And with her I traveled far

My name, as given to me by Master, is Legacy. I was His legacy to this world, though I doubt he expected me to outlast him, immortal though I am. I told that poor herald, who's probably asleep downstairs by now to call me Cheshire. For all the evil that's followed me in my long life, children's stories have always been a light to me. They don't remind me of a peaceful time so much as remind me that peace can exist. Not for everyone always, but always somewhere. Alice isn't my childhood, but I imagine she could have been.

You're probably wondering how someone from Valdemar can even know about that story, and the answer is simple. I remember. My master had me believe I was his creation. A weapon created to serve as his long hand of power. It wasn't long after I left that I began to remember otherwise. That the discovered lord I worshipped so avidly was nothing more than a scavenger. No more than a grave robber feeding off the carcass of a civilization that died a thousand years before.

I can get lonely, so I try to avoid staying in one place. I've seen most of this world by now, or perhaps seen it in its new form. There have been places where I've been hunted for the 'secret' of my immortality, and others where I was revered for it. Neither was painless. I go through cycles of removing myself emotionally to spare myself pain, and becoming as involved as possible in life to savour the fleeting experience. I'm still recovering from the last taste. If time heals all wounds, it must be a fraction of your lifetime rather than a measured span of years.

There are compensations too. I watch the rise and fall of empires like measured waves on a beach. I found a phrase in my memories a long time ago that has stayed with me. 'Think like a mountain'. It's a perspective on life not available to anyone else except the gods, and I treasure it. I think that as time passes I gain some insight into the tapestry of life. Oh, I can never see the whole thing of course, but I think I make good guesses, and I have the time to explore them.

If nothing else, there is always time.

Camon Ortell stared up at the rafters from the floor where he lay. The barmaid had indeed offered him her bed once Chesh had left, thing is, she had no intention of leaving it. She had no appeal to him. He had done his best to turn her down gently, but it hadn't gone well. He knew that Chesh was right about one thing at least, she wanted him because he was a herald. Because I'm a herald. HAH, more like because I'm wearing a herald's uniform. They'd told him that he'd graduated, that he was ready, but he knew they were wrong. He had the sneaking suspicion they knew it too, and were just trying to improve his spirits at being sent so far from home. His teachers knew how much he hated moving. It had almost killed him to move halfway across Haven, let alone go riding circuit. He had overheard one of his teachers asking how they expected him to survive it. His odd form of Earth-sense seemed to resent him being moved. A lot.

When he'd moved to the collegium for the first time, he'd stopped sleeping. He'd gone to the healers for some medicine after two sleepless nights, but when he'd reacted badly to the potion they'd given him, they'd told him he would sleep when he got tired enough. After three sleepless nights he'd fallen off Iearnen in the middle of equitation practice, something nearly impossible to do with a companion. The weird thing was, the hard ground of companions field had felt like the most comfortable bed he'd had in a long time. He was asleep before the first trainee reached him. They hadn't wanted to move him, and when the healer arrived, she'd (finally) recognised what was going on. He'd been fine after that, having formed a bond with the earth of the collegium.
He didn't seem to be drifting off, or bonding with the earth. It looked like another wakeful night was in the offing. At least I have experience with those. I'm good enough to sleep on Iearnen now without falling off, especially if I use the straps. Sometimes it seems like the only place away from home where I can rest.
He opened his mind towards his companion. It would have been nice to communicate in words, via mindspeech, but just as herald Talia communicated with Rolan using empathy, he could talk to Iearnen with Earth-sense.

He tried to gently feel weather Iearnen was asleep and got a response
:Hmmnummm?: Awake then. And worried about something.
:What's worrying you?: It wasn't sent that clearly of course.
:Hurummnumm!: Something about Chesh, he thought, but nothing specific.
:Do you mind her travelling with us?:
:Umnummm: A no, and a feeling of curiosity about it.
:There's something strange about her, but you're curious about it and not worried?:
:UM!: Camon grinned. He always felt good when he and Iearnen managed to communicate.
:Mind if I come visit you?:
:Hummmm: Camon relaxed in the feeling of welcome from Iearnen before rising to join him in the stables. Maybe he'd be able to sleep there. Something told him he'd need all his strength to deal with tomorrow.

Before dawn Legacy headed down to the stables. The stableboys were just beginning to stir. She walked to her horse Nacheth and began to groom him. She didn't want him to look shabby beside the Companion. Probably a futile hope, he was a scruffy little thing. Durable though, his name meant 'walks forever' which is what he would do. To her knowledge, the only time he'd ever gone faster they'd had a pack of wolves chasing them. More a large pony than a horse, really. She thought looking at him critically. She sighed as he tried to eat her shirt. Maybe part goat too. When he was nearly ready to go, she walked along the stalls looking for Iearnen, Camon's Companion. She found him in the last one, slowly munching his morning grain.
"Good morning Iearnen. I'm looking for Herald Camon." Iearnen snorted and gestured with his nose towards the near corner. By leaning over the door she was able to see Camon asleep in the corner. He looked sort of cute drooling into his shirt. She smiled.
"Are we traveling together then?" Nod. "Well, then we'd better leave now. If you wake him, I'll get some breakfast. With luck we'll be into Hardorn this afternoon."
On the way out she ran into one of the yawning stableboys.
"The herald and I are leaving. Bring our tack to the stalls and see that both sets of saddlebags have a full measure of grain."
"Yes miss" he said hurrying off. After all Legacy mused to herself who knows what we'll find on the other side of the border.