It was cold, bitterly cold and sure death to anyone who caught themselves in it. The wind howled and bodies riddled the ground, but not a drop of blood besides that of a single wounded man to show a brief struggle. Amidst the bodies a girl trembled, knees drawn up to her chest, blue eyes wide as she clenched the man's hand, white as marble and cold as death, to her, tears streaming down her pale cheeks.

The girl crooned to the body, her voice devoid of all sanity, "I'll guard you, Father," she whispered dully as she stroked the hand, rich raven curls tumbling down her shoulders, "I'll guard you." She reached out a small delicate finger to touch his cold cheek.

-FLASH-

They were surrounded on all sides by the beasts, it was useless to consider survival. The creatures mouths dripped with mingled blood and saliva, their claws outstretched and reaching, reaching for Alsea and her father.

The girl wept as her father stood and drew his sword, settling into a guard position to fend off the horrid beasts. "Alsea," he hissed, his voice low and soft with a calm that came before a warrior's death, "when I give the word you must run. Run as far as haven if you must just do not look back."

Alsea bobbed her head softly, unable to get a single word past the lump in her throat. One of the creatures reached for her, claws glinting in the moonlight.

With a shout the man shot forward, his sword a blur as he feinted at the beast. "Run Alsea!" he cried, his daughter never heard him. All Alsea saw, or heard, was the creature plunging one deadly claw into her father's chest. The man gurgled, and his sword dropped to the ground while the creatures hissed with a thirst for his blood.

Alsea's head jerked up and she let out a long haunting wail, her eyes suddenly blank, all understanding and sanity gone from her. A flash of pain surged through her, her back arching as she began to scream, palms raised to the sky. Another convulsion shot through her as the monsters hissed their nervousness and dislike, this had not been planned for. An unholy blue light glowed in Alsea's middle and soon shot outwards and all that could be heard was the beasts' final cry of pain, then blackness.

-FLASH-

Alsea howled and leapt back from her father's corpse, her body trembling uncontrollably as she began to weep anew. Sanity slowly began to return to her but she wished it would not, all her memories could give her was pain and suffering, she'd had enough of that.

"No," she croaked, unable to speak without a quiver, "Father...." And the security of blackness returned to her.

-----------

Herald Dannyn smiled, tilting his head up to the sun, allowing it to warm him. A little shiver ran down his back as the sun dried his damp clothing and hair. "Ooh, Trev," he purred to his Companion, his hand filled with Treyvin's silvery mane. "Such a glorious day! I truly thought that I would never see the sun again."

Treyvin snorted and turned his head to gaze back at his Chosen with a glittering sapphire eye. :Herald Lazybones!: the Companion cried indignantly, whickering his amusement. :You act as if you were tortured while you merely got a little damp! I seemed to have attracted all the mud on this cursed road.: Treyvin shook Dannyn's hand out of his mane and turned his head to face one again at the never-ending road. The Herald could hear the mutterings coming from Treyvin's mind.

"Oh, Treyvin, care for some cheese with that whine?" he teased, straightening out his tunic with a massive hand. All of his Whites were now grey with grime, and he couldn't help but feel like a trainee again. "Let's see We left Kettlesmith two days ago and its almost noon now" Another smile came to Dannyn's lips, he could almost hear the bustle of Haven's streets. They were only a few candlemarks away from the capital of Valdemar.

:Exactly, Dannyn. You can go to your warm bed and I can go to Companion's Field. Now, please, stop drooling, a Herald should look professional!:

Dannyn sighed wistfully, scratching behind his Companion's ears as he gazed ahead, awaiting the sight of Haven to unfold before him.:I wonder sometimes, Trev, why do I put up with you?: He asked dramatically, taking his hand from his Companion's ears to touch his chest. :You wound me.:

Treyvin shook his head, letting out what could only be called a chuckle. He never tired of the banter shared between him and his Chosen. :You could never live wi-:

The Companion froze, his body absolutely still. Hundreds of other Companions clammered in his mind, they were panicked. Something was definatly wrong. His mind became fuzzy, there was a gift awakened, a very powerful gift and it was nearby. He could no longer focus, his head drooping in all the confusion. Where was Rolan? His was the only voice he could not hear.

:Here, Treyvin. Take your Herald and find the child. She will be Chosen. Kaea has just left for her.: All the other Companions went silent as their leader spoke up, and the silence afterwards was a blessing in comparison to the clammer of before. :Protect the girl until Kaea arrives. We are unsure of her mental state.:

Suddenly Treyvin understood. He had wondered why they would send a Herald and Companion to guard the girl when her Companion was on the way. Now it made sense, if the girl was not wholly sane, they would have to guard her from herself and others around her. It was their job to keep the would-be-Chosen alive.

:TREYVIN!: Dannyn Shouted, his mind-voice filled with panic. :Treyvin! What the hell is going on! You blocked me out! Trey-: Immediately Treyvin flooded his Chosen's mind with all that happened in those short moments, he had no time to explain. Without another word he bolted off the road and off to the west before Herald Dannyn even had a chance to blink.