HALT REINED IN HIS horse. Abelard came to a stop, snorting loudly as the figure in the field raised his head. "Halt!" The man dropped the pitchfork in his hand and hurried over, pushing the hair from his eyes. "What a surprise to see you! What brings you here?"
The Ranger shrugged as he dismounted. "I was passing through. Thought I'd stop by to say hello."
Daniel grinned. "No Wargals chasing after you, then?" Halt raised an eyebrow, but allowed a small smile on his face.
"No, not this time. I wouldn't expect it for a while."
"Ranger Halt?" The two men turned as the woman spoke, a smile on her face. "It's been a while since we've seen you last! Come in, come in! Let me get you something to eat."
Halt nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Vira. I—" Before he could get the words out, another, smaller form came running through, throwing his arms around the Ranger's legs.
"Halt!" Will cried. Halt stumbled back, just barely managing to regain his balance as the boy tackled him.
"Hello, Will." The boy's brown eyes looked up at him, twinkling with mischief and fun.
"Alright now, don't go tackling him like that." Daniel reached forward and disentangled Will from the Ranger's legs. Will laughed and darted away, coming to stand before the man once more.
"Whatcha been doing?" he asked eagerly. "Ma and Da said you were a Ranger! What's that like? Do you go on missions a lot?"
Halt chuckled, ruffling the boy's hair. "Well, let's go inside, and I'll tell you a little about it."
The boy nodded, bouncing from one foot to the next. Vira smiled and took his hand. "You might want to do that before he explodes," she said. Halt smiled, and Daniel laughed.
Will stuck his tongue out at them. "I'm not going to explode," he said huffily. Halt turned away to hide another smile at the boy's pouty face.
"Well, come on, then." He motioned towards the house. "Unless you don't want to hear about it?"
The boy spun around and ran into the house. "Last one to get there's a rotten egg!" Will called. The three adults glanced at one another, each one struggling to hold on their laughter.
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?
