#tey

You have no idea how much you mean to me. When I first started reading Ruins of Gorlan at the age of 11, I fell in love with it. You see, back then I had no love for books or reading. I just thought it was boring and a waste of time, when I could be sitting in front of my computer playing games. But when my teacher first gave me the Ruins of Gorlan for a reading task, I started reading ahead of everyone. I couldn’t help it. I was extremely disappointed when the book ended, because it was way too short. I wanted the adventure to go on. That is when, a few weeks later, one of my classmates screamed at the library “Oh my gosh, look! There’s the whole series here!”. To my amazement, it was the Ranger’s Apprentice series. The moment my classmates moved to another section, I dove for it. Immediately, I stopped my ‘boring’ search for a book that we were required to get and issued The Burning Bridge. It was great. Well, I obviously went and issued the next book, The Icebound Land, because there was no way I was just going to leave Will captured like that! Ever since then, I started looking forward to going to school. Especially on Wednesdays. Because on Wednesdays, it was library day. I get a whole lesson just to read your books! Oh, how I used to hate Wednesdays. Your books made me really happy, and much like how you intended for it to get your son to enjoy reading, it made me love reading. When I finished book 7, Erak’s Ransom, however, I was lost. I couldn’t find The Kings of Clonmel in my library. I was really disappointed, as, if you didn’t know, Halt is my favorite character and from spoilers I learnt that book 8 was all about Halt’s royal lineage. So, I waited for weeks, hoping that whoever got the book would return it soon. After waiting for so long, I gave up. I started reading the book online whenever I am supposed to be doing homework, just like when I’m writing fanfiction. (Oh, I’m screwed if my parents or my sister sees this). I was so happy when I read my name in the book, even if it’s not the right gender. (No, my name is not Tennyson, thank you very much.) I read that sentence over five times just to make sure! Upon reading The Siege of Macindaw, I also learnt and memorised the Courier’s code, and I have to say, that is a very smart system. I am happy to say that I have mastered it and can use it without looking at the table. I’ve been using it as my ‘secret language’, and if someone does happen to be able to read it, it wouldn't really matter since I’ve found another fan! (4-4 3-3 3-6 2-5 2-3 3-2 2-1, 4-1 3-3, 1-6 1-1 3-6!) I am now on The Early Years: The Battle of Hackman Heath, page 135, and it’s so interesting to see young Halt and Crowley (my two favourite characters, if you couldn’t tell) bond and fight Morgarath. Anyway, what I am saying is, your books have made me very happy in the past few years, and I’m sure they will continue doing so. They have allowed me to love reading as a whole and even though Crowley and Alyss’ death devastated me, I’m still excited to start reading The Royal Ranger series, and after that, the Brotherband Chronicles. Thank you so much for being there and helping me even though indirectly.

You will be missed and there will be a whole fandom out here supporting you even after death.

May you rest in peace.

This feels very TEY coded. “Born young and wild / don’t let them cut your tail” makes me think of the renegades being the Real Deal (having had the Ranger training — thus being “born young and wild”) while Morgarath’s men preen about in an insulting imitation. And “don’t let them cut your tail” is very much the Rangers refusing to let them get away with this plot without any pushback. The phrasing of cut your tail also feels like them talking about the false Rangers taking their oak-leaves — cutting their ties to the Corps.