Oldreth sat quietly, attentively honing the edge of his axe, when Trinale
entered. He grinned a bit, her clothes were covered in soot, and her cace
and hands smudged and filthy.

> "You've only been here a day and you're already thinking of taking over?"
> she looked at him, then smiled. It was better to handle this situation
> with a bit of humor, even if it did tick her off a bit that he was so
> comfortable behind her desk.
> 
> He dropped his feet to the floor and rose, coming towards her. He towered
> over her, and again, Trinale was reminded of pa'gan and the mistakes she
> had made.
> 
> "Not yet" he smiled at her as well.
> 
> She motioned to a seat in front of her desk and she moved back behind
> hers.
> 
> "Forgive my appearance. I have been cleaning up after the wraith attack we
> suffered yesterday." Trinale looked at him and then forgot all her good
> intentions as she blurted out, "What are your intentions towards Xanthia?
> You know she is just a child, and I want to make sure you don't hurt her."
>
> Trinale's face flushed red as she realized what she had done and she
> groaned and buried her head in her hands.

Oldreth raised an eyebrow, and laughed, a loud, raucus sound that echoed
through the office. He regarded her after a moment, as his fit of
amusement passed.

> "Shit....I didn't mean to do that..." Trinale mumbled.

Oldreth smirked "Do what? That was too funny..."

"I didn't mean to insult you." she tried to explain lamely.

Oldreth chuckled, "I'm certain you'd find that a difficult thing to do. My
intentions toward Xanthia...I hadn't considered it, but I'm sure when it
come up between us, I'll deal with it"

Trinale studied the enigmatic mountain of a man who sat before her desk,
unsure how to proceed. This was not the reaction she'd expected.

"What did you expect? For me to be upset, that your words had dishonoured
me somehow? Demand satisfaction? Bah." he chuckled good naturedly.

Trinale pursed her lips pensively and paused a moment before answering,
"Actually, yes."

Oldreth reached behind him, and pulled out a sheathed dagger, ornate, and
perfectly maintained, holding it up for Trinale to see "This is my Honour
Blade, or the dagger of eternal honour in some tribes."

Trinale blanched, not again.

Oldreth smiled, "It has never been drawn, ever, since my father presented
it to me at my becoming."

Trinale was confused now.

Oldreth sighed, "To a Bear Nomad, this dagger represents their honour, it
is their life. A tradition that goes back longer than anyone can tell. In
the old days, a steel knife meant you were self-sufficient, that you could
survive in the wilds alone. Very important for my people. In time, the
dagger became a symbol of honour, the blade bound to each of us when we
came of age. It's a very bad thing to lose it, but otherwise, it's up to
each person to determine how best to protect their honour."

Oldreth paused and smiled to Trinale, who sat, trying to absorb what he
was saying.

"Some people wield their honour like a weapon, taking every word as an
afront to their honour. It keeps people off balance, and keeps them in
charge. Others keep their honour close, treasure it, and save it for when
it's important. You cannot touch my honour, because I won't show it to
you, I know myself to be honourable, and for me, that's enough."

Trinale breathed a sigh of relief when he'd finished, tucking the sheathed
dagger away and resumed his seat. Perhaps this wouldn't be so bad.

"Fine, well, we need to know what you intend...Do you mean to stay here?"
Trinale continued.

"Xanthia needs one of her kind to teach her what it is to be Bear nomad"
he grinned and winked at her "Besides, there are so many attractive women
here."

Trinale blushed "Ahem, well...Rules...I heard you went out unescorted this
morning"

"Yes...Just like every morning before I came here." he smiled.

"Well, you must be escorted when you fly" Trinale explained, studying the
strange man quietly.

Oldreth smiled and offered nothing in response.

"Also you cannot fly combat...Queens don't fly to fight." she continued.

Still he didn't respond, just sat there, amused, and crossed his arms.

"You find this funny somehow." asked the diminuative warrenlady.

"Yes actually. But that's another issue, go on with your rules" another
smirk.

"You may very well find all this funny, but queen dragons are rare here,
so they don't fly unescorted, and the other dragons will want to protect a
queen flying combat, so by doing so, you risk all of the dragon's and
rider's lives." Trinale alsmost lost her temper there, this man was so
infuriating.

Oldreth almost laughed again, she was very passionate, and his attitude,
he guessed, had finally set her off. Her face went red as she yelled at
him. It didn't matter really, he had no plans on changing how he did
things. Besides, she was very attractive when she was mad.

Very calmly, as if her tirade hadn't happened, he offered "Then perhaps
you should see your riders and dragons trained better."

Trinale stared at him in red-faced, angry disbelief. How dare he.

"If your riders and dragons focused on what their objective was, there
would be no problem." he continued.

Trinale opened her mouth to speak, but paused when Oldreth held up a
finger to her "Shh!"

"I have no intention of changing my relationship with Wintermoon. If it's
convenient, and the mood strikes us, we'll ask someone to ride along when
we go flying. If it's not convenient, then we won't. With regards to
flying combat, that's up to Wintermoon, and frankly, it's none of your
business. Each rider should attend to their own affairs, and each dragon
likewise. Wintermoon is more important to me than anything in the world,
and I would never hurt her. It's a similar feeling to what you feel for
Cricket, or Xanthia for Maxima, I assume. But if she wants to fight, then
I'll go with her, and we'll fight together, just like any other. I know
how she feels, and that's all there is to it."

With that, Oldreth turned and stepped out of Trinale's office, slamming
the door behind him, and leaving Trinale with words on her lips, unspoken.
He didn't care, he was more than a little concerned that these warren
people's value of a queen might force them to imprison him, or something
else here. Their ways were so different, and it bothered him that they
wanted so much control over Wintermoon his first days here.

He frowned slightly and started up to the apartment he'd been assigned,
then out on the balcony where Wintermoon rested.

<<What troubles you Oldreth?>> she asked as he moved close and slipped his
arms around her neck.

<These people are strange, so many rules> he sighed against her.

<<We can go if you want.>> Wintermoon said, nuzzling him.

"No, I like it here. It's just strange, frustrating." he murmured against
the dragon's warm hide.

<<What is?>> 

Oldreth took a deep breath "They want to control where and when we fly."

<<That's the way here, I'd heard that already from some of the others,
when we came back from getting flowers for Cricket>>

Oldreth sighed "What will we do, dearest."

<<Just as we have done, my rider.>>

Oldreth smiled and squeezed her neck, "Thank you my love."

Wintermoon cuddled and hugged for several moments longer, before Oldreth
pulled back and smiled.

"You always make me feel better."

<<Did I mention I met my grandmother today?>>

"Really?"

<<Chrysthal is Ashai's mother>> beamed Wintermoon, seeming incredibly
pleased.

"That's wonderful...Another reason to say I suppose" Oldreth smiled.

<<You had warm feelings about her rider, Merissa.>>

"Nosy...She's attractive, for warrenborn, a bit small..." he grinned.

<<You should go see her>> suggested Wintermoon, nudging him slightly.

"Gods, you are such a busybody." Oldreth smirked.

"Fine, I'm going..." and poked her playfully.

<<Hateful>> complained  Wintermoon comically.

Oldreth strolled out, wandering mostly. His thoughts distracted him, and
he didn't notice the small sobbing for round a corner before she collided
with him. Merissa. He smiled quietly and took her gently by the shoulders
to steady her.

"What is it little bird?" he asked in his best comforting voice, crouching
down to face her better.

Merissa scrubbed at her cheek with the back of one hand and sniffled
"Nothing..."

He smiled, remembering saying the same thing to his father, just after his
gran's passing.

"Must be a terrible nothing to make you leak so bad..." he smiled.

Merissa might have laughed had the rejection not been so immediate, and
deep. Instead she cried hard. Oldreth sighed and pulled her close and held
her as she sobbed against him.

"Shh little bird, it'll be okay..."

Despite herself, Merissa clung to him, as she sobbed. Finally the tears
slowed and she snuffled against him, wiping her nose on his shirt. Oldreth
just held her quietly, waiting.

"You want to talk about it Merissa?" he asked quietly.

"How can she be so angry?" she demanded, wiping her tear streaked face.

Sighing, Oldreth took her hand and walked with her, finding a place to
sit, as the sun set.

"Who?" he asked once they'd gotten settled.

Merissa frowned, "It's stupid, I don't need to burden you with it..."

He smiled and squeezed her hand, "Please, tell me."

With a shuddering breath "My mother doesn't approve of the  dragon
riders."

"Why?"

"I don't know, that'w what hurts so badly. I was a bard before I joined
with Chrysthal, now it's like I have to give that up to be a dragon rider
in her eyes." Merissa pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her
chinn on them, frowning pensively.

"Is that what you think?" he asked quietly, "Would you give up Chrysthal
to go back to the way it was?"

"No!" she answered sharply, then continued "The bond with Chrysthal
completes me..."

"But she can't see that." interrupting her.

"No..."

"And she won't listen..." interrupting again. Oldreth smiled and squeezed
her hand reassuringly.

"Are you different than you were?" he asked.

"I suppose, a little." she admitted.

"So you forgot how to be a bard when you bonded with your dragon." he
smirked a little.

"No...It's not that." 

Oldreth held his hand up to her to hold a moment, "So if you've grown, and
not lost anything from your relations with the dragon riders and
Chrysthal, then the problem must be your mother."

"I remember my mother being angry with me when I got ready to leave, she
was trying to hold on. Parents hate losing their children. You just need
to give her some time. And if time won't do it, then perhaps you need to
be more forceful. There's nothing wrong with you, you just need to get her
to accept you as an adult." he shrugged "But then what do I know, I'm just
a barbarian."

Oldreth smiled and stroked her hair back, then leaned in adn kissed her
cheek, before standing. "Don't let it get to you..." he smiled.

Merissa's hand wend to her cheek and she blushed furiously.

"Let me know if you want to talk sometime." he smiled a last time and
walked away.

Back at his quarters, an hour or so later, he checked on Wintermoon, and
found her fast asleep. He looked out over the warren, and stretched, then
stripped down and crawled into bed.

		*	*	*	*	*	*

NRPG: Okay, I stuck my neck out, I hope I got Trinale and Merissa right,
anyone who wants me, I'm in bed. :)

       />          Rob Hines Jr.        <\       
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