A Little Boy for the Big Queen

Writers: Emma, Stasha
Date Posted: 13th January 2008

Characters: M'delon, Teseada
Description: Madelon helps Teseada clean Onnyth
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 7, day 5 of Turn 4

Teseada

**I know love, you want a bath and I'll organise that in a moment,** Teseada told Onnyth as she quickly dressed in old clothing. **It'll take me but a moment to find where I put the sweetsand,** she reassured the gold as she grabbed the brushes she used for scrubbing.

She was right of course, and within moments the obliging gold was taking her from their weyr to the indoor lake used in Dragonsfall Weyr during the harsh winters.

As usual, there were a few people around, and almost all of them seemed to glance to her.

**There are some here who would love to help,** commented Teseada. **Any in particular you want?**

}:The small one, him over there with the shaggy hair,:{ Onnyth looked at the boy, not speaking to him, but hopefully clearly enough to get her point over.

"The queen is looking at us," Raset mentioned as he changed into more appropriate shoes for the water.

Madelon glanced at the queen. "I wonder who's going to bath her," he muttered, as he laced his own shoes. He learned from Raset to bring an extra pair, especially after he got soaking wet from cleaning that green dragon. By the egg was she a hyper one. "Do you think she wants one of us?" he asked hopefully.

"Probably me," Nicalos took the initiative and began to make his way to the queen, with a smirk on his face.

A large burly boy stopped the smug Nicalos in his tracks. "And why would a queen want a weyrbrat like you to help?" It was Jasimo, Madelon quickly realized. "Queens like real men to help their woman clean them. Not boys who can only Impress greens," he hissed before he began to make his way to Teseada.

Madelon stood to defend his friend, but Raset held him back. "Maddy, don't," Raset warned.

"So, Teseada, where did you want to begin?" Jasimo glanced at the queen and back at Teseada.

If only Madelon had the same arrogant confidence as Jasimo to approach the queen.

"I beg your pardon?" Teseada looked at the candidate, aware that he was not the one Onnyth was talking about.

The tone in Teseada's voice threw Jasimo off. He was not so sure of himself now. "Didn't you need help? I thought..."

"What do you think they're saying?" Raset looked over to Nicalos and Madelon.

They both shrugged.

"I don't know," Madelon answered, but he was enjoying the expression that appeared on Jasimo's face.

"I don't need your help, _Candidate_," she said stressing his rank, "Thank you for the offer, but Onnyth prefers that one over there." The young goldrider pointed to the younger looking candidates watching.

Jasimo was both insulted and embarrassed, that some one he had just stood with a turn ago would remind him that they had Impressed while he had failed to. "Well, I didn't want to help you anyway," he muttered childishly before he turned around and walked away. "Sharding queenrider," he spit out once he walked passed the boys.

What happened? Madelon wanted to ask, but did not dare verbalize his question.

"She wants _your_ help," Jasimo replied almost hurt, but more angered at his rejection.

"Me?" Madelon was shocked that the young Weyrwoman would want his help to clean _her_ queen.

"Yeah, just don't let this go to your head, brat," Jasimo growled. "Because you're still just a boy when we stand on those grounds," and bronze dragons only Impressed real men like him. When Jasimo Impressed a bronze, that would show Teseada.

As Jasimo walked off Madelon began to make his way to the great queen. She was so beautiful he thought to himself. Would his dragon be just as stunning as a queen? If he Impressed? When he looked at her rider he did not know what to think of her, but he was smart enough to bow to both her and her queen when he approached and opened with "Did you need my help Ma'am?"

"Yes, Onnyth and I would like that."

Madelon quickly complied. He found a brush, and added some sweetsand to it, before looking back to Teseada. "Where did you want me to start?" He looked back at the gold hide of the queen. She was so beautiful, he thought to himself again. By the egg why did they want him to help?

}:My tail, he is only small.:{ "She says that her tail needs attention," Teseada paused. "Have you scrubbed a dragon before?"

"Well, yeah," he replied the obvious. "I helped Desi scrub her green yesterday, and I even helped U'kaiah with his bronze," he replied proudly. Then he realized who he was talking to and shamefully lowered his head.

"Sorry, Ma'am. But yes I've cleaned a dragon before," he corrected his tone.

"Then you'll know you can scrub quite hard. She'll tell me if there is something else she needs."

Madelon complied and made his way to the base of her tail and began to make his way back. He was afraid to really say anything, so he just focused on the task in front of him. Cleaning Onnyth's hide to perfection. He scrubbed the areas between the ridges of her tail, removing any dirt that would have gotten caught there, before scrubbing the smoother areas of her tail.

"That's good work," Teseada told the youngster after watching him for a while.

"Oh," her comment caught him off guard. "Thank you." He was half way through the queen's tail now. Should he say something back to Teseada? But what? She was doing well with cleaning her queen too? No, obviously she was...It was _her_ dragon. Speaking of which, was she ever big! She made the bronzes look so small compared to her size. And Penesath? He look like he would be the size of a blue when compared to Onnyth. He made sure to remain detailed in his cleaning with the queen.

}:I feel cleaner,:{ commented Onntyh as she lifted a wing to let Teseada scrub the underside of the wingsail. }:He will do well if he impresses.:{
**Can I tell him?**

}:Yes.:{ "She says to tell you that you will do well if you Impress."

"She did?" Him do well? What did that mean? He knew that dragons did not exactly have foresight, so why would she say that? Maybe it was his scrubbing technique. "Oh, well... thanks Onnyth," he replied back with the slight tip of his head. He was done with the tail now. "Did you want me to scrub her neck or hide quarters now, Ma'am?" he asked Teseada.

The dragon herself made the decision, curving her neck around so that she could see the boy. "I think she's telling you herself."

Her neck? Madelon wanted to ask, but he would look like a fool if he did so he made his assumption and moved her Onnyth's neck. The queen's faceted eyes were so haunting, he thought, and almost as big as him. He hesitated or a moment before he began to scrub her neck, while using his other hand to rub the skin her neck almost like a massage. It was a technique that his father showed him when he would help clean Abath, and it helped to ease any tense muscles the dragon might have had around their neck or shoulders. The foam from the sweetsand only helped his hand slide smoothly as he scrubbed with his other hand. A queen only deserved the best he thought to himself.

"Well done," said Teseada eventually as she finished where she'd been working. "You've done well."

"We're done already?" That went by quickly, he thought disappointedly. He gave Onnyth one last look making sure he did not miss a spot.

"She's done."

He was slow as he made his way back to Teseada. It was to fast, he thought, wishing it had been longer. "Thank you for letting me clean her Ma'am," he thanked the queenrider, though his eyes glanced out of the corner of his eye at the golden hide of Onnyth, wishing the experience could have lasted longer.

"You're welcome candidate."

Madelon gave a final bow to the queenrider before he left, and went back to his friends. He could barely believe that a queenrider asked _him_ to clean her queen. And what did that mean what she said? Did it mean he would Impress?

"So," Nicalos broke Madelon from his thoughts. "What was it like?"

His friends eagerly waited for an answer.

"It went well," he replied simply with a small smile.

"How well? What did she say?" Nicalos prodded for more, but Madelon answered with a smile before he walked off.

There was nothing he needed to say. He decided that he would keep this moment to himself this time. It just made it a little more special that way.

Last updated on the January 19th 2008

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A Little Boy for the Big Queen