[Kyven]

The only consolation so far tonight had been that the dress of his
sister's had fit Elswyth perfectly.  His eyes followed her as she entered
the hall, then went on scanning the crowd, looking for Reetsada.

"You ought to dance," Mila prompted him.

"You want to dance?" he asked the older healer.

"Not me, silly!" the woman exclaimed in exasperation.  "Look around you.
There are all these women waiting for dance partners.  I see Aleta just
came in."

"The night is still young, Mila.  I'm sure their men will arrive
eventually."

"Not all of them have men, Kyven."

"I'm a mated man, Mila.  Leave it be."

Mila sighed, but was quiet for the moment.  He went back to looking for
Ree.  His sister, he noted, was making the rounds of the men.  She always
had been a wild one.  The warren had been quite a change for her, and one
that she liked.

He glanced up and nodded as Aleta settled herself at the table.  Her eyes
scanned the hall as well, then she turned and began making small talk with
Mila and the other healers there.

He gave up, turning to join their conversation.  It looked like Ree wasn't
going to show.

Aleta fell silent and turned suddenly.  Kyven followed her gaze to M'tan.

M'tan, who'd tried to kill Lori and her dragon.

M'tan stared back for long seconds, then turned away.  Aleta seemed to
slump, then turned back to the table, a slightly artificial smile on her
face.

They talked a few minutes more, then her eyes went distant.

"Excuse me, Kyven, could you watch Benna for a moment?  I have to get
something from my apartment."

"Sure thing."  He turned to Benna and smiled, noting the bandage on the
arm of the doll she carried.  "What happened to your dolly?" he asked.

Aleta returned in the midst of Benna's description of the horrific
accident her doll had been in that resulted in the bandage on her arm.
Aleta smiled.  "I see she's telling you all about the terrible accident."

"Oh, yes," he replied mock-seriously.  "I'm amazed you managed to save the
poor thing."

She laughed.  "Healing was, after all, my first calling."

"Kids.  They're a big job, but well worth it," he commented, as Benna,
sensing she was not being taken seriously, turned to talk to Nerra
instead.

"Mmm.  Yes, they are.  On both counts."  She smiled at her daughter, then
looked up at him.  "Speaking of which, where are your three?"

"The twins are over with G'sel and his gaggle.  I think Keev's over
watching Almiron at a worshipful distance."

"Almiron?"

"Yes.  He's become fascinated by him all of a sudden.  I think it's the
limp-- Almiron's done a lot of things in spite of his, and Keev needs some
sort of model or hero or something."

"Not a bad hero," she said, looking at the table where Almiron sat with
Darlea and her parents.

"I can watch Benna for you if you want to dance," Mila said, suddenly.

"Oh, really, you don't have to," Aleta protested.

"I insist.  You need to get out there and enjoy yourself.  Maybe Kyven
would take you-- he's been moping about all evening."

Kyven sighed.  Mila was being none too subtle tonight.  "Aleta, would you
care to dance?"

"Sure.  Why not?"

He helped her up, and turned to follow her when his eyes fell on a couple
already on the dance floor.  They danced well together-- the sort of thing
you saw only in lovers.  But were they, or was he imagining...?  As if in
answer, he saw the man bend down and kiss the woman, her lips parting to
accept his invasion.

"Ree..." Kyven whispered.

Suddenly, he understood.  Mila was trying to set him up with Aleta, not
because she mistakenly *thought* his relationship with Reetsada was over,
but because she *knew* it was.  And she knew because K'wen was her son...

He fought the sudden urge to go over and beat K'wen to a bloody pulp for
what he knew must be going on between him and the woman in his arms-- the
woman Kyven still thought of as his mate.  He wouldn't make a scene... he
wouldn't make a scene... he wouldn't...

"Excuse me," he said, barely above a whisper, then bolted for the door.

Aleta turned, mystified, as Kyven fled the hall.  She looked at Mila
questioningly, then followed the older woman's gaze to the dance floor,
where K'wen and Reetsada danced.

"Aleta," Mila said, "could you talk to Kyven, please, and make sure he's
all right?  I don't think he wants to see me, or I would."

***

The amber liquid burned all the way down, and he welcomed it.  He poured a
second glass, his shaking hands sloshing some onto the floor of his
kitchen, where he sat curled against a counter.

"Kyven?  It's Aleta," he heard her voice call from the ground entrance.

"Go 'way, Aleta.  I don't want to see anyone right now."  He started to
sob again, and downed another glass to stop it.

He looked up to meet Aleta's green eyes.  He flinched when he saw the pity
in them.

"Go 'way, please," he said.  "Please... please, just leave me alone."

The glass slipped from his hand to go rolling across the floor as he
buried his head in his arms, so she wouldn't see that he was crying.

Respectfully submitted,
 Lynette R. F. Cowper
  Kyven

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