Elvynia
****

[Day 10 - morning]

[snip of John's post]

     Tara nodded her approval.  "All right, then," she said.  "We'll take 
statements tomorrow morning from all the witnesses...Jerram's given me a list 
of everyone who was involved.  Then I'll decide what formal charges are to be 
made against this Rufus and his friends."

     "What would happen to them?" Elly asked.  "If they're found guilty, I 
mean."

     "Depends," the warrenlady told her, carefully considering her answer.  
If they were dragonriders, I'd say banishment...but in this case, it could be 
worse.  Rufus could be looking at the death penalty, and perhaps one or two 
of the others as well.  I'll have to hear what all the witnesses have to say 
first before deciding for certain what they should be charged with."

[end snip]

"Just so long as they get what they have coming to them.  A number of us 
might have been killed."  Or worse than killed, Elly thought.  It was really 
a wonder they had done as well as they had under the circumstances.  "I'd 
like to be there, when they're charged - and then punished.  To know that 
it's taken care of and that they won't be hurting anyone else."

"I'm sure that can be arranged," Tara assured her.

"For now, though, I just want to put it out of my mind.  I have much better 
things to think about. Like finishing training and starting on patrol."  Elly 
smiled.  "Any idea when our assignments will be made?"

"I'll be dealing with that later today.  I'll let you know when it's all been 
decided."

"Ok, I'm just anxious to get to work."  Elly liked to be active and looked 
forward to being on patrol.

"I'm sure there will be plenty for you to do."

****

[evening]

As soon as the cry for help went out, Elly and Iris took off to see what they 
could do to assist.  There wasn't much they could do under the circumstances, 
so they circled overhead for a bit, then landed on the sand near Corwin to 
see if they could help with the hatchling refusing to leave.  Almost 
immediately, though, Fayloth flew in, and they soon realized that he had 
determined that the seadragon hatchling was now joined with Ansel.

[snip of Arlene's post]

Ansel looked confused and scared as Syngnath relayed what Fayloth had seen.  
"But... he's a seadragon!"

Corwin chuckled, "Well, seadragon or not, looks like you are stuck with him."

"But the others are all leaving!"  Elly noted.  "Do you think that the queen 
knows?"

{Your hatchlings are getting away, wilder. You had better follow them,} Iris 
called to the seadragon queen.

"I think she's bound to notice."  Corwin stated as he apprehensively looked 
in the direction that the other dragons had gone.

At that moment a larger greenish dragon appeared over the dune heading their 
way.

"And like it or not... here comes his dam... and if we don't want to be her 
lunch, I suggest we leave this area at once!"  Corwin's hand squeezed the 
boy's shoulder as he propelled him along the beach, back towards the warren.

Syngnath guided Khamorray out into the water and they swam along following 
their humans.

Iris and Elly swiftly moved out of harm's way and rejoined the other 
trainees, including Lainie and Selene, up on the dunes.  Elly reached Lainie 
and the two sisters grinned at each other, sharing the excitement that this 
day had brought.

[end snip]

"This will be a day to remember, won't it, Elly?"  Lainie could hardly 
believe that she and Selene were finally flying together, never mind all the 
rest of the day's mayhem.

"It certainly has been quite a day," Elly agreed.

{I'm hungry, rider,} Selene complained as usual.

{{I guess you do have one fish coming to you this evening.}}  Lainie had been 
horrified when informed that the queen had put Selene on a diet.  How were 
they ever to manage with Selene's appetite being what it was?  Perhaps some 
ear plugs were in order, she mused.

Selene sighed.  She really didn't care for fish.  This dieting business was 
already getting her down - not in size, just in spirit.

"Shall we all go get some dinner?" Lainie asked the others.

"Sure," Elly nodded, turning to Danis who was standing nearby.  "Will you 
join us, too?"

"I'd like that."  Danis looked down the beach at the departing forms of 
Corwin and Ansel.  "Perhaps we should take some food to the barracks for 
Ansel's hatchling as well.  He'll certainly be hungry, too."

"Good idea," Elly concurred.  "Let's take him his food first and then get 
ourselves some dinner."

****

[The barracks]

[snip of John's post]

Just then, Jerram entered. "Ah, there you are!" he said, grinning from ear to 
ear. He stooped down so that he was eye level with Khamorray. The hatchling 
regarded him curiously. "I see we've got another new recruit to train, eh?" 

"Wouldn't want you to feel like you're out of a job as soon as you graduate 
our group," Lainie giggled. 

Jerram sighed. "Well, the truth is, I'll only be doing the basic training 
this time around." 

"Really?" asked Corwin, stepping out of the shower and beginning to towel 
himself off. "You're stepping down as trainer?" 

"Well, hopefully soon, but not yet," Jerram told him. "The truth is, I'm not 
all that qualified to train a seadragon and his rider - as I'm sure you've 
noticed.. I can train Ansel and Khamorray  to about the point where I've 
gotten you, Corwin, but after that we need someone who knows more about 
seadragons and their special needs. An expert on seadragons, in other words." 

Elly and Corwin exchanged glances. "Has Wade come back, then?" Elly asked. 

Jerram shook his head. "No, unfortunately not." 

Lainie looked thoughtful. "But we don't have any other seadragons here at 
Jasra...and none of the other warrens could have any at all, because they're 
not anywhere near the water. That just leaves Corwin..." 

Jerram nodded. "Yes, that it does. Corwin, I think it's pretty safe to say 
that you've just found your patrol partner." 

"Wow, did you hear that, Corwin!?" Ansel asked excitedly, startling Khamorray 
awake. The hatchling had just begun to doze off after filling his belly. 

Corwin smiled too, but his look was more guarded. "Jerram...I'm nobody's idea 
of an expert on seadragons! I'm brand new at this!" 

"Then you can both learn together," said Jerram, twirling his mustache. "Oh, 
and by the way...there's going to be a Hatching Party in the dining hall in 
an hour. Everyone's invited, of course!"

[end snip]

That was certainly exciting news.  The wide grins on everyone's faces matched 
Elly's own.  While Corwin slipped on a clean pair of pants, Elly strolled 
over to where Ansel was still seated beside Khamorray, who was now fast 
asleep.  

"He's certainly a handsome seadragon."  Not as handsome as Syngnath, though, 
she thought to herself.

"He is," Ansel beamed.          

"I'm sure you and Corwin will make fine partners," she told him graciously, 
swallowing her own disappointment - illogical though it was to feel any in 
the first place.  "It's good that there are now two seadragons at the warren 
so Syngnath isn't alone."

Ansel nodded as he stroked the hatchling's sleek hide.  Khamorray twitched 
briefly in his sleep.

With Ansel's attention now diverted back to his seadragon, Elly headed over 
to where Lainie and Danis were conversing in low voices.  Danis stopped 
mid-sentence when she noticed Elly approaching, while Lainie flashed her a 
wicked smile.  It was all too clear to Elly what the two women had likely 
been discussing, but she ignored their coy looks and instead told them she 
was heading to her rooms to change and would meet them at the dining hall 
later.  With a brief wave that encompassed the occupants of the room, she 
left.

****

Iris was waiting for her when she returned to her apartment.  {I'm glad to 
see you, rider, I would really like to be oiled.}

{{Of course, Iris, just in time for the hatching party.}}

{We should both look our best.}

{{I'm sure no one will mind what I look like.  It will just be fun to have 
another celebration.  Come on, let's go get that oiling taken care of.}}

Once Iris was scrubbed and oiled, Elly quickly showered and changed.  Since 
she primarily wore more practical clothing, she had only a few dresses.  She 
passed over the purple one she had worn at Iris's hatching party and chose a 
sapphire blue one instead.  Looking at herself critically in the full-length 
mirror in her bedroom, she decided to do something a bit different with her 
hair, just as an experiment.  The thought flashed through her mind to wonder 
if anyone would notice, before she headed out the door.

{{C'mon, Iris, let's see if they need any more help setting up.}}        

****

At the dining hall, there was a flurry of activity...that suddenly ground to 
a halt as the familiar cry of a dragon rising to mate pierced the air.  Elly 
spun around in the doorway and saw Doshy wing across the sky.

{{Well, I suppose that will hold things up for a bit,}} she wryly projected 
to Iris.

{Only for them.}

{{True.  The rest of us can get everything ready in the meantime.}}  She 
grinned.  {{I suppose we could think of this as a mating party, too, now.}}

Darlea strode across the green, Ojean and Cill not far behind her.  "How is 
it going in there?  Are they pretty well set up?" Darlea wondered.

"It looks to me like they could use a few more pairs of hands," Elly replied. 
"There's a lot to do on such short notice."

"Hey, Gus!" Elly called out, spotting Gus approaching as well.  "Come over 
here and help, too."

The boy scowled at her.  "You ain't makin' me help in the kitchen again, are 
you?"

"Sure, why not?  We shouldn't just enjoy everyone else's efforts." 

"Why not?" 

"Because that's not the way it works at a warren.  We all pitch in as 
needed," she informed him.

With the extra help, the dining hall was soon decked out in party finery.

One by one...then by twos, threes, and more...the warren residents, along 
with the crew of Dolfis's ship, assembled to celebrate the latest hatching - 
and joining.

Elly sat with her family, listening to more of her father's stories and 
Ed'wen's update on the search for the new queenrider.  Lainie was flirting 
with some of Dolfis's men, which was creating a deep crease in her mother's 
forehead as she glowered at the girl's antics.  

"Would you like another glass of wine, Mama?"  Elly got to her feet with her 
own empty wineglass in one hand.

"Yes, Elvynia, I believe I would."  She handed the glass to Elly without 
taking her eyes off her younger daughter.

On her way across the room, Elly neared the table where Corwin, Dolfis, and 
some others were seated.

"And then," Corwin related the tale in hearty tones, "he held his bloodied 
sword against the captain's throat...."  His voice trailed off as the trim 
figure passed by.

"Get on with it, Corwin," Gus urged, with a grin at Elly. 

Corwin cleared his throat, "Yeah, where was I?"  But his eyes followed the 
diminutive form as she headed towards the beverages, while he abruptly 
finished his tale, leaving his listeners clamoring for more.

On her return trip, brimming wineglasses in each hand, Elly's eyes caught 
Corwin's across the table. 

"Umm, can you excuse me?  I'm a bit parched."  Corwin cleared his throat 
again and rose from the table. 

As Elly drew near, Corwin circled the table to intercept her before she 
reached her own table.

"Is one of those glasses for me?" he asked with a broad grin.

She returned the smile.  "Which would you prefer, my mother's glass or mine?"

"Oh, certainly not your mother's...but perhaps you'd like to share?" 
    
Elly eyed both glasses in mock confusion, raising first one, then the other.  
"Let's see, I believe it was this one."  She held the glass up for him to 
take.

However, instead of taking the glass, Corwin bent forward and took a sip, his 
eyes never leaving Elly's.  "Yes, I can tell it must be yours, it's so 
sweet." 

She flushed lightly but didn't look away, deliberately turning the glass to 
take her own sip from the spot his lips had just left.  "Yes, it is," she 
agreed.

Corwin's fingers brushed hers slightly as he slipped the other glass from 
Elly's grasp.  With a wink, he turned and strode the few paces to Elly's 
mother and with a flourish presented her with her glass. 

Evlan was startled out of her scrutiny of Lainie's behavior by the sudden 
appearance of her wine glass in Corwin's hand.  "Oh, thank you, Corwin."  She 
smiled warmly at him, then glanced behind him at Elly, whose glowing cheeks 
gave her a fair indication of that state of affairs.  Good, she thought in 
satisfaction.  Elly could use a man in her life.  Unlike Lainie, who was 
likely to wind up with too many of them.  "Would you like to join us?"  She 
indicated an empty chair beside the one Elly had vacated.

Corwin smiled equally warmly and gave a small bow.  "Actually, if you'll 
excuse us," he said, including Elly in his gesture, "I think perhaps Elly 
would like to dance?"  He turned and smiled at Elly, stretching one arm 
towards the dance floor. 

Her face lit up as she reached for his hand, allowing him to guide her to an 
open spot.  When he drew her close, swaying slowly in time to the music, she 
relaxed against him, her head fitting snugly below his shoulder.

The music ended much too soon, and they remained on the dance floor for the 
next number.  However, that piece was of a much faster tempo, and Corwin 
found himself confused by the intricate steps required.  Elly and Corwin 
dissolved into laughter as the large man made up his own, more interesting 
steps. 
 
"Thank you, Corwin, that was fun," Elly told him as the music drew to a halt 
and they paused to catch their breath.

"Yes...and thank you.  Is it a bit hot in here?" he asked, fanning his face.  
"Would you like another drink?" 

"Yes, I would, thanks."  They headed over to the beverage table.  "I think it 
is a bit warm in here.  Would you like to step outside for a moment with our 
drinks?"

Elly selected a glass, and Corwin grabbed two, downing one, and then carrying 
the other as he followed her outside. 

During the intervening hours since the party began, the sun had gone down and 
the full moon was now rising.  The moonlight bathed the warren in a soft glow 
that spilled over onto the forms of the two riders now strolling slowly 
across the green.  They walked close together, yet not touching.  

Corwin for once found himself at a loss for words.  He hesitated between 
bravado, levity or...his true feelings.  Since rescuing the girl he had been 
unable to get her off of his mind.  They found themselves heading to the 
beach.  "Isn't it a beautiful night?" he offered. 

"Yes," Elly agreed, "I love the moonlight on the beach, especially when it 
reflects on the water.  I'm glad we decided to come outside.  It was getting 
stuffy in there.  And I'd rather be on the beach than just about anywhere."

"The moon on the water doesn't sparkle nearly as bright as your eyes."  

Elly colored faintly but met his gaze, her blue-gray eyes silvered by the 
pale light.  "And the water isn't nearly as extraordinary a shade of aqua as 
yours are," she reciprocated.

He actually felt heat rise in his face at her comment, and turned away 
towards the sea hoping she had not noticed.  He cleared his throat, 
embarrassed.  "Thanks," he murmured.  They stood silently watching the waves 
crash against the shore. 

"I'm glad Syngnath has another seadragon to be partnered with," Elly broke 
the long silence at last.  "I'm sure you and Ansel will get along well."

He smiled as he thought of Syngnath, but then a concerned look crossed his 
face. "Yes, but Jerram thinks that I can help train him!  I don't even know 
anything about normal dragons, how could I possibly help him adjust to a 
seadragon?" 

"That's easy enough," she tried to reassure him.  "Since none of the rest of 
us is joined with a seadragon, you already know far more than we do.  The two 
of you will just share all you learn."  

"To be honest...," Corwin's eyes met Elly's again, "I was hoping for another 
partner...."

Her heart leaped at what she thought - hoped - he was saying.  "You were?"

"Yes," he said softly.  "I guess I was hoping that you'd be my partner...." 

She took a deep breath.  "We may not be able to be patrol partners, but we 
could be partners in other ways...."

Corwin looked down at the beautiful, petite woman, amazed at what he was 
hearing.  Had he understood her correctly?  Only one way he knew to find out. 
 Slowly moving in closer, he reached out with a hand, tilted her chin up, and 
leaned forward.  Hesitating, he looked into her eyes, and seeing mirrored 
there his own desires, he kissed her...briefly. 

With the brush of his lips on hers, her eyelids lowered as a bolt of heat 
shot through her.  When he lifted his head all too soon, a soft sound of 
protest escaped her.  

Uncomfortable suddenly with his rush of feelings, he turned and pulled her 
down towards the waves.  "We came out here for a stroll, didn't we?"  He 
grinned.  She laughed in return, and the two raced towards the foam.  

Elly lifted her hem high above her knees to keep the saltwater from ruining 
her dress as she waded out into the surf.

They jumped the waves, laughing as the seaspray tickled their faces.  Corwin 
shook his head as he watched Elly trying not to get her dress wet, knowing it 
was a lost cause.  A large wave caught her just as one foot was raised, and 
Corwin tried to grab her as she tumbled into the foam...Corwin tumbling right 
along with her. 

Elly sputtered seawater as she lifted her head above the waves, giggling at 
their mishap.  As Corwin's head broke the surface, streaming water, she 
chuckled, "We might have saved ourselves some trouble if we'd just undressed 
first." 

Laughing, Corwin agreed.  "Well, I guess it isn't too late...and I did 
promise you another ride on Syngnath...."  At the mention of his dragon's 
name, the sea-green head popped out of the waves only a short distance away. 

Elly's eyes lit up.  Racing for the shore, she slipped the clinging dress 
over her head in a smooth motion, tossing it onto the sand.  Then she quickly 
turned, pale skin glowing in the soft light, to splash through the shallows 
before she dove into the depths.  She surfaced just inches from Syngnath's 
head, brimming with anticipation.

Corwin chuckled.  "I take that for a yes?" he called above the waves.  
Following suit he strode out of the water, stripped off his wet garments, and 
dashed back into the ocean. 

"I can't wait!" she acknowledged when Corwin reached her side.  

Sy vanished beneath the waves, and suddenly Elly and Corwin were being lifted 
out of the water.  Corwin slid forward along Syngnath's back and pulled Elly 
in close to him, thrilling at the nearness of her naked flesh. 

As Corwin drew her to him, Elly had a sudden flash of memory to the last time 
they had done this...and the noticeable response it had evoked in both of 
them.  She quivered at the thought.

Sy dove beneath the waves, skimming just below the surface where the 
moonlight filtered through.  The phosphorescence from the algae glowed and 
swirled in their wake.  An amazing assortment of fish swam in the pearlescent 
waters, and luminesced as they swiftly darted away.  Faster they flew through 
the waters, following along the shoreline, until Syngnath emerged below a 
cliff which sheltered a secluded beach. 

"Oh, how lovely," Elly exclaimed.  She slid off Syngnath's back and strode 
through the shallows.  Turning back to Corwin, eyebrows quirked, she queried, 
"Did you know about this place?"

Corwin put on this hurt-little-boy expression.  "Me?  Now what would possibly 
give you that idea?" 

Amused, Elly rolled her eyes.  "Just a passing thought.  Well, so long as 
we're here, we might as well take advantage."  She emerged from the sea, skin 
gleaming with water droplets, the cool night air raising tiny goosebumps on 
her bare flesh.  She crossed her arms beneath her breasts, stroking her hands 
along her arms to warm them.

Corwin's eyes followed the motion of Elly's hands, noting that not only her 
flesh had reacted to the cold, but her nipples had perked up with the chill.  
 His pleasure at watching her form glide out of the water made his own body's 
heat rise, counteracting the cooling from leaving the surf. 
 
Elly's eyes widened.  She wanted to turn away, but she couldn't seem to make 
her muscles work.  Her body felt almost boneless as she gazed at him.

He joined her on the beach where she stood transfixed.  "Are you alright?   
We can go back to the warren if you wish."  He approached her, looking deeply 
into her large, startled, blue eyes. 

"I...I...," she stammered, "oh, I don't know what I want."  She wrenched 
herself around until her back was to him.  "I...," her voice dropped to a 
whisper, "I just don't want to be hurt again."

Corwin stood behind her, perplexed.  He reached out, touching her shoulder.  
He could feel her trembling.  "Elly...I wouldn't want to hurt you." 

She responded with a shaky little laugh, still turned away.  "I can see how 
you feel about me...in that way...and," the admission slipped out, "I feel 
that way, too.  But I can't help being...afraid.  You see," it was all 
pouring out in a rush now, "I've only been with one man before, and I thought 
he loved me...the way I loved him...."  Her voice broke.  "But he didn't, I 
was just a conquest.  I've never really gotten over it, I guess.  I just 
can't be casual about...things."

Corwin stepped back.  All his life sex had been nothing but casual.  But he 
suddenly found that Elly's feelings mattered to him more than having sex with 
her.  He couldn't lie to her just to get her to sleep with him!  

"Elly...I don't know how I feel about you.  I know that you are special to 
me, and I would never want to hurt you like that....  Maybe it would be best 
if Sy took us back to the warren," he said, trying to suppress his body's 
urges, as all he really wanted to do was to take this beautiful woman into 
his arms and make passionate love with her.
 

[Tag, Arle - how will Corwin bear the strain? :-)]
                            
****


[Tags to Barb, KK, and Kris, too, for the party preparations if you want to 
take that any further]


Submitted by:

Dana Zuhlke                             

Elvynia (Elly) and Iris

Ro'gen and Apollo
Evlan and Athena                                        
Ed'wen (Eddy) and Hesperus
Dalaine (Lainie) and Selene

Jasra Warren