"O would some power the giftie gie us to see ourselves as others see us." – Robert Burns
Bredin spent the next few days in Haven. In the hot afternoons, he and the other trainees still at the Collegium would go out to one of the field training stations in the hills near the city. They would swim in the lakes and nap in the shade. The Companions enjoyed the cool swims as much as their Chosen.
Bredin noticed that Ari stayed very close to Amos Songer. They went arm in arm and whispered happily to each other. When the two wandered off together into the woods, Bredin got up to join them.
::Chosen, don't.:: Lacaral stopped him.
Bredin looked at his Companion, who was lying flat out under an oak tree. "Why not?"
::I think they just want some privacy for a candlemark.:: There was a chuckle in the Companion's mindvoice.
Annoyed, but not wanting to disturb his friends, Bredin lay down beside Lacaral and napped. When Amos and Ari returned, the two sat arm in arm as the trainees picnicked on the blankets. Ari smiled knowingly at Sarin while Amos and his yearmate Robert exchanged silly grins.
Bredin wondered what was going on. Lacaral whickered behind him. ::Mind telling me the joke?:: Bredin asked.
Lacaral whickered again. ::When you understand, you will understand why I won't.::
Bredin gave up and reached for an apple.
Two days later, Bredin and Ari rode along the South Trade Road as the morning sun reflected on the waters of the Terilee. Pania and Lacaral wove their way through the early travellers at an easy canter, hoping to cover as much distance as possible before the road got busy. By midmorning, traffic on the road slowed the Companions to a brisk trot. Twice, young highborn spurred their horses into a gallop to ride alongside the two trainees, who would smile and greet the nobles for the few sunwidths their horses could match the Companions' pace, then wave at them as their exhausted horses could no longer keep up.
By noon, they had reached a bridge over a small tributary flowing towards the Terilee. There was a large clearing beside the bridge used as a campsite by travellers. Several groups of travellers had already stopped for a noon break at the spot. Bredin and Ari chose a place upstream from the bridge near a group of traders who appeared Seejani by their clothes. They dismounted and untacked Lacaral and Pania before laying out a blanket for lunch.
"Excuse me, young friends, you have left your horses loose. You should tether them." A bearded trader said in a strong Seejani accent. He pointed to the Companions.
Ari smiled at him. She replied in Seejani. "Good sir, your kind thoughts are welcome, but our Companions are not horses. We do not tether them for we are bound to them and they to us by ties of the spirit."
"They are not horses?" The man replied. "Surely you jest, for they are the perfection of horse. My lord would pay five thousand thallers for such a horse."
Lacaral and Pania snorted and kept grazing.
As Bredin laid out the rolls and fruit on the blanket, Ari tried to explain. Lacaral gave Bredin a running translation through mindspeech. Bredin kept a carefully polite expression to hide his amusement.
After a few sunwidths, the Seejani trader shook his head. He glanced at Bredin, then back at Ari. "Is your brother escorting you somewhere? Shouldn't a young lady have an older bodyguard?" He asked.
Pania and Lacaral snorted again. When Lacaral translated for Bredin, he looked down and busied himself with their luncheon.
Ari tactfully explained that she and Bredin were both Herald Trainees who would someday have to serve Valdemar independently in the field. The trader did not hide his dubious expression. "In the meantime," Ari went on, "the Companions guard us and guide us. Our Queen knows that each of us – woman and man – will serve Valdemar with our very lives."
"Passing strange, your Valdemar is." The trader said. "Women as warriors and wise horses, understand I do not." He bowed to them and returned to his own fellows.
Ari and Bredin exchanged a knowing smile as the man obviously did not believe what Ari said. ::Well done.:: Bredin mindspoke to her. ::I don't think I could have said that without laughing in his face. Where did you learn Seejani so well, by the way?:: He saw Pania nod and wink to her Chosen.
::My great-grandmother was Seejani.:: Ari replied in mindspeech. ::She saw to it that all her descendants learned to speak it. After I came to the Collegium, Herald Rebecca began tutoring me to keep it up.::
The two quickly finished their meal. The lounged for a quarter-candlemark before packing up and re-saddling the Companions. They mounted and, with a quick wave to the merchant, returned to the road.
In the late afternoon, they stopped in Eastrock to buy food for their evening meal and tomorrow's breakfast. When they arrived at the waystation, which was a mile south of the town, there was already a Herald there. Herald Eva smiled a welcome as the two trainees rode into the clearing. For some reason, Bredin got the impression that Ari was unhappy that the Herald was there.
After untacking their Companions, Bredin and Ari joined Herald Eva at the fire pit. Eva was returning from her circuit near the Hardorn border. Over their evening meal, she shared stories with them until dark.
There were only two cots in the waystation, so Bredin volunteered to sleep on the grass. When Ari offered to join him, Bredin said "No, I'll be fine. It's a warm night and the Companions will be around if anything bad comes by."
Ari looked annoyed for a moment, then said "Ok." Herald Eva looked as though she was trying not to laugh. All three Companions, including Herald Eva's Blyden, snorted and whickered.
Bredin stripped to his singlet and got into his bedroll. Lacaral came over and lay down beside him. Bredin reached out and stroked his Companion's shoulder. From the waystation, he could hear the soft murmur of voices.
::Are they talking about me?:: He mindspoke Lacaral.
::Oh, yes!:: There was laughter in the Companion's mindvoice.
::What are they saying?:: Bredin asked.
::Believe me Chosen. There are some things it is best for men not to know.:: Lacaral said.
::But…:: Bredin began.
Lacaral snorted. ::But, nothing. It's not hurtful, Chosen. It's just something you really don't want to hear. Trust me.::
::But…::
::Go to sleep.:: Lacaral ordered.
Bredin lay back and stared up at the stars. After a while, the voices from the waystation stopped and he drifted off to sleep.
With the fresh air and warm night after a long day in the saddle, Bredin slept solidly that night. As usual, he woke early as the sky brightened. He looked around. Lacaral and the two mares were grazing at one side of the clearing. Bredin noted that all three had very tangled manes and tails. He shook his head. It was going to be a major chore to untangle them this morning.
Taking a towel and his clothes, he wandered down the path to the nearby stream. Pulling a soaproot from the stream-bank, Bredin plunged into the cool water and bathed himself. He dried and dressed himself before heading back to the waystation.
He went to the Companions' shelter beside the waystation and fetched grain for all three Companions, who came over and waited patiently as he filled their buckets. "Need any hay?" He asked.
::No, thank you. The grass is very lush.:: Lacaral replied.
As Bredin reached for a brush and currycomb, Ari and Herald Eva came out of the waystation. "How did you sleep last night?" Ari asked.
"Very well, thanks." Bredin replied. "How about you?"
Ari looked incredulous. "No, I mean how did you sleep at all last night?"
Bredin was puzzled. "As I said, very well. Did I miss something? I didn't hear anything."
Ari and Herald Eva looked at each other. Ari looked exasperated, Eva smiled slightly. "Never mind." Ari said. The two went off towards the bathing area with towels and a change of clothes.
Lacaral made a chuckling sound. Bredin looked at him. "Mind telling me what they are talking about?"
::Let's just say you are getting very good at keeping your shields up at night.:: Lacaral said.
"What does that mean?"
::Mind your own business.:: Lacaral pushed deeper into his grain bucket. The mares seemed very interested in getting the last bit of grain from their buckets.
Bredin went to work on Lacaral's mane, untangling and brushing it until it shone with its usual splendor. By the time he had finished Lacaral's tail, Ari and Herald Eva returned from their bath.
In half a candlemark, the three enjoyed a quick breakfast of fruit, hardboiled eggs and flatbread, cleaned and closed the waystation, tacked up their Companions, mounted and returned to their journeys. At the road, Herald Eva turned north to return to the Collegium. Bredin thought he saw her wink at Ari as they parted company.
They spent the next night at the waystation two candlemarks south of Kettlesmith and arrived in Three Rivers in the middle of the afternoon on the third day.
Chan met them at the town gate. "Actually, we will all be staying at the waystation at Gillhold, about a candlemark out of town." Chan said. "Unless your Companions would rather stay at the stable at the guard barracks."
"What's wrong with the guard barracks?" Bredin asked.
"Nothing." Chan said. "Except it is an ordinary horse stable."
::I'd much rather stay at the Gillhold waystation.:: Lacaral put in. ::From what I've heard, I think you will too.::
Before Bredin could say anything, Ari asked "Is that the waystation all the Heralds rave about? The one where the Companions' stalls are right beside the bedrooms?"
Chan grinned broadly. "Exactly. You'll love it. So will Pania and Lacaral. I'm staying there myself because my parents don't have a place for Felice. Just having me back in their rooms would be crowding things."
Chan's parents were both Master Bards who made a modest living performing for Duke Marduk and the lesser nobility in the area. They and their children shared four tiny rooms on Castle Square. The rooming house where they lived had a tiny courtyard that allowed light to reach the inside of the building. The Kilburns lived on the third floor.
The three Companions nearly filled the courtyard. They were immediately swarmed by a horde of curious children, including three of Chan's siblings – two younger sisters and a younger brother. Chan took Ari and Bredin to meet his parents. Mara and Zase Kilburn greeted their son's yearmates warmly, though Bredin noted that both kept glancing towards their writing desks where untidy stacks of paper lay in open folios.
::I think Chan's parents want to get back to work.:: Bredin mindspoke Ari. As Ari nodded agreement, Bredin asked Chan aloud "Why don't you show us the town?"
The three left Chan's parents. They walked across Castle Square to the guard barracks where they untacked their Companions and left them in the stable in the section reserved for Companions. There were two other Companions already there. One was for the resident Herald who served with the local guard regiment and helped with the local court. The other was Herald Tobias' Irian, who was already tacked up waiting for Tobias to pick up dispatches from the local commander to take to Haven.
Chan, Bredin and Ari walked the streets of the town, returning to his parents' rooms a few candlemarks later. They had an early dinner before saddling their Companions once more and heading out to Gillhold.
They arrived at the waystation just before the sun went down. At first, Bredin thought there was a mistake. The waystation looked like a farmstead or small country manor.
::It was a farmstead.:: Lacaral told him. ::It belonged to Tavener and Marcia Gill, who were on the Royal Council in the reigns of King Theran and King Clevis.:: Lacaral gave Bredin the story of the Gills, who had been the parents of nine children Chosen as Heralds and who had fostered another twenty-eight orphans who were Chosen.
::After their deaths, they left the farm to the Crown. It is a waystation as well as a resupply station and a breeding farm for mules for the guard.::
An elderly Herald emerged from the house. He had one leg missing at the hip and a patch over one eye. His hair was completely grey and his face was deeply wrinkled. "Hello, younglings. I am Adrian. I keep the waystation and resupply station here at Gillhold. Let's get you settled in."
Herald Adrian led them to a building he called 'Companions' Hall'. To Bredin's astonishment, the old Herald waved the Companions inside with the three trainees. They entered a large hall with a long table down the middle. There were two Heralds present: Herald Leo and Herald Brion, who was interning with Leo. They were on their way to the circuit Herald Eva had just left.
The Heralds sat at one end of the long table, talking quietly over kava. Behind them, their Companions lounged on canvas covered mattresses. They greeted the three trainees as Adrian led them to the bedrooms, which were along two hallways leading out of the main room.
"Boys on the right, girls on the left." Adrian announced. Bredin was sure that he heard Leo and Brion snicker.
Bredin was very impressed with the rooms, each of which had a stall for the Companion beside the bedrooms for the Herald or Trainee. He untacked and groomed Lacaral and laid out his personal belongings in the bedroom before returning to the main room. Lacaral followed him and lay down on the mattress behind Bredin's chair.
Chan was already there, tuning his gittern. As the son of two bards, he had been taught music practically from birth. Though he did not have the bardic gift, he played well enough to entertain his fellow trainees.
Ari came in moments after Bredin. For the next two candlemarks, the Heralds and Trainees sang and swapped stories together. When all of them began yawning, they went to their beds. Bredin wondered about the looks Ari and Chan exchanged before parting.
After breakfast in the morning, Leo and Brion headed off to their circuit. The three trainees went into Three Rivers, where they passed the day. Without the need to get back to Gillhold early, they had a later dinner with Chan's family, including Chan's older brother, who was a clerk to Duke Marduk's steward. Bredin noted that Ben Kilburn seemed jealous of Chan's status as a trainee; it reminded him of the tension he had with his own brothers.
Bredin and Ari spent three days with Chan at the Gillhold waystation. After a final dinner with Chan's family, Chan joined them the next morning as they headed out to visit Jan at his father's manor in Pemberton. Pushing the pace, they reached Jan's home in the mid-afternoon.
Baron Nilsen welcomed the three trainees as heartily as he had welcomed Bredin the year before. Bredin had told Ari and Chan about his experience, so neither was as nonplussed by the treatment as he had been.
The only change that Bredin noticed was that Rainer Hengst now trained with Cullum Brown and Baron Pik's guards. Bredin learned that Rainer had nearly died after picking a fight with a young nobleman travelling through Pemberton. The visitor had disarmed Rainer and skewered him in a few heartbeats; Rainer had very nearly bled to death.
Sir Damon Hengst had been shocked by how easily and quickly Rainer's opponent had defeated him. He had had no idea how ill-prepared his son was.
"Probably the best thing that could have happened to young Rainer." Baron Pik said. "Sir Damon dismissed that fool who had been teaching his son and sent Rainer to learn from Cullum. Cullum beat the silly notions of 'proper swordsmanship' out of his head in a sennight. He makes sure the boy practices a good two candlemarks every day. Nearly getting killed may have saved Rainer's life."
Rainer's weapons skills may have improved, but his snobbery hadn't. He made sneering remarks about Chan and Bredin's birth and expressed disgust about Ari – a female – taking weapons training. Cullum Brown's response was to have Rainer spar with Ari. After Ari quickly and neatly thrashed Rainer, the latter kept silent.
Jan's ten year old sister Olivia thought Ari was absolutely wonderful and demanded permission to start weapons training herself. Her mother was horrified that her daughter would do something so 'unladylike'; Baron Pik managed to persuade Lady Claire that it would be best if their daughter knew how to defend herself. Olivia Nilsen began training with Cullum Brown on the last day of the trainee's visit.
After their visit with Jan, Ari and Bredin went on to visit Rena Osier on her father's farm near Westhame before returning to Haven. Jan went with Chan to Three Rivers.