Will breathed in deeply as he entered the little cabin in the woods. He looked around the room, his eyes lighting on the familiar walls and furniture and a sigh of contentment escaped his lips.

"Welcome home," Halt said behind him. Will turned and grinned at him. It was good to be home.

"Do you realize it's been almost fifteen months since you left with Gilan for Celtica?" Halt asked him.

"I do," Will replied softly. "I've missed this place every single day of those fifteen months." He turned towards his mentor, his eyes strangely bright. "I missed you, too." Halt smiled slightly at him. A surge of affection welled up in him for his apprentice, and he held out his arms to Will. Will rushed into them, squeezing Halt with enough force to crack his ribs. Halt held him tightly. What would I have done if I had lost him forever? he thought. He closed his eyes as he remembered the agony he had felt when Will had been torn away from him and sailed away on that ship. He remembered how worried he had been, and how much he had given up on the wisp of a hope that his apprentice was still alive. Will began to pull away, and Halt pulled himself out of his brief reverie.

"Well, this place isn't going to clean itself," he said gruffly.

"Clean?" Will asked incredulously.

"Yes, clean," Halt reiterated, raising an eyebrow. "Or did you think we were just going to live with this place covered in dust?" Will sighed.

"Start working, I'll go tend the horses," Halt ordered briskly. Will nodded and set to work.

It had taken all afternoon, but the cottage was once again up to Halt's level of pristine cleanliness. Will sighed, tired but happy as he leaned back by the fire, a mug of coffee in his hand.

"Good stew," Halt commented, glancing at his relaxing apprentice.

"Mmhmm. Thanks," Will replied sleepily.

"Where'd you learn to cook like that?" Halt asked after a moment's silence.

"Certainly not from you," Will quipped, straightening in his chair. Halt glared at him, but Will merely grinned.

"Evanlyn taught me in the mountains. She picked up quite a few things working in Ragnak's kitchen," Will explained. Halt nodded. They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, each enjoying the feeling of being home and the other's presence. Will shifted in his seat. Halt glanced up at him and noticed he was frowning.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Nothing," Will responded automatically. Halt raised an eyebrow.

"Will."

"Really, it's nothing."

"Will, stop lying and tell me what's bothering you." Will sighed, but knew better than to continue to argue.

"I...I was just wondering…" he bit his lip. He knew this was a touchy subject and didn't know how Halt would react. He felt like he had on his first day as an apprentice, trying so hard to do everything right and wondering what Halt would do if he didn't. I don't want him angry with me the first day home, Will groaned to himself. He'll be angrier if you don't go ahead and ask him. Will sighed aloud.

"Well? Out with it," Halt ordered sternly. Will winced.

"Please Halt, don't make me tell you," he tried, a pleading note bleeding through into his voice. Halt sighed.

"Will, I can't help you if you don't tell me," Halt said, his tone softening slightly. "Come on, what is it?"

"I was wondering...you never told me why you were banished," Will explained quietly, not looking at Halt. Halt closed his eyes briefly. Will risked a glance in Halt's direction. Halt's eyes opened, and Will went back to staring at the floor.

"No I guess I never did," Halt conceded, sighing.

"You don't have to if you don't want to," Will said quickly. "I was just...curious."

"Yes, you are most certainly that," Halt replied. Will winced, not catching the slight smile in Halt's tone.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned it. I didn't mean to make you angry," Will apologized.

"I'm not angry, Will, and you have every right to know," Halt assured him. He fell silent. Will glanced up at him, waiting. Halt sighed again, rising to stand before the fire.

"I was drunk. I said some highly treasonous things about the king. I was arrested, and he banished me. He had mercy on me and made it for only a year," Halt explained. Will frowned.

"Halt, you would never say anything treasonous about the king, drunk or no," Will said, confused. "What really happened?" Halt sighed a little exasperatedly; Will was not making this easy.

"I...it was for you," Halt finally said.

"For...for me?" Will looked up in surprise.

"Crowley and King Duncan both wouldn't let me go after you to find you. They said I was needed here, and King Duncan even refused to see me," Halt explained.

"So you faked it. You got yourself banished so you could come find me," Will finished, realization dawning on him. Halt nodded. Tears began to fill Will's eyes as he looked up at his mentor.

"You...you could have been killed!" he croaked, horrified. "The penalty for treason is death! At the very least you could have been banished for life! You were thrown out of the corps for pity's sake! What...why would you risk all that?" Tears ran down Will's face as he realized the sacrifice Halt had made for him.

"Because I made a certain apprentice a promise," Halt answered huskily. Will stared at him, his expression one of horror, incredulity, and regret. He bolted out of his chair and flung himself at Halt. He wept as Halt wrapped his arms around him, patting his shoulder and shushing him softly.

"I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry," Will sobbed over and over again. Halt frowned and drew back enough to look Will in the eye. Will's face was still downcast, but Halt gently lifted his chin and forced him meet his gaze.

"What on earth are you sorry for?" he asked.

"For...for everything! For you having to risk so much and go through that! For getting captured! For the warmweed! For failing you! For…"

"Will, stop it!" Halt ordered. "You have nothing whatsoever to be sorry for. It's not your fault you were captured! You acted bravely at the bridge. You helped win the war. And the warmweed wasn't your fault either. It was Borsa's fault, or any of the slavers. You are not to blame for that. And what are you talking about failing me? If anything I failed you for not being there to protect you!"

"No!" Will said vehemently. "You rescued me and brought me home. You risked everything for me. It's my fault you were banished. You risked everything for a stupid little apprentice who couldn't even take care of himself."

"Yes, Will, it is your fault," Halt agreed. Will bit his lip and looked down.

"It's your fault for being a quick thinking, responsible person who cared more about stopping Morgarath than his own personal safety. It's your fault for doing your duty and risking everything to burn the bridge. It's your fault for protecting Evanlyn when you could've escaped. And it's your fault for becoming the most important person in my life so that I would risk everything to get you back because you mean that much to me. Yes Will, it's all your fault. And I'm proud of you for it." Halt felt his voice catch, and a tear streamed down his cheek. Will looked up at him in mingled surprise, sorrow, relief, and joy. Halt had never been so open to Will. He had never told Will how much Will meant to him, or that he was proud of him. Will's heart soared at the words, even though his mind still couldn't comprehend that Halt would do and risk so much for him. He hugged Halt with all of his might, still crying. Halt laid his cheek on his apprentice's ruffled brown hair and gently rocked him back and forth.

"I love you, Halt," Will said, his voice muffled in Halt's embrace.

"I love you too, son," Halt replied, smiling.