Will had been acting strange all week. He got easily distracted while training, during his little free time, he lay on his bed seemingly lost in his thoughts, and at dinner the boy had a look in his eyes that indicated that while he might be physically present at the table, his mind was in a whole other place.

Will's strange behaviour had started to interfere with his training, and Halt had finally decided to put a stop to it when Will had missed every single arrow during his round. Halt might have thought it to be quite amusing how distracted the boy was, had it not been for his serious mindset about the importance of a good ranger's training.

Halt did have a vague idea about what was bothering his young apprentice. He had seen the dreamy look in Gilan's eyes enough times to recognise it in Will. His apprentice liked someone. Something however, perhaps the hint of sadness that now seemed to accompany Will's usually carefree smile, or the nervousness that had made the boy clumsy enough to miss his target 5 times in a row, gave Halt the feeling that this was not just an average teenager's crush. No, something other than that had to be going on, or else the boy would not be this troubled about a crush.

Will was sitting in front of the fireplace, cuddled up in a blanket to keep out the coldness brought on by the winter months. As he was staring into the fire, he worried about what would happen if his mentor found out the cause of his abnormal behaviour. He knew that he should not be having these feelings for another guy, let alone act on them. One of the most painful things was that he knew that Horace liked him back. Ever since he had kissed Horace he had been in a state of constant worrying.

The worst part of the whole situation however was that he feared what Halt would think if he found out. The man had not only become a mentor and good friend over the years he had been in training, but also a father-like figure for Will. It scared him to death that he might disappoint his mentor to the point of being kicked out of the house and having his dreams of being a ranger taken away in an instance.

Part of his brain told him that Halt wouldn't just abandon him. And yet he could not get rid of the thoughts that if Halt knew he would be disgusted and throw his apprentice out immediately. He had been contemplating these scenarios in every waking hour of the last week. Will was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he did not notice Halt as he came over and sat down in the chair next to him until the older man started to speak.

"Will, I've noticed you've been very distracted lately. It's interfering with your training and that's not acceptable. I want to know what has been causing your strange behaviour from the past week". Halts voice was firm, but not harsh, and Will even thought he could see a sliver of worry in Halt's eyes. When Halt realised Will was not going to answer his statement, he started laying out his suspicious.

"Gilan had the same look in his eyes as you do every time he liked a new girl. I understand that there might be someone you want to spend time with, but it should not interfere with your training and it will go away by itself." Halt softened his voice a nearly unnoticeable amount "What I am worried about, is the gloominess that is present every time I see you pondering."

Will knew that Halt would find out the truth eventually, but he was not willing to volunteer the information at this point in time. Yet he didn't have the heart to lie to his mentor and tell him that he liked Alyss, or Evanlyn. He decided that keeping his answers vague would be the best option.

"As always, you are right Halt. I like someone"

Halt nodded. He realised that his apprentice was not going to volunteer the information he wanted right away and investigated further.

"Then what is up with the gloomy looks, shouldn't young apprentices be ridiculously overjoyed when they find someone worthy of their affection?"

Will sighed, "the situation is complicated, it is not going to work out, so I might as well forget about it"

"You're being vague Will. You missed all your shots during training today. I have a right to know what it is that is interfering this much with my apprentice's concentration that he is unable to fire an arrow correctly"

Will looked down at his hands. He desperately wanted to tell Halt, to have the older man's approval. He did not want to speak up out of fear what would happen if his mentor did not approve.

"Halt, I don't know how to tell you, I don't think I can tell you"

"Why would you not be able to tell me Will" He asked calmly despite being worried by the despair that had been evident in the young man's voice.

"You would" Will stammered "You might – I don't want to be kicked out"

Halt saw Will trying to hold back tears in his eyes. He placed a hand on his apprentice's knee in the hope it would be a comforting gesture.

"Will, I would never kick you out. What is making you think that?"

Will sighed, and then said in the smallest voice possible, "I kissed a boy". His reply was answered with silence. Will didn't dare to look up from his hands and see his mentor's reaction. He wondered if he had thrown away his whole life with those four words.

In the meantime, Halt was questioning where he had gone wrong. How could his apprentice, who over the years he had started seeing as more of a son, even consider the possibility that he, Halt, would kick him out for this. A quiet whimper broke the silence. Halt realised that Will had taken his lack of reaction as a negative one. Halt got up from his chair and kneeled in front of the crying boy.

"Will, many years ago, when I brought you to Redmont Castle, I promised to myself I would ensure that you'd have a good future. When I took you as my apprentice, I re-made that promise. I don't care who you choose to kiss Will, I would never kick you out for something like that."

As Halt was speaking, Will slowly wiped away his tears. When he met the older man's eyes, the last one mentioned pulled him out of the chair and into an embrace. Halt usually wasn't one for physical signs of affection, or any signs of affection whatsoever, but in this moment, he felt the need to comfort the apprentice whom he loved as a son. Will had buried his head in Halt's chest where he could hear the rhythm of the man's heartbeat.

The ranger and his apprentice stood there in the living room for what seemed like an eternity. Will's revelation had led to him realising that the two people who truly mattered, Horace and Halt, accepted him for who he was.