Evening
It was a 10-hour ride to Haven, which wasn't bad considering it took two days on a fast horse. Luna taught him more about this Gift of his, and improved on the shields he already had. They arrived at the Collegium just as the sun was beginning to set, and Ter, nervous around all these new people that seemed to comfortable with each other, shrank into himself more and more.
Luna stopped and, aching, he dismounted. :You'll need to see both the Dean of Heralds and the Housekeeper sometime,: she told him. :Go talk to someone in Grays and they'll tell you where to go.: The Companion nuzzled him, aware of his worry. :Don't worry. All the Herald-Trainees are perfectly friendly, and they'll all be glad to help you get settled. If you need me, Mindcall, all right?:
He nodded, a lump in his throat, and she whuffed him comfortingly before walking off towards what looked like an enormous stable.
Teriyel looked around. There seemed to be a few Herald-Trainees around, and,
heart thumping loudly, he cautiously approached a young man.
:H-hello,: he "said" with a shy smile. :I'm, er, Teriyel, and I just arrived... My Companion Luna said to go see a Dean or something, but I don't have any idea where to go. Do- do you think you could help me?:
"Of course!" he replied. "I'm Rohen to Aeyi, and it's nice to meet you, Teriyel to Luna. So you just got here? We'll go to the Housekeeper tonight, and you can see the Dean in the morning when you've gotten a good night's sleep," Rohen said with another smile.
Relieved by the other Trainee's kind and carefree attitude, Teriyel smiled back and followed him through his new home. The Collegium was quite impressive and he would have enjoyed it a great deal more if he hadn't been quite so tired. Riding was harder work than he'd thought!
After seeing the Housekeeper, Teriyel followed to his new room, where he learned the basics of life at the Collegium. Immediately after his new friend left, Teriyel fell into bed and went right to sleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~
The forest was alive as Carmen cantered through it with Daybright on his back. The wind whipped past her, blowing her hair back and making her eyes sting. But she didn't mind. This was the fastest she'd ever gone through the forest, including rides on dyheli-back. Carmen seemed to know where trees and holes were, and she had no fear that he'd misstep. Birds sang, bondbirds screamed out, and the larger animals moved around. A wolf pack ran alongside them for a moment or two, and the alpha male barked a friendly greeting at her. Once again, she was pleasantly mystified by how much animals seemed to take to her.
:That's an example of your Gifts working together,: came Carmen's voice into her mind.
Gifts! She _did_ have them! Everyone else (well, except her mother, a Bard, and Deerfoot, whose father was a Shin'a'in) had at least a touch of the Magegift, but she had none. But, she thought with a twinge of guilt, it wasn't as bad for her as it was for Deerfoot, whose Tayledras mother was one of the strongest Adepts that k'Valdemar had.
"What Gifts _do_ I have?" she asked. The words were whipped from her mouth by the speed at which Carmen ran.
:Well, you have a bit of Receptive Mindspeech, which means people can Mindspeak you, but you can't talk back. Your other two Gifts are Animal Mindspeech and Empathy, which allow you to speak to animals, and sense and influence the feelings of others. Most Empaths are charismatic, and, untrained, the Gift makes people really like you. Those two together are making animals really like you, as well as people.:
"So that's what it is!" she laughed. "I'd always wondered."
Daybright pondered this for another few candlemarks as they traveled through the forest. Eventually, the forest began to thin out and finally ended as they crossed into farmland and villages. Carmen slowed to a smooth walk.
:I figured we could stop for the night. We're in Valdemar now, so there's a Waystation and a stream up here somewhere. . .:
They found it a moment later, and she dismounted without many aches - riding on a Companion was much more comfortable than riding on a dyheli! She shuddered at the thought with a grin, and "heard" Carmen chuckle.
She took out one of her packs of food, and was suddenly swarmed by songbirds. The tiny creatures perched on her arms, shoulders, and hair, and all cheeped, eager for a snack. She laughed and settled on the ground, careful not to disturb them, and opened her packs. Setna had packed all Day's favorite things to eat, and she did it justice by eating a good-sized dinner. She fed Carmen some grain from the second bag, and, giving in to the insistent demands of the birds with a smile, she crumbled up some bread and scattered it on the ground. They all hopped off her simultaneously and began to eat.
Carmen stepped over to her and nuzzled her gently. :Tired?: he asked. She nodded with a smile and followed him into the Waystation after grabbing the bags. Daybright stumbled through the tasks of cleaning Carmen and setting up her bed, and then finally she lay down to sleep.
"Good night, Carmen," she murmured before drifting off.
:Good night, Chosen.:
~*~*~*~*~*~
Akilah and Rion had a good deal of land to travel before they were truly safe from her former owners - they had to get into Valdemar. Fortunately, nothing could match Rion's speed, and even if they had discovered what had happened immediately, which they hadn't, Companion and Chosen still would have been able to escape them.
It was evening by the time they crossed over into Valdemar and found a Waystation to spend the night in, and Akilah was still very shaken by the events of the day. Rion had hardly spoken to her at all, not wanting to frighten her too much, but sent courage, love, and a feeling of safety down the bond to try to comfort her.
The Companion slowed and then stopped as they arrived at the small building, and Akilah looked around warily. ~I don't think they possibly could have chased me,~ she decided, dismounting. "Oh, I ache," she moaned. "I've never ridden a horse before. I had no idea it'd be so much work!" she giggled.
Rion nuzzled her gently. :Will you be all right?: he asked her quietly.
She jumped when she heard his voice, but calmed quickly. "Erm, yes. I- I think so. . ." The memories of what had happened resurfaced without warning, and she sat down where she was and buried her head in her hands. "What did I do? How could I have done such a thing?" she asked herself as she began to cry silently.
The Companion bent down and nuzzled her cheek, feeling horrible for not getting there and Choosing her sooner. :It's not your fault, Chosen,: he said honestly.
"How did I do it?" she asked him.
He paused. :Do you really want to know?: he asked her. She nodded. :Well,: Rion began, :everyone is different, of course. Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, and everyone looks different, too. But some people are born with special abilities that we in Valdemar call "Gifts." There are many types of Gifts, and all can do many different things.:
:You, Akilah,: he continued, :have a very powerful, very rare gift. You are a mage, and once you are trained, you will be the most powerful level - an Adept. What you did back there was _not_ your fault,: he insisted. :What happened there is what happens to anyone who has a powerful Gift and doesn't know how to control it, or someone who doesn't even know they have it and are pushed too far. It has happened to many of the heroes of Valdemar - Lavan Firestorm and Vanyel Ashkevron, to only name two.:
Akilah absorbed this information and did her best to understand it. A- a mage? Her? The orphaned servant of the Mistress, the ugliest, poorest creature in the house, a mage? It was very hard to believe, but Rion had said it with such confidence that she trusted him utterly.
:Come, Chosen,: he said as he nosed her gently. :You need sleep.: Akilah nodded and entered the Waystation. After cleaning up her new Companion, she crawled into the little bed and went right to sleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Cira Quicksilver was not in a mood to be bothered.
"Back off," Cira growled under her breath at the person who was "sneakily" approaching her from behind. She continued walking down one of the dirtiest streets in Haven as she said this. "Don't make me mad right now."
"C'mon, Cira," a familiar voice said with a chuckle. "Don't'cha want to be my pal anymore?"
"Ty!" She perked up immediately and turned around to grin at him. "What's going on?" she asked.
"Myran says that he's been working on a really great plan," he replied with a grin. "He wants both of us back there now to talk about it so we can try to do it tonight."
"Fine by me," she replied.
The two of them walked towards their home, and they arrived fairly quickly. Cira rapped efficiently on the door, and Myran peered out the peephole in it before opening it and allowing them inside.
The other four members of the group were lounging around, and had apparently been waiting for Cira and Ty.
Myran was the leader of the group. As the eldest (22 years old) and "smartest," he planned most of the "missions" with the help of the others. Self-assured and cocky, Cira didn't enjoy his company.
Vec was one of their three thieves, and was a scrawny boy of about 19 who looked remarkably like a rat. Usually grinning an ugly grin, Vec was a master lock picker and could work his way into any building.
Licyn was a dark, mysterious kind of character. One did not _find_ Licyn, he found you, and only when he wanted to. An expert at remaining unnoticed, he was usually the one to get the goods and get out as fast as possible.
Brina was the only other female of the six of them, and was the group mage. She was only an Apprentice, but was lucky enough to have been trained a little in the use of her minor Gift, meaning she could cause distractions at just the right time. This made her invaluable to the group and their safety and success.
Ty was the final thief. Orphaned when he was very young, he'd joined a group of boys and trained in typical thievery until he'd met Cira and joined this group with her. Adorable and still young-looking, Ty was a master of disguise and accents, and was smart enough to fake his way through situations.
Cira was the final member. She was 18 years old and had been on her own for several years now.
~How long has it been?~ she asked herself. ~Well, mother got in trouble with the Guard when I was twelve, and I haven't seen her since. Father became ill when I was 14 and died on my 15th birthday. so it really has been three full years,~ she thought, surprised. ~I can't believe I've made it this long.~
The fighter of the group, Cira was a natural with every weapon she could get her hands on. As long as someone gave her rudimentary training, she could fill in the rest herself and do better than some did even with teachers every step of the way.
The other four greeted her and Ty with grunts and silent waves of acknowledgement as they entered.
"What's going on, guys?" she asked them, throwing herself back into a chair.
With this question asked, Myran launched into a huge, elaborate explanation of what they were going to do tonight. As Cira absorbed the information and began to think it through, she realized that all they were really doing was breaking into one of the nicer houses in Haven by following their usual plan, but Myran was going into such detail that it sounded completely new. She glanced briefly at the faces of Vec, Licyn, and Brina, and she was surprised to see that they were hanging onto his every word, completely taken in by his phony speech.
~I can't believe they're falling for this,~ she thought to herself. ~He's. he must be trying to control us more. Since the others are falling for this big plan, they'll most likely think he's really smart and leave all the plans up to him from now on. Not good.~
She caught Ty's eyes, which he promptly rolled, and then he grinned at her, obviously thinking the same thing she was - that the others were being fools for letting Myran trick them into giving him more power over them like this.
~I'm glad I have a friend like Ty that really understands me,~ she thought with a small smile. ~But. I don't think that this group is the place for me anymore. I want to learn, I want to meet new people, I want to feel safe, like I'm not always going to be on the run from the Guard.~ The answer came to her all of a sudden, and she caught and held that idea close to her heart until after the meeting when she could talk to Ty about it.
After Myran dismissed them, she caught Ty outside. "Hey, I- you wanna go somewhere with me?" she asked him.
"Sure! Where to?" he asked as they began to walk. She led him down the winding streets of Haven, and on their right and left, the houses slowly began looking nicer and nicer.
Eventually, they arrived at a large set of gates guarded by two women clad in blue. Their official, clean look made Cira embarrassed by her own shabby appearance, and she attempted to straighten her hair and dust off her clothing before approaching them.
"Erm, hello," she said with a shy smile to one of them. "I- I was thinking about becoming an Unaffiliate at the Collegium, and- do you think anyone would be able to give me a quick tour around?" she asked.
The guard smiled at her. "I have just the person," she replied. "My son is a Herald-Trainee, and he's free right now. I'm sure he wouldn't mind taking you around." She looked at Ty. "Are you thinking of applying as well?" she asked him politely.
He smiled but shook his head. "Nah, I'm just here with her since she came."
"All right." The woman seemed to concentrate on something for a few seconds, then she relaxed again. "My son is on his way. Good luck to you."
"Thank you," Cira replied, and she and Ty passed through the gates. A young man approached them quickly. He had short brown hair, and was quite tall and handsome. He smiled broadly.
"Hello!" he said. "I'm Corin. Are you the two that wanted a tour of the five Collegia?" he asked.
"We are," she smiled. "I'm Cira, and this is Ty."
"Great to meet you!" he grinned, and he sounded like he meant it. His enthusiasm was contagious, and she found herself grinning back. "And I want both of you to meet Dareana, my Companion." Cira looked up to see a beautiful mare prance up to them. The mare paused to nuzzle her Chosen briefly, then looked up at Cira and met her eyes. Somehow, she knew that the mare was judging her, and looking into her soul. She'd heard rumors that Companions could know a person's intentions, but she'd never really believed it until now.
Cira was surprised to see Dareana's eyes widen, and the Companion turned her gaze back to Corin and looked at him intently.
"Um, Dareana wants to know if you've ever been onto the Collegium grounds before," he asked, sounding a bit mystified.
"Er, no," she replied, confused as well. Corin shrugged, and the four of them began to walk. He first took her through the buildings (the Companion waited outside, naturally) to show her and Ty some classes, as well as the private rooms of the Trainees.
They then returned to the outdoors. "Would you like to see the Grove?" Corin asked.
"What's the Grove?" she asked him curiously, and he gestured forward grandly and grinned.
"I'll show you," he said as they began to walk, Dareana trailing behind them. "The Grove is a very special, very sacred place in Companion's Field. It's where the first King, King Valdemar, prayed for some way to make sure all the rulers of Valdemar were fair and just to their people. He'd prayed for a full day when he felt magic stirring in the Grove, and it began to glow, getting brighter and brighter, until suddenly the first Companion appeared and Chose him, his son, and his Herald."
But Cira and Ty weren't listening anymore. They were gazing open- mouthed at the glow in the Grove. it began to glow brighter and brighter.
~I- what's going on?~ Cira thought, afraid. ~Why.~
.and then the Companion appeared.
"Oh- dear." Corin managed to say before he, too, was silenced in amazement.
There was no doubt in anyone's mind that this amazing creature was a mighty stallion. He reared up on his hind legs and tossed his head, his front hooves flailing. He landed silently, his head held high. All four of them - Corin, Ty, Cira, and even Dareana - were perfectly silent as he walked slowly and purposely forward to stop in front of Cira.
She hated to admit to herself, but even at that moment, _especially_ at that moment, she was afraid. Afraid of herself, afraid of him, afraid of what would happen in her future if what she _knew_ was going to happen _did_. but she couldn't help looking into his incredible blue eyes.
:I am here for _you_, Cira Quicksilver,: a masculine voice told her. :I am Kija. I Choose you.:
Love flowed out through those eyes and overwhelmed her as Cira was Chosen by Kija. His love cured her every insecurity, filled the empty place inside that had been hurting her these three lonely years, and not only that, but made her feel like the greatest person in the world to have been Chosen by him. Kija, the most wonderful creature in the world. Kija, a creature that had been born from the Grove only moments before.
She smiled broadly and leaned forward to wrap her arms around her Companion's neck.
"I love you, Kija," she said in a fervent whisper.
:I love you too, Chosen.:
~*~*~*~*~*~
Aran and Nianu rode on until long past sunset, and only when Aran yawned and blinked sleepily did he realize how tired he was.
:We're stopping soon, love,: Nianu sent. :There's a village up ahead that we can stay in; that way, both of us can have a nice, restful night to prepare for another three or four days of riding to get to Haven.:
"Three or four more days?" Aran replied, a bit dazed. "That's all?"
Nianu sent a wordless affirmative and continued cantering on towards the village. They arrived only a quarter of a candlemark later, and Aran was practically dragged off Nianu's back by the innkeeper.
"Be careful with the boy, now!" the innkeeper's wife urged her husband as he set Aran down. She took Aran's hands and helped him stand, looking in his face with an anxious and worried expression on her face. "You all right lad?"
"'m fine," Aran replied, blinking. "Just- tired."
She smiled. "Then we'll get you a bed and a hot breakfast in the morning." She led him upstairs and into his room, where he collapsed into bed and promptly fell asleep.
It was a 10-hour ride to Haven, which wasn't bad considering it took two days on a fast horse. Luna taught him more about this Gift of his, and improved on the shields he already had. They arrived at the Collegium just as the sun was beginning to set, and Ter, nervous around all these new people that seemed to comfortable with each other, shrank into himself more and more.
Luna stopped and, aching, he dismounted. :You'll need to see both the Dean of Heralds and the Housekeeper sometime,: she told him. :Go talk to someone in Grays and they'll tell you where to go.: The Companion nuzzled him, aware of his worry. :Don't worry. All the Herald-Trainees are perfectly friendly, and they'll all be glad to help you get settled. If you need me, Mindcall, all right?:
He nodded, a lump in his throat, and she whuffed him comfortingly before walking off towards what looked like an enormous stable.
Teriyel looked around. There seemed to be a few Herald-Trainees around, and,
heart thumping loudly, he cautiously approached a young man.
:H-hello,: he "said" with a shy smile. :I'm, er, Teriyel, and I just arrived... My Companion Luna said to go see a Dean or something, but I don't have any idea where to go. Do- do you think you could help me?:
"Of course!" he replied. "I'm Rohen to Aeyi, and it's nice to meet you, Teriyel to Luna. So you just got here? We'll go to the Housekeeper tonight, and you can see the Dean in the morning when you've gotten a good night's sleep," Rohen said with another smile.
Relieved by the other Trainee's kind and carefree attitude, Teriyel smiled back and followed him through his new home. The Collegium was quite impressive and he would have enjoyed it a great deal more if he hadn't been quite so tired. Riding was harder work than he'd thought!
After seeing the Housekeeper, Teriyel followed to his new room, where he learned the basics of life at the Collegium. Immediately after his new friend left, Teriyel fell into bed and went right to sleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~
The forest was alive as Carmen cantered through it with Daybright on his back. The wind whipped past her, blowing her hair back and making her eyes sting. But she didn't mind. This was the fastest she'd ever gone through the forest, including rides on dyheli-back. Carmen seemed to know where trees and holes were, and she had no fear that he'd misstep. Birds sang, bondbirds screamed out, and the larger animals moved around. A wolf pack ran alongside them for a moment or two, and the alpha male barked a friendly greeting at her. Once again, she was pleasantly mystified by how much animals seemed to take to her.
:That's an example of your Gifts working together,: came Carmen's voice into her mind.
Gifts! She _did_ have them! Everyone else (well, except her mother, a Bard, and Deerfoot, whose father was a Shin'a'in) had at least a touch of the Magegift, but she had none. But, she thought with a twinge of guilt, it wasn't as bad for her as it was for Deerfoot, whose Tayledras mother was one of the strongest Adepts that k'Valdemar had.
"What Gifts _do_ I have?" she asked. The words were whipped from her mouth by the speed at which Carmen ran.
:Well, you have a bit of Receptive Mindspeech, which means people can Mindspeak you, but you can't talk back. Your other two Gifts are Animal Mindspeech and Empathy, which allow you to speak to animals, and sense and influence the feelings of others. Most Empaths are charismatic, and, untrained, the Gift makes people really like you. Those two together are making animals really like you, as well as people.:
"So that's what it is!" she laughed. "I'd always wondered."
Daybright pondered this for another few candlemarks as they traveled through the forest. Eventually, the forest began to thin out and finally ended as they crossed into farmland and villages. Carmen slowed to a smooth walk.
:I figured we could stop for the night. We're in Valdemar now, so there's a Waystation and a stream up here somewhere. . .:
They found it a moment later, and she dismounted without many aches - riding on a Companion was much more comfortable than riding on a dyheli! She shuddered at the thought with a grin, and "heard" Carmen chuckle.
She took out one of her packs of food, and was suddenly swarmed by songbirds. The tiny creatures perched on her arms, shoulders, and hair, and all cheeped, eager for a snack. She laughed and settled on the ground, careful not to disturb them, and opened her packs. Setna had packed all Day's favorite things to eat, and she did it justice by eating a good-sized dinner. She fed Carmen some grain from the second bag, and, giving in to the insistent demands of the birds with a smile, she crumbled up some bread and scattered it on the ground. They all hopped off her simultaneously and began to eat.
Carmen stepped over to her and nuzzled her gently. :Tired?: he asked. She nodded with a smile and followed him into the Waystation after grabbing the bags. Daybright stumbled through the tasks of cleaning Carmen and setting up her bed, and then finally she lay down to sleep.
"Good night, Carmen," she murmured before drifting off.
:Good night, Chosen.:
~*~*~*~*~*~
Akilah and Rion had a good deal of land to travel before they were truly safe from her former owners - they had to get into Valdemar. Fortunately, nothing could match Rion's speed, and even if they had discovered what had happened immediately, which they hadn't, Companion and Chosen still would have been able to escape them.
It was evening by the time they crossed over into Valdemar and found a Waystation to spend the night in, and Akilah was still very shaken by the events of the day. Rion had hardly spoken to her at all, not wanting to frighten her too much, but sent courage, love, and a feeling of safety down the bond to try to comfort her.
The Companion slowed and then stopped as they arrived at the small building, and Akilah looked around warily. ~I don't think they possibly could have chased me,~ she decided, dismounting. "Oh, I ache," she moaned. "I've never ridden a horse before. I had no idea it'd be so much work!" she giggled.
Rion nuzzled her gently. :Will you be all right?: he asked her quietly.
She jumped when she heard his voice, but calmed quickly. "Erm, yes. I- I think so. . ." The memories of what had happened resurfaced without warning, and she sat down where she was and buried her head in her hands. "What did I do? How could I have done such a thing?" she asked herself as she began to cry silently.
The Companion bent down and nuzzled her cheek, feeling horrible for not getting there and Choosing her sooner. :It's not your fault, Chosen,: he said honestly.
"How did I do it?" she asked him.
He paused. :Do you really want to know?: he asked her. She nodded. :Well,: Rion began, :everyone is different, of course. Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, and everyone looks different, too. But some people are born with special abilities that we in Valdemar call "Gifts." There are many types of Gifts, and all can do many different things.:
:You, Akilah,: he continued, :have a very powerful, very rare gift. You are a mage, and once you are trained, you will be the most powerful level - an Adept. What you did back there was _not_ your fault,: he insisted. :What happened there is what happens to anyone who has a powerful Gift and doesn't know how to control it, or someone who doesn't even know they have it and are pushed too far. It has happened to many of the heroes of Valdemar - Lavan Firestorm and Vanyel Ashkevron, to only name two.:
Akilah absorbed this information and did her best to understand it. A- a mage? Her? The orphaned servant of the Mistress, the ugliest, poorest creature in the house, a mage? It was very hard to believe, but Rion had said it with such confidence that she trusted him utterly.
:Come, Chosen,: he said as he nosed her gently. :You need sleep.: Akilah nodded and entered the Waystation. After cleaning up her new Companion, she crawled into the little bed and went right to sleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Cira Quicksilver was not in a mood to be bothered.
"Back off," Cira growled under her breath at the person who was "sneakily" approaching her from behind. She continued walking down one of the dirtiest streets in Haven as she said this. "Don't make me mad right now."
"C'mon, Cira," a familiar voice said with a chuckle. "Don't'cha want to be my pal anymore?"
"Ty!" She perked up immediately and turned around to grin at him. "What's going on?" she asked.
"Myran says that he's been working on a really great plan," he replied with a grin. "He wants both of us back there now to talk about it so we can try to do it tonight."
"Fine by me," she replied.
The two of them walked towards their home, and they arrived fairly quickly. Cira rapped efficiently on the door, and Myran peered out the peephole in it before opening it and allowing them inside.
The other four members of the group were lounging around, and had apparently been waiting for Cira and Ty.
Myran was the leader of the group. As the eldest (22 years old) and "smartest," he planned most of the "missions" with the help of the others. Self-assured and cocky, Cira didn't enjoy his company.
Vec was one of their three thieves, and was a scrawny boy of about 19 who looked remarkably like a rat. Usually grinning an ugly grin, Vec was a master lock picker and could work his way into any building.
Licyn was a dark, mysterious kind of character. One did not _find_ Licyn, he found you, and only when he wanted to. An expert at remaining unnoticed, he was usually the one to get the goods and get out as fast as possible.
Brina was the only other female of the six of them, and was the group mage. She was only an Apprentice, but was lucky enough to have been trained a little in the use of her minor Gift, meaning she could cause distractions at just the right time. This made her invaluable to the group and their safety and success.
Ty was the final thief. Orphaned when he was very young, he'd joined a group of boys and trained in typical thievery until he'd met Cira and joined this group with her. Adorable and still young-looking, Ty was a master of disguise and accents, and was smart enough to fake his way through situations.
Cira was the final member. She was 18 years old and had been on her own for several years now.
~How long has it been?~ she asked herself. ~Well, mother got in trouble with the Guard when I was twelve, and I haven't seen her since. Father became ill when I was 14 and died on my 15th birthday. so it really has been three full years,~ she thought, surprised. ~I can't believe I've made it this long.~
The fighter of the group, Cira was a natural with every weapon she could get her hands on. As long as someone gave her rudimentary training, she could fill in the rest herself and do better than some did even with teachers every step of the way.
The other four greeted her and Ty with grunts and silent waves of acknowledgement as they entered.
"What's going on, guys?" she asked them, throwing herself back into a chair.
With this question asked, Myran launched into a huge, elaborate explanation of what they were going to do tonight. As Cira absorbed the information and began to think it through, she realized that all they were really doing was breaking into one of the nicer houses in Haven by following their usual plan, but Myran was going into such detail that it sounded completely new. She glanced briefly at the faces of Vec, Licyn, and Brina, and she was surprised to see that they were hanging onto his every word, completely taken in by his phony speech.
~I can't believe they're falling for this,~ she thought to herself. ~He's. he must be trying to control us more. Since the others are falling for this big plan, they'll most likely think he's really smart and leave all the plans up to him from now on. Not good.~
She caught Ty's eyes, which he promptly rolled, and then he grinned at her, obviously thinking the same thing she was - that the others were being fools for letting Myran trick them into giving him more power over them like this.
~I'm glad I have a friend like Ty that really understands me,~ she thought with a small smile. ~But. I don't think that this group is the place for me anymore. I want to learn, I want to meet new people, I want to feel safe, like I'm not always going to be on the run from the Guard.~ The answer came to her all of a sudden, and she caught and held that idea close to her heart until after the meeting when she could talk to Ty about it.
After Myran dismissed them, she caught Ty outside. "Hey, I- you wanna go somewhere with me?" she asked him.
"Sure! Where to?" he asked as they began to walk. She led him down the winding streets of Haven, and on their right and left, the houses slowly began looking nicer and nicer.
Eventually, they arrived at a large set of gates guarded by two women clad in blue. Their official, clean look made Cira embarrassed by her own shabby appearance, and she attempted to straighten her hair and dust off her clothing before approaching them.
"Erm, hello," she said with a shy smile to one of them. "I- I was thinking about becoming an Unaffiliate at the Collegium, and- do you think anyone would be able to give me a quick tour around?" she asked.
The guard smiled at her. "I have just the person," she replied. "My son is a Herald-Trainee, and he's free right now. I'm sure he wouldn't mind taking you around." She looked at Ty. "Are you thinking of applying as well?" she asked him politely.
He smiled but shook his head. "Nah, I'm just here with her since she came."
"All right." The woman seemed to concentrate on something for a few seconds, then she relaxed again. "My son is on his way. Good luck to you."
"Thank you," Cira replied, and she and Ty passed through the gates. A young man approached them quickly. He had short brown hair, and was quite tall and handsome. He smiled broadly.
"Hello!" he said. "I'm Corin. Are you the two that wanted a tour of the five Collegia?" he asked.
"We are," she smiled. "I'm Cira, and this is Ty."
"Great to meet you!" he grinned, and he sounded like he meant it. His enthusiasm was contagious, and she found herself grinning back. "And I want both of you to meet Dareana, my Companion." Cira looked up to see a beautiful mare prance up to them. The mare paused to nuzzle her Chosen briefly, then looked up at Cira and met her eyes. Somehow, she knew that the mare was judging her, and looking into her soul. She'd heard rumors that Companions could know a person's intentions, but she'd never really believed it until now.
Cira was surprised to see Dareana's eyes widen, and the Companion turned her gaze back to Corin and looked at him intently.
"Um, Dareana wants to know if you've ever been onto the Collegium grounds before," he asked, sounding a bit mystified.
"Er, no," she replied, confused as well. Corin shrugged, and the four of them began to walk. He first took her through the buildings (the Companion waited outside, naturally) to show her and Ty some classes, as well as the private rooms of the Trainees.
They then returned to the outdoors. "Would you like to see the Grove?" Corin asked.
"What's the Grove?" she asked him curiously, and he gestured forward grandly and grinned.
"I'll show you," he said as they began to walk, Dareana trailing behind them. "The Grove is a very special, very sacred place in Companion's Field. It's where the first King, King Valdemar, prayed for some way to make sure all the rulers of Valdemar were fair and just to their people. He'd prayed for a full day when he felt magic stirring in the Grove, and it began to glow, getting brighter and brighter, until suddenly the first Companion appeared and Chose him, his son, and his Herald."
But Cira and Ty weren't listening anymore. They were gazing open- mouthed at the glow in the Grove. it began to glow brighter and brighter.
~I- what's going on?~ Cira thought, afraid. ~Why.~
.and then the Companion appeared.
"Oh- dear." Corin managed to say before he, too, was silenced in amazement.
There was no doubt in anyone's mind that this amazing creature was a mighty stallion. He reared up on his hind legs and tossed his head, his front hooves flailing. He landed silently, his head held high. All four of them - Corin, Ty, Cira, and even Dareana - were perfectly silent as he walked slowly and purposely forward to stop in front of Cira.
She hated to admit to herself, but even at that moment, _especially_ at that moment, she was afraid. Afraid of herself, afraid of him, afraid of what would happen in her future if what she _knew_ was going to happen _did_. but she couldn't help looking into his incredible blue eyes.
:I am here for _you_, Cira Quicksilver,: a masculine voice told her. :I am Kija. I Choose you.:
Love flowed out through those eyes and overwhelmed her as Cira was Chosen by Kija. His love cured her every insecurity, filled the empty place inside that had been hurting her these three lonely years, and not only that, but made her feel like the greatest person in the world to have been Chosen by him. Kija, the most wonderful creature in the world. Kija, a creature that had been born from the Grove only moments before.
She smiled broadly and leaned forward to wrap her arms around her Companion's neck.
"I love you, Kija," she said in a fervent whisper.
:I love you too, Chosen.:
~*~*~*~*~*~
Aran and Nianu rode on until long past sunset, and only when Aran yawned and blinked sleepily did he realize how tired he was.
:We're stopping soon, love,: Nianu sent. :There's a village up ahead that we can stay in; that way, both of us can have a nice, restful night to prepare for another three or four days of riding to get to Haven.:
"Three or four more days?" Aran replied, a bit dazed. "That's all?"
Nianu sent a wordless affirmative and continued cantering on towards the village. They arrived only a quarter of a candlemark later, and Aran was practically dragged off Nianu's back by the innkeeper.
"Be careful with the boy, now!" the innkeeper's wife urged her husband as he set Aran down. She took Aran's hands and helped him stand, looking in his face with an anxious and worried expression on her face. "You all right lad?"
"'m fine," Aran replied, blinking. "Just- tired."
She smiled. "Then we'll get you a bed and a hot breakfast in the morning." She led him upstairs and into his room, where he collapsed into bed and promptly fell asleep.