Halt's Ranger Apprentices- John Flanagan Ranger Apprentice fan-fiction

CHAPTER ELEVEN:

When Squirt walked out from her room, Halt was sitting on the wooden chair he had been on last night. She noticed both his glass and the wine bottle was empty and assumed -no, hoped- Duncan was still here when it was finished.

"You got up early." She said, half expecting him to shush her like he always did when he had just woken up, but by the dark bags that hung underneath his eyes, she had an awful knot in her her stomach that told he hadn't just woken up. Halt only mumbled a 'yes' in reply.

She grabbed her brown cloak draped on the table. It would've been sitting on her wooden chair, but she quickly shut off the revolting memory of it breaking in front of the King of Araluen.

As she clasped her hand around the cloak, sneaking her gaze toward Halt to find his face weary. Halt was never weary, not like this. The sound of knuckles on wood at the door made Halt suddenly spring up from his chair, the weariness disappearing behind the thick wall behind Halt's eyes, where Squirt had always seen him hide things, although she never figured out what. 

"Come."Halt spoke the usual neutral voice of her guardian returning to his toe and to Squirt'ssurprise, as she diverted her eyes from Halt to the opening door, she found Will standing there, bag in hand.

"Will?" Squirt asked in a loud voice once again, Squirt was suddenly aware that she was still barely awake, which was so obvious to anyone with one look at her hair that was set in knots and was twisted in all different directions.She suddenly want to crawl under her brown cloak in embarrassment.

"Finished staring?" Halt asked, raising that one eyebrow that would send a shiver to spring up any commoner's spine.Will straightened up as he noticed the comment was directed at him.

"No sir," Will spoke nervously, his eyes going wide at the realisation of what he had said in hsi hurry to reply. "I mean yeas sir."

"Bedroom's there." Halt pointed to the door across the room, "kitchen's there," this time Halt nodded to the direction of the kitchen behind him. "This is where we eat and rest," Halt motioned at where he was seated, "but once I deal with you, there won't be time for much of that." 

Will only nodded in understanding, keeping his head down and making his way to his room, shoving a curious glance Squirt's way. Will closed the door and Squirt quickly turned to Halt who was standing right behind her now. Squirt couldn't suppress the scream breaching her lips when she bumped into him unexpectedly. 

Will opened the door when her scream bit his ears, and went wide-eyed in alarm as he saw the girl pushing Halt. 

Halt the famous ranger was getting pushed by a kid his age and he only replied with a shake of his head.

Halt looked up from the girl and his grim eyes penetrated Will's brilliant brown ones.

"Carry on." Will suddenly rushed back into his own room in a hurry to escape his gaze.

"Don't scare me like that." Halt felt a smile wanted to spread on his lips then stopped himself shoving it behind he wall, and remained neutral as he spoke.

"Get dressed you look horrid, then you need to catch up on your chores."Squirt left with a despising glare illustrating her features.

Will returned to Halt his eye lowered to his boots as he edged closer to him. He coughed cautiously. 

"Got a cold boy?" Halt asked. Will shook his head shuffling his feet as he did. With Will's eyes diverted, a glimmer of sadness flashed across his expression as he recognised Will's father in the him. It was soon gone, before Will raised his gaze and asked softly, 

"I was wondering, what a ranger does?" Halt nodded in understanding, and he sighed as Squirt returned, looking neater than before. 

"The question you should be asking is, what does a ranger apprentice do." The grimness seemed to fade as Halt spoke, Will lifting his head higher, feeling the conversation becoming intriguing. 

Halt glanced up at Squirt as he spoke, and an evil grin creased her face when she caught what Will had mistaken as a brightness in his look, but Squirt recognising it as his dark humour glimmering in his eyes.

"Well," spoke Squirt, quickly masking her expression as neutral like Halt's answering in a tone matter-of-factly. "A ranger can't do everything while he's away doing missions." Squirt spoke, Will turning, a curiousness swallowing his expression like it always did now-a-days.

"A ranger apprentice is the one who does the house work." Halt said, taking his turn on the cruel joke.

"The cleaning." Squirt spoke, the two taking it turns to speak, leaving Will to turn his head between the two.

"The cooking."

"The wood collecting."

"An apprentice does whatever the mentor asks," Halt then added in a grim tone, "including acting as a target for practise."Squirt was left to battle the grin fighting to take over her lips.

"Practise?" Will asked, his eyes now wide and alerted, the conversation no longer intriguing him. "What practise?" 

"The archery practise, of course." Squirt answered, furrowing her eye brows giving him a look that made his ears burn red with embarrassment.

"Now," Halt took a deep breath as he scanned the cabin, dishes chucked carelessly on the kitchen table, and the dust that floated in the room. "Start with the dishes, Squirt. Will, you can deal with the beating the mat." 

Suddenly, Squirt didn't have to fight to keep her face serious and her eyes brows furrowed, the smile that was threatening to break through suddenly stopped its attack. 

"You are a ranger apprentice too." Halt said, the hint of amusement dancing in the pattern of his dark pools, only noticed by her as Will was too busy staring at the mat in horror.

Squirt headed to the kitchen, insults building up on her lips that she had to forcefully swallow down, as she realised it was his plan all along. And, she had helped him do it, she thought with frustration.