Hey! This is the next chapter, sorry for not having and Avalon chapters, De is quite busy and she also has other fics to continue! :) I have gotten quite a few reviews so far and I like that, so please continue telling me what I can fix and what I should leave alone!

P.S. This is to Fireblade K'Chona, who mentioned the fact that Icewind's brother's name is Moondance, which is also the name of one of the Tayledras in the Last Herald-Mage trilogy. Yes, I did notice this before, but forgot to mention that they are two completely different people from two completely different vales. One from K'Sheyna and the other from K'Trava. I know this is a little confusing, but it would probably happen since there are about four different vales that I know of and there HAVE to be at least one or two incidents of the same name happening. I always knew that the name sounded familiar since I had started writing this, and I noticed it at about the third chapter (2nd Icewind one) and forgot to mention it before this! Sorry for the confusion!

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Icewind pulled her cloak over her head more so that it felt like only a slight drizzle was hitting her face. They had been trotting for some time now, ever since they had run into the storm.

She felt Kayo loosen his muscles and pick his pace up again.

:Icewind, we are almost at Haven. Kara said that she notified some people at the Palace of our arrival. She also said that we will need to talk to a few different people before we are allowed to lay down for the night. Kara mentioned that we will get rooms of our own, quite like the ones we had in the vale, only these are, well, you'll see when we get there. You should talk to Kayo about this place before we enter since it will be so strange to you, since you have not read about it as I have.: With that, Rainfall closed off his mind to her and keep quite for some time while she thought about what he told her.

:Kayo, what is Haven like?: She asked her companion.

:It's bigger than anything you've probably ever seen before. If you look up now, you'll see what I'm talking about.:

Icewind looked up as much as she dared for fear of getting soaked by the pouring rain. What she saw took her breath away. The place that was called Haven, was almost four, five or even six times as big as the vale she had just left, at least as far as Icewind could see. She could see that there were no great trees like in the vales, and it also did not have the protective barrier.

Icewind could see strange things poking up beyond the farthest wall around it, and in the center, she could see a couple of large buildings, almost as big as some of the tallest trees in the vale. :Kayo, are those things in the middle where we are heading?: Icewind asked her Companion.

:Yes Icewind, that is the palace and the three Collegium, although the palace and the Herald's Collegium are attached. Just as Rainfall said, you will need to talk to some people, but I'm not sure how that is going to work.: Kayo's mind voice sounded, almost confused. Icewind let him think for a moment about what was troubling him. :Well, the people of Valdemar speak a different language than you do, than the one that we are speaking now. I'm not exactly sure how you will be able to talk to all of the teachers and helpers at the Collegium, but I'm sure that since Svail and a few others can speak your language, that they will find a way, maybe even end up teaching you to speak our language.:

Icewind left Kayo to his brooding and watched Haven as they rode nearer to it.

The walls around Haven loomed before them and Icewind noticed two men standing outside the tunnel in the wall. They were dressed in a blue that seemed close to what the sky would be, if it had not been night, and their uniforms were trimmed with silver. They stood still until the two Companions came close enough so that they could see who was riding atop them. The two men motioned for them to enter the tunnel, but stop after getting out of the rain.

The first man, the older one, spoke to Kayo and Kara, but to Icewind, the words meant nothing. She listen to the odd sounding language that the man was speaking, and surprised to hear someone answer him.

"We are two Tayledras who have traveled by gate from far away. We looked for a place to rest and found a small over-grown clearing. We partially set up camp and were looking around when these two companions showed up and chose us. My friend, Icewind, does not speak this language and is very confused about the whole bit, but I am fluent and am not confused since I have read many books on your country." Rainfall told the guards while Icewind sat upon Kayo looking dumbstruck. She had not known that Rainfall had known this language, otherwise she would have learnt it from him before venturing here.

"Well, Companions do not choose wrong. I'm sure that the palace has been informed of your arrival by your Companions, so I shall not stall you any longer." He said those final words, and motioned for them to continue on with their journey.

Icewind was jerked out of her trance-like state when Kayo moved into his smooth trot through the streets. They did not wake anyone, since their hoof beats sounded like the chiming of soft bells, like the ones that Moondance sometimes placed in his braided hair. 'Moondance' Icewind suddenly thought of her brother, and the letter he had written her, that was now in one of the saddle bags. She missed him, but she remembered what they had talked about before leaving and reached into her heart to find him there, tucked safely away for future reference.

"Surprised that I can speak their language?" Rainfall asked quietly, back in their own language. "I'm sorry I did not tell you before, but I figured you might ask about lessons and I'm not good at that sort of thing. I will leave the teaching up to the Heralds at the Collegium. you will probably learn the language too, since, supposedly not many of these people know our language."Oh" was the only response he got from her the rest of the ride through the city.

The two lone riders travelled through the complicated roads of Haven and finished when they arrived at yet another tunnel of stone with two guards in front, except this time, there was a woman and a man.

The woman nodded at her, and the two companions strode through the last stone wall.

On the other side of the rock protection, Icewind could see a small gathering of people, who ranged in all different skin colours, hair colours, sizes and shapes. Icewind had never seen so many different looking people before. She was a normal Tayledras who only saw the faces of her fellow, look-alike Tayledras. She was used to long, white hair, slim, muscular builds, and all of the other features of her people.

"Hello my friends." The one woman nearest them said in their own tongue, she had to admit, that whoever had taught her, was a good teacher, but she still lacked that certain piece to make her sound familiar. "Welcome to Valdemar and to Haven. You are standing in front of the Collegium, where we train our heralds who-"

Rainfall cut her off before she could say anymore, "You only need to give that lecture to my friend, Icewind. I'm Rainfall, and I've read all about this country in books I own. I can speak your language with slight ease, but for Icewind, she is a fish out of water! She will need some training and quite a bit of help."

Rainfall concluded in a smile that seemed to dazzle a certain person in the crowd behind the woman, who sighed lightly. Even though she spoke softly, Icewind could hear her sigh again and say to another, "I always figured that those stories were true about them being so beautiful, but I never thought they would be that nice!"

Rainfall spoke in their language so that Icewind could not understand exactly what he was telling the others, for she may be offended about what he was sharing. "I would like to rest, would it be wrong for me to guess that the preparations could be made in the morning?"

The older woman in front of them let go of her held breath, as if a large and heavy weight had been removed from her shoulders. "That would be fine. I will let Nerina show you to a free room and I will take care of, Icewind, was it?" She waved for the girl, Nerina, the one who had made the remark, to come forward.

She was wearing a simpler version of the clothes of the woman in front of them, but in a gray colour. She in turn waved to Rainfall to follow her to where he could get some rest and take care of Kara.

Icewind had perked up after hearing the older woman mention her name. She watched her contently as if measuring her, when the woman seemed to like what she saw, she decided to help the poor confused girl the best she could. "You can dismount if you'd like, or you can sleep in his saddle, since I don't think that he would mind all that much really. Kayo's been lonely since all his friends had chosen, so I'm sure that he would love company with him in the field." The woman spoke to her as soft as she could manage and when Icewind dismounted from Kayo's back, she was glad that this much progress had at least been made. She motioned for the others in the group to get back to their beds and resumed working with the girl. "You can follow me to the stables so that you can let Kayo for the night."

Icewind watched intently as they passed many things. There were trees here, but she could see none as tall as those grown in the vale. Icewind tried to memorize the path from where they had entered, to where the stables were, and figured that she could navigate herself fairly well if travelling back here during the day. When Icewind and the older woman lead her to the tack shed, she was able to take of the Companion's tack efficiently and brushed him down with an ease she did not know she had. 'Must be the Shin'a'in in me.' Icewind figured that her mother was finally starting to show in her, other than the features.

"By the way, My name is Savil, and I think that I will need to be your mentor for some time while you get used to this language." Savil looked at her more closely now that she had the light from the lanterns to help show Icewind's predominant features. "You are not fully Tayledras, am I correct?"

"You are right. My father is pure Tayledras, but my mother was Shin'a'in, one from the plains. It's really quite an odd couple, but none the less-" She but cut off abruptly "But you probably don't want to know about my past."

"It seems as if you will need to reveal it whether or not I want to hear it, since it seems to be troubling you far more than you think." When Icewind stared at her dumbfounded, She added, "Kayo told my Companion, who in turn told me. I think you have much to learn. Now that Kayo is taken care of, we can go and find you a room to stay in."

Svail lead Icewind into the Collegium and to a corridor lined with doors, this was strange to Icewind. She opened one of the doors revealing a small square room with a desk, fireplace, bed and bookshelf. "This room will be yours until you receive your whites, then you will move to into the Herald's wing. But enough of my babbling, you get some rest and I'll come find you in the morning. You do not have to rise when, or if, you hear the bell for waking, that's for the other trainees and you needn't worry. Until the morning" Savil left her standing their looking at the wooden door. Icewind around the room and noticed that they had left a nightgown on the bed for her. They had guessed her size right, since it fit nicely with some breathing room for her. She laid down on the bed and found that it was really quite soft.

Icewind tossed and turned for what seemed candle marks and finally decided that it was the height and the constant sway of the room that she missed. She pulled the covers off and slipped on her normal clothes before exiting the room. Icewind snuck down the hall and out of the Collegium. She jogged to Companion's Field and called for Kayo. Both he and Jana arrived at the fence. Jana had flown off after arriving at the Collegium and Icewind was surprised to see her bond bird come to a mind call so low in pitch.

:Bond mate unhappy! Tired! Sleep, now!: Jana said to her cooing softly.

:She is not used to the bed she was presented. You may sleep out here with me if you'd like. Or, if you'd prefer, I could manipulate that tree over there so you could sleep soundly until morning.: Kayo motioned with his head to a tree nearby that was, quite tall.

"I think I'll take the tree." Icewind said climbing over the fence and shimmying up the tree. When she had found her perfect branch, Kayo used his Mage-powers, the kind she had seen her brother and father use, on the tree branch which she had perched herself above. The branch quivered slightly and in minutes, the branch had been cupped so that Icewind could easily sleep in it, without having any muscles cramp during the night.

"Now there is only one problem, I forgot my blankets, but that can be solved." Icewind concentrated on seeing the blankets land in her lap and was rewarded by feeling the soft cloth slide across her hand. She was down the trunk and into the miss-matched bed of hers before Kayo and Jana could even say their good-nights.

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As some of you may know, or not know, I have taken the very last part of the chapter out and it is now the beginning of the next chapter! :) Please review!