Black Snow

by Gaiden

Finished!! R & R

1. Hoshi

Disclaimer: I don't own Valdemar, Heralds, or any of Misty's most excellent work. This is for fun not profit, please God don't sue I don't have the cash. This is my take on several things, including Heralds, bushido, and Karse. What I know I learned in Karate, don't get offended if I'm twisting it to my own malicious, evil ends.

Thanks: MOM I love you. Tony-o: I know you hate me calling you that, live with it Miss Sharp: for putting up with me         

Suki

            " Suki!!!" a shrill nasal voice called. "Suki?"

She eagerly leaped up.  Her family had served the clan Honda for generations beyond counting it was her honor to serve the Lady Hoshi as her personal servant. Well, mostly servant, Hoshi was less of a noblewoman than any of her family, having earned the imperial dragons only a year before, in record time. Suki knew that she wasn't the sharpest sword in the yard. Why Hoshi had chosen her specifically to be her personal servant was beyond anyone's comprehension, but she served Hoshi as faithfully as she possibly could and that would just have to suffice.

She pulled back the screen and almost, almost disgraced herself by breaking into hysterical laughter. Her efficient, trained, deadly mistress was caught in the straps of her practice armor and was jumping about in circles trying to free her hair from the steel covered leather.

"Hai?" She sounded as deliberately innocent as possible.

" Get me out of this!"

" Hai, sensei."

She gently helped to extricate the long, jet-black hair out of the buckle and lifted the surprisingly light leather off of her lady's shoulders.

" Domo arigato"

Suki bowed, and returned the leather to the armor stand. And presented herself before her Lady for further instructions. Hoshi regarded her with the slightly non-existent stare that usually unnerved most people and made a dismissing gesture, Suki understood and bowed herself out of the dojo. Hoshi never liked to be seen at a disadvantage, even so innocent a one as getting caught in armor that usually required two people to remove. She had served Hoshi since both had been teeny tiny tater tots and understood her discomfort. To her memory Hoshi had never been taken off guard by anything, but habit was long standing.  A moment later Hoshi reappeared from the dojo.

"Suki,"

"Hai?"

"Find my brushes"

"Hai, sensei"

Suki quietly went about the small, cabin house and collected the delicate wolf, rabbit and horsehair brushes that Hoshi habitually left around the living area She quietly laid them out in a neat pattern on the writing desk, exactly as she always had. Hoshi acknowledged the offering with a slight nod.

"Sensei? "

"Food, Suki."

"Hai, Sensei."

She neatly went to the small kitchen area, boiled up a quiet pot of tea, and prepared a delicate arrangement of little meat rolls and rice. Not that Hoshi would have demanded it of her. Suki's mistress, if left to her own devices, would have drunk day old cold tea and eaten dry rice without Suki. It was a matter of pride that Suki took great care of her Lady.  She kept the line of food and hot tea running through the afternoon and into the evening as Hoshi created a work of art that could have been considered a masterpiece, if it hadn't depicted the future, messy death of a nobleman from an assassin's knife. The kanji that accompanied the painting were well formed and delicate. If Hoshi could have read them the message would have been more macabre. Hoshi sighed and finally pushed away from the writing desk. She got up and backed away from the desk until she could dimly make out what it was she created.

"Bed, Sensei? "

"Hai, Suki"

Suki rolled out the sleeping mats and prepared a small bowl of cool water and some rags to counteract the inevitable nightmares and headaches that usually accompanied the visions. This routine had not varied in the years since the first vision. Hoshi had been one of the greatest ninja in the empire, if the youngest as well. Then came the frightening visions that robbed her of her gifted training. No Shogun in his right mind would risk the life of a person who could tell the future of his empire in a senseless assassination attempt.

Suki sighed and rolled out the mats. The debilitating visions had only started a year ago. She didn't understand where they came from or why they happened, all Suki understood was that her Lady had been a happy assassin for the empire then one night she'd woken up is a state of fright that Suki had never seen in her near twenty years of service. Hoshi stumbled to the writing desk she never used and began to blindly paint a macabre picture. The bloody scene had come to pass a few days later. She'd been politely shunted to a "secure" location in the massive gardens of the imperial palace and "invited" to stay there for as long as the visions kept coming. It had been a year and there had been no abating. It was heresy to think, for the emperor was the voice of the gods, but Suki was convinced that the emperor cared as much for his loyal servants as he did about the statuary in the gardens; pretty, useful, but ultimately replaceable if broken.

Hoshi stirred, sweating, as the grips of the inevitable nightmare took hold.  Suki dipped the rag into the water and wiped her Lady's head, cooling the feverish heat.

"Shhh, sensei.  It will fade.  Shhh"

Hoshi woke with a start, spotted Suki, and relaxed, marginally.  "It is an honor to defend your country and your family," she told Suki weakly.

" It is" Suki agreed, privately thinking that her country and family should have done better to her Lady than forcing her into temple school, when they discovered her eyesight problem and abandoning her to the tender mercies of the imperial system with no hope of advancement or reprieve.  "The gardens of Shaolin are lovely this time of year."

"I cannot leave."  Hoshi muttered wearily.  "The empire needs me to protect her interests.  There is no one else who can do what I do, it is my duty to stay."

"You will die for these visions."

" Then I will die doing what is right.  I know my place. I was made to be a weapon for the empire. I was given the best training, the best teachers, and the education to kill for my country. It is my duty."

"Then why do you try to convince me of that which I know so well?"

 Education, Suki, thought disparagingly; they 'educated' Hoshi to kill without question and left her functionally illiterate.  The only reason Hoshi was allowed to keep Suki around was because Suki could read and write. They had cared enough about her martial skill to give her that training, but when it came to anything else her blighted eyes were simply too much a burden for them to care.

"Sleep sensei, all will be well in the morning"

Sophia

 Herald Sophia Damodred, sister to the king and Monarch's Own Herald, was pissed.  She was deeply pissed.  She was ticked enough to have grabbed the Lord Marshal by the collar and wrung his neck until he passed out.  If it hadn't been for her training, first as a Princess of Royal blood and secondly as a Herald, she would have done just that.  As it stood, she was deeply tempted to simply walk up and relieve him of his post, the hard way.

: Patience, Chosen:

: I'm being patient.  Don't nag:

:IT's not his fault and you well know it:

:IT may not be his fault, but it is his responsibility:

: Not everyone had the same sense of responsibility as a Herald, dear:

To this she made a most inappropriate reply, delineating the Lord Marshal's heritage without once including a human being.  The exchange took seconds, but it centered her thoughts and allowed her to address the issue without undue vitriol.

"My Lord, ' I don't know' is simply not good enough.  Three villages have been put to torch.  The King wants to know why, the King wants to know how, and the King wants to know NOW." 

"Lady Herald, I DON'T KNOW.  If I knew, and believe me I'm trying to find out, I could send the appropriate kind of response.  It may be Rethwellen privateers, it may be Karsite slavers, and it may just be that a cow kicked over a lantern in the barn.  I have people working to find out how it happened, but for the moment there is nothing I can do."

" What about the Nagani?"

"What about them?"

"Do we know if they are responsible?"

"We don't know anything about them except that they are extraordinarily secretive, VERY xenophobic, and incredibly well trained warriors."

  " That seems like a very good combination to me"

" They need our fisher folk's trade too much to put villages to the torch.  Any time they have attacked it was with a small landing party and with a specific objective; they won't kill without provocation.  They're very good at what they do"

" And what is that, my Lord Marshal? "

"They're traders.  They have a set of islands in Lake Evendim that NO person is allowed to set foot on.  They run interference for smugglers and tradesmen who don't want to deal with import duties.  It's not too terribly legal, but they're a law unto themselves, and very rarely hurt any one in the process."       

" Then how do we know about the so-called warriors and their 'incredible' skill?  "

"They don't like to be short sold, Lady Herald, I'm told they take a very sharp dislike to individuals who try to run around them.  One boatload of disgruntled samurai is enough to send an entire village running for its life"

"How do we know if they didn't take a 'dislike' to us? "

" It is a possibility, but a very slim one Herald.  They just don't like dealing with too many people like this"

"Thank you my Lord, you've been most helpful."

The dismissal was curt and abrupt.  The most honorable Lord Marshal bowed shortly and stalked out of Sophia's office.

: You weren't fair with him, Chosen:

 : Hang fair, Dippy, we need answers.  He's just sitting on his butt:

: What would you have him do?  :

: Great, you go ahead and be rational:

: I will: Smugness radiated down the link: And don't call me 'Dippy':

"I'll call you what I please, you're my Companion," She announced to the air.

"Talking to yourself again Sis?"  An extremely handsome, very intelligent young Herald stood in her doorway.  If he hadn't been King he'd be on internship circuit, wooing the fair ladies in the Kingdom.  If he hadn't been her brother she just might have thought about it.  But if wishes were fishes they'd walk on the sea.

" Stuff it charmer"

"Hmmm, Let me guess…  The Lord Marshal?"

She stuck her tongue out in reply.

"Yup"

"We need to do something"

"Yes I would agree.  What do you have us to do that is not being done already?"

"Shut up, you're sounding like Dippy.  I want us to catch the individuals responsible and hang them up to dry."

" We're working on it."

"That's supposed to be comforting to the families of the people that were torched for no apparent reason."

He shrugged, "We can't change what's happened.  We can only work to prevent it in the future."

"Well that just sucks."

"Yes it does."

"If you don't quit it, I just might torch you and see how you like it."

: Go easy sister-mine.  I know you've a soft heart:

: It kills me, it really does:

: That's why I'm King and you're King's Own.  I'm no kind of Empath, you are:

"Well screw you"

"Really?"

"OUT" she shouted, " I don't need you doing that here."

: Really dear, go relax. Find something to take your mind off of it. Gods know we're not perfect; I don't need you falling apart on my hands:

: I just might. Can you spare me the last of the day?:

: Go, Nothing important is on anyhow:

: Bless you:

Sophia packed up her papers, belongings, and various writing utensils and shoved them untidily into the iron oak desk. The servants would care for it later, now all she wanted was to get away from the lingering feeling of despair and anger that were plaguing the court. Sometimes, she mused, being an empath sucked. The ability to pick up on feelings was damned useful, particularly for a Kings Own, but when everyone was angry or sad or just plain there and thinking. It got to be much.

:I have yet another something for you to think on Chosen:

: Yes, Dippy:

: There is one companion here of age that has not yet chosen:

: Yes:

: She will Choose:

: And…:

: Her Chosen will be of the Nagani:

: What the hell? How is that even possible - they're on a bloody island in the middle of Lake Evendim and they don't talk to people:

: Details, the important part is that this Herald will not be like any other. Be prepared. Donni will be leaving soon; her chosen will be frightened, and quite unable to cope with the idea of being a Herald. This whole place will be alien and unfamiliar:

: No crap: 

: Be serious Chosen, she will be frightened. Do not mistake me; this will be difficult for us all.  Have faith, Companions do not chose wrongly:

: All right, that scares me.  What the hell do you mean?  You don't say things like that unless you are anticipating some serious difficulties:

: She's been raised differently than we would anticipate:

: Dippy…:

: She's an assassin:

: A what?:

: You heard me.  She has a good heart, though.  Remember that:

: Does this mean that the Nagani have been torching our villages? :

: That I don't know.  We aren't all foreseers:

: Great:

Hoshi

It was a dream.  That much she was aware of.  The slightly disoriented feeling that she'd come to associate with seeing what would come to pass crept over her.  Fear began to trickle in; she steeled herself for the debilitating vision.  Surprisingly, there was no violence, no gore, and no anger.  It was simply peaceful.  Then came the voice.

" I Choose you.  Of all in this world and in the next I Choose you.  I am yours, you are mine, and you will never be lonely again."

Hoshi woke up with a start.  This was not at all what she expected.  She knew, with the same absolute certainty that she knew the truth of the other visions whatever had just happened was important and irrevocable. 

"Suki"

"Hai?"

She breathed a sigh of relief.  Suki was still here and all was still well.  "Find me a map of the Great Sun Sea."

Thanking her Gods for the gift of a wonderful servant, Suki asked no questions and did not wonder at the absurdity of the request.  Hoshi was unable to read or write, her eyesight was too poor, what she wanted with a map was unknown, but her instincts compelled her to find one.  Suki came back and handed the thin rice paper over.  Hoshi felt the surface, the rough ribs of the paper interrupted by the smooth ink. 

"Here, mark here."

Suki went and returned with a small brush.  Hoshi felt the cool drop of ink on her fingertip. 

"What is there sensei?"

"Our future."

Captain Barton

Captain Barton was a happy man. His ship, the Queen's Pleasure, had just finished a run by the islands of Nagano. They'd made several successful trades with the inhabitants. Everything was peachy keen, and he was heading home to Belhaven to unload and re-supply.  Life was really good, and then there was a disturbance. A small ship was sighted off the port bow. They were flashing a distress signal.

"Oh crap. Haul over, lads we've got us a SOS"

The fisher folk, skilled at all form of waterborne travel, quickly hauled out the rudder and turned out to pick up the ship. When the lads pulled out the two inhabitants Captain Barton had even more cause for concern. One looked like a noblewoman, from the cut of the clothes, and the other was some sort of warrior or guard.  He'd never seen one of the Nagani not do something positively deliberate on the water. They weren't in any kind of distress; the small vessel was in perfect condition. This didn't bode well.

"Um…Good Morning Ladies"

The short one who was dressed in armor and had two sword-like things strapped to her back turned to the other and translated his words into Nagani.  Good, he thought, one of them can understand Valdamaran.  It wasn't too terribly unusual, a lot of the samurai he'd encountered had a basic understanding of some Valdamaran, and it helped for the trade business.  The guard listened to the noblewoman for a second and then turned to face him.

" Good Morning"

The words were slow and clear, with very exaggerated diction.  Obviously someone wasn't used to speaking his tongue. He studied the guard for a second; she was dressed in a variation of the samurai armor that was common to her people.  It was lighter, less flashy and bulky, but seemed to cover all of the vital areas. She wore calf length boots, reinforced with steel ribbing; some sort of soft leathers with disc sized steel inserts, and some substantial shoulder, chest and arm plating. She was also very short.  Short was not unusual for her people, but Barton had a twelve year old son who was taller than she.  He cautioned himself to not underestimate the women because they were small.  Both could likely mop his face on the deck if they chose.

" Domo Arigato" Said the taller woman, relatively speaking, and she bowed.  Barton recognized the gesture and the words.

" You're welcome, I'm glad we could help."  He bowed in return.   

"Have… you…passage?"  The guard asked slowly.

"Passage?" They wanted a ride?

"Yes, …passage."

" Where to?"

"Belhaven"

Oh, crap.  He swore to himself, how the devil had they known his homeport.  He snatched a look at the guard.  She wasn't even looking at him, it seemed as if she was staring at a point about two paces behind where he was standing.  They knew exactly where he was heading and had come out there deliberately.  Hot water seemed to rise up to his neck.

"Um… yes I can get you to Belhaven"

"…But?"  The guard asked.  Damn she was quick.

"Well, its not exactly usual for you to come asking for a ride."

  The guard raised a puzzled eyebrow.  Crud, she doesn't understand.

 " Why ask?"

The guard understood that, she turned to the lady and said something in their language.  The lady responded by removing a folded up piece of paper from her belt pouch.  The guard disagreed, that much he could understand.  The Lady won the silent argument.

He looked at the paper he was passed and his heart nearly stopped.  It was an exact drawing of his mooring at Belhaven except there was a rider less Companion standing on the dock waiting expectantly. There was no way on the Gods green planet that they could have gotten this level of detail unless that Companion was waiting for one of them.  Joy.

" Alright, I'll get you to Belhaven"

"Yes?"

"Yes"

 The women nodded in acknowledgement, not at all surprised at his assent.  Heralds, he thought, can't live with them, can't live without them.

" Hold up."

They turned to look at him expectantly.

" It'll take a few days to get back. What should I call you by 'till we get there?"

"Hoshi" said the guard.

"Suki" said the lady.

"I'm Johan Barton, Captain of this vessel."

"Domo Arigato, Captain Barton."

"You're welcome."

Belhaven

            A rider less Companion in any part of Valdemar was an object of curiosity. All knew that the Companion was seeking someone to be chosen. So when the Companion Donni appeared at Belhaven she was trailed by every man, woman and child of age to be chosen to see who she would pick. Surprisingly she didn't choose anyone, but merely presented herself at the village inn to be relieved of her tack and fed a good meal.  For about a week she hung around the area, obviously waiting, and they surmised that she was waiting to choose someone who was out on the ships. Speculation ran rampant.

            "I'll bet she Chooses Jerold, he's right around the age, and he's really good and sweet"

            " Nope, my money's on Garth, he's always been wanting to be chosen."

At first sight of the Queen's Pleasure half the townsfolk ran down to the docks with Donni, who had presented herself to be re-tacked that morning. She stood calmly on the dock, not giving any clue as to the identity of her chosen. Donni, like all Companions, was a glowing, livid, white and had blue eyes with silver hooves. Unlike the other Companions in the Kingdom, she eschewed the tradition of growing out a long flowing mane and tail. Hers were chopped short and braided with silver and blue ribbons. She also carried a pillion pad on her saddle, not standard tack. They thought she would take two people, but who had ever heard of a Companion bearing anyone but their chosen, unless it was an emergency, or choosing more than one person.

            Surprises came again for the population of the town when they saw that there had been an addition to the ships compliment. They could see two individuals on the bow deck, faces to the wind looking for something. Then, satisfied, they went back below.

            The ship docked and down the gangplank walked two women the townsfolk didn't know. A path to the Companion cleared as they walked. The one wore leather armor with steel plates, and the other a simple brown tunic and breeches. Both walked up, petted the Companion on the neck, and were nuzzled in return. The Captain, no less curious than the others, watched from the boat.

        " Our belongings, Captain Brandon"

            The lads on the boat brought out the bamboo basket that the two ladies had stored on the ship. It was, the Captain surmised, only weapons and clothing. They fastened the basket to the snaffles on the saddle and Donni lowered herself down on her knees for the two to mount. A small argument ensued over who was to go in the saddle and who on the pad, solved by the expedient of Donni grabbing Hoshi with her teeth and 'encouraging' her on. They climbed aboard and Donni rose and pivoted to leave. Hoshi grabbed the reins and pulled down, doing little but garnering Donni's attention for the bridle was nothing more than an elaborate hackamore. She stopped, pivoted again, and Hoshi reached into her pouch.

            "Domo Arigato" and she tossed a handful of gold coins into the crowd. 

            : That was nice:

: It was what should be done:

: It was still nice:

: How far do we have to go:

: At a regular horse's pace, nearly a fortnight.  At a Companion's speed about eight days:

: You're that fast?:

: Yes:

"Suki"

"Hai, sensei"

"We will be an eight day's travel."

"How do you know?"

"The shining one here has told me"

"She speaks?"

"Yes, she speaks in the mind."

"What does she say of the new shogun we serve?"

: You've both got a lot to learn:

: Suki can't hear you ?:

: No, only you Chosen:

"She says we have much to learn"

Waystation

: We will then be some kind of super samurai:

: Not quite, there is less fighting and more holding the country together:

: What about me? I'm not about holding things together:

: Point made, you'll likely end up as the Lord Marshal's Herald:

: The who? :

: The Lord Marshal is in charge of the Army, The Lord Marshal's Herald is in charge of the Heralds who fight with the Army and combative gift training. :

:  Hmm:

" Sensei"

" Hai "

" How much longer until we get there? "

: Three days:

" Three days"

: You know it would be much easier if you just talked to both of us:

: It's not something done:

: So? :

: So it's not traditional. :

: This concerns you. :

: To a certain extent:

: Can you speak to her? :

: Of course:

: Then do it:

The link radiated disapproval. Hoshi ignored it. Donni was the only individual who could understand what she and Suki had to say; the others didn't know the language. It only made sense.

: Fine then have it your way:

: I will:

  Night began to fall. There was a warm breeze, though; it was slightly warmer here than it was in Nagano. Donni turned off the path and headed down a little trail. The first time she did this Hoshi pulled a small fit, until she realized that they were only heading to a Waystation for the night. The stations, in and of themselves, Hoshi thought were brilliant.  Little places that Heralds could stay the night, with food, water, and shelter for them and their Companions. Positively charming. 

Hoshi dismounted, after five days in the saddle she was getting slightly more used to riding. Suki was much better at accustoming herself to the rigors of travel. As far as Hoshi was concerned feet were made for walking not hanging down near saddle stirrups. Suki, however, loved the travel and Hoshi was not going to ruin her fun for anything.

: All Heralds use Companion transport, we're the fastest in the Kingdom:

: You're reading my mind again. :

: You're almost shouting:

Hoshi didn't dignify that with a response.  She was also getting very used to grooming and caring for the tack, something that she hadn't known how to do before. They filled the bed box with fresh hay from the manger and heated up the food they'd made the morning before.  Sleep had come more easily in the past few days than ever before. The visions seemed to have stopped, which was blessing enough that Hoshi didn't mind the dirt and soreness of travel.

DEAMONS

Darkness. There was a bright light, and a gathering. Tables lined up in a row. It was a feast. A joyful feast.

 Damn, thought Hoshi, not again.

A man, a young man, rose from his seat. He was dressed all in white with a regal crown on his head.

A King then, or a noble.

 The orientation spun, went upside down and then steadied from a position slightly behind the man looking upwards.

Assassins. I should know. There are three. One is on the rafter; the second is on the banner buckle and the third is in the crowd, there near the coat of arms.

The man made a speech; he began with welcoming the people to the celebration. Hoshi ignored the words, concentrating instead on the movement of the assassins. She memorized their movements, actions, and profile.

Why do they do nothing? Can they not see how that one is looking up to signal the bowman? Or how the other is preparing the window for the getaway? What idiot is in charge here?

 "…  and a happy Midsummer to all! "

Applause rang from the gathered. The bowman shot. Red blossomed on the chest of the King. Another beside him jumped to her feet. They bore the mark of kinship. She covered her brother, or was it cousin, with her own body. Red blossomed on her as well. Hoshi tried to run her mind from the scene but the trauma plunged inexorably forward. The arrows had been poisoned neither was alive. There would be chaos in succession. The nation would be torn. Enemies surrounded on all sides. They would attack. The Kingdom would fall. Valdemar would die.

Hoshi woke with a fright. Suki, beside her, jumped in startlement.

"Sensei?"
            " It will come to pass, this I foresee"

 "Again?"

"Hai"

There was a clattering, from the stable. Donni was awake.

: That was the King. Midsummer is tomorrow night. We don't have much time:

" I heard that!!"

" Well finally. What do you mean we have time? We're three days out of the capital."

: You've never seen a Companion in a hurry. We can make it:

"You're out of your horsy mind!"

: Get dressed. In armor.  Quickly. Suki, get me ready to travel:

The three boiled over in activity in sooner time than anyone thought possible.  If Hoshi thought they'd been traveling quickly before, this was something entirely different. The sheer, intoxicating speed of Donni's travel was unlike anything she'd ever experienced.  Suki was behind her, gasping and grabbing on to Hoshi's armor to maintain balance.  The Companion's ground eating speed and endurance was phenomenal; the only question was if Hoshi could stay on her back.  Hoshi abandoned any pretext of trying to be graceful and hung to the pommel for dear life. The moon shone on the road as Donni and her Chosen raced to save the King.

Hardin

Hardin Damodred, King of Valdemar, was completely relaxed.  He'd just completed the advanced equestrian course with his Companion Oberlin and was soaking in hot water with a copy of his favorite thriller.  Midsummer festival was coming up, the time of happiness and gift giving.  He had to give a speech at the official banquet, but other than that life was very good.

" Hey Hard, where's the tax file on the Belfair province?"

" What are you doing here?  Get!"

"Come on, I'm your sister.  It isn't anything I haven't seen before.  Where did you put it?"

"Why do you care?  You're King's Own not the taxman."

" I need to find out how much disaster relief the villages that got torched are entitled to."

"It's Midsummer for Haven's sake.  Put a cork in it and chill. The taxes will still be there tomorrow Sophi."

"Some monarch you are, lazing about in the bathtub while thing go undone"

"Nothing is going undone.  I resent that.  The tax files are in the records room, just like everything else."

" Fine.  I'll see to it then."

"Sophi you need to relax before you go into a nervous breakdown.  You've been working nonstop for weeks on this village thing.  It's not your job; you should leave this in the Governor's hand, that's his job.  I need you to be on Council, not locked up in the records room."

  " You don't care that three villages got torched and we don't know why?"

That got a reaction out of him.

" I care" he snarled, " Gods bless I'm the bloody King it's my job to make sure those people are safe and I've failed miserably, but you are working yourself to a thread.  Stop it.  You're my sister I've got to look out for you."

" I can take care of myself, your royal majesty, thank you very much.  I just need to get this done.  I care - sue me."

She stormed out of the room.  Hardin sighed and scrubbed his face with water.  It had been a peaceful Midsummer.  Now Sophi was all out of joint and wasn't likely to help him write his speech for the night.  Life was not fair.

He sighed. Time to get ready. Speech writing was the most onerous duty he could possibly think of, why the heck hadn't Baron Valdemar thought to get rid of that when he escaped the Eastern Empire? The Formal whites weren't all that bad. He got dressed and memorized the generic speech he usually prepared for any state occasion, substituting the appropriate phrases for the Midsummer festival.

He went to his sister's rooms and surprisingly she was dressed and ready to go. They were escorted down to the court dining hall by the Privy Council, who tradition demanded also attend. They sat, ate, smiled, and smiled some more. Gods, why did he think that being a King would be exciting? Nothing ever happened at state banquets but stupid people vying for a little more power and position in the cutthroat pools of politics. Speech time.

" People of Valdemar! My people! We have…" Yadda, yadda, yadda.  Gods I hate speeches.

Interruptions

 The speech was winding down. Gods this was boring. All there was to do was sit and smile until both face and backside were stiff, then sit and smile some more. Sophia would much rather be back in her rooms doing something productive. Ah well, she sighed internally, thus is the life of the King's sister.

" THUD"

"THUD"

The people in the room stopped and stared at the iron oak doors that marked the ceremonial entrance to the main hall. They weren't opened except for the coronation and fealty ceremonies. The massive doors, harder than any wood wouldn't break, but the latch was of regular pine, after an unfortunate incident several hundred years ago when the latch had stuck and the entire court had to be lifted out the top of the great hall. The massive latch snapped.

A Companion, double mounted, sped into the great hall. Pivoted to a stop in front of the high table and a black clad figure leaped off and knocked over Hardin, the other pulled a bow out and aimed for the rafters.  Arrows flew.

Sophia wanted to help, she really did, but there was no way she was going to get in that line of fire.  She ducked under the table. Her eyes met the eyes of her brother and his rescuer hidden under the ancient stone table.  The rescuer was covered head to toe in black armor, only the eyes, the same black, were exposed.

There was a thunk and a cry. The first rescuer had fallen on the table. The other's eyes went wide and rolled out from under the table.  Sophia watched as the armored one let loose a war cry that made her blood curdle. She leaped from the floor to the table to the banner bearing the coat of arms that sat directly behind the throne.  She climbed up the banner like a squirrel.

Sophia rolled out from under the table, ducking from the crossbow quarrels, and dragged the first rescuer from the tabletop to the relative safety under the table.  She, surprising Sophia the armor made it hard to tell, was not in good shape. The crossbow bolt was stuck in a gap in the light armor.  It wasn't too life threatening but there was something else wrong. There were green stripes of poison that lanced up from the wound.

A gasp from the crowd pulled Sophia's attention away from her wounded friend. The other armored one had made her way to the rafters and was now trying to dislodge the assassin. It didn't take too long. She had help. The stunned guardsmen had finally gotten their wits together and started firing on the bowman. It was only a matter of time.

Time was up. The assassin lost his balance and plummeted down to the stone floor. The other rescuer crawled back down with speed Sophia had never seen. She reached the floor and pulled two long, distinctive weapons from sheathes on her back and blocked all access to the high table. Not good.

Several green clad healers rushed up and tried to push through. They were enthusiastically encouraged to back off. 

"Let them through, they're healers you idiot!!!" Not the smarted thing you've done Sophi, go ahead and insult the person with a sharp weapon.

"He-lars?"  She questioned.

"YES!" Sophi shouted. Gods bless she doesn't understand Valdemaran.

She stopped, still holding the healers at sword? -point.  Sophia recognized the expression of a beginning mindspeaker "listening" to her Companion.  She let the healers through.  Sophia grabbed the first healer she could and slammed into a healing meld. As a Herald she couldn't heal, per se, but she could and did assist by channeling energy to the healer, effectively doubling the Healer's capacity to heal.

Cedric

He felt the energy flood into him as the Kings Own channeled. He turned his Othersight to his patient and was surprised at the level of poison that infected her system. He started to pour the healing energy into her wound. The crossbow bolt popped out as the flesh underneath knitted, but that was only the easy half of the battle.  The other Healers also linked with him, flooding the infected area. He felt one, two, even three Healers link in with him, even the King, who couldn't heal but poured energy into the meld anyway.

It was touchy for a while, the poison had been given a substantial head start, but the full power of four teaching strength Healers and two full Heralds and their Companions held the day.  He sighed, exhausted, as he pulled out of the Meld.  She would survive to see another day, that was all he cared about. He turned to her friend, the one who'd held him at bay with her pointy little daggers, and opened up his Othersight. 

"Lady Herald, do you know who this is?"

"No, I don't.  Whoever she is she's just saved the King's life and entitled to full treatment."

" She'd get it in any case, but not that one, Herald, the other one."

" She's been Chosen, that's all we need to know right now.  She's confused and has some serious trouble understanding Valdemaran."

"That's not all Herald, she's as blind as a bat."

"BLIND?"

"Myopic, severely nearsighted, it's a miracle she can navigate without assistance, let alone fight, climb, and ride."

"She can't see?"

"Not well at all.  Anything within a five meter radius is just a blur, but beyond that she's OK.  I highly doubt she can either read or write, if I hadn't seen it I'd also think she couldn't use those footlong sharp things."

" You're kidding.  OK, you're not.  Can you cure it?"

"No, traits like this are inborn.  We can get her some glasses though, that ought to help"

"Good, can you convince her to put down the weapons and listen to us?"

"I'm a Healer, Lady Herald, not a diplomat."

 The guard had very efficiently emptied the Great Hall.  The only people left were the Healers, the Heralds, the Companions, and the two rescuers.  He stood up and promptly sat right back down as the blood rushed from his head at the sudden movement.  The healing meld had taken more out of him than he thought.  He watched as the Kings Own tried to open up some lines of communication with her rescuer.

"Sophia" She gestured to herself, and then invited her to do the same.

"Hoshi"

"Thank you"

Hoshi turned to her Companion, who apparently translated in her head.

"How is Suki?"

"She'll live."

"Good."

"They're going to take her to the House of Healing to recover."

"I go"

"Ok, if you want, are you hungry, thirsty?  Do you want a bath or a change of clothes?"

"No, I go with Suki"

"Fine, this man here is called…"

"Cedric"

"He's called Cedric.  He saved Suki's life.  He'll be taking care of her while she's sick.  You can go with him to the House of Healing and keep an eye on Suki."

 There was another pause as she received the internal translation.

"OK"

He stood up, less shaky this time, and offered his hand to Hoshi.  She didn't look at him or it, he theorized she couldn't even see the gesture, but gamely put her own hand in the right place and shook.  'Incredible' he thought 'she can adapt the disability without even letting on that she has it.'

"You fix Suki?"

"Aye, that was I."

"Domo Arigato" she bowed.

"You're welcome"

He led Hoshi to the House of Healing.  With the armor on, he couldn't really get a good idea of her appearance, but she had to be incredibly strong for her size to wear that kind of plate without visibly tiring.  She was short, barely to his shoulder, with dark black eyes. Her Companion walked beside them.  Cedric was trying to think of a way to get the Companion into the House of Healing without knocking out a wall.  He didn't think either of the ladies would appreciate being separated from the only being who could understand their language. 

The stretcher bearing Suki went into the House of Healing, so did Hoshi, so did the Trauma Healers, and, after a moment's pause, so did the Companion.  She barely fit the double doors and had to tug a little to get her haunches through, the hallways had a low ceiling and she kept her head down. He told them to put her in the garden room; it was the closest to the exit and was the largest, intended for at least two people and their full team of Healers.

The trauma team set to work as soon as they got Suki settled.  Cedric couldn't even help channel he was so beat.  Hoshi stood guard by the other bed, clearly intending to run anyone through if she thought they were compromising her friend's health and safety. Cedric tried to start some conversation, but she didn't seem interested and he ended up napping on one of the padded benches habitually scattered about the House of Healing, for Healers were apt to snatch moments of valuable sleep whenever and wherever they could.

The Trauma team left, he and Hoshi were alone in the room with an overly large horse and a very sick woman.

"Sophia said you heal, not them"

He perked his head up, that was the first voluntary sentence he'd managed to get out of her.

"I'm not exactly a trauma Healer. I specialize in burns and things like that."

He waited while her Companion translated.

"Your name is Cedric" She had a nasal, slightly lispy accent.

"Yes"

"You work here."

"Yes, this is the main teaching, training, and treatment facility for all Healers in the Kingdom. Technically, I should be assigned to a healing temple out on the border somewhere because I'm new to my greens, but the burn specialty is so rare they want to keep me here"

She took a second to work through the information.

" Will you stay here?"

"If you want"

"Stay"

"Alright"

Liam

Liam was the Weaponsmaster of the Collegium.  He was responsible for training the Bardic, Healer, and Herald collegians. He was also personally responsible for the Kings' safety and the security of the persons on the palace grounds. As such he was beside himself for the gross lack of awareness he'd had in allowing the assassination attempt to take place, let alone be almost successful and completely uncontested. Sophia had come to him an hour ago; he'd braced himself for the tirade, for her temper was stuff of legend among Heralds and for once he completely deserved it, but she said nothing. Instead, she told him about the two women who'd performed the rescue. They were from Nagano, they'd been armed with a variety of unrecognizable weaponry, they'd been somehow forewarned of the event, and, to top off the whole thing, one of them was half blind. He resolved to make off for the House of Healing first thing in the morning.

He got the room number from one of the trainees, clad in pea green as opposed to the full forest green, and opened the door. He found himself face to face with one of the unrecognizable weapons that was now pointed at his throat.

"Stand down lass, I just be checking in on ye."

"It's alright, Hoshi."

Liam noticed the man, young to be in full greens, who'd obviously been sleeping there for the night. The point of the peculiar weapon wavered, and then lowered slowly. It was a dagger unlike anything he'd ever seen. The middle prong was the longest; it was not edged, but sharpened to a bodkin point. The two smaller prongs were a hand span apart and the same length long, they curled in, and then outwards; they were also pointed. The whole weapon was reminiscent of a two-prong sword breaker, but this was only about the length of her forearm and had three prongs.

"Who are you?"

" Me name be Liam and I be Weaponsmaster of this here palace." She frowned and glanced to the Companion that was in her room, Liam didn't want to know how they'd got her in there.

"What you need?"

"I'll be wanting to talk to ye at ye're nearest convenience"    

"Talk"

"Just want to know one thing, lass" has watched for her reaction carefully " How in the name o' nine did ye know when to be there and where they were?"

With the armor on he couldn't tell if she was all tensed up or not, but the helm was off and he could see the ghost of a smile flit across her face.

"I see things before happen. That why I have fast reflexes."

"Foresight, ach … I shoulda known. Well the whole Kingdom be in debt to ye, lass. We're glad ye're come here." There was no immediate response. " Before long I'll be wanting to check out ye're skills with those pointy things ye've packed, and mebbe we'll be come to agreement about a teaching position for that friend of yours."

"Suki"

"Beg ye're pardon?"

"Her name is Suki"

"Ok then, Suki."

"You no meet many samurai have you?"

"Not really"

"Good"

Cymatia

Mattie was in awe. She was a Heraldic trainee, had been for several years, almost ready for her whites in fact. She'd seen some of the best warriors in the kingdom, trained with them, even bested a few on occasion. Never in her entire experience had she ever seen such a debacle. The Weaponsmaster of the collegium, by definition the single best, most versatile fighter in the kingdom, was being defeated. Not just defeated, humiliated.

The newest addition to the Heraldic trainees, Hoshi, had been in Haven for a few weeks.  She and her friend had rescued the King from an assassination attempt and promptly spent the next week in the House of Healing. They'd finally got around to testing them out in the different subject disciplines. Reading and writing were a must, they had little understanding of Valdemaran and Hoshi had to be taught to read, not just how to read Valdemaran, The weapons test was last, to give Suki enough time to heal before she had to test. Liam had been confident that the ladies abilities were, as was usually the case with trainees, highly overrated. That had promptly backfired.

She'd given up long ago any pretense of actually using her weapons in an offensive manner, she was using her bare hands to evade and counter the massive broadsword that Liam wielded. It was, for the weaponsmaster, a farce. There was a mandatory time limit, and Mattie was timing it. As was custom,, no one but the tested, the teacher, and the timer were there to avert embarrassment.

"Time"

Liam sagged to a halt, dropping to the sanded wood floor gasping and dripping sweat. Hoshi could have been taking a brisk stroll in the field. Suki rose from her cross-legged stance on the floor, ready to have her half of the fun.

"Enough, if she be half as good as ye there's nothing I could possibly need to teach ye both."

"I teach Suki from my training. She is good."

"Then that be more than endorsement enough for me."

Suki said something in their language, Hoshi responded. Suki bowed, crossed over to the middle of the floor, and took her place opposite her teacher. Mattie walked over to help Liam remove his practice armor.

"They're good."

"Aye Mattie, they be a damn sight better than good. It's bloody inhuman to move that fast."

"Are you just saying that because Hoshi beat you ?" Mattie teased.

"Mebbe, but I've never seen reflexes that fast. How the bloody hell did they train her to do that? She couldn't even flaming see when they had her."

"It's her Gift. The Dean says he's never seen foresight that powerful. She can see even the little things. Last night she could tell that my stack of dishes was about to fall over and fixed it before it did, she's just incredible."

" But the timing! It's just impossible!"

"Not really"

They both turned, chagrined to be caught gossiping.

"If you spent every waking moment since you walk training to fight, it is possible. They know that I know the strike is coming. They spend years timing it so I could counter and strike back. I did nothing else. I doubt it is possible to defeat me one to one."

Mattie was shocked.  No wonder.  She'd slowly been getting to know Hoshi over the past few weeks.  The trainee was quiet, intelligent, and oddly formal, though that could be explained.  She also had a ravenous thirst for knowledge and actually enjoyed even the dullest subjects.  That her own people had left her ignorant of anything but what would make her a good fighter was criminal. She was small too, it really was incredible that she could do what she did, though in retrospect, being small, fast and agile would be a definite asset for an assassin. Suki was different. She was happy, bubbling and almost oblivious to her ability, which in its' own way was as polished as Hoshi's but very different. She bore a halberd, gaily lacquered with fantastic animals, that was taller than she. She twirled it with wild abandon and bouncy footwork. Fighting together, they were a sight to behold. It proved the old saying that two heads are better than one.