In which Crowley retires a little earlier than in canon, and he doesn't die because I said so. He names three candidates for the job, and Will is forced to confront the horrifying reality that he is one of them.
The cabin was quiet in the way it always was at this hourâthe sun had begun to dip below the tree tops, casting a golden light across the floorboards.
A single unlit lantern sat on the table between them.
Papers were spread everywhere. Most of them were correspondence from fiefs that required attention but not necessarily urgency. The kind of work that never really ended.
Will and Halt were quite used to this routine.
They would do their own patrols and routing throughout the day, and around sunset, meet at Will and Alyss' cabin to go over reports and discuss their findings that day, however small or trivial they may seem.
Then once a week or so, they would head back to Halt and Pauline's apartment at the castle, where Alyss would usually be, and they would have a "no-business-discussion-allowed-dinner."
Halt sat back slightly in his chair, one boot propped up on the table in a way that would most definitely warrant a scolding from his wife. And Will's wife, now that he thinks about it.
At that thought, he slowly removed his leg from the table, hoping Will wouldn't comment.
But Will was caught up completely in whatever report had caught his attention; the official paper sat in front of him, while he sat hunched forward, elbow braced on the table, scratching messy notes quickly over a sheet of parchment as he summarized a patrol incident.
For a while, there was nothing but the scratch of ink and the occasional shift of parchment.
Then, without looking up, Halt said, âOh, Crowleyâs retiring.â
Will didnât seem to register what he said; he didn't even pause. âMm.â
Then completely stopped. Will suddenly seemed to understand what his mentor had just said, and his head jerked up, his mouth opened in shock.
Halt turned a page. âEnd of the year. Heâs been considering it for some time.â
Will blinked at him, setting the pen down. âSince when?â
âSince he realized heâs getting old.â
Will snorted. âHeâs been old since I met him.â
âThat was his point as well.â
Will leaned back slightly, processing. It fit, in a way. Crowley had been Commandant for a long time. Long enough that it was almost difficult to imagine the Corps without him.
ââŚHuh,â Will said finally. âWell. Thatâs⌠big.â
Silence stretched again for a moment.
Will picked his pen back up, though his attention had clearly drifted.
âYouâre one of the candidates, actually,â Halt said casually, licking his thumb to turn the page of the report he still seemed invested in, whilst dropping the news of a lifetime to his shellshocked former apprentice.
The pen slipped clean out of Will's fingers and hit the table with a sharp clack.
Will stared at Halt, that open-mouthed, shocked look back on his face.
Halt still did not look up.
ââŚIâm sorry,â Will said slowly, âI must have misheard you.â
Halt did look up this time, and continued playing his little game as he shook his head with a slight smile on his lips.
Then his attention returned to his report.
Will reached for his mug, clearly intending to take a sip. He had to focus on stilling his hands from the slight tremor they now had as he raised the coffee to his mouth. He missed slightly, corrected, and then promptly choked on the coffee anyway.
He coughedâhardâturning away, one hand braced on the table.
Halt looked up now, setting the report down, then, when Will could breathe again, he burst out laughing.
Prompting a death-glare from the younger ranger, which had zero effect. But Halt couldn't help it; the look on the younger ranger's face was too good.
Finally, Will managed to find his words again, and he sputtered out, ââŚIââ He gestured vaguely. âIâmâ what?â
âYou're one of three,â Halt said, returning to a stoic look. âYou, Gilan, and Ben.â
A short, incredulous sound that hushed as soon as it started.
âThatâs not funny," He deadpanned.
âIt wasnât meant to be.â
âNo, I meanââ Will sat forward, both hands on the table now, as if grounding himself. âHalt, I would be a terrible Commandant.â
Halt looked up again, readying himself to defend Will from Will.
But the man had already set off.
âI mean, honestlyâhave they met me? Crowley spends half his time telling me Iâm not by the book enough, and now suddenly Iâm supposed to be the book?â He ran a hand through his hair, agitated. âI donât even like rules.â
âYou follow them when necessary.â
âI bend them when necessary,â Will corrected immediately. âThose are not the same thing.â
Will pointed at him. âAnd donât you say anything, youâre the worst influence Iâve ever known.â
âThatâs demonstrably untrue,â Halt said calmly. âYou were quite capable of poor decisions before you met me.â
Will ignored that entirely; his mind was still spinning in disbelief.
âI meanâCommandant? Really?â He let out another disbelieving laugh. âI can barely keep my own fief from descending into chaos some weeks. You want me running the entire Corps?â
âYou wouldnât be alone.â
âThatâs not very comforting.â
Haltâs mouth twitched again, just slightly.
Will groaned, dragging a hand down his face. âNo. Absolutely not. Thereâs no universe where this is a good idea.â
âCrowley seems to think otherwise.â
âCrowley,â Will said flatly, âhas clearly lost his mind in his ever-increasing old age.â
Halt returned his attention to the report.
âThat has been suspected.â
The conversation mostly ended there.
As did the productivity, apparently.
Will picked his pen back up, then set it down again almost immediately, his focus clearly gone. Halt didnât comment. He had expected as muchâthat was precisely why heâd waited until the important work was finished before mentioning it.
Now, at least, there was no reason to stay. Which was entirely Halt's intention.
He rose, already reaching for his cloak.
âCome on,â he said. âLet's go have dinner.â
Paulineâs and Halt's apartment was always warm.
Will liked that. It offered a homey feeling to it, with little touches here and there that Halt had inputted over the years since their marriage to remind himself of the cabin.
Tonight, it seemed especially warm. With lamplight and the smell of something slow-cooked and delicious.
It was a familiar space. Comfortable.
Alyss was already there when Will and Halt arrived, seated at the table with Pauline, deep in conversation. She glanced up as the door openedâand her face lit up in a smile in that easy way that still, after eleven years of marriage, made something in Will settle.
âFinally,â she said, as she stood up to give her husband a kiss on the cheek. âI was beginning to think Halt had chained you to a desk again.â
âHe tried,â Will said, shrugging off his cloak. âI escaped.â
Halt snorted softly behind him.
Dinner was peaceful, as it always was. Conversation flowed with no effortâbits of politics, minor gossip from the castle, Paulineâs latest frustrations with correspondence that had arrived poorly phrased.
It wasnât until they were halfway through the meal that Alyss tilted her head slightly, studying him.
âYouâre quieter than usual,â she said.
ââŚCrowleyâs retiring,â Will said bluntly.
Pauline blinked, feigning surprise as if she hadn't known about this for a week. âIs he?â
âWell,â she said thoughtfully, âitâs about time. He's earned a little relaxation, I'd say.â
No one disagreed with that.
âAnd the replacement?â Alyss asked, already knowing that Will would confirm her suspicions.
Will exhaled slowly, setting his fork down, as he gave her a look.
âOh, youâll like this.â
Halt took an unassuming sip of his coffee.
âIâm apparently under consideration.â
Paulineâs brows lifted, once again struggling a bit to feign surprise.
Alyss froze for half a second, processing the confirmationâthen her lips curved.
âCommandant Will Treaty,â she said lightly.
Will huffed a laugh, shaking his head, âOnly sounds good coming out of you.â
Alyssâs smile widened, entirely unbothered.
âWell,â she said smoothly, âIâll make sure to say it often, then.â
They all collectively ignored Halt choking on his coffee at that comment, though Will didn't miss the satisfying irony.
âPlease donât,â he muttered, rubbing both his hands down his face.
âI donât know,â Pauline said, still amused. âIt has a certain ring to it.â
âIt absolutely does not,â Will said firmly.
âWho are the other considerations?â Alyss asked.
âGilan,â Will said immediately. âAnd Ben. Honestly, preferably Gilan.â
Will shrugged at him. âHeâs the obvious choice. Heâs organized, heâs respected, a damn good ranger, and he actually likes structureââ
âI tolerate it,â Will corrected. âThatâs different.â
Alyss studied him for a moment.
âAnd if youâre chosen?â
âI'm passing it to Gilan.â
Haltâs gaze sharpened slightly as both his eyebrows rose.
âYou canât justââ
âI can try,â Will said. âAnd I will. Plus if I'm appointed commandant, I can simply say I'm retiring back to active duty and passing the baton again."
"You can't just be commandant for 6 hours and then decide you're handing it off to someone else, that's now how it works."
"Well, if I'm appointed, things wouldn't be going by the rules anyway. Iâm not uprooting everything for a job I donât want.â
Alyss tilted her head. âEverything?â
He met her eyes, softer now.
âWell, you canât exactly pack up and move to Araluen with me,â he said. âYour workâs here, honey. Our lives are here.â A small shrug. âIâm not going anywhere.â
Something in her expression warmed a bitâsubtle, but unmistakable.
âThatâs very mature of you,â she said.
âWell, don't sound so surprised.â
âIâm not,â she said, smiling. âJust impressed.â
âDonât be. Itâs mostly self-preservation.â
Halt said nothingâbut there was something quietly approving in the set of his shoulders.
A week later, the cabin door slammed open without warning.
âUnless youâve brought something useful--â
Gilan stood in the doorway.
And something was⌠off.
His expression was blank in a way that didnât suit him. Not calm or controlled like usual.
Halt had already straightened slightly in his chair.
âWhat is it?â he asked.
Gilan stepped inside slowly, shut the door behind him, and looked at both of them.
âIâm the new Commandant.â
Will was on his feet so fast his chair scraped loudly across the floor.
âYouâre serious?!â he demanded, enveloping his older brother in a bear hug.
Gilan gave a short, almost disbelieving laugh into Will's shoulder. âApparently.â
Halt stood as well, a rare and proud smile showing across his face as he crossed the room in two strides to place a firm hand on Gilan's shoulder.
âCongratulations,â he said.
Will was still bubbling over with excitement for his friend.
âThatâsâ of course you are,â he said, grinning now, holding Gilan by the shoulders. âThatâs perfect. Thatâs exactly how it should be.â
Gilan blinked at him, a concerned look crossing his face. âYouâre⌠not disappointed? Or bitter toward me?â
âAre you kidding, Gil? I couldn't be happier!â Will said, pulling him into a hug again. âI was planning on giving it to you anyway.â
âYou canât justââ
âI know,â Will said with a laugh. âBut that wasnât going to stop me from trying.â
Gilan huffed a laugh, shaking his head, as he stepped back from the hug, running his hand through his hair in pure shock.
Halt watched them both for a moment, a familiar pride settling into his chest once again. It was quite an honor having a former apprentice become commandant, but to have them both be considered for the prestigious role made Halt's heart almost swell.
He earned it, he thought. They both would've earned it.
But he couldn't ruin his reputation by getting sappy right now, so he broke the silence, drylyâ
âTry not to ruin the Corps.â
Gilan glanced at him, as though he saw right through Halt's defenses. âHigh expectations.â
âI find they encourage improvement.â
Will clapped Gilan on the back. âYouâll be brilliant.â
Gilan exhaled slowly, some of the shock finally easing.
âYou will,â Will said simply.
Gilan leaned back against the table, looking between them.
ââŚCrowleyâs going to be unbearable about this, isnât he?â
Halt reached for his papers again.
âGet used to it, Commandant.â
And the cabin, once again, settled into something easy.