A/N: Umm... hello! Sorry... I had some family issues and school was crazy busy! But look on the bright side, I'm back. That in itself is a miracle... considering how lazy I am... oops...
Chanelx is my wonderfully creative muse! She is AWESOME!
saveyour950: Hello! Thank you for reviewing! Yeah, I'm happy they found Tyler too... he was starting to creep me out... I LOVE PIZZA TOO! IT'S THE BEST THING EVEEER!
MakaylaCO: Lol, you always manage to make me laugh and you review A LOT! Thanks so much for all the encouragement and support! :) Haha, Will never did anything to me, but I have a serious addiction to angst... and major characters getting hurt is considered angst... I was wondering if anyone was gonna notice that Will wasn't given the antidote, but don't worry, he WON'T DIE. But yes, I really love hurting Will... oh great... now everyone probably thinks I'm creepy... Well they probably already thought it anyways, so who cares? Also, I love how you say "WHAT THE CRAP?!" Haha, it's funny. You crack me up.
Sakura Chara: Haha, it's kinda creepy... but I laugh when the bad guy in a story dies too... By the way, Will is NOT going to die! I HATE it when I read a story and one of the major characters die! Plus, it would be so un-dramatic... and it's just not right...
Guest: Aww! Thank you! Thanks for reviewing too, it makes me EXTREMELY HAPPY!
Natalia Grayson: Hahaha, thanks for the reviews! If I ever get the time, I will go read some of your stories! And yes, I will write more stories with LOADS of angst and of course, Halt acting like a father to his apprentices!
RangerLyra: Your welcome! I needed to update... haha, I'm so slow when it comes to updating... sorry about that, but life gets in the way of writing a lot cause... Well it just does. 3 out of 5 of my stories are SUPER angsty, so yes, there's lots and lots of angst everywhere. I love leaving my readers on cliffhangers, it's so much fun!
Anonymous: I like your name, it's all... MYSTERIOUS AND STUFF! Thanks for the review!
whirlwind144: *blushes* Awww, thanks! I try... also, it's pretty cool that we're the same age!
pennydragon: Huh... I honestly don't know what to say when you review with one word... *sigh* (can't you tell I'm not good at socializing?) Lol, thanks for the review! I love Will and Gilan's relationship too! It's so cute! :)
Skyrazer: Hah, thanks. If you ever sing Barney again, I'm leaving and never coming back! It's true that I would probably give Scalpel a run for his money with the whole torturing thing...
Will herondale: Well, I figured adding Gilan's thoughts would help develop the characters more and it made the chapter a bit longer, so win win! According to what I've said in earlier chapters and my own common knowledge (and of course, some research) Will is about 21 or 22 years old. Feel free to ask about anything else you might be curious or unsure about! I'll do my best to answer any other questions you may have! Thanks for the review!
MidnightNinja27: I really like your name! Mostly because ninjas are really awesome, but midnight ninjas are even BETTER!
Meralyin: Thanks for your consideration of the fact that I had midterms! Sometimes people forget that I am busy and have a life too, (*cough* *cough* Skyrazer!) and they don't consider those facts, so thank you for doing so! Also thanks for the review! I appreciate it! ;)
Chanelx: Lol, love the enthusiasm! Thank you for reviewing and also for being such a huge help with giving me ideas! It really does help a lot! :)
Ranger Natalia: Aww! Thank you for the lovely review! It made me so happy when I read it! I'll try to keep updating as often as possible, but I try to alternate between The Assassin and my other story You Can't Kill a Roach, so it could be a while, but I will definitely keep this story going!
FantasyFan013: Lol, actually I was kinda surprised too when I brought Horace back. I wasn't planning on doing it so soon, but I got bored and needed to write about something dramatic (I say that as if this whole story isn't dramatic...) Thank you for the awesome review!
Tessa grey: Thank you for the support and reviews! I really appreciate them!
WhenThereIsAFandom: Your name is pretty interesting! Btw I love your profile picture! TOOTHLESS IS ADORABLE! Thanks for the review! :D
A/N: Oh my God, that was a lot of work. It took me at least two hours to type all that up by the way! Whoooo... I'm so tired right now... it's like 10:30 at night...
"NOOOO! HORACE! HELP M-" The scream echoed through the forest but was abruptly cut off.
Horace tried to follow the sound, but it seemed to come from all directions. He frantically looked around, desperately searching for Will but unable to find him. The forest was dark and his feet seemed to disappear beneath the thick fog that covered the ground. The trees were all dead and grey, their leaves nowhere to be seen. An owl hooted somewhere in the distance, but he didn't notice, much less care. Will was gone.
"WILL! WHERE ARE YOU?!" He yelled, eyes searching high and low for his missing friend.
He ran toward where he thought he had last heard the voice but everything looked the same to him. The trees in front of him seemed to be identical to the ones he had just passed. He attempted to think of a logical answer to his problem but he was panicking and couldn't think straight. The forest seemed to close in on him from all sides and he tried to calm down. He was claustrophobic and hated that feeling. He leaned against a tree for a moment and slowed his breathing. After a few minutes, he continued.
"No no no no no..." He mumbled, not willing to believe that his friend was actually gone.
He ran through the dense forest, refusing to stop. He didn't know how long he had been running for, nor did he care. He was sweating profusely and gasping for breath. His lungs burned from the lack of oxygen, but he still refused to stop. He couldn't. No. He wouldn't. Not until he found- a blood curdling scream filled the air. He flinched at the sudden loud noise, then bolted toward the sound.
"WILL! I'M COMING!"
He slowed down, thoroughly confused when the forest suddenly disappeared. Now he was in a clearing, the tall grass swaying peacefully in the wind. Well, it would have been peaceful, had there not been something in the middle of the clearing. Without thinking he ran toward it, only seeing the bright red that covered the ground. He wasn't even there yet but tears had already formed in his eyes. He didn't know why. He wasn't sure why he was running or what he was running toward, but he strongly felt the need to reach whatever was in the center of the clearing.
He fell to his knees when he finally reached his destination, every emotion imaginable flooding through him. Pain, fear, regret, hatred, you name it he felt it. Will's mangled, blood covered corpse lay on the ground, his lifeless brown eyes staring into oblivion.
Horace had failed.
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Halt, Gilan, and Crowley sat at the table, each nursing a mug of precious coffee. Malcolm was in Halt's room tending to Will, who was still unconscious from the sedative they had given him. He still had a low grade fever, but it was a large improvement compared to yesterday. Horace was still asleep on the couch. It was obvious that he was exhausted and needed some sleep. They all knew he hadn't been doing well. After several months of searching for Will and finding nothing, he had lost hope. For four long months he had been withdrawn and he distanced himself from his friends, falling into depression. He rarely ever left his room. At one point Halt had started to wonder if he died in there or something. But no, he hadn't. King Duncan was also upset about Will's disappearance, but had grown tired of the absence of Horace, whom refused to leave his room. His staff reported that they sometimes heard crying when they walked by his room. Duncan felt bad for the young man, and decided he needed something to take his mind off of Will. So, naturally, he had sent him to Skandia on a mission. The very same mission he had just returned from.
Gilan sighed sadly and the two older men present exchanged a glance. Halt was about to ask him what was wrong when there was a yell.
"WILL!"
They jumped up from their positions at the table in unison and were about to run to Will's room when they realized it was Horace having a nightmare. He had had a lot of those right after Will disappeared, but they didn't know he was still having them. He was covered in sweat and writhing on the couch, muttering nonsense. They were able to pick out a few words, 'Will' and 'no' being the most common. He was entangled in the multiple blankets they had put on him to keep him warm and he struggled against them, only getting more tangled up in the process.
"Horace, wake up." Halt said, soundlessly moving to stand beside the couch.
He put a hand on his shoulder and gently shook him, needing him to wake up but trying not to startle him at the same time. Horace whimpered and shied away from his hands. Suddenly his breathing rapidly increased and without warning he yelled, "NOOOO! WILL!" Then he sat bolt upright and would've leapt from the couch had Halt not been there to grab him and prevent him from doing so.
"No! No, leave me alone!" He yelped when he felt someone grab him.
"Horace, calm down. It was just a dream." Halt grunted, having trouble keeping him from having a panic attack.
Horace's immediate response was to fight back and his right hand shot down to his side, where his sword usually was. It wasn't there. He started panicking when he realized it was missing, and fought more desperately to get away from Halt. In his panic, he forgot that Halt had taken his sword when he fell asleep so he wouldn't hurt himself. Malcolm walked out of Halt's bedroom, looking thoroughly confused.
"What's going on out-" He stopped mid-sentence when he saw Horace, who looked like sh**.
He looked at Gilan and Crowley for an explanation, but received none. Horace stopped fighting for a second and looked at Halt, recognition making an appearance in his eyes. He slowed his breathing and slumped back down onto the couch, refusing to meet anyone's eyes. Only one thought was present in his mind- he had failed Will. And nothing would ever change that.
A/N: Hah, poor Horace. I couldn't resist giving him nightmares, but who wouldn't have nightmares after their best friend disappeared right before their eyes?! Seriously peoples, this story's nothing without its drama. I PROMISE THERE WILL BE MORE WILL ACTION (wow that sounds bad...) IN THE NEXT CHAPTER. He'll probably be a bit... tied up... cause he freaks out really easily... and Halt doesn't want him to leave/escape again... so of course the perfect solution is to tie him to the bed. Plus, as I'm sure you guys already know, I am addicted to angst, so therefore I must tie someone up. It's just gotta happen. I can't really prevent it. Oops. :P