Reain froze for a moment when she saw the swords come out. She stood there
remembering the last time when this had happened and knew she had to stop
it. Last night when he had showed up, she had taken him willingly to her mat
for she knew her heart belonged to the tall nomad even if she refused to
accept the title of being his Chunor. 

She had let him make love to her because it was what she wanted. Not because
he thought he had the right. She was free here in the Warren... Free to make
choices and last night her heart and body had chosen to welcome him... Not
that she had much choice... Try as she may to deny her feelings for the
tall, proud Nomand chief.. Her body refused to see reason. She just couldn't
live without him.

Other riders gathered around the two fighting nomads.  Most were cheering on
Andahar, as Feysal had not made himself very popular among the residents of
Cleft.

Reian knew about Andahar's promise to the Woman who ran this place and was
scared for him if he continued to fight. She was scared that by doing so he
would break his promise and be asked to leave here... Leave and she would
never be able to see him again. Never know his touch again... so she forgot
her place for the moment and called out his name as she rushed towards them. 

But someone caught at her arm, stopping her and when she turned to see who
it was Ankara stood there glaring at her.

"You would dishonor him again?" the girl hissed.

"I would save him," Reain hissed back and tried to remove her arm from the
other girls grasp. But Ankara refused to let her go.

"He would not thank you for doing so," Ankara reminded her. "This time he
might beat you for it and turn you out as is his right!"

That stopped Reain in her tracks but her distraction, however, allowed
Feysal enough time to slide to the left, thus avoiding a major thrust from
Andahar that would have put him out of commission for a long time.  Instead
Andahar's long sword sliced along Feysal's sword arm, causing him to drop
his weapon and clutch his shoulder with his good hand.  His scream echoed
off the ceiling and was intermingled with a similar scream from Saleh, who
came rushing forward from the doorway.

The fight was over and people turned to move away. Reain saw Andahar turned
swiftly to Trevor and say something to him that she couldn't hear. Saw the
map-maker gather up the papers he usually had with him now a days and they
turned to come towards her.

Ankara release her now that the fight was over and she saw Andahar nod once
to her... Perhaps in thanks for stopping Reain from making a fool of him
once again, and then she thought he would be angry with her and tell her
once again that she should mind her place... But instead he smiled warmly at
her and kept on going out of the hall with the map-maker only a step behind.

Secretly Reain grinned deep inside. She could see the other girl fuming and
felt happy that Andahar had given her the special smile before leaving. It
meant he wasn't angry with her for forgetting her place and calling out to him.

She knew she shouldn't have... after all it's what got her into trouble the
last time... But she loved him and couldn't bare to see him injured on
account of that... that... hussy!

She let her lips turn up in a warm smile and allowed herself to feel happy.
He did love her. He'd just proved it. She turned her head to look at that
woman... she refused to even think her name..... and saw the look of fury on
her face at Andahar's insult.

Forgetting for the moment that she had refused when asked to become
Andahar's Chunor, Reain gave her a triumphed smile, saw the girl's fury
increase and then with a flip of her hair she tuned and walked away. Right
out of the dining hall knowing she had won this round. Andahar loved her.

She'd taken three steps outside when she felt something yanking on her hair
and felt herself falling backwards. 

"Stay away from him!" a female voice was yelling as she hit the grown. "He
belongs to me you whore of a dragon!"

Quickly Reain rolled over and saw the woman advancing. Saw her leg come up
as if to deliver a kick, and instinctively, Reain turned her body, one leg
moving forward to sweep out at the leg still on the ground sending the hussy
falling as her leg support was taken away.

"He belongs to no one! You may have tricked Andahar into this marriage,"
Reain told her, her anger making her blind to reason as she stood up and
looked down at the nomad woman trying to struggle to her feet. "But it is me
his heart loves... and if he comes to share my mat instead of yours... it is
because he knows you are not woman enough for him!"

Saleh moved quickly for someone in her advanced stage of pregnancy and she
threw herself at Reain sending both woman back down unto the hard packed
earth of the bowl outside the dining hall where they rolled around, each
trying to get at the other. 

Reain felt something hard hit her just under the left cheek and for a second
was stunned. But then she began to fight back and got in a slap to the other
woman's face before hands grabbed her and she felt them being pulled apart.
Reain growled and tried to shake off the hands that held her, she wanted to
get at the hussy for another slap, but the hands just pulled her backwards
and arms came around her to keep her in place.

"STOP IT Reain!" a voice spoke harshly in her ear as his arms tighten around
her. "Stop it right now! This fight is over!"

"No!!" she screamed, still wanting to get at the other girl. Angry at being
refused her revenge.

"YES! Stop! It's over," the male holding her growled. "What were you
thinking! She's pregnant!"

"She attacked me!" Reain shouted. 

A cry sounded then and Reain saw the other woman double up in the arms that
held her. Saw the blood drained from the other woman's face as pain hit her
and then stood there in the arms of the man as others moved to help Saleh.

"Get her to the med center," the man holding her spoke sharply, still
refusing to lessen his hold on her. "Something may be wrong with the baby."

When they had left, Reain felt herself turned around harshly and finally
looked into the angry blue eyes of the man who held her. 

Lonnie stood there glaring at her, his hands gripping her upper arms in a
hold that hurt her even as it stopped her from any further struggles. 

"What in the hell did you think you were doing fighting with her that way!
She's pregnant!" he scolded her hotly.

"She-attacked-me!" her nomad pride took over as she stared back into his
angry eyes. "She came after me. She started it! What was I suppose to do!"

His hands on her arms tighten even more causing her to cry out as he shook
her. She knew she was in trouble. More trouble then she had been for trying
to stop the fight that time with Andahar. This time it wasn't Nomad laws she
had broken. It was the laws of this place where the dragons lived.

She was scared suddenly that they would make her leave here. What would she
do? What would Jasi do? Where could she go and keep them both safe. Her
uncle would never accept her back into the tribe if she was made to leave
here in disgrace. Not with Sylois, her dragon along for the ride.

Her anger drained and she stood there limply, head bowed, waiting for Lonnie
to speak. Waiting to be punished for her crimes.

His voice when it did was softer, but he didn't let her go.

"I'm disappointed in you Reain," he said in a tone that made her flinch. "I
know Dan'yar will be too when he hears about this! You could have caused
Saleh to lose her baby! How do you think Andahar would have felt if that had
happened!"

Reain's head shot up.

"You would tell him?" she asked softly, while knowing Andahar said he cared
nothing for the woman... If she had killed his child... 

"Even if I don't Reain, someone else will," he told her, sadly shaking his
head. "Do you think Saleh will keep quiet about the fight?"

[[ Tags to Arle and Dana... and whoever else might find out about Reain's
involvement... ]]

================== 

[[Nrpg:
She's scared she could be asked to leave the Warren for fighting.......and
that Andahar will be upset with her... though I'm *Sure* Saleh was only
pretending to be more hurt then she was..... just like the hussy to do so.
:) Reain has a big bruise under her left eye so she can't deny she was in a
fight.....]]

***Submitted by: ****

Reain & Sylois
Lonnie & Meritanth
Cleft Warren

Aka
Barbara