Disclaimer: As much as I would like to, I by no means own the "Heralds of Valdemar" series. That belongs strictly to Mercedes Lackey until we meet and I get her to will it to me. I do however own the characters Nia, Jaysdin, and this version of Kris.

A/N: This is my first fic, so please let me know if it's crap or if I should keep going. R&R!!

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Do you ever get those days when you wake up and you just know it's gonna be a bad day? Or no matter what you do, you always end up feeling like the butt end of a cruel joke? Or have you had one of those completely life changing events that comes outta nowhere and your life is suddenly the topic of a Lifetime movie? I have, and I'm not sure if it was the worst or best thing to happen to me. In roughly six years I lost everything and everyone I'd ever known, only to gain things I only thought possible in my wildest dreams. But I think the worst part is I'm not sure it really happened. I have evidence it did, but logic dictates the total opposite. But if it did, I know I'd give anything to gain it back.

Ch.1: Life's Funny Idea of a Curve Ball

My name is Jennifer, and once upon a time I was normal. Well, a bit of a social outcast in my opinion. Most everyone I knew styled me as an independent, opinionated, loud-mouthed, anime watching freak of a bookworm. I didn't care about most of the other things the kids I went to high school with did, like the football team or what the latest fashion was. I was content to do my own thing and screw anyone who didn't like me. I had better things to do. But this story isn't about that. It's actually about my "college" years. My schooling was pretty unorthodox, but in the end I'd rather have the education I ended up with than what 'normal' society deemed I should have.

My story begins in September, the fall after I graduated from high school. A month shy of my 19th birthday. I was a freshman at the state college close to home and so far things were going swimmingly. My roommate and I got along famously, I liked my classes, and my older brother wasn't coming to bug me as often as I thought he would given we lived in the same dorm building. Like most freshman, however, since I was close to home that's where I spent most of my weekends. Or was planning on it, at least.

The day that's forever burned into my memory is Sept. 22nd, a Friday afternoon, and I had just gotten off the bus that took me to where my car was parked. I remember the crystal clear blue sky, lush green grass, and students talking while walking to the bus stop on their way back to campus. I started walking toward the parking lot with my keys in my hand, noticing nothing out of the ordinary. I had just reached the lot and had begun to look for my parked car, and then nothing. Whatever happened after that memory is gone, and I've had extensive treatment to see if anything remains. But I just don't remember.

My next memory is excruciatingly clear, though, and it's of pain. I was in a very comfortable and warm bed, but feeling as if I'd been hit by a Mac truck. My eyes were stinging and watering, head throbbing, ears ringing, and my body ached and felt as if it were on fire. It hurt to think, move, and even breathe. I must have passed out from the pain because when I woke again, I was still in pain but it was more bearable. I was able to open my eyes and what I saw would have freaked me out if my senses weren't already dulled.

I figured I was in the hospital after being hit by some dumbass who wasn't watching where they were driving, but I wasn't greeted with the typical hospital room. Light wood paneled and stone walls, a flagstone floor, and a bay window to my left showed a large field with pine trees off in the distance while the afternoon sun streamed in. The light was painful to my eyes so I turned my head and noticed a small wooden table with containers of various sizes and colors on it. There was a chair close to my bed as if someone had been sitting there, watching over me. I didn't have the energy to think due to the pain in my head and body, but I knew something was wrong. Very wrong.

I laid there for who knows how long before I heard footsteps and the door open. A young woman a little older than me entered. She had shoulder length blond hair, brown eyes, and was dressed in a cool green colored robe. The lady in green looked at me, saw I was awake, and smiled with relief. "You are finally awake. We were worried you might not come back. How are you feeling?"

"I hurt," I whispered weakly. She walked over and placed a hand on my head, causing the oddest sensation, as if a cooling ointment had been placed on a burn, but in my mind. What the hell?! When she pulled her hand away, I blurted out the first of many questions forming in my mind.

"What happened and how the hell did I get to England?" The young woman had a British accent, and if my surroundings didn't disturb me, her voice certainly did.

"England? Is that near your country? You were found five days ago near Exiles' Gate and are very lucky to have been found by one of the guards or Gods know what would have become of you. Can you sit up and take some medicine? It won't taste very good I'm afraid, but it will help ease the pain." She then went over to the table with the containers and mixed an envelope of powder she pulled from her pocket into a cup of water. She helped me sit up and I drank. The concoction tasted like mint and was gritty as hell; like drinking sand.

"Where am I?" I asked softly as I lay back down.

"You're at the House of Healing on the Palace grounds. To answer your earlier question of what happened, we were hoping you could tell us. One of the guards near the city wall heard a noise down an alley and found you unconscious when he went to investigate. What's your name? Where are you from? Are you a traveler from White Gryphon or their allies, the Haighlei Empire? That would explain your strange clothes and belongings. Your accent is quite unusual as well." She pulled the chair up to my bed and sat, all the time talking and looking at me with great concern.

"I'm Jennifer. I'm an American. What's Exiles' Gate? Or Healers? What palace? Why am I in England?" I asked groggily. The few answers she's given were leaving me more confused and frightened. Plus she hadn't even told me her name yet.

"Well, Jennifer, I'm Nia and I've been looking after you. But you have no idea where you are, do you?" she asked heavily.

"No."

"Right now you're in the city of Haven, capital city of the kingdom of Valdemar, on the Royal Palace grounds in the Healers' Collegium," she said bracingly, pausing for a moment before continuing. "The ruling monarch is Queen Selenay, and her son, Prince Kris, is the named heir. Does any of this sound familiar?" Her voice was thick with worry and her eyes desperate for a hint of recognition. I thought for a moment and then it hit me. Valdemar. Haven. Heralds. (Oh My!) The books. My mom had gotten me started on them only three years before and I instantly fell in love with the world Mercedes Lackey had created. There was no WAY this was happening.

"Valdemar, as in Heralds, Companions, and Heraldic Gifts?" I stiffened in my propped up position and asked in disbelief as I looked Nia straight in the eye. Holy Mother of God, this was not possible.

"So you have heard of us! Thank the Gods, that makes things simpler. Well, if you know about the Heralds then you know you have nothing to fear here. We'll talk good care of you until we can figure out what was supposed to happen with you. But before we go any farther, let me find you something to eat." Nia rose happily from her chair after giving me a bright smile and left in search of some food. I tried to relax against the pillows but my head began to ache with such force as made that virtually impossible. If Nia was worried I didn't know where I was, I was scared shitless that I did.

After I finished the bowl of broth Nia brought back, I told her everything from my last memory to how I knew about Valdemar. The look on her face when I was finished was priceless as she digested the contents of my story.

"Oh my," was all she could say after a few moments of stunned silence. Not that I blamed her. She'd just had someone tell her she wasn't real. "Well, I will let you rest for today. I'm sure you're exhausted and need to sleep. We'll talk more tomorrow and see if we can't straighten a few things out, hmm?" Nia smiled warmly as she stood to leave but her eyes said 'this girl's nuts'. I closed my eyes and soon the darkness of sleep fell over me, casting me into an uneasy but deep slumber.

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Two weeks later when I was well enough to leave my bed, I was moved to the Guest Wing of the Palace and given a suite where the ambassadors and other dignitaries would stay when they came to town. In hindsight I was kind of the unofficial American ambassador and the move was at the request of the Queen, but it felt so weird to be treated like one.

It was also during those two weeks I met people I would have staked my life on never meeting. Talia, who was the second person I met after Nia, Lady Elspeth and Darkwind, Queen Selenay herself even came down one day. Every time someone came I had to re-tell my version of events, and each time I was given the "holy crap" look. Yet no one tried to refute my claim of being from another world. Elspeth and Darkwind had both said the day I came they felt something like a Gate open, but they couldn't explain it to anyone's satisfaction. So news of my appearance was kept hush-hush from everyone except the Royals, select Healers, and the Queen's Council. But I felt like everybody knew.

I figured if I was going to be stuck here for a while, even though I still thought I was waking up to a bad dream every morning, I was going to learn as much as I could during my temporary stay. (Oh please let it be temporary!!!) And I was bored. Talia lent me some books on Valdemarian history and religion and I dug in. Normally I'm not much of one for reading textbooks but I needed something to distract myself from the hysterical mental ramblings of 'Who, What, When, Why, How, Why Me'. Plus the headache I had when I woke up had not gone away yet and I fervently hoped it was connected to thinking too much.

A month went by and I was through the books Talia gave me and was on to more about the various cultures in the country. That was good and all, but my headache was still hanging around and was in fact getting worse. Nia, Talia, and I had been working to try and find the problem and some of what they were doing was helping. At first the pain would last for an hour or so then leave, but by then it was more of a manageable dull pain.

I hadn't spent much time outside because I didn't want anyone to see me and ask questions, but I was tired of the small garden outside my rooms and needed a change of outdoor scenery. I knew by then the large field I had seen from the room at the Healers was Companion's Field and in the trees beyond was a small river, so I decided to find it since water has always had a calming effect with me. Plus the walk might help my head. Kill two birds with one stone, no?

When I walked farther than my small garden for the first time I wasn't sure what to expect in terms of surroundings. What I found shocked me nonetheless. There were gardens everywhere, looking like something out of a Martha Stuart magazine. The grass was still a lush green and glittering fountains were seemingly everywhere. I found it a little odd there was no one around since it was a gorgeous fall day, but that was fine because then nobody could call attention to the fact they didn't know me.

Passing the gardens I entered the large field with long grass and scattered with white horses in the distance. I was about half way across when one of them came up to me and stared. Then I remembered exactly what they were. Horses don't have crystal blue eyes that look through you and seem to know everything, leaving you shaking. Oh no, this wasn't a horse staring me down, it was a Companion. I stared back and it looked into my eyes, causing me to feel so open and vulnerable. Scared the bejesus and crap outta me. Before I could react It broke eye contact, snorted and nodded its head, and walked away.

Rooted to my spot, I wasn't sure what had just happened. Did the Companion see what it needed to and cleared me to pass? I didn't know and didn't wait for anything else to happen as I was completely unnerved. I quickened my steps across the field now really wanting to be alone, yet I could feel multiple pairs of eyes on me. They were watching. I tried to ignore the feeling as I walked but it felt like They were all assessing me, and approved of what They saw. Okay, liked by the strange horse-like creatures. 10 points for me.

As I reached the shade of the pines I released a breath I hadn't realized I'd held. I hadn't felt threatened but the Companions were kinda creepy. Shaking my head in an attempt to clear it, I closed my eyes and listened for the sound of rushing water. Not far, ahead to my left, the moist ting in the air giving it away. It was a fairly fast moving current, but shallow enough for the water to truly sing over the rocks. Just enough light was breaking though the pine boughs to cast everything in light shadow and the birds were chirping happily to each other. Best of all, I was the only one there. Now I'm not much of a believer in Heaven, but if there is one, I think it would look like that. I sat down on the bank and listened to everything, immediately feeling thirty times better than I had lately, all from staring out at the water. I guessed a couple hours had passed when I was scared out of my reverie.

"Beautiful, isn't it? It's a wonderful place to come and get away from the world," said a male voice, causing me to jump about a foot and turn to see who had interrupted my solitude. He was about 6' with wavy brown hair and big brown eyes that were looking around at the trees fondly, a slight smile playing at his lips. Hmm, kinda cute. Then I noticed he was wearing white. A Herald.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you, but I was told you might be here and I wanted to meet you," the man said turning his attention back to me and smiling sheepishly. "I'm Kris. May I join you?"

Even though I wasn't felling very social, not that I had been lately, I suddenly felt a loneliness I hadn't had a second ago and wanted the company. You know how sometimes you meet a person and you can't help but like them right away? One look and you think, 'this person's alright'. That was the impression Kris gave off.

I smiled slightly back and shrugged. "Jennifer. Sure, pull up some pine needles."

Kris grinned excitedly and sat next to me, his eyes never leaving me which I thought was a little weird. I looked at him sideways with an eyebrow raised and asked, "What are you so happy about? You look like a kid on Christmas morning."

"I finally get to meet you! I've heard so much about you the last few weeks and now I get to see if what I've heard is true. There are all sorts of rumors flying about how you talk differently and you come from a land so far away nobody has ever heard of it. My favorite is you have blue skin and can fly, but I never believed that one. None of the rumors said how pretty you are though." Kris looked away quickly and blushed a little at his last comment, like he couldn't believe he'd just said it.

"Uh…thanks. So guess that means the cat's outta the bag, hmm? Whole place knows I'm here?" I said grimly. So much for being left alone.

"Unfortunately so. As soon as you were moved to the Guest Wing I started hearing things. And because no one has seen you except for a select few, the Court has been demanding the Queen to introduce you. She won't acquiesce, however, because she doesn't believe you are currently capable of handling the stress." He again looked shocked at his words and tried to backpedal, which made me laugh silently. "Gods! I can't believe I just said that! It's not the Queen doesn't think you capable, but you seem to be so emotionally unstable and …Damn it!! I didn't mean that either!"

I looked at Kris torn between wanting to laugh and kick his ass for insulting me. But this guy was not an eloquent speaker and I kinda liked his honesty.

"You're pretty good at stickin' your foot in your mouth, aren't ya? She does have a point though. I'm in no way ready for that, not when I can't get rid of a stupid headache." Then the homesickness and depression I'd been fighting all month was threatening to rear its ugly head. I inadvertently let out a shaky sigh but immediately suppressed those feelings. The last thing I wanted to do was cry in front of a guy I didn't know, especially since I hadn't cried in front of Nia or Talia. Too late, he heard me.

"Don't do that. It will just make the pain worse, not help. I know."

"Don't preach to me, you don't know me! The hell do you know about what I'm going through?" I whispered staring fixed at the water.

"No, I don't. But I'm an Empath like Talia and you're Projecting enough for me to know. And I know many who have lost as much as you and they have survived with time. So will you," Kris replied gently.

"Sounds like you think I'll be here awhile?"

"In all honesty I think it's likely," he said gravely. "If we can't explain how you came or by what means, how do you expect to get home?"

"I don't know! But I'm not accepting the possibility I'm stuck just yet," I said fiercely and looking at him. I expected to see pity in his face but only saw the desire to help and to be a friend.

"Then don't shut us out. We know this has been a very hard time for you but we can help you emotionally as well as mentally if you let us. All I'm asking for is a chance." Kris took my hand and gave it what was supposed to be a gentle squeeze, but it was too much personal contact for me at that moment.

"Not today. Maybe some other time," I said getting up. By now the sun was starting to set and the sky was turning my favorite shade of blue and purple through the trees. I turned to leave but a question popped into my head so I stopped. "You said you were told I was here, but I didn't see anybody on my way over? How'd you know?"

"My Companion, Jaysdin," Kris said simply.

"Is he the one who stopped and looked at me?"

"No, that was Rolan. He then told Jays and Jays let me know."

"Talia's boy. I forgot you guys have your own mini spy-network with them."

Kris chuckled. "It has its good uses too. Oh no, not that I'm implying we are spying on you or anything! Gods, I need to think before I speak," Kris added rather flustered. I sighed and rolled my eyes while shaking my head in disbelief. I was surprised he was still standing when both feet were in his mouth.

"Look, it's late so I'm gonna head back. It was nice meeting you, Kris," I said as nicely as I could. Something about the guy really endeared my to him and I hoped it wouldn't be the last time we'd meet.

"If I made you angry, I'm very sorry. It's a bad habit I picked up from my father that I know will come back to haunt me some day. If you should ever wish to talk or have questions you would like answered, please ask the Companions and they will pass the word along," Kris said hesitantly, like he was afraid I'd refuse.

"Okay, I will."