A/N: So I meant for this story to be a collection of one-shots about Will dealing with the effects of his time in Skandia. However, this chapter was getting really long, so I decided to break it into two parts. The second half will be posted soon, if all goes well.
Disclaimer: If I were John Flanagan, I would not be writing fanfics about my own books.
An unexpected banging startled Will from sleep. Even though he was still half asleep, his eyes automatically scanned the dark room for any hint of danger. Finding nothing, he pulled on a loose nightshirt, grabbed his saxe knife, and went out to investigate. Halt was already out and moving silently towards the door, saxe in hand. Will noticed with amusement that his mentor's hair was unkempt, as if he had just rolled out of bed. Then again, Will mused silently to himself, when has Halt's hair ever been tidy?
Halt nodded at Will, signalling him to be ready for anything, then he threw open the door. The sudden movement startled the young boy who had been pounding on the door and he gasped as it flew open. Seeing that the boy posed no threat to the Rangers, Halt sheathed his knife and waited expectantly for the boy to speak.
"Are you a Ranger?" the boy asked when he had recovered slightly from his shock.
At this question, Halt raised an eyebrow and sent a glance at Will that Will interpreted as "He comes to a Ranger's cabin and then asks if I'm a Ranger? What else does he expect to find here?" Will grinned quickly at his mentor and then focused his attention back to the boy, who he judged to be eleven or twelve years old. Noticing that the boy was disheveled and exhausted, Will stepped forward.
"Yes, that's Ranger Halt and I'm his apprentice, Will. Why don't you come in and tell us what's going on?" The boy jumped; he hadn't seen Will, so it appeared to him that the apprentice had simply materialized out of thin air.
The boy entered the cabin nervously and sat on the couch. As Halt began to question him, Will went to the kitchen to pick up some bread and water, figuring that if the boy was exhausted, he was probably hungry too.
"What's your name?" Halt queried.
"Jonas," the boy replied.
"Why are you here, Jonas?"
"Because I need a Ranger to help me."
At this point Will came back with the food and handed it to Jonas, who immediately began to wolf it down. When he had finished eating, Halt continued with his questioning.
"What do you need a Ranger's help for?"
"Bandits took my mother and sister and burned our home down. I was out hunting in the woods and when I came back I saw them. They didn't catch me because I stayed hidden in the trees. I didn't know what to do at first, but then I thought that a Ranger would know what to do." The boy paused for a moment to catch his breath and then continued desperately. "Please sir, you have to help me! You have to save my mother and sister!"
Halt stood and moved over to a cabinet, rummaged through it for a few seconds, then pulled out a map. "Show me where your home is."
Jonas looked at the map for a few moments and then jabbed his finger at a spot a little less than a half-day's ride away. Halt considered the spot, noting its isolated position within the fief— which was probably why the bandits had targeted it. A few more questions revealed that Jonas had seen at least nine bandits, but it was possible there could have been more.
As Jonas devoured another piece of bread, Halt beckoned Will over to him. "I want you to take the boy to Redmont and find him somewhere to stay for the next couple of days. While you're there tell the Baron or Sir Rodney where we're going and ask them to send a small patrol after us in the morning."
Will nodded thoughtfully as he considered his mentor's instructions, then he looked sharply at Halt. "You think we'll need reinforcements?" he asked confusedly.
"Normally we would be fine by ourselves, but," Halt's voice was so quiet that Will could hardly hear him, "if Jonas' mother and sister are even still alive, this could be a hostage situation and I would be happier knowing that there will be help on the way." Halt didn't mention that he was also slightly worried about Will; this would be their first potentially deadly mission since Skandia and although Will seemed to be doing fine, it would ease Halt's mind to know that there would be help if they needed it.
Will nodded again, his face serious as he contemplated what the next few hours and days could hold in store. His thoughts were interrupted when Halt nudged him in the direction of his room. Will got dressed quickly and then went out to the stable to saddle Tug. Once that was done, he went back to the cabin to collect Jonas.
The boy was dozing and Will had to shake him awake. Will quickly explained what was happening, then moved to help the drowsy boy to mount Tug. Just in time, he remembered to whisper "Do you mind?" to the little horse before boosting Jonas up— it wouldn't do to send the young boy flying across the clearing.
Will swung up behind Jonas and touched his heels to Tug's side. They galloped down the path, Will keeping a tight hold on Jonas to prevent him from slipping out of the saddle in his exhaustion.
They soon reached Redmont and although the guards were surprised to see a Ranger's apprentice with a strange boy that late at night, they were let in without any troubles. Fortunately for Will, Baron Arald was working late, so Will was able to explain the situation fairly quickly. Jonas was brought to a spare bed in the Ward, where he fell asleep almost before his head hit the pillow.
Glancing back at the sleeping figure, Will calculated that Jonas would have had to travel rapidly all day to reach the Rangers at the time he did. Will found himself respecting the youth for the impressive stamina that he had shown.
When Will arrived back at the cabin, he found that Halt had gathered all their supplies and was ready to set off. The two cloaked figures travelled quietly and quickly down the paths that would lead them to what was left of Jonas' home. At set intervals they would dismount and walk, giving their horses a chance to rest. In this way, the hours and kilometres passed swiftly.
The sun was just peeking over the horizon when Halt and Will found the remains of Jonas' home. A little bit earlier they had caught the scent of smoke, so they had known they were close. Most of the small house had been burnt to the ground, but one charred wall still stood sadly in the middle of the clearing.
The two Rangers (well if we're being technical here then I guess it should be "the Ranger and his apprentice", but I feel that "the two Rangers" sounds better) dismounted and started scouting around the clearing for any clues and tracks. From the jumble of footprints Halt deduced that a sizeable group of men had been there, which fit with Jonas' description.
"Halt, over here!" Will called softly from the edge of the clearing. He was pointing to a trail that led out into the woods. Although the bandits had tried to cover their tracks, they either weren't very skilled or they had underestimated the talents of the Rangers. Halt thought that it was probably a combination of both. Whatever the reason, the tracks left by the bandits were clear as day to the trained eyes of the Rangers.
Halt nodded his approval at Will before taking one last look around the desolate clearing. The sight of the ruined, blackened remains of the small home caused a pang of sadness and anger to ripple through him; sadness at the thought of innocent lives being destroyed and anger at the people who would do such things. There was, however, one positive thing that they had found (or more correctly, hadn't found)— there were no bodies. This meant that Jonas' mother and sister were probably still alive.
"We'll follow their tracks and make more of a plan when we have a better idea of what we're dealing with," Halt said, unsheathing his saxe.
"What are you doing with that?" Will asked curiously, gesturing at the knife.
"I'm marking where we've gone, that way the patrol following us will know which way to go." Halt carved a notch into a nearby tree. "It would be a shame to leave them blundering around the woods looking for us."
The two cloaked figures mounted their horses again, following the badly concealed tracks of the bandits. Every so often, one of the two Rangers would make a mark on a tree, leaving a clear trail for the patrol to follow. About an hour later, the normal sounds of the forest were disturbed by a loud rumbling sound. Halt looked at Will and raised an eyebrow. "Hungry?"
"Just a bit," Will replied. His stomach growled again, causing Halt's raised eyebrow to rise even higher.
"Sounds like more than a bit," he commented dryly. "We can stop here for a quick meal. It won't do to have your stomach announcing our presence to the bandits while we try and sneak up on them."
He swung down from Abelard and rummaged through his bag, coming up with some bread and dried beef strips. He tossed the cold rations to Will, who had also dismounted. Will looked hopefully towards the place he knew the coffee pot was, but Halt shook his head.
"We don't know how close we are to the bandits, so we can't risk a fire."
Will's face fell, but he nodded in agreement. Truthfully, Halt was disappointed by the lack of coffee too. It had been a long night without much sleep and a cup of coffee would have given him a much needed jolt. However, Halt was an experienced campaigner and he knew the importance of keeping their presence a secret for as long as possible.
After a few minutes, the coffee-less Rangers resumed their tracking. They rode in silence for the most part, only speaking when necessary. It was one of these times that Halt motioned to a footprint that had caught his attention. "What do you make of this?" he asked his apprentice.
"It's small?" Will queried.
Halt frowned at him. "When I ask you a question, I want you to answer it, not ask me a question in return."
"Oh. Right," Will corrected himself, "It's small." He looked to his mentor for approval and Halt made a 'go on' gesture.
It took Will only a moment to come to the same conclusion that Halt had. "It means they're still alive!" He looked at Halt, hope shining in his eyes. While there had been no indication that Jonas' family members had been killed, the possibility had been weighing on the Rangers' minds ever since Jonas had told his story. It eased their worries slightly to see proof that at least one of the two women had made it this far and was able to walk on her own.
They smelled the bandits' camp before they saw it. The scent of woodsmoke drifted through the trees, almost as if it were taunting the Rangers, rubbing in the fact that they were constricted to cold rations and water.
"We'll go on foot from here," Halt decided, dismounting and letting go of Abelard's reigns. Will followed suit, dropping lightly to the ground. Both Rangers made the 'stay' signal to their horses before simply melting away into the forest.
Will and Halt glided silently through the forest, using the wind and patches of shade to conceal themselves. After many months of practice, years in Halt's case, it was second nature for both of them. Their eyes scanned the surrounding trees, searching for anything out of the ordinary and their ears were perked, listening for any out of place noises.
The two Rangers arrived at the fringes of the bandits' camp in a matter of minutes. The bandits must have felt secure, for they had posted no guards around the outskirts of their camp. Will and Halt observed the camp for a long while, noting anything that could be of importance.
In the centre of the clearing a large fire was burning brightly, over which a couple of chickens were roasting slowly. They released an enticing aroma as some of their juices dripped down onto the coals. There was also another scent which Will identified almost immediately— coffee. Neither of the delicious smells improved the moods of the Rangers, especially since they themselves had only bread, dried beef, and leathery-tasting water.
A couple of tents were set up on one side of the fire. Will guessed that these were for the leaders of the group; the other members would sleep in the open air. He counted eleven men in total— not the most that he and Halt had ever dealt with, but they would still be a force to be reckoned with. They would need to come up with a solid plan to rescue Jonas' mother and sister.
It was Halt who had first spotted the two captives. They were each tied to a tree on the far edge of the clearing; a foolish place to keep prisoners, in his opinion. If the two women had been in the middle of the camp it would be much harder to rescue them. These bandits certainly aren't very smart, Halt thought with a grim smile, but that makes our job easier.
After a final glance around the camp, Halt signalled to Will and both of them retraced their steps to the horses. They led Tug and Abelard to a copse of trees where they would be all but invisible to anyone, unless someone stumbled directly into them.
Halt's sharp eyes noticed that his apprentice looked slightly pale. "Are you alright?" he asked.
Will started to nod, but then stopped himself. He met Halt's concerned gaze, and Halt could see pain and anger in his eyes. "It's just that… Seeing those two tied up…" Will faltered and then he burst out. "It's not right Halt. Those two must be terrified! I know I was when I was in their position! And she's just a girl, barely ten years old by the looks of it! She should never have to deal with this, no one ever should!" Will's eyes shone with unshed tears and his hands clenched into fists as he considered the plight of the girl and her mother.
Halt reached out and put a hand on Will's shoulder, comforting him in a way that was more effective than words would ever be. As he did so he mentally berated himself. I should have known that Will would be upset by the sight of people taken captive. I should have known that it would bring back memories of Skandia.
"And Halt?" Will looked up at his mentor, pulling Halt from his thoughts, "They're planning on selling those two as slaves."
"What?" Halt questioned, slightly shocked, although he had suspected it.
"Some of the men were sitting close enough that I could hear them talking," Will explained, "They mentioned that both of them would fetch a good price. They're planning on moving out tonight and they'll meet up with some others in their gang soon."
At this new information Halt uttered a low curse. He had been hoping that they would be able to wait for the patrol to catch up with them before they engaged the bandits and kidnappers, but that wasn't an option anymore. He had no idea how far behind the patrol was, but they couldn't afford to wait. There were only a couple of hours before nightfall and the Rangers would have to mount a rescue mission before the bandits left with their captives and met up with any more people.
Once Will had regained his composure, the two Rangers sat down to think of a plan. Both of them felt the pressure of time that was swiftly slipping away.
"Couldn't we just shoot them all?" Will asked.
Halt sighed and shook his head. "No. Our main priority is getting the two women to safety and if we start shooting, we risk them being harmed by the bandits."
"So if a flat out attack won't work, then we need to do something sneakier," Will reasoned thoughtfully.
The two of them sat in silence for a couple minutes, their minds racing furiously. Suddenly Will's head shot up. "I've got it!" he exclaimed. Quickly he outlined his plan to Halt. Halt took a moment to consider Will's suggestion before replying.
"It's risky," he mused, "but I think it just might work." He gave Will a nod of approval. Will grinned at this, knowing that a nod from Halt was the equivalent of heaps of praise from anyone else. However, his grin quickly faded as his thoughts returned to the helpless and terrified captives just a short distance away from them.
A/N: A big thank you to everyone who has favourited or followed this story! It's really encouraging to know that you are enjoying it. An ever bigger thank you to everyone who has taken time to review! I love it when people respond and let me know how I'm doing.
If you have the time, it would be amazing if you review and tell me what's good and what I should be working on.