I am not Misty. I don't own anything that has to do with Valdemar. Mercedes Lackey does.

This has some elements that are sort of borrowed from Garth Nix's The Old Kingdom trilogy, but I didn't think it was enough that I needed to put it as a crossover, although I wanted to give him a little credit. If you like fantasy, definitely check it out, it's awesome! I'm roughly basing this story directly after Owl Knight. I'm also assuming that Elspeth and Darkwind are back from Hardarn by now. Also, im getting the names for the head heralds out of the Mage storm Series, so if I get it wrong. I cant remember if they'd started the mages collegium yet so i threw it in there ... Don't hate me, please.

Sorry for the delay and the mispelled and grammer stuff thats wrong. I got a new Compy and it doesn't have Microsoft Word so I can't even run a spell-check. PLEASE FORGIVE ME! Please review too, I always enjoy input from readers.

Ruin ● Resurrection

By LGR

Chapter Three: Haven

-☼-

"They are alright! Rolan says the danger has passed!" There was a triumphant yell all round as Talia told the great news to the rest of the Heralds and all four collegia breathed a sigh of releif. The iminant threat for their princess and her mate, two of the most loved people in Haven, had reseaded, and now everyone was ready to let their overly stressed minds rest until the morrow when they would take up the next question: what would they do now? As much as everyone wanted the problem to go away, most had sense enough to know it wouldn't do so by itself, and certainly not before they wakened in the morning. But this problem would be dealt with as all problems had been dealt with in the past. And for now it was safe enough for all to get a good night's sleep and think about it in the morning.

But Queen's Herald Talia was already thinking about it. And she went directly to the Queen and gave her a look that told her something important needed to be discussed, so after the small party that had erupted in the great hall of the palace after the good news had been announced, Selenay, Daren and the other Heralds on the council as well as former weapon's master Alberitch, Herald-Chronicler Myste, and Talia's husband Herald Dirk, held a private meeting in the queens chambers.

"What is it Talia? What is it that you couldn't tell everyone else?" Selenay asked as soon as the door to her chamber was closed.

"Darkwind and Elspeth didn't defeat the creature on there own, in fact, they said they didn't do much of anything. It was Aerore's Chosen that saved them. We're going to have to figure out what to do about him..." she said slightly worriedly.

"Out with it Talia, what is it that makes him different than other Chosen?" The Dean, Herald Teren asked.

"How did a boy save them?" asked Herald Kyril, the Seneschal's Herald, puzzled.

"That's part of the problem...he's not a boy at all. According to Rolan, who got his information from Gwena who got her information from Aerore, he's over three hundred years old."

Everyone was silent.

"Wonder how he managed that one." Herald Myste said dryly.

"We think it has something to do with his gift, which I don't think is something we've encountered before." Talia told them.

"How are we going to teach him?" Dirk wondered aloud.

"I didn't tell you all? The stress must be getting to me more than I thought." Talia remarked, everyone looked a little worried for her but continued to listen, "He knows all he needs to know. Aerore brought us a Master of his craft. This Man, his name is Nekimiyah, is from a place far away. Dealing with these monsters is his business! We don't need to train him or anything!"

"Then why all this non-sense? We could be sleeping!" Prince Daren declared, everyone nodded.

"Many problems, there may yet be." Alberitch said calmly. "The language does he know? Likely not. He will know not our ways, nor about us, anything. And train others in his craft can he? If so, who? And how fast, can he be the monsters dealing with? Many things still yet we do not know."

"And we don't know how the collegia will take him. We don't know anything about him at all." Selaney professed.

"I don't think we can work anything out until tomarrow when they get here, I just wanted everyone to know what was going on." They all nodded and left the chamber to their beds to (hopefully) find rest.

-☼-

No one had said much the night before, especially not the new chosen, who'd only managed to string a couple words together that none of them could understand. He couldn't understand them either and so they couldn't even say thank you, except through the companions. They'd road on to the next town after Darkwind calmed the horse that he had ridden their and tide up near a stream, purchased rooms for the night, had their wounds looked at (the new man and Aerore weren't touched of course), then fallen into bed without so much as a "goodnight". Elspeth was even too tired to eat anything. She hadn't even caught the new Herald's name. She felt kind of guilty; he'd saved all their lives and she didn't even know who he was.

She slept until almost noon, even though they'd actual gone to sleep much earlier than she usually managed to at the palace, in Haven. She opened her eyes to the room then closed them. How did she always manage to get a room with a window facing east? She hated the sun in her eyes in the morning. Blinking grogily, she turned her head to the other side of the bed. Darkwind must be up already, she thought when she noticed his absence.

She toyed with the idea of mind-speaking him or Gwena, but decided to wait until she was fully awake. Besides, Gwena was asleep still, she'd had to mind-speak Rolan and give the news to the heralds; and that had taken a lot out of her after all the running around they'd done last night.

Elspeth finally decided she had to wake up, and she flopped out of bed feeling really sore and head-achy the moment her head was off the pillow. Ignoring it, she got servants to draw her a bath before she changed and went down to the common room. It really was a nice inn, she hadn't had time to admire the service last night.

When she entered the mostly empty common room, she wasn't too surprised to see Darkwind already dressed and eating a meal at a table. She was however very surprised to see the chosen there also sitting at the table eating.

And they were talking. In Rethwellian. She hadn't even known Darkwind knew Rethwellian. Was the man from Rethwellan? She just couldn't see that, e didn't have at all a Rethwellian manner, and his speech had an odd accent.

As she thought of this, she realized that this was the first time she'd seen him clearly and it was obvious he wasn't from around here. The Man was tall, but not so tall that he stuck out, however the starch contrast of short Raven black hair and pale skin was enough to make one do a double-take. Oddly enough, she couldn't remember how old she'd thought he was last night. At first glance, she'd have guessed middle twenties, but her second made her think middle thirties, then late twenties, then fourties, then she'd thought he looked in his early twenties...she just couldn't put an age to him.

He was sitting facing away from her with Darkwind directly opposite him at a table, and when Darkwind noticed her, he turned to look as well, revealing a almond shaped sea-green eyes and a nose that put her in mind of a hawk or falcon. His clothes didn't put her in mind of a herald at all, they were all black and silver that made her think more of a carsite sun preist, but no preists-wear was anything but robes, for the most part, and his were wool shirt and breaches with an odd cut that suggested that armor was supposed to fit over them. Either way, they didn't look at all bad; she'd thought even a hertasi might not mind them...at least not until they got bored of black and decided to through in something like, say, fushia, that is. In fact, she vaguely thought she remembered him having armor.

"Elspeth, he knows Rethwellian!" Darwind told her in said language and they both stood up from their seats as Darkwind introduced them. "Elspeth, this is Nekimiyah Jigan-Rhion, now a herald-trainee, and basically the person who saved our lives last night." turning to Nekimiyah, he said,"This is my mate, Herald-Mage and a Princess of Valdemar, Elspeth, chosen of Gwena who is the other companion." She reached to shake her hand with no hesitation.

They all sat back down at the table and Darwind and Nekimiyah continued to eat while she ordered a meal for herself, which was brought to her shortly. She was dieing to ask him how old he was, but that would be horribly rude, instead she just asked him what Darkwind had told him of Valdemar so far.

"It seems to be a very well run country, from what I have heard from your mate Darkwind and from Aerore...I am still trying to understand this thing with the...companions." he stumbled over the word companions, which he spoke in Valdemaran. "It puzzles me, as to why such a creature chooses to ally itself with mortals, and how it does so with no greater power to aide it."

Elspeth blinked. She didn't really understand. "How do you mean?" she asked, intrigued despite herself. "What do you mean 'with no greater power?'"

"It is not unusual for a spirit to walk with mortals under the power of a god or goddess, but they cannot do so without the god or goddess's energy, they are not powerful enough, and you... valdemarans... do not seem to have a ruling god or goddess that is your patron."

"I still don't understand. What do you mean by-" Elspeth began, but Darkwind interrupted.

"Ashke, there will be plenty of time for a religious debate later, but we've got to get going, it's after noon already, I don't want to have to ride like a mad-man to reach Haven before dark."

Elspeth sighed, he was right. And it wasn't as if Nekimiyah was going anywhere, not without them anyways.

"Okay, let's get our stuff and go."

-☼-

:And the Monarch must be a Herald:

:That's right.:

:I suppose that would explain how Valdemar can be the place of goodness you claim it to be.: Nekimiyah admitted to Aerore. During the long ride, (that would have been even longer than otherwise, had his Companion not been a Magical-spirit-being other than an ordinary horse, ) she'd been explaining to him about Valdemar, its culture, their relationship with the surrounding nations, and the situation they were in at the moment.

It was not too hard for him to believe that no group of people within their Alliance had ever encountered a being of the Nether-realm, but it came damn close. He had encountered groups of people, isolated for the most part, who hadn't had any contact with Necromancers or Nether-demons or dead...but this was the whole side of a continent. Having people who'd never been troubled by them seemed about as likely as...

...well as likely as there being very little trouble from them in the last fifty years back in the region he protected. Which there wasn't.

Perhaps they had migrated here, when they began to die out? Most necromancers were cowards by nature and that would not have been totally out of character, but such a mass agreement between said necromancers would have been found out. They were not a very organized people. Oh, they ran their own little plots quite well, but when it came to working together, everything fell apart.

The Necromancers were untrust-worthy, self-centured, and power-hungry. For the most part they could not comprehend how others could be kind, truthful, and self-sacrificing, because they themselves were not. If they had been, they wouldn't have gotten into the business of binding dead soles against their will, robbing graves for dead bodies, or alliing themselves with demons. In this way, they couldn't trust each other, because they beleived everyone to be like themselves. Oh, they always 'knew' that they were better, smarter, more worthy, or other such nonsense, but when it came down to it, they knew that they were liers and cheaters, and so was every other person in their professsion.

This, as one can imagine, did not help them to work together in any-sort of perminant alliance.

:So these Heralds need my help? These alliance lands you describe are not a small bit of land, I will need to take apprentices, if any can be found who have the characteristics that may allow them to learn.: Apprentices...he hadn't had an apprentice in...about seventy-eight years!

:We will do what we can to provide you with what you need.:

:Thank you very much, Aerore...I have known you less than a day, and I would trust you with anything. With everything. I do not know if you will ever understand how you have helped me.: he told her.

:No chosen, thank you.:

:What have I done for you? Why do your kind help us mortals? I can scarcely imagine...I do not understand despite all I know, but I am very greatful.: All of a sudden she let out a chortling whicker that he swore was a laugh. Darkwind and Elspeth turned their heads at the sound but otherwise ignored it...They must be used to it, he thought. He'd already noticed that Elspeth had been in a tight mindspoken conversation with both her mate and her companion, he could "See", in a sight that wasn't really seeing with the eyes at all, the bright neon-blue as the energy passed between them all.

:Chosen...I know none as serious as you. Your going to need to lighten-up. Especially if we find any elligable apprentices among the Herald-trainees. They haven't been taking well too seriousness lately, or so I hear, we've got quite a few tricksters at the collegium these days.:

He couldn't help but grin. Aerore didn't know him that well yet if he thought he'd let a couple of children break him. He'd had many apprentices, seventeen in fact. Some had been meek, and serious, but he'd hade plenty that were not...His green grew wider.

One apprentice he'd had, his name had been Jervahn, was horribly stubborn and arrogant...well, lets say Nekimiyah had cured him of that. Some Masters beleived in Coddling their apprentices to get them on their side (which would inevitably hurt the apprentice), others were harsh and prefered beatings (which was not a good way to keep an apprentice,) and some few managed to beat them down out of the shear force of their personality. Nekimiyah prefered a different approch...

He heard Aerore chortle again as she zero-ed in on a couple of his memeries.

:Ooh, your a sly one chosen: He didn't take offence at all that she was listening to his thoughts, it seemed only natural.

"Nekimiyah! We're coming up on Haven!" Elspeth told him, not in the language most commonly used where he lived, but one he'd learned when he'd accompanied an ambassador, on an embassy to another country, that was quite far from the circle of nations he'd served in. Rethwellan, it was called, and apparantly it still was. It was actually quite by chance that he'd picked it up, and he could blame his near photographic memory that it had stayed in his head. At least it was coming in useful now.

Haven was a large city. He'd seen bigger, and prettier, but Haven seemed to have it's own style, and they way it was laid out would protect the palace from a seige. As the companions silver hooves hit cobblestone they chinked like crystal strinking crystal, making Darkwind's horse sound like the most unsophisticated farm horse. Not that you could here much anyways about the rushing of people.

When they passed through the maze-like streats, nearly every citizen that could spare a moment hailed them with shouts. He couldn't make out anything, but among the words, he did recognize "herald" and "Valdemar". He also thought he heard "hawkbrother", which was what Darkwind had told him was his nationality.

"We're coming up to the palace!" Darkwind told him. He nodded. They passed yet another great wall, (their had been many), and they entered what must have been the area directly around the palace grounds because of the large and costly homes. As they came closer to another wall that apparently surrounded the palace itself, the houses grew older and larger with more land attached.

"Heyla!" Elspeth said to the guard at the gate then continued in Valdemaran, after a moment, they were let in.

Elspeth and Darkwind were mind-speaking again. Probably deciding what to do with him.

Well, it didn't matter. Whatever they decided was not likely to be harmful to him, the companion spirits would make sure of that. Aerore confirmed his thought with a mental nod. Besides, if he didn't like it, he could always leave, not that he wanted to of course, but he could. He could see many wards around the palace, most fairely new by comparison with most of the wards he'd seen that had been put around buildings, and a small object with great power was inside that was nearly blinding him. He might have shut his eyes but that would't have done anygood, instead he sheilded himself slightly so that the constant buzzing and blaring of power, energy and light wouldn't distract him so much.

Besides that there wasn't anything baring him from the nether-planes...

There wasn't anything baring him from the nether-planes. They could be attacked at any moment, why didn't they have sheilds against this?

:Chosen, this is what you are here for. We know nothing of the ways of combating these people. We need your help, desperatly.:

They needed his help more than he thought, if they didn't even have wards that keep people from hopping dimensions. A necromancer could be in the palace right now!

Abruptly they stopped, and servants came to take the horse and the companions away.

:Aerore...:

:Don't worry chosen, I'm going to get a nice rub-down and some food. We are not being seperated.:

He nearly sighed in releif. When he brought his attencion back to the room, he noticed a short woman with a heart shaped face and brunette hair, smiling at them all kindly. Slight waves were coming from her person, but it was nothing anyone could see on the normal plane; the woman was a powerful empath. At least she hadn't tried working anything on him before he'd noticed the white uniform that Elspeth had said all heralds wore, or the strings of energy that ment she was bonded to a companion. She had other strings, but he wasn't quite sure what they were for. But anyways, she would have had a big surprise; mostly in the form of a broken arm or a jolt to the mind that would have knocked her unconsious for a month, depending on how close she was to him.

"Hello", she said in Rethwellian, "I'm Queen's own Herald Talia."

-☼-

Okay, time for responce to reviews.

If you don't want to read this, it's not really anything to do with the story, to but I like to give credit to my reviewers (whom I love!).

Tessabe, Jessie, and Hiro no Tsuki: Thank you guys for reviewing! Yeah, I'm sorry about the month between posts, (was it really a month?), but If you look on my bio page, it gives the reason why. And about the grammer and spelling, I try to fix it whenever I see it, and I go over it all the time, but I still magage to miss stuff! It's not fair. I also put another reason why there are more mistakes than usual at the top of this page.

Cat McDougall: I think this is probably the kindest I've ever gotten! Seriously! Thank you for the good review! I had always wanted to do a story for Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar series but I Never had a story that I thought could do the origional plot credit, so I never bothered to write anything...until now. I try to make the stories my own while still holding true to the characters.

Thanks everyone for reviewing!