"You wanted to see me, Lady Amberylle?"

Amber turns seeing Maddy enter, she is sitting at a dressing table and
on
the bed are four layers of dresses, Amber smiles dressed in just her
small
clothes. "Yes, normaly I have a cambermaid... but here... I have four
layers
of dress to put on and I have no way of doing it on my own. Would you
mind
helping?"

Madyllin smiled. Well she remembered how difficult some of her court
outfits
were to put on. "I'd be glad to."

Smiles and stands, she takes Maddy's hand. "In a way I hate to leave
here."
She sits on the bed and pats a place for Maddy to join her.

"I cannot thank you enough for all you have done." She slipped the first

white dress over her head, her voice muffled for a moment. "It will be a

challenge to rule, esspecially over so many men." She looked back at
Maddy.

Maddy smiled. "Better you rule them than they rule you." She settled the

underdress into position and began lacing it carefully up the back.
Pulling
the strings tight, she continued. "Actually, as poor a leader as Vorbis
was,
I'd think they might be glad to follow anyone else."

Amber laughed softly. "You forget, these are men we are talking about.
You
know, men, they would not know a good leader if he hit them over the
head."
She lifted the long black locks of hair for her to finish lacing up her
neck. "That is why wives are so good at making their husbands think all
the
good ideas are theirs."

Maddy laughed. "Fair enough." She tied off the laces and reached to pick
up
the next dress for Amber. "Sadly, I don't think the same tactics will
work
with the soldiery."

"I feared that was the case." She sighs deeply. "I know I will bruise
the
pride of some man who does not think taking orders from a 'gel' is a
good
idea, and then, bam, right in the middle of a revolt!"

Maddy sighed. "It's a shame about Davyd. He would have been invaluable.
Is
there another of his ilk?"

Amber shakes her head slowly. "I am afraid not." She slipped under the
second dress that Maddy pulled down over her, the bone shaping of the
dress
began to pushe and shape her body. "I have a small confession to make."

Maddy moved around to the front, checking to see that the stays were
straight. She raised an eyebrow. "Do tell."

"I had another motive for asking you to help me this morning." She
sucked in
as the laces pulled taught. "I wanted to ask your help, as an advisor. I

know you have experiance in the courts, and you look to have quite a
command
of this place and you have not been here long. I have been asking around

about you, you have a bit of a reputation." She smiled down at the woman
who
could easily make the next 24 hours very uncomfortable with a sharp
yank.
"And I think they would think twice if I had the support of someone with
a
large Queen dragon under her."

Yes and I asked 3 times if you'd gotten my response.

kklee> Maddy paused in surprise, nearly losing her grip on the laces
before
returning to her senses. "Milady...what you suggest is...skirting the
edges
of the Contract." She smiled slowly, wickedly. "But very very tempting."

Finishing the laces, she stepped to face Amber. "You understand, of
course,
if it ever came down to choosing between you and the warren...my
loyalties."

"I understand where you loyalties must be. But you must understand for
there
to be harmony here, we will have to work together." She sat on the bed,
her
body still not up to what it normally would be after the piosoning.
"When
did it happen that the landfolk and the Warrenfolk drift so far apart?"

Madyllin blew her breath out and sat down.  "Oh my, now there's a
question.
There have always been Lords who resent anyone else with power."  Sh
frowned
trying to work things out.

She nods. "I understand, and I did not think you would ever leave the
warren, I would never leave my people. But perhaps we can make a
stronger
tie here then up north?"

Maddy patted Lady Amberylle's arm. "As long as its up to just us, no one
can
stop us." She smiled.

Amber picked up the third dress. "Would you help me with my hair as
well, I
can never lift my arms up after I am dressed." She took Maddy's hand in
hers. "I know we can make this a better place."

Maddy giggled. "My mother always complains about the arms, too." She
helped
Amber struggle into the third layer then sat her down and began brushing
her
hair. "I think we'll go with something truly regal. Best impres the men
with
your power straight off - before they get ideas."

*********************************************

Andorra looked over her cousin.  She was working in the med center when
he
was brought in.  She looked down at the battered and burned body.  "Out
riding?"  She started to remove his clothing, cutting it free with a
pair of
"sissors".  She was slowly learing the rider speech, but she could speak

nomad to her cousin.

She started to clean the wounds.  "Why did you leave Madyllin in the
hall
like that, it was very rude."  She used some cloth to wipe out some dirt

from one of his wounds, she used extra alcohol, it was supposed to clean
the
wound.  Andahar winced, but didn't cry out.

"Please, cousin, just tend to my wounds, we will talk later."  He lay
back
hoping she could see sense.

"Oh, you will give me time."  She tossed the soiled cloth into a metal
bowl.  "You sure you do not have to find some other girl to add to the
tribe?  Really, as a cheif you should look for a better bride than
Selah.
Even Raine would make a better bride and Selah could be your chunor."
She
pulled a small twig out of his leg.

"Please cousin!"

"I am the dain, and I am counseling you.  So heed my counsel, the god's
know
you have not since.  But this is very serious."  She waved the twig at
him
like a scepter.  "Your a fool man who has landed himself in a cook pot
and
that girl and her father are going to make a meal of you.  It is just
that
you are hurt like this, perhaps it will give you time to think and
listen
instead of charge headlong into the frey like some fool bull."  She
cleaned
the last open wound, and paused.  "Do not be mad, I just worry for you
cousin.  You will make a strong leader."  She bent down and kissed his
forhead.  "This will tingle."

She closed her eyes and placed her hands on his body.  In her minds eye
she
could see the way the body was torn.  She moved the winds in her,
shifted
them around in his body, lacing together the things that were torn.
mending
as one would with cloth, but with the healing breath.  She felt her own
elation as Avanasha entered her, filling her with the energy she needed
to
heal the wounds.

She staggered slightly to the side when it was done.  When Avanasha left
her
she always felt Avanasha took some of her soul with her.  She felt numb
on
her skin and lightheaded.  An orderly caught her before she fell.  "I'll
be
fine in a bit."  The orderly just stared at her.  She spoke again in the

dragon speek, he nodded.

Her cousin was sitting up, looking at his mended body.  "It is truely a
blessing to have you."

"I want to marry Nikol, soon.  Before the summer."  She sat in a chair.

(Tag-Arly)

**********************************************

Vorbis's camp- early morning

Gaurds scurried about organizing people, the tents were starting to come

down.  On man stood around rodering the breaking of the camp, Sgt
Yardman.
One of the gaurds came riding up as fast as he could.  "Sir, a company
of
dragons, headed this way."

"Take five men and get the wemon and children to safety.  I will take
the
others and meet them."  The soldiers moved to form a line between them
and
the dragon's that approched.  The line was barely finished when the
first
dragon landed fifty meters away.

The sergent watched as a woman dressed in white slipped off the lead
dragon
and started to the camp.  Another smaller figure slipped off a dragon
dressed in plate armor and walked along side her.  As they grew closer
murmurs started to come along the line of men.  "no..."  "I thought..."
"It canna be..."

Amberylle stepped to the Sergent, he bowed from his horse.  "My lady."

She handed him the paper.  "Yardsman, isn't it?"  He nodded.  "I see you
are
breaking camp."  He nodded again.  "Good, if we travle hard we can be to
the
spot I picked in two days.  Have a dozen of the men meet me in that
tent."
She pointed to the one tent still up.  "I will show them where they are
to
go and they can arrive there and start clearing the wood and prepare for
us
to build.  We have alot of work to do."  She stepped past him.

"Pardon your ladyship."  He looked now at the Warrenlady with a scowl.
"But
I think the dragonriders here have a death to answer for.  Killing a
lord is
a capitol crime and we would want the assasin punished, wouldn't we?"
He
looked now at Amber.  "I am sure you would want the murderer of your
late
husband to be punished."

Amber looked at the sergent, then to Cynthia, and back to the sergent.
"Why
do you think the Warrenlady is here, we are to discuss these things.
Have
your men help finish breaking the camp and I will call you in shortly to

arrange the scouting party."  She turned sharply and walked to the tent.

When she was in the tent she sighed heavily.  She turned to look at
Cynthia.  "Do you know who did it?"

(Tag- Alton, and anyone else who is in the tent, i guess the upper brass
of
the warren would be there)

****************************************

NRPG- Sorry it took so long to get this out, I had a HD and a
motherboard
fry in me, had to relace them, hope this is right, and don't mind the
spelling errors, don't have the spell check installed yet

Thanks DH