>"Minty, please just hand me the knife..." He said, walking closer, and 
>she backed away.  Her reflex was to hold the knife up, and David stopped 
>cold as the steel blade pointed towards him.  "What did I do t'ye?" He 
>asked, his eyes betraying the hurt going through him at her actions.  

She flinched away from the hurt in his eyes, and hurriedly lowered the
knife.  She had raised the blade by instinct, she hadn't meant to threaten
him.  She'd already harmed him enough for one day.....


>Backing off, he looked across the water where the moon reflected over the 
>surface.  It suddenly passed behind a cloud, casting a black shadow over the 
>lake.  "I was sure that after te'flight with Zena, ye would never 
>forgive me.  But ye did, even though I had felt I didn't deserve t'be 
>with ye ever again.  D'ye think I would not do te'same?" He asked her, 
>"What d'ye think I mean whenever I say 'I lov ye'?  Are they just words 
>t'ye, that I say only t'keep ye happy?"


She wanted to protest that it had been different... that there had been
nothing to forgive in his case, that she'd been terrified of losing him to
Diana. This was altogether different... she'd welcomed D'nar's caresses
towards the end of the encounter... had done everything she could to
encourage him..... She'd been locked into Kirimith's seething rut with no
thought for anything but her own pleasure!


How could he love her if he knew that!?


>"Would I have stayed, after everything that has happened t'us, if I had 
>never loved ye?" He shrugged, and put his head in his hands, running his 
>fingers through his hair.  She still hadn't answered him, though she had 
>lowered the knife, and was just staring at him.  Why wouldn't she say 
>something?  


How *could* he still love her when she felt such .. such... disgust and
loathing for herself.  He must have seen something in her face.....or maybe
he could read her thoughts ..... either way he said:


"Did ye go looking fer D'nar and ask him t' fuck ye?"


"NO!" The word burst from her.....shocked by his crudity, she shook her
head and stared at him.  He knew that she hadn't looked for this... didn't he?


"Then why d'ye blame yerself.  D'ye not trust me t' see that et was beyond
your control or wanting?    T' love someone ye have t' let them close...
have t' trust them."


>He sighed, and held out his right hand.
>Pulling back his shirt sleeve, exposing his flesh, he looked at her and 
>took out his own knife.  "Mint, I know how ye must feel.  But how can ye 
>just give up on life when ye have so much?  Kirimith, friends in 
>the warren, my family.  We all care so much about ye... me most of all.  
>Never in me life have I ever cared so deeply about someone, given me 
>heart and soul without anything in return but the knowledge that ye love 
>me. I promise ye this," He said, putting the blade to his wrist, "that 
>if ye die, it won't take long before I join ye in eternity.  What d'ye 
>say love... I don't want ye t'die, and I can't live without ye."  


She saw the seriousness of his threat in his face.  He'd follow her into
the darkness of death .... She thought of him, cold and unmoving in the
grave, and shivered with pain.  It wasn't something she could face....
never to feel his arms around her again, to kiss his lips, to hear his soft
voice whispering in the night....


Humbled by his love, she opened her fingers and allowed the knife to slip
to the ground. 


>Come home with me..." He put the knife away, and held his hand out
>towards her. "please."


Tears spilling onto her cheeks she tentatively reached out and placed her
hand in his.  He pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms tightly around
her, holding her as if he was scared to let her go.


"Please don't ever frighten me that way again."  he whispered into her ear
"T' think of living wi'out ye....."  She felt a shudder pass through his
body.  "I love ye Mint."


"I love you." her words were muffled against his chest.  


He lifted her head and looked at her, tears sparkling on his lashes.  "D'ye
know that's te' first time since Kay caught Zena that ye've told me that?
I thought ye still hadn't forgiven me fer et.....  Ye hide yer thoughts
from me....."


She reached up and  brushed his tears away, amazed that he should be so
vulnerable so unsure.  Didn't he know that she'd give him the world if he
asked her for it?


"I love you."  she said again.  "I love you more than anything..... more
than life itself.  How could you not *know* that?"


"I think we need t' talk t' each other more." he said quietly  "We need t'
get some of te' misunderstandings cleared away.  Come on.... let's get home
love."


***********

<Following morning>


He was gone when she finally woke up... but the note he'd left on his
pillow brought a smile to her mouth.  Such a simple thing..... 'I love
you'... but so important!


<..>


Dressed and ready to face almost anything she climbed onto Kiri's back and
flew down to the green.  


*I'll not be long* she said as Kiri as settled down on the grass with some
of the other dragons.  *I'm sure you'll find plenty to gossip about while
I'm gone.*


She ran lightly across to the Med centre, and pushed open the double doors.
 There had been so much going on the previous day that she hadn't had time
to go see her former patrol partner and congratulate her on the safe
arrival of her babes.  


She found the right room without too much trouble and knocked lightly.  She
almost missed Diana's soft call to 'come in' .....


"Hi.  I just came to see how you and the babies are doing."  She tiptoed
into the room pausing at the foot of the bed to peek into the twin cribs
set up there.  "Oh!  They're so beautiful!  You're so lucky!"


Diana smiled happily, accepting the compliments on behalf of her children.
Minty sat on the end of the bed so that she could watch the sleeping
babies, and then remembered why she'd come in.....


"I'm sorry."  she said  "I expect everyone does that.  Comes to see you and
then gets captivated by them.  Here I brought something for you."  Minty
handed Diana the package she'd brought with her, hoping that she'd like the
pretty nightgown she'd chosen.  


"I brought something for the babies too.  That's if you don't mind."  she
opened the smaller package that she still carried and showed Diana the gift
that she'd brought......  two tiny sets of silver, tinkling bells.
"They're supposed to be hung over the crib for the baby to watch.  They
sound they make is so pretty..... Now is there anything that you want or
need that I can bring you?"


Submitted by

Araminta, Kirimith's rider



-- 
Mint,  the voice and soul of

Timi Caplain  FO   USS Javelin       Caliban & Lute,          Dragon Lands
Lillith the Mage     Broken Lands     Minty, Kirimith's rider  Dragon Lands   
Naomi, QueenRider to Amethyst, Norwall's WarrenLady,  Dragon Lands

http://www.netkonect.co.uk/l/lovers/mint/norwall.html
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/5902/
http://www.dragonfire.net/~Mint/