A/N: An alternate scenario to Erak's Ransom :)
Halt watches as Will rides away with the Arridan horse, and a part of him goes along with his apprentice. Everything in him begs to run after him and it's only the faces of the others that makes him stay behind.
How much has the boy grown already? No, Halt corrects himself. Will isn't a boy anymore. He's nearly a Ranger already if not for the final exams, and he's as good as earned that silver oakleaf.
But he can't help but wonder what he, Halt could have done better. The sandstorm had been unfamiliar and monstrous, and even Abelard had been anything but calm. Will had been out there, alone with Tug, and then finally no one. If it hadn't been for Selethen, what would have happened?
He didn't want to know the answer.
Gilan is talking to him, pulling him away. And as he pushes himself back in the saddle, and he reassures the group of Will's success, he can't help that nagging in the back of his head. He might end up slipping again, and it could cost someone's life. One of the Arridans', Erak's, Svengal's, even Horace, Gilan, or Evanlyn.
He spares one glance back in the way Will had left. If he doesn't see the boy back soon, he won't be able to hold himself steady. He'll go back to find Will, do whatever it takes to make sure his apprentice is safe.
What he doesn't know is that those last few minutes were the last time he'll ever see the boy alive.
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Ranger's Apprentice: Tales Untold
FanfictionYou've heard of their adventures, of the wars, of their accomplishments. You know where they've traveled. But what about the parts you don't see? The parts of their lives that have been untold?
