Disclaimer:

One: I do not own the Heralds of Valdemar series, as much as I'd love to.

Two: I know it's fictional, as is this piece of work.

Three: Yes, I changed my name.

Four: This never actually happened.

Five: This is definitally a Mary Sue. You've been warned.

Now, I'd love to get reviews telling me what you think, and what you would have done differently. Lemme know.

Legend:

thoughts

::mindspeak::

Shouting

::mindshouting::

It was a dark and stormy night as I lay in my bed, thinking. Alright, I'll be honest. It was far from stormy. The last I had seen showed a few stars in the darkening sky and not a cloud in sight. Mind you, there's no window in my basement room, so I had no way of knowing if that had changed in the mere hour I had been trying to get to sleep in. Not that I really cared, either.

Now, here's the embarrassing part when I describe what I was wearing. Y'see, my dad used to do re-enacting, of the war of 1812, right? So he was on the British side (being British and all) and had the red coat and everything. The thing that I now had, as he stopped doing it ages ago, was his undershirt. I kind of adopted it years ago and now wore it to pretend I was in olden days or whatever. Sure, it was really baggy, and big, and yes, I know that most eighteen-year olds don't play dress-up, but I had fun. Anyways, now that you know that, you can probably guess where this is going.

I was wearing the undershirt.

Of course, I had a pair of pajama shorts on underneath, even if you couldn't see them because the shirt was too long. It's the thought that counts. Anywho, I was wearing this undershirt as a nightie, and the shorts, and of course panties and a bra. It was a green bra, just so you know, so it was kinda see-able through the shirt.

So, since you have the background on my attempt to sleep, I should probably switch to third person and a less personalized narrative so that you can get on with the story.

I just wanted to explain everything first.

That night was an odd one, both here, in this world where you sit on your computer, reading this, and in that other world, the one that most people believe is fictional. Valdemar.

Stephanie Delingfonte was lying in her bed, tossing and turning, trying to fall asleep. It had been a long day for her, starting with waking up at six, to working ten hours, then coming home and eating. Her family was away for the next week, leaving her alone in the house, so she had had to make the meal, then eat it, then clean up afterwards. Once that had been finished, she had some orders to fill, or costumes to make. Now, at ten, knowing that she had to arise at six again the next day, she was lying in bed, her lights off, alarm set, and ready for sleep.

Unfortunately, it wouldn't be as restful as she thought.

When she finally did drift off, it was to an odd dream of lightning and portals. She was being chased by something she didn't understand, and the dog was barking, and she kept running into and out of these glowing portals, entering different worlds and lands.

She woke up slowly, her muscles sore as if she had been running. What woke her was the sound of something… she couldn't place her finger on it. She lay with her eyes closed, warmed but the sun with the smell of grass around her. When she realized this, she woke with a start. Her basement bedroom had no sun, no grass, and no smells other than the smell of laundry, which she had just done.

She opened her eyes to a pair of blue ones, and before she could say that this was impossible, something changed her life.

::Stephanie… my name is Vashul, and I Chose you:: sounded inside her head.

Every space inside of her, even the ones she didn't know existed, filled with a strange emotion that she vaguely recognized as love. She was sated, for once in her life, and she felt as if she had found her other half. She didn't know how much time passed, but she didn't care. She was lost and found, all at the same time.

Vashul looked away after what seemed like too long and not long enough, his ears cocked as if he heard a sound. And then Stephanie realized that this must be a dream, and when she woke, that wonderful feeling of fullness would be gone.

And with that realization, came the tears.

Stephanie started bawling, clutching at her abdomen with the sobs that racked her body. Now that she knew what this felt like, she was going to have to suffer a lifetime of emptiness, for it was highly unlikely she would have this wonderful dream again. If this was the Valdmar that she had read about in the books, then she knew that it had to be a dream. She couldn't be Chosen in real life, she couldn't ever have this in real life. So she kneeled on the ground in heart-wrenching agony as she felt despair down in the very depths of her, but then, suddenly…

She looked up at Vashul, surprise in her eyes.

::Lovely, this is no dream. Feel this love, this sharing of the heart. Do not feel sad, for I've found you, and I will never, ever leave you.:: Stephanie felt the love that he sent along their bond, warming her and re-assuring her that nothing could go wrong. She sighed, and knew that, somehow, it would be alright. Then she stood and buried her head in his neck, sending back that feeling of love along with appreciation.

What finally moved her this time was a pressing urge to use the bathroom. She figured that they were somewhere in the Companion's field, due to the lack of tack on her Companion and the woods around them. She figured she might as well try mindspeaking, so she looked over at Vashul and concentrated on their bond. Then, with care to not be too loud, she sent him the words instead of saying them.

::Vashul…:: It was tentative, and she knew it.

::Yes, love?:: He asked, and she could feel the pride in his mindvoice that she caught onto the technique so easily.

::I, uh, kinda need to go pee…:: She lifted her head from his neck and looked at him. He laughed at her!

::Well, little one, I assume you would rather use an actual bathroom, and that the need is quite urgent. Would you mind going to the Salle?::

That would certainly answer her question as to what time period it was, based on who was teaching, so she quickly agreed and they set out to the Salle.

They didn't see anyone else on their way there, and Stephanie was more that a little surprised at this fact. She had expected to see trainees coming and going form lessons, maybe archers practicing, certainly someone sparring. But there wasn't a soul. Steph was still puzzled as they came right up to the door and she could hear only faint sounds of one on one practicing. In all of her reading, the only time that there had been only one on one practicing that she could think of was when Herald-Mage Vanyel had been older (before Stefan) and practiced with the Armsmaster. Well, she could always ask…

She thought of that bond again, but this time made it more into a tunnel, just between her and Vashul. There were walls around it, yet it looked perfectly natural, so no one else would know it was there. It would be a private mindspeak.

::Love, is… is Herald-Mage Vanyel in there?:: She asked, picking up on Vashul's tendency to use petnames whenever addressing her.

::Vanyel? No, he's no longer… here. He has been gone a long time.:: There was a sadness in that mind voice, and so Stephanie followed the thread to its natural conclusion.

::He hasn't even been in the Havens, has he? He and Stefan have been guarding the Forest of Sorrows…:: Now, Stephanie had never read that per se, but it was basically written as such. She had read the 'Magic's Price' Trilogy, so know she at least knew that they weren't in that time period. So, when else had there only been two people practicing? Wait, there was a time when only two had practiced, but there had been three in the room…

::It's the Monarch's Own and the Heir, isn't it?:: Stephanie asked, deciding not to use names in case she was wrong. She was relieved when he agreed readily. She took a few more steps, then paused right in the threshold, waiting for them to acknowledge her, but unwilling to interrupt the practice. Talia was practicing with Albriech in the middle of the room while Elspeth watched. They all seemed to notice her at once, so they concluded the practice and turned to her expectantly.

"Uh… Hi." Stephanie then berated herself on the lack of eloquent speech. 'Hi'? What was she, five?

Just then, Talia said something that she couldn't understand, and so Steph looked at her oddly. She didn't understand as they kept saying different things, getting more and more confused. Just then, Elspeth made a slight movement and Stephanie felt a very tiny brush at her mind. She physically stumbled back and instinctively reached to the ground to draw power up to shield her mind. She clamped the power around her and looked wildly around, even more confused then before.

Talia and Elspeth started speaking among themselves in that strange language, and Stephanie felt a sinking feeling in her heart. Valdemarmian was nothing like English, and she couldn't understand a word they said. In fact, it was unlike any language she'd ever heard before. Then, continuing the thought, she had always thought that Albreich arranged his sentences like the French did, so maybe…

"J'm'scuse, mais je cherche le salle de bain…" she trailed off as they gave her a very odd look. All that she had done was ask for the bath room!

"On une salle de bain ici." Albriech responded, in something that could have been a sister to french, they were so close. Stephanie breathed a huge sigh of relief. Atleast they would understand each other.

"Are you from Karse?" Albreich asked in pseudo-french, clearly puzzled by Steph's strange accent.

"Heh, no, most definitally not. I'm from someplace very… far away. But please, I truly do need to use the washroom." She grinned, feeling better in a language that was second nature to her. At least now she had a use for that French Immersion!

Master Albreich lead her to the washroom and then told her that he would wait for her in the main room of the Salle. She did her thing and then met the three people in the main room.

"I am Albreich, the Weapon's Master." He introduced himself, evidently waiting for her to do the same.

"Ah, yes. I am Stephanie Delingfonte, newly Chosen by Companion Vashul, Herald Trainee. And you must be Herald-Trainee and Heir Elspeth, chosen by Gwena, and the Monarch's Own Herald Talia, Chosen by Rolan." Stephanie bowed to each as she said their names, and was acutly reminded of her… interesting clothing. She would have blushed, if she did such things, but instead went on to another subject. "Monsieur Albreich, I know that it is customary to check a trainee's weapons training after they are enrolled, but as I am here now, would it not work to test me now?" She looked at him hopefully, thinking that now was as good a time as ever to show how little she know.

He looked her over and then nodded. "How much training have you had?"

"Little to none. I used to do some martial arts years ago, then I did fencing."

"Do you know how to use any weapons?"

"Only the epee, and the bow and arrow, thought I am mediocre at best with both."

"What do you do in your spare time?" That one caught Stephanie off-guard.

"What? Er, I mean, I read, write, sleep, eat, heh. Also I sing… I do some sports. Well, only rugby, and that's not really too much exercise. Oh! I also like to play with energy."

She knew that she was not doing well when she mentioned the playing with energies. In fact, she had thrown the sport in there as a way to redeem herself, and the energies thing just slipped out. That was something that she had not wanted to tell a soul. But now that she had said it…

They were speaking amongst themselves, and Stephanie was sick and tired of not knowing what it was about. She took her mental walls in a mental hand and forced her will upon it, allowing her to pick up energy and stray thoughts form others, but not allowing any out. What she got was the general idea that Elspeth was telling the other two about the wall that had appeared from the ground itself when she tried to touch Stephanie's mind. Then, Talia was telling her that it was immoral to touch someone's mind without their permission. It was then that Stephanie remembered that Talia, according to the books she had read, picked up on emotions. With that, she encased her entire Self in the shield, not simply her mind.

Talia stopped mid-word and looked at her, clearly baffled.

"Where… you disappeared?" She asked in Karasite. The sentence made little sense, if you didn't understand where she was coming from.

"I merely exited your world. You exited mine by speaking another language, so why can I not do the same to you?" She was angry at this point.

::Vashul, love, I… I want to leave.:: And here, in the sanctity of .their minds did she let the sadness and isolation be heard.

::Certainly, dearheart.:: And with that, their was a whicker and soft chimes of a Companion's hooves. Stephanie turned and buried her head in Vashul's neck once again before they walked out of the Salle and towards the Collegium. It was on the way that she realized she had done something very Talydras, calling on the energy of the earth, and using a type of magic, so shouldn't she have felt..? Then she did feel it, the incessant tap on her shoulder, demanding to know who she was. Well, Vanyel had simply given evidence that he was a Herald-Mage, so Steph figured she could do something similar. She took the Vrondi and mentally showed it the bond that she had with her Companion. The Vrondi seemed to smile and then left her alone. She no longer felt like she was being watched.

With that taken care of, Vashul and Stephanie set off to the Dean's office to introduce herself and get set into her classes.

Well, there you have it. I hope that you like it, and I hope that you review. I have some secret spice for later chapters, and she WILL deal with the fact that she's in 'an imaginary world', or so she thinks. Please let me know what you think