There is 1 message in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. [DL-W] Singin' The Blues (JP)
From: "Arlene" <wondermom@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 1
Date: Mon, 11 Apr 2005 02:13:08 -0400
From: "Arlene" <wondermom@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
Subject: [DL-W] Singin' The Blues (JP)
Day 16
Morning
J'red finished his speech with a flurry, feeling pretty good
considering
that Ari's coming-of-age ball was that evening. His conversation with
Reolden the previous evening had opened wide the possibilities, and he
was anxious to talk to her.
"Now, everyone assemble on the green with your dragon and partner!
We'll run a few drills and then, those of you without patrol duty, are
free to enjoy the festivities of the day," J'red concluded.
He watched as the riders found their patrol partners and headed out to
the green. He was just about to leave the dining hall when he noticed
one rider still standing where she had been. "Mara? Why aren't you
leaving for drills?"
Mara looked around and then down, her cheeks a bit pink with what
appeared to be embarrassment. She finally murmured something but it
was
so low that J'red leaned forward to try to hear her.
"Pardon?" He frowned, "Did you say you couldn't find your partner?"
Mara blinked back tears and nodded. She knew that Nerika had been
warned several times already about shirking her duty.
J'red's eyes clouded as he reached for Firefly, <Do you know where
Lyraene is?>
<*Why, she's right here with me.*> Firefly answered quickly.
J'red smiled and nodded, "Ah, she's already on the green. You must
have
missed her in the crowd."
Mara looked relieved and hurried out of the dining hall.
[Tag: Kris, if you want it?]
---
Firefly turned to Lyraene, <*I've bought you some time. My rider knows
you are with me, and thinks your rider is with you... now is the time
to
do what Chrysthal told you.*>
Lyraene nodded, bobbing her head up and down. <I do hope the queen is
right about this,> she said. <I'm certain to get in trouble for this,
but...well, I guess I don't have anything to lose, do I?>
Firefly told her he didn't think so, and Lyraene headed off toward
Nerika's apartment. <I'd better do this alone,> she said, spreading
her
wings and launching herself upward.
Firefly waited down below, and a moment later there came a very
un-dragonlike squawk from the apartment above. And since it wasn't
from
a dragon, it had to be from a human.
A moment later, Lyraene winged downward, her rider clutched gently in
her mouth. "You *&^*&&*^*%^% dragon!" Nerika yelled, pounding her fist
onto the end of Lyraene's nose. Lyraene landed in front of Firefly.
<Well, I got her but it wasn't easy! What do I do now?>
Firefly nodded, <*You got her forcefully but gently. Chrysthal
certainly
will be pleased. I suppose we ought to join the rest of the wing on
the
green?*> As he saw Lyraene begin to lower her head, he cautioned her,
<*Ummm... I wouldn't put her down just yet. Not until we get there.*>
Nerika couldn't hear what her dragon was discussing with Firefly, but
she didn't need to - all she knew or needed to know was that her dragon
had apparently gone nuts!
"Hey, let me down!" she shouted, forgetting to "talk" with her mind
instead of her mouth. If this wasn't so serious, it would almost be
worth writing a song about. As it was, her temper boiled as she
watched
the warren go by from her position dangling from the dragon's mouth.
Lyraene wasn't really watching where she was going, as she was talking
to Firefly, and before she knew it she had reached the green - and was
standing in the center of it, with a crowd of riders gathering around
her. One of the small human figures was pushing through the crowd, and
she could see that it was Firefly's rider.
<He doesn't look happy,> Lyraene observed.
"Back up, everybody! Get to your dragons. I'll handle this!" But the
more J'red shouted, the more people looked around and gawked at the
woman hanging out of the dragon's mouth.
<Firefly? What is going on here?> J'red asked the crimson dragon.
<*Well, Chrysthal said to do it ....*>
<Chrysthal? She told Lyraene to pick up her rider in her mouth?
Riders
belong in saddles not hanging 10 feet in the air.>
<*Yes, well, but....*> And if dragons could shrug, Firefly would have,
<*It seemed to be the only way to get her here without being late.*>
"Nerika! What is the meaning of this?" J'red yelled up at the hapless
rider.
"How am I supposed to know??" Nerika demanded angrily. "I tell you
over
and over again that I'm a BARD, not a rider, but does anyone believe
me?
Noooooo, they don't! And THIS is what happens!! GET ME DOWN FROM
HERE!!"
J'red crossed his arms and said coldly, "So... you weren't at the
meeting this morning?"
Nerika looked down at J'red from her lofty position. "No, I was NOT at
the meeting this morning! In case you have forgotten, I have been
assigned a task of the greatest importance, which must be completed in
very short order. I have no time to come running and parade around in
column like all the other good little soldiers!"
"Task? What task? I have not assigned you any such task!" J'red
answered.
"Of course you didn't," she said, rolling her eyes. "This is a bardic
assignment, given to me by Analise!" She planted her hands on her
hips,
which in her present position (hanging by the seat of her pants from
her
dragon's teeth) made her look even sillier than before, but as far as
she was concerned this should end any further argument.
"Emery! Have the wing go through the drills we discussed yesterday.
This problem needs to be dealt with... right now. Mara, you can pair
up
with Emery for this." J'red glared at Nerika, "You and I are going to
have a long talk."
<Firefly, ask Lyraene to please bring her rider to my office... and
then
she can put her down.>
Firefly relayed the request and when J'red had mounted up, he headed
toward the warren offices.
Nerika fumed at being ignored this way. *And YOU!* she snapped at
Lyraene. *What kind of a dragon are you that you would betray your own
rider this way??*
<Well...I was just trying to keep you out of trouble,> Lyraene said
uncomfortably. <My rider, you cannot just ignore when orders are given
to you. Both Chrysthal and Firefly agree on this!>
*So the whole warren is against me, including you!* Nerika said
bitterly, and the dragon winced at her words. *But I am NOT going to
take this lying down, do you understand?? I am a bard, and cannot be
treated like this!*
---
Merissa came out of the offices and stared, open mouthed, at the sight
of one of the warren's riders being dangled from her dragon's mouth.
"J'red? Is this a new form of discipline?"
"Actually, Firefly said that Chrysthal suggested it."
"Chrysthal did? I'll have to have a word with her... or two." She
watched in disbelief as the dragon slowly lowered her head and
deposited
her saliva-dripping rider onto the ground. "Nerika? What is going on
here?"
Nerika stood at attention before Merissa. "Warrenlady, I have to
report
that I was...well, I was *kidnapped* from my official duties and
dragged
here. With your permission, I would like to return now!"
"Kidnapped?" Merissa's face paled. She looked at J'red in horror,
"Have you told Tatiana?" Then she turned to the young woman before
her,
"I'm sorry I didn't realize... Nerika, don't you think you'd better go
to the medical center first? Were you hurt?"
"Hurt?" Nerika asked indignantly. "Hurt?? Look at THIS!" She turned
around and bent over so that the Warrenlady could see the puncture
marks
in the seat of her pants.
"But certainly you must have been relieved when your dragon rescued you
from the kidnappers?" Merissa stated.
J'red snorted, and ignored Nerika's complaint, "Actually, I didn't
think
Tatiana needed to be bothered with this kidnapping, since she's busy
working on solving a real one."
Nerika shook her head, closing her eyes as though trying to figure out
how to explain something that should have been obvious. "Warrenlady,
you don't understand. THERE is the one who kidnapped me!" She pointed
at the rather embarrassed-looking cinnamon dragon standing nearby, then
moved the direction of her finger so it pointed at J'red. And I am
sure
that he was involved too!"
Merissa stared up at Lyraene and then turned to J'red, "You kidnapped
Nerika?"
"No, I had nothing to do with this." J'red stated, "Firefly tells me
it
was Chrysthal's idea, and though, I certainly don't condone the method,
I can't complain about the results."
Merissa's eyes clouded a moment and she shook her head, "Chrysthal says
she does not know anything about a kidnapping, nor did she ever suggest
such a thing."
Nerika looked crossly between J'red, Firefly, and Lyraene. "Well, I
doubt this beast would have thought of such a thing on her own...but
that's beside the point. Warrenlady, I am working on something that is
of vital importance to the very future of this warren - I cannot be
interrupted every time someone wants to call a Falagand Fire Drill and
have riders tripping over themselves to get to the green so they can
line up in rows and look pretty for inspection!"
"Vital for the...?" Merissa looked surprised, "J'red what duties have
you assigned Nerika that are vital for the future of the warren?"
"None. And," turning on Nerika, J'red growled, "it wasn't an
inspection, for your information! You missed our meeting and my
explanation of the new drills. Your very life could depend on those
drills."
"And the life of this warren doesn't depend on our making a good
impression on Prince Reolden?" Nerika countered, looking back and forth
at them as though daring anyone to refute that argument.
"Well, actually..." Merissa smiled, "The life of the warren doesn't
really depend on making a good impression. However, that being said,
good relations with the Royal Family can only benefit the warren,
but...
what does that have to do with your not attending the meeting this
morning?"
"Why...it has everything to do with it!" Nerika said, baffled that
these
important people weren't able to understand her meaning. "I am working
on what I am going to be performing this afternoon for the Prince. I
can't do that and attend to all this menial stuff at the same time."
Merissa's eyes widened. "Perhaps we need to take this discussion
inside?" She gestured toward the office doors. "Nerika? J'red?
Shall
we?"
"Well, I guess that's ok," said Nerika, figuring that at least inside
the office she wouldn't have to worry about getting snagged by an
unruly
dragon. "As long as I can get back to my music. I'm on a very limited
time schedule right now."
J'red, still fuming, followed the ladies inside. When they entered
Merissa's office, he tossed off his cloak in disgust and turned around
to regard the errant dragonrider with a look if disdain and
incredulity.
But before he could utter another word, Merissa held up her hand and
nodded toward the seats.
"Please, sit down. Both of you. Obviously there is still some
misunderstanding here...."
"I should say so," said Nerika, glancing over in J'red's direction.
"How can I be expected to fulfill my bardic duties when I have to waste
my time with all of this other...stuff?"
"This other stuff! Merissa, can you believe her?" J'red began, but
again was stopped by the gentle smile of the warrenlady.
"I can certainly sympathize," Merissa turned her smile on Nerika, "I
understand that you believe that your bardic duties, as you call them,
are very important... to you... however, the warren does have a
resident
Bard, my mother. And even though she is my mother, and may have
requested that you participate in this afternoon's performance, that
does not mean that your other obligations get put aside. Quite the
contrary. If your duties to the warren are such that they prevent you
from participating at all in the afternoon's activities then you do not
participate. Patrol and combat are primary duties, everything else is
secondary."
Nerika's mouth dropped open in shock. "But....Warrenlady, I came here
to be a bard, not to play at being a dragonrider! Am I to understand
that you think I should make my bardic activities - which I have worked
all my life to develop - secondary to all this dragonriding stuff,
which
I fell into both by accident and against my will??"
Merissa nodded, "Yes, Nerika, that's exactly what I mean. Where do you
think this warren would be if I had decided that my bardic training was
more important than my being a queenrider? Where would the warren be?
Where would Chrysthal be?"
Nerika crossed her arms stubbornly across her chest. "I don't know
what
more I have to do to make myself clear...I am not cut out to be a
dragonrider. I will never be any good as a dragonrider, and trying to
fit me into that mould is only a waste of time for all of us. Can't
anyone understand that?"
"That isn't true at all!" J'red replied, "I've seen you and your
dragon
work together... when your mind is on what you're doing... even when
only half your mind on it, you're a pretty good rider."
Merissa looked surprised, "Really?"
J'red nodded, "And what's more, your dragon chose you to be her rider.
So, whether you like it or not, that's what you are!"
Nerika frowned. "So you are telling me that I must *first* spend my
time with the wing, and only do my *real* work in the pathetic few
minutes each day that I would have left?" J'red seemed about to
answer,
but she held up a hand. "Tell me, then, how much time does your friend
Ari spend training with the wing?" She then turned to Merissa. "Or
Th'rin? Why is it that some are excused from these 'all-important'
duties to pursue their true callings, while others are denied the same
right?"
J'red's eyes flashed dangerously, and Merissa's cheeks blushed, but
again the warrenlady smoothly answered, "Because their calling is
healing, not singing. When the wing is in combat, it is their calling
that is needed most. If they were fighting with the wing, then who
would
be here to bandage the wounds and patch up the injured? Their calling
saves lives! And that is what a dragonrider is supposed to do. We are
called to protect others and save their lives."
"And so being a bard has no value and can be dismissed out of hand?"
Nerika demanded. "Without us, who would preserve and teach the
histories? Are you saying that what your own mother does is of no
worth? What would Analise think to hear this from you?"
"Nerika, there a plenty of bards who can retell the old stories, and
who
are not fortunate enough to have joined with a dragon. And there is a
big difference between telling the tales of past battles, and
preserving
the lives of the people you are hoping to tell those tales to!"
Merissa
sighed, "And my mother... well, she's never approved of anything I say,
but... that is not important right now. What is important is that you
are not fulfilling your duties as a dragonrider, not to your wing and
obviously not to your own dragon. Don't you care about Lyraene and how
she feels?"
"Why should I care about that?" Nerika asked sullenly. "She could
have...should have...picked someone who *wanted* to spend their life
doing this. I am sorry, but I have no desire to be a dragonrider, and
would not even if I did not have aspirations in another direction. I
can go through the motions if that is what you wish, but my heart will
never be in this. If I must give up my calling for this, I would
rather
spend my life in a dungeon."
Merissa sighed, "Nerika, no one is asking you to give up singing. I
certainly haven't. I didn't get my Masters until recently. And I've
no
idea why Lyraene chose you. Dragons make their own decisions and I've
never been able to figure out why someone gets chosen who never wanted
to join while a candidate is passed over. But it happens. Certainly
you and Lyraene need to talk. She needs you to care for her. And
regardless of whether you wanted her to choose you or not, you are a
pair now. What happens to her affects you, as well."
"I care for my music," Nerika sighed. "If it pleases you I shall try
to
talk to that red beast out there."
"Lyraene is a dragon! Not a beast!" J'red snarled.
"J'red... I'm sure Nerika knows the difference...." Merissa's eyes
also
sparkled dangerously, "Nerika, not only will you promise me you will
talk with Lyraene, you'll give your full effort to practices with the
wing after Prince Reolden leaves?"
Nerika's eyes widened, "After the Prince leaves? Does that mean?" She
looked hopeful.
"Yes, I can see that you will not be able to do anything useful until
after this performance. So... if you promise, J'red will you release
Nerika to practice for this afternoon's performance?"
"Thank you!!" Nerika said, all but jumping up and down. "I will not
disappoint you, or Analise, this will be the best performance the
prince
has ever seen!!" She hurried to the doorway, turned quickly and bowed,
and was gone.
[NRPG: Tags to any in the wish to observe Lyraene's treatment of
Nerika.
---
Summary:
Day 16
Morning.
J'red finishes his lecture and finds Mara standing alone without a
partner. He realizes Nerika is missing and hopes she is already on the
green. Firefly warns Lyraene. Lyraene, afraid of being in trouble,
goes
to find her rider.
After being unceremoniously "kidnapped" by her dragon, Nerika finds
herself in a precarious situation. Her attempts to explain why she was
not at the assembly and the wing's practice only put her into further
hot water with J'red. Lyraene "escorts" her rider to the warren
offices. Merissa lectures Nerika on the importance of her
responsibilities as dragonrider but allows Nerika to practice her music
just until after the Prince leaves.
Respectfully submitted by:
John Pepper
Aka
Nerika and Lyraene
And
Arlene Jacobs
J'red and Firefly
Merissa and Chrysthal
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
To Join World Weavers, visit: http://www.worldweavers.net/
Only members of WorldWeavers Worlds should post to this list. To post
messages to this group, send email to WeaversFiction@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
|
