Title: Lady Herald
Author: Ananda Arlin
Disclaimer: The plot is mine, along with some of the characters, but that, sadly, is all I can rightfully claim…everything else belongs to Mercedes Lackey, wonderful goddess that she is…
A/N: This chapter took me a long time to write, mostly because I had it done, but then I decided to go back and change everything. Then I was hit with a major case of writers block, and you know how that story goes…so I put it aside to come back to later, and…here it is, at long last ^_^
Arin tossed and turned in her unaccustomed bed at the Collegium. The Bardic Circle had guest quarters for families of trainees, so the whole family was staying in Haven for a week. After one day, Arin had seen enough wonders to make her head spin and make it nearly impossible to get to sleep. After all, her best friend had been Chosen! That in itself was enough to keep anyone awake at night.
She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. This was getting her nowhere…she needed to sleep, and at this rate, she wasn't going to for the next week! With a sigh, she rolled out of bed and shoved her feet into her slippers. She grabbed a shawl and draped it around her shoulders, leaving her room quietly.
Once in the hall, she looked around carefully to see if there was anyone there. Seeing no one there, she walked down the hall silently. At the end of the hall, she looked around, trying to decide where to go next. There were doors leading off to the left and the right. After thinking for a moment, she chose the door to the left. It took her down a flight of stairs and to another set of doors. She picked the one to her right this time.
Upon opening the door, she felt a draft of cold air wind around her. She shivered slightly. This door must lead outside… She stepped out into the darkness and looked around, blinking until her eyes were accustomed to the darkness. She was outside, all right…just across from Companion's Field, in fact. She smiled slightly. The Field seemed to be as good a place to walk as any…
With a smile on her face, she strode off toward the fence, heedless of her slippers in the snow. She reached the fence with some trepidation. Coming here had seemed like a good idea, but now that she was actually here she wasn't so sure… Shaking her head at her own silliness, she continued on, finding one of the paths that wound through the Field. What reason did she have to be nervous? Nothing was going to happen to her…
She shivered again, this time out of genuine cold. She had forgotten that it was Midwinter, and therefore likely to be snowing. Ah well. There was no help for it now. She turned around and began to start back towards the Collegium, cutting across the Field itself for speed rather than using the path she had come by. Her toes were numb, along with her fingers and her nose. The wind was picking up, driving snow into her eyes and chilling her further.
Suddenly she stumbled over an object buried under the snow. She cried out as she fell face-first into the snow. Pushing herself up onto her forearms required a lot of effort. She brushed the snow off of her face with a frozen hand. She tried to get herself up onto her knees, but it was no use. Her heart filled with terror. She was going to die in a snowstorm in the middle of Companion's Field, with warmth and safety only minutes away, and the best Healers in the Kingdom right next door.
She began to cry silently, the tears freezing on her face. I don't want to die like this! I don't want to die at all! She put her face down on the snow and continued to cry. Lacking the strength to cry out, she called out in her head to some imaginary savior. Somebody help me, please!
To her amazement, something answered! She felt something nudge her in the small of her back, and then someone lifted her up, placing her on what felt like a horse's back. She attempted to open her eyes to see her rescuer, only to find they were frozen shut. She felt herself being lifted down, and then a wave of intense warmth hit her and she passed out.
A/N: Alright, so I know it's a bit short, but hey, now I actually know where the story is going! Also, I just wanted to get this part done and posted for you guys ^_^ Okay, whoever can guess who the mysterious rescuer is gets a prize! Please R/R!