A/N: I like this chapter, I hope you like it too. Thanks to everyone who's supported this so far, you guys are amazing… I can't believe how passionate the Wilt shippers are. Speaking of that, I did make a community called "Wilt (Will/Halt) Love" where I put together all the Wilt stories on in one place. If there's any I missed please PM me- and follow the community. Anyways, enjoy.


As much as Will wanted to keep distance, he had a responsibility.

Write to me please and tell me what you did say. In the meantime, I'll take Horace's advice and just say it myself.

I love you.

He sorted his thoughts out.

It was critical he see Alyss in person, and if he ran Tug the whole way it wouldn't take any time to reach Redmont, compared to sending a letter, which took a week. So he was going to Redmont.

But as long as he was there… His lips curled into a smile.

Halt still had to reply to Will's letter, and what he said would determine Will's next move. He also didn't like surprises. But going to Redmont and not seeing Halt, something they'd been talking about for months, was just a waste of time. He needed to see him. To hear his voice like he did when he read his letters.

Then there was Seacliff to consider, too.

Will laughed. It was such a surprise to him that he felt the laugh came from a different place entirely.

He reread the letter again, despite how much it hurt him. Alyss was the first priority right now. Her feelings were the most important things to keep in mind.

Write to me please and tell me what you did say. In the meantime, I'll take Horace's advice and just say it myself.

After reading it the second time, he knew what he was going to do. He was going to Redmont in the next few days. He would wait two days to catch up on as much work as he could and wait for Halt's response, and whether he got it or not, that's when he would go.

But he still had to give him a heads-up he was visiting. The best idea would be to send a letter ahead of him, but it all depended on Halt's answer. He could completely reject him (which was a sickening thought anyway)… and then what would he do?

Even if he wrote it now, it still wouldn't get there fast enough.

Then Will got an idea… One that made him smile as much as before. Never ask a boy to do a ranger's job.

So he stuck to his plan. It was a good plan to comfort him whenever he felt like he wasn't doing anything. Two days went by and he carried on with his life as if things were normal.

Had he known he was going to see Alyss he might've planned this a little more efficiently. He would've asked Halt if they could meet up in his first letter and saved the bulk of it for later, but at this point what if's didn't do anything but torment him. He tried not to think about any of that, like "what if he hadn't messed up in literally every way possible". It didn't get him anywhere.

Finally, on the day Will called the 'deadline', he got what he'd been hoping for. Halt's reply.

Will,

I honestly don't know what to say… I'm a hard man to render speechless, but you've done it.

We're talking seriously about meeting, I see. I doubt they'll let you leave Macindaw after that mission, so I should probably come to you, right? That shouldn't be a problem. Crowley's been pushing for me to get out and go somewhere.

I try not to focus on it, but the more I read what you said, the more I realize that you're talking about two things. You mention there are some things best talked about in person, yet you say 'I love you' in the letter. I'm not sure how much bigger an issue can be than that.

It's unnerving, but I suppose I'll find out soon.

I can't try to predict what's next, can I? I've tried planning this out like a recipe, step by step, but you've foiled all my plans to tread lightly.

Let's try to take it slow until we both know everything. Until I know what you have to tell me, and we both make up our minds.

-Halt

PS. Was your dog really named Blackie when you gave her to Trobar? Fucking Blackie? You can't be serious.

Will laughed. Then he wasted no time getting his stuff together and leaving.

Two nights ago he packed a bag full of everything he would need for the trip. It was sitting on the couch ready to go as soon as Will was, filled with food, paper, knives and the like. He picked it up from his room, left a note for whoever looked for him the next day, and saddled Tug up for the journey.

He knew Tug could take it if he ran him most of the way there. They only stopped twice, once for dinner and so Will could finalize his reply. The second time for a short rest. He already had the first few drafts in his bag for reference, along with Alyss's and Halt's last ones just in case he needed to remember details about them too.

He filed all of Halt's early letters in one folder, incorrectly titled to trick anyone who saw it. For this part of the long, ongoing conversation between him and Halt, he had a new folder. That one he brought with him.

Maybe somebody would find both folders, someday far in the future. Find Halt's stash of memories, too. Maybe they'd put them together and discover the truth about them.

Or maybe Will would burn them after it was all over.

He wrote:

Halt,

This is sudden, but something happened, and I'm visiting Redmont on some other personal business. I think as long as we're here, we might as well see each other. I should be there the day this letter gets to you (yes, I know what day that is). I don't think I'll stay in Redmont overnight, but we should at least have dinner. My treat.

About your last letter- yes, Blackie. I know. But that's coming from the guy whose name means "stop".

-Will


There was enough light for Tug to navigate the way. A quarter moon hovered above them, just one light in a wide strip of tinier lights going down what Will could've called the stomach of the sky. The rest was black, not blue that night.

Tug ran like the wind when he had obstacles in his way, and faster when there was nothing. This part of the country was nothing but rolling hills and grass as far as the eye could reach. It was big enough for another hundred horses to join Tug and still have more than enough space to roam…

But tonight he owned the world. His hooves hit the ground with such grace that Will believed they were flying.

With no sleep and no obstacles to look out for, Will couldn't do a thing but turn his eyes to the vast emptiness ahead and wonder. Wonder at what? The black sky stretched in every direction and closed him in to his world like a dome, blocking his escape and then wiping hundreds of miles clear for him to roam at will. It was terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. He couldn't decide if he felt stripped of his freedom or if he was drowning in it.

Compared to the world, he was so small. Never was that so obvious than in a huge crowd or completely alone.

He exhaled a short breath and yet never felt the heat of it pass through his lips. He raced through the open, empty world. They cut through the air like a knife. The cold wind kissed his cheeks as he fled.


Will got to the edge of Redmont as the sun was coming up, and he wasn't even tired. Once he knew he was in the fief he brought Tug to a slow walk and let him take his time from there. It wouldn't take long to get to Halt's cabin after that, and the mail boy came around at ten o'clock. He had time.

There was a limit to how close he could get to the cabin. Too close and Abelard would sense him. Especially since Abelard had known him for years, Will didn't know just how far away he had to stay. A lot, probably.

He got off Tug and sat beneath a tree until it was time for action, not just for shade but for cover. He wrapped his cloak around himself and waited.

Hours passed. Will didn't utter a word that entire time, just kept himself busy with whatever he could. He took out his letter again and read over it, and he thought it still sounded fine. Not once did he feel like sleeping. Tug laid on the other side of the tree, sleeping or not, Will didn't care. He didn't need Tug for this part of the plan.

Finally he heard the crunching of leaves, and a stranger approaching him from behind. Will stayed absolutely still; he was on the side of the tree the stranger couldn't see him unless he was looking for him. But once the boy passed him, Will could see his back.

His name was Garrick, a fifteen year old boy Will knew for two years before he graduated. If it was just him- and this was just the boy he needed to find- he didn't have to scare him into a favor.

Will stood up, and that caught his attention. Garrick whipped around looking ready for a fight. He probably would've tried to fight Will had it not been Will- and he'd only seen a sword maybe twice in his life.

Will waved him over. "Hey," he greeted, and Garrick relaxed his whole attitude.

"Ranger Will!" The boy jogged closer. "Good mor-"

"Keep your voice down," Will said. Suddenly he was much quieter, and much more serious. "I can't let Halt know I'm here."

Barely audible now, Garrick whispered, "Oh… okay."

"I don't need much. Can you just give this letter to Halt?" Will revealed an envelope he'd been hiding under his cloak and held it out to him.

Garrick took it without glancing at the back. "Yes, sir," he said, "but why not-"

"Not that quiet, I can barely hear you."

Slightly louder he said, "Sorry- why not give it to him yourself? I was just on my way there, he'll be happy to see you."

"Can't." Will gave him a smile, one that was more to assure him than to give off sadness; however, he did that, too. "I have somewhere to be." He gave him a nod and started back to Tug, but not before remembering the most important thing. "Oh, and Garrick."

"Yes, sir?"

"Don't tell him I gave it to you just now. Pretend like this didn't happen." There was no reason for that than to avoid a few questions, and also to not have to tell Halt he was stalking out his cabin for a few hours.

By the way he stared at Will he definitely didn't understand his reasoning, but he knew better than to ask. He nodded and slipped the envelope in his bag.

Will rubbed Tug's head and the horse snapped to attention. He rose to his feet, shaking off any leaves or drowsiness leftover from his nap. Will didn't mount him just yet. Leaving, he'd be harder to spot off a horse.

Just before he moved on, he looked at Garrick and smiled.

"It's good to see you again," he said.

"You too, sir."

Then Will led Tug by the reins and walked in the direction of Castle Redmont.

He liked Garrick. He was young, and naïve, but loyal and did his job responsibly and with enthusiasm. He was the break of innocence that Will needed to revitalize him before he left.


Alyss and Pauline had to keep up a tradition of seeing each other regularly as Alyss was getting more and more independent with her work. Every morning at eleven they'd sit down together and talk over a few cups of tea. Half the time it was coffee, and they refused to believe it was because of the Ranger Corps' influence.

Alyss joked about hosting a classy, traditional "tea party" with her best friend, a party so exclusive that the only way to get in was to be invited by somebody who was already a member- but they never invited anyone. And she'd say they talked about serious diplomatic issues, like national affairs and current events, as civilized as two, classy courier ladies should be. In reality it wasn't nearly as formal as all that. Usually they'd make fun of their work and laugh at other people.

They were on time this day like always. Pauline had a bigger room than most, it having two rooms, which made it more like a small house than a bedroom: one for her bed, and then a lounge where in the middle two couches sat around a glass coffee table. She and Alyss had their talks there.

"I might tell you someday," Pauline said, elegantly sipping her coffee like it was tea. "Ideally, however, you'll never have to know."

"You can set me up a treasure hunt."

"I might."

"You know, if somebody does take advantage of this time," Alyss explained, "which is more than likely because we're so predictable, we're just setting ourselves up to be taken advantage of- and that's fine and all but I should know where to go to defend myself, shouldn't I?"

"You have a knife on you now, right?"

"And it's about as big as my chances of defending myself with it." That earned her a smile from her mentor. "Whoever attacks us will have swords. And many more men," she said.

"Then you go to where you think I've hidden them," Pauline said. She enjoyed teasing Alyss sometimes, testing her limits and stretching her. More often than not Alyss struggled to bait the answer out of Pauline before she took a guess- and she knew she would be right if she did.

"Well thank you." Alyss looked around the big room. "I'm sure I'll make it in time."

"I'm sure you will."

Alyss gave her a deceivingly sweet smile.

"So besides that, how have you been?" Pauline asked, crossing her legs and adjusting her pale blue dress down just below her knees. "We saw each other only briefly yesterday."

Alyss barely paused before she answered, but just that much time was like a full five minutes of silence to Pauline. She began, "Well, I-"

"What happened?"

Alyss bent over and laughed. She didn't expect to, but she was glad she did. "What do you mean?"

"It's Will, right?" Pauline looked like she wasn't asking for an answer. "He didn't write you back yet."

Alyss had told Pauline about her letter to Will before. In fact, Pauline was one of the few people she consulted before sending it. She wasn't just her mentor in the Diplomatic Corps, she was her mentor in life.

"He hasn't," Alyss said. "I was actually hoping he'd visit me instead of writing, but I don't know. Maybe something happened and it didn't reach him."

"Possibly." Pauline sat back and thought for a second. Alyss could see the wheels turning in her mind, and eagerly awaited her answer. Not only was Pauline more knowledgeable than her, but she knew more about men than Alyss did.

She said, "My only guess is that the letter didn't make it yet, or his letter back hasn't gotten here yet."

Alyss's mouth dropped, then she closed it. "That could be it…"

"But I'm not so convinced. Will is the kind of guy who would want to tell you in person. The only reason you didn't go to him in person was because you were unsure of his feelings- mostly unsure- and he must be sure now. Have faith in him."

Alyss hesitated, and then nodded, because she knew she was right. "You're right," she said aloud.

"Dear, I know."

Alyss laughed. "Thank you. And I do have faith in him. Whatever he says, it's-"

She was interrupted midsentence by a knock at the door. Pauline and Alyss glanced at the noise, then each other. It was unusual for someone to interrupt them, as it was early in the morning and everybody knew that this was their private time together.

"Great. Please tell me where the weapons are," Alyss said, and Pauline grinned.

"Nothing like that, I'm sure," she said. Loud enough for them to hear outside she called, "It's open, come in."

A guard, dressed in light armor and the official colors of Redmont stepped in the doorway. Alyss knew she knew his name somewhere. He said, "My ladies," and bowed; then continued, "Miss Mainwaring, you have a visitor requesting your attention."

"Is it Will Treaty?" she asked, and the guard nodded.

"Yes, my lady."

She let out a huge sigh of relief. She moved to set her coffee down and stand up, but Pauline beat her to it.

"Send him in," she said, straightening her dress as she got up. "I'll leave you two to talk."

Alyss gave her a grateful look, which Pauline returned with something similar. By the door, the guard bowed and left. Pauline walked past her on her way to the door, and she briefly placed her hand on Alyss's.

She didn't say a word, just smiled and nodded. That was equivalent to a 'good luck' in mentor language. Then she walked out, presumably to eavesdrop from the hallway.

There was a minute or two Alyss spent alone in the room, after Pauline left and before Will got there.

It passed through her mind that she could pour him a cup of coffee while she waited, but the thought occurred to her too later for her to decide. The door opened and standing there, in his normal ranger attire minus the cloak, was Will.

Alyss looked at him with a smile that was one step away from being a grin. She rose to let him sit first, just like a man would greet a woman at a dinner party or similar meetings. It was just her immediate reaction. Whenever she had a conference with someone, she and other couriers would agree to stand up for the men when they came in the room instead of the other way around, to turn the roles on their heads.

"It's nice to see you," she said, and gestured to the seat next to her.

Seeing her joy, and her failed effort to appear casual, Will couldn't help but smile too. "I'm glad to see you too." He walked around the other side of the couch and sat down as she did.

Since they weren't on opposite couches, like Alyss and Pauline had been before, they had to shift their bodies a few degrees so that they could see each other while they talked. It took a while for any real talking to start.

It was a guessing game first. Both of them had something to say, both of them knew what it was. Both of them waited for the other to go first.

"I was just having coffee, you want some?" Alyss asked.

"I'm fine. Had a cup before I got here."

Alyss nodded, wetting her lips before continuing, "I didn't expect you this early. It's not a problem, of course… but how long did it take you to get here?"

"The night." He filled the awkward pause with a laugh.

Alyss looked puzzled at him. "Did you sleep?"

"Not really."

"Wow."

"It's fine, I'm not tired." Will waved it off. "How've you been?"

"Oh, yeah, been well. There's always some calm after the storm, you know?"

"There is," he agreed.

"And you?"

"I've been well." He sat back in the couch a little bit. His hair fell a little farther over one eye, making Alyss smile for some reason. "Seacliff didn't collapse while I was away," he said.

"Well that's always good." But she looked oddly sincere when she said it.

The initial thrill of seeing Will died, and died into seriousness. It disappeared as gradually and discreetly as a cold after she'd sweat it all out.

"So, you…" she accidentally lowered her voice, "you got my letter?"

Will swallowed, and regretted it. "Yeah, I did," he said. "I thought we should talk about it here."

"Me too. We should." Alyss composed herself more. She straightened her back and hardened her eyes. Will hoped he was doing it as well as she was, but he doubted it.

He began, "Well… first of all, you were right about your dreams. You weren't imagining that… it happened."

Alyss's composition lost its hold. Hope glistened like tears in her eyes. "You… you really said that…" she whispered.

"I did."

"That night in Grimsdell, when we…" she paused, "I wanted to tell you, but I didn't know how."

"Alyss…"

"What?"

When she stopped in her tracks, she stopped Will, too.

Will took a lungful of air, preparing himself. Now that it was finally time to rip off the band aid, he was finding holes in all of his plans. Nothing could help him get the outcome he wanted.

He knew that no matter how much he tried, it would never be perfect.

"I don't know how to say it, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I led you on, but…" he whispered, "I don't feel the same way."

As long as it took to blink, her whole world had stopped.

Will could even see her shoulders physically stop moving. He hadn't knocked the breath out of her, she had forgotten the need to breathe. Any noise turned suddenly to white, even the hard pounding of her heart.

Alyss could barely form words, but when she did she said in a tiny voice, "Led me on? You… you said you loved me."

"I had to break the spell, and I knew that would do it," explained Will. "I'm sorry."

Will was trying to read her expression, but her lips were sealed. She didn't know what she was thinking. Her eyes turned away, down to the table, to the floor, at her lap… never once meeting Will's.

"I wasn't lying. I do love you, Alyss… but it's not in that way," he told her.

"I understand… It's okay. I mean…" She wrote the letter knowing very well that Will might not return her feelings, and yet it always felt certain that he would. It just didn't make sense to think that he wouldn't, because of what happened in Grimsdell…

"And Grimsdell?"

"I, I don't know," he said, quite honestly. "The moment was there, and I wasn't thinking about anything else."

Alyss quite honestly didn't know what to say to that. Her heart had never been broken before.

"We'll be friends, right?" Will asked.

She nodded. "I just need some time, it's fine." Those were real tears in her eyes, now, getting bigger.

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine." She didn't want to cry in front of him. "Please go."

Will nodded. He promised, "I'll write you", and then stood up.

He wanted to apologize again. He wanted to hug her, actually, but he got the feeling she'd push him away and then her disappointment would become anger. He didn't think he could take it if she yelled at him.

Pauline was waiting for him in the hallway after he left. She knew from the lack of noise inside that things hadn't gone well, and based on the way she reacted, she probably knew about the letter too. She was much taller than him when she stood up straight like she was. That was unnerving. She stared at him, not like she wanted to make him cower in fear, but like there were big, bold letters on his forehead that read 'guilt'.

"My lady," he addressed her, with a short bow. He tried to appear as normal as possible, then walked past her briskly.

It was only after he left away that he realized looking normal was much worse than appearing guilty. She might think that he wasn't sorry. Will wished he could turn back time and change that, now it was just another thing to eat away at him.

Will rushed out of the castle as fast as his legs would go without sprinting. He leg Tug from the stables, jumped on his back and left.


When Will was running from something and had nowhere he planned to run to, his compass always seemed to turn him in the same direction. He spent most of his early life in an orphanage, but even back then he always felt more at home in the forest.

He had no idea what to do, but at least this felt right.

A nice looking tree provided enough shade and was far enough into the forest that Will couldn't see Castle Redmont, or any of the town. He was ready to spend the day there; the only issue was that there was nothing to do. He had a book in his pack, but when he tried to read it he found the words made no sense to him. No matter how many times he read over a passage, he couldn't understand it, like suddenly it was a completely different language to him. It nearly drove him insane before he put it away.

He did whatever came to his mind, and wouldn't involve getting up.

An hour passed.

Once he did get up and go for a short walk, then he returned to a different tree and twirled the knife around his fingers.

Another hour passed. And another.

Will kept out his knife and reached for a stick lying next to him. Like falling into a nervous habit, he carelessly shaved off the bark, bit by bit until it was bare. He swept away the shredded pieces whenever they piled up. The razor-edged blade carved the end into a point much like the point of a spear, though Will left it slightly blunt so that it wouldn't cut him accidentally. It couldn't draw blood, but it might give him a splinter.

He did that for a while, because it required no real thought.

No one could see rangers when they didn't want to be seen, and there was nothing a ranger gave away unless they wanted to give it. So Will didn't know if he sensed the one behind him because Halt intended it to be so, or he was getting better, or Halt was getting worse.

But suddenly he wasn't alone.

Halt slipped into the empty spot next to Will, one eye on his work. Will didn't even acknowledge it at first, and Halt didn't need the validation.

"That looks important," he said.

His voice sounded foreign at first. Not unfamiliar, but foreign in a way like Will had heard it before in a dream. In real life it was a completely different experience. A step from being uncomfortable and one less from euphoric.

"It's very important." Will made a much bigger, harsher cut off the top, then looked over at Halt. Their eyes met for the first time.

"What're you doing here?" Will asked, as it was the only thing that came to his mind.

"This is my fief," answered Halt. "Why are you here?"

"Did you get my letter? I'm here for some business." Will was too close to saying 'and for you'.

"I meant why are you out here under a tree and not looking for me?"

Will paused for the right words. "It's still early in the afternoon," he said. "I was planning on coming in the evening. For dinner."

Halt nodded. He knew something was wrong, but he had less of an idea of how to ask about it. He'd never been good at that, even with Will.

"I see," he said, simply, and felt comfortable leaving it at that.

If Will had asked him if he had work to do, Halt couldn't have lied. For better or for worse, Will never asked, so Halt never left. He let Will return to his nervous work.

"You know, you could've left my name alone," he said, suddenly.

Will laughed. "It's okay," he replied. "My name has more than four definitions. You're not alone."

At some point after that Will took his back off the tree and laid down. At another point not too much later, he closed his eyes, and fell asleep as effortlessly as he had been able to stay awake before.

Halt still didn't move. It was too quiet to.

He avoided it for as long as he could, but eventually he had to look at Will. And in looking at him, he couldn't find a single thing that didn't belong.

The sun painted shadows of leaves over his skin, tattoos that swayed with the wind. Will's lips were parted open a sliver, opening and closing with each breath; Halt bet he didn't know how hard it was not to kiss them.

Mocha colored hair fell around his eyes and bordered his face, and Halt was more than tempted to brush it back. He wondered for a second if it was possible to touch the side of his face without waking him… run his fingers through his hair and he'd never have to know.

He didn't, decided it was too risky and laid down beside him with a little more space between them than before.

He wasn't looking at Will then, but up. Up at nothing. With nothing to think or do, he closed his eyes. Then an arm reached across his body.

Halt flinched before he was paralyzed. The sleeping (or was he?) ranger turned over on his stomach, and half onto Halt's body.

"Will…" Halt whispered; he planned to tell him to stop, but his words failed him. Will didn't answer. His head fell on Halt's chest.

The top of his hair brushed Halt's chin, and the smell that reached his nose was intoxicating- like a sweet tasting poison. He felt every piece of weight and weightlessness that Will gave him when they touched. It was a step from uncomfortable, and one less from perfect.

Will's breathing synced with Halt's. Either that or they already matched.

Maybe it was just guilt that kept him there, but it did its job. Halt laid his head back down, defeated. Will had won this round.

He unconsciously moved his arm from out under Will and curled it around him protectively. No matter how hard he fought, he couldn't tear it off.


Halt opened his eyes to the same place he'd left off. It was still day. Will was still soundly asleep. It could've been four minutes or four hours he'd been out- he couldn't tell, because nothing had changed. One had to wonder what Will had been doing that made him so tired in the middle of the day.

Or maybe he was faking it the whole time. That was possible, too, because it wasn't long after Halt rose from his sleep that Will woke up, too.

When he did, it was subtle. Halt was at a disadvantage to see his face, so he had to rely on touch. He felt Will's jaws tighten when he swallowed. The tops of his cheeks moved when he blinked hard enough. And with his ear right next to Halt's heart, he could probably hear how hard it was pounding and when it sped up about three beats after he woke up.

He didn't get up for a minute, and Halt didn't plan on telling him to. It was too hard for him to fall asleep at this point, so Will just spent the time enjoying where he was. Enjoying the feeling that maybe this was how it was supposed to be.

He finally sat up on his elbow, right next to Halt's face where they were at a beautiful angle to see each other.

"Halt…" Will whispered. Halt's eyes never wandered from him. They never had.

"What?" he asked, but he knew what.

Will didn't give an answer. His hand cupped the side of Halt's face, tracing his thumb across the curve of his beard. He leaned in close until their noses touched.

Their gaze never wandered from each other, no matter how much closer he got. Halt's dark brown eyes meeting Will's lighter ones- two different shades of the same hue.

They kept each other still, getting closer and closer, daring each other to move in or move out before it was too late… Before it was too late, Halt moved lifted his head. Their lips connected as one.

There was no pause on Will's side. He kissed right back and harder. Halt grabbed the back of Will's head, tangled his hand in his hair and pulled him against him. Will could feel the rough edge to it, like the rough patches around Halt's unexpectedly soft lips, like the rough parts in Halt. It made him taste so much sweeter. He craved more. They both craved more. Their grips on each other got tighter as their kisses deepened, and Will twisted his face to a farther angle where they could feel every part of each other they were kissing.

The first one was just brief, then it segued easily into another, and another, until the lines where Will ended and Halt began were forgotten completely.

One hand still held the older ranger's face and kept him in place, gently, but unyielding, like he was scared for him to run away.

It might have been just something in the air that afternoon, but neither one of them ran.