Ranger's Apprentice - Rescue

Chapter 35

The next day, Halt and Will were standing on the veranda of the cabin, Will leaning against the post to keep the weight off of his leg. They watched as Gilan mounted up, hesitating once again.

Halt pursed his lips. Even he had to admit that he would miss the friendly young man hanging around their cabin. Will was frowning heavily. The young apprentice was a great deal more open about his disappointment than Halt was.

"Don't  give me that look," Gilan mused, winking at Will. For his part, Will shook his head.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he lied smoothly. At least, he thought it sounded smooth. Gilan wasn't fooled, and neither was Halt. Thankfully, neither man pressed Will further.

"I'll see the two of you in a few months at the Gathering," Gilan said. They bid each other farewell before Gilan swung Blaze's head toward the woods. In a few minutes, any sign that Gilan had ever been there were gone.

Will sighed heavily. He glanced at Halt, who was staring contently at the peaceful clearing around them.

"'Suppose you wouldn't let me go out and practice shooting for a while?"

Halt turned to look at his apprentice, one eyebrow raised.

"I wouldn't count on it," he said. Will nodded. He had figured as much.

"In that case," Will said with a resigned sigh. "What is the plan for today? More meaningless house chores? Cooking our meals while you get to do the important stuff? And please don't say rest. If you say rest, I might lose my mind."

Halt kept his eyebrow raised as Will spoke, eventually crossing his arms over his chest. He waited patiently until Will stopped his rambling, and then a few moments after that. When Will appeared to be sufficiently uncomfortable, Halt spoke.

"Are you quite done?"

Will pursed his lips, nodding. "Yes," he said awkwardly. Halt nodded, apparently satisfied with Will's answer.

"Good," he mused. "And to answer your question, I was rather thinking we could take Tug and Abelard for a check up with Old Bob. It's been nearly a year since they've had one, and with you nearing the end of your apprenticeship it might be smart to make sure Tug is on top of his game."

Will frowned. "Tug is always on top of his game," he argued softly. Halt raised that eyebrow in Will's direction once again.

"That's good to hear," he said, a hint of amusement in his voice. "Perhaps he might teach you a thing or two about that one of these days."

With that, Halt turned and went inside the cabin to prepare for their short journey. Will remained on the veranda, frowning for a few seconds, before finally shaking the tease aside and limping after Halt.

It took them only a few minutes to gather a quick lunch meal and stow it away in their saddle packs. They each took a few minute to examine their bows and strings, their arrows, and their knives. It was a habit for them, at this point in their lives, to make doubly sure that their weapons were in ideal shape before leaving the cabin. Not surprisingly, they were.

Then the two were heading off toward Old Bob's. Will took a few minutes to stew on the fact that he had needed Halt's help into the saddle. It didn't matter how many times Halt and Gilan had reassured him, he still felt embarrassed at his incapability to do menial things on his own.

Eventually, however, the peaceful ride improved his mood. Halt waited until he felt that Will was finished pouting. Then he cleared his throat.

"Do me a favor, will you?" he began gruffly. Will turned to look at his mentor with slight interest.

"What's that?" he wondered. Halt kept his eyes forward.

"When you write your report about your mission, don't mention my killing all those men. Crowley would hardly understand, nor would he approve. And I don't feel like having him riding my back about it for the next several years."

Will frowned. He understood what Halt was saying and why he didn't want Crowley to know. And if this were another regular mission, Will would gladly do as Halt had said.

But this was different. This would be Will's first official report, under his name only. As his fifth year solo mission, this report would not be pre-read by Halt. It would be completely and totally Will's. And because of that, Will didn't feel completely comfortable withholding information from his commandant.

He wasn't sure how to tell Halt what he was thinking, though. He didn't want to offend his mentor. He knew Halt wasn't exactly asking him to lie to Crowley. Halt would never do that. But something in Will's conscience didn't feel right about this, and he knew he couldn't do what Halt had asked.

"Halt..." he began slowly. He swallowed, hoping against all odds that however this came out wouldn't offend his mentor and friend. He couldn't bare the thought of falling from Halt's favor.

Halt had been watching Will closely as he hesitated. Finally, he decided he would have to press Will.

"Yes?"

Will cleared his throat. He took a deep breath. Then he cleared his throat again.

"I don't... I don't know if I can do that," he finally managed. Then, as the words left his mouth, he rushed to explain himself. "It's just that I wouldn't feel right withholding any information from Crowley on my first official report. I'll certainly downplay what you did. After all, it's not important information. I'll simply say that the majority of the invasion party was killed as a result of their resistance, and a few escaped. I won't say it was all from you, and I won't go into detail about... well, why you killed them all. But I can't just leave out that information altogether. I'm sorry." 

There was a long, awkward pause. Will avoided Halt's gaze until he was sure the heat had gone out of his cheeks. Then he looked over at his mentor. To his surprise, Halt had a warm expression on his face.

"Will," he said softly. Will swallowed, unsure of what he was about to hear. But Halt leaned over and laid a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"You're right," he said, and Will nearly balked at the words. Halt continued in a low voice. "I shouldn't have asked you to do that. This was your mission, and this will be your report. You should write what you feel is appropriate to report to your commandant."

Will nodded slowly, lowering his eyes. 

"Thanks, Halt," he managed. Halt's hand slipped away.

"And for what it's worth," he continued softly, "I'm proud of what you just did. It takes a great deal of integrity and honor to do what's right when it goes against your comrades. You'll make a great Ranger, Will. And I have no doubt that you will be a full Ranger by the time the next Gathering is over with."

Will sat in shocked silence as Halt turned away and faced the front again. His mind replayed Halt's words over and over again in his head, letting them comfort him.

If Halt believed in him, then Will could believe in himself.