Disclaimer: Since this is a new fic I am rewording the disclaimer but it's still here 'cause unfortunately I still don't own any of the below ideas that can be found in the 'real' Valdemar *sigh*.
A/N okay, right, I am totally tired and my internet connection isn't working so this will probably not be posted right off but oh well … have any of you ever had enough dirt in your eyes that it mixes with the tears that form to clean them and turns into mud? It isn't fun… right well I have the rest of the story outlined so now all I need to do is come up with a plot and write it! Hope y'all enjoy the new chapter!
As it turned out I couldn't make the sheet music reconcile in my mind and finally I looked up at Benson, "Maybe Tatty and Eben could pull it off, Eben could play the bass on his drums and sing the tenor and Tatty could play the soprano on her harp and sing the alto. They could probably sight read it passing well and I'm sure they could do it adequately with a bit of practice. What's it for anyway?"
"Well, in the research I was doing I came across references to a healer turned Bard, it was generations before even Herald Vanyel's time. Apparently this guy lost a bardic patient through some foolish mistake and he gave up being a healer and turned bard, but he still felt loyalty to the healers. So he used his new skills in combination with some mage-gift and came up with a few tunes that were useful for us.
"Then they set older bardic trainees to playing them for us and things went well for a while, but eventually they put the less experienced bards on the job. After a while the players were so poor that the tunes had little effect and they fell out of use and memory."
"Oh," I said not really caring about the history lesson, "Well, I can show this to Eben and see what he and Tatty can do with it. If it'll help Azori and they can't pull it off I'll figure out come other way to do it."
"Sounds fine, we will meet here tomorrow after your classes?"
"Yeah," I agreed. Then I left, Eben fell into step beside me. I explained the music to him as we returned to our room and let him peruse the sheet music.
"Very interesting," he said as he looked it over. He hummed it under his breath and tapped out a beat on the paper, "I like it!" he said looking at me and grinning, "You say this helps healers?"
"Yes, that's what Benson said; I thought maybe you and Tatty could do it. If not I'll try it I guess, I really want to help Azori…"
"We'll do it if we can Cye, Tatty will be upset that you won't have lessons again tomorrow for it but…"
"She'll get over it," I said finishing his sentence good-naturedly.
"Right," Eben agreed as we reached the door to our room.
"I guess I'll have extra work from today to do while you two are working with Benson, but maybe I can do it in the sick room…"
"Sounds good to me," Eben agreed as he got into bed. I yawned and got into my own bed.
"Right, good night then, thanks for taking care of me while I was sick."
"No problem Roomy," Eben said sleepily as he blew out the single candle that had been illuminating our room.
The next day delivered more schoolwork than I had anticipated and I spent the afternoon working on it in the corner of Azori's sickroom. Benson was working with Azori while Eben and Tatty played the song.
I found the music surprisingly relaxing and instead of distracting me it made the work go more easily. Within three candle marks my work, including the work undone from the previous two days, was completed and packed away for the following day.
Stretching and yawning I watched as Benson finished up with whatever he was doing and Eben and Tatty put away their instruments.
"Well?" I asked Benson anxiously.
"It's working," He said tiredly, "I guess the mage that did this to her wasn't trying to control her gift from the start if he had been … but I think that if all goes well her magic will be fine buy this time tomorrow, and she should be coming around within a few days and she'll be ready to start with the heralds by the end of the week. I don't know if she will ever be normal mentally or emotionally, but she will definitely be better."
I nodded grimly. I could think of nothing to say. Azori would soon be as well as she could be. Much as I disliked it her further care was out of my hands. I stayed after the others had left so that I could talk to her. I doubt whether she heard a word of my long-winded oration, but it certainly made me feel better.
"They're going to help you," I whispered fiercely, "you're going to get better and then everything will be fine," I said a lot but it was that last conviction that stuck with me. After that I left reluctantly and went to collect my dinner.
Tatty and Eben were sitting in our usual place and I joined them. I pushed my food around my plate more than actually eating it, but the others didn't seem too inclined to eat either.
"Well," Tatty said startling us into looking up at her, "I suppose that we need to get used to short lessons anyway what with you starting arms training so soon…" Tatty said to me.
"Yeah," I agreed, "We can do that for a candle mark before dinner maybe?"
Tatty nodded, too subdued to bother with talking.
"What a depressing afternoon," Eben remarked, bringing up the elephant at the table.
"Yeah," Tatiana and I agreed simultaneously.
"I'm going to bed," Tatiana said abruptly as she bolted up and departed.
"Me too," I said and left. Eben remained at the table and I was asleep before he returned to the room.
The next day I avoided Healer's Collegium. I knew that if I went I would be unable to shake off the feeling of depression that seemed to accompany visiting it. Instead I went to see Asia and Savannah.
I decided later that it had been a big mistake. As soon as the two mares saw me they practically leapt at me.
:You need to learn to use your mind-magic!: Asia squawked.
:Yes, and I think maybe a bit of mage-gift too …: Savannah added.
"Mage-gift?" I groaned, "I don't have time for magic!"
:You can't leave such powers untrained though, we can teach you enough so that you are safe…: Asia said practically.
:That's not an offer, it's an order,: Savannah said, only partially teasing.
So it was that I spent the remainder of the afternoon in lessons, first with the two merciless companions and then with the equally brutal Tatiana. Tatty was less of a task master after an afternoon in the sickroom, but not by much. It also made her less patient.
"All right, dinner," Tatty said finally.
Together we trudged toward our dinner.
:Cye, darling, your dad's leaving for a circuit tomorrow, and the twins have a surprise … your parents want you to eat with them tonight.: Asia broke into my thoughts.
"Oh crap," I said bouncing my hand off my head in frustration, "I forgot about dinner with my family, I have to go Tatty!"
"Okay, I'll see you at the same time tomorrow?"
"Yeah," I called over my shoulder as I jogged toward my parent's rooms in the heraldic collegium.
I burst through the door slightly winded and looked around the entry room. My mother and father were witting on the couch and my mother's father sat across from them. That upset me. Grandfather only came when something big happened.
"Hi, sorry if I'm late," I said rather sheepishly as I shut the door behind myself.
"No, you're not late Cye, come in and sit down," Father said with a smile.
"I heard you were ill yesterday?" Mother asked. For a moment I wondered how she had known, but then I realized that one of my teachers was a herald and would therefore be perfectly willing to rat me out to my mother.
"Yeah, it wasn't a big deal though," I said and then explained that Benson had simply neglected to do his research.
"So is Azori going to be alright?" Mother asked anxiously, "Asia's been so worried over her … and we are starting the new trainees at the beginning of next week, we got two more new ones in today."
"Benson said that she'll be up and about by week's end, but he won't speak for her mental recovery …" I was puzzled at mother's last comment, I had been unaware of any young companions going out to choose, but then I had recently been woefully reticent about keeping up with the goings on in companion's field.
"Poor dear, I heard that the Skybolts rescued her from slavers…"
"Yeah," I replied with a studied lack of concern and then I picked up a cookie from a tray that was always present on the table.
"How's bardic training?" My grandfather asked shrewdly changing the subject.
I shot him a grateful look and launched into a detailed explanation of my schooling. My family listened attentively and finally I wrapped up my story.
"Where are the twins?" I asked curiously.
"They will be joining us after we eat," Father replied exchanging an odd look with mother.
I shrugged off their odd behavior. A servant brought in the food shortly thereafter and we ate with small-talk and much bantering.
With a full belly and with a relaxing evening with my family behind me, I was fully contented. Then the twins tumbled into the room breathless with excitement and grinning gleefully. They were also both clad in miniature gray replicas of what our parents were wearing.
Then all the pieces clicked into place, "They got chosen?" I yelped incredulously.
"This afternoon," Jed said proudly.
"You have to come see our companions," Melly added happily.
I felt like they were talking in a foreign language. My mind had stopped processing things about the time I realized what had happened. It was as if the world had jolted to a stop. The room almost seemed to whirl. I shook my head and looked at the twins.
"Yeah," I managed to choke out blandly, "I've gotta go," I left before anyone could stop me. As I left the building I was aware that the twins were following me but I ignored them and eventually they gave up. Chosen, everyone in my family but me was chosen. They were all worthy, and I was, I was worthless. Each of them had a defined place in the world for the rest of their lives, I would have to carve out my own role. Heralds were important, everyone knew that. Bards were just around to entertain people who ought to be perfectly happy without them… I fumed silently at the utter unfairness of it all.
In short I felt totally betrayed. It reminded me of looking through windows around the holidays, there were always happy families gathered together, everyone belonging, but the one looking in was not included in the bright atmosphere. I felt as though I had looked in through that window and seen my own family. The road in front of me blurred, and I realized that I was crying. I scrubbed a hand over my eyes and kept walking, not sure where I was going. For a minute I hated them all. The twins for being chosen, my parents for being heralds first and parents second, the companions for ignoring me, Savannah for leaving me… and then I realized that it wasn't their fault.
"It's my fault," I whispered the fierce accusation at myself, "Everyone knows companions never chose wrong. They don't choose hateful nasty jealous petty rotten brats. It's my fault."
That still didn't take the sting out of it. I realized I was at the palace gates. The guard, who I knew from waiting for Savannah to return, winked at me, and I forced a smile. I wasn't sure what I was doing, but I figured that since I had already left the palace compound I may as well see where I ended up. At the moment I didn't care what happened to me.
A/N lol, I love making Cye miserable… right, well thanks to Fireblade K'Chona for the review on chapter nine. I actually have today off, which is really cool since I woke up thinking I didn't. Thus I am going to write another chapter. I wonder what will happen to Cye in the city …. Hehehe, not that this is supposed to be a cliffhanger or anything, right, well as always pleas review bye.