Hey everyone! This is the story that first got me into fanfiction. I had started thinking of it, and then debated whether I could actually write it. It was then that I got curious, and looked into fanfiction. Then I found this website, and got hooked. It's my oldest story, so maybe not as good as my more recent ones, but I did put a lot of effort into it when I wrote it a few years ago.

Hope you enjoy!

Halt and will were both quiet as they are their breakfast, until Halt cleared his throat slightly, and then coughed into his fist when that didn't work. Will looked up and frowned at him, which Halt noticed but didn't comment on. Halt had had this small cough for a few days, but it hadn't progressed into anything worse. Will knew that Halt could take care of himself, but was still worried for his mentor. He told himself to relax, after all, it was only a slight cough that Halt had. However, Will wasn't sure that Halt would admit to being sick, if he didn't want to rest or take it easy. So Will was just keeping an eye on Halt, in case the cough turned into something worse.

Unknown to Will, Halt glanced at his apprentice. He was well aware of what a worrywart Will could be, and was surprised that Will hadn't mentioned his cough at all. Halt wasn't disappointed, as his answer was simple: that he was fine. It was just a slight cough, which wasn't uncommon as the weather grew colder.

Halt looked back at his papers, settling into his seat again, and subconsciously cleared his throat again. The only one at the table who noticed it was Will.

After breakfast was done, the dishes cleaned, and the papers scanned through, Halt declared that he was going out to scout the area. "You might want to practice your knife throwing," he commented. "It's getting a bit sloppy." And, leaving an amused Will, he stepped out of the warm cabin, into the cold, brisk wind outside.

Pulling his cloak tighter around him, he trudged off into the forest on foot. A horse would be too hard to conceal while scouting, even a ranger trained one. And besides, Halt would be travelling on paths that would be difficult to walk as a horse.

Back at the cabin, Will was outside in the clearing, throwing his knives at a target set up for the purpose, retrieving them, and throwing them again. No matter what Halt had said, his throwing skills were up to par, but practicing could only improve them.

Will switched to practicing his archery after a while, and stopped at noon to have his lunch. Halt had packed a lunch, so Will wasn't expecting him back until later in the afternoon.

Will was still cleaning up after his meal when the weather changed. Rain started falling, and within a few minutes, it was coming down heavily. The weather had looked like it was going to rain, so it wasn't unexpected. However, Will had been hoping that Halt would have been back before it started.

Halt's ranger cloak would repel the water for a time, but it was heavy rain, and if he was out in it for any length of time, he would become thoroughly soaked. Considering that he already had a cough, this would not be a good thing for the older ranger.

Knowing that there was nothing he could do about it, Will prepared himself for a lazy afternoon of fixing, and making more, arrows, and maybe sharpening his knives.

After an hour of twiddling with his arrows, straightening and readjusting whatever needed it, Will heard the horses whinnying in the stable. He assumed it was Halt coming, and the tone of the horse's whinnies confirmed it.

It was still raining heavily outside, but Will had a cheery fire going in the fireplace, and a pot of coffee staying warm in the coals. Will got up from his seat and grabbed a mug for Halt, placing it on the table.

Will gathered his stuff together and went to put it where it belonged, and he was still in his room when he heard the door open. He still reacted to the situation the way he had been trained, even though he was almost positive it was Halt: anyone else would have knocked first. But he kept his senses alert for any sound, and heard the familiar sounds Halt made when moving. When he wasn't trying to be quiet, that is.

Will walked out into the main room as Halt turned from hanging his cloak on the back of a chair by the fire. "Hey, Halt," Will said casually. "You look a little wet." He was still nervous about Halt being out in that rain with his cough, but there was no use in letting Halt know that.

In response, Halt merely grunted, and walked into his room, closing the door quietly behind him. A few minutes later, more time than it should have taken in Will's opinion, Halt came out in dry clothes, and with his hair a little less soaked.

Will had taken the coffee pot out of the fire, had poured Halt a cup full, and had added a generous helping of honey. Upon coming out of his room, Halt sat down at the table, accepted the mug of hot brew offered to him, and wrapped his hands around it to conserve its heat.

Halt lifted the cup to his mouth and took a sip, before placing it down on the table again, with his hands still around it. Then, he let go of it with his right hand and coughed deeply into his sleeve. This cough sounded deeper, and hollower, than it had been this morning, and Will raised his eyebrow at the sound.

"Wow," he said, "that was loud. Were you even able to breathe with all that stuck in there?"

Halt looked up at his apprentice with red rimmed, tired eyes. "Just barely," he replied dryly. And it wasn't actually false. He had been clearing his throat quite a bit that morning, and now it felt dry and sore. He considered making himself some tea, then dismissed the idea. Any drink would do, as long as it moistened his throat. He took another sip of his coffee and forced it down his throat, wincing as he swallowed.

Will noticed this reaction, and correctly guessed the reason: Halt had a sore throat. Halt, however, kept telling himself that he was fine, that his throat was just scratchy from the rain, and that he had nothing to worry about.

They both ignored the signs of Halt's sickness, and drank their coffee in companiable silence.

That night, as Halt lay in bed, he couldn't find a cool spot to lay on. His sheets and his pillow were both too hot for comfort, and he kept tossing around, hoping against hope to find a single cool spot to lay down on. This, combined with his continuous, racking coughs, made it nearly impossible to fall asleep.

After he finally did manage to fall asleep, he woke up a few hours later. Contrary to before, he felt frozen, and he was curled in a ball, shivering. He knew that being that hot and that cold was a sure sign of a fever and chills, but he kept telling himself that he was fine.

His throat was still scratchy, and he tried to cough slightly, and clear it, but that didn't help. Finally, he realized that what he needed was a drink of water. He reached over to the flask beside his bed, but it was empty. He remembered emptying it sometime, but he couldn't remember when. It didn't really matter, since he had obviously forgotten to fill it.

The only other way for him to get water was: to go outside, off the porch, to the rain barrel, in the cold; or to go into Will's room and get his flask, which wasn't actually an option, in Halt's opinion. He shivered violently at the very thought of going outside, but his throat was killing him, so he sat up and got out of his bed. The very air outside his blankets was so cold, his teeth almost chattered together.

He needed a way to get rid of the pain in his throat, but he didn't want to have to go outside. Then, he realized another way. His bare feet felt frozen on the wood floors, and he stumbled out of his room in the dark. As his eyes got used to the lack of light, he made his way to the medicine drawer in his kitchen. He felt around until he found the bag of painkillers.

The herbs crunched as he pulled the bag out, and the sound was satisfying, as he knew that in a little while, the pain would be all but gone. He dug his hand in and grabbed a few of the dry leaves, and then brought his closed hand to his mouth, emptying the substance from his hand. He chewed down, and as the flavour seeped into his mouth, he swallowed.

He grimaced again at the pain, and then made his way back to his room, after placing the painkillers back in their place and closing the drawer. He almost ran into the wall, being so dizzy that he could hardly control where he went. The shivering wasn't helping him get control either. He climbed into bed, coughing into his hand, without realizing that his apprentice had been watching ever since Halt had walked into the kitchen.

The painkillers did their job, and Halt slept until morning came, when the sun coming up made him realize that he had overslept.

Halt swung his legs over the side of the bed, and bent down to put his boots on. Having secured them to his feet, he stood up, and almost fell over. His head was throbbing, and the room was swimming. He stood there for a few seconds, until things straightened out in his room. Then, grabbing his knife belt, he put it on, and stepped out into the kitchen.

To his surprise, he saw Will standing over the fire, cooking breakfast. Normally Halt would have had to wake Will up, but he had slept in so long, Will was up already.

"Morning," Will said, turning away from the breakfast as he heard Halt stepping into the room. Then, unable to stop himself, he exclaimed, "Woah! Halt, you look terrible!" And he was right. The only color on Halt's pale face was the dark circles under his eyes, and the bright red of his fever flushed cheeks, and bloodshot eyes.

"Thanks," Halt said gloomily, and coughed into his sleeve. Then, walking past his apprentice, he stepped outside the cabin, and closed the door behind him. He sighed in pleasure as the cool breeze swept over him, cooling his heated body.

He stepped off the porch, and over to the rain barrel, which was overflowing after yesterday's rain. He grabbed the dipper and drank deeply from it. It felt good as it went down his throat, but the relief vanished almost instantly. The heat from his sore throat flared up again, and he scooped up another dipper full of water, sipping it slowly this time, to relieve the pain in his throat.

Remembering the events from the night, Halt walked back into the cabin, and into his room. He grabbed his empty canteen and, walking out of the cabin again, filled it at the stream that ran through the woods.

Back in the cabin, Will was putting breakfast on the table when Halt came in. After putting his canteen beside his bed again, Halt sat down to breakfast with Will.

"Halt," Will later said, in an irritated voice. "Stop picking at your food; you need to eat something."

"I'm just not that hungry, Will," Halt replied, his voice hoarse from then before Will could say anything, Halt said, "I'm fine." He knew by now that he was most definitely not fine, but he wasn't about to admit that he felt awful, and just wanted to go back to bed.

Every bone and muscle in his body ached with every movement.

Will, looking down at his plate, seemed hesitant about something. Then, seeming to come to a decision, he looked his mentor in the eye and said, "Yeah, you are totally fine. That's why you were up last night taking painkillers, I'm sure."

"I-"Halt stammered, taken aback. He had thought that was his secret.

"Whatever!" Will exclaimed. "I'm sure you can take care of yourself, if you want to. Just don't blame me if something happens."

Halt clenched his jaw as pain throbbed in his temples every time one of his arrows found its mark: which was every time. After accidentally sleeping in that morning, Halt was determined that he wouldn't let his cold get the best of him. So, even though he knew he should have been resting, he was out shooting arrow after arrow, while Will rubbed the horses down in the barn.

A strong breeze swept through the clearing, causing Halt to start shivering, and reminding him that he still had a fever. He clenched his jaw to prevent his teeth rattling, and he groaned as shivering sent pain into every muscle and bone in his body.

Finally, he stopped shaking, and reached up to grab another arrow out of his quiver, only to find that he had emptied it. He sighed, and started walking over to the targets he had been shooting at. But he stopped midway to cough into his cloak sleeve.

Instead of just being a short, although racking, cough, this one wouldn't go away. He kept coughing and coughing, until he was gasping for a breath. So much coughing, and coughing this deeply, was sending a sharp pain shooting into his chest, which kept growing with every cough. He was bent over, trying to stop coughing, and to breathe, but to no avail.

He heard Will call his name, but had no time to pay attention to his apprentice. "Halt, are you okay?" Will called again. He had heard Halt coughing, and it hadn't stopped. So, he came out of the barn to see what was wrong, only to see his mentor bent over, coughing into his sleeve, and with no sign of stopping.

Finally, Halt managed to catch a breath, but it didn't last long before he was coughing again. The pain pierced his stomach, and made him feel nauseous. His coughing subsided, but then he had to stagger to the tree line, still weakened by the coughing fit. He managed to get to the edge of the clearing, and throw himself to his hands and knees, before he started emptying his stomach into the bushes.

He hadn't had an appetite that morning, and had only picked at his food, but that apparently didn't mean he had nothing in his stomach. After gasping out the contents of his stomach a couple times, he thought it would stop, but apparently his body wasn't done yet. He threw up again, and then again, before he could stop.

He just knelt there, with his head hanging, gasping in and out, trying to get air. He felt a hand on his shoulder, which he assumed belonged to Will. His body shook violently at the contact, and from the effort it took to stay propped up. Then, lightheaded after coughing and emptying his stomach, his arms buckled, and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

"No, no, no!" Will said, as his mentor hit the ground. He rolled Halt over, so that he was lying on his back. It still came as a shock to Will how bad Halt looked. And now, Halt's face was scrunched up slightly in pain.

Will lay his hand on Halt's forehead, but pulled it away again after confirming that Halt had a high fever. Oh, what do I do? Will thought. I can't get him inside alone, and I can't leave him here to go get help.

His problem was solved when Halt started waking up. He started stirring, and his eyes slowly opened. "Will," he murmured, seeing his apprentice's face in his vision. He was wondering what happened, and then he remembered throwing up.

"Halt! Are you-" Will was about to ask if Halt was alright, but decided that he obviously wasn't. "You need to get inside. Can you stand?"

The look in Halt's eyes said that he doubted it, but he allowed Will to help him to his feet and, leaning against his apprentice, Halt made his unsteady way to the cabin, and into the main room.

Just as they were heading to Halt's room, Tug and Abelard gave a warning sound that someone was coming. Both Will and Halt froze, listening for any out of place sound, although Halt was more just allowing Will to listen. He didn't feel able to do anything but try and stay awake. Soon, the sound of horse hooves beating on the ground came to their ears. The horse was trotting, and heading straight for the clearing. Most likely, it was a messenger from the castle.

Halt realized this, and tried to turn around and head outside, but his apprentice stopped him. "Halt!" Will said, gripping Halt more firmly. "Get in bed. I'll talk to him." He continued to lead Halt into the bedroom, although they moved slowly for Halt's sake.

Halt shook his head, wincing at the effort. He couldn't stop Will from pulling him along. "No," he said. "It's gonna be for me. I'm fi-"What he was saying was cut off as Halt started coughing.

At this point they were at Halt's bed, and as Halt was coughing, Will turned the blankets back, and lowered his mentor onto the bed. Halt, mostly past his coughing fit, and unable to resist the temptation of a soft bed, slowly laid down, sighing as he sunk into the softness.

Halt felt the covers being pulled up to his chin after a little, and heard Will walk out of the room.

Will walked into the front room again just as the rider was entering the clearing. Will walked out the door, and over to where the castle messenger, for that was what he was, was sitting astride his horse.

"Ranger Will," the messenger said, making the common mistake of referring to Will as a ranger. Will didn't have the patience to correct him, and merely nodded in response. "I have a message for Ranger Halt, from the baron."

"Halt is not available right now," Will replied, "but I can take a message."

The rider seemed to think about this, and then nodded his head a few times. "Of course," he said. "I was merely to inform the ranger that the baron would like to see him. At the convenience of Ranger Halt, of course."

Will nodded. "I will pass on the message to Halt when I see him." Nothing he had said was a lie, and he was rather proud of himself for taking care of it.

Will considered getting the messenger to send a healer down to the cabin, but decided against it. Halt wouldn't want his condition to be publicly known, and Will intended to tell as few people as possible, especially strangers. Besides, Will figured he could go tell the baron that Halt was unable to see him, and he could get a healer at the same time. He was pretty sure that Halt wouldn't want to have a healer come down, and going to see the baron was a good excuse in case Halt asked.

The messenger, having done his job, nodded to Will, and rode out of the clearing, and down the trail to Wensley village, and the castle.

Will walked back inside and grabbed a bucket, after checking that Halt was sleeping peacefully. Will filled the bucket with cool stream water, and went back into the cabin. He grabbed a clean cloth from a drawer, and then walked, with the bucket of water and the cloth, into Halt's room.

He placed the bucket on the table beside Halt's bed, where his canteen also was. He put the cloth in the bucket to soak, and placed the palm of his hand on Halt's forehead to check his fever again.

Halt's body was overheated, and the sheets were getting damp again from his sweat. Halt's hair was also damp with sweat, and was sticking to his face. He was breathing in shallow, gasping breaths, almost as if he was panting.

Will reached into the bucket, grabbed the cloth, wrung it out, and draped it over Halt's forehead. Halt relaxed slightly after this, and slowly opened his eyes. He looked at Will, who noticed that Halt's eyes were bright with fever, and yet dull at the same time.

"Will, who was the rider?" Halt asked, his voice slurred with exhaustion. Will smiled slightly. Of course Halt would get right down to that."It was just a messenger from Baron Arald," Will said, hoping that in Halt's state, he wouldn't bother asking anything more. Although Will thought Halt should have a healer, he didn't want to leave Halt, even for just half an hour. He wasn't so lucky though.

"Well, what did he want?" Halt asked, his voice clearer now, and with a note of irritation in it.

Will smiled again. "He just said that the baron wanted to see you, whenever it was convenient for you. Which is obviously not now," he added the last sentence hastily as he saw Halt rise up off the pillow.

"That just means I can take my time a little. I still have to go," Halt said, trying to sit up, and failing. He fell back down on the bed, which wasn't actually a very large distance, since he hadn't pushed himself up very much. His head was spinning from just that slight effort, and he put his hand to his head to gain some kind of a brace. He felt a cold, wet cloth on his forehead, and put his hand back down again. Then he realized that his apprentice was talking.

"...can go tell the baron that you can't meet with him. But, I don't want to leave you here. I'm sure he will understand if you don't go," Will said, trying one last effort to stay with Halt.

Halt thought about it, and then decided that Will going was the best he could do. Halt had a strong sense of duty, and great respect for the baron he worked with. "I'll be fine," he said. "Just, don't take too long."

"I won't," Will replied, accepting that he would have to leave if he wanted Halt to stay in bed. Halt's eyes closed, and his breathing became deeper and more even. Will walked out of the room and then, remembering what had happened just minutes before, grabbed another bucket, and placed it beside Halt's bed, in case he woke and felt nauseous again.

Will stepped outside, and quickly made his way to the stable, where he saddled Tug, and made his way to see the baron.

Will was walking through Redmont Castle at a higher speed that he normally did. He had almost galloped to the castle, but decided that wouldn't be very dignified or ranger like. So he had set Tug to a fast trot, figuring that Halt would probably be fine without him. It was just a cold, after all.

He had left Tug saddled, and untied. Tug would wait for him, and he wasn't going to be in the castle long. All these thoughts ran through his mind as he turned corners and climbed staircases, until he was standing in front of the door to the baron's office.

He opened the door and walked into the waiting room, where the baron's secretary, Martin, was. Martin stood up hurriedly as will stepped into the room. "Ranger Will," he said, "what can I do for you?"

Will looked at the closed door of the baron's office. "You can tell me whether the baron will see me now," he replied to the secretary.

"Well, he isn't seeing anyone else right now, but he was expecting Halt sometime soon, and-" Will didn't let him finish.

"Well, I'm here instead," he said, and without waiting for Martin's reply, he knocked on the door to Baron Arald's room.

The baron told him to come in, assuming it was Halt knocking at the door, and so was surprised when he saw the ranger's apprentice standing in his office. Will's cowl was down, but his usually happy face was serious, an unusual expression on Will.

"Will!" the baron exclaimed. "What are you doing here? I was expecting Halt..." he left the sentence unfinished, but the meaning was clear.

Will looked uncomfortable. He was pretty sure the baron would take the news well, but he really didn't know why the baron had wanted to see Halt. It could have been something very important. But, Will thought, Halt wasn't able to do anything important at the moment, and the baron deserved to know that.

"The messenger told me that you wanted to speak to Halt," Will said, turning to face the Baron and look him in the eye. "But Halt isn't feeling well, so he can't come up to speak to you. I just, I thought I would come tell you."

The baron was a little surprised, and it showed on his face. After all, it wasn't often that the legendary ranger got sick, and even rarer that he let it stop him from his normal work. Baron Arald couldn't even remember the last time Halt had been that sick. "I see. Well, I just wanted to discuss with him some details of an arrest he made. But it's really not extremely important. But," the baron paused uncertainly, "is he going to be alright?"

Will nodded once in confirmation. "I think so. He should be fine, but I am planning on getting a healer to check on him when I go back." He was a little nervous, because Baron Arald could technically tell him not to acquire the services of a castle healer. But the baron just nodded thoughtfully.

"Of course," Baron Arald said. "Well, you should probably be getting back to him then. And give him my best."

Will nodded, turned, and left the room, closing the door with a soft click. He left Martin behind without saying a word, and set off down the hallways again, heading for the infirmary.

Back at the cabin, Halt woke up, confused. He could see sun streaming in through the window, which was way too bright for his liking. Yet, if the sun was up, why wasn't he? He tried to sit up, but found that he couldn't push himself up off his bed. Also, he felt something heavy on his head.

He lifted his hand up, and felt something cool and thick: a wet cloth. All of a sudden, he remembered. He remembered feeling sick, and trying to hide it from Will, while trying to convince himself he was fine. He remembered throwing up, and fainting. He remembered Will putting him in bed, and the messenger coming. And lastly, he remembered Will going up to he castle to speak with the baron.

Halt became aware of something else, too. His head was throbbing painfully with every beat of his heart. He groaned involuntarily, and then notice that his throat still felt raw and sore. All he wanted was a drink of water, as he had last night. He considered getting up to get the painkillers again, but couldn't find the energy.

Then, he remembered filling his canteen that morning. Hope sparked within him, and gave him enough strength to sit up. He was dizzy in this slightly upright position, and the canteen swam in his vision, but he managed to reach over and grab it.

When he leaned over the side of his bed, he caught a glance of a bucket sitting on the floor within his reach. He briefly wondered what it was for, but dismissed the thought, instead opening the canteen and tipping the contents into his mouth.

The cool water refreshed his mouth, and he held it there before letting it trickle down his throat. He coughed after it went down, and then groaned as coughing made his head feel like exploding.

He took another gulp of water, recapped the lid, and set it back over on the small table. As he leaned over to put it back, he leaned too far, and almost fell. He caught himself, and collapsed back on his pillow, but the water was sitting heavily in his stomach, and the sudden movement he had made while catching himself was causing him to feel nauseous again. *Not again* he thought, and groaned as he realized the nauseous feeling would not go away.

He was worrying about whether he could get outside fast enough, when he remembered the bucket on the floor. In a desperate effort, he leaned over the side of the bed, and just managed to grab the bucket and hold it under his mouth, saving him and Will from a mess.

The wet cloth that had been on his forehead fell off while he was throwing up, landing on the floor, where it lay heavily. When he had coughed up the water he had just drunk, he barely managed to push his upper body back onto the bed after putting the bucket on the floor. Picking up the cloth would have taken too much effort, and reaching over to rewet it and wring it out was just unthinkable.

So the cloth stayed where it had fallen, and Halt stayed in bed, the blankets wrapped around him uncomfortably, and his body starting to heat up unbearably without the cool pressure on his head.

In the back of his mind, Halt knew that, even with the wet cloth on his forehead, he had still been overheated. But now, with it gone, the heat just seemed so much more oppressive. He could feel the heat all around him, pushing in on him, suffocating him.

He felt like he couldn't breath, the heat was so heavy. He lay on his bed, gasping for breath, and hoping for something cool. His legs were hopelessly tangled in the sheets, but he kept making it worse by trying to kick the sheets off him entirely. The blanket had long since fallen off, and was now sprawled half on and half off the bed, adding its weight the Halt's legs, and tangling him even further.

Between the pants and the gasps, Halt found the air to groan, but even they shrank to small moans, as he used up his stores of energy kicking his legs uselessly, and slowly succumbing to exhaustion.

Will, where are you? I need help, he managed to think, before his eyes closed, and darkness enveloped him.

Will rode into the clearing where the ranger cabin was, the healer John close behind. Will drew Tug to a stop, and merely threw down the reins, knowing that his faithful pony would not wander. He dismounted quickly, and in a flash was up the steps to the porch, and leaving the front door swinging shut behind him.

The healer took a little longer, since he wasn't as experienced a rider, and had to tie his horse to the porch railing before leaving it. But a few minutes after Will, he was following the apprentice into the small but cozy cabin.

Will had rushed immediately to Halt's bedroom, and just as immediately become worried. He saw his mentor flopped on the bed, with the blanket almost off the bed, and the sheets mummifying his legs.

Halt was tossing his head from side to side, and his skin glistened with sweat. Will noticed that the cloth was no longer on Halt's forehead. However, he saw it lying on the floor and, upon closer inspection, realized that the bucket he had left was no longer empty. His quick mind figured what had probably happened, but he was already walking over and picking up the cloth, re-soaking it before placing it back on Halt's forehead.

He gently lifted Halt's head, which was at an odd angle and almost off the mattress, back onto his pillow, which he had had to straighten as well. And Will had just pulled the sheets off Halt's legs when John rushed in, his medical bag in hand.

While Will just stood there holding the wrinkled sheets and blanket, the healer examined Halt professionally. He checked the ranger's temperature by placing a hand on his forehead and neck. He lifted up one of Halt's eyelids and looked into Halt's eye for a moment. And lastly, he checked Halt's pulse and breathing rate. Turning to Will, he said, "Let's get those sheets back on him." And together, they shook out the light coverings and placed them on the sleeping ranger, making sure to lay them lightly but snugly on the sick man. Will folded up the heavy blanket and placed it in a corner. Halt wouldn't need it any time soon, since they needed him to cool off from the fever.

Knowing that Will would feel useless without something to do, the healer told him, "Why don't you go rinse out that bucket, and care for your horse." As Will nodded uncertainly and turned to leave, John added, "And make sure you bring that bucket back here.

Will tried to smile, nodded, and left, barely remembering to take the bucket with him. He was worried about his mentor, but the healer hadn't seemed overly concerned, so Will tried to convince himself that Halt was fine, and that he was just overreacting.

He emptied out the bucket, and rinsed it in the stream that ran by the cabin. Then, before caring for Tug, he went back into the cabin to place it in Halt's room again. When he went in there, he saw the healer preparing things that he pulled out of his bag.

Leaving John to do his job, Will went back outside and led Tug to the barn, where he fed and watered him, and gave him a brushing. He also carried some water to the horse the healer had used, but left him where he was.

Halt woke up and heard something beside him, a rustling sound, and the sounds of someone moving. Even when sick, Halt kept to his training, and didn't show that he had woken up. He couldn't understand what was going on by hearing alone, so he opened his eyes slightly, peeking in between his eyelashes. Any person, unless they were looking hard, would think that Halt was still asleep.

Halt saw that he was in his room, but there was someone strange standing beside his bed, which was where he was laying. There was a man with dark hair standing there, and doing something with some plants.

What's he doing? And why is he in my room? Halt wondered. He also wondered where his apprentice was, but then remembered that Will had left to go to the castle. Halt, remembering this, assumed that this man had snuck into the cabin, while Halt was asleep and Will was gone.

Halt reached beside him, where he would normally keep his saxe knife. Now, however, the only thing he felt was the sheets. He remembered having his knife belt on him when Will had brought him inside, but he had also had an empty quiver, and that was not over his shoulder either.

He figured Will must have taken is weapons off, and his shoes too, even though he couldn't remember his apprentice doing that.

Him reaching to grab the non-existent knife must have made some sound, for the strange man stopped what he was doing and looked at Halt. Halt's eyes popped open, because this stranger seemed familiar, although Halt couldn't remember where he had seen him before. And anyways, the look on his face wasn't the look of a criminal.

"You're awake, good," the stranger said. Halt tried to speak, but had to clear his throat to make any sound. After doing so, Halt said, "Who are you, and what are you doing here? And where is Will?" Halt started to get worried again. After all, maybe he recognized the person as a criminal he had once seen, and the kind look could have been faked. The man's next words helped to ease his mind though.

"My name is John; I'm a healer at Redmont," the man said. "Will came to me and told me you were sick, and asked me to come check on you."

Halt's brows creased in confusion. He didn't remember asking Will to fetch a healer. But that thought was pushed away as his bedroom door opened, and his apprentice rushed in.

Will had heard the voices, and had come in to see his mentor. "Halt! You're awake!" Will exclaimed, his face lighting up at the sight of his mentor.

"Apparently," Halt said dryly, but the effect was ruined as he started coughing again. He closed his eyes against the pain, as coughing set his head pounding. "Will, why is there a stranger in my house?" He asked, after he had got his coughing fit under control. "I don't remember telling you to fetch a healer."

Will felt a little uncertain. He didn't want to get in trouble with Halt, but, after seeing Halt's still pale face, and noting the tiredness in his voice, the uncertainty left. "Halt, you may not have asked me to get him, but you didn't tell me not to."

"I don't need a healer," Halt said in a low voice, and again was interrupted by a cough, although a slighter one this time. He turned on his side and rose slightly from his bed, to make it easier to cough. His head was pounding from coughing, and he rested his forehead on his pillow as he lay on his side. It wasn't a very comfortable position, but he couldn't find the energy to move again.

"You're right, Halt," John chose to say at that moment. The argument had gone on long enough in his opinion, and it wasn't helping Halt recover. The ranger in question looked sideways at him, a slight gleam of triumph in his eyes, which quickly disappeared at the healer's next words. "You don't need me anymore, since I have done all I can. I will leave Will some herbs to give you, and I will be back to check on you tomorrow." The tone in his voice left no questions about whether to argue or not.

John reached over and, with practiced ease, maneuvered Halt onto his back again, and pulled the sheets up to his chin

Halt moved his head to look away from the other two people, instead choosing to look at the wall. He heard John telling Will which herbs did what, and when to use them. Halt decided he wouldn't use any sedatives, but declined from saying that in front of the healer.

John packed up his things, and left. Halt could hear a horse neighing, and then pounding hooves heading away from the cabin. Halt heard his apprentice walk back into the room, and heard something being set down. Halt turned his head and glanced at what it was, seeing his apprentice sitting in one of the chairs from the other room.

Will reached out and placed his hand on Halt's warm forehead, feeling the heat radiating from him. He didn't know why he did it, after all, John had just been here. But Will wanted to help his mentor, and didn't know what else to do.

"How do you feel?" He asked his mentor quietly, not wanting to provoke his headache.

"I feel better," Halt said, although unwillingly. He didn't want to admit that the healer had helped. "But you still didn't need to bring a healer. We have painkillers here."

"Yes," Will replied, "but not that many. And I wanted to make sure you were okay. You were, and are, really sick, Halt."

Halt sighed. He knew that his apprentice was worried about him, and he appreciated it. He just didn't like to be fussed over, is all. "I'll be fine, Will. I...I am sorry for doing his to you. You shouldn't have to take care of me."

"I don't mind, Halt," Will said, "and besides, it gets me a break from training." He added the last with the goofy smile that Halt secretly loved.

Halt, even lying down, and with his face white, managed to give Will a condescending look. "You better not have done this to me just to get out of training. If you did, you will regret it. This is not fun."

Will smiled at his mentor. "No, I did not. Besides, this isn't exactly fun for me either. You're grumpy enough without being sick."

Halt started to laugh, but once again was interrupted by his need to cough. Will stood up and propped Halt's shoulders up so that he could breathe easier. He maneuvered Halt's pillows so that the ranger was in a half sitting position.

"Halt, you should get some rest. John gave me a sedative I can-" Will stared to say, but was interrupted by Halt.

"No-cough, cough-I don't want a sedative-cough. I don't need one," Halt said, still trying to gain some air back.

Will left the room, taking the three bags of herbs with him. He came back into the room a few moments later, holding a mug of water. He propped Halt's head up even more, and held the cup to his lips. Halt drank greedily, sighing as the water soothed his throat and calmed his cough.

Will tipped the cup back and pulled it away, placing it on the table. He let Halt's head sink back onto the pillows, and sank back down into his own chair. Halt's brow furrowed in confusion. His mind was slow from the sickness, and he was having a hard time figuring out why the water tasted so weird.

His mind finally realizing something, he turned to Will accusingly. "You...you drugged me?" He asked, his words slightly slurred from sleep. Sounds started sounding muted and from far away, and Will's face was swimming in his vision.

With great effort, he resisted the effects of the sedative, and Will came mostly into focus, and he was able to make out Will's words. "John told me to make sure you got as much sleep as possible, even if it meant sedating you. He told me to just mix the sedative in with your water. You're sick Halt, and you need to rest. Now stop fighting it, and go to sleep. I'll still be here when you wake up. And then I'll force you to eat some soup." Will smiled and paused, letting his words sink in, and making sure Halt knew it was important. Then, seeing that Halt wasn't going to ague, whether from reason or exhaustion, Will said, "Goodnight, Halt."

And Halt, finally unable to resist, let his eyes slide close, cutting off his view of his apprentice. He felt the sheets being arranged around him better, and his pillows being laid flat, and he felt a comforting squeeze on his hand. Then the darkness enveloped him, and he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep, allowing his body to rest and recover.