[Day 16]

Adeliannae rose early in the morning, much more clear-headed than when she'd 
awoken from the coma the day before.  Her head still ached some, but it was 
bearable, and she was sure the stiffness in her muscles would ease once she 
got moving.  Perhaps she might be permitted to go for a walk today.  The 
fresh air and sunshine coming through her window were awfully enticing, and 
she wasn't used to being quite so confined and isolated.  Although her father 
had never allowed her much freedom from his close supervision, she had 
enjoyed his companionship as they'd talked or when he played his lyre, while 
their continual travel had provided regular changes of scenery.  It was still 
so hard to imagine going on without him.  She felt her throat beginning to 
constrict again, and looked up in relief at the timely interruption when the 
door opened.

Aldorra walked in with a tray on her arm and a smile on her face.  "Good 
morning.  It's nice to see you up and about.  You're feeling better then?"

"Oh, much.  I'm hoping to get out today.  Do you think I can?"

"Well, I'll have to check with Th'rin or Corra, but I think they plan to 
release you today."  The nurse put the food tray down in front of the girl, 
adding as she headed for the door, "I'll be back later with some fresh water 
for you to tidy yourself up."

Adeliannae grimaced, thinking how truly awful she must look at this point.  
She relished the thought of being able to wash away all the accumulated 
grime.  Then she would feel better prepared to leave the Med Centeröat least 
externally.  She still wondered what was to become of her after her release.  
Rather than let her fears threaten to overwhelm her, she concentrated on the 
food in front of her.  

She was just finishing her breakfast when Corra popped her head in the door.  
"Just wanted to see how you're feeling this morning, child."

"I'm feeling much better.  Aldorra thought I might be released today...." her 
voice trailed off as thoughts of her uncertain future intruded yet again.  
Her dejected expression as she sank slowly down to sit on the edge of the bed 
did not go unnoticed.

"And you're not sure what to do next," Corra finished astutely, crossing the 
room to sit on the bedside chair.  "The Warrenlady Trinale or the Junior 
Queenrider Merissa will certainly be able to help you.  And yes, we are 
releasing you today.  You've recovered quite nicely."

A sudden commotion in the hallway brought both women to their feet.

[snips of Morgan's post]

<"What's going on?" Adeliannae asked as she followed Corra into the
corridor, the sounds of a screaming female greeting her ears.


A young woman lay in a heap on the floor, waving her crutches in the air, her 
expression enraged.  A distraught man stood nearby attempting to help her up, 
but she was having none of that.


<"Don't you touch me! Get away from me!" Xanthia ranted.


Corra, familiar with her former ward's rages, held a filled syringe at the 
ready in case it was needed.  Adeliannae watched in dismay as the screaming 
woman resisted all efforts to calm her.


<"Make them stop looking at me!!!" Xanthia demanded.

<"Well, maybe if you stop making so much noise we wouldn't be looking
at you," Adeliannae offered quietly.


She just couldn't understand what had the woman so upset.  Certainly it was 
embarrassing to be caught sprawled in the middle of the corridor, but it 
surely didn't merit all this fuss.


<Xanthia blinked, looking at the tall girl with the light brown hair
who just spoke. "Who are you?" the petite redheaded healer now patient
demanded, her attention broken from her wrathful tirade.

<"Xanthia, meet Adeliannae; Adeliannae this is Xanthia." Corra
introduced, gesturing in her former ward's direction.

<"Ad... dil..." Xanthia attempted, never good with long names.

<"Are you going to calm down, or do I have to use this?" Corra
threatened, holding up the syringe, though she hoped the worst was
over.

<"Put it away!" Xanthia demanded.

<Th'rin brought over the wheelchair and offered her a hand up, but
Corra stopped him, "No, Th'rin. She's got to do it herself. Xanthia,
get up into that chair now," 

<"But I can't!" Xanthia insisted.

<"Yes, you can. You said you couldn't walk, look how far you went!
Corra's right. No time like the present to learn how to pick yourself
up off the ground," Katla interjected.

[end snips]

The tense atmosphere was lightened as everyone watched Xanthia, her teeth 
gritted with the effort, begin to pull herself upright with the aid of the 
crutches.  She nearly fell again twice, but in the end she got to her feet.  
Then a spontaneous cheer broke out among the onlookers.  Even Corra could not 
suppress a grin.

"There, that's the first step.  And then it's just a step at a time from here 
on out, until you master itöwhich you will."


With the excitement in the hallway now past, Adeliannae went back to her 
room.  She didn't have long to wait before Aldorra returned with the promised 
basin of water, a sliver of soap, a sponge, and a snowy linen towel.  
Adeliannae eyed the supplies as if they were priceless giftsöwhich to her, at 
the present moment, they were.  After a meticulous washing from top to toe, 
she dried herself thoroughly and then wrapped her long hair in the damp 
towel, lacking a comb to work out the tangles.  She also realized belatedly 
that she had nothing to wear but the dirty med center garment she had just 
removed.  She was just tucking her bed sheet around her when Aldorra 
re-entered the room with two more much-welcomed items in her hands: a comb 
and a dress.  As Aldorra spread it out on the bed, Adeliannae recognized the 
dress as her own, now washed and mended.

"There was no way to properly repair the tear to your bodice, but at least 
it's wearable until you can visit the tailor and have something new made," 
Aldorra stated pragmatically. 

Adeliannae was simply grateful to have something clean to wear besides a bed 
sheet, and something far more modest to boot.  

"As soon as you're ready, you may go out for a walk.  But don't stray too far 
or tire yourself out," the nurse admonished.

"Oh, I won't," she promised.

As soon as she had dressed and managed to comb the worst of the tangles out 
of her hair, Adeliannae was ready to venture out.  As she turned toward the 
door, it opened to admit Corra again.

"My, don't you look lovely now, child," she smiled at the young woman.  "I'm 
so sorry you had to see that ruckus with my Xanni.  She's having a spot of 
trouble now, but she's really a good girl.  As soon as she gets used to her 
braces and crutches she'll get back on track again."

"I can understand this is a difficult time for her.  She's fortunate to have 
so many friends to help her.  I hope things will go more smoothly for her 
from now on."  Adeliannae couldn't help but wish she had even one friend to 
be there for her now as she grieved the loss of her father and faced the 
future alone.

"You're a sweet girl, Adeliannae," Corra retorted a bit huskily, not one to 
give praise lightly.  "Now I'm going to get back to my Xanni and let you get 
on with your day.  Going out were you?"

"Oh, yes.  I'm so looking forward to the fresh air."

"A little fresh air will do you good, but be sure you don't overdo it or 
you'll have a set back," Corra warned sternly.

"I'll be careful," she reassured the healer.  My but they certainly were all 
acting like she couldn't take care of herself.

"And when you get back we'll see about where to send you next."

Following Corra into the corridor, she hurried out of the Med Center and into 
the warm sunshine.  She wandered through the warren, no particular 
destination in mind, her thoughts a jumble of memories of the past and fears 
for the future.  She strolled into the market place but the crowds there 
interfered with her need for solitude so she strode along the street beyond 
not caring where it took her. 

Eventually she found herself by a river that meandered along.  She followed 
its banks as it widened and deepened, beginning to flow faster and swirl with 
foam.  A small tree branch dotted with wilting blossoms swept past.  She felt 
like that stem, as if churning water were hurtling her forward, threatening 
to pull her under and engulf her.  Suddenly the branch caught on some debris 
along the bank.  It looked for a moment as if it would be pulled loose, but 
then it held fast.  Adeliannae wished for something or someone to help anchor 
her in this maelstrom of emotions that was buffeting her soul.  

The more she thought about what had brought about this crisisöthe caravan 
attacköthe angrier she became.  What right did those people, whoever they 
were, have to destroy so many lives?öthe dead and the living both shattered 
beyond repair.  They called her a survivoröshe didn't feel like one.  It was 
more like being a shell, a piece of the person she had once been, no longer a 
whole.  If those butchers thought they were going to get away with this, she 
had news for them. 

"Those brigands had better have fled the DragonLands," she said aloud through 
gritted teeth, "or when I get my hands on them, they'll wish they had."  

The force of her sudden surge of anger left her feeling drained as it 
subsided into a sense of impotence.  She was at the mercy of the warrenfolk 
and their investigation of the attack.  Perhaps someone at the warren could 
tell her how it was proceeding.  

She was debating whether to turn back now, when the roar of the water just 
ahead of her caught her attention.  She listened for a moment, then decided 
to investigate.  Within minutes she was looking down at a cascading waterfall 
glistening in the sunlight.  Above the roar of the waterfall, the sounds of 
splashing and voices calling to one another reached her ears.  She stepped 
closer to the edge to see what was going on.  

She discovered a group of four young men from the clean-up crew cooling off 
in the lake below and found her gaze drawn inexorably to the slick muscular 
bodies bobbing in the water.  When one of them climbed out of the water, 
grabbed onto a rope slung from an overhanging branch and swung out over the 
water and landed with a huge splash that soaked his companions' hair and 
evoked chuckles from all of them, her eyes nearly popped out of their 
sockets.  

"That was one of your better efforts, Rolf!" one of them joked.  "Your big, 
hairy butt sure does get the water moving."

"It wasn't my butt that did it, it was my great big..." the rest of what he 
said was lost in the guffaws that met his cocky remark.

It wasn't so much his trick that had Adeliannae so stunned as the fact that 
he had emerged from the water stark naked.  Having been carefully sheltered 
for all of her 16 years, her first sight of a naked man took her completely 
by surprise.  She quickly turned her back on them, her heart pounding.  Yet 
again she missed her father's protectiveness that had spared her from such 
shocks to her chaste senses.  Then her anger surged again:  Here these 
apparently strong, able-bodied men could be out looking for murderers, and 
instead they were playing around.  Men!  This was the last straw!

Adeliannae strode briskly back toward the warren seething with 
barely-suppressed rage.  Her fury gave her a boldness that was normally out 
of character.  Without hesitation she approached a passing dragonrider and 
asked the way to Warrenlady Trinale's office.  Her mind half on what she 
would say to the Warrenlady, she nodded an abrupt thanks and hurried on.  
After knocking forcefully on the office door, she flung it open as soon as 
she heard the summons from within.  She stopped short when she realized the 
woman behind the desk was not Trinale.

The attractive dark-haired woman looked vaguely familiar, but Adeliannae 
couldn't place where they might have met.  In her confusion, she stumbled 
through an explanation.  "I'm sorry, I'm looking for Warrenlady Trinale.  I 
was sure this was her office.  At least I thought this was the way that 
dragonrider said to turn, but then again, maybe I didn't hear right.  Those 
men just got me so riled up.  The way they're just out there playing!  I sure 
hope something's being done about catching those evil men.  Well, not the 
ones playing, though the way they were dressed, or rather not dressed, was 
certainly evil.  I mean those butchers!"  She paused to catch her breath, 
never in her life having strung so many sentences together at once.   

"Trinale's office is across the hall," came the unruffled response.  "You 
must have turned the wrong wayöan easy enough mistake to make.  Now, is there 
some way I can help you, Adeliannae?  I didn't quite follow what has you so 
upset."

It was the second time someone she didn't know somehow knew her name.  She 
found it disconcerting.  She was also finding her legs suddenly unable to 
fully bear her weight any longer.  She grasped the back of the chair in front 
of her for support as her limbs shook and stars seemed to swirl before her 
eyes.  She was vaguely aware of the other woman's arms half holding her up as 
she was guided into the chair.  She leaned her head back and closed her eyes 
until the weakness subsided.  Looking up, she saw a glass of water held out 
to her.  After downing the contents, she met the woman's concerned gaze.

"I'll be all right," she assured her.  "I just did too much walking."

"We'd better get you back to the Med Center.  Once you're released, I want 
you to promise you'll rest at my mother's."

"Your mother's?"  What was the woman talking about?

"Yes, my mother, Analise.  She's going to take you in for the time being."  
She took Adeliannae's arm and led her out the door.

"Oh, that's so good of her!  I didn't have any idea where I was going to go." 
 A warm feeling of relief washed over her.  "Thank you for telling me...I'm 
sorry, I don't know your name."

"Merissa.  We met years ago, but I don't suppose at your age then you would 
have paid much attention to me," she chuckled briefly.  "And I remember you 
primarily because of your father.  His music was certainly unforgettable."

"Yes, it was," Adeliannae agreed softly as they reached the Med Center doors. 
 "And so was he."
                                    


****

Submitted by:

Dana Zuhlke

Adeliannae