** Lord Wollstone's Estate **

>The young woman coughed as she came out of her faint, pushing away the
>bottle of vile salts. Sitting up, supported by Lord Daltem's arms, she
>stared at Xanthia  uncertainly.  A wealth of information seemed to pass
>between the two in that initial glance, and then Trinale relaxed slightly
>as Xanthia asked aloud;
>
>
>"Who is Aradia?"
>
>
>"A friend."  Trinale told the girl softly  "A very good, and very much
>missed friend.  For a moment there I thought she'd come back to us.  But I
>can see now I was mistaken.  You're like her but not like her."

Xanthia frowned slightly, confused by the statement, her mind desperately
trying to digest it. She wasn't like anyone else she ever knew. Everyone in
the town reminded her of that, she wasn't like anybody.

>And Trinale was right.... Xanthia did resemble Aradia.  Her thick red hair
>was the same. her petite build and stance was Aradia to a tee.  The only
>difference in appearance that Cali could see was in the eyes.  Whereas
>Aradia's eyes had been a rich violet hue, this girl's were icy blue, and
>there seemed to be something almost alien in her gaze.
>

"Not Aradia."  the girl declared.   Why did this person, Trinale her name
was, call her Aradia? She found it most disturbing and wanted to go home,
back to where she had her own routine. This wasn't routine. It was scary.
She began packing away the herbs she disturbed in her search for the
smelling salts until Trinale touched her arm gently and began speaking again.

"Don't be afraid, It's just, you look like a friend of ours. Please, I want
to talk to you. There is something special about you."

Special. That was one of the kinder words people used when talking about
her. Xanthia ruffled a little a the word. It was usually a nice way of
saying different, weird, crazy. No, to Xanthia special was not a good thing.

"I know. Bad." Xanthia said, knitting her brows together in annoyance.

"No, this isn't a bad thing," Trinale insisted.

Xanthia looked at Trinale uncertainly. Special was a bad thing, she
thought, at least if special was Xanthia.

"You should come back to the Warren with us."

Xanthia cocked her head to the side. The warren was a place with lots of
dragons. Lute and Chrysthal had shown her. It looked like a wonderful
place. Wonderful, but different, and frightening in it's difference. She
wasn't liked here, but she had her routines. If everything stayed in
routine, it was okay. She felt an odd desire to go, mixed with the fear of
change.

But why would these strangers want her to go to the warren, she wondered.
Xanthia normally avoided people, especially strangers, except... they
didn't seem to be hateful like the others here in Tilharnon, and they
wanted her with them. It was this curiosity of the situation that kept
Xanthia interested, and kept her from fleeing back to Corra's.

>"You have what's called dragon affinity.  That means there's a very strong
>probability that you can join with a dragon of your own.  Cali, Merissa,
>Lord Daltem help me to persuade her!"

The strangers all started talking at her excitedly. It was overwhelming all
the voices talking, talking, talking. Why couldn't be like the dragons? It
was pleasant listening to their mindvoices. Well, the one, Trinale, had a
mindvoice, but she liked speaking for some reason.

Xanthia drew her knees up and hugged them to her chest. She started rocking
front to back; a nice, calming rhythmic motion. <Make them stop!> she
thought, as her mind shut out the verbal assault on her nervous system.

<They just want you to come to the warren,> Chrysthal explained.

<As do we,> Lute added, speaking for the both of them.

<You do???> Xanthia was amazed.

<Yes, and there are plenty of other dragons there who will want you there,
and eggs on the hatching ground,> Chrysthal told her happily.

<Dragon affinity???> The foreign phrase rolled about in Xanthia's brain,
she wondered what it meant.

<It means you can probably  join with a dragon. Like Cali is joined with
me, and Trinale with Cricket, and Merissa with Chrysthal.>

<Joined???> So many new words...

The two dragons showed Xanthia a mind picture of a hatching, dragonettes
staggering toward searchlings, that was what they said the people standing
in the sand were called, she was informed. The searchlings hearing the mind
voices of their dragonettes for the first time and feeling what their
dragons felt, and the dragonettes feeling what their people felt, filling a
hole in their heart.

A tear ran down Xanthia's cheek as she took in all the dragons had to show
her. Oh, how she wanted that, so very much. Not once had she ever had
anyone in her life who understand what she thought, and how she felt.

<This could be you,> Lute said, <You want to be a searchling, and stand on
the sands?>

<Could I?> A ray of hope started warming her heart.

<Yes, you have a very good chance. I'm a queen, I know these things. Please
come, Xanthia.>

<How do I get there?> Xanthia asked.

<You'll fly back, with us. You'll ride on one of us.>

Fly, that just made it even more enticing. She'd read of dragons and
riders. Even seen some come through town, but never thought she would ever
get to fly on one of the magnificent beasts herself.

"YES!" Xanthia said suddenly, jumping up and preparing to mount one of the
dragons.

"What are you doing?" Trinale asked?

"I want to go, to join."

The warrenlady chuckled, "Well, don't you think you should get some of your
belongings first?"

Xanthia turned to face them and dropped her head, ashamed at jumping the
gun. "Sorry..."

"Not a problem," Trinale said, and then gasped. She wasn't the only one,
the ones called Cali and Merissa also made the noise at the same time.

"What?" Xanthia asked. She was terrified she'd done something terribly
wrong and started pinching the skin on the back of her hand nervously.

The one called Merissa stepped toward her, and Xanthia took a step back,
afraid of what the young woman would do to her for whatever crime she'd
just committed.

"Sh... it's all right, I just want to take a closer look at something,"
Merissa reassured her.

Xanthia stood her ground, cautious but unmoving as Chrysthal had assured
her that her rider meant her no harm.

Merissa reached out and touched the dagger, examining it carefully. "Where
did you get this???" the junior queenrider asked, her voice full of amazement.

"MINE!" Xanthia exclaimed, pulling back and clutching her hands over the
sheath.

"I know dear, I won't take it, I just want to know where you got it."

"Mine! I didn't take it!"

"No, I didn't say you did. It's just.... The woman you resemble, Aradia,
she had the exact same dagger. She said it was one of a kind, only given to
members of her family within the clan...." 

The junior queenrider turned quickly toward Lord Wollstone, "Weston, what
kind of nomads did you say left her here?"

"Bear nomads," Lord Wollstone repeated.

"My Da left it for me," Xanthia said quietly, looking confused, "It's mine."

"I know, it's beautiful," Merissa smiled.

The junior queenrider returned to the group and the three women talked
quietly for several minutes. Xanthia didn't know what they were saying,
didn't care, she just wanted to go so she could be with the dragons.

The one called Cali and the strange man approached Xanthia a few minutes
later, she held out her arm, smiling and friendly. Xanthia had never seen
so many friendly faces before, not when talking to her.

"Come, let's go to Corra's and get your stuff," Caliban invited.

********

** Corra the healer's place **

"Xanthia, what have you done now?" Corra fumed, seeing her ward escorted by
two strangers.

"I'm going to be a dragon rider," Xanthia said, grabbing a sack and
recklessly starting to go through her belongings.

"Bah! That child and her imagination!" Corra spat. "So what did she do?"

"Nothing, she tells the truth, Healer Corra. Your Xanthia has the makings
of a dragonrider, and we are taking her back to WhiteRiver Warren with us."

The old healer rubbed her face thoughtfully, taken aback by the situation.
"Xanthia,  a searchling, who'd'a thought..." The healer then remembered her
manners, "Come, sit and have a cuppa tea while she finishes her gathering."

The three sat about the table and drank the warm beverage and talked while
Xanthia tossed things about the room, some she stuffed in her sack, others
she cast aside. She put into her bag those things that were important to
her. Her books, her first set of surgical tools, and a teddy bear.

"Tell me about Xanthia's parents, what did they look like?" Cali asked the
healer.

"Oh, the woman, she had the same ice blue eyes as my girl here. And long,
dark hair. But different, not as wild looking."

"The eyes or the hair," Cali asked with a gleam in her eye.

"Both," Corra replied.

"And her father?" Lord Daltem prompted.

"Fire red hair, and eyes... he had the strangest eyes. They were deep
violet. Never seen anything like it. They went right into your soul when he
looked at you."

Xanthia stood and waited to be recognized. She couldn't understand why
these people were so interested in her parents. She felt uneasy about the
move suddenly, separated from the dragons she talked to earlier. She
dropped her sack to the ground noisily.

Cali turned and faced her. "Ready?" she asked.

"Yes... no..."

<Come on, don't change your mind!> Lute's voice rang through her mind.

"Lute says I should go, so I go," Xanthia said, picking up her bag."

*******

** WhiteRiver Warren **

Xanthia dismounted the purple metallic dragon and looked around in awe. She
had never seen such a place as this, she couldn't wait to see it in the
daylight.

The two queenriders escorted Xanthia to a place called the Searchling
Barracks and the left her alone there after introducing her to several new
people. Rather overwhelming, all these people. She nodded as she was
introduced around.

Then they left, and Xanthia was alone, with all these people... She did not
know what to do, so she sat and rocked, as always rocked when stressed to
the point of being overwhelmed.

It didn't take long before a young woman came over to her, introducing
herself and jibbering on about being searched and other things. She asked a
lot of questions. Xanthia didn't want to answer questions, she wanted to be
alone, and sleep in her own bed. Oh, what had she gotten herself into!

It made Xanthia want to flee, this human voice going . She grabbed her sack
of belongings and ran in terror out of the barracks. She didn't want to
leave her prized possessions with anyone she didn't know.

******

Xanthia ran until she was tired. and plopped down exhausted in front of a
large cave. She wept into her hands in frustration.

<What's the matter>, Xanthia heard the silvery voice in her mind and felt a
nudge.

She jumped up, startled, and smiled to see a small dragon, with glistening
white hide.

<I'm Areena, you must be the new one>

Xanthia nodded, <Xanthia.>

<Th'rin, my Love. Come to the hatching cave! You must come see! She looks
just like Aradia!> the petite dragon chirped excitedly to her rider.

**************

NRPG: Well, she has arrived! :) Jeanette, if you want Shel to be the one
talking to Xanthia before she flees, go ahead. I don't remember what Shel
is doing at this point (this ends before the kids are returned).

And Kris, um... Tag. ;>






                \=/,         _-===-_-====-_-===-_-==========-_-====-_
                |  @___oo   (    Submitted by:                        )
      /\  /\   / (___,,,}_--=    Jacqueline "Morgan" Allgood          )
     ) /^\) ^\/ _)        =__                                          )
     )   /^\/   _)          (_                                         )
     )   _ /  / _)            (      Danika/Kalindeth of Daere        )
 /\  )/\/ ||  | )_)            (_    Xanthia of Whiteriver            )
<  >      |(,,) )__)             (   Kattibrie/Calishandra of Telnor )
 ||      /    \)___)\             (_ Yasmine/Starlin of Marrid       )
 | \____(      )___) )___           -==-_____-=====-_____-=====-___==
  \______(_______;;; __;;;