[Quoted from Arlene's 'Dark Night']
> She reached down and smoothed the hair back from his forehead.  He stirred
> in his sleep.  Her hand traveled down the side of his face to a scar -- when
> suddenly he bolted up and   grabbed her wrist.

Dreams haunted him, death surrounded him, the faces of the people hurt
that he'd known surrounded him, demanding to know why he'd not defended
him. Then something touched him, and startled, he reacted, lasshing out at
the unseen hand.

> She screamed, as his grip tightened around her.  He pushed her back and away
> from him, looking suddenly sheepish as he realized whom it was he held.
> 
> Merissa laughed nervously.  "Oldreth..."
> 
> "What are you doing here!"  He growled at the young dark-haired queenrider.

She was beautiful.  From  the day he'd arrived, there was constancy in
that. Now, her dark hair haloed in the moonlight, she looked almost
angelic, and she had come looking for him.

> Merissa looked at him surprised.  "You left the warren....  I was
> concerned..."
> 
> "You had no right following me!"  His eyes clouded with the familiar
> tell-tale sign of a dragonrider communing with his dragon.  "So... you are
> in cohoots against me!"  He snorted in disgust and turned away.

He  frowned darkly, and knew that Wintermoon had only beeen looking out
for him, but somehow the large dragon's actions rankled   him.  There was
a certain inssecurity in him now, a need to prove himself against the
dragon who aalways seemed smarter than himself.  She'd been his keel, the
balancing force in his life, since he'd left everything behind.

> "It's only because we care, Oldreth..."  Merissa's soft voice murmured.
> 
> He turned and looked hard into those deep pools of darkness that were the
> young woman's eyes -- eyes that he couldn't get out of his dreams....  "What
> do you mean? Caring!?"  He challenged.

His heart leapt in his chest, she cared.  At this moment, that meant more
to him, than anything anyone could have said to him. His time at the
warren had been rocky, fraught with death and pain, and he never felt that
he'd really ever fit in.

> He moved towards her, his arms encircling her and pulling her towards him.
> Her eyes closed as her head tilted back, as his face slowly lowered towards
> hers...
> 
> They were lost in the moment... lost in the silence of the night, the stars,
> the moon -- the wind in the trees and the scent of the pine -- lost in the
> kiss that lasted for eternity and yet only a minute.
> 
> As they broke away from each other, Merissa's face burned with the blush of
> surprise and embarrassment.  "ummm.  I'm sorry, I mean, I didn't ...."
> 
> He laughed, a laugh that was deep and yet surprising gentle.  "Yes, you DID!
> Why else would you be here?"
> 
> Merissa found herself laughing as well, and acknowledged, "yes, I guess, I
> did..."
> 
> Again they found themselves in each other's arms.  The embrace became
> more -- and the kiss became deeper -- and more intense.  The need for
> closeness after all the tragedy and pain over whelmed them, and they slowly
> sunk to the bedroll that Oldreth had recently vacated.
> 
> After the passion had worked itself out ... they lay together looking up at
> the stars.  It had been a long time since Merissa had been out under the
> stars -- not since she'd been a traveling bardswoman.  It was wonderful --
> and the warm feelings of closeness to Oldreth --ah it was a glorious
> feeling!
> 
> "Oldreth... please, ... come back with me to Whiteriver?"  Merissa turned
> and propped herself up on her elbow.

Oldreth smiles and stroked his fingers over her form, "Yes..." and
leaned  close to kiss her again, softly, deeply, and passion overcame
them again.

They held each other, making love softly under the stars. Rolling
together, they laughed  and talked, and  touched  as if there were no
others in their world at that moment, oblivious to the world around them.

<<Oldreth?>>

<Not now dear.>

<<Really Oldreth.>>

<Shhhh.>

[From Barb's 'Holding All the Cards .. Or Is He?']
> The two landed, and Dalton slipped from the beast back and quietly moved
> closer to the pair. He found an old log and took a seat then after a few
> minutes where his leather pants seem to get a bit tighter... he began to
> clap loud enough so that it broke into the goings on of the lovemaking pair.
> 
> "What the Hell!!" shouted Merissa who noticed him first, and then began a
> frantic search for her shirt to cover herself from his glaze. "And just how
> long have you been here?"
> 
> "Long enough to enjoy the show," Dalton grinned and made no move to overt
> his eyes for the creamy flesh that had been exposed when the blanket had
> fallen to her waist level.
> 
> He shook his head with and exaggerated sigh when her flesh had been covered. 
> 
> "What are you doing here?" she demanded as she placed a hand on  Oldreth's
> arm when he would have gone after then man.
> 
> "Why I was sent out here to find you and *escort* you back to the Warren,"
> he grinned, enjoying her outrage and his. "But maybe I should just go back
> and tell them that you're both fine and will return after you finish
> screwing each others lights out?"
> 
> Oldreth got as far as his feet this time before Merissa could move in front
> of him to stop him from going after the man.
> 
> Dalton ignored him, instead began making tisking noises with his tongue as
> he got up and started moving back towards his dragon.
> 
> "I'm sure your *mate* will be relieved to hear that nothing happened to you
> other then having someone else get your rocks off," he threw over his
> shoulder and then chuckled when the male Queenrider was unable to get to him
> where he sat up on his dragons back.
> 
> "But if you're real nice to me then maybe you and I can work something out
> so I don't tell him about the steamy little scene I saw being played out
> here... come see me when you get back to the Warren sweetie," he turned his
> eyes towards Oldreth. 
> 
> "And if you even think twice about paying me a visit... I'll make sure
> everyone in the place knows I saw her fighting you off when I arrived and
> that she begged me not to tell anyone that you were forcing your attentions
> on her. Even if she denies it... I'm sure there will be others who will
> think you did rape her and she's just trying to cover it up... but think
> about what it'll do to both your reputations..."
> 
> He turned back to look at Merissa. "Come see me sweetie and we'll talk abut
> it. I'm sure we can come up with something that'll please us both."

Oldreth took the opportunity of Dalton's gloating to slide  slightlky to
one side of Merissa who'd moved between him and the offending little man
who threatened himself and Merissa. 

Just as Dalton turned to mount his dragon, Oldreth moved. In a smooth
practiced mothing that flowed around Merissa, he slid his hand down to his
axe and spun, sending the axe whirling toward Dalton. He caught Merissa's
shoked glance as he released the pommel  and ended up standing to face
her, sheilding her from the sight of the axe's impact.

There was a brief, sickening impact, then another as Dalton slid to the
ground limply. Oldreth moved aside and turned to survey the work, stepping
forward. Dalton's dragon curled protectively around his stricken rider,
and snarled.

<Move.> he sent to the male dragon.

Wintermoon took a step forward and the much smaller male relented and
retreated. The axe had flown true, as he'd intended, the ten kilo weapon
slamming into Dalton's shoulders with the flat of the blade, very
efficiently knocking him completely over his dragon, and unconcious.

"What've you done Oldreth!?" demanded Merissa.

"He's just resting, I hate people like that. Rapists of another stripe. I
won't tolerate it." he replied as he stripped off Dalton's clothes and
bound him securely, nude, to his dragon.

Oldreth heaved the limp form of Dalton to dragon's back and tied him
there, then stepped back to regard the man's dragon.

<Take your rider back to the Warren, Merissa and I will be along
directly.>

The male lifted into the air and turned toward whiteriver and disappeared.

"We'd better go." sighed Oldreth heavily.

Merissa nodded and dressed quickly and collected her things and prepared
for the ride back while Oldreth broke camp and packed. Oldreth caught her
as they moved to their dragons to leave and slipped his arms around her.

"You know we're going to have to tell people what happened."

Merissa nodded quietly, and buried her head against his chest as he
squeezed her tenderly.

"You mean a lot to me. I'd like to see you again."

Merissa pursed her lips pensively..."I don't know..."

Oldreth nodded and smiled "We'll see"

*****

Time: Mid-Morning, Day 9 (10am or so)
Scene: Whiteriver, on the green

The flight back had been uneventful, and when Wintermoon landed on the
green. Oldreth slide from her back, and stood by, stroking her neck
affectionately as he waited for Merissa to land.

Chrysthal pulled up short and landed lightly beside Wintermoon, and
Oldreth was there to help Merissa  down. He held her hand, just a bit
lonnger  than strictly necessary, then leaned forward to kisss her cheek.

"Thank you beatiful one...You've given me...Hope. That there is something
more here than pain and suffering."

He smiled, and as she opened her mouth to speak, pressed his forefinger to
her lips.

"No...Nothing more need be said. I hope you will come see me again." he
smiled softly, then hugged her, and turned to walk away.

*****
Time: Morning, Day 9
Scene: Trinale's Office

Oldreth strode purposefully off the green, toward Trinale's office, and
knocked on the door. 

*Come in!*

He stepped inside and held up a hand to forestall the inevitable storm of
recriminations from the young warren lady.

"I'm tired, and I want to go to bed. I have one thing I need to deal with
before I do that. One of the wing riders, Dalton I think, came looking for
Merissa and I, and has threatened blackmail against both of us."

Trinale raised a brow and started to say something as Oldreth started to
speak again.

"Merissa and I made love. It was a mutual attraction I think, and this
rider threatened to say I raped her, and hold Merissa's actions over her
head with Th'rin. Handle it how you wish. I rendered him unconscious, and
send him back to Whiteriver nude, tied to his dragon."

Oldreth set a bundle of Dalton's gear on Trinale's desk, "I'm going to bed
now. If you want to yell at me, I'll be awake some time this afternoon."

He turned and stepped out just as the first words came out of her mouth.

"Oldr...!"

He closed the door behind him, and headed toward his quarters, thinking to
finally get the sleep he'd started some ten hours before.

*****

Time: Mid-morning, day 9 (10:30am or so)
Scene: Oldreth's quarters

Oldreth finished putting his boots aside and prepared to sleep finally 
when he heard a soft knock at the door. What now. He strode to the
door and threw it open. Standing there, almost fidgeting was the small
dark haired queenrider who'd brought him back. Merissa.

"I..." she began.

Oldreth shook his head and reached down to take her hand and drew her
inside, pulling her against him and kissing her softly, deeply. The fell
together to bed, where they touched and whisspered softly to each other,
words of passion, until, exhausted, they slept again, as the sun rose over
the warren.

The morning light shone through her dark tresses as he held her against
him, nothing could have been better at that moment than her next to him.
He closed his eyes with a soft smile, and pulled her closer and finally,
quietly, slept.

*****

NRPG: To the best of my knowledge this doesn't conflict with anyone's
previous vision of the events of day 9. Barb, I tried not to presume too
much about Dalton, but there's /no/ way Oldreth would let that pass. This
should get me caught up. Finally. Please forward complaints or comments to
/dev/null.