A/N: I know, I know! I should be updating Revenge or Blazing a Trail, and not working on this one… But I've already planned out this chapter and the next. I'll try to work on my other stories as soon as I can. I apologize for the disappointment, those who are patiently waiting for Revenge updates!

Once again, I do NOT own Ranger's Apprentice.

Chapter 3

Welcome Home

Of course, when the engagement was announced the following day, there was a huge celebration aboard the Wolfwill. Selethen shared the dwindling remains of his kafay, and Gundar broke out his very best ale for the occasion. Will had thrown together a delicious mixture of rice, salted pork and potatoes, topped with a 'secret' sauce recipe. It may have not been a banquet, but with all the excitement and friends, it sure felt like one.

For some reason, Horace had expected everyone to be more… Surprised by the news. But he was met only by knowing smiles and congratulations, as well as some tongue-in-cheek advice from Halt, the only married man on board. Eventually, they began discussing bridesmaids and groomsmen, and the wedding itself. And then…

Horace didn't really know what came over him when he suggested it. Looking back on it later, he slapped himself on the forehead for his brashness. Somehow, in their discussion, Horace had voiced the revelation that sea captains were technically bestowed with the power to perform a wedding ceremony. And, without thinking, Horace had suggested that, since everyone was there, perhaps he and Cassandra could be married on the Wolfwill.

Of course, Cassandra refused.

'Get used to it,' Halt had told him, grinning. When Cassandra stopped by his bunk that evening for the sole purpose of punching him in the arm – hard – Horace wondered what on earth he'd gotten himself into. Then, the next morning, she'd come up and given him a wonderful good-morning kiss (much to the amusement of the early risers on the ship) and he suddenly remembered what a wonderful idea the whole thing had been.

After that, time seemed to fly. There was so much to think about and plan, and exciting conversation was easily found with everyone. Days passed quickly, and with only a few close calls with pirates (quickly dispelled by the two rangers on board) they were sailing smoothly across the Conant Sea towards Arrida.

Selethen's departure was bitter-sweet, as all knew it was unlikely that they would see their friend again soon. He had responsibilities to attend to in his homeland, and could not spare the time to travel with them to Araluen. However, he guaranteed that he would turn back up for the wedding, and all were relieved by this. As a parting gesture, Selethen gave a last bag of Arridi kafay, the finest he had brought, to Will and Halt. Though the two promised the Arridi leader that they would share, they eyed each other with silent competition as Halt quickly moved to take the bag of grounds for himself. Selethen could only chuckle to himself as former master and apprentice glared at each other. If Arridi were addicted to kafay, then these two Araluans must have kafay coursing through their veins instead of blood. He'd never seen anyone so dependent on the drink as his ranger friends.

"Farewell, friends," He said. He climbed down the boarding ramp onto the docks, where two escorts gave the traditional Arridi greeting. He replied to them in kind, and turned once more to the ship as it slowly pulled away from the docks. "And Congratulations once again, Kurokuma and Kitsuné. I shall see you again soon, I hope!" He used their Nihon-Jan names partially in jest and a bit of premature nostalgia. Then, he raised his hand in a final farewell as Wolfwill pulled away from shore. The rest called their last goodbyes from the boat as Selethen grew smaller and smaller on the shore, until he was completely out of sight.

It was quiet on deck that evening, but not uncomfortably so. Horace sat by the railing, enjoying the salty breeze and reading a book that Alyss had lent him to pass the time. Will came over to him and sat down cross-legged next him. He was quiet for a moment, looking at Horace, then at the horizon, then back at Horace. Then, unexpectedly,

"You know, I asked Alyss to marry me the other night."

Horace nearly ripped a page from the book, he jumped so violently. "What?" He wouldn't have been so shocked if Will hadn't announced it so suddenly. Will didn't seem to mind. The ranger scratched and an unshaven cheek absently.

"Well… Sort of. I mean, I suppose I stole your example, and I brought up the fact that you and Evanlyn were getting married, and then said that perhaps she and should do the same kind of thing… But, eh… She didn't seem impressed."

"Wait," Horace frowned, "She said 'no'?" He'd assumed for years that Will and Alyss would eventually get married – the idea that she would refuse him seemed absurd to Horace.

Will made a face. "Well, not exactly. She just walked away. Said that I'd 'have to do a whole lot better'." He made air quotation marks with his fingers. "But the problem is… I don't really know what she wants me to do." He looked at his friend helplessly.

Horace sized up the look. "And, you want me to do… What, exactly?"

Will sighed and made a frustrated gesture. "Well, obviously whatever you said worked well. What did you do?"

Horace was blushing. "Well I don't know… I just… Talked. It's not like I spent hours planning it."

Will squinted at him.

Horace blushed deeper. "Okay, fine, what if I did? It doesn't matter."

Will kept squinting. Horace crossed his arms across his chest.

"I am not repeating it to you, if that's what you want."

Will let his expression fall and sighed with annoyance. He looked up at his friend with a pitiful expression. "Please, Horace?"

"No." Horace looked away, completely unmoved.

"Please? I'm your best friend!"

"Not right now you're not. And no."

"Oh, come on, Horace – man to man."

"I said no, Will."

"It can't be that embarrassing, can it?"

"Yes, it can, and for the last time, no."

Will dropped the 'poor pitiful' look and crossed his arms, regarding Horace with an irked expression that reminded Horace distinctly of Halt. Horace remained resolute and met Will's gaze without a hint of guilt. He wished he had the ability to raise an eyebrow, but alas, he did not, so he sufficed with a death glare that would have sent the bravest knights cowering. Will was accustomed to his friend's ability to intimidate, but he knew better to challenge that.

"Fine." Will looked away, put out. Then, a thought occurred to him, and he perked up and looked back around to Horace with a mischievous smile. That's not good, Horace mind whispered to him. "I'll go ask Evanlyn." Will told him, hopping up from his seat with excitement.

Horace blanched at the prospect. "What? No! Will, don't-"

"You brought this upon yourself, you know," Will said, walking away. Horace could hear the smile in his voice. "You won't speak to me, so I'm left with no other choice."

"But, Will - you can't-"

"Watch me!" With that, the young ranger flung himself below deck, and Horace caught the glint of his smile just before his face disappeared. He turned back around to his book, his face burning scarlet. He hoped that Cassandra would show some consideration for his dignity and not delve into too much detail. Part of Horace's conscience felt sorry for Will's trouble, but another part of him wanted the man to figure it out on his own. Horace had done it – why couldn't Will?

"Next he'll be interrogating Halt," Horace muttered to himself darkly, sticking his nose in his book.

"Actually, he already has. Several times, in fact."

Horace practically leapt out of his skin at Halt's voice, and sputtered the beginnings of several profanities before turning to the ranger. "Halt!" He growled indignantly. "Don't do that!" He shook his head, murmuring, "I hate it when he does that…"

Halt just grinned. He went to sit by Horace, and the knight begrudgingly made room for him by the rail.

"He means the best," Halt began, "but unfortunately, he doesn't always show consideration for the private affairs of others. Especially when he gets worked up about something. He's always been a bit oblivious, that boy."

Horace sighed, still rather annoyed. "I just hope Cassandra doesn't indulge him too much. I'd never hear the end of it."

"Oh, don't worry. Once he finally works up the courage to propose, I'll take down each and every syllable that comes out of his mouth, and you and I can blackmail him to our hearts' content."

Horace regarded the man sidelong. "You would really do that? To you own apprentice?"

Halt wasn't fazed. "I'd do it especially because he's my apprentice. Well, former apprentice, at any rate. He dragged me through hell and back during his apprenticeship - I'm merely returning the favor." Halt said, without the slightest bit of shame.

Horace thought to himself how glad he was that neither Rodney nor McNeil insisted on tormenting him in the way that Halt tormented Will. And yet, it was rather fun to watch the two go back and forth with their bickering and prank-pulling and so forth – it was just their strange way of showing their affection for one another.

"Well," Horace said eventually, "I hope he doesn't get the same idea and write down whatever Cassandra is bound to tell him."

Halt shrugged. "Can't be worse than whatever Pauline told him." He said.

"He spoke to Lady Pauline?" Horace was surprised. Halt nodded an affirmative. "How much did she tell him?" Horace asked.

Halt sighed. "I'm not sure. But he couldn't look at me without laughing for a whole week."

Horace winced in sympathy. "That's horrible!"

Halt smirked at him. "Which is why I'm so intent on getting my revenge." The two men shared a sympathetic, scheming sort of grin.

"Well, there goes the Iberion peninsula!" Gundar announced from where he stood at the tiller. He glanced at the green land that was now behind him, and then to the distant mass just visible over the starboard bow in the mid-afternoon light. "We should be on Araluen shores by this time tomorrow!"

The news was met with excitement from the passengers, all ready to be home after a long time away. All except Horace, who eyed the foggy silhouette of his homeland with just a twinge of doubt. It wouldn't be the same, something told him. Living there, after everything he'd experienced and learned in Nihon-Ja, would be different. How different, he didn't know, but a worm of uneasiness was working itself deep in his mind and his gut as he thought about seeing all of his friends and colleagues again. Gilan, Rodney, Sir David, Duncan. King Duncan stuck in Horace's mind and the uneasiness rose in his throat once again, for different reasons entirely. He glanced at where Cassandra had climbed to the stem of the bow to look out at the horizon. Horace knew that Duncan was extremely protective of his daughter. What on earth would he think when he learned that she'd agreed to marry a peasant?

Not a peasant, Horace tried to remind himself, a knight. But even as he thought the words, he found himself imagining a horrified Duncan fixing him with a disgusted glare. Horace's frown deepened, and he had to look away from Araluen's looming shadow. He gripped the railing and his knuckles shown white. He had changed since he'd left those shores. He'd changed as a person, as a knight, and as the leader he'd grown into. More than that, his circumstances had changed, too - he'd gained friends, lost friends, and now, he had a fiancé. He was wiser and more worldly knowledgeable than he was before, and he'd left a part of his heart leagues upon leagues away, in a distant foreign land that few Araluens had ever seen.

But how much would it all affect his life? Horace wasn't quite sure, but things would be different from the time he set foot on Araluen soil, he knew. And he wasn't sure if he was ready for that.

With a sigh, the knight bent to pick up his book and headed below deck. Only time would tell.

Will was experiencing a strong sense of déjà vu as the Skandian wolfship sailed up the Semath river towards Castle Araluen. An excited Cassandra stood next to him, and Will was bouncing in his boots like an impatient child as they inched closer to the docks an unbearably slow pace. They still had the better part of an hour to go, but after so long at sea, it seemed both an incredibly short and an incredibly long amount of time to wait before their feet were on home soil once again.

Distantly, a deep horn blast echoed across the plain.

"That'll be the Watch. They've seen us!" Cassandra smiled, glancing up at her hawk standard whipping from the mast. "That means they'll all be out to greet us – oh, I can't wait!" She too started bouncing in her boots next to Will. Together, the pair of them made a rather comical sight.

"Now, children," Halt teased, "What on earth will your parents think when they see you jumping around so impatiently?" Of course, Halt was referring to King Duncan in Cassandra's case, but when it came to Will, Halt himself swatted the young man upside the head. The younger ranger continued grinning anyway.

"I'm sure he won't care," Cassandra said. "I'm just happy to finally be home!"

Halt smiled at her, and walked away. Me too, he thought privately.

Horace was another case. He was smiling – a genuine smile – but the intensity with which he wrung his hands grew as they neared the docking port. Halt worried that the man might break his own fingers. Halt said nothing to Horace, but watched him closely, ready to step up and lend support if need be. Halt thought of Horace as a second son after Will, and though he usually let his 'sons' manage their own troubles, Halt knew exactly what Horace was going through. When it came to doubts about loyalty and exactly what 'homeland' meant, Halt was the expert – he knew every anxiety that Horace was now experiencing.

After another quarter hour or so, the port was in sight – and so was the crowd of welcomers, King Duncan prominent among them. Halt glanced at Horace, and noticed that the young knight was pale as death, frowning uneasily. He decided that intervention was needed. Unobtrusively, he came to stand next to his young companion.

"It'll be fine, Horace." Halt told him quietly, laying a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "It's different – it'll always be a bit different. But give it time, and I can guarantee that everything will be alright."

Horace looked down him, surprised at Halt's uncanny ability to read his exact thoughts. Then, a memory clicked in his mind, and Horace realized that Halt, of all people, knew exactly what he was talking about. Slowly, a small smile of gratitude swept over his face. His voice failed him, but he nodded to Halt in thanks. The ranger nodded back – one single nod, simple but strong, as was his custom.

"Good man." He said, giving Horace one more slap on the back before walking over to the bow to stand with all the others.

As they neared the throng of welcomers, the roar became deafening. It seemed that most of the Castle had turned out for their return, plus several people who weren't usually at Castle Araluen. As Will spotted Gilan among them and waved, Halt glanced once again at Horace, but the man seemed to have calmed down, though he was still wringing his hands. Halt looked back around and saw Pauline waving at him, smiling, and suddenly he couldn't spare a thought for Horace anymore. Soon, there was a wooden ramp leading down from the ship to the dock, and the homecoming Araluans were across it in record time. First was Will, bounding across the wooden planks with a springy gait only to be intercepted and tackled by Gilan, who shouted above the roar to tease Will about the growing stubble on his cheeks.

"You haven't seen me in nearly a year, and all you think to comment on is that I have a beard?" Will mocked offense. Gilan only smiled and ruffled the younger man's hair.

A little ways away, Pauline embraced Alyss warmly, but pulled away quickly to pick at her unfamiliar dark locks. "What on earth did you do to your hair?" She laughed despite herself. Before Alyss could to reply, Halt was there, and Pauline moved away to greet her husband warmly. Alyss watched them with a smile, but soon turned away to greet the others.

Cassandra ignored the nobles and friends who were greeting her at the docks, and ran headlong into the mob toward where her father stood. The crowd parted for her, and soon she was wrapped in Duncan's arms.

"You're home." He said. Cassandra felt tears well up. Even two simple words like that conveyed worlds of emotion, and she knew then exactly how he felt – just the same as she did.

"I missed you, daddy." She hugged him. He smiled into her hair, and then pulled away, holding her at arms' length to look at her.

"You've grown," He said, "I can see it in your eyes." He paused, and looked over her kimono. "The Nihon-Jan have a beautiful sense of style, I see. It suits you." He told her, smiling. He took her hand and began walking towards the others. "Come, let's go see everyone else. What else have I missed?" He asked conversationally as they walked. Cassandra felt her heart leap to her throat. You have no idea, she thought, smiling at the thought of Horace's proposal. However, she felt that it might not be best to mention their engagement just yet.

"There's so much," she said honestly, "I think it'll take weeks to explain it all."

Duncan was still smiling. "Good thing we have that time. Now where is Horace? He's the reason you went sailing off on this adventure, after all."

Cassandra stood on her toes to look over the crowd, searching for Horace's dark haired head among them. "I don't…" She began, frowning. Then, she saw him.

He was still standing by the dock, the frown on his face neither nervous nor sad, but quite conflicted. He looked down at his hand, in which he held a katana and the small scroll that Emperor Shigeru had given him just before they left. Then, he looked up towards one of the piers, where the Araluan banner flew high in the wind. Eventually, he looked away, and it was in that moment that Cassandra caught his eye.

Are you okay? She mouthed at him. The din of the crowd seemed to die away in that moment and he wondered at her question. Was he? He glanced from the small paper scroll to the Araluen flag once again, and suddenly a strange peace came over him. He blinked once, and then twice. Then, he looked up to lock eyes with Cassndra, and nodded.

When he smiled, Cassandra finally knew that he would be alright. "He's just there," She told her father, pointing.

Soon, Duncan was by Horace and shaking his hand with appreciation and respect. Cassandra stood beside the two, smiling, secretly hoping – and knowing – that her father would approve of their new engagement. But that would come later.

"You know, If Cassie had come to me all those months ago and requested my permission for such a harebrained scheme to find anyone but you, I would have said no," Duncan smiled at him, "but you, Horace, are worth it. It's good to have you back."

Horace was dumbfounded. He had grown close to the royal family in recent years, and so he was not entirely unused to the King being so gracious to him. But with the recent developments in his life and his utter respect for his king, he was both honored and shocked to hear the words. "Thank you, your Majesty." He said after a moment, nodding deeply in respect.

Duncan ignored the formal gesture and laid a hand on the knight's shoulder. "Welcome home." He said warmly. Then, Horace and Cassandra shared a look, the depth of which Duncan did not yet comprehend. Horace looked back over to his King, and nodded.

"Thank you, sire." He said with a smile, looking about at the faces of his friends and then up at Castle Araluen. He felt the katana in his hand, but now, it didn't weigh him down. "It's good to be back home," He said.

And he truly meant it.

A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. R&R, please!