StarBlaze: Don't ask me when this takes place. In the Mercedes Lackey world- sometime with Herald-Mages. Either a while before the Last Herald-Mage Trilogy or a while after the Mage Storm Trilogy. As for the Fushigi Yuugi Universe- I really have no clue. They're out on the road, looking for the Shinzaho, they've found all of the seishi (well, dur!), Nuriko hasn't died yet (*sniff* poor Nuri-chan!), and Hotohori's there. Ah, who cares? It's AU and a fanfic. I can mess it up however I please. *evil gryn*
Jiminy Cricket: You've got no conscience at all! Of course you can't…aaaah!
StarBlaze: *squashes annoying little bug* Erm....you didn't see that!
*fanfic readers sweatdrop*
StarBlaze: He was an annoying little bugger, anyway. You should all be applauding me! *strikes a pose and waits expectantly. crickets can be heard in the background.* Unappreciative little… mumble, mumble…*stalks off*
Nuriko: Well, since Star's too hormonal at the moment…
StarBlaze: I heard that, Nuriko!
Nuriko: *sweatdrop* Umm, yes, well, enjoy the story and please review. Although, no flames, please. You really don't want to get her angry, do you?
StarBlaze: Nuriko…!
Nuriko: Right, well, bye! *runs off in terror*
Tasuki: *laughs* Can you say whipped?
StarBlaze: I'll whip you, Tasuki! *comes out with Nakago's whip and snaps it at Tasuki's feet*
Tasuki: *jumps* Shit! She's fucking crazy!
StarBlaze: *chases Tasuki, snapping the whip at him*
*everybody else sweatdrops*
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Herald Deirdre settled comfortably in her Companion's saddle. :Are you happy to be leaving, Chosen?: Kavor asked her, shaking his head a little.
Dee patted his neck companionably. "Happy? Not exactly. Relieved is more like it. I should have been out long ago." Dee was a Journeyman-leveled White Winds mage whose wanderings had taken her inside Valdemar's borders. As she had neared the country's capital, Haven, she was confronted by a strange white stallion. She was promptly Chosen by said stallion and spirited off to the Heraldic Collegium. There she had agreed to stay and be trained as a Heraldic Trainee- not a presumptive Herald-Mage. In things concerning magic, she had insisted on being treated as any other full-grown mage of a different discipline. She had also demanded that once she had finished her Heraldic training, she should be given leave to complete her journeying to become Adeptclass. The Monarch had been reluctant on that part, but Dee had proved to be extraordinarily stubborn.
Now they were ready. Dee was now a full Herald. She was more than ready to complete her journey and prove that she was Adeptclass material, or Masterclass, at the very least.
Kavor set off at a leisurely pace. That had been the last inn they would stop at before they crossed the border into Rethwellan. Totally disregarding Kavor's reins, she grabbed a scrap of brown ribbon out of her pack and wrestled her dark red curls into a respectable braid.
Kavor snorted. :You should have done that in the inn, in front a mirror.:
:Pah,: Dee replied, holding the ribbon in her mouth while her hands were busy braiding. :I could braid hair in my sleep. Anyway, I wanted to get an early start.:
:So you should have gotten up earlier,: he retorted, as Dee tied the ribbon at the end of her braid.
"Stop mother-henning, Kavor. It probably looks fine enough. It's not like I'm going to court." She certainly wasn't, wearing a tunic and leggings of muted earth-tones under her mage-robes. Dee never did care for Heralds' Whites, and since she was technically on leave, she wouldn't wear them more than need be. She did have a set in her gear, if the need ever arose, but she preferred to not wear something that stained just by looking at it.
:That's not true, and you know it!: Kavor injected indignantly. :Stop being so melodramatic. You sound like a Bard.:
"Stuff it, horse." Dee made a last check over her weapons: throwing daggers safe in their sheathes under her sleeves, her sword was buckled firmly around her waist, her bow was in good repair, the quiver on her back was full of good arrows. It was a strange thing indeed for a mage to carry weapons, never mind so many. But Dee was of a frame of mind that realized magic was not the answer for everything. If she exhausted herself fighting an enemy magically, what was to stop another from attacking her? She would use magic of course- that was part of her training- but she had a more conventional means to rely on before she exhausted herself.
Her forest green eyes surveyed her gear, making sure that all buckles and straps were secure, which was why she didn't see the glittering, green fog until they were in it.
Dee's head snapped up as she felt Kavor falter beneath her; Companions never stumbled. The green fog was the last thing she saw before the world faded into black.
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Dee groaned and stretched stiffly, checking for injuries. Thankfully, she didn't appear to have any, besides bruises. She opened her eyes with difficulty; they felt like they were glued shut. She shook her head to rid herself of the drug-like daze, and took in her surroundings.
Not that there was much to take in. She was in the middle of a normal countryside on beautiful, sunny afternoon. I could be anywhere, she thought. She had expected to wake up in some sort of prison cell, completely shielded from Kavor.
:Kavor, love,: she MindCalled him, :where are you? Are you hurt?:
:I'm up the road a ways, Chosen,: he replied- Dee immediately spotted the dirt road she had missed earlier and started for it. :I think I might have hurt my right foreleg, though; I can't put much weight on it.:
"Dammit!" Dee muttered under her breath and picked up as much speed as her stiff limbs and swirling head would allow for.
She reached him quickly. He did look rather uncomfortable, balancing on three legs, her heavy packs on his back, and his tack twisted in ways that couldn't be comfortable. She took her packs down before anything else and removed his tack. He shot her a wordless burst of gratitude and love.
She squatted down to examine his foreleg; it was swollen and crusted with blood right above the hock. Dee shook her head a in sympathy. She immediately regretted the action as her head swam and threatened to black out. "What a sorry pair we make, eh?" she croaked, patting his side awkwardly. "I'm not gonna be able t' do much f'r this leg." Her tongue felt swollen, making speech difficult, so she switched to Mind Speech. :I'm sorry, Kavor. We need to clean that up, but I'm not up to looking for water. There is my canteen…:
:Which we need,: he injected forcibly. Something up the road caught his attention. :There's a group coming this way.:
:Bandits?:
:I don't think so, but if they prove to be friendly, ask them for assistance.:
:And if they don't…?:
:Unless you're up to magic or fighting, there isn't much we can do. Put up a brave front, love, maybe they'll let us be.:
She managed to stand up straight, although her body protested. She swayed a bit, using Kavor to keep her balance. She daren't lean her weight on him though; she had no idea how much he would be able to hold. She locked her knees before they could buckle underneath her.
The group of eight had come up to them now, but before anyone could speak, Dee slipped back into darkness.
To be continued.
StarBlaze: *sitting on Tasuki's head, now decidedly cheerful* So whaddya think of that, huh?
Tasuki: mmhlf
StarBlaze: *sweetly* What was that, Tasuki, dear?
Tasuki: MMHLF!
StarBlaze: Oh, d'you want me to get off of your head? Now, why didn't you say so in the first place? *stands up*
Tasuki: Freaky chick. *takes out his tessen* REKKA SHI-
StarBlaze: *takes out whip* Ah-ah-ah!
Tasuki: *cringes* meep!
Nuriko: *sweatdrop* Now that's what I call whipped!
Chichiri: Maybe you should leave Tasuki alone now, no da.
StarBlaze: Ah, you're right Chi, he's no fun anymore. *thinks, then gryns* Tamahome!
Chiriko: *tugs on Star's sleeve* Why haven't we appeared in the story?
StarBlaze: *huggles adorable little Chiriko* Don't worry Chiriko! You guys are coming up very soon! I would never forget you!