A/N: Hey peeps! Sorry this took so long. Merry Christmas!

Before we get going, lemme clarify something about the timeline, in case anyone was confused. 5 years after Will's wedding, 2 years after Ceana came from Scottia, is when Halt disappeared. Now it has been 1 year since his disappearance, and 3 since Ceana immigrated. Meanwhile Arratez has been coming to the Juggling Knave on and off for an indefinite amount of time, almost for as long as Aunt Muriel can remember. Also, I've been forgetting to do a disclaimer.

Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever, own Ranger's Apprentice, or any of it's Characters. I do, however, own my OC's. Ceana, her relatives, her antagonists, and Chowder, plus those in future chapters. And the plot. I own the plot. And I own a really nice pen, but it broke. We're getting off-topic, ON WITH THE WRITING!

2

THE NEXT MORNING WAS A THURSDAY. As Thursdays were Ceana's day off (excepting holidays, and extra busy days), she was outside in the crisp early Autumn air by 7 o'clock, having started the fires in the common room and the kitchen, and rousing the twins, the stable boy, and the maid. The air had a snap in it, making her cheeks and nose ruddy. She smiled as she slipped into the stable. She went straight to Chowder's stall. Chowder was an old sergeant's stallion, long past his fighting days. He had been bought by Aunt Muriel several years before, still in good condition for work. But now he was 15 years old, quite the respectable age for a horse, and too old and tired to work. Ceana had taken it upon herself to care for him, so that her Aunt would have no inclination to put him down, for she loved the old horse. Occasionally, the twins would come in, and Ceana would give them lessons in riding and in caring for the horse. They were quite able at this work and already knew just about everything that there was to know of basic horse care. But today it was just Ceana. She slowly opened the door, and smiled as she looked at the horse. His once full-chestnut coat was now flecked with grey, his muzzle looking more like grey flecked with brown.

"Good morning, Chowder." she said quietly. The horse nickered, putting his nose to Ceana's hand for a petting. She grinned, and patted him, then picked up a currycomb and began to groom him. His liquid brown eyes blinked, as he flicked away a fly.

It's a bit late in the year for flies, Ceana thought, This one must have hatched late, and come to the stables for warmth and food. Then she dismissed it. Flies were of no importance. She stroked Chowder's fur with the comb, carefully following the nap of the fur. Brush, brush, brush. She began to whistle under her breath. Suddenly, she stopped. On the edge of hearing, there was a sound, other than the mice in the rafters and the various sounds of the horses. A slight rustle outside the stable door. Then the rattle of the latch, and the creak of the hinges.

"Ceana?" a voice called. It was James.

"I'm in with Chowder!" she called. A few seconds later James' head peeked around the door. Ceana gestured for him to come in. James and Jenna were very close with their cousin, and often came to Ceana to talk. Looking at James' face, she saw he was troubled.

"What's the matter, lad?" she asked.

"I have a question." the boy asked. Ceana gestured for him to proceed.

"Mrs. Goffen's cat had it's kittens yesterday."

"That's not a question." Ceana said amusedly. James frowned.

"I'm not done, and you know it!"

"Alright, alright, go on."

"Well, Jenna's been pretty sad since Snigs died, so I was wondering if maybe I should save her a kitten for our birthday?" he stopped and looked up at Ceana expectantly. Ceana grinned.

"I think that's a wonderful idea, go ask your mother."

"Alright, thanks Ceana!" James called over his shoulder.

Ceana resisted the urge to laugh, and finished brushing Chowder. She fed him, and then saddled and bridled him.

"Come on, lad!" she said, leading him out of the stall by his halter. She swung herself up into the sidesaddle, and trotted into the yard, then out onto the main street. There were few people on the street at 7, but she could see and hear them getting up and going about their work. There was the smell of baking bread from the baker's down the road, and the sound of the boy at the bellows in the Blacksmith shop she was passing now. From somewhere to her left she heard an exasperated mother rousing a child. She grinned and urged Chowder forward.

As she reached the edge of town, Ceana broke into a gallop. Off into the meadow the old horse flew. He was not half as fast as he had been in his battle days, but he was fast enough that Ceana could feel the wind whipping past her face. She grinned and leaned low over Chowder's neck. They galloped all over the meadow for an hour. Finally, Chowder got tired, and they began to head back towards the village. Ceana sniffed the air. Damp leaves, and the distant smell of burning ones, pervaded the air. She wasn't sure why, but Ceana had a bright feeling that today would be an uncommonly good one. She began whistling as she clopped in the village gate. Reaching the inn, she hopped off and led Chowder inside the stable. As she led him to his stall, Ceana glanced at the stall next door, and saw that the old hunter's horse was gone.

Typical, she thought. He was usually gone after a day or two. She dismissed it from her mind, and set about unsaddling Chowder. When she had finished, she went outside in the yard. She then stopped, facing a dilemma.

Finish the arrow, or go practice with only eleven arrows? she wondered. She pondered the choice. The forest called her. She could smell the pine from the inn yard.

"I'll take it with me." she finally decided. She retrieved her knapsack from her room, and put the fletching supplies in. After slinging her quiver and bow over her back, she ran out the gate, shutting it behind her. She dashed along the nearly empty main road. In a ten minutes she had left the town behind her, and was climbing her tree. Ceana's tree was a huge oak tree about a half mile down the road from the town, in the direction of Wensley village. It was nearly impossible to climb, save one way. Ceana was now up in the branches that overhung the road. She could see miles down the road, past where it left the hillside and went onto the open plain. She leaned herself against a fork, and hung her knapsack, and her quiver on a protruding branch stub. Her bow went over two pegs she had driven into the tree the first time she ascended. Then she pulled her knife and the half-made arrow from the bag, and set to work. Ribbons of wood shavings fell to the road below her. Once, a farmer drove his wagon out from the town, and along the road right under her. He did not notice her, being too busy with the road ahead.

Typical, Ceana thought, People never look up. She went back to work. After about an hour, she glanced up, and saw far away down the road the small dot of a horse and rider. She shrugged and looked down at her arrow. The shaft was nearly finished, and all that was left was the smoothing. Ceana pulled a piece of pumice from her bag and began. About 15 minutes later she looked up again, to see if she could find the horse and rider again, and saw that they would be upon her in only 5 minutes. Ceana slowly and carefully stood up, and leaned against the trunk of the old oak, so as to be less visible. No sense in letting the stranger see her. She stood and waited, watching the shape. Soon enough she could see the figure clearly. It was one of the Rangers.

Ranger's were odd folk, and the Araluen-born steered clear of them. It was whispered that they did dark magic. Ceana wasn't sure what to believe. She watched this man now, as he and his small grey horse approached. There was a longbow of huge proportions lying across his saddlebow. As she looked, the horse tossed its head, and he leaned down next to its ear. Then he rode on. Ceana waited for him to pass under her tree. To her utter surprise, he stopped and looked straight up at her.

"What are you doing up there, girl?" he called. Ceana saw no reason to lie. Rangers were lawmen, if she understood correctly.

"I'm fixing my arrow." she held up the shaft.

"In a tree?"

"You can see everything in a tree. It's a defensible position, and I can shoot a squirrel or two from here. And the village children won't find me if I'm in a tree, even if I'm in plain sight." she said, "It's funny, really, how seldom people look up." She didn't understand the look that flashed across the man's eyes. Surprise? Recognition? She shrugged it off. Sticking her supplies in her bag, and slinging the knapsack and quiver over her shoulder, she swung down from the tree.

"Are you staying in Milton?" she asked.

"Yes." he answered shortly "I've got some business there."

"You'll be staying at the inn then."

"Of course."

"I'll run ahead and tell Aunt then." she said, and without another word she turned and ran down the road. It would be a hard run to keep ahead of a horse, she knew, and Aunt Muriel was always pleased when she knew about guests ahead of time. She did not see the Ranger, horse still stopped, looking at her.

"Odd girl, that one, don't you think, Tug?" he said, when she was out of earshot. The horse whinnied.

Not much odder than you were.

"True." he conceded. He sat thinking for a second.

"She looked to know what she was doing with that bow. I wonder if she can shoot anything bigger than a squirrel with it." he tapped Tug on the side and the horse began trotting again.

"I'll be keeping an eye on her." Tug looked back at him and whinnied exasperatedly, saying something about Will's ability to mentor anyone. Will pretended to take no notice.

Ceana swung into the stable and clambered up the ladder into the hayloft to put away her bow. She slid down and ran out the stable door again, swinging it closed behind her.

"Aunt Muriel!" she called as she ran in the door.

"Kitchen!"

"There's a Ranger coming down the road, and he's staying tonight." Ceana said as she came in the kitchen door.

"A Ranger?"

"Yes, he'll be here in a wee bit."

"How long?"

"A few minutes, five maybe."

"I've just sent Rembrandt home," Rembrandt was the stable boy "It's his little brother's birthday. Jenna and James are off running errands. Can you take his horse when he gets here?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"I think I'll be able to manage after that, and you can go have your day off." Aunt Muriel sighed. "We've just had a company of miners in, they'll be staying the night, too. " Ceana looked at her Aunt. She thought for a minute, then smiled. She could make up for lost time later.

"I think I'll stay in and help until things quiet down this evening." she said.

"Oh would you? You're a dear, lass!"

"It's fine, really. I'm going to run upstairs and put away my knapsack before the Ranger gets here. "

"Alright. Thank you, dear." Ceana smiled at her Aunt, then darted out the door.

She was back in the stable yard in 1 minute, and set about cleaning the stall that Arratez's horse had used the night before. There wasn't much to do, as Rembrandt had done most of it already. Ceana stocked the feed, and then came outside, just as the Ranger was closing the gate behind him.

"I'll take your horse, sir?" she asked.

"No, thank you, I like to see to my own horse."

"Right then, I'll be back to my work." she said. She turned and went back into the inn. After she had washed up a little, Ceana went out and served tables for the next few hours. Finally, Aunt Muriel beckoned.

"We've got a space to breathe." she said "Go out and have a break." Ceana did not argue. A few minutes later she had climbed up again into the sweet smelling hay, and made herself a little nest. Then she began working on her arrow again.

A/N: Hi, I'm sorry for the somewhat abrupt ending. Also, I apologise profusely that this took me a month. Please forgive me. On the bright side, Christmas break. Here's my present to all you wonderful people! R&R