Title: Lady Herald
Author: Ananda Arlin
Disclaimer: Okay, okay, so they're not mine. All of the familiar characters and places belong to Mercedes Lackey (wonderful goddess that she is). Please don't sue me, because if you did, all you would get is $20 and my old computer ^_^ Anything you don't recognize is mine, and if you want to use it, please ask me.
A/N: This is the edited version of the first chapter, since some things were inconsistent. If you've already read the old first chapter, this is different, so read this first! R/R please!
"Arin, come down here. It's time for your dance lesson." Arin sighed. Mother was a formidable person when you were late for something. "Arin Margaret Crawford! Get down here this instant! I don't pay the best dance teacher this side of Haven to wait for you, you know!" Arin scrambled down the stairs. "I'm coming, Mother!" She knew that if she didn't, her mother would come looking for her and then give her a lecture on 'the Lady's duty'.
Her mother sighed. "No, Arin, a lady must never run." Arin stifled a groan. "It's not at all seemly. If you ever want to get a good husband, you must learn to behave like a lady. You have to go to your dance lesson now, Arin. You know that if you behave well enough, I just might be able to get you a husband despite all of your unseemly notions. It is not a woman's place to question, Arin." Arin sighed. "Yes, Mother. I understand." It was the only way to stop her without starting another lecture.
Without another word, Arin grabbed her dancing shoes and headed out the door. She saddled the mare that belonged to her family with a sidesaddle, in case her mother happened to watch through the window, and began the five-furlong ride to the dance school. Once she got there, she left the horse in the stable with instructions to the stable boys to cool her down and groom her. She walked into the building with a certain amount of trepidation. When she entered it, she saw her dance instructor deep in conversation with a well-dressed woman.
There was a small girl in the room as well. She was standing awkwardly over by the mirror. The girl looked rather lost and out of place, so Arin walked over to her. "Hello, my name is Arin. I'm a student here. Are you going to study here too?" The girl smiled weakly. "I'm Melissande. My aunt sent me to study here. I don't really mind dancing, but I'm not very good at it. She decided that in order to be a real lady, I had to learn to dance as well as my older sisters." Arin grimaced. "My mother says that I have to become more ladylike if I ever want to find a good husband. I'm not sure that I want to find a good husband. She seems to think that there is no way that any man could ever like me just the way I am. She says that I have to marry above my current station in life unless I want to stay there all of my life, because she says that's the only way out. She says she tried to, but no man above her station wanted her with six children."
Melissande made a face. "She sounds remarkably like my Aunt Marie, except that Aunt Marie didn't have any children." Arin smiled. "I don't think I want to meet her!"
"Girls," called Madam Halai, "it's time to start warming up. We don't want to pull any muscles. Arin, show Melissande our usual warm-up." Arin proceeded to run through the twists and turns of the warm-up at half speed. At one particularly difficult part, she stumbled and fell, grabbing her ankle. Madam Halai rushed over. "It's alright," Arin gasped. "It's not broken or sprained, just twisted a little, but it hurts." Madam Halai took some herbs out of a cabinet on the wall and made a poultice. She bound it up with a strip of bandage. "That should help, but don't put too much pressure on it. If you can dance on the other foot, it would probably be good for you." Arin sighed. "I'll just stretch. The warm-up requires both feet." She put her injured foot on the wall above her head and moved in as close to the wall as she could.
Melissande watched her with wide eyes. "Will that happen to me?" Madam Halai shook her head with a gentle smile. "No, dear, but Arin has been doing this for years, and the only reason that I insist on her stretching all of the time is so that she doesn't lose her flexibility. If that happened to you, I would give you a poultice like hers but have you sit down and rest. Now I want to see what you can do. Sit down on the floor and stretch out like this." She proceeded to test Melissande's flexibility in every way she could think of. When she was done, the poor girl was dripping with sweat and totally convinced that she was worthless. Madam Halai shifted her attention to Arin, who was sitting on the floor stretching. "Arin, she's at about the same level as Morgin was when she first came. I think we should start her with basic flexibility exercises and work from there. What do you say?" Arin smiled tightly. "That sounds good. Have her do the beginning stretch. If you want me to, I'll do it with her."
Madam Halai smiled slightly. "I suppose the beginning stretch wouldn't be too much for you on only one foot, but I won't ask Melissande to do it that way. Melissande, you do what Arin does except you can use either foot. I would recommend that you use your less flexible leg first."
Melissande tried her best to follow Arin, who tried her best to go slow enough that Melissande could follow her. Over a candlemark later, both girls were panting and quite ready to fall over from exhaustion. "That's enough for one day. Arin, show Melissande where the baths are. Once you're clean and dry, both of you should come back out here."
Arin and Melissande walked into a back room that contained a few tubs as well as some towels and a hamper for their dance outfits. Arin removed the poultice for her bath. She sat and soaked her sore muscles in the incredibly hot water. After a little while, she climbed out of the tub and scrubbed herself with the sweet-smelling soap. She rinsed herself off with cooler water and then dried herself thoroughly. Once she was dry, she pulled on her clothing and began the long and arduous task of combing out her long and stubbornly curly hair. When it was orderly enough to be pulled into a bun, she did so with a great deal of relief. Now that she was a great deal cleaner and more presentable, she went back into the main room.
Melissande and Madam Halai were already there. Arin walked over to the cabinet and made another herbal dressing for her ankle while Madam Halai talked to Melissande about performance and form. Once she was finished with it, she walked over and joined the two women.
"You tend to turn to your right more often than to the left. You need to start turning to the left more. Next class, I'm going to have you turn only to the left. It needs to be ingrained habit, so that I can say the name of the move and you can just do it. Did you see Arin's shoes?" At Melissande's nod she continued. "You'll be getting shoes like that in a few years. Arin only got them this year, and she's been dancing for nine years." Arin sighed. "About next week. I won't be here, because we're going to Haven to see Mark perform." She smiled slightly. "I hope you won't do anything too hard when I'm not here." Madam Halai laughed. "Don't worry, Arin. I have no doubt that you'll be able to learn anything that we do. Besides, it will give your ankle time to heal. I'll see you in two weeks then. Goodbye."
Arin said her good-byes quietly and then went out to the stable for the horse. She found it already saddled and fed. Once she finished the five-furlong ride home, she rubbed the horse down and removed its saddle. Her mother would be very, well, not precisely angry, because she never lost her composure, but disappointed. That taken care of, she walked into the house.
Kevan and Ryan, two of her brothers, were sitting by the fire. Kevan was reading a book of tales, which meant that Mother wasn't home. Kevan never took chances with his precious books. Last time Mother had caught him reading a book like that, she had thrown it into the fire and he had had to muck out the town stable for the next month. It was not considered 'proper masculine literature'. In other words, he didn't like to read about history and tactics.
Ryan, on the other hand, was writing a letter. It could have been to one of her brothers or to one of his many female admirers, but Arin didn't think so. Ryan was shaych. He had a lover among the Tayledras, a scout named Stardance. They had met when Arin, Kevan and Ryan went with their mother to visit their brother Steven, who was a Healer stationed in the West. Arin and her brothers had managed to keep it from their mother, because if she found out that one of her sons was shaych, she would likely disown him, or worse.
"Hey Ry, what are you writing?" Ryan smiled softly. "I'm writing to Stardance." Arin smiled gently. "You love him, don't you?" He smiled at her. "Yes, more than I've ever loved anyone before. I don't know what I'd do if¾" He broke off with a look of terror. The front door had opened, and Mother was walking in! Kevan grabbed Ryan's letters out of his paralyzed hands and put them into the book of tales, which he then stuffed into a bag. He tossed the bag to Arin and pulled out a book on the old wars with Karse. He and Ryan bent over the book and opened it to a page in the middle, as if they had been studying it for a long time. Arin shoved the bag under her skirts and picked up her half-finished needlepoint. She sat up straight in a lady's chair to work on it.
"Well," said their mother, "you look like you're all doing something productive for a change. Arin, I want to check your stitches." She held her hand out for the needlepoint. Arin handed it to her then folded her hands in her lap to await the verdict. "These are very nice, Arin. Very close, very even. Anyone would be proud to wear your embroidery. I want you to finish this one first, then you can start actually embroidering your own clothes." She turned to the boys. "And I see you're studying strategy. I'm told it's essential to success. I won't ask what it's about, because I've never understood all of that military thinking. You can talk to each other about it." She smiled at all of them. "I'm going to make some dinner. Arin, finish that needlepoint. Boys, you go on studying that strategy." She walked into the kitchen and moments later, a sizzling noise and the smell of bacon cooking came through the open door. Bacon was Mother's favorite food, mainly because she got it for free from a man named Simon, who was a pigkeeper. Arin suspected that she was sleeping with him.
While Arin worked on her needlepoint, she thought about her brothers. Ryan was a sweet boy with a pretty face, but he was rather shy and didn't enjoy all of the attention that it got him. He was very devoted to his lover. You know, they might be lifebonded! If they were, that would explain a lot. Ryan hadn't so much as looked at any other person, male or female, since he had met Stardance. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. Good for him! He deserves a chance at happiness. Goddess knows Mother made it impossible to find any temporary lovers!
Next was Kevan. He had an equally pretty face, but he appreciated the feminine attention that it got for him. He was an outspoken boy who often talked about joining the Guard. His love of books was an unexpected characteristic. After him was Mark. Mark was a Trainee at the Bardic Collegium. He had managed to convince their mother to let the three children who lived at home come to the Midwinter Festival in Haven. Mark took a lot of heat from their mother for not being "properly masculine". In her opinion, bards were girly because they sang and played music. Mark was a handsome boy, although not as nice-looking as Ryan or Kevan. He was very cheerful and made friends easily.
Next was Steven. He was a Healer stationed at a Healing Temple in the West. It was when the family went to visit him that Ryan had met Stardance. Steven was a calm and reassuring person, which was a good quality to have if you were a Healer. Their mother had berated him until Mark went to the Collegium. The last, and oldest, brother was Paul. He was a corporal in the Guard. His personality was demanding and large, and people naturally obeyed him.
Thinking of her brothers made her think of the Midwinter festival in Haven that her mother had grudgingly allowed her to attend this year with them. Mark was going to perform with some friends of his. He had told their mother that it was very important to him, so they were all going. It sounded exciting to Arin. They were going to the capital city! She had never been there before and didn't know what to expect, other than that it would be bigger than the tiny village of Deercreek. That, in Arin's mind, at least, was a very good thing!
Once she was finished with the needlepoint, she walked into the kitchen to give her mother a hand with dinner, as was expected. Arin put the finished needlepoint on the table and tucked the bag into her pocket until she could find a more secure hiding place for its contents. She pulled a pot out of a cupboard and filled it with water and potatoes. She placed it over the fire and walked over to another cupboard for spices. Her favorite ones were salt, pepper, and garlic. Arin put some of each onto a small mortar and began grinding it. The unmistakable fragrance of garlic slowly filled the room. Her mother looked up. "You're grinding the spices for the potatoes? Thank you, Arin. That's very thoughtful of you." Her mother smiled at her. Arin continued to grind the spices.
She knew her mother thought that she should be a lady at all times, but it was so very hard! Arin had been lectured every time she did something ever remotely un-girlish. The first time she had worn a pair of Ryan's old breeches to climb a tree, she had returned to the house to find her mother waiting for her with a lecture. She had been lectured when she whistled for the first time in front of her mother, proud of her new skill.
She had been taught every nuance of courtly behavior and detested every minute spent learning it. She could curtsy as well as anyone and she knew every coat of arms in the entire Kingdom. She considered these skills to be entirely useless, but her mother did not. 'Arin,' she would always say, 'if you're to marry above your station, you need to know these things. Many noblemen marry for love, and some Guildmasters need wives who know family devices because they do business with nobles.' She smashed the potatoes and stirred the flavoring in, taking out her frustrations on the helpless vegetables.
She put the finished potatoes onto a platter where they steamed invitingly. Her mother plated the bacon and they put the food on the table. Kevan and Ryan came out to the dining room and sniffed with a gleeful look on their faces. "Mother, Arin, that smells heavenly. Thank you for making us dinner." Kevan grinned and sat down. "Now let's eat!" Ryan chuckled. "I find I must agree with my sadly deficient brother. I'm starving!" Arin laughed. Mother sent her a rebuking look. "Arin, could you get us some plates? We need some more for these boys."
Arin sighed slightly. "Of course, Mother." She walked into the kitchen and found two more plates. Arin walked back out to the dining room and put a plate in front of each of her brothers. She sat down at her place and put a small amount of food on her plate, just like her mother taught her. After a few minutes of eating in silence, her mother spoke up. "So, Arin, today is your Birthing Day. Fourteen years ago today you were brought into this world. We have gotten you some presents to commemorate this important day in your life. All of your brothers have gotten you something, even Steven, Mark and Paul. However, Mark has asked me to inform you that you will be receiving his present upon seeing him in person in Haven."
She handed Arin a box. "This is my present to you. I do hope you'll enjoy it." Arin opened the box. Inside were embroidery threads of every color imaginable, even several variations of gold and silver. Arin swallowed around the bitter lump in her throat. "Thank you, Mother. I really don't know what to say. It's lovely." Her mother smiled. I hope you'll be making good use of it. This way you can make some truly breathtaking pieces, and I may even petition to get you an apprenticeship at the Guild. After all, what better way to meet Guildmasters than to take lessons from them?"
Kevan handed her a beautiful wooden box. "This is for you, Arin. Go on, open it." She opened the box and saw a note inside, lying against the black satin lining. 'Dear Arin, look under your bed. Love, Kevan.' Arin smiled. "Thank you, Kevan. It's beautiful." He grinned at her. "It's for jewelry and things. I hope you can make good use of it." He smiled. Ryan handed her a parcel wrapped in paper. She pulled the paper off of it and saw two smaller bundles. She opened the first one and found a packet of multicolored ribbons. She smiled. "Thanks, Ryan. They're beautiful." He smiled. "Open the other packet." She opened the smaller packet. Inside was a beautiful necklace. It was in the shape of tongues of fire, and was made of rubies and gold. She gasped. This must have cost a fortune! "Ryan, it's beautiful! Thank you so much!" She gently placed it inside the box.
Her mother handed her another box, this one small and narrow. "This one is from Paul." She opened it and pulled out what was inside: a beautiful pair of lady's riding gloves in light gray leather lined in rabbit-fur. She gaped at them. They were absolutely beautiful. Her mother smiled at her reaction. "Last, but certainly not least, is Steven's present." Arin opened the large box and removed its contents: a beautiful pair of tooled leather boots. The note said they were Hawkbrother work. She smiled at all of them. "Thank you all so much for your beautiful presents. I will treasure them." She excused herself for bed and took her presents up to her room.
After she arranged them on the shelves, she removed her skirts and put them in the hamper. Finding the bag in her pocket, she sighed and put in under the mattress in Kevan's room. He would know what to do with it. Mother would never forgive her if her skirts were on the floor. She would wear her other set tomorrow and wash this set once they got back from Haven. Once she got to the room, she looked under her bed and pulled out a package. It said 'To our favorite little sister Arin from all of us.' She opened it with some hesitation. This year, however, her brothers didn't seem to feel the need to play a trick on her. The package contained a quilted winter cloak. She smiled to herself. This was just like her brothers, to know what was needed and give it to her. Thinking of them, she drifted off to sleep.
* * * * * * * * * * *
"Arin!" Her mother's voice jolted her into wakefulness. "It's time to go if you want to get to Haven in time for Mark's performance. Get up. Your brothers are already up and about. You have ten minutes before we leave you. Hurry up!" Arin groaned and rolled out of bed. On a whim, she packed her presents into a basket. She wanted to admire them some more, and besides, she could probably get some embroidery done on this trip. She wanted a new festival skirt, and it wasn't like she would be busy all the way to Haven with anything. She pulled on her skirts and the winter cloak.
She ran down the stairs to the kitchen and grabbed food for her lunch, placing it in her basket. That taken care of, she tied back her unruly red waves and went into the dining room where her mother was waiting. "Stand up tall, dear." Her mother studied her for a moment. "You'll do. Go get in the wagon." The family had borrowed a small wagon for the trip to Haven. The trip wasn't too long, only about a half-day or so on foot, but Mother had decided not to go until the day when Mark was supposed to perform. It was only three candlemarks by wagon, so they should get there in enough time to see him.
Kevan and Ryan were in the back with her, along with some of the other families from the village. Mother was up front with Simon the pigkeeper, a widower who she had taken a fancy to. None of her children liked him, but that didn't seem to bother her. She never really listened what they thought anyway.
Arin worked on a skirt for a few candlemarks, until the group stopped for luncheon. "Arin, let's take a walk and stretch our legs for a bit," Ryan said after the meal. Once they were well away from the cart, he turned to her. "The necklace was from Stardance. He says to thank you for help in keeping our relationship a secret and helping me sneak out to meet him. Arin, I don't know what to do. Stardance wants me to go live with him, but I don't know if I should. I mean, I want to, but Mother would kill me. What should I do?" His voice cracked on the last word. Arin smiled at him. "If you want to go, I think you should go. Stardance will support you, so will all of us. That should be enough."
Ryan looked back towards the cart. "We'd better get back soon. Thank you." They walked back to the cart and sat back down. Arin tried to work on the skirt, but eventually fell asleep against Kevan's reassuring chest. The next thing she knew, she was being shaken. "Come on, little sister. You don't want to miss Mark's performance, do you? We have to get going." Kevan helped her up and led her towards a huge crowd. After a minute or two of walking (or trying to, anyway) through the crowd, they finally saw a stage. Mark and several other people in red-brown uniforms were sitting on the stage tuning their instruments. Mark held a harp in his hands. When one of his friends noticed them standing there, he turned to Mark. "Heyla, Mark! Your little sister is here!" Mark saw her and gave her a grin. "Arin, I'll talk to you after we're done. It'll be just a minute. And no, I didn't forget your present." His friend chuckled. "He spent candlemarks looking for the right present. Of course, most of them were around midnight last night." Mark mimed a cuff at him. "Please ignore this idiot, Arin. All of that ale is finally getting to his brain."
Arin grinned. "You just play, alright? Don't mind me." She stood near the front of the stage. The group was very good. Arin was astonished to hear Mark's singing voice, a beautiful golden tenor. Last time she had heard him perform he'd still been a treble. They sang ballads for the most part, but Arin caught some other songs, too. They played Arin's favorite song, Kerowyn's Ride, which describes the adventures of Herald Captain Kerowyn in her youth.
When they were done, Mark came over to her with a large package. He handed it to her. "Here's your present. Come on, open it." She pulled the paper off of it and saw a large, well-crafted wooden box. "Arin, open it, okay?" She opened the box and gasped. Inside were some of the most beautiful instruments she had ever seen. There was a harp, a lute, a glittern, and music for each. She stroked them reverently. "Mark, these are beautiful! How did you get them?" He grinned. "I had a class last semester in crafting instruments. I asked the master if I could have the instruments that she made, and that's what these are."
Arin smiled at him. "Thank you, Mark. They're beautiful. Will you teach me to play?" He smiled. "Sure. You'll probably end up being better than me, you know." Arin looked at him. "Mark, you're going to be a bard. I'm not. How can I be better than you?" Mark grinned. "Don't be too sure about that. You have talent, that much I know." Arin smiled at him. "Just teach me how to play, okay?"
Kevan walked up to them. "Come on, or you'll miss the banquet." They walked together towards the Collegium. Trainees had the right to bring their families to a banquet at the Collegium. This was a new thing, started just last year because of the number of trainees whose families came to Haven for the festival. Arin loved the food there. It was very good.
The cook's daughter Maris was her friend. Maris' father Mero was a jolly old man who loved to cook. He could have retired by now, but he loved his work so much that he had stayed on. Maris' mother Gaytha was the housekeeper for the Collegium. Maris herself was an unaffiliated student at the Collegium. She hadn't decided what master to choose by the last time that Arin had seen her, which had been at Midsummer. Arin was looking forward to seeing her this time, and to finding out if she had chosen a master yet.
Maris walked in and Arin's jaw dropped. She was wearing Grays! "Maris! When were you Chosen?" Maris grinned at her. "Lancer Chose me just last week. Do you want to meet him?" Arin laughed. "Sure! I'd love to. When?" Maris chuckled. "Why not right now? Your mother won't miss you for a few candlemarks while she's flirting with that Simon fellow. Come on, he's just out here in Companion's Field." Arin followed Maris out of a door and into the cold. She stopped at a large fence and climbed over it, then beckoned for Arin to do the same. She hesitated. "Isn't that just for Heralds and Trainees?" Maris laughed. "Of course not. Firesong's ekele is back here, and he certainly isn't a Herald. You can go in if you want to. Plenty of people go in for a soak. I've been in there a few times myself."
Arin smiled. "Well, I suppose it can't hurt to walk over, and if we see Lancer on the way, more to the good. I want to meet him. Can you talk to him?" Maris smiled. "Not yet. Our bond isn't strong enough. I will be able to later, though."
Arin saw a few small white shapes in the distance. One separated itself from the group and came loping towards them. "Is that him?" Maris smiled. "Yes." When he got closer, Arin could see that the Companion was a graceful stallion. He pulled up short in front of Maris, who laughed and threw her arms around the Companion's neck. After a moment, Maris smiled and turned to Arin. "Sorry about that, but having a Companion…it's like nothing you've ever experienced. Lancer is my soul-brother. I can't even begin to describe the feeling of having someone who you can always rely on." Arin felt a twinge of jealousy. "No, don't worry, Maris. You don't need to explain it. I can see that it's not something easily explained."
Maris looked up at the ponderously sad tone in her friend's voice. :Lance, why is she so sad?: Lancer shook his head. :She would very much like to have a Companion. I don't think she has ever had someone love her for who and what she is, except her brothers, but they are all growing up and going off on their own adventures and she doesn't want to hold them back.:
Maris walked over to Arin and put an arm around her. "So, where do you want to go now?"
A/N: So what do you think? This is my first ML fanfic, okay, my first fanfic ever, so please be nice. If you give me happy little reviewses, I will give you more chapters! Please R/R! ^_^