Disclaimer: I don't own either DBZ, Valdemar, or the venison stew recipe. They are owned, respectively, by Akira Toriyama, Mercedes Lackey, and Emeril Lagasse, as well as their respective publishers, etc... (*said as Bugs Bunny* Wordy, ain't it?)

A/N: Thanks to Bobbin for reminding me about Goten, but I warn you, he will soon fade into the background for a while. The story is more about Trunks than Goten, though he will still play a heavy part later in the plot. Also, Herald Kila, my true friend (she said with a mischievous grin), the scene after the recipe is dedicated to you and Sparky. May you live to try and kill me for it! ^_^ (And I decided to go ahead and change things to match RL in the4 revision. It's just too wierd to think of you with anyone but him.)

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CHAPTER 6: SETTLING IN
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Goten left Trunks at Dean Elcarth's office. He needed to go hunting for lunch and dinner and he would have to get enough for himself and Trunks both. He headed off to find his hunting partner, Mikal, a young Herald who was in Haven for a while after completing his initial journey period.

Herald Kila had introduced them not long after he arrived in Haven. She and Mikal were year-mates and had been friends ever since they met in their first classes. It had only taken the pair a year to fall in love, but neither one had acknowledged it quickly, though they were now married. The two men had become friends fairly easily, using Mikal's Companion, Loki, as a translator since he didn't have Mindspeech, and ever since he had accompanied Goten when he was hunting for food.

Goten had to hunt. There was no way that the usual portions handed out in the dining room would even dent a Saiyan's appetite, so he had volunteered for hunting duty as long as he got to keep as much meat as he needed for himself. He was shown where it was all right for him to hunt, and he tried to move around quite a bit so that he wouldn't drive the game out in any area. He was fast enough that his scent wasn't left at the sight of a kill, and he never wasted any of what he killed.

Trunks couldn't cook to save his life, much like his mother, but to the surprise of everyone in both their families, Goten had inherited his mother's culinary talents and cooked his own meals and anyone else's who wished to sample his work. Goten had actually been admitted into the Collegium, though he had nothing to pay for his education with, so he helped a lot around the Palace with any work that needed doing. The cook dragooned him at least once a week to help in the kitchen because of his evident skill in that area and his uncanny ability to identify every ingredient in a particular dish by scent. He could quote off a recipe by eating one bite, as long as he had experience with everything in the food, and if there was something he couldn't identify, he would bug the cook until he found out what it was. In most academics, Goten was a total loss, but that was because he found the subjects boring. He didn't care about history that much, or math, or science, but he had the ability to pick up on anything he was interested in with frightening speed, accuracy and retention, just like his brother, Gohan. He had learned some of the Valdemaran language in the kitchen just from learning the names of certain things in the recipes.

This day, he met Mikal, nicknamed Sparky for some reason, in Companions' Field. They were heading out with several others to get enough meat for the Collegium for the week and for the Court tonight, as well as him and Trunks. Upon landing in the field, Goten heard Loki in his mind. Goten, Mikal wants to know if your other friend has arrived yet.

Goten grinned broadly and bobbed his head. Yep! Trunks is with the Dean right now. Maybe now that he's here, he'll help me learn the language. I'm really not very good at that sort of thing.


Trunks sat in a chair in the office. The situation, while very similar to every other meeting he'd had with deans to the three universities he had already attended, was completely unique because this stint of education would truly change his life. He had graduated from each of those universities, West Capital, New York, and Japan, with some form of business degree, and he'd had no trouble taking the courses on-line simultaneously. He had easily gotten on good terms with the Deans of all three institutions and later with the CEOs of several of the leading scientific firms in the world. No, it wasn't the Dean himself that made Trunks nervous. It was the situation he was getting into and the extreme commitment that he would be training for. This was for life.

It was mere minutes before Dean Elcarth came into the room. He was an old man, one of those few Heralds lucky enough to survive into extreme old age. He was still spry, however, and he walked without a cane. He was in Whites that still fit him well, showing his still-muscled form.

He reached out a hand to the lavender-haired young man sitting across from him. Trunks took it in a firm grip that was none the less gentle enough not to harm him. "I am Elcarth, Dean of the Heraldic Collegium."

"Trunks Briefs."

"I want you to know a few things before we get started. Normally, a Trainee is Chosen in their early teens when the onset of puberty awakens their Gifts, though there have certainly been exceptions. You will be the oldest Trainee in your year group. Also, we'll need to test you, both in Gifts and in knowledge so that we know what classes to put you in. From what your friend, Goten, has told us, you will probably excel in the academics, and we'll just have to see about the training of your Gifts. We will also want to know about you, where you come from, what your background is and the like. If you don't want the rest of the Trainees or any one else to know those facts, you have only to tell us and we'll keep it as quiet as possible, but what is known of your story has already been in the rumor mills for weeks, and by now is properly distorted out of all recognition."

"Well," said Trunks, "the reality is probably stranger than anything rumor can come up with."

Elcarth snorted with amusement, nodding his head in agreement. "It usually is. Any road, the Queen would like a demonstration of the abilities you used the day you came through the Gate as soon as you're settled in. She is curious as to their nature and weather or not they can be used by others or if they are merely inherent in you and Goten."

"Well the answer is kind of both. Every living being has ki. You call it personal energy. It's merely a matter of training and discipline to be able to use it, at least to a degree. However, Goten, myself, and the rest of the Saiyan race, what's left of it, have very high base kis, the amount of power we would naturally have without any training. For instance, my sister, Bra, has a power level about equal with Itan's and she was never interested in training. Dad made her learn self-defense, but other than that, she's not a fighter at all. But she's still a Saiyan and so she has a fairly respectable amount of power. Now, as far as I have been able to tell from what Jenfa has told me about your training methods, Heralds use ki, but they don't train to use it offensively. They only use it to power their Gifts. We focus our ki through the martial arts, through our physical bodies, at least mostly. That's why we don't ground. The power isn't in our minds, it's in our bodies, and if we were to ground that, we wouldn't be able to move quickly in a fight. Believe me, there have been times in my life where speed has been essential to staying alive."

Elcarth took a moment to absorb all that the young man had just told him. The technique was definitely different than anything he had ever come in contact with, but all that he had said made sense. If you were moving at great speed then you would constantly have to be moving your ground and if you were fighting at the time, it could be a deadly loss of concentration. He said quietly, "I can actually see why. I've seen Goten flying, and he moves very quickly, even when he's not really in a hurry, and if you're fighting at that kind of speed- Well I see the point. However, that's something that can be addressed later when you start your Gift Training. For now, let's just get you settled in. We'll be testing you tomorrow on all levels, academic, physical and Gift, but not today. Dinner will be soon, so I'll let you go. Goten's in the kitchen tonight, and I don't plan on missing his cooking. There's a separate table for you and him because of the appetite he's displayed." The old Herald grinned. "If the boy didn't hunt for the entire Palace, I think the cooks would have killed him despite his skills with food!"

Trunks gave an answering grin. "I understand. My mother gave up long ago trying to cook for my father and I and hired two full-time chefs, mostly because not one of us should be allowed near food other than to eat it. Mom can't cook toast, Dad never bothered to learn, and I can burn water!"


Goten and the other hunters had returned with seven stags of highly respectable size, four of which had been killed by him. There would be plenty of meat for the night, and he already knew what he was going to do with it. Though he had inherited his cooking skill from his mother, he was more than willing to try recipes from other sources. The Food Network channel on TV had given him some of his better ones, and one of them was Emeril Lagasse's venison and wild mushroom stew.

(Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2000, foodtv.com)

6 strips bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 pounds venison shoulder, excess fat removed, cut into 1-inch cubes
Salt
Black pepper
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup dry red wine
1 large onion, diced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
2 ribs celery, diced
1 large parsnip, peeled and diced
1 leek, white only, diced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 pound mixed wild mushrooms, such as wood ear, chanterelle, morel, or shiitake, sliced
1 12 ounce bottle amber beer
21/2 quarts veal or beef stock
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
6 sprigs fresh thyme
1 teaspoon allspice
3 bay leaves
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 baking potatoes, like russets, peeled and cubed
1 pound cooked egg noodles

In a large stockpot cook the bacon over high heat until crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan and drain on paper towels. Season the venison with salt and pepper, and then lightly dust with flour. Add the oil to the pot and sear the venison on all sides over medium high heat. Remove the meat from the pot and add any remaining flour, stirring constantly. Deglaze the pot with the red wine, scraping with a wooden spoon.

Add the onions and cook over medium high heat until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the carrots, celery and parsnips and sauti for 2 minutes, then add the leeks and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms to the pot and cook until they release their moisture, about 5 - 7 minutes. Add the beer and scrape to remove any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, then add the veal stock, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, allspice, bay leaves and tomato paste. Bring the stew to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until the meat is tender and the stock is reduced, about 1= hours. Add the potatoes to the pot and continue cooking until they are cooked through, about 20-30 minutes. Season to taste and serve with egg noodles tossed with butter.

Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Of course, Goten would be making a lot more than that, and there were a few ingredients that he would have to make substitution on. He had discovered that celery could not be found in Valdemar, imported or otherwise, though he had found a strange root that tasted similar enough to use, and he would have to use the mushrooms that grew locally in the woods around the Palace grounds. He had also had to find a suitable wine and beer for the recipe, which had resulted in Sparky and Kila's old friend, Jeshua, getting drunk with him three nights in a row last week. When the reason for their small insanity had been discovered, Kila had threatened them all with murder if they ever tried anything like that again. To which he had gaily replied, still a little drunk, that he had already sampled every wine and ale in Haven, so she had nothing to worry about.

Goten was going to use all of the meat from six of the animals to make enough stew for himself, Trunks, and the rest of the Collegium and Court, as well as supervising the creation of the salad dressing for the greens and the massive amounts of egg noodles that he would need. He loved being in the kitchen, and he'd had great fun experimenting in the huge pre-industrial setup that served the Palace-Collegium complex. Chichi had always wanted him to become a chef and create his own restaurant, but he didn't want to be stuck in the kitchen for the rest of his life. He cooked for fun, but he was still Saiyan. He still yearned for the challenge of battle and the mental exercise of strategy. It was in his blood, a fact which his mother had eventually come to accept, even though she wanted something more for her son than the life of a warrior.

Goten thought that in coming to Valdemar he had found the answer to that problem, though it saddened him to realize that the dear woman would never be able to see him become successful as she had wished. He planned to join the Guard once he had learned enough of the language to be serviceable. He would probably advance easily, he would certainly be an asset to the Guard, and once he reached high enough, he would have the responsible normality that his mother had always craved for him while still getting what he wanted.

Joining the army at home would never have been feasible for him. In a world that could not accept that anyone other than Mr. Satan had defeated Cell, acceptance of ki techniques would never happen, being thrown off as simple tricks and nonsense. They favored technology to the martial arts, anyway, and would have merely stuck him behind a rifle and told him to get in line. The Guard were different. They were used to Heralds, to the concepts of magic and mind-magic (A/N: the mental Gifts. There is mind-magic and true magic. That's for those of you who might not know the series.) and while they would marvel at his strength, they would not ostracize him for it.

However, that was all a consideration for another time. He had a major bit of work ahead of him with tonight's meal, and he was well aware that it wouldn't take too long for things to get out of hand if he wasn't prepared for it.


Jenfa showed Trunks around the Collegium, making sure that he wouldn't get lost while looking for the lavatories or the men's bath and showing him where things were, like the stables, his quarters, Companion's field, and the dining hall.

Trunks spent about an hour getting ready for dinner, going first to the baths to get rid of the trail dust that had seeped through his clothing, then pulling his hair back, tying what he could with an elastic band at the nape of his neck. (A/N: Like Mirai Trunks after he got out of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.) He dressed in a business suit from the capsules he'd had in his jeans pocket when he and Goten had come through the Gate, the one he had been wearing to work that day. He knew that it would probably be a fashion shock to the rest of the diners, other than Goten, but it was the nicest thing in his possession, and as he understood it, this would be the last time he had occasion to wear the thing before he was thrown into Trainee Grays.

Walking into the dining room was like nothing he had ever done before in his life. There were people from every age group, some dressed in Grays, some in Whites, some in the uniforms of other Circles, Bardic Browns and Scarlets, Healer Lights and Greens, and quite a smattering of student Blues as well. Some were in normal clothing (for Valdemar) and there were a few men in the darker blue uniforms of the Guard, but these were greatly out-numbered by the other uniforms in the room. Trunks felt greatly out of place, but he was used to dealing with strange and huge groups of people from learning how to run Capsule from his mother. His face easily slipped into its accustomed mask, a pleasant expression that allowed no one to actually see what he was thinking.

He noticed Jenfa sitting at one of the tables and moved to sit next to her. There were several other people there, all either dressed in Whites or casual clothing, and they all seemed to be in deep conversation with her. He cleared his throat and said, "Do you mind if I join you?"

She looked up and smiled, an expression that made something inside of him flutter. He frowned inwardly, not allowing the expression to show. What was that? Why was he reacting to her like this? She said, "No, that's fine. We were kind of hoping you'd show up. I like this suit of yours. It's a lot different than anything I've ever seen."

He smirked a little. "Well, it is from a different planet. So what conversation did I interrupt? Nothing too important, I hope."

"Not really. Trunks, these are some of my closer friends in the Circle. This is Mikal, who's Kila's husband, Jeshua, and that last is Jordin, Tanitha's life-bonded. And this is Trunks Briefs, soon to be our newest Trainee! We were all going over some old memories, mostly of when we all got started at the Collegium. For one, I remember how Mikal got the nickname 'Sparky.'"

Trunks raised an eyebrow. That nickname reminded him of the mascot of some American electrical company in Texas and the surrounding states. Sparky the Safety Mouse. (A/N: Hey, Ki, you knew I'd find some way to worm the truth in!)

Kila said, "Hey, I get to tell this story!"

Mikal, a fairly young man with light brown hair, beard, and eyes, which he rolled expressively, said, "Lord and Lady! Can't you two leave that old yarn in the dust?"

The Foreseer just grinned at him. "Of course not! One of the simple pleasures in life is torturing your friends and loved ones! Now, Sparky's a mage, and when he was first Chosen he didn't have that much control over his Gift. He has an affinity for lightning, as well, which just made the situation worse. Anyway, he was very shy, a condition that I think I've gotten him over, and several of the unaffiliated students, the Blues, decided to play some pranks on him. Now these weren't as bad as some of the things that such students have done in the past, but at the time it only took the least little thing to set him off. Things were coming to a head, and finally the leader of their little group did something stupid. To embarrass him in front of the entire dining hall, they snuck up behind him and yanked down his pants!" Trunks put his hand over his mouth to smother his sudden laugh. "Yeah, he was so shocked that his Gift went nuts, making little bits of lightning shoot off everywhere. If Lady Elspeth hadn't been in the room, he could have caused some severe damage, but she was able to shield him just in time. From then on, the nickname just stuck!"

At that moment, the food started being served, but Trunks decided that he would tell these people some of the pranks that he and Goten had pulled when they were little, like the time they had packed the showerhead in his parent's bedroom with coffee filters full of Koolaid, or when they had knocked out Mighty Mask to sneak into the adult section of the World Martial Arts Tournament. They had truly been evil little pranksters. But he would wait to tell them until he had Goten there to share the moments. Which reminded him, "Where is Goten, anyway? Dean Elcarth mentioned that he was in the kitchen?"

Jenfa nodded. "That's why the dining hall is so full this evening. No one want's to miss his cooking! I heard that it's venison stew of some kind."

Trunks' mouth was suddenly watering. "The one with the mushrooms? Oh, yes! I live that stuff! Will he get a chance to come out here, or is he going to have to eat in the kitchen?"

Kila said, "No, they set up a special table for him because of the sheer amount he can eat. May I assume you're just as bad?" Trunks grinned. "Then you should probably join him at the head of the table. I'd join you, but I'd be afraid to loose my own plate by accident!"


Trunks and Goten stood out in the Companions' Field after dinner was done, just talking. Goten had told him of his plans to join the Guard, and his reasoning, and Trunks had introduced him to Itan. They stood there in the full moonlight, a moon that was far larger than the one on Earth that neither of the demi-Saiyans had ever seen. They both felt it's pull, though since neither had a tail, it wasn't a problem. They thought of their homeworld and all that they were never likely to see again, their families, their friends. Goten would never see his mother or father, his brother and sister-in-law, or is niece, and Trunks would never see his father, mother or sister. They would never see Piccolo or Dende, Krillin, 18, Marron, Yamcha, Tien, Chaotzu or anyone else. Goten even imagined that he might miss that dip-wit, Mr. Satan after a while. But they had no way to return. Tanitha was the only one who knew how to open that kind of Gate, one that didn't use her own personal energy to fuel it, and she was incapacitated, at least for now, and she just might be traumatized so badly that she'd never be able to do it again.

Of course, even if the Gate were somehow opened again, Trunks would never be able to leave. He was linked to the land and the people of Valdemar now, and he would never be able to leave for that long. He might be able to visit if someone were to open such a Gate. He'd be worthless for an hour, but he could still visit with his family.

Moot point, of course. It would not be very likely to happen, even if Tanitha made a full recovery. After all, what if the accident could never be recreated?


A/N: Well that's the end of the revisions. Remember to tell me if you find a mistake.