Jemmie, dismayed, sat down too. He wasn't half the Empath his mother was, but he could tell this girl was not happy.

Well. You didn't even need to be an Empath for that.

Still, he had no experience with crying girls, except for his sisters, and all of them would immediately tell him what was wrong. :Papa?:

:What is it, Jemmie?: His father's reasurring voice. Mama would know what to do.

:I told you about Krystil being Chosen, right? Well, now she's collapsed on my doorstep, crying. And I have no idea why.:

:Need your mother, do you? Well, I'll see if she's free.: There was a pause, and then his father returned, :She'll be there in a while. Jemmie, try not to attack her.:

:I only did that once!: But his father was gone, and Jemmie grumbled. Parents. They never let you forget your mistakes.

Krystal wiped her eyes and nose and blinked. The man...no, he said his name was Jemmie...was sitting in the doorway, apparently asleep. "Er..."

Someone said something in Valdemaren. She jumped and whirled. A tiny, birdlike woman on a rather large Companion cocked her head and repeated herself. Jemmie said something from behind her, and then added, in Hardonian, "She doesn't speak Valdemaren. I thought I told Papa that."

"No, actually, you didn't." She dismounted. "And may I say that Dixon has caused us some trouble?"

"I thought he would." Jemmie sighed. "Not my fault."

"Excuse me," she said, to Krystal. "I've forgotten my manners. I'm Talia...Jemmie is my son."

"Mama's twice the Empath I am," Jemmie added. "Thought she could help you."

Talia...the name rang a bell in Krystal's head, but she couldn't quite remember..."Oh!" she exclaimed as it came back. "You're the Queen's Own!"

Talia nodded, smiling. "Yes, I am. Unfortunately, I'm also the only Empath apart from my children..."

"And Shandi," Jemmie interjected.

"...yes, and Shandi, and that gives me a great deal of work."

"And Kat and Josev and Tallen and Reane," Jemmie continued.

"Yes, thank you, Jemmie, that's enough."

"Sorry."

"Anyway. I have to ask you to come back to camp with me."

"Why am I not surprised?" Jemmie muttered.

Talia shot a look at her son and continued, "We have to reassure your father that you actually have been Chosen and you are safe. He's not too sure. Currently our Guard and his Guard are glaring at each other across the border."

"Oh. I...I can't be a Herald."

"Of course you can. It's just going to take some fancy diplomatic footwork. Come on, then."

"I'll stay here," Jemmie said immediately.

"I never expected anything else. Krystal?"

With a sigh, Krystal remounted the stallion. He seemed unbearably smug as he pranced forwards.

"Here we are," Talia said, after about five minutes. Krystal gaped.

The Valdemaren camp was simple but busy, busier then the palace. Men and women in green, white, scarlet and blue were all moving at various speeds to various places. There was a cluster of white horses--:Companions,: Dixon said, unexpectedly--off to one side. Over by the largest tent, a swirl of white-clad people surrounded a woman in white, her golden hair shining in the sun. A solider stood out as a spot of blue.

Talia set a course towards these people. Along the way, she was stopped by a man in green and a collection of children in gray, two of whom called her Mama. Krystal wondered just how many children Talia had.

At last they reached the woman in white. "Selenay!" Talia called, waving. She continued in Valdemaren.

The woman...the Queen...turned, and smiled, answering in a welcoming tone, then turning to the solider beside her and giving him an order.

The solider bowed and hustled most of the rest off. Three men in white remained: one with a frightening, hawklike face, one who resembled her father's hunting hounds, and one homely man, who engulfed Talia in a hug. She returned it, warmly.

:Er...Dixon?Who's that?:

:Dirk. Talia's lifemate. They have four children. I knew you were going to ask that.:

Krystal blushed. Talia and the Queen were chattering in Valdemaren now. The man kept one arm around her waist as she talked. After a moment, the Queen nodded and turned to Krystal.

"I'm sorry about all this," she said, waving at the camp. "Life has been rather hectic and it's all his fault. You know, Dix, of all the pranks you've pulled, this is the worst by far."

:Thank you, thank you very much,: Dixon said with a heavy accent. Krystil was startled into a laugh.

The Queen smiled. "He made a smart remark, I suppose. I'm not surprised. Welcome to Valdemar."

Krystal bowed her head shyly. "I'm sorry, but I...I can't be a Herald."

"I heard. I actually don't see why not, although it's going to be a tad difficult as far as internship and loyalty questions go. Now..." The Queen shaded her eyes, and grinned. "I see Randon got your father."

"Krystal!" Her father galloped over, reining his gelding and grabbing her off Dixon. "When the mare came back without you we thought...oh, gods, Krys, don't ever do that to me again."

"It wasn't entirely her fault," the Queen put it. "Companions tend to not take no for an answer."

"Companions?" Tremane didn't let go of Krystal.

"I was Chosen, Daddy," Krystil said, pointing at Dixon. "I told him I couldn't be a Herald, but he wouldn't listen to me."

:I should hope not.:

"Well, that's ridiculous."

"I know, Daddy, that's what I told them."

"I fail to see why," Queen Selenay told them. "We can hopefully protect her adequately enough, and having a Herald as a monarch is no bad thing."

"But I'm supposed to be Queen!"

Selenay raised an eyebrow. "I am Queen, and being a Herald hasn't stopped me any."

"But Heralds have to be loyal to the crown of Valdemar," Tremane pointed out. "Krystal cannot, as Queen of Hardorn, have that loyalty."

"I bet we can work around that," Talia put in. "Having the morals and ethics of a Herald would be no bad thing for Hardorn. And..." she trailed off, and shared a significant look with her lifemate.

"And what?" Krystal asked suspiciously.

"Nothing." Talia shook her head, her curly hair falling down around her face. "Nothing."

"We can certainly work around the loyalty," Selenay said thoughtfully. "I think...yes, it would only take slight modification of the oath. The Herald's Creed actually makes very little mention of loyalty to the crown, and only at the very end. Everything else is really about the moral behavior of a Herald."

"But I can't learn anything about Hardorn!" Krystal wailed. "I need to know those things, and..."

"Hush, love," Tremane said gently. "From what your tutors tell me, you could probably teach the class on Hardorn. You know enough about our country to be Queen now, if you needed to."

"For her internship, I could have you as my special attachè," the Queen said. "That's what I did with Kris and Lyra. You could see how I run my country, and decide if you want to the same at your home."

:Please?:

Krystal started; it was the first time Dixon had spoken in her head since Tremane arrived. There was such longing and sadness in the Companion's voice, where there had been only confidence before. She couldn't refuse that sadness, and looked at her father with pleading eyes.

Tremane sighed. "Oh, all right. You keep her safe, hear?" He addressed the Queen. Krystal tried not to smirk at his words, and Dixon exuded a quiet but intense relief.

"We will," Selenay said, smiling at Tremane. "We will."