Blood for my People (Casriel/Attn:Any)

Casriel hit the dirt hard, sliding off of Maraxith's shoulder. The dust kicking up around her dark boots. They had been busy for the last three days, driving herdbeast into the corral. Maraxith himself had collected the stones and rare lumber to make the construction possible and the result had been a five foot high containment structure nearly forty feet across. Casriel had, against her every striving inclination, had shoved her pride into hiding long enough to negotiate with a small holder. Traditional dictated that Holds tithed to the Weyrs protecting them but as they were not considered a proper Weyr....

She had resort to the only thing that people respected.

Ready money.

So with no one to back her up for a raid, Casriel had spent the majority of her amassed marks on livestock. The adult dragons could hunt for their meals but the eggs hardening on the sand would become hungry hatchlings. They were running low on time.

Fresh meat would be needful for the babies.

"That's the last of them." Casriel said, wiping dirt from her face and pushing the fly aways of her blond hair. Maraxith rumbled an agreement and rolled the large stone into place to secure the corral. The cattle lowed and bellowed but the structure held. They were fat, healthy animals.

"Good job.." Casriel said, going over to rub the great cobalt head as it dipped to receive the caress. Maraxith rumbled deep in his chest, his faceted eyes whirling a deep, ocean blue. He was content, Casriel was pleased.

Br'son was taking a walk while Yllaveth slept in with her eggs. The Titan queen vastly preferred it when her rider were present, but she recognized that he had needs of his own. One of those was a need to roam out and talk to his people as they went about the business of setting up home. Her compromise was simple. He could go, as long as she wasn't awake to know about it. That way she knew that he went, but she didn't have to deal with the discomfort of having her rider absent while she was awake. It was odd, perhaps, but it worked.

Today, Br'son had roamed a bit farther than usual before he'd caught sight of Maraxith's distinctive wings. The young Weyrsenior screwed up his courage and walked up to the intimidating Cobaltrider with a smile.

"Casriel, Maraxith, good day! What's going on? Are these... are these for us?"

Maraxith turned his great plum-cobalt head and his eyes sparked a traces of emerald in that deep ocean blue. He nodded at the Weyrsenior but his inner thoughts turned to Casriel, who's hand slowed mid stroke at Br'sons sudden appearance.

He came looking for you.

Casriel patted the cobalt's nose and then moved away from him, cool and striding. She did not move directly toward Br'son but across from him, her hands on her lean hips as she surveyed the cattle.

"Yes, sir, they are." Casriel said, a small note of pride in her voice. "From holds in the general area."

She turned to look at him and her cool, detached eyes warmed for a moment.

"Fresh food for Yllaveth's young ones." she said, her voice oddly tender.

"Oh!" Br'son said.  In truth, he hadn't thought about the fact that they'd need meat, and a lot of it, for Yllaveth's hatchlings.  The adult dragons just hunted but certainly hunting for a full clutch of dragonets would get impractical, fast.  

"Oh, that's good thinking.  I didn't even... thank you, Casriel," Br'son said, his deep gratitude apparent in his demeanor.  "Who provided the tithe?  We should probably send a delegation to thank them.  Maybe we can invite them to the Hatching!" He smiled then, thinking that that was exactly the type of thing he'd been taught in his queenrider training back at Eastern.  

Of course, no one at Eastern had ever addressed starting up a Weyr from scratch with a bare wing's worth of dragons and next to zero resources.  But still...

'Well he wouldn't have Impressed a Titan if he was stupid.' Casriel thought wryly, her slender hand reaching up to push the fly away back.

She could fess up and come clean about her generosity. Casriel would enjoy the praise but she would not tolerate the majority of the Weyr recognizing her for anything less than a cool, confidant and imposing rider. She would not have them thinking she was some kind of bleeding heart.

She moved toward him, casually, and reaching behind her to pull the tie from her long blond hair. The white-gold waves came down around her face, more laden with sweat than she would have liked but still pretty. She was dragonrider and a Wingsecond, not a Lady Holder. Even if she wasn't immaculate, Casriel knew she was beautiful.

'Do you?' she thought at him as her gem like eyes settled on his.

"You have been busy talking care of your queen. Naturally, we as your Wingleaders and Wingseconds see that everything is arranged for you, our Weyrsenior. The benefits of power, as it were. I have heard Yllaveth clutched thirteen eggs and that all are as lovely as jewels. Congratulations to both of you." Casriel said, stopping just short of him and favoring him with a light smile.

Br'son probably looked quite comical as he did the classic double-take when Casriel took down her hair. Queenrider and Weyrsenior he might be... but Br'son was also a young man. Young men tended to have certain... call them "pet distractions". As in, no matter what else is going on, if that pet distraction shows up, chances are good that it's going to take the young man a minute to collect himself and force the blood back up into his brain.

The sight of a woman's hair falling loose around her shoulders had always been Br'son's favorite pet distraction. Or one of them, anyway. He had a few. So it took him a minute to register the compliment that the usually cold and calculating Cobaltrider was delivering.

"Oh! Oh, um. Yes. I'm rather ridiculously proud of her, I must admit. I hope Gaveth doesn't mind, but I feel almost like a new father. Isn't that silly?" he asked, and then cursed himself for using the word 'silly'. He sounded... well... silly.

Blast it all.

He cleared his throat and forced himself to look away, to turn and look at Maraxith and Yllaveth and the herd of beasts she'd brought. "I suppose that's what you are, at this point," he said. "A Wingleader. We probably ought to make that official. Get badges and knots and stuff. I know it sounds unimportant next to food, but people need an identity almost as much as they need food and shelter. We need to help everyone feel a part of something again. Avidian's people, too, don't you think? We may not be the most traditional of Weyrs, but we're a Weyr nonetheless. And with hatchlings, soon, it would probably be good to have some organization." He risked a glance up at her again, his eyes tracking the way the slight breeze played with the strands of her hair. "What do you think? Will you be one of my Wingleaders, Casriel? Officially?"

Ah...there it is, my lovely. He offers you what is ours by virtue of our adept ethic.

That he does....by Faranth. He does. Casriel breathed back at Maraxith, her mind tinged with wonder.

"Br'son." she said and reached for his hand, turning it to drop a soft, slow kiss upon his knuckles. For a long moment, she let her lips linger on his skin. He smelled of dragon musk and salt; her mouth watered. Then she looked up at him through her lashes and offered him a bright smile, one of unmasked pleasure.

"It would be an honor to serve as one of your Wingleaders. Indeed, it would be a pleasure to serve you in a number of ways." she said, her voice pleased and a touch husky.

Fortunately or unfortunately (Br'son was never able to decide which, when he thought about it later) Yllaveth chose that moment to wake up and make it known that she required her rider's presence.

"Oh! Um. Thank you, Wingleader," Br'son said with a grin. His eyes held more than a little heat, and he was tempted to explore some of those other options... but Yllaveth came first, always.

"You could do me a favor," he said, as his queen's urgency built at an unreasonable rate. "Yllaveth has just woken up and she wants me back in the Hatching Cavern now. Right now. Would you and Maraxith mind giving me a lift?"

Love? Casriel queired her dragon. Maraxith rumbled an affirmative and dipped his midnight plum shoulder for his rider, who smiled at Br'son and then turning sharply, bounded three steps before vaulting onto her lifemate's shoulder. She moved easily as she settled herself on the Cobalt's neck and reached down to offer her hand to her Weyrsenior.

"He agrees....and approves." she said coyly. She waited until he was settled behind her comfortably before she reached around to lightly grasp his arms.

"I cannot have my Weyrsenior risk falling. Place your hands around my waist. It's more secure." she said, her smile mellowing her directness. Casriel couldn't help herself as she leaned ever so slightly against him.

It was impossible not to notice.  Her hips settled so nicely against his... hips, and he could feel the long, lean muscles of her legs between his own thighs.  Br'son obligingly wrapped his arms around Casriel's waist and enjoyed the firm, strong feel of her body.  

Come to me now.  

It was said with building urgency, as if Yllaveth disliked the direction of her rider's thoughts.  

No.  It is just that you have been away too long.  Come now, please.  Maraxith, bring him to me, if you please.  

Beloved girl, why are you distressed?  We are coming.  It's just that Casriel feels so very nice, and she seems so very interested... Br'son sent to his Yllaveth, trying to calm her.  

Maraxith is not my mate, Yllaveth replied, her mind voice small, but underlaid with steel.  

Ah.  You would prefer I spend my thoughts on Sidran?

I would prefer that you get here.  NOW.  

And that was equal parts petulant and commanding.  Br'son sighed and relaxed his arms a tiny bit, though he couldn't stop himself from breathing a "Thank you," in his Wingleader's ear.

Yes, my queen. We come. Maraxith said and obediently, he rose into the air. It was not a far distance to travel and before three minutes at passed, Maraxith was lowering himself to the ground. Dust kicked up and swirled about his dark, powerful form like a fog. Casriel slid to his uplifting forearm and then offered her hand to Br'son. Her eyes held a clear 'you're welcome' and her generous lips smiled up at him.

"I will have E'ret look over the animals to ensure they are healthy. Good night, Br'son. I look forward to working alongside you for a better future... for all of us." Casriel said.

Br'son dismounted and stepped away from the cobalt and his rider. Yllaveth's pushing hurried the Weyrsenior's steps along, but he stopped long enough to smile up at his blonde Wingleader. "Good night, Casriel. I, um, look forward to that, too."

And then, before his desire grew too painfully obvious, the young man turned and fled into the safety of the Hatching Cavern, and Yllaveth's presence.