Happy Easter! I love how most of the American holidays include candy.

The waves that lapped against the shore was driving him crazy. He missed the calm forest with it's comfortable tall trees and various hiding places. The island seemed to be shrinking while the sea between him and his friends seemed to grow bigger and bigger. It killed him, not knowing if his friends were okay. Hell! He wasn't even sure they were alive! And he was stuck on this god forsaken rock unable to help or do anything at all. He could barely even hunt.

A large, calloused hand clamped down on his shoulder, making Will jump. The Ranger had been too wrapped up in his thoughts and Thorn could move very quietly when he wanted to. "Breakfast," Thorn grunted, pulling him to where the younger boys (ahem and girl) were already seated. Edvin looked up as the two men came over and handed the Ranger his little miracle in a cup. He knew about Will's near dependency on the bean-based beverage.

Will sat down on a log near Hal and slowly sipped the coffee, savoring it. Thorn glanced at the Ranger, noting the far-away look in his eye and how he was sipping his coffee slowly instead of his normal inhalation. One of the twins waved his hand in front of Will's face. "Hello? Did you fall asleep or something?" he asked. Wulf yelped as his hand was nearly sliced off with a saxe knife that seemingly appeared out of no where.

Will frowned at Hal. "Really Hal. I thought your crew would have been more disciplined by now," Will tsked teasingly. Will twirled his knife around his fingers, seeing Tursgurd open his mouth condescendingly.

They finished breakfast silently. Lydia stretched leisurely, noting how Hal and Stig looked like they were trying hard not to drool. The other Herons (minus Ingvar) smirked at their leaders expressions. Will rolled his eyes. He wondered if the girl was doing this on purpose, but then again he wouldn't know. Alyss wouldn't even think of showing off her body even though she did it without trying, and Evelyn was too tomboyish.

Soon the other boys were finished and lined up in front of Thorn, ready for a day of drills. Will watched them with interest, then slipped into line at the end, next to Stefan. Thorn raised an eyebrow at him, but Will just gave a small shrug in reply.

Will had trouble keeping up with the Skandians. He was fast and was about 30 meters in front of everyone during their morning jog. He was also a lot stronger then anyone had expected. Will prided himself in being a relatively quick learner and soon got the hang of a sword. Plus, all those nights sneaking out to practice and prepare as a Ward really helped.

"I thought you were trained with a bow and knives," Hal panted, dropping on the ground when Thorn had finally called for a break. Will shrugged. "How are you not passing out right now?" Ulf grumbled. Will's fists clenched, annoyed that everyone had once again mistaken him for a weakling with his slight build . It was still a constant in his life, but that didn't mean he had to like it. "Yeah. A weakling Araluen like you should have been unconscious a long time ago," Tursgurd sneered. A moment later, a knife nicked the side of his head and imbedded itself in a tree 20 feet behind him, the hilt quivering.

Will stalked away, growling. The boys looked at each other, confused, wondering why the normally carefree, light-hearted Ranger was so moody. Thorn shook his head, sighing at their obliviousness. Thorn could tell that the younger man was worried and didn't like being coped up on this rock in the middle of a gigantic pond. After all, he was more cavalry and espionage than navy.

Thorn noticed with approval that Lydia had already gone after him. He had noticed that the girl had gotten attached to the Ranger, probably because Will was the one who helped her with her atlatl and aim. And because Will was the type of person who was just really hard to hate.

Lydia followed Will who had made his way into the scraggly bushes that they called a "forest". "Leave," Will growled, sensing the girl. She caught up to him, dragging on his arm. "Calm down," she said. "They don't understand. They're just thick-headed pigs."

Will sighed, leaning against a tree, rubbing his temples. He didn't know why he was having these mood swings, but he blamed it on stress and worry. Lydia frowned. She stepped forward and felt his forehead. It was burning to the touch. She mentally smacked herself. Will must've been freezing. All the Skandians were used to cold, and Will's cloak looked very worn. "You have a fever," she said, almost scoldingly. Will shrugged, brushing past her. "I'll be fine in a few days, " he grumbled. Lydia left him alone as he pushed his way deeper into the brush.

When Will got back to the camp, he found himself being grabbed and pulled by Edvin into the medical tent, where he was forced down. He sighed, guessing that Lydia told. "I'm fine," he tried to protest when Edvin handed him some tea. They ended up having a glaring war and gave everyone a lesson on the stubbornness of a Ranger and a healer.

Thorn managed to knock (literally) some sense into Will and got him to drink the tea and rest. Will's stay on the rock just got more miserable.

He hated feeling so helpless and weak while the others were getting exercise and fixing the ships and doing their best to restock for the trip to Araluen.

He spent the next few days slipping in and out of consciousness, feeling both hot and cold at the same time. After 4 days, he was on the verge of banging his head on something out of sheer boredom. "Screw it," he grumbled, slipping out of the tent. He managed to look slightly dignified like a Ranger for about 3 seconds before slipping on the wet rocks. Stig grabbed him and hauled him back into the tent. "Sit," the boy ordered. Will glared back. "Respect your elders," he grumbled. Stig walked back out, chortling. "I'll get Edvin," he called back.

Will sighed, feeling useless and humiliated. "Great Ranger I make," he grumbled to himself. He sighed again and leaned against the side of the tent, almost knocking it over. Will swore softly, wondering if he could do anything correctly. Instead of Edvin coming into the tent, this time it was Lydia. She handed Will a cup of tea,"Edvin said you should be fine by the time we set sail." Will instantly perked up. "When?" he asked, finally daring to hope. Lydia smiled, sensing his excitement. "2 days," she answered.

Will sighed contently and leaned back.

Two days later, Will was up and about, training hard to get back into shape before they left. He felt weak and out of shape, but the Skandians claimed that they couldn't see the difference. None of them understood the Ranger standards. Even if they did, it all went over their heads.

Will was not happy about getting onto the ship again, but he was overjoyed to be getting off this god-forsaken rock in the middle of no where. And to ass to that joy, he was finally on his way to rescuing his friends.

Ugh. Such a cheesy ending. Oh well. Here's your Easter egg. Enjoy it.