Jadain
********

Jadain didn't think his mothers request all that odd. In fact he was looking
forward to playing in the role she had set up for him. All he had to do was
get her to the dining hall and then introduce her to the new healer and let
the man take over. 

There didn't seem anything wrong with that. It wasn't like they where hiding
something from her. The new healer was suppose to help her learn how to get
about on her own... that was good.

<<Sienra would you please ask your rider if she'll have dinner with me
tonight?>> the young boy set the request to her dragon and then waited to
see if she would reply.

It was easier taking this way because he didn't have to take the time to run
over to the medical hall and then back again unless she wanted to go. 

<<Ammie??>> he sent a second message out to Healer Noni's beautiful dragon.
<<Would you please ask Noni if it would be all right for me to take Sienra's
rider to the dining hall for dinner. Please tell her the healer, the
Warrenlady sent for is here in the Warren and requested a meeting with Dy...
but she's not to know about it yet..." 

<My rider wants to know if it is really important for you to take Sienra's
rider tonight. She would like for her to have one more good nights sleep
first.> Ammie replied a minute later.

<<Well he came in today and he said as soon as they get started the sooner
Sienra's rider can start to learn how to get around on her own.>> Jadain
told her.

<Very well if she wants to go with you to eat... My rider says it's all right.>

<<Tell your rider thank you,>> the boy said, remembering his manners. <<And
thank you too for hearing me.>>

<You're always welcome,> the healer's dragon replied and the boy could hear
the truth in her tone.



Kayla
*******
"Tell me what it is and maybe I can help," Ar'Aman told her.

"I wish that you could love," Kayla replied. "But this is something I *have*
to do for myself."

"What is it?" He looked worried now and didn't understand why she was
suddenly so sad.

"R'ven has asked a favor of me," she told him and turned her eyes away from
him. "If I do as he's asked...I may be sent from the Warren... from you....
He told me the chose was mine... and If I don't do anything I can stay here
and he won't say anything... but If I don't say anything ...things could go
bad for Tair'n."

"He wants you to tell the people what happened in the caves.. doesn't he?"
Ar'Aman asked her, his tone showed he wasn't happy with the older man's
request. "Doesn't he know how hard that's going to be for you to do? What
was he thinking?"

"Easy love. It's all right, I can handle the telling... If it'll help save
Tair'n and get certain people off his back once they know what happened to
him... then I can't *not* say anything," she told him reaching for his hands
and pulling him around to face her. 

"I owe R'ven so much. If it wasn't for him I wouldn't be here right now. And
I know how hard it was for him to ask me to do this. But he loves Tair'n so
much and the Warren really needs him. Not to mention Jayleigh. She's already
lost one man she loved. Would it be fair for me to keep quiet and stay here
loving you while she loses the other man she loves. She's already been
through so much."

"No... I understand," he pulled her into his arms and held her. "you have to
do what your heart tells you to do."

"I have to do this," she said softly. "I have to tell them all what
happened. It's the only way things will be right. My only regret is that if
I am sent from the Warren I will lose you."

"Never!" he swore. "No matter what happens we will always have eachother.
We'll work it out somehow if that happens
I promise you."

Kayla wanted to believe him so much. Such was her love for him... so she let
herself believe in his words.

Jayleigh
*********

It was time to begin. 

The Marrid Warrenlady was ready by the time Jayleigh went to pick her up. On
the way over the only though in her mind was that this woman by the virtue
of being here at this time, was the only thing standing between her future
happiness and a life of loneliness. 

It would be Waylene's decision weather or not Tair'n was allowed to stay in
the Warren after hearing his story... or sending him away from her and those
who loved and believed in him.

"I'm ready," Waylene told her after opening the door to her knock. "I hope
all goes well for you this afternoon, but I pray you understand that I will
do what I think best for the Warren when it's over."

"I couldn't ask anything more of you," Jayleigh assured her. "After all in
the end the Warren is what really matters."

It was a lie. She didn't believe it, but as the senior Queenrider she had to
abided by that long standing rule. No matter if she ended up lonely for the
rest of her live. It was her *duty* to see that the Warren survived.

Personal feelings didn't matter.

"This way," she heard Jayleigh say as the Warrenlady lightly touched her elbow.

She started to follow and then froze. Jayleigh looked back at her in
surprise, "Is something wrong?"

"I .. I .." she sputtered, "Jayleigh, I have to tell you something .."

"What?" she asked almost afraid that the woman was about to back out at the
last moment. Then what would they do?

"The night of Velara's funeral .. Uh .. Tair'n gave me a ride home .."

"Yes, I know, I was there."

"You know.." Waylene breathed a bit easier, "Oh .. I can't tell you how much
easier that makes this for me. I was sure if you know about me spending the
night with him, you'd be upset. I mean it's not something I do, normally,"
Marrid's Warrenlady began to ramble in her relief, "I mean, I was split from
Z'lec, and I was angry with him .. and Tair'n .. well he was a bit drunk and
.. well willing.  I felt bad about Z'lec breaking his nose .. but he just
went red when he caught Tair'n in my robe .."

Tair'n and Waylene...Oh Gods... 

How could she not have known something like that had happened? She stopped
in her tracks as the woman's words sunk in... She and Tair'n together. 

<It was long ago my rider, and long before you and Amadith's rider first
mated,> the calming voice of her Queen entered her mind. <Aura said her
rider was in need that night and that she has never thought about repeating
it. Do not let you feelings cloud your judgment right now. You need a clear
head.>

"Jayleigh .. Oh gods .. you didn't know did you?"

"No...I ...I guess I should have... but... well so much was happening right
then and I.. Oh gods..." She sighed and looked away. 

The woman had slept with him... could that effect her judgment in the coming
trial?  Would she be able to judge him with an open mind...

She'd spelt with him...

"Jayleigh...I'm so sorry... I thought you knew..." Waylene reached out to
touch her arm, and Jayleigh raised her head to met the other woman's eyes.

"No...I didn't... but as Troy has reminded me... It happened before Tair'n
and I got together," she said softly. "But what I want to know is if that
one night will effect your judgment at this trial?"

-------------   

It was time.

The hall was filled with spectators and, everyone who should be here was
here and ready to go. She looked across the room to glance at the man she
loved sitting at the table to the left in the front of the room. 

Her heart when out to him, knowing he didn't want to be here, but rather
back in the Med center with his son.
But here he was trying to clear his name ... 

She got up slowly from her chair and made her way to the front of the room.
Everyone stopped speaking as she turned her eyes on the crowd. In the back
of the room she could see her father, Jer'lin with the new rider T'rell and
wondered if the man may start having second thoughts about coming here after
he witness the trial.. maybe he might think he had it better off where he'd
come from...

"I don't have to tell you why we are here today," she started by saying.
"Each and everyone of you know what is going to happen here. The truth of
what happened that day so many years ago is about to be told, and I hope
those of you who came here to learn, will listen to Tair'n's story with an
open mind."

"And what of you Jayleigh....?" Someone in the crowd asked. "Will you too
listen with an open mind before deciding he's innocent?"

"As many of you know, I have asked Warrenlady Waylene from Marrid Warren to
sit in judgment of this trial as I feel as some of you do, that I am to
close to the people involved. So I will step down this one time and allow
her decision to decide Tair'n's fate."

There were a number of murmurs in the crowd. Some may not have heard about
this twist yet... but there was a lot of head nodding going on so she didn't
think she'd have to worry.

"For those of you who haven't had the chance to meet Marrid's Warrenlady,"
she turned and motioned towards the woman. "This is Waylene. What ever
happens her today I will abide with her decision."

"That sounds fair," she recognized the speakers voice as T'or. 

Then Jayleigh turned to look off to the side where young Kayla was standing
next to R'ven and her new mate, Ar'Aman. Motioning with her hand for the
girl to come forward, she waited before speaking.

"All of you have by now I assume have gotten to meet this young lady, Kayla
is her name and she has asked me if she could come here today to speak with
you all before Tair'n takes the stand," Jayleigh paused for a moment to let
her words sink in. "She has a story to tell you.. some of you, who went on
the rescue mission for my son and the Queenrider Maeve, already know parts
of it. But she'd like to tell the whole story."

Kayla turned back to meet the eyes of her lovers. Saw him smile warmly back
at her and saw by the set of his wide shoulders that he was proud of her for
what she was about to do.

"Will you please take the witness stand," A burly looking rider asked. One
of several who were acting as bailiffs to keep any trouble stopped before it
could begin.

Mar'tan was also acting in the role of questioner for the day. Jayleigh had
always found the older man to be both fair and just in all her dealings with
him, and had never heard any complaints about his dealing with others.

Kayla moved to stand beside the witness chair, she'd asked if she could
stand to say what she was here to say, and Mar'tan agreed after receiving no
objections from anyone.

"You may begin when ever you are ready," the older man said kindly when he
noticed her hesitate. She smiled back in thanks before clearing her throat
and then she started to tell those in attendance about her time as
Da'ntray's captive.

"He came to our town and got me to go with him on the promise that there was
a queen egg on the sands," she told them. "And for a girl like me, who'd
never had much in the way of nice things... a promise to join with a queen
seemed like a dream come true. He promised me all kinds of nice things would
happen to me if I went with him. What girl wouldn't have jumped at the
chance if it was offered....so I agreed to go with him, but once we got to
where he was taking me... I knew something was wrong. For the Warren wasn't
where we ended up, but the caves we were later found in."

"Did you ask him to take you back to the town?" Mar'tan asked.

"Oh yes... but he just laughed at me and then hit me with his fist across my
face. The blow stunned me and he picked me up and took me to his sleeping
quarters where...he raped me."

The last was said so softly that she was asked to repeat it louder, so
everyone could hear what she was saying.

"He raped me," she sneered, trying not to let the memories of that time
overwhelm her. Though Ar'Aman had showed her how wonderful loving between
two people could be... she still had dreams of the other time.

"He ripped off my dress and underthings and held me down on his bed while
he... did things to me that hurt... I cried out and begged him to stop but
he just laughed and seem to look for nastier things to do to hurt me even
worse, then he forced me to ...do... things to him... and when I didn't do
it right...he beat me so bad I thought he was going to kill me."

She stopped to take a deep breath, then went on to tell them how she had had
to learn how to please him, just to stay alive.

"I became his personal toy... when I didn't move quick enough to please
him...or if I did something wrong...he would... he would let others... have
me to use... There were a lot of girls in that cave. I used to hear them
crying and screaming and knew what they were going though. Some of them
weren't strong enough to survive and died. Others who didn't play the game
and learn to please the men who raped them, were either killed off or sold
to someone who would beat them until they submitted... 
Sometimes he would let the men who showed up to bid on the girls have their
picks and try out the *goods* before they would buy them... I often wondered
how many of them had been fooled by the promise of standing on the sands at
the Warren during the next hatching...

The hall was quiet. Everyone waited for the girl to go on with her story.
Many had never known how bad it had been for the women they had found there.
They were sicken by what they were hearing. Even T'or had an angry look on
his face as he too listened to the girls story.

"Do you need a break my dear?" The Marrid Warrenlady asked her. 

Kayla turned her head in the direction of the kind sounding voice and shook
it. "No M'lady, I need to finish it now."

Waylene nodded her head.

"When some of the other riders showed up with Jadain and the others..." she
paused to get her story set in her mind. "I knew I had to do something to
help them. I couldn't let him do to them what he had done to me...I'd heard
*him* talking to the others and knew he was planing on using the boy to get
back at the Warrenlady.." her eyes briefly moved to take in Jayleigh, but
then switched to look at R'ven. "I waiting until he wasn't looking and
helped the man they had brought in with the Queenrider to escape though some
old unused tunnels. Then headed back to try to get Jadain away too... I got
him and then heard the sound of fighting in one of the other off shooting
tunnels and went to see what was happening..."

After another pause she told them of witnessing the fight with Tair'n and of
seeing R'ven show up and try to save his friend and the fight that happened
after that where R'ven had been stabbed. She told them of finding a rock and
attacking Da'ntray just as he was setting up to finish the fallen rider off
with his knife...

"And what happened after that?" Waylene asked from her chair, not waiting
for Mar'tan to ask. 

"I saw my chance then when he was just laying there near the edge of the
precipice and all the hurtful things he had done to me and the others... all
the humiliations and degradation's he's forced on us came slamming back into
my mind and without a second thought...I... pushed... him over the edge to
his death..."

A loud gasp exploded in the room. Everyone began to talk at once... *a
dragon Killer... a few whispered..."Served him right after what he'd
done..." others said... all eyes turned back to her standing there looking
so lost and alone.

"Be strong my love," she heard Ar'Aman saying form where he stood off to the
side of the room waiting for her. "Go on...Tell them.."

"Please!!" She cried out trying to be heard over the whispering and talking.
"Please listen... I want to know if what I did was so bad after everything
that man had put us through. The rapes and the beating... the constant
threat of being sold off as a sex slave to some cruel man. Or at the very
lease ...death... for those who didn't or couldn't please them.... Did our
feelings not matter just because the man was a dragonrider? Were we supposed
to just lay back and accept our fate because the man and his beast fought
the wraiths that threaten our lands....What of him!?!" She asked, her voice
full of scorn and hatred. 

"What of him who had taken an oath to protect the people and the towns of
the Landbound nations... was it all right for him to rape and abuse us
simple because he was a *dragonrider* ? Well was it? I'm not sorry I killed
him! I would do it all over again to any man who ever tries to treat me that
way... be he a rider of a dragon or an Landbound man. No Man or woman has
the right to treat someone the way I was treated... Abused both physically
and mentally to the point where it came down to my life and the lives of
others... or his. No  I didn't killed a dragonrider.. I killed a man who
took from me what a man of honor would never ever think about taking from an
unwilling woman. I killed a monster. Remember that when you judge me for my
actions.."

She looked at each face near her, forcing them to meet her eyes... then
turned and walked proudly, with her head high, back to where Ar'Aman was
waiting for her. 

R'ven was waiting and moved to take her into his arms before her love could
get to her. Ar'Aman stepped back and allowed the older man his moment before
the rider release her and placed her hand in his. 

"Take her away from here," R'ven told Ar'Aman. "And take care of her."

"With my life if I have to Sir," the younger rider said firmly and Kayla
went with him willingly as he led her from the hall and to the dragon who
was waiting for them outside. 

---------------------------   

Okay the trial has been started... I thought it might be best for them to
hear Kayla's story first... maybe open their minds a little when Tair'n
finally takes the witness stand to tell his tale of woe ...

I hope I don't need to remind any one to let Lyn post Tair'n's pov...before
they write anything about his being there....Just to keep the records right....

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

Barbara (a.k.a.

Warrenlady Jayleigh & her Queen, Viktroy
Kayla 
Jadain
Daere Warren