Chapter Two
There was only one word for what I was. That word would be dumbfounded. I was just a normal girl, not a brave heroic person from tales that saves everything she sees! Okay, I had been wishing for a better, more adventurous life, but I never thought I would be Chosen.
Kat nudged me with her nose, and I fell out of the spell her eyes had laid on me with all doubts gone. I turned around and picked up my grain bucket, then put my hand on her neck. "Let me grab a few things I don't want to leave, and tell my parents goodbye, then we can leave, ok?" I told her. She nodded her head, and I started walking back across the pasture, Kat following like an obedient dog. I put my bucket in it proper place in the barn, then walked to the house. I quickly packed all of my favorite clothes and trinkets I had acquired into a small pack, leaving anything I thought I wouldn't need. Then I went to tell my parents.
A half an hour later we stood outside, looking at Kat. She had strong legs, a broad forehead to go with her expressive head, a muscular body, and an upright arched neck. She was rather small for a horse, only about 15 hands, with a rather short back. Fortunately for her, I was rather small as well, and wouldn't be growing much more.
"I still don't want you to leave" my mother said, and my father nodded.
I tried not to groan, as we had been over this several times already. "I'm now a Herald-trainee, Mother. I can't just not go; I was already Chosen. To tell her that she has to undo that would kill both of us. You will do fine without me, I will come home as much as I can. You can hire one the boys from the village to take my chores."
"We don't have the money." she said yet again. "We need you here, to help us."
"No, you don't, the boys could do a better job then I could. Besides, there is the trainee stipend, which could cover the wages of the boy." I told her.
She just kept trying to argue, and Kat was getting annoyed, so I hooked my pack on her back, and jumped into the saddle. "See you in Mid-winter." I told Father. "I love you, bye" and without another glance back, we walked up the road towards our village of Horn, a colorful village in between Sweetsprings and Kettlesmith.
The second I got into the village, I knew something was wrong. There was a large amount of people crowded around a girl around my age that I had never seen before. Kat raised her head and nickered, and was answered by another Companion. The girl must have been recently chosen, and looked like she had no idea what was happening to her.
The village Guard, Lotte walked over to me excitedly. "You were Chosen!" she exclaimed "Congratulations!"
"Thanks!" I grinned at her. It was the first time I was congratulated for my being Chosen, and not yelled at. My father might not have yelled, but he also didn't try to make mother be quiet.
"This is the first time I have seen two Companions in one day, when I wasn't at Havens, being trained near the Collegiums. It's nice there, childing, you will like it. Now, you should be on your way. This girl here is Talia, she is Holderkin. Talia, this is Giselle, and belongs to this very town. Giselle, I want you to tell Talia about the Companions, okay? You two need to stop into towns and get supplies regularly, okay? No eating that trash they put in the waystations. Giselle, here is your chit-bag, and some supplies. I have already put a Horn chit in there, so you are all good to go." Lotte told me as Talia got back on her Companion, who was surrounded by children vying for his attention.
"Thanks, Lotte" I told her gratefully
"Your welcome, Giselle" she said, then walked over towards Talia's Companion and fastened some bags to the cantle of her saddle. "Off you get" she said giving him a smack on the rump; which sent him loping down the road and Kat scrambling to catch up.
"Is she always like that?" Talia asked me once we got out of hearing range.
"Lotte? Yes, she is always that abrupt. Its part of her charm" I grinned.
"Why do you have that Companion?" Talia asked after pondering that statement for a few minutes.
"She Chose me" I told her, reveling in the smoothness of Kat's stride- it was nothing like a horse's.
"What is that?" she questioned.
"Hellfires, they don't tell you about that! Wow!" I exclaimed "When a Companion Chooses you, they are choosing you to be their Herald." I explained.
"Oh" Talia said then went silent.
A few hours later we got to a waystation, where we quickly took care of the Companions, then cooked for ourselves and went to sleep. In the morning, we cleaned up what we had used, then tacked up and continued towards Haven. At about three candlemarks after nooning, we got to Kettlesmith, where a friend of Lotte's, Breda, would help us.
"Hello girls" Breda said, as Talia stared at her missing leg. "You were just Chosen, I assume?"
"You assume correctly" I told her, as a hint to Talia, who still hadn't figured out she was Chosen. "and Lotte says hello"
"Ah, you are from Horn?"
"You assume correctly again!" I grinned
"I am going to go get you supplies, and your chits, stay here ok?" Breda says, then walks away.
She returned, five minuter later, her arms full of supplies. "Here you go, and good luck, girls" she told us.
"Thank you!" I said, putting half the supplies in my saddle, and handing the rest to Talia.
"Your welcome, and here is your chits!" she said.
"Thank you" Talia said quietly.
"Your welcome, now go! You are losing daylight!" she said with a grin.
I laughed and put Kat in a canter, waving as we speed away, Rolan hurrying to catch up. "What happened to her?" Talia asked.
"She fought in a war, and lost her leg in the battle," I told her "and Lotte, the Gaurd from my town fought with her. Where you come from, it might not be the same, but most of Valdemar believes women are equal to men, and are 'allowed' to do the same things they could."
"I'm from Sensholding." Talia told me.
"I thought so. Did they tell you anything about Companions or heralds, other then they are evil?" I asked.
"No" she said, looking hopefully at me.
"I can't tell you about it, unfortunately. You have to wait until we get to the Collegium." I told her, and she looked frustrated, and fell silent.
The next day we came down into a wooded valley, filled with fragrant pine trees, crunching our way down the road. We had just come to a crossroads when I saw a herald- in full uniform, looking at us in astonishment.
