The end...? (Ranger's apprentice/ Brotherband fan-fiction)

Chapter 18

"That sergeant was my father," Will managed to say. Then he turned around, wanting to be alone. The conversation had upset him, more than he cared to admit. The fact that Thorn had known his father was... confusing. He didn't know what to think of it. He had never known his father, but it was a personal subject nonetheless. That his fate had been tied in with Thorn's, was difficult to understand.
The sensation of someone standing besides him came upon him. He recognized the robust silhouette of Thorn and swallowed. He didn't trust his voice just just, so he chose to say nothing, despite all of the questions burning on his lips. Silence dragged on for a moment.
"I'm sorry," was all Thorn then said. Will looked up at the big Skandian and noticed that those three little words, always spoken with so much difficulty, had been sincere. He was afraid that if he would reply, he would choke up, so again he remained silent. "I didn't know he had a son," Thorn continued, staring out over sea. Will shrugged.
"Well," he mumbled. "I didn't know he was my father either. Halt told me about that day in my first year as his apprentice. That is the only thing I ever found out about him." He wondered whether or not Thorn would have known his mother as well. Or if he could tell him more about his family.
"Everything I had in Araluen, I had thanks to him. For a while I even stayed with him and his wife," he shot Will a meaningful glance, "in the beginning. It is strange to realize that he... that he is no longer there." Will nodded. He knew damn well what Thorn must feel like, even though he'd never known his father.
Silence took over again, while both men were lost in thoughts.
"What happened then, after you were banished, I mean?" Will asked. Being the ranger he was, he wished to see the bigger picture. Thorn looked at him sideways.
"I returned to Skandia. My old brotherband was somewhere far away, so I joined another one, Erak's to be precise. That's when I got to know Mikkel, Hal's father. He soon became my best friend. To prove that I really was a decent fighter, I set out to earn the title of Maktig." Thorn paused for a moment, as Will let his words sink in for a moment. "Until now, I've never returned to Araluen. I planned to, but then Mikkel died and Erak became oberjarl... I never came around to do it."
Will dropped down on the nearest bench. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than being at home, in Araluen, to shoot away all his arrows time and again - at a target of course. Not on a person... Thorn sat down across from him. Will met his gaze.
"I think it's time we put our differences aside, and make sure we all reach Skandia alright," he stated. Thorn nodded.
"I agree," he answered, offering his hand. Will accepted and shook it, officially burying their disputes. Will couldn't help but grin broadly. It felt good to leave all of it in the past.

The rest of the day and the day after past peacefully. The tension on board had almost fully disappeared, now the two oldest passengers had buried the hatchet. Not literally of course. Nothing comes between a Skandian and his weapons. Will was still worried about Evanlyn. Edvin kept assuring him that she would be fine, but in the meantime she seemed to be developing something resembling the flu. Will sat on the deck, leaning against the railing, with the girl rolled up in his cloak in his arms. She was sleeping restlessly, mumbling something under her breath from time to time. Will held his hand on her forehead for a moment. At least she didn't have a fever.
"How is she doing now?" Will looked up to see Stig standing in front of him.
"Well," he answered pensively, carefully choosing his words. "Not all that bad, but not better," he finally concluded. Stig nodded, kneeling besides him.
Evanlyn let out a shaky breath, before opening her eyes. Stig sent Will a guilty glance, afraid he'd been the one who'd woken her up, but Will shook his head. It hadn't been his fault. SHe just happened to wake up at that moment. Evanlyn met Stig's gaze with big eyes, a solemn expression on her face.
"Hallo," she said softly. "You are Stig." Stig chuckled.
"That's right," he said. "And you are Evanlyn." The girl frantically shook her head, struggling to free herself from Will's arms.
"No, I'm not!" she exclaimed. Stig frowned, sending a questioning glance to Will. Will knew damn well what Evanlyn was getting at, so he kept a straight face. Stig's expression turned to one of confusion. Will could almost hear him wonder whether he had remembered her name wrong all this time. This was the first time he had a one on one conversation with the little princess.
"Oh, uh, what's your name then?" he asked. Will couldn't tell if his curiosity was faked or real.
"Evanlyn," Evanlyn said. Stig now looked outright flabbergasted.
"But... That's what I just said!" he exclaimed. Evanlyn shook her head again.
"No, you didn't. You said it wrong." Will had to put in conscious effort to suppress a smile. The way the three-year-old girl was breaking the much older Skandian's sense of confidence was outright hilarious, to say the least.