Disclaimer: The distinct lack of parrot should tell you something about who I am not.
Summary: Luca had had a boring day. And then it got much better.
A/N: So, first Valdemar fic ever, and first one shot ever. Let's see how this goes, shall we? Also, etcetera-cat's Valdemar pieces are amazing. Do not miss out on that.
Choosings of an Unusual Kind
Luca Prahll's day had gone from boring to monotonous and back to boring again. Perhaps I should make myself more clear. My day has gone from boring to monotonous and back to boring again. This is a relatively normal occurrence, as I tend to find most things in life either boring or monotonous.
Or worse, both.
Back to my day. As I said, it was boring first. We'll begin there, shall we? My day started as all of my days tend to do. Actually, I have reason to believe that most of the general population of Valdemar starts their day this way as well. That is to say, I woke up. I can't say much for other countries, as I've never been there personally and cannot fairly speak for their waking habits. But I digress, back to why my day has been so boring. After I woke up, my eyes opened. See? Already boring.
Rather than take you through my morning waking up and ablutions routine, which would be both monotonous and embarrassing for all involved, I will speed things up and skip to breakfast. I tripped happily down the stairs and towards the Collegium's kitchens. And when I say tripped, I do not mean in the skipping kind of way. But it was happily, because honestly, there was food and other people involved in breakfast, so who wouldn't be happy?
Mealtimes tended to be the highlight of my life here at the Collegia, as they are where the most exciting things happen. For instance, the Heraldic Trainees one time decided that it would be astoundingly amusing if a pair of them were to Fetch plates with food on them into people's faces, starting a magnificent food fight. Another time, some of us Blues played a prank on three Healer Trainees. Let's just say that it's not a generally good idea to upset people who know what kinds of herbs will make you act like there is a bee in your underthings all day. I'm under oath to not tell what happened between the Blues and the Bardic Trainees, so I'll just say that cold looks are passed between certain groups of certain people at certain times nowadays.
Unfortunately, today did not begin as promisingly as some do, and absolutely nothing happened during breakfast. There had been a lull in the ongoing prank war between the Blues and the rest of the Collegia for several weeks now, and I have lately been coming to meals expecting something fun to happen. This generally means that I tend to be disappointed. Instead, the day trudged onwards with nary a peep of excitement.
After breakfast, I skipped off to classes, only being slowed down as I was hailed by several friends. Well, they call themselves my friends. I call them my hopelessly steady and sane hangers-on.
"Luca, why are you skipping? Was there another food fight?" That being my hopelessly steady and sane hanger-on Joshamie, a Healer in training.
"No, no food fights. She's under the impression that the longer the lull goes, the better the next prank will be." Next in line of my... alright, I'll call them my friends for expediencies sake, my friend Lat, a fellow Blue.
"You two make that sound like a bad thing. Life is full of surprises and bumps, you should always be ready, willing, and excited to meet them!" I enthused. My two friends shared a look. Well, no, I lie. They shared a Look. It was a speaking Look. And it spoke a trilogy of unabridged novels. Then they looked at me, waiting until I had sighed in defeat and walked ahead of them, unwilling to allow them to try and talk me into being even marginally sane about my outlook on life.
I smiled to myself as soon as I was reasonably sure that neither Joshamie or Lat could see me, because honestly, they were right. I was under the impression that the next prank would be excellent. And I was also entirely correct, as I was going to be the one heading the operation.
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Meran was having a... well, it could really only be described as A Day. That's the only real word for it he could come up with. Nothing had happened in particular, but nothing had not not happened either. It was one of those days that you woke up from the day after reasonably sure that it was still the same day, as the nothingness you remember from before could only possibly have been some sort of hazy dream.
Or at least, it would have been if he wasn't savoring every moment of the day. For the last few weeks he had been feeling things. Well, that wasn't quite correct. He was Feeling Things. Stirring kind of Feeling Things. As in, he was Feeling the first Stirrings of his Call, Things.
:Hmm, perhaps one or five less audibly capitalized words in there, Meran dear:
Said Companion's head jerked around in surprise, eyes wide as he stared at the speaker. :Yes, well, they're all technically correct. Besides, do you have any idea what you sounded like when you first got your Call? Let's not even go into when you actually found your Chosen.: The Companion's companion huffed slightly, tossing her forelock out of her crystalline eyes. :I never got all smug like you've been for the past three days. Sure, I pranced around like some sort of high strung race horse, but I didn't moon to myself for days on end smirking. You keep that expression up and you'll have a full on leer:
Meran threw up his head, nostrils flaring, :Gross Reetu!: He pranced sideways, shaking his head and Sending images of him gagging, to fully express his disgust. His friend shrugged as much as her equine shoulders would allow, :Well, with the way you've been going on, I'd say that you think you two are going to be Lifebonded or something. Havens, even the Groveborn is rolling his eyes-: The Companion mare finally caught on to Meran's frantic head bobbing and significant looks cast over her shoulder. :-at...you... Umm, hello Groveborn Rolan:
The tall stallion gave Reetu an amused look, before turning his gaze onto the youngest of the three, :How goes the Stirrings of your Call, Companion Meran? Are they getting stronger?: Before answering his elder, Meran threw Reetu a superior look, as if to say 'See, I told you I was right.'
:Every day, Groveborn. I've begun Seeing flashes of her life now. I think she might be a noble's daughter, I keep Seeing bits of the palace. I can already Feel some of her stronger emotions as well. She is very happy, I'm almost worried that she's so happy that she won't like it that I Choose her...: Meran spiraled in momentary despair at that thought - what if she didn't like it here at the Collegium? What if she loved her life right now, and resented him for taking her away from it? He shook those thoughts from his mind. There was no use panicking before the stampede.
Rolan Sent a feeling of mild reassurance before lifting his head, getting a 'listening' look on his long, elegant face. :Ah, I'm afraid that I must leave you two. It is nearly time for your equitation lessons, Reetu.: And with that the ever-mysterious Groveborn wandered off, clearly done with the impromptu audience.
:Sadly, he is right, I have to go Meran. I'll see you later, thought I doubt that you'll be able to see me under all the mud and bruises I'll have once I get back...: Meran almost nickered in unsympathetic laughter, but thought better of it at the last minute. He himself would be enduring the same thing in a short time. Reetu watched him control himself, and muttered something about 'just you wait' as she trotted off to wait in the stables for her Chosen.
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I have finally decided something. I may think I am a genius at planning and pranks and the planning of said pranks. I may also think that I am a genius at executing these plans and pranks. However, as I said before, I have decided something, and that is that I am an utter moron at escape routes.
Well, again, that's not entirely correct - I am ridiculously stupid in remembering small details... such as everyone would know it was me, and that my escape plan of looking innocent and just as surprised as everyone else would not work.
As a result of my idiocy, I am now running. I believe the proper term is actually running like hells. I am a relatively active girl by nature, as well as being one of the few Blues currently in the Weapon's training class. So when I say that I am excellent at running away, this statement is not amended with 'except for...'. It's very true. Having a serious older brother with no sense of humor - that I, naturally, felt the need to improve - made me and exceptional runner from an early age.
However, having the bulk of Heraldic Trainees after me for the past quarter mark has severely depleted my stamina. Some of those older Trainees are... very fast. And determined. And, uhm, did I mention that they are still on their Companions? Because they are. I seem to have forgotten to mention that my little joke took place during the Heraldic Trainees' equitation class. The Companions seem pretty upset too, if the pinned ears and bared teeth are any indication.
In addition to all the absolute shit luck I have been having since the implementation of this plan, I have run into an even bigger problem. I have run out of space to run. The only out seems to be towards the Companion's Field and, well, you can imagine why I don't exactly want to go by that particular escape route.
I am getting the sinking feeling that not only am I going to have to that way, but also that it will turn into a gamut of hooves and teeth.
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Meran was slightly concerned. He was getting another Feeling, but this wasn't as... carefree, as the others were. This Feeling had the grey tinge of mild panic to it, but it was such a jumble that he wasn't sure what to make of it. There was a bright yellow of intense happiness, which wouldn't really make sense except for he was getting the sparkly white and black of hysteria as well. Now, just so no one thought he was a terrible Companion, he was only slightly concerned as the bright yellow overshadowed the other two Feelings considerably. Which is also why he was confused. He also realized that he was going around in circles with himself.
He was trying to concentrate, but it was... well, rather hard, as every single Companion with a Chosen under seventeen seemed to be yelling. Loudly. In Mindspeech. Which, incidentally, had the unfortunate side effect of being much more distracting than audible yelling could ever be.
Considering the fact that they were all yelling 'GET HER!' or some variation thereof, he supposed that he should be trying to help... but... his soon-to-be Chosen...
Anyways, he'd be more concerned if they weren't all half laughing along with the yelling.
He was pretty sure that there were some 'WATCH OUT!'s yelled in there too, but he was honestly too preoccupied with trying to make sure that his almost-Chosen's wellbeing wasn't in danger of, well, not being well.
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I had to do it. It was the only way to get out. The Companions and their Trainees bearing down on me, I have to admit that I panicked a little bit. Come on, giant, heaving white horses and their Grey-clad riders barreling towards you at unhealthy speeds with no signs of slowing down and every sign of wanting to stomp you into the ground would probably even have phased the great Vanyel Ashkevron of legend.
So I vaulted through the rails of the Companion's Field fence and sprinted as best as my burning legs and screaming lungs would allow. If I had been running like hells before, I am now running like all the demons that the Karsite Sun Priests could summon are after me. I don't believe that I will be able to move for at least a week after this... if there is an 'after this'. I don't know, those Companions look pretty... intensely angry.
Hearing my pursuers clearing the fence behind me, I turn to check how many of them made it over.
" ! " Is the best description for the sound that comes out of my mouth, though it was supposed to sound like the extremely inappropriate word that I once heard an old friend of my mother's say, that described the act of reproduction.
They have all made it over the fence; damn Companions to the darkest pit of the seven hells for being supernatural.
There is also one of them ahead of me, riderless, so I must assume that since it is not racing towards me with murder in it's eyes that it is not in on this particular game of Whack the Luca. I also assume that it will get out of my way of it's own accord, as I haven't the resources (aka, agility) to dodge around it at the speed I am going without loosing said precious momentum.
I turn once more to check on the status of my impending doom, realizing what a good deal of Valdemar's enemies must have felt like in their last moments.
And then my upper body hits a brick wall. Unfortunately, my legs do not register this brick wall, and continue running. This has the undesirable result of me laying flat on my back, in the Companion's Field, with half of the Companions currently in the Field out for my blood.
Leaving me staring up at the Companion's, who did not, in fact, move, indelicate bits.
Might I retract all the 'it's from the paragraph above, and insert instead, a 'he'?
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Meran now wished heartily that he had listened to all the yelling that had been going on, as it had resulted in some young Blue slamming into his side and clothes-lining herself on his midsection. He realized after a moment's thought that this also resulted in her either being unconscious, as she wasn't moving, or being frozen because she was left staring at his... indelicate bits.
Wild flailing and embarrassed exclamations confirmed that it was the former.
He obligingly swung his hindquarters away from both the oncoming stampede of Companions with their Trainees, and her mortified view. She jumped up, now in front of him, bowing and apologizing.
"I am so sorry, sir Companion! I thought you would move and-oh-gods-I'd-better-go-now!" Her second sentence had been punctuated with a quick glance behind her, revealing to her that the rest of the herd was now nearly upon them.
She turned once more towards him, mouth open to utter another quick apology, her feet already moving to run around and behind him.
He Felt his Stirrings move, and strengthen, bursting into the full Call.
His eyes caught hers.
And she fell into him, heart and soul.
:Hello Luca, my name is Meran, and I Choo-:
"Excellent, let's skeddadle then, shall we?"
And with that, Meran's newly Chosen Luca grabbed his mane, vaulted onto his back, and whooped loudly enough to startle him into a full gallop. Straight into the oncoming equitation class.
Well, thought Meran, perhaps not the most traditional of Choosings, he shouldered past Reetu, Sending her a half joyful, half hysterical laugh and breaking through the last of the herd to gallop with his tail up for the Field's fence, but at least she's not upset about being Chosen.
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This may just be the best thing I've done all week! I thought to myself gleefully, riding my brand spanking new Companion over the fence and into what should be plenty of excitement.
A/N: Well folks, there she is, my first one shot. And very proud I am of it too. I plan on most likely continuing this with other one shots, all adding bits and pieces to Luca and her family and friends' lives.