In Time and Space
By Kierseth
Disclaimer: Emerald Flame and I own Rena and Ria and various other characters. Anything you recognize from Mercedes Lackey's books, we DO NOT own.
Muse: Emerald Flame
AN: Sorry for the long time between posts. Writer's block attacked me (and still hasn't left, as you probably can tell). Review and tell me how crappy this chapter is!!
Thoughts
:Mindspeech:
"Normal Speech"
~*~*~*~
Ria woke and jumped out of bed. She didn't know where she was. The bed was too soft and warm for home. She was on her feet before she had fully opened her eyes. The sight of the plain room greeted her, lit by the gray light of early morning.
"What? What?" Rena sat up, startled by Ria's sudden movement in the room.
"Nothing," Ria said, looking about the room in recognition, "I just forgot where I was."
"Oh," Rena pushed her tangled hair out of her face, "I woke up a dozen times last night thinking this had all been a dream."
Ria pinched herself. "It isn't."
Rena grinned, "I know" she said, rolling up the left arm of her nightgown and showing Ria a line of dark bruises, "I did that every time I woke up!"
The twins grinned at each other for a moment, then started to get ready for their first day at class.
Naison and Alanar had been waiting outside the door when the girls emerged and had led them to the Field. They hadn't ridden, since neither of them knew how yet. The lush emerald grass had shone with early dew and the trees had glimmered in the red-gold light of the setting sun. They had walked about the Field for a while, until Alanar had judged that Ria had yawned once too many and herded them to bed. They would meet Lynnes later, since he was already asleep, tuckered out from a hard day of playing. The girls had fallen into bed, drifting off into sleep the instant their heads had it their pillows.
Ria grabbed the hairbrush and started to untangle her hair. "I should really sleep with it braided; It'd be so much easier to take care of that way."
Rena was struggling with her own tangled locks and a ragged comb. "I agre-Ooow!" she exclaimed, releasing the comb and letting it dangle, caught in a vast snarl of hair. "I give up. I'll just go to class like this."
"Here, let me help," Ria attacked the snarl with the hairbrush, having tamed her own copper tresses. Ten minutes later, Rena's hair was presentable.
"What do you do in the night? Backcomb your hair?" Ria was stunned at the about of hair that was caught in the hairbrush.
"I guess!" Rena pulled off her nightgown and slipped on the tunic from the night before.
Ria dressed quickly and was starting to make up her bed when there came a tentative knock at the door.
"Who could that be?" Ria asked, as Rena slipped a stiletto from under her mattress and crept towards the door.
"Rena! You won't need that! We're in the middle of the Collegium!"
"Just hush."
Rena stood up against the door and asked, "Who is it?" in a harsh tone.
"It's Celia," came the quiet answer, "It's time to go to breakfast, if you want to eat before classes."
Rena sighed and slipped the stiletto in her right boot. Ria bustled past her to open the door and welcome the girl in, shooting an annoyed look at her twin as she did so. "Hi Celia. Thanks for showing us the way."
The blond girl stood there in Trainee Gray, hands laced in front of her, biting her lip. "No problem." she said shyly.
Ria grabbed her and Rena's cloaks, not knowing where all of the classes would take place. She ushered Rena out the door and closed it behind them.
"Where too first?" she asked the quiet girl.
Celia pulled a small piece of parchment out of her pocket, "Lark gave this to me just before class let out last night. Herald Chaviva had sent it to him. It's your schedules." she explained. She squinted slightly at the paper, trying to make out the writing in the rather dim light of the hallway. "It says you have History and Arithmetic first, with Herald Tison and Herald Jonce then you meet with Chaviva. Lunch. After that it's a free candlemark, chores and Equitation just before dinner. After dinner is Mindspeech. That's all."
"That's ALL?" Rena asked, indignant, "Holy Stars! That's enough for the week, let alone a day!"
"My schedule is pretty close to that. I don't have Arithmetic or History anymore, but I have Religions and Politics. Everything else is pretty much the same."
"How do you find time to sit down!?"
Celia chuckled lightly, "You get used to it."
~*~*~ The trio sat down to a hearty breakfast of buns with honey, pottage and cider or chava to drink. Celia pointed them in the direction of their History and Arithmetic classes, which luckily for them were next door to each other, then hurried off to her own classes, promising to meet them at lunch.
Herald Tison was boring. The subject, History, was interesting enough for the girls, who had never heard of how their own country had come to be, but he had a voice that was like the droning of bees on a hot day; dry and neverending.
It eventually did end though and they hurried off to Arithmetic. Herald Jonce was a little better than his good friend Tison, but the material was harder. The girls had never used numbers beyond their daily intakes of coin, so learning how to figure the time it would take to get to Ashkevron Manor from the Palace on Companion-back was certainly beyond them. Jonce asked Kent, who was in their class, to tutor them. He managed as long as his mind was totally on teaching them math. As soon as he looked at them, he turned into-
"A blithering idiot." Rena said, walking out of the classroom and looking at Kent's hurrying back ahead of them.
"He is not." Ria said hotly, defending the bumbling boy, "He's just not used to talking, I think. he seems more at home in a book than with people."
"That's for sure. He could hardly look at us without um-ing and er-ing every other word. The- um... speed of the- er- Companion depends on the- uh...", she shook her head, "I wanted to talk for him!"
Ria shot her sister an indescribable look and increased her pace. Rena, confused, asked a group of passing students, "What did I do?"
~*~*~
Rena finally caught up with her sister at the door to Chaviva's office. Ria glanced uncertainly at her twin, then rapped on the door.
"Come in!" came the bright call.
Ria opened the door to find Chaviva bent over a long piece of parchment. The long window was open to let in the breeze and the end of the parchment fluttered softly. The woman looked up and stretched when she saw the girls.
"Hello ladies. How were your first classes?"
"Boring." Rena blurted out.
"Rena!" hissed Ria, jabbing her twin in the ribs with her elbow.
"What? They were." Rena shrugged and rubbed the place where Ria's elbow had hit her.
Chaviva watched this exchange, biting her lip to keep from laughing. "Jonce and Tison can be a little... dull, but their good teachers. You'll learn a lot from those two."
"How to make a room fall asleep in two minutes flat?" Rena shot back.
Chaviva's features hardened a little. "Now that's enough of that. They are respectable Heralds and that kind of remark is out of hand. There will be no more of that, am I understood?" Her voice was soft, but laced with steel.
Rena wilted a little. She knew just how far to push it. "Yes ma'am." she replied.
"Good. Now down to business. Do you know how you control your Gifts? Or is it random?"
"It's a bit of both." Ria replied this time, "If I'm startled or scared, it just happens." she flicked her hands for emphasis and the end of the parchment froze.
Chaviva plucked at it and sent Ria a look. The girl flushed a delicate pink and unfroze the end. Chav glanced at Rena.
"It depends on the object. If it's something really hard, like stone or iron, then it takes some concentration. If it's woven or has a grain, like fabric or soft woods, it's really easily. I have to focus to reach through something hard, but soft things tend to happen on their own." The look on Chaviva's face let Rena know that she did not need a demonstration.
"We're going to have to work on the surprise factor, Ria. We can't have you freezing people all over Haven if they startle you."
"How? Follow me around the Collegium, sneak up behind me and scare me?"
Chaviva sighed, at a loss. "I don't know, to tell you the truth. I've never had to deal with a situation like this before. We will think of something." She sat back in her chair and steepled her fingers. "These powers will be extremely useful, I believe. Think of it. Ria you can stop time. If an arrow is shot at the Queen, you can stop it without any injuries. Rena you could be an incredible spy. No one would be able to pen you up. You could just go through the wall." Chaviva paused, "Can you go through walls?"
"I don't know. I've only opened holes large enough to put my hand through." Rena stood, "Do you want me to try?"
"Not now dear. Sit back down. I think we'll wait for a while to see of your Gifts settle a bit. I know from experience that Gifts tend to be erratic during times of stress, and settling in here definitely is stressful." She took a deep breath and gently projected calm. "Can you tell me about your history? How those lovely boys came to be with you?"
Rena immediately bristled, "Why?" she demanded.
"I like to know the histories of all the Heralds and Trainees. It helps me to know where to place them on Circuit and when there is trouble."
Ria sighed and dropped into a chair. " Ok, fine."
Rena sat down and put her head in her hands.
~*~*~*~ Reviews!
wizard116- Thank you. My good friend Emerald Flame came up with Rena's gifts.
Avatre - Here's some more *dollops helping onto plate*
random reader- You're right. hmm have to come up with something to fix that. Thanks for the tip
oceanmate - Thanks! Here ya go! Fresh new chapter for ya!
Averon- I like picking on Forie. *giggles maniacally*
Hexe - Ya should. I'm not sure what I'm gonna do with them yet.
Kathleen- I won't!
Fireblade K'Chona- Vote taken!
Senashenta- Just a thought
By Kierseth
Disclaimer: Emerald Flame and I own Rena and Ria and various other characters. Anything you recognize from Mercedes Lackey's books, we DO NOT own.
Muse: Emerald Flame
AN: Sorry for the long time between posts. Writer's block attacked me (and still hasn't left, as you probably can tell). Review and tell me how crappy this chapter is!!
Thoughts
:Mindspeech:
"Normal Speech"
~*~*~*~
Ria woke and jumped out of bed. She didn't know where she was. The bed was too soft and warm for home. She was on her feet before she had fully opened her eyes. The sight of the plain room greeted her, lit by the gray light of early morning.
"What? What?" Rena sat up, startled by Ria's sudden movement in the room.
"Nothing," Ria said, looking about the room in recognition, "I just forgot where I was."
"Oh," Rena pushed her tangled hair out of her face, "I woke up a dozen times last night thinking this had all been a dream."
Ria pinched herself. "It isn't."
Rena grinned, "I know" she said, rolling up the left arm of her nightgown and showing Ria a line of dark bruises, "I did that every time I woke up!"
The twins grinned at each other for a moment, then started to get ready for their first day at class.
Naison and Alanar had been waiting outside the door when the girls emerged and had led them to the Field. They hadn't ridden, since neither of them knew how yet. The lush emerald grass had shone with early dew and the trees had glimmered in the red-gold light of the setting sun. They had walked about the Field for a while, until Alanar had judged that Ria had yawned once too many and herded them to bed. They would meet Lynnes later, since he was already asleep, tuckered out from a hard day of playing. The girls had fallen into bed, drifting off into sleep the instant their heads had it their pillows.
Ria grabbed the hairbrush and started to untangle her hair. "I should really sleep with it braided; It'd be so much easier to take care of that way."
Rena was struggling with her own tangled locks and a ragged comb. "I agre-Ooow!" she exclaimed, releasing the comb and letting it dangle, caught in a vast snarl of hair. "I give up. I'll just go to class like this."
"Here, let me help," Ria attacked the snarl with the hairbrush, having tamed her own copper tresses. Ten minutes later, Rena's hair was presentable.
"What do you do in the night? Backcomb your hair?" Ria was stunned at the about of hair that was caught in the hairbrush.
"I guess!" Rena pulled off her nightgown and slipped on the tunic from the night before.
Ria dressed quickly and was starting to make up her bed when there came a tentative knock at the door.
"Who could that be?" Ria asked, as Rena slipped a stiletto from under her mattress and crept towards the door.
"Rena! You won't need that! We're in the middle of the Collegium!"
"Just hush."
Rena stood up against the door and asked, "Who is it?" in a harsh tone.
"It's Celia," came the quiet answer, "It's time to go to breakfast, if you want to eat before classes."
Rena sighed and slipped the stiletto in her right boot. Ria bustled past her to open the door and welcome the girl in, shooting an annoyed look at her twin as she did so. "Hi Celia. Thanks for showing us the way."
The blond girl stood there in Trainee Gray, hands laced in front of her, biting her lip. "No problem." she said shyly.
Ria grabbed her and Rena's cloaks, not knowing where all of the classes would take place. She ushered Rena out the door and closed it behind them.
"Where too first?" she asked the quiet girl.
Celia pulled a small piece of parchment out of her pocket, "Lark gave this to me just before class let out last night. Herald Chaviva had sent it to him. It's your schedules." she explained. She squinted slightly at the paper, trying to make out the writing in the rather dim light of the hallway. "It says you have History and Arithmetic first, with Herald Tison and Herald Jonce then you meet with Chaviva. Lunch. After that it's a free candlemark, chores and Equitation just before dinner. After dinner is Mindspeech. That's all."
"That's ALL?" Rena asked, indignant, "Holy Stars! That's enough for the week, let alone a day!"
"My schedule is pretty close to that. I don't have Arithmetic or History anymore, but I have Religions and Politics. Everything else is pretty much the same."
"How do you find time to sit down!?"
Celia chuckled lightly, "You get used to it."
~*~*~ The trio sat down to a hearty breakfast of buns with honey, pottage and cider or chava to drink. Celia pointed them in the direction of their History and Arithmetic classes, which luckily for them were next door to each other, then hurried off to her own classes, promising to meet them at lunch.
Herald Tison was boring. The subject, History, was interesting enough for the girls, who had never heard of how their own country had come to be, but he had a voice that was like the droning of bees on a hot day; dry and neverending.
It eventually did end though and they hurried off to Arithmetic. Herald Jonce was a little better than his good friend Tison, but the material was harder. The girls had never used numbers beyond their daily intakes of coin, so learning how to figure the time it would take to get to Ashkevron Manor from the Palace on Companion-back was certainly beyond them. Jonce asked Kent, who was in their class, to tutor them. He managed as long as his mind was totally on teaching them math. As soon as he looked at them, he turned into-
"A blithering idiot." Rena said, walking out of the classroom and looking at Kent's hurrying back ahead of them.
"He is not." Ria said hotly, defending the bumbling boy, "He's just not used to talking, I think. he seems more at home in a book than with people."
"That's for sure. He could hardly look at us without um-ing and er-ing every other word. The- um... speed of the- er- Companion depends on the- uh...", she shook her head, "I wanted to talk for him!"
Ria shot her sister an indescribable look and increased her pace. Rena, confused, asked a group of passing students, "What did I do?"
~*~*~
Rena finally caught up with her sister at the door to Chaviva's office. Ria glanced uncertainly at her twin, then rapped on the door.
"Come in!" came the bright call.
Ria opened the door to find Chaviva bent over a long piece of parchment. The long window was open to let in the breeze and the end of the parchment fluttered softly. The woman looked up and stretched when she saw the girls.
"Hello ladies. How were your first classes?"
"Boring." Rena blurted out.
"Rena!" hissed Ria, jabbing her twin in the ribs with her elbow.
"What? They were." Rena shrugged and rubbed the place where Ria's elbow had hit her.
Chaviva watched this exchange, biting her lip to keep from laughing. "Jonce and Tison can be a little... dull, but their good teachers. You'll learn a lot from those two."
"How to make a room fall asleep in two minutes flat?" Rena shot back.
Chaviva's features hardened a little. "Now that's enough of that. They are respectable Heralds and that kind of remark is out of hand. There will be no more of that, am I understood?" Her voice was soft, but laced with steel.
Rena wilted a little. She knew just how far to push it. "Yes ma'am." she replied.
"Good. Now down to business. Do you know how you control your Gifts? Or is it random?"
"It's a bit of both." Ria replied this time, "If I'm startled or scared, it just happens." she flicked her hands for emphasis and the end of the parchment froze.
Chaviva plucked at it and sent Ria a look. The girl flushed a delicate pink and unfroze the end. Chav glanced at Rena.
"It depends on the object. If it's something really hard, like stone or iron, then it takes some concentration. If it's woven or has a grain, like fabric or soft woods, it's really easily. I have to focus to reach through something hard, but soft things tend to happen on their own." The look on Chaviva's face let Rena know that she did not need a demonstration.
"We're going to have to work on the surprise factor, Ria. We can't have you freezing people all over Haven if they startle you."
"How? Follow me around the Collegium, sneak up behind me and scare me?"
Chaviva sighed, at a loss. "I don't know, to tell you the truth. I've never had to deal with a situation like this before. We will think of something." She sat back in her chair and steepled her fingers. "These powers will be extremely useful, I believe. Think of it. Ria you can stop time. If an arrow is shot at the Queen, you can stop it without any injuries. Rena you could be an incredible spy. No one would be able to pen you up. You could just go through the wall." Chaviva paused, "Can you go through walls?"
"I don't know. I've only opened holes large enough to put my hand through." Rena stood, "Do you want me to try?"
"Not now dear. Sit back down. I think we'll wait for a while to see of your Gifts settle a bit. I know from experience that Gifts tend to be erratic during times of stress, and settling in here definitely is stressful." She took a deep breath and gently projected calm. "Can you tell me about your history? How those lovely boys came to be with you?"
Rena immediately bristled, "Why?" she demanded.
"I like to know the histories of all the Heralds and Trainees. It helps me to know where to place them on Circuit and when there is trouble."
Ria sighed and dropped into a chair. " Ok, fine."
Rena sat down and put her head in her hands.
~*~*~*~ Reviews!
wizard116- Thank you. My good friend Emerald Flame came up with Rena's gifts.
Avatre - Here's some more *dollops helping onto plate*
random reader- You're right. hmm have to come up with something to fix that. Thanks for the tip
oceanmate - Thanks! Here ya go! Fresh new chapter for ya!
Averon- I like picking on Forie. *giggles maniacally*
Hexe - Ya should. I'm not sure what I'm gonna do with them yet.
Kathleen- I won't!
Fireblade K'Chona- Vote taken!
Senashenta- Just a thought