Hey guys! Here's the next chapter. Sorry for the delay, but I do have
homework to do. *glares at Arielle, AC, Anisha, and Lily* So stop bugging
me! I hope you guys like the next chapter.
Just as an FWI for everyone who has been reading this, the new 5th chapter is actually the old 4th chapter. I split the 1st chapter into 2 chapters, and changed a whole bunch around.
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Herald Skif, assistant to the weapons master, Herald Alberich, studied the eight new trainees. Three Heraldic trainees, dressed in a pale gray, two Unaffiliates, dressed in light blue, one Bardic trainee, in a rusty red, and two Healer trainees, dressed in a pale green. *Those eight look as if they could be the terror of the Collegia, the savior of the Collegia, or both.* He scanned the Heraldic trainees a little more closely. *I wonder what Gifts each of those trainees have. I wonder which of them is replacing poor Talia.* He shook off his sadness before walking over to them. *If any of them has strong Empathy, I do not want them picking up any negative feelings on their first day. We don't want the whole Heraldic Collegium wallowing in depression for weeks while we try to train these kids.* "Heyla! You're the new trainees? I'm Skif!" the eight newcomers seemed to be overawed by the Herald, dressed in full whites. "Care to introduce yourselves?" the friends found themselves stumbling out introductions yet again as the Herald smiled at them.
"Hmm, where do I start? Ah! You all will be taking Orientation classes in a week. Until then, you get to settle yourselves in at the Palace." Skif turned to the Heraldic Trainees, "Try to spend a lot of time with your Companions, riding, talking, or just being with them. The early stage of development is key in a strong bond, and a strong bond can be the difference between life and death. You all will stay in your respective Halls, but I think you'll still be pretty close to each other. Here's the rooms for the new blues. See you two at dinner." Sanne and Raul went into their new rooms to unpack and set up before dinner. "Here's the Bardic Hall," Skif smiled as the Bardic Trainee headed down the Hall to his room, finally loosing his grip on the hand of one of the young Healers. *Those two are so cute together.* He smiled, wondering how deep the feelings of the two trainees went for each other. *It would be wonderful to have a new lifebonded pair in the Collegia again. Like Talia and Dirk.* Skif turned to look over the other trainees, starting as he looked at Aaralyn and Nida. He quickly pushed down the random feeling of confusion and unease, hoping that the trainees hadn't caught his less positive feelings.
Aaralyn glimpsed the Herald jump as he looked at her and her twin, and felt a flash of confusion in his mind, as a flash of memories came unbidden to her mind. The first, from when Aaralyn was barely two, of her father holding her crying mother, and handing a small bundle to a strange man, who rode off immediately.
The twins, when they were only five years of age, were running through the fields of their parents' estate. Laughter and happiness filled the air as they playfully chased one another. Suddenly, Aaralyn's face blanched with pain as she stumbled onto the ground.
"Aaralyn! What's wrong? Are you okay?" Nida's eyes clouded with worry and shared pain as she ran to her twin.
Aaralyn snapped out of her daydream, shaking her head to rid herself of faint dizziness. *I haven't thought about one of those memories in years. I wonder what brought this on.*
Aaralyn shook her head, pulling herself out of her daydream. *Wow. I haven't thought about those memories in a long time.* She shrugged, putting off thinking about it for when she wasn't so excited.
***
"I could eat a block of wood right now!" Kaida's stomach growled as the eight friends wandered into the hall, bubbling with excitement at their new homes. She sat down and started to spoon food onto her plate, "This looks a little better than wood, though." The others sat down and started to eat. "mmm, mrhis is mgrearry gmroomd." Tala choked on her food as her brother blanked, trying to figure out what their friend had said.
Tala sputtered, holding back laughter, and punched Kaida in the arm. "Kaida, chew!" She smiled as her friend started to poke her with a spoon.
"Raul, you want a translator?" Edana grinned as Kaida turned to glare at her. "She said 'this is really good.'"
"Oh, that explains it!" Raul's confused expression lifted, "I thought she was speaking a different language."
"Hey!" Kaida tried to glare and grin at the same time, and failed miserably.
***
The next morning, the three Heraldic Trainees raced out of the Hall after breakfast, eager to be back with their Companions. They stopped short to gape at the huge expanse that was Companion's Field, filled with green and white.
"Wow. There's a whole lot of Companions. It's so amazing, seeing them all together." Edana smiled as Rolan trotted up to her, "I'll see you guys later. I'm going to spend some time with Rolan."
: You'd better. I'd hate to think I found you after two months of searching only to have you disappear into the Palace and never come out to visit your poor, neglected Companion. : Rolan gave the best pout he could muster as Edana burst out laughing, almost falling off of his back.
"Oy, Edana, try to stay on his back!" Tala smiled as Edana turned to glare at her, "Have fun you two!"
: You're next, Chosen. You are coming on a long ride, and any objection may force me to run you across the field. : Lavan's sapphire eyes sparkled with amusement at Tala's retort.
: I could chase circles around you, horse! : She mounted up as Gavan arrived to collect his Chosen. : Now, let's go and leave these two alone to "bond," as you Companions say. :
Kaida looked into the deep blue eyes of her Companion, smiling as her two friends rode off in different directions. : I guess I'm under the same threat? No laps around the Field for me, thank you very much. :
Gavan started to trot off after she mounted. : No running for you? Then try not to annoy me. : Gavan gave a mental chuckle as she glared at him.
***
Sanne and Raul wandered through the Palace hand-in-hand, enjoying each others company and finding their way around their new home.
"Wow. I never expected to be here any time soon. Even once we got started, I thought we'd just be loose ends, but now we have something to do. We're going to be Artificers! We're away from Lamya and everyone is in a place that they wanted to be in all of their life." Raul grinned excitedly.
Sanne smiled at his excitement. "This is definitely an interesting turn of events, but Raul, I'm worried." Her eyes clouded over with confusion and sadness that had been hidden from the rest of the group, "I have a bad feeling that Lamya isn't gone from our lives, that she's just waiting until we're not paying attention to catch us off-guard."
Raul's heart clenched as her muscles tightened with stress, eyes dimming in the onslaught of emotions. "Try not to worry about it, okay? It will all be okay, even if she does come back. We'll be able to deal with her." He pulled his friend into a comforting bear-hug, supporting her as much as he could as she began to cry quietly.
***
Elcan and the twins strode arm-in-arm through one of the courtyards on the way to the Bardic Collegium, laughing and talking about their new home. "Isn't this place wonderful! I mean, there's something for all of us. You two are going to be Healers, Tala, Kaida, and Edana Heralds, and Sanne and Raul Artificers. And I'm going to be a Bard! A Bard!" His eyes gleamed with excitement.
Nida sighed contentedly. "I told you that you were an amazing musician, but would you listen? Of course not! Dingus!" She playfully punched him in the arm, "Next time listen to us, as we are superior in intelligence!"
Aaralyn laughed as Elcan glared at her twin. "Well said!" Elcan began to turn towards his room, "We'll see you at lunch, okay?"
: Aaralyn, should we head to the Healer's Collegium? :
Aaralyn nodded. : Sounds good to me. :
The two twins walked down into Healers Collegium, stopping once in a while to talk to some of the other trainees, and exploring every corner of the classrooms and medical rooms.
: Hey Aaralyn, I'm going to go wander off for a bit. I'll see you later?: Nida turned and walked out into a courtyard, while Aaralyn tried to find the library.
: Okay. I'll see you in a couple hours, then. Have fun! : Aaralyn walked off in the direction she remembered the library had been in, hoping to find it in a relatively short time.
*** After wandering around for a full twenty minutes, Aaralyn admitted to being completely lost. *Hmmm. I could have sworn it was this way. I'll just ask someone.* She looked around, trying to find someone friendly looking in the scattered group of trainees wandering the hallways. *Hey! Is that Nida?* She spotted the back of her twin leaning against a wall reading a book in the midst of the other Trainees. *I thought she was in the courtyard. I didn't know she was planning to change into her new uniform already. I guess I'll get her to help me find it.* Aaralyn tried to mindTouch with her twin, startled to find that the form was not actually her sister, but that she could still feel their presence in her mind. The girl turned in confusion at the unexpected mindTouch, but quickly went back to reading her book, shaking her head as if to rid herself of some strange feeling. Aaralyn walked over to her, eager to figure out what was going on.
Aaralyn walked up to the girl and was about to tap her on the shoulder to get her attention, when the girl looked up from her book, as if from some unspoken call, and the two girls locked eyes. Aaralyn jumped back, as if she was being pulled back by a string, at the face of the other girl, almost identical to that of her and her sister. "Hey. I-I'm Aaralyn."
The girl, also startled, fumbled through introductions. "My name is Aegle." She paused, unable for a moment to get the words out of her mouth. "Uh.It's nice to meet you." The two girls chuckled at the stiff formality, a little uncomfortable, as Aegle took Aaralyn's proffered hand and the empty spaces in Aaralyn's heart, blank spots in her mind for so long, slowly began to fill.
Just as an FWI for everyone who has been reading this, the new 5th chapter is actually the old 4th chapter. I split the 1st chapter into 2 chapters, and changed a whole bunch around.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Herald Skif, assistant to the weapons master, Herald Alberich, studied the eight new trainees. Three Heraldic trainees, dressed in a pale gray, two Unaffiliates, dressed in light blue, one Bardic trainee, in a rusty red, and two Healer trainees, dressed in a pale green. *Those eight look as if they could be the terror of the Collegia, the savior of the Collegia, or both.* He scanned the Heraldic trainees a little more closely. *I wonder what Gifts each of those trainees have. I wonder which of them is replacing poor Talia.* He shook off his sadness before walking over to them. *If any of them has strong Empathy, I do not want them picking up any negative feelings on their first day. We don't want the whole Heraldic Collegium wallowing in depression for weeks while we try to train these kids.* "Heyla! You're the new trainees? I'm Skif!" the eight newcomers seemed to be overawed by the Herald, dressed in full whites. "Care to introduce yourselves?" the friends found themselves stumbling out introductions yet again as the Herald smiled at them.
"Hmm, where do I start? Ah! You all will be taking Orientation classes in a week. Until then, you get to settle yourselves in at the Palace." Skif turned to the Heraldic Trainees, "Try to spend a lot of time with your Companions, riding, talking, or just being with them. The early stage of development is key in a strong bond, and a strong bond can be the difference between life and death. You all will stay in your respective Halls, but I think you'll still be pretty close to each other. Here's the rooms for the new blues. See you two at dinner." Sanne and Raul went into their new rooms to unpack and set up before dinner. "Here's the Bardic Hall," Skif smiled as the Bardic Trainee headed down the Hall to his room, finally loosing his grip on the hand of one of the young Healers. *Those two are so cute together.* He smiled, wondering how deep the feelings of the two trainees went for each other. *It would be wonderful to have a new lifebonded pair in the Collegia again. Like Talia and Dirk.* Skif turned to look over the other trainees, starting as he looked at Aaralyn and Nida. He quickly pushed down the random feeling of confusion and unease, hoping that the trainees hadn't caught his less positive feelings.
Aaralyn glimpsed the Herald jump as he looked at her and her twin, and felt a flash of confusion in his mind, as a flash of memories came unbidden to her mind. The first, from when Aaralyn was barely two, of her father holding her crying mother, and handing a small bundle to a strange man, who rode off immediately.
The twins, when they were only five years of age, were running through the fields of their parents' estate. Laughter and happiness filled the air as they playfully chased one another. Suddenly, Aaralyn's face blanched with pain as she stumbled onto the ground.
"Aaralyn! What's wrong? Are you okay?" Nida's eyes clouded with worry and shared pain as she ran to her twin.
Aaralyn snapped out of her daydream, shaking her head to rid herself of faint dizziness. *I haven't thought about one of those memories in years. I wonder what brought this on.*
Aaralyn shook her head, pulling herself out of her daydream. *Wow. I haven't thought about those memories in a long time.* She shrugged, putting off thinking about it for when she wasn't so excited.
***
"I could eat a block of wood right now!" Kaida's stomach growled as the eight friends wandered into the hall, bubbling with excitement at their new homes. She sat down and started to spoon food onto her plate, "This looks a little better than wood, though." The others sat down and started to eat. "mmm, mrhis is mgrearry gmroomd." Tala choked on her food as her brother blanked, trying to figure out what their friend had said.
Tala sputtered, holding back laughter, and punched Kaida in the arm. "Kaida, chew!" She smiled as her friend started to poke her with a spoon.
"Raul, you want a translator?" Edana grinned as Kaida turned to glare at her. "She said 'this is really good.'"
"Oh, that explains it!" Raul's confused expression lifted, "I thought she was speaking a different language."
"Hey!" Kaida tried to glare and grin at the same time, and failed miserably.
***
The next morning, the three Heraldic Trainees raced out of the Hall after breakfast, eager to be back with their Companions. They stopped short to gape at the huge expanse that was Companion's Field, filled with green and white.
"Wow. There's a whole lot of Companions. It's so amazing, seeing them all together." Edana smiled as Rolan trotted up to her, "I'll see you guys later. I'm going to spend some time with Rolan."
: You'd better. I'd hate to think I found you after two months of searching only to have you disappear into the Palace and never come out to visit your poor, neglected Companion. : Rolan gave the best pout he could muster as Edana burst out laughing, almost falling off of his back.
"Oy, Edana, try to stay on his back!" Tala smiled as Edana turned to glare at her, "Have fun you two!"
: You're next, Chosen. You are coming on a long ride, and any objection may force me to run you across the field. : Lavan's sapphire eyes sparkled with amusement at Tala's retort.
: I could chase circles around you, horse! : She mounted up as Gavan arrived to collect his Chosen. : Now, let's go and leave these two alone to "bond," as you Companions say. :
Kaida looked into the deep blue eyes of her Companion, smiling as her two friends rode off in different directions. : I guess I'm under the same threat? No laps around the Field for me, thank you very much. :
Gavan started to trot off after she mounted. : No running for you? Then try not to annoy me. : Gavan gave a mental chuckle as she glared at him.
***
Sanne and Raul wandered through the Palace hand-in-hand, enjoying each others company and finding their way around their new home.
"Wow. I never expected to be here any time soon. Even once we got started, I thought we'd just be loose ends, but now we have something to do. We're going to be Artificers! We're away from Lamya and everyone is in a place that they wanted to be in all of their life." Raul grinned excitedly.
Sanne smiled at his excitement. "This is definitely an interesting turn of events, but Raul, I'm worried." Her eyes clouded over with confusion and sadness that had been hidden from the rest of the group, "I have a bad feeling that Lamya isn't gone from our lives, that she's just waiting until we're not paying attention to catch us off-guard."
Raul's heart clenched as her muscles tightened with stress, eyes dimming in the onslaught of emotions. "Try not to worry about it, okay? It will all be okay, even if she does come back. We'll be able to deal with her." He pulled his friend into a comforting bear-hug, supporting her as much as he could as she began to cry quietly.
***
Elcan and the twins strode arm-in-arm through one of the courtyards on the way to the Bardic Collegium, laughing and talking about their new home. "Isn't this place wonderful! I mean, there's something for all of us. You two are going to be Healers, Tala, Kaida, and Edana Heralds, and Sanne and Raul Artificers. And I'm going to be a Bard! A Bard!" His eyes gleamed with excitement.
Nida sighed contentedly. "I told you that you were an amazing musician, but would you listen? Of course not! Dingus!" She playfully punched him in the arm, "Next time listen to us, as we are superior in intelligence!"
Aaralyn laughed as Elcan glared at her twin. "Well said!" Elcan began to turn towards his room, "We'll see you at lunch, okay?"
: Aaralyn, should we head to the Healer's Collegium? :
Aaralyn nodded. : Sounds good to me. :
The two twins walked down into Healers Collegium, stopping once in a while to talk to some of the other trainees, and exploring every corner of the classrooms and medical rooms.
: Hey Aaralyn, I'm going to go wander off for a bit. I'll see you later?: Nida turned and walked out into a courtyard, while Aaralyn tried to find the library.
: Okay. I'll see you in a couple hours, then. Have fun! : Aaralyn walked off in the direction she remembered the library had been in, hoping to find it in a relatively short time.
*** After wandering around for a full twenty minutes, Aaralyn admitted to being completely lost. *Hmmm. I could have sworn it was this way. I'll just ask someone.* She looked around, trying to find someone friendly looking in the scattered group of trainees wandering the hallways. *Hey! Is that Nida?* She spotted the back of her twin leaning against a wall reading a book in the midst of the other Trainees. *I thought she was in the courtyard. I didn't know she was planning to change into her new uniform already. I guess I'll get her to help me find it.* Aaralyn tried to mindTouch with her twin, startled to find that the form was not actually her sister, but that she could still feel their presence in her mind. The girl turned in confusion at the unexpected mindTouch, but quickly went back to reading her book, shaking her head as if to rid herself of some strange feeling. Aaralyn walked over to her, eager to figure out what was going on.
Aaralyn walked up to the girl and was about to tap her on the shoulder to get her attention, when the girl looked up from her book, as if from some unspoken call, and the two girls locked eyes. Aaralyn jumped back, as if she was being pulled back by a string, at the face of the other girl, almost identical to that of her and her sister. "Hey. I-I'm Aaralyn."
The girl, also startled, fumbled through introductions. "My name is Aegle." She paused, unable for a moment to get the words out of her mouth. "Uh.It's nice to meet you." The two girls chuckled at the stiff formality, a little uncomfortable, as Aegle took Aaralyn's proffered hand and the empty spaces in Aaralyn's heart, blank spots in her mind for so long, slowly began to fill.