Welcome to the 4th installment.

Hope you enjoy!

After going to all the right places, saying a few good-byes, and saddling up, Cole and Kori were ready to race the wind. It felt good to be outside of Haven, away from the places where Grith and Kori had made countless memories alone and with friends.

The air felt freer and less bound, fresh and new, not old, stuffy and smelling of the crush of bodies. Once out of the city, Cole ran at top speed for a few Candlemarks just for the hey and joy of it. Then, with Cole barely winded and Kori puffing for breath, settled down to business. "We need to deliver Lord Varsy a letter from Lord Ensley; it's about some sort of agreement. It needs to be delivered directly to Ensley's grubby little fingers. We'll also need to wait for a reply, if there is one. You're to be on your best behavior—no riling up their mares like you did last time, please. Henson didn't like having to calm them all down, and I couldn't get them to listen. Also, don't kill their littles please. Their just curious, if you feel the need to, tell me and I'll address the fact to either Varsy or Alayna." Kori told her Companion, just to help him keep in mind that they were at Forest Reach on business, not as a fun-jaunt.

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They arrived at Forest Reach in their best time and were greeted with open arms and warm smiles. The festivities didn't die down after Kori told why we were there, either. This fact was helped by the fact that it was a local festival time. The village's town square was packed with various peddlers selling all sorts of wonderful and surprising things.

Varsy did have Kori wait for a reply, but he stretched the reply time to the utmost to give Cole and the Herald bit of time to join the festivities. Kori bought some trinkets for Jason and Brooke's two kids as well as gifts for her friends. She would have bought her family gifts, but they had all died in a bad bout of illness that had swept the countryside the year over a year ago.

Once the reply was finished, Cole and Kori once again raced off to deliver the message to Lord Ensley, who was now at his estate. The trip took slightly longer than a week, but Cole sprained a tendon on the second day of the trip, so they had to take it slower. Once at the estate, Lord Ensley informed them that he would not have need of Kori's services anymore, and so Cole and his Chosen made their way back to Haven.

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It was a cold and sleety night when Cole and his Herald arrived back in Haven, five years after the anniversary of Grith's death. The cool breezes and warm days of summer and autumn were over. It was now the time of harsh winds, frozen nights and nasty days. It was Kori's least favorite time of the year, and she was out in it. They all but ran through the streets of Haven, just to get to warm beds.

The fire in the Companion's barn was bright and cheery, but most of all warm and comforting. Kori untacked Cole and rubbed him down extra carefully, then covered him with a warm blanket and gave him some warm mash. "Sleep well, friend." She told him before she darted from the barn to the collogium. She was met with an icy blast of freezing snow and sleet when she stepped outside and almost stayed in the barn with Cole, except that she had told Tolie, via Companion-speak, that she would help her with a couple of her students tonight. Kori managed to open and close the doors to the main hallway without letting too much heat out. From the doors to her rooms, she made a mad dash, eager to get out of her travel-stained, wet, freezing Whites and into her warm, soft, fuzzy lounging clothes.

As Kori rounded the last corner, she ran right into someone, who sent her back the way she had came and landed on her rear, which was slightly sore from Cole fooling around earlier that day.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't see you, I was in such a hurry," a male voice apologized. "Here, let me help you up." Holding out his hand, which Kori grabbed a hold of; he pulled her up to stand right in front of him. "Let me introduce myself, I'm Luthe. You're Kori, I know. You were in the class ahead of me."

Kori just stood there, rubbing her bruised posterior. Luthe was a tall man, Kori's head came up to just under his shoulder. He had deep brown eyes that had laugh lines around them, and his mouth was just the right size and was surrounded by laugh lines. His hair was a light blonde-brown color and he was clean-shaven.

"May I take you to your room?" He asked, his voice was rich and smooth.

"I…uh…It's in the wrong direction. You were headed out, weren't you?" Kori asked, none to smoothly.

"What business I had can wait for the moment, Kori. I believe that right now, getting you to your room and warm is slightly more important." He started walking in the direction of Kori's room, "now, which one is it?"

"This one," she replied when they were right in front of it. Kori's heart was beating a mile a minute. He was so…indescribable. Kori opened the door and waited a few moments for the stale air to be replaced by the fresh, new air. "Ah, please, come in." The sodden Herald walked over to her old wooden chair and dropped her saddlebags onto it.

"Please, I would love to stay, but I fear you are tired and my business a waits…can I beg your pardon?" Luthe asked, Kori later found out that he was ever the gentleman. Kori nodded her thanks and closed the door behind him. :Cole?: She sent a quiet enquiry, but Cole was already asleep. Her room was cold, though there was a fire going in the fire place, and she was getting chilled from her wet Whites. The girl quickly changed into an old pair of breeches and tunic, pulled on some warm slippers and walked across the hall to Tolie and Markus' suite.

After knocking softly, she opened the door and let herself in. "Good to see you Tolie," Kori greeted Tolie. She was seated by and old chair near the fireplace and was knitting. "You said you were having some trouble with Mahaska?"

Thanks for reading!

Kyn!