[NRPG: Ignore that last, if you would.  Just delete it.  Susan, could you 
archive *this* one, please?  Thanks.]

[Velara's office, Day 1, lunch]

Tair'n held the still form of Velara.  Moments ago, as they had made love, 
she had been so full of life.  Now, he sat listening to the keening of the 
dragons.

His lover and warrenlady was dead.  She had cried out in pleasure and then 
had collapsed suddenly.  And seconds later, Jenaladar has screamed and 
thrown herself into the void of death.

Now the dragons keened.

"Lara, no," he sobbed.

He didn't register the sound of the door opening or the footsteps.  "Tair'n, 
what happened here? What's happened to Velara?" the voice of the junior 
queenrider, Jayleigh, came to him.  No, not junior queenrider.  She was 
warrenlady now that Velara was...

He turned to face her.  What had happened?  What was to say?  She was 
dead... empty... gone.  He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out 
but a sob... and another... and another.

"Have the decency to cover yourself up," Jayleigh snapped suddenly, as she 
hurried forward, picking up articles of Velara's clothes as she advanced 
toward them. "Others will be coming along any minute and I'd prefer they not 
see the Warrenlady this way."

Her words penetrated through his fog and he felt an immediate flash of 
anger.  "No!" he yelled, gathering Velara to himself.  "You don't touch her."

"She's naked, Tair'n.  Let's get her dressed quickly before someone else 
arrives."

"Why?  Just so people won't think she actually had the temerity to have sex 
at her age?  You're not going to make what just happened between us into 
something embarrassing and dirty.  A warrenborn dragonrider, of all people, 
should understand."

His anger receded as quickly as it had begun and he was left only empty as 
Jayleigh stood speechless.  He lowered Velara's body to the floor and shut 
her glassily staring eyes, then kissed each in turn.

"Somewhere... I think she must be laughing right now," he said, looking into 
her still face, with just the hint of a secret smile on her lips.  "Do you 
remember, she used to always say she would die disgracefully and happy?"

He could see out of the corner of his eye Jayleigh nod in answer.

A tear splashed from his eyes to Velara's face.  He closed his eyes as his 
body was wracked with sobs.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, too large and rough to be Jayleigh's.  
"Tair'n?" R'ven's voice spoke softly.

Tair'n looked up into the older man's handsome face.  "She's dead, R'ven.  
Lara's dead."

"I know," R'ven spoke, pulling him to his feet.  "We'll manage."  Tair'n 
melted into the arms of the man who was lover to both Velara and himself, 
R'ven kissing him lightly.  "We'll manage.  Come on now, we need to get you 
dressed, at least."

Tair'n nodded his acquiescence, but didn't move to comply.  So, R'ven pulled 
away, gathered his clothes and helped him to get dressed.  A crowd had 
already gathered outside the late warrenlady's office, but Tair'n was 
completely unaware of their presence.  There was only R'ven and himself and 
Velara's body.

He watched, crying silently, holding R'ven, feeling his dragon's comforting 
presence even as the dragon grieved, as Velara's body was placed on a 
stretcher, completely covered with a sheet and carried away.

There were tears in R'ven's eyes as he turned to Tair'n.  "Let's go home."

Tair'n hesitated.  Home was the apartment he, R'ven and Velara had all 
shared.  There was so much of her there.  "I can't right now.  I... think I 
need to go flying."

He walked out as the grey-blue form of Amadith landed before him, then saw a 
member of his wing and remembered.  "Shanar, could you inform the wing that 
there will be no drill this afternoon?"

The young man nodded to the Alpha Wingleader.

Tair'n mounted the large form of Amadith.

<Get me away from here, Amadith.>

They launched into the air and headed north to the mountains.

Respectfully submitted,
 Lynette R. F. Cowper
  Tair'n and Amadith
   Alpha Wingleader

NRPG: Hey, all.  Nothing like starting out with a bang!

---
|   Lynette R. F. Cowper  *  Official INWO Rules NetRep & Goddess    |
| http://www.io.com/~lcowper  *  lcowper@io.com  *  lcowper@indy.net |
|  "If people never did silly things, nothing intelligent would ever |
|                   get done."  -- L. Wittgenstein                   |