Ranger's Apprentice One Shots

Revenge (Part Six)

Will blew on his cold fingers, huddled by the wall of his cell. His nose was freezing and he constantly shivered. When he became a full Ranger, he would put in a word to Arald to keep his cells warmer.

What if he got expelled from his Rangers hip?

For the third time in minutes, Will's throat was constricted. The very prospect of being expelled made Will shiver and a deep sorrow befell him. He had worked for the last three years, worked himself tirelessly, determined to become the Ranger his parents would be proud of.

And then he messed up.

Will pulled at his hair, frustrated, confused, and hopeless. What had made him attack the Skandian man? Skandia was behind him! Without Will's permission, the year began to fall and Will didn't do anything to stop them or wipe them away.

I deserve this l, Will thought, Remorse for my actions. You idiot.

He heard a jangle of keys and snapped his head up at the two figures at his barred door.

"What the blasting blasts were you thinking?" Halt furiously cursed, smacking his hand against the bars.

Will winced at his tone, and didn't respond. There were no words.

"Well? Dang it, Will! Answer me!"

Will pressed his lips together, doing everything he could to not cry. "I— don't know what came over me, I just — didn't think–"

"You think?" Halt demanded, "you obviously didn't think about what you were doing or what would happen AFTER! This could ruin your future, Will!"

Will's eyes widened, full of worry and despair. "What do you mean?"

Halt glared at him and then softened his eyes. He went from full-on-angry-mentor to very-concerned-father-figure in the matter of seconds. "Will," Halt said in a softer voice, "was the man attacking you? Did he start it? Was he a criminal in some way?"

A criminal? Only a criminal in Will's mind. "No — yes. He — he's a Skandia and — a Skandia who — we, mis—abused me."

Halt's eyes hardened. "He abused you? In Skandia?" Will coded his eyes, watching the scenes replaying in his mind.

Evalyn.

The man.

Karina.

Warm weed.

"Yes. In — there. Yes. He was angry at Rangers for taking away his daughter. So —"

"What, Will?" halt asked sternly yet gently.

"So he took it out on me." Will's voice was a whisper.

Halt looked at him through the bars, neither of them saying any words. Each tried, several times, and each failed.

"I'm losing my apprenticeship, aren't I, Halt?"

He sighed and pressed his lips tightly. "I don't know, Will. Of course I'll.try anything to keep in the Rangers, but you committed a serious crime."

"I just attacked someone," Will muttered.

Halt raised that famous eyebrow. "A Ranger apprentice assaulted someone."

Will closed his eyes, wishing the problems to leave.

"Let me go, and I'll talk with Arald. He better see sense in letting you go," Halt threatened.

"Just don't push him into the most, please," Will murmured, "or commit treason."

"Shut up, Will."

As Halts left, Will's cell got considerably colder.

—

"Well, well, a Ranger in a cell. Who would've thought?"

"Don't be mean, Horace. It's not like he tried to go to jail."

Will smiled weakly as Horace and Gilan visited his cell. They both wore furs and cloaks, something that Will really hoped they had extra of. "Hey, guys."

"Well, first time for everything, Will. How're you liking your first time in jail?" Gilan asked.

"First time? Hopefully the only time!" Horace exclaimed, shooting his friend a look.

"It really cold down here." Will shivered as he said it. "Arald should just made more fire pits down here.

"Can't be too comfy, can it?" Gilan asked. "We don't want homeless folks staying here."

Will chuckled. "Yeah, I guess."

"Anyways, how's the food? I remember from my time that it was nasty."

"No, it's actually pretty — wait 'in your time?'" Will asked, mid-sentace. "When the blazes did you go to jail?"

"Ah, a few times."

"WHAT?" Horace shouted. "For what?"

"Oh... this and that." Gilan said vaguely. "But it's in the parcel of being a Ranger."

"... No it's not, Gil," Will said.

"Really? That's rich coming from someone in jail at the moment."

"It was an accident!" Will fought back. "I didn't know what I was doing—"

"Yeah, what were you doing, Will?" Horace said.

"I — uh. Assaulted someone. Hut them. A few times." Will winced now, thinking about what he did. "But I'm not in the mood to talk about it. Halt knows."

Gilans and Horace exchanged a glance. Will didn't miss it.

The guard by Gilan and Horace cleared his throat, a clear signal.

"We'll get you out of here, Will. Don't fret."

"Yeah. Where there's a Will, there's a way," Horace grinned as he shared the joke with Will.

They left, only the sound of their footsteps giving Will some last comfort. He sighed again, and leaned his head against the wall. Stupid. I was so stupid.

The night passes slowly and coldly. Rats scurried where they wanted. Bugs crept up Will's cell's walls. Arald's cell weren't mean or cruel. Just... scary. And cold. Did Will mention that?

Finally, Will fell asleep around the third hour of morning, and was woken up around the seventh by some loud clanging and yelling from the stairs.

"Shut up! Let me see him! The blastin' Ranger! I'll —"

Will stumbled back as a furious teenager boy slammed on the bars of his cell. His hair was tousled and he had several more scars than the last time Will saw him. "You —" the boy said something extremely rude. "YOU JUST LEAVE MY FAMILY ALONE!"

"Lief, i don't know—"

"Don't give me that! You know EXACTLY what i'm talking about. Why you're here. My father. Both my parents were harmed from you wretched Rangers! I'll give you a piece of my—"

Lief looked as though he was about to rip the bars off their hinges, and for once, Will was very grateful for the border. "JUST STAY AWAY FROM MY FAMILY!" he spat on the ground at Will's feet and stormed away, cursing one last time at Will.

Will's hands shook. That was the scariest meeting in the cells he has had yet. Hopefully the last. Lief... had he ever been Will's friend? Why did that meeting upset Will so much? Was this now how people saw Will? A cruel attacker, bent on revenge? He saw Gilan's and Horace's exchange. He saw how worried Halt was. And Lief. well, Lief... there was more to his story. What had happened with his mother? What did Ranger's do to his mother?

I'm starting to hate this story and might leave it unfinished. I don't really know where I'm going with it, and I'm dreading to write it each time. I'm also super busy, as you've probably noticed because I'm not updating too often. But I'm hopefully going away for college and I am super busy trying to buy everything I need and do everything I need to do. So, I'm so sorry, but this might just have to be left unfinished. Comment if you really do want me to continue, if you're even invested, that'll help me make a final decision. But, like, IDK...