Requestor: Christi
Characters requested: Vrnyden and Heruvael
Timeline: 177 AK, 194 years after Hope's Passage, 260 years before Hu-Hua's Cry

Heruvael did not care that it was the middle of the morning. Or that it was only approaching the end of Noventurn, and hardly cool enough for lighting fires...let alone in the middle of the morning.

All he cared about was that the Circuit was over at last, and that nothing short of an earthquake was going to move him for the rest of the day. He supposed he would get up if his roof collapsed.

Maybe.

The healer-hyarmi groaned and closed his eyes, savoring the heat from the hearth as it warmed his pelt. He drew a long breath.

"Tomorrow," he declared, "I am going to drown myself."

He felt a flash of surprise from The Defender and was unable to restrain a grin. "Yes, drown myself. I am utterly filthy. I have the grit of Eastshield rubbing my skin, soot from the eight Duchies of Glashowal woven into my pelt, the sea-salt of Bivord taking up permanent residence in my eyes, shards of mountain rock from Avarome lodged between my foot pads, and the loam of Nestondom caked in my ears.

"Worse than all that," he let out a muffled growl, "I smell like a human. At least if I am drowned, I shall smell nothing."

"You'll be a bit cleaner as well," the ava said. "It's been a long journey. I feel far from immaculate myself."

Heruvael snorted. "Well, you have the benefit of being able to clean off every time you change your shape. There's days I wouldn't mind that trick--beats water and spending half a week drying out, that's for certain." He sighed. "But since I'm not a shape-changer, tomorrow I must bathe. While today I am doing nothing. I'm exhausted...I'm amazed I still have feet."

"You mean Seafoam," The Defender said, and Heruvael could feel his amusement. "She did most of the walking."

"Yes, I'm amazed she still has feet and my legs haven't fused to her back. I'm glad she's smooth-gaited. That must have been one thousand leagues all told--no, two thousand, since there's no such thing as a straight course anywhere."

Heruvael let out another sigh, simply to punctuate his statement. "I'm amazed the Horse-Lord put up with it."

"I'm sure he'd had enough by the time we reached Avarome, but you know he can't tolerate the prospect of my riding another horse."

The hyarmi huffed. "No. Can't have that. Absolutely not. Never. Why, he's as stubborn as...er...as you."

"We make a pair then."

Heruvael heaved his eyes open. He was lying flat on his stomach, chin pressed against the floor, legs out behind him--rather like the bear rugs he had seen in Glashowal. With a faint shudder at human barbarity, he turned his head toward his friend.

"Say it again, Vrnyden. What you've told me over the last five months, every single day. I need to hear it again."

The Defender, lying a length away, smiled at him. "This is the last Great Circuit you will ever have to ride, Heruvael."

"Oh, Creator. I am so glad my ears aren't too full of dirt to hear that. The last, the last, the last. I am never getting on Seafoam or any other horse and riding all over the continent again. Which is a good thing, since those humans keep making more nations to haul me over to. What was that new one this time?"

"Lansend?"

"No, I've been there a couple times, unfortunately. I think it's around sixty years old now...but not this place. We had to get on a boat, remember? And I threw up all over poor Seafoam."

The ava's mouth twitched. "Seahome, then."

Heruvael nodded, then reached out and grasped The Defender's wrist. "I love you and your wonderful inventions. Even though hyarmi can't Travel--but maybe that's a good thing. I'd hate to have every seer out there just pop into my home whenever they think of a question to ask me. It has to be a good thing. Just imagine what the world would be like if historians and lore-gatherers could Travel."

"They'd keep me busy."

Heruvael laughed and released his grip. "Yes, trying to kill themselves butting into everything. Ah, well, this is good enough. Since the Table agreed I could Travel to every center-post on my circuit of the nation, instead of riding, and now...now that you rode with me and learned the locations, now I'll never have to ride a Circuit again, of any sort. Never again...how sweet that sounds."

For a time there was silence. Heruvael let his eyes drift shut, listening to the quiet noises of the fire, the birdsong from outside, savoring his unmovement after so much sitting on pony-back, walking, climbing, Healing.

At length he opened his eyes again, pushing back the grasping tendrils of slumber. "I should tell you this, Vrnyden, before I drown myself, or try to forget this entire hot, stinky, wearisome summer. And, well, that's that this Great Circuit is the most pleasant of all I've ridden. Even including Seahome."

The ava's bright gaze fixed on him, and Heruvael could feel his mild surprise.

"Yes, it was, for all my grumbling morning, noon, and night."

The Defender's mouth crooked. "And in your sleep as well."

"And in my sleep." Heruvael smiled back. "Though I say that shouldn't count. But back to my point about the Circuit. It was more bearable because I had someone to grumble at every day, and because you were there to tell me that this was the last one. You've never gone with me for an entire Great Circuit before--and yes, I realize you had to deal with that business that came up in Delarun and those vermin down at Bimuth, but you stayed with me essentially the entire trip."

The healer-hyarmi scratched his head, then grimaced at the scum under his fingernails. "So I just wanted to say thank you, and not only for coming to learn the locations so I don't have to ride it again. Thank you...just for being there."

There was a smile in the Defender's bright gaze. "You're welcome, Heruvael."

"Good." Heruvael grinned. "And now I am going to sleep for the next seven watches. Tomorrow I will half-drown myself at bathing, and next week I shall certainly have something fresh to grumble about." He closed his eyes, still smiling. "I don't care what time it is--good night, dear friend."

And if The Defender made a reply, he did not hear it.