This time around, his break-in to the Baron's office was even easier.
Will's body was still untrained, but his mind was sharp and keen. Granted, his slavery in Skandia and the warmweed addiction had...left their marks. Even now, months after breaking free of the warmweed and in an entirely new body, Will's mind was not truly healed. He doubted it would ever be. He had lost many memories while under the drug's thrall, and although he had regained some of them, others were still lost to him.
And, Will thought bitterly, losing my memories is hardly the worst thing that happened to my mind. He still instinctively flinched away from certain thoughts and sensations - cold, for instance. Now the dark memories of his final battle were added to all of that.
That afternoon, Will had snuck away from the rest of his wardmates, climbing into his favorite tree to think. Grief had hit him there, sudden and all-encompassing. He had sat there for hours, mourning. His grief was still there by the time the night had set in. Will was sure it would be there for a long time. He had not just lost Halt, Evanlyn, and Horace, he had lost everyone. He had lost Alyss. He had lost Gilan. He had lost George and Jenny, he had lost his other wardmates, he had lost the Rangers, Baron Arald, the Redmont villagers, the Ward staff, the guards, the peasants - every person he had ever met and even those he hadn't, he had lost. He had lost them all.
It was impossible to even fathom what he had lost, let alone mourn for it.
Still, as second watch wore on and the candles burned low, Will knew he would have to move. This was his chance to do everything right, to make sure that Halt and Evanlyn and Horace didn't die this time. He had to do this.
So, he dropped down out of the tree and readied himself.
Will's body was not trained, but his mind was. It was now instinct to blend into the shadows of the courtyard, moving past the guards without the slightest trace of disturbance. He dodged the sergeant without even having to think, leaping up to the tower wall and beginning to scale it effortlessly. His limbs were shorter than he was used to, and stranger, but Will paid them no mind. He made it to the Baron's office in record time (this time without looking down, thank you).
He pulled himself up the final few inches, head breaking just above the windowsill. Training - and experience - had taught him to examine the room before going in. He let his eyes rove around the interior, constantly moving like he had been taught. On first pass, the room appeared deserted. Will knew from memory that that was not the case, of course.
Still, Halt would already have seen the top of Will's head peeking above the window. Will pulled himself up, crouching on the windowsill, and scanned the room again. Where had Halt been last time? He had been close enough to grab Will when he had gone for the paper.
Will frowned, chewing absently on his lip as he ran his eyes again from side to side. Fully trained Rangers were nearly impossible to spot when they stood still. Will had only ever managed to spot Halt twice during training - all the other times he had simply given up. Halt was too good at being unseen for a scarcely-trained apprentice.
Finally, Will gave up looking for his soon-to-become mentor. He dropped down onto the floor, meaning to be soundless, but his untrained body - of course - landed right on a squeaky floorboard. Will winced, then closed his eyes in frustration. This body was so annoying!
Well, whatever. He might as well get it over with. He reached for the paper.
And, of course, Halt grabbed him by the wrist.
Despite knowing it would happen, the suddenness of the action made Will jump. His head jerked up to meet Halt's cold gaze. There was nothing warm or kind in the Ranger's eyes, nothing familiar, not even a hint of friendly recognition. That hurt Will more than Halt's punishingly powerful grip around his wrist.
"Thought you might try something like this," Halt said quietly. "Do you have anything to say?"
Will looked away. He had so much to say, yet this Halt would understand none of it.
Halt's grip tightened, enough that Will clenched his jaw to keep from crying out. "Well? Cat got your tongue, boy?"
"S-Sorry, sir," he got out in a bare whisper. He felt the sudden urge to cry. Halt did not ever - ever - speak to him in that tone. He did not ever grab Will that tightly - tightly enough to hurt. He did not ever treat Will like he was...like he was nothing to Halt.
Yet, to Halt, that was now what Will was. Nothing.
"Please...please let go of me, sir," he said quietly. "I'll go with you to the Baron, I promise. Just...please, let me go. It - it hurts."
Halt relaxed his grip instantly, though he did not let go. "I didn't say I was going to take you to the Baron."
Will shrugged, not looking at him. "I did just break into his office. I don't think you should just let me go."
"Are you telling me to punish you?"
Will hesitated. What was it that he had said, two years ago? He couldn't quite remember. Still, Will knew what he would answer now. "I know that I've done wrong, and wrongdoers deserve to be punished. I won't make excuses."
He glanced at Halt just in time to see a glint of approval light his eyes. Halt nodded a few times. "I see. Well, I suppose I'll take you up on that. Let's go see what the Baron thinks, shall we?"
The two of them passed through the door and up the long, curving staircase that led to the Baron's living quarters. Halt kept his grip on Will, though it wasn't painful anymore. Still, Will would bet that it would leave bruises. He was fairly certain it had the first time around. He hadn't minded at the time, of course. He had broken into the office of a Baron. Halt was right to restrain him. But now? Now, Will just wished it would end already. He hated this.
Halt made a swift signal to the guards standing in front of the Baron's chambers. They stood aside and allowed the two of them to enter.
This room Will remembered far less well. He gazed around, taking it in and mentally marking the exits as he did so - another thing Halt had taken pains to instill in him. There was another large window, although it had heavy drapes covering it. Other than that, the door was the only way out. The room itself was furnished with various tapestries, rugs, books, and other luxuries. Will's eyes landed hungrily on one volume in particular, a large, red-bound book on one of the Baron's bookshelves titled A History of Gallican-Araluen Affairs. It was a rare and very valuable book, and one Will had been hankering after for months, ever since Halt had first begun to teach him about diplomacy between nations.
"See something you like?" came Arald's amused voice.
Will startled. "Sorry, sir - my lord!"
Arald waved a hand graciously. "No, no, no need to apologize. I was merely curious. You looked as though something had caught your eye."
It was clearly a request to say more. Will hesitated. "Well, my lord, it's just that I couldn't help noticing some of your books."
"Of course. I forget that for many, books are quite uncommon. You do know how to read, though, don't you?"
Will nodded. "Yes, my lord. You...your staff taught me. I am very grateful."
That was a mistake. Arald and Halt exchanged glances. Halt said, "So grateful you broke in to steal an important document from him, I see."
"I wasn't stealing!" Will said indignantly. He subsided quickly at the looks Halt and the Baron gave him. "I just...wanted to see it, that's all."
"So you were right?" the Baron asked Halt. "He did what you expected?"
Halt nodded. "Just as I said, my lord. Came across the castle yard like a shadow. Dodged the sentry as if he wasn't there and came up the tower wall like a spider. Quite cautious, too - kept searching the room to make sure no one was in there."
He eyed Will as though that action were strange. Coming from Halt's point of view, it must have been. Will should not have known Halt was there, and thus should not have spent so much time looking for him.
"He climbed the tower, you say?" the Baron asked incredulously. He had set down the reports he was reading.
"No rope. No ladder, my lord. Climbed it as easily as you get on your horse in the morning. Easier, in fact."
The Baron frowned at him. Will did too. Really, Halt? Way to put the Baron in a bad mood.
"Well now," the Baron said, looking sternly at Will. "This is a serious matter."
It certainly was. Will nodded in acknowledgement of the fact, something that seemed to surprise both the Baron and Halt. He knew he probably shouldn't be acting so blasé about this, but really. Will already knew how this turned out. Plus, he had been a prisoner of war, nearly worked to death, and addicted to a lethal drug; he had fought a battle, watched his best friends die around him, and then died himself. Compared with all that, Baron Arald's ire really wasn't that bad.
"This is indeed, my lord," Will said. "As I told H- the Ranger, I knew what I was doing when I climbed the tower. I could explain my actions, but there's no excuse for them. I will accept whatever punishment you decide."
Now it was the Baron who gave Halt an approving look - agreeing with Halt's choice of apprentice, Will realized. Halt nodded subtly in response.
"Any suggestions, Halt?" the Baron asked.
Halt pulled the fateful paper out from his sleeve. "Perhaps we should show him the paper he was so keen to see, my lord," he said.
The Baron smiled. "Not a bad idea. I suppose, in a way, it does spell out his punishment, doesn't it?"
What! Will fought back an indignant look. Being a Ranger wasn't a punishment!
Halt was similarly unamused. "If you say so, my lord."
The Baron waved a hand at him impatiently. "Take a joke, Halt! Take a joke! Well, go on and show him the paper."
Halt stepped beside Will and offered him the paper. Will took it. Their hands brushed briefly as he did and Will jerked his hand back instinctively as though he had been burned. He raised his eyes quickly to measure Halt's reaction. The man seemed unperturbed; he was probably used to such a reaction, Will realized. The common folk all tended to be pretty scared of Rangers.
Will unfolded the paper. A flicker of a smile crossed his lips as he read the familiar words.
The boy Will has the potential to be trained as a Ranger. I will accept him as my apprentice.
Halt's handwriting was achingly familiar: bold, flowing, and strangely beautiful, as though he had been trained to write well. Like so many things had this day, it caused tears to well up in Will's eyes. I thought I would never see this again.
Unfortunately, both the Baron and Halt saw the tears forming in his eyes and mistook them as having a completely different cause.
"Will, what's wrong?" the Baron asked quickly, half standing up out of his chair. "You don't have to accept if you don't want to! If you would rather work on a farm-"
"No!" Will interrupted. His cheeks went red and he furiously blinked back his tears. "S-Sorry, my lord! Sorry, but no, that wasn't...no, I don't want to be a farmhand. I am glad - I am honored to accept Ranger Halt as my master."
He glanced at Halt as the man's eyebrows raised in surprise. Very few people were ever honored to associate with Rangers.
Arald sank back down into his chair. His brows were furrowed in confusion still, but he took Will's word for it. "I am glad to hear it, Will. I wish you all the best with Halt. Well, if that's all, the both of you can go. You two have a very eventful day tomorrow."
Halt dipped his head in acknowledgment and moved swiftly to the door. Will jerked out a quick bow and followed Halt as quickly as he could.
The man moved fast. Will had forgotten just how quickly Halt could move when he wanted to. Or, perhaps, Will was just so much slower now. As it was, Will scrambled rather awkwardly to follow Halt down the stairs and into the corridor.
Halt finally stopped at the end of the corridor, right above the flight of stairs that led down to the tower's main exit. Will nearly bumped into him and quickly corrected, weight landing hard on the ankle he had injured earlier that day. He winced.
"Do you need something, boy?"
Belatedly, Will realized just how strange following Halt out must have seemed to the Ranger. It was habit - instinct - to do so for Will, but not for Halt. Not for this Halt.
"I just...was wondering how I didn't see you in there," Will said. "In the Baron's office, I mean."
Halt turned slightly, running an appraising glance over him. "You want to know, do you?"
Will nodded. Halt had told him that experienced Rangers could spot other Rangers even when they were standing still. Will did not know how, because he certainly couldn't. "Yes, sir."
Halt made a considering sound. He turned back around. "Well, you'll just have to find out. I expect you to be at my house tomorrow. Six o'clock sharp. Do you know how to get there?"
Will hadn't at the time. He'd had to wheedle the directions out of one of the Baron's messengers. It had almost caused him to be late and he'd run practically the whole way there. "I think I can figure it out, sir."
"Asking for help is not a flaw, boy."
His tone was gruff, but it was the same sort of advice he often gave Will. Will clung to the tiny piece of familiarity. "Well, I know that I turn out of the castle and head west. There's a path?"
"Are you asking me, or telling me?"
Will almost laughed out loud. How he had missed that! "There's a path, sir."
Halt grunted. "Just follow it. It only leads to my house. Bring all your things - but you should know that, of course. I'd hope I picked an apprentice with at least some brains."
Will nodded. There was a pause. "I'll see you tomorrow, then, sir."
Halt grunted again. Without another word, he turned and vanished down the stairwell.
A/N: Merry Christmas if you celebrate! Happy holidays!
