The sunlight fell golden orange over the sill of her heavily shuttered window. The shutters of which had been flung wide open to let in the sea breezes and night air. The watery sunlight was clear, which told Relena that the sky itself was probably clear as well. She was about to close her eyes and drift back into slumber for a while when she noticed something was out-of-place.

<Hm?> she thought sleepily. <Why is my blanket so heavy?>

She had changed the heavy winter blanket she'd found on the bed when she'd arrived for a lighter spring blanket despite the fact that she'd always enjoyed snuggling down into a think, warm comforter. It really was too warm for a heavy blanket at this time of year.

Relena looked down to see if perhaps someone had possibly crept in during the night and covered her with a winter blanket. The holders were acustomed to sleeping in the warm winter blankets well into late spring before changing them for summer ones. Relena had lived in a much harsher climate for a long time and to her, their spring felt almost as warm as summer sometimes.

<Oh my!> she thought. The blanket was still the same, but everything else was different. <Oh my!>

There, sleeping curled up like so many hold cats, lay the tiny winged forms of the creatures she'd almost convinced herself she'd dreamed up.

A small golden head raised itself from its comfortable nest, blinked a set of its...her, the golden queens were always a hereyelids and cheeped once.

"How did you guys..." she murmured in wonder. "Well nevermind. You shouldn't stay here, people might find you."

The queen chirped again and Relena received the impression of nothing but a tired, glowing kind of happiness. A sense of safety and belonging before the queen rested her head again.

On her bed lay five fire lizards, almost as if out of myth and story. One queen, two bronzes, an blue and a green.

<I'm still asleep, that's what it is. I'm still dreaming.>

Now that Relena had solved the mystery, all she wanted was to go back to sleep for a little while. Usually she was such an early riser, but today she felt so warm, so comfortable, that she did not wish to get out of bed. She knw she'd wake up later to an empty bed and find that it was all a dream. Why fight it?

She drifted off again.

......

Relena awoke to a strange sound being sounded directly into her ear from close by. It sounded a lot like the hunger cries of a baby bird to her. She'd spent a lot of her youth in Ruatha Hold helping with baby animals and she knew a hunger cry when she heard one. It may not sound like any animal she knew, but it was definitely nearby. Relena opened her eyes and found herself face to snout with a tiny head no larger than a handspan. It's jeweled eyes whirled an amber-yellow, further testament to it's very real hunger. All three sets of it's eyelids were wide open and the crooning continued.

The baby fire lizards were all sitting on their hind-quarters in her bed, wings folded and held partly away from their bodies, necks arched and heads held high, creeling incessantly. Relena knew for a fact that the creeling would not stop until they had gotten something to eat. It was always that way with baby birds and most other sorts of animals.

She knew she had no hope of getting any further rest until the creatures had been satisfied. Numbly she climbed out of her bed, careful not to disturb the hungry babies inhabiting her sleeping furs, and threw on the nearest garment she could find. They were the wrinkled garments she'd worn yesterday and had thrown on the floor last night in exhaustion.

Relena headed down to the kitchens with an uncustomary rumpled appearance, she at least tried to comb her hear back with her fingers before making her morning debut in the kitchens.

"Good morning Relena," said Carlotta. "My, you're up a little later than usual this morning. Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine," Relena replied distractedly. "I need a bowl of meat."

Carlotta looked more than mildly surprised.

"Of meat?"

"Yes, raw meat would probably be best. The rawest you can find if possible please."

Carlotta looked at the young woman with some puzzlement. She was certainly acting strangelyperhaps she'd met someone. But who could possibly want to eat raw meat?

"I'll ummm, see what I can do," said Carlotta regarding her young friend oddly. Relena didn't often make requests and she was more of a help than a hinderance to Carlotta (which was more than could be said for many), so she saw no harm in giving Relena her bowl of raw meat.

"Here you go, nice fresh raw meat," said Carlotta plunking a medium sized bowl down on the counter. "The boys over at the weyr just dropped this by yesterday."

"perfect. Thank-you Carlotta."

"No problem, child," said the Headwoman as she watched the young lady of Ruatha Hold wander off with a bowl of raw meat in her hands. There was something strange about the girl today.

Relena returned to her quarters and the hungry cries of the now most certainly real fire lizards. The reality of feeding and caring for the little creatures was far too mundane for fantastical dreaming.

"Here you go guys, come and get it. Gee, I hope there's enough." She murmured.

The five fire lizards attacked the bowl as soon as it came within range, snapping up the cut up gobs of meat and wolfing them down voraciously. Relna soon noticed that the little green was barely getting any of the meat. She decided that she was going to have to intervene in the interests of making fair portions for everybody.

"Okay guys, that's enough. Wait just a minute," Relena tried taking the bowl away to reapportion the meat fairly and got a bit of a peck from one of the bronzes. Relena immediately rapped the creature lightly on the end of its nose. She knew how to handle the impertinent ones as well. Once she had finished portioning out the meat, Relena let them have their shares.

"Hungry little things aren't you?" she murmured as she watched them devour their food hungrily. All too soon, the meat was gone. Relena wondered breifly if she should go back to ask for more, but then looked at their size and the sleepy blue-green contentment in their gently whirling eyes and decided they had had enough to tide them over until the next time.

The golden queen flew over from her bed to land on Relena's thinly clad shoulder. Relena winced as the sharp talons on her three toed foot dug through the light cloth of Relena's shirt and into the somewhat tender skin of her shoulder. She felt a tail slide round her neck and take a light but firm hold for balance. Relena looked over at the queen now perched on her shoulder and said

"Well, I'm glad you're comfortable, but I have to go for a wash yet and change clothes. So, I'm sorry your majesty, but you're about to be dethroned. Now come on."

Relena pressed against the small area of her lower stomach, just before the hind legs (that was where one pressed on a bird when one wished it to "step up") and transferred its perch from the rather uncomfortable sharp-talon-digging-into-shoulder to an arm that had a bit more padding covering it.

"There you go, now why don't you just find somewhere else to perch while I go take a bath, hm?"

Her only answer was a soft croon from the queen and the gentle caress of a quick "hug" from the little creature, as it nuzzled it's head under her chin for a moment.

"Oh, you're sweet," said Relena. And she deposited the baby fire lizard back on her bed with the others and gathered up the things for a quick wash and a change of clothes.

The baths at Bendan Hold ran a circutous route, the water, once drained from the tubs, ran through pipes that deposited it into a lower leval vat where it was boiled then pushed through a variety of filters to remove the dirt and impurities. After the first boiling vat and filter system, the water was pushed back up through another set of pipes, these ones heated by geothermal heat, into another filtration system where the water was further purified and ten held inside a water heater to await the next person who wanted to bathe or wash something. The water for drinking and for the jakes ran through completely different sets of pipes.

Relena admired the system, it was neat, orderly, efficient ...even if it was a drag to get picked to be on one of the teams that were sent through to change the filters. There was little to no water wasted and the pipe system with its filters and reuse of water left little to no wasted water. It was a good way to have hot water. Ruathas way was far more wasteful of what Relena considered to be a rather precious resource, not many people she knew felt the same way, but then again not many people she knew had read some of the tales of Old Earth. The legends said that they had all come from a planet that was so choked with horrible gasses in the air that one could scarce breathe. The stories in the Old records also told of the water being so horrible with chemicals that it oozed like one of the jams made in summer. Relena had tried to imagine it, but failed utterly, even her imagination wasn't that good.

"Ahhh," she sighed as she lowered herself into one of the tubs of hot-warm water and began soaping herself off. Soon, she reflected, it would be time to wash her laundry again. She sat back to enjoy a small soak before she finished her wash, dressed herself and went about tackling the problem of getting her little visitors out of the hold before they were noticed.

SPLASH!

Relena's reverie was broken by the sensation of one of the little visitors joining her in the tub.

"How'd you get in here?" she asked the little creature who was shaking its head sending water droplets every where. Relena could have sworn she had closed the door!

Mere seconds later the other four blinked in out of thin air.

"Oh. I see. You can go Between, like a dragon can. So that's how you keep finding me," Relena said. She looked at the two bronzes who had perched on the edge of her tub, and the blue who was sporting in the water at her feet, the queen who was also in the water struggling to climb up onto her leg without damaging it, and the blue who had seated himself on top of her clothes pile. "Well, I guess there's no help for it. All of you seemed to have claimed me as your own, not that I'm complaining mind. I think I'll be taking care of you now. I hope you like people, there are a lot of them here, and all of them are going to want to get a look at you."

The queen, who seemed to have decided that she should be Relena's favorite as well as the spokesman for the group, gave a little preen and a chirp, then went back to washing herself in the water.

Relena shrugged and followed suit, soaping her own body with the soap sand before chasing the blue down and soaping him off, then soaping the queen up, who seemed more than willing to submit to the extra attention. After that she grabbed the first bronze she could reach by the body (pressing its wings to its side) and proceeded to wash. The bronze was not at all pleased to be washed and began squeaking and squeeling for all it was worth.

"Oh stop," she told it. "It's only a little soap and water. Now hold still." ((A.N. Ever try to bathe baby birds? They get water everywhere!))

Fortunately the green came when she called, and the other bronze was the quiet docile type. They put up with their "washing from mother" with barely contained sufferenceSort of like "okay, just wash me up and get it over with." Relena could deal with that.

"Now that you're all clean, don't you just feel so much better?" she asked perkily as she dressed herself. Today she wore a pair of trousers in deep violet with a light cotton short-sleeved shirt and a light periwinkle sash. She'd found a wherhide vest with extra pockets and padded shoulders that would protect her skin from the talons of her new friends. It was good for summer wear as it was cool and light was well. Perfect, and it didn't clash. Relena finished stringing up her boots, then turned he attention to the fire lizards.

"Well, you're already dry so I guess there's nothing keeping me fom breakfast. You guys may have eaten, but I haven't and I'm starving."

The queen took what she obviously felt to be her rightful place on Relena's shoulder and the wherhide did its job perfectly, Relena didn't feel any claws digging into her skin this time. One of the bronzes, Relena couldn't tell them apart just yet, took her other shoulder and the three left over took to the air and followed her out, winking Between and coming out in the hallway instead of using the door.

Relena had expected to get a lot of stares when she appeared for breakfast, but she'd never expected the entire eating hall to just stop. That was exactly what happened. The moment she appeared on the threshold everything just stopped, the roar of chatter and "pass that tray" and "you've had enough, give the rest of us some" stopped like it had been cut off with a knife.

Everyone was looking at her. It was a scene directly out of one of Relena's own nightmares. She hated being the center of attention and the last thing she wanted was a little notoriety. Life was funny that way, the one activity she had that took her out of the way of people's attention was what resulted in turning her into the center of attention.

<Well, I guess I'm just going to have to deal with it aren't I? I'm a daughter of Ruathan BloodI can do this.>

Relena smiled at everyone and then took her place at an empty spot at one of the tables and calmly reached for the tray with the sweetbreads (the pride of the Bendan Hold bakery) and the pitcher of Klah. It had been a week at least scince she'd sat down to breakfast with the rest of the hold.

"Go on you guys, no non-humans allowed at the table unless it's on a tray, and I don't think you'd want that. Go find someplace to perch quietly," she told them. Obediently they took wing and found a perch up in the rafters where they could keep a good eye on their shy mistress and the others surrounding her.

Relena braced herself for the cascade of questions she knew was soon to follow. She wasn't disappointed, as soon as anyone could grab hold of their wits they began shouting questions at her. Relena surprised herself by taking it all with good graceoutwardly that was. Inwardly her stomach was tightened into knots so badly she felt sick. She swallowed her nervousness along with her klah and made herself face the people when she answered their questions to the best of her ability. She could do this. She could do this.

Heero and Zeroth swooped down into the bowl of the wyer over at Fort. Weyrleader J'Tor was not able to rise from his bed quite yet so he had sent Heero in his place along with a weyrwoman reluctant to leave her beloved's bedside. There were a few other dragons and their riders down in the bowl. Heero recognized Trowa's Armyth, a rare reddish-bronze bronze dragon. Weyrleader Wufei with Shenloth who possessed a little more of a greenish sheen to his bronze hide. He saw also Quatre's Roketh, a light tan bronze almost the color of the sands at Igen. Dou and Hilde were already there, heero could tell by their dark-brown-almost-black-Bronze and the light smaller fighting green Hilde rode. And Heero recognized the Bronzes and Queens of the weyrleaders and -women of the other weyrs on Pern. Weyrleader C'Tel and Wyerwoman Midii of Fort Weyr, Weyerleader G'Kan and Weyrwoman Natola of Telgar Weyr, Weyrleader D'Rel and Weyrwoman Ashura of Igen, Weyrleader K'val and Weyrwoman Surya of Ista.

As Heero flew in closer to the bowl he began to be able to make out other forms and faces there as well.

<Huh. I wonder if this has anything to do with the extra patrols that the others and I have been flying,> Heero thought.

-Roketh and Armyth said it's big.- chimed in Zeroth unexpectedly. That was Zeroth as usualcryptic.

-What do you mean 'big?' Big-good? Big-bad?-

-Uncertain yet. This may work more to our advantage and the advantage of Pern, but less to those of your blood. It would definitely be a good thing....If it works.-

-Thanks for clearing everything up for me Zeroth,- said Heero dryly as they came in for a land. After the dust had settled and he had made sure that Weyrwoman Adirna he joined his friends and looked out at the small gathering of some of the most influential people on Pern as it turned out.

Aside of the Wyerleaders and weyrwomen he also noted the appearance of a few Lord Holders, denoted by their finery. The first ones he noticed were Lord Treize and Lady Une, followed by Lady Noin, whom he remembered meeting at the Gather not too long ago, and her husband Lord Milliardo.

"Heero!" called Quatre. "I want you to meet someone." He was standing next to a woman with long blonde hair. Heero recognized her from the Gather, she had pulled that really sweet punch on that drunken guy.

"This is Lady Dorothea, of Fort Hold. She just recently helped hold off an attack by the Raiders, and killed their leader. It's sort of because of her that we're here today."

"A pleasure," said Heero neutrally.

"The pleasure is all mine," replied Dorothy, observing the custom.

"Hey Master Quatre," said a large burly man from behind him. "I brought Iria along with me. And I see we have another MasterHealer here as well."

"You don't have to call me that anymore Rachiid, technically you outrank me now."

"Nonsense, you'll always be Master Quatre to me."

"Why brother dear, who is this charming young lady you have with you today?" asked the blonde woman with the shoulder knot of a Masterhealer.

Quatre began making the introductions and Heero slipped off to go talk with Trowa about what was going on.

"Hey Trowa," said heero when he found the quiet wingleader talking with his sister catherine, they appeared to be arguing quietly about something, finally Trowa raised his hands in defeat and seemed to give her a final admonishment of some form or another. "What's going on here?"

"Lord Treize of Fort, seems to have called everyone here for a discussion about the Raiders."

"Last I checked, those discussions took place in the Council Chambers."

"Apparently everyone is tired of discussing and wants to actually get some stuff done for a change. Lord Treize has called on all of those he feels are trustworthy and could help. Looks like our little conspiracy of light just got bigger."

"There's an old saying I heard once...Ten can keep a secret." Heero looked around. "I'd say we were in trouble."

"Consider this a counter-movement," said Trowa, showing a small rare smile. "Quatre thinks it's a good thing that were finally moving in larger numbers to combat this threat."

"I take it you don't exactly agree with the sentiment?" said Heero raising an eyebrow.

"It's not so much that I don't agree, any form of action is better than doing nothing. However I think I'm as worried as Treize is about the implications of a secret meeting. Those tend to make the Lord Holders nervous."

"The Lord Holders are always nervous. The Raiders are a serious threat and one that has not been dealt with adequately until now, but I can see how a group like this would make the other power here on Pern a little skittish."

"We have enough to deal with just fighting Thread, what could these Raiders be thinking?"

"Some people just don't know when they're well off."

Treize straightened his tunic and gestured for silence. The small gathering politely quieted and waited to hear what he had to say.

"Many of you have probably all guessed by now that the reason I have called you all here today was to discuss alternate measures in dealing with the recent attacks from renegades, or Raiders," said Lord Treize without preamble. "It is at my Lady's urging that I have asked all of you to appear here today. My Lady and I have recently received a small form of confirmation that these vicious attacks have not been accidental, that they are in fact planned and executed with a specific goal or set of objectives in mind. But because of the nature of this confirmation it would not be wise to say more than I already have about it. It is a tenuous link at best, and one that I mean to see strengthened. It is to that end that I have called you here today."

"What's up Treize? You're not usually so obtuse," said Lady Noin.

"If there were no need for secrecy dear friends, I would have told you all I know by now. But unfortunately the need for secrecy in this matter is very great indeed," said Treize.

His wife spoke up. "Should you choose to join us in our fight to expose the force or forces behind the Raiders, it will have to be with the understanding that the information given to you will be on a need to know basis only. Also that that information will not be mentioned to anyone else."

"You of the weyrs," Treize continued, picking up where his counterpart had left off. "What Dragonriders can be spared from your regular duties, will be needed to fly patrols in specific areas at specific times. You will be told when and where in time to do your usual preflight preparation. You may also be called upon for swift and reliable messaging and transportation. Things could get sticky between Lord Holders and also between Lord Holders and Wyers. I and those who will listen and believe in me will try to keep things running smoothly. But I believe it is only a matter of time before things fall apart if we do not find good solid evidence linking the Raider attacks back to whoever it is that's calling the shots."

Heero knew with a sinking certainty who it wasHis biological mother and father, it had to be. Unfortunately he was in the same predicament as the rest, he had no proof. Heero could not afford to tip his hand by confronting them, then they would know for certain that he was not on their side. They allowed him to live in the hopes that he would come around to their point of view. (If they really knew him they'd immediately realize that that possibility was as likely as drawing an inside straight in Bitra.) However, should either of his parents ever realize this fact they would move immediately move to have him eliminated. He wouldn't do anyone any good if he was dead, so in the interests of Pern he would keep their secret from the light until the time came. He too would have to watch and wait along with everyone else. However, that did not mean he couldn't act on his special knowledge. He'd keep a close eye on his blood parents as well as on the possible Raider attack points assigned to him.

He, Trowa and Quatre all exchanged a look and as one volunteered. Wufei and Sally were a footstep behind and Duo and his new friend Hilde were right beside them. Those who could agreed to fly patrols or travel to other Holds to ferret out information. Those who could not be spared from their present positions agreed that they would keep a weather eye and ear out for any clues or rumors that seemed to be even remotely connected to the thing they were dealing with at the time. Dorothea was given the task to listen in about Tilleck sea Hold. Sailors picked up rumors from all over and it was possible that they of the sea may have heard something that others had not.

"Heero, how's our Weyrwoman doing?" Duo asked when the chatter died down and they had a moment. Hilde was off talking to the new masterhealer of High Reaches Wyer (who also appeared to be accompanying Wyerleader Wufei that day).

"Hm?" he queried, distracted by his own inner turmoil. "Oh, Wyerwoman Adirna, she's still breathing."

"Blunt as usual. That wasn't what I meant, I mean how's she doing? How's she taking J'Tor's illness?"

"Sometimes, to a dragonrider, 'still breathing' is all that matters," said Heero. "I'll be visiting Bendan Hold in a few days. I haven't had time to until now and there is a small matter I want to see taken care of before the Hatching."

"Oohhhhh, gotta see about a girl huh?" said Duo knowingly.

Heero glared at him and didn't say anything. He didn't confirm it

<But he didn't deny it either,> his friend noted. Interesting.

"I'll be out flying patrol during the next few days, as well as getting some stuff for the Hatching that the Head Cook said He needed. I want you to put the wyrlings through their drills and test flights as well as make sure they check their straps and harnesses. I check in when I can," Heero told him.

Duo well knew that Hatchings were a pretty big deal for the Wyers, but they were an even bigger deal for relations between the holds and the weyrs. This next hatching could be the thing that either broke the camels back, or held off tensions for a while. It was hard to say what could happen. Emotions always ran high during a hatching due to the very emotional nature of the hatchings. It wouls either help eveyone soothe over differences or it would cause things to spiral out od control. Things could swing either way, and the balance was a little delicate right at this point in the Pass. So it would behoove Bendan as well as the other Weyrs and Lord Holders that heero make this Hatching run as smooth as possible.

It was impossible to guide or affect the outcome of the hatchings, so it would be next to impossible to prevent any bad feeling from a Lord Holder resulting from someone searched from his Hold not Impressing. Fortunately it was an iron clad law on Pern, a fact etched in stone, that Dragons chose their riders for their own reasons, and the choice could not be anticipated, could not be affected, could not be revoked! Once a dragon impressed, the bond would last out the rest of their lives.

"Sure thing buddy. I presume you'll still be flying threadfall with us," he said, unable to resist needling him just a little.

Heero shot him a look that said 'well of course I'll be flying threadfall with you, you didn't think I'd actually trust you to do it alone did you?' and turned back to his dragon to mount up. Once he had the riding straps fastened on, he gave a final send off wave and departed, escorting his worried Weyrwoman back to Bendan Wyer.

One Week Later...

Relena took her small fair of Fire Lizards out to a lonely stretch of beach. She had spent a lot of the week taking care of them, and they were quite a handful. It took all of her patience and everything she'd learned from the beastcraft master at Ruatha Hold to keep them almost reasonably in line.

By the third day she had them, she got tired of trying to call them all 'Fire Lizard' so she had named them. The golden Queen she had named Jewel for her beautiful jewel-bright eyes. The blue she'd named Skie, obviously because his hide was the color of the sky at twilight. She'd considered naming him twilight, but the name didn't really suit him, he was much too energetic for that peaceful time of day. The green she had struggled with, and finally decided to give her a name that sounded pretty, so the green was named Rekka. It was a nice bouncy energetic name to go with a fire lizard who was sweet as well as precocious. The bronzes were direct polar opposites, one was calm and sort of Zen-like about everything, the other was full of fire and would attack anything that came near his mistress with what even looked like harmful intent. The calm on she named Yin (the total absence of force) and the the brash one she named Yang (full of energy).

The reason she was alone on the beach today was that she felt her friends needed a little bit of training. She'd trained baby birds at one point, how could this be any different? All it needed was patience and the gentle but firm touch. She had treats nearby waiting for when they'd pleased her by doing something well. Relena did not believe in using violence against a creature smaller than her and dependent on her when they'd displeased her. Besides, the little darlings were sensitive enough to read her moods and emotions, they knew when they'd done something she wasn't happy with.

They were responsive to her mental images, which she accompanied with a visual and a verbal command. The Queen, who was the uncontested leader of the fair, made sure her orders were obeyed, and if they weren't obeyed the Jewel's satisfaction she'd squawk at them and buffet them with her wings until they were. It may not have sounded very nice but the Fair did indeed need the discipline. The little Queen was the most intelligent out of the fair and she obviously took her job every bit as seriously as Relena took hers as protector and care-giver. Jewel was also very affectionate as well as protective. She was always there on Relena's shoulder to give an encouraging chirp or a little peck on the cheek to signal her unwavering affection for 'her person'.

Jewel took up her established place on Relena's right shoulder and wrapped her tail loosely about her mistress' throat. The rest of the Fair was given orders to sit on the nearby log of drift wood.

Through the various feedings, washings, oilings to keep their hides from cracking and more feedings for their ravenous and swiftly growing bellies, Jewel was always there to help. To scold when one of her fair had done something Relena had to apologize for (like getting into the flour in the kitchens or stealing one of the fish laid out for preparation on the beach). She crooned along happily when Relena hummed as she worked, and she was fastidious about her appearance. Jewel was always neat and impeccably well behaved. She seemed to know instinctively what could get her into trouble and what couldn't. Relena didn't know if she picked up the knowledge from her or whatHowever, that did not stop the little beauty from hissing or chittering at anyone she felt was trying to harm her mistress. It usually took a while to calm down afterwards, and much coaxing from Relena to forgive the offended and not go after them the next time she spotted them.

"Okay guys, now I know that you clever little babies can go between....But now I want you to try something a little different today."

She held up a small stick with a piece of twine tied around it. It didn't weigh very much, she knew they were more than capable of handling it. It had only been a week since she'd impressed her little friends and they had already almost doubled in size. She wanted to see if she could train them to fetch and carry messages for her. She knew a dragon could go anywhere on Pern in an eyeblink if they knew where they were going. They could even go anywhen on Pern if they had a point of refference although Beweening through times or "Timing It" she believed it was called, was not permitted unless under very specific circumstances, and then only with permission from the weyrleader or weyrwoman. Personally, Relena though trying to figure out ones way around paradox and all of that was only likely to result in one big headache.

"Okay Jewel, come here baby," she coaxed. Jewel didn't really need the coaxing, she was always glad to be with Relena.

"Good girl," Relena said as the queen transferred her perch to Relena's padded forearms. "Now little one, I want you to take this stick right here and hold it in you foreclaw. Now I want you to go back to my room as fast as you can and take the stick that's on my desk wrapped in a blue ribbon. I want you to drop this stick and bring back that one. Do you have that?"

The queen cocked her head to one side and took the stick, hesitantly. Then stood there on Relena's arm like 'I've got the stick!' seeming just pleased as a runner beast with no rider. She held the stick up she show her fair like "hey look guys, I've got the stick!"

Relena put a free hand to her forehead. Jewel was a very smart little critter, but she was obviously missing something here.

"Okay. You've got the stick, very good. Now, I want you to go back to my quarters as fast as you can and bring me the other stick," Relena said carefully.

Jewel tried to hand her back the stick.

"No no no no no," said Relena. "Not this stick. I want you to go to my quarters and bring me the other stick. The other stick."

Jewel tried to hand her back the stick. She chirped... kinda like "here you go, you want a stick, I've got one, no problem."

Relena couldn't help laughing. It was actually quite funny. Jewel was just so darn cute you could hardly even get mad at her let alone stay that way. And really, it wasn't her fault she didn't understand. Relena tried again to no avail. She kept at it all afternoon, but they didn't grasp it. None of the rest of the fair understood either. She'd just have to try it again tomorrow. With her fair flying around her, Relena made her way back to the hold.

<I wonder what ever happened to that bronze rider and Zeroth, I met a week and a half ago...has it really only been a week and a half? I almost wish I could see them again, if only to tell them about my new friends. I'm sure they'd be interested,> she thought as she rubbed her queen down with a sweet-smelling oil so that their skin wouldn't dry out and crack. Such cracks could be dangerous, even lethal in the cold of inBeween.

"I hope I get to see him again," she murmured. Try as she might, she could not forget about either one of them, but if she were to be brutally honest with herself she'd admitt that it was the rider she thought about the most. Relena was almost a fully grown woman, and yet she'd avoided getting involved with any of the hold boys who occasionally sought her attentions (when they could track her down, that was). At first it was only general shyness, then after the Raid, that had grown into a fear of getting hurt. Now it was the simple matter that she was so used to doing everything alone it never would have occurred to her to seek out someone to be with. Now that she had her new friends, she didn't need anyone.

But she still couldn't forget about the handsome bronze rider, Heero. The way the sunlight had framed his slight but very robust build. He was like a cold wind blowing into the room, snapping everyone awake with the smell of autumn leaves and snow. He moved with a grace Relena didn't see in many men, with a sort of coiled energy, a focus that was unwavering. And his eyes! He'd had the must incredible eyes! It wasn't just the color, which was a rich bottomless Prussian blue, but it was the intensity in them. The first time she'd met his eyes with her own she'd been immediately arrested, caught by the sharp clarity and acute focus she saw in his gaze. He didn't miss much, she could tell, and he was very, very intelligent. But there was a darkness she'd sensed, that he'd kept hidden. The fist time she'd sensed it she had almost acted automatically, to soothe it, to drive it away with a word or a tender caress. Only her innate shyness and automatic wariness of people she didn't know had prevented her from reaching out to him.

He didn't smile much, or perhaps he didn't smile at all, Relena didn't know him well enough to guess.

"Maybe I'll see him at the hatching," she thought aloud as she started working on Skie. "Oh, I

hope so."

Authors Note: Sorry, it's a little shorter than my standard by a few pages, but that's only because I wanted to set things up for the next chapter which will be breaking from the established tradition in that it will be about Heero and Relena, again. Wait 'till you see what I've got in store for you, and I promise it won't quite be what you're all expecting. As with anything eles, expect the unexpected. It should be a doozy. Well, I hope you enjoyed, review if you feel it was really good (or even if you thought it was incredibly bad). Until next time...

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing. Products and charactors belong to sunrise, bandai and sotsu agency. I have a little Epyon that I got from a friend for my birthday, and of course all of th comic books, that about it. I don't own Pern either, that is the sole creative property of the Dragonlady herself...Anne McCaffrey.

Thanks for reading.

~Nightheart.