Heralds of Valdemar/Characters/Arrows Trilogy and Related Books
This subsection of the Heralds of Valdemar Character Sheet covers the original Heralds of Valdemar trilogy (commonly known as the "Arrows" trilogy), as well as the stand-alone novels Take a Thief and By the Sword.
Herald Skif and Companion Cymry
- Blood Brothers: With Talia.
- Good Feels Good: Realizes this after becoming a Herald.
- Interspecies Romance: With Nyara, sort of. (She's actually human, but extensively modified.)
- Knife Nut: Especially with throwing knives, which go exactly where he wants to put them.
- Like Brother and Sister: Talia again.
- Lovable Rogue: In the Arrows books and Take a Thief. Not so much in Mage Winds.
- Street Urchin
Herald Talia and Grove-born Companion Rolan
- Better As Friends: With Kris. Played with between her and Skif; they're so much better as friends that they don't even manage to get a romance off the ground to start with.
- Beware the Nice Ones
- Blood Brothers: With Skif, after a very brief and completely failed try at a teenage romance.
- Bookworm
- The Confidant: Part of her job as Queen's Own.
- Dirty Mind Reading/Sex By Proxy: Unavoidably, due to her empathy.
- The Empath
- Fish Out of Water
- Heroic BSOD
- Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: The tiny girl to Dirk's huge guy.
- Honest Advisor: Part of her job as Queen's Own.
- Laser-Guided Amnesia: Inflicted by Rolan on Talia twice. The first time, it was a temporary measure to get Talia to Haven without a mental breakdown. The second time, it was because Talia saw something she shouldn't have and that could lead her to discover a lot of the Companions' secrets prematurely.
- Like Brother and Sister: With both Skif and Kris.
- Mindlink Mates: With Dirk.
- Mind Rape: In an unusual heroic example, Talia inflicts Mind Rape as a punishment on a few select people who deserved it.
- Never Accepted in His Hometown: She is in fact completely disowned by her Holding for running away and getting Chosen as a Herald.
- Older and Wiser: In the Mage Winds.
- Power Incontinence: In Arrow's Flight, her Gift goes completely out of control.
- Rape As Drama
- Runaway Fiance: At first.
- Shrinking Violet: Initially. She grows out of it with time and Character Development.
- Silk Hiding Steel: Becoming this.
- The Voiceless: Rolan. He can Mindspeak anyone he chooses, but like most Companions he pretends he can't, and since Talia's Gift is empathy rather than Mindspeech, Rolan is only seen to speak three times in the series - once when he Chooses Talia, and twice to Dirk in Arrow's Fall.
- When She Smiles
- Wise Beyond Their Years
- With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility
Herald Kris and Companion Tantris
- Better As Friends: With Talia
- Heterosexual Life Partners: With Dirk.
- Like Brother and Sister: With Talia.
- Sacrificial Lion: In Arrow's Fall.
Herald Dirk and Companion Ahrodie
- Drowning My Sorrows: Does this in Arrow's Fall out of guilt.
- Heterosexual Life Partners: With Kris.
- Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: With Talia.
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Tries to pull this. It ends poorly.
- Love At First Sight: He and Talia, as with all Lifebonded couples.
- Mindlink Mates: With Talia.
Queen Selenay and Companion Caryo
See entry on the Characters page.
Weaponsmaster Alberich and Companion Kantor
See entry on the Characters page.
Princess Elspeth and Companion Gwena
See entry on the Mage Winds and Mage Storms page.
Lord Orthallen
- The Chessmaster
- Evil Chancellor: Close personal friend and high-ranking adviser to three generations of the Royal House... while plotting against them all along.
- Man Behind the Man: Was shooting for this.
Herald Keren and Companion Dantris
- Mindlink Mates: With Herald Ylsa, then Herald Sherril after Ylsa's death.
Herald Jadus and Companion Fortunea
- Magic Music: Jadus came to the Collegium as a Bardic Trainee.
King Ancar
See entry on the Mage Winds and Mage Storms page.
Hulda
See entry on the Mage Winds and Mage Storms page.
Herald-Captain Kerowyn and Companion Sayvil
- Action Girl
- Better As Friends: With Daren.
- The Chains of Commanding
- Defrosting Ice Queen
- Embarrassing Rescue: Her story began when she rescues her brother's fiancee; while Dierna is certainly grateful to be rescued, the aftermath proves highly uncomfortable for everyone.
- Famed in Story: Her early adventures were turned into a song which dogs her throughout the rest of her career, to her distinct chagrin. It doesn't help that she has perfect pitch, and not all of the people who perform that song in her honor are all that good at singing.
- Florence Nightingale Effect/Glad to Be Alive Sex: She and Eldan begin their relationship by patching one another up after battle; Kero mentally lampshades the latter trope in the process.
- Good Is Not Nice
- Hair of Gold
- Insignia Rip Off Ritual: She performs the self-inflicted "I quit" version halfway through the novel.
- Mind Over Manners: Kero scrupulously avoids using her mindspeech whenever possible out of fear that her fellow mercenaries won't be able to trust her otherwise.
- Older and Wiser: In and after the Mage Winds trilogy.
- Poor Communication Kills: Nearly. In a non-romantic example, her fellow Skybolts were trying to tell her they'd deposed the abusive former Captain and promoted her. She assumed they were agents of said Captain out to arrest her and fled accordingly.
- Talking in Your Dreams: With Eldan, for ten years.
Prince Daren and Companion Jasan
- Babies Ever After: Once he and Selenay meet, they are parents within a year. Of twins.
- Better As Friends: With Kerowyn.
- Hot Blooded: As a young man.
- Love At First Sight: With Selenay.
- Mindlink Mates: With Selenay.
- Royal Brat: At first. He grows out of it.
- The White Prince: In the Mage Winds and Mage Storms trilogies.
- Unto Us a Son And Daughter Are Born
Herald Eldan and Companion Ratha
- Early Bird Cameo: Appears (by description only) in Arrow's Flight, sitting beside Selenay at the Heralds' party celebrating Elspeth's Choosing by Gwena.
- Skunk Stripe: A streak of white hair at each temple.
- Talking in Your Dreams: With Kerowyn, for ten years.