Thorin
****

>Merissa reached out and took his arm, encircling her hand around it and
led him toward the dining hall.  She wouldn't normally be so talkative, but
she had had an incredible morning!

Thorin looked around the dining hall quickly, hoping his father wasn't
anywhere near. Relief flooded him when the large dragonrider turned out to
not be around. He relaxed enough to turn his attention to what the lovely
girl was saying.

>"Chrysthal and I flew today all over the countryside. It was wonderful!"
Merissa exclaimed enthusiastically as they walked into the dining hall.
"and now we'll be accompanying Trinale to the Council!"

>Thorin looked a bit perplexed.  Councils usually were not indicative of
good news, yet Merissa seemed so cheerful.  He asked, "and why are they
calling the council, if I may inquire?" 

He wondered briefly if the problem with the vanishing plants was bad enough
that it was affecting the entire Dragonlands and not just Whiteriver. He'd
seen couriers from Marrid talking to B'ril, but as was usually Thorin's
way, he'd stayed out of the way. As Marrid was the closest Warren to
Whiteriver, he figured they were experiencing similar difficulties .. but
to call a council ..

>Merissa looked a bit surprised, "You haven't heard?  I thought you were
taking care of the strangers that were found out in the wastes with Wraith
injuries?"  

>Thorin blushed, "I am assisting in their care, yes."

>"But they are the reason for the Council Meeting!  If they were injured in
a Wraith attack in the wastes..."  Merissa trailed off, suddenly not sure
exactly how much she should be saying.

>But Thorin understood.  He'd been born in the Warrens.  He knew all about
the boundary of the dragon lands and the Wraiths.  If Wraiths had attacked
there, then the magic boundary must have expanded somehow.  They ate in
silence, each caught in their own worries and concerns.

So it was far worse then just the vanishing plants. It seemed the wastes
truly were moving. 

>As they were finishing their meal, Kalyth entered, and Thorin quickly
excused himself to go give her the jar of oil--but as he was rising,
Merissa looked up with him with her incredible dark eyes and smiled, "I
enjoyed your company, Thorin.  If you get a chance to make another batch of
that fragrant oil, I'm sure Chrysthal would appreciate it... as would I."
Her smile made Thorin's knees feel weak.

>He quickly agreed that he could make her the oil, and she suggested that
perhaps they could meet again in the evening, in the garden....

>Not quite sure as to what he was agreeing to, but feeling an intense need
to flee, Thorin agreed, and then stumbled backwards, rushing to give Kalyth
her requested oils.

Thorin looked briefly over his shoulder back at the queenrider. She'd
enjoyed his company?  Of course she was just being nice. He looked at the
jar of oil. He was indeed proud that she liked it. He'd worked quite hard
to keep all the properties the same while still giving it a much more
pleasant scent. 

He walked up behind Kalyth, and cleared his thought gently, "Um .. Kalyth
.." he said. She turned to look at him, "How's this?" he said
unceremoniously, holding the jar out to the woman.

Saul
***

Saul sat a short distance away from where the nervous Thorin had sat with
the new queenrider. He'd watched the young man walk in like a scared
rabbit, looking, Saul was sure, for his father. K'leev was on patrol this
afternoon and so wasn't around, and Thorin seemed to relax.

Saul liked the young man, but his lack of confidence tended to grate on the
nerves of the older rider, who'd never had a lack of confidence. He'd
rooted for the young man to join with his own dragon, hoping that would
help, but it never seemed to happen. Saul was sure it was due to Thorin's
having no self-confidence. 

K'leev had been proud of the fact that his boy had the affinity, up until
that affinity failed to bring about a joining. He'd always pushed the quiet
boy to do things that he'd just not had any skill for. Thing's like archery
and physical combat which several of the masters taught. 

Saul had never liked K'leev very much, as he simply was a large gruff man
who thought that might should win out over everything. The large
dragonrider had no social skills at all, though he was sure to be in
everyone's face stating his opinions.

"Saul, you aren't listening to me," said the sweet voice across from him. 

Saul looked into her blue eyes and smiled, "I am sorry, how thoughtless of
me to allow my attention to be drawn from someone as lovely as you."

The woman smiled, "I'll forgive you, just don't let it happen again. I
don't get to spend meals with you often enough that I want to share you."

Saul's eyes twinkled as he turned his thoughts away from the young healer
and back to his dinner partner. 

--Saul & Fayloth
--Thorin

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Kristen Gant
(AKA: Darlea & Makayla,  Waylene & Aura, Meena & Vonn, 
Kalewyn & Sabbith, Saul & Fayloth)
http://homepage.interaccess.com/~sgant/kris.htm