*Cyrus*
*Day 16 - Early Afternoon*

"Well yeah! I just wanted to make sure you were ok and Lilliana sent me
a report that Azhdeen and a few other dragons had been quarantined."
Breezy wasn't sure if Cyrus looked mad or sad, but she figured it had
something to do with the young man's dragon being ill. She didn't
really know him that well other than seeing him coming and going for
Jeneve.

"He'll be ok!" Breezy said, sounding more encouraging then she felt.
Her talk with the Healer about this mysterious illness had the
Wingleader worried.

The young man just nodded and walked away.

His brief foray out of his brooding thoughts had the effect that he appeared 
more alive and he was a little more aware of his surroundings.  He had 
started to drift back into the memory which even now he could not name to 
himself, but it was the one he would brood on and that was enough.  But he 
felt the presence of someone else and instead of plowing over this one as he 
had Breezy, he pulled himself out and slowed down.  A young woman was 
approaching him.  No one ever approached him and now two in a row.  What was 
going on?

"What's wrong....I'm sorry, I can't remember your name. " she smiled gently, 
"We were in class together, I'm Alexandria and you're...Cyprus?^ï

At that moment his imagination created a picture of a Cyprus tree with his 
head on it and for some reason the image was very amusing.  He broke into a 
smile and then a laugh.  He even forgot about the memory for a full second.

"Close..but no..it's Cyrus...of course Dargis would probably be able to tell 
you all about a Cyprus...I think it's some sort of tree."

Alex blushed and looked down at her feet.

^îDon^ñt worry about it, I don^ñt expect you to remember my name.  I haven^ñt 
done anything worth remembering.^ï  The last part came out more bitter than  
he had meant it to be, but an assortment of memories of his actions since he 
had been at Norwall assaulted him and the bitterness soaked into his words 
before he realized it.

Alex looked a little confused and said, ^îLook, something^ñs bothering you.  
What is it?  You looked about ready to run down an army, then you were 
laughing, now you sound like an old man cursing his life.^ï

^îI ... oh, don^ñt worry about it.  I^ñm sorry I was a little bitter there.  
Things just haven^ñt been the way I expected them to be, that^ñs all.  Life at 
Norwall hasn^ñt been a bed of roses.^ï

^îWell, I know what you mean there.^ï

The way she said it suggested that she might indeed know.  He was about to 
make some excuse and leave, but the tone of her voice stopped him.  The lack 
of communication he and Azhdeen were currently experiencing (even now his 
poor dragon slept fitfully) had left him feeling more lonely than he had 
expected.  The presence in his head had become an expected one and it was a 
shock not to have it there.

^îYeah?  I suppose it wouldn^ñt be so bad, except ... ^î

^îWhat?^ï

^îI grew up in a monastery.  Life here has been so different and I ... well, 
got swept up in it.  I used to meditate every day and try to keep my life on 
the path I had been taught to tread.  But first the joining, then training 
and I became Jeneve^ñs courier and ... well, it^ñs been a while since I^ñve 
done anything I could respect.^ï

The last words were a surprise to both of them, an admission Cyrus hadn^ñt 
fully realized or planned to utter.  His mind had gotten ahead of itself and 
now he was quite embarrassed.

^îUmm, I just remembered, I have to check on my dragon.  He^ñs sick.^ï

Cyrus bolted before the girl could utter a ^îWait!^ï.  He didn^ñt, of course, 
go check on Azhdeen, but ran off to his room instead and sat in the dark 
brooding on himself as well as the flashes of memory that never seemed to go 
away.  Jeneve.  Mentorn.  Jeneve.  Mentorn.  His fists clenched and 
unclenched in the dark as it played over and over again and time unraveled.

<Tag Dianne ... He^ñs a little embarrassed, but he^ñll talk to Alex again if 
she finds him.  Of course, she^ñll have to get him out of the state he^ñs in.>

*Galen*
*Day 16 - Evening*

"What was that about getting drunk, now!"

Galen's face was somber as he refilled both glasses and sat down. A small 
smile played across Breezy's lips, she shook her head in frustration then 
rapped on the table with her knuckles.

"I'm knocking on wood and keeping my fingers crossed!" Raising her glass to 
Galen, "Now my friend, one more time, just which aspects of life would you 
like to reflect!"

Galen picked up his drink and staring down into its depths said, ^îIf Brona^ñs 
body is gone, after his followers had been dispersed and the news of his 
death spread amongst them, then ... ^î

Breezy downed her drink and said, ^îI know, I know.  Someone had to organize 
them, which means another leader figure is out there.  I doubt we^ñll hear 
from them again for a bit though.^ï

^îProbably.^ï Galen wasn^ñt too reassured.  Breezy punched him in the arm and 
said, ^îWe^ñre going to be very depressed drunks unless you change the subject 
very very soon.^ï

Galen finished off the drink, poured two new ones, then said, ^îAlright then, 
where shall we begin?^ï

^îTell me about your past.  The highlights of a soldier^ñs life!^ï

Galen laughed, ^îAll right, you asked for it!^ï

<..>

^î... he was too drunk by this point to know or care what was going on.  So 
we brought him out to the middle of the courtyard and left him there.  From 
what I heard, he wandered through half the castle the next morning before he 
found out what we had done to him.^ï

^îHe walked through half the castle ... dressed like a woman?^ï

Galen started laughing, ^îHe ran into us just after he saw himself in a 
mirror.  I^ñve never seen so much rage on one man^ñs face.  He was mortified 
and ready to rip us all to shreds with his bare hands.  Ahh, that was fun.^ï

^îI didn^ñt think you could be that cruel Galen.^ï Breezy said playfully.

^îHe needed to be taken down a notch or two.  I^ñve never met a more pompous 
man in all my life.^ï

^îSo it was for his own good then?^ï

^îBut of course.  Another drink?^ï

^îBut of course.^ï

<..>

^î...of course, everyone thinks life is easy for a soldier.  You just follow 
orders and take the world as it is.  None of the philosophical problems 
poets or thinkers come across.  No one ever asks us why we take such a 
simple outlook, they just assume they know why.^ï

^îAre you going to tell me why?^ï

^îNecessity.  When you^ñre in situations that suddenly determine whether you 
live or not and the lives of those around you, everything gets boiled down 
into black and white.  What will kill you and what will keep you alive.  I 
always thought it was funny that people looked at us as being arrogant or 
self-righteous about our particular stands on life.  I always wanted to take 
those people and throw them out into a war.  See what they^ñre like after two 
weeks, or a month or a year.  Try three years or five ... it becomes second 
nature to you then.  Your choices have to be simple or people die.^ï

^îWe^ñre not at war Galen.  And I^ñve always wondered why you seem to have 
accepted the difference between people here and people back home.^ï

^îI said things were black and white, I didn^ñt say I assumed my black was 
your black.  I was taken in by Norwall after a very long and tough stretch 
of life.  Adjusting was hard, but I decided early on that I had no right to 
quibble with anyone over conduct.  As long as it doesn^ñt endanger me, or the 
warren, you can do whatever you want.  I^ñll make my choices as I always 
have.  It doesn^ñt matter if it^ñs war or peace ... you do it long enough and 
you can^ñt change it, you don^ñt want to change it really.  It^ñs a stability 
for you, because you know that whatever comes there will always be two 
alternatives and all you have to do is choose the right one.^ï

^îI wish I saw it that easily.  But there is too much gray out there ... too 
much that results in both harm and good.  It^ñs not easy most of the time to 
make such categorizations.^ï

^îAh well, I^ñd just do whatever resulted in the most good.  Sacrifices are 
part of the road.^ï

^îMind telling me about that first year you were in this land?  There^ñs some 
recorded in your file, but not much.  And pour me another.  We^ñre spending 
too much time talking and not enough drinking.^ï

Galen laughed, poured another and then started, ^îWell, I^ñll give you a 
little background first.  When the old king died ... ^î

<..>

^î... I^ñm serious, I^ñve never had such close ... wait, what were we talking 
about?^ï Galen asked, rubbing his forehead a little.  Breezy started laughing 
and suddenly couldn^ñt stop.  Galen lurched up, regretted the speed of the 
movement, slammed back into the chair and rubbed his head again.  He was 
sure that someone had slipped in while he wasn^ñt looking and jammed a carton 
of wool into his head.  That^ñs what it felt like at least.  They had made up 
for all the talk, that^ñs for sure.  When had he started to lose 
concentration?  Somewhere around the time Breezy started telling him stories 
about her past ... now what had she said?

^îIts not that funny.  I just lost track of the conversation, that^ñs all.^ï  
His speech seemed okay, so what was wrong with his head?

Breezy finally got on top of her laughter and still giggling said, ^îThas the 
th^ñrd time you lost yo^ñself in the pas five minnuts.^ï  To prove her point, 
she held up four fingers, stared at them for a second, then started laughing 
again.

^îI can^ñt help it.  Someone stuffed my head full of cotton.  Now what was I 
... oh yeah!  This place!  I^ñve never had such close friends I^ñve found 
here.^ï

^îNah!  What abou^ñ back hom?^ï

A serious tinge came into Galen^ñs voice then.  ^îThey^ñre all dead.  We fought 
a lot of wars when I was a serving and as a result a lot of good guys went 
out and didn^ñt come back.  You just expected that it would happen after a 
while ... I always figured I^ñd do it too.  I guess I did in a way.  As far 
as my home is concerned, I^ñm dead.  So how does it feel to be drinking with 
a dead man?^ï

^îFill up my glass and Ill tell you.^ï

<..>

^îWhy^ñre yoo okAY?^ï Breezy^ñs voice lifted a bit at the end, as she played 
with the empty glass in her hand.  Galen was leaning on some shelves looking 
up into the empty bottle, searching for any hidden liquid.  He put the 
bottle down with a sigh, then slowly moved himself around to face Breezy.  
She was dancing back and forth, which wasn^ñt very nice, but he spoke to her 
anyway.

^îWho say^ñs I^ñm okay?^ï

^îYoo soun^ñ okay.^ï

^îMy voice may not be slurred, but I^ñm ... ummm ... uhhhh ... I don^ñt know 
what I am, but I know that we^ñre out of drink.^ï

^îProbibly best.^ï

^îI guess.^ï  He stumbled over to the table and plopped down.  ^îShall I escort 
you home, m^ñlady?^ï

^îWait a sec.  I got som drin^ñ in my offize.  Les go there.^ï

^îOkay, works for me.^ï

He stood up and shambled over to Breezy.  She stood, wobbling a little then 
tried to step forward.  Her legs decided it would be better to collapse than 
move and she reeled back into Galen, who only managed to keep himself 
upright.  He tried to steady her, but only succeeded in wrapping his arms 
around her.

^îI can walk, le me go.^ï

^îI^ñm trying.^ï

Galen started to push her forward, but one arm wasn^ñt angled right and it 
slipped, so he managed to spin her around to face him.  The movement made 
her dizzy and she started to fall backwards, so he grabbed her and pulled 
her close to him.

Now somewhere in the back of Galen^ñs brain was a little voice that would 
normally have been under tight lock and key.  It was one of those voices 
that issued ideas from the more instinctive part of his brain, only this 
instinct was one that would get him into trouble if he let it run wild.  
Hence, it was under tight supervision.  The amount of alcohol that Galen had 
consumed though, left the normally strict guard passed out on the floor and 
this little voice was free, free, free.

What is whispered now as Galen looked down at Breezy was, ^îLook how 
beautiful this woman is.^ï

So he looked.  Breezy^ñs hair was frizzled, her eyes a little glazed and she 
was ... gorgeous.  How had he missed that before?  Some other voice broke in 
and asked, ^îWhat now?^ï

The answer came promptly back, ^îKiss her.^ï

He considered the matter for a moment as Breezy started to struggle to get 
her balance again.  There seemed no reason not to listen to this suggestion. 
  In fact, he discovered something startling.  He really wanted to kiss her, 
and had, it appeared, been waiting for it for some time.

So he did.

Breezy returned the kiss for a second, then backed away quite startled, took 
one more step, then her legs gave out again and this time Galen was not able 
to keep his balance.  They fell into a  pile on the floor and collapsed into 
fits of laughter.

^îLes go now.^ï

^îSounds good to me.^ï

<..>

It took Breezy quite a while to unlock the door to her office, with much 
whispering and laughing intermixed.  She finally got it open, but once she 
sat down behind her desk, she began to drift.  ^îGalen ... I ...^ï And she was 
asleep.  Galen stood there for a few moments, comprehending what was going 
on, then closed the door and stumbled back to his home.  He was asleep 
before he hit the bed.

*Sabian*
*Day 17 - Early Morning*

"Oh, I completely agree. They're simply too unpredictable. You never know 
who they might take out on whatever rampage they might go off on." Sabian 
sniffed.

"We're going to get along so well." Antwin clapped Sabian on the shoulder. 
"Now what's the first step."

"We need to locate the old man."

^îHow do we start that particular process?^ï

^îI suggest splitting up, doing the casual stroll through Norwall.  Very 
soon, the populace of this place will be out to fix it all up, and you can 
bet our favorite old man will be out for that.  If you and I are there 
amongst the crowd, we should be able to come across him.  Then we^ñll find 
out where he^ñs holing up and plan our next step.  Sound good?^ï

<Tag Wil ... my creativity well is drying up, if you have a better idea, go 
for it!>

*Galen*
*Day 17 - Morning*

Having succeeded in changing into better smelling clothes, clearing the mess 
of last night^ñs fun and ridding himself of the foul taste that had decided 
to camp in his mouth, Galen moved out into the day.  His head wasn^ñt exactly 
thrilled by it, but considering how much he had drank, he was in pretty good 
shape.

He tried unsuccessfully to remember the entirety of last night.  It went 
pretty smoothly until a certain point and then it was all haze.  Had they 
fallen down?  Or was it just Breezy?  A sudden impression slammed into his 
brain and he gasped out loud.  Had he kissed her?

No, he shook his head firmly.  He wouldn^ñt have done that.  That must have 
been simply a dream.  That was just too far out there ... wasn^ñt it?  His 
confidence was suddenly a little shaken and he couldn^ñt convince himself 
that it hadn^ñt happened.  Of course, he wasn^ñt convinced it had either.  He 
made a note to find Breezy.  He wouldn^ñt out right ask of course, that would 
just be embarrassing.  But perhaps he could tell by her demeanor how things 
had gone during that part of the night that was masked in a haze.

The morning routine was offset by the necessity of recent events.  Normally, 
he would be teaching and it was a miracle that he didn^ñt have to focus on 
that today.  Instead, the focus of all minds seemed to be on restoring what 
had been changed by battle to they way it had once been.

His first task was an easy one.  He found Selena, in her office, which she 
seemed to have accustomed herself too very quickly.

^îI had to commend you again on the fine job you did with the Homeguard.^ï

^îThey^ñre fine people.  You and T^ñrell did a good job training them.^ï

^îI also wanted to let you know that I meant what I said yesterday.  From now 
on, you will be in command of the Homeguard.  I^ñll come in if something big 
pops up, but for the most part, I^ñll keep my hands out of it.  It^ñll be your 
show to run.  T^ñrell will train the new troops, so the two of you will have 
to work together.  Kalena runs the administrative side of things, though now 
that this project is off the ground, she may want to move on to something 
else.  If T^ñrell gives you trouble, let me know.  You performed 
magnificently though and from what I^ñve heard from the troops, you have 
their respect now.^ï

^îThank you sir.^ï

<Tag Wil ... if you^ñve anything to add.>

*T^ñrell*
*Day 17 - Morning*

T^ñrell gurgled and woke up choking, having created and then swallowed far 
too much spit.  His barrage of coughing mounted in strength, then slowly 
subsided and he collapsed back onto the bed.  He felt incredibly weak and 
his skin had that sticky feeling that told him he had been sweating a lot 
recently.  He looked around the room, taking in his surroundings as if for 
the first time.

^îWhat the...^ï

^îMed Centre^ï, said a tired voice.  He looked over and saw M^ñlent, leaning 
back in a chair, a slightly haggard look on his face.  Seeing the trainer 
brought back the flood of memories yet again.  He had the feeling that he 
had had this sudden realization experience before and knew that this wasn^ñt 
the first time he had woken up not knowing where he was.

^îHow long?^ï

^îJust one night, but it was sure a long one.  Remember much of it?^ï

And then that came back too.  ^îOoooohhhhh...^ï

^îThat^ñs about the right expression.  Look on the bright side though, it 
won^ñt get any worse than that.^ï

^îYou sure?^ï

^îUnless you start drinking again, that^ñs as bad as it will get.  I^ñm not 
saying the next few nights will be easy, but they won^ñt be anything like 
that one.^ï

^îAnd I suppose you^ñll be around to help out?^ï

^îIf I can.  You wore me out buster.  I^ñm going to have to retire here soon 
and get a little sleep.  I^ñm not as young as I used to think I was.^ï

Just then one of Lilliana^ñs many aides came in to check up on him.  He did 
the run through of checks, then smiled at the trainer and said, ^îYou^ñre 
looking better.  How do you feel?^ï

^îVery, very tired.^ï

^îI would think so.  Why don^ñt you take a long nap here and if you^ñre still 
looking good, I may let you outside this afternoon for a little air.^ï

^îReally?^ï

^îYes, but ... ^î he hesitated, as if a little embarrassed to go on.

^îWhat is it?^ï

^îLilliana said that if we let you out any, you have to go accompanied by 
someone.^ï

T^ñrell knew it would be something along these lines, but hearing it didn^ñt 
help any.  He laid back against the bed and stared at the ceiling.  ^îFine.^ï 
he whispered.  The aide made some last comments and left hurriedly.

^îUp to holding my hand, M^ñlent?^ï

^îIf you let me get a little sleep right now, then I^ñll be glad to lend a 
helping hand.^ï

^îThanks.  Go get some sleep.^ï

Once the other man had left, T^ñrell stared at the ceiling.  He didn^ñt know 
how he was going to face Galen or his men again.  He didn^ñt even want to 
think about it.  Any picture his mind created was too horrid to 
conceptualize.  Best just to sleep and hope that his subconscious would 
forget everything his conscious mind had been occupied with.

*Galen*

The remainder of his morning was spent moving here and there, adding a hand 
here, an encouraging voice there, perhaps some instructions at another 
place.  He was more a presence than anything substantial, which was what 
people needed.  They didn^ñt need him bodily helping them, they all knew well 
enough what needed to be done.  So he did what he could to make the mood 
lighter.  It was easy enough for people to get sad or angry at a time like 
this and that was what he tried to alleviate.

Lunchtime came around soon enough and he headed for some food.  Jeneve 
caught his attention and he couldn^ñt keep the big smile off of his face at 
the sight of Breezy.

"Good Morning Ladies!" he said, laughing to himself as Breezy recoiled from 
the noise he made sitting down.

^îSo how was your night?^ï Jeneve asked, a coy smile playing on her lips.

^îNot bad, as far as I remember it at least.^ï

^îWell, perhaps I^ñll leave you two be to sort it out,^ï and then she was gone. 
  Breezy seemed determined not to talk to him and he wanted to get things 
off before it got awkward.  He was already feeling a little nervous, so he 
tried to make a joke and asked, ^îHow was YOUR night?^ï

^îI^ñd rather not think about that.^ï

^îWell, from what I remember it went well enough.  We talked and then ... you 
left, or did we both leave?^ï

She peered up at with a small smile, ^îYou don^ñt remember?^ï

^îNot exactly no.^ï

^îI believe I left and you went to sleep then.^ï

^îDidn^ñt we both leave ... ^î

^îNo.^ï

^îAnd didn^ñt you fall ... ^î

^îNo.^ï

^îAnd then didn^ñt we ... ^î

^îWhat?^ï

^î... both fall on the floor?^ï

^îOh.  Yeah, I think so.  I was hoping you wouldn^ñt remember that part of 
it.^ï

He was nowhere closer to finding out what had happened than he had been when 
the conversation started.  He wasn^ñt about to blurt it out, because if it 
had happened and she didn^ñt want to think about it then ... well, that would 
just be awkward and that wouldn^ñt do.  She had become too good a friend for 
that.  Best to leave the matter alone, unless maybe...

^îYour dragon couldn^ñt help you remember anything?^ï

^îNo, she was peacefully asleep, so some things will stay cloaked away I 
guess.^ï

^îI guess you^ñre right.^ï  Well, that was that.  ^îLet us just assume there was 
no embarrassing situations and we had a pleasant night.^ï

^îI just wish it could have been a pleasant morning too.^ï

^îSorry, those are the consequences.^ï

^îYou seem to be rather cheery this morning though.  No after-effects for 
you?^ï

^îNope.  So you^ñll have to deal with my ^„cheery self^ñ.^ï

^îWell, try to be a little more quietly cheery or I^ñll rip your throat out.^ï

Galen laughed, ^îYes, m^ñlady.^ï

<Tag Tree ... anything to add?>

<..>

*Day 17 - Afternoon*

The wind blew out across the green and Galen found himself on a bench he had 
not sat on in a while.  It used to be his favorite little spot.  But his 
life had gotten so busy with... well, everything, that he hadn^ñt made any 
time for it in quite a while.  But today there was time.

The warren operated like a well-oiled machine.  Everyone had been through 
this before and they knew what to do.  Normally he would be conversing with 
someone about preparations for the ^înext time^ï scenario.  But everyone 
seemed locked off in their own struggles.  Landon and Jasmine, K^ñtarr and 
Kalena, Jeneve and Breezy ... they were all very much immersed in something 
important.  Either that or he just hadn^ñt been able to find them.  The 
whispering voices around the warren kept him decently updated on what was 
going on, but he wanted to find Breezy and find out what was really going 
on, beyond the rumors.

Maybe in a little bit.  It HAD been a while since he had sat on this bench 
and it felt good.  Maybe he would just stay here for a while, watch the 
warren, forget he had any real responsibilities for a while and relax.  That 
sounded good...

_________________________________________
NRPG: I think that gets me caught up.  Whew!

Submitted by

Ben Tate

for

Galen, Cyrus, T'rell and Sabian
_________________________________________________________________
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