Deva relaxed back against the tree and glanced at Holly where she leaned against her own tree. They'd been back home for a week and this was the first chance they'd had to have some time to themselves. The little clearing they sat in was near Deva's home and it had become their spot since they were younger.

They would come here to play when they were small and as they grew they would come here to sit and talk about all kinds of things. From boys to how annoying their parents were at any given moment.

They were beginning their training tomorrow morning. Their fathers had spent the week since returning to Redmont alternately badgering them about being ready and throwing out situations and seeing how they would handle them. This was their last day to laze around and relax and they were enjoying their last day of freedom.

She allowed herself a grin as she thought about poor Mitchell. He'd already started his classes at the Battleschool. They had spent some time leaning on the fence near the training field to watch him. They both had to admit he was rather impressive even with a practice sword.

She glanced at Holly again. "Do you think we'll be any good at it?"

Holly rolled her head against the tree until she was looking at Deva. "You seriously have to ask that?"

"You never know. Sometimes talent can skip a generation. We might stink at being Rangers." She shrugged.

Holly emitted a rude sound. "Please, we've been sneaking through these woods since we could walk. Uncle Gilan has been teaching us how to use a sword since we could hold one. We'll do fine."

Deva gave a small nod. Uncle Horace helped a bit with sword lessons the few times they'd gone to visit. She was still worried. She didn't want to disappoint her father. Both her father and Uncle Halt were legends. She wondered briefly if Mitchell felt the same. If he worried about measuring up to his father. A scowl crossed her face and she shook her head. Why was she even worrying about him? She couldn't stand the big idiot. She would admit he was good with a blade, but that's all she was going to give him.

***

Mitchell shifted in his seat, trying to pay attention to the lecture, but it was difficult. Not because he didn't understand it, but because he knew all of this already.

His mind began wandering as he worried about failing. He worried about the fact that he couldn't seem to get along with the other boys. He'd grown up in the castle and there hadn't been many opportunities for him to mix with a lot of children his own age. The only other children he'd spent any amount of time with were Holly and Deva. Those few experiences hadn't gone very swimmingly. They hadn't meshed well at all and ended up doing their fair share of fighting the few times they were together. There were many times when they'd played tricks on him or simply left him behind. The two girls were thick as thieves and he assumed they resented the fact that their parents tried to put the three of them together. They had one another and didn't want or need another person added to their duo.

Consequently, he was currently not having much success getting along with his fellow Battleschool students. They thought he was too stiff and formal. It was a side effect of living in the castle he supposed, even if his parents weren't formal all the time.

The other boys also thought he was too concerned with the rules. He'd stopped to lecture a few of them about rules he saw them breaking. He didn't mean to do it, it just sort of happened.

With a sigh, he shifted again refocusing his attention on the lecture. He'd heard all of this from his father already. Why had his father wanted him to come here? Oh, right, so he could spend time with young men his own age. Fabulous idea, Dad, he thought grumpily as he sank in his seat slightly.

The lecture lasted much longer than he would have liked and though he tried to keep quiet, there were several instances when he corrected the instructor when he misquoted some facts. One dealt with the strategy his father used to defeat Morgarath in single combat. As the class broke up he cursed silently and headed for the barracks. Thanks to his stupid mouth which refused to stay firmly shut, everyone thought he was a know it all.

"Hey, Alt!"

He didn't want to stop, but he knew if he didn't it would open him to more ridicule. With a deep sigh, he stopped and turned to face the four boys he knew were standing behind him.

"What is it, Griffin?"

Griffin shifted his weight from his left foot to his right and propped his fists on his hips. A gesture Mitchell recognized as his confident I'm-going-to-point-out-your-flaws-loudly stance.

He knew he could take Griffen down a peg or two in a fair fight, but he knew any fight between them wouldn't be fair. The other boys with Griffin would get involved. It was easier to simply put up with the other boy's taunts.

"You think you're smarter than the teacher, Alt?"

"No, I don't," Mitchell replied with a shake of his head.

Griffin snorted and elbowed his closest friend, Robbie, in the ribs. "Sure seems like you do, why else would you question him in the middle of class."

Mitchell rubbed at the bridge of his nose and quickly put forth the best explanation he could come up with. "My dad is a knight, okay? He knows Sir Horace and I've heard that story first hand since I was a kid. It isn't that I believe the teacher doesn't know what he's talking about, it's simply that he was misinformed about the events."

Griffin bounced his eyebrows. "Oh, you hear that boys, we got us a real live hoighty-toighty man. He gets to rub elbows with royalty! So, tell us what it's like at the castle, Mitchell?"

He didn't need this. Really, he didn't. He wondered if his father would allow him to come home if he told him what was going on. Probably not. His father would tell him to suck it up and deal with it. Deal with it as he would have to later in life when men would push at him simply because of who he was. He drew in a deep breath and slowly let it out, trying to draw some calm from somewhere.

No luck. He couldn't seem to find where the calm was hiding. Still, he managed not to launch himself at Griffin and attempt to pound some manners into him. "I really wouldn't know. It isn't as if I get to spend much time there."

Rodger snorted in contempt, grinning at Griffin around Robbie. "Knew he was lyin'. Your daddy ain't no knight."

He could end this argument easily by telling them exactly who his father was, but that would also tell them who he was. Instead, he shrugged. "I honestly don't care what you believe. It makes no difference to me either way. I have better things to do than stand around here."

The other boys were muttering among themselves as he walked away. They were planning something and he really didn't care what it was. Truth be told, he'd rather end this nonsense before someone got hurt. He knew it would most likely be him that ended up injured. He was big, strong and he could hold his own in a fight, but four against one ... even he couldn't manage to walk away from those odds.

It wouldn't be a fair fight. Not in anyone's book.

***

Deva arched an eyebrow at Halt. "Soooo, what ... we stand around and stare blankly at one another? Is that our training for the day?"

"No, you listen to your mentor and keep quiet. You also don't ask stupid questions."

She opened her mouth but at a look from him that included a raised eyebrow, she snapped her lips shut. Then shot Holly an angry glare when she giggled.

Will rubbed his hands together. "Let's get started. Obstacle course or run through the woods?" He looked questioningly at Halt.

Halt looked them over. "Run through the woods. They'd fail the obstacle course. We need to build their stamina."

"All right, run it is then! Let's move it!" Will ushered them toward a path through the trees with a big grin.

"You're enjoying this a little too much," Deva grumbled as they began their run.

"What was that, Deva? Couldn't hear you because you're running and keeping quiet," her father shouted.

"I hate both of you now," she grumbled.

"I second that," Holly added.

It didn't take long for their breathing to become labored and talk wasn't possible. Long before they made it back to the clearing where they'd begun, they both had a stitch in their side and were doubled over. They dropped to the ground in the clearing panting for breath.

"And here ... I thought ... I ..." Holly sucked in a breath. "Was in shape," she panted.

"Me ... too." Deva curled into a ball with a groan.

Halt tsked and shook his head as he walked over to stand beside them. "I thought you were prepared for this. Maybe you shouldn't have been so certain."

"That's not fair," Holly managed to complain.

He shrugged. "Take a moment to catch your breath and we'll discuss your use of weapons."

They both sat up immediately. "Weapons?" they asked in unison.

Will chuckled. "That got your attention."

Holly grimaced. "Wait ... was that just to get us up off the ground?"

"No, it wasn't." Will looked to Halt.

"Right, I guess that's my cue then." He arched a brow at Will who shrugged. "We know the two of you can handle a sword fairly well thanks to Gilan. You will need to learn to use a recurve bow."

"And knives, don't forget the knives!" Deva told him.

"We wouldn't want you to be without your knives, Deva," Halt said with a roll of his eyes. "For now we'll concentrate on getting both of you into shape. We'll also test your tracking abilities and your silent movement."

Will smiled at them. "Any questions?"

"When do we get our real cloaks?" Holly asked.

"Soon enough," Halt answered.

They set the girls to cleaning the cabin and the small lean-to out back where the horses were kept.

Halt sat back beside Will on the porch. "Do you think they'll make it?"

Will glanced sidelong at him. "Of course. Don't you?"

"They are our daughters. They should be able to handle it." He finished with a shrug.

"Should?" Will asked.

"Yes should. Do you think they'll fail because they are our daughters?" Halt asked.

"Ahh, I see now. You think they'll fail because they expect to pass." Will grinned at him.

Halt nodded. "Yes. They will expect everything to come easily so they won't try and therefore fail."

Will chuckled and shook his head at his old mentor. "You're thinking on this a bit too hard, Halt. I'm sure they'll be fine. Give them a chance."

"Mmm Hmm. Now then ... what about Mitchell?"

Startled by the change in subject, Will frowned. "What about him?"

"I've been trying to keep an eye on him. You know, for Horace. Seems his plan to keep his identity a secret isn't doing him much good."

"They've discovered who he is?" Will asked.

"No, not at all. They simply don't respect him and Mitchell isn't doing much to dissaud them of that fact. They think he's a know it all who likes to tell others how they're fumbling things."

Will choked back his laughter. "Horace has taught him well."

"I fear we've corrupted the boy. You know the rules are not as brightly polished for Horace as they once were. You'd think he would have taught that lesson to Mitchell."

"Maybe he thought Mitchell wouldn't be spending time traveling about with a bunch of Rangers and his morals would remain intact," Will reasoned.

Halt chuckled. "Perhaps. In the meantime, we'd best keep an eye on him to be certain his newly acquired friends don't take their games too far."

Will nodded in agreement. "When exactly did life become so complicated?"

"The moment we became parents," Halt answered with a grunt.

Things became infinitely more complicated when you become a parent. You worried about damn near everything. Where items were placed on a table or shelf. How near to the fire your child was. How they would grow up. How your behavior might influence them.

Everything became a reason to worry. As they grew it didn't abate. It only became worse. With their daughters approaching adulthood, they both worried about boys and their daughters' interest in them.

Worry was a constant companion in a parent's life. A best friend you'd rather toss from a cliff than continue the relationship.