2 years later...

Halt strolled leisurely down the hall, his cloak swinging behind him jauntily. The familiar weight of his bow and quiver was missing, stowed away in a chest in his and Pauline's room. It had been several months since Halt had needed them, and he was sure they had gathered a fair amount of dust in there by now.

Having been retired for almost five years, he found his bow gathered dust most of the time. And it no longer bothered him.

He turned the corner and started down another long passageway, and laughing and shrieking could already be heard from the open door at the end. Light spilled out of the doorframe, making the darkened hallway glow brighter as he got closer. When Halt was still several meters away from the door, a tiny hand reached out from behind the frame, followed by a small head covered in dark curls.

"Olivia, what are you doing?" Halt smiled widely, covering the last few meters with long strides and crouched down next to the baby crawling on the floor. "Are you trying to escape?"

Olivia's gummy smile made Halt's grow even bigger. That was another thing that had changed - Halt no longer had to grudgingly allow his smiles to creep across his face. He didn't have to force them, or be scolded by Pauline when his lips wouldn't even twitch upwards for days on end.

He smiled every day now, willingly. Several times a day if he was spending it with Pauline, Will, Alyss, and Olivia.

The baby babbled something incoherent back at him, and he only nodded and smiled as if he understood. "I know you weren't trying to escape, you were just glad to see me, right? Are you ready to go home? Your mother's almost ready to go."

"Mama!" she cried, reaching out to the doorframe beside her and pushed herself up on to her feet, wobbling and clutching the frame to stay upright.

Halt, still kneeling, looked over her shoulder to see one of the Ward's nurses smiling down at him. "She's been waiting for you all day, Ranger Halt."

"Of course she has," he said, rising from his crouch and taking the bag the nurse handed him. As he slung it over his shoulder, he gently pried Olivia's hand off the door frame and gripped it tightly in his own. "Can you say thank you to Nurse Rowan?"

Olivia let off a stream of nonsense, with a few words vaguely resembling 'thank you'.

The nurse only smiled and murmured, "You're welcome, Olivia. See you next time!"

Halt patiently led her down the hall, walking slowly to let the baby's short legs keep up. "Your walking is getting better every day, Liv. If you keep practicing, you'll be running on your own in no time."

"Yah!" she said. Her legs were still unsteady underneath her, and Halt had to lift her back up onto her feet multiple times to keep her from face planting. But, just like her father and mother, Olivia wasn't one to give up. She slowly walked down the long hallways with Halt at her side without a single noise of complaint, focused entirely on her legs underneath her, her round face puckered with determination.

After Halt had to carry her up the stairs, which were still too challenging for her, the pair had finally reached the Courier's wing. As they turned the corner they saw Alyss down the hall, locking the door to her office with a file of paper in her hands, her bags slung over her shoulder.

"Mama!" Olivia called, and tried to pull her hand out of Halt's, but he held firm.

Alyss's face turned to them as her daughter called to her, and a weary, worried expression melted away to reveal a smile. "Hello, darling. Hello, Halt. Thank you for getting her."

As they drew closer, Olivia tugging at his hand with surprising strength, he could see the single sheet of paper sticking out of the file that Alyss gripped with white knuckles. "Everything alright? What's that you're taking home?"

Alyss shook her head, her lips pursed. "It's nothing, I hope. Only a message for Will." She tucked the file into her bag and bent down, hiding her face from Halt as she scooped a squealing Olivia into her arms. As she stood, Halt saw the flash of fear as she pressed Olivia against her chest, inhaling deeply.

He decided not to press her further, especially in front of Olivia. He would find out what was in that letter soon enough. "Well, he's due to arrive any minute. Let's head down."

She nodded, still carrying Olivia tightly, and they both started down the stairs, Olivia happily chattering the whole way.

Once they had reached the courtyard where Will should be riding in at any moment, Alyss set Olivia down on the ground and held her hand, helping her stumble across the cobblestones in the pink light of the sunset. "Have you been practicing your walking with Grandpa Halt? You're already better than you were yesterday."

Olivia giggled and chattered happily, Alyss nodding back. Halt followed behind, giving her sly smiles and waves from over Alyss's shoulders whenever she looked back. Alyss pretended not to see Halt and kept drawing Olivia's attention playfully back to her. By making her head dart back and forth between them, moving from one silly face to the other, they made Olivia laugh even harder than before, giving her the hiccups. Alyss scooped her up once again and patted her on the back to soothe her, sharing a good laugh of her own with Halt.

As they reached the area near the gates, Jonathan called down from the ramparts above, "He's coming up to the bridge, Lady Alyss, Ranger Halt!"

"Thanks, Jonathan!" Halt peered out through the beams of hazy light and saw a shadowy figure cresting the hill behind the drawbridge, a Ranger on a stout little horse, the slim tip of his massive longbow over his shoulder nealy disappearing in the sun's glare.

Clop clop clop went Tug's hooves as he and Will made their way across the wooden bridge, lowered just for him at Jonathan's command. As soon as he crossed through the arch of the open portcullis and came into full view, the clopping sound louder on the stones, Olivia cried out in an almost ear-splitting shriek, "Daddy!"

Will didn't even twitch, as soon as he could see them all, his face split into a huge smile, only widening when he heard his daughter's call. He swung down from Tug, giving him an absent-minded pat on the neck, and then paused as he saw Alyss bending down to help Olivia balance on the ground. "Are you going to walk to me, darling? Let's try it, Livvy! Come on, you can do it!" Will said, edging forward a few feet and knelt in the dust, his arms outstretched.

Alyss also called encouragement to Olivia, letting go of her hand but staying close by, pushing her gently along. Even Halt came around the side, pretending to race her as she stumbled along, her tiny legs wobbling with every step. But she didn't fall, not even when Alyss let go of her fully and stepped back, letting her go all on her own.

By now Olivia was only a meter from Will, who said, "So close, Livvy, so close!" As soon as she was within reach, Will's arms seized her hands and pulled her the rest of the way, crying, "You did it! You did it, I'm so proud of you, darling!" She laughed and babbled happily as Will folded her tiny form into his arms, holding her tightly against his chest and kissing the top of her head.

As Will let her go, getting to his feet, Halt couldn't help but notice, as he did every time, the astonishing resemblance between the two. Olivia's dark curls matched Will's hair exactly, and her facial features, though only partially formed, had a similar build to Will's own. Even the way she scrunched up her face when she concentrated reminded him of Will. Her eyes, however, glistened intelligently, bright and gray like her mother's.

"I brought you back something, Livvy, wanna see?" Will was saying as he picked her up, tucking her against his hip with one arm and digging in his belt pouches with the other. She babbled, still giggling. "Alright, alright, I'm getting it as fast as I can, no need to be so pushy. Alright, ready? One, two.... Three!" He withdrew a tiny hair bow, handknit of beautiful lilac yarn. A tiny metal clip was attached to the base, and he let Olivia hold it as she reached for it with grubby hands.

She eyed it once, then immediately tried to fit it into her mouth, and Will quickly plucked it out from between her lips. "Nope, not a snack, not this time. It's for your hair! Now, when Dad does your hair, you can have a nice bow, too!"

As he was struggling to slide the clip into her hair one handed, he met Alyss's eyes and gave her a warm, knowing smile. "Hullo, Alyss. Did you survive my absence?"

"Apparently, since I'm still standing and Olivia isn't lost or abandoned. Good to know I can survive two days of parenting alone." She smiled wider as Will stepped closer to her and wrapped his free arm around her waist, pulling her in for a nice long kiss.

Halt felt the faintest pang of wistfulness as he took in the image of the happy family. He and Pauline had married too late in life to ever have their own children. They had long accepted this fact, and it didn't bother Halt, not even now. But that didn't mean he didn't sometimes look at something so happy, so joyous, and wish he could have a taste of it, too.

Will put Olivia back on the ground, balancing her on her feet, and his smile faded as he caught Alyss's troubled expression. In her hand now rested the sheet of paper from earlier, the one she had refused to tell Halt about. Halt reached over and took Olivia's hand from Will's so that the pair could talk properly.

Will nodded his thanks, and then turned to face Alyss fully, his hand now holding hers. "What's that?"

"A letter. For you." She placed the paper in his open hand with stiff fingers.

Halt watched Will study her face. "What's it about?"

"You."

Will gave up and glanced down, his eyes skimming over the script. Halt surreptitiously glanced at what he could see, and even as Will flicked the page down away from his eyes, he caught an elaborate wax seal pressed into fine green wax.

Green wax was a very unique color to use, Halt knew that much. And the last time he had seen a seal that color had been from a certain King that had given Araluen quite a bit of trouble a couple years prior. Specifically, he had given Will trouble.

"Alyss, don't worry, I - "

"He's asking you to come again, and I don't know if you can turn him down after- "

"I can, and I will. I won't - "

"I don't want you to go, not for that long."

"Alyss." He crumpled the letter, stuffing it unceremoniously into his pocket and seized both her hands. "I won't."

"You won't what?" Halt asked mildly, glancing between the two. Olivia gurgled beside him, her tiny face pressed against his knee, smearing her saliva across his trousers.

Will sighed. "It's from King Carr."

"King Carr, as in, the King of Celtica? The one who came here and nearly caused both your deaths?"

"The same." Will dug back into his pocket and held out the crumpled ball to Halt. "He wants me to visit him in Celtica. Says he needs help with something, but doesn't say what."

Halt tried to decipher the words on the ruined paper, and gave up quickly, looking back up at Will. "And you won't go?"

"No, I won't, not any time soon, at least." He looked sidelong at Alyss. "I can't go away for that long while Olivia is so young. I can't do that to you."

"But can you truly turn down the King of Celtica? This is his third time - "

"His third time?" Halt exclaimed. "His third letter trying to convince you to visit?"

Will nodded grimly. "I've turned him down every time, and I plan to continue doing so."

"Why?"

"It's only been a couple years since we last saw him. He returned to his country after the arsons and reported to have settled in excellently, and hasn't reported any issues since. He doesn't need my help, he just wants to see me and that's not a good enough reason for me to leave."

Will uncurled the bottom half of the paper, and showed Halt the final sentence of the note. "He writes something like this every time, just to rile me up."

Halt squinted at the bent paper and read, Olivia is getting so big. You must be a proud father.

"How does he know anything about Olivia?" Halt spluttered, his hand tightening his grip on the baby's hand. She was now hanging from his arm and laughing as she swung back and forth, oblivious to the conversation.

"It's his blasted visions, or he's planted a spy, I could care less which one it is. He does it to try to make me unsettled, and I won't stand for it." He took the letter back from Halt, searched over Alyss's shoulder for a moment, and then, spotting a torch on the wall, he strolled over to it and dropped the ball of paper into the flames. In seconds, green wax bubbled and dripped onto the cobblestones below, and Will rubbed the spot on his shoulder where the druid mark still sat, burned into his skin, and then his hand fell to his side and he turned back sharply, walking back over to them.

Alyss gave him a proper smile, hugging him tightly. "Thank you, Will."

"I turn him down, every time, for you. For you and Olivia."

"I know."

Halt resolved to ask Will more about this matter later, cleared his throat, and tried to pry Olivia from his leg, where she had returned to chewing on the cloth of his trousers. "She's excited to go home, you know. She'll chew through my pants with only her gums if you two don't hurry up and give her something else to do."

Will gave Halt a smile, and dragged the baby away from Halt's leg. "What did I say last time, Livvy? No chewing through Grandpa Halt's pants."

He held Olivia up against his chest, and Alyss withdrew a long thick scarf from within her bag. She walked over and wrapped the cloth over Olivia's back, bringing one end over Will's shoulder and the other across to his opposite hip. He waited as she crossed behind his back, knotting the scarf securely so that Olivia was slung securely across his chest where she couldn't fall while they rode.

It was something Will had noticed during his time with the Bedullin tribe in the last year of his apprenticeship, and when he and Alyss had been scheming different ways to ride on horseback with Olivia, he had devised this cloth sling method based on the Bedullin tribeswomen's methods of carrying their babies. Over the year that Will and Alyss had been seen using the sling all around Redmont, the trend had quickly spread until nearly every mother was carrying their babies through Redmont village tied tightly against their chests, leaving both hands free. Halt had only laughed when Will showed him for the first time. His apprentice would never run out of ideas, no matter how big or small, and no matter if it was for a battle or for his baby.

Alyss stood by him as he remounted Tug, who had stood patiently beside them the whole time. Halt saw Tug's head nod up and down, and a snort echoed against the courtyard walls. He could have sworn Tug had said something like, She'd better not vomit on me like last time. I smelled like stomach acid and carrots for a week.

Of course Halt could never know for sure. Only the horse's Ranger knew what he truly said. But after all, Halt had known Will and Tug for a long time, and perhaps that gave him permission to try to decipher the little gray horse's snide comments.

He didn't ride Abelard enough these days. And he knew his horse would have a lot, a lot, to say if he tried to bring a baby with him on his back. Tug, Halt reasoned, was being an extraordinarily tolerant horse. But since he was Will's horse, he probably had a soft spot for Olivia just like Will did. Just like everyone else did.

Alyss mounted her own horse, which was brought to her by one of the squires. Halt handed her her bags, and helped Will adjust his bow and quiver while keeping a tight hand on Olivia, who was starting to fall asleep against her father's chest. "Safe ride home, you three! Don't drop Livvy!" he called as they nudged their horses into a slow walk, aiming for the open gate.

Will turned back to him, his face bright and glowing purple and blue in the dimming rays of the sunset. "I'll try my best!" he called jauntily, and Olivia's tiny eyes were already closed and pressed up into Will's chest.

Alyss flashed a smile at him over her shoulder, looking truly at ease. Then the trio rode off down the drawbridge and soon disappeared over the hill, the swaying green grass blurring Halt's view.

He shook his head and turned away from the sight, turned away from the sunset, and started walking back to his rooms, where Pauline would be waiting to dine with him.

After all, he knew he'd see them tomorrow.

No fires had burned in Araluen in the last two years, and Halt knew Will wouldn't let them burn ever again.

So he always knew he'd see all of them, all three of them, tomorrow.

THE END.

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Bonus chapters are on their way! I hope you enjoyed my story. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for reading and supporting me and this story. These characters mean the world to me, and I'm sad to let them go. 

What was your favorite moment from this story? 

See you soon, much love. <3