A/N: Mercedes Lackey owns most of the characters, except the main one
(me). She owns the whole white horse with a white-clad owner thing; so
don't yell at me for using it!
Thank you so much Inspiration for editing my story! I know it leaks with bad grammar, but now at least it is a tad bit better.
A beautiful white horse that seemed to glow like its own very brilliant blue eyes trotted over to a white-clad blonde. The blonde lady was surely as beautiful as her horse; her eyes shown as bright as her horses and was of the same shade, her silver-streaked blonde hair was simply gorgeous with the silver coronet atop it. I sighed, wishing I could compete with that, my own auburn head of curls and my big green eyes just weren't good enough.
The horse snorted and its eyes twinkled. It was looking straight at me! The woman turned toward me and smiled warmly, and waved, confidently strolling towards me. I averted my eyes and glanced about, wondering if I was allowed here. I knew the woman seemed nice enough from a-far, but I didn't even know where I was, let alone if I should be there in the first place.
I'm not quite sure what kept me standing there instead of bolting. But the same thing made me smile broadly and wave back. Maybe it was good manners, but to this day I'm still not quite sure.
"Are you enjoying the gardens?" the woman inquired when she was just a yard away.
Something in the back of my mind told me that she was very important, and that the silver coronet was there for a good reason. So did that mean she was a princess? And where could I possibly go where there ARE princesses anymore. In Europe royalty was just for show, mainly, and for tradition. But it was evident that this royal woman held great power, though how I figured that out so soon was a mystery.
I must have nodded in that train of thought, because her smile broadened. She asked some more pleasantry-like questions, holding no importance. I answered, and wondered where that accent was from. That could clue me into where I was, but I drew a blank. It SOUNDED like Australian, maybe, but it was more French, and it just didn't strike me as known.
Another thought struck me: How did I know Valdemaren? I had been born and raised to speak English, yet here I was, speaking like a native noble in this grand land.
After about five minutes of questioning, the woman introduced herself. "I'm Herald Selenay, of Valdemar. Who might you be?"
That name, that bloody name had to be so familiar! I knew it, but I couldn't quite place it.
::Dear, you should answer the Queen. I know that dreadful trip from your old planet was hard, but wouldn't you remember your favorite tale?::
The voice, it was so full of love, so full of truth. And immediately I knew where Valdemar was, and how important Herald Selenay was.
::OH, is it too late to Choose you? I know I should have said something earlier, but it slipped my mind…::
My heart was filled with a love I had never experienced before. I knew that I would never be happy without this Chooser of mine. What were they called, anyway? Pushing that to the back of my mind, I asked for show:
::You mean I'll be a Herald?! I've, I've always wanted to be one, but I thought that Valdemar was just another tale. How did I wind up in it?::
"Dear, are you going to answer me?" the voice wasn't cruel, but all the more kind, and with a bit of humor in it. "I suppose you've been Chosen, then?"
"Why, yes… Tell me Queen, how did I get here? In my land, Valdemar is just a tale. And yet here I am. Ishie Williams*"
The woman sighed and glared at her Companion (I remembered the name now!). I thought I heard her say, "Why couldn't Brio tell her?" but her lips moved not once. It struck me as odd, but it must have been Mindspeech, and Brio was my Companion. Shields, I know, are supposed to protect thoughts, but either Queen Selenay's just weren't, or I had an incredible Gift for Mindspeech.
::Ishie, Valdemar has been on the look out for someone…special. I can't yet tell you what that means, but you will know. I've searched much further than Companions generally do, but you were in need, and I was drawn to you like a bee is to honey. Elspeth and Darkwind created a spell much like a Gate, although it only needed to transport a Chosen object from a far distance away. It isn't Fetching, because with that Gift you need to know what it is you are looking for. No one was really sure. I'm sorry this was so sudden, but as I said, we needed someone special, and now we have that person right in front of us!::
Brio made it sound so simple, but I wondered of that. It couldn't have been easy, and what did she mean by special? It sounded like a good thing, but one could only guess…
"Aww, thank the Gods! I wasn't sure how to explain it, so I'm very glad Brio took the liberty of it. She said you knew of Heralds, so would you know that now we have to get you registered for your classes? Of course you would."
And the Queen of Valdemar led me to the Herald's Collegium, chatting happily about my training every step of the way.
* Means that that is not my name. If I put my real name on the Internet, I'm certain my parents would get angry.
Thank you so much Inspiration for editing my story! I know it leaks with bad grammar, but now at least it is a tad bit better.
A beautiful white horse that seemed to glow like its own very brilliant blue eyes trotted over to a white-clad blonde. The blonde lady was surely as beautiful as her horse; her eyes shown as bright as her horses and was of the same shade, her silver-streaked blonde hair was simply gorgeous with the silver coronet atop it. I sighed, wishing I could compete with that, my own auburn head of curls and my big green eyes just weren't good enough.
The horse snorted and its eyes twinkled. It was looking straight at me! The woman turned toward me and smiled warmly, and waved, confidently strolling towards me. I averted my eyes and glanced about, wondering if I was allowed here. I knew the woman seemed nice enough from a-far, but I didn't even know where I was, let alone if I should be there in the first place.
I'm not quite sure what kept me standing there instead of bolting. But the same thing made me smile broadly and wave back. Maybe it was good manners, but to this day I'm still not quite sure.
"Are you enjoying the gardens?" the woman inquired when she was just a yard away.
Something in the back of my mind told me that she was very important, and that the silver coronet was there for a good reason. So did that mean she was a princess? And where could I possibly go where there ARE princesses anymore. In Europe royalty was just for show, mainly, and for tradition. But it was evident that this royal woman held great power, though how I figured that out so soon was a mystery.
I must have nodded in that train of thought, because her smile broadened. She asked some more pleasantry-like questions, holding no importance. I answered, and wondered where that accent was from. That could clue me into where I was, but I drew a blank. It SOUNDED like Australian, maybe, but it was more French, and it just didn't strike me as known.
Another thought struck me: How did I know Valdemaren? I had been born and raised to speak English, yet here I was, speaking like a native noble in this grand land.
After about five minutes of questioning, the woman introduced herself. "I'm Herald Selenay, of Valdemar. Who might you be?"
That name, that bloody name had to be so familiar! I knew it, but I couldn't quite place it.
::Dear, you should answer the Queen. I know that dreadful trip from your old planet was hard, but wouldn't you remember your favorite tale?::
The voice, it was so full of love, so full of truth. And immediately I knew where Valdemar was, and how important Herald Selenay was.
::OH, is it too late to Choose you? I know I should have said something earlier, but it slipped my mind…::
My heart was filled with a love I had never experienced before. I knew that I would never be happy without this Chooser of mine. What were they called, anyway? Pushing that to the back of my mind, I asked for show:
::You mean I'll be a Herald?! I've, I've always wanted to be one, but I thought that Valdemar was just another tale. How did I wind up in it?::
"Dear, are you going to answer me?" the voice wasn't cruel, but all the more kind, and with a bit of humor in it. "I suppose you've been Chosen, then?"
"Why, yes… Tell me Queen, how did I get here? In my land, Valdemar is just a tale. And yet here I am. Ishie Williams*"
The woman sighed and glared at her Companion (I remembered the name now!). I thought I heard her say, "Why couldn't Brio tell her?" but her lips moved not once. It struck me as odd, but it must have been Mindspeech, and Brio was my Companion. Shields, I know, are supposed to protect thoughts, but either Queen Selenay's just weren't, or I had an incredible Gift for Mindspeech.
::Ishie, Valdemar has been on the look out for someone…special. I can't yet tell you what that means, but you will know. I've searched much further than Companions generally do, but you were in need, and I was drawn to you like a bee is to honey. Elspeth and Darkwind created a spell much like a Gate, although it only needed to transport a Chosen object from a far distance away. It isn't Fetching, because with that Gift you need to know what it is you are looking for. No one was really sure. I'm sorry this was so sudden, but as I said, we needed someone special, and now we have that person right in front of us!::
Brio made it sound so simple, but I wondered of that. It couldn't have been easy, and what did she mean by special? It sounded like a good thing, but one could only guess…
"Aww, thank the Gods! I wasn't sure how to explain it, so I'm very glad Brio took the liberty of it. She said you knew of Heralds, so would you know that now we have to get you registered for your classes? Of course you would."
And the Queen of Valdemar led me to the Herald's Collegium, chatting happily about my training every step of the way.
* Means that that is not my name. If I put my real name on the Internet, I'm certain my parents would get angry.