Hey, I have two chapters and 5 reviews to go before I'm matched up with my other long fic. This fic is now a lot longer than the first time it was published on the web. I'm at about chapter 5 in the old one right now! Hope you're enjoying this chapter.
P.S. I thought I would just warn you that when Aoko and her group finally get to Haven, time is going to go quite a bit faster. I know what I want after the Collegium and before, but not during. Just a warning!
Breezefire- just wanted to reply to what you said about Fips in the last chapter. I did mention about her joining them, in the third paragraph in the third 'section.' So if you want to go back and check that out, you'll get it. Thanks for the review, by the way!
P.S.S. Also, (if you didn't read it in my bio or in one of my other chapter updates in other stories) I now have a muse. His name is Touse, and he's kinda like Writer's Block. In other words, he makes it harder for me to write, than helping me, like a normal muse! This is why I might refer to him as Writer's Block (Touse). Mind you, this will probably only be when he really makes me mad!
Chapter 10, A Rude Awakening
Aoko, Fips, Eoleo and their odd companions had been traveling for about six days, and Naomi had informed them that they were probably going to come up to Haven in the near future.
Fips was rattling off a joke, when Senkousha perked her furry ears up, her nose twitching. :I smell something. And it's near, coming from the rear.: She sniffed at the air again, lifting her head slightly. :It smells strongly of alcohol, and damp horse.:
Naomi laid her ears back in insult. :We don't smell that bad do we?:
Senkousha chuckled mentally, :Well, can't say you smell good.:
"It's probably a travelling alcoholic, whose horse spent the night outside last night in the rain." Eoleo stated, patting his unsteady pony.
:No, it's more than that. It's an alcoholic Herald, atop a soaked Companion.: Naomi snorted at Senkousha, and nipped at her tail jokingly. Senkousha swished her tail out of the way, hitting Raphill's nose, and causing him to sneeze loudly.
"Who's there? I'm, warning you, I'm armed, and trained to fight!" A slightly small Companion, with a closed eyed Herald rounded the corner behind them.
"We're only a small band of people heading towards Haven, and the Collegiums." The man opened his eyes as Aoko explained. Naomi turned around to look at the white pair.
"Now, why would you be going to the Collegiums? I see no Companions, I can't sense any Healer gifts in any of you." The Herald swayed a little, probably from being so drunk. Aoko could smell whisky, which was drifting from his way.
Naomi snorted, and the man looked at her. "As a matter of fact, the animal you are gazing at, is an actual Companion!" Aoko looked defiantly at him over Naomi's black tipped ears.
The man snorted back, swaying backwards slightly with the intensity of it. He got a kind of glazed look, as he talk mind-to-mind with his Companion, and then laughed rudely. "Companion! You're all crazy!" His Companion laid his ears back at his last comment, as if he had tried to convince his Chosen that the 'horse' in front of them was truly a legendary Companion.
"If that were a true Companion, it would be pure white, and not that patchy black and white that that horse is." The man slowly dismounted, and nearly fell backwards when his feet hit the ground.
"Maybe he ssshould have ssstayed in the sssaddle." Raphill whispered to Senkousha, his beak forming a gryphon-grin.
Aoko figured there was a mental reply to that statement, but she assumed that Senkousha had wanted it to stay confined between the two friends.
"Is you bird whispering about me?" He staggered forward a few steps, and ended up leaning too far backwards, resulting in him backing into the same spot he had occupied seconds "Cause he has not right to talk to a Herald like that! I figure he's sayin something bad about me!"
"You sssir, have no rrright to be calling me a plain old birrrd. I am a grrryhon, my dearrrr Herrrald. I have asss many rrrightsss asss any Valdemarrran human!" Raphill clicked his beak, and his talons on the tightly pack dirt of the road, causing small pieces of dirt to be shifted, which ended up making small rivets.
"Sssure you do you overrrsssized pigeon!" He rolled his r's and s', making fun of Raphill's speech impediment, causing the gryphon to make larger rivets in the road. "And I'm the Queen!" The man laughed cruelly, and clutched his side in agony as a laughing pain shot through the left side of his body.
The last comment that came from his mouth, pushed Raphill just a little too far. The gryphon launched himself off the ground, in a sort of graceful leap, towards the laughing Herald. He stopped swiftly right before the man, lowering his eye lids so he saw the man through a glare, and snapped his beak loudly, which cracked through the silence like the tolling of a bell in the night. The man was so scared when the gryphon landed, he quit laughing and stood straighter than a board. When the gryphon glared at him, and clicked his beak, he was so frightened, and feinted on the spot, crumpling in a pile before his startled Companion.
"I told you, I'm a grrryphon, not an old birrrd!" With that, Raphill snorted loudly, and again took his rightful place beside Senkousha, behind Aoko and Naomi.
For a few moments, everyone stood, silent and hardly even breathing. :Well, that was certainly a bad experience.: The man's Companion snorted, and dipped his head to sniff at his Chosen. :Would anyone mind helping him into the saddle, and then strap him in before he falls and hits his head?: The Companion looked up again, and started intently at Aoko, hoping that she would dismount and help him with his burden.
Aoko sighed inside and dismounted, stretching her soar leg muscles when she hit the ground. The Companion looked relieved, and he slowly and carefully laid down, folding all four legs beneath him.
From behind her, Aoko heard Raphill grunt, and he soon cast a shadow over her as he picked up the drunk, passed-out Herald and placed him in his saddle. "I ssshall leave the ssstrrrap parrrt to you, my dearrr. Talonsss arrre of no ussse when it comesss to tying thingsss." He gryphon-grinned, and took his place behind her.
:Sorry about this my dear. Herald Roplo has been in trouble for the past few months, and it seems to be getting worse. But, I'll let him tell you that, if he pleases, he doesn't always like me telling people his whole life story whenever he does something outrageous. By the way, I am Daz, and I am figuring that you are Aoko, the Healing one.: Daz turned his attention to Naomi as Aoko tightened the straps on his saddle. :And I'm assuming that you are the legendary black Companion, Naomi. You don't seem to be all that black anymore!:
If a Companion could have blushed, Naomi would have flushed slightly. :I didn't know I was famous, and no, I'm not really black anymore. I started using my Mage Powers, after Raven taught me how to use them, that is.: The last part she Mind Spoke directly, not wanting the Companion secret to get out of the circle.
Daz nodded slightly, and lumbered to his feet when Aoko tightened the last strap on the blue and silver saddle. :Thank you my dear. We should be getting back to the Collegiums and the Palace. It's not even a days ride from here, so we should make it there just before sunset.:
"That would be good. I'm tired of sleeping in either the open, or in those small and crowded Waystations!" Eoleo screwed up his face, showing his discomfort and then hopefulness of a nice soft bed back in Haven.
"This is true. Waystations were not made for three people, a gryphon, a kyrii a Companion and two ponies!" Aoko laughed as Eoleo shook his head and agreement, and Fips grinned at her.
:Well, After you.: Daz motioned with his head, and they continued their eventful trip to Haven, Aoko leading, and Raphill and Senkousha bringing up the rear.
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The now semi-drunk Herald groaned as he was jolted by the slight stumble of his weary Companion. Daz recuperated and Aoko figured that he apologized privately to his now awake Chosen.
The Herald, which Daz had claimed was called Roplo, groaned again, and opened his eyes, only to quickly shut them. She figured he would have a bad hangover, and felt slightly sorry for the man.
"I'm sorry about my ignorance before. Daz gave me the memory, and now I can't claim that I forget because of being too drunk. I shouldn't have said those things to you." Roplo squinted in her direction, but kept his eyes mostly closer, despite the growing darkness.
"They were out of line, but I have no right to punish you in any way. You are higher on the line than me. Got a nasty headache?" Aoko looked over to Roplo. He opened his eyes fully, as if he were surprised that she would know such things. He shut then again, and cursed under his breath.
"I used to take care of my brothers when they got hangovers from drinking too much at the town inn. I know the symptoms pretty well now." Aoko looked sympathetically at the Herald beside her. "Maybe we should stop for the night. Naomi says that there is a waystation near, and we still have a bit to go before we get to Haven. We could all need the rest."
"Might be good, I could use the sleep, and it seems, so could Daz." Roplo grinned, eyes still closed, and Daz snorted from underneath him. "He could definitely need it."
The group quickened their pace, when Aoko mentioned the idea of a good rest. They soon arrived at the waystation, and Daz admitted to having his distances mixed up, and admitted that they wouldn't have been able to arrive at Haven on the date he had claimed.
After camp was set up for sleeping outside, and inside, since there was not enough room for the large group of odd members inside. The fire at the centre of camp roasted a few small rabbits, which were from Senkousha and Raphill's excess hunting, sending amazing aromas in every direction.
Everyone had their share of either slightly stale bread, taken from the hold, or fresh meat, while the Companions and ponies ate their oats with pleasure. Since most were tired from their long journey and odd interruptions, everyone but Aoko and Roplo fell asleep instantly after laying their heads down.
"So, you're on your way to become a famous Herald of Valdemar? I hope you don't think it's all fame a glory." Roplo looked her way, across the dimly glowing fire. His face was slightly shadowed, and his eyes looked sad almost. "Because if you do, you've had your head filled with wrong tales, tales that ever little boy and girl hear from their parents."
Aoko could see a definite sadness in hi facial features, and she wondered why he felt so strongly about these stories. "Well, I knew that it wouldn't always be that way, nothing can be good forever."
"Good." Roplo looked down, and for a second, Aoko thought he had fallen asleep. He soon raised his head, and said something completely out of character. "You know, for some it's even hell most of the time. I know from experience."
"Care to explain this concept to me?" Aoko looked confused, and Roplo smiled weakly.
"I guess it started when I met a young girl when I was about nineteen. I thought she was perfect, but my life turned to the dogs after that moment. Sure, it was great at the beginning, it even felt as if we were life bonded. We spent hours together whenever I was in Haven, or teaching small classes on Foresight. It was a few years later that I found out that her best friend had become what she had always wanted, and she was awfully jealous after I mentioned it to her. It was like she thought I know liked her ex-friend better, or something along that thought. For about the next five years, we grew apart, much to my disappointment, and then that was when her ex-friend was murdered in a place a Herald would not normally be found, along with her Companion, both viscously stabbed before being burned. We all thought this was odd, and that was when I noticed the biggest change in my now wife. She grew even farther apart, she seemed distant, her mind always away from her body. And then, one day she just went completely insane, and took her life, along with a few or her closest friends in public." Roplo chocked back tears, and dipped his head, unable to continue.
Aoko could tell that he had truly been in love with this woman, and it seemed as if he thought that because he wasn't around often enough she grew away, and eventually killed herself because of something to do with that. Aoko could see flaws in the story, though she had heard of the incident, even down in Donnybrook, since it had been such a big commotion with the woman killing a few noble's wives.
"Roplo, none of that was your fault, and it seems like it was she who drove herself into insanity. From what you describe, she must have shrunk into her mind, and something went wrong, causing her to believe she must kill herself to be relieved of some greater factor other than your absence. I'm sure that if she had not been so sick, she would have noticed your love for her and would not have taken her life." Aoko watched as his head rose slightly, his tears glistening in the light of the orange fire.
"I shouldn't be troubling you with my problems, I was just supposed to be showing you some of the hardships of being a Herald." Roplo smiled slightly, and put a mask over his feelings, pushing Aoko's help away with a mental hand. "I'm going to go to bed, it the best cure for me right now. Thanks for listening to me ramble tonight."
Before Aoko could do more than protest with a small sound, Roplo was in his bed roll, supposedly asleep. She figured that her goals for the future, now included helping the heart-broken Herald in front of her, along with becoming a Herald herself.