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You touch the gemstone to your forehead, though it isn't the one from the box the chronicler advised you begin with. You hear a calm, patient voice speaking into the back of your mind.
“On the southern borders of our Kingdom of Valdemar lies what is colloquially termed the 'Holderkin' people. Having staked their lives to the land at least as far back as Herald Vanyel's day, this group is largely descended from the refugees of that era's war between Valdemar and the Kingdom of Karse. They are a group which centuries of time have not delivered much change to. They are often viewed as hidebound, as relics of a time before literacy education was mandated across the Kingdom during King Randale's reign. In eras past they have defended the border against Karsite invasions, even as their treatment of the female half of their population has been decried by aristocrats in palaces and visiting Heralds, alike.”
“Yet, today, they are most known for one solitary contribution to the Kingdom: The Queens Own Herald, the Sun-Priestess of Vkandis, and one of the first to bear personal witness to the terrible cruelty of Prince Ancar of Hardon. She was the one who helped guide the first Herald-Mage in nearly half of the years since Valdemar was founded, Princess Elspeth, towards being Chosen.”
“Hear me, and learn of the tale of Herald Talia of Sensholding.”
“Talia was raised in a place where women were not afforded liberty in their lives. She was tormented by her brother, Justus, and ignored by most of her other siblings, yet she managed to take care of the littlest children of her holding wonderfully. She found escape by secretly reading books, including the likely-adulterated tales of Herald Vanyel and Bard Stefan which remove the true nature of the bond they shared.”
“Upon reaching the age of thirteen, Talia's was presented with a stark choice by her parents: To be wed to a politically expedient Holderkin, sight-unseen; or, to join a religious convent. Both were bleak options, and it strikes this chronicler as no small wonder that she sought a third option at the risk of her own life – escape.”
“For many in her predicament, this may have been a fatal decision. If she had been caught, she surely would have been punished in the cruelest of ways. If the wrong people had stumbled upon her, she would have easily become a victim.”
“Yet the one who stumbled on to her was no person. It was the Grove-Born Companion Rolan, who was searching for a replacement to the recently deceased Queens Own Herald Talamir.”
“Talia returned to Haven with Rolan, thinking she was providing the Companion with an escort while, in reality, he was taking her to her new life. After being educated as to what her trip with Rolan had meant for her, she met with Queen Selaney and the young Princess Elspeth. She was immediately enrolled in the Heralds Collegium, where her thirst for book-learning was quenched. In so many ways, her life improved.”
“Alas, all was not to be perfect. While she did acquire friends, she was also bullied by a number of aristocrats and others forming the Collegium faction of the ‘Blues.’ While it was far from the whole that harassed her, it surely did not escape their notice that some of their fellows were being disrespectful towards a Trainee. By the time events hit their harrowing head, however, it was only a lack of legal evidence that prevented justice from being done.”
“One day soon after Midwinter, as she passed over one of Haven’s wonderful bridges, Talia was attacked by this faction of students and thrown over the edge. As the Queens Own herself put it, they expressed a desire to send their regards to Herald Talamir.”
“This baptism in ice nearly killed the future Queen’s Own, but thanks to the proficient response of both Rolan and the Heralds Keren and Sherrill, she survived. They dove into the ice, each taking a role in her rescue. What’s more, Talia’s latent Gifts began to manifest.”
“One supposes they see the same circumstances play out time and again throughout history, but with variation that demonstrates there is no repetition afoot. Sometimes, Heraldic Gifts manifest during times of extreme crisis. One notable example is Herald Lavan Chitward, known as Firestorm, who manifested his Firestarting Gift when he was being threatened by students at his school. Herald Talia, however, had an entirely different Gift, but in equal measure.”
“Herald Talia is one of the strongest Empaths ever to emerge from the Kingdom of Valdemar. This Gift is truly a double-edged sword, for the untrained possessor of the Gift may be influenced by, or accidentally influence, the emotions of others. Imagine that - Imagine literally feeling what someone who is nearby is feeling. It is said that Herald Vanyel, at his lowest point, dragged the entire city of Haven into melancholy. It is a Gift that could, if somehow perverted to be wielded by the cruel, cause death upon command.”
“It was precisely this ability which made her perfect for the task Queen Selenay had in mind for her.”
“The young Princess of Valdemar was, and I’ll put this gently as one who endured it, not behaving like a future Valdemaran Queen should behave. Selenay tasked Talia with bringing her daughter around. You are no doubt aware that Herald-Mage Elspeth did indeed manage to get Chosen. This was thanks partly due to Talia’s patience with her, and partly due to Talia discovering a hideous truth.”
“The Princess’ principal caretaker was an unusually charming woman who went by the name of Hulda. By all accounts a woman from Rethwellan, the home of Elspeth’s father, Talia discovered that Hulda was, in fact, the agent of a then-unknown political force. The real Hulda had been murdered, and her identity stolen. The false Hulda was secretly molding the Princess towards something sinister, deliberately jeopardizing the chance that she would be Chosen. Talia uncovered this truth and - with no small amount of work - managed to bring Elspeth around. Would that this were the last time Hulda was involved in Valdemar’s history, but, alas - it is not so.”
“When she was ready, Talia undertook her Internship. She was placed at what we refer to as Sorrows 2, or the second circuit throughout the Forest Of Sorrows. Talia's time in Sorrows was noteworthy primarily because she was still in the process of learning how her Gift worked.. Based on the rumors I’ve heard of the Forest in the time since, it may deserve its own record, but suffice it to say that in spite of its name, Sorrows may have been the best of all places for her to be.”
“Her mentor during this excursion was Herald Kris Peregrine, a seasoned veteran who guided her through the circuit. Much as Sorrows may have been the appropriate place for her to be, and Kris may have been the appropriate person to be with her. The two had a good working relationship; one that, despite some difficulties, permitted them to have honest discussions about a critical problem which emerged during her Internship.”
“I mentioned earlier that Empathy is a frightening Gift. Oh, but it is. It requires care to use, and it requires appropriate shielding. It is possible for someone lacking both, someone who feels passionately, to accidentally activate their Gift to coerce others into their agenda. Talia passionately wanted to help people, and her lack of experience with her Gift manifested as she unintentionally controlled the emotions of those she met. She made some decisions on how she would handle the ethical questions raised by having such a powerful Gift, while leaving others up to learn over time.”
“She completed her Internship successfully and returned to the city of Haven to properly take up the mantle of Queens Own.”
“At first, she was preoccupied by perfecting her courtly duties. This was task enough, but it turned out she had one more duty to discharge to Princess Elspeth. She had become enamored with a particular courtier, one who was put up to the task of humiliating her by at-the-time unknown parties. To use a vulgar phrase, Elspeth’s virtue was saved by Herald Talia, though such thinking is itself a backward approach to how people live and love.”
“It was around then that King Alessandar of the Kingdom of Hardorn sent word of an offer of marriage: For his son, Prince Ancar, to marry Princess Elspeth. This sounded like a wonderful bargain, for Hardorn, whose domain rested to the east of Valdemar’s, had long been friends with our Kingdom. At the time, the alliance seemed especially important to preserve, given that Karse was adjacent to both of our lands and always peckish.”
“Heralds Talia and Kris were escorted to Crown City in Hardorn in order to evaluate the marriage. Once there, the trap was sprung. They discovered that King Alessander and most of his close allies had been slain - and that they were Ancar’s planned scapegoats to the atrocity. Kris was slain outright, but Talia was taken hostage. Ancar sent demands to Queen Selaney, who surely would have fallen into his trap were it not for Talia miraculously sneaking a message out of Ancar’s fortress.”
“There...Is one man I have not mentioned, yet. Herald Dirk, a close friend of Herald Kris’. You may have heard that Dirk and Talia are married, today, and that their love emerged from a difficult place. I will only confirm that much to be true. Dirk and Elspeth put their Gifts together, Elspeth using Farsight and Dirk using Fetching, and as a combination managed to effect an amazing rescue. They managed to pull Talia out of Ancar’s palace.”
“Talia was full of information that Ancar had blathered to her about. First was that Kris’ uncle, Lord Orthallen, had been working for Ancar. Second was that Hulda was still involved, apparently having been the one to persuade Ancar towards the path of darkness in the first place. But the last news was the worst; that Magic - true magic, magic the likes of which Valdemar had not faced nor possessed in centuries, was now bent towards the kingdom like a snake staring at its prey. And Ancar had more than enough venom for every Valdemaran he could find.”
“Talia’s tale does not end here, of course. As the war with Hardorn dragged on, she played a pivotal role in starting Princess Elspeth upon the path that would eventually lead to the Princess contacting the Tayledras clan K’Sheyna. Furthermore, she went to Karse to cement a new alliance, as Karse experienced an unexpected clerical revolt that placed a new Son Of The Sun on their throne. Talia became a Priest of Vkandis, the Sunlord, though she always favored her oaths towards Valdemar. She serves to this day upon the council as Queen’s Own, and though she has surely suffered grievous wounds in that service, she maintains an upbeat demeanor.
“Until the next record, wind to thy wings.”