Recovery Rangers apprentice Obi the Kid (Fanfiction )

Chapter 4

Morning broke over Araluen and a few sparse rays of sun made their way through the trees to warm the cottage. Inside was quiet, except for a few hushed pops from the dwindling fire. It was the most peace the cottage had seen in recent days. Eight days had passed since Halt had found Will and brought him home. There hadn't been much peace or quiet since that time. A few hours here and there. Today was different. It was the first time Will had slept for more than a few hours without waking in the throes of a nightmare or confused mess. Then thrashing about wildly before being settled by Halt's strong willed embrace. Either it was the body's immense exhaustion finally winning the battle over the disturbed mind, or it was Halt's idea to have Will initially falling asleep already in his embrace. Ultimately the method didn't matter, so much as the fact that mind and body were finally resting at the same time. Without fighting against each other. That was a big step in the recovery process. Though Halt had to admit it was not good for his own body to be sleeping in an upright position, on the floor with his arms tightened around his apprentice for over nine hours. He was feeling it especially the last couple of nights, but complained only to himself, not wanting to upset Will when things seemed to be moving in the right direction. Gilan sensed it though. He'd offered to give Halt a break and sit with Will for a night or two, but Halt declined, fearing it might upset the routine that Will was becoming accustomed to. This morning when the elder of the three opened his eyes, instead of finding a small shaking body in his arms and fearful eyes peering up at him, he found Will sound asleep. Breathing was even, the intense trembling had lessened, with just a shiver every few breaths. The bandages were unscathed, the sores unaffected for a night.

Perhaps they had turned a corner.

The feeling of morning was replaced by the smells of morning as Halt's nose followed the wonderful aroma of bacon frying over an outside fire. His aching body was tempted to follow the nose, but another look at the motionless form in his arms brought him back. Hopefully Gilan would sense his hunger pains and be merciful on his old master. Mercy came moments later, when the tall Ranger stepped inside with a plate of greasy goodness.

"Gil, you are a savior. And a good cook," Halt said as he downed the food without upsetting the exhausted boy in his arms. "If you've got more, I'm up for seconds."

"I figured as much," and he pulled a second plate from the table and handed it off. "I made a slightly tamer version for Will. Less grease. Maybe it won't upset his stomach like some of the other food has. His stomach is mighty sensitive."

"Probably more tension and anxiety than anything. He needs to eat a good meal and I want to get him outside today. We finally had a good night's rest. Time to build on that and push this recovery forward. It's gotten the best of us so far. Time to take back control."

"I agree. I talked to Seran yesterday and looked in on Tug. He's doing much better. That strange look in his eyes is gone and Seran says he's walking without leaning to one side. Still shakes his head, but maybe those are just some remaining cobwebs. I want to bring him home tomorrow."

Halt nodded his head and swallowed a huge bite of breakfast. "Yes, if he's that much better, he'll be a big help to Will's recovery. Make sure the Baron knows of Seran's support during all of this, and his ability with horses. The boy should be complimented for his efforts."

"I've already spoke to the Baron. He saw me at the stables yesterday and came round to ask about Will. I put in a good word for Seran. Also ran into Horace and Alyss. They suspect something is wrong, especially when they found out Tug was at the stables. I didn't offer much, but enough for them to be comfortable with the fact that Will was hurt and is being well cared for. And that he's not up to visitors. They seemed to read between the words and said they understood. But they wanted Will to know that they care about him."