Life Worth Living

A/N So sorry! Ik I haven't updated in awhile, but stuff kept coming up, and I couldn't think of things to write, and I had other stories that I wanted to work on, etc. etc. But I won't abandon this! :3 Thank you a million times to all my reviewer! You guys motivate me to write. Don't be afraid to bug me if I take too long; It'll give me incentive if people want to read more. X) Thanks again, and enjoy! (that's an order!)

36. Precious Treasure

"You are the lucky one Halt; you inherit father's crown. How can you say you don't want it?" said Ferris bitterly.

The twins were in their adjoining quarters, in Halt's sitting room. The older twin was sharpening his claymore while Ferris paced the balcony impatiently.

"You have the kingdom handed to you on a silver platter, and you say you don't want to be king?" he scoffed.

Halt glanced at his perturbed twin. They had been close until their teen years, when Ferris started to grow faker in his affections and acquired a sullen attitude. Lately, the tension between the boys was growing.

Ferris clenched his fist angrily. All he wanted, his life's ambition, was to be king. To him, no treasure compared to it. Yet Halt could act so noncommittal about it. Ferris was starting to think that the indifference might be faked. It was incomprehensible to him that anyone could make so lightly of his most precious treasure.

"Halt, how can you not want to be king?" he asked again. "What could you possibly value so much that you hold it higher than that?"

Slowly, Halt stopped his polishing and turned to Ferris.

"Believe me Ferris; if father would hear of it, I would pass the crown to you gladly. I don't want to be a ruler; I'm simply not cut out for it."

Dubious of Halt's statement, Ferris crossed his arms. "That doesn't answer my question."

Gazing into its blade as if it held the answer to Ferris's question, Halt turned back to his sword.

"Power is a dangerous thing. Have you seen how father worries and works day and night, fearing that his kingdom, his people, would be taken away? How other kings become corrupt in their thirst for greater and greater power? I don't want that. What I value above power and kingship is my freedom and integrity. That, to me, is the greatest treasure."

Ferris didn't believe a word of it. He resumed pacing angrily, when an idea struck him; if Halt suddenly couldn't inherit the kingdom, then it would fall to Ferris. But how?...

He glanced sidelong at Halt, who was once again polishing his sword.

It just might work, thought Ferris nervously.

One twin valued life and integrity over the crown, the other valued the crown over integrity and life.

Even his brother's.

37. Eyes

They are a Ranger's primary weapon. Without them, he can't shoot, he can't track, he can't live.

The Ranger's job is to collect information, keep a sharp lookout, and essentially, to spy. He lives and dies according to how effective he is with his eyes. If he fails to see before he is seen, if he misses a shot, if he wasn't observant enough to pick up a vital clue to solving a problem: all of these things can cost the Ranger his life.

Will completed the unseen-movement exercise, returning to Halt. As was to be expected, he'd been sighted several times. But he was definitely improving. Now it was his turn to try and sight Halt.

Glancing quickly over a large range of underbrush at a time, Will never allowed his gaze to remain in one place for long. That way, he had a better chance of detecting movement.

There! He thought he saw something, and concentrated on the tuft of grass fiercely, trying to spot the motion again.

If you see something, don't stare at the spot. Scan the area carefully for another motion to determine which direction to look.

Halt's instructions echoed in his mind, and he instantly broke the stare and looked in an ever increasing circle around it, even though he knew by now Halt, if it had been him, wouldn't be in the same area.

Another motion caught his eye, but it was moving with the breeze, so he discarded it. Yet again he spotted motion, and it went against the breeze. He kept his gaze loose and soon spotted the next sign of movement. Now, as he followed the path set by the two sightings, he was able to pick up much smaller signals that wouldn't have caught his eye on their own. Pinpointing the next spot where Halt would be, Holding the wooden practice replica of his throwing knife, Will smoothly drew his arm back, and threw. It flew true to the spot Will had aimed at, and was whacked out of the way with a dull ring of metal on wood. Halt stood, saxe still in hand.

"Took you long enough," he said, but didn't make further comment. Will knew he had done well if Halt didn't criticize. He beamed from ear to ear.

"Thanks Halt! Aren't I getting pretty good?"

Halt eyed him skeptically. "You're getting to be just about average- for an apprentice."

Will deflated somewhat, reflecting:

Who would've thought it would be so hard to use my eyes?

A/N K, so that wasn't exactly Halt, but whatever.

38. Abandoned

Halt hated himself. He hated that he was doing this. He hated even more that there was no other choice. And above all he hated making her cry.

As he rode away in the middle of the night, he didn't look back even once at the castle where he had lived his entire life, or at the girl standing there. Left alone by him. By her brother. That's why he didn't look back- because he, Halt O'Carrik, hated himself for abandoning her.

"I promise I'll come back someday. You'll see me again," he said, gruff as always.

"You really, really promise Halt? You'll come back for me? I don't want to never see you again," she said, her large eyes shining with tears. Halt was her favorite brother; Ferris always shooed her away and teased her, but Halt tolerated taking her on rides and playing games with her.

"Yeah, I promise." Halt knew it was a lie; knew he could never go back there as long as Ferris was still alive. But he couldn't bring himself to face the truth. As much for his sake as hers.

The bitter lie stung him, and he felt as if there were a bad taste in his mouth. But her didn't look back.

"Goodbye, Caityln."

39. Dreams

I laugh when I think about it. I was so naïve then! Back in the good ol' days of my apprenticeship, I would never have actually admitted that I liked her. Little did I realize the secret dreams I built like castles in the sky. Nope, not even I knew the secret. Alyss tells me it was rather obvious that I liked her- like liked her -but I was so oblivious, I didn't even know that when she smiled at me and the blood rushed to my head, it wasn't the sun that made me dizzy; or that when I said "Is that a new dress?" I meant "You look gorgeous". But she knew it, and I dreamed on.

You know those type of dreams that when you wake up, you know it was something good, but can't for the life of you remember what it was? That's what it was like for me, now that I think about it. Whenever she left, I knew that there was something good that just happened, but never figured out what until dream became reality in Macindaw, and then Alyss wrote me a letter that shattered the barrier between sleeping and waking and had me riding like a maniac for Redmont.

Yes, it makes me laugh, little naïve dreamer that I was.

A/N XD idk, seems funny to me. Not sure if Will's IC or not…what do you think?

40. Rated

It seems like no matter where you go, people will judge you. Rate you. I hated that feeling when I was in the ward; people said I could never be in battleschool because of my size. Then when I came back from the boar hunt, and everyone called me a hero because I had done something "interesting" and "brave". I wasn't even the one that killed the boar, or even the first to step up and face it. That was Halt and Horace. But, I was rated hero. Then I was called "trouble maker" and "liar" by Alda, Bryn, and Jerome because Horace "had to be saved" by me.

Now, I'm rated one of the best Rangers because of all the adventures I'd been on and everything I'd done. Every Ranger makes a promise to serve his King and Kingdom, so why should I be singled out for the way I fulfilled my promise?

There are few people who are and exception: people like Halt, Horace, Alyss, and Pauline. Evanlyn, Crowley, Gilan, and Jenny. Those people are my family, and among them, I'm never rated.

A/N Will if awfully spotlight-stealing today, isn't he?

So there's you knew chappie! Hope you enjoyed it, and please review again!:3 Luv ya!