Author's Note: This story was inspired by Yabberli, whose wonderful story reminded me that I always wanted to know what happened to Van and Stef in the end.
Stefen ran through the halls of the Bardic Collegium, looking back over his shoulder as he went and praying to any god or goddess that might be listening that his pursuers would give up. Hellfire. You'd think having someone like Firesong help to save Valdemar would make people a little more accepting. Guess not.
The sounds of pursuit were gradually starting to fade, and Stef decided that it would probably be safe to head back towards his room. His run slowed to a walk, and he turned down a side hallway that would take him in the right direction. He was starting to breathe a little easier by the time he reached his room…until it came into sight. One of the muscle-bound noble Blues that had been chasing him before grinned at him. "Took ya long enough to get here," he said as he and his friends walked towards Stef. He turned to run again, knowing that it was too late.
His head was pounding – the first thing Stef noticed as he slowly wandered in the direction of consciousness. Then, it hit him and he sat up abruptly, only to be pushed back down into the bed by a steel-haired woman in Healer's green who had been standing over him.
"That's enough of that," she said sternly, though her voice was soft. "You're safe, but you're not leaving here for a few days. Those boys hit on you pretty hard." Stef must have still looked anxious, because the Healer smiled. "Don't worry your pretty head any. The boys who did this to you got caught in the act by another trainee. They've all been sent home to their parents."
"Who?" Stef's voice was hoarse from overuse, and he winced slightly. The Healer shrugged, and got up to leave. Looking back at Stef, she caught the tail end of his pleading look. "Alright, alright. I'll see if I can find out."
The Healer – who introduced herself as Jauna – came back a few minutes later with a glass of some greenish potion, and the news that Stef's rescuer was going to stop in once he got out of class, if he behaved. She left the potion beside the bed with the instructions to "drink it if you hurt anywhere, or else," and bustled out again.
Ignoring the potion, Stef dozed until he heard a knock at the door. "Come in," he rasped, sitting up slightly. The boy who entered was tall and pale, with a mop of midnight-colored hair tied at the back of his neck. He looked to be about the same age as Stef, who smiled slightly without realizing it. Whaddya suppose the odds are he's shaych?
"I'm Vanyel. They…said you wanted to see me?"