Bond Story of Cecar Golden eyes stared out from under the almost invisible eyebrows, piercing and all-knowing in their unwavering gaze. A tangled mop of white curls was piled on top of Cecar's head, and she lifted an eyebrow as the small boy shuffled his feet in front of her, refusing to meet her penetrating glance. Cecar Aveline, at the age of twenty-one, was Head Mistress at a prestigious academic institution for boys, as well as a duenna, or governess. The boy, eleven year-old Romeo, was one of many Cecar had the blessing, or curse, of teaching. He was also one of many she had the enjoyable task of punishing. And he reminded her dreadfully of her eldest brother, Etienne. Cecar's father had been a dominie, or cleric schoolmaster at the institute before Cecar. Léonore Antoine had been a quiet, subtle man with platinum hair and amber eyes. He had also been witty, kind, officious, and brilliant. He'd met Cecar's mother, Jacinthe Avent, when they were both eighteen. He'd just moved to the House where she had lived all her life, and they made acquaintance at the Inn where Jacinthe had worked. The rest, they say, is history. By the time Léonore and Jacinthe were in their late twenties they'd had four children, two boys and two girls. Cecar was the third-born, younger than both brothers and older than her sister. After her last daughter's birth, Cecar's younger sister, Jacinthe had grown sick and died, leaving Léonore with four children and a full-time job at the institute. Léonore had taken the two boys with him to the school, where they'd both received educations which had earned them their current jobs. Cecar and her sister had been left at the house with their stuffy old Aunt Cecile, who'd drilled into them that a woman's place was in the house. Anais had bought the story and was happily married to a farmer with one child out and one on the way. Cecar had not. She'd been rebellious and wild as a young child, as well as into her early teens, but at the age of sixteen, when her father had threatened to marry her off, she had settled into calm acceptance and sly insubordination. Her aunt had finally given up on her, turning all her attention to Anais, and Cecar had been sent to the school. Her father had been furious, at first, and let her do as she pleased as long as she stayed out of the way. He'd found her studying texts from one of his classes, and when he'd found she had a head for learning, had sweet-talked her into the school, where she, too, had received an education. Cecar brought her attention sharply back to the room and the boy. "Well?" she asked, pursing her lips as she waited for the boy to speak. The boy had been brought to her for being out of his dorms after hours. Although it happened often, and it really wasn't that serious, it was against the institute's policies and Cecar was expected to act accordingly. "Yes'sum?" The boy asked, still studying his feet. "If the carpet is so dreadfully interesting, perhaps you'd rather study it that your lessons, which you shan't be allowed back to until your situation has been properly addressed and dealt with. That can't happen until you lift up your chin, look at me, and tell me what you were doing out of your dorm." Cecar said, rather dryly, steepling her long, tapered fingers under her chin and raising both eyebrows as she waited for a reply. "Sorry, ma'am." Romeo muttered, looking her in the eye for a second before looking back down at the floor. "Romeo, you're a bright child. Look at me when I'm speaking to you." She commanded softly, frowning when the boy finally looked up and shifted uncomfortably. "Did the older boys dare you? Is this a dare?" Alskyr knew, when she'd been a student boys were always out of dorms because of dares. "No, ma'am." Romeo said quietly, though more strongly than anything else he'd said. "I can't read minds, Romeo, no matter what your dormmates say. You have to tell me what you were doing." Cecar prodded, calmly uncrossing her legs and smoothing her robe out in front of her. It would do no good if the robe fell open and Romeo saw what she had on underneath. Nothing. It wasn't her fault she liked to sleep without fabric restricting her motion, though it did make for difficult situations when boys were out of their dorms at night. "Just going for a walk, ma'am." "Romeo, stop ma'aming me and tell me where you were going. It's the middle of the night, and I am short of sleep as is. I'll not bite your head off, boy. You're lucky they awakened me and not Mr. Rami." At the boys wide-eyed stare and frightened shiver, Cecar softened her face and sighed softly. "You're not home-sick, are you?" Romeo shook his head. "Hungry?" Another shake. "Land's sake, boy. Are you a night-person, then?" Romeo looked up with a glitter in his eyes, his mouth twisting slightly in a smile. "Can I tell a secret, ma'am?" "Of course, Romeo. I shan't tell a soul." Cecar said coolly, smiling encouraginly at the boy. "I was going to the roof, ma'am. To look at the stars. I love stars ma'am." Romeo whispered, grinning at her when he was finished. Cecar relaxed in her chair and smiled back, shaking her head slightly as she stifled a yawn. "By all means, then, let's see where you were going and why it was so important." She said with a small grin, standing and tying the robe tightly closed. She opened the door and let Romeo past, the boy barely coming up to mid-chest. But Cecar was tall, almost six feet, and Romeo was a small child, finely made. Following him through the halls in the middle of the night made Cecar remember her own excursions as a teen up to the roof to look at the stars. They had a calming effect on her soul, and they had fascinated her. Romeo hesitated at one turn, but Cecar quickly found herself standing on the roof, a gentle greeze ruffling the hair she had quickly piled and teasing the edge of her robe. "There, ma'am." Romeo said softly, pointing a short finger at a streak moving slowly across the sky. Cecar smiled. A comet, or meteor. It had a long tail, brightly and brilliantly colored, and Cecar could see why the boy had wanted to see this if he was so interested in stars. A shiver ran down her spine, and Cecar remembered it was the middle of the night. "Romeo, I'm going back to my office, and then to bed. Stay as long as you like, but tomorrow morning, you'll be at the kitchens at the crack of dawn. Understood?" "Yes, ma'am." He said, only half-listening as he stared up at the sky. "And next time, Romeo, just ask for a pass and I or one of the other dominies will be happy to give it to you." "Of course, ma'am. And thank you, Miss Cecar." Romeo said, turning to give her a bright smile. "Any time, Romeo. Just ask." ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ The sun was well into the sky by the time Cecar awakened the next day. Dragging herself from her bed, she stifled a yawn and washed up before putting on a loose-fitting shirt and a pair of soft leather pants. It was one of the boys days off, and Cecar planned to enjoy it as well, seeing as any work she needed to do could be done on the morrow. Pulling her pale white hair back from her face and quickly weaving into a braid, Cecar studied her face in the mirror, gave a harsh laugh, and left her room. She had a small but strong nose, wide, full lips, high cheek bones, and an overall delicate looking form. As a last thought, Cecar grabbed her glasses and stuck them in a pocket, wanting to make sure should anything arise where she needed to see super-clear, she would be able too. Meandering her way down to the stables, Cecar chose a docile mare to take out. She was a good rider, it was one of the classes she taught, but she liked to enjoy her ride more than she liked to fight with the horse she was riding. Galloping out amoung the tall grass of the field, Cecar was happy to imagine herself free of responsibilities for a short while. She was young to have heaped upon herself such a great deal of work, and although she knew it, she couldn't turn anyone away, not when they needed her so badly. The mare snorted at being held back, and Cecar grinned and rose in the saddle, leaning forward to give the mare her head. Stunned momentarily, the mare quickly recovered and sped forward. Cecar laughed for a moment, then settled into a happy grin and thought. Going out on her own was the only time she allowed herself to think, considering half of the time she thought out loud. "What do you think? Should I accept?" Cecar asked the mare. Her ears flicked back to listen, then pricked forward, leaving Cecar to decide for herself. One of the othe mentors at the school had proposed, and although Cecar loved him, there were no sparks between them....nothing to make their marriage anything special. Cecar was a sucker for something special. Slowing the mare before she pulled something, Cecar sat back in the saddle and allowed the horse to continue at a lesiurely canter. The sky was a startingly clear blue, the grass a wonderfully deep shade of emerald green. Birds and wild animals ran where they pleased in the fields, and Cecar caught sight of more than one wild aifre and it's cubs. An alis gryph flew in front of her horse on one occasion, and caer flits were everywhere. Cecar couldn't have felt more at home if she'd have lived at that very place her entire life. She wasn't sure what it was that made her turn the horse towards the beach. Lots of the boys liked to swim on their days off, and Cecar avoided the beach for that purpose, but today the water seemed to call for her. The mare was happy enough to obligue, running along in the surf as though she still had solid ground under her feet. She saw more flits shooting about, and smiled up at the sun, kissing her skin with it's warm rays. As they reached a bluff and turned around the corner, Cecar's horse suddenly shied and reared. Time seemed to slow as Cecar leaned forward, but the horse was frantic, and Cecar felt herself go flying backwards out of the saddle. A wild flit screamed at her for disturbing the peace, and she felt the rock behind her with her hands a moment before her head connected. She was almost surprised she didn't black out, but she supposed the shooting pains running through her was enough to keep anyone awake. Barely daring to breath, Cecar struggled to cope. Laying her head back for a moment, she looked out and saw the dark clouds moving in along the horizon, blocking rays of sun as they stretching out and expanded. She almost heard the oddest sound, almost like marching..... Fear suddenly gripped her. The only thing she knew of that marched on Alskyr was ants. Ignoring the waves of nausea, Cecar rolled onto her hands and knees and stayed for a moment, swaying back and forth. Lurching to her feet, she pressed her hands against her stomach and willed the food to stay there. She then heard a scream, in the direction she had been going, and forced herself to walk. It was more like, she leaned forward and her feet moved in time to catch her from falling. A streak of red was running in front of her eye, but Cecar ignored it and allowed her hands to scramble for her pocket. Pulling out her rose-colored glasses, Cecar placed them on her nose, pleased they hadn't broken in the fall and wishing they would have. She could see the boys ahead, running towards her, and she could see the ants marching up the beach towards them all. Breaking into an unsteady run, Cecar yelled hoarsely at the boys, waving her arms to get their attention. "Get away from there!" She screamed, slowly making ground and realizing the ants were making better time than she. "Run!" "Miss Cecar, it's Romeo." One of the boys said as she reached them. Cecar grabbed his shirt and sent him sprawling in the other direction. "You run, and you get help." She said angrily, pointing towards the school and swaying on her feet. "Go!" She screamed, feeling any semblance of control snapping. "If you value your lives and the lives of those living around these parts, you will run like the wind." The boys hesitated, looking back towards Romeo, and Cecar growled. It was enough, and they took off running. Cecar looked up at the ants through her rose-tinted glasses and shuddered. Taking a shaky step, she dropped to her knees beside the boy and frowned. "I'm fine, ma'am, just think I broke my ankle." He said softly, his eyes fixed on the closing ants. "Romeo, look at me." Cecar said calmly, smiling at him reassuringly, patting his arm and looking around. The rock face was too steep to climb, and she couldn't escape by running down the beach. Her only option... "Ma'am?" Romeo said, swallowing as the sounds of the ants because noticeably louder. "Romeo, we have to get you up, all right?" Cecar said slowly, struggling to her own feet and trying to pull herself together. Romeo nodded. Cecar groaned inwardly, but kept on a brave face and bent down, wrapping her arms around her waist and heaving upwards. Romeo screamed when his foot twisted, and Cecar could feel the ants move faster. She would too, if she saw easy prey just standing there. "Now what?" Romeo asked harshly, wrapping his skinny arms around her waist. "The water." Cecar said, swallowing hard. She had never been the strongest swimmer, and she wasn't about to get any better, but the ants surely wouldn't follow them too deep. Romeo was pulling on her to walk, and so walk she did. Her feet started to feel heavy, and she had to drag them along, but for Romeo's sake she kept walking. The water was suddenly cool around her ankles and she let out a sob of relief, walking a little faster and pulling Romeo along. By the time the water was up to their waist, the ants were almost upon them. Cecar took a couple of running steps, pulling Romeo along, and kicked off, the bottom suddenly beyond the reach of her feet. Romeo treaded water easily beside her, and Cecar grabbed a piece of diftwood for him to hold on to. "What are they doing?" Romeo whispered to her, watching the ants mill around on the beach. Cecar just caught sight of a small spatter of blood they were milling around and bit her lip. "They're hunting, Romeo." She said truthfully, knowing that lying to the boy was going to get the two of them nowhere. "Come on." "Where?" Romeo asked uncertainly, as Cecar started to drag him along. "We aren't going to sit here like ducks, waiting to see if they're going to come after us." She whispered hoarsely, and Romeo nodded and began kicking his good foot behind him. It was a matter of minutes later that Cecar's legs started to burn, and the air seemed to sear it's way down her lungs. She pressed on, but Romeo kept looking at her warily, worried. "You sure you don't want to wait a moment?" He asked suddenly, and Cecar found herself looking for ground under her to stand on. "We can't stop." She said, feeling the cold of the water seeping into her bones and making her weary. But it was true, they couldn't stop. They had to keep moving to keep their blood flowing, and they had to find somewhere to get out of the water. Which was when Cecar realized she had stopped. Her chin was barely above the water, and she spit water out of her mouth as she kicked feebly. "Miss Cecar, come on." Romeo said, offering her a piece of the driftwood. She managed to grab hold of it, but that was the last thing she could do before the blackness slowly enveloped her vision. ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ Cecar could have sworn she was in a boat when she first came too, feeling a gentle sway back and forth, but when she opened her eyes, she was in a solid room and the only thing moving was her stomach. The likes of the room she was in, she had never seen. The walls seemed to be made of stone, and the room was a large, doomed oval. Turning her head, Cecar was able to make out a fireplace and a table and chairs, out of which a tall, lanky man rose quickly when he saw she was awake. "How do you feel?" He asked, sitting on the edge of her bed and frowning. "Like the ants got me." She whispered, her throat sore and her head pounding. "They didn't." He said with a grin. "We got them, don't you worry." "Romeo?" She suddenly remembered, trying to sit up and finding herself being easily pushed back down. "Romeo is fine. He's back at the school, hobbling around on a fine pair of crutches." The man soothed, and Cecar sighed and leaned back on the pillow, trying to remember what had happened after they'd stopped moving. All she could remember was the cold water, Romeo yelling, and warm hands. Lots of warm hands. "Where am I, then? You said Romeo was 'back at' the school." The man looked at her for a moment through narrowed eyes, then gave a half-smile and shook his head. "You're where you are, and that's all that matters." "How long have I been here? When can I go back? How long do I have to stay?" "You've been here a while, Cecar, and you'll be here a while longer. They found a replacement teacher, who's considering staying on full-time whether you return or not." "Oh." Cecar heard herself say, feeling as though the last bit of land had been pulled from under her and she was falling. "We want you to stay here." The man finally said, very quietly. Cecar felt herself hit the ground with a smack. "Here? When I don't even know where here is?" "I know," he grimaced, "but there's reasons for you not knowing." "Well, I'm feeling much better. You can tell me know." "I don't know...." "You can tell me, or I can find someone who will." Cecar threatened, even sitting up a bit. It was a good thing the man caved, because her head was spinning like nothing else. "You're at Ryslen. We just happened to be passing by when we saw the ants and the dragons saw you and the boy. We picked you up, brought you here, fixed you up, and sent the boy back to heal." "And kept me. Why?" Cecar asked, frowning and raising a shaky hand to touch the diminished bump on her head. "There was a request that you stay." He said evasively. "From whom?" "Someone." The man said sharply, sighing in exasperation and shaking his head again. "There are some eggs here, both on the dunes and, some others, just hatched. Someone requested you stay and look at the hatchlings, and if that didn't work out, stay on the sands." "But.....my job." Cecar said quietly, allowing her head to fall back limply. "The boys, and my things, my job." "You're needed here." The man said gently, patting her wrist and smiling uncertainly. "Please say you'll stay?" "I'll stay. For now. I'm not promising I'll stay and bond, however." "Fine." The man said with a real, genuine smile. "When do you want to see the dragons?" Cecar is a bonder at Ryslen