Where There's a Will, There's a Way

"This is bad, Halt," Crowley said after reading Will's report.

Halt nodded. "It definitely doesn't look good."

"I'm worried about Will," Crowley said. "He's a great Ranger, no doubt. But he's just out of apprenticehood. We didn't expect it to be this bad in Mackindaw..."

Halt nodded, but didn't say anything. He knew when his friend was nervous, he tended to ramble to fill the silence.

Crowley continued speaking. "Halt, you know him best. Can Will find a way to do it?"

Halt regarded him solemnly.

"Where there's a Will, there's a way."

Ok I know this was bad but I really wanted to find a way to incorporate this phrase into something so yeah.

***

Like Father, Like Son

Horace watched with some interest as Halt bent over the round shield, painstakingly painting the sunrise on it.

The grizzled Ranger's tongue was poking out as he worked, making him look surprisingly young. It reminded the young warrior of someone, although he couldn't quite place it...

Will. That was it. How often had Horace witnessed Will's tongue poking out as he worked diligently on one task or another? Back at the Ward, Horace remembered regretfully, it was a trait he had teased Will about.

As the knight continued to watch Halt painting, a phrase popped into his mind unbidden.

Like father, like son.

Horace grinned. It fit.

So part of this actually happened, with Horace noticing Halt's tongue poking out as he painted the shield. I remembered in an earlier book that Alyss had noticed the same thing with Will, and voìla! I had the idea for this short.

***

Halt!

Every day, the sounds of the Kikori training echoed around the natural fortress. Halt had grown used to the sound of Will and Seley el'then calling orders to their men.

Well, all except for one order.

"Halt!" The cry rang around the clearing.

Halt whipped his head around. "What?" he said irritably.

When no one answered, Halt groaned. It was just the Kikori training again, he told himself.

Every time they gave the command to "halt," he couldn't help but react. Especially when Will said it. Hearing his former apprentice yelling Halt's name tended to galvanize him into action.

Rolling his eyes, Halt turned back to his work, bracing himself for the next time someone would yell his name.

As I read Emporor of Nihon-Ja, I realized how often they told the Kikori to "Halt," and I kept thinking of Halt when that happened. I know that anytime someone says my name or something remotely close to it, I tend to react. This was just me imagining how Halt would react hearing his name shouted.

These were all ideas or phrases I wanted to use, but didn't know how to incorporate them into a full chapter. I know they were all short, but I hope you liked them!