"Merry Christmas, Halt."
The ranger froze with his coffee halfway to his mouth.
"Halt?" Will frowned.
He grunted and waved a hand of acknowledgement at his apprentice.
Christmas.
How could he have forgotten Christmas?
Well, it wasn't as if he owed his apprentice anything, did he?
"I got you something," the boy said cheerfully.
Halt manfully resisted the urge to wince.
. . .
Jenny blinked at him. "But it's for the feast. Cook said all pastries - "
"Please," Halt hissed through gritted teeth. He could just steal one, he supposed, but that was hardly in the spirit of the thing.
He returned to the cabin with a still steaming pie.
He had failed Will twice already. The least he could do was not fail in this.