Ranger's Apprentice: Your Fault

Chapter 1

"HALT..." WILL SHOOK HIS head, turning away and covering his mouth. "What...why didn't you tell me all these years? Why did you say she died in childbirth...?" When she died saving you, he thought. He'd known that his father had died saving Halt, and now his mother, too...

"I thought it would be easier on you." Halt spoke from behind. "I thought if you knew your mother had been murdered, it might make you bitter. It was easier if no one had known of my involvement. If I'd said your mother-"

"You thought it would be easier ?" Will turned around, fixing the older man with an incredulous stare. "You thought that letting me believe a lie would make it better, and now you decide to tell me the truth after all these blasted years, and you think it's easier?" A small voice inside him told him to stop talking, and he ignored it. He fought to keep his hands steady, shaking his head. "I'm going to ask again. Why didn't you tell me? And don't you dare try to say it was easier that way. Why didn't you tell me, Halt?"

"I..." The older man hesitated. "I was afraid you'd hate me."

Will said nothing, staring him down. A numb anger had begun to spread through him, and it took everything inside him to remain standing there, waiting for him to speak. His eyes were burning, he realized, and he blinked. "I was responsible for the deaths of both your parents. Daniel died saving my life in battle."

"And my mother died saving you." The words left him before he thought the better of it. His mother died in childbirth. No, she hadn't. She was dead, just like his father, and the reason for their deaths was standing right in front of him in the form of the man who had cared for him his whole life. "They both died saving you."

"I'm sorry, Will." Halt's voice was small, the shame dripping from his words. "Please. If I could take it back, if I could have died in their stead-"

"There's no such thing as going back in time." Will laughed, the sound bitter and hollow. His mind was spinning, and he didn't know what to do. She was killed. Murdered. His mother had been taken from him, because of Halt.

"You had no right to keep that from me." His vision was blurring rapidly, and he clenched his jaw. "Halt, I trusted you! Why did you lie to me?"

"I didn't mean-"

"No." He turned away, swiping at his eyes. " No . I don't want to hear it. What are you going to tell me next? Another lie? Did I have a brother, or a sister, that died because of you ?"

"Will..." There was so much hurt in that one word, and he could almost imagine the man's expression. It was the wrong thing to say, and something inside him was protesting loudly. The anger, and hurt within, however, drowned out whatever reason remained within him.

"Where?" His voice was hollow, and it felt like someone else was speaking for him. "Where did you bury her?" There was no reply, and he spun around, glaring at him. "Halt."

There was a long moment of silence as he stared at the ground, those dark eyes filled with a stricken light. And then, the instructions were whispered, so softly that Will had to strain to hear him.

He turned away and opened his mouth, but the words wouldn't come. His fault, he thought, his gut twisting. His fault. She's dead because of him. He lied to me. Then, without another word, he walked away, each footstep seeming to echo in the silence that followed.

###

WILL RODE. HE DIDN'T know how long it had been. All he wanted to do was run, and keep on running until the pain in his chest went away.

You want to talk about it?

"No." His voice sounded strange after being silent for so long, and the words caught in his throat. Tug tossed his head.

I'm here if you need to.

"I'm fine," he said forcefully, gripping the reins tighter. "Let's go."

She's dead. Because of him. The words wouldn't leave his mind, and neither would the pain.

Liar.

###

A BRAVE MOTHER. WHATEVER remaining strength he held disappeared, and he dropped to the ground, right in front of the little mound. A spatter of colorful flowers littered the clearing around them, swaying in the gentle breeze. A brave mother.

"Mom..." Will bowed his head. "I..."

He couldn't finish. A sob tore through his body, and then he broke down, the tears running down his face. Everything felt cold, surreal, and unforgiving.

He didn't know how long he stayed there in the cold. It had begun to rain a while back, but it barely had any impact on his already cold heart.

What he didn't see was the cloaked figure watching from the trees, silent and shameful.