Set somewhere between " The Icebound Land"(3) and "Oakleaf Bearers"(4), what might have happened if Halt and Horace had come across Evanlyn and Wills hideout a few days before Evanlyn had managed to wean Will off of Warmweed. This is my first fic so please be nice also note I'm doing this from memory as I don't currently have the books with me for reference. Rated for drug use.

Blah, blah, blah yeah we all know I don't own any of this, everything belongs to the wonderful John Flanagan. *snore*

Long Road Back

The grizzled Ranger and the young Knight approached the secluded shelter just as the sun sank bellow the horizon of the frozen land. They approached cautiously, despite faithful Abelard and eager Tug showing no sign of scenting danger. In fact the smaller horse had been getting more eager if anything as they neared the hut, a sign that the older man took to be most helpful. A slight curl of smoke was rising from the leaning chimney showing evident mark of current inhabitation.
They stopped as the reached the edge of the clearing, dismounting and continuing onward on foot. The last thing Halt wanted was to walk into an ambush because of his anxiousness to see his apprentice again.
As they watched a figure hurried out of the shelter and disappeared into the lean-to stable area next to it. Halt heard a muffled cry from behind him as Horace hurried past to greet a shocked and relieved looking Evanlyn as she emerged from the lean-to a moment later. The two young friends embraced briefly and Halt stepped out of the tree line followed by their three horses. Though they had only been here a few short minutes, there was no sign of Will and Halt knew that in this hostile environment his apprentice would never leave the girl unprotected. As Halt and the horses approached, Evanlyn meet Halts' stern gaze. There was sadness in her eyes that filled the Ranger with dread. Horace glanced between Evanlyn and the old Ranger before muttering about seeing to the horses and moving to lead the tired beasts to the shelter. Tug nickered hopefully but when his master failed to greet him he allowed himself to be led away. After a moment the old Ranger spoke, though he feared the response.

"Is he…?"

"He's here."

Relief briefly swept through him but then quickly evaporated. He knew there was more to it. The girl glanced nervously toward the hut then adjusted what she held in her hand, what she'd just retrieved from the stable. She held it out in her open palm before Halt could ask the obvious question. Warmweed.
He looked at it for a long moment before taking it from her with strangely calm hands before turning and moving inside without a word. The girl hurried to follow.

Will looked up eagerly from where he sat on the floor of the shack as the door opened. The girl who gave him the warmweed had promised to be back soon, but it wasn't her framed in the low doorway. A grizzled figure in a grey-green mottled hood and cloak moved slowly into the room watching him closely. The familiar girl stepped into the room behind the strange figure and Will quickly turned his attention to her, waiting in anticipation for the leaves that made the world go round. She didn't move. He didn't understand. Didn't she know the only thing that mattered was the sweet relief brought by the pungent leaf?
Someone was speaking, calling but he didn't care. It didn't matter. Nothing did, only the warmweed. Then there was movement and the strange cloaked man was crouched in front of him. He looked at him in surprise. He forgotten he was there. The man spoke. He called a name. It was vaguely the same that had been spoken before. Will held the man's intense gaze briefly before he started to rise to his feet, seeking the girl again. The man sighed and held out his hand and Will refocused gaze to unsteadily follow the movement of the hand that was being held out to him. There it was. The warmweed. Will snatched it eagerly from the strangers' hand and shoved if greedily into his mouth, chewing happily, eyes closing as the drug started to take effect.
Satisfied, he lay down where he sat and slept.

Halt lean against the stable wall deep in thought.
Abelard snuffled at his masters' hand and Halt rubbed the velvet nose of his age long companion absently as he pondered what has just happened.
He reflected on what Evanlyn had told him moments before. How she'd found and rescued Will from the slave yard where she's found him mindless, numb and addicted. How she'd found this place where she could slowly wean him off the leaf then together they could figure how to get home from there. She had done well. She was smart, resourceful and determined. Halt had thanked her and left the cabin, unable to watch the boy who was now virtually a stranger to him.
Halt sighed and moved across the small space. Not an easy task considering the four horses now crammed into the tiny space. Not that there seemed to be any complaints, it was far warmer in here than out in the elements and the pony that Evanlyn and Will had been travelling will seemed happy with his new equine company. Halt reached for the hiding place the girl had described she was hiding her remaining supply of warmweed. There was only enough left for one more dose and Halt hoped that it would be enough. Evanlyn had said that she had been giving him slightly decreased doses every time, hoping that when the small supply was done Will would be free of the addictive effects.
He cursed under his breath at fate and at those who would inflict this on another human being. Admittedly he had been preparing himself for any number of situations that could unfold when he was finally reunited with the boy but this had not been one of them. He had anticipated any number of reactions to his arrival. Instead he hadn't got one at all. Not even as he had called his name or knelt before him. The only reaction at all had been to the cursed leaf, not the one who brought it. He swore silently that if he ever got his hands on those responsible…
A gentle nudge at the small of his back brought him out of his dark reverie. Turning, he rubbed the shaggy pony in front of him between the ears, calmed at the very presence of the little horse. Will would get through this. He was well named after all. Wilful. Halt remembered the first time he'd realized how perfect the name was for the small stubborn boy. He grinned slightly as an insistent shove brought him out of his musing. He'd stopped rubbing the pony's shaggy head.

"You know him far better than me, Tug." He said gently to the rough brown creature.

He chuckled quietly as Tug gave him a look that plainly said, 'Of course I do. I'm me. Now either keep rubbing or find me an apple.'

"Yes I'm sure they'll be more apples when Will's back on his feet and you can go back to being as spoilt as you're used to."

But as Halt left the stable to return to the cabin, both he and the small horse knew that wasn't true. Tug had never had want for an apple, even with Wills' absence.

Will was vaguely curious. There were more people around him now. He couldn't make out why this had changed but then he supposed it didn't really matter. The new strangers kept staring at him though. Sometimes he was aware that they were talking to him but he wasn't sure. Time was a fog. The people in the cabin came and went, he hardly noticed. Only the older one in the cloak stayed with him constantly. It wasn't until near dark that the man left and went outside. It wasn't until that moment that Will realised the strangers' presence was strangely comforting. He felt uneasy. He needed more warmweed. It seemed to call to him. Spoke to him. Its very presence seemed much clearer than any of the phantom beings around him.
He stood shakily and looked around. Another of the strangers, the boy, started at his movement but it was no concern of his. Will made his way to wear the familiar girl was near the fire, making dinner. She looked up as he approached and shook her head. He frowned, frustrated then heard someone call. Will turned slowly and hopefully towards the source, briefly remembering that it was the cloaked man who had given him the warmweed the time before. Sure enough there was the rough figure in the cloak with an out stretched hand. Will eagerly shuffled towards him and took the leaf, vaguely aware that the grey bearded man watched him sadly as Will returned to the floor, curled up and went to sleep.
If anyone had been waiting for Will to wake up back to his normal self, then they were unfortunately disappointed that morning. Evanlyn and Horace had both hurried to his side as he had begun to stir but were sadly greeted only by blank eyes in an uninterested face as he was given a bowl of stew to eat. Halt had made no such move nor had he allowed himself the hope. Nevertheless, they all silently exchanged worried looks as all there knew it would be a difficult evening as the boy they thought they knew searched for the only thing he cared about currently and found there to be none.
That day passed slowly. Will drifted. The others watched him. He fell asleep again in the midafternoon. Halt realised that he'd begun to dread the boys awakening later that evening. Surly he'd get through this. He was strong after all.
A slight moan from the corner of the room made the grizzled ranger look around. Will stirred from the bed roll where they'd left him. All eyes turned to watch hopefully as the boy began to sit up.

Will groaned. His head felt impossibly heavy and everything seemed overbright. With a start he remembered being captured and the slaves' yard. A feeling of shame and horror swept over him as he remembered the beginnings of being hooked on warmweed. Evanlyn. He'd been separated from her! Where was she now? Where was he? He sat up with difficulty. His limbs felt heavy and didn't want to obey him.
He was in a cabin. He wasn't alone.
Will looked up and gazed into a pair of eyes he'd longed to see ever since he and Evanlyn had been made captive. Halt looked back to him with relief in his gaze but Will saw something else as well. There was a great sadness there. Will felt a rush fear and quickly dropped his gaze to the floor. Halt was ashamed that he'd been addicted. His master had seen him at an all time low. How could he bear that?
Will was now aware of the others in the room. Evanlyn and Horace. They'd seen it all to. He was fervently wishing that the floor would swallow him when he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. He looked up and met his masters' gaze again briefly before he buried himself in the grizzled rangers' arms. Halt returned the embrace.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through with that. It's ok now."

-Fin-