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Not a single noise sounded from any of the creaky floorboards, as not a single foot stepped on them. They were important to the cabin's safety, of course, but a skilled mind will always quickly learn how to avoid them. So it was no surprise when everything stayed silent. The ranger had lived here for years after all.
Walking away from the kitchen where Gilan made his bedding, Halt continued through the short dark hallway, not once doubting his steps. He knew them like his own bow.
But as the grizzled ranger reached for the doorknob to his own room, he stopped and glanced toward the other door in the hall. He considered it.
He had already announced to their guest that he was tired and wanted to sleep. But maybe it wouldn't hurt to check, to make sure. After all, he never dared to doubt his instincts.
Pushing the door aside, he soundlessly slipped into Will's bedroom, not shutting it behind him as to not make noise. It was pitch black in there, but his eyes had already adjusted enough to make out faint silhouettes. His gaze landed on the bed that sat in the far left corner. There was a thin figure huddled underneath the blankets on it, seemingly calm and at rest. To an untrained eye, it might have looked like it was asleep.
But not to Halt. It was clear the apprentice wasn't actually breathing in a deep rhythm, but only trying to imitate it.
With an exhausted sigh, the older ranger walked over and sat down at the end of the bed.
"You should go to sleep, Will," said boy had already given up on pretending and instead rolled over to lay on his back. The mentor still couldn't really make out the features of his face, as it was way too dark.
After a few moments of the kid having a staring contest with the ceiling, Halt pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. Seems like he'll be awake longer than he first planned.
Looking back at the young apprentice, he was still watching nothing in particular.
"Alright. What's on your mind?"
A few seconds of silence followed, then: "What if I fail?"
A tiny flicker of confusion lit up in Halt before being extinguished by an obvious realization. Of course he'd be nervous about that, it was to be expected.
With a deadpan voice, he responded: "You'll be fine, Will. It's only a trip to Celtica and back to deliver a message. If all goes well, you shouldn't encounter anything too dangerous."
As he overtime got more and more adjusted to the lighting, he could now make out the creased eyebrows of his apprentice as a frown spread across his face.
"But you don't know that."
The older man nodded: "I don't."
"And so," continued the boy, his face pulling into a deeper frown the more he spoke, "we can still meet something. And- and what if I freak out again and miss?" Will huffed out of annoyance, shoulders sinking: "I'm supposed to be good at this..."
"Technically, you're supposed to be much, much better than good," Halt corrected, "But don't forget that it was only one shot, and you remained calm during that battle." He added the last part albeit begrudgingly, but he decided to say it anyway.
The kid rubbed his arm: "I just- what if I'm not made to be a ranger?"
His teacher looked at him incredulously: "Are you trying to imply that my judgement was wrong?"
"No! No, of course not!" Will quickly shot up, scrambling to explain, "I wouldn't do that, but..." A tired sigh left him and he leaned back against the wall, all fire from just now leaving him.
"But?..." Halt prompted after he didn't show any signs of trying to continue.
Will pressed the heels of his palms against his eyes and huffed out a frustrated sigh: "But- it feels like no matter what I do, I keep missing! My shots, my knife throws, everything! That can't be the performance of a future ranger, can it?"
Halt raised an eyebrow. "And what did you expect? That you'd get everything right on the first try? No, what makes a ranger is practice."
The boy peeled his hands away, letting them fall limply to his sides. He looked...defeated.
"But...what if I never get better? What if I only continue to fail?..."
And Halt...for once, he couldn't bring himself to say something about how he won't if he doesn't train. That wouldn't help Will right now.
With a sigh, he leaned forward and placed his left hand on the teen's shoulder, startling him into looking in his mentor's eyes.
"Listen, mistakes are part of the learning process, they're inevitable," he started carefully, "But do you think any other archer would be able to do what you did? Would they be able to kill a Kalkara?"
Will smiled, a bit of the sadness melting away into a fond relief: "Apprentices don't think."
Halt let out a long sigh, but he wasn't quite able to put any real frustration behind it. And he knew the boy could tell. But after looking at the way his grin widened, he decided to let it slide for once.
He squeezed his shoulder slightly: "Yes, but do you get what I'm saying?"
Bowing his head, Will breathed out: "Yeah...I guess I'm just scared."
His teacher leaned down even further to lock eyes with him: "And that's normal. You can't let that fear control you though."
They watched each other for a second more, before Halt pulled away and stood up. His kid apprentice would be fine now.
As he walked to the door, he looked back and added: "Besides, you'll be back soon to continue your training, so you'll get to brush up on the skills I'm sure will rust during your trip."
As he left, he could hear a disgruntled groan from behind him.