Author's Note: This chapter contains references to characters in my other story, "Rustic Blues". You don't have to read the other fanfic to understand this one, but it might help. Please keep in mind that this is later than I've gotten in the other fanfic.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Heralds of Valdemar series or anything. If I did, I'd be writing more books for all of my fans. ::Sigh:: As it is, I shall simply write fanfics under a pseudonym for the other people on who do not own the series.
::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, there 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.
They started along the way, Stephanie tugging first the bottom of the shirt and then the top. She was trying to make it more presentable. Unfortunately, there wasn't a whole lot that she could do.
When they reached the collegium, Vashul whinnied until another Herald, presumably the Dean, came out to meet Stephanie. He introduced himself, but Stephanie wasn't paying much attention. He was also speaking Karasite, for her, yet it took too much effort for Stephanie to try to translate. Sure, she had learned to think in French, but it had been a long while and she was getting very tired. Apparently, pulling energies from the earth took a lot of her own energy. Maybe it was because she wasn't filtering it or something? Maybe it was too raw or something…
In her mind, the world of Valdemar was getting confused with other books she had read. It had been too long, and she was starting to try and sort things out when the Dean asked her a question.
::Vashul… uh, what did he just ask?:: She was a little panicked.
::Love, he just asked if you would mind doing some tests. He wants to see your education level.::
"Eh, oui…" Stephanie replied. "We definitely can do that." This thinking in french thing was taking a while to come back.
They entered the Collegium after a sad goodbye between Vashul and Stephanie. The Dean was nice, but the fact was that he was not Vashul. They couldn't have that bond that she and her Companion had.
When they went into the office and sat down, Stephanie did not want to do any more tests. She flew through the math and made it though the Karasite. She struggled through the geography and history, but failed horrible at the Valdemarian.
The Dean sat and looked at her for a while.
"So… you are ahead in Mathematics and only need a slight bit of tutoring in Karasite, just for the accent and a bit of sentence structure. You'll need some geography and history. And… we'll need to teach you Valdemarian. Plus you'll need to get your gift checked.
"I will suggest that you see the housekeeper first and get the grey uniform first, though." He smiled, and Stephanie smiled shyly back.
"Thank you sir." She had wondered about that.
"Alright. Heklern!" The Dean called out and a teen about Stephanie's age in red walked into the room.
"Yes, Dean?" He asked in Karasite. Apparently, he had heard a bit, or all, of the conversation and decided to keep Stephanie in the loop, as it were.
"I would like you to show Stephanie around the Collegium. She needs some Heraldic Trainee uniforms and a room." The Dean was giving him a look that was not to be questioned.
"Uh… certainly. If you could follow me." He led Stephanie from the room and down the corridor. She was wondering why a Bard was showing a Heraldic Trainee around the Collegium, but came to a hesitant conclusion that all of the Heralds must be busy at that moment in time.
"Now, normally a Herald would be showing you around, unfortunately they are all busy at this time." Heklern apologized as they wandered through the hallways.
"Nah, s'okay. I figured that was why." Stephanie replied. "By the way, I'm Stephanie Delingfonte. Nice to meet you." She stuck out her hand and waited for him to shake it.
"Ste-Stephanie Delingfonte?" Heklern asked, as if he had seen a ghost.
"Uh, yes. That's my name, don't wear it out?" They had stopped in the middle of the hallway, and Stephanie slowly withdrew her hand and placed it at her side, more than slightly uncomfortable.
"But, you're not Stef." Heklern had a very confused look as he looked at her up and down.
"Well, according to my birth certificate I am." She cocked a hip and raised an eyebrow. She returned his gaze, up and down, and suddenly she had a few butterflies in her stomach. Well, that was odd…
"But, you're… she's one of my good friends. She's a Bard!"
"How does she spell her name?" Stephanie said as she sighed. Apparently, the poor lad had never met two people with the same name. Well, now that she thought about it, she had only ever heard mention of one Stefan, who was in Vanyel's time.
"S-T-E-F-A-N-Y D-E-L-I-N-G-F-O-N-T-E." Heklern said.
Stephanie laughed. "Well, I'm spelled 'S-T-E-P-H-A-N-I-E', then the same last name. But! I am from another… uh… country. From far, far away."
"But you have the exact same last name?" Heklern wasn't believing her.
"How else would you explain my odd language, accent, and inability to speak Valdemarian."
"Really? I just thought that you had a difficulty with it. I didn't think you couldn't speak it."
Stephanie sighed once again. Boys could be so daft. She started talking in English, just to prove that she was from somewhere else.
"This is my first language. French is actually my second language that I learned in elementary school and then continued on in high school." She stopped and laughed again at the look of utter puzzlement on his face. Then, with only a slight bite of resentment, Stephanie switched back to French, taking on the slight accent of Karasite.
"That was my first language, called English. It's not from Valdemar, Karse, Rethwellan or anywhere. I'm not from any of those places, and any similarities between myself and others is purely coincidental." She paused for a moment there and then laughed. "I sound like a movie disclaimer!"
"A what?" Heklern asked, clearly puzzled.
"Oh, err… a special thing from… ah, my country." Damnit, she shouldn't be mentioning things like movies. As far as she knew, they didn't have technology like that in Valdemar. It was as if they had traded in advanced technology for Gifts and Magic. Hmmm, when Stephanie thought about it like that, she was leaning towards the opinion that this might perhaps be a better way…
It was at that moment that they continued moving and shortly came to the right place to get her uniform. The lady was speaking in some odd language that Stephanie was beginning to understand was Valdemarian. It was at that point that Heklern gently interrupted and told the lady, presumably, that Stephanie only spoke Karasite.
"Oh! You Herald Train?" The lady asked, clearly Karasite did not come easily for her.
"Yes." Stephanie sighed, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at the painful speech.
"You stand. I measure." The woman gestured Stephanie to stand, which she did after a moment. Hearing the lady butcher the language was painful, just like when her little sister used to speak French…
After a slight moment, she realized she was crying and she rubbed her eyes as quickly and stealthily as possible, then lowered her hand. The lady gave her a sympathetic look and then grabbed a piece of knotted rope. She took a few quick measurements and then disappeared into a back room, muttering under her breath.
Feeling bored, Stephanie started humming a little ditty under her breath. One that she had written a while ago.
In that moment, Heklern was standing right in front of her, his face white.
"Do you know the words to that song?" He asked.
"Memories softly/ flitter by/ silently, desp'rtly/ I do cry," Stephanie sang. "Why?"
"That… that was the first song that Stefany ever sang at the Collegium with her gift. It's that song that made her be tested. She… she never sang it again. She flat out refused to, and no one else ever repeated it because we just… couldn't. Where did you hear it?" Now he was becoming a little demanding.
Just then, the woman returned with some clothes that she handed to Stephanie and bid her a good day in rough Karasite. Stephanie replied with a formal thank you and good day, accompanied by a flamboyant bow that any thespian would be proud of, then turned and walked out, motioning for Heklern to lead the way.
"I made it up a couple of years ago. But that's weird… that she would know the same song. I never, ever, told anyone else the song. And besides, how on earth would a character I've never heard of know it in a fic-" Stephanie cut herself of. Then, speaking slowly, she started again.
"I made it up. I don't know how… uh, another person would know it. Especially one from another… land."
"You're hiding something." Heklern said and Stephanie looked sharply up at him, but he wasn't paying much attention to her. He was now looking at someone else down the hallway.
AN: Who is this mysterious person! Is there some connection between the two characters of my two ML fanfics? Tune into the next chapter to find out!