Ranger's Apprentice - Rescue

Chapter 29

Halt had finally been able to remove Will's stitches. The wound was healing nicely, he'd told his worried young apprentice. Still, he'd caught Will staring at his leg with a concerned expression several times when he'd thought Halt was preoccupied.

Nevertheless, Halt had decided that Will was healed enough for them to travel back to Castle Highcliff, albeit at a slower pace.

"I must say," George's knowing voice piped up from behind Halt. To the grizzled Ranger's disapproval, the apprentice scholar had been assigned to ride double with Halt while Annalise rode with Gilan, leaving Tug and Will to themselves. Halt had been extremely unhappy with the notion of riding for days with the chatty scholar, but he'd been unwilling to argue in front of George and Annalise. Gilan had known this. It was, in fact, the reason he'd suggested the arrangement before Halt could pile George on him. It was clever. Halt had instantly made a mental note to repay him for it.

"I must say that this is a much more preferable way to travel then riding that poor excuse of a donkey Will had given me," George said with a sniff. Though Halt couldn't see him, he could almost picture the self-righteous expression on the boy's face. He opened his mouth to add a sarcastic comment in response to George's statement, but to his surprise, Will spoke first.

"I'm sure the donkey agrees," Will commented dryly. Halt actually started with surprise. In fact, Will had stolen the words right out of Halt's mouth. He quickly shook the expression aside before the others could see.

"Oh, Will, I certainly didn't mean it like that," George assured his friend. "You did the best you could. Really, I appreciate the effort."

"I'll note your appreciation," Will muttered through clenched teeth. Again, Halt glanced sidelong at his apprentice in something like shock.

"In fact, I think you've done rather well with this whole thing," George continued in his usual, extravagant tone of voice. "Remarkably, even, I'd say. To have rescued me so quickly after arriving in the area, and to take down several of those men on our way out. Admittedly, the traveling home could have gone better, but I'm sure there was little of that which you could have changed. Sometimes, things happen for a reason."

"Do they, now?" Will grumbled. Halt had a strange feeling as his apprentice said the words. Like if George didn't stop talking soon, he might regret it later.

Gilan seemed to pick up on the same feeling from the other side of Halt. He leaned forward in his saddle, making a show of peering into the distance.

"Well, I do believe that's the main road up ahead," he commented loudly, clearly speaking with the sole purpose of forestalling any of George's further ramblings. "I've got an idea. Halt, why don't I take George and Annalise to the inn and get things settled there. I assume we'll rent out some rooms for tonight before heading out in the morning. Then you and Will can head straight for the castle and get this meeting with Baron Philip over with."

Halt nodded.

"Sounds like an excellent plan," he agreed.

"But, how will we get to the inn?" George wondered, a whiny edge to his question. "We surly can't ride triple on that horse of yours."

Gilan's eyebrows fell in a rare show of irritation at George's suggestive comment toward Blaze. He glanced once at Halt, seeing the man's slight nod, and then returned an unhappy gaze back to George.

"You can walk," he stated plainly.

Several minutes went by before the group met a fork in the road. George dismounted, still a little stiff at the prospect of being forced to walk while the others rode, and then the group split. Halt and Will wasted no time heading their horses toward the castle.

As they rode, Halt became increasingly aware of a strange feeling. He couldn't quite place it, but something seemed odd. There was almost an uneasy air around them, despite the fact that he and Will had traveled together countless times over the past five years.

And suddenly, as Halt reflected on times passed, it clicked. Will was being uncharacteristically quiet.

Curiously, Halt glanced over at him. Will's face was tired, but not in a physical way. It was almost as if there was something on his mind.

"Will?" Halt tested gently. Will blinked a few times, shaking himself and glancing at Halt. When Halt didn't continue his question, Will prompted him.

"Yes?" he asked. There was an almost dull tone in his voice. That more than anything gave Halt mild concern.

He frowned, shaking his head.

"Never mind," he said, reasoning that if Will had something he needed to talk about, he would bring it up. He always had.

They rode on. Halt began to chew his lip distractedly. Of course there was something on Will's mind, he reasoned. Not only had he nearly just died for what felt like the hundredth time since Halt had taken him as an apprentice, but he was also nearing his graduation ceremony. It must be nerve-wracking for the boy, Halt thought. He'd always been so worried about how empty his own life would feel when Will left, he hadn't considered how scary this might feel to Will. Halt was completely confident in Will's capability. He knew the young man would go on to be one of the best Rangers, if not the best, that the Corps had ever seen. But knowing Will, he likely had an overwhelming amount of self doubt in his mind, especially in light of recent events.

Plus, Halt thought to himself grimly, that leg of his has to be in a lot of pain. There hadn't been much pain relieving substances in their medical packs. After all, they were only intended to save a life in an emergency, not sustain someone's pain level for a lengthy amount of time.

As they crossed the bridge, undisturbed by the guards, Halt let out a deep sigh. He couldn't take the silence any longer.

"How's the leg?" he asked casually, almost coming across as disinterested. Will glanced at him, then down at his leg, before shrugging.

"Doesn't feel too great," he admitted. Halt nodded. He'd figured as much, but he was glad to hear that Will wasn't planning to play it tough. In these cases, being honest about an injury could often save life or limb. Will knew that.

Halt glanced at the boy again. Now it was Will who was chewing his lip, clearly deep in thought. Halt waited, knowing there was a question coming.

"Halt?" Will asked tentatively.

Halt hid a smile. In another situation, he might have sighed and rolled his eyes for old time's sake. Now, however, he knew that Will needed him to be serious.

"Yes Will?"

Will hesitated.

"What if..." he began, and Halt's heart went out to the boy. He knew where Will was going with his question before he even asked it. Still, he gave his apprentice time to form the words. "What if my leg never heals right? Will I be kicked out of the Corps?"

Halt wasted no time shaking his head.

"Absolutely not," he replied firmly. Will turned wide eyes on his mentor, listening intently, soaking up Halt's words. "Will, with your skill level, Crowley couldn't afford to lose you, injury or no injury. You will always be a Ranger."

Those words alone seemed to soothe Will's young mind. Still, Halt wanted to put his worries deep to rest.

"But you will get better," he added, and Will leaned toward him.

"You think so?" he asked hopefully. "How do you know?"

Halt gave him a rare smile.

"Because I said so," he said with a slight trace of amusement in his voice. Will chuckled, shaking his head as he returned to his original position in his saddle.

"Yes Halt," he said, though he was smiling as well. "Whatever you say."