied.

Mitchell thrust out his hand and Davey shook it. "It's good to meet you. I guess I've kept to myself a lot more than I should have." He looked at the others. "And thanks to all of you as well." The boys all grinned at him.

A smirk appeared on Davey's face as he looked past Mitchell to the Rangers gather behind him. "I suppose that explains why all of you have been sticking close to Mitchell."

"That's part of it. He's also our friend," Logan told him.

Davey nodded and looked back at Mitchell. "I want you to know that you have friends here in the Battleschool as well. I'm sorry we haven't made the effort before now, you didn't seem to want to be part of the group."

"I honestly didn't know how to be part of the group. Again, thank you for your support," Mitchell said.

Davey didn't have time to make a response because Griffin chose that moment to shove his way through the group until he stood before Mitchell. "You think that little show gets you off the hook, Your Highness?"

Davey placed a hand in the center of Griffin's chest and pushed him back. "That is our prince you're addressing, I suggest you show a little more respect."

Mitchell placed a hand on Davey's shoulder. "I appreciate it, Davey, but Griffin doesn't frighten me." He still feared what kind of trouble Griffin could stir up, but he wasn't going to cower from the other boy.

Griffin turned away with a scowl. "You've made a mistake crossing me." He stalked away, his little gang trailing behind him.

Davey did the mature thing and stuck his tongue out at the boy's back before he turned back to Mitchell. "You need anything let us know." He indicated the group of boys around him.

"I keep saying thank you, but it doesn't seem as if it's enough."

Davey chuckled. "It's plenty."

Mitchell shook the hands of the rest of the boys before they took their leave. Once they were all gone, he blew out a relieved breath. "I'm glad that's over."

Deva took his arm. "Come on, you. Let's get you something to eat. I imagine you're starving after that."

He grinned widely at her. "That sounds good, I am feeling a bit on the hungry side."

Holly watched as they wandered away, Mitchell discussing what there might be available to eat in the kitchens. "Now that everyone knows Mitchell's secret, how about you come clean and tell me what it is you're hiding?" she asked Logan.

"Since I'm not hiding anything there's nothing for me to reveal. Let's catch up to them, I'm hungry too and we should get there before Mitchell eats everything."

Holly grumbled several unkind things beneath her breath as she started after him. He may not want to talk, but she'd figure out his secret eventually.