A/N: OMG guys I'm so sorry about not updating for so long. School just ended today, so I'll finally be able to update again! Yay! I just want to thank all of you wonderful, amazing, awesome readers and reviewers for putting up with such a terrible wait. You guys all rock! As a present for you guys, I'm going to accept the next ten ideas that I receive in the reviews, and instead of just finishing this story after 5 one-shots or so, I'll do the suggested ideas at the same time as the ones I have scheduled, which ultimately means more chapters and faster updates. The only rules are: if you previously already suggested something, don't worry, that's on my schedule, and one reviewer can suggest a maximum of 2 ideas. So hopefully that will make you all feel better :DD

Also, I was in a huge rush to get this one published early just for you guys, so I turned to one of my friends, whose username is jokingly called The Huntress of the Sun, to help me proofread and edit this chapter. So because she was being awesome, you guys get this chapter tonight instead of sometime tomorow! This chapter is part 2 of the Choosing, from when Halt and Baron Arald discuss whether Will will (hehe Will will) try to steal the paper, to when Halt is informed that Will accepted the apprenticeship offer. I hope you enjoy, guys!

By the way, thanks to Ranger indecisive for catching a typo; I fixed it :) (sorry about this super long authors note)

Disclaimer: The Ranger's Apprentice series, ideas, and characters all come from the wonderful Mr. John Flanagan. I only own Halt's thoughts and actions that were not explicitly described in the books.

Oneshot #3 Continued - The Choosing Part 2

Poor Halt. Poor Will.

"So what do you think he'll do, Halt?" Baron Arald questioned, absently turning the slip of paper over and over in his hand.

"The boy will attempt to retrieve that paper somehow to read what's written inside, my lord." Halt answered confidently, having no doubt that Will would prove him right.

"Steal it, you say?"

Halt grunted, not seeing the point of answering such a mundane question. Baron Arald stroked his beard thoughtfully, silent. Halt, realizing the Baron doubted him, asked, "Don't you think the boy will try to steal it?"

"Well, why are you so sure that young Will is going to try to get this paper?"

Halt frowned mentally. It would seem that young people were not the only ones to answer questions with questions. Perhaps it was a bad habit that, if not corrected early, advanced into adulthood. Suddenly, he was struck with the dismaying thought of an older Will, still plaguing the innocent men of the Ranger Corps by answering questions with questions. Horrified, Halt promised to himself then and there that he would endeavor to correct Will early on, utilizing whatever methods necessary.

After making that vow, Halt realized that Baron Arald had been waiting - somewhat patiently - for him to answer. "He's inquisitive, my lord. Always curious about every little thing." He remembered watching the boy play with the other wards for brief periods of time occasionally, in which the little Will, toddling around on unsteady, but eager, feet, would always be the first one to inspect something new, the first to ask questions on anything and everything that popped up in his mind.

"And you're sure he'll make a good Ranger, should he accept?" Baron Arald crossed the room to the window and pulled the heavy cloth down over it, blocking the wind from entering his room.

"Along with being inquisitive, he's agile, and quick on his feet, and has more between his ears than the average lot, my lord. With some training, he has all of the traits that a Ranger should have. And he's talented." Talented at stealing cakes, Halt thought dryly. But still talented.

Baron Arald nodded contemplatively, now seated back in his chair. "I understand why you'd think he'll try to steal it. I'd like to see how he plans to go about it. Do you have any ideas, Halt?"

As a Ranger, Halt had already analyzed multiple methods of entry that Will could use, so he replied simply, "My lord, I believe that he'll just climb your tower."

"My tower?" the Baron repeated, shocked. "This tower?" He gestured vaguely at the large room, confused.

"Where else would he think you would put the paper, my lord?"

Baron Arald was silent for a moment. Then he sputtered, "But that's dangerous! The boy could fall, all on account of a slip of paper and his curiosity. I ought to inform the sentries to discreetly let him pass -"

"No, my lord," Halt interrupted. "That wouldn't be the best option to take, nor will it be necessary."

"But once my sentries discover him trying to break in, there'll be a huge commotion! Surely, Halt, it's best to just let them know not to raise the warning when they see him."

Halt allowed himself a tight little smile. "First they'll have to see him, my lord, and you'll find that it won't be such an easy feat."

The Baron blinked. "But how will he manage to get from the wards' rooms to mine without being caught?"

Halt strode to the window and pulled the cloth up, gesturing for the Baron to look out. "Do you see those trees in the castle yard, my lord?"

"Yes, I do."

"My lord, when midnight comes - that's when he'll try to come - those trees will be illuminated by the torches that surround the yard, therefore casting shadows on the ground. Not only will the light create shadows, it'll place the guards, already relaxed and sleepy, into a situation where the light is uncertain. The boy will use the shadows to move, undetected, to the edge of this tower, where he'll start to climb."

"But the trees' shadows surely can't block his movement," Baron Arald protested. Halt shook his head.

"There is a wind - you felt it yourself, earlier, my lord, and it will still be here tonight. The wind will cause the trees to move, a movement which the boy can mimic while in the shadows to reach the tower."

"And - and the sentries?"

"They won't see a thing, my lord." Not to mention that the sentries were hardly competent, Halt thought. The men had grown complacent over the years. They would see only what they expected to see - an empty castle yard.

The Baron nodded, convinced. "And now we wait," he said cheerfully, rubbing his hands together.

Halt fixed him with an unblinking stare. "And now I wait," he said. "You can't stay in this room. I'll need to startle him, and if you're here, then the element of surprise will be gone."

Baron Arald nodded grudgingly. He gathered up a stack of papers and stood, before saying, a trifle ruefully, "I wish I could see the poor boy's reaction when you catch him. How do you think he'll react, Halt?"

"I think the boy will be honest and accept the consequences," Halt said. The Baron pursed his lips as he considered it.

"We'll see," he answered.

Halt nodded respectfully as the Baron left his office with the single slip of paper arranged invitingly on his desk. And now I wait.

At midnight, Halt arranged himself in the shadows by the desk, where he had a good vantage point from which he could see entire room. Suddenly, he heard a slight scraping noise that stood out from the usual sounds that he had already accustomed himself to in the hours that he had been alone in the room, wrapped in his cloak. Two hands appeared over the stone window ledge, and then a body.

Will swung inside the room lightly, grinning slightly as he cast a once-over glance at the room. Satisfied that he thought it was empty, he walked to the desk that he had stood before earlier that day, closer to Halt. He reached a hand out.

Just as he touched the paper, Halt seized the boy's wrist, enclosing it in an iron-hard grip. The boy shouted, terrified, and as he looked up and recognized who held him. He was trembling slightly, and looking around desperately for a solution.

"Thought you might try something like this," Halt said grimly, wanting to see what the boy would say to respond. Instead, the boy was silent, only lowering his head and refusing to meet his eyes. "Do you have anything to say?" Halt asked.

The boy only shook his head.

"Well, let's see what the Baron thinks about this," suggested Halt. That raised a reaction from the boy.

"Please, Halt!" The Ranger realized that Will had finally looked up. "Not..." For a moment, Halt thought that the boy was going to beg for him not to tell the Baron, but the boy stopped, recognizing his fate and determined to meet it.

Halt suddenly remembered the boy's father. Daniel had also known the consequences of his actions, and had still chosen to save him. And now, Will was accepting the consequences as well.

"What?" Halt demanded.

The boy shook his head. "Nothing," he said meekly.

Halt led the boy out of the room, still grasping his wrist tightly and holding the slip of paper in his other hand. As he strode up the stairs, his hapless captive in tow, the sentries at the head of the stairs looked up, surprised. They were about to ask about the situation, but Halt silenced them with a grim scowl - in other words, his normal face - and a quick hand gesture. In response, they silently opened the doors to Arald's apartment.

Halt took in the slight confusion on the boy's face as he took in the brightly lit room, but turned to the Baron, who looked up from a report he was reading. "So you were right." Halt nodded, again noticing the boy's confusion at the Baron's words.

"Just as I said, my lord," Halt said. "Came across the castle yard like a shadow. Dodged the sentry as if he wasn't there and came up the tower wall like a spider."

"He climbed the tower, you say?" the Baron said, surprised. Halt realized that the Baron had not been expecting Will's endeavors to climb his tower to be successful.

"No rope. No ladder, my lord. Climbed it as easily as you get on your horse in the morning."

And then he also realized that, given his earlier prediction to the Baron that Will would climb the tower, that the Baron had never expected him to be right. A doubt that the Baron would undoubtedly regret.

"Easier, in fact," Halt added smartly.

Arald frowned, and Halt inwardly chalked up a point for himself. Will cast a betrayed look at Halt, not appreciating Halt's deliberate remark and the effect it might have on the outcome of his predicament.

"Well now," the Baron said, looking at Will. "This is a serious matter."

The boy was silent, unconsciously shifting on his feet from anxiety.

"So, what shall we do with you, young Will?" Arald continued. He stood and started to pace around the room. Suddenly, he stopped pacing and stroked his beard meditatively. "Tell me, young Will, what would you do in my place? What would you do with a boy who broke into your office in the middle of the night and tried to steal an important document?"

"I wasn't stealing, my lord!" Will denied shrilly. At the Baron's skeptical look, he explained weakly, "I just... wanted to see it, that's all."

"Perhaps so, but you haven't answered my question." Halt noticed idly that Arald was raising one eyebrow, a trait that the Baron had no doubt picked up from him. "What would you do in my stead?"

Will lowered his head and was silent for a few moments. Halt looked at him consideringly, wondering if the boy would beg for mercy, or lie, or tell the truth.

"My lord," Will said falteringly, before stopping.

"Yes?" the Baron prompted.

The boy took a deep breath, steeled himself, and continued, "My lord, I don't know what I'd do in your place. I do know there is no excuse for my actions and I will accept whatever punishment you decide."

Halt was impressed, despite his intentions to be impassive. He exchanged a meaningful glance with the Baron, as if to say, I told you so. The Baron ignored Halt's triumphant look and said, "Any suggestions, Halt?"

Making sure his face and voice were as imperturbable as always, Halt replied, "Perhaps we should show him the paper he was so keen to see, my lord." He pulled the slip of paper out of his sleeve.

Arald smiled. "Not a bad idea. I suppose, in a way, it does spell out his punishment, doesn't it?"

Halt's scowl deepened. Apparently the Baron now thought their score was even. But Halt would give him no such satisfaction that easily.

"If you say so, my lord," he responded levelly.

The Baron waved his hand. "Take a joke, Halt! Take a joke!" He gestured at the boy, who was looking uncertainly back and forth between them. "Well, go on and show him the paper."

Halt strode over to the boy and gave Will the paper, noticing the slight tremor in the boy's hands as he grasped the paper. The boy unfolded the paper and read the words that Halt had painstakingly written in there. Halt watched as the boy read the words again. And again. And again.

Finally, Will looked up. He was still silent. Halt was beginning to feel uncomfortable, for some reason - silence had never bothered him before, so why should this silence bother him now? It was the uncertainty, he thought. He hated uncertainty, and he certainly was uncertain of Will's reaction now.

"Well, what do you say, Will?" the Baron urged.

Again, another agonizing silence before the answer. "Thank you, sir - my lord," Will said slowly, looking lost.

Arald sat down and gestured at Halt, indicating that he should leave. "Perhaps you might give us a few moments alone, Halt? I'd like to have a word with Will in private."

Halt bowed and replied, "Certainly, my lord," before moving out the door silently. The sentries outside, startled at his sudden appearance, jumped to attention before realizing that it wasn't their Baron. Then they jumped again when they realized it was him. Ignoring them, Halt faded back into the shadows to wait for the verdict.

After what seemed to him like an eternity - Halt, a Ranger who was used to waiting for long periods of time on missions - the boy slipped out of the door, white-faced and quiet. The boy looked around, then descended the stairs.

Halt, unable to restrain himself any longer, entered Arald's room again.

"So?" he questioned, impatient.

The Baron smiled. "So," he said meaningfully, "Congratulations, Halt. You have another apprentice." His grin widened. "Please try not to terrify that poor boy too much, will you?"

"No promises," Halt said, leaving the room.

Hope you guys liked it! Next chapter will come out tomorrow, and it might be next chapterS if I get ideas tonight! Please read and review, even if you don't have any suggestions. Thanks! :D