Disclaimer: Kel mine. Valdemar not mine. How much clearer can I make it for you?
Hello again! This chapter should be good. My semi-writers block on this story has vanished, although I'm trying not to jinx it by saying so. Again, I apologize for my last chapter, and I hope this one makes up for it.
Fireblade: [Moves homework with supreme powers of update-needing] There! Lol. I'll just keep waiting for the next installment, I suppose. –sniffs- They are my favorite characters.
Wizard: Yes, yes, no problem, shall do.
Anonymous Person: Well, it's basically one plot problem and little twisty thingies. I'm doing my best.
Breezefire: Yes, I know, too short, but I need to skip ahead time wise after that point, so I just left that one short.
Tenshi: Hmm, well, they are Yearmates. I don't know about blood siblings, but for those of you who read Arrows, I'm thinking along the lines of rings -wink-
Lurks in Shadows: Yeah. –points to what she said to Breezefire-
Faeborn2930: Yeah, I'm working on it.
Yay! We made double digits on chapter count! Anyway, on to the material. A few months have passed between Outings and Settlings. Well, many months. Kel has been at the Collegium for nearly a year now, Lan has made his peace with her ignorance about their LifeBonding for the time being, but all will soon be revealed. Not in this chapter, but soon.
Chapter 10: Outings
Three profoundly unhappy and very cold trainees made their way outside into the gray pre-dawn, heading for the stables. They were bundled in every stitch of winter clothing they owned, plus a bit that they had borrowed from their respective friends who were not unlucky enough to be going out on a field trial this morning.
When they got to the stable, their Companions were already awake and waiting for them, blowing steam into the air. The three Trainees quickly fed and saddled their Companions, no sense waking the stable hands this early. That done, they went out to await their teacher.
Not so surprisingly, she was already there. Although Herald Nera and her Companion Fara were primarily circuit riders, Nera had been training as a Healers Assistant before she was Chosen, so when she wasn't assigned to a circuit, she taught a short class in first aid to any Trainee who was ready to take it.
Kel and her Yearmates were just completing that course sequence, so that meant that it was time for a final exam to test their knowledge. In a course such as this, that meant a field trial.
Since today's was in first aid, an "injured person," a volunteer from the Collegium, would MindSpeak to the companions of the Trainees at some random interval during their ride. At which point, the Trainees would be expected to ride off to the rescue, ascertain the problem, and perform and necessary first aid in order to stabilize the "patient" until a Healer could be brought.
"Go on, younglings, get riding." Nera said good-naturedly. "I know you three are good friends, so I'm sure you'll have plenty to amuse yourselves with while you wait."
:Well, may as well make the best of it.: Meral Spoke to Risa and Kel.
:Yup.: Risa added.
Simultaneously, their Companions broke into a fast trot, heading into the woods. Their saddlebags were nearly empty except for some emergency rations, and an apple each for a snack.
When they reached a stream, they dismounted and sat on the grass to take an apple break. Kel, however, reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a little box.
"I have something for you guys." She said shyly. "For all of us."
She opened the box. Inside it lay three silver rings, with a design of hands clasping. It was the token that Heralds gave to only their best-loved and closest friends. It differed slightly from the traditional two hands clasping, though. It was three hands clasped together, and there were three rings, one for each of them.
Risa's mouth dropped open, and hung open. She put out a trembling hand to take the ring closest to her. :Kel, they are beautiful!: Risa said, slipping naturally into MindSpeech in the intimacy of the moment. The happy tears Kel could see shining in her eyes were all the reward she needed.
Kel took her own ring and offered the remaining one to Meral. He took it, grinning hugely. :So that's why you wanted our ring sizes. You minx, you said you were doing a math survey!:
:Did I?: Kel asked innocently. :Surprised, loves? After all, who else would I give them to?:
Meral pulled the two others into a tight embrace. :Who else indeed?:
Of course, just at that moment, all of their Companions projected into their minds the location of their injured person. After almost a year of Herald Training, they didn't even stop to think. They vaulted onto their Companions and rode off in the direction their Companions told them that the cry was coming from.
When they reached the clearing, they found a Herald and his Companion, dressed in full Whites. He was breathing heavily. "-hurts-" he gasped.
Meral bent down beside the fallen Herald, his friends allowing him the position as he was indisputably the best at first aid. His hands gently probed around the Herald's body. "What hurts?" He asked in a calm voice.
"Arm. Think it's broken." The Herald gasped.
"Ok. Now, I'm just going to have a look at your arm and see what we can do to help you." Meral said reassuringly.
For the purposes of the test, they were to act as though all supposed injuries were real, and so Meral promptly pronounced the arm broken. All three Trainees worked together to create a makeshift sling from the bandages they were carrying in their saddlebags, and to help get the Herald remounted on his Companion.
Risa and Kel rode one on either side of the Companion, in case he started to lose his passenger. This was mostly training for assisting civilians or Heralds with injured Companions, because a healthy Companion would never lose his or her Chosen, whether the Herald was injured or not.
Meral lead the way home, towards the "Healer's Encampment," also known as their checkpoint, where Herald Nera would be waiting for them.
Meral's new ring flashed in the pale winter sun as he rode in front of them to take the lead. Kel smiled to herself to see a visible symbol of the bond that had grown between them. Meral and Risa were her closest friends, her fears of discomfort between them early on after Meral kissed her had turned out to be entirely unfounded.
Of course, she did feel a slight regret for the missed opportunity. She knew it hadn't been right, but, unlike her hedonistic Heraldic sisters and brothers, Kel was pretty much celibate. Not that she was unhappy with that, but with everyone around her always in love, and Meral and Risa alternating between brief "friendly" flings and general friendship, it was an uncomfortable position for Kel. She couldn't quite understand why she seemed to be so different.
She knew she was capable of love. Her bond with Lan had grown stronger than any other Companion bond Kel had ever heard of, but apart from that, relationships beyond friendship were apparently not her thing.
Their injured patient had not been hurt far from home, so after a few minutes, they could see Nera waiting in Companion's Field at the designated checkpoint.
After consulting with the patient, Nera announced that they had all passed with flying colors. Meral let out a cheer and jumped on Risa's back, hugging her fiercely. Kel joined the tumble, and soon the three of them were rolling around on the Field, laughing and tussling good-naturedly.
When they had somewhat disentangled themselves, Meral said thoughtfully. "We should all have a party to celebrate. And, we should have a formal ceremony to put on our rings. My room after dinner."
"I swear, Meral." Risa laughed. "You love long rituals far more than anyone else I know. They should assign you to Court when you get your Whites."
"Court?" Meral laughed and faked fainting. "With all those flitter-headed courtiers? I'll take a nice honest circuit, thanks. Raiders, irate villagers, anything but the flitter-heads! Now, about that party?"
"We'll be there." Kel announced, knowing she spoke for Risa too. "Since you love rituals so much, YOU can plan this one."
"Fine by me." Meral said good-naturedly. "I'll see you then."
Risa and Kel walked off together to finish various assignments. They had the day off from classes because of their field trial, but their teachers had made it abundantly clear to them that they were not excused from doing the class work they missed.
It was lucky that their party wasn't until after the dinner bell, because it took them until the dinner bell to get through the work they had been assigned. They had been working together, as they were in many of the same classes.
Meral was off on his own somewhere, although he also shared more than a few classes with Kel and Risa. He was presumably doing whatever it was that Meral did when he felt like ignoring his homework. Probably planning a large and complicated ritual for that night.
'Oh well,' Kel thought to herself. 'As long as Meral's happy, I can live with whatever he's cooked up.'
After dinner, Kel and Risa made their way together to Meral's room. When they got there, his door was shut and locked, no light coming out from under it.
Risa knocked hesitantly on the door. :Meral?: She Called, not wanting to disturb any other Trainees with a shout. :You in there?:
:Coming!: Meral's Voice was cheerful. When he opened the door, Kel could see that it was almost completely dark inside, the only light being a small amount coming in through the open window and the soft glow from a candle.
:Come, Yearmates. From now on, speak only in MindSpeech. Form a ring around the fire.:
:Umm, Meral, that's a candle.:
:Hush, love. You're ruining it.:
The three Yearmates formed a standing ring around the small candle in the center of the room. Almost instinctively, they reached out and clasped hands. Kel could feel the rings she had given Risa and Meral, the cool metal pressing into her palm.
:Tonight, and only tonight,: Meral intoned, :we will tell each other nothing but the truth. You cannot lie in MindSpeech, and we shall not speak outside of that. Tonight, we are going to share something of ourselves. We will go around in a circle, and we will each tell our deepest hope and our greatest fear. When we trust each other completely, we will be worthy of the rings we wear. Kel, as giver of the rings, you may start.:
The words had such a ritualistic feel to them that Kel didn't think of protesting.
:My greatest hope. Well, I guess I hope that I'll graduate the Collegium and become a good Herald, and find that I enjoy the work. And my greatest fear. Losing Lan. I love him so much, and it would be so lonely without him. Being a Herald is dangerous, death will be stalking all of us.: Kel shuddered mentally at the thought.
Meral took up where Kel had left off, his MindTouch sure and steady. :My greatest dream is that the three of us will graduate together and stay friends as long as we live. My greatest fear is losing what we have. I never really had friends like you guys, and I don't know what I would do without you.:
:I'm afraid that I won't be a good Herald.: Risa admitted. :I was shocked when Karlin Chose me. I don't feel like Heraldic material. My greatest hope? I hope that some day, I can ride Circuit near where I was born and get to see my home again.:
For a while, they all sat silent, contemplating the rapport among them. Then, suddenly, Meral said :I'm hungry! Who wants food? I've got sweets.:
Laughing, Risa and Kel ran over to where Meral was sitting and wrestled him for the bag of sweets he held just out of reach.
In the stables, Lan was similarly content. 'She said she loved me.' He sang to himself. 'She doesn't want to lose me. I MATTER to her.'
For that moment, his world, too, was complete, and he supposed that that was all he could hope for.