Hello again, sorry for the long wait to get another chapter on this fic! I've been really busy with school work since I only have about 11 days left of school right now. I have to tell you all, that this is the last chapter I will post, until De can catch up with my postings, since her chapters are supposed to be between mine, and right now, she needs about 4 more chapters until I can post again! So please don't be mad if the chapters come up slowly from now on! Thanks!

P.S. De and I have been contemplating the two long reviews we have had, one making comments on the story, and the other making comments on that review. We have been discussing mainly the review part number five. In this part, Cat McDougall said that Vanyel was the first Ashkevron to be chosen, and Herald Tagnolia said that it was not stated in the books who was exactly the first. I must point out that if there was ever a first to be said, it would have been Herald Savil, since she IS an Ashkevron..... I thought that these reviewers might want to see this, thanks for reading this extra!

Kaydence gazed out the window of his room in the Bardic Collegium. It had been five days since he had saved the girl in Companion's Field. He had learned from the Healers that her name was Herald-Trainee Icewind. When he had learned that, he realized that the reason she had looked so different, was because she was not from around here.

Kaydence looked away from the window and looked towards his paper covered desk. His encounter with the girl had made him concentrate even harder on his assignment. It was as if she had spurred something in him that he was now harnessing and using to write his ballad.

He examined the song so far and sang it softly. He had two perfected verses and loved them.

"What has touched me, reaching deep

Piercing my ensorceled sleep?

Darkling lady, do you weep?

Am I the cause of your grieving?

Why do tears of balm and bane

Bathe my heart with bitter rain?

What is this longing? Why this pain?

What is this spell you are weaving?"

"Sunlight singer, Morning's peer-

How I long for what I fear!

Not by my will are you here

How I wish I could free you!

Gladly in your arms I'd lie

But I dare not come to you nigh

For if you touch me, I shall die-

If I were wise I would flee you."

Kaydence paused, this was where he had stopped. The girls' influence seemed to be wearing off. He had to see her again. 'I'll go see her now!' Kaydence lightened up and knew that Icewind had to have something to do with his life, he just knew it!

Kaydence opened the door and found his current lover in front of him. She looked dazed and her eyes sparkled with unshed tears.

"Kirsi, it's wonderful to see you, but what brings you to my room at this time with such grief surrounding you?" Kaydence never saw her this early in the morning. She was a noble and usually spent her mornings with the servants and her many sisters.

She looked more closed up than normal and her usual brightness had faded. She wore a sullen mask upon her face that let no emotion but pain and sorrow through. "I've been hearing things, and the last thing, that my sister told me, kept me up all night long. I came to get answers Kaydence," She paused for a moment to catch her shaky breath. "Did you, or not, save a female Herald-Trainee?"

"I did, but wha-" She cut him off in mid sentence.

Tears welled up in her eyes when he spoke those words. "People have been telling me that you're seeing her now, as well as seeing me!" Kirsi let out silent and racking sobs, and Kaydence pulled her into his room.

He shut the wooden door, and locked it, and led her to the bed he had in the corner of his room. His room-mate was out and that was just as well since he did not want anyone but the two of them knowing the things that he was about to say to her.

"Kirsi, I would do no such thing! That is for the lowly scum outside of the city, who cheat on their loving wives and families, not for a respected Bard-Trainee, like myself!" He wiped some of the tears from her cheeks and smiled slightly. "Also, my dear, it is clearly not possible, since she has not even woken from the deep sleep that I found her in!" She looked up at him and gave a weak laugh when she realize how stupid the idea was, after contemplating it for a few moments inside of her head.

"I'm so glad that it's not nearly as bad I thought it was, you only save her life. You're a hero!" She smiled at him and her spirit brightened a great deal. "I'll have to tell my sisters this good news!"

Kaydence smiled, but knew he had to add something. "Kirsi, I must tell you something though." With his words, she darkened slightly. "You know my ballad that I said I would dedicate to you when I finished it?" She nodded. "Well, I got my inspiration from that encounter and it would not be right to dedicate it to you, so I must tell you that it will not be dedicated to you, not even to the Trainee, but to no one. I thought that I could not live with you if I kept that secret from you."

She let out a breath. "That it all right, I thought you were going to say something like you are lifebonded to some one or in love with another bard, since that is quite likely, or so I'm told, at our age, especially in your position." She smiled. "I thought I was going to get a broken heart!"

They both rose at the same time and Kaydence laughed lightly, "No my dear, nothing like that." She walked to the door, and he followed, steps behind. She paused after opening the door and turned to him. "I'm glad that you told me the truth about the song you are writing. I know how it wold have eaten you if you had not told me and gone through with not dedicating it." She smiled again. He smiled back.

At that moment, Kaydence's head spun and he felt like he was floating, falling and flying, all at the same moment, what was wrong with him? Was he dying from poison, or magic? Was he fainting? The world around him went black, then white, them black again. He kept having a sense that he was spinning, and that he would be spinning forever, that's when it all stopped and he closed his eyes, afraid of what might be in front of him.

Kirsi was standing outside of Kaydence's room when he started to fall towards her, as if he had blacked out, standing in the door frame. She reached out to grab him and support his fall, but as she ran back to him, he vanished, vanished completely from sight, even the piece of parchment that he had been holding in his hand.

She was startled for moments afterward and stood there, gaping at the room and the empty spot that had just held her lover.

After standing for many awkward moments, she collapsed and fell to her knees. She screamed and she could hear bard from all around jump out of their beds, had they been sleeping, or could hear them run to the door of their own room. Almost all at once, five other bards opened their doors, some with room mates, some with lovers, and some alone.

The girl across the hall, who was alone, ran to her side and knelt down, that seemed to set all the others off and they gathered round to help her. It was the girl from across the hall who spoke first.

"What happened Kirsi? Where's Kaydence, is he in the room?" When she heard her own name, that was when she realized exactly who she was being held by. I was one of the older Bardic-Trainees, one named Shelly.

Between sobs, she managed to tell the horrible story about Kaydence's disappearance. When she was done, she was slightly calmer, and Shelly moved her into Kaydence's room, just as Lirit, Kaydence's room mate, ran up to them.

"The whole palace is in an uproar! People are going missing here and there! We are needed to help sooth people with our music! Hurry!" He was pushing through the crowd as they all started to retreat quickly towards their rooms, to grab what was needed. Lirit stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Kirsi being lead into his room by Shelly. "What happened here....." He was about to say more, but realized something that he was not going to share and he stopped moving at all. He paled, almost as white as a Companion's coat and turned to Shelly. "Kaydence vanished, didn't he?"

Shelly shook her head yes and Lirit took off out of the room, at top speed.

Kaydence stood on something solid, but was too afraid to look. When he eventually heard voices around him, he opened them, to find a very awkward mess. He was in a medium sized room, a healer's patient's room, and there was chaos all around him. There were people all around him, and more were coming in as well, although most were Healers.

There was a Herald, in white, beside the bed, who looked as if she were draining herself to control the girl in the bed. The girl, now that was one person he recognized. The girl in the bed, was Icewind, the Herald-Trainee that he had saved, only days ago. Also around the room, were more healers, most of them were taking are of dazed people who had probably been brought here, as he had. There was a young man in one corner, who had medium-length black hair, and he was wearing the normal clothes of a Valdemarian. The other younger man was another foreigner, with long brown hair, with, oddly enough, some gray hairs starting to show, who was wearing the Herald-Trainee uniform. There was another Herald-Trainee, but she was being lead out of the room before he could get a good look at her.

Finally, also beside the bed holding Icewind, was a Companion, her Companion Kayo. Kaydence paused for a moment. 'Kayo' He thought about the name, how had he known what the Companion's name was? Was that even his name? Kaydence shook his head. 'Someone must have mentioned his name to me when I brought Icewind here. I couldn't have known that on my own.'

At that moment, another being entered the room, via appearing spontaneously. It was another Companion, this time, it was a female Companion. The Herald-Trainee who had not been removed from the room, ran to her and made soothing sounds, for the Companion was obviously very confused. She seemed to calm down and was getting a normal breathing pattern again.

The Herald bedside Icewind, sighed and backed away from the girl. "That should hold her from now on. I don't was this kind of this happening again. My niece is probably having a cow right as we speak. I was talking to her when Icewind fetched me here." The Herald shook her head.

"Aunt Savil, why did she pick us to bring here?" The black haired one said.

"Well, I think because she has met us before and made a connection with feeling safe with us around. She was having a nightmare and was slipping out of her deep sleep as it went on. This left her gifts run wild and uncontrolled, so she accidently brought here, things that she recognized." As, who must be Herald Savil, motioned to the room, Kaydence noticed that there were many different objects around the room, one of which was a finely carved lute, which caught his eye. when he stepped towards the lute, the woman spoke again. "Although,3 I do not know who you are lad." The Herald must have meant him.

One of the Healers explained his connection with the Trainee. "He was the one who found Trainee Icewind in Companion's Field and brought her here. If not for him, she would probably not have lived to this day. She must have associated him with a savior, and thus brought him here, thinking that maybe he could again help her."

"That would make sense. Young man, you are a Bard-Trainee? What is your name?" She wanted these answers to come from his mouth, and not the Healer's.

"Yes, I am with the Bardic Collegium. I'm Bard-Trainee Kaydence." He replied with dignity.

"Alright then," She turned to the Herald-Trainee. "You and Kaydence stay here with Icewind. I'm thinking that she would know you two the best and be fine if at least one of you stayed. From what that last Trainee told me, the Palace and Collegia are full of frantic people, and I must go make sure that it is taken care of. Vanyel," She motioned for the black haired boy. "I want to you continue with your classes today, unless you do not feel up to them from this experience." She bowed her head at the Healer. "I shall return once all is settled." With that, she left, Vanyel following after.

"Well, I have a feeling that this is going to be a long day." The Herald-Trainee said to him, and he sat in a chair that the Healers had brought in. He also ha the feeling that this was going to be a long day.

What do you think? Good? Bad? Well, please review because I think that rushed through some of these parts a little too fast and think that I should have split it into two different chapters and expanded on my ideas a little more. Please tell me what your opinions are! Thanks, will update soon, hopefully!