A/N: Yeah, I know I should be working on the alternate endings and the sequel for Unwilling Assassin, or possibly coming up with something for RA: Future of the Kingdom, or some more MtfS chapters, but the computer guy still has my craptop, even though I was supposed to get it back MORE THAN A MONTH ago *glares at craptop dude* and it has all my story notes and chapter snippets on it. Feels so weird to be typing up a story on the desktop. Like I'm committing a crime or something. Anyway, this idea was actually kind of spawned from Unwilling Assassin (which you should read, by the way, if you haven't already :P), but has no relation to the plot or anything of said story… Weird, I know, but that's usual for me.

And many happinesses! I got into the Senior Vocal Ensemble at my school for next year! *sets off a multitude of party poppers and sparklers* I know this may not mean much to you guys, but it's something I've been hoping would happen since I joined Junior Vocal, so I'm very happy at the moment. Of course, this happiness may also equate to me being more likely to write! ;)

'Kay, back on track. This is AU sometime after Oakleaf Bearers – so, Will's come back from his enslavement in Skandia, and is still an apprentice, but mostly, he has recovered from his ordeals.

I've kind of been working on this for about a week now, but it's all stuff that happens in later chapters - with UA, I'd written chapters 2-8 before I finished chapter 1. I have parts and wholes of the next four or so chapters, so that may mean faster updates… but you also have to equate my laziness into that.

…And another thing. This kinda maybe has character death. Don't like it, don't read it. I know that I might potentially be losing readers by saying that, but I don't want you reading something you wouldn't want to read because you've been misinformed.

So, I shall apologise again for this not being Unwilling Assassin follow-up stuff (blame the craptop guy), stop droning on, and hope that you enjoy the story!

.:':. .:':. .:':.

It was Will's first mission since his return from Skandia, and he was burning to prove his skills were as sharp as before his ordeal. Infuriatingly, though, Halt seemed to be pointing out what Will should have seen, a split second before Will had been about to say it. This constant berating only served to make Will feel miserable and incompetent.

Halt looked at Will askance. Will's head jerked up. Was that a flicker of a smile on Halt's face?

"You need to lighten up, Will. If I had any skills of observation, I would have noticed that you were about to point these things out yourself. Though you fell much out of practice while you were… away… your abilities are nearly back to what they used to be. A little slow for my liking, but still passable." Coming from Halt, these words were lavish praise and Will straightened in his saddle, smiling.

The smile suddenly dropped. "Halt, what's that over there?" He nodded towards a strange-looking lump lying at the base of a tree, maybe twenty five metres away.

Halt frowned, urging Abelard forward. "I'm not sure," he called back to Will. "It almost looks like-" He cut himself off, not needing to tell Will what it was now they were so close.

A boy a bit younger than Will, lying unconscious on the ground.

"Must have been climbing the tree and fallen out," Halt murmured, gently turning the boy on his back. His brown hair was matted with blood, scratches adorning his bare face and hands. "Can you hear me, boy?" He shook the limp figure gently by the shoulder. There was no response. However, when Halt felt for it, there was a faint pulse.

"We passed a farm not that long ago. Do you think we should…?"

He nodded. "Just what I was thinking. This area isn't that densely populated; it's only when we get closer to the coast that the cottages seem to spring up every which way. Chances are that farm is his home."

.:':. .:':. .:':.

It was slow going heading back to the farm. They had draped the unconscious boy over Tug's back, and it was only by Will's insistence that the shaggy pony didn't buck the poor youngster right off.

Late afternoon had settled in by the time they reached their destination. A plump, motherly woman with eyes that looked puffy, like she'd been crying, appeared at the door when they knocked. "Rangers!" she squeaked, apparently as wary of them as any other common person. "What's wrong? Has something happened?"

Halt allowed Will to step forward, figuring his more youthful and open face would instil better trust in the woman. "We were riding out on a mission and found an unconscious boy, a little younger than me, lying under a tree. We'd hate to impose upon you, but this was the closest-" Will was cut off by the woman's cry of horror. She had seen the boy hanging limp over Tug's back, and recognised him.

"Liam!" she wailed, lurching forward. Will rushed to Tug, making sure he wouldn't mistake the woman for someone meaning him ill-will. "My poor baby boy," she whispered. Her hands fluttered uselessly over his lifeless form. Glancing at Halt for confirmation, Will gently lifted the boy - Liam - from Tug's back and looked to the distraught mother for guidance.

Pressing a hand to her mouth to hide her trembling lips, she guided Will inside. Halt followed.

The farmhouse itself was fairly small, but cosy. The woman led them to a room furnished only with a bed, dresser and low table. Glimpsing at the woman for permission, he lowered the boy onto the bed.

"Gods tell me he isn't…?"

"No," Halt assured her. "There was a pulse, although faint. He should be fine within a few days, I would think."

She drew herself up, suppressing her tears. "Thank you for bringing him here, Rangers. His father's out chopping firewood, but should be back in a few hours. I'll tell him then, what…" Her voice trembled. "What happened. What did happen, exactly?"

"I'm not quite sure. We found him already insensible underneath a tree. One can only assume he was climbing, slipped, hit his head and fell." Halt's eyes softened imperceptibly. "I'm sorry we don't know more."

"…Oh. I see. Would you like to stay for dinner? It won't be anything special, but definitely tasty and filling."

"We appreciate the offer, ma'am, but we must be going. We are out on official Ranger business."

She nodded rapidly. "Of course, of course. Why else would you be in a sleepy place like this?" She made a shooing motion towards them. "I'll not hold you from your duties. May the gods bless your journey."

"And the same unto your son," Will said politely, and both Ranger and apprentice left the house.

.:':. .:':. .:':.

"Come on Will, time to get up."

Will groaned, swatting at the foot nudging him, still clinging hopelessly to the last vestiges of sleep.

Halt raised an eyebrow. "All these years, and you still won't get up early?"

"WhosaidIwasn'tup?" he mumbled sleepily, the words blending into one another and he finally sat up. He wasn't fooling anyone. After rubbing his eyes, he cracked his lids, bracing for the morning light.

But it wasn't there.

He panicked internally for a second, then realized that Halt had woken him up even earlier than usual. That, coupled with the fact that he'd had another nightmare of his time in Skandia, exacerbated by the sound of waves crashing ashore at the nearby beach, Will was sorely tempted to slump back to the ground and sleep for another year or so. However, he knew Halt would never let him get away with it, so he stood, swaying slightly. Conditioned from his training and fieldwork, he packed away his sleeping roll and anything else that he'd left on the ground without fuss, whilst Halt prepared some coffee. By the time he was finished, the steaming beverage had already been poured into two separate mugs, one of which was being extended to him. He accepted it gratefully, ignoring the fact that the liquid was scalding his throat over the need for a hit of caffeine to wake him up. It did do the job, but not as well as he'd hoped. He was too tired to disguise his weariness and was half-hoping Halt would notice and let him sleep for a while longer.

"What's that look for, Will?"

"Hmm? Oh, nothing."

Halt nodded. "Good. We need to get going, or it'll be another week before we catch these bandits." They both knew he was exaggerating, of course; they had found fresh tracks the day before, and the only reason they hadn't found the bandits already was because they had felt obliged to return the unconscious Liam back to his family, and that had eaten away at the time. That was also part of the reason Halt had woken Will so early – to make up for the time they had lost.

They quickly mounted, and made the short trip to the bridge, crossing it now that the water was low enough.

The early afternoon sun shone on the two Rangers as they approached the bandits' makeshift camp. Will and Halt dismounted before they got too close, and quietly crept towards their target. There was a cacophony of sound – the bandits clearly weren't expecting an attack, what with their numbers. They weren't too many for the two Rangers to take on, though. With the bandits so unsuspecting, it would almost be too easy. Now they had reached the outskirts of the encampment. In a moment, they would swoop down on the bandits, raining arrows upon them before they could blink.

Will and Halt stood without a sound, remounting Tug and Abelard respectively. Just as they were about to rush the camp, a horn sounded out. They flinched. Suddenly, the trees behind them exploded with men, any noise from their prior movements having been disguised by the racket coming from the camp.

It was a trap.

One of the men leapt at Will, wildly waving a sword. Will shot him down in an instant, but then all the other men erupted into a frenzy of action. Like a flood, they widened a gap between Will and Halt. They crowded in close to the horses, meaning both Rangers could only loose a few arrows before being forced to fight with their daggers. It took only a split second for them to realise they'd have to run, or their horses would be killed or crippled. However, with the swarm of men around them, they would almost definitely be separated.

The choice was easy.

Will pulled on the reins to wheel Tug around, but the horse had already had the same idea. Halt did much the same with Abelard, but the crush of men and dense forest meant that the two Rangers did indeed get separated. Some of the men broke off to chase each of the Rangers, but they quickly fell behind, and they rushed back to the camp to fetch their horses. He could only watch for a little while, though, because the forest was so thick that one misstep could send him and Tug tumbling.

He rode for about ten minutes before the brush became so deep that he had to slow Tug to a walk to pick his way through a safe path. Eventually, the path began to widen again, and Will's heart lifted, reasoning he was reaching a small beach, from which he might find a path to a town where he could wait for Halt.

But there was no beach, only a cliff with a twenty metre drop and a promise of a crushing death against the rocks. Reluctantly, Will realised he'd have to turn around and find a new way out of the forest.

Retracing his steps proved harder than he had anticipated. One moment, he'd be sure he was going in the right direction, then suddenly end up in an open glade. Finally, though, he found the path he had taken upon leaving the camp. Then he heard the unmistakable shout of voices and clatter of hooves heading his way. Cursing, he spun Tug around and leapt back into the brush.

He let Tug find a way on his own, watching instead for the low branches and twigs that clawed at his face. His hands were a flurry of action, batting away the offending tree limbs, and quickly became scratched and bloody. He couldn't resist glancing back to see how far behind his pursuers were, and maybe this combined with his lack of sleep caused him an inattentiveness that resulted in him being smacked out of the saddle by a branch. What was worse was that the bandits seemed to know the area far better than Will, and by the time Will had scrabbled back onto his feet, they had almost closed in on him. He wouldn't reach Tug in time.

"Tug, go!" he screamed at his horse. "Get out of here! Find Halt!" He kept on screaming as he fought his assailants with his knives. The horse danced, torn between wanting to help his master and wanting to follow his master's orders. Tug's training won out, though, and he cantered off to find another way out.

Will knew there were too many of them to be able to fight them off with his daggers alone, but still he tried. When his throwing knife became lodged in the bone of one of his opponent's arms, he fought with only his saxe knife. When he lost that as well, he fought tooth and nail. A burly, club wielding man swung at him from behind, and Will only had enough time to turn enough to see him in his peripheral vision before he took the club to his head and was crushed by a roaring wave of darkness.

.:':. .:':. .:':.

A/N: Oh noes, Will! What have I done to him? Find out in the next chapter!