A/N: Hi everyone! I have decided to change the storyline a little. Each chapter will be about a possible consequence or change that comes from Will lying to Chubb. I decided that writing about Will's everyday life would not be very interesting if he is not a Ranger's Apprentice.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story with the exception of a few OCs, which have not appeared yet.

Fast forward a few months; Will is a silversmith apprentice, and he has met up with Jenny, George and Alyss for the Harvest Day gathering, and Horace walks in, only to see them already eating Jenny's pies. (Chapter 16 in the book) I will quote the last sentence before I pick up the story.

"You're not a warrior ye," Will told him scornfully, "You're still only an apprentice like the rest of us."

Horace whipped his head around and looked Will up and down for a moment. Measuring him, Will realized. He stood his ground defiantly and stuck his chin in the air.

Horace narrowed his eyes at Will. "Oh, look! We have the failed ward with us today!"

Will turned red with anger and shame, while the other members of the group backed away, trying to distance themselves from the two enemies. They had had experience with similar situations, and they never turned out well. Either Will would out run Horace, and disappear for the rest of the day while Horace fumed, or Horace would catch Will and beat him to a pulp, and they would have to explain to the physician what had happened. They also realized, that since they had left the Ward and set out on their own, they would have to take Will to the village physician should the latter event happen, provided they could afford his services. Secretly they were hoping that Will had gained speed during the previous months, as it would still be a relatively peaceful afternoon then.

Will did not have to say anything to Horace, the message passed clearly through his eyes. It contained anger, hot and uncontrolled, but hidden beneath that was also shame. Shame that Horace was correct. Shame that Will did not have the guts to take Horace on after all the training he had received in Battle school. Shame that he had let his father, the great knight, down.

But Horace must have seen this lesser emotion through the fury, because he was smirking. "That's right," he provoked, "you weren't even wanted anywhere in the castle, let alone Battle school." He let loosed a horrible, mocking laugh. "What ever disillusioned you to think that was even a possibility?" Horace noticed that there was a strange sort of satisfaction on getting one up on Will after being bullied for the past months. Man, it felt good to get rid of his pent up emotions. He felt slightly guilty that he was releasing this on Will instead of Jerome, Alda and Bryn, but only a fool would have gone up against the more experienced apprentices.

Unfortunately, he had pushed Will too far this time. With a strangled yell, Will dove at Horace, knocking the surprised boy to the floor and managing to get a few painful hits in before reality returned to Horace's brain. In a flurry movement, indistinguishable to the observers, Horace had Will pinned beneath him, unable to move. The fury in those small eyes surprised him. He was so used to seeing intelligence and humor in them that he loosened his grip at the new sensation.

That was all Will needed. Craning his head around, he bit the hand that was holding his right arm on the ground. As soon as that was free, Will sent a flurry of blows at Horace's face, effectively freeing his left arm as well. Although Will was not trained in any form of violence his blows had a devastating amount of force behind them, fueled by Horace's comments. He had used that same general idea for teasing Will before, but after the Choosing Day, Will was certain he had let his father down, and he hated Horace for reminding him.

Horace was now backing away from Will's erratic movements, occasionally dodging a blow here and there, (Will's aim was not particularly good) while the other ward mates looked on, eyes wide in horror. George was spouting words, in an attempt to break up the fight, but they fell on deaf ears. Will was too angry to notice anything but the distance from his fists to Horace's face, and Horace was too busy making sure said fists did not connect with said face. In the end, it was Will's lack of strategy that did him in.

When Will put too much force into a blow that missed Horace, his body lurched in that direction. Horace stepped over and around in the opposite direction, and dealt a heavy blow to Will's head that knocked the small opponent unconscious. Horace took a deep breath and heaved it out. That had been extremely unnerving. Never before had he seen Will so out of control. He turned to the other occupants in the room.

"Well," he said awkwardly, rubbing his neck with his hand, "I guess I'd better get going." He started to walk away before turning back again and saying, "Apologize to Will for me will you? For both the comment's and the blow." During this last part, he waved his hand in the general direction of Will's limp form. Grimacing, he turned back and walked out of sight.

Sorry if this did not make any sense, I am rather horrible at getting my thoughts out. I only hope that you pictured the same scene that I did. Please let me know of any suggestions you might have. Sorry for the lack of detail, I'm really not sure what happens in fight scenes, as I am severely lacking vocabulary in that area.

As for the reviews that I have received so far; first of all, thank you for taking the time to read my story and review it, and I will be responding to the reviews as well.

Guest: Sorry for the confusion, I am adding more later. The first chapter was just a bit of background information for those who hadn't read the books as well as a reminder for those who have. I hope you enjoy the rest of the story.

Aubrey. Cortez: Thank you, I hope you are satisfied with the direction the story is taking.

Savannah Silverstone: Thank you for the advice. I will not change it during this story, as I am not quite sure what I would put in it's place, but I will make sure not to do the same thing during future stories.

-Xartimus