*Belarade*

<in a room inside the castle with Ce'Lot>

His kisses had been returned with a passion that surprised even herself...
It was as if that along with the dress and the make-up of the Lady Coneta, a
small ounce of her confidence had been bestowed upon the young Bel as well.

She wondered exactly how far she would let this go with the wingleader....
But she couldn't stand the thought of having to untangle her fingers from
the golden tresses or of having his arms anywhere but wrapped securely
around her form.  Bella could barely pull back from him for a second before
her lips found his again...

Yet he had pulled back...suddenly...  and stared down at her with a
horrified look for just a moment before turning away.  Something had passed
over his face...for only a moment...

She swallowed hard and let her arms fall reluctantly back down to her sides.

"What's wrong?" she asked a worried expression on her face.

He studied her face for a moment. "It's .. nothing." He couldn't tell her
that for a moment, he was thinking of Coneta.. for it was her perfume he
was smelling. He smiled, "Really, I think the others are waiting for us.
Probably your brother is about to come searching for us."

It was a sting...  and she almost winced at the dismissal before nodding and
moving to turn away.

He grabbed her arm gently, pulling her back to look at him. "Bella .. I am
very glad to be with you again."

She smiled, weakly...the trip finally showing it's wear.  "I just wish...it
was under different circumstances."

Bella looked at him painfully, remembering what had taken place inside these
very walls.  He had lost a father...a love...his life..  "Gods, I'm sorry
you had to come here..." she whispered as she shook her head slowly.  "I
wish that you hadn't..."

"It's fine..." he tried to smile charmingly and waved his hand carelessly.
"We'll all be better off the moment we're back in the warren."

She nodded and hung her head for a moment before an idea struck her.
"Ce'Lot...I have met this Gerard...he seems like a fair man...  I know...I
know..." Bella shook her head as he tried to interrupt her.  "I saw the
city...but he has spoken to me...and he wants nothing more than to be on the
best of terms with the warren."

"Ce'Lot...let me talk to him...  He's taken a liking to me I think...  And
he was the one that told me I could wear these clothes....whatever was in
that room was at my disposal.  Let me tell him about you...I'll work my way
into it...somehow...and then...he will excuse you...pardon your name and say
that it was all a mistake...and then.." she paused from her rambling
momentarily.  "You won't have to carry this burden any longer...  Just stay
in my room this evening...and I'll go to dinner by myself...I can speak to
him then...tell him of the situation...  I know that he will be more than
happy to right any wrong that his brother might have done.  Please let me
try to do this for you."

<Tag Kris>

*B'Lin*

<inside the sun room with Calynee and Halyn>

He was enjoying watching the little servant girl pluck the juicy grapes one
by one away from it's cluster and dangle them above his mouth, teasingly.
He was, in fact, enjoying it so much, that he barely noticed the man that
entered the room.

"I am Lord
Lothar, and I am very pleased to meet you dragonriders!" he exclaimed
enthusiastically as he stood just inside the chamber.

"I'm the dragonrider," B'Lin said his arm wrapped around the pretty servant
girl as he lounged comfortably.

"Oh," Gerard said. "I'd been told there were more."

"Well, you've probably already met my sister, Bel," he replied waving his
hand around casually.

"Oh indeed. The lovely young woman who came with the Duchess. Quite a
pleasant girl." He took on a look of concern. "I can understand your
concern for your sister, with the state our poor Lotherra is in right now.
Though I assure you, with the help of the dragonriders, we can make it
strong once again!"

"Uh...yeah..." B'Lin cleared his throat some as he sat up.  He could really
care less about his hometown right now.  His family was safe within the
warren, and as soon as he got Bel out of here, the walls of this very castle
could fall to the ground.  "Look..my sister's wandered off....with this
other dragonrider...  I know he's up to no good.."

B'Lin rose to his feet and cupped a hand over his mouth as he whispered
lowly.  "He's been wanting to get underneath my sister's dress ever since he
first met her."

He waited patiently as Gerard choked some and patted the old guy on the
back.  "Anyway, you know the type....some playboy...and my sister, Bel...the
one you met...well...she's a tad naive."

B'Lin straightened himself up and stuck out his chest some.  "I tell ya
what, Lord Lothar...you help me find my sister and....we'll chat some more
about...restoring Lotherra or whatever."

<Tag Kris, Cheryl, and Lisa>
Respectfully Submitted,
Belarade and B'Lin

~Tracee Taylor-Schneider~
http://www.geocities.com/~_sierra_
When shall they meet?  I cannot tell,
Indeed, when they shall meet again,
Except some day in Paradise;
For this they wait, one waits in pain.
Beyond the sea of death love lies
For ever, yesterday, today
            ~Christina Rossetti "One Day"