Disclaimer: All standard rules and regulations apply. I only own the original characters and nothing else. If you can't figure out who or what's original and what's property of Mercedes Lackey, then that's your problem.

A/N: Hey, guess what? A new chapter! Yea! I'm really sorry I haven't had a change to update until now and kept people wondering what would come next. My goal is to really get things going again here so hopefully it won't be months until the next update. If I keep going at the rate I have, this story won't be done for 5 years. Scary thought. So, once again I shall leave you to the misadventures of Jennifer. Enjoy!

Ch. 9: A Plan of Action

"Jennifer, may I have a word?"

God damn it! I knew it, I knew it, I knew it, I thought to myself.

I hitched what I hoped was a look of polite interest onto my face and turned to General Ekholm. Once again, Tashir had dragged me to Courtand, once again, I was cornered by a man I wasn't sure I trusted. Not to mention the fact I didn't much like the guy either. And the best part, Ekholm only ever shanghaied me at Court because he knew I couldn't manage an excuse to escape. Rock, me, hard place.

"Sure," I answered politely and Ekholm turned to lead me out of the multicolored crowd of babbling voices. As soon as his back was turned, I scowled and flipped him the bird.

Ekholm led me to the periphery of the crowd and gave me the look that said he wasn't happy. "We have a couple of problems."

One of which being you trying to weasel favors out of me you know I can't do, right? "Problems? Then why talk to me when I can't do squat? Besides, I've been under the impression things were going fine?"

"Not as well as the President would like. And he's beginning to believe you're part of the problem."

I blinked at the General for a couple seconds. "Okay, now I'm confused. I haven't done anything, so how can I be part of the problem?"

"My point exactly, Miss Keller."

"Care to be more specific?"

"It's quite simple, really," Ekholm said, still glowering at me. "Valdemar has sent three groups of volunteers over for testing in the three months since the treaty was signed. However, the scientists state-side have run into some anomalies in the information gathered. What, exactly, they haven't said. When I petitioned the Council to allow some of the volunteers to stay longer than the allotted three weeks for further testing, I was denied. Twice, to be exact."

I held up a hand to stop him. "Then it sounds like the American government just now realized they didn't leave themselves enough wiggle-room in the treaty. And if that's the case, I fail to see why this is my fault."

General Ekholm leaned forward and lowered his voice just enough to sound intimidating. "The President is beginning to feel, as am I, that your continued silence in supporting our presence here is influencing the Council's decision. The treaty was signed in August, it is now November, and you have not given any indication you believe in what we are trying to accomplish!"

I stood and stared, not sure I understood him correctly. And if I was, the idea of digging a hidey-hole under a very big rock was sounding like a really good idea.

"So you guys are pissed at me because I'm not voicing a favorable opinion of your little science experiment?" I asked in disbelief. I took the following silence as a yes. Jesus Tap-dancing Christ, you've got to be kidding me! I voice an opinion, and some of the higher ups in Valdemar hate me. I don't say anything, and the American officials start breathing down my neck.

Feeling my temper rising and fighting the growing urge bite Ekholm's head off, I asked, "What part of my needing to stay neutral do you people not comprehend? Do I really have to explain this to you again?"

Ekholm shook his head. "No, but there are ways around it. One option of many is you could volunteer to come back for testing yourself," he said more kindly. "This brings me to our second problem, this one concerning you directly. We, the American government, have been asking for you since the very beginning, and until recently we've been taking Lady Elspeth's word that you needed to find you mental balance again in good faith. But again, it has been three months since you've started you re-training, with multiple teachers, and the President believes the time for stalling is over. He wants you home so the next phase of research can begin."

"The next phase?"

"The neurologists working with us, for one, would like to get scans of your brain to compare to those of the Heralds we've already tested and normal Americans. For instance, does your brain possess any abnormalities or do some areas work differently than normal due to your Gifts."

"Okay, fair enough," I said quickly, "but it almost sounds as if I'm being ordered to go in front of the Queen and Council and call Elspeth a liar. I was told a while back it most likely wouldn't be until at least Mid-Winter, Christmas, that Elspeth and Darkwind would feel comfortable cutting me loose. Yes, I have my other Gifts under control enough so I'm not a potential threat. My Mage-Gift, however, is different-"

"From what I understand it is no different from your other Gifts, and you've been spending much of your time relearning to rein it in," Ekholm interrupted.

My temper finally snapped at this rather ignorant demonstration of his knowledge of the Heraldic Gifts. "Well, you understand wrong so allow me to set the record straight," I hissed. "Just because I've been working the hardest at getting my Mage-Gift back under control does not mean it's the same as my others. If I'm not careful, even now, without even thinking about it, I could accidentally blow this whole room t' bits with less energy then it takes you to breathe. Remember, I'm so powerful I took out a nearly 250,000 man strong army all by my lonesome. Vanyel Askevron is the only other Herald-Mage in Valdemar history to boast that kind of power, and he was probably stronger than me.

"To put it more in terms you'd understand, I'm more or less a walkin' bomb! Common sense, something I'm guessin' you lack, tells ya you don't leave an unstable bomb alone if you're unsure it's defused, and I'm not defused yet! Until Elspeth and Darkwind give me the green light, I ain't goin' nowhere, volunteered or not!"

"And you spend too much time hiding behind your uniform, Herald," Ekholm sneered, using Herald as an insult. "It appears to me all you're currently doing is taking up valuable time and resources by retraining your Gifts, and yet nothing else! What exactly do you do around here anyway? If the Queen will not give you other duties to attend to, then I see no reason why you cannot be spared for testing!" he finished.

I had no response to that because, to be honest, I hadn't thought about it. Yet the General had a valid point. Selenay had said at one point she fully intended on using me while I was back, and yet I hadn't been given anything to do, and that surprised me now that I'd been slapped in the face with it. Did she have plans for me that needed to be put on hold, or was I being unnecessarily babied?

"To be honest," I told the General, "I have no idea why I've been just sitting around. Queen Selenay doesn't explain herself to me and I don't ask because I know she has a good reason for whatever she does. So you can take that Presidential order, suggestion, or whatever the hell it is, and stick it right up your ass, then kiss mine!"

I turned and stalked away, relishing the look on Ekholm's face when I lost all patience. He looked pissed enough to start shooting something. Every now and again he'd try and push me towards saying or doing something that would apparently give him a little more clout with the Council; a kind word here, drop a hint of something similar America had done that turned out well there. And every time I'd hold my tongue in check and calmly tell him, again, that my hands were tied. Obviously the nice approach wasn't getting through, and what he'd just said to me was infuriating. I may be an American citizen, but that did not mean I was going to sacrifice my integrity as a Herald-Mage just for the sake of my homeland's government.

I stalked my way down the hall, every now and then pausing to either kick the wall or throw a quiet tantrum. Since I didn't think I could make it back to my suite without screaming, I opted to hole up in Tashir's rooms for a little while since they were closer. Five minutes later, I was pushing open the door to an opulently decorated main room. A grand marble fireplace held the focal point on the left wall. Mahogany furniture upholstered in a rich red was sprinkled here and there: a couch in front of the fireplace, a chair next to the large window which opened out into a garden, another chair tucked away in a corner and next to it was a rack of instruments and a stand for sheet music.

I closed the door and leaned against it for a second, then screamed as loudly as I could. It helped, but not as much as I'd have liked. God, I wanna hit something right now!

A brush at my ankles made me look down to find Punky rubbing against me and, as usual, purring loudly. I bent down to pick him up, still amazed at how fast he'd grown. For being only five months old, he was huge, appearing to be almost full grown and weighed close to ten pounds. And he wasn't fat either; if he were human, he'd look like a linebacker.

"Hey, you. Catnapped again, I see," I said smiling. At first Tashir wasn't sure how to take my having a pet. He'd never been around animals as a kid and so had no idea why I'd want to take care of one for personal enjoyment. But Punky had quickly worked his charms. Within a couple of days of his arrival, Tashir was spending much of his free time playing with my kitten. I thought it was cute as hell, and so didn't care that my guy was seemingly falling more in love with my cat than me. And they looked so adorable the couple times Tashir and Punky decided to take a nap together, and had the pictures to prove it. Well, Shannon had them as I'd sent most of the cameras back full of snapshots, but I was sure they were heart-melting.

I walked over to the couch and collapsed, still holding a madly purring cat. Ekholm sure had balls of steel if he was going to nearly order me to go home as a guinea pig without being properly in control of my most dangerous Gift. Was he mad or just woefully ignorant of the damage I could do? I hoped for ignorant because if he knew how strong I was and just didn't care, then holy shit.

A few days later I received an official summons from Selenay, and I was both delighted and apprehensive. I sincerely hoped it was a job that needed to be done since Ekholm's words had stung pretty badly. If it was a job, it would be my first "official" test of how much farther I still had to go. But there was only one way to find out, so I found myself being shown to her private office just before she went to dinner with the Court.

Selenay entered after a couple minutes of waiting and exchanged the usual pleasantries before we got down to business. Selenay had just opened her mouth to start talking when I took the initiative and cut her off. I related my latest conversation with Ekholm to her then point-blankly asked, "So what gives? Ekholm's right, I haven't been doing anything else besides retraining and sitting on my bum doing nothing. Why haven't I been given anything else to do, like actually running one of the courts in Haven? Wouldn't that be better practice for me then just sitting there listening and answering Herald Zane's questions?"

The Queen nodded her head and took a couple moments to compose her answer. "Your responsibilities have been lax for a couple of reasons, and neither is fair. One reason is I have been very concerned about how you would deal with the stresses of being back and dealing with your native government as well. Forgive me for saying so, but you do not handle stress well and it can translate over into other situations." Unfortunately, all I could do was nod my head and grimace at the truth.

"The other reason, I am sorry to say, is the most problematic," Selenay continued. "To be quite frank, very few Heralds are willing to work with you and are being quite adamant about it."

I suspected the reason and instinct told me I wasn't going to like it, but the question had to be asked. "Why are they unwilling to work with me?" I asked and braced myself for the answer.

"The fear that you're an agent for an invading force is beginning to take hold again," Selenay said sadly. "I do not know how much Alastor has to do with this, but Jennifer, people are scared of you. You know they always have been, and now that your government has arrived the fear is increasing. Though you wear a Herald's uniform and have a Companion, too many Heralds are afraid you will turn your back on Valdemar when the time is ripe."

"Please tell me that's just here on palace grounds," I begged her.

"This sentiment is shared by all but a small few, mainly those who know you."

"Well, can't Rolan or Gwena have the Companions talk some sense into their Chosen? I mean, this is ridiculous." I said.

"Talia says Rolan has tried, yet many Companions feel the same as their Chosen," Selenay replied gravely. "And forcing the issue will do nothing but make things worse. However, I believe a solution has presented itself, which may soothe many of those ruffled feathers." Her words took on a lighter, almost playful tone, indicating that whatever this solution was, she thought it was damn good.

Selenay reached over and patted my hand, giving me a warm smile. "Jennifer, I'm sending you home."

I felt my jaw drop. "Huh?" Of all the things the Queen could've told me, that was the last option I expected to hear.

Selenay's smile widened. "Kris suggested it at the council meeting this afternoon, so you can blame him. But I think it's wonderful. Normally before any alliance is made, a diplomatic delegation is sent ahead to survey the land. The Heralds that have been to America could be seen as part of that delegation in a way, but not in the full sense. And as Kris has been a close friend of yours for years, he's extremely curious about America as a whole. So he has decided he would like to visit as a diplomat, and has volunteered to be a test subject as well."

"He has?" Well this just kept getting better and better.

But Selenay wasn't done dishing out the surprises. "Now, what this has to do with you is very simple. Kris would like you to accompany him as an advisor . Not that he would not trust an American escort supplied by the government, but because you would have a different perspective as a Herald. Since you are familiar with Valdemaran and American law and policies, Kris feels you would be able to help him make more educated decisions regarding future decisions. As an American, you have a great love of your homeland and take pride in what she stands for. Yet as a Herald, you must uphold Valdemar's best interests."

I had to admit it sounded like a good plan. While I thought Kris was showing maybe a little too much confidence in me, it seemed to make sense. I would naturally try to show America to Kris in the best light possible because it was no secret I've always been proud of where I came from. Then the Heraldic training I'd received would allow me to look at American politics in a way that, would hopefully, best benefit both sides. I wouldn't be shy about pointing out the bad things, but would try to highlight and emphasize the good. But there was one obvious flaw to me.

After picking my words carefully, I voiced my concern "I thought I was supposed to stay out of this whole diplomatic tug-of-war. Kris's idea sounds good and everything, but it seems like I'm gonna be right in the middle, a place I thought we were trying to keep me outof. This doesn't exactly sound like I'm a neutral party."

Selenay smiled again slyly. "You are, but then you are not. Because you hold such an unusual position, both General Ekholm and the council feel you will try to balance the two sides. You cannot be too lenient with one side without angering the other, and you know there could be severe consequences from either party if that happens."

I recoiled and started panicking a little. "Are you threatening me?"

"I was thinking more of what Shayna would do to you if you didn't try to play fair," Selenay replied with a laugh.

"Oh. Good point. So are there no other concerns being raised?" I asked, concerned. "I mean, no one on the council thinks Kris is stupid. Quite the opposite, in fact. But I'm sure some of them must think this idea is…well...kinda stupid."

Selenay shook her head. "The council does view the condition of you going along as slightly foolish. But they recognize the need for a trip of this sort and agree you would be in a position to give Kris much needed insight. General Ekholm, as well, believes Kris's plan to be fair. His only addition was that you submit to tests as well."

"Well, it's fair, I guess," I agreed grudgingly. "So it's safe to assume Elspeth and Darkwind have given me the 'okay' too?"

"They're both wary, but believe you should be fine," the queen reassured me.

I sighed. Either everyone around me places way too much stock in my abilities, or I have a lot less self-confidence than I thought. Guess we'll all find out together which side the coin shows. "So who else is going and when do we ship out?"

"Not for a couple weeks," Selenay said. "Ekholm needs to contact the President and let him know a compromise regarding you has been reached, and then the Americans will get back to us with the details. As for who will accompany you and my son as part of the official delegation, no one. That may change in the next day or two, but Kris wishes to keep it to a maximum of four people." She then gave me an odd look. "He said he wanted to follow the American kiss rule."

"The wha…oh. K.I.S.S: Keep It Simple, Stupid." I laughed nervously. "He kinda got that from me."

Later that evening I went down to the stables to spend some time with Shayna. If I was only going to be hanging around for another two weeks and be gone for who knew how long, I wanted to spend any and all spare time I had with her and friends. She wasn't in her stall, but luckily, I ran into Trine down there. He was checking over Aryon's tack, as the two of them were going back out on circuit in a couple days.

"I don't know about this, Jenn, I really don't," Trine reluctantly while oiling Aryon's halter in front of one of the large stoves to stay warm. A bitter November wind whistled outside, holding a promise of snow. "I personally don't understand why America is so obsessed with getting you back over there. You're a Herald. Your duty is to Valdemar, not them! You need to be here!"

"Selenay made a deal," I shrugged.

Trine scowled and began to work the leather more fiercely. "Well I think this 'deal' is complete bollucks. Why should we give America information on Gifts, while Valdemar gets nothing of real consequence in return? There's nothing they're giving us that is really useful. This electisity-generating water thing those fancy artificiers are trying to work out would be great, but the river is going to freeze over soon so what good will it do? Besides, they're complaining about the Terilee not being big or deep enough! As if it's our fault their grand idea won't work!"

"That's why they're gonna fit solar panels on the roof near the water cisterns," I said softly.

He ran a nervous hand through his hair and groaned. "Gods, I don't mean to be mad. I just don't understand you people. Americans, I mean."

"And that's why Kris wants to go over. It's not just a diplomatic thing he's doing, it's kind of an anthropological field-study," I pointed out.

Trine stopped his oiling and looked at me quizzically. "A what?"

"Anthropology is basically the study of people and cultures around the world, and a field-study is when the anthropologist actually spends time with a certain culture and tries to figure out the structure and rules of that society," I explained. "So what Kris is wanting to do is paint a clearer picture of American culture and society for people like you, who don't get us or are scared."

Trine snorted. "From what I saw while I was over there waiting on you, Valdemarans have a reason to be scared."

"Hey, I told you a long time ago that the only Americans you need to be scared of are the ones in Congress, right?" I reminded him.

"Yes,but," he interjected, pointing a finger at me before I could get anything else out, "you also told me that the citizens of your country elect the members of Congress and the President. So, if what I know of your elected officials scares me, then shouldn't I be afraid of the people who elected them in the first place? And if the same people who elect most of your native government are responsible for the culture I saw, then I have every right to be scared," Trine finished with a superior smirk.

Trine unfortunately had a point, but I wasn't going to let him win this argument. "No, that just makes you paranoid. Besides, not all members of Congress or past Presidents have been so creepy. Many start out wanting to do great things, but because of the way the American political system works, some do become corrupt and thus really scary," I said.

My friend simply stared at me. "You're telling me, that your fellow countrymen knowingly elect people into a system of government that makes them corrupt and turns them into liars, and that I shouldn't be scared?"

I didn't have anything to say to that.

"See, I'm right," Trine gloated.

Before I could respond, something blew in my ear. I didn't scream or squeak, but I think I jumped about five feet in the air and landed on the floor. Hard. I turned to my right and saw the white form of my 'horse'.

"SHAYNA! The hell was that for?!" I screamed over Trine's peals of laughter.

:Because it was funny. You know, one of these days you'll have to stop being such a wonderful target.: she replied, her mindvoice rich with humor.

I just glared at her and reclaimed the small stool I'd been sitting on. I'd been sitting so that I could look down the building at all the stalls. She obviously had come up from behind. I hadn't even heard her approach us.

:So what debate was Trine winning?: Shay asked as she turned her backside toward the stove, deliberately sticking her butt in my face.

"Ya know, if I wanted to see a full moon, I could look outside. That one's prettier and doesn't smell like shit."

Shayna turned and gave me the evil eye. :My backside does not smell.: she said loftily. :I always wipe it in the grass when I'm done.: It was very difficult to keep a straight face.

I looked again. "And there's enough grass in your tail to make a basket. Come on, let's get you combed out." I said goodbye to Trine and Shay and I made our way to her stall. On closer inspection, her tail really didn't have that much grass in it, but she's been doing something to get it all snarled. I'd just combed it out two days ago.

I grabbed the pick and started carefully untangling the knots. "So are these knots due to good hygiene or something else?"

:Mostly wind, I believe. You're lucky. You don't have to go outside to take care of business.: Shay replied with a shiver.

"When I'm done, do you want me to braid it up? I think some ribbon is hiding somewhere," I asked.

Shayna thought for a couple seconds. :There's a purple one in there, yes?:

I put down the pick and began to rummage through Shay's beauty kit. Sometime after I"d been choosen, I'd come to realize my new talking horse was rather vain and loved to look pretty any chance she got. There was always a small pack filled with beauty items she'd picked out. Ribbons, hair jewels, some perfume, and scented soap. Shayna was more of a girl than me.

I found the desired color and went back to work on her tail. I was trying to decide how to tell Shay I'd be leaving again when she beat me to it. :Do you know when you're leaving yet?:

My head shot up in surprise. "Uh…no, not yet. Selenay said that we needed to hear back from Washington about some details first."

:Is there any way I could come?: she asked mournfully and peered back at me.

Again, I stopped combing and went to cradle her head, resting mine on hers. The flood of emotion that hit me was a little shocking. Shayna was really scared that I may not come back this time.

"I don't know, sweetie," I said softly, stroking her cheek. "This is Kris's idea and have no idea what he wants to do over there. I'd love it if there was any way you could.."

:I just got you back and now you're leaving again. It's not fair.: she said sadly.

I kissed her forehead. "I know. Four months isn't nearly long enough." Suddenly, I had an idea. "How 'bout this? Since I don't know what Kris has in mind for this trip, I'll hunt him down either tonight or tomorrow and we'll try to hash out some sort of itinerary. Based on that, I'll see if I can't bully some Washington goons into bringing you and Jaysdon over later. Sound okay?"

Shayna was silent for a while. :Are you sure they'll approve?:

I smiled. "If Washington is so hell-bent on having me work for them at least part-time, then they're gonna have to throw me a few bones. And youare gonna be the first one. I promise."

:Alright, deal.: she said more brightly, but I could tell she had some doubt. Frankly, so did I.