❝𝘼 𝙈𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙎𝙠𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙖❞

Chapter 25: Peace

"I don't see anything else wrong about him. The wound is not deep, and there was little to no infection. Now that I've cleaned it there should be no problem with it healing just fine." The healer that Erak had found spoke confidently, draping the cloth she had been using over the back of a chair.

Halt was lying peacefully in the bed of the guest-room Pauline and he had been staying in, his wound cleaned and bound up carefully.

"But he still has an unnaturally high fever," Will pointed out, trying to get it out in a light tone but only managing to sound even more worried.

"I've already given him potions to reduce that fever," the healer replied. "He should be fine after a good long nap. And I believe I really should go check up on the other patients."

Nobody said anything. The healer stood there for a second, looking at them and waiting for a response, then left without another word when she got none.

"You know, I don't exactly trust her," Pauline said, frowning as she stared at Halt.

Will sighed, running a hand through his hair in a frustrated gesture. "I know. Neither do I. But we have to. We can't exactly ship him back to Araluen in this state, and none of us are healers. I guess we'll just have to hope he'll heal on his own. The healer is right, the wound was clean and it should heal properly, and maybe the fever will also go down with a bit of rest. You should go rest, Pauline, you've been traveling for a long time. He'll be fine."

"And what about you, son?" Pauline reminded gently. "You can go rest first, I'll watch over him for a while. I doubt I'd be able to get much sleep anyway, knowing he's still injured and unconscious."

Will looked at her for a moment, then an understanding seemed to pass between them, and Will allowed himself to be led away by Alyss, who was waiting by the door of the room.

>>>--->

When he slowly recovered his senses, the first thing Halt noticed was that there was a soft hand covering his own. The next, as he slowly began to flex the rest of his body, was that there was a head laid against his chest. And as he opened his eyes gradually, he saw that it was a head of rich silvery-blonde hair.

Pauline.

As he tried to adjust his leg position, he was forced to let out a low grunt as the leg came alive with a myriad of pain, shooting up his body and fully shaking him awake.

Almost instantly, Pauline stirred and quickly sat up to look at him.

"Halt," she gasped. "You're awake."

"Apparently," Halt managed a dry chuckle.

"Oh Halt." Pauline said again then collapsed onto his chest, her tears quickly saturating his blanket and shirt. Her arms went around his head, pulling at his hair, as though she needed assurance that he was really alive.

"It's me. I'm fine, Pauline." Halt whispered.

After a few long minutes, Pauline drew herself back up and laughed at him, hitting his shoulder gently with a loose fist. "Old greybeard, how dare you worry me like that? I nearly had a heart attack when I saw you lying there pale and unmoving."

Halt grimaced. "Sorry, I guess?"

Pauline pursed her lips at him, though her eyes were still smiling.

"Your laughter is the most beautiful sound I've ever heard, have I told you that?" Halt murmured softly, his eyes beginning to droop again.

"Silly old man, flattering me will not save you from my wrath," Pauline replied in an equally soft voice. Before Halt could go back to sleep though, Will burst into the room with Alyss close behind him.

"Pauline, I'm back to take a shift- Oh!"

Halt's eyes fluttered open again. "Will?"

"Halt." Will gasped, and rushed to his bedside. "You're alive!"

"And so are you?" Halt said, an eyebrow quirking up slowly. "How unfortunate."

Will laughed. "Oh yeah, definitely alive. Our old Halt is back."

Slowly, the corners of Halt's mouth turned up in a smirk, then a genuine smile. "I'm proud of you, son. You've saved my life again. I knew you would always be there. For me. For all of us. Well done."

Will's eyes pricked with unshed tears, the memories from his childhood flooding into his head. The memories of the first time his old mentor had ever given him any form of verbal praise, the words, well done, reverberating in his brain. In all his life, the one person whose praise he really cared about was this old man's, and every time he even gave him the smallest form of recognition, even after all these years, he would still swell with pride, and feel that little bit more loved.

"Thank you, Halt." He managed to choke out after a short silence.

"We did it, everybody." Alyss said softly. "The Temujai have been driven back yet again, and Skandia is safe once more. Right now, I think we all deserve a good rest and some peace from this chaotic world. I'm ready to go home. Back to that little cabin in the woods."

Halt sighed deeply. "Ah yes. The cabin in the woods."

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A/N: Aaaaaand thus, ladies and gentlemen, concludes "A Mission to Skandia - A Ranger's Apprentice Fanfiction"!!! And now at last, our poor Rangers and Couriers can go back to their peaceful lives in the cabin...

If I find the time and the courage, I might add an epilogue for this story, but as of now...this is it.

My first full-size fanfiction is now completed.

Farewell.

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The End.