AUTHORS NOTE: I apologize for my extreme lack of updates! I've been working, going to school, participating in an active social life, and when I'm not doing any of those, I'm just simply being lazy. Life is great, yes? Oh, and I don't own Mercedes Lackey, Valdemar or it's characters blah blah blah…

Chapter Eight

Skif landed hard on the packed dirt floor of the salle with a grunt. He was worn out and sweating, but he knew Alberich wouldn't feel sorry for him. After all if this were a real fight, would an enemy care if he were a little tired?

Kris offered the boy a hand to help him to his feet. "Tired yet?"

"Never." Skif lied.

"Again!" Alberich barked.

"Sadist."

Kris hid a smile from the weaponsmaster. Alberich had apparently decided that the former thief would become his new apprentice. Skif didn't seem thrilled about it, but no one argued with the formidable Karsite. He had Skif working out against Heralds in full Whites, and young guardsmen practically double his size.  It was against Skif's very nature as a Herald to refuse duties set before him, but it was quite clear that he was opposed to Herald Alberich's latest idea.

Alberich moved Kris and Skif through the latest moves. They were working out a new style of fighting, which involved a lot of kicking and complex foot maneuvers more than hands and blades. Alberich was hoping he could perfect it and teach it to the smaller female Trainees and anyone else lacking the upper-body strength for standard weapons training.

"Enough. No more for today." Alberich said. He patted Skif on the back. "Again, tomorrow. Same time as today."

Skif shook his head and watched in disbelief as the weaponsmaster walked away. "Can you believe him? I've been here all day, unless I have classes!" He winced as he pulled off his armor and found several new bruises to add to the old ones.

"Well, you're done for the evening, so I suggest you find yourself a hot bath to soak those bruises. Or maybe you can find Talia to massage them away for you…"

"What IS it with people, that they find so many reasons to pick on me!" Skif retorted as he tried to hide his flushed cheeks.

Kris chuckled and watched Skif jog in the direction of the trainee dorms. He lingered in the salle, taking longer than usual to look over his armor for any signs of damage, and do a few more cooling-down stretches.

Lately, Kris had been spending a lot of time out of the Palace doors—usually either here in the warm salle helping Alberich, or in Companion's Field with Tantris but lately the weather had been turning colder and it wasn't so comfortable to walk about in the dead, snow covered gardens. Midwinter was past, and now there was only time to kill until Spring. It had been cold, and the wind penetrated even the thickest cloaks. This was the time of year that most depressed Kris (and if the trainee's attitudes were anything to judge, it was the same for them), for there was simply not much to look forward to, and Spring seemed like it would never come.

But staying in the Palace wasn't much better, because that's where Dirk was, and Kris couldn't bear looking at his friend. He looked like he hadn't been sleeping well, and come to think of it, really only left his quarters when he had classes to tend to. He tried (and failed) to look less hung over than he actually was, and Kris knew the servants had been commenting on the amount of empty wine bottles in his room.

:He broods. You know that.:

Kris nodded slightly. He was never surprised anymore, to find that his Companion followed his thoughts all the time, and no longer found it to be annoying. In fact, he imagined he would be quite lost without Tantris' voice always roaming around in his head.

:He won't even let me get near him. He must have a sixth sense for knowing when I'm approaching, so he can dash out of site.:

He heard the mental equivalent of a frustrated sigh. :If I ever get my hooves on that rotten, selfish…:

: Evil malevolent bitch?: Kris finished. :I know exactly how you feel.: Kris threw on his cloak and ventured into the late autumn wind. He had his own personal reasons for despising Naril, besides her tearing apart his best friend. It could be said that he was ashamed that he left him with her, knowing what kind of woman she was. What kind of friend was he to run away from the situation that had peaked right before his eyes? He was just as guilty as Naril for letting it happen. He was just so embarrassed by her throwing herself at him that he wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible, never mind that Dirk's very fragile ego was in jeopardy.

:I wish he'd at least talk to Ahrodie.:

Kris sent a wordless reply. Poor Ahrodie hadn't been eating well, and was starting to look unhealthy. She was deeply troubled by her Chosen's brooding, but still true to the nature of Companions, she couldn't interfere unless Dirk came to her specifically.

Kris slowed down when he reached the Palace gardens, and it was with apprehension that he forced himself inside.

~o~

Dirk stumbled down the hall, trying to look somewhat aware of what was going on around him. He had been buried in a remote corner of the library where not even the pages could bother him. He knew he had started out with two bottles of wine, and that he drank one of them…and one of the servants must have moved the second! That was it! That would definitely explain the lack of a second bottle of wine.

A crash sounded very near to where Dirk had been standing, and he looked around through a blurry haze. Was someone following him? He heard something crunch beneath his feet with his next step. Broken glass. Did he drop that? Dirk stooped down to pick up the shattered pieces of the wine bottle…the second wine bottle! That was it! He drank the first bottle, left it on the table in the library, and had the second bottle in his hand.

Dirk shook his head, and tried to fight off the sudden lightheaded feeling. He cleaned up the largest of the pieces of glass, and tossed them in a nearby trash bin, and used his foot to brush the rest to the side. Let the servants deal with it.

The door to his room seemed miles away, but it only took a second to get there and throw the door open. Light poured out of the room. He must have left a lamp burning.

"Great Goddess!" Kris said, as soon as Dirk stepped into the light.

Dirk jumped. "Oh…er…Kris. I was…library. I was readin'. Reding. I was reading."

Kris just stared at the broken wreck that was Dirk in horror. His straw blond hair was matted and tangled, and Kris guessed that he hadn't shaved in about a week. He wasn't wearing Whites, but a strange mismatched set of gray trews and a loose-fitting blue shirt. His face was flushed and his eyes were glazed over.

"Reading! What exactly were you reading, good friend Dirk? A serial story printed on the bottom of wine bottles? You must have read an entire collection of novels by now!"

"Dis—this is not any of you're buis…business, friend. This doesn't conshern you, friend." Dirk sputtered, having trouble with the syllables. "Why are you he—hic!—here? At thish hour?"

"I came to talk. Obviously you're in no shape now to do that. I will come back in the morning, and you'd better be sober!" Kris warned. He stuck around just long enough to make sure Dirk found his bed without hurting himself before he went in search of his own bed.

~o~

"Anyway, I should have never left you alone with her." Kris finished. They were sitting in Dirk's room, after he helped him tidy up, and Dirk had found himself a bath.

"No, Kris, the fault is mine. I was oblivious to anything but the fact that someone wanted to be with me. I shut everything out, and that was wrong, and stupid. It's me who should be sorry. I should have listened to you and Ahrodie from the start."

"Well, I suppose it does no good to lament over it. We have to let bygones be bygones, right? It's just a shame that Selany wasn't able to do anything about the matter. Most of the Heraldic Circle was furious, and if they weren't then they just hadn't heard the story."

"Really?" Dirk asked. They fell silent for a few minutes before Dirk spoke again. "I think I want to take a couple weeks leave—go home and rest for a while."

Kris nodded. "Being with your family will make you feel better. You should go. Get away from Court life for a while."

"Kris…I don't know what to say. You deserve more than just thanks."

 "Well, I'm sure we can arrange something!" Kris said with a mischevious glint in his eye, glad that things were starting to go back to normal.