Disclaimer: I don't own! ^_~ Everything belongs to Mercedes Lackey, nyao nyao~! =^-^= *does the Can't-Get-Sued dance* lol.
Original Characters: Herald-Mage Taythaleiya Shadowflame & Companion Alera.
Notes: No one loves me! *sniffles about not getting any reviews* lol. ^^;; I love my Valdemar Companion!! *huggles* It is so incredibly helpful! I swear! (I also love my Mom for getting it for me for my birthday! Kya~! *glomps*)
Echoes Of A Memory
Echo Two: Amused Shadow
Haven wasn't the way she remembered it. But then, it had been quite a while since she and Alera had last been at the Capitol, and cities had always had a habit of growing and changing over time. She Sensed that Alera was surprised by the magnitude of the differences, too, and had to chuckle.
:Close your jaw, Dearheart, lest you catch flies.: The Companion snorted and nonchalantly flicked his tail up, the tip stinging into Taytha's right leg. :You're a vengeful bugger, aren't you?:
:At least I'm not the Witch of Hevenbeck.:
Taytha winced at that and released Alera's reigns to smack a palm into his neck. :Don't remind me. You know, it's not my fault at all. Children make up stories about anyone who isn't their own mother and father.:
:Or the parents of their close friends.: Alera agreed, :but still, they wouldn't be so adamant that you roast kiddies alive and play devil's music on their gleaned bones if you would go into town and socialize once in a while.:
:Says the Witch's Demon Steed who never leaves his evil clearing of death.: She glowered, :really, the entire thing ridiculous… just because we like our privacy, we're monsters.: A sigh, :besides, you and I both know I prefer my children boiled.:
Alera nickered, Sending the bright Feeling of laughter, and broke into a trot as they approached the Palace grounds. The Gates rose, bright and shining silver in the happy sunlight of the afternoon, and Taytha had to smile.
Despite her inherent love of the solitary life, she really did miss her days at the Collegium… and now, she couldn't even go in as herself. Still, it was nice to be back, though she certainly wouldn't want to move in again. She didn't think she could handle the gaggle of energetic youngsters.
:Well, Chosen, who are you this time?: Alera's Mindvoice asked, just as they paused for the Guard to let them in, the Companion halting sharply and standing just so to make himself ever-so-impressive looking.
Taytha rolled a mental eye. :Quiet or next time I'll be a Bard and you'll be a donkey.:
:I'll be good.:
When in doubt, she had learned long ago, appeal to Alera's vanity. She grinned silently, and the Guard smiled back, obviously thinking that she was grinning at him. Very well, let him think that.
"Herald Tay," The Guard acknowledged. She racked her brain to come up with the correct name, but couldn't for the life of her think of what he was called. "Welcome home! You've been gone for a long while this time… but I suppose border duty is a tough assignment. How long are you going to be in Haven for?"
"Only a day, maybe two." Taytha sighed, sounding as tired as she could, and at the same time giving up on remembering his name. "I have reports due, and I'm to re-supply before heading back out. Kila needs new tack, and I need new uniforms, and I think the both of us could do with a good, hot meal."
"Aye," the Guard nodded sympathetically, "the two of you look half-starved all right."
She put on a pathetic look and nodded, "my stomach had been grumbling ever since Chapel Hill."
"Well then, you should go on in." He waved a hand toward the Gate, "have a meal and a rest, right? Don't let them bully you into doing more than that, especially if you're heading back to the border in a couple of days."
"My thanks," Taytha told him, and Alera put in a whicker to simulate thanks as well, before starting forward again, his hooves chiming musically on the cobblestones. She often wondered if the cobbler had used special stones for them to ring so true with the Companions gait… "well, does that answer your question?"
:Yes,: Alera pouted, :but I still don't see why "Herald Tay" needed to have a female Companion…:
:To irk you, of course.: Taytha replied with a smirk, :besides, it's not as if I Spelled you or anything. It's just a Glamour, so stop your griping. I'll take it off once I'm safely in the Palace and speaking to Elspeth in private.:
Sulking Companions aren't usually seen, but Alera definitely sulked as he trudged up the rise toward the Collegia. Still, his hooves chimed, and Taytha had to snicker. No matter how annoyed he was, his hooves didn't let him sound anything but happy.
:Rub it in, why don't you?:
:Don't mind if I do.:
"Herald Tay" was her favorite and thusly most-commonly-used alternate persona. He was a field-Herald, Chosen and Bonded to the Companion-mare Kila. His hair was short and sandy-blonde, and his eyes were a vague green-brown color. Tay was handsome, but nothing special and easily looked over, which was what she wanted in all of her various disguises.
It annoyed Alera to no end, of course, that he became she when they were using their Tay-and-Kila disguise. Which, Taytha often mused, just contributed to it being her favorite.
Alera's ears flicked at that thought. :I hate you.:
:No you don't.: She replied brightly, making him snort. :You're just not in touch with your feminine side.:
:You did not just say that.:
A snicker. :I'm so sorry Miss, please accept my most humble and abject appolo-:
:Oh shut up.:
Taytha sighed contentedly. She couldn't be quite sure why moments like this between herself and Alera made her so happy, but it probably had something to do with not being in the direct line of fire. Life-and-death situations tended to curb the urge to joke around, at least in her.
They stopped outside of the stables and Taytha dismounted, leaving Alera in the capable hands of the stable-master. He – or, she – as the illusion of a mare had yet to be removed from him, gratefully allowed them to lead him into a stall to have his tack removed for a good rubdown.
She noted with some amusement, as she left Companion's Field, that the stable-hand was asking about Alera's saddle again.
Almost every time they made the trip to Haven, one or more of the people who worked the stables asked. They had good reason too, though; each Companion in the Field had their own personal set of tack – saddle, hackamore, and whatnot – and they were all engraved with said Companion's name.
Alera's – or, Kila's – saddle said nothing.
This was because of her status as a Shadow, and Alera's status as a Shadow's Companion. There was, she had been told upon accepting the position, to be nothing to identify them. Alera's tack was just one of many things that were curiously blank when it came to she and her Soul-Brother.
As far as the world is concerned, we don't even exist.
No one even blinked as she made her way through the ground, weaving around Trainees from all three Collegia. They all stepped out of her way respectively, acknowledging her status as a Herald. She was grateful for their politeness, though surely they would have something to say if they knew the young man they were passing was actually a young woman.
:And deceiving them all, at that.: Alera piped up, sounding all too relaxed.
:Hush, or I'll drop the Glamour now and you can deal with the stable-hand when the mare he's grooming suddenly grows another appendage.:
The mental snickering that came from her Bondmate was both because he found her statement funny, and because he found her statement embarrassing beyond belief. It was a cover, and not a very good one as there were overtones of both emotions in his thoughts. Gods, when had he become so transparent? She had to assume she was the only one who found him so…
She shook her head as she stepped into the Palace, heading for where she hoped Queen Elspeth was. Usually, at this time of day, she was in her study. Taytha could only assume that her routine hadn't changed since she and Alera had last been to Haven.
The walls were more ornate than she remembered them being.
For some reason, a lot of the etching and scrolling along the top and bottom of them was unfamiliar. She could only sigh and chalk it up to the fact that she normally lived and worked so far from the Capital. In the back of her head, she could Feel Alera agreeing with her.
Not that he had much to worry about. The Field hasn't changed since Founding, and I doubt it will any time soon.
Taytha paused when she reached a familiar corner. In fact, it was the only familiar thing she had encountered since they had entered the city. Left was the corridor that lead to the living quarters for the Grays, and she was almost tempted to go and have a look at her old room. That is, until her own internal voice reminded her that she was in the guise of a man, and wouldn't be permitted in the girl's side of the barracks anyway.
:Too bad, Chosen.:
:I would've liked to know who's got my room now.:
A moment of silence, then Alera said; :a girl by the name of Yeia. ThoughtProjecting. Bonded to… Rissa'l.:
:How do you know that?:
Smugly. :Never underestimate the resources of a Companion.:
Taytha rolled her eyes, :you asked Adira, didn't you?:
Inside her Mind, she could Feel him begin to pout again. Had he been human, he would have crossed his arms and stuck his nose in the air. Technically, he still could stick his nose into the air. She doubted he was doing it, though, as she thought he was still in the stables with the groom.
:For your information, I asked Taver.:
:Even better.: She heaved a sigh and headed right instead, toward the main section of the Palace as Alera faded from her thoughts once more. Probably, now that he had been reminded, to find Adira.
Alera was in a situation that was rare for Companions; he had been born a twin. His sister, Adira, was younger than Alera by only a matter of minutes, and, despite them both being well over the ten-year mark, had yet to Choose. Adira was less than concerned about it, though, as she knew that eventually, when the timing was right, the Call would come. Only then would she go out On Search, and until that time she was more than contented to lounge around the Field and soak up the sun.
Taytha could only wonder what an existence of luxury like Adira's was like. She knew that Alera felt a great wistfulness when it came to thinking about his sister's life was like, but though she wondered, she couldn't even imagine herself spending her days doing nothing but relaxing.
:It's actually rather boring, Taytha.:
:I can imagine.: She replied, :how have you been? Besides bored, I mean.:
Adira giggled, :I'm Feeling something.:
:That's really specific, Adira.: Alera put in dryly, and Taytha could Hear his sister send a mental smack in his direction, accompanied by a Feeling of annoyance. Alera snorted, and a flat Look was almost visible.
:What is it you're Feeling?: Taytha asked, ignoring Alera for a moment as she stopped in front of the doors to the Queen's chambers. She knocked lightly, and when a Paige responded she regarded him with a half-smile. "I need to speak with Queen Elspeth, if you would be so kind as to let me."
The boy tilted his head to the side. "I'll have to ask her. Who should I say is calling?"
"You can tell her it's her Shadow."
He looked puzzled, but nodded slowly and opened the door for her to follow him into the outer room. As she seated herself on one of three chairs that adorned the sitting area, he scurried across and vanished through a second door, one that was guarded on either side by tough-looking members of the Guard.
The "Shadow" line that she had given the Paige was one that had been used over and over again since the Founding. It was a password of sorts, as not even Elspeth would recognize her in her disguise. When the Paige told her that "her Shadow" was waiting, there were very few things that would keep her from speaking with her.
But, should she be in conference with dignitaries, as often was the case, she may take a few minutes. Aristocrats were something that Taytha definitely did not miss about her former life, both as a child and as a Heraldic Trainee. She had never, and still wasn't, fond of the falsehoods and façade that went along with the higher classes.
Probably because Papa thought of himself as an aristocrat…
"Um," the Paige reappeared, clearing his throat hesitantly, "M'Lady Queen Elspeth says she will speak with you in a moment, If you please, Sir, it will only by a short wait…"
"Thank you," nodding, she turned her attention inward as she waited, listening for Adira's answer to her previous question. :Well?:
:I Feel it, Taytha!: The Companion repeated excitedly, :I think it's my Calling, but I can't really tell yet. Quinla and Hantroc are saying that I'll know soon enough. Usually a Call take a while to develop, so it could be a few weeks, though.: She sounded exasperated now, :Cario keeps telling me "it's about time".:
:And it is.: Alera told her. :Taytha and I have been Bonded for nearly eight years now. You sure took your time about it.:
:Well it's not as if I can help it, Alera.:
:And why are you so happy, anyway? I thought you liked your life the way it is.:
:I do! But it's just… so… so neat!:
:You sound like a Filly again.:
Adira responded with the mental equivalent of sticking her tongue out, and Taytha sighed tolerantly. Her normally grown-up Companion and Brother-at-Arms was always reduced to a bickering schoolboy when in Speaking distance of his sister, and she seemed to be no better. "Now children…"
She hardly realized that she had spoken out loud, until the Paige, who had taken up a position near the door to wait for any orders the Queen might give him, looked at her curiously. Wincing internally, she reminded herself that while she could Hear the Companions as they argued, no one else could… but before she could attempt to explain, the Paige smiled shyly and nodded.
"Your Companion, Sir?
"Yes, well," she shook her head, "they can be very talkative at times."
The boy giggled before covering his mouth with his hand in embarrassment. "I'm terribly sorry, Sir."
"It's no problem." She assured him.
To be honest, she was kind of tired of being apologized to. People seemed to think that, as she was a Herald (whether they were seeing her as a she or not), that they had to be completely formal and infinitely polite. Or, anyone who wasn't a Herald themselves seemed to think it.
She was about to explain to the poor, terribly embarrassed boy, that Heralds were just people like anyone else – which might have been an interesting feat, as Alera and Adira continued to bicker in the back of her mind – but before she could begin the door opened.
"Oh!" The Paige jumped and hurried over. After a moment he turned toward Taytha once more. "The Queen will see you now, Sir."
Being continually called "Sir" was also beginning to wear on her nerves…
:Serves you right for picking a male disguise.:
:Shut up horse.:
Adira snickered but said nothing, and Taytha thanked her lucky stars that she hadn't come out with something sarcastic, which would have only served to set Alera off once more.
Standing, she quickly made her way past the Paige and the Guards, and shut the door firmly behind herself, leaning against it for only the barest shard of a second before pacing forward to stand in front of the ornate desk, behind which sat Queen Elspeth. And only when the Queen tilted her head to the side, looking curious, did Taytha realize she had yet to remove the Glamour spell from herself and Alera. She dispelled it quickly, reaching up at the same time to rub her left temple. Her head was beginning to ache. Luckily, both Alera and Adira had decide to vacate her Mind for the time being.
"Taytha."
"Queen Elspeth," she bowed slightly, "how does this day find you?"
"Well enough," the Queen chuckled, "well enough. There's no need for such formality, Taytha, and you know that." She crossed her legs, resting her hands on her knee. "How have you been?"
"If you're asking how the surveillance went," Taytha responded, seating herself across from Elspeth, "both Alera and I came out unscathed, which is more than I can say about a lot of past missions."
The other woman frowned at that, her brow creasing worriedly. She knew the dangers that Taytha faced in each mission she was sent on, and didn't like to be reminded of the times when her Shadow couldn't manage to escape from the enemy's grasp uninjured. Taytha had to agree with the Queen in that. Those were the missions she preferred not to think about, and, the Gods permit, not to repeat.
She absently rubbed her right arm, where a thin white scar ran from her elbow to her wrist. One of several scars that marred her here and there across her body. They could be considered, as far as she was concerned, to be souvenirs from run-ins with various enemies.
One was even from an opposing assassin…
That one was interesting, to say the least.
"What did you and Alera find?"
Elspeth's question brought her back to the present and she pressed her lips together as she thought. "I'm not sure, really." She finally admitted, wrinkling her nose, "a troupe of men crossed the border northeast of Waymeet. Almost at the Ice Wall mountains, and right in the middle of Sorrows. They seemed to be in Karsite garb, but I'm not sure how they would have gotten as far up as they were." She had been pondering that question in the back of her mind since she and Alera had set out to return to Haven, and now, as she thought about it more actively, it was beginning to frustrate her. "To have come from Karse, they would have had to travel all the way through both Hardorn and Iftel to get there, and there weren't enough of them to be an offensive force. That's a lot of walking just to sneak across into Sorrows. That's not counting the question of how they got into Iftel in the first place, never mind out of it. Personally, I find the entire situation a little unsettling."
"I agree." Elspeth was pensive, chewing a lip thoughtfully. "Are you sure that there was only one troupe of men?"
"Fairly sure." Taytha nodded, "Alera and I waited for a candlemark after they passed, and no one else came."
"Hm…"
The look on Elspeth's face was easily readable, and Taytha gave an ironic half-smile, raising an eyebrow. "You want us to go back, don't you?"
"I hate to ask, but…"
"It's alright. I don't mind."
She tapped a finger on her desk. "I'd like you to check through the Pelagir again, where they came through, and if there's nothing, have a look along our side of the Iftel border, down to Westmark. I'm sorry, but I just want to be sure…"
"Not a problem." Taytha stood again, shrugging, "I'll ask at the border towns, to see if anyone has seen anything, and I'm sure the Clan would be more than happy to help out as well."
Elspeth, who was already aware of Taytha's involvement with the kyree society, nodded shortly. She knew the benefit that sharp canine noses would wring to the search that was beginning. Kyree could be invaluable in looking for the phantom troupe that her Shadow had seen.
She regarded Taytha for a minute, suddenly realizing how different she was from the young woman who had been appointed a Shadow-Herald only how many years prior? Two? Three? She had grown and matured, and now carried scars she hadn't before. A momentary pang of guilt made her flinch inwardly at the thought of the life she had bestowed upon the Herald across from her.
But… she hadn't forced the issue, and both Lancir and Savil had made sure that Taytha understood what she was in for. And despite the hardships of life as a Shadow, she didn't look unhappy. In fact, she didn't even look tired, and she certainly wasn't in any pain, despite any previous injuries she might have suffered.
She must have been staring, as Taytha waved a hand, "I don't regret my choice," she assured Elspeth, "and neither should you."
"Is what I'm thinking that obvious?"
"Sometimes." An amused nod, and she turned to leave, the Glamour of "Herald Tay" appearing once again. At the door, she paused with her hand on the knob. "I'd like to speak with Savil before we leave again, if you don't mind."
"Mind?" The Queen echoed, "why should I mind? Savil has been wondering about your health lately, anyway. I'm sure she would love to see you… or, at least to see Herald Tay."
Taytha chuckled, and Elspeth marveled at the rich baritone that came from the Glamour of "Tay". Lacking the Mage Gift herself, the completeness of the illusion was more than she could easily wrap her mind around.
"I'm not sure if Alera and I will make it back to Haven after this investigation or not. I promised him that we would be going back to Hevenbeck, and he's already going to be annoyed when I tell him we're heading to Sorrows instead." A sigh, "but whether we come here ourselves or not, I'll send word via Taver and Lancir."
"That sounds fair enough." Elspeth agreed, "I'll see you again, then."
"Yes, someday." The door opened; "tell Kyran that I said 'hello'."
Elspeth blinked.
She was gone.
~*~*~*~*~
Me: Eep. ^^;; One more chapter with talking and stuff, and partway through it we should get into the semi-action-stuff. There was a lot of setup, what can I say? Oh, and for anyone who doesn't know (ehe…), Bard Kyran was the man whom Queen Elspeth was in love with, though she was married to another man for political reasons, and to avert war with Iftel. This takes place after her husband's death. Yeah. Anyhoo…