A/N: I apologize for the lateness. I am so busy right now and I have had an absolutely HORRIBLE few weeks. But, after a nice, tear filled Merlin marathon and a huge tub of chocolate chip ice cream, I am mostly back to normal.

Thank you for sticking with me. You guys rock so much! Thank you for all of the kind reviews. We are almost to that 100!

ONWARDS! XD

Warning: This is very sad and angsty. And there is a minor curse word or two

Disclaimer: I don't own Ranger's Apprentice.

16. Questioning

The first thing he was aware of was pain; head spinning, heart pounding, all consuming pain. The ferocity of the agony made it hard for him to breathe, his throat swollen and his chest tight. He tried to cough and cried out as a fresh wave of agony ripped through his body.

He was vaguely aware of a voice in his ear, warm breath tickling his neck. He struggled as a strong hand held him down. His head was lifted and he could feel a bottle being shoved in between his teeth. Cool liquid poured down his throat. He struggled to spit it out, but the hand came up and held his nose, forcing him to swallow the foul-tasting substance.

He struggled to force his eyes open to see where he was, but it was too late. The drug took effect, and he fell unconscious once more.

QUESTIONING

The next time he woke, his mind felt more clear and his body was blissfully numb. He struggled to open his heavy eyelids, blinking a few times against the bright daylight that greeted him like an old friend.

The first thing he saw was unfamiliar thatched roof that was above his head. He heard footsteps and the click of a door latch as someone entered the room. He sat up quickly, his heart thudding in fear. The room spun and he would have tumbled off the bed if not for strong hands holding him upright.

"Steady!" said a gruff voice.

When his vision stopped spinning, he looked up to see a man with a grey beard wearing a grey-green cloak.

"How are you feeling?" the man asked.

He tried to reply, but instead, ended up coughing, hand flying to his chest. The man quickly pressed a cup of water to his lips, and he gulped it down greedily.

"How are you feeling?" the grizzled man repeated.

"Where am I?" he asked.

"The cabin... Will, don't you remember?"

"Who is Will?" he asked. His hands were trembling so hard, water began to slosh out of the cup.

"Will..." the man said. "If this is a joke, I swear..."

"Who the hell is Will?" the boy shouted, his voice breaking. The cup slipped out of his hands and clattered to the floor.

"You... you are Will..." the man said, his eyes misting over. "Do you remember what happened? With the bandits and the archer..."

"No..." the boy said, eyes widening as he realized. "I... I don't know who I am. I don't... Who am I?" The boy was shouting now, his eyes holding a look of unbridled fear. "WHO AM I?"

Halt reached out, hands clasping Will's trembling shoulders. "Calm down..." he said feebly.

"I... I... I..." The boy's eyes rolled up in his head, and he collapsed into Halt's arms.

Halt gently lay the boy onto the bed and stood, rubbing his wet eyes with the back of his hand. He glanced one last time at the boy before walking out of the room.

He grabbed his double knife scabbard before stepping out into the warm afternoon sunlight. Something was terribly wrong with his apprentice and he had to get help.

QUESTIONING

Luckily for Halt, the healer's house was on the edge of the town. He made his way quickly up the path and to the door, pounding on it with all of his might.

It took a few moments before the door swung open to reveal an old woman. "Yes, Ranger Halt?" she asked, her voice kind. "Is there something I can help you with?"

Halt nodded."My apprentice... There is something wrong with Will. We were out on a mission and some bandits attacked and he was shot... and he fell and hit his head..."

The woman nodded grimly. "Let me go get my basket." She bustled out of view for a moment and reappeared holding a whicker basket in one hand.

They headed back to the cabin, silence filling the air. By the time they made it to the cabin, the sky was dark. Halt swung open the door, leading the woman down the hall and into Will's room.

"Here he..." Halt trailed off, glancing down at the empty bed. His brain took a second to comprehend what he was seeing.

He rushed out of the room. "Will?" he called. The medicine woman followed him into the main room of the cabin.

"Will?" he called again.

"Exactly what state was he in when you left him?" the woman asked him slowly.

"He... He can't remember who he is..." Halt said. "We have to find him before he hurts himself..."

He grabbed his bow off it's peg by the door and stumbled outside. The moon was just beginning to rise, casting a pale silvery glow over the cabin.

"You can stay here if you'd like. I don't know how far he has gone..." Halt told her. He crouched down in the dust, noting the footprints leading away from the cabin that he had missed in his haste to get to Will.

He followed them around the back of the cabin to the barn. He swung open the barn door to reveal a figure slumped in the hay next to the horses.

"Damn it, Will!" he cried, crouching down by the still figure. The boy had his hands clasped around a saddle, as if he were about to go for a ride. Halt pried it out of the boy's hands and then scooped the apprentice into his arms, carrying him back into the cabin.

The healer was standing by the couch, her basket open at her feet. She looked up at him, a relieved smile on her face as she noticed the boy Halt carried in his arms.

"That was quick. Where was he?"

"The barn..." Halt said, a look of sadness flashing over his face.

"Set him on the couch," the woman said. Halt complied, gently placing the boy on the cushions. He stepped back reluctantly, letting the healer get to work.

She started by looking at Will's arrow wound, nodding with approval. "This looks like it will heal up nicely. Just keep it bandaged and clean." She then looked at his head, noting the large lump on his forehead. She opened Will's eye, looking into his pupils.

"Did you get him checked by another doctor when he was first injured?" she asked.

Halt nodded. "He gave me herbs to prevent infection and to dull pain..." The woman nodded once, looking up at him and closing her basket with a sigh.

"There is nothing I can do until he wakes..." she said.

"Thank you... You can stay here until he does..." Halt paused. "You obviously know my name, but I have never met you before. Who are you?"

"My name is Helen..." she said, smiling.

"Thank you Helen..." Halt said gruffly. "Would you like anything to drink? I have coffee or tea?"

"Tea would be nice," she muttered, sitting down on a chair with a sigh. Halt put a kettle over the fire, glad that he could busy his mind with a pointless task instead of thinking about Will.

Will...

It was at that moment that the apprentice jerked awake, crying out in pain. Halt dropped the tea bag he had found and ran to the couch.

"Will..." Helen said. She noted the look of fear on the boy's face. "It's okay. You are safe. I need you to look at me."

The apprentice complied, looking at the woman. His eyes were a bit unfocused, she noted.

"Definitely concussed. There is really nothing I can do for him," she said. "Keep giving him the herbs for his chest. Make sure he wakes up every hour... As the swelling in the brain goes down, he may start remembering who he is. For now, just take it slow and try not to upset him. If you need anything else, just find me at my house..."

Will looked at her, a confused expression plastered on his face. "What is going on."

Helen looked down kindly at him. "You hit your head... From the looks of it, it was a pretty nasty fall... I know you can't remember who you are, but you are safe with this man... Halt. You used to know him. He was your mentor..." she said, talking slowly as if to a small child.

Will felt some of his fear dissipate as she told him this. He looked up at the grizzled ranger. Now that Helen mentioned it, the ranger did seem familiar from somewhere.

"Thank you, Helen," the ranger said as he led her to the doorway. When it swung shut, he turned back to the apprentice, who was still studying him curiously.

"Helen says you are my mentor?" Will asked. "What... What was I like? You know... Before.." He stuttered.

Halt just raised an eyebrow, a small grin lighting up his face. "I see you still ask infuriating questions, even when concussed..."

Will looked at the older man, worried for a moment that he would be punished. Relief flooded through him like a tidal wave when he saw the grin on Hal't face.

"You were... are... a bright boy who learns quickly and is friendly to everyone you meet... You are the son I never had..." Halt's voice became thick with unshed tears.

Will shifted uncomfortably and yawned. Halt blinked away the tears and then said, "Get some rest... We will see how you feel in the morning..."

Will closed his eyes, falling into a deep, peaceful sleep.

QUESTIONING

Over the course of the next few days, Will gradually grew stronger. The lump on his head disappeared and the wound on his chest began to close up.

On the fourth day, while they were eating lunch, Will paused, his eyes going glassy for a moment.

Halt looked at him, worry shooting through him like an arrow. "What is it, Will?"

"I remembered something..." he commented. "I... I remembered the ward... and Alyss..."

Halt let out the breath of air that he was holding as relief charged through him. "That is wonderful!"

"I also remembered that I am terrified of you," Will said smiling tentatively.

Halt raised an eyebrow. "Scared of me? Whatever for?"

They both laughed and returned to their meals.

Two months later...

"Will! Stop asking me these infuriating questions!" Halt said, glaring menacingly at the young apprentice.

Will grinned. "From what I remember, Halt, you like my questions." Will lowered his voice to mimic the older ranger. "Ohhh, Will... Son... I love you and I miss your questions... Please remember who you are..."

Halt rolled his eyes, but inside he was grinning like a fool.

A/N: Sorry for that... I know it was a bit angsty... but I tried to end it on a lighiter note. XD This idea hit me out of the blue. Literally. The very first thing I started out with was "who the hell is Will?" and then it grew from there.

I did my research about the brain and concussions... but I know there will be things in this that aren't accurate. XD

AND YAY FOR LONGEST CHAPTER XD

Ok, this is it guys. We can make it to 100 reviews!

My 100th reviewer will get something special. They will have the net chapter dedicated to them and they will get a one shot of their choice from any fandom they want (that I know of course...) I will PM my 100th reviewer.

Note: If my 100th reviewer is anonymous, the prize goes to the 101st reviewer. Sorry anonymous peeps.

Next up is 'Blood'.

-Dawn