It's No Use Dwelling On It

Writers: Eimi, Dana
Date Posted: 7th October 2005

Characters: Ar'lis, Gaiya, Hezri
Description: While out having some fun in the sun, Ar'lis and Gaiya talk about a rather serious issue
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 8, day 14 of Turn 3

"No fair, Ar'lis, your legs are longer!" the boy cried as the bronzerider crossed the line drawn in the sand several lengths ahead of the youth.

Gaiya just sat on the end of the line and laughed, clapping the winner and hurling words of encouragement to the loser. "Don't worry! You'll get taller eventually!"

Hezri finally crossed the line in a spray of sand and determination. He ran straight for the bronzerider, trying to knock him back in the sand, but barely moving him an inch. "You just wait, Ar'lis. I'm going to be a bronzerider someday too, and then I'm going to be stronger and faster than you!"

Ar'lis grinned down at the boy. "You think so, huh? Well, you're probably right! I'll be old and getting gray hairs by the time your bronze rises to catch his first green." He glanced over at Gaiya. "And I think that most of those gray hairs will be your sister's and her feline's fault," he told Hezri, winking teasingly at Gaiya over his head.

Gaiya threw the twig she had been boring into the sand at the bronzerider and stuck out her togue at him teasingly.

"You won't be much more older or greyer than you already are," the boy said as he continued trying to knock the bronzerider off balance by hooking his leg around his knee. "I can start standing at Hatchings next turn!"

"And all my grey hairs will be from him," Gaiya said pointing to her half-brother. Though she had been raised in the Weyr and had nothing but admiration and respect for riders, the thought of her baby brother flying a flaming dragon put a chill of dread in her heart. She had seen too much of what Thread could do.

"Undoubtebly," he agreed with her. Amused, Ar'lis looked down at Hezri.
"You know...you'd be much more effective at knocking me down if you hooked your leg a little higher up behind my knee..."

"Now don't you two hurt each other now," Gaiya chided, her foster mother instinct kicking in.

Hezri gave a grunt of exhertion as he lifted his knee as high as he could reach it behind Ar'lis's much taller legs. It turned almost growl-like as he tried pushing him over again.

To help the boy along, because he was obviously getting the gist of it, Ar'lis made himself fall over backwards. His rear hit the sand none too gently and he groaned. "Shards, Hezri! You're strong."

The young woman hide her smile as Ar'lis obviously took a fall and her little brother jumped up, planted his foot on the bronzerider's chest and crowed his victory over the fallen rider. When she was sure she could speak without laughing she clapped her hands together, "Well done, Hezri! Very well done!"

The boy beamed until he heard his name being called off in the distance. "Hezri! You have chores to do!"

Hi face feel immediately. "Shards, that's my foster mother. I have to go now."

Ar'lis sat up, leaning back on his hands. "All right... But you'll need to come with me and your sister again sometime, okay?"

"Yeah, I wanna come again," the boy beamed. "And next time I'm going to beat you!"

Ar'lis laughed as he watched the boy run up the dunes towards the waiting woman. Shaking his head, he looked over at Gaiya, stood, and sauntered over to her.

The young woman grinned up at him as he approached. "You are very good with him. I knew you would be."

He smiled as he squatted before her, cupping her chin in his hand. "He's a good lad, Gaiya," he murmured, bringing her forward so he could kiss her.

"Yes," she whispered when their lips finally parted, "I'm proud of him." She lifted her hand to behind his neck and pulled him down to the sand with her, giving him an even more enthusiastic kiss. Gaiya had wanted to do that all day.

"Fiesty today, are we?" Ar'lis asked with a grin, lowering his head to lightly nip at her neck.

"How could I not be?" she asked as her fingers slipped into his hair. He was still so beautiful, and the kindness he showed her brother just added to his perfection. And Gaiya had to admit, despite their earlier misunderstandings, he was starting to seem _perfect_.

He lifted his head to look down at her, at her shining red hair, bright eyes, her smiling face... "Are you telling me that I bring the fiestiness out of you?"

"You have your moments," she admited. **Like every time I see that look in your eyes...**

"Wonderful," he laughed, taking her arms and rolling her so she rested easily on top of him. "I take it you don't mind?"

"Do you see me screaming and running away?" she asked as she began tracing her fingers along his laughlines.

"No... Quite the opposite, actually, sweetheart," he murmured, enjoying the feeling of her caresses.

"Well, I love my brother more than life itself, but I'm kind of glad we got rid of him," she giggled before tracing her lips along the same path her fingers had taken. He certainly was a beautiful man.

He chuckled and smoothed his hands into her hair. "Boys grow up, love.
But you're right, he is young yet."

"But old enough," she grumbled. "I know _I_ was kissing boys at his age."

He grinned at her. "Come on, sweetheart. You can't keep him twelve forever..."

Gaiya sighed heavily. "I tried to keep him four, you know, but somehow he got away and slipped into five behind my back, and I lost all control after that."

"Mmm..." He stroked her hair. "Such is the way of things."

"Shards, I don't know what I'll do if he Impresses," she said thoughtfully as she leaned towards his hand.

"Support him, Gaiya," he said softly. "Weyrlings need loving support at that crucial turning point in their lives."

"Yes, of course I'll support him," she said firmly as she began tracing a finger absently along his collarbone. "But I mean, when he starts going /between/, when he starts fighting Thread. He will be hurt - it's almost guarenteed. I just don't want to see him in pain."

"The pain will mean nothing to him if he's doing what he loves most."
Again, he stroked his fingers through her hair, bringing one lock down over her shoulder, gently twisting it around his finger.

"It's different when you are the one watching someone in pain, Ar'lis,"
she said softly, the thoughtful look deepening.

"I know it is, love. I know." He touched her cheek, meeting her eyes. "Having loved ones who are dragonriders is never easy..."

"Yes, I know," Gaiya replied with a sigh. She rolled off of him and fixed her eyes on a lazy cloud floating above their heads. Ar'lis could never understand. He didn't have children. Not that Hezri was _hers_ exactly, but after her mother died she was as much parent as sister.

He propped himself up on an elbow, watching her quietly. He didn't know what to say. Instead, he ran the back of his finger up and down her arm gently, letting her know that if she wanted to say anything more, he was willing to listen.

"It's just different," she finally said. It was nothing that she could explain. She could still remember the day the boy was born, the day their mother died and he was all she had left of a woman she had adored like no other. "I can't lose him to this, Ar'lis. I just can't."

It'd be foolish to tell her that she wouldn't lose him. But in seeing her quiet worry, the protective feeling rising inside of him was hard to push back, and he continued to stroke her arm. "Who says you will?" he asked softly.

Gaiya sighed and shook her head. "I know, he would probably outlive the pass and grow to be an old man. But that doesn't matter. The _possibility_ would be there every time he rose to fight Thread. He would most likely come back. But I think I will be on the ground wondering -
will _this_ be the time when he doesn't? And every time the dragon's keen the loss of one of their own I will wonder - are they keening for Hezri?" She turned back over on her side and looked at the bronzerider. Gaiya knew he was trying to understand. She reached out and traced the line of his ear with her fingers. "Don't listen to me, Ar'lis. I suppose it's no use dwelling on it yet."

"It never does anyone any good to dwell on things, love," he told her gently, returning the caress. "But I'll always listen if you want to talk."

"I don't want to talk anymore," she whispered. A bit of a gleam returned to her eyes as she leaned forward and covered his lips with her own.

And he shifted closer, curling one arm around her wait, returning her kiss gently at first, then with more passion.

Gaiya returned his kiss with furvour as her fears melted away into the safety of Ar'lis' lips.

Last updated on the October 7th 2005

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It's No Use Dwelling On It