Jayleigh was up early the morning after the Party for Velara. She 
had a lot of things to do before her trip to Keldarra this morning 
to speak with the Dragonlady and knew she needed to get on with them. 
One of the first things on her list was breakfast, best to start the 
day out right. She didn't know when she'd get the chance to eat again.

As she mounted Viktroy with Jadain for the trip to the dining hall, 
she thought about what happened last night with Da'ntray. She would 
have to make a note to herself to speak with Tair'n about him. His 
work as of late had been shabby at best. His falling asleep while he 
was suppost to be watching the wilder, was just the last of the 
complaints she'd had brought to her.

Did the man really think that just because the mother of his son was 
now the Warrenlady that she would let him get by with it.. Well he'd 
soon find out he was wrong. She'd tell him so in words that even his 
pea brain could understand.

Her brother Ja'ks was waiting on the green waiting for them when the 
Queen landed. Reaching up he helped his nephew to the ground as he 
waited for her to follow.

"I hear you're going to Keldarra this morning?" he asked when they 
started walking towards the hall.

"Right after breakfast," she told him. "Mother's going with me to see 
what she can find out about Maralee. Every since that Bard told her, 
he'd heard she was there at the Warren, mother's been wanting to go."

"Do you think that after all this time it could be the same woman," 
the tall Wingleader asked. 

"I pray so. We both know how bad Mother misses Aunt Maralee. Jayleigh
answered as they walked into the hall and saw their father already 
sitting at the family's table.

While they were eating Jayleigh turned around to find a man dressed 
all in gray, standing next to her table. Someone she didn't know. 

"Good morning, ma'am. Sorry to disturb your breakfast. My name is 
Zert Shade and I'm new to this warren. I was wondering if you had 
a moment could we talk?"


As was her policy since becoming Warrenlady, Jayleigh had always made 
time to talk with people around the warren and made it a point to make 
time to see those who came into her office with a complaint, but not 
during breakfast. Wasn't she allowed to have some time to herself for 
her family? Turning she smiled warmly up at him.
 
"Why don't you get something to eat from the breakfast bar and find a 
place to sit down," Jayleigh told the man. "I'll be over just as soon 
as I finish here and see my son off to school."

"Thank you, ma'am for your time." Gray eyes smiled his thanks and 
she watched as he turned to towards the food tables and filled a 
plate and headed towards a table not far from the buffet. 

Wondering who he was, Jayleigh looked across the table at her brother,
her brows lifted in question but Ja'ks just shrugged his wide 
shoulders. He didn't know the man either.

Before he had arrived, they had been talking about who Jayleigh would 
be taking with her to Keldarra. The Queen would need an escort, she 
was not to go by herself. It was just to dangerous, her father had 
told her and she agreed with him, but rejected his offer to go along.

"Father, I need you here. I told you about the wilder female Tair'n 
found outside the gate's the night Velara had died?" she asked.

"You mean the one Jadain's taken quite a fancy to?" Jer'lin winked 
at his grandson.

"You would too if you saw all those weapons she has Gramp's," the 
boy returned his gray eyes wide remembering them.

Jayleigh smiled at the pair then went on. "I need for you to talk 
to her today and see how she's getting along. Go ahead and take 
Jad's with you as he's already known to the girl. Check out what 
she'll be needing in way of flight gear, saddle and such. I'll be 
assigning her to Alpha Wing when you think she's ready to join them."

"Your wish is my command oh daughter Warrenlady," Jer'lin smiled. 
"So who will you be taking to Keldarra with you?

She tuned to look at her brother, knowing he was hoping to go. She 
would have to disappoint him as well. "Sorry Ja'ks, but I need you 
and your Wing to keep an eye on things around here today." She told 
him and gave him a half smile. "I do believe that your Wing is the 
only one here that didn't over do the spirits last night and I need 
clear heads to hold down the Warren."

"So your taking Tair'n," he asked.

"No, I'm not. Not after the way he behaved last night..." she held 
up her hand when Ja'ks would have spoken up in the Alpha Wingleader's
defense. "I know he had every right to be upset and get drunk...but I 
think he pushed decency a little to far. Besides.." she smiled evilly. 
"I don't think he'll be in any condition to fly this morning... No 
I'm going to ask G'ther if he'll spare his Wingsecond, Gerald and one 
other to fly herd on the Queen."

Her brother nodded his head in agreement. "Good choice. Kid's got a 
good head on his shoulder and can think quick on his feet."

"Well now that that's all settled," She sighed dramatically, relieved 
that she didn't have to argue her point. "I think I'll go see what 
that gentlemen wanted to see me about. Mother we should be ready to 
leave with in the hour, all right?"

Realee grinned up at her eldest child. Excitement filled the older 
woman at the thought that within the hour she would be reunited with 
her own younger sister. Too many years had past since they had seen 
each other and Realee was ready for the years to end 
"I'll be ready when you are."
------------

With Ja'ks offering to see that Jadain got to school, Jayleigh made 
her way over to the table where the young man had patiently sat 
waiting for her. She chukled to herself remembering her brothers 
comment about having just enough time to go check up on a certain 
queen rider after last nights party. He had asked her earlier if she 
knew where Rezsia was when they sat down to eat, notincing his Tiger 
wasn't in her usual seat at the familie's table.

"Ready for that talk now?" she asked, while taking a seat across the 
table from him. As she sat, she took a good look at his face and then
decided that, no she had never met the man. She would have remember 
someone with eyes that gray. "I'm Jayleigh, Warrenlady here at Daere Warren."

The man pushed his empty plate away and turned to face her. "As I told 
you my name is Zert Shade and I'm new to this area. I'm a scholar by 
trade and I travel around different parts of our world always 
searching for new things to learn and teach to others."

Jayleigh was amazed that he'd gotten the whole sentence out in one 
breath. "So you're here studying the area around us?"

"Well yes.. That is my plan if at all possible. I would ask if it is 
also possible to be allowed to stay here at your warren while I work."

An idea came to her just then. One that this man might be able to help
with-- if he really was what he said. "I'll allow you to stay here but 
I also have a proposition to make to you."

She saw his eyes open in interest. "And what might that be, 
Warrenlady Jayleigh?" he asked 

"We have several older children here at the Warren who have out grown 
the teachings of our one Teacher. If you could see your way clear to 
maybe taking on these students and see what you might be able to teach them,
I would deem it a favor." She informed him in a very polite tone 
of voice. "Why don't you think about it and let me know what you decide
later on. Now though I'm afraid I have to be leaving. I have an appointment.
Please in the mean time feel free to stay. I'm sure a room 
can be found for you."

"Thank you my Lady, I'll consider your offer."

"Why don't we talk about it more later when I get back," she offered, hoping
he'd want to agree. They really could use a teacher for the 
older children.
--------
(Jayleighs office

<<Troy, will you please bespeak Amadith's rider and ask that he be 
informed that I'm leaving the Warren. Also tell him that I would like 
him to come to my office when I get back. I want to discuss Keppo's  
rider with him and these complaints against him."

A few seconds later the Queen reported that she couldn't find Amadith 
to deliver the message.

<<What do you mean you can't find him,>> Jayleigh demanded angrily. 
<<He should be in his apartment sleeping off last night.>> 

<Well he's not here in the Warren at all.>> Tory said. <<I can't 
reach Amadith where ever they have gone>>

Damn the man!! Was he constantly going to rub her face in it. Didn't 
he know that they needed to work together to keep this Damn place 
going strong? Velara was gone.. She, Jayleigh was Warrenlady now. Why
couldn't he just except it and work at getting along or was he keep 
paying her back for her comment about him being a boy toy? 

<<Find out if any of the other dragons know where they've gone.>> she
snapped as she finished putting the papers on her desk in order. <<And 
when you find him, tell them I want him here in my office when I get back.>>

That's all she needed this morning on top of everything else. They 
still hadn't found any trace of the wilder who had been found at the 
scene of the fire.  No one had any idea where he had gotten to after 
he escaped. And then there was the fire itself. No one as yet had 
discover how it had started, or who had placed the bodies in the big 
hut. 

This trip to Keldarra couldn't have come at a worst time with so much 
to do around here. On top of that she had had a note from Lord 
Gossimor of Triylar demanding an audience with her. He was worried 
about how things would be at the Warren with the death of the older
Warrenlady. How it would affect their agreement. 

"The same way it always was when you dealt with us in the past old 
man," she thought putting him out of her mind for right now.

<<Troy, please ask Random's rider to meet us out on the green in 
ten minutes to go to Keldarra,>> She sent the request to the Queen. 
<<I'll be there just as soon as I go by and collect my mother.>>
(tag Allen; To Keldarra we will go......
------------------------
(Keldarra : Dragonlady's office.)

"Lady Jayleigh it's good of you to make the time to come see me," 
The Dragonlady was saying as the two women form Daere walked into 
her office. "I know how busy you've been since Velara's death. I'm 
still finding it hard to believe that she's gone."

"It's been quite a shock to myself as well," Jayleigh smiled 
ironically as she took the seat offered. "I hadn't realized what 
all she had to do to keep the Warren going."

"Well she had three Junior Queen rider's to help." Christalla said smoothing
while smiling to put the two at ease.

"Only she wouldn't let them help," Realee frowned. 

"Mother... " Jayleigh tried to get her to stop, but her mother 
ignored her.

"She excluded them from any and all Warren duties that she could get 
away with just so she didn't have to retire. Why do you think it was 
that you never saw any of Daere's other Queen rider's at any of the 
Warren meetings or special occasions?"

"I hadn't realized she'd gone to those lengths to keep her 
leadership," The Dragonlady was clearly shocked. "If you need any 
help.."

"We're fine, but thank you for your generous offer." Jayleigh 
countered. "Unlike my mentor... I do frequently call upon the Junior 
Queen rider's for assistance. R'ven has also been a tremendous help. 
I don't know what I would have done with out his help."

She noticed then that the petite woman behind the desk kept glancing
Realee's way, and remembered that she hadn't as yet introduced her 
mother to the woman.

"I beg your pardon m'lady, this is my mother. Realee, our head cook 
at Daere." she made the introductions. "We had word recently from a
traveling Bard, that their might be a woman living here in Keldarra 
who we believe to be my mother's sister. She hasn't seen her in a 
number of years and would like to find her."

"And what is this woman's name? If she's here in the Warren, I can 
try to find out," she offered.

"Realee took a deep breathe, "Maralee, my Lady. My sister's name is Maralee."
(nrpg: Susan I'm going to let you finish their little talk...I got 
them there :)

*****Submitted by: ************

Barbara (a.k.a. =
Warrenlady Jayleigh & Viktroy
(Jer'lin, Realee, Ja'ks & Jadain)
Daere Warren

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