~ Chapter 4 ~
"Hey little Sia." A man in his early forties smiled at her. "Off on an adventure?"
"Rodry!" Keli exclaimed and ran to him.
"Has it been so long?" He caught her in a hug.
"It has been for me." She pulled away. "They killed you."
"I know." He smiled and brushed a lock of hair from her forehead.
"Why are you here then?" She asked.
"To keep you from joining us too soon. You have to live, if you don't all of the bloodshed will still happen."
Keli drew herself up and took a deep breath.
"Not as an Empress, it is up to you as a Herald." He said.
"What do you mean?"
Rodry didn't answer her. The world around them started to fade.
"Rodry, wait!" She called but the world vanished leaving her in darkness.
~*~
Keli woke with a measure of peace. Someone was knocking on her door. She swung to her feet and saw several hours had passed.
"Come in." She called.
Tristen opened the door. "They are about to ring the dinner bell. I brought you a uniform if you want it, unfortunately the size is only approximate. Your clothes are rather odd."
Keli looked down at her black jeans and a tight blue, long sleeved shirt. "I suppose they are." She accepted the grey fabric bundle.
"I suppose this is a little ironic considering you have already been given your Whites." Tristen commented.
"There was no real training as a Herald. When I was Chosen I became a Herald." Keli explained.
"Well, I'll let you change." Tristen backed out the doorway and closed the door.
Keli striped down to her under garments and donned the soft grey shirt, tunic, and loose skirt. She dug a brush out of her bags and brushed her hair out.
:You look better.: Solaris appeared on the desk under the window.
"Thanks."
:You don't mind sharing a meal, do you?: Solaris hopped to the ground.
"I don't mind." Keli hesitated before she opened the door. "Were you the one who gave me that dream?"
:What dream?: Solaris paused and looked up at her, keli wasn't certain if the Cat was confused or playing dumb.
"Never mind." Keli said with a dismissive gesture. "Out of curiosity, what does everyone else see when they see you?"
Solaris looked up and suddenly a large grey cat replaced her. It was nowhere near the size of Solaris but still very large for a cat.
"Thanks." Keli opened the door and found Tristen waiting patiently.
"Are you ready?"
Keli nodded and accepted his offered arm. "Thank you for the uniform. It fits very well."
"Good, I wasn't certain if it would." Tristen smiled, not a polite smile like what she was used to but a genuine smile.
:With the amount he has been staring at you I am not surprised they fit good.: Solaris commented.
:He has been staring?: Keli felt an odd thrill.
Solaris sat and wrapped her tail around her feet. :Haven't you had a suitor before?:
:No. The gentlemen I went to school with were put off by my status, or were too interested in it. And I was rather obsessed with Rodry.: Keli pointed out.
Keli was surprised at the number of people in the common room when they reached it. "There are more than I thought there would be."
"Would you prefer to return to your room?" Tristen asked earnestly.
"No." Keli forced herself to relax, if only to assure him she was fine.
Several people watched her curiously as they entered the room. When they sat down Solaris, still looking like a grey cat, took the seat next to her.
"Are you hungry?" Tristen asked.
"Yes, actually. I am starving." Keli admitted. "I haven't eaten in what seems like days."
"Or perhaps centuries?" Tristen asked lightly.
"Perhaps." She smiled slightly.
"Hey, Tris, introduce me." A good-looking Herald sat next to her.
"Keli, meet Deverell. Dev, this is Kelisiaori, our latest trainee."
"Do you mind if I call you Keli, too? Your name sounds like more than a mouthful." Deverell smiled charmingly.
"I don't mind. Most people call me Keli." Keli offered her hand. "I am pleased to meet you Deverell."
Dev smiled wolfishly and kissed her hand. "I am charmed."
Keli didn't react to his blatant flirting. "Have you been a Herald long?" She asked politely.
"Six years now. Did you just arrive?"
"Yes, only a few candlemarks ago." Keli said honestly and offered a bit of meat to Solaris.
"Your cat's beautiful." Dev commented.
"And she knows it." Keli stroked Solaris's head and Solaris gave her a wink.
"What's her name?" He pressed
"Sola." Keli shortened Solaris's name.
"Pretty name." Dev scratched the newly dubbed Sola's ears.
Tris, knowing from Keli's memories who Sola really was, smiled.
"Where are you from? I can't place your accent." Dev asked with a flirtatious grin.
"The Empire." She said, once again not giving the entire truth.
"It must be very different from Valdemar. At least you speak the language." Dev commented.
Keli glanced at Tris. "It would be difficult if I didn't."
"Does your family know you have been Chosen?" Dev asked. "Mine thought I had run off until a messenger assured them I was safe and Chosen."
"Yes." Keli said shortly.
Tris signalled Dev to not continue on that topic.
"So, what do you think of Valdemar so far?" Dev said, quickly changing the subject from her family.
"It is small, there are more Companions than I thought there would be, but I like it here." Keli answered.
"If you need any help settling in, please feel free to ask." Deverell smiled.
"Hey Tris, Dev." Another Herald, not as handsome as her other two table mates, sat next to her. "You two should be ashamed, keeping this delightful lady to yourself." He gave her a welcoming smile.
"Jaime, allow me to introduce Kelisiaori. Keli, this is Jaime."
"Pleased to meet you. Please, call me Keli." Keli smiled as she fell into the 'meet and greet' routine.
"You must be new." Jaime sat beside her.
"I just arrived today." Keli admitted.
"And already you have to deal with Dev." Jaime offered a bit of meat to Solaris.
"Something along those lines." Keli met Tristen's eye.
"Most of us are rather curious about you." Jaime admitted with a friendly grin. "You are our new lady of mystery."
Keli blushed at that.
:Making up for lost time?: Solaris asked dryly. :Three suitors in just one day, and none are interested in your crown.:
"I am hardly a mystery." Keli protested.
"Most of us know nothing about you." Jaime pointed out. "And you certainly caught our attention with that bang in the Field."
"That was a mistake." Keli hedged.
The rest of the meal passed quickly with the Heralds talking around her as she watched. She was drawn by the brotherhood that existed between them. Rodry had been her father's closest adviser but this camaraderie never exist between them.
:When did Heralds lose this?: She asked Kenyon.
:They didn't. Rodry was Chosen more because you needed him than your father.: Kenyon explained.
Keli looked down at her plate to hide her stunned expression. :For me?:
:You needed someone in your life who could be your foundation. Like Elspeth needed someone to force her to become worthy of being Chosen. Sometimes the Monarch's Own is less what the current Monarch needs and more what the next Monarch needs.: Kenyon explained.
Keli realised Dev was trying to get her attention and turned to him. "I am sorry, I was thinking."
"Obviously, I asked how long it took you too get to Valdemar." Dev asked again.
"I gated. It cut a great deal of time off my trip." She answered.
Tristen barely suppressed a chuckle.
"I am sorry, but would you mind if I left you gentlemen? It has been a long day for me." Keli asked as she stood.
"Not at all. Perhaps we will see you tomorrow." Jaime gave Solaris a last scratch as Keli left.
:You handled that well.: Solaris complimented.
"Of course I did. I was born and bred to." She reponded with no hint of humour.
:That isn't what I meant.: Solaris gave her a an unmistakably pitying look.
"I don't want your pity, Sola." Keli turned to her. "I don't need it. Pity is the last thing I need from anyone. I am hanging on by a thread as it is."
:Very well Empress. I won't pity you.: Solaris said haughtily as they padded down the hall.
"Has the future changed enough yet?" Keli asked as she sat down at her desk.
:It will take some time. I will tell you when you succeeded. Are you ready for bed now?: Solaris hopped up onto the bed.
"I was going to go look for the Karal and Altra you mentioned before, the ones who will have a cat when they see you. Better to deal with them now, while we have time to explain than later when we are busy."
Solaris levelled a glare at her. :Cute.:
Keli returned her glare. "I wasn't trying to pun. Should we go looking for them?"
:Are you willing to explain where you are from to them?:
"You can." Keli said simply. "Otherwise I am going to have to share my memories again. It is just too hard to explain everything clearly."
:We may still need to do that.: Solaris hopped onto her lap and the room vanished to be replaced with the Field.
:They are in the Ekele at the moment.:
"The what?"
:You'll see.: Solaris lead the way to the strange building with the massive, inverted triangle windows.
"Am I dressed appropriately for meeting them?" Keli asked as they reached the doors.
:Yes. He is a Priest. And an excellent one at that.: Solaris pushed open the door.
Keli found a small forest inside with tropical plants mixed with native ones. "Hello? I am sorry for intruding."
"Are you looking for anyone?" A young man wearing robes appeared from behind some greenery. He had a rather distant look in his eyes and was only looking in their general direction.
"I am sorry for disturbing you sir, but are you Karal?" Keli was taken aback at how young he was.
"Yes, is something wrong?" Karal asked worriedly.
"Not at the moment, at least, not to the best of my knowledge." Keli quickly assured him. "My name is Kelisiaori, Sola thought we should talk. If you don't mind me asking, is Altra here as well?"
"Altra is currently having something to eat. You need to speak to him as well?" Karal asked with no little confusion.
"It would just be easier to explain if I did." Keli glanced down at Solaris and wondered why he hadn't commented on her yet.
A Firecat, larger than Solaris, stepped around Karal and froze. Both of their jaws dropped. A very comical look on for cat.
"You have a Firecat?" Karal said in disbelief.
"I wouldn't say I have her." Keli said uncertainly. "She and Kenyon are the ones who dragged me here."
"She?" Karal looked even more dubious.
:Alright, this is truly interesting.: Solaris laughed in her mind.
"Perhaps we should sit down." Keli suggested.
Karal and Altra led her to a pair of benches almost hidden in the greenery.
"I am sorry for dropping this on you so suddenly." Keli said as she took a seat.
"How about you begin at the beginning. To the best of my knowledge there has never been a female Firecat." Karal still stared vaguely at her but the cat had yet to remove his gaze from Solaris.
"This morning I was seven hundred years or so in the future." Keli started. Altra turned his head to study her. "I am the Empress of Valdemar in that time. Unfortunately due to corruption in my government we were plunged into a bloody revolution. When I left, everyone who would support me was being rounded up and shot. The Guard and Army were also under attack. I was the last Herald left alive. Just before I was going to step out and confront some of the rebels Solaris appeared and somehow transported me to the Grove."
Karal was obviously taken aback at the name. "Solaris?"
:Yes, Solaris.: Solaris responded with a 'cat who ate the canary' look on her features.
Altra was once again staring at Solaris.
"We came back to keep the Empire of Valdemar from ever existing. The turning point is in the next few years." Keli hurried to explain.
"That is an incredible burden." Karal looked concerned.
"Karse becomes part of Valdemar about a century from now so this is as much for your country as for Valdemar." Keli told him. "So I am not just trying to rescue Valdemar but Karse as well.
Karal nodded slowly. "So you are also the Empress of Karse as well? In your time."
"Yes. You are taking this better than I thought you would. Queen Selenay still thinks I have lost my wits." Keli relaxed when she realised he was taking her seriously.
"A Firecat is powerful proof, and after the Mage Storms, I can believe in time travel." Karal assured her.
"Mage Storms? I haven't read of anything called Mage Storms. But not much of this time survives the Great Fire in Haven." Keli frowned as she tried to remember anything that could be construed as a mage storm.
"They were…incredible to say the least. They were great waves of Power that washed over the earth causing huge circles of earth to be changed or replaced." Karal described.
"That does not sound pleasant. It sounds somewhat like what happens when a permanent Portal is collapsed improperly." Keli thought of the examples she had been shown of the changed earth by Rodry. Not something she ever wanted to witness on a grand scale.
"Much the same from what I understand, only on a global scale. We believe that the collapse of many permanent gates combined with a Final Strike and an attack on another mage was the root of the storms. Have you heard of the Mage Wars?" Karal leaned forward. His gaze was focused off to Keli's left.
Finally it dawned on her, he was blind! "Yes, but I doubt they are the ones you mean. The ones I know of haven't happened yet." She answered, no longer being put off by the lack of eye contact.
"The one I mean happened well over two thousand years ago." Karal explained.
"That long?" Keli was suddenly just a little glad that in her time they did not have such thorough records, she would have been in that history class for all eternity.
"As strange as this sounds, I am glad you are willing to try and change the future. Altra tells me you may cease to exist if you succeed." Karal said with respect. "Most would not be willing to chance non-existence."
"That may be but millions of people will survive and wars will be averted, that is worth the risk. I better return." Before Keli could stand Solaris transported them both back to her room.
:Where did you learn to tell such brilliant half truths?: Solaris asked.
"From my father." Keli stretched out on the bed. "You enjoyed seeing them shocked like that."
:Of course I did. Altra has an annoying habit of acting all-knowing.: Solaris stretched out next to her and rested her head on Keli's arm.
"I never saw that particular expression on a cat before." Keli managed a small smile.
:And you didn't even need to share your memories.: Solaris observed. :He will mention it in his next report to the Son of the Sun. Another small change, but a change.:
"I know. I was hoping to avoid having to show him my memories. It is incredibly personal to let someone be that close." Keli absently scratched Solaris' head.
Solaris purred, it was much louder than the purr of a smaller cat. :Why did you do that with Tris then?:
"I am not certain, it just felt safe to do it." Keli shrugged, she didn't feel up to analyzing what she was feeling at the moment. There was no way she could maintain her composure if she did.
Solaris seemed to smile.
Keli stared the ceiling trying not to think but failed miserably. She and Selene used to talk in the evening about everything from what her classes covered to the council. Sometimes she and Rodry played games of hounds and hinds late into the night discussing the latest laws and petitions to be presented to her or her father.
Keli blinked back tears.
:Princess, you should let yourself cry.: Kenyon said, his voice as full of mourning as she was.
:They didn't deserve that.: She started to sob silently.
:I know. We both lost people we love today.: Kenyon sent her assurances.
Keli rolled onto her side, dislodging Solaris. :Why did it happen?:
Kenyon heaved a mental sigh. :I can't answer that. No one can.:
:I always thought they would always be there. I wanted to tell Rodry that I loved him but I kept delaying.: Tears flowed faster down her cheeks, soaking her pillow.
:He felt the same.: Kenyon assured her. :He felt guilty because he had practically raised you and here he was desiring you.:
Keli felt a measure to solace. :I wish I had told him. Selene always said I should, but I couldn't work up the courage.:
:Neither could he. He treasured the dance you shared last month.: Kenyon's mindvoice sounded strained.
:So did I.: Keli curled up so her knees were almost to her chest and her hands under her head. Rodry had looked like a hero that night wearing his white uniform. The age difference made no difference to her, it never had. Keli knew she had looked regal that night in the slim, off the shoulder, white dress with her hair arranged in an elaborate style. He had asked her to dance when she had sought a corner to take a breather.
His extended hand and beloved face was the last image in her mind as she slipped off to sleep.