A/N: OLAF! It's me, IFYOUCOULDFLY! Ok, so here's where my version of ROG starts! This has already been disclaimed and blah blah blah whatever. Anyways, read on! Hope you like it, and thanks for all the support you guys give me! LUV U GUYS, AND READ ON!

-Chapter One: Escape-

The door slammed, shaking Will from his thoughts, and the pungent smell of ale filled the shack. His dad was home. Cautiously, Will peeked around the wall to see his father stumbling towards the couch, mug in hand. The boy sighed. Another birthday spent with his father drunk and ignoring him.

It wasn't always this way. In fact, Daniel had once been a strong, brave fighter. He fought bravely in the battle at Hackham Heath, and was considered a hero. During the battle, however, he was brutally injured, near death. It was a miracle he lived, and he could under no circumstances fight again.

Daniel was a strong man, and he lived through this, but his world crumbled when, on Will's fourth birthday, his beloved wife finally succumbed to a sickness that had been plaguing her for months.

This was too much for Daniel. After losing both his capabilities as a worker and his wife, he began to drink. And he continued. Will's father, who had once been so full of joy, became bitter and cold. He rarely acknowledged Will, but that was fine with him, because when he did, he would beat him.

Will's birthdays were especially difficult for him, because it was the day his mother died. And unfortunately for him, this happened to be his fourteenth, ten years after the death of his mother. Will could tell that this was exactly what Daniel was thinking. As cruel as his father was, it pained him to see Daniel, war hero, in such a state of misery. Slowly, he began to creep forward.

As he got closer, he realized just how drunk his father was. It was dangerous for him to be doing this, but he was desperate to, for just once, have a different kind of birthday. Once Will was close enough, he cleared his throat and muttered, "D-dad?"

Will was an exceptionally quiet mover, and in Daniel's drunken state, barely anything registered. So when his son uttered his name, he was taken completely by surprise. Will watched in horror as his Dad jumped in surprise, then whirled around clumsily and glared at him.

"What are you doin', boy?" Daniel growled menacingly. "I-I d-didn't mean to-to startle you, D-Dad, I jus-" Will muttered, but his father wouldn't listen. "WELL, YA DID!" Daniel roared, slinging his empty mug across the room at his frightened son.

Quickly, Will fell to the floor just in time, and the mug sailed over his head and shattered against the wall behind him. Before he had time to react, he was yanked into the air by his shirt collar. "YOU BROKE MY MUG, BOY!" Daniel yelled, holding Will inches from his face.

Normally, Will would be calm, apologize, and accept his beating with little resistance. Today, however, was different. Will was tired. Tired of being treated like a rag doll, of being neglected, of trying to hold on to that little scrap of hope that he always kept. The little hope that maybe one day, Daniel wouldn't come home drunk, and he'd give Will a hug and apologize for all he'd done, and life as he knew it could resume. But he didn't care anymore.

"I MISS HER TOO, OKAY?" Will cried angrily. "But I'm still here! Don't you care at all? WHY ARE YOU TREATING ME LIKE THIS?" For a second, he was met with a blank expression. Then suddenly, Daniel's face turned a deep red, almost purple. "DON'T SHOUT AT ME, YOU INSOLENT BOY!" He screamed hysterically, and punched Will in the face. Hard.

Will was flung against the wall, where Daniel resumed to beat him senseless, this time in places no one would see them if he had his clothes on. The normal places. Again and again, Will was battered and bruised. Just when both were about to pass out, Will from pain, Daniel from exhaustion, the beating ceased.

Daniel dropped Will to the floor and lumbered drunkenly towards the window, where he proceeded to vomit violently. Will cringed, but managed to stumble away to his room, nursing his new bruises and cuts.

Will lay on his bead, listening to his father cursing and drunkenly wandering down the hall to his room. Soon after, he heard a door slam, and loud snores rumbling.

Normally, Will would have sat there and cried himself to sleep, trying desperately to hold on to that little scrap of hope. After all, Daniel couldn't support the household on his own! Will was the one that hunted for food, did the housework, and occasionally asked around the nearby towns for small jobs. Daniel just went to the tavern and drank his cares away, hanging around with his shady friends in alleyways. Will would just hold on to that, because he knew he couldn't let his father wither away like that! But he didn't care anymore.

As quietly as possible, Will got up from his bed and crept through the hall. He was nervous, very nervous. If his father caught him, he'd be beaten again. Will just had to trust himself, and keep listening to the steady snoring of the former warrior.

With great excitement, Will reached the door and opened it. Just when Will thought he was safe, the door creaked. Loudly. The snoring abruptly stopped, and he heard his father cry out in a slurred voice, "Wha-whosthere?"

Will couldn't waste any more time. He leaped from the doorway and into the woods, climbing a nearby tree as quickly as possible. The leaves were dense, and he managed to conceal himself just as Daniel stumbled to the doorway. He watched as his father shrugged, closed the door, and lumbered away.

Will could have cried out in excitement if he were foolish enough. He was free! But where would he go? They lived in the middle of the forest, away from most of civilization. He couldn't go into any of the nearby towns, every one had seen him there. The only place he could think of was the nearby Redmont fief.

He quickly decided on that and, after dropping from the tree, ran as fast as he could (without stressing his wounds too much) towards Redmont.

HELLO MY LOVELY READERS THIS IS PAGEBREAK. HE'S A GOOD FRIEND OF MINE AND YOU'LL BE SEEING HIM QUITE OFTEN, SO GET ACQUAINTED NOW!

Will was practically crawling by the time he reached Redmont. The moon was high in the sky, so it must have been around midnight. He heard hoofbeats coming towards him. He tried to shy away and hide, but he couldn't. He was exhausted, and his bruises were throbbing wildly.

He heard voices talking. "What is that?" "It's a boy!" "Well, don't just stand there, Rodney, help him!" Two figures, one tall and muscular, the other short and cloaked, approached him warily. "Are you alright, boy?" The taller one, Rodney, asked worriedly, and the cloaked one shook his head. "Obviously not. What's you're name, boy?"

Will mumbled as strongly as he could, which wasn't very strong, "Will-." Quickly, he cut himself off. He was about to say his surname, but he knew that would be a mistake. "Will what?" Rodney called, and Will shrugged. "I-I don't know my last name. I'm-I'm an orphan." The lie escaped from his lips before he could think straight. Seeing the looks on the pair's faces, Will continued. "My caretakers abandoned me, so I left. I don't have a place to stay, so…" he trailed off, hoping they would catch his drift and recommend a place.

"He should be taken to the ward." The cloaked figure muttered, and Rodney nodded. "Exactly. We should take him now, quickly. C'mon, we've got time! The boar can wait." Reluctantly, the cloaked man helped the boy onto the back of his pony and took him to the ward, Rodney in tow.

They quickly explained to the women at the ward, who gladly accepted him. He was showed to the boys' dormitories, where he quickly settled in with a weak smile of gratitude.

Halt watched with approval as the boy eased into his bed without waking the others. "Interesting." He thought before leaving with Rodney, off to track a boar.

A/N: How'd ya like it? Good? Bad? You don't really know? Well, let me know! How, you say? REVIEW! Following and favoriting helps to…*whistles innocently*. Anyways, three updates in one day and I'm dying! But, of course, it's worth it for you guys! Keep reading/reviewing/being awesome!-FLY