Thank you for all the reviews! To answer some of the questions:

Byrd: The world is now the normal canon timeline, and the story begins at the same time as the start of Talia's internship. Unfortunately, there's no going back to the AU of Worlds Collide.

Triaxx2: no, it's not a retelling of the stories. It's its own story, but since I left Jaelle as an innkeeper at the end of WC, and wanted to move her to Haven for WA, I thought it would be fun if she should just "happen" to be the Innmaster mentioned at the start of Kris and Talia's journey in Arrow's Flight (never mind that the Innmaster in the book is a man). I don't anticipate that either of them will figure into the story after this point.

ShianeCollins: now what fun would it be if I told you what was going to happen :-)

Anasazi: I hope you and your family are okay! Were you in the direct path of Katrina?

Nest: Thank you. I really appreciate your comments about Jodhin, and I'm glad you liked it. I've got a couple more pieces out with magazine publishers, and I hope to hear back from them soon.

Worlds Apart

Chapter Two

It was nearly midnight by the time I got to the stables. I didn't know if Rolan would be awake or not, but I wanted to speak to him, and I knew that Kris and Talia would leave early in the morning.

Even in the blackness of the unlit night, I could still make out two faint white forms in the far stalls. Silently, I moved towards them, and nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard a familiar voice in my head.

:You should be sleeping: Rolan said.

"So should you," I shot back in a whisper, once my heart decided to stay within my chest.

:I thought perhaps you might visit: he replied. :Tantris is asleep.:

I nodded—a rather silly gesture, I realized, in the blackness. "I wanted to ask you something." I paused for a moment to gather my thoughts. "You know who I am, and so does Althea, but what of the others? I'm going to be moving to the Collegium soon, and I need to know what the situation is."

:All Companions know who you are: Rolan replied. :For various reasons, it is necessary for all of us to know that. Specifically, they know that you are not from this world, and that you undid the damage that Yfandes caused when she broke the Rules. Though what damage that was, of course, they don't know.:

"But you and Althea—" I began.

:We are different, I admit: Rolan said. :I, because I am Groveborn, and she because she is Companion to the one who loves you. We both have limited memories of our relationship with you in the other Valdemar.:

"But why?" I asked.

:For me, again, I am Groveborn: he replied. :But for Althea, her memories were given to her as a gift to you. What good would it have been to have been brought to the time of your love, and not to have found him:

"Oh," I whispered, reflecting back once more to Berrybay and that night when Treven showed up on my doorstep. It had been entirely Althea's doing, bringing him there (and keeping him there for two weeks), and I would probably have never known of his existence if it hadn't been for her intervention. "Of course." I glanced up at his faint form. "Rolan, do you know the future?"

:No: he answered. :None of us do, and there is no one who would dare break the Rules now.:

"I know the future," I confessed softly.

:I know, and I have believed that you knew not to speak of it: Rolan said:but I will make it clear now, as I will be away from Haven for quite a while. Now that you are in this Valdemar, you are as bound to our Rules as we are. Out of respect, you are permitted to keep your knowledge here, but if you violate the Rules, I will be forced to take it from you.:

His casual pronouncement of my fate sent chills down my spine. "As you did to Talia when Gwena appeared?" I asked, shivering slightly at the thought.

:Yes: he replied, and his voice seemed somewhat taken aback at my own casual remark.

"But Foreseers—"

:Are not the same: he interrupted. :You do not have the Gift of Foresight, and among those who do, more often than not, they see only a possible future. You are different, and I think I need not tell you how.:

"No," I replied.

:Speak of what you know with no one: he commanded. :Not even with me.:

"I understand."

He stepped forward, and rubbed his soft nose against my cheek. :Your heart is kind, child, but the Rules are the Rules. It is only because of your great sacrifice, and because I believe I can trust you, that I do not take your knowledge from you now. Do not abuse my trust.:

"I won't," I whispered. "What of Lucia? She still remembers, too."

:I have taken care of that: he said:I'm sorry, Jaelle, but she is a child, and it is necessary.:

I felt a flash of anger. "What do you mean, 'necessary'? She's never spoken of it to anyone—she hardly speaks of it to me!"

:I am not willing to take that chance, not now when you're moving to Haven—to the Collegium, as Althea has mentioned,: Rolan replied, apparently unfazed by my outburst. :Had you stayed in Berrybay, it might not have mattered. But it does now. And I did not just take her memories away and give her new ones. Her memories of the specifics of the other Valdemar, since she was so young then, will gradually fade from her mind. Few people remember back to when they were four years old anyway, and those who do rarely have sharp memories of that age.:

I would have started pacing if I could have been certain I wouldn't have run into anything. "I wish you would have told me before you did it. She is my daughter."

:The matter goes beyond motherhood: he said.

"I disagree with you," I replied, "but if you were willing to alter your own Chosen's memories, I can hardly expect that my daughter would receive a more respectful treatment."

In spite of me, he rubbed his nose on my cheek once more. :Child, if you will put aside your emotion, you will understand that some things transcend all who we love. I am responsible to safeguard those things. I do not enjoy doing what is necessary sometimes—but that does not stop me from doing it. You of all people should know about such things.:

I was not ready to "put aside my emotion" just yet, but I knew he was right, and I hated it. But I supposed all mothers thought their children should be exempt from the way things are. In spite of myself, however, I reached up and caressed his cheek and kissed his nose. "Goodnight."

:Goodnight.:

I made my way back to the inn, and up to my room. I was too tired to give much thought to Rolan's warning. I hadn't planned on telling anyone about the books—something Rolan obviously knew—but it was difficult to see Talia and not speak up. I had come to believe, however, that things do work out for the best. As difficult as it was—or would be—for Talia, the best thing that could happen to her would be for her to be stuck in a Waystation to work on her Gift away from prying eyes. If I prevented that pain, I would also prevent the good that came from it.

It was much too early when I rose that morning to see Kris and Talia off. Handing them my chit, I walked them to the door.

"I meant to ask last night," I said, "but do you know if Herald Treven has arrived back in Haven, yet?"

Talia shook her head, looking to Kris, who also shook his head. "I know he's expected back any day now. Is he a regular customer here?"

I smiled. "You could say that," I replied. "He's my husband."

"Oh, ho!" Kris said. "So you're Treven's Jaelle!" He shook his head. "I knew his wife ran an inn, but I didn't even put the two together last night." He smiled at me. "I'm sure he'll be back soon."

"Thank you," I replied. They mounted their Companions and I stepped back into the doorway. "Have a safe journey!"

"Thank you," they called back.

I caught Rolan's eye, and smiled at him. Sleep had done wonders for my ability to see his perspective on things. He nodded back, and then he and Tantris wheeled about, trotting out of the yard. I watched them until they were out of sight, and then turned back into the inn to prepare for the busy day ahead.

I nearly ran into Lucia as I stepped back inside, practically jumping out of my skin as she appeared, it seemed, from nowhere.

"Are they gone?" she asked, peering out the window.

"Yes," I replied, frowning. "Why? What's wrong?" It suddenly occurred to me that I hadn't seen Lucia at all last night when Kris and Talia were playing their harp for the villagers. Lucia loved music, and would rather have given up her right arm than miss a performance from a minstrel or Bard—or a Herald.

Tears filled her eyes. "He was Kyrah's father."

I drew in a soft breath. "Oh." Truth be told, I hadn't even thought of that when I saw him, so focused was I on Talia's upcoming dilemma. I drew her into an embrace. "Oh, sweetheart." Even after five years, she still carried her love for Kyrah, and still considered Kyrah to be her best friend. Of course, I still considered Marie, my soul-sister from high school, to be my best friend.

"I couldn't stay," she said.

"It's all right," I said. "I understand."

"I miss her," Lucia said.

"I know, sweetheart," I whispered. "As you grow older, though, it will get easier to bear."

She just shook her head on my shoulder in denial.

Except that she was wrong, and tears filled my own eyes at what Rolan had done. Thankfully, it would be a gradual forgetting, and one day, Kyrah would just be remembered as a childhood friend, and not as Kris' and Elspeth's daughter...not as someone who never existed.


SCENEBREAK
It was an excruciatingly long day, in which nothing seemed to go right. We lost an entire baking of bread due to the clumsiness of a new kitchen hand, who also managed to upend the salt cellar into a batch of sliced apples meant to be used for pies. Thankfully, they hadn't been seasoned, so Cook was able to rinse them off, but the poor kitchen hand—a young boy from the village who was filling in for his mother who was birthing her fourth child—was nearly in tears by that point.

So was I, for that matter. We were hosting a wedding reception later that night for the son of our stablemaster, and today was not the day for things to fall apart. I hadn't wanted to host it at all, but both the houses of the parents of the bride and groom were too small to accommodate the guest list—which included practically the entire village—so I had agreed.

It was a lovely wedding, and a very joyous feast in spite of the setbacks, but it was with a grateful heart that I sought my bed that night—or, rather, the following morning, for it was nigh unto dawn before the final guest went home. I intended to sleep well past noon, as I had made the decision the day before to close the inn the day after the wedding, and give all the kitchen hands the day off as a thank-you for the hard work they would undoubtedly do to prepare for the feast.

It took the sun shining full into my face from the western window of my room to stir me from my sleep later that day. As I floated up to full awareness, I heard a low voice chuckling above me.

"You don't know how hard it was for me to let you sleep."

I opened my eyes to see Treven smiling at me, and with a cry of delight, I sat up and practically flung myself at him with such force we nearly tumbled to the floor.

"Hey, now," he said, placing his hand on my abdomen, "be careful. You've got our little one in there." And before I could respond, he kissed me, and I lost all track of everything for a while.

"When did you get in?" I asked.

"I got to Haven yesterday afternoon, and decided to continue on here once I finished checking and filling out all the appropriate paperwork and such," he replied. "I got here just after dawn, and the Circle has given me a week-long holiday in which to get you moved and settled at the Collegium."

"But— " I began, but he silenced me with a kiss.

"Don't argue with me," he said. "My next assignment is to supervise an internship, and I'll leave in just over a week."

The meaning of his words settled on me and I felt tears fill my eyes. "Then you won't be here when the baby is born!"

"We're still working that out," he replied. "Someone will probably take my place for a couple of weeks so I can be with you, but the point is, I won't be here for the rest of your pregnancy, and I'm not leaving until I know you'll be safely installed near the best Healers in the kingdom."

I smiled at him impishly. "Does that mean that if I refuse to move, you won't be sent out?"

He just glared at me.

I sighed. "Very well. I'll move." Garen, my assistant, was more than ready to take over the inn and the orphanage, and I did want to be near the Healers when the baby was born. Best to move now when Treven was here than try to do it myself when I was heavy with child.

He kissed me once more. "It's quiet around here today."

"We had a wedding here last night," I replied, "so I closed the inn for the day and gave everyone a holiday."

A slow smile spread across his face. "So does that mean you can stay in bed all day?"

I found myself smiling back. "Your timing is perfect, don't you think?"

He showed me quite adeptly that he did.