Title: Shattered

Summary: After five years of captivity, Will Treaty is a broken man, deemed unhealable by many. After one too many close calls, he exiled himself to Grimsdell Wood. Two years later, word comes from Skandia of an unlikely alliance between the Temujai and the Tualaghi. Araluen is in jeopardy because of it, and Halt knows that only one person would possibly know enough to defeat them. Will must overcome his fears in order to save his kingdom, or die with the rest.

Characters: Will and Halt, mainly (as usual). But also Alyss, Svengal, Erak, Horace, and Will and Alyss' son Daniel.

Setting: Ten years after The Emperor of Nihon-Ja.

Rating: T. For violence, flashbacks, insanity, mild drug use, HEAVY angst, and whatever else there could possibly be in a story like this. This is definitely a higher T, containing slightly more disturbing elements than my other stories, but nothing M-worthy, don't worry!

DISCLAIMER: Ranger's Apprentice is the property of John Flanagan. If I owned it,

***BOOK 12 SPOILER ALERT!***

Alyss and Crowley wouldn't have died.

***ENDBOOK 12 SPOILER ALERT!***

Author's Note: This is considered AU, in the fact that Will and Alyss got married before Nihon-Ja, and have a son named Daniel.

This was originally a story I wrote for myself, so I have up to chapter six finished right now. However, you will only get one chapter every three days to a week. I want to know if y'all like it enough for me to post more.

Like I said, I wrote this for myself, so there may be some things that some of you don't like very much. I try to keep them in character (Except Will, of course, but he's insane 0_o)), but they may be a little OOC sometimes.

I think that's all for now. More later!

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~Prologue~

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It had been mid-January.

The coldest day of the year. Halt remembered that clearly enough. It was one of those days when he wore his cloak with the cowl pulled low over his face for the sake of warmth, not just concealment. It was one of those days when his breath came out in frosty puffs, and the snow beneath his feet was light and fluffy, as it had had no chance to melt.

It was on that certain day in mid-January that Halt had gone for a routine check about Redmont Fief. He did not know why he did it on that day. Had you asked him why he was out, he would not have been able to answer. It had just seemed... right to him to take a ride that day.

He'd saddled up Abelard, speaking softly to the horse in Gallican as he had, and mounted up, giving two short whistles as he did so.

A small, shaggy, sad-looking grey horse trotted out of the woods to join them, his ears pricking up the slightest bit at the thought of going for a run. He was followed by a small black-and-white Border Shepherd dog. The horse stepped over to Halt and Abelard. Halt rubbed Tug's neck gently.

"Good boy," he murmured softly, deep in reminiscence. It had been five years, nearly to the date, since Tug and Ebony had lost their master, and Halt his former apprentice and honorary son.

Halt knew that neither Tug nor Ebony would ever accept another, and he didn't force them out either. Both had been superbly trained by Will himself and were more helpful to Halt then they were a burden. And, he thought, they were almost all he had left of Will.

Almost all.

Halt gave a slight smile as he thought of Daniel, Will and Alyss' ten-year-old son. The boy was nearly the spitting image of Will himself, and reminded Halt enough of his former apprentice to occasionally bring tears to his eyes. On very rare occasions. Extremely rare occasions.

Alyss and Daniel would stay at Halt's cabin most of the time, but during the cold winter months they stayed at Castle Araluen.

Halt found himself missing Daniel and his constant flow of questions despite himself. He'd already begun training the boy, but Daniel seemed a hopeless case.

"Much like Will himself was when I first took him on," he thought out loud, smiling sadly. Tug's ears pricked up at the mention of his master's name.

I know he's out there, his body language seemed to say. Halt gave Will's horse a pained look.

He knew Tug had something there. He, too, had never been able to shake the feeling that Will was out there somewhere, alive.

He touched his heels gently to Abelard's sides, and the little horse sprang into an easy canter. He tried his best to push the thoughts of Will to the back of his mind, but he couldn't. Not at this time of year, not when there was naught for him to do but think.

The exercise did them good. They'd ridden for a few hours, observing casually the goings-on of the country people, and turned back.

It was beginning to grow dusky when they reached the last stretch of the road back to the cabin.

Halt sighed as he realized that he'd once again come home to a cold, lonely cabin. Sometimes he half-expected to see Will sitting at the fire, making a pot of coffee for them. But that was not to be, not now, and not ever again.

They were less than a mile from home when Halt felt a low rumble in Abelard's chest, which grew to become an uncertain, low nicker.

At the cessation of hoof beats from behind, Halt slowed Abelard and turned in the saddle.

Tug was standing frozen, his ears pricked, head high, and nostrils flared. He repeated Abelard's nicker, a bit more hesitantly.

"What's gotten into you?" Halt asked them, curious himself as to what they were doing.

Before he could get an answer, a black-and-white bolt of lightning shot from between Tug's legs, bounding towards a copse of trees.

"Ebony!" Halt shouted, "Come!"

The dog didn't listen, which further puzzled Halt. Instead, she kept running, tail held high and ears forward.

Halt, his curiosity piqued, tightened his legs around Abelard's girth and gave a small cluck. He took off after Ebony to see what in all of Araluen was making the animals behave so strangely.

0o0o0

To Be Continued...

Oh, and, just so you know, the theme song for this story is 'You are More' by Tenth Avenue North. The gender's a bit mixed up, but, yeah, that song's just stuck in my head when I'm writing this.

I'll post more soon!

~Ranger Turien