"You wanted to see us, your highness?" Crowley stood in the doorway, Pritchard a half step behind him.
"Yes, come on in," Duncan said, waving a hand at them beckoning them closer. He rose from his high backed chair and walked around the desk. "Let's sit closer to the fire." It was a chilly day despite the time of year, and it had been raining almost non stop since last night. They all hoped it would let up soon.
Settled in Crowley leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. It was the first time Duncan had asked for one of the other Rangers to come along to their meetings and Crowley was curious what he had in mind. He didn't have long to wait for it.
"I'll get straight to the point; what are your findings regarding Stilson and his connections to Morgarath?"
Crowley and Pritchard exchanged a glance, then Crowley answered. "Honestly? We have found no evidence that he had any special connections to Morgarath besides the obvious sucking up to him to gain his favour and gain influence through him. As far as we have been able to determine he has not committed treason against the crown."
Duncan let go of a small sigh. "Then your findings match what my other people have been able to find. Like so many others Stilson did what he could to curry favour with Morgarath, but did not act against the crown, because he did not know of Morgarath's true plan. He simply did not see the truth." He looked at Crowley and Pritchard. "You may have acted too rashly in taking his oakleaf, Crowley."
But Pritchard was shaking his head. "No. With all due respect, your highness, he dug himself into that ditch when he refused to follow any order coming from Crowley."
"Even so, he has not actually committed a crime, Pritchard. And he might have acted rashly himself, because of the shock of losing the position of Ranger Commandant."
"That still doesn't excuse his behaviour. He had time to think about it; he still chose to be uncooperative."
"There's also another matter to consider in all of this," Crowley said. "Stilson may not have been aware of any of Morgarath's plans, but he should at least have been suspicious of him. For a Ranger to be that blind to what is going on around him is shocking and below what I expect of a Ranger." Pritchard nodded his agreement.
"You don't think you are being too harsh here?" Duncan asked. "Most people had no clue as to what Morgarath had in mind, even the Rangers."
"True," Crowley conceded. "But that doesn't mean we trusted him, just that we could not prove any foul play. Personally I've never liked Morgarath or trusted him; he is harsh and temperamental, and his soldiers are brutish and like terrorising the people of the fief. He did not show the markings of a good person."
"Crowley is right; I, too, have been suspicious of Morgarath since long before he got me kicked out of the country, but I couldn't prove any wrongdoing. Morgarath is far too skilled a manipulator to let himself be easily rooted out like that."
"You think Stilson should have been able to see through Morgarath and have acted differently?"
They both nodded. "Yes. He should. Instead he acted shocked at the news of his betrayal and even tried to deny it and defend Morgarath."
Duncan thought about it for a moment. He remembered how Stilson had acted when they had first arrived back at the castle and how he had seemed more concerned with getting rid of Pritchard than listening to the news they carried. He shook his head. "Do you think any Ranger should have been able to see through Morgarath and would have been able to?"
Again Crowley and Pritchard exchanged a glance. This time Pritchard spoke up. "Well, yes. I did. Nicholl wasn't fond of Morgarath and his influence either, and I know the same held true for other of the banned Rangers."
"And I know it holds true for those I gathered before the tournament, your highness. Even without having read the letters they all knew it all came back to Morgarath and none had trouble believing in his treachery. Even Halt figured he was a bad person after a single meeting with him."
That got Duncan's attention and he sat up a little straighter. He had been impressed with the young Ranger and quickly learned he was a very capable person. "So you're saying that all the Rangers were suspicious of Morgarath, except for Stilson?"
"It would seem that way, your highness," Crowley replied.
Duncan sighed again. "And what about his weapons training? Is he still training at the range every day?"
"Oh yes," Pritchard replied cheerfully. "He seems adamant to actually improve on his skills. A little late, if you ask me. He should have done that while he was a Ranger." Pritchard didn't feel any need to wrap things up nicely and showed no empathy for Stilson's situation. As far as he was concerned this was just a case of getting what he deserved. What goes around, comes around, as the saying went.
"What do you think he's planning?"
Crowley realised this was probably Duncan's real concern. Stilson had been at it for days, constantly shooting arrows at the range or throwing his knives with very little variation. If he planned something sinister it could be trouble for them. But Crowley was pretty sure there was something else at play. "I don't think he's planning to attack anyone, if that is your concern, your highness. I think he's simply trying to prove to not only himself, but the rest of us, that he is a Ranger and deserves to be one. I think he's trying to show he has what it takes to be the Ranger Commandant and get the position back."
Pritchard snorted. "Good luck with that. None of us would follow an idiot like him."
Duncan raised an eyebrow. So far the Rangers had been pretty civil and polite in the way they talked about the former Commandant, but he guessed Pritchard, having been sent away by Stilson, didn't feel the need to beat around the bush. And it was true, he mused. The Rangers, the real Rangers, had not been happy with Stilson and his lack of actual leadership. Stilson had pretty much just done whatever Morgarath had wanted, never questioning the sudden crime rate among Rangers or really tried to defend them. No, Stilson would not be accepted as the Commandant of the Rangers ever again.
"Surely he must realise he cannot be Commandant again?" Duncan said in a reasonable tone.
Crowley sighed. "Maybe he does. But at this point I think he's just holding on to hope and refusing to let it go. And with his refusal to follow orders I wouldn't even let him become a Ranger again; he would just try and undermine my authority and that is something we do not need." He shook his head. "No, we can try and calm him down before we let him go off, but he is finished as a Ranger. He has made sure of that."
Duncan nodded slowly. He wasn't fond of the idea of having a fully Ranger trained person running around the country with a grudge against the King's Rangers and the Ranger Commandant in particular, but at the same time he couldn't very well banish him from the country either, not without a crime committed.
He came to a decision. "We'll keep an eye on him for a day or two longer, but if nothing else turns up, then let him leave the castle. And if possible try to amend things between you; I don't want a Ranger trained person with a grudge against other Rangers."
Crowley and Pritchard both nodded. "We'll keep watch, no problem," Pritchard said.
"Do you have someone watching him now?"
Pritchard grinned. "Yep. Egon. He's probably not happy if he's been standing out in the rain for the past hours watching Stilson train."
Crowley quickly squashed his own grin as Duncan turned his gaze on him and raised an eyebrow. He seemed to say 'are all Rangers this gleeful about the misfortune of another Ranger?'
Crowley just made a minimal shrug, knowing full well that they generally really were that gleeful when it wasn't them standing out in the rain.
§
Egon suppressed a shiver. The rain had long since worked its way through his woollen cloak and everything was damp and cold. Sure it could have been worse, but after a couple hours of this a bone weary chill had settled in and he knew it would take forever getting dry and warm again once he got inside. The rain had even found its way into his boots and he wouldn't be too surprised if they squealed once he moved again. Right now he had no plans of moving though. Stilson was still at the range, now practising with his knives, ignoring the pouring rain. He has got to be drenched, too, Egon thought.
He had watched a lot of Stilson's training sessions and they tended to be very similar. At some point a few days earlier Stilson had found a pair of smaller throwing knives to add to his training regiment, but otherwise it was very predictable. As an old Ranger Egon was a little disappointed in how little variation there was in Stilson's training sessions. Sure, he had varied the distances at which he shot and he had added two more knives, but that was pretty much it. Only twice had he seen him take his horse out and ride it around, jumping over some small obstacles and the like, but he hadn't tried shooting while galloping, only at a complete standstill. And he was still too slow, as far as Egon was concerned. Of course, it didn't help that when he rode he did so with his bow on his back instead of in his left hand. It slowed him down when it came to shooting. No, Egon still thought Stilson was at apprentice level in his demonstrated skills, and he thought his training must have been lacking. Or maybe it was just Stilson who were lacking. At any rate he felt like shaking his head at him, but refrained, just to avoid sending more water down his back. So he watched and waited for him to be done for the day.
§
"How are you?" Crowley handed over a warm cup of coffee.
Egon took it gratefully. "Dry, but I can still feel the chill from standing still in the rain for so long. At least Stilson cut it short today. I guess he didn't like the rain much either."
A slight smile crossed Crowley's lips. Egon had volunteered for watching Stilson train most of the days, and he wasn't one to complain about it. Even so, no one liked being soaking wet. "Anything new?"
Egon shook his head, glad he could now do it without sending water down his back with the motion. Dry clothes were a wonderful thing. "Not really. His training sessions are very predictable. I'm actually disappointed in how little he varies them. And he has only taken his horse out twice to train on horseback."
Crowley nodded. He had gotten daily reports from both Egon and Berwick, and as the days had gone by he had realised Stilson wasn't going to do something as foolhardy as attacking any of them. He simply wanted to prove he was a Ranger, and Crowley was sure he would demand his silver oakleaf back.
"He wants his oakleaf back," Berwick said agreeing with Crowley's sentiment. For once Pritchard was shadowing Stilson and both Egon and Berwick were in the office.
Crowley nodded again. "Yes, that's what I'm thinking, too. Unfortunately, I don't think he'd be willing to actually follow me and my orders and that would create problems."
"I agree," Egon put in. "Stilson wants to be leader and he will not be happy to follow someone else. If you let him back in he will just try to undermine you."
Crowley smiled. That was exactly what he had told Prince Duncan earlier in the day and he was happy to hear the older Ranger agreed. It made him feel more sure in what he had told the Prince Regent. "And that's the real issue, isn't it? We now know he was not acting against the crown, at least not willfully, but he still refused to follow orders. I don't see a way to solve this and let him come back without it creating problems. Not with the Corps being what is currently is."
Egon and Berwick both nodded seriously. They were only too well aware that it would take a lot of time to rebuild the corps and having someone working against the Commandant and refusing to follow orders would simply put too much strain on everything. Even if he didn't directly refuse orders, but 'just' questioned them it would still create problems. No, they all knew Stilson had burned his bridges. Now they just needed to find out how to get Stilson to realise that without it resulting in another shouting match.
"Do any of you have any suggestions for how to tackle this? I'll have to talk with him again either tomorrow or the day after, and I'm thinking it would be better to get it over with."
Berwick sighed. "Not really, Crowley. Unless Stilson has calmed down over the last week he will probably react badly no matter what you do or say."
"You can try and be diplomatic, but Berwick is right; it will depend a lot on Stilson."
Crowley nodded. He had hoped the other two older and more experienced Rangers might have some good ideas for dealing with Stilson, but it seemed he was mostly on his own.
"One thing though," Berwick put in.
"Yes?"
"Try not to agitate him by taking anything else from him. I think he's rather fond of his knives." Berwick couldn't quite keep a straight face as he said it, and Crowley just raised an eyebrow at him. As Berwick's face split into a grin Crowley's quickly followed suit and soon they were all chuckling at the memory of Stilson's rage when Crowley was appointed Commandant, while Crowley also remembered his rage when he turned over his silver oakleaf. Yes, it would be a challenge to keep the meeting with Stilson from turning sour again.
§
"You sent for me?" Stilson's tone was cool, but otherwise fairly neutral.
At least that's a start, Crowley thought. He nodded. "I did. Please come in and sit down." Crowley made sure to keep his tone neutral and polite. He knew Stilson was unlikely to be friendly so it was up to him to prevent another round of angry words and veiled threats. He remembered Duncan's admonishment to mend things as far as possible with Stilson before turning him loose.
Stilson walked across the room and sat down in the chair opposite Crowley. For a moment they just looked at one another, trying to get a feel of the other person. They had both done a quiet assessment of each other in the last days, as they had been forced to admit to themselves that maybe the other person wasn't quite what they had thought.
"All right, I'll get straight to it; it has been determined that you were unaware of Morgarath's plans and were not part of his scheme to overthrow the King and take over the throne."
Stilson nodded curtly. "Of course not."
"Furthermore, you have thus been cleared of all suspicion and are now free to leave and go wherever you wish in the country. The guards at the gate have been informed of this. You may take another day to pack and get ready before you leave."
Stilson's eyes narrowed slightly, but then he composed his face into a neutral mask again. "Leave where to?" he asked.
"Wherever you want."
"And what about my silver oakleaf? I've been cleared of all suspicion and the King knows I did not have part in Morgarath's plans."
Crowley sighed inside. This is where it gets fun. "Your silver oakleaf? You have been cleared and can leave, but you have made it clear that you will not follow my orders and the Corps have no use for a Ranger that will not follow their Commandants orders." Stilson opened his mouth to speak, but Crowley continued. "In addition to that there's the fact that you were completely blindsided by Morgarath. You did not see through his lies or suspect him of any wrongdoing, when all other Rangers did." Crowley locked eyes with Stilson. "You let yourself be blinded, Stilson. And that is not a good trait in a Ranger. A Ranger must always keep his eyes and ears open and keep a certain distance to those in power. It is part of our job to keep watch of the Barons and their fiefs, and you failed to do that.
"So, no, I will not give you the silver oakleaf again. That, along with the Ranger's knives and cloak, stays here. Everything else you may keep and take with you."
For a long moment there was silence as the two men stared at each other. Crowley held Stilson's gaze without backing down and Stilson started to realise why he had been appointed Commandant; he had a strong will and could not be easily intimidated.
Finally Stilson spoke. "That is yours and the King's final decision, is it?"
Crowley nodded. "It is. And the Prince Regent has agreed with it. Sorry, Stilson, but you burned your bridges yourself, both by refusing to follow orders and by not living up to your role as a Ranger. That is something you can't simply undo and take back."
Stilson sat for a moment longer in silence. Then he abruptly stood up. "Then I guess there is nothing more for us to discuss." Crowley nodded. "If you really think you can run the Ranger Corps, then good luck with it," he said flatly.
"Good luck to you, too," Crowley said in a slightly more polite and heartfelt tone.
Stilson gave a single nod of acknowledgement before he turned on his heel and marched out of the office.
The moment the door closed after him Crowley let go of a pent up breath and sagged a little in his chair. It hadn't been pleasant, but it had gone about as well as possible and without any shouting or angry words. Of course, Stilson hadn't been happy with the final verdict. He had believed he could get his silver oakleaf back and being sacked as a Ranger was a hit to his dignity and sense of pride and importance. But hopefully Stilson wouldn't go rogue even though he now had to find another place for himself in society, one that did not include him being a King's Ranger. And after all these years, Crowley had no doubt it would be difficult for him. Maybe he'll leave the country all together, he thought. I probably would if it had been me in his boots.
He shook his head. He couldn't dwell too much on Stilson. He had already spent a lot of time on investigating him and talking about him and he had to completely reform the Ranger Corps. No, it was time to turn his attention to all the other things he had to do. With that thought Crowley picked up a pen and paper and started writing down notes for the future.
§
Stilson walked back to his quarters feeling numb. He had hoped he could get the silver oakleaf back, that showing he was serious about the training would be enough. He knew there wasn't enough Rangers around, not if Crowley had sacked everyone who had been appointed by Morgarath and him. But instead Crowley had made it clear there was no way he would be a King's Ranger ever again.
His shoulders slumped a little. Being a King's Ranger was his life. He had sought it since he was twelve and had managed to become a Ranger's Apprentice at fifteen. He had fought so hard to gain the approval of the others, but they had never seemed to respect him much and so he had found others who appreciated his skills, and he had eventually managed to gain the position of Ranger Commandant.
He hadn't been sorry to see the other Rangers go; as far as he was concerned Nicholl hadn't shown enough appreciation of him as a Ranger and Pritchard and others like him had almost sneered at him at the Gatherings when they held their little contests in the different Ranger skills. So he had not had a problem with talking their oakleaves and putting less skilled people in their places. At least those people appreciated his skills and admired them.
Of course, that had now come back to bite him; he realised he had alienated the other Rangers by standing by Morgarath and not doing more to defend them. In fact he remembered how he had scolded Crowley not too long ago, and Crowley had paid him back in the same coin.
He pushed open the door to his quarters and went straight to a chair he could slump down in.
No, he realised he really had no one to blame but himself. And maybe his old mentor for agreeing to train him in the first place, causing him to end up in this mess. Even so he was still somewhat angry at Crowley and the others. Crowley had simply taken his silver oakleaf, his Ranger's cloak and knives, his horse...
Stilson sat up a little straighter as something occurred to him. He moved his mouth slightly as he tried to recall Crowley's exact words at their recent meeting. 'I will not give you the silver oakleaf again. That and the Ranger's cloak and knives stay here. Everything else you may take with you.' He was pretty sure this was what he had said or at least something close to it. Crowley had mentioned the oakleaf, the cloak, and the knives, but not the horse. So that meant he could take his horse with him.
His heart beat a little faster with this realisation. The Ranger horses were specially trained and bred and not something a regular person was allowed to have. So that must mean that Crowley did know he really was a Ranger no matter what he said.
"Everything else..." he mumbled. Then that is just what I'll do. I'll pack my things and take my horse and leave this place behind.
With that in mind he rose and started going through all the things he had collected over the years to select what to keep.
§
The next day three Rangers watched as Stilson prepared his Ranger's horse for leaving just after breakfast. A fourth watched from his office as he rode out of the castle and left it behind, wondering what would become of him and whether he would ever find out.
The thought was mirrored by Berwick sitting in a tree in the outer courtyard. He had heard about the final conversation between the former and current Ranger Commandant, and he hoped the former would not hold a grudge against the latter. Only time will tell, he thought. He kept watch of the castle gate and everything around him for some time, before he headed back into the castle, following in the silent footsteps of the other two Rangers.
§
"So, what do you have in mind?" Pritchard rubbed his hands together in an excited way.
Crowley suppressed a smile and raised an eyebrow instead. "You expect me to do all the work?"
"Yes," came the instant reply. "You're the Commandant."
Crowley couldn't help a grin. "That's right, I am. And as such, I'm telling you that it time to stop sitting around twiddling your thumbs."
It was Egon's turn to raise an eyebrow at this. "Twiddling our thumbs?" He looked at the other two. "I'm pretty sure I haven't been twiddling my thumbs for the past week and more."
"Neither have I," Berwick supplied. "Some of us didn't get the luxury of sleeping in a nice, warm bed all night, unlike certain other people."
Crowley grinned at them. It felt good to be back to their normal banter, which had largely been absent while they had been concerned with Stilson. "At least you didn't have to sort through the mess in there."
Pritchard groaned. "True. I'd have taken standing in the hallways and out in the rain keeping watch any day over sorting through this mess." He made a vague hand gesture around the room.
Berwick looked at him. "Was it that bad?"
Pritchard nodded. "It was," he said with some feeling, though his eyes had a teasing glint to them.
Berwick looked thoughtful. "Remind me to say no if I'm ever asked to be the Commandant."
Crowley laughed. "Don't worry; there's little risk of that happening any time soon." Then he grew a bit more serious. "But I did mean it; we have work to do. Now that we are done dealing with Stilson, you three need to get back out there and help the others track down Morgarath's supporters, keep watch of Morgarath himself, and generally do the job of a Ranger. The barons got a lot of power and free rein under Morgarath's influence on the King and Ranger Corps; the non-tested Rangers have largely collaborated with the barons and done whatever they wanted them to in return for wealth and power in their fiefs. That needs to end. And of course, there is the matter of stamping out the rumours about Prince Duncan and making sure the people know the truth about Morgarath. The Rangers are still respected and our words hold a lot of power, so most people will believe it when we tell them the truth."
The others nodded, all mirth forgotten.
"Didn't you already sent out Halt, Leander, Berrigan and Jurgen to fight the rumours about Prince Duncan and spread the word of Morgarath's treachery?" Berwick asked.
Crowley nodded. "Yes, but all Rangers will need to do this to spread it to all of the country. Those were just sent to the northern fiefs where Tiller and his men raided."
"Any particular place you want us to start?" Egon asked.
"Go back to your home fiefs. Spread the truth along the way, and then work in the fiefs you came from along with those in the vicinity. We are too few Rangers to keep to just one fief now and will be for some time." He looked at Egon. "I hope you won't mind the extra riding and sleeping rough."
Egon smiled at him. "I'll manage though I was getting used to the nice bed here."
"No concern for me sleeping rough and having to ride a lot?" Pritchard said, pretending to be hurt by Crowley's lack of concern for his welfare.
Crowley shrugged. "Not really. I remember what it was like being your apprentice."
That caused the other two to laugh. Berwick slapped him on the shoulder. "You set yourself up for that one, Pritchard."
"Yes I did," he said a bit ruefully.
"I can't wait to kick out that fool, who thinks himself a Ranger," Egon said. "I trust we will get a document to do just that?" Berwick voiced his agreement with that sentiment.
Crowley nodded. "I've already prepared them for you and Berwick. I've also prepared letters for the non-Rangers in case they want to contest it."
Berwick raised an eyebrow. "You would let them stay?"
Crowley shook his head. "No, I simply don't want them hanging around and interfering with your work. The letter merely say that they can show up here at a certain date if they wish to contest the right to be a Ranger. It's all part of having this year's Gathering at Castle Araluen."
The others nodded their understanding. It made sense to give them a date in the near future to voice their complaints, because it meant time to stabilise things in the short run, and right now that was what they needed the most.
"What about me?" Pritchard asked. "It's been years since I had to leave."
"You get to be our wild card; we'll need someone going across the fiefs and the country, and you're it. You have plenty of experience and know how to handle any situation that may arise. I'd like you to check up on things at Gorlan Fief and Castle. Don't take the direct route to the castle, but check out how things are around the fief and see if you can find more evidence of Morgarath's betrayal and treachery. Find out if there's any weak points in his defences, too. I trust Baron Arald know what he's doing, but it never hurts to have another pair of eyes on it."
Pritchard nodded. He understood his mission perfectly well and looked forward to getting back at Morgarath. The man had much to answer for.
Crowley handed out the documents and letters they would each need and looked around at them. "Any other questions?"
They all shook their heads. They had their missions and looked forward to carrying them out.
"Very well, then get to it. We'll see each other again at the Gathering next month."
They stood up and said their goodbyes before making their way back to their temporary quarters. However much they had joked about the soft beds and warm rooms here at the castle, they all longed for the forest and the simple log cabin that was a Ranger's home, because that was where they felt truly at home.
An hour later Crowley stood looking out off his office window as the three Rangers rode off and left the castle behind, feeling a little lonely all of a sudden. He kept watch until they disappeared between the trees. Well, at least I'll see them again soon. He didn't know that one of them would not be returning to Araluen again or he would have spend longer saying goodbye.
With a sigh he went back to his desk, picked up a sheet of notes, and made his way toward the Regent's office for his daily meeting with Prince Duncan. This was his life now and he had better get used to it.
AN: This marks the end of this story, but I do not feel done with the Yearly Years timeline, so I expect to write more in it. I hope you have enjoyed the story. Please leave a review. Thanks for reading. :)