THE TWANG OF THE strings were audibly heard from the verandah as Halt and Gilan sat outside. Halt winced for the thousandth time, and Gilan grinned.
"Oh, come now, Halt, he's not that bad with it." Halt snorted.
"And I thought Crowley's shrieking noise was bad," he muttered. Gilan laughed.
Of course, Will wasn't half-bad with the mandola. He was better than any other Halt had heard; but he wasn't going to let either of his apprentices—former or not—know that.
"Old Joe Smoke is a friend of mine...lives on Cedar Hill..."
"Lord, now he's singing," Halt groaned—not that his singing was bad, of course. "And that same song! He's been doing that for an hour." Gilan chuckled as he took a sip of his coffee.
"Maybe he likes it. I don't know if you're aware, but people do like music." Halt rolled his eyes.
"Greybeard Halt is a friend of mine..."
Halt sat up straighter, jerking his gaze around to view his apprentice from the doorway. Will was strumming the cords, and singing that same song...but the lyrics...
"He lives on Redmont hill," Will continued. "Greybeard Halt never took a bath, and they say he never will.
"Fare thee well, Greybeard Halt, Fare thee well, I say
"Fare thee well, Greybeard Halt, I'll see you on your way.
"What in the...?" Gilan asked softly, bringing up his hand to conceal a grin. Halt didn't notice.
"Greybeard Halt, he lost a bet, lost his winter coat
"When winter comes, Halt stays warm by sleepin 'mongst the goats.
"Fare thee well, Greybeard Halt, fare thee well, I say
"Fare thee well, Greybeard Halt, I'll see you on your way.
"Greybeard Halt, he lives with the goats, that's what I've heard tell,
"He hasn't changed his socks for years, but the goats don't mind the smell.
"Fare thee well, Greybeard Halt, fare thee well, I say.
"Fare thee well, Greybeard Halt, I'll see you on your way.
"Greybeard Halt is a fighting man, I've heard common talk
"That Greybeard Halt, he cuts his hair, With his saxe knife and fork!
"Fare thee well, Greybeard Halt, Fare thee well, I say
"Fare thee well, Greybeard Halt, I'll see you on your way."
"Halt...?" Gilan sprang to his feet as Halt barged into the room. Will jumped, his hand running over the strings with an awful twang!
"Halt!" the boy exclaimed. "You startled me!l
"I see," Halt said in a deceptively calm voice. He stared down at the boy, who had begun to fidget. "What an unusual song you were just playing...I've never heard those lyrics before."
"Oh..." Will's hand went protectively over his mandola. "That...that was just..."
Gilan snickered behind him, but when Halt turned to face his former apprentice, a innocent look greeted him.
The corner of Will's mouth twitched, as if he were fighting back a laugh. Halt had to use all his restraint to not show one sign of amusement, and pointed towards the door.
"In the tree. Now."
"But...!"
"Tree."
The boy set down his mandola and sighed, walking out the door. The rustle of tree branches were heard from outside, accompanied by grumbling.
An explosive sneezing sounded behind him, and Halt turned to see Gilan covering his face. "Would you like to join him?" The tall Ranger rapidly shook his head. "Good."
"I'm going to head over to the Heaped Platter," Gilan said, changing the subject, though the corners of his mouth were turned upward. "Do you need me to pick up anything?"
Halt shook his head. The tall Ranger walked out the door, and a moment later, the clip clop of Blaze's hoofs filled the silence, followed by muffled laughter. He rolled his eyes and went back on the verandah, sipping his coffee.
"Halt," came Will's voice from ahead, "it's cold."
Halt chuckled quietly to himself. "Good."
YOU ARE READING
Ranger's Apprentice: Tales Untold
FanfictionYou've heard of their adventures, of the wars, of their accomplishments. You know where they've traveled. But what about the parts you don't see? The parts of their lives that have been untold?
