Disclaimer: Mercedes Lackey owns all things pertaining to Valdemar, Velgarth, Heralds and Companions. I do not.
A/N: Next chapter. Yep, still in a bad mood.
Chapter 6: Boredom Galore
Could one go completely insane being surrounded by fantasy novel characters? Yes, I say. Most definitely yes! I speak from first hand knowledge. Quite frankly even with all I had found to fulfill my time, I was bored. First they wouldn't let me off the Palace grounds, and I always had an escort, no matter where I went. Now, depending on where I was going, that escort might have had two feet or four. I wasn't allowed to move out of the salle, even though I had asked to move into Firesong's old ekele. No one answered any of my questions. And would you believe that they wouldn't let me into the Library? All I wanted to do was fill in the gaps that Mercedes Lackey had left.
Basically, I was stuck, shoved to the side and forgotten, while they all waited to see what the Adept would say. Frankly, I was curious to hear what he had to say myself. Still, a little bit of freedom or at least the ability to do something beyond walk, eat and wood crave would have been nice.
So, here I sat on yet another pretty summer day, carving on one of the wood scraps I'd been given. Several others sat in my room already finished, except for the final sanding that I worked on in the evenings. I had also wanted to go to the library to see if there were any pictures of some of the other races (kyree, hertasi etc) so that I would have something to go on for a model. I had seen the two gryphons that were teachers at the Mage School. I'd even seen both of them in flight. I had a pretty good memory as I mentioned before and had roughed in shapes on several blocks of wood.
Right now I was working on a relief of a dyheli. It was the one race I remembered from the books that I'd retained a pretty good picture of in my head. My knife took off piece after small piece of wood as Kantor grazed near by. None of the others save Jasan ever came near me. I didn't try to entice them, respecting their wishes. They were after all former Heralds.
Did I tell them that I knew that? Hell no. I wasn't about to break their Silence or whatever. Might get me kicked. I didn't need any injuries thanks. The nicks and slices I got from carving were bad enough.
I looked over and saw several Blues arguing over my beam yet again. I sighed to myself and turned back to my carving. Who would have thought that such a simple thing as a balance beam would cause such trouble? My attention, however, had been diverted just enough. Another red line appeared on my thumb. Swearing, I dropped the carving. With a small scrap of cloth, clean, since the Healers insisted, I wrapped the latest of quite a few cuts and picked up the relief once again. I really needed some chisels.
I looked down at my carving critically. I shaved off yet another piece from one of the front legs and looked again. Ahh now they were equal. Somewhere behind me a bell rang. Kantor looked up and came over to nuzzle me. I nodded and put all my things away in the bag that I'd made. It was time to go in.
That was a good thing I found. The Companions didn't Speak to me at all. They sure had a way of making you know what they wanted though. My life was now dictated by the bells and white horses.
It had become a routine for me, a very dull routine. I was up with the bell in the morning and ate breakfast with Alberich's silent company. Then I was free to do as I wished for the entire day. Supposedly. I had yet to figure out just what I could do beyond walking, eating and wood carving.
To make my point: I had wandered over to the Royal Stables one morning and asked if I could borrow a mount. THAT almost got me confined to the salle for the rest of the day. So this is what I did all day: breakfast with Alberich, then take my carvings and find a shady spot under a tree until lunch. Then lunch with either Alberich or Dirk depending, then back under a tree or wandering around looking for deadfall wood. After that, more carving and a bath at Heralds since most weren't using them then and then dinner after which I was confined to the salle until the next morning. Not exactly a glamorous life was it?
I'm going to admit a couple things here that you might find odd but they'll come clear as time goes on. First, I don't care how Lackey described him, Alberich is one fine specimen of human male. I can say that because I've lived in the salle for the last month with him. I'd caught him a couple times with no shirt and (imagine the Halleluiah Chorus here) he is fine! Next, these Herald Trainees are old! It's like the minute they get Chosen they age five or six years. Or even ten in some cases. I don't care what they're actual age is, by the time they get here, they're a lot more grown up then before they got Chosen. I'd seen several Companions go out and a couple come back in with their newly Chosen, so I knew what I was talking about.
Also, I know why Lackey wrote the Heralds as she did. They seemed to have an undeniable authority about them. It radiated from them and affected everyone around them so that they were almost naturally deferred to. It was odd. But I'd seen several hard cases even defer to them. So, it was true.
That being said, I'll gladly admit I wasn't one of them. I deferred to them because, even if it was only technically, I was a prisoner. Granted, my cell was the salle or the Field. They were still cells. I needed something to do beyond what they allowed. Hells at this point, I was willing to act as a training dummy for the Trainees. Just anything for the break in monotony.
I was going insane. Mr. Personality (Alberich) refused to answer any question I asked him. That's including to teach me Karsite. None of the Trainees would speak to me. The Healers had given me a clean bill of health the second day I was conscious.
I gathered up my bag and trudged back to the salle. Since I was confined to it in the evenings I saved all my sanding until then. I put my bag down in my room and grabbed a piece and a piece of sanding tile and went back out into the common room and sat facing the fire. They couldn't say I was anything but obedient. Still, I was weary of being stuck on Palace grounds.
I was used to being active and doing things as I wanted to. At home after I had gotten the children to school, picked up and vacuumed I had the entire day to do as I pleased until 2pm. Here I was stuck with what they allowed me to do. And they weren't allowing me to do anything. My beam should be ready in the morning and then that would give me something to do. Still, being stuck here was starting to grate on my nerves .Not everyday you had a chance to see something you had only read of. Now that chance seemed to be slipping through my fingers.
Alberich came in carrying our dinner as I sat ruminating. I put down the carving that I had been sanding and washed my hands in the pan of water in my room. I sat at the table and dished out food for both of us as he cleaned up. I never asked what he did during the day, still unsure of where I stood with him.
Dinner was passed in silence and I retired to back in front of the fire to work on my carving. He sat beside me and opened a book. I didn't know whether he was stuck here with me or if he continued his work in Haven for Selenay. Tonight I didn't care. I put down the carving and stared at him until he looked over at me. "I don't know what you guys think I represent, but look, I'm bored! I need something to do besides carving and watching." I looked at the fire. "All I want is to be able to ride and maybe go into Haven. Please."
I hated pleading, but being quiet and obedient hadn't gotten me anywhere at all. Maybe shoving down his throat that I was still a human being, for all that I was a prisoner, would work.
He looked at me. I could see him studying me out of the corner of my eye. "Go into Haven you may not." He put his book down and I looked at him. "Ride I see about will. Nothing decided yet has been." He picked up his book again and went back to what he was reading, leaving me to stew in silence.
Well, I wasn't very happy about the not going into Haven part, but at least I might be able to go riding. That was something at least. My next thought, though, would require some fancy verbal footwork. That was something I wasn't very good at.
My next need was defense. I mean lets be honest here. I knew a bit of hand to hand self defense (with 7 older brothers, how could I not?) but I really needed some teaching. I glanced at Alberich and saw him reading. I thought that maybe that night wasn't the best time to ask about it.
The next day, Alberich was as good as his word. I came outside seeing a horse saddled and waiting for me. I sighed with pleasure and put down my pack on the inside of the door. I climbed into the saddle and turned toward the equitation courses that the Trainees used. Warming up myself and the horse, we trotted towards the course.
Sitting in my saddle I looked over the course, before trying to attempt it. It had been a long while since I'd done any sort of riding at all, let alone actual course riding. I walked her around it once, getting a feel for it. Then, with a grimace, knowing how sore I would be after this, we began.
It was clear this early in the morning and I gladly worked the horse over it only once. It really was a tough course designed for Companions in communion with their Chosen. As I was cooling my horse down, before taking her back to the Royal Stables, I saw a Herald and Companion sitting and watching us. With her long blonde hair and athletic build, I guessed who she was. "Captain Kerowyn, Companion Sayvil." I said, in greeting. Kero nodded back at me as did her Companion. I turned my horse towards the Royal Stables and they fell into step beside me. "Can I help you?" I asked as we walked.
Kero shrugged. "I just wanted to see the person causing so much fuss here in Haven. You don't look so dangerous."
I snorted out a laugh. "Dangerous? No. Unheard of, never seen before, an enigma, those are what I am." She nodded and waited mounted while I returned my mount to the stables.
How in hell could I be dangerous? I don't have any weapons beyond my belt dagger. I don't know any hand to hand. Frankly, (and the thought frightened me) I was a sitting duck if anyone wanted to come knock me off and get me out of the way. The only danger I represented was with my tongue. Alright, granted that was a rather sharp bladed instrument, still I kept it behind my teeth, most of the time.
I took my horse into the stables and looked for an empty stall. An older man came up to me and smiled. "How'd she do for ye?" He asked as he took the reins for me.
"Smooth as silk," I answered truthfully. "She's a beautiful horse in many ways," he nodded and began to lead her away. "If there are any not getting exercised, I'll gladly work with them." He nodded and turned away. I sincerely hoped he'd take me up on that. I didn't mind working. At least working with horses was something I knew.
When I got back outside, Kero had dismounted and was waiting for me. She fell into step with me when I walked back toward the salle. I could tell Sayvil was listening as well. "You are right about many things," Kero said as we walked. "You cause many problems for many people. The question I have is what do you intend to do here?"
Several things flashed across my mind quickly. One was that I intended to go try out my new balance beam. The next was that I also intended to drool rather messily over a certain Healing Adept once he got here. Then again, I was pretty sure that wasn't what she had in mind.
Directness was something I have always appreciated but she asked the one question that I could not answer, not really. "I don't know. I don't know how I got here. I don't know what I am supposed to do now." By then we had made it to the salle. I reached in through the door and grabbed my bag. Swinging it up on my shoulder, I trudged toward the back where my beam was set up. Dropping my pack I climbed up on it and began stretching a bit. I could feel Kero watching me but I had no intention of telling her anything else. I didn't have the answer she wanted and could think of nothing else to say. As I began my routine, I heard her walk away, with Sayvil's chiming hooves following her.
I blanked out and just concentrated on a very simple routine that stretched me out and worked me only a little, since I had gotten away from my workout routines at home. I had worked up a slight sweat when I finally quit. I walked about a bit noticing that I had no visible followers but I knew that if I dared try go anywhere, someone would stop me. Instead, I walked until I had cooled a bit and then found my usual tree to sit under so I could carve and watch the foals playing in Companion's field. I worked on one of my carvings of a Companion foal. I saw the one I had based the carving on and studied the young colt for a while before turning back to the carving.
I hoped they didn't mind, but really they were the only subjects I had to work with right now. I'd seen a kyree running around here, but hadn't gotten up the guts to ask him if I could carve him. Or her, or it. Well, you get the picture. I was actually being careful to not tread on any toes.
Twilight found me still there. Kantor had wandered over sometime during the day. He had kept me company, though we couldn't talk to each other. I often talked out loud to him. He would give me odd looks or snort occasionally to let me know he was still listening. As the bells rang for dinner, and I cleaned up, he came over to nose me a bit to remind me I hadn't brought him anything lately in the way of a treat. I smiled and scratched behind his ear and promised to bring him one.
Sure enough, when I brought out the apple to him, he munched it happily before giving me another nuzzle, then trotting away.
That night was the same as all the others. I did manage to say thank you to Alberich, who just took it as his due and left it alone. I went to bed knowing that with the arrival of Kero, a decision was closer in coming.