Silence

Chapter Five

The Ranger and his apprentice left for their cabin shortly after, much against the healer's protest. Halt stayed beside Will, who rode Tug but was still unbalanced. They rode on in silence, for Will couldn't exactly answer (or ask) any questions other than the nodding or shaking of his head. Halt appeared to enjoy the quiet, but it was unusual, and that always put a Ranger on edge.

"Good to be heading back, isn't it?" Halt asked. Will nodded.

"Once we get home, we'll eat dinner then I want you straight to bed. No arguments. You need to regain your strength," Halt said as the cabin came into view. Will nodded again, although this time there was a bit of irritation showing in his eyes, along with exhaustion.

They did just that, Halt enjoying the stew he prepared with a cup of coffee while Will nursed a cup of tea. The healer claimed the coffee wouldn't do Will's lungs any good so he was restricted to water and tea, much to the apprentice's dismay. Shortly after dinner, Halt sent Will to bed, and then retired to his own room, hoping for a peaceful rest.

They were in the woods, tracking a killer. Will didn't know how he knew that, he just did. A man ran in front of him but he didn't recognize him. Then a mysterious figure clad in black came into view, his crossbow was drawn. Will tried desperately to call a warning out but no sound emerged. He had no weapons and had no choice but to watch the stranger release the arrow, which struck the man in the back, causing him to collapse and the mysterious figure disappeared. Will ran towards the injured man.

Halt. It was Halt. His friend; mentor; his father. Dead. Shot down by an arrow that Will saw, yet couldn't stop because he was unable to speak. It was his fault.

Will awoke with a start. He gasped and began to shake as tears rolled down his cheeks. He pressed his face into the pillow, but found no comfort. A knock at the door snapped Will to attention.

"Will?" a concerned voice called as a figure emerged. Will looked up to see his mentor. Alive.

"Are you alright?" Will shrugged.

"Nightmare?" Halt was now sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at his apprentice who kept his head down. Will nodded.

"Sometimes it helps to talk about it," Halt said reaching for a piece of paper and pencil on the small desk. The apprentice nodded again and began writing his nightmare in great detail. Halt read over the paper, glancing at the boy's eyes. They were full of fear and sadness.

"It's going to be alright." He pulled the boy into his arms, only moving when he placed his cheek on Will's head. Eventually his sobbing ceased and his body became limp. Halt began to move, but decided he would be ok where he was. Both slept peacefully that night, with Will's head on Halt's chest, and Halt's arm around Will's shoulders.

A week had passed since the nightmare. Will's shoulder had fully healed; it really hadn't been that bad, yet he still had not said a single word, much to the apprentice's dismay. Halt too, was put off by the silence. He'd sometimes forget what had happened and would go to ask his apprentice a question and then remember. Sometimes it was the complete opposite. He'd lie awake at night, thinking about it. Would he ever fully recover? Then he'd shake the bad thoughts away, or try to at least, and fall into a restless sleep filled with dreams.

Will was outside the cabin, practicing archery. Now that his shoulder was healed Halt had him back on strict training. A week might not seem that long to others, but to a Ranger it was too long. He shot arrow after arrow until he realized his quiver was empty. Will made his way to the wooden targets, carefully plucking his gray shafted arrows from each one and replacing them in his beloved quiver.

A twig snapped somewhere in the distance. Will was sure he had heard it. He looked to the left, only seeing the thick foliage. A soft mumble came from inside. The voice was soft and he couldn't decipher the words, yet he knew he had heard them. He drew his bow and pointed to the forest. He had a feeling in his chest. He knew who was coming.

Sure enough, three familiar figures soon emerged. Alda, Bryn, and Jerome. They still had visible bruises on their faces and Will felt a surge of triumph, knowing they hadn't left unscathed when he had been badly injured.

"This is looking familiar, isn't it, baby?" Alda snarled. Will wanted to talk; to tell him to shut up; but couldn't, so he just stood there looking like an idiot. Well, he thought to himself, at least I'm an idiot with a weapon.

"Speak up, would you?" Jerome taunted while Bryn snickered. Will's face grew red, both from embarrassment and anger. He aimed his arrow at Jerome's chest, but instead of releasing and killing him from the fatal injury, he quickly shifted so the arrow landed in the boy's calf. It would be painful, really painful, but nothing a healer couldn't easily fixed. Jerome howled in pain and clutched his leg. The two other boys advanced, drawing their swords.

"Let's have some more fun," Alda said, grinning evilly. He began to laugh but fell to the ground, a black shafted arrow in his shoulder. Bryn began to run, and as Will shot him in the arm, part of him wondered how these three could be so stupid, challenging a Ranger yet not paying any attention during the fight. Bryn fell too and Halt didn't seem to care that he may have 'accidentally' stepped on him as he jogged to his apprentice. He placed a calming hand on his shoulder and Will looked up, his brown eyes meeting his mentor's dark ones. His face showed a mixture of fear and happiness, a strange mix.

Without invitation, Will threw himself at his mentor and Halt instinctively wrapped his arms around the boy. When Will looked back up again, he was smiling, and when he opened his mouth, Halt found himself smiling his rare smile too.

"Halt."

The End.