History Literature / RangersApprentice

* SapientSteed[=/=]BondCreatures: Ranger horses can't speak ([[CaptainObvious because they're horses]]), but it has been shown several times that they all have human-level intelligence. Will's horse, Tug, in particular, has mastered the art of [[SilentSnarker "saying something with a look".]]

* AutomatonHorses: {{Averted|Trope}}. The special Ranger horses may be able to run for incredible amounts of time without rest (Ranger horses are specifically bred for endurance and intelligence), but it's pointed out as early as book one that even they need periods of recovery. In addition, Will's horse Tug isn't afraid to get into the fight if he sees his master in trouble, which is also shown as early as book one.

* AutomatonHorses: {{Averted|Trope}}. The special Ranger horses may be able to run for incredible amounts of time without rest, but it's pointed out as early as book one that even they need periods of recovery. In addition, Will's horse Tug isn't afraid to get into the fight if he sees his master in trouble, which is also shown as early as book one.

* BlackAndWhiteMorality: The Rangers (and Araluen) are generally good, while their enemies are usually unambiguously bad. However, this is more the case in earlier books--the [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness first couple]] were full-on black-and-white, while the later books have some shades of grey.
** Averted by Halt to some extent, as he does bad things like forging documents to be able to save Will and Evanlyn. They almost always are portrayed as justified given the situation, however.

** Averted by Halt in Book Three, when he does bad things like forging documents to be able to save Will and Evanlyn.

* AnnoyingArrows: Averted--these arrows are plenty lethal. Played straight in the first book against the wild boar, but even that could be considered justified, as wild boars have a crazy ability to ignore pain and damage. The reason boar spears feature a crossbar beneath the head is to prevent boars from just running straight down the spear and goring the wielder to death.

* WeHaveReserves: This is basically how the Temujai fight in a nutshell.

* ''The Royal Ranger 3: Duel at Araluen

** For Halt - Old Joe Smoke. Don't play it. Also, don't hurt Will, or Horace, or Abelard. And don't be an idiot. And [[TooDumbToLive do NOT]] insult Lady Pauline. You will be thrown in the moat. Finally, (though this is mostly PlayedForLaugs) anyone mentioning his seasickness would do well to safeguard their helmet. Halt's vomit can really stain.

* NoOntologicalInertia.

* AnnoyingArrows: Averted--these arrows are plenty lethal. Played straight in the first book against the wild boar though.

** Mention is made of the events in Macindaw in Book 9, serving as a ChekovsGun (see below).

** For Halt - Old Joe Smoke. Don't play it. Also, don't hurt Will, or Horace, or Abelard. And don't be an idiot. And [[TooDumbToLive do NOT]] insult Lady Pauline. You will be thrown in the moat. Finally, anyone mentioning his seasickness would do well to safeguard their helmet. Halt's vomit can really stain.

* CannotTellAJoke: {{Inverted|Trope}} by Baron Arald. He keeps telling jokes--pretty good ones, at that--but everyone [[NoSenseOfHumor takes him too seriously]] all the time to get them. Lady Pauline gets them, but chooses not to laugh.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: In Book 4, Duncan's mother is mentioned by Cassandra as having "a face like a robber's dog, and a temperament to match." The second prequel, however, has a short [=POV=] sequence from the Queen Mother's point of view, which seems to portray her as a kind and gentle woman. Of course, it's possible that this is justified-either she became nastier later in life, or Cassandra just disliked her for some reason, or perhaps she really ''is'' that nasty and just doesn't realize it herself-POV sequences aren't always honest, after all.

* ShipperOnDeck: Arald has always been one for Halt and Pauline, while both of them ship Will/Alyss. It's also implied that Duncan is this for Horace/Cassandra.

* TimeSkip: Two:

* BowAndSwordInAccord: Gilan. He's the only Ranger trained in swordsmanship.

* BroughtDownToNormal: In Book Four, Will is still suffering the aftereffects of drug addiction and has lost his Ranger conditionin.

* CainAndAbel: [[spoiler:Ferris and Halt]].

** For those who don't get it: warmweed is a marijuana-like substance that fills your body with the sensation of warmth. Since it's only known to grow in Skandia, where it's winter pretty much all year round and the slaves there tend not to have much in the way of keeping warm, it is ''very'' easy to get addicted to. Once it happens, you gradually lose your sense of who you were, forget those closest to you, focus only on the drug, etc., until you become an EmptyShell.

* MoralDissonance: In Book One, Halt tells Will "If you had lied [about stealing some cakes from the castle kitchens], you never would have become my apprentice." This despite Halt doing several worse things over the course of the series, such as having forged copies of several world leaders' personal seals, including that of his own king. What makes lying about stealing the cakes so bad? [[FridgeLogic If Will had lied, he would have been doing so to avoid taking responsibility for his actions, making him no better than a petty thief. Halt, meanwhile, had performed his deeds to better serve his country]]. Deceit isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it can be if you're doing it for selfish reasons.

* OddFriendship: Horace and Will.

** Also subverted in ''Royal Ranger'': [[spoiler:Madelyn is completely incapacitated by a javelin in her thigh, even though it misses anything important]].

* ToBeAMaster: Every one of the young characters in his own profession: Will as a ranger, Horace as a knight, Alyss as a diplomat--and Cassandra as a ruler.

* CrusadingWidower: [[spoiler:Will becomes this in Book 12 after finding out his wife Alyss died in an inn fire trying to save a child trapped inside. He becomes absolutely obsessed with finding out who set the inn on fire so he can take his revenge]].

* AbhorrentAdmirer: [[spoiler:Keren]] to Alyss.
* ActionGirl: Evanlyn[[spoiler:/Princess Cassandra]], particularly in Book Seven. Alyss also knows how to use a knife with ease. Diplomats have to fight sometimes too.

* AlasPoorVillain: [[spoiler:Sir Keren]] is genuinely regretting his actions even before things start going badly for him. You almost feel he can be redeemed with time, right up until his [[FamilyUnfriendlyDeath Family-Unfriendly]] DisneyVillainDeath.

** [[spoiler:Will and Evanlyn]] are this in Book 2 when they [[spoiler: burn the bridge down]].
** Halt and Horace are this in Book 4 to Will and Evanlyn [[spoiler: and just barely manage to get their in time, as per the usual for this trope]].
*** Subverted with [[spoiler: Halt for Will in Book 2]] and [[spoiler: Halt and Horace for Will and Evanlyn]] in Book 3
*** Played straight in Book 4 with [[spoiler:Halt, Horace, Will, and Evanlyn in regards to ''the entire Skandian race'']].

** Halt's frequently-assumed pseudonym, "Arratay", is pronounced suspiciously close to "[[GratuitousFrench arretez]]". Guess what it means. [[spoiler:[[DontExplainTheJoke It means "stop!" Or... Halt.]]]]

** Averted by Halt in Book Three, when he does bad things like forging documents to be able to [[spoiler: save Will and Evanlyn]].

* BoomHeadshot: Well, more like "Thwack, Headshot"; since this is set long before the invention of modern firearms. And, surprisingly enough, it's not a Ranger that makes the epic headshot in Book Seven that took down the Tualaghi warlord. [[spoiler:It was Evanlyn/Princess Cassandra with her sling]].

* BroughtDownToNormal: In Book Four, [[spoiler:Will is still suffering the aftereffects of drug addiction and has lost his Ranger conditioning]].

* CannotSpitItOut: A hopelessly-complicated mutual example with [[spoiler:Will and Alyss]] at the end of Book Six.

* ChekhovsGun: Evanlyn's[[spoiler:/Princess Cassandra's]] new belt and necklace in Book Seven.
* ChekhovsSkill: In ''The Burning Bridge'', Will and Horace are taught the double knife defense. Near the end, Horace uses the skill to win a duel [[spoiler:against Morgarath]].

* FamilyUnfriendlyDeath: In Book Six, [[spoiler:Sir Keren]] gets acid thrown in his face and then [[DisneyVillainDeath falls through a tower window to the flagstones below]].

* GreyAndGrayMorality: Most of the rangers, at least the ones mentioned in the books. [[spoiler:Will begins to show a bit of this trope, considering he gives a man into slavery in Skandia. Granted, [[KickTheSonOfABitch the man nearly disemboweled one of his dogs and is suspected for a large string of murders]]]].
** [[spoiler:More importantly, he knew a extremely dangerous secret and was threatening to sell it to the highest bidder. Alyss's first suggestion was to slit his throat to keep him from talking.]]
* HappilyMarried: [[spoiler:Halt and Lady Pauline]]. And by the eleventh book, [[spoiler:Horace and Evanlyn/Princess Cassandra, Will and Alyss]].
* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:Erak, and, with him, most of the Skandians]].

* HypnotizeThePrincess: Happens to [[spoiler:Alyss]] in Book Five and Book Six.
* TheExile: Happens to [[spoiler: Halt. He invokes it on purpose so he can go and search for Will, who was captured by the Skandians.]]

* JerkJock: Horace, as Will thinks of him in the first book. [[spoiler:He's really more of a LovableJock after his CharacterDevelopment arc in the same book]].

* LoveEpiphany: [[spoiler:Alyss and Will]]. Followed by LoveConfession.
* LoveLetter: At the end of book six, between [[spoiler:Alyss and Will]].

* MeaningfulName: In-universe, the surname Will is given at his Ranger ceremony is [[spoiler:Treaty, in honor of the peace treaty he negotiated with the Skandians, which would be a very important milestone in Araluan history]].

* RescueRomance: [[spoiler:Alyss and Will]].

* [[spoiler:SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome: Alyss in Book 12. Liam too]].

** Although, unlike Aragorn, he [[spoiler:doesn't take the throne, even when it seems logical to do so]].

* TurnInYourBadge: Happens to [[spoiler:Halt]] in book three after his refusal to fulfill his order.

* VictoriousChildhoodFriend: [[spoiler:Alyss and Will]].

* WeHaveReserves: This is basically how the [[spoiler:Temujai]] fight in a nutshell.

* WorthyOpponent: A few of these, most notably Erak the ProudWarriorRaceGuy [[spoiler:who later becomes a close ally of the protagonists]], and Selethen, [[spoiler:who ends up the GracefulLoser]], and also a close ally.

John Flanagan has announced that he plans to end the series there. Considering he said the same thing about the tenth book, some fans hold onto hope that there will be more. It also produced a SpinOff, the [[Literature/{{Brotherband}} Brotherband Chronicles.]]

* InstantWakingSkills: The Rangers do this, but it is highly stressed that they aren't at full "alertness" yet.

* KarmicDeath: Fenris.

** There seems to be some magic, but ''very'' little of it is mentioned. Averted by [[BigBad Morgarath]] and his mind control over the Wargal hordes in the first book.

* MagicRealism: The only supernatural elements in the series are Lord Morgarath's armies and the [[OurWightsAreDifferent barrow-wight]] that Will catches a glimpse of while waking up in ''Halt's Peril''.

* MustHaveCaffeine: Will, Gilan, and, to a lesser extent, Horace are all huge fans of coffee. Halt also loves coffee, but doesn't show it much, being TheStoic. With honey, no less.

* OnlyAFleshWound: Horace receives minor injuries multiple times, and is mostly able to shrug them off and continue fighting. Examples are during the storm of Macindaw, the final fight in ''Erak's Ransom'' and others.

* OnlyOne: Halt and his apprentices are perhaps the only Rangers to have ever accomplished anything in the history of Araluen.
** We just don't know about the other stuff because they keep it secret.
** ''The Lost Stories'' also gives a hint as to why: King Duncan's father practically destroyed the Ranger Corps due to Morgarath's shenanigans. Most Rangers are hardly more experienced than Will, without his advantage of being personally trained by Halt. Heck, he, Crowley, and a few other Rangers re-founded the Ranger Corps!

* PetTheDog: Again, literally--Will's acquaintance with Shadow begins when he heals her injuries.

** In Book Seven, it's shown that Will would literally rather die of thirst, having gotten hopelessly lost in the desert, than disappoint Halt.

** It may be safer to call Araluen a [[TheKingdom standard medieval fantasy kingdom]].

* ImprobableWeapon: The common wooden ladle is referred to as an unofficial staff of office for both Master Chubb and his apprentice, Jenny. Partly [[{{Justified}} justified]] in that they are good-sized ladles, and also ''solid'', making them decent impromptu clubs.

* ShorterMeansSmarter.

* VillainDecay: The [[strike:Mongols]] Temujai go from "Holy Shit, an army of soldiers where Halt came from!" when hinted in the first book to mooks on horseback after they are shot down by the platoon by previously weed-addicted peasants with a few weeks of training. Every last one of their efforts in Book Four are neatly countered before they can be used to any advantage, thanks to the power of Rangers, Luck, and Rangers. It is mentioned that, had the Skandians fought the way they expected them to, the Temujai would have won handily. Unfortunately (for the Temujai), the Skandians had a man who knew how to counter the tactics used by the Temujai: Halt.

* ''The Tournament at Gorlan''[[note]] Takes place before Book 1
* ''The Battle of Hackham Heath'' [[note]] Takes place between "The Tournament at Gorlan" and Book 1.[[/note]]

* ''The Battle of Hackham Heath'' [[note]] Takes place between "The Tournament at Gorlan" and Book 1

John Flanagan has announced that he plans to end the series there. Considering he said the same thing about the tenth book, some fans hold onto hope that there will be more. It also produced a SpinOff, the [[Literature/Brotherband Brotherband Chronicles.]]