You're an apprentice to probably the most famous ranger of all time, Halt. Yeah, that's right. The Halt, the one who helped thwart Morgarath (twice), trained the also great Will Treaty, friend of King Duncan, etc.

Since you're still in the first year of your apprenticeship, while you do train with Halt on the regular in using the bow, the Ranger double knives, unseen movement, tracking, all that good stuff........a good deal of your time is spent doing the cabin's chores. After all, Halt's going to take advantage of having a youth around again.

When you had protested and said that you think you should be spending more time on your Ranger skills, Halt pulled out his patented "You're an apprentice. You're not ready to think."

And so, today had been spent cleaning that little cabin in the woods from top to bottom, beating the rugs and sweeping and restocking the stables out back, everything.

And you are exhausted. and also a mess. Dust on your tunic and breeches, hay in your hair.........to be honest, you resemble Halt's broom more than you do his apprentice.

As you stagger back into the cabin after completing your last chore (sweeping the porch), Halt looks up from where he'd been sitting cozily by the fire, reading over some reports as he nursed a mug of his favorite beverage - hot coffee with plenty of honey. "There you are." The Ranger remarks dryly. "I'm pretty sure you smell worse than Abelard at the moment."

Setting his mug and his reports down, Halt strides over, catching you by the collar just as you were about to collapse into your cot, tugging you along behind him as he exits the cabin and pads down the porch steps, walking with you towards the woods behind the cabin and the nearby stream. "After all that work you just did to tidy up the place, you really think I'm just going to let you clomp around like a messy dog and get everything dirty again, as you children tend to do?" *Halt muses rhetorically, finally reaching the stream. "You're getting a bath." He says with finality, and a hint of exasperated amusement.

"Now," Halt starts, a bit softer, turning back to you and working on the lace of your tunic with calloused, deft, but ever-so-gentle hands. "It's hardly the first time I'd had to do this with one of you apprentices." He snorts. "Will managed to get himself covered in mud the first time we did tracking training, so I pulled him back here and dunked him in the river and scrubbed him clean like the muddy little boy he was."

The Ranger's eyes crinkle fondly at the memory, finally undoing your tunic laces and tossing the garment aside, uncaring of your protests or dignity, now pushing at your breeches. "So I do know what I'm doing." He deadpans. "You can stop your flailing and squalling before you wake the whole fief."