Disclaimer: Should I do this in verse? Lemme try. *clears throat* You
shoulda known that I don't own!
Do you REALLY want to subject yourself?
Are you sure?
All right then...if you're sure
Motherly vapours, here we come! Brace yourself!
Muse responsible: Krathnae
:blah: is Mindspeech. [brackets] are Kamaria's thoughts. Should I quit putting those up? You KNOW what they mean by now!
THE POINT OF NO RETURN
You just passed the point of no return! Heh, I've been wanting to do that for a while...
*ducks bricks* OK! I confess! I'm stalling! *ducks sporks* Fine! Subject yourselves!
Have fun!
---------------------------------------------
Sitara glided into the clearing where Lady Amaya and her friends embroidered and tittered over mildly interesting bits of gossip.
Kamaria cleared her throat and sat very straight.
Lady Amaya turned her head-and gasped.
:Brace yourself, loverling...:
Amaya began to cry delicately. "Kamaria! Can it be true-you've been Chosen?"
"Yes Mother. Please don't-"
Amaya went into a full display of featherheaded vapours. "My baby girl-all grown up-Chosen-"
One of the ladies swooped over to her. "You must be so proud!"
Amaya ignored her. Between sobs, she managed to give a slightly hysterical rhetoric:
"You're going to be a Herald-my baby girl-so important-all over the country- but what if you're assigned to Karse?"
The other ladies gasped in unison.
:I wonder how long they practiced that?: said Sitara amiably.
Amaya sobbed harder as Kamaria tried not to wince. "If you're assigned to Karse-you might-my baby girl, going out to fight bad men-"
The rest of her monologue dissolved into hysterical tears.
Kamaria clamped down on the urge to jump off Sitara and run away gibbering. [I can't STAND these vapours.]
:Don't gibber. It wouldn't do any good for the Heraldic image,: said Sitara, wisely, shaking a piece of grain off her muzzle.
Kamaria snorted. :What's that I hear? Instructions on how to keep a good image from a glorified pony who's shaking grain off her muzzle?:
Sitara snorted. :Sarcasm, dear? You need to get better at it.:
Kamaria raised an eyebrow. :Riiiigghtt.:
Amaya began to talk again. "What if-what if my little girl is captured by Sun-Priests? Then they'll-"
Kamaria decided to put an end to this before she did start gibbering. :Mother-:
:Out loud, dearest.:
:Oh. Right.:
"Mother-you're agonizing over things that haven't even happened yet," said Kamaria gently.
"But-"
"Mother, I have it on good authority that I'd make an excellent Herald- Courier. I'm also lifebonded-to another Herald. The Circle will take good care of me, since to lose me would be to also lose Alain."
Amaya snapped out of her histronics. "Who?"
Kamaria started. "The Trainee who rescued me from the Earl-you saw him at the trial."
Amaya frowned. "I don't like that boy. He put you up to running away from a perfectly respectable marriage-"
Kamaria reeled. [What the-]
:Stay calm. I'm here. I'll call in the troops, if need be.:
:Thanks, Blue-eye.:
"Mother, Alain did not put me up to running away! I was the one who ran away. He's the one who came after me-and luckily he did, or I would have been trapped with no hope of rescue!"
Amaya stood, vapours forgotten. "Kamaria Aysel Selena Chantrea! You are NOT saying that you ran from a marriage that took me months to design! Why, it took me five weeks to convince the Earl alone!"
Kamaria shook inside. :Whoo! Vapoury mouse to cornered badger-what a skitzo.: said Sitara.
:What's a skitzo?: (AN: Sitara picked it up in Bermud-I mean, the HAVENS.)
:Um...nevermind.:
Kamaria sat straighter, if that was possible, and looked down at her mother. "Mother, the marriage was entirely unsuitable. The Earl is a greasy cheating git, and besides, I'm lifebonded to Alain. Don't tell me you didn't know that."
Amaya's eyes widened. "How dare you say that about the Ear-did you say lifebonded?"
Sitara nudged Kamaria's mind. :I've called in Alain and Ramya. They're coming.:
:Good. I need reinforcements.:
"Yes, Mother, I said lifebonded."
"Like Sunsinger and Shadowdancer? Like Vanyel and Stefen? Like-"
"Yes, Mother. Lifebonded. Weren't you paying attention at the trial?"
Amaya shifted. "Of course not. I was too-distressed-" she began to display vapours again.
Kamaria stared. :Do you think someone did something to her? I've never seen her act this way...:
Sitara looked at Amaya. :Um, you mean she usually isn't this way?:
:No...she was violently featherheaded, but she had little temper...:
:I have no clue. I'll mention it to someone.:
Alain brushed Kamaria's mind with :Hard to Speak you right now-too far away- coming.:
Kamaria "shouted" in that direction. :Thanks!:
:Ow-softer next time, be-: he faded out.
:Did he just say what I think her said?: asked Kamaria.
:Beloved? Yup. I can hear him fine.:
Kamaria blinked blankly for several seconds. (Try saying that five times fast! Blink blankly. Blink blankly. Blink blanky-oh, nevermind.)
Ramya trotted into the clearing to stand beside Sitara. Alain looked at Kamaria's mother. :I think she's forgotten why I was called in-shall we take the opportunity to go?:
:Sure,: Spoke Kamaria unthinkingly.
:Easier to Speak you when we're so close together, don't you think?:
:Oh! Right! Sorry, I've been subjected to vapours for too long...:
:Let's go.:
Ramya and Sitara turned and ambled out of the clearing.
Once in the cleared fields, they broke into a gallop.
Kamaria clung to Sitara's mane, leaning forward and moving with her.
[Never went this fast on Switch...]
:Of course not. She's a mere HORSE.:
Kamaria realized something. :Eavesdropper!:
:Well, you aren't exactly shielding...:
:Oh. Sorry.:
:Doesn't matter.:
Ramya galloped beside Sitara, matching their paces.
"Once we're done with training, we can switch Companions mid-gallop!" shouted Alain.
"Why not right now?" retorted Kamaria, moving so she sat sidesaddle-on the right side of Sitara.
Alain stood on Ramya's back, then jumped carefully-
Sitara grunted as he landed and Kamaria leapt for Ramya.
Ramya was taller, but Kamaria managed to pull herself up.
:Let's not do that till you've had the training, all right?: asked a Mind- voice-not Sitara's or Alain's.
:You're Speaking to me?: said Kamaria incredulously.
Ramya snorted. :Why not? You're my Chosen's lifebonded. Why wouldn't I, is really the question.:
They slowed to a walk, and Alain and Kamaria switched back to their respective Companions.
:What are we waiting for? Lets go Festing!: said Sitara.
---------------------------------------------------------
Oioioi...all in all, a weird chappie...yeah.
Mandy: Hope you liked...
Herald-Mage Brianna: Sorry it's been so long, but first I went to camp, then Krathnae went on strike...but he's happy now, since you're all scratching his crest...
*Krathnae falls over from bliss*
Hmm...as you can see...
As always, review! Have pie!
~Fireblade
Do you REALLY want to subject yourself?
Are you sure?
All right then...if you're sure
Motherly vapours, here we come! Brace yourself!
Muse responsible: Krathnae
:blah: is Mindspeech. [brackets] are Kamaria's thoughts. Should I quit putting those up? You KNOW what they mean by now!
THE POINT OF NO RETURN
You just passed the point of no return! Heh, I've been wanting to do that for a while...
*ducks bricks* OK! I confess! I'm stalling! *ducks sporks* Fine! Subject yourselves!
Have fun!
---------------------------------------------
Sitara glided into the clearing where Lady Amaya and her friends embroidered and tittered over mildly interesting bits of gossip.
Kamaria cleared her throat and sat very straight.
Lady Amaya turned her head-and gasped.
:Brace yourself, loverling...:
Amaya began to cry delicately. "Kamaria! Can it be true-you've been Chosen?"
"Yes Mother. Please don't-"
Amaya went into a full display of featherheaded vapours. "My baby girl-all grown up-Chosen-"
One of the ladies swooped over to her. "You must be so proud!"
Amaya ignored her. Between sobs, she managed to give a slightly hysterical rhetoric:
"You're going to be a Herald-my baby girl-so important-all over the country- but what if you're assigned to Karse?"
The other ladies gasped in unison.
:I wonder how long they practiced that?: said Sitara amiably.
Amaya sobbed harder as Kamaria tried not to wince. "If you're assigned to Karse-you might-my baby girl, going out to fight bad men-"
The rest of her monologue dissolved into hysterical tears.
Kamaria clamped down on the urge to jump off Sitara and run away gibbering. [I can't STAND these vapours.]
:Don't gibber. It wouldn't do any good for the Heraldic image,: said Sitara, wisely, shaking a piece of grain off her muzzle.
Kamaria snorted. :What's that I hear? Instructions on how to keep a good image from a glorified pony who's shaking grain off her muzzle?:
Sitara snorted. :Sarcasm, dear? You need to get better at it.:
Kamaria raised an eyebrow. :Riiiigghtt.:
Amaya began to talk again. "What if-what if my little girl is captured by Sun-Priests? Then they'll-"
Kamaria decided to put an end to this before she did start gibbering. :Mother-:
:Out loud, dearest.:
:Oh. Right.:
"Mother-you're agonizing over things that haven't even happened yet," said Kamaria gently.
"But-"
"Mother, I have it on good authority that I'd make an excellent Herald- Courier. I'm also lifebonded-to another Herald. The Circle will take good care of me, since to lose me would be to also lose Alain."
Amaya snapped out of her histronics. "Who?"
Kamaria started. "The Trainee who rescued me from the Earl-you saw him at the trial."
Amaya frowned. "I don't like that boy. He put you up to running away from a perfectly respectable marriage-"
Kamaria reeled. [What the-]
:Stay calm. I'm here. I'll call in the troops, if need be.:
:Thanks, Blue-eye.:
"Mother, Alain did not put me up to running away! I was the one who ran away. He's the one who came after me-and luckily he did, or I would have been trapped with no hope of rescue!"
Amaya stood, vapours forgotten. "Kamaria Aysel Selena Chantrea! You are NOT saying that you ran from a marriage that took me months to design! Why, it took me five weeks to convince the Earl alone!"
Kamaria shook inside. :Whoo! Vapoury mouse to cornered badger-what a skitzo.: said Sitara.
:What's a skitzo?: (AN: Sitara picked it up in Bermud-I mean, the HAVENS.)
:Um...nevermind.:
Kamaria sat straighter, if that was possible, and looked down at her mother. "Mother, the marriage was entirely unsuitable. The Earl is a greasy cheating git, and besides, I'm lifebonded to Alain. Don't tell me you didn't know that."
Amaya's eyes widened. "How dare you say that about the Ear-did you say lifebonded?"
Sitara nudged Kamaria's mind. :I've called in Alain and Ramya. They're coming.:
:Good. I need reinforcements.:
"Yes, Mother, I said lifebonded."
"Like Sunsinger and Shadowdancer? Like Vanyel and Stefen? Like-"
"Yes, Mother. Lifebonded. Weren't you paying attention at the trial?"
Amaya shifted. "Of course not. I was too-distressed-" she began to display vapours again.
Kamaria stared. :Do you think someone did something to her? I've never seen her act this way...:
Sitara looked at Amaya. :Um, you mean she usually isn't this way?:
:No...she was violently featherheaded, but she had little temper...:
:I have no clue. I'll mention it to someone.:
Alain brushed Kamaria's mind with :Hard to Speak you right now-too far away- coming.:
Kamaria "shouted" in that direction. :Thanks!:
:Ow-softer next time, be-: he faded out.
:Did he just say what I think her said?: asked Kamaria.
:Beloved? Yup. I can hear him fine.:
Kamaria blinked blankly for several seconds. (Try saying that five times fast! Blink blankly. Blink blankly. Blink blanky-oh, nevermind.)
Ramya trotted into the clearing to stand beside Sitara. Alain looked at Kamaria's mother. :I think she's forgotten why I was called in-shall we take the opportunity to go?:
:Sure,: Spoke Kamaria unthinkingly.
:Easier to Speak you when we're so close together, don't you think?:
:Oh! Right! Sorry, I've been subjected to vapours for too long...:
:Let's go.:
Ramya and Sitara turned and ambled out of the clearing.
Once in the cleared fields, they broke into a gallop.
Kamaria clung to Sitara's mane, leaning forward and moving with her.
[Never went this fast on Switch...]
:Of course not. She's a mere HORSE.:
Kamaria realized something. :Eavesdropper!:
:Well, you aren't exactly shielding...:
:Oh. Sorry.:
:Doesn't matter.:
Ramya galloped beside Sitara, matching their paces.
"Once we're done with training, we can switch Companions mid-gallop!" shouted Alain.
"Why not right now?" retorted Kamaria, moving so she sat sidesaddle-on the right side of Sitara.
Alain stood on Ramya's back, then jumped carefully-
Sitara grunted as he landed and Kamaria leapt for Ramya.
Ramya was taller, but Kamaria managed to pull herself up.
:Let's not do that till you've had the training, all right?: asked a Mind- voice-not Sitara's or Alain's.
:You're Speaking to me?: said Kamaria incredulously.
Ramya snorted. :Why not? You're my Chosen's lifebonded. Why wouldn't I, is really the question.:
They slowed to a walk, and Alain and Kamaria switched back to their respective Companions.
:What are we waiting for? Lets go Festing!: said Sitara.
---------------------------------------------------------
Oioioi...all in all, a weird chappie...yeah.
Mandy: Hope you liked...
Herald-Mage Brianna: Sorry it's been so long, but first I went to camp, then Krathnae went on strike...but he's happy now, since you're all scratching his crest...
*Krathnae falls over from bliss*
Hmm...as you can see...
As always, review! Have pie!
~Fireblade