Chap 6

A/N I'm warning you, this chapter's prompts give rise to very sappy drabbles. :P (except for 27)

26. Tears

Bold/italic= book script, b2 pgs261,262

There weren't many times in his life that Halt had cried.
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As the ship began to gather way, Will stared at the mounted figure in the surf, buffeted by waves. Halt was so near and yet now so impossibly out of reach.
*****

When he bid Caitlin, his only sister, farewell. But only after she wasn't looking, and he was riding away swifter than the wind. The wind whipped his face as the tears were blown across his cheeks. She was the only one who knew he was leaving, the only one he'd said goodbye to.
*****

Will's eyes stung with tears and, faintly, he heard Halt's voice.

"Will! Stay alive! Don't give up! I'll find you wherever they take you!"

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When he was too late to save Will's mother; to fulfill his promise.
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Choking on tears, the boy raised his hand in farewell to his friend and mentor.

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But on each occasion, Halt had fought with might and main to hold them back, stifle his emotion. At least outwardly.
*****

"Halt!" he croaked. But he knew the Ranger would never hear him. He heard the voice again, carrying over the sounds of wind and sea.

*****
Not this time. He felt terror strike his soul as he yelled with all his strength.

"I'll find you Will!"

Forlornly he watched the wind bear his apprentice, his son, away into slavery. Into pain and hardship. Into adversity and hopelessness. Rage burned within him at his helplessness. Always he'd been able to fight somehow, to resist, to change. Not now. There was nothing, absolutely nothing to be done. No action to take, no arrows to shoot. The only arrow shot was lodged deep within his heart. It seared within him, salt tears mingling with the ocean water that separated him and Will as his lips still moved in a promise only he could hear.

"I'll find you Will. I will."

27. Foreign

"W- What is it?"

Gilan grinned proudly,.

"It's a hat."

Will eyed him warily.

"Gilan, you're wearing a turtle shell with pigeon feathers stuck on it." Gilan nodded again. He was rather proud of his creation.

"Don't forget the socks on the sides."

Will raised an eyebrow. "Looks like dog ears." Gilan bristled indignantly.

"Do not! This, I'll have you know, is the latest fashion in Gallica." He sniffed haughtily. Some people didn't appreciate true art.

"Since when do you care what Gallicans wear? And I seriously doubt that they do wear such ridiculous things. Who told you that anyway?"

"It is not ridiculous! And since you're so against it, why would you care who told me? I have good information. Imma Ranger you know," he said this as if Will were a child.

Starting to get a sneaky suspicion, Will glared at him as if he were under-brewed coffee. "Gilan, is there something you're not telling me?" he said dangerously. Despite himself, Gilan quailed. Will was so much like Halt it was unnerving.

"N-no, why would I do that? Heh, heh…"

"Who was it?" Will shot the question like an arrow.

"No-one."

"Who?"

"No-one"

"Who?"

"NO-ONE!" They screamed at eachother rapid fire. A squirrel threw an acorn at Gilan's head.

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR EH? CURSE YOU SQUIRREL!"

Will smirked. "Squirrels take my side. I win."

"No you don't! They're only looking after their own," said Gilan smugly.

"Was that a reference on my mental health, or my size?" Will gritted.

Gilan shoved his face up close to Will's, sneering. "BOTH!" Will backed away with an injured air.

"You didn't!"

"I did."

"That hurt Gilan. Hurts me right here man," Will touched his chest in reproach.

"Hey, I didn't-"

"You cut me deep."

"Don't say tha-"

"I trusted you. I thought you were worthy of it."

"I am-"

"Suppose I was wrong for once in my life. Thanks for ruining my streak." He walked away, sniffing back tears.

"I didn't mean it! Will, come back!" Gilan whined like a petulant child. Will ignored him. Running after him, Gilan pleaded.

"Aw, c'mon Will. Take a joke!"

"That wasn't funny."

"I don't think you're short or nuts; honestly! C'mon Will!"

"No, no, that's fine. After all, since you're so sophisticated, you must be right."

"WiIIIiIIIiIIIIiIILLL! I sorry!"

Will faced him sneakily. "Alright, I forgive you." "You do?" "Yes." "Thank-" "But you have to tell me who it was that told you about the hat." Gilan recoiled.

"NO!"

"Why, ya scared?"

"Nuh uh!"

Will shrugged. "Fine, not forgiven."

"Alright, alright! It was Crowley."

Will guffawed. "Crowley? And you believed him? Wow, you're smart."

"Hey! He said it really convincingly."

"So naive." He was slapping his knee in hilarity.

"Am not!"

"So gullible." Now Will was rolling on the floor laughing.

"Stop it Will! I'll tell my mummy!"

"Ooh, so scared. Go run off to your mummy Gilly baby."

"I'll tell Alyss."

Will gasped. "You wouldn't"

"Would, and will."

"Don't tell her, please! Do you know what she'll do to me?"

"What? Shock me."

"She'll take away my coffee privileges." Despite himself, Gilan winched sympathetically.

"Well, serves you right for making fun of my hat."

"I'm sorry okay?"

"It wasn't funny." He hit Will with his own words.

"Alright, what do I have to do for you to not tell the wife?"

"Wear my hat."

"NO!"

Gilan shrugged. "I guess I'm off to see Alyss then."

"FINE! Give it here." Frowning, Will put it on.

"Foreign fashion sucks."

A/N This is the result of typing whatever come into my head, when it comes. O.o

28. Sorrow

A yawning void opened within him. His hope was crushed. Cruel fate, to make him think that Cassandra was alive after all, only to receive news that she'd been captured by Skandians. She was the single joy of his life ever since her mother had died, and his own father as well. Now, there was no joy, there was no hope, there was no light. Only blackness and despair; they reigned supreme in his kingly heart. Yet the greater pain was that his monarchy forbade that he abandon duty to rescue her, or even to send a rescue after her.

Tears ran down his face. Tears he'd dare not shed in front of the council. He had failed her- failed to protect her, failed to save her from suffering. And in failing her, he'd failed the memory of his beloved queen.

Cassandra, what have I done? I'll never see you again. Cassie, what have I done?

In the depths of despair, Duncan rebuked himself. A deep pain welled within his heart- the pain of a father who's lost his daughter. Slumping in his seat, face in hands, his strong body bowed and wracking with sobs, the proud king was the picture of desolation.

Silently, Halt entered the King's tent. He knew what the man was going through. Oh, he knew it all too well. Placing his hand on Duncan's shoulder in a rare gesture of support and comfort, Halt stood by him, whispering quietly.

"I know your sorrow- you have lost a daughter, I have lost a son."

29. Happiness

"Oh Gilan! Yes! Yes, a thousand times yes!" Throwing her arms around Gilan, Jenny cried and laughed for joy.

"I can't believe it! Thank you Jenny! You won't regret it!" He twirled her around and around, grinning that famous grin.

"I thought you'd never ask Gilly! I'm so happy!" He set her down and held her close.

"I thought you wouldn't want me Jen, a rough Ranger." He whispered into her hair. She swatted at him playfully.

"Come off it Gilan, I thought a famous Ranger wouldn't take a simple cook." Gilan swooped her clean off her feet, and yelled joyously.

"You thought wrong!" Jenny squealed delightedly. Throwing caution to the wind, she flung her arms in the air as he spun her 'round and 'round.

"Hooray for thinking wrong! This is the best day EVER!" Chuckling, he set her down and they relaxed against a tree, and she settled contentedly in his arms. They had taken a walk in the woods, and Gilan had proposed when they got to a certain "romantic" spot. Alyss had told Gilan that Jenny had a thing for romantic woodlands.

From the above them in the very tree they were resting on, Will watched, barely able to contain his happiness to a jaw-splitting grin. He didn't mean to witness something so private, but he'd been hunting and climbed the tree to have a look around, when they'd entered the clearing, and before Will could get away unseen, Gilan suddenly proposed. Yes, Will was hard put not to wolf whistle or laugh for his friend. So, he grinned until it hurt.

Gilan lifted her head from his shoulder, tilting her chin up with his cupped hand.

"May I?" he whispered. When she nodded, eyes shining up at him, he kissed her softly. After a second or so, he pulled back. She sighed and snuggled closer to him. Gilan looked straight up at Will and winked. Startled, Will shrugged apologetically, as if to say: Sorry, couldn't help it.

Gilan gave him a thumbs up behind Jenny's back.

It's all good, I knew you were there anyway.

So Will left them to their happy moment.

30. Under the Rain

Feeling incredibly sad, Will didn't care when it started to pour. The rain ran off of his cloak for a while, but soon he was thoroughly soaked. He didn't care. He'd just completed a mission, but hadn't been able to save the little boy. Report of a large bear in the area had worried locals, so when a little boy was reported lost, Will hastened to track him down, hoping the bear hadn't found him first. There had been an awful lot of rain recently, and the tracks were fairly easy to see in the mud, especially for a Ranger.

Will dismounted. He knew the bear was up ahead, and didn't want to alert it with Tug. Circling until he was downwind of the bear's expected location, Will moved forward.

That's when he heard a scream.

The heartbroken mother clutched her baby to her chest.

"He was only six years! Six years, and he's dead!" she wailed.

Will broke into a sprint, bursting into a small clearing; hardly five meters away from a black bear.

"Help me! Helphelphelp!" The little boy was up a tree, the bear quickly climbing after him.

"I'm sorry. I was too late," he said, hanging his head sorrowfully.

In a wink, will sent four shafts into the bear's thick skin, aimed for the heart. Roaring, it toppled mightily and crashed to the forest floor. Immediately, the little boy jumped down.

"NO! DON'T MOVE!" Will lunged forward to stop the boy…

"Why? Why me? What did I do wrong? What did my little baby do wrong?"

Will didn't know what to say. How do you comfort a mother who's lost her child? How do you say "I'm sorry, I couldn't save your son"?

Too late. Blood curdling screams rent the air as the bear blundered up, filled with rage, and swatted the boy into a tree eight meters away. He was dead instantly.

"NO!"

Will shot another four arrows into the bear, this time penetrating deeply and killing it. He ran to the forlorn corpse. "This isn't happening, nononononono…"

Long after the crowd left, and even the wretched mother had gathered her sad bundle and gone home, Will stood in the rain. "I failed him."

The gashes were deep, and his limbs hung at odd angles. Wordlessly, Will gathered him up, got on Tug, and rode into Wensley.

He stood there for a long, long time. Tug butted his master worriedly, but Will didn't move. Will heard wet steps approaching, but he didn't look up. A muddied white hem appeared in his sight, but he didn't look up.

"Will?"

No reply. A soft hand reached out and tilted his chin up gently until Will was gazing into Alyss' eyes.

"Will, I'm sorry," she whispered. He shook his head.

"Not your fault. It's my fault."

"Will, you cannot control such things; you did what you could. You won't always be successful," she chided mildly.

His frustration and pain shone through his eyes. "Alyss, we're talking about a boy here! A little, helpless, boy. Barely six years old. I could've done something to save him, and now that mother, that family, suffers." He cast his eyes to the mud.

"Will, tell me, what exactly could you have done?" She tilted her head expectantly.

"I- well- I could've, done something," he struggled.

"Like what?"

"I could've found the bear sooner, or tracked the boy first."

"Tracking either would've brought you to the same place, and the bear's prints are easier to read. Are you saying you were deliberately going slowly?" she asked, knowing what his answer would be.

"N-no, not really."

"Right. So there wasn't really anything you could've done different," she said firmly.

"But that doesn't change reality. A boy died, so little." Despite himself, a small part of the pain lifted. Slowly, the guilt seeped away, but the grief remained. Satisfied that Will was now only sad about the death of the young one, Alyss hugged him comfortingly.

"I know Will. I feel sad too. Loosing young lives is always tragic." Thing is, Alyss knew the boy's mother, and thereby the little boy. She brought food to poor family's sometimes, paid for with her own money. The woman had become a close friend of hers, and Alyss was particularly liked the mischievous boy. He reminded her of Will.

"I grieve for Benjamin too." Hugging him tighter, she allowed a few tears to escape. Taken aback, Will looked up at her.

"You knew him?" she nodded. "Oh Alyss, I'm so sorry. I didn't know! I'm so selfish, having you comfort me when you must be hurting twice as badly."

"I had to Will. You would've felt twice as guilty if you had known." She leaned her head down on his shoulder comfortably.

Soon, however, Alyss sneezed. Instantly concerned, Will threw his cloak around her.

"How careless of me, I shouldn't have let you stand in the rain so long. You'll both get sick."

Drawing the cloak tightly around her stomach, Alyss nodded.

"Yes, let's get back to the cabin before the baby is sick." She rode curled up in front of him on Tug, who didn't mind the extra weight.

When they got back to the cabin, they both changed into warm clothes and Will built up a roaring fire. Will sipped his coffee while Alyss enjoyed her tea. They talked about the events of the day, cozily seated on the couch wrapped in a massive quilt, and eventually went to bed.

Will tried to sleep, but it eluded him like a fleeting summer shower. Instead, he was soaked in heavy grief. He tossed and turned, trying to escape the haunting vision; the vision of the boy getting smacked into a tree by that massively cruel paw, while Will stood frozen, helpless. But instead of seeing fair little Benjamin, he saw a brown haired boy with serious grey eyes; much what he imagined his own child would look like.

Turning to face Alyss, he placed his hands on her round tummy, feeling the comforting motion of the kicking baby.

I won't let anything happen to our child.

But a voice in his head nagged him.

You couldn't do anything to save Benjamin, how will you protect your child?

Will gritted his teeth, trying to shut out the awful thought.

No, nothing will ever happen to our child. NO, no… "NO!"

He roared defiance in the face of fear. Alyss stated up with a little gasp.

"Will, what's wrong?" startled from sleep, her voice trembled. Will was instantly penitent.

"I'm sorry Alyss, it was nothing." He smoothed her ruffled hair back soothingly. He tried to take her in his arms, but she pushed back.

"Will, it wasn't nothing. You scared me out of my wits!" Wincing, Will mumbled.

"I'm so sorry I scared you Alyss."

The eyes; he was giving her the eyes. Puppy dog eyes. Sighing, she leaned on him.

"What was it Will? Was it a nightmare?" He shook his head.

"Worse." Alyss waited patiently for him to continue. "Alyss, will anything…bad…ever happen to our child? What if something terrible happens?" he said.

If Alyss was puzzled, she didn't show it. "I hope not, but things can, and will, happen. But whatever happens, both of us will look after and protect him."

"Him?"

"I- I just have a feeling about it. Mother's instinct. Why do you ask though? Is that all you're concerned about?"

Will paused for a moment. "Will I protect him just like I did Benjamin?" he said bitterly. Eyes clearing in understanding, Alyss grasped his hand sympathetically.

"Will, are you still blaming yourself for that?"

"I know that there wasn't anything I could've done differently, but that's just it! I couldn't do anything to save him. What if I can't do anything to save our son if need be? What if I fail him?"

"Will, you are one of the best Rangers in the kingdom, which means there's no one more likely to be able to protect him than you." She said.

"But I'm not invincible."

"You're right. But it doesn't matter how many scrapes he gets into, or what danger he faces, whether it be bears, a sprained wrist, or Uncle Halt's glare, but you will never fail him. You will always do everything in your power to protect him, and that's the best he could ask for."

Will's eyes gave vent to the rain that threatened to drown him, and his doubts drained away, the clouds lifted, and his heart soared. Bowing his head on her shoulder, he cried, feeling peace at last.

"Thanks Alyss."

The went quietly to sleep, both of them feeling the better for having been under the rain.

A/N I hope that last one made some sense related to the prompt! Enjoy your sappy chap, and REVIEW. O.O