Disclaimer: I. Own. Nothing. Huggles to Mercedes Lackey for inventing it all!
Anti-Disclaimer: Wait, I own any original characters. Please ask before borrowing! Thankies!
Notes: Well, glad everyone's happy. ^^ I'm going away for about a week and a half before I head back to school for second semester, but I figured I'd bang off this chapter and post 'er up before I left. ^_~ Thanks muchly to everyone for your kindly reviews! *glomps* Also, yay for everyone else who's trying Companion POV stories! Hard stuff, but fun anyway, nyao nyao~! =^-^=
Extra Notes: Mar! Though I verily have nine stories already partly-done and posted, I'm working on Chapter One of another Valdemar fic that should be posted sometime soon. Hopefully, despite not being a POV fic like my other Valdemar scribbles, you guys'll like it. ^_~
Extra, Extra Notes: Anyone who hasn't read etcetera-cat's POV fic, "Grass Is Greener" must go and do so now. In all my omnipotent wisdom, that is my order. End transmission. Ehe he he. ^.^;;
Devil, Mine
Chapter Two: Enigma Of Flesh
By the time we were far enough away that Hanner and Bram had stopped attempting to Call after us (having figured out that I had no intention of stopping) the eerie feeling that we were being watched had almost vanished. While it still lingered in the back of my mind, it was faint enough now that I could push it to the back of my thoughts and focus on Celeste, who continued to cling desperately to my feathers in an attempt not to fall to the cobblestones below my hooves.
:Sera, we need to stop…:
I hated to admit it, as I was more than happy to keep running and put as much distance between myself and Karse, but Meriol was right. We couldn't make it back to Haven in one night anyway, and Celeste really needed to rest, the poor child.
:I suppose.:
:Suppose nothing.: Meriol said, trying to sound firm; :if memory serves, we're near a Waystation. We should stop there for the night.:
I heaved a sigh and nodded mentally, :alright. Celeste, Love, we're going to stop soon.:
"Okay."
I doubted that, had I told her we were going to continue travelling for the next three days straight to get to Haven, she would have had the strength of will to complain, but the relief that was overlayed in her mind was too evident to ignore.
:Do you know what a Waystation is?:
"No."
It was a good thing I could Hear her responses, despite the fact that she wasn't actually Mindspeaking me; she seemed to be unknowingly Broadsending her feelings, and I wondered if Meriol could Feel her as well. In any case, had I not been able to Hear her, I would have been lost, as she was speaking in a barely-audible whisper.
Of course she doesn't know what a Waystation is, stupid. I chided myself, not only is she a Priestess… I think… she's a Karsite Priestess.
Which reminded me – why was she speaking in Valdemarian? Granted, it was heavily-accented, but it was still recognizable.
I shook my head, snorting, and decided that was a trivial matter. I could ask her about it later, once the poor thing was a little calmer. Right now, it seemed, she was still partially in shock.
:A Waystation is like a little house.: With these words, I Sent an image of the last (and, I admit, only) Waystation I had been in. :You see? It has a warm bed and food for travelling Heralds.:
Silence, and I could sense Celeste's confusion at my words.
Which, in turn, confused me to some extent. :What is it, Chosen?:
"I… what's a Herald?"
Shocked by the question, I found myself skidding to a stop on the road. Meriol passed me, slowing, and then turned to trot back toward us as I gaped mentally at my new Sister. She doesn't know what a HERALD is? She… a Waystation I can understand, but… everyone in Karse knows what a Herald is!
Or so I had previously thought.
And if she didn't know what a Herald was, it was almost certain she had no idea what a Companion was, either.
Oh my.
No wonder the child was confused.
:Sera, what is it?:
Blinking, I looked toward him, hesitating, before stamping a fore-hoof. :It's nothing. Let's get moving. I think I'd like to have Celeste in bed with a nice hot meal inside of her before sundown.:
Meriol Sent a smiling feeling, :good idea.:
As we set out again, I let my mind wander as I considered my situation. Which, I was learning, was even more complicated than I had originally thought.
Gwena was going to kill me.
So I mulled things over as Meriol half-lead me toward the Waystation he thought he remembered being in the general area. Had I not still been whirling through shocked thought after shocked thought, I might have taken the time to think of something sarcastic to say to him about his oh-so-specific idea.
And by the time we had reached the tiny building, I had managed to decide one two things; one being that I had to explain things to Celeste as best as I could and hope I didn't make her even more confused than she already was. The other being that I needed – really, it was becoming more and more obvious that I had to know – to ask her about her situation in Karse.
Because I need to know why they were bricking her up. A gave a little mental snarl at that as my anger bubbled again, and I need to know her past.
Like, for example, what rock she had been living under that she had never heard of White Devils and their Demon Horses.
And while I would have preferred being called a Companion, at that point I could have settled for anything.
As Meriol and I slowed and paced down the lane toward the clearing where the Waystation – apparently, Meriol's memory had been correct – stood, I hazarded a tentative touch into Celeste's mind.
There wasn't all that much; memories that were all so similar they blurred together almost into one, up until the encounter with the Priests, and then they were blurred by fear and panic more than anything else. There was one clear spot, though, and I had to smile; a bright, cerulean blue and a feeling of overwhelming love. And then, sadly, more blurring together of events after that.
The bottom line being that I couldn't tell anything from her memories without delving deeper into her mind, which I was as of yet unprepared and unwilling to do.
I would have to ask her, and hope that she was able to make sense of the memories for me.
:Get down from my back, Chosen.: I prodded her gently with my Mind, stopping in front of the Waystation door, and she shakily slid to the grass. Obviously the girl was not used to riding. :Are you alright?:
Celeste blinked at me vaguely, then nodded. "I think so…"
:Good.:
Folding my wings back across my sides, I shook my head. Feathers – some of which had been pulled free during my mad race for the border, and some of which fell naturally – drifted to the ground, and Celeste watched them with a keep interest. Stooping, she picked one up and brushed a fingertip across the fluff it was made of.
The look of peaceful concentration on her face as she did was strange to see, and I wondered if she really as okay. But… she didn't seem, despite the recent events in her life, to be hurt in any way.
A soft smile flitted across her face, and instead of simply dropping it, Celeste knelt down and carefully set the feather back on the ground, in virtually the same place she had picked it up from originally.
And I suddenly realized that, despite Choosing her, she was a complete enigma to me.
I have a lot to learn…
"Did I hurt you?"
:Huh?: I had been so intent of watching her that I hadn't noticed her watching me. At my surprised utterance, she reached a pale hand up and touched my shoulder, where the thin trails of blood that had been seeping from my mane and wings had dried against my shining hide.
Tilting her head to the side, she repeated; "did I hurt you?"
:Oh… no. It doesn't hurt at all.:
I was lying, but it wasn't a serious one. While the wounds did continue to ache slightly, it wasn't a debilitating pain by any means and I didn't want to worry her. Across the clearing at the stream (there was always one near a Waystation, which I had always been curious about), Meriol brought his head up and looked at me worriedly.
"Are you sure?" Celeste's voice was still soft, and I realized that previously, when I had thought her to be whispering due to some sort of shock, I had been wrong. Apparently, it was just in her nature to speak softly.
:Of course.: I craned my neck around and touched my nose to her cheek.
"I thought… when I almost fell…" she paused, seeming to be considering her words, then; "I don't know what's going on… you… and him…" her eyes went to Meriol as she said this, then returned to me. "They were… and then you…"
:It's okay now, Love.:
"I know."
She sounded like she needed a hug, and I wished fiercely that I still has arms. Instead I turned and pressed my forehead against her chest, then draped my head over her shoulder, allowing her to wrap thin around my neck.
She's not at all as I imagined her…
Not that I really had any idea what I thought my Chosen would be like. She was what she was, just as I was what I was. Which reminded me… unfurling my wings, I flicked them once to remove any loose feathers and then retracted them. They vanished under my skin again, and I was once more, to all appearances, a normal Companion.
Celeste watched curiously, but said nothing.
:Are you hungry?:
She shook her head, blonde hair shaking. "Not really."
I laughed, :you need to eat, you know.:
"I will tomorrow. I'm tired."
:Alright… there's a bed inside.:
"Will you stay with me?"
:Of course, Chosen. You're stuck with me now.:
"Okay."
I got the feeling that wasn't exactly what she had meant by the question, but it was too late. Before I could say anything else, she turned and vanished into the Waystation. I tilted my ears and listened -- she paused just inside the door, but only for a moment, and then lowered herself down onto the way-stuffed mattress.
:Sera…:
I looked over my shoulder at Meriol as he approached. :Hm?:
:Sera… what is it about her?:
An odd question, but I knew what he meant. :I don't know, Meriol… but she's tired so I wanted her to rest. I can ask her about everything tomorrow.:
:Yes. She's had a long day, I think.:
:…: Sighing, I closed my eyes. :How do you think Lani's doing?:
:Lani?: Meriol chuckled, snorting, :she's probably basking in the wonders of having Chosen, and letting the person's family lavish gifts upon her freely. You know how she is.:
I giggled, :that's Lani for you.:
A moment of silence.
:Are you going to sleep, too?: He sounded concerned when he Spoke again. :You had a long say as well. Hell, I'M tired and you're the one that had all that turmoil. Get some rest.:
I hate to admit it, but he's right.
I want to stay up and keep watch over Celeste. She's just so… fragile. Everything about her screams "breakable".
But Meriol's right. I need sleep as much as she does.
:Alright, alright.: I sighed, nodding, and stationed myself right outside the Waystation door, much to Meriol's amusement. He picks out a spot a few feet away, choosing to stand to sleep. :Goodnight.:
:'Night.:
In the silence that followed, my head drooped. Despite my aching muscles, and the dried blood that still speckled my skin, I fell asleep quickly. I could only assume that Meriol did the same.
Dreams of fluttering doves…
Something woke me some time later, and I blinked sleepily, confused. A noise, repetitive and familiar, sounded from the Waystation. My sleep-fuzzed mind tried to identify it.
What-?
My heart ached when I realized what it was.
Sniffling.
Celeste, my Chosen, my Soul Sister, was in the dark, alone, and crying.
~*~*~*~*~
So this chapter probably raised more questions than it answered. *shrugness* Sorry. There's going to be a lot of explanations in the next chapter or two, though. ^^;; Ja, minna-san!