As the bright, searing light of midday washed down on them, Will and Halt rounded the final bend that brought them to the longed-for sight of Redmont.

"We're home," Will whispered, as if to himself. "We're almost home."

Redmont Castle had never looked so welcoming. He turned to Halt and managed a small, genuine smile that the Ranger returned with a softer version of his grim expression and a nod. Tug and Abelard, obviously feeling the relief of their riders, tossed their heads a bit and nickered to each other, carrying on a private conversation only the two of them understood.

Struck by sudden fear, Will asked, "Are we going to see Baron Arald?" If Halt had told the King everything he knew of Skandia, surely he wouldn't have to tell his baron, too?

Much to Will's dismay, Halt nodded. "The King's already been given the official report. Although Arald probably expects us to give him a report as well, at this point it's only a formality. It's not necessary for him to know anything except what's already known; Princess Cassandra is back, and so are we." Halt grimaced slightly. "However, I've not yet been reinstated into a fief. Which means we should probably pay him a visit."

Will's heart sank. After being away from Redmont for over a year, what would people think of him? Although he certainly didn't want them to know about his enslavement, the thought that he'd be undeservingly hailed as a hero was enough to turn his stomach. And Alyss...

Will still didn't know what he felt about Alyss.

Over the past year, the only thing he'd thought of was survival, and occasionally, Cassandra. Will acknowledged that there had been something between he and the Princess. But he was a Ranger. An apprentice Ranger, but still a Ranger, and his status was as far beneath the Princess's as to make even the thought of courting her laughable. At the same time, Will couldn't bear the thought of anyone else but Cassandra.

And anyway, it had only been one kiss. One kiss between he and Alyss, and that was two years ago. In the year he'd been away, Will was certain that the seventeen-year-old would've gotten over him, if Alyss had even liked him that much in the first place.

And, he couldn't help but think, once she finds out about what's happened, she'll like you even less. He would've liked to think if, but he wouldn't insult Alyss like that. She was a diplomat, used to knowing and keeping secrets. If Halt didn't decide to tell her, she'd probably figure something was off on her own and interrogate Will about it herself. At that point, Will knew the only way to keep her away was to simply keep her away from him.

By the time Will pulled his thoughts back to reality, they were already riding through the courtyard. The guards hailed them with much enthusiasm- more for Halt than for Will, he noted with relief, wishing he could just fade into the background and become invisible- and once they dismounted, they were surrounded by the castle staff. They wanted to know everything about Skandia, about if Horace had really been knighted as a second year cadet, if the Princess had really become a slave, if-

Will shut them out.

Halt, grim-faced as ever, not so politely shoved through the forming crowd and Will followed, shooting apologetic looks and murmuring sorry in an attempt to make up for his master. Once they were inside, the two seamlessly moved into the shadows, their common desire not to be questioned or followed rendering them united. Once they were outside the Baron's office, they made themselves known to the guards and were let in promptly.

"Halt!" the Baron cried. "And Will, my boy! How long has it been? Ten months? Ele-"

"Fourteen and a half for Will, thirteen for me," Halt said steadily, almost coolly. Will wondered for a second that Halt knew the exact amount of time, almost like he'd been counting, then tossed the thought away. It was Halt. Of course he would know the exact amount of time they'd been away.

"Oh, yes."

There were a few seconds' silence. Then Halt nodded a few times. "As I have now been reinstated and restored to my former status as a Ranger, I..." he paused. "I would like to ask to be reinstated here, at Redmont fief."

Arald's eyes widened. He started laughing, an action that made Halt's eyes narrow a little, and said, "God's sakes, man! You don't even have to ask. Of course I want you back, Halt. Gilan's an accomplished Ranger now, but he's not as good as you. You're the greatest Ranger in the Corps, past, present, or future."

"I wouldn't go that far," Halt said mildly, "But I do get the job done."

Arald grinned at him broadly. "Still as modest as ever, I see. Well, welcome back Halt, and you, Will. It'll be nice to have you two back. Lady Pauline and Alyss have been quite out of sorts ever since you two left."

"Lady Pauline?" Halt questioned, looking surprised. "Out of sorts, you say?"

Arald nodded. "Just little things here and there, usually when someone mentioned you." He grinned at the Ranger, who did not look in the least bit amused. "And young Alyss has been rather antsy as well once your return was made known."

Will nodded vaguely at the knowing look the Baron sent his way, too lost in thought to even think about the reason Alyss had been so 'antsy.' He just wanted to ride back to Halt's cabin- back home. That was the first place he'd truly called home. The ward had been a good place to live, and his wardmates on the whole nice, but it was nothing like the sheer sense of comfort and belonging he had from staying with Halt. Even if he did have to do all the chores.

"Well," the Baron said, obviously sensing their longing to get away, "I won't keep you any further. I'll send a courier over tomorrow to bring you all of the past year's reports."

Halt muttered something under his breath that sounded oddly like damn paperwork but gave a nod. In the next moment, he was gone, Will following behind him almost as swiftly.

The Baron watched as the door clicked silently shut. "I'll never get used to that," he said to himself.

The two Rangers passed silently through the castle again and remounted their horses, taking off in a mild canter towards their final destination. Home.

The last leg of their journey was, in Will's opinion, the longest. Even though Halt's cabin was hardly that far away from the castle- maybe a half hour's ride, at the very most- it felt like torture. He didn't realize he was impatiently bouncing in his saddle until Tug turned his head around and gave Will a look that told him to kindly stop doing so or he'd find himself headfirst in a mound of dirt. With that said, Will ceased all movement possible.

Once the house was in sight, however, Will could restrain himself no longer. He urged Tug into a gallop, leaping off his horse the moment they reached the porch. Fourteen months, and he was finally, finally home.

"Halt," he found himself saying, turning his blurred vision to his mentor, calmly dismounting Abelard a little distance away. "Halt, we're home." Without waiting for the Ranger to respond, he ran- straight into Halt's waiting arms. Halt's grip tightened around Will, one hand stroking the boy's hair, and Will, torn between tears and laughter, hugged him back just as tightly, mumbling nonsense he would later be unable to remember.

But Halt, a tiny flicker of a smile on his grizzled face, would know that Will was only saying I missed this so much and we're home over and over again.

After about a minute, Tug nuzzled Will. Suddenly embarrassed- was he to fall to pieces every time something like this happened?- he pulled away and lifted an awkward gaze to Halt.

"I'm sor-"

"I'm glad we're home too, Will," Halt interrupted quietly.

The two Rangers, master and apprentice, tended to their horses and walked back into the house side by side. The initial burst of happiness Will had felt began to fade to contentment, but it was one he could see was equal to Halt's own.

Once they set foot through the door, Halt took one look around and then raised an eyebrow at Will. "Look at all that dust," he said conversationally. "Looks like you'll have to clean it up, won't you?"

Will groaned.

After two weeks back at Redmont, everything fell apart.

In Hal's eyes, training had been going fairly well. Although he'd never tell Will, Halt was convinced that Will's archery and knife-throwing were already almost good enough to get him through third year assessment. Gilan's one month tutoring session in unseen movement had given Will a huge boost, and Halt felt confident that, in the remaining five months- if the Gathering was indeed moved up to March- it'd be good enough to pass him. As for strategics, Will had a natural knack for planning, even if it was matched with an equal dislike for geography. All in all, Halt felt optimistic that Will would be able to pass his third year.

However, that was Halt's point of view.

For Will, things were very different. Every day, his brain seemed to grow more tortured. The new, sporadic but no less damaging self-loathing he had to deal with was crippling. Will had doubted himself before, of course, but it had never been this bad. It would hit him randomly- sometimes after a failed shot, sometimes during a botched strategy exercise or even in a combat session with Halt.

Most often, however, it would hit at night. In the minutes between taking Erak's sleeping draught and falling asleep, he'd attack every failed action, every wrong word he'd made that day. The critical light he viewed himself in would accept nothing less than perfection, and Will, damaged, tired, and empty, was about as far away from perfection as it got. Sometimes, even despite Gilan's words at Castle Araluen and Halt's actions that honestly couldn't really be taken in any other way than that Halt cared for Will, he still wondered.

Over the past few days, his brain had managed to find a new way to torment him- a way that got around Halt's banishment and exile and was exacerbated by the Ranger's harsh training. Will wasn't sure, but he felt like Halt was being harder on him than he ever had been before, and that was what led to a new doubt.

Halt had cared for him. It was basically impossible to dispute that the man who'd purposely set himself up for possible death and at the very least, lifelong banishment in order to save his apprentice, hadn't cared for his apprentice.

But...Will knew he wasn't the same anymore. And eventually, he couldn't help but think, what if Halt doesn't like how much I've changed?

Certainly, the Ranger didn't act that much different. But it was the little things, like a harsh word after Will messed up in training or the times when Halt would suddenly go silent after Will said or did something in a way he knew Old Will would never have done. And it all made sense, after all. Old Will had been cheerful, friendly, and personable. He'd been brave, resourceful, and loyal. Present Will was quiet, withdrawn, depressed, and fragile. He sometimes felt echoes of his former self rise whenever he tended to Tug or made a near-impossible shot with his bow, but they were few and far between.

And so, as Will sat in his bed, he stared at the ceiling and doubted. Will had always heard the phrase love your neighbor as yourself. Will reckoned it meant he was supposed to love himself, but couldn't find the wherewithal to do anything except hate. If he couldn't find a way to like his present self, then how the hell was Halt supposed to?

What Will didn't know was Halt's harsh words had stemmed merely from having to deal with the unpleasantness of the piles of paperwork he'd been working through in order to catch up. And he certainly didn't know that Halt's sudden silences were only his sadness and guilt over seeing Will so drastically changed. But Halt, busy as he was, only knew that Will seemed to be stable for now. And Will, burdened with trauma and depression and overwhelming guilt, was completely oblivious to the fact that Halt cared for him just as much as he always had.

After two weeks, everything came to a head when Will came to the horrifying realization that he was nearly out of sleeping medicine. Will had only two night's supply left, and no conceivable way to get any more. Although Will was clueless to the true nature of Halt's actions, that didn't make him a fool. His nightmares wouldn't have just disappeared; if anything, after having suppressed them for so long, they'd be worse than ever.

Will knew of only one place he could resupply his stock, and that was the castle infirmary. But that would mean having to think up some idea to go into town in the first place. He thought for a moment, slowly pacing around his bedroom, when a sudden burst of clarity came to him and he remembered what day it was to be two days from then.

"Halt," he called, directing his voice to the wall. It was possible the Ranger was asleep by now, but even if he were, Will knew the Ranger was a light enough sleeper as to be instantly awake.

"Unless it's an emergency," a tired, grumpy voice replied from the next door, "I don't want to know."

"It's my birthday in two days."

A pause. "You want to see your friends, don't you?"

That hadn't been Will's plan at all, but he knew that saying no would only raise Halt's suspicions. Which meant he'd have to see Alyss. Well, as long as he got his medicine, Will could do it. After all, it wasn't like seeing Alyss was a hardship- it was simply what she might find out and how she might view Will once she did.

"Do you think they'll be free?"

"I have no idea," Halt said, sounding even grumpier. "Do I look like a seer?"

Will wisely kept silent. This, at least, Will knew was not because of him. Halt had always been known to get angry when woken up in the middle of the night- but then again, who wouldn't be?

Halt sighed, loud enough Will could make it out even through the wall. "We'll find out tomorrow. Or today, rather, seeing how it's probably past midnight by now. Go to sleep, Will."

The apprentice knew better than to argue. "G'night, Halt."

"Goodnight."

In moments, Will felt the sleeping drug kick in, and he was fast asleep within the next minute. He remembered nothing else until Will's door opened at six in the morning and Halt's voice told him to wake up. He scrambled out of bed and hastily dressed, running a hand through his awful bedhead and stumbling to the table where Halt had breakfast made already.

Although Will half expected Halt to refuse him coffee as he sat down and reached for it, the Ranger didn't, offering him a cup with a grim look that said you're lucky this time. Try it again and you won't be so fortunate next time. The two silently began their breakfast, Will fluctuating between wanting to ask Halt about going to town and not wanting to anger his master.

"If you can get all your chores done before noon, we'll leave for Castle Redmont."

Despite the happiness that should've brought him, Will looked at his mentor a little distrustfully. That was too easy. Now that they'd been back two weeks, chores only took around an hour or two to do, depending on the day. Beating the rugs took awhile, but Will had just done that yesterday; he wouldn't need to for another week.

Halt, apparently seeing the look on Will's face, continued with something almost like satisfaction, "And once you've shot two hundred arrows, completed five laps around the trail, and told me how you'd deal with," he motioned to a paper sitting next to his plate, "this report right here."

Now, Will's distrust morphed into horror. "That's impossible! Halt-" but he clamped his jaw shut. If he protested, Halt would simply add more on. Halt raised an eyebrow, gave him a that's what I thought look, and motioned at the door. "Well, best get started," he said mildly.

Will abandoned his half-finished breakfast and almost sprinted out the door, frantic to complete his chores as quickly as possible. Two hundred arrows! True, Will could shoot about five arrows in the span of three seconds, but he couldn't keep that up. Added in to that was the fact that when Halt said two hundred, he didn't mean two hundred faulty shots. Will had to shoot every single one into at least the center portion of a target, and if he let too much time elapse between shots, it didn't count. With those restrictions, it could easily take Will over two hours.

He glanced up at the sun on the way over to the woodpile. It was about 6:30 right now. If he took two hours on chores and two and a half with archery, that'd take him to eleven, which left him only an hour to run five laps. Seeing as each lap along the trail Halt had specifically marked for Will took around fifteen minutes...

Will gulped. Alright, let's make that an hour and a half on chores.

As he was traipsing to the archery range, he suddenly remembered the last thing Halt had told him to do and groaned, hitting his head against a tree. Who knew what was in that report? It could be anything, from a serial killer terrorizing the villagers to just a simple drunken brawl. Will had no idea how long it'd take him to plan out a strategy for that. Halt seemed to find great delight in pointing out every possible error and fault in Will's plans.

So, two hours on archery. He grimly surveyed the targets and lay down on the ground, rolling to his side and readying his bow. Halt insisted he learn to shoot with accuracy from every position. Will had had to shoot lying on his back, from a tree, on horseback- even, to Will's chagrin, tied upside down to a post (Will was still convinced that last one was a punishment for putting pepper into Halt's coffee cup). This would be near-impossible to do in two hours, but Will had to try.

Will glanced up at the sky, panting. It's almost noon. I have to hope that whatever Halt's report is about, it's not hard. If it is, I'm screwed. As he rounded the bend and jogged up to the porch, Halt walked through the door, paper in hand.

"You took longer than I expected," was the Ranger's only comment as he sat down in a chair and motioned Will to do the same. Heaving for air, Will obeyed. "This report is about a missing horse stolen by bandits. What would you do?"

Taken aback, Will stared at his mentor. A missing horse? Is that even worthy of a Ranger's attention? "A...missing horse?" Too late, he realized what he'd done.

Halt glared. "I asked you a question. Don't answer me back with one. Come on, Will, use your brain."

That wasn't something the Ranger would've used to say to Will- or, at least, he wouldn't have used that tone. He blinked perhaps a little more than necessary and nodded, wracking his brain for a response. He would've liked to argue with Halt that a missing horse was hardly Ranger business, but Will was running out of time. It was possible he'd be able to sneak away from Halt long enough to get the medicine today, therefore calling off the need to join his friends. Although he wasn't sure how he'd get out of it once it was scheduled.

"I...guess I'd track the bandits down and apprehend them."

A sigh. "And how, exactly would you do that?"

Will faltered. "Well, I'd go to the place the horse was seen last and track it-"

"And what if the ground there is too trampled to make out that one horse's tracks?"

"Then I'd scour the surrounding ground to see which tracks fit the ones I'm looking for. After I find the bandits, I'll either kill or disable them all and lead the horse-"

"What if they already sold off the horse?" Halt broke in. Will blanched. He hadn't thought of that.

"I'd...tell the new owners that they got the new horse illegally."

"But they paid for it."

"They paid for it from a thief!"

Halt shrugged. "They still would've bought it with their own money. It's very hard to convince people to give up something they paid for."

Will groaned. "Okay, so I'll track the bandits down, find the money they got by their sale of the horse and a little extra to sweeten the deal, then get the horse back that way." He looked at Halt, expecting the man to find another inconsistency or way it could've gone wrong, but Halt just nodded.

"Thinking of giving them a little extra in addition to what they paid is a good idea. It'll help soothe wounded pride over buying a stolen horse."

Glancing up at the sky again, Will asked, "Now can we go? I've done everything you asked."

Halt stood and folded the report up. "Impatient, aren't we?"

"I've waited all morning," Will pleaded, standing up as well and hopping from one foot to the next in a show of impatience much like his old self. For a second, he thought he saw a pleased, almost happy gleam in Halt's eyes, but Will decided he was seeing things.

"Go and saddle Tug. I'll put this report up."