Ranger's Apprentice Quick Stories

Nightmare

Crowley, Halt and Will stopped to camp for the night without any of them actually voicing that they should do so.

Will had noticed that Halt and Crowley had a strange way of knowing what the other was thinking without speaking, and he had decided not to question or comment on it.

As always, Crowley claimed responsibility of starting the fire. Halt shook his head in wonder at his longtime friend. Why Crowley enjoyed lighting fires so much, Halt thought, he would never understand.

As Crowley knelt by the little pile of wood, kindling the flame and gently blowing every once in a while to keep the flames going while Halt and Will set up the rest of the camp.

The evening was uneventful. They ate in companionable silence, and worked out the watch rotation. By the time it was Halt's turn, Will and Crowley were both snoring in a heavy sleep after both having completed their hours of watch.

The breeze picked up as the morning drew near, and Halt knew that the day would be a cold one. He sighed inwardly, drawing his cloak closer around him. He frowned as something moved, just in the edge of his vision. Rather than snapping his head to the place where he had seen the movement, he scanned the entire surrounding slowly. Whatever was out there, if there were indeed something, was excellent at moving without being seen, because for the remaining hours, Halt saw nothing.

As the sun rose, Halt heard his companions begin to stir. Crowley was the first to rise, his disheveled hair popping up from his sleeping mat. Several strands were in the man's face, while others were sticking straight up or back. Halt suppressed an overwhelming urge to laugh at the unkempt appearance of his friend. Crowley's reputation as an unseen mover was well known, but Halt knew that the Ranger Commandant's bedhead was a lesser known characteristic of his.

"Mornin' Halt," Crowley called softly, though his voice was slurred with sleep still. Halt nodded gruffly in reply. Finally, he decided Will had slept in long enough and moved to kneel beside the apprentice.

"Will," he said softly, gently shaking the boy's shoulder. Halt frowned when Will didn't stir. Typically speaking, Will was an easy one to wake, unlike Gilan during his years as Halt's apprentice. Often, it took a shout directly into his ear to wake the taller Ranger. But Will was not so difficult. Usually.

"Will," Halt said, a little louder this time. He shook Will's shoulder slightly more forcefully.

Crowley had noticed a change in Halt's tone and turned curiously toward his friend.

"Is he not waking?" Crowley asked, although a quick glance at Will told the Ranger that the boy hadn't awoken yet. Crowley frowned as well, but left Halt to his business.

For his part, Halt felt a rising sense of urgency.

"Will," he said, now at full volume. He wasn't yet screaming the boy's name, but all attempts at waking Will gently had left Halt's demeanor.

Halt's shoulders slumped in relief as Will stirred. Still, the boy didn't wake. Knowing that Will was alive, Halt's concern turned to annoyance.

"Blast it, boy, get up!" the grizzled Ranger demanded, standing and turning away, searching for a bucket of water.

He froze as he heard Will mutter, thinking for a moment that Will had finally woken up. But as he turned back to Will, the apprentice was still laying with his eyes closed, though his eyebrows were now drawn together.

"Will?" Halt asked, confused. "Crowley, come here a second."

Crowley made his way around the camping gear and stood beside Halt, regarding Will in mild interest.

"Is he alright?" the Ranger Commandant asked. Halt shrugged.

"I haven't a clue what's gotten into him," he admitted. He returned to Will's side, kneeling beside the boy and placing a gently hand on his forehead. Looking back up at Crowley in confusion, he said, "he isn't warm."

"Maybe he's just needed to catch up on sleep?" Crowley suggested, though he doubted it. Will was in his third year of apprenticeship now. His body should be adjusted to rising early at this point.

Halt shook his head, sharing in Crowley's doubt. He opened his mouth to reply, but Will suddenly gasped, and Halt's eyes snapped to Will in concern.

"Will," Halt said, calling out in a louder voice. "Wake up, Will." He shook Will's shoulder roughly.

Will tossed in his sleep, his face screwed up in something that looked suspiciously of fear.

"They're... coming..." he muttered, gasping for breath. Halt noticed a thin sheen of sweat on the boy's forehead. He wasn't sick. But Halt had a better guess of what was wrong.

"He's having a nightmare," he told Crowley. The other Ranger nodded.

"Better wake him up, then," he commented, and Halt shot a glare in his friend's direction.

"I'm trying," he said gruffly before returning his attention back to Will.

"Will, come on, now," he said, shaking the boy again. "Wake up. It's a dream, Will."

"Cold," Will muttered, and Halt frowned. It wasn't cold out. Not yet.

"Will-"

"Halt."

Halt froze at his name. He hesitated, glancing at Crowley.

"Will?" Halt finally tested, but Will didn't respond to his voice. Instead, he began to pant again.

"Halt'll come..." he muttered, and Halt frowned again. "Spring... snow's melting... gotta run."

Slowly, Halt began to realize what Will was dreaming.

"Will, it's Halt," he said firmly. "You're not in Skandia. Wake up, Will."

"They're coming," Will cried again, now shaking visibly. His breathing increased, and Halt decided he had no other choice.

"Grab me that bucket," he told Crowley. The other Ranger did as Halt had asked, bringing him the bucket.

"You're not going to-" Crowley began to protest, but Halt had already splashed the contents onto Will's face.

The apprentice shot up at once, sputtering and coughing. In his shock, he had clutched the front of Halt's shirt, clinging to it desperately. Now, Halt wrapped one arm around Will, allowing the boy to lean against him as he gathered his wits.

"W-why am I all wet?" Will asked, still slightly out of breath. He glanced once at his fist on Halt's shirt, then removed it, his cheeks flushing slightly.

"You're alright," Halt said in a surprisingly gentle voice. "You were having a nightmare."

At the word, Will nodded slowly.

"I... I thought I was back in Skandia..." he muttered. "We were being chased by hunters in the spring season. We had to leave the cabin in the woods..."

"There now," Crowley said, kneeling beside the boy and placing a comforting hand on Will's arm. Though Crowley had taken no part in the events that had taken place in Skandia, he could imagine the lasting fear that Will was enduring. "You're safe. No need to worry. It was just a dream."

Will leaned up, freeing Halt from his duty as a back-prop. The grizzled Ranger moved slowly back to Will's side. He held Will's gaze until the apprentice nodded, almost imperceptibly. Then, Halt stood.

"Right then," he said, clearing all fatherly reaction and expression from his demeanor. "Time we get going. You've slept long enough, I might make you take a double watch tomorrow."