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

Epilogue

Will trudged through the forest, following Evan. They had been on the road all day long and Will's curiosity was killing him.
"Are we nearly there?" he asked in an impatient, complaining voice. Evan chuckled.
"Yes, yes, don't worry, it's just a little bit further," he answered. Will sighed.
"That's what you said an hour ago," he mumbled.
This was the day that Evan would show Will the mysterious thing that he had spoken of in Skandia. They had returned to Araluen over a month ago. The damage done by the war was still a painful scar on the country, but the people couldn't have been feeling better. The war was over, the king was back and the rangers were working overtime in assisting them to rebuild the land. It would take years before Araluen would be fully healed, but the start was there.

Evan suddenly halted. Will almost walked into him.
"We're here," Evan said, turning around with a beaming grin on his face. Will tried to glance around him, but there was nothing to see just yet. He raised an eyebrow.
"We didn't come all the way out here just to see a tree, did we?" he asked suspiciously. Evan laughed.
"No, of course not!" he exclaimed. "It's about what is behind the tree." Will sent the tree one last sceptical glance, before following his brother out of the forest.

A small farm came into view. Evan confidently strode towards it. After a moment of slight hesitation, Will covered the same distance. The door flew open, and a small boy ran outside. He couldn't have been older than five years.
"Evan!" he cheered. "Mommy, Evan is back!" Evan lifted the boy into his arms.
"Hello there, little fellow," he laughed. "It's good to see you again!" Will couldn't help it: a smile appeared on his face at the sight. This was the first time since he had met Evan that his brother looked sincerely happy.
A woman, presumably the boy's mother, left the farm as well.
"Evan! What a surprise!" she exclaimed happily. "How have you been?" They took a few minutes to catch up. It was obvious to Will that they hadn't seen each other for quite some time. Which made sense, considering Evan had spent the past few months in Skandia and in castle Araluen. The boy, whom Evan had put back on his feet, approached the ranger with a curious expression on his face.
"Hello," he said, tilting his head to the side. "Who are you?" Will crouched down.
"I am Will," he simply said. The boy solemnly offered him his hand. Will accepted and shook it.
"I am Devon," he introduced himself. Then he turned around and ran away to hide behind his mother, from where he kept an eye on Will.

Will took a closer look at her. She had long, unruly brown hair, which Devon had apparently inherited from her, a small face, with cheeky brown eyes to go with it. She was not small for a woman; Will figured they were more or less the same height, though he was not sure from this distance. Shocked, Will realized he was looking at a female version of himself. He barely noticed that his mouth had fallen open. Evan read the realization from his face.
"When I refused to go with Halt, it was not only because I didn't trust him," he started explaining. "Another important reason was that I thought I should keep the other baby hidden. You were not alone." The woman regarded Evan with a similar expression as Will: a combination of shock, confusion and curiosity.

"So you are saying..." she started. Evan nodded.
"Yes," he said. "Yes, you two are twins." He crossed his arms, a triumphant smile on his face. Will turned towards his sister. He couldn't believe it. One moment he had been an orphan, alone in the world. Now he had a brother, a sister, a nephew...
"Evan!" their sister suddenly exclaimed, a furious expression on her face, trying to charge at him.
"Maira, calm down, what's the matter?" Evan sputtered, trying to hold her off.

"What's the matter?!" she shrieked. "What do you think the matter is? All these years you've been telling me that you did everything in your power to offer us a safe home, but it is also your fault that I didn't get to grow up with my twin brother! If you had just gone with that Halt person, all three of us could have been together. Then we would have had a safe home too!" Will could identify with her reasoning, but he realized the past could not be changed. He crossed the last few yards separating them and softly took his sister, Maira, away from Evan.

"What is in the past is in the past," he quietly told her, while she tried to break free from his grip. "We can't turn back time. There is no point in fighting over it. We are all here now. Let's make the best out of it." Maira stopped struggling and met his gaze. Then she burst into tears. Will wrapped his arms around her. Looking over her shoulder, Will regarded Evan standing there, a little lost, and at that moment he knew that everything would be alright. They had found each other, and that was all that mattered.

Devon looked up at him, his eyes wide with awe.
"Are you a ranger?" he asked. Will chuckled as Maira let go of him, wiping away her tears.
"Yes, I am indeed," he replied.
"But you are not scary," the little boy told him. Will cocked his head to the side.
"Is that a problem?" This was something Devon needed to think about.
"No," he finally decided. "Did you help in the war?" Again Will chuckled.
"You could say that, yes," he told him. "And I still need to help. The fighting has stopped, but there is a lot to be done still." Having said that, Will faced his brother and sister. "That does mean that I have to go soon. They need me at castle Araluen."

A simple goodbye followed, after which Will turned around to make the return trip.
"Wait!" Maira called out. Will turned back, wondering what she was going to say. "Your name is Will, you are a ranger and you are needed in Araluen... Are you by any chance...?"
Will smiled mysteriously.

"There is no such thing as coincidence," he answered. "Yes, I am generally known as Will Treaty." Without waiting for a reply he turn around and left the farmland. There was a lot left to do.

The people of Picta and Araluen quickly left the war behind them. The efficient coordination of the rangers concerning the rebuilding gave them some relief from all that had been lost. In Picta, the king decided that his time had passed. It was time for a new generation. He stood down as king, leaving room for Eden to ascend. Shortly thereafter an invitation was sent to the Araluan royals: Eden and Celia were going to get married. Duncan, inspired by their neighbours from Picta, also thought it was time for something new. Cassandra and Horace were introduced as king and queen of Araluen. A new era started, in which Araluen, Picta and Skandia signed a new treaty. Araluen was stronger than ever before.