A/N: Hey everyone! Thank you so much for the reviews and favorites. I love hearing what you think of my writing.

So this one is a bit angsty and there is a bit more comforting Halt. It was actually supposed to be humor (I swear!) but... my angsty mind wouldn't let me write anything close to funny.

This is dedicated to Harpfire, who had to sit through my ramblings about this chapter.

I hope you enjoy!

Oh yeah... this takes place between book one and two.

Disclaimer: I hope you know by now, I own nothing.

6. Break Away

Will watched his mentor bring up his bow and shoot the man strait in the chest. He shuddered as the body toppled to the ground into the snow. As they were walking away from the scene, Will asked, "Does it ever bother you?"

Halt turned and raised an eyebrow. "Your constant questions?" he asked. "Every day."

"No... Killing?" Will asked softly. Halt glanced quickly at his apprentice, noting the boy's pale face and haunted expression.

Will had been his apprentice for a while now, and Halt had grown extremely fond of the boy. Will was going to be a great ranger one day, Halt knew.

"It did at first... but you... you get used to it," he said gently.

Will looked horrified.

"No, not like that!" Halt said quickly. "You begin to realize that sometimes, it is necessary to take a life to save many more. Rangers try not to kill unless it is necessary. That man was a murderer. If I hadn't dealt with him, there could have been much more bloodshed at a later date."

Will nodded, looking away from his mentor and continuing to walk. He didn't think he could ever get used to killing. He guessed that someday, he would have to, but for now he was content with letting Halt do all of the killing.

BREAK AWAY

A man pounded at the door, making Will almost jump out of his skin. "Could you answer that?" Halt asked from the kitchen.

Will scurried to the door, opening it to reveal a messenger. "The baron requests to see Halt at once!" The boy sounded nervous, his eyes darting left and right as he examined the interior of the small cabin. Halt rolled his eyes and stepped out of the cabin.

"I haven't even had time to make coffee. This had better be good!" he strode away from the cabin and into the city.

Will watched them go, glad that he didn't have to be out in the cold at such an ungodly hour. He shut the door, going over and putting a pot of coffee on the stove. He was just sitting down on the couch with a mug when another knock sounded at the door.

"What is it this time?" he grumbled, opening the door. A young boy stood trembling and pale at the threshold.

"Murder!" the boy shouted. "There has been a murder!"

Will glanced around, wondering what he should do. Usually, Halt would take care of these kinds of things, leaving Will alone to practice with his bow. But Halt was up at the castle… and there was no time to go and fetch him. People's lives could be at risk.

He grabbed his bow and knives, following the boy into the city. It took them moments to reach a dark alley, where a body lay in a pool of blood. Red footprints led away from the scene, an ominous trail into the darkness beyond.

Will gulped, crouching down next to the figure lying in the snow. "What happened?" he asked the child.

"Molly… Molly is dead… her husband… he is crazy! He took her daughter!" the boy's voice trembled.

Will cursed and stood, following the footprints into the darkness of the alley. It didn't take him long to reach the killer.

A tall, bulky man stood in the darkness. Will could make out the glint of a knife that was pressed to the throat of a blonde girl. The man's face was scarred and twisted with hate.

The man held the knife tightly, his hands shaking and his eyes wild. "Stop right there!" he shouted at Will. The apprentice stopped in his tracks, his fingers tightly grasping his bow.

"Don't!" the man shouted as Will reached for an arrow. "I'll kill her!" the man shouted, holding the small child even tighter.

The girl whimpered and tired to squirm away. The knife dug into her throat, sending a trickle of blood down her neck. Will shook his head at her, and she stopped moving, trembling slightly.

Will stared at the criminal, slowly taking in every detail. He cleared his mind, conflicting emotions flooding through him. He had to stop the man... he had to kill him!

But I can't... Will thought hopelessly.

"Drop the knife and I won't shoot!" he said, his voice cracking. The man started laughing demonically.

"Do you really have the nerve to kill, boy?" His voice was mocking, his face twisted into a grin. "I trust you've never killed before... never had the blood of a man on your hands. Is that really what you want?"

Will closed his eyes for a moment, shutting out the mocking voice of the man in front of it. He did the only thing he could. His bow swung up and he nocked an arrow to the string. The criminal tightened his grip on the knife, preparing to cut through the girls flesh.

Time seemed to slow. Will's mind screamed at him. Don't shoot him!

Will tore his mind away. He broke himself from his thoughts. He tore away from his morals, shattering his definition of right and wrong, tearing himself free of feeling anything. The voice inside his head shut off and he fired.

The arrow hit the man square in the forehead. He fell backwards, dropping the knife and releasing the little girl. Will feel to his knees, staring into space.

The girl rushed forward, her little arms wrapping around the apprentice's torso.

That was how Halt found them, hours later; slumped in the snow and holding on to each other for dear life.

BREAK AWAY

Halt sat Will down on the couch, wrapping a thick blanket around the boy's shaking shoulders. Halt quickly made a pot of coffee, bringing two mugs over and sitting down next to Will.

"You did a good job out there, Will..." he said gruffly, handing over the mug. Will stared down at the coffee, his mind blank.

"I killed a man today," he whispered, his eyes brimming with tears. He looked up at his mentor. Halt saw how broken the boy was.

"You saved that girl and many more people, Will. That man was evil and would have killed again," Halt said.

Will nodded slowly. "I... I feel hollow, Halt. When I was standing there, watching the murderer, I knew I had to act... so I shut off my feelings... I... I tore my consciousness away... I killed him, Halt." Will was almost sobbing now.

Halt put one arm around Will's shoulders, holding him close. There was nothing he could say to make it better, but he knew that just being beside the boy would help to pick up the broken pieces.

A/N: There you are! This was brought on by me reading The Burning Bridge. It got me thinking... What happened to Will going from just killing monsters to killing men at the bridge? Why was Will so shaken at the beginning when he faces the Wargal?

And that is how this was born... XD

I'm sorry if there were any mistakes. I didn't really have time to edit so I kind of just posted it.

Next up will be Heaven.

I hope you liked it... please review.