Chosen

To be Chosen, sometimes referred to as "Companion's Choice," is to be selected by a Companion to be a Herald, one of the elite guardians of the nation of Valdemar. It is stated that if one is destined to be a Herald than they will often find their way to Haven and to their Companion. If not, then the Companion will go out on Search, often traveling very far away to reach their Chosen. Companions can become agitated if they cannot reach their Chosen, and will go to great lengths to get past physical obstacles or humans who are denying access.

The qualifications to be Chosen are not always clear, but positive moral and ethical character is required. (Although this doesn't mean the person has never broken a law.) The person usually has something that is needed by Valdemar at the time: a Gift, special skills, personality, experience, etc. There is also an unnamed Gift "that makes the Companion-Herald bond possible." An increase in the number of people Chosen indicates that either Valdemar will be expanding, or that a war is coming.

Although the exact process of being Chosen is not explicitly described, various Chosen have described the process as feeling as if they were "being weighed and measured," "falling into [the Companion's] blue eyes," or "finding something I didn't know I was missing." This process creates a bond that can affect both the Chosen's and the Companion's mental and spiritual well-being. This bond is almost always permanent and breaking it can cause emotional and mental scarring, depression, and, with few exceptions, suicide.

Companions use Mindspeech to tell the person their name and that the Companion is Choosing them. That might be the only time some Heralds hear their Companion, if the person has no Mindspeech ability.

The word "Chosen" is sometimes used as a tender form of address when a Companion is Mindspeaking directly to their Chosen Herald or Herald-Trainee.