[Lord Jerlyn Vaddon]

"Father, Katla should remain in the carriage."

Jerlyn sighed.  Kel had become quite tiresome on the subject of Katla.
He didn't know what Kel's problem was, precicely, but it was frankly
getting on his nerves.

"Kel, your sister has been forced to stay at the manor for most of her
life.  Her disability causes her a great deal of physical pain, and
you should be greatful that she is as lively and caring as she is.
She could be like Avda's son, in the village, who only finds joy now
in hurting people.  There is little Chance really enjoys other than
riding and startling people out of complacence.  So what if she
doesn't act like a lady all of the time?  At least she's alive and her
soul untainted!"

Kel shut his mouth, thoughtful.  Derric sighed, and Allin just stared
out the window.

"How long are we staying for?" asked Allin.

"For a little while.  Lady Trinale is a warm and caring hostess, and
your mother wanted me to give her a little gift."

Derric snorted.  "A five by ten embroidered tapestry of the
WarrenLady's queen is hardly a little gift."

Jerlyn grinned.  That was true.  She and Chance had worked on that
tapestry for what seemed like forever.  But it was the only think that
Anis had been able to think of to keep Chance busy when she'd gotten
pneumonia the year before.  Chance hated being cooped indoors, but for
the opportunity to listen to her mother's stories of Warren life,
she'd been willing to sit and stitch for hours on end.  It had been a
shock to Keltian that Chance had known how to sew at all, let alone
well enough that he couldn't tell which panels had been worked by Anis
and which by his sister.

Originally the gift had been for the previous Warrenlady, but they
hadn't finished the outlines in the background yet.  It had saddened
Anis to hear of Deanna's death, but she felt that the tapestry would
be a suitable welcome to the new WarrenLady.

"Derry..."  Allin's voice was tired.  "It's an appropriate tribute."

Derric rolled his eyes at his younger brother.  "Allin, if you don't
loosen up --"

"Boys --"  Jerlyn stopped that before it could start.  Allin wasn't as
straightlaced as Keltian, and he wasn't going to let the freewheeling
Derry start an argument about it.

Derry rolled his eyes and shut up.  Jerlyn wished Anis had come, but
there was illness in the village, and someone had to deal with the day
to day problems of the estate.  Many lords would be aghast by the
thought of their spendthrift ladies making the decisions, but Anis was
smart and capable, and the people adored her.  While Kel was capable,
he was not universally loved, and in troubled times, he'd wanted to
leave someone in charge his people would rally to.

The carriage halted, and out the little window he could see Katla
trying to look at everything at once, a delighted smile on her face.
He didn't know if she remembered her greatest dreams before she turned
three.  As a burbling two-year-old just learning to talk, dragons had
been her greatest source of conversation other than food.  It had
broken Anis' heart when the girl had become ill and slowly the idea of
flight was supersceded by the simple desire to walk, and later to
ride.

And despite the fact that Katla was all he had ever wanted in a
daughter, a rider, a trainer, and, if he dared admit it, friend, it
hurt him to see her delight when he remembered how badly she had
wanted to fly.  He doubted that any dragon would choose a lame rider,
and had feared to bring her to the Warren before, knowing Anis to have
the blood of riders in her veins.  Anis said that Chance's early
desire to fly probably indicated that she would have been a great
rider -- and Jerlyn had never desired to see his little girl's dreams
crushed.

He opened the door and exited the carriage.

"Lord Vaddon!  Always a pleasure to see you."

He smiled.  Trinale was easily one of his favorite people, and he
loved having a chance to visit with her.

"And a joy to see you, Lady Trinale" he said, taking her hand and raising 
it for a chaste kiss.

Trinale smiled but her attention was captured by Chance.  "And who is
this lovely young woman?  And why haven't you brought her here
before?"

Behind him, Derry got out of the carriage, carrying Katla's crutches.  He 
helped her dismount and gave the crutches to her.  Chance grinned up
at him and said something softly, and he chuckled.

Jerlyn heard a tiny "Oh!" escape Trinale, but he smiled anyway.  He
motioned to Derry and Katla and they came forward.

"Katla, I'd like you to meet WarrenLady Trinale.  Trinale, this is my
daughter, Katla -- or Chance, as we often call her."

Kel groaned behind him, but Jerlyn ignored it.  Katla blushed a
brilliant cherry red, and curtsied to the best of her ability.

"We have come with our tithe, and a special gift that Katla and Anis
have been working on for you.  I regret that Anis couldn't come, but
*someone* has to run the manor while we're gone."

Trinale laughed.

---------
[Katla]

Katla blushed and dropped her eyes as her father spoke.  She had had
no idea that Lady Trinale was so young!  Then she had to grin at
herself.  She, who loved to startle people, so surprised by the
WarrenLady's youth.

Trinale laughed.  Katla glanced up at Derry, who grinned as well,
waiting for his introduction.  Her father turned and smiled at them.

"I've been quite remiss, WarrenLady -- As you know, this is Keltian,"
who grunted unsociably "and Allin.  They were with me the last time we
came up.  This is Derric -- Derry, we call him -- whom I don't believe
you've met."

Allin made his bow, and Derry kissed Trinale's knuckles, devilment
sparkling in his eyes.

"My lady... one's heart sings merely to be in your presence."

Katla suppressed a snicker of amusement.  Derry would flirt with
anything that moved, a habit that was going to get him into trouble
one day.  Kel sighed, and she looked at him.  There was something in
his eyes -- envy? -- but that couldn't be.  Could it?  Kel looked at
her and grimaced slightly, turning his eyes away.

Katla filed the information away to discuss with her father later.
Kel hadn't always been so stiff and rulebound...

Trinale laughed again.  "Come, all of you.  We've much to discuss."

[tag Kat!]

NRPG --

Firefly is a blood bay with white socks.

Arriving, Jerlyn, Keltian, Derric, Allin, and, of course, Katla. ;)

In case it's necessary, the panel is 5'x10' depicting a silver dragon
over the waterfall and lake at sunset.  Katla and her mother worked on
this approximately from the time that Trinale took over, although much
of the background had already been done at that time.  They've used
descriptions of Cricket to try and make the embroidered image look as
much like the real thing as possible.

Respectfully Submitted,
Jill E. Flansburg
Katla et. al. ;)


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			Vasaris, the Fuzzy Dragon
Jill E. Flansburg		    |		vasaris@az.com
CS HMC 1994			    |		jflansbu@muddcs.cs.hmc.edu
History, WWU 199?		    |		vasaris@divcom.umop-ap.com
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