A/N: This site is telling me all views are zero and it's depressing me lol. If you like this, let me know. Thanks for reading!
"That boy never had a father, and it shows."
Will walked on like he hadn't heard. Pretending it didn't sting. He held his breath and held it all together.
"He's small for his age, his mother would have been mortified."
Like stones, the whispers struck at him from behind cupped hands that failed to conceal their secrets.
"He'll never get anywhere in life."
"I'm glad he isn't my son."
"Wouldn't you be ashamed?"
"I would be ashamed."
People spoke as if they couldn't be heard. And it didn't matter if they were heard. Because who would he tell? Who would a boy who nobody wanted tell anything to?
Will had no-one.
No one and nothing.
He was nothing.
XX
"Lift your elbows, boy. Straighten your back." Halt's rough, calloused hands were warm against Will as he directed him into the proper stance. The sky was a pretty azure, full of white clouds that cast many shadows through the trees and the sunlight shifted on the forest floor. It was another long day of getting nowhere, and Will was tense and tired. Since dawn he'd stood, stretching, drawing the bow, making his stance and firing… and failing to hit the target. Halt must be growing bored, frustrated. He must be regretting taking the boy in.
"Yes. Like that." Halt said and he stepped back. Will could hear the wind blowing Halt's cloak but the ranger made no noise.
Will took a deep breath, drew back and fired. The arrow flew and missed, and stuck into the grass. Halt said nothing.
XX
In the red-orange glow of their evening fire, Halt stirred his coffee in the kitchen, looking pensive. Will watched him from the arm chair in the lounge.
He's probably thinking about getting rid of me. Will thought. He's probably planning a tactful letter to the Baron to send me off to work on a farm. I won't be any good on a farm. I'm sure I'll be too small. They won't want me there. This will be my life, being shipped around from place to place as people waste their resources in the hopes I'll turn into someone they can use, only to find out I'm good for nothing.
Will's heart tightened. His chest ached. Tears brimmed in his eyes and threatened to fall. He glanced at Halt through his lashes.
The ranger was still stirring his coffee. The spoon clinked against the cup as he did.
He probably doesn't want to sit near me. Probably sick of the sight of me. A month of training and It's all going to waste. Will buried his head in his hands and the tears spilled over.
The spoon stopped clinking in the kitchen.
"What's upsetting you, boy?" Halt's voice was gruff.
Will didn't answer straight away. What should he say? Should he apologise? Beg Halt to let him stay? Should he promise to do better, be better, try harder? How could he promise that when he was already trying as hard as he could?
"You're getting rid of me, aren't you?" Will tried to keep his voice from shaking.
Halt snorted, gave his coffee a final stir and tapped the spoon on the edge of the cup.
"What for?" The ranger asked.
"I'm not doing well."
Halt sighed, grabbed another cup out of a cupboard and poured some coffee into it. He mixed in two heaped spoons of honey.
"You're doing fine, Will." Said Halt, "Don't worry so much."
He closed the cupboard and came to sit by Will on the arm of the chair, leaving the too hot coffee to cool in the kitchen.
"You'll realise it eventually. I may as well just tell you." Will whispered at the floorboards, "I'm no good at anything. I'll never make a good ranger."
Halt arched a brow. "And why is that?"
Will's shoulders shook and he threw his hands up. "You've seen." he cried, "I still can't shoot. Can't read tracks. Can't do anything. And I'm trying my best Halt, this is all I can do and it's not enough. I can't be a ranger."
"And you've made that assessment after a month?"
Will said nothing.
The ache in his chest was becoming unbearable, hard to breathe through.
"Will, look at me."
Will looked up at the old Ranger. His expression was unreadable. Halt shuffled closer and wrapped his arm around Wills shoulders.
"Boy, if we could train someone to shoot perfectly and be a ranger in just a month, there'd be a lot more of us, wouldn't you think?"
Will said nothing, but the tears started again and wouldn't stop. He hid his face in his hands again.
"Will, look at me… Look at me. You're doing just fine."
XX
The sun was up and shining honey-gold through the trees, casting shadows that danced with the wind. Birds sang, insects buzzed, but the two rangers were silent. The younger, tensed but poised. His shoulders back, elbows up, back straight. Bow resting comfortably in his hands. The older was calm, standing silently behind him.
Will took a deep breath, whispered something, and then let the arrow loose. It wavered through the air and hit the target with a meaty smack.
Will turned to look at Halt.
The ranger said nothing, he only smiled.