> "Hi, Chance."  Trinale smiled at her, but her eyes seemed to be sort of
> sad.
> 
> "What's wrong?"  Katla managed to make it across the sand without too many
> problems and Cricket only glared at her a little.  Katla bobbed a small
> curtsey to the beautiful queen, smiling.  "Sorry, no posies right now, but
> I'll get one later, I promise."
> 
> "I..." Trinale bit her lip.
> 
> "C'mon, Trinale.  Is it something about Derry?"
> 
> In an instant, the air that made her the WarrenLady disappeared and a
> young, confused girl nodded.  Katla held out a hand to Trinale and pulled
> the girl into her arms for a comforting hug.
> 
> "You don't have to tell me, but maybe it will help...  What's wrong?"

"Oh, Chance.....I love him so much!" Trinale looked at her with tear
filled eyes.

"And he loves you, Trinale" Chance replied.

"Then why hasn't he asked me to be his mate or mentioned moving in or
anything?" Trinale looked so sad, Chance could almost strangle her brother
right now.

"I am sure he has his reaons, Trinale, but I do know he loves you." Chance
reassured the young warrenlady.

"Really?" Trinale looked hopeful.

"Really" Chance said firmly, giving Trinale another hug. "Now, lets go get
this dragon of yours some more flowers before she flames us both."

Trinale giggled as Cricket snorted disdainfully at them. The two made
their way across the sands hand in hand.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Katla soon left to go attend to some things, and Trinale spent the time
with Cricket. With all that had been going on lately, she had not spent as
much time with her Queen as she should have.

So, she was very absorbed in reaasuring Cricket when Levka and Cricket
started urging her to go meet Derry by the lake.

(But, i thought you wanted me here, Cricket)

(I did, but you have spent enough time with me. Levka and Satinka can keep
me company. Derry wants you to meet him by the lake.)

(Did he say what for?)

(No, just go meet him, my rider)

Trinale sighed. she knew better than to argue with her Queen when she was
being stubborn.

She slowly walked over to the lake, trying to puzzle out why the dragons
had been so mysterious.

Then her eyes fell on Derry, how handsome he was....

> "You are so beautiful..." he said, taking her hands and bringing them to
> his mouth in a gentlemanly kiss.
> 
> "What's going on?  Cricket and Levka were very mysterious...  They won't
> even tell 'Tinka what's going on..."
> 
> "It's a surprise..."  Derry tugged on her hands and led her back to a
> little area where a little table sat, covered in pristine white linen with
> a pair of bravely burning white candles.
> 
> "Oh!"  Trinale's smile warmed him to the soul and she pressed a kiss
> against his cheek.  "It's wonderful Derry...  Thank you!"
> 
> He smiled.  "But this isn't all, my lady...  Please, sit..."
> 
> She sat down, blue eyes shining and he handed her the bramble box and
> watched her open it.
> 
> "Ohhh..." she breathed, bringing the rose out with gentle fingers. 
> Bringing it to her nose, Trinale inhaled the delicate scent and smiled. 
> "It even smells like a rose!  Derry, where did you find this?"
> 
> Derry flushed slightly.  "I... umm...  I made it...  For you."
> 
> "It's beautiful."

He had made it? It must have taken hours upon hours. It was beautiful. And
for him to have spent so much time on her.

> "Keep looking," he encouraged her and she looked down in the box, pulling
> out the vial of fragrance, a delighted smile lighting her face.  She
> glanced up at him and he gestured for her to continue, and her fingers
> brushed across the surface of the velvet, searching.
> 
> "What's this?"  She pulled a band of woven silver and burnished gold.
> 
> "It's a ring."  He knelt before her and held her hands gently.  "Were we
> among the LandBound, I'd use it to ask you to marry me, but since we're
> not...  Will you be my mate, Trinale?  I doubt you care about acres of land
> or mounds of gold, but I can offer you my heart and boundless devotion... 
> I love you."

Trinale's mouth dropped. (Cricket, did you tell Levka how upset I have
been over this?)

(No, my rider....Levka says his rider has been wanting to do this for
awhile but was afraid of rushing you)

Trinale looked at Derry and burst into laughter.

Derry looked puzzled and then a flash of hurt.

Trinale fell into his arms, still laughing. "Oh Derry.....we have been so
silly!"

Derry looked at her still puzzled, this was definately not the reaction he
had pictured.

Trinale continued, looking into his eyes as her laughter subsided. "I have
been upset lately because I thought you didn't care enough about me to ask
me to be your mate....and now cricket tells me that Levka says you have
not wanted to rush me."

"I promised you, Trinale" Derry said looking at her "I promised to give
you time."

"And I was so insecure I just thought it meant you didn't care enough."
Trinale said softly.

"I love you with all my heart" Derry said, looking into her eyes. "I have
since the very beginning." he held out the ring to her. "Again, I ask you,
will you be my mate?"

"Of course" Trinale replied, smiling at him, tears of joy in her eyes. "It
would make me the happiest woman on this earth."

As the two kissed, the sounds of three dragons trumpeting rang out from
the hatching cavern as Cricket, Levka and Satinka let the warren know of
the happy event.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

NRPG: Jill, take us on from there to morning....I am gonna skip to morning
to the meeting with Xanthia.....

----------------------------------------------------------------------

*Next Morning*

** Trinale's office **

Xanthia walked into the warrenlady's office without knocking. Trinale
looked up from her paperwork surprised.

Evan being warned by Cricket, Trinale was surprised how quickly she got
there and again, felt like she was seeing a ghost as the girl walked in.

"Ar... Xanthia!" Trinale exclaimed, nearly calling the girl by the wrong
name. She still couldn't get over how much like Aradia she looked.

"Is it true?" Xanthia asked, she frowned as she caught the blunder.

"Is what true?" Trinale asked.

"Aradia and Oberon..." Xanthia frowned as her verbal skills deteriorated.

"What about them?"

"What Th'rin said."

Trinale could see her straining to put the words together, and had an
idea.

<Try thinking it,> Trinale thought, trying to hurry the conversation along.

A look of relief washed over Xanthia's face, and she thought to Trinale,
<Is Aradia my sister? Is Oberon my nephew? Is it true?"

Trinale looked at Xanthia, her resemblance to Aradia and then got up from
behind her desk. She took her hand and guided her to a seat then knelt
down next to the seat, still holding her hand. That small hand was
trembling in Trinale's as Trinale thought to her (I believe so, yes. You
look so much like her and then there are the matching daggers.....)

Xanthia looked as though she were about to flee at the news Trinale gave
her.

Trinale again tried to reassure her (Aradia was a wonderful woman, very
much loved, and a very dear friend. She would have loved to have met her
sister, I am sure.)

Xanthia frowned. (Everyone keeps calling me by her name.)

(Well, you look exactly like her except your eyes....and she died very
recently. I am sure if you give us time we will come to care for you just
as much, Xanthia.....will you stay and give us a chance to know you?)

--------------------------------------------------------------------

NRPG: Tag, Morgie....sorry its so short but I don't want to screw up
Xanthia. I was tempted to have Trinale hug her but was afraid she freak
and run out.....

Ok, all.....I am quitting some of my characters at other warrens, so once
I get caught up with the 6 characters I am keeping I should be able to
keep up on things a bit more.....Once Sam gets his bio in and everything
we are going to time jump ahead to the hatching, so wrap together all the
threads you need to...and feel free to write your characters ahead for the
next few weeks to get us to right before the hatching. It'll probably
still be a couple of weeks real life time before we write the hatching.

Also, this is the day after Owlean and K'leev are brought into custody so
someone
needs to get them to Ralengarde.....have fun, guys :)



                         ("`-/")_.-'"``-._
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                         (v_,)'  _  )`-.\  ``-'
                        _.- _..-_/ / ((.'    
                      ((,.-'   ((,/
                     
                   Kat Robertson (catwoman@indy.net)             
 
                     http://www.indy.net/~catwoman