Post by yosefu on Aug 29, 2019 0:23:09 GMT -5
Hello! This is my entry for the competition, but it actually comes from an AU (Alternate Universe) fanfic idea I had. How does this change the story? The characters from the original books don't exist in this universe, and the way certain things work might be different. Other than that, the concept and the worldbuilding is the same.
_________________
"Clyde?" a familiar voice ringed in the young boy's head.
"Clyde? Come on, get up, will you?" As he slowly opened his eyes and rose up from the clutches of his comfy bed, he recognized the voice as his mentor Bryce's voice. After the last trace of sleepiness vanished from his pale, freckled face, he got out of his small room and into the living room filled with the fresh sunshine flowing from the windows. The flower pots lined up behind the curtains were usually empty, but today, there were several white lilies inside each pot.
"Here you are. It isn't like you to be late like this, you know." said the tall, shaggy bearded Ranger allusively. Despite not saying anything about it, he knew his excited apprentice had stayed up late practicing his archery skills. After all, today was the big day, the very first Ranger Gathering Clyde was so excited about. Struggling to pull the string of his recurve bow at first, he had come a long way in archery, knife throwing and many skills a Ranger needs to have.
Clyde removed his curly ginger hair from the front of his eyes, and looked at the table with two empty seats in front of the windows.
"Well, your training in the Gathering might have not started yet, but in my eyes, the trial starts now!" said Bryce with a grin, looking at the empty plates on the table, waiting to be filled.
How exactly is this different than any other day? said the silent glare in the apprentice's eyes. Clyde was never a person up for much conversation, something Bryce never truly understood. In fact, the only time he can recall Clyde's voice was when he was about to receive his Ranger horse, uttering the password with stutters and shy looks.
The young apprentice, as if he had instantly turned into an aspiring chef, started chopping the ingredients he had picked from the forest just the other day. Clyde was, for some reason, also great at foraging and making medicine. Just another mystery in the pile, thought Bryce, when he first saw the boy's interesting skillset. Sometimes, it felt really unusual, to communicate with his apprentice like he would with his horse. As Bryce approvingly watched his apprentice's cooking, his mind had went into the questions within. A mentor being curious about the apprentice, instead of the opposite, was another unusual thing that he noticed just then.
Clyde had finally finished his mushroom sauté, putting the small pot onto the table, with two cups of coffee. As they ate their food in silence, there was a big, loud storm running inside their heads. After donning his Ranger clothes and his cloak on, Bryce put his long hair up into a ponytail. There were a few strands of hair covering parts of his forehead, but as long as they didn't obstruct his view, he was fine with it. Just as he was about to call Clyde, the young boy, with his bag packed up with herbs, mushrooms and tonics, ran as fast as he could towards the barn. Bryce understood this little game of his apprentice, and they raced all the way to the barn.
"Sorry Clyde, this old man hasn't quit yet!" said Bryce in glee, having won the race. Clyde smiled and shot a determined look at his mentor. He was ready to take on the Gathering... or so he wanted to think. To tell the truth, he was stiil unsure about his newly budding talents, and no amount of encouragement from his mentor could suppress his worries. After all, this would be the first time he was going to be tested by a Ranger other than his mentor, and to this date, Clyde always found the strength to keep trying from a patient and supportive Bryce.
Before he could think about it too much, Bryce had already got onto his horse.
"Come on now! You might have lost the race, but if you take this long when I got Feder by my side, you'll get left behind!" he started to ride through the path that leads to the gates. Clyde knew Bryce would never leave him behind, but he didn't wait much longer to ride on Gale, his horse and perhaps one of his closest friends. Greenfield, the Fief Bryce was appointed to, was truly a large green field lightly covered by cobblestone roads with small but sturdy houses made from fresh oak around them, and a river that flowed quite slowly, with a short wooden bridge on it. Bryce's hut was just across the river, slightly into the woods, and on the other side of the river, was the lively town square, where the two rangers suddenly appeared, heading towards the gate.
"The gathering point is not too far away, but it still would take around a day or so. I hope you are ready for camping." said Bryce, answering Clyde's questioning eyes. The silent apprentice was still worried, but he did not want to show weakness to his mentor and disappoint him. But as a seasoned Ranger, Bryce easily understood how he felt.
"Thinking about how you may fail and disappoint everybody?" Asked Bryce in his usual cheery voice. Clyde was taken by surprise and his face became a light tint of pink from the embarassment.
How do you know? Read Bryce from the astonished look of his apprentice's face.
"Of course I know. I am your mentor, and also a Ranger. Don't you think I have felt like this in your ages as well?" said Bryce. Clyde turned his face to his front and found himself agreeing with him.
I don't know about you, but I am ready to try myself already. Exclaimed Gale, earning himself a glare from Clyde. But deep inside, a piece of hope landed on his heart, fluttering like a butterfly, just like the ones he felt inside his stomach.
The further away they got from the Fief, the closer they got to the deep forest with tall trees, offering their soothing shadows to the tired and hungry Rangers. As the sun started to set, painting the skies in its orange color, Bryce decided that it would be best to get a rest. As their destination was pretty close, they ate their dried fruit and jerkies instead of hunting. Camping this close to the gathering was not preferred by most Rangers, because full-fledged Rangers loved to get a chance of taking their old mentors by surprise. Rangers like Bryce, were safe from such ambushes, having their one apprentice under their watch. The moon rose up slowly, and Bryce soon fell asleep, but Clyde was definitely not that relaxed, and gave himself to the sounds of the forest and the voices in his head.
_________________
Next morning came up before Clyde could get a hint of sleep. After getting ready, it was only a few hours on horseback to the gathering, which went lightning fast, as if to spite him. As Clyde looked around him, he realized that this would also be the first time he met other Rangers, excluding Bryce. He had always wondered about other apprentices and how well they take their training. Am I the only one that is nervous? He thought to himself, but quickly remembered Bryce's words and took his first step inside the hidden campsite for the gathering.
"Oh, you finally arrived. Were you planning to join in the next year's Gathering?" a sassy voice directed to Bryce hit Clyde's ears, but he couldn't see anyone until the stranger threw his cloak off to reveal a thin, slightly short guy. His scruffy brown hair was contrasting the bright blue eyes, making his judgemental stare even more effective.
"Nice to see you too, Merlin. How are you doing?" answered Bryce, greeting the Ranger like an old friend. Clyde instantly felt like he was not a part of the conversation, but the only audience to their bickering.
"I was just about to watch over some newbies' archery training. Good thing you showed up, if it is waiting for a bunch of brats to hit a bullseye or talking to you, the latter is definitely less boring." Merlin crossed his arms, acting exaggeratedly bored.
"Don't be that harsh, Merlin. I remember your apprentice days, complaining just as much as you do right now." replied Bryce.
"Again with that seniority nonsense? Shouldn't you stand for equality, you big oaf? Seven years is not that much of a difference, at least, your skill with a bow tells me so." Merlin harshly countered, but before they could resume their friendly and sincere argument, several Rangers caught up to Merlin, asking him to resume his duty, and welcomed Bryce and Clyde. Feeling flustered, Clyde couldn't do more than nodding.
"I guess I should be back before they catch me again. See you later, Bry." said Merlin, but just as he was about to leave, his eyes locked onto Clyde.
"Oh, you have an apprentice already? You must love tormenting yourself. Who is this young man?" he added with a curious tone.
"I'm glad you noticed him. Look at you, talking about equality just a second ago. This is Clyde. Clyde, this is Merlin." Oh, really? I haven't heard. Clyde stared at Bryce, annoyed.
"He can speak for himself, can't he?" said Merlin.
"Well..." Bryce explained Clyde's peculiar trait to Merlin, who couldn't believe his ears for a second.
"A Ranger that can't speak? Well, it isn't like a good saxe knife isn't a better conversationalist than any of us, so I think this will be pretty... interesting." He said with a creepy tone.
"I should be going, busy hours are approaching for both of us, Merlin." said Bryce, and he ended their conversation there. "Clyde, try to get comfortable around, meet new people, do all of your training. I will be back soon, okay?" He turned to Clyde and said with a soft voice. Clyde understood that his mentor wanted the best for him, and decided to put aside his worries and started exploring the campsite, until the training session started.
"Okay, mute guy. Your turn." Merlin said with the most unenthusiastic voice he could speak with. Clyde swallowed, as if there was a big lump in his throat. Then he got his gauntlets on his hands and grabbed his bow.
There were 5 sacks of sand, each tied to one of the randomly scattered poles. The goal was to pierce through all targets in quick succession. Clyde put an arrow on his bow, pulled the string, and...
"That's a miss." the arrow barely missed the farthest sack and went flying into the woods. Even more anxious than before, Clyde tried to make up for his loss in accuracy by shooting faster, and shot continously.
"That one, this too. Missed." Merlin was getting visibly bothered, and as the distressed apprentice reached over to his quiver, he came up to Clyde and stopped him.
"Don't give into your emotions that much." said Merlin, and handed Clyde the missed arrows. "Try again, but this time, take a deep breath and actually take aim instead of trying to please me." having been read like a book, Clyde had nothing to do but do as he was told. After a deep breath and more stable aiming, he managed to shoot all of the sacks in a row.
"Don't forget, one slow shot that actually hits is always better than five fast shots that miss. Try to build your accuracy before you worry about the speed." For a moment, the sassy, rude Merlin was gone, and the person who stood in his place was a stern, but caring teacher. At that moment, Clyde thought that he understood both archery and Merlin a little better.
The rest of the training sessions went like a breeze for Clyde, whose worries disappeared to thin air. After a particularly great practical medicine exam he passed with flying colors, He cheerfully went back to Bryce, who had his duties finished for the day. Looking at the beautiful, pure moon hovering in the sky, Clyde truly felt at peace, at home.
"You look happy, so I won't ask you how the training went." said Bryce. "But the fact that I've heard about every single one of them might be a reason too." he smiled, looking at Clyde. "I told you that it was normal to feel like that, because everyone does. Nobody came here as an expert." Clyde turned to Bryce and gave him the biggest smile he had given in a few years. "So, keep going and train everyday, look for a way to spend each of your days to the fullest, Clyde," He went on. "Because, to become a true Ranger, you have to seize everyday. And look at you! You already conquered this one. I'm proud of you." He patted Clyde on the head.
"Thank you." said Clyde, in a small, whisper like tone, but that tone was more than a loud scream for Bryce.
Sitting under the moonlight, Bryce once again realized how nice it felt to be a mentor, and Clyde realized how nice it felt to be an apprentice, side by side.
"So, ready to seize tomorrow?"
There is a tomorrow too!?
_________________
"Clyde?" a familiar voice ringed in the young boy's head.
"Clyde? Come on, get up, will you?" As he slowly opened his eyes and rose up from the clutches of his comfy bed, he recognized the voice as his mentor Bryce's voice. After the last trace of sleepiness vanished from his pale, freckled face, he got out of his small room and into the living room filled with the fresh sunshine flowing from the windows. The flower pots lined up behind the curtains were usually empty, but today, there were several white lilies inside each pot.
"Here you are. It isn't like you to be late like this, you know." said the tall, shaggy bearded Ranger allusively. Despite not saying anything about it, he knew his excited apprentice had stayed up late practicing his archery skills. After all, today was the big day, the very first Ranger Gathering Clyde was so excited about. Struggling to pull the string of his recurve bow at first, he had come a long way in archery, knife throwing and many skills a Ranger needs to have.
Clyde removed his curly ginger hair from the front of his eyes, and looked at the table with two empty seats in front of the windows.
"Well, your training in the Gathering might have not started yet, but in my eyes, the trial starts now!" said Bryce with a grin, looking at the empty plates on the table, waiting to be filled.
How exactly is this different than any other day? said the silent glare in the apprentice's eyes. Clyde was never a person up for much conversation, something Bryce never truly understood. In fact, the only time he can recall Clyde's voice was when he was about to receive his Ranger horse, uttering the password with stutters and shy looks.
The young apprentice, as if he had instantly turned into an aspiring chef, started chopping the ingredients he had picked from the forest just the other day. Clyde was, for some reason, also great at foraging and making medicine. Just another mystery in the pile, thought Bryce, when he first saw the boy's interesting skillset. Sometimes, it felt really unusual, to communicate with his apprentice like he would with his horse. As Bryce approvingly watched his apprentice's cooking, his mind had went into the questions within. A mentor being curious about the apprentice, instead of the opposite, was another unusual thing that he noticed just then.
Clyde had finally finished his mushroom sauté, putting the small pot onto the table, with two cups of coffee. As they ate their food in silence, there was a big, loud storm running inside their heads. After donning his Ranger clothes and his cloak on, Bryce put his long hair up into a ponytail. There were a few strands of hair covering parts of his forehead, but as long as they didn't obstruct his view, he was fine with it. Just as he was about to call Clyde, the young boy, with his bag packed up with herbs, mushrooms and tonics, ran as fast as he could towards the barn. Bryce understood this little game of his apprentice, and they raced all the way to the barn.
"Sorry Clyde, this old man hasn't quit yet!" said Bryce in glee, having won the race. Clyde smiled and shot a determined look at his mentor. He was ready to take on the Gathering... or so he wanted to think. To tell the truth, he was stiil unsure about his newly budding talents, and no amount of encouragement from his mentor could suppress his worries. After all, this would be the first time he was going to be tested by a Ranger other than his mentor, and to this date, Clyde always found the strength to keep trying from a patient and supportive Bryce.
Before he could think about it too much, Bryce had already got onto his horse.
"Come on now! You might have lost the race, but if you take this long when I got Feder by my side, you'll get left behind!" he started to ride through the path that leads to the gates. Clyde knew Bryce would never leave him behind, but he didn't wait much longer to ride on Gale, his horse and perhaps one of his closest friends. Greenfield, the Fief Bryce was appointed to, was truly a large green field lightly covered by cobblestone roads with small but sturdy houses made from fresh oak around them, and a river that flowed quite slowly, with a short wooden bridge on it. Bryce's hut was just across the river, slightly into the woods, and on the other side of the river, was the lively town square, where the two rangers suddenly appeared, heading towards the gate.
"The gathering point is not too far away, but it still would take around a day or so. I hope you are ready for camping." said Bryce, answering Clyde's questioning eyes. The silent apprentice was still worried, but he did not want to show weakness to his mentor and disappoint him. But as a seasoned Ranger, Bryce easily understood how he felt.
"Thinking about how you may fail and disappoint everybody?" Asked Bryce in his usual cheery voice. Clyde was taken by surprise and his face became a light tint of pink from the embarassment.
How do you know? Read Bryce from the astonished look of his apprentice's face.
"Of course I know. I am your mentor, and also a Ranger. Don't you think I have felt like this in your ages as well?" said Bryce. Clyde turned his face to his front and found himself agreeing with him.
I don't know about you, but I am ready to try myself already. Exclaimed Gale, earning himself a glare from Clyde. But deep inside, a piece of hope landed on his heart, fluttering like a butterfly, just like the ones he felt inside his stomach.
The further away they got from the Fief, the closer they got to the deep forest with tall trees, offering their soothing shadows to the tired and hungry Rangers. As the sun started to set, painting the skies in its orange color, Bryce decided that it would be best to get a rest. As their destination was pretty close, they ate their dried fruit and jerkies instead of hunting. Camping this close to the gathering was not preferred by most Rangers, because full-fledged Rangers loved to get a chance of taking their old mentors by surprise. Rangers like Bryce, were safe from such ambushes, having their one apprentice under their watch. The moon rose up slowly, and Bryce soon fell asleep, but Clyde was definitely not that relaxed, and gave himself to the sounds of the forest and the voices in his head.
_________________
Next morning came up before Clyde could get a hint of sleep. After getting ready, it was only a few hours on horseback to the gathering, which went lightning fast, as if to spite him. As Clyde looked around him, he realized that this would also be the first time he met other Rangers, excluding Bryce. He had always wondered about other apprentices and how well they take their training. Am I the only one that is nervous? He thought to himself, but quickly remembered Bryce's words and took his first step inside the hidden campsite for the gathering.
"Oh, you finally arrived. Were you planning to join in the next year's Gathering?" a sassy voice directed to Bryce hit Clyde's ears, but he couldn't see anyone until the stranger threw his cloak off to reveal a thin, slightly short guy. His scruffy brown hair was contrasting the bright blue eyes, making his judgemental stare even more effective.
"Nice to see you too, Merlin. How are you doing?" answered Bryce, greeting the Ranger like an old friend. Clyde instantly felt like he was not a part of the conversation, but the only audience to their bickering.
"I was just about to watch over some newbies' archery training. Good thing you showed up, if it is waiting for a bunch of brats to hit a bullseye or talking to you, the latter is definitely less boring." Merlin crossed his arms, acting exaggeratedly bored.
"Don't be that harsh, Merlin. I remember your apprentice days, complaining just as much as you do right now." replied Bryce.
"Again with that seniority nonsense? Shouldn't you stand for equality, you big oaf? Seven years is not that much of a difference, at least, your skill with a bow tells me so." Merlin harshly countered, but before they could resume their friendly and sincere argument, several Rangers caught up to Merlin, asking him to resume his duty, and welcomed Bryce and Clyde. Feeling flustered, Clyde couldn't do more than nodding.
"I guess I should be back before they catch me again. See you later, Bry." said Merlin, but just as he was about to leave, his eyes locked onto Clyde.
"Oh, you have an apprentice already? You must love tormenting yourself. Who is this young man?" he added with a curious tone.
"I'm glad you noticed him. Look at you, talking about equality just a second ago. This is Clyde. Clyde, this is Merlin." Oh, really? I haven't heard. Clyde stared at Bryce, annoyed.
"He can speak for himself, can't he?" said Merlin.
"Well..." Bryce explained Clyde's peculiar trait to Merlin, who couldn't believe his ears for a second.
"A Ranger that can't speak? Well, it isn't like a good saxe knife isn't a better conversationalist than any of us, so I think this will be pretty... interesting." He said with a creepy tone.
"I should be going, busy hours are approaching for both of us, Merlin." said Bryce, and he ended their conversation there. "Clyde, try to get comfortable around, meet new people, do all of your training. I will be back soon, okay?" He turned to Clyde and said with a soft voice. Clyde understood that his mentor wanted the best for him, and decided to put aside his worries and started exploring the campsite, until the training session started.
"Okay, mute guy. Your turn." Merlin said with the most unenthusiastic voice he could speak with. Clyde swallowed, as if there was a big lump in his throat. Then he got his gauntlets on his hands and grabbed his bow.
There were 5 sacks of sand, each tied to one of the randomly scattered poles. The goal was to pierce through all targets in quick succession. Clyde put an arrow on his bow, pulled the string, and...
"That's a miss." the arrow barely missed the farthest sack and went flying into the woods. Even more anxious than before, Clyde tried to make up for his loss in accuracy by shooting faster, and shot continously.
"That one, this too. Missed." Merlin was getting visibly bothered, and as the distressed apprentice reached over to his quiver, he came up to Clyde and stopped him.
"Don't give into your emotions that much." said Merlin, and handed Clyde the missed arrows. "Try again, but this time, take a deep breath and actually take aim instead of trying to please me." having been read like a book, Clyde had nothing to do but do as he was told. After a deep breath and more stable aiming, he managed to shoot all of the sacks in a row.
"Don't forget, one slow shot that actually hits is always better than five fast shots that miss. Try to build your accuracy before you worry about the speed." For a moment, the sassy, rude Merlin was gone, and the person who stood in his place was a stern, but caring teacher. At that moment, Clyde thought that he understood both archery and Merlin a little better.
The rest of the training sessions went like a breeze for Clyde, whose worries disappeared to thin air. After a particularly great practical medicine exam he passed with flying colors, He cheerfully went back to Bryce, who had his duties finished for the day. Looking at the beautiful, pure moon hovering in the sky, Clyde truly felt at peace, at home.
"You look happy, so I won't ask you how the training went." said Bryce. "But the fact that I've heard about every single one of them might be a reason too." he smiled, looking at Clyde. "I told you that it was normal to feel like that, because everyone does. Nobody came here as an expert." Clyde turned to Bryce and gave him the biggest smile he had given in a few years. "So, keep going and train everyday, look for a way to spend each of your days to the fullest, Clyde," He went on. "Because, to become a true Ranger, you have to seize everyday. And look at you! You already conquered this one. I'm proud of you." He patted Clyde on the head.
"Thank you." said Clyde, in a small, whisper like tone, but that tone was more than a loud scream for Bryce.
Sitting under the moonlight, Bryce once again realized how nice it felt to be a mentor, and Clyde realized how nice it felt to be an apprentice, side by side.
"So, ready to seize tomorrow?"
There is a tomorrow too!?