Author's Note: This is my first posted fic, and I'm trying as best as I can to keep true to Ms Lackey's writing style… Don't kill me, I'm doing my best.
Well, this is supposed to go along with Talia's books, and it features two semi-minor characters; Griffon and Christa. (For those of you who know me, haha, funny, I know. Awkward as well…)
Well, here it is… Don't expect much from it, though. -.-;

Thanks to Leah, who read this over and made me write more, and Chele, who helped me come up with the name of the story. Love you guys to no extent!

Disclaimer: I'm not the owner of anything in this fic. The only thing that I own is the paper and pen that the original copy was written on, and even then, my mother bought them. I own a copy of the books, but anything in them is copyrighted by Mercedes Lackey, who is not me, quite obviously.

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Fires of The Heart

Intro – Fickle Minds and Fickle Hearts

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Griffon sighed exasperatedly as he wiped beads of sweat off of his brow. His Gift teacher, Dirk, doused a flaming boulder, while his fellow trainee, Christa, cowered a little ways off behind him. The loud explosion of flames had scared the poor, skittish girl, who was busy trying to locate and fetch a hidden object outside the walls of the Collegium, and she had visibly paled and fallen. "Sorry about that," he apologized, holding an outstretched hand for her to help pull herself up with. "I should have warned you that it'd be loud, but I thought that you were so deep in concentration that you wouldn't hear me… Or maybe you'd get angry for bother you." Christa's face flushed red as he pulled her up off of the ground, and Dirk, who extinguished the fire a few moments ago, watched his two trainees with much amusement.

"Oh, that would have been okay… I don't mind, really…!" She smiled sheepishly and dusted off her tunic. "It's not your fault. And it didn't do too much damage. Just gave me a good scare, is all."

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Dirk tossed the now empty bucket towards the tack shed and kicked at the ashes that used to be the boulder Griffon had incinerated. "Okay, you two. Enough chitchat. Go wash up and get to your chores." The two trainees picked up their equipment and hurried off to clean themselves up. "Those two are extremely peculiar," he mumbled to himself.

"You can say that again, brother!" Kris looked down from the roof of the tack shed. He stretched lazily and repositioned himself to get the most sunlight as possible. "You'd think that those two were really life-bonded and they didn't know it." He looked over at Dirk and grinned.

"Well, you imbecile – ignoring the fact that you could have gotten burned to death if you had startled young Griffon – I think you've got a good eye." Dirk hung the bucket up and started walking towards the Collegium. "Now, we've got some chores of our own, and I for one don't want Elcarth hanging me out of a window for being lazy." Kris jumped down the ladder on the side of the shed and started walking with his partner towards the large stone palace.

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Christa stepped out of the washroom, toweling off her dripping brown hair. Her grey trainees uniform clung loosely to her still damp body, and her glasses still showed signs of the hot bathing room. She quickly pulled back her medium length hair into a bun at the nape of her neck, then wiped away the fog on her glasses from the sudden temperature change with the damp towel. With her mind full of thoughts, she didn't even notice where she was going. :Nyra,: she Mindcalled to her Companion. :Do you think that I'd' have time enough to go back to my room before I have to go and sew?:

:Oh, most definitely, Sunshine!: She could practically feel her small mare nudge her in the direction of her room.

:But… Do you think – I mean, maybe I'd be able to go… walk down with… with… G-gr… Gri-: Her sentence was cut short as she bumped into something. At first, she thought that she had forgotten to turn, but when she looked up, her golden-brown eyes met a very unexpected sight. She had walked right into someone – a trainee, according the grey uniform – and that someone was quite tall, for she was staring straight at his or her back. "Oh! I'm sorry," Christa squealed, backing away to see who it was. Bright hazel eyes met icy blue eyes as Griffon turned around to face his fellow trainee.

"Oh," Griffon started with slight shock. "That's okay, Christa. It's not your fault." He smiled. That stunning smile of his brought color to Christa's cheeks.

Wow, she thought. His smile is so… Her insides fluttered in joy as she tried desperately to speak. "Uhm, well, I-I really should have been l-looking where I-I was g-going," she stammered, quite embarrassed by her stutter.

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She's cute when she does that, Griffon thought to himself. :It's a shame that she's so shy.:

:Well, love, she may be shy,: Harevis responded. :But that girl sure knows what it is that she wants. She sets her mind to it, and can always get it done.:

:Even if she doubts herself.: Griffon smiled even more. "Well, now that fate has brought us together on this fine autumn afternoon, how would you like it if I walked with you?" He looked at her hopefully, and she blushed.

"I-I guess I wouldn't mind that much…"

The two of them strolled down the hallway, each of them trapped in their own vortex of thoughts. She seems worried about something. Or maybe something's bothering her. His chilling blue eyes watched her in a very calculating manner. Christa strode down the hallway a mere step ahead of him, her hips swaying slightly from side to side. Her damp hair was slipping out of the black ribbon that was keeping it in a bun, and water was still dripping down her back from it. She stopped walking and turned to a door. Reaching out to the doorknob, her slender hand opened the door and she stepped into her room.

She turned and looked at him, her eyes glittering in the dim light. "You can come in." Griffon cautiously stepped into the room and looked round. The room was mostly dark because the shutters were closed, and he could barely see the girl in front of him. Which was a good thing, for she couldn't see him either.

His face was flushed bright red, and he didn't want her to see that. First time I've been into her room, he thought. He heard her shuffling about her room, and felt her brush by him a few times. " Are you looking for your sewing kit?"

"Yes," she sighed. "I can't seem to find it!" Desk drawers opened and closed quickly, and more shuffling ensued.

"Do you want some help?" Griffon took a step towards what he thought was a desk. "The least I can do is give you a little light." He looked over at her, even though he couldn't see her well, and waited for a response.

"Thank you," she sighed. "I can't see a damned thing in here." She threw up her hands in frustration and plopped herself down on the edge of her bed. With a quiet pop, the candle closest to her desk lit itself. Griffon picked up the candlestick and slowly walked over to her. He saw how determined she was to find the small sewing kit that she had misplaced. Her eyes darted around the room as if passing final judgment on everything in sight. The ribbon in her hair had slipped out even more, and she was now fighting a never-ending war, trying to keep the offending enemy out of her face.

Something in the corner of Griffons line of sight glinted in the delicate candlelight. He turned and looked at a table that was strategically placed next to the head of her bed, and she followed his gaze. "There it is!" She grabbed at it and stuffed it into her pocket quickly. "Thank you so much!" She flung herself at him, and caught him in a quick hug. His face glowed red and he looked away. "If we don't go soon," Christa started, "we're going to be late." She strolled over the her door and blinding light from the outside corridor streamed in. Griffon quickly extinguished the candle with his magic and ran after Christa.

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Well, so much for this. Here's the first chapter. It's a little short, but it's really only there so that you can get to know my writing style and how my mind works with these characters…… Like I said, I'm not really a great author, but my friends seem to like the story… Reviews are welcome, and tips for getting into the style of the books are welcome with open arms. Flamers are fine, but mind you, I will not tolerate them if I find them to be untactful and rude.

Thanks for reading my babble.

-Duct Tape Kitten- 04.10.05