Hey! I'm actually updating again! Yet! Go me!
Disclaimer: If you think I own/Mercedes Lackey's writings/Then you have issues.
Like my disclaiming haiku?
Muse responsible: Krathnae. He's being a good muse now. *scratches crest* All is officially forgiven! And that does include you, Scheherezade.
And this picks up right where we left off, to completely erase any suspicions of the matchmaking Companions. At the characters' request.
-----------------------------------------------------
Alain lifted his lips away from Kamaria's. For a moment, all she could do was look at him-silver eyes meeting bluish green.
The shadows were deepening rapidly as the sun set behind the Palace. Kamaria at last took a bit of initiative and brushed her lips against Alain's. "Wish granted," she murmured.
The timeless moment was shattered by the evening bell. Startled, the couple instinctively looked in the direction of the Collegium.
Alain stood first and offered his hand to Kamaria. She took it and stood with his aid.
Kamaria didn't let go of his hand as he turned, instead falling into step with him.
The physical contact was easy and comfortable as they strolled towards the Collegium.
As they emerged from the trees, Kamaria glimpsed Sitara, standing in a small group with a few other Companions. She waved with her free hand at Sitara, but Sitara ignored her.
Perhaps because technically, she was facing away from her Chosen...
Kamaria let it go. There were a few other Trainees wandering back towards the Collegium, called by the bell.
"I'll have to wish on stars more often," said Alain as they reached the fence. Kamaria let go of his hand to duck through the posts.
"Yes," said Kamaria, gazing upwards. The stars were a bit less visible here, since there were lanterns about, but they were no doubt shining.
As they reached the different staircases, Kamaria hesitated.
Rising onto her toes, she brushed another kiss along Alain's cheek before beginning the ascent to her room.
Alain stood for a moment, a hand involuntarily raised to the cheek she had kissed.
Shaking himself out of it, he turned to his staircases and took the opportunity to Bespeak Ramya.
:You there, love?:
:Are you sure this is the right connection?: said Ramya, contriving to sound innocent.
:Don't make assumptions, horse.:
:Ooh, someone's defensive...: his Companion teased.
:Don't. Just-don't. We're not...like that yet. I don't think she's ready. I'm not ready, come to think of that.:
He could Sense Ramya considering this as he entered his room. :I suppose that's wise,: she conceded, reluctantly.
Then, unexpectedly-:Do you intend to marry her?:
Alain stood in the center of his room, one hand extended to light a candle from the ember in the fireplace. :Who else would I marry?: he asked, rather sharper than he intended to.
:Sorry.: This time, Ramya did sound apologetic. :It was just a thought.:
:I think,: said Alain, firmly, :That I am going go take my bath. And then write that History essay. And then sleep.:
:You're forgetting Logic and Oration.:
:Ah, damn, that treatise is due tomorrow, isn't it?:
:Well, it's half-done already...:
:I am going to go take my bath, write my History essay, finish my Logic and Oration treatise, and then sleep. Happy?:
:Good night, Chosen.:
:Good night, love.:
Kamaria hurried into the bathroom and looked around. Most of the baths were unoccupied as of yet-most of the Trainees had taken their free time to visit with their Companions.
Undressing, she tossed the Grays down the laundry chute and chose a bath. Turning a faucet, she stuck her hand under the stream. When it had warmed to her preferred temperature, Kamaria waited as the tub filled and got in.
She mused over the events in Companion's Field as she scrubbed. [Wishing on a star...I'll have to remember that. And wish some more. My childhood wishes came true, after all...]
Kamaria smiled as she rinsed herself off. [In a way, I even have two Companions...Sitara and Ramya. After all, it's said that lifebonded are one, on some level...]
Finishing, Kamaria drained the tub and toweled off, heading back to her room after stuffing it down the chute.
She sat down at her desk and stared at her Maths book.
[I guess I do have to do this...] she thought, opening the Maths book and beginning that night's problems.
They didn't take that long to finish-though the problems were rather difficult, there were only three of them. Her next piece of work was a History exercise she hadn't even looked at yet.
[Well...nothing else to do, and-oh. It's due tomorrow. Oops.] Kamaria bit her lip and opened the book. The page with the instructions fell out.
Bending over, Kamaria picked it up and read over it, her lips moving as her brow furrowed.
"Study the Lord-Marshal's plan for taking back possession of Sweetsprings on page 276. As you know, we lost three companies of Guards and seventeen Heralds-"Kamaria winced-"in that poorly-planned maneuver. Given the three Companies and the ten original Heralds assigned, with the Gifts listed on the back side of this sheet, draw out a new military plan. We will discuss how this would have worked based on the typical Karsite methods of fighting on the day this is due. Please draw your plan on the map on the other given page, and include a written explanation."
Kamaria opened the book to page 276 and looked at the map, pulling out the copy.
She winced as she read down the totals of casualties. Seventeen Heralds- all the original ten, then four who had ridden in to rescue, two Herald- Couriers caught in the crossfire, and one who had died on the way back from a spying mission. Then, of course, there were the Guards...
"So I have three Companies and ten Heralds..." muttered Kamaria. "Karsites- two horse, two foot, and four Sunpriests..."
Kamaria bent over the paper, absorbed, her pen flying. [I remember Father talking about this...um...he mentioned...]
Her mind carrying on an internal dialogue, she wrote.
It didn't take her very long, surprisingly. Kamaria stared at the paper- eight simple, curving lines. One for each of the three Companies, and five for the Heralds, three paired, two solo, and two remaining at their stations. [It's too simple.]
She spent a while writing out her explanation-that, at least, was average size, and went to bed, still wondering about it.
Kamaria awoke the next morning a bit earlier than the bell. As she wandered out the door to use the privy, a Heraldic-Trainee meandered from her neighbor's room.
This wouldn't have been unusual...except that this Trainee was a boy. He stared at Kamaria, slowly flushing red. "Um...please don't mention this..." he muttered, scurrying down the hall.
[Ye gods, I was absorbed. Three, four candlemarks-and that going on right next door-and I didn't even notice-] thought Kamaria, turning red herself.
She wandered to the breakfast-table in the common-room and took some bread and fruit. Spotting Alain a few tables away, Kamaria went over and sat across from him.
"You look tired," he observed, glancing up from his meal.
"Not really. Why?" asked Kamaria.
"You have a crease in your forehead just there," said Alain, touching Kamaria just between the eyebrows with one finger.
"Oh. I was worrying about a History assignment last night," replied Kamaria.
"Eat. It'll make you feel better," advised Alain.
"Did Ramya give you grief last night?" asked Kamaria as she started in on her toast.
"Some, but after I asked her to stop, she stopped," said Alain. "Sitara?"
Kamaria raised her eyebrows at him. "I thought you knew our bond isn't strong enough yet."
"I forgot," said Alain. "Sorry."
"S'alright."
The rest of breakfast slid by in amiable silence, before they separated- Alain to dish-duty, Kamaria to History.
She was early, and took a seat near the window. Opening her History book, Kamaria pulled out her military strategy.
Looking over it again, Kamaria at last resolved to quit worrying about it and waited.
At last, the other Trainees-Kamaria's year-mates, a Blue, two Bardic, and three Healers, came in and took their seats. Their teacher brought up the rear, closing the door behind her. "I trust you all finished the little exercise I set you?" she said, grinning at the chorus of groans.
"I was up all night finishing it, Herald Kyra!" said Edim.
"Did you even start it until last night?" called one of the Healer- Trainees, grinning. Edim threw a crumpled paper at the one in question.
"Edim, you first," said Herald Kyra, sternly.
He handed her his paper. The Herald placed his map on the stand on her desk. "Now, according to this plan," said Kyra, turning to the large writing-slate at the front of the room and beginning to write, "We would have gone south here and northeast here. The Karsites, following their normal plan-"
Kamaria already could tell it wouldn't work. She watched as the teacher drew the rest of the plans, and concluded with, "I'm sorry, Edim, but this plan would not work."
Edim sighed. "Don't take it too hard," said Kyra consolingly, "This was a completely new exercise for you. Kamaria, yours next."
Kamaria shuffled her papers into order and handed them to the Herald. Kyra raised her eyebrows at Kamaria, glancing down at the simple, straight lines.
She placed the map on the stand and erased the board. As she went to draw Kamaria's plan, she slowed and looked at it again.
"Is your father in Haven, Kamaria?" Kyra asked, looking at the Trainee.
Kamaria shook her head.
The Herald looked over the map, and began to draw it on the board.
It took a surprisingly short time. Eight simple lines, indicating where the Companies went, and where the Heralds went, and that was all.
"One of the Sun-Priests there had an equivalent to Farsight," said Kyra, drawing another line on the board. "His range wasn't far, and he was stationed to the north. The only one within range would have been..."
Kyra stared at the board. "...that one Herald."
The Herald picked up the explanation-paper Kamaria had written out. "Which was intended to be mostly a decoy," she read, "Though Herald Reyven's own Farsight and fairly strong Mindspeech would enable him to spy on the Karsites, without letting on he was doing so."
"Thank you, Kamaria. I will have to look at this later," said Kyra, slowly. "Next, please."
Kamaria tried to avoid the glances of the rest of her classmates as she sank slightly in her seat.
The rest of the class went fairly normally. Most strategies didn't work- but one of the Blue's did, though it was convoluted and took Kyra a long time to draw, and one of the Bard's strategies worked as well.
At the end of the class, Kyra went to the front of the room. "You will not be graded on this," she said, to a sigh of relief that swept the room. "It was merely an exercise to see how good your strategic thinking is. You may go."
Next class was mathematics, then Logic, then lunch. After lunch was a free hour, which Alain shared.
Kamaria and Alain walked alongside the Terilee river, talking some of the time, not some other times.
"What was all that in History this morning?" asked Alain, after a while.
"What?" said Kamaria, looking at him, startled.
"You weren't shielding correctly, and it was leaking down our bond, at least," said Alain.
"Um...I did a strategy exercise, and Herald Kyra had a strange reaction to it."
Kamaria went on to explain it. Alain nodded. "She sprung that one on us last year, too," he said, "Let me guess...the Sweetsprings blunder?"
"Dead in the black," said Kamaria.
"Well, did you get it?" prompted Alain, eagerly.
"Um...yes," said Kamaria. "It didn't take me all that long."
Alain stared at her for a moment, then bent over and cleared a patch of the sandy bank of the Terilee. "Mind drawing it for me?"
Kamaria bent over and drew a rough diagram with her finger, explaining as she went along.
Alain looked at the solution, then back at Kamaria. Then back at the solution. "I guess we have a new Queen of Strategy," he said. "Did you have help?"
"No!" shot Kamaria, indignantly. "And what do you mean, Queen of Strategy?"
Alain grinned at her, restoring his usual balance. "That, my dear, is the simplest solution to the Sweetsprings blunder. And the one with the best chances of working. None of our class got it...and I believe your father was the one who provided Valdemar with the best solution."
"Oh." Kamaria stared at the river.
"Well, Your Majesty, shall we carry on?" asked Alain, scuffing the diagram out of the sand.
"Watch it," warned Kamaria.
"What, O Queen of Strategy, Genius of Battles?" teased Alain, still grinning. "Not only a pearl of beauty, but a military genius beneath the exterior-"
"You're asking for it," replied Kamaria, trying not to laugh.
"For what, I ask again, Sweetsprings un-blunderer?" continued Alain.
He never got a chance to say more, however, because that was the moment when Kamaria threw him into the river, then doubled over on the bank with laughter, unable to control herself anymore.
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I know it's been a while...hopefully the length took care of it?
You get Death by Chocolate today.
Cat McDougall: I reviewed, and Krathnae thanks you!
Queen's Own: And happy-fluff for you, too.
Hawk: I know...those horses! *shakes head*
Cerulean Sky: Here's more, and I'm hoping for more fluff as well. But they are going at their own pace...
Kyalia: Will work on it, and if something doesn't happen to them in the run of the story, I'm going to, in the words of the Etcetera-Cat, drop a metric tonne of herring on them!
Cookxenya: Wander over to Elftown and join The Confused Club, then! (Of which I am Dictatoress...*innocent eyes*) And my name there, originally enough, is Fireblade K'Chona. Have pie.
BrokenSkye: I didn't realize how much I depended on them either...
Songwind: Yup, they'll be teased...*shakes head*
Thank you all! Now, if you'll just review again, I'll give you more virtual treats!
~Fireblade K'Chona
Disclaimer: If you think I own/Mercedes Lackey's writings/Then you have issues.
Like my disclaiming haiku?
Muse responsible: Krathnae. He's being a good muse now. *scratches crest* All is officially forgiven! And that does include you, Scheherezade.
And this picks up right where we left off, to completely erase any suspicions of the matchmaking Companions. At the characters' request.
-----------------------------------------------------
Alain lifted his lips away from Kamaria's. For a moment, all she could do was look at him-silver eyes meeting bluish green.
The shadows were deepening rapidly as the sun set behind the Palace. Kamaria at last took a bit of initiative and brushed her lips against Alain's. "Wish granted," she murmured.
The timeless moment was shattered by the evening bell. Startled, the couple instinctively looked in the direction of the Collegium.
Alain stood first and offered his hand to Kamaria. She took it and stood with his aid.
Kamaria didn't let go of his hand as he turned, instead falling into step with him.
The physical contact was easy and comfortable as they strolled towards the Collegium.
As they emerged from the trees, Kamaria glimpsed Sitara, standing in a small group with a few other Companions. She waved with her free hand at Sitara, but Sitara ignored her.
Perhaps because technically, she was facing away from her Chosen...
Kamaria let it go. There were a few other Trainees wandering back towards the Collegium, called by the bell.
"I'll have to wish on stars more often," said Alain as they reached the fence. Kamaria let go of his hand to duck through the posts.
"Yes," said Kamaria, gazing upwards. The stars were a bit less visible here, since there were lanterns about, but they were no doubt shining.
As they reached the different staircases, Kamaria hesitated.
Rising onto her toes, she brushed another kiss along Alain's cheek before beginning the ascent to her room.
Alain stood for a moment, a hand involuntarily raised to the cheek she had kissed.
Shaking himself out of it, he turned to his staircases and took the opportunity to Bespeak Ramya.
:You there, love?:
:Are you sure this is the right connection?: said Ramya, contriving to sound innocent.
:Don't make assumptions, horse.:
:Ooh, someone's defensive...: his Companion teased.
:Don't. Just-don't. We're not...like that yet. I don't think she's ready. I'm not ready, come to think of that.:
He could Sense Ramya considering this as he entered his room. :I suppose that's wise,: she conceded, reluctantly.
Then, unexpectedly-:Do you intend to marry her?:
Alain stood in the center of his room, one hand extended to light a candle from the ember in the fireplace. :Who else would I marry?: he asked, rather sharper than he intended to.
:Sorry.: This time, Ramya did sound apologetic. :It was just a thought.:
:I think,: said Alain, firmly, :That I am going go take my bath. And then write that History essay. And then sleep.:
:You're forgetting Logic and Oration.:
:Ah, damn, that treatise is due tomorrow, isn't it?:
:Well, it's half-done already...:
:I am going to go take my bath, write my History essay, finish my Logic and Oration treatise, and then sleep. Happy?:
:Good night, Chosen.:
:Good night, love.:
Kamaria hurried into the bathroom and looked around. Most of the baths were unoccupied as of yet-most of the Trainees had taken their free time to visit with their Companions.
Undressing, she tossed the Grays down the laundry chute and chose a bath. Turning a faucet, she stuck her hand under the stream. When it had warmed to her preferred temperature, Kamaria waited as the tub filled and got in.
She mused over the events in Companion's Field as she scrubbed. [Wishing on a star...I'll have to remember that. And wish some more. My childhood wishes came true, after all...]
Kamaria smiled as she rinsed herself off. [In a way, I even have two Companions...Sitara and Ramya. After all, it's said that lifebonded are one, on some level...]
Finishing, Kamaria drained the tub and toweled off, heading back to her room after stuffing it down the chute.
She sat down at her desk and stared at her Maths book.
[I guess I do have to do this...] she thought, opening the Maths book and beginning that night's problems.
They didn't take that long to finish-though the problems were rather difficult, there were only three of them. Her next piece of work was a History exercise she hadn't even looked at yet.
[Well...nothing else to do, and-oh. It's due tomorrow. Oops.] Kamaria bit her lip and opened the book. The page with the instructions fell out.
Bending over, Kamaria picked it up and read over it, her lips moving as her brow furrowed.
"Study the Lord-Marshal's plan for taking back possession of Sweetsprings on page 276. As you know, we lost three companies of Guards and seventeen Heralds-"Kamaria winced-"in that poorly-planned maneuver. Given the three Companies and the ten original Heralds assigned, with the Gifts listed on the back side of this sheet, draw out a new military plan. We will discuss how this would have worked based on the typical Karsite methods of fighting on the day this is due. Please draw your plan on the map on the other given page, and include a written explanation."
Kamaria opened the book to page 276 and looked at the map, pulling out the copy.
She winced as she read down the totals of casualties. Seventeen Heralds- all the original ten, then four who had ridden in to rescue, two Herald- Couriers caught in the crossfire, and one who had died on the way back from a spying mission. Then, of course, there were the Guards...
"So I have three Companies and ten Heralds..." muttered Kamaria. "Karsites- two horse, two foot, and four Sunpriests..."
Kamaria bent over the paper, absorbed, her pen flying. [I remember Father talking about this...um...he mentioned...]
Her mind carrying on an internal dialogue, she wrote.
It didn't take her very long, surprisingly. Kamaria stared at the paper- eight simple, curving lines. One for each of the three Companies, and five for the Heralds, three paired, two solo, and two remaining at their stations. [It's too simple.]
She spent a while writing out her explanation-that, at least, was average size, and went to bed, still wondering about it.
Kamaria awoke the next morning a bit earlier than the bell. As she wandered out the door to use the privy, a Heraldic-Trainee meandered from her neighbor's room.
This wouldn't have been unusual...except that this Trainee was a boy. He stared at Kamaria, slowly flushing red. "Um...please don't mention this..." he muttered, scurrying down the hall.
[Ye gods, I was absorbed. Three, four candlemarks-and that going on right next door-and I didn't even notice-] thought Kamaria, turning red herself.
She wandered to the breakfast-table in the common-room and took some bread and fruit. Spotting Alain a few tables away, Kamaria went over and sat across from him.
"You look tired," he observed, glancing up from his meal.
"Not really. Why?" asked Kamaria.
"You have a crease in your forehead just there," said Alain, touching Kamaria just between the eyebrows with one finger.
"Oh. I was worrying about a History assignment last night," replied Kamaria.
"Eat. It'll make you feel better," advised Alain.
"Did Ramya give you grief last night?" asked Kamaria as she started in on her toast.
"Some, but after I asked her to stop, she stopped," said Alain. "Sitara?"
Kamaria raised her eyebrows at him. "I thought you knew our bond isn't strong enough yet."
"I forgot," said Alain. "Sorry."
"S'alright."
The rest of breakfast slid by in amiable silence, before they separated- Alain to dish-duty, Kamaria to History.
She was early, and took a seat near the window. Opening her History book, Kamaria pulled out her military strategy.
Looking over it again, Kamaria at last resolved to quit worrying about it and waited.
At last, the other Trainees-Kamaria's year-mates, a Blue, two Bardic, and three Healers, came in and took their seats. Their teacher brought up the rear, closing the door behind her. "I trust you all finished the little exercise I set you?" she said, grinning at the chorus of groans.
"I was up all night finishing it, Herald Kyra!" said Edim.
"Did you even start it until last night?" called one of the Healer- Trainees, grinning. Edim threw a crumpled paper at the one in question.
"Edim, you first," said Herald Kyra, sternly.
He handed her his paper. The Herald placed his map on the stand on her desk. "Now, according to this plan," said Kyra, turning to the large writing-slate at the front of the room and beginning to write, "We would have gone south here and northeast here. The Karsites, following their normal plan-"
Kamaria already could tell it wouldn't work. She watched as the teacher drew the rest of the plans, and concluded with, "I'm sorry, Edim, but this plan would not work."
Edim sighed. "Don't take it too hard," said Kyra consolingly, "This was a completely new exercise for you. Kamaria, yours next."
Kamaria shuffled her papers into order and handed them to the Herald. Kyra raised her eyebrows at Kamaria, glancing down at the simple, straight lines.
She placed the map on the stand and erased the board. As she went to draw Kamaria's plan, she slowed and looked at it again.
"Is your father in Haven, Kamaria?" Kyra asked, looking at the Trainee.
Kamaria shook her head.
The Herald looked over the map, and began to draw it on the board.
It took a surprisingly short time. Eight simple lines, indicating where the Companies went, and where the Heralds went, and that was all.
"One of the Sun-Priests there had an equivalent to Farsight," said Kyra, drawing another line on the board. "His range wasn't far, and he was stationed to the north. The only one within range would have been..."
Kyra stared at the board. "...that one Herald."
The Herald picked up the explanation-paper Kamaria had written out. "Which was intended to be mostly a decoy," she read, "Though Herald Reyven's own Farsight and fairly strong Mindspeech would enable him to spy on the Karsites, without letting on he was doing so."
"Thank you, Kamaria. I will have to look at this later," said Kyra, slowly. "Next, please."
Kamaria tried to avoid the glances of the rest of her classmates as she sank slightly in her seat.
The rest of the class went fairly normally. Most strategies didn't work- but one of the Blue's did, though it was convoluted and took Kyra a long time to draw, and one of the Bard's strategies worked as well.
At the end of the class, Kyra went to the front of the room. "You will not be graded on this," she said, to a sigh of relief that swept the room. "It was merely an exercise to see how good your strategic thinking is. You may go."
Next class was mathematics, then Logic, then lunch. After lunch was a free hour, which Alain shared.
Kamaria and Alain walked alongside the Terilee river, talking some of the time, not some other times.
"What was all that in History this morning?" asked Alain, after a while.
"What?" said Kamaria, looking at him, startled.
"You weren't shielding correctly, and it was leaking down our bond, at least," said Alain.
"Um...I did a strategy exercise, and Herald Kyra had a strange reaction to it."
Kamaria went on to explain it. Alain nodded. "She sprung that one on us last year, too," he said, "Let me guess...the Sweetsprings blunder?"
"Dead in the black," said Kamaria.
"Well, did you get it?" prompted Alain, eagerly.
"Um...yes," said Kamaria. "It didn't take me all that long."
Alain stared at her for a moment, then bent over and cleared a patch of the sandy bank of the Terilee. "Mind drawing it for me?"
Kamaria bent over and drew a rough diagram with her finger, explaining as she went along.
Alain looked at the solution, then back at Kamaria. Then back at the solution. "I guess we have a new Queen of Strategy," he said. "Did you have help?"
"No!" shot Kamaria, indignantly. "And what do you mean, Queen of Strategy?"
Alain grinned at her, restoring his usual balance. "That, my dear, is the simplest solution to the Sweetsprings blunder. And the one with the best chances of working. None of our class got it...and I believe your father was the one who provided Valdemar with the best solution."
"Oh." Kamaria stared at the river.
"Well, Your Majesty, shall we carry on?" asked Alain, scuffing the diagram out of the sand.
"Watch it," warned Kamaria.
"What, O Queen of Strategy, Genius of Battles?" teased Alain, still grinning. "Not only a pearl of beauty, but a military genius beneath the exterior-"
"You're asking for it," replied Kamaria, trying not to laugh.
"For what, I ask again, Sweetsprings un-blunderer?" continued Alain.
He never got a chance to say more, however, because that was the moment when Kamaria threw him into the river, then doubled over on the bank with laughter, unable to control herself anymore.
------------------------------------------------------------
I know it's been a while...hopefully the length took care of it?
You get Death by Chocolate today.
Cat McDougall: I reviewed, and Krathnae thanks you!
Queen's Own: And happy-fluff for you, too.
Hawk: I know...those horses! *shakes head*
Cerulean Sky: Here's more, and I'm hoping for more fluff as well. But they are going at their own pace...
Kyalia: Will work on it, and if something doesn't happen to them in the run of the story, I'm going to, in the words of the Etcetera-Cat, drop a metric tonne of herring on them!
Cookxenya: Wander over to Elftown and join The Confused Club, then! (Of which I am Dictatoress...*innocent eyes*) And my name there, originally enough, is Fireblade K'Chona. Have pie.
BrokenSkye: I didn't realize how much I depended on them either...
Songwind: Yup, they'll be teased...*shakes head*
Thank you all! Now, if you'll just review again, I'll give you more virtual treats!
~Fireblade K'Chona