Kori's Back! I've edited the story and have put it into third-person, or whatever it's called...
Anyway, I only own the original characters--Lackey owns the rest.
Please read this, even if you read it before--and let me know if you find any skipped over 'I's', 'mes', mys' and what not!
Enjoy!
She stared at the waterfall. Why? Why does everyone have partners but me? It's not fai—I know, I know! 'Life's not fair.' But still! First, there was Darcee and Zand, then Markus and Tolie—can't forget Jason and Brooke.
:Brooding: a voice said in her head. It was Cole, the girl's Companion.
She sighed. :Of course, Cole. What else could I possibly be doing here: She snapped. Silence ensued, spreading like spilled milk until the Herald finally said:Sorry, it's just that everywhere I look people are pared-off. Even the wildlife, for gods' sake! You know how it is…: Silence once more shrouded around them. She heard steps behind her and knew it was Cole. He dropped his strong, proud head and nuzzled the forlorn Herald as she'd seen him nuzzle his two gorgeous foals. (Cole happened to be the proud sire of a filly and a colt, both born on the same night, same hour, practically the same damn minute. Of course, Kori had had Foal Watch that night, and, of course, they had had the audacity to wait for her turn. Of course.) She reached up and patted his nose.
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:I know, love. I know. I'll block you out next time. Just hang in there, Kori.: He told his Chosen. For the gods' sake, hang in there, love.
Cole watched as Kori slowly got up off the ground, sighing. Then she headed off in the direction of the Collogium to see if any of the teachers needed her help. Her short red hair bobbed with steps that lacked their normal spring. Her frail frame seemed even more likely to break with her next bout with the weapons-master, Kero, than ever before. Cole feared for Kori.
Cole, too, left the little waterfall to seek out Glena, the dam of his healthy little colt named, of all things, Colt.
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Kori slowly walked back to the Collogium, and knew that Cole was worried about something, but didn't know what. That was added burden that she didn't need, not with the first anniversary of her family's death coming up and with Grith…with Grith dead…
She hung her head, hiding her tears in her short hair. When he died, she thought she was pregnant, but…Oh, gods! Gods! Why! Why did you take it from me? Loosing it, Kori sank down into the green grass. Her legs folded underneath her and her back bent at an alarming angle as she pulled herself into as small a ball as one could manage and cried her heart out. This was the first time Kori had allowed herself to do this. You could have found a better place, Kori. In the middle of the Companion's Field—good one. Thinking this made her even more distraught.
When Kori was done crying her heart out, she quick-stepped it to the bathing room to bathe her tear-stained face, taking extra care to avoid other Heralds and, most especially, the few servants, and then headed to the salle for a work out. Maybe that'll boost my spirits. To which she told herself: with Kero the weaponsmaster? Yeah. Right. Trudging along the walkway to the salle, Kori heard laughter behind her. Reaching out, Kori found that is was Brooke and Jason, intent on a good time and seeking her out. Sighing, she thought, another friend to 'hook me up with.' I'm tired of friends hooking me up! I'm twenty-three for god's sake! I can take care of my own love-life, or lack thereof, thank you very much! Angry for no real reason, except that she seemed to be a total failure—barely passed my classes as a trainee—lost the only child I had ever carried—lost the only man I had ever let into my heart, among other places—ruined countless picnics when I was young—was never the little girl mama always wanted me to be—countless things, too high to number.
She was trapped, though. Not being assigned to anything—much to Kori's dismay—and she wasn't on an errand, though she could probably fake something very quick. Resigned, Kori slowed and waited for them to catch up.
"Kori! We were just wondering if you'd like to join us a couple of friends and us for some drinks at Companion's Bell tonight. How 'bout it?" Jason asked, green eyes were shining with hope. Kori thought about it. She had planned on staying in her rooms tonight, wishing—just wishing—for the company of a wine bottle. Alcohol affected her gifts in a few unpleasant ways. Unpleasant for the—ah—recipient—of the 'gift'.
"This isn't another hare-brained trick to hook me up with someone, is it? If it is, I appreciate the offer, but no, thanks. I don't want anybody else in the same facility that Grith was, right now." Kori smiled weakly, hoping they'd understand. Unbeknownst to her, her pain was very evident and clear in her blue-gray eyes.
"No! Of course, this isn't to hook you up! We just felt you needed to go somewhere were you won't be reminded of…of…"
"Grith. You can say it. I know he's dead and that I should move on," Kori cut Brooke off, and didn't care. "I know how he died, why he died and who killed him. That's not it." She hadn't told anyone about the baby. She was too ashamed to.
Brooke and Jason already had two littles, and Darcee and Zand were very much on their way to their first. Grith and I had been together two years longer than both of the other couples, only Markus and Tolie had been together longer, and you'd have thought we would have had at least one little running around. It was well-known that Markus and Tolie were not going to have any kids, so that had left the four of us to provided kids for ourselves and for Markus and Tolie, who dearly loved them.
"Then why are you in this slump? Gods, Kori, you're the best damn rider we have. Travis won't assign you any work until he knows you won't try to commit suicide, again, or some other equally stupid stunt. We all know Grith and you were very deeply in love, but he's been dead for ten months—snap out of it!" Jason all but yelled, surprising Kori. Jason is a very mild man and it is not easy to provoke him to yelling.
Even though she had had her cry in the field, Kori couldn't hold back any more tears. The tears surged forwards like Lake Evendim during a wind storm. She collapsed to the ground, with Brooke barely catching hold of her to ease me down. She may have told Jason to go get some one, but Kori didn't hear. She was too consumed with her grief.
The baby was gone. Grith's baby. Two months along then... Brooke pulled Kori to her shoulder, sheltering the girl; Kori cried her heart out for the second time that today…and would probably end up crying again, tonight in the privacy of her now-forever-empty bed. Nights were the worst. There should have been at least a crib in the corner, if not a tall, brown-turning-grey haired man with soft black eyes and hands so gentle the seemed to float over my skin.
At one point, Kori felt a warm nose nuzzling her neck, but was either too exhausted to care or was still bawling her eyes out.
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"Jason—go get a healer, any healer, but no trainees. HURRY!" Brooke yelled as soon as she had Kori comfortable on the ground. :Kapta! Tell Cole that Kori needs him. Tell him to come as soon as possible.: Once she had taken care of that, Brooke pulled Kori to her shoulder and let her cry there like Brooke's three-year-old did when he had stubbed his toe. Brooke rubbed Kori's back and said soothing nothings, hoping that this cry would help cure Kori of her melancholy. Why did Jason have to sound off now? Couldn't he see the pain she was in?
:Cole's on his way.: Kapta told Brooke, sending love and concern through the link. :Jason thought what he was doing was for the best. He'd seen Kori moping around and knew that she needed to do something. You know he's not that great with feelings.:
:You're right, first love of my heart. I guess I'll give 'em a break this time.: Kapta's Chosen replied just as Cole arrived. He had galloped up and was now nuzzling Kori's neck, trying to get some sort of response out of her. Jason's lifebond told him what had happened while they waited for Jason and a Healer to get back.
Kori's tears had slowed considerably, but she was still shaking from the weight of her grief and the intensity of it.
"Do you know what this is about?" Brooke asked Cole, who was standing to the side, trying his damndest to figure out if he could help in any way. He slowly shook his head and sighed. He now looked dejected and like he had miserably failed the whole of Valdemar. "It's not your fault, Cole. I keep some things from Kapta, on occasion. If she didn't ask for your help, I know you couldn't have helped her, Cole. Don't worry, Jason's getting a Healer, if a Healer can't help, then it's time to worry—got it, fur ball?" Brooke tried to add a bit of humor to this desperate situation, but she, too, failed miserably.
Just as Brooke's legs were starting to cramp up, she saw Jason running back to Cole, Kori and her, his whites even more disheveled than usual and a man keeping pace beside him in healer green. The Healer looked vaguely familiar, but Brooke couldn't place him.
"Sorry it took us so long, Herald Brooke, but I had another patient that was closer to dyeing than Herald Kori here." He did look sincere, and most Healers would have come immediately once they had heard of a Herald needing help. "I'm Galen." With that, he set to finding out what was wrong with Kori, having been filled in by Jason, who looked very guilty.
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Kori was still crying mentally when an aura of teal invaded her head and began to search for something. She tried to impede its progress, but the aura was too strong for her in her distressed state. Once it reached Kori's secret, she fell into blackness, and embraced it with open arms. It had found out about the baby. About her failure…
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The Healer started out of his trance with a shocked look on his face. He was speechless for a few moments before he could speak. "Did…Did you know she was pregnant?" His voice was full of concern, wonder and awe.
"Pregnant? But…" Jason started to say, but fell silent.
"No. She never said anything to anyone. I'm guessing she had a miscarriage?" Brooke asked as the Healer nodded. "When?"
"She found out she was pregnant a few days after…Grith?…left. A month after she got news of Grith's death, she miscarried. As far as I can tell, she blamed herself. I'm sorry," Galen related, his eyes never leaving Kori's face. "She's okay for now, I put her into a Healer-induced sleep. We need to get her to the Collogium, though, so a mind-healer can look at her. I healed what damage I could, but…" he trailed off, hating to admit to his own inadequacies.
Jason moved to pick Kori up, only to have Cole block his way. The large Companion now stood directly over his Chosen, a dangerous place to be, had Cole been a horse. He snapped at Jason when he tried to duck under Cole. "Fine, I get it, Cole. I'll leave her alone. But what do you want us to do?" Jason asked his hands spread in a gesture of helplessness and defeat. Brooke had gently moved out of the way when the Healer had arrived.
:Cole wants Kori to be placed on his back and he will carry her to her room. He also says that he's sorry that he had to snap at Jason, but he just wouldn't listen.: Kapta told me, her mindvoice echoed of concern. Brooke related the message, her own concern clouding her voice.
In a combined effort, the two Heralds and lone Healer managed to get Kori, who is far heavier that she looks, belly-down on Cole's broad back. They then set off at a slow walk with Jason and Galen at Kori's side and Brooke trailing behind.
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Hope you enjoyed this revised story.
Please review--even if you hated it, but tell me why, please!
Kyn!