<<
     T'rell raised his arms to get everyone's attention, still clutching the
mysterious bundle in one hand. "Can I have your attention, PLEASE?" he called
out, in the voice he normally used to call the trainees. When everyone's
attention was on the front of the room, he went on.

     "When I was a youngster, I was indoctrinated into an old landbound
tradition," he said, "one which may or may not be known to those of you here
at Daere Warren."

     From the corner of his eye, he saw Noni looking on curiously. Ja'ks,
standing behind her, was hiding his mouth behind his hand to hide the fact
that he was laughing.

     "This old tradition, which I propose to re-introduce here tonight, is
reputed to ensure that the lucky birthday-person will enjoy both health and
prosperity throughout the coming year." With great ceremony, he unwrapped the
bundle and held up the big wooden paddle for everyone to see. "And I am sure
that all of you will agree that no one deserves this more than our esteemed
Healer Noni!!"

     He turned and formally presented the paddle to Ja'ks. "Customarily, the
birthday-person gets one swat per year," he told the wingleader, then peered
over Ja'ks' shoulder so that he could see the astonished look on Noni's face.
"Um, just how old are you again?"

     And so, having accomplished his mission, T'rell quickly slipped himself
back into the crowd to watch the show.
<<

Noni stopped for a moment and stared. Where did T`rell get off...?! "Oh, but
wait," she heard herself call, in a bluff, into the eloquent silence that
followed T`rell's speech. "During my landbound years, I, too, heard of this
tradition. In fact, I heard enough to know that you, T`rell, left some things
out." Noni grinned maliciously as she watched T`rell blink.

"You see, the tradition's not over after the ceremony. It is written in some
ancient tome somewhere that, after the paddling ceremony, the mark gets to
keep the ceremonial paddle. The mark may then use the paddle to bestow good
health and luck upon anyone they so choose under a specific set of
circumstances, like birthdays, promotions, injuries..." With a threatening
glint in her eye, Noni watched T`rell shrug and try to appear unconcerned.

Ja`ks laid a hand on her shoulder. "Well, my dear," he said, the laugh
apparent in his voice, "Are you ready for your paddling?"

Noni snapped around. "You can't be serious!"

"Indeed I am!" he crowed. Ja'ks watched T'rell leave and thought the
dragonrider had the right of it, but with everyone watching to see if he'd go
though with this gag, he couldn't very well leave now. Besides...It looked as
though it would be fun. It would also be a way to pay her back for all the
pain she'd caused him when she'd been treating his injuries.

Noni sighed. The man had to be kidding her. If he were delirious, she'd bring
him back to solid ground but quick.

"Are you ready for your spanking, Noni?" his gray eyes lit up with amusement
at the murderous look in the eyes that met his.

Noni's jaw was set. "Do you think I am, smart aleck?" she asked, crossing her
arms firmly. No way was he going to do this. 

"You're not going to disappoint your friends now are you?" he challenged. He
was perfectly willing to play all this to the very hilt.

T'rell, back in the crowd, clapped his hands.  "Pad-dle! Pad-dle! Pad-dle!!"
he shouted. Others joined the chant. Noni scowled.

"Any friend who wants to see me on the business end of that little oar there
is asking to be on the business end of one of my scalpels! And they won't be
disappointed then," she retorted. 

"You're not *afraid* of a little paddling, are you, Noni?" Ja`ks asked, his
voice quiet with mock solicitousness.

"Another year of good luck for the birthday girl!!" T`rell hollered from the
back.

"You afraid of a little cutting, Ja`ks?" Noni replied tightly, hoping that
Ja`ks would just call off this little charade. This was embarrassing.

At the mention of the word cutting, T'rell's eyes narrowed...his eyes darted
about the room, clearly looking for escape routes should they be needed.

"Ohh, T`rell," Noni said, turning away from Ja`ks to regard the hatchling
trainer. "You'll have a year of something other than good luck, if I have
anything to say about it! You'll get it for this!" Things were starting to
occur rather quickly around Noni's head. Too many people were shouting things
at once. She didn't like any of this one bit.

"Ah, Noni," Ja`ks chided. "Don't be a spoil sport..."

T`rell sipped his ale and looked unconcernedly at the healer. "Hey, this is
tradition! Don't blame me!"

Noni smiled maliciously. "Tradition, too, that the healer gets dibs on
revenge! That's right, boys! It'll be just like cutting potatoes for dinner!"

"Hear that, T'rell? I think that was a threat!" Ja'ks laughed.

T'rell chuckled. "Well, are you gonna let her get away with that?"

"Have at'er, Ja'ks!" someone yelled at the dais.

"Yeah, Noni," Kalya called out. "It's a tradition. You can't say no now!"

Noni changed her stance to regard T`rell. "Why, you... Tradition! Tradition my
tailbone!"

T'rell turned to face the crowd.  "Shall we put it to a vote?" he shouted.
"Who's for tradition?!"

Calls of "yea" and "tradition!" flooded the dining hall. Noni felt pretty
certain that she was doomed.

Ja'ks laughed as he eyed T'rell sitting a safe distance away. His smile then
softened as he turned back to Noni, who still stood there, glaring at the two
of them.

"And who among you wants to flout this time-honored tradition?" T'rell
shouted. Dead silence greeted his question...

"Ah Noni... do you think I would really paddle you?" Ja`ks asked, and saw the
look in her eyes change to relief.

(No, he wouldn't,) Noni thought. (He'd be sweet about this. He'd aim and pull
it away. He wouldn't do it. Nah.)

When he figured her guard was down enough, he raised his hand towards her and
asked her to dance. Slowly, as if expecting him to do something, Noni placed
her hand in his and stood up. As he led her out onto the dance floor, Ja`ks
suddenly flipped his wrist and Noni found herself laying across his lap,
bottom up and unable to get up. Things didn't bode well for the young healer.
Noni's eyes bugged. (Oh, no!) she thought. (That fool!)

"Now!!" the rider called out to the onlooking crowd. "Who's first?"

First? "Who's first?" 

Noni yelped in surprise. "What?! This is open season on me tonight??!"

Ja`ks raised his eyebrows as he turned his head towards T`rell, who was
laughing himself fit to burst. "How about you T'rell? It was your Idea."

Noni started to writhe and struggle. She did not want T`rell to get a hold of
that paddle for anything.

Ja'ks called out as he stilled the healer strugging to get away. A quick swat
on the healer's backside seemed to do the trick. "Oops... Well, I guess that's
number one!" Ja'ks laughed as the crowd arould then broke out in cheers. 

"Only 25 more to go, Noni!!" Someone yelled.

With a yelp of surprise and anger, Noni started contemplating the methods of
bringing sharp steel into contact with vital organs. Forget anesthesia. It
ruined all the fun. She thought she could use some, though... Ja`ks had quite
a windup.

T'rell squatted down next to them.  "Did that first one count?" he asked.

"It better've!" Noni yelled.

T'rell was clearly dissatisfied with that idea, but said nothing.

"Well, you know, maybe it didn't," Ja'ks frowned.

"What do you *mean*, maybe not?!" his victim cried.

"After all it wasn't done with the *paddle*, now was it?!" Ja`ks retorted. 

Noni muttered a curse and slapped her forehead. Men. Boys.

T'rell shrugged.  "Well, he didn't do it with the sacred, ceremonial paddle."

Noni thrust her head up and nearly rolled off Ja`ks' lap."I'll give you
sacred, ceremonial paddle...!" she yelled.

"Well we could put it to a vote," he whispered in her ear, as if to calm her.
"Let the others decide. What do you say?"

Noni wondered why Ja`ks wanted this vote. This crowd was rough. She knew right
away that she'd get at least 27 swats before the night was out.

T'rell, sure the vote would go his and Ja'ks' way, stood up and began looking
around to see if anyone had made any coffee. It would be a long night.

Noni quit entertaining herself with thoughts of scalpels and cuts and started
thinking about various drugs. She eyed the mug of ale T`rell had had in his
hands. In the recesses of her memory, she recalled a few herbs that had some
interesting side effects. She held the thought, clenched her eyes shut, and
waited for Ja`ks to continue his "fun."

After a few moments of waiting for a swat that never came, Noni looked up at
Ja`ks. "Please tell me that swat counted. Really. Just twenty-five more to go,
right? Right?" With a groan, Noni looked at all the grinning faces that shook
their heads negatively.

"Sorry, my lovely healer," the wingleader sighed while hiding a laugh. "But
you heard the vote!! NEXT!!"

Noni closed her eyes, stiffened, and resolved to get through this trial with
at least a shred of dignity, that is, if these people would let her.

Ja'ks motioned for his partner in the crime to come up onto the dais with him,
and then had him stand there with the paddle, ready to hand it out to who ever
stepped up for the first smack.

T'rell held the paddle up over his head.  "Who wants first honors?" he called.
Several hands shot up, and T`rell told their owners to form a line.

"Who's gonna open the bidding for first rights?" Ja'ks called out.

"Bidding?!" Noni asked. "I thought the tradition was years equals swats and
that was that!"

"Well that's the Landbound tradition," Ja'ks informed her. "We here in the
Warren have to start a new one of our own... so who will start the bidding?
Come on gents... don't be shy!!"

For several long moments Noni cursed the Landbound and their traditions. Her
rear was on the line this time, and in more ways than one!

"I got one gold coin I'll bid for the first whack?" a tall dark-headed rider
called out raising his hand in the air.

"We got our first bid!!" Ja'ks clapped, the eyed the coin in the man's hand.
"Of course you know T'rell here is going to have to test the coin to see if
it's real."

"Hey!" Noni said, outraged, and beginning to bristle a little more. "Who's
getting all these coins afterwards?!"

"Well, it's my paddle, so I get half," T'rell told her.

"My birthday! My tailbone!"

"Hey what about me," Ja'ks reminded them. "I'm the one here doing all the
work!

"When's your birthday again, Ja`ks?" Noni asked, semi-sweetly.

Ja`ks sighed inwardly. This little charade really wasn't going to work."Last
month," he winked, but then let her sit back up.

Noni sat bolt upright. With a snap she reached out and
grabbed the paddle from Ja`ks' hands. "All right, you two. For all that you've
just put me through," she threatened, waving the paddle, her eyes flashing.

"Uh, oh!" someone yelled from the back. "Everybody out! She's armed!"

T'rell stood back, raising his hands in a placating gesture.  "Now, now...no
need for violence here!"

"This coming from someone who comes up with these violent traditions!" Noni
spread her arms wide for emphasis, but instead of letting them fall back to
her sides, she let the paddle arm swing and hit Ja`ks in the shoulder.

"OUCH!! Have a care, Noni!! That was my bad shoulder!!" he cried and moved out
of her reach.

"Hah!" she crowed. "Oh, I won't hit you again tonight, Ja`ks. Right now I'm
too busy concentrating on our good friend T`rell."

T'rell, dodging her first swing, darted in to hide behind J'aks.  "Wingleaders
first," he said.

She stepped closer to the tall trainer. "There's another tradition here at
Daere, you know... Namely, that the healer gets first crack at vengeance." She
slapped the paddle against her hands.

"Oh, no!!" Ja`ks exclaimed, moving out of the way. "Wingleaders are more
important then trainers around here.... We get defense priority!"

"Ja`ks," Noni asked in her semi-sweet voice, "Would you mind helping me with
this? How about making my target a little easier to smack?"

The combatants heard a chuckling in the background and turned to see Realee
stepping onto the dais. The older woman took the paddle out of the healer's
hands. "That'll be enough of that now, children," she said as she frowned at
the three of them. "Now, play nice or no cake for any of you!"

T'rell breathed a sigh of relief and as inconspicuously as possible maneuvered
himself behind Realee. Noni scowled and glared threateningly at the two men.
Ja`ks rubbed his shoulder and hopped off the dais.

+++an hour later+++

With a sigh, Noni dropped into her desk chair in her office. Her birthday
party had been quite the success, she had to admit, though she thought it
would've been better without the tradition demonstration later in the evening.

She looked at the paddle in her hands. She'd only gotten it from Realee after
promising herself blue that she wouldn't beat up on "those poor boys" during
the party. Noni shrugged. She didn't need the party; the paddle was hers and
she'd get more chances to do unto them what they tried to do unto her.

She unlocked a large drawer in her desk and slid the paddle into its new
hiding place. Desperately desiring sleep to put to rest all the chaos of the
evening, she left her office for an unused patient room nearby and lay herself
to sleep on the vacant bed.

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

I had help with this one. :) Multas gratias vobis ago, John et Barb!!
:):):):):)

Clear Skies and Seas,
Paula
 
Noni/Ammie