Halt's Ranger Apprentices- John Flanagan Ranger Apprentice fan-fiction

CHAPTER SIX:

Will was sitting in a tree in the Castle Courtyard, the girl noticed. He looked sad and only which made her think of Halt. Although she was with him all the time his eyes always showed loneliness and sadness in them like someone really close to him had died. Every now and then the girl would bring it up with Halt but, like always, he shut her out.
Bringing that memory of the right, brought another wave of sadness and loneliness to run through her, which made her shove it all back in the dark corners of her mind and kept walking toward the tree.
She walked towards him instinctively trying to be quiet. After living with a ranger all her life, she gained habits like this.
Once she reached the tree she stood by it, looking up at him through the moonlight. She still hadn't figured out what she was going to say or how to explain anything to him yet, but she still took a in-take of breath to speak.

That was when Will spoke, his voice breaking through the silent night air. "At least you know who you are" he said sadly. Another wave of sadness and loneliness.
The owl flew away and he sat in silence staring at the castle. That was when the girl decided to speak.
"You know people might think you're crazy if they catch you talking to an owl." she said trying to brighten up the mood for both of their sakes. Will saw her, freezing in caution of her appearance, their last encounter bottling up his memory.
"I don't think I'm the crazy one here." He replied, caution all too obvious in his words. Squirt, knowing what he meant shook her head.
"I'm not going to hurt you if that's you're you're thinking." A trace of smile on her lips in an attempt to keep the mood uplifting.
Will paused in consideration of her words.
"Who are you?" He eventually asked, the caution slowly easing off of his voice.
"I work with Baron Arald sometimes, when I was with him once I saw you, and someone called your name. That's it, I'm no dangerous assassin or anything." Squirt half-lied. It was true that she does work with Baron Arald sometimes, usually with him and Pauline to do some extra paperwork duty, and it was all true that she definitely was not a dangerous assassin or anything. So, she only merely lied to the boy.
The relief flooded through her as he nodded all hint of suspicion and caution releasing from his face. They were silent for a moment, as Squirt looked up at him, and him down at her.

"Come on," Will's head shook to the side as he spoke, "welcome to my lair." Squirt couldn't hide the smile and relief of the trust he lay with her, as she began climbing up. She set herself on a branch opposite to Will's so she could face him.
His hair, a dark brown, ruffled and messy slightly covered his eyes, making it hard to see the expression on his face. She looked in the distance, as they both sat in a friendly silence.
The tree brought a good view of the castle and the courtyard, and was high enough to see just over the castle to the horizon.
The sun had disappeared already but the clear darkening sky was beautiful. "It's so peaceful." Squirt said softly, feeling as if taking loudly would wreck everything. She saw Will nod in her peripheral as she kept her eyes on the horizon.

"It why I come here a lot." He said in the same soft tone. She felt his eyes on her, knowing she was being assessed, so she kept her eyes on the horizon before speaking again.
"What's so interesting?" Will quickly looked away even though she didn't even turn to look at him. He played dumb.
"What?" He spoke, pretending as if distracted. A smile touched her lips.
"What's so interesting about me that you have to look at me for so long," Squirt spoke, turning to look at Will now. He stared at his hands before looking back up, he body suddenly feeling light with uneasiness as his stare intensified.
"You're not like the other girls, you don't wear dresses, you don't do girly things, you're not at all like any girl I've met." He spoke, the softness in his eyes as he kept looking at her in such a way, keeping the light feeling up.
"Is that such a bad thing?" She replied, trying to shrug of the intensity by blinking lazily. But Will's gaze didn't waver.
"No," he spoke, the softness in his voice giving her a sense of kindness that made her breathing uneven. She gave up the attempts of lazily blinking and became enthralled by his gaze. A tinge of smile creased the sides of his mouth as he spoke again. "Not at all." Squirt smiled back, before both of them turned back to the peaceful horizon once again.
"So what brings you here?" Will asked, his voice more normal. Whatever happened, whatever moment they had, it was over now.
"I had to get away." Squirt replied briefly, not getting into too much detail. She turned back to Will. "And what about you?"
Will sighed. "I had to get away as well," he replied, exhaustion deciding to drown his tone. "More from Horace than anyone else." Squirt turned back to him, the mention of Horace bringing back the awful memory.
"How is he?" She asked reluctantly knowing however will answered it would be satisfying. If he said he was fine, then she would want to hit him harder, but if he said he wasn't, then she would know the consequences were not going to be good.
"He's angry." Will said, a trace of smile on his lips at the memory of the bruise on his cheek. "He's telling everyone that it was a boy instead of you." Will couldn't hold back the small laugh he tried to keep hidden inside if him.
"Everyone? Who knows?" Will could see the small panic grow in her eyes but quickly assured her that it was just some boys in the village and some of the Castle Wards. She nodded with relief.
"But, I wouldn't be surprised if he goes to Baron Arald about it." Will said cautiously, knowing it wasn't the news she wanted. Squirt nodded again, this time with not a trace of relief in it.
"I thought as much." She said, the sense if her giving up in her tone.
Will felt sympathetic for the poor girl, anyone could've made the mistake of punching Horace, since it's not hard to, and now she will have to suffer the consequences.
"I could talk to him, convince him-" Will began to speak before he knew just how much he was offering to her, a girl he didn't even know, but she cut him off anyway.
"No, no." She said firmly, waving her hands in a gesture that she would not stand for it. "I'll work it out, I'll just have to worry about it later. Hopefully he won't say anything at The Choosing." Will straightened his back as he was reminded of the horror that will take place in the following day.
"You're going too?" He asked, a reluctance lying in his tone. She nodded, and he closed his eyes.
Another witness to my horror, he thought.
"I was taken in by my guardian after my parents died, but since they died because of the Hackham Heath battle, I'm technically a Castle Ward." Squirt said before adding quietly to herself, "or so I'm told."
"So what's your name?" Will asked, curiosity escaping him as he began to gaze upon her again.
The hesitation hit her again, but from the kindness Will had shown, she knew she could trust him. "I don't have one." His eye brows raised in surprise at her words. "My Guardian calls me, Squirt." She said hesitantly. Will eyes softened at her words, and kind smile return on his lips.
"Squirt it is, then." His smile was contagious a smile leaping onto her own lips.
Yes, she thought, I like this feeling.
They both sat silently, looking into the horizon once again. A knew sense of friendship between them.