A/N: I realized that I forgot my disclaimer on the last chapter, so here it is: I do not own the world of Velgarth. It belongs to Mercedes Lackey. I do however, own the characters.
I would like to thank those of you who read chapter one and are now moving on to chapter two. I hope you like it.

It felt like he had been floating in that wonderful place of blue forever. As he was released from it Lian found himself wishing for it to come back and take him. However, before he could think more on it he was startled by a voice and the realization that he was leaning against something soft and warm. He jumped away from what he realized was the horse.

The horse stared intently at him. :Hello, Dear One. My name is Liin, and I have Chosen you to be my Herald.:

His mind raced as he heard the mindvoice. No one in his town knew what Mindspeaking was and he doubted anyone traveling nearby knew either. The only reason he knew was because of his training as a Healer. His teacher had said that she must prepare him for Healing anyone, and that included those from countries in which Mindspeaking was as common as breathing. He doubted he would need the knowledge back then, but now he was eternally grateful for the woman. And now as he stared at the horse he realized that she could be the only source for the voice.

He had heard of animals that were able to speak, such as the legendary bondbirds of the long dead Hawkbrothers, but he had never heard of horses that were able to. He turned to look back at the town. As amazing at having a horse speak to him was, he would have to turn it in. Otherwise he would be killed. Or worse, he thought, sent to the warehouses with the senile and crazy. He shuddered at the thought.

Turning back to the horse he reached down to pick up the rope he had dropped. A silver hoof stepped on it, preventing him from picking it up. :You are needed, Dear One. We must go before they see us. I am sure I could get us away in time, but no one must notice us. It is dangerous times for those like us and it could jeopardize what I am here to do.:

As Lian looked at the Undesirable he felt an urgency that was not his own rush through him. It was then that he realized the warmth from the blue place was still with him. Turning to look within himself as he did when he entered a Healing trance, he felt and saw the warmth pulsing down a channel and into him. Opening his eyes he saw the world as the energy that was given off by all living creatures. He could see the channel that was pulsing with warmth and followed it to where it connected. His eyes found the brightly glowing form of the horse.

Before he could think about what it meant, the horse interrupted. :Dear One, we do not have time for this. We must hurry; now come on. I can explain everything later.:

Blinking, he saw the horse as she looked normally with her back presented to him. She stamped her hoof in annoyance. He didn't know what else he could do, so he climbed up onto her bare back and held on as she sped towards the trees at the end of the fields at an unnatural pace.

They had been running for what he guessed was a candlemark before they finally slowed down and entered a small clearing in the dense Pelagiris forest. He slid off the horse's back and looked up at the sky. He could tell from the pinkish color that the sun was about to set. A chill set over him for a moment before he shook it off.

The Pelagiris had been cleaned out of the terrible beasts that had resided here over a hundred years ago by the Empire. He had no need to worry, but the stories his mother used to tell him as a child to keep him from venturing into the forest at night still did their job. At twenty-five years old he preferred to keep well away from the forest at night unless he had no other choice. He always thought of the possibility of the Empire missing a few changelings.

Hot breath blew on the back of his neck making him swing around in surprise. :There is no need to worry, Dear One. We would know if something dangerous was out there.:

He realized that what the horse said was true. The forest was filled with noises that would stop the moment any predator appeared. He peered out into the darkening trees. Even though he knew it to be true didn't mean that he still wouldn't like it. He turned back to the horse.

:I suppose now I should give you an explanation as to what is happening. It was too dangerous to stay and explain back by your town.: Lian nodded as he stared at the horse warily. He still couldn't believe he let a talking Undesirable take him anywhere it pleased. :The first thing I should say is that I am no horse. And I would ask that you quit calling me that. I am a Companion, and you are my Chosen.:

He stared at the horse. Or Companion as she said she was. She must have been listening in on his thoughts. She confirmed that she had been before he could even voice the question. :I can't help that I hear your thoughts. When you have a bond like ours I have to purposefully block your thoughts so I don't hear them.:

"Bond?" Lian asked. "Is that what that thing is connecting us?" He was referring to the link that he could feel pulsing between them if he concentrated.

The Companion nodded. :Companions like me Choose people to become their Herald. And I have Chosen you to be mine. We have a very important duty that we must complete.:

Lian shook his head in confusion. "I don't even really know what Companions and Heralds are and you're talking about a duty we have to complete?"

There was a soft chuckle in his head and he felt a pulse of warmth and love come through the bond. :I'm sorry, Dear One. I have forgotten how much time has passed and that you would have no idea what we are. I have no doubt those of Valdemarian descent would know, but they would never dare speak of it to a son of the Empire.:

Lian only had time to wonder what Valdemar had anything to do with this before the Companion went into her story. :You see, before the Empire conquered Valdemar there were many, many Companions and their Heralds. It was their duty to protect and keep order in Valdemar. Everyone in the country trusted them because Companions were, and are again, one of the most righteous beings on Velgarth. And they only Choose the most righteous and good people to be their Heralds. That is why the King or Queen had to be a Herald. If a Companion would Choose them, then the country and all Valdemarians knew that they would do right and lead the country to the benefit of her people.

:Heralds were trained in a school at the palace where they learned everything they would need to know to be a good Herald. And they also were trained in whatever Gifts they had been granted. When they were done with their training, they would go with their Companion on a circuit of the country to bring justice to those who needed it and protection to all.

:However, when Valdemar lost the second war with the Empire it was ordered that all Companions and there Heralds be killed, and all records of them to be destroyed. Only those who lived in Valdemar when it truly was Valdemar know about us. And now Companions are back. It is our duty to free Valdemar from the Empire. It is what we have come back for.:

Lian stared at the ground by his knee. He had sat down in the middle of Liin's story, trying to take all of it in. It was so much information to take in in such a short span of time. He didn't know how to react.

The Empire had destroyed a complete part of history. And it was recent history as well. He was amazed that something that occurred less than 150 years ago had been completely erased and that he had known nothing about it. It made him wonder what else he did not know about the history of his people, or others'. What amazed him more was the thought that people in his own town may have known about it.

They had kept it a secret, this part of history. He wondered if it was kept a secret because of the risk of being quieted by the Empire, or because of resentment for the Empire for taking something so important away. He guessed it was a combination of both.

He thought of something and looked up and into the eyes of his Companion. "Is that why the Empire made it Imperial Law that all white horses with blue eyes must be killed, along with their owners?"

Liin nodded. :The Emperor knows that all Companions are white with blue eyes. He also knows that it is impossible for us to change our colors for any period of time. We only bleach ourselves out again because of the magic. He is afraid that we will come back to try and take back our country.:

Lian snorted. "He was right to be worried, wasn't he?"

Liin nodded her head again and Lian had a feeling that if she were in human form she would be smiling. She spoke up again. :That is all I will tell you tonight. It is late and you should probably think this all over and make a fire. I will explain more tomorrow and when we get to our destination.:

He thought of asking more questions, like where exactly they were going, but when he looked up at the sky he thought better of it. It was filled with stars and clearly showed that the sun had been down for a while. He stood up and walked warily towards the beginning of the trees. He collected fallen and dead branches before returning to the middle of the clearing where Liin was busy munching on grass.

He set to work in clearing a large circle of its grass before building up the fire in it. Using the grass he had just pulled up, he tried to make the ground a little softer by creating a makeshift bed. He lay down and looked up at the stars. Liin was still munching away on the grass at the edge of the circle. He sighed and turned over trying to get some rest as his stomach growled.

A/N: Thank you again for reading this! I hope you all enjoyed it.
And yes, it is moving a bit slow right now. The next few chapters will explain more of the history and unearth a few things that will come as a complete shock to Lian (and to the Empire towards the end). They will also delve deeper into Liin's character, as well as some new ones that will be popping up.
Again, I hope you enjoyed. Please review and give me feedback! It really does help! Thanks!
- Kindali