Hey guys! Back with another chapter. It's a little later than I would have liked (even though i dont have an actual upload schedule). It's been a hectic week and I haven't had a lot of free time. But it's finally here! Thanks to all who have reviewed! I hope this chapter is up to your expectations. :)) talk to ya soon!

Halt walked through the maze of hallways in Castle Redmont, taking the familiar turns that would eventually lead to the Diplomatic Corps apartments. Any bystanding servants rushed to get out of his way as he travelled with purpose. Normally the sight of a ranger would be enough to set them on edge, but the grim feathers and the sense of urgency that laced the cloaked figure made them more nervous than normal circumstances.

Rounding a corner, Halt came upon a familiar door, and knocked sharply. He heard shuffling, followed a few seconds later with a tall and graceful figure standing in the now-open door.

"Oh! Halt," Pauline said, a smile stretching on her face. "I didn't expect to see you today."

Halt offered a small smile, but she could see that there was something bothering him and she gestured for him to enter her office. She pushed the door shut and turned to face Halt.

"Is everything okay?"

"No, everything is not okay. It's Will. He's been having a hard time lately." Halt plopped down into a chair and cradled his head in his hands. "I just don't know how to help him. It's been a rough past few days."

Pauline walked over to the slumped figure and sat next to him. She placed one hand on his back and rubbed soothing circles, and closed her other hand around his clasped ones.

"Tell me what happened," she said.

And so he did. "Will had a rough go of it when he was in Skandia. He hasn't been sleeping. . ." Halt didn't want to go into detail about what his apprentice had told him. He had betrayed enough of his trust already, he thought.

Pauline could read through the pause, and she understood why the grizzled ranger wouldn't want to go into detail. But she couldn't help but feel suspicious as she saw the guilt radiating off him. "Go on, dear," she urged.

"I really didn't want to do it Pauline. But it's been over two weeks and I couldn't think of anything else to do." He sat up straighter in his chair, looking straight ahead as he summoned the courage to say what he had done. "When Will was enslaved, he was forced into a drug addiction. He's had nightmares, and I offered him a sleeping draught, but he's refused the use of any new drug for fear of a new dependence. "

Pauline, a trained diplomat, barely hid the gasp of surprise, pain, and sorrow at this news, but she stayed silent as she knew that Halt had more to say.

Halt looked into her eyes, took a deep breath, and started. "I snuck him a drink with the draught in it, and I didn't tell him about it."

It was silent for several seconds. Halt searched Pauline's eyes for any emotion; condemnation, forgiveness, understanding. But she was unreadable. Finally, he asked "Pauline, did I do the right thing?"

The man's confliction was obvious, but Pauline could do little to ease his guilt.

"I don't know, Halt. I understand why you did it." She took his hands in hers. "It was a risk. You won't know whether it was right or not until you see the outcome."

Halt closed his eyes and nodded his agreement. He often said much the same thing about taking risks in war.

Pauline pulled Halt into a hug, giving him comfort and support. A few seconds later, Pauline smiled mischievously. "Is this the whole reason you came to me? So you could relieve your conscience? You're losing confidence in your old age, Halt."

Halt pulled away and made a face of mock offense. "Actually, I had another reason for coming here. . ."

Pauline rolled her eyes. "Oh, dear, not now. It's the middle of the work day and I have so many files to attend to."

Halt raised an eyebrow. "No, not for that. I actually was going to ask if you could release one of your apprentices to me tomorrow."

Pauline caught up quickly. "I'm assuming you mean Alyss?"

Halt nodded, and Pauline asked, "Well whatever do you have in mind?"

"A picnic?"

Halt looked across the table to his apprentice. Will's hair was tousled from sleep. He had slept from when Halt had administered the draught in the early evening the previous day and all through the night, until the bright sun woke him around mid morning the next day. The bags under his eyes, while still there, were less prominent, and his cheeks had a healthy rose color to them instead of being ghostly pale. Though, that may have to do with what Halt had just told him.

"Yes, a picnic. Lady Pauline agreed to release Lady Alyss for the day, and you've deserved a break."

Will eyed Halt suspiciously. He hadn't forgotten what had happened the day before, and he harbored some anger still. While it was true that the rest was needed and was, thankfully, not plagued with any nightmares, it had felt good to Will. The fact that Will was, again, reveling in the good a drug had brought him made his stomach churn.

Before Will could snark a reply to Halt, thought, someone knocked on the door.

"That must be her," Halt said, rising to answer the door.

"WHAT?" Will had a horrified look on his face. He bounded out of his chair and ran to his room, hoping to return looking somewhat presentable.

Halt opened the door to see Alyss, dressed in a short tunic and brown leggings with boots. In her hand she held a sizable picnic basket, and on her face was a sizable smile.

"Hullo, Ranger Halt. It is wonderful to see you again!"

"Just Halt, please. Come in, Lady Alyss."

While true that Halt is Alyss' superior, her placement as an apprentice Courier still deserved her some deference.

"Alyss is fine, Halt," she said comfortably as she walked through the open door and into the cabin. Halt gestured to a seat at the table and she sat, setting the picnic basket to the side. "Where is Will?" she asked.

"Ah, he's getting dressed. He slept in pretty late," said Halt.

"Not by choice." Will had suddenly appeared in the open room, dressed in his normal ranger garb. His voice was cold, and his eyes as he met Halt's were no different.

Halt's heart dropped, and it took all his strength to not drop his eyes as well. "Will," he started, but Will interrupted him.

"Alyss, are you ready to go?" He plastered a smile on his face, but she could see through it. Diplomatic as always, she chose to not say anything at the moment.

"Yes, Will, let's go." As she rose out of her seat, she cast a glance at Halt, but he avoided eye contact. Will grabbed the basket and opened the door for her.

"Goodbye, Halt," she said as she walked through the door. Will said nothing as he followed her, slamming the door behind him.

Will led the way to the stables where he saddled Tug and strapped the basket to his saddle. He then mounted Tug and reached his hand out to help Alyss up. Still alarmed by Will's actions earlier, Alyss tried to discern the look on his face, but all she saw was a blank mask. She grabbed his hand and jumped while Will pulled her into the saddle, and she settled comfortably behind him. As she placed her hands around his waist, she could feel how tense he was, and she longed to help him feel better.

Will urged Tug to move, and Alyss rested her head on Will's back, pulling herself closer to him, and stayed there. After several minutes, she could feel Will relax, and even lean his head back onto hers. He released the reins, and crossed his arms around his stomach as he held onto Alyss' hands. They rode like this in silence for the ten minutes it took to ride to a clearing.

As Tug stopped, Will paused, then reluctantly straightened. Alyss did the same, and Will hopped down from the saddle. He helped her down, unhooked the basket from the saddle, handing it to Alyss, then unsaddled Tug. Tug tossed his head in appreciation, and Will fondly patted the horse's neck.

"This looks like a good spot," Alyss said, pointing to a shaded spot. Will smiled, feeling the last of the tension roll off his shoulders as he looked at Alyss. The light overhead reflected brightly on her hair, making it shine, and her gray eyes were focused on Will.

"Yeah," he said. He walked over and helped her set down the blanket, then they began setting out the food and drink. Alyss had gotten Jenny to put together some sandwiches and pies, and Pauline had generously given the young couple a bottle of wine.

They sat down and ate, reminiscing about the days when they were in the ward together. After the pies had been finished off and they had reached a lull in the conversation, Alyss finally asked: "What happened with Halt earlier?"

Will's content smile fell, and he looked down to the wine glass in his hand. The air between them became tense, and for what felt like minutes, Alyss sat there waiting for an answer while Will sat there pondering his response. He spoke quietly. "I asked him to not do something, and he did it anyway. That's all."

His tone left no room for more questions, and although Alyss was one of the people closest to Will, she knew she should not push the conversation further. He would tell her the full story when he's ready.

She instead chose to change the topic. "Remember when we were younger and you got stuck in that tree?"

Will rolled his eyes and smirked. "I didn't get stuck. Mistress got scared that I was so high and didn't want me to move. She made some castle servants bring out some ladders and take me down." He chuckled. "I didn't get dessert for a week."

"I don't get how you do it," Alyss said. She eyed a particularly tall tree nearby.

Will saw this and stood up, taking her hand. "C'mon, I'll show you."

She pulled back. "Nonononono, no thank you. I would like to stay on the ground, where I can't fall to my death."

"Oh, Alyss, it's not that bad. Here, watch me." Will walked away and started climbing the tree. Within seconds he was several meters off the ground.

Alyss watched with growing apprehension. "Okay, Will, I get it. You can climb. Come back down now." She saw how far he was from her and felt dizzy as she imagined how small she must look from up there.

Will kept climbing, intent on showing Alyss that he was perfectly fine. He quickened his pace as he saw the top of the tree. He was almost there, then he'd head back down.

He reached the top of the tree, perched himself on a branch, and looked down at Alyss, waving. "I'm alright, Alyss! See?"

She shouted back up, "Wonderful! Now COME BACK DOWN HERE."

Will could hear the panic in her voice, and shook his head. He didn't understand why Alyss was so nervous. He turned to climb down, placing his foot on a branch. Then everything froze as the branch broke under his weight, and then he was falling through the air. Branches scratched at his face, his back, his legs. His shoulder crashed into a branch, and he felt a shout tear itself from his throat. He was vaguely aware of another noise, a yelling.

Then he hit the ground.

Cliffhanger? Oh boy. Don't worry, chapter 5 is underway and will be here soon :)