A/N Another chapter. The next one will take some time because I'm stuck..I have some real problems with getting Malcolm on the paper. He just realy hard to write. But I'm trying to get it done as soon as possible. Enjoy.

Elsforever

Chapter 4

"Will, you have to stop acting this way!" Halt desperately said. Will stood with his back towards the man, staring out the window. Ignoring his former master completely, he let his thoughts wander. He didn't see why they were still trying. He wasn't the old Will anymore, and they just couldn't believe he has changed. They told him something was wrong with him. He just got really angry and told them they were the ill ones, before throwing them out. Again. He knew that he wasn't right, but he just didn't see what others could do about it. He didn't even know how he became this way himself.

Halt was getting really annoyed with Will. The grizzled Ranger saw the kid as a son, but this was getting out of hand. He knew that, whatever had caused this situation, it wasn't Wills' fault. But he had ignored him for days now, unless he was being thrown out. And he was getting sick of being thrown out. He wanted to help the man, but Will was being extremely difficult. He couldn't wait until Alyss returned, this time with Malcolm. He needed the man right now. Malcolm was a trained healer; he would know what to do.

Pauline saw her husband was getting in a bad mood. She laid a calming hand on his arm. Halt looked up, a sad look on his face.

"I don't know what to do!" he cried. One tear found his way down his cheek, only to disappear in his beard. Pauline never saw him this sad since Wills' disappearing while he was still Halt's apprentice. But she knew why. He couldn't change anything in this situation. He couldn't do anything at all. And that's what bothers him. If Will was in a bad situation, he would ride to where he is and stand beside him. If he would be sick, Halt would go and make sure he became better. A silent voice in her head said that Will was sick right now. She knew that, but this was in his head, a mental illness. And they couldn't help with that.

"Alyss will be back later today," she reassured the man who was currently hugging her tight. She felt his arm drawing circles on her back, to calm her, but mostly to calm himself.

"I know," he said in a soft voice.

They finally reached the castle. But instead of going towards the big building, they made a turn towards the forest and followed a small path. When they reached the cabin Alyss saw that Halt and Pauline were already there, obviously waiting for them to arrive. She swung off her horse and saw Malcolm follow suit.

"I'm getting too old for this kind of long trips," he muttered while stretching his sore body. Pauline immediately came, strolling urgently yet gracefully towards him, Halt hot on her heels. Malcolm suddenly transformed into his professional self and started to ask questions about Wills' behaviour. He already questioned Alyss, but the situation might have changed in the time she was away. He was currently asking questions like if he ate regularly, when he slept, his behaviour towards his friends and stuff like that. His facial expressions changed from tired to worry.

"What's wrong?" Alyss asked.

She saw the change in the healer's facial features. He shook his head and said he would check on Will first before making conclusions.

When he entered the house, he saw it was rather dark inside. The fire burned slowly and weakly, barely sputtering out wisps of smoke. The living room was empty, so the man figured Will must be in his bedroom, since he never left the house. When he walked in that particular room, he saw Will lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Something he did a lot, according to Halt. He also noticed the big black circles around his eyes, and the paleness of what had settled on the skin of the man. He didn't even look up when he entered the room. Strange, Will was a ranger, and rangers were trained to notice everything, so his entrance couldn't have gone unnoticed.

"Hello Will," he said with a soft voice. Now Will did look up.

"What are you doing here, Malcolm?" he asked, with a concerned voice. "Anything wrong?" Malcolm frowned after this reaction.

"Yes, actually there is something wrong." Now Will sat up.

"What is it?" he asked, voicing his worry.

"Haven't you noticed anything?" Malcolm replied to the question. Now Will was the one with the frown.

"Well, if it has anything to do with me, you can go back. I'm not sick so I don't need your help." With that he lay back down and started to look at the ceiling again.

He would've known they would fetch Malcolm. Alyss had been away for a couple of days, suddenly, without explanation. Now he was really pissed off. He didn't need their help. They wanted him to act normal, to be a Ranger again. But Will knew, soon enough someone will die because of him, Halt was already so close. He couldn't let anything happen to the other people. He could explain it to them, but he knew they wouldn't let him be. They wouldn't understand.

But of everything they could do, they got Malcolm. Will knew something was wrong with him. And he knew Malcolm would find out. He didn't want that, he was weak. He had to heal it himself, than he would be strong again.

All this time Malcolm was still in the room. He saw Will was thinking, and he knew it were dark thoughts in his head. This boy was emotionally on the edge. He needed help, and fast.

Outside the house there was the cloaked man again, with a deep frown on his face. He hadn't counted on the fact they could ask help by a healer. Well, he knew they eventually would ask the help of a healer, but this healer knew Will. This man would see the drastic changes in Will and eventually become paranoid. He wasn't for nothing the best healer Araluen had ever known. Many believed the man was dead, or at least a wizard, but he knew better. But, he reassured himself, the stuff he used on Will were highly unlikely to be figured out, no matter how good the healer. The cure was ultra-rare. One in every thousand people knew it. He was reassured by this fact and leaned calmly with his back against the tree.