(Untitled)

[smallestopener]

Ingress kept busy on her holidays to Valdemar. Savil made sure of that. She performed her duties on the Duty Roster, attended to Megwyn's needs as all the other Heralds and Heralds-in-training did, and served as page to the court. She observed appropriate lessons in the Collegium once in a while. She had the opportunity to meet get to know other

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[not_a_horse]

Normally Megwyn adheres to the unwritten rules about staying within the field.

This isn't one of those times.

Hooves chime against dirt as she leaps a fallen tree and lands on the other side, galloping swiftly toward Ingress.

::Steady, loveling.::

[smallestopener]

Ingress runs now, flinging her arms around Megwyn's neck as soon as she reaches her. She is crying in sharp gasps, whether she wants to or not. She can't hold back the tears.

She snakes one hand down to clutch the locket Amy gave her, the one with Tom and Door's pictures inside, as she leans against Megwyn's flank. She wants to go home. She wants to see her friends and work on her robot and draw and paint and sleep in her own room. She wants to get a milkshake from Mike or a sundae from Yrael with extra sprinkles on top. She wants to go home, where no one thinks her hair or her eyes are strange.

After a few minutes pass, she finally mindspeaks to Megwyn.

::Is that true? Can Companions do that?::

Because that's the heart of the matter. If she doesn't fit here, can Megwyn really leave her at home one day? She knows what happens when Companions are parted from their Chosen.

[not_a_horse]

She swings her head around, nudging Ingress's shoulder in wordless reassurance, but she doesn't answer immediately.

The silence is confirmation enough, even before she sends,

::Yes. It is-- extremely rare, but it can happen. Has happened.::

Then, swiftly,

::But, Chosen, I don't think Gala's Choice was a mistake--::

[smallestopener]

She twines her fingers into Megwyn's mane. Sometimes bad people can learn to do good things. It makes sense it could work the other way round.

::But only if you're really bad, or do really bad things? I lie about where I'm from, and I lied to Tom about how I broke the bed by jumping on it. But that's not really bad, right?::

[not_a_horse]

::No. Do not worry, Chosen.:: The Companion's mindvoice is strong and soothing, with no hint of uncertainty. ::I would never leave you.::

Her sending is tinged with sorrow as she adds,

::Gala was a friend of mine.::

[smallestopener]

She understands more in the sending than in the actual words.

::Then that girl was lying. She said the other Companions wanted you to get rid of me.::

[not_a_horse]

Megwyn snorts.

::Yfandes is my mother, Ingress -- if she wanted me to repudiate you, I would know it. She doesn't. And even if she did, I wouldn't.::

[smallestopener]

She nods, sniffling into Megwyn's side, reassured a great deal but still shaken.

She'd never felt trapped in Valdemar, and didn't really feel that way even now. She was keenly aware there was no way she could get news to Tom and Door or get home all by herself. She wouldn't be able to until she was big enough to open a way herself or until Tom figured out how to help Galatea go back and forth. He said that was very tricky magic.

Megwyn couldn't always find a door back, and Ingress hated to ask, because she knew how happy Megwyn was here. Tom or Door came to check on her every few days, but they'd just been there yesterday. They would come for them the day after tomorrow. It seemed a long way away.

::Can we go for a ride? My tummy hurts and I don't want to talk to anyone.::

[not_a_horse]

The Companion's mental sending is warm and filled with love.

::Of course we can, dearling.::

Once Ingress is mounted, Megwyn tosses her head and leaps forward onto a forest trail, carrying her Chosen away with her-- just the two of them, together.