Disclaimer: Mercedes Lackey owns Valdemar.she owns the concept of Heralds, Healers, Bards, and the Unaffiliated Students.she owns Companions.etc. The original characters are owned by moi.Rianne Kaliran, Kellen Vandyr, and Healer Berwick.

Notes: This is my first fanfic, so please comment! Any criticisms are welcome, and shall be taken to heart. I hope you enjoy.and I hope you look forward to the next chapter.

Tears of Valdemar

Chapter One: A Tolling Bell

The Healer trainee dashed through the corridors of Healer's Collegium, dodging other stragglers heading to their classes. She anxiously balanced her books in her arm and blew auburn hair out of her face as she hurried to the door at the far end of the corridor. She was late again! This was the third time in one week, and Healer Berwick would surely be displeased with her. She only hoped he wouldn't assign her extra reading . . .the Gods knew that she had enough on her hands.

She ducked inside the door and attempted to slip unnoticed to the back of the classroom. She cringed as Healer Berwick's voice rang out behind her.

"Rianne Kaliran! How many times do I have to tell you that it is NOT acceptable to be late to my class? What don't you understand about that simple rule? Stay after class next week to make up for your lost time . . .Havens, girl, it's almost Midsummer and you still don't know your schedule well enough to get to class on time."

Rianne shrank into her seat, color exploding in her cheeks. She hated being reprimanded in front of the class. A trainee in front of her turned around and snickered. Rianne poked her tongue out at him defiantly.

"MISS KALIRAN! Kindly keep your tongue in your mouth and I will continue with the lesson."

Rianne contracted further into her seat, as nearly the entire class turned to look at her. She self-consciously opened her Natural Remedies book to the page her neighbor's book was open to. Healer Berwick was beginning his lecture, so she tried to pay attention.

"Natural remedies will prove to be useful to all Healers, so I suggest you all pay close attention. Don't give me that conciliatory look, Miss Goldendale. Let me give you a hypothetical situation. You are in a remote village, having been assigned there by the Queen. A band of raiders sweeps through, and the villagers are for the most part, unable to defend themselves. You survive, and must Heal the wounded, or watch them die. You spend your entire Gift. So now you must resort to the herbs and "primitive" concoctions that un-Gifted healers use . . .or you must be ready to let your people die. Do you agree with me, Miss Goldendale? Or do you feel . . ."

Finally the class was over, and Rianne was free to head to the mess hall. Her head was throbbing. She was barely two seasons into her training as a Healer, and she was already incredibly bogged down with work. She had all of her "lecture" classes, as she called them, and then practical classes, where they put their new knowledge to use. And then she was taking an Arms class, as she didn't want to be caught unawares without a means of defending herself. All together, it was driving her insane, minute-by-minute . . .

"Rianne! Over here!" An enthusiastic shout brought Rianne back from her self-pitying thoughts. She looked up to see Kellen waving at her from a table in the corner of the mess hall. She grinned at her carrot-haired friend and hurried over to sit next to him.

Kellen was a Herald Trainee, so he wore a light gray tunic instead of the green of the Healer Trainees. There were four different colored uniforms present in the mess hall: Gray for Heralds, green for Healers, red for Bards, and blue for those students who were unaffiliated, neither Heralds, Healers, or Bards. "Blues" attended to learn things such as practical sciences, but they had no Gift. All of these students mingled together in the great Collegiums mess hall, creating a dull roar as they ate and chattered.

"You look tired, Rianne," Kellen said appraisingly as they weaved through the tables to get their food. "Was that Healer beating on you again?"

"Yes," Rianne said shortly. "I know it was my own fault that I was late, but I just wish he didn't have to shout at me in front of everyone."

Kellen nodded understandingly. He was a prankster himself, and was frequently getting reprimanded by the elder Heralds. This didn't bother him, but he knew that Rianne was more sensitive than he, and was taking it badly.

"If you like, I can put something nasty in his bed. It would really be quite simple . . ." Kellen's voice trailed off as he began contemplating the ways to sneak into Healer Berwick's quarters.

"No, Kellen," Rianne said reluctantly. "Truly, I wouldn't mind if something happened to Healer Berwick, but you might get caught. So leave it be."

Suddenly everyone in the room fell silent as a bell began tolling. All of the Herald Trainees in the room looked at one another, many of them turning a shade of gray that matched their uniforms. The deep, mournful clanging of the bell resonated within Rianne's body. She didn't know why the bell was ringing. She only knew that a feeling of unexplainable sadness washed over her. She also knew that everyone else in the Hall was feeling the same way.