Stand By Me (Attn:R'fariel and Kyabree)

Can you check again? V'tayn asked anxiously. For a few days now, he had been asking the same question. So far, he had received very little in the way of any answers.

Love, I looked in upon the matter last night. This morning is not likely to be any different. When Nwynth rises for her first mating flight, you will know. All will know. We are both Scarlet, it will be heard to the highest roof tops. You will not be one of the chasers. I cannot fathom why you are so interested. Anarath said, lifting up her head to cast a look back over her shoulder at her rider.

V'tayn pouted and pushed his hair back from his forehead with both hands, sighing in displeasure. It was not for want of Kyabree that he was so vexed. He had no power to ensure R'fariel and Vorganth won that flight. He was hopeful, it not sure, Sh'lor would keep him beast well away from his sister's when her dragon rose to mate. He wish he could be sure. What would Sh'lor do to hurt Kyabree if he had the chance? What wouldn't he do for the opportunity? V'tayn shuddered in anger and revulsion; what would have Sh'lor done to him if Imioth had won Anarath instead of Vorganth?It was too hienous to contemplate and V'tayn pushed the thought away.

'Anarath's mating flight made it all to clear to me what a threat he and his cronies could be. Sh'lor and J'ril... they would hurt us any way they could. It doesn't matter is Kyabree is Sh'lors sister. It doesn't matter if J'ril is R'fariels cousin. They do not care.' V'tayn thought, working himself up as he paced along Anarath's ledge. His gemstone eyes were wide and his teeth set.

Anarath, with all the grace of a lady, subtly reached out to Vorganth and Nwynth. She touched their minds lightly.

My V'tayn has things he would say and have known, for both of your riders. Would you please bring them to our ledge?

Kyabree had been wondering the same thing as V'tayn. When would Nwynth rise? Who would chase? The same questions bothered her but her mind was untroubled by Imioth's presence. She knew her brother well enough that if he could find an excuse to keep the brown from flying a female (which was harder than most people probably thought it would be), then he would use it. Unfortunately for him, Imioth had an insatiable need to chase almost any female. Except Sh'lor had been able to make the brown understand that his sister's dragons were off limits. He had thus far kept him from Aurayath and Kyabree knew that she could trust him to keep Imioth from Nwynth. What were two dragons out of all of the others really? Nothing to Imioth. This just meant her brother was less of a concern for her own flight than for others. Still there were plenty of other people who could easily ruin it.

Nwynth took that moment to interrupt her, the scarlet's voice was a contented one, no sign of proddiness there. Kyabree, V'tayn is asking to meet with you. Anarath says to bring you to her ledge.

Face brightening immediately, she threw her boots back on and half walked, half skipped to her jacket. Tugging it on, she then adjusted Nwynth's straps. Even if it was only to Anarath's ledge, she would rather put them on than not.

Nwynth arrived before Vorganth. Kyabree slid off her dragon's back and walked in from the ledge to see V'tayn. Nwynth moved to make room for Vorganth who would doubtless not be long in coming.

As she entered Kyabree could see that something was troubling her friend and lover.  "V'tayn, whatever is the matter?"

V'tayn turned and caught her eyes in his grey gaze, as bright as opal and as fell as the sea. His generous mouth seemed to twist into a smile, then a grimace and he gave a tortured groan as he crossed to her. His arms outstretched, V'tayn enveloped her with a butterfly's gentleness and he stroked her hair with tenderness. His hands trembled as he did so and he pressed his lips to her forehead, his hands dropping to frame either side of her face lightly.

"I am terribly afraid, sweetling." he said, tears sudden framing his eyes.

R'fariel was in the middle of checking Vorganth's straps when the cobalt passed on his friend's message.

Anarath's wishes to speak with you.  

"Oh.  Now?"

Vorganth rumbled an affirmative answer.  On their ledge.

"All right.  Let me grab my boots."  Unlike Kya, he wasn't worried about not having the leather harness on to keep him attached-- his confidence in Vorganth's ability to catch him if he somehow slipped off his dragon's neck that great.  So he left the straps where they were, spread out across his bed, and shoved his feet into his boots.

It was a short distance to Anarath's ledge, and the cobalt landed neatly beside the two scarlets.  There was barely enough room for the three of them, but Vorganth wouldn't hesitate to go back to his own ledge if it seemed like their riders would be discussing something at length.

Raf slid down to the rock with the ease of practice and then hesitated a bit as he spotted V'tayn and Kyabree.  Though he didn't want to interrupt, he sensed V'tayn wasn't just enjoying the moment alone.  "Hey, guys.  Everything okay?"

Something told him things weren't all right, but he wasn't sure what could be wrong.  Unlike the other two, he hadn't been dwelling on Nwynth's flight-- when he did think about it, he was confident Vorganth would win, just as he had Anarath's.  So what could be the problem?

As his arms wrapped around her, she melded into the embrace. Breathing in the smell of him deeply, she closed her eyes for a moment. Opening them to see his beautiful gray eyes tearing up as he spoke. This time she wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his chest to comfort him.

She was about to ask him what he was afraid of when R'fariel arrived. Pulling her head from his chest, she looked past him to their newly arrived lover. When the cobalt rider asked, she answered, "No. Something is not okay. Tell us V'tayn. We are both here for you."

Kyabree didn't think she felt like she could tell them exactly how she was feeling. She did not want them to know how strong her emotions were. Maybe it was fear of being hurt that kept her from saying it out loud to them now. After how her family treated her, it would only be natural for that to be the case.

Meeting Kya's gaze for a moment before turning his eyes back to V'tayn, Raf stepped closer.  "V'tayn?" he gently prompted, wondering what could have his friend so upset.  Was what he had to tell them that difficult to get out?

V'tayn bit his lip, inhaled sharply and let his mind race. So many things to say, that could expose him in a way he tired so hard to play away. He stroked Kyabree's beautiful red hair, his heart swelling as her arms pressed against him.

"Nwynth will fly to mate soon, won't she? Anarath has risen, Nwynth surely shall. I am wracked with fear about what the Easterners may do if one catches your Scarlet in flight. Only R'fariel has a male dragon. If J'ril comes near you, I'll slit his throat I swear on Faranth's first egg." V'tayn said, his voice shaking. His face colored in rage.

Lifting one of his arms, he gestured for R'fariel to join them. Once the cobalt rider was close, V'tayn pulled him into the embrace.

"I....have had scores of lovers. Yet, never had I had this. You, R'fariel. You, Kyabree. I have tried to keep this light and fun, full of sex and beauty and nothing but amusement for all of us. R'fariel. Kyabree! I love you, both of you. " V'tayn said and his voice dropped to a tortured hush.

Reassuringly her hand moved up and down his back. V'tayn's concern for her was warranted on some level. Although he had just been through all of it with Anarath so perhaps she wasn't taking it as seriously as she should be. "No one will need to slit anyone's throat." And if they did, she'd do it herself. Even if he was R'fariel's cousin and her brother's friend.

Disbelief was what came to her first when she processed what V'tayn was saying. He had always seemed to be wanting this to be a casual thing. Her heart pounded loudly, she could hear the rhythmic beating of it in her ears. V'tayn loved them, both of them. Before she could allow him to second guess telling them. "You do?" She sighed, "Thank Faranth's Egg." She sounded more relieved than anything because she had been trying to push aside thoughts having to do with her growing feelings for them. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything sooner..." Kyabree added feeling R'fariel and V'tayn so close she almost couldn't say the words. "I love you too, V'tayn. And I love you R'fariel."

Huddled close to both of her lovers, "Please, let's not worry about Nwynth's mating flight, she and I can handle ourselves. And Vorganth will be there..." Which would really be the preferred ending but Kyabree figured that meant it wouldn't happen. Luck never seemed to work that way.

Raf's gaze darkened with anger at the mention of his cousin's name.  "I'll be happy to hold him down," he agreed, despite Kya's attempts to soothe.  Of course, that was assuming J'ril lived long enough to even attempt to participate in Nwynth's flight.  If they had any luck, he'd tick off one of the smugglers, or the Stillmaster, and they'd all be rid of him.

Still, there might be one or two other riders they had to worry about, even if he and Vorganth were both in agreement that no one else was going to win Nwynth.

Drawn in close, R'fariel wasn't entirely sure what to do with his own arms.  So he put one around each of the other two, shifting his feet a little awkwardly to resettle his weight.  

The physical discomfort was nothing compared to the blush that flared in his cheeks when both scarletriders declared their feelings, though.  It wasn't something he'd been expecting.  He'd never really attempted to put words to whatever it was he felt for them.  They were his friends, his best friends, ones he'd be devastated to lose, and they'd only grown closer since coming to White Lightning Weyr…

"I…. uh…," he stammered, the flush growing deeper.  "You guys, you know… I…"  He swallowed hard, but he couldn't get any other words out.  Did he really have to put a label on it?  Even if that's what Kyabree and V'tayn had done?

It felt childish and awkward, not at all like the sort of reaction a full-grown cobaltrider should give.  But surely they'd understand, right?

Latching on to Kyabree's attempt to shift the conversation, he vehemently agreed with her assessment of Vorganth's participation, attempting to ignore the slightly choked sound of his voice.  "Of course he'll be there.  And he won't let anyone else win."

V'tayn waxed between shivering and shouting. He leaned in to kiss Kyabree firmly on the forehead, smoothing the bright flame of her hair back from her eyes and leaned toward R'fariel to do the same. They were the bright center of his universe, the moon and sun of his life. Still leaning near the cobalt rider, V'tayn smiled.

"I know." he said. "I hear you. I see you."

He understood all too well how R'fariel might had been feeling in that moment, having been just the same not a few turns before. Anarath purred loudly from her ledge, her faceted eyes whirling bright, sapphire blue in her guava pink face. V'tayn straightened and drew a hitching breath. He looked at Kyabree and nodded.

"Yes, I do. Very much." the scarlet rider gushed. He looked up at his dragon, who watched them intently.

"Anarath says she is pleased to see us all together, as it should be."

Kyabree felt so whole in that moment, she didn't care that R'fariel could not get his words out. He might not be ready to say anything to them and that was perfectly okay. Actions spoke volumes and the vehemence which he put into defending both of them against types like J'ril was enough for her. These two men were her family in ways that her really family could no longer be. The love and acceptance she craved was with them and her wing.

I wish this could last forever. She thought to Nwynth. The Scarlet dragon didn't comment because she didn't know of anything that lasted that long. Kyabree could be rather more pessimistic than most would think her to be and she knew the three of them well enough. They were a passionate group and the thought that life would come between them all at some point sobered her. She wanted to drink in this moment because it would be fleeting.

She did not expect anything different of herself than she did of them. People would distract them and entice them. It was only natural to explore these other relationships at some point. "No matter what happens, I want you both to know this is the happiest I've ever been."

Grinning wickedly at R'fariel's comment, "Nwynth says he will have to catch her first and she is very fast." Faster than Treyath, hopefully.

Exceedingly grateful for their understanding, Raf tightened his embrace around each of his friends.  "And me," he said simply in response to Kya's declaration-- he was one to live in the moment, though, and not to think too far ahead, so his thoughts didn't completely parallel hers.  He couldn't imagine a future without either of them in it, however, so that was probably something.

"Vorganth says, 'Bring it on!'" the cobaltrider then grinned, though his dragon had said no such thing.  Not in so many words, at least.  The rumble he gave out on the ledge was some sort of agreement to the sentiment from each of the scarlets, though.  "He'd be happy to demonstrate his abilities if she'd care to test him now…"  

Well, it would be convenient, if nothing else, at least.  Since the three of them were already here, together...