Thank you guys so much for the reviews! It means a lot. Here's a new chapter!
"Okay Will, you're done for the day. Come in and rest"
Will turned around, puzzled. "Done? Rest?" His voice rose in pitch with each word. "But I've only just started!"
Halt raised an eyebrow at the outburst. "Yes, Will. Done. Rest. You've barely gotten any sleep these past weeks and it's starting to show in your training. You're deadly with that bow of yours, and not in a good way." He looked meaningfully at the arrow stuck in the wood of the cabin, just a few inches to the left and level with his head.
Will had the grace to look embarrassed. "So that's where that went," he mumbled, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.
Halt was alarmed by the lack of awareness in his apprentice. He looked intently at Will, noting the dark bags under his eyes, the slumped shoulders, the lack of energy. Perhaps the most alarming of all, however, was the absence of a smile on the boy's face.
In the few years Halt has known Will, the cheeky smile had always been plastered on the boy's face. At first, he found the overly-cheerful demeanor of the boy to be annoying, but he soon realized how much lighter that constant expression really made his life. Gilan had had much the same effect on the grizzled ranger.
Now that smile was gone, and Halt knew he had to do something.
He marched up to Will and grabbed the boy by the collar. Will, in his sleep-deprived stupor, didn't register what was happening until it was too late. He struggled to free himself from Halt's iron grip, but it was useless. Halt dragged Will around the clearing, up the steps of the veranda, and into the cabin. He swiftly but gently deposited Will on the couch.
"But Halt!" Will started to protest, but was stopped by a withering glare from his mentor.
Halt turned to his bedroom and returned with a heavy blanket. He tossed it at Will, then turned to start a fire in the fireplace.
Typically, the weather would deem it too warm for a fire, but Halt had gotten into the habit of warming the cabin whenever Will would sleep, aware of the shivering that accompanied the boy's now ever-present nightmares.
The fire taken care of, Halt walked into the kitchen and put on a pot of water for tea. Once the water warmed, he poured it into a mug, added some tea leaves, and discreetly poured a sleeping draught into the cup of tea, ignoring the lump that had formed in his throat.
He walked back to where Will was sitting on the couch, still upright, with the blanket crumpled in his lap.
Will looked up to Halt with tear-filled eyes and said in a soft voice, "Please, Halt. Don't make me sleep."
Halt handed the boy the cup of tea, saying "Drink, Will."
Will reluctantly sipped the tea, and Halt sat next to him, offering his presence as comfort.
Halt could feel the guilt rising in his chest with each sip Will took, but resolutely pushed it down. He had offered the draught two weeks ago, a few days after Will's first nightmare and when it had become obvious that Will wasn't sleeping, but Will had strongly and repeatedly refused. His previous addiction to warmweed left him with no desire to try any new drug.
Will stifled a yawn, and Halt knew it was too late to take it back now. He stood and gently pushed Will so he was laying down on the couch, then pulled the blanket over the boy's shoulders.
Will, struggling with the new wave of fatigue brought on by the drug, couldn't identify the look in Halt's eye as he was tucked in. Then, a sudden, gut-wrenching realization hit him. He looked to the cup of tea, now almost empty, sitting on the side table, then back to Halt. Tears welled in his eyes.
"Oh no, Halt. Please," Will's voice broke with emotion. "Please, tell me you didn't."
Halt gently placed his hand on Will's cheek. "I'm sorry, Will. I had to. You need sleep."
Will, through his bleary, tear-filled eyes, could not see the guilt and sorrow written plainly on his mentor's face. He could only feel the tears begin to fall and the anger rising in his chest.
"Just go away," he said, turning his head away.
Halt was shocked. Will had never talked to him like this before. "Will,. . . " he began.
But Will interrupted, whispering "Go. . . Please, just . . . go."
Halt turned to leave, walking towards the door. With one hand on the door handle, he looked back at Will, and saw that the boy's eyes were fluttering shut.
Halt felt a new urgency. He grabbed his cloak, pulled it over his shoulders, followed by his quiver and bow, then left the cabin, making sure to lock the door behind him. He walked out to the stables and saddled Abelard. Before leaving, he turned to Tug and patted him on the neck.
"Watch over him for me," he said softly.
The horse nodded, as much as a horse could nod, and Halt turned to mount Abelard.
"Let's go, boy," he said. "We have something to do."
A/N: Sorry this chapter was so short! The next one will be pretty long, so I hope that makes up for it. Let me know what you thought about it! Constructive criticism welcome :)