The end...? (Ranger's apprentice/ Brotherband fan-fiction)

Chapter 20

Petrified, Will looked as Hal slowly fell from the railing towards the deck. Thorn caught him, to then awkwardly keep him upright to make sure no extra pressure was put on the wound that now decorated Hal's stomach. Edvin left the tiller for what it was and wasted no time in getting towards them. He had a blank expression on his face, which Will had by now recognized as his professional, concentrated healers-expression. In one smooth motion, Edvin broke off the side of the spear sticking out of Hal's back. Hal didn't seem to notice. HE stared at the bloodied spearhead that came from his body, a somewhat concerned look on his face, as if he was wondering what the thing was doing there.
Thorn slowly lowered the skirl to the deck and let his head rest on his lap.
"No, not you. Not like this. Not now. Why? Not like this. Not like..." he mumbled, softly rocking back and forth. The expression on his face was terrible. Ruined. Crazy. Marked by old and new sadness and loss. Deparate.
Will hadn't moved. He just stood there, aghast. How could this have happened? Everything just seemed to be getting better. And why did that spear need to hit such a critical spot? If it had been just his leg, everything would be fine! He knew there was no point in asking 'what if' question, but he had grown quite fond of the young Skandians in the short time he had spent with them. He realized that he, if he had been able to, would have protected Hal from that long weapon. An intense feeling of hatred towards the Scoti arose inside him. He had been angry and shocked with the inhabitants of Picta before, but now...

Back in reality, he realized that everything had turned chaotic around him. Thorn was slowly going hysterical, and most Herons had grouped around their skirl, which Edvin did not seem to appreciate all that much. Will decided that the situation had to change, to give Hal a chance.
"Listen carefully, everyone!" he exclaimed. Relieved, he found that his voice was not quivering and he managed to grasp the Herons' attention immediately. The looks on their faces were desperate, as if they were begging Will to make everything right again with his 'ranger's magic'. He took a deep breath before continuing: "Hal is hurt," he stated, earning him a few angry glances, "which means he needs help. While we are on this ship, Edvin is the only one who can give him that help, so give him some space to breath!" Edvin looked up for a moment, a grateful expression on his face, and then continued with whatever it was he was doing. The others stepped backwards, very aware of the mistake they had made while panicking. "However, we can give Hal more help, by getting ourselves the hell to Skandia, to get a professional doctor over there." Several heads started nodding and expressions of hope returned to their faces. No one moved though.
"What are you waiting for? Stig, you are the only candidate left to take care of the tiller. Ulf, Wulf, I've seen you handle the sails a lot lately. Do it again. Everyone else, through those remaining Scoti overboard and get your butts to the oars! The sooner we arrive in Hallasholm, the better!"
Stig ran over to the tiller, and somewhat shakily called out some orders to the twins regarding the sails. They, too, started moving and slowly but steadily the ship continued on its path towards the port. Will helped with throwing the remaining Scoti overboard, which provided him with some distraction, even though it was a gruesome job. As soon as the deck was cleared, he glanced over to the horizon. It was going to take some more hours before they would arrive at the coast. Critical hours, which they could not afford to lose. Hal needed help right now.

Hal stared up towards the clear blue sky. Something was tingling in his belly, but he couldn't tell what it was. His entire body seemed to have gone numb. He knew damn well what had happened, and he knew that Edvin was trying his best to do something about it. Of course, both of them knew it wasn't of any use anymore. The urge to close his eyes became overwhelming. He felt so peaceful, so sleepy...
"Hal, open your eyes and keep them open," a voice ordered. Hal frowned a little. But he didn't want to open his eyes! "Keep your eyes open, Hal," the voice repeated. Something in the voice assured him that he needed to obey. A vague muttering sounded somewhere to his left. Were they still trying to help him? But... why? He wasn't that important, was he? There were more than enough promising skirls left in Skandia. And... Wait, what? No, Hal thought, it is not over yet!
He tried to fight the sleepiness, the urge to close his eyes. He directed his gaze to where the voices and the muttering seemed to come from. He vaguely recognized Thorn, and Edvin. Will was there, too, engaged in a conversation with the healer. Thorn met his gaze, an expression of despair on his face.
"No, this can't be happening. Not like this. Not you. Not the same way as... as hím," Thorn mumbled. Hal was surprised to see his older friend close to tears.
"Thorn..." he tried to say. He noticed that his voice was weak and breaking, and it took a lot of effort to speak. He coughed. Thorn's gaze focussed and returned to Hal. The skirl gathered all the willpower he had in him, to continue speaking. "Thorn. Don't... don't worry."
Thorn looked at him, a blank expression on his face. "If... if I don't make it," Hal continued, his frown deepening. Thorn furiously shook his head.
"That won't happen! No, it won't, it can't, it..." he exclaimed. Hal interrupted him.
"Thorn. If... Watch over... watch over the Herons. They... will need you." He coughed ago, longer than the previous time. His vision was starting to blur.
"No! Hal! Don't say that, don't say... the same..." Thorn's voice broke and his body started shaking. Hal was surprised to find the big, tough Skandian crying. For him. Then it dawned upon him that what had happened to him was the same thing that had happened to his father. He had also been pierced through by a spear. All of this must be reminding Thorn of Mikkel's death. This angered Hal. No, stupid Scoti, you won't succeed in this! he thought. I refuse to die!
He tried to focus again, fought to stay conscious.
"Thorn," he said again, his voice a little more powerful this time. "I am not my father. It isn't over yet. I am not planning to die, neither here nor now!" He met Thorn's gaze, determined to live up to his words. Much to his surprise, Thorn started laughing.