Date:  Tue Nov 13, 2001  12:59
am

Day 5

Late Evening

Fowler Estates



His baby sister was turning 16.  According to tradition she was now a woman.

That was a scary thought!  J'red frowned as he watched the girl twirling

about the dance floor, going from arm to arm of every handsome young man.



"She reminds me of your mother," said the doting voice of the older Fowler.

Lord Fowler smiled fondly as his daughter's clear laugh echoed off the high

ceilings.  "Just like her..."  He sighed.



J'red tensed.  He never liked discussing his late mother.  It always left a

nagging ache in his chest.  "Isn't it time for the cake?" the dragonrider

asked, attempting to change the subject.



"Ah!  Quite right... but there are two cakes tonight!"  Lord Fowler motioned

for one of his pages to let the conductor know and silence the orchestra.



"Two?  Why...?"  But J'red didn't have long to wonder.



The announcement and Jennifer's obviously pleased expression as Lorelei's

name was called out.  The band began to play a resounding birthday song, and

everyone glanced around looking for the recipient.



Lord Fowler frowned, "Not a good time for that girl to go wandering off!"



"Does she do that a lot?"  J'red asked, concerned.



"Yes, she tends to be rather...Moody,"  J'red's father explained.



J'red nodded, "That's understandable, after all she did lose her entire

family, and I'm sure coming here from living in the Warren was a bit of a

shock."



"Yes, wild thing, she is!  Didn't even know which fork to use with her

salad.  I'd say coming here did her a favor."



"Right..."  J'red responded, doubtfully.  "Perhaps I'll just go check out on

the grounds for her...."



"No, not yet... they're bringing out Jennifer's cake now!"  Lord Fowler

clapped his hands together at the delighted expression on his daughter's

face.  The girl ran up and kissed him on the cheek, squealing with delight.



The cake was as tall as Jennifer and just as pink.  Everything about

Jennifer was always pink.



J'red strolled off outside as his sister's birthday music finished playing

and she was tearing into her presents.  <*Fire?  Have you seen Jennifer,

Trinale's sister, about?  Did she, by chance, come out to visit you?*>



The sleepy, or perhaps bored, dragon responded in the negative.  Firefly

grumped that Horn wasn't much of a cuddle partner.  J'red grinned.  If Horn

wasn't enjoying himself, his rider was certainly making up for it.  Horatio

had been the only rider who hadn't had other plans when J'red had mentioned

that he needed someone to go with him to Jennifer's party.  'Tonio would

have been accompanying him, but he was currently laid up in his apartment

under house arrest after an altercation with Merissa's other mate.  J'red

shook his head in amazement at the sudden turn of events.



Though, J'red had to admit, Horatio was a rather interesting person to have

along.  He obviously enjoyed the music and dancing... and at 24, he was just

old enough to be rather intriguing to Jennifer's friends, but young enough

to enjoy their harmless flirting.



By now, though, J'red was getting a bit concerned.  He'd asked the

house-staff and several of the grounds keepers if they'd seen Lorelei, and

none admitted to having seen her since earlier that day.  Where could she

have gone?



J'red checked out the stables as the next possibility.  Again, no one had

seen her there.  <*Fire... do me a favor?  Can you fly above the grounds and

see if you spot a young girl in an evening dress?*>



The crimson dragon sighed but took off into the sky.  He could feel his

rider's anxiety beginning to grow, and if Fire could help alleviate his

soul-mates fears, he'd be more than willing to do a quick fly-by.  Besides,

he was bored, anyway!  But all that Firefly spotted was a tithing caravan

heading down the main estate road toward Whiteriver, which wasn't worth

mentioning to J'red.



Not wanting to ruin Jennifer's party, however, J'red mentioned this to Lord

Fowler in private.  The lord sent the house-staff to search the upper floors

of the estate.  The chambermaid discovered that Lorelei's gown had been

discarded, and that some of her items seemed to be missing from her bedroom.



A small search party was put together from the staff and guards, along with

a few of Fowler's hounds, and were sent to track down the errant girl.



***

Day 6

Early Morning

Warrenlady's Apartment



Merissa paused outside of the "spare" bedroom which now housed Xanthia and

Alina.  There wasn't a sound coming from it, yet the door was ajar. Merissa

peeped inside and noted that Xanthia's bed was straightened and she was just

about to continue to the kitchen when she heard the faintest of coos coming

from the bassinet in the corner.  Alina was sleeping peacefully, her tiny

baby hands clenched tightly into fists.



Merissa sighed and couldn't help but smile.  The little one did seem to

resemble her mother quite a lot, yet... she could see Th'rin's chin,

perhaps, or the shape of the head....  She was just such a miracle.



Stepping silently out of the room, she thought she heard Xanthia and Th'rin

talking in their common room, but as she entered the room, only Th'rin was

present.



"Is Xanthia in the kitchen...?"  Merissa asked, though she could tell that

Th'rin looked troubled.



"No, she isn't.  She took the tunnels to 'Tonio's,"  Th'rin answered.



"To 'Tonio's?  And you let her go?"  Merissa's eyes widened in surprise.



"What did you want me to do, sit on her?  She is a grown woman.... if she

felt capable of going, what could I have said to stop her?  I told her not

to fly...."



"So, she took the tunnels instead!?"  Merissa frowned.  "Did she say why she

was going to 'Tonio's?"



"She wanted to check on him... on his wounds."



"You could have done that, you know."



"Yes, but I think she also wanted to thank him."



"You know, she could read a lot more into his actions than were intended,"

Merissa worried.  "I just don't want to see her get hurt..."  She looked

meaningfully at Th'rin.



The healer nodded and looked down,  "Probably wouldn't be a bad idea to

discuss her emotional state."



"That, and what really happened last night... or at least her take on it...

but I wouldn't want to do that without Latnem being here.  He knows her mind

better than anyone, except perhaps Corra,"  Merissa smiled.



At that moment, Oberon came bouncing into the room, calling out their names.



"Hush, Bear!  Your sister is asleep!"  Merissa admonished.



"Baby 'Lina sleeping?"  Oberon smiled up at her as he gave her one of his

biggest bear-hugs.



"Yes... OH!" Merissa's eyes shone at a thought of how to let Alina sleep a

bit longer, and encourage Oberon to use his language skills, "Oberon, how

would you like to run a very important errand for Mama?"



"What's 'rand?"  Oberon asked, a bit suspiciously.



"In this case it's to give a message to someone, like Mamma's friend

Eleanora does?  She takes messages for me?"



Oberon nodded, seriously, "Me take methage?"



"Right!  I want you to go to Latnem's apartment... You know who Latnem is,

right?"  At the boy's nod, she continued, "I want you to tell him that your

Mamma and Poppa need him to come to their apartment to talk with them and

Aunt Xanthia.  Did you get that?  Can you tell Mamma what you're to say?"



"Latnem to come to Mamma and Poppa to talk Aunt Xan."



"Right!"  Merissa beamed and hugged Oberon tightly.  He squirmed out of her

embrace and ran out the door.



Th'rin stared at her open mouthed.  Finally he managed to ask, "You're

letting our son go across the green by himself?"



"No, he isn't going alone.  All the dragons are watching out for him,"

Merissa smiled.



***

Mid Morning

<SNIP FROM MORGIE'S POST>

>Xanthia sniffed and swiped at her nose with the sleeve of her dress before

>continuing. "I told him to put her down, and he wouldn't. She couldn't

>breath... I threw the knife, like J'red taught me. I heard it hit..."

>

>Xanthia raised a trembling hand to her mouth as tears cascaded freely, "Oh

>goddess, I couldn't let him kill her! I thought he was dead. I didn't know

>what to do! I grabbed up Alina and ran... blindly. I somehow the wall

>opened into a doorway," she gestured to the innocuous looking wall, "I

>found myself stumbling through tunnels. I stopped to rest, and leaned

>against the wall. Next thing I knew the wall opened and I was inside

>'Tonio's apartment."

<END SNIP>



Merissa slowly approached the shaking woman, and kneeling down in front of

her, she slowly opened her arms.  Without a word being spoken, Xanthia

allowed herself to be enveloped in her embrace.  After a few moments the

sobbing lessened and Xanthia was able to straighten up and look at Merissa,

Th'rin and Latnem.



"You did what was necessary,"  Merissa stated plainly, and the anger and

doubt that she'd been feeling toward Xanthia dissipated.  The absolution

left her feeling slightly light headed.  She could not even blame 'Tonio for

acting as he had, though it had been a little harsh... though much less than

the treatment that Oldreth would have given him had it been he that had

caught Tarvr'enon after the attack.



"Yes, Xanthia, you saved our daughter's life!"  Th'rin exclaimed.  "It was

instinct, and I'm sure you would never have thrown that knife if you hadn't

felt Alina was in mortal danger!"



Latnem, however, was silent, observing the interaction of this 'family'.

He could see the bonding that was taking place, and though he still wasn't

completely happy with the situation, he didn't see Xanthia being harmed by

it.  There was obvious concern from the Warrenlady, and obvious affection

from the Healer.  At the moment, he didn't observe any jealousy for

affections that sometimes occurred in multi-partner families, though he was

going to be keeping his eye open for that.  "I should be going.... I think

you all have it under control now?"



"Thank you Latnem for coming by,"  Merissa said as she walked him to the

door.



As she returned, Xanthia sighed, "I really am tired."



Merissa nodded, "Having a new baby to take care of is tiring enough without

all this added burden.  Why don't you go and rest until Alina wakes?"

Merissa watched as Xanthia moved off toward the bedroom.



Merissa turned to Th'rin, "I'll take Oberon over to school and then head

into my office.  You're going into the medical center, right?  I think Arri

is going to be coming in to help out.  She'd mentioned something to me about

her healing skills and I thought you could use some assistance."



"Arri?"



"A'Rillia.  The new queenrider?"  Merissa reminded.



"Ah!  She's a healer?"  Th'rin looked doubtful.



"Yes, so she seems.  I guess you'll find out,"  Merissa chuckled, "I'll see

you later, okay?"



They embraced warmly, and held on just a bit longer than usual.  For some

reason, they both needed it.



***

Late Morning

Merissa's Office



The knock startled her, and Merissa jumped, splashing ink onto the pages

she'd just been signing, "damn!"  she hissed, as the head peered around the

corner.



"Not a good time to disturb you?"  J'red grinned.



She laughed as she looked up.  "No, come on in."



"I didn't see Eleanora out there...?"  J'red nodded his head toward the

front of the office.



"No, I just sent her across the green to the medical center for their supply

needs.  I've got to send out the tithing requests for this next quarter."



"Ah... well, I'm sure my father will supply whatever you ask for..."  J'red

spoke from assurance, since his father was always a generous supporter of

the warren, "Actually, he's part of the reason I'm here...."



"He is?  Are there problems?"  Merissa's full attention was riveted on the

Wingleader.



"Problems... but not with the estate.  With Lorelei...."



"Trinale's sister?"  she gasped.



"Yes, she's missing."



"Missing!  Oh, dear!  How?"



"We think she's run off.  I was hoping she'd try to come back here since we

lost her trail on the road leading to the warren."



Merissa's eyes clouded as she asked Chrysthal to have Tel'Thar join them.

Alpha wing had been patrolling that morning.  Perhaps one of his riders had

spotted something, and she said this much to J'red.



"I certainly hope so... though, if my father's hounds couldn't track her..."

J'red frowned, and he sat down to wait for the Alpha Wingleader."



***

TAG:  James.  Want to organize a search party?  NRPG:  We do know that

Lorelei is in a wagon, and she heard dragons and thinks she may be at the

warren on the morning of Day 7...  up to you where they find her!



***



Respectfully submitted by:

Arlene Jacobs

AKA Merissa, Warrenlady, rider of Chrysthal

and J'red, Beta Wingleader, rider of Firefly

of Whiteriver Warren.