AN: Another chapter, yay! I kinda lost interest in this story, perhaps you've noticed that my long term focus is like 0%. I will finish this story, but it may take a while for me to write something that I like as well.

I also have an idea for another story, but I'm not sure if I'll publish it yet. It's dark and twisted and it takes Will to a very dark place; his mind. He's depressed and does some pretty dark things to himself. Let me know what you think of it. Should I publish it? It does contain self harm and it's a bit graphic and I don't know if anyone, other than me, would like it... Let me know in a review or a pm.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter, have fun reading!

Chapter 21

Halt was sitting outside on his porch, a candle illuminated the reports that actually had to be written a while ago. Crowley was hard on him, but he knew nothing about the torture and other problems of the boy. Maybe telling him was a good idea ...

But he couldn't concentrate on anything other than the boy. He was a murderer, but he didn't know any better. He was kidnapped and trained, but that was the life he knew. But he was a murderer nonetheless. He is legally arrested and had to have a trial in which king Duncan was the judge.

And now this thing with his nightmares. He was worried.

He put his reports to the side and rushed inside to grab paper and began to write his letter.

The Bear sat at his desk. He hadn't hear anything from his students in weeks. It was a simple mission, but something must have gone wrong. He felt anger rising and swore under his breath. He knew that his students were captured or slain, otherwise they would already have returned. He didn't care much about that, though. The only thing he cared about was if 053 was dead. If his students didn't return, he couldn't know for sure, that was what made him angry. How could a few of his best students, personally trained by him, fail such an easy mission as torturing an 8-year old boy and getting the truth out of him.

The thought made him laugh darkly. 053 was the only student who really meant something to him, he reminded him of himself, and he had so much potential. When the time was right, he would have chosen him as his successor.

He stood up and walked to his fellow teachers, it was time for him to find a new personal disciple to train.

Will walked around the castle. His knee felt a bit better, so he decided to carefully train again. He wanted to be in good shape again, so he decided to 'run'.

The healer told him he could only walk slowly at first, so he wouldn't stress his knee too bad. So he only walked slowly at first, for an hour he walked circles around the castle. When he returned to his room felt his knee painful again. Annoyed, he sat down and rubbed his sore knee.

"Damn it!" Frustrated, he collapsed on the bed.

"It is at least improvement." Will jumped, startled. He never heard Halt arrive.

"It's not enough." Halt heard the cold tone and slightly raised his eyebrow.

"Patience is the key to success. What happened to you was terrible, but you should be glad that you can still walk. And breathe." He added after a while.

"I am also very happy with it, but it just takes so damn long!" Will sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. Halt remained silent. He didn't approve of an 8-year old cursing like that, but he felt the boy needed to get something off of his chest.

"I had hoped that I could do everything again by now. I need to train and get my muscles and condition back and I actually need to train with my weapons, but I know you cannot allow that. I'm still arrested, after all." Halt nodded thoughtfully.

"Why do you want to work out again?" Will looked up at him, a sad look on his face. "You know why, Halt. I told you. I know I have to appear before the king, but there is a small chance that I'll be acquitted. If so, I want to be in top condition to kill The Bear."

"Or you can tell me where the camp is and everything else, how The Bear looks and so. I can take down the camp and arrest The Bear. That is a legitimate course of action, murder isn't." He looked at the boy meaningfully, but Will seemed angry.

"No, never." for a moment Halt thought he was still loyal to his camp, but what Will said after this was worse.

"The Bear is mine and I will kill him, even if that means I'll be killed as well." He said in the same tone as when he came here for the first time. A cold, emotionless tone. His eyes were glassy, and there seemed to be no shred of horror to be seen at the thought of killing someone. Halt felt the cold consume him with this look.

Halt wanted to say something, but Will interrupted him before he had even said a word. "No. I won't tell anything. Kill me if you must, but no one touches The Bear except for me. He's mine."

Halt nodded slowly and decided to give the boy some rest. Was it the right choice to bring Crowley here? He wanted to convince him that the boy wouldn't do any harm, but if he acted as he did now, it certainly wouldn't do any good to let Crowley near him to evaluate him.

He just hoped Crowley came quickly and took his side.

The Ranger heard footsteps on his porch and then a knock on the door. He got up from his bench and opened his wooden door. A Courier smiled politely at him.

"Hello Ranger, I brought you this message. It says it's confidential." Crowley nodded a thanks to the young man and took the letter from him. Once the Courier rode away he closed the door and read his letter.

"Crowley,

I have an update on the boy. He is a trained assassin and already killed several people, as you already knew.
He was kidnapped and trained in a camp, he was the personal disciple of the Head of the camp; The Bear. He didn't want to tell anything about this camp and was arrested.

But now I have my doubts about him. The Bear managed to somehow figure out he was here and was convinced that the boy had betrayed him and the camp, while he was nothing but loyal. Other trained assassins came and assaulted and tortured him brutally. He sustained multiple injuries and has ingested a poison called Devil's Mind. It's a substance that caused him to temporarily be paralyzed and suffer from hallucinations. An overdose was given and it took a while before it was out of his system. He must have had hallucinated about something enormously cruel, he has nightmares every night; also a side effect of a drug that he took to be able to sleep peacefully.

He is now getting on the better side, physically. Mentally, on the other hand, he's a wreck. I do not know if it's such a good idea to let him appear to the king in this state. In the few weeks he's here, he has my interest and I'm struggling to focus on anything other than the boy, 053, as he was called in the camp. He is a special boy with a good instinct and had a good training. A training that could come in handy one day, he was forced to use his skills for the wrong purpose, but I believe he's a good boy and could do good in the future, maybe even become an apprentice of mine.

I'd like you to come to Redmont and evaluate the situation.

-Halt."

He frowned deeply. He had thought Halt handled this situation already. The letter sounded promising and he wanted to see the boy to whom Halt was apparently so interested in that he had his doubts about his crimes. He took his bow and cloak and some other stuff he needed and saddled his horse to go to Castle Redmont.