The Icebound Land

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death, physical abuse, emotional abuse, addiction, and substance use.

Will, who gains the surname Treaty in the subsequent fourth novel, is one of the four protagonists of the novel and the hero of the Ranger’s Apprentice series. In The Icebound Land, Will is a 16-year-old apprentice Ranger in training under Halt to become a full-fledged Ranger in the service of King Duncan of Araluen. Will is stubborn, intelligent, and courageous; although his abilities are imperfect, leading to failures like not noticing the missing bung in the skiff on his escape attempt, his character is typically quite noble. He has a “shock” of brown hair as an identifying feature, and he is skilled with a bow and a throwing knife; his skills are incredibly advanced despite his youth and relative inexperience. Will strongly values his own freedom and independence but also relies on his friends and allies for support, viewing Evanlyn and Horace as close friends and Halt, his mentor, as a father figure, although some of these relationships are minimally present in this novel.

Will’s growth throughout this novel is recursive; he starts the novel as the strong, resourceful character he has grown to be throughout the first two novels in the series, but halfway through, he succumbs to the harsh conditions of enslavement and abuse.