AN: This is a sequel to Proving Ground, so do read that one first.

Sorry for the late posting: I was on vacation with my family and the internet didn't want to cooperate.

There was a mild chill in the morning air as the four Rangers cantered easily down the road. Three of them were highly skilled and even the young ones had a good deal of experience already, but the fourth member of the group was not quite a Ranger yet though he wore the uniform of one. And he kept glancing at the other three hoping to gleam something new from them even though they were just riding down the road seemingly relaxed.

He twisted around again to scan their surroundings.

"Stop fretting, Norrington. You'd think you were scared of brigands the way you move around." Halt sounded as gruff as usual, but not too annoyed.

"Just keeping mindful of my surroundings. I think that's in the Ranger handbook somewhere," Norrington replied with a little smile. In truth he wasn't scared in the least; he might not have the skills of the other three, but he knew any of them could take on a couple of brigands without trouble and no trouble makers would be foolish enough to attack four Rangers anyway.

"I wouldn't mind a few brigands attacking us," Crowley said. "It would break the monotony of this boring road."

Egon snorted. "And we'd waste time chasing them then. Better to get to our destination without distraction."

"Well, you're no fun," Crowley commented. He turned his head to look at Norrington. "And we don't keep a handbook; it would be too easy for someone to steal. Better to keep it all in here," he said taping his head with a finger.

"Agreed," Halt said.

"All right, so it's in the imaginary Ranger's handbook then," Norrington replied.

"Yeah, but Halt is also right; you're not supposed to twist and turn, you're supposed to use your eyes and ears and trust in your various senses."

"I was using my eyes."

Halt snorted. "You were using more than that; you were using your whole upper body. Keep your body and head still, move only your eyes."

Norrington eyed him. "And if I need to take a look behind me?"

"Then you casually turn to adjust or grab something from behind you without showing any sign that your attention is anywhere, but on your equipment," Crowley answered forcing Norrington to twist around to look at him instead.

"Still too much twisting," Halt grumbled.

"Well, you're not making it easy for me," Norrington said, turning back to look ahead.

Egon laughed. "It's not supposed to be easy; you're a Ranger and there's nothing easy about being that."

The other two nodded.

Crowley smiled slightly. "You'll get the hang of it, Norrington. You just have some bad habits you need to break from the time when you didn't have proper instruction."

Norrington sighed. "I know."

"Good. Then do as Halt said and keep still and look relaxed even as you stay vigilant."

This time Norrington didn't sigh, but kept his attention straight ahead, his eyes frequently moving from side to side, taking in the Rangers around him. The road was wide here, so they rode three abreast with Egon just behind. Egon could have ridden next to them, too, but the Rangers preferred not to get in each other's way should something happen. Nobody might be stupid enough to attack a band of Rangers, but that didn't mean the Rangers let down their guard; they were always prepared, just in case. It was another little lesson in being a Ranger and Norrington sucked them up like a sponge. Another lesson he had learned fast was not to pester the others with questions all the time. Especially Halt. So Norrington had instead tried to get more information about this special Ranger horse farm they were going to, but neither Crowley nor Egon had been of a mind to share a whole lot of information. He had finally tried to ask Halt about their tight-lipped manner, but he had just said it had been the same for him, so Norrington had accepted he wouldn't find out until he got there. But he was still curious, and his mind kept wondering.

"You're too uptight," Halt commented an hour later.

"Try relaxing a bit more," Crowley added in. Norrington did, slumping his shoulder just a fraction.

"Better," Halt grumbled.

Norrington smiled to himself. Getting any kind of praise from Halt was difficult, so he cherished it when it did come.

"Halt, ride up ahead, will you, and see if there's a good spot to let the horses rest and graze while we get some lunch," Crowley said without turning.

Halt didn't reply, but just pressed his feet to Abelard's sides to signal a change in pace. Abelard shot off and soon left the others behind. There was a bend in the road, and he was gone from their sight. Part of Norrington wanted to comment on the speed with which Halt's horse had galloped away, but another part knew this was what the Rangers expected of their horses. It only made him even more curious to see the place the Ranger horses were trained and excited about getting one. The Ranger horses didn't look like much, but they certainly had speed.

Halt came back about half an hour later, riding full tilt at them, then reeling in and turning Abelard around just a few meters before they would all have crashed into each other and easily going back into the canter the others had maintained while he was gone.

"Well?" Crowley asked.

"There's a nice clearing up ahead with a nearby stream. At the current pace we should reach it in about twenty minutes."

Norrington marvelled at Halt's skills; he had no idea how he could tell how long it would take going there when cantering when Halt had gone both ways at full gallop. It was yet another skill he had still to learn. He had started to write down notes regarding what questions he needed to ask the others, just so he didn't forget them, and now added this one to his growing pile.

"Out with it," Halt said, noticing the notebook.

Norrington hesitated a moment, but then decided it was better to just ask now since Halt had already invited the question.

"I was just wondering how you know how long it will take us to go there? You were riding at full gallop."

Halt shrugged. "It's just a matter of learning to tell distances at any speed and knowing the pace the horses ride in when cantering. It comes with practice."

"Practice, practice and practice," Crowley agreed. "One of Pritchard's favourite sayings." He looked a bit sad thinking of his old mentor, and Halt felt silent. Neither had forgotten what Morgarath had done and both had sworn that Morgarath would pay for it.

"Yeah... And he was right," Halt finally said.

"That he was," Egon agreed. "Definitely one of the best Rangers I've had the pleasure of knowing and serving with over the years. And his apprentices carry on his legacy."

Crowley perked up hearing the praise from Egon; it was nice being reminded that others remembered Pritchard with respect, too, and that he and Halt had made him proud and continued to do so. "Thanks, Egon. Your words mean a lot."

Halt nodded, not trusting himself to speak yet. Egon's words had left a lump in his throat; he knew Pritchard had been a great Ranger in the corps, but he had only known him during his exile when he had been his teacher and mentor. Finally he felt he could speak without risking choking on the words. "We do our best," was all he said.

Norrington looked from one Ranger to the other. He hadn't really known Pritchard before he had left, or rather had been kicked out, but it was clear the rest of them did. And it was occurring to him that Crowley and Halt had both had a special relationship with him.

He took a deep breath before asking his question. "You knew him well? All of you?"

Egon shrugged. "As well as most other older Rangers, but not as well as Crowley and Halt."

"He was our mentor," Crowley said, confirming Norrington's suspicions. "And he was the greatest Ranger I've ever known."

Halt nodded. "That he was. And one day Morgarath will pay for what he did."

Crowley and Egon both nodded, Crowley's face clouding at the thought.

"He was the one, who got him kicked out of the corps, right?" Norrington asked.

"Worse," Halt said. "He was the one who killed him." His brows drew together in an angry frown. "I won't forget that."

"None of us will," Crowley chimed in. "Morgarath can't hide forever and sooner or later he'll have to face us again."

"Or just the sharp end of my arrow," Halt said darkly.

Crowley nodded grimly.

Norrington looked from one Ranger to the other and realised he was very glad he wasn't the one such fury was being directed at. Those two could be downright scary when they wanted to.

"You're twisting too much again," came the dry remark from Halt.

Norrington almost twisted back to look at him, but stopped himself at the last moment and faced forward once more. He could almost feel the eyes of the others on him, so he focused on his breathing and on keeping his gaze forward. He was really, really glad they were on his side.

§

It was well into the afternoon when Norrington noticed the fields with grazing horses. The horses were of different colours and height, but all of them looked solid and had a shaggy coat. Ranger horses, he thought to himself. That meant they must be close.

"You're twisting again," came Halt's dry voice. "Look without twisting."

Norrington could hear an undertone of exasperation and immediately concentrated on not moving his head. Halt didn't like having to repeat himself.

"But don't get too stiff," Crowley advised. "Move naturally. Just don't let us know what direction you're looking by moving your head."

Norrington sighed. It had pretty much been like this the whole trip and he found it hard to keep up with their expectations.

Up ahead a farm house came into view as the road turned a bit and the trees thinned out.

"Come on," Crowley said. "Let's go up and say hello to Young Bob." He and Halt overtook Norrington, taking the lead. Egon rode up next to Norrington.

"Don't worry about it; they know that no one can really keep it up constantly."

Norrington glanced at the older Ranger. "Then why do they keep correcting me?"

"Because you have some bad habits to break," he replied. "And to break them you need frequent reminders to stay mindful of your manner. Better you get them now, than still have a bunch of bad habits when you get to your own fief." He reached out and patted Norrington lightly on the shoulder then sped up his own horse to follow Halt and Crowley the last leg to the farm. Norrington followed suit.

A rather bowlegged man came out to greet them, a big smile on his face as he waved hello to the Rangers.

"Crowley, Halt, Egon! So good to see you again! And you've brought a new one along as well. Excellent! He'll be needing a proper horse if he's to be a Ranger," Bob said cackling.

Norrington cast a glance at the others. He wasn't sure what he had expected of the Rangers' horse trainer, but this wasn't it. Yes, the bowlegs made sense from a life spent in the saddle, but the demeanour was a surprise. The others, however, did not seem the least surprised and so Norrington guessed Bob was probably always like this.

"And what do they call you?" Young Bob asked, as Norrington dismounted.

"I'm Norrington. Pleased to meet you," he replied.

"Pleased to meet me! Well, you certainly have manners. That's good," Bob cackled. "Come on, let's get the horses settled, then we can see what we can find for you." Bob rubbed his hands together excited; he could get used to having Rangers coming past a little more often again.

He turned away to address Crowley and Cropper and Norrington breathed a silent thanks when there was a bit of distance between him and Bob; he smelled strongly of horse and horse dung, which was not the most pleasant of smells.

"Looks like Cropper here is doing well."

"He is," Crowley confirmed with a smile.

"And how's Abelard, Halt?"

"Perfect," was Halt's short reply.

Young Bob grinned. "'Perfect.' Well, yes, of course; he's a Ranger horse, trained by me. Good to see you're taking good care of him."

"I wouldn't dare anything else, least you come after me," Halt replied, completely deadpan.

That set all of them laughing, and Norrington couldn't help smiling, too. Halt definitely had a sense of humour, it just didn't show often. Or maybe the rest of them just didn't understand it.

They quickly got the horses unsaddled and rubbed down, then Bob settled them in the stable and offered the Rangers to come in for a cup of coffee before they took a look at the horses.

"So," Young Bob said rubbing his hands together. "Come for a proper Ranger horse, have you?"

Norrington shrugged. "I'm just doing what Crowley says. And he said I couldn't be a Ranger without a Ranger horse."

Bob cackled. "Damn right, you can't. You won't find a finer horse in Araluen than the horses I've got here. Oh, don't look so sceptical," he said when Norrington didn't look completely convinced. "They may look shaggy, but they're sturdy, fast, and, most important of all, got great stamina. You need that in a Ranger horse. Don't want your horse to tire out while you're in pursuit of someone. Or worse; while you're running from enemies."

"I suppose not," Norrington replied.

"He suppose not! Well, we'll see what you have to say once you get a better look at them."

Crowley and Egon smiled behind their coffee cups. Young Bob could be quite a handful and he had his own initiation of new Rangers such as testing them when it came to the horses. Halt was also hiding a small smile knowing what was to come.

"Bob, stop messing around with the guests!" Bobby, Young Bob's wife, said from the doorway. The twins poked their heads in around her and lit up in identical smiles.

"It's the Rangers! Hey, can we watch?"

"No," came the answer from both their parents. Their mother added: "Get those baskets into the kitchen."

"Need any help, Misses Saddler?" Crowley asked politely.

She shook her head. "No, thank you, Ranger. The Bobbities and I can handle it." She walked over and gently touched Young Bob on the cheek. "You handle the horses, I'll get the fruit stacked."

Bob rubbed his hands together. "Well, you heard her; let's go find a horse for you," he said to Norrington. Norrington nodded as they all rose from the table and walked outdoor again.

"You're in luck; I've got three fine horses all ready for a rider, so I'm sure one of them will suit you."

"That sounds nice," Norrington replied politely. In truth he was getting rather excited; he had looked at the Ranger horses a lot and knew they were special, but he had never gotten the change to find out just what made them so special, not until now. So the thought of getting his own Ranger horse definitely appealed to him. He saw the other Rangers smiling, too, and was glad they took part in his excitement.

Bob lead them into the stable, a building much larger than his house, and beckoned Norrington forward. The others held back as he went with Bob to inspect the horses. Norrington looked back over his shoulder at them.

"Oh, don't worry," Bob said. "They just know that meeting your horse for the first time is a special occasion, so they won't interfere. Choosing is a matter between the rider and the horse."

Norrington nodded. He wasn't sure he quite understood the significance the Rangers put on going here and getting a horse, but it was having an effect on him. Somehow it felt special, almost holy, like a life or death decision. It's just a horse, he reminded himself. Nothing special about this, except it's been trained to work with Rangers. He took a deep breath as Bob beckoned him towards the three stabled horses to take a closer look.

"All right, here they are. Take as long as you want, but remember to choose with your heart."

"My heart?"

"Of course. Your horse will be your partner; it has to feel right," Bob said as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Then he took a step back and let Norrington step up to the horses alone.

Norrington walked up to the first horse, a dark brown stallion with black hair, and took a good look at it. It looked at him curiously and inquisitively as he looked the horse over. He quickly saw that Bob took good care of the horses and that it was a very sturdy horse.

The next one was cream coloured with caramel hair and a real beauty, even with the shaggy fur and barrel body, and Norrington stared to see what made the Rangers love their little horses so much. These horses were solid and built for hard work and long rides. Where his own current horse that become tired and needed the rest during the trip here, the other Rangers' horses hadn't seemed to mind the long ride. This one gave him the same inquisitive look as the first, and he thought the horse looked rather intelligent.

Then he looked at the last horse. It had a red-brown coat with brown hair and was as beautiful as the cream one. It turned its eyes on him and for a moment Norrington forgot to look at the rest of the horse; it felt like the horse knew why he was here and that it, no she, had just been waiting for him.

He reached out a hand and let it run over the mare's nuzzle. She responded by stretching her neck towards him and let go of a hot breath through her nostrils that warmed his hand. By the stars, she was beautiful.

Then Norrington hesitated. He hadn't even taken a proper look at the horse and there were two other fine horses here as well; he shouldn't be hasty in his choice. He turned his head to look back at the creamy one, but the horse in front of him snorted and blew hot air on his hand as if to say what do you think you're doing? Eyes front, boy.

Norrington looked back at the mare. Bob had said to choose with his heart and this mare just felt right.

"This one," he called back to Bob. "She feels right."

Bob nodded as if he had expected that result and went forward, rubbing his hands together excitedly. "Excellent choice! Maple is a real beauty and she's got plenty of fire in her for the tough situations."

Norrington thought she looked too calm and docile to have much fire, but he thought better than to argue the matter with the horse handler. After all, he knew the horse better than Norrington, so he just nodded.

Bob cackled as he came over with saddle and grime. "Oh, I can see the doubt in your eyes; you think her docile, but you'll soon see that she's got it where it counts."

Norrington stepped to the side to let Bob saddle Maple and saw he had brought his own saddle. Suddenly Norrington wondered what was to happen to his own horse; he had had him since he was a teen, but he doubted he could have two horses with him as a Ranger, not unless he wanted a permanent pack horse, and it just didn't feel right to do that to Arrow. He was too proud a race horse to be turned into a mere pack animal.

He glanced back towards Crowley and the others, who had come forward once Norrington made his choice.

"Um, what about Arrow? My current horse?" he added, not sure the others knew his name.

Before anyone else could reply, Bob chirped up. "Arrow? Fitting name; he looks like he's got a lot of speed in him."

Norrington nodded. "He does. It's why I choose him back then."

Bob nodded many times. "He's not a gelding?"

Norrington shook his head. "No. I had thought I might breed him someday, so..."

"Good choice. We could certainly use him in our breeding programme, so I'd be happy to have him."

Norrington felt relieved. Bob would take good care of Arrow and he wouldn't be abandoning him. Instead it felt more like they were trading horses, Maple for Arrow.

Bob lead Maple out of the stable, Norrington and the others drifting in their wake, and he lead Maple into an enclosure right next to the house. Norrington walked into the enclosure with them, but the others stopped at the fence, leaning slightly on it.

Bob handed the reins to Norrington. "Time to get to know each other properly. Any questions?" He had a gleam in his eyes as he said it, but Norrington just shook his head. He couldn't think of any questions that were important right now.

"No. I do think I know the basics of riding a horse," he replied with a slight smile. He cast a look at the other Rangers, all of who was smiling slightly, too, and then turned fully towards Maple, who looked at him as he put his foot in the stirrup and quickly swung himself into the saddle. He had just a moment where everything was still and perfect, then hell broke lose.

Maple bucked and kicked and reared, and Norrington had to hold on as she twisted this way and that. She started rearing again and he leaned forward to prevent himself from gliding off, but then she changed direction suddenly, bowing her head and kicking high. Norrington realised she had done it on purpose just as he felt himself being propelled forward and he yelled as he was thrown off her back. He somehow managed to turn the fall into a roll, but he still ended up winded and sore from the contact with the ground.

Then he heard the others laughing and clapping.

"Well done, Norrington! That was quite a spectacular fall!" Crowley cheered.

Norrington cursed and glared at him as he got back up on his feet, dusting himself off. Maple looked at him curiously, completely calm again.

"You knew that would happen!" he said pointing a finger at him.

"Of course," Crowley replied easily.

"You all knew," Norrington continued, narrowing his eyes at them. He hadn't given it any thought at the time, but even Halt had been smiling before he mounted and that should have given him pause; Halt almost never smiled.

"We sure did," Egon confirmed.

"It was inevitable," Halt said.

"So what's the point of having a horse you can't ride, if it's just going to be throwing me off?"

"The point is that you now know that a Ranger horse can't be stolen; if someone try they'll be sent flying." Crowley was still smiling, but his tone was serious. "And that is something very valuable to us."

Norrington rubbed a sore spot on his arm. "Yeah, well, I can't seem to ride her either."

"Of course not," Bob pipped up. "You have to be accepted first."

Norrington turned his glare on Bob, who didn't seem affected by it in the slightest. "And how do I do that?"

"Ah! Finally he asks the right question! You say her code phrase, of course. It's 'sweet as honey', by the way."

"Sweet as honey?"

"Don't say it to us, say it to the horse!" the others chorused.

Norrington gave the others another long, hard look, not sure whether they were pulling his leg or not, before he turned back to Maple, who had walked up to him and looked at him expectantly again.

He took the reins and looked her in the eye. "I hope they aren't lying. 'Sweet as honey'," he said softly to her. She looked at him for a moment then moved her head up and down once as if to say 'okay, go ahead'. "You'd better not throw me off again, Maple," Norrington muttered as he placed his foot in the stirrup again.

Why would I do that, silly? she seemed to say as she shook her mane.

Norrington paused. He had the feeling Maple was talking to him, but of course, that was just a fanciful notion; horses didn't talk. Maybe the fall or the air here was getting to him.

He tensed slightly, unable to resist and half expecting another wild throw, but Maple stood rock still and waited for his command.

"Well? What you are waiting for? Take a ride around the pen," Bob called.

Norrington realised he had been staring at his horse's neck as he looked back at Bob and the other three Rangers, and finally let go of a pent up breath. Then he shifted his weight and Maple immediately set off in a light trot.

Norrington had never ridden a Ranger horse before and now he was marvelling at how quickly she responded to shifts in pressure or tugs on the reins. He barely had to think about what he wanted before Maple did it.

He leaned forward a little and Maple sped up. Back at the gate Bob had grabbed the rope and was opening up the pen for them.

"Take her out and see what she can really do," he called to Norrington.

Norrington didn't have to be told that twice and didn't waste any time; he and Maple almost flew out of the pen as they sped up again and they rode into the sparsely wooded area. A grin spread across his face as the wind whipped his hair and cloak back and he wondered just how fast she could go. With that thought he leaned forward further and whispered into her ear: "Want to show me just how fast you are?"

She whinnied and shot off like an arrow from a bow. For a moment Norrington felt like his stomach had been left behind and needed a moment to catch up to them again. Then he laughed with exhilaration. Lords, she was even faster than he had thought possible! Even Arrow, his old horse, which had been chosen for his speed, wasn't this fast. Maple was sure-footed and served around trees and tree stumps without slowing down. At one point she even jumped over a stream showing no hesitation or fear.

Norrington let her round in a large circle around the farm and surrounding countryside before he galloped right back to the others and stopped a few meters in front of them, a huge grin on his face.

"I think he likes his new horse," Crowley said.

"Looks like it," Egon agreed.

"She's amazing!" Norrington exclaimed. "I had no idea Ranger horses were this great!"

Halt nodded. "That's how we all felt when we got our introduction to these beauties."

"You still could have told me about the code phrase," Norrington said, pouting a little.

But the others shook their heads.

"Sorry, but it's part of the initiation to become a Ranger," Crowley said.

"You have to ask yourself to be told," Egon added.

"Trust me; this happens to everyone," Halt said.

"Really?" Norrington said raising an eyebrow.

"Really," Halt and Crowley both confirmed.

"Absolutely," Egon said nodding. "Just ask Bob; he will confirm it."

Bob cackled and flashed Norrington a wide grin. "It's true; all young Rangers go through that."

"Oh," Norrington said a bit surprised. Somehow it made him feel better knowing even Crowley and Halt had also been thrown off their horses the first time. "All right, but don't expect me to forgive you just yet, anyway," he said to Crowley, Halt, and Egon. They just grinned.

"Now come down from your horse and I'll teach you some of the commands we use to tell our horses what we want them to do," Bob said.

Norrington did as told, but then hesitated a bit as he looked at Bob. "Will I need to say that phrase every time I need to ride somewhere? Because that sounds impractical."

But Bob shook his head. "Oh no. Just the first time. After that she will remember you and know you have permission to ride her. The phrase is just to prevent others from stealing your horse and it works damn fine," he said with a little pride in his voice. "Now let me show you what else she can do before you ride off again."

Norrington smiled gratefully and listened attentively as Bob began his lessons. Meanwhile the others settled down on a patch of grass and enjoyed the sunshine as well as the fruit Robina came out with for them. Soon though they joined Norrington in racing, shooting practice from horseback and various other things, like sidestepping and changing the horses gait to hide their numbers or that a rider had left his horse's back.

And through it all Norrington was soaking up the lessons like a sponge. Never had he felt as happy or free as he did now and he wished this day could last forever.