(Disclaimer: I do not own the world of Valdemar, the characters associated with it, or anything else from that series.)

Lauren stepped inside the stables and was met with a stern visage. She figured this was Savil. Herald-Mage. Whatever. She did have to admit that the lady did make her shiver a little. Savil reminded her of a female version of He-Man: strong and willful and a little scary. Only Lauren doubted that Savil had ever heard of He-Man, let alone She-Ra. She could hear Arvlen wondering in the back of her mind about He-Man and She-Ra. She wondered herself how she could explain the concept of Saturday morning cartoons to him. She wasn't given the opportunity to think too much on it, for Savil interrupted her mental train of thought.

"So, you are Lauren, the new Trainee?" At her nod, Savil continued, "You are to be trained here now, understand? While here in Haven you will wear Trainee Grays, not these barbaric things. You will attend the normal classes that the Trainees take. Do you know how to read and write?" Lauren started to nod then realized she might not be able to read and write their language.

:Uh... Arvlen? I don't really know if I can read this language or not. What am I supposed to do?:

:Answer with the truth: that you are from a different country. If you really can read and write Valdemaran, then you have no need to worry. Savil would understand, I think. Trust her, Chosen, she knows what she's doing.: Lauren sighed at this, but cleared her throat and replied as honestly as she could.

"I'm not from around here, so I'm not sure I can read Valdemaran or not. I can read and write English, but I'm not sure if it's the same thing as Valdemaran." Savil knotted her eyebrows, and then seemed to be speaking with her Companion nodding slightly. She pulled out a folded letter.

"Here, tell me if you can read this." Lauren nodded and opened the letter, which had the name of Lord Withen, whoever the heck that was, on it. She found she actually could read the outdated parchment letter. But, out of some strange regard for this Savil's privacy, she read no further than was necessary. It just seemed wrong to pry into her life. As she handed the letter back she wondered if she was stuck in some freakish wannabe Renaissance England land. C'mon, parchment?

"I can read it. I guess I know more than I thought I did."

"That's much the case. But, Kellan tells me you have the Mage-Gift. That means you need a mentor..." She paused for a moment, "Either Herald-Mage Jaysen or me. Let me check the strength of your gift, just relax and look into my eyes." Lauren felt an odd tickling sensation, but otherwise she didn't notice much of whatever it was that Savil was doing to her head. Mind. Whatever. Thoughts of Vulcan mind-melds flitted through her head, bringing with it visions of pompous Shatner and "boldly going where no one has gone before." She mentally giggled.

"Well, you're powerful all right, but in the extreme, and I'm losing my extra room to my nephew, so I think I shall hand you over to Jaysen. Follow me, please." Savil nodded towards the door and strode over to it, Lauren in her wake.



After meeting with Herald-Mage Jaysen, Lauren was brought to the Dean of the Collegium. There she told him the basics of her situation, how much she knew, etc. By the end she was starting to feel like she was being put through the Spanish Inquisition. Then she heard a bell which apparently was the dinner bell, but before she could eat, she had to change her clothes. It wasn't too odd that they didn't approve of her shorts and soccer cleats. After all, she didn't like the things too much either. She was only too happy to change into the weird grey tunic thing and pants. They also gave her Robin Hood-esque boots. She looked in the long mirror in the weird communal bath (got to get used to that...) and saw that she looked like she'd ran down a RenFaire minstrel and stolen his clothes, sans the poet's shirt. Ah, well, could be worse. I could be stuck in a cheerleading uniform.

:Cheerleaders? What's that?: Arvlen asked curiously. Lauren grinned, and wondered how to explain to him the vilest of beings to ever grace the campus of any high school.

:Well, they're teenage girls who think they rule the world, but don't. They're just really annoying girls. Their sole purpose in life is to get into the male sports teams pants, after cheering them on at a game.:

:Oh, that's interesting. You can go to the dining hall now. Do not be nervous, the Trainees are very friendly. Come, I shall show you the way.: Again, that weird tickly feeling, vaguely resembling someone lightly touching your feet; then she knew where to go.

:Thanks.:

:You're welcome. What is a He-Man and a She-Ra? Are they heroes in your land?: Arvlen was curious as a kid presented with a huge wrapped present. It was almost annoying, but somehow endearing at the same time.

:No, they aren't heroes. They are characters in a fictitious story. Save the world and all that. I used to have to watch it in the mornings with my brother. It was really stupid, I didn't really like it.:

:Watch? I thought you said they were from a story. You cannot watch a book. Or do you do that in your country?: Lauren turned a corner, and pondered how to explain the basic gist of television.

:Well, it's like a... a play of sorts. Only it's in a box, that you turn on.:

:Like a puppet show? I love puppet shows... they're so ingenious.: Arvlen said. Lauren sighed. It would have to do for know.

:Yeah, like a puppet show.:

She opened a big door, and found herself in a large room full of benches, tables, people, and most importantly, food. Lauren walked towards a bench with an empty seat and friendly faces. She politely asked the blonde guy if anyone was sitting there and was cheerfully told no.



"So, you're new?" She nodded at the guys query. He grinned, "I'm Tylendel."

"Lauren. I've never been in this country before, is it nice? Good government?" She might as well ask a native, and this Tylendel seemed nice. So she sat there and listened to his description of Valdemar, eating food she wasn't used too. He had a humorous streak that reminded her of her friend Eric. She got a little homesick then, but at that point Tylendel had reached a question of what her gifts were and then that started a whole long discussion on magic and she had to admit, she was kinda excited about it. It might have just been Tylendel's infectious attitude, or maybe her brain really had turned to cottage cheese and she was slowing losing her mind.