the
Protectress
Rank: Protectress
Relatives: none
Location: Cathair Utopian
Physical description: See picture
Emotional description: Easily irritated and worried. Kindly and strong-willed.
Relationships: Her "friendship" with Gyune is more than it seems.
Going to: Ryslen
D'jeke paced to and fro inside of her cathair, nervously chewing on a strand of her red hair. Her friend, Gyune, sat nearby, watching with an amused expression. D'jeke turned on her companion.
"How can you stand there, knowing that I just made the biggest decision of my life?"
"I'm sitting," came the cool reply, "for one, and it was not I that decided to apply for a dragon. Oh no. I am quite content with my hawk, Kyun, and he's enough trouble as it is."
Kyun, a large, handsome brown hawk which stood perched on Gyune's shoulder, looked offended and took wing for a moment. Gyune called him back with a laugh, and stroked him until he forgot his irritation and fluffed his feathers with contentment.
"You're no help," stressed D'jeke, "Kyun is not the same thing as a dragon, not even the same thing as a..a watchwher, and watchwhers are much less important in my view..Oh, goddess, why am I such a wreck?"
Gyune grinned.
"Good question. Why are you? You're looking forward to the most fantastic happening of your life, a real bondmate, and you're tearing out your hair and biting your nails. Perhaps, to ease your tension, you should practice your Protector skills."
D'jeke nodded, and stepped into the sparse bedroom that connected to her sitting room. The entire cathair was made from a grayish clay, typical of the south-east part of Danach. It was well-fashioned; always cool enough to bear the tropical heat, but warm enough that she didn't shiver at night. The entire cathair was pretty much barren. The life of a Protector of Cathair Utopian was hectic, and left little time to decorate a home. However, luck had been with her, and because of Gyune she had acquired some furniture in the years she had lived in her cathair. A small lamp lit up her room; it sat on a small table held upright by sticks, and woven of a thick fiber gotten from the tall trikk tree. Next to the table was a small cot stuffed with the feathers of a game bird. There was a rug on the floor, woven with bright reds and yellows. In the corner was a well made bookshelf, filled with scattered papers. The rest of the house was filled with rugs to warm the floors in the morning. There were some paintings done by famous artists, and Gyune, hanging here and there on the wall. There were a few chairs and a couch. The kitchen was small, with a pump over a basin with a drain, it's tube and the pump's leading underground to D'jeke's outdoor well. There was a tiny oven in the kitchen, which also warmed the metal plate above it when heated, so D'jeke could have the comfort of boiled water, into which she would sprinkle dried berries and herbs to make it taste nice. The only other room in her cathair was an indoor outhouse, with a tunnel underground leading to her outdoor waste pit.
D'jeke pulled on the heavy clothing that it took to be a Protector, and strapped her lucky sword around her middle. She clanked out of the room. Gyune stifled a laugh, and Kyun didn't bother to. D'jeke glared at them both and slammed the door on her way out to the inner courtyard that all the inner cathairs shared. A few other earlybirds were practicing, and D'jeke had no trouble convincing a lad about her age to battle with her.
After a long and strenuous practice, D'jeke tramped slowly up to her cathair, sweaty and tired. When she reached it, she saw that Gyune had gone, leaving with her a good-luck token, in the shape of a dragonchen. It was golden. Underneath was a card, reading,
Dear D'jeke,
Please, don't fret anymore, you'll make yourself old before your time! Of course you'll bond the right one; and any dragon will know that you are perfect for them. Just keep this in your pocket when you go to take them home, and remember that even if you don't succeed, I will always see you as a winner.
Besides, if you don't succeed, you can try to Imprint a hawk!
Love,
Gyune
D'jeke smiled, and folded the card to put in her room. She picked up the charm, still warm from Gyune's touch, and walked into her room to change.
D'jeke had been commoner-born, and for a long time she lived and worked on a little farm that raised and sold fish to the public. It had not been a happy lifestyle for her, as the fish smelled and so did everything and everyone who were near her scaled adversaries. D'jeke had always had higher things in mind; she dreamed of a shining land of peace, with no fish in it, where brave men and ladies wore brilliant silver clothing and were gallant and strong. But there she was, stuck with her parents--who were fosters, by the way--and numerous siblings...and the fish.
On days when she was particularly fed up, D'jeke would dream that her real parents came to find her, a shining knightly father called Antony and his wife, her mother, the regal lady Galedrial. They would swoop down upon either large silver dragons or, if that was not possible, fine majestic golden and white paards, gather her into their arms, and carry her away to the dreamlands. There they would protect the innocent together and battle all evil, and D'jeke would of course win many battles and save her parents several times a day.
So when D'jeke was old enough and the Master Protector of Cathair Utopian came hunting for suitable young future Protectors, D'jeke slipped away in the night on a 'borrowed' paard, leaving the fish behind, and joined the rank of Protector.
Being an aspiring young Protector was not easy. At first D'jeke was given simple tasks so that she would learn patience and endurance, like being a messenger for lords, serving food or fetching wild fowl from the fields, carrying water and tending the paards. For many months she put up with this, and then she was deemed worthy to become a trainee. Which, of course, was even harder.
She and the other trainees were given challenging drills that built muscle, endurance, speed and strength. And there were mind games, too, so that their enemies could not outwit them. D'jeke had to learn to tend the wounds of herself and others and of animals, and to learn to speak the tongues of wild beasts in case she needed information.
When D'jeke moved up in rank, she was given a paard, Vulie, and she had to know him as well as she knew herself, to be one of mind with him during battle. This seemed the hardest, for the paards were decidedly unruly and stubborn, sometimes even vicious; but eventually D'jeke won over.
And then, finally, she was given her armor and her weapons. D'jeke had become a true Protector.
She learned quickly that being a Protector was not all it was cut out to be. Often she was sent on errands; a frusterating task, since she had already had to endure chores such as that in her days before becoming a trainee. On days that she was able to be of help to her Cathair, she got to bed at a very late hour and it seemed like scarcely five minutes had passed before she was on call again.
Still, D'jeke's resolve had hardened. A Protector she had always wanted to be, and that was what she would do, no matter the hardship.
And then...her life was changed forever. She saw Gyune.
Gyune was a HawkMaster, and everything D'jeke wanted to be. She was smart, pretty, and strong of will. Her hair was a beautiful, shining shade of chestnut, and cascaded in soft waves to the small of her back. She was petite and her body was toned and tan; she could wear any type of clothing, and look fabulous in them. Her smile was contagious and sparkling, and her laugh was carefree and wonderful. She seemed perfect to D'jeke, and the Protector was absolutely smitten.
D'jeke took to follow Gyune around; in secret, of course. She concealed herself behind shrubbery and buildings whenever Gyune chanced to look her way. She found ways to do her chores near the lovely young woman, shyly gazing at her, dropping her eyes whenever Gyune looked her way.
One day, D'jeke found the courage to visit the HawkMaster quarters, where the fine raptors were held. Gyune was tending to her big brown hawk, Kyun. D'jeke stood some distance away, her eyes closed, drinking in the sound of Gyune's mellifluous voice and the smell of her perfume.
"Can I help you?" D'jeke's eyes snapped open. Gyune's friendly, smiling face was only a few inches away from her own. She felt dizzy.
"Um, er...No. I mean, I'm just looking...I mean, yes," D'jeke stammered. Gyune chuckled and put her hand on D'jeke's shoulder.
"I've seen you around before. You're one of our honorable Protectors, aren't you?" D'jeke nodded numbly. The gorgeous creature had seen her, after all!
"Well, my thanks to you," Gyune said, her eyes twinkling. "What's your name?"
"D'jeke." She was somehow able to free her tongue, at last. "My name is D'jeke." Gyune smiled again, and D'jeke felt her resolve slipping under that gentle scrutiny. She wanted to bolt; only Gyune's soft hand on her arm kept her in place.
"I'm Gyune," the HawkMaster said. She whistled for her great brown hawk, who sailed gracefully down to them and perched on Gyune's shoulder. She absentmindedly patted one of his feet. "Hey, my lunch hour is coming up, Protector D'jeke," Gyune said, and grinned. "Why don't you come share it with me? It gets a little lonely, eating all by myself, day after day." Her expression sobered. "I'm new here, after all, and it's always a little difficult for people to warm up to the new girl."
They're only afraid, and jealous of your beauty, D'jeke said. But only in her mind. Out loud she said, "Sure, that sounds great." Gyune smiled, a trace of relief in her eyes.
"Ah, you have no idea how much that means to me. I don't really have any friends..." She trailed off, her eyes glittering. On impulse, D'jeke reached up to brush away a small tear that rolled unbidden down the other girl's cheek. She snatched her hand away, blushing furiously. Gyune giggled slightly, and took D'jeke's hand.
"C'mon, let's go." D'jeke nearly fainted out of sheer joy.
They walked down up the hill outside of the HawkMaster building. It overlooked the Chase area for the dragons, and although it was mostly empty--a few dragons were wading in the little lake--the air was still heavy with the passion that Chases left behind. Gyune flopped down in the soft grass, and patted the place next to her.
"I don't bite," she said, bringing her teeth together with a playful click. D'jeke managed to laugh; her knees felt wobbly, and she was half glad, half afraid to sit down. She did so relatively gracefully, legs folding under her. Kyun circled lazily above them in the warm sun.
Gyune fetched a package from the pocket of her HawkMaster apron (she needed a little protection against the ickier aspects of a hawk that Kyun had to offer). Unwrapping it, it proved to be a simple meal of bread and dried fruit. She grimaced.
"I don't have much to eat at home that isn't perishable..." D'jeke shook her head, finally warming up and remembering what manners she had.
"That's just fine. I'm starving!" She stretched her mouth wide in what she hoped was a confident and reassuring smile, and took a piece of bread. Gyune did likewise, and for quite awhile, all they did was chew thoughtfully and stare out at the dragons. When at last their supply of fruit and bread was exhausted, they talked...very little, but the fact that D'jeke was up to it was very promising. Mostly, they talked about Gyune and her occupation, but sometimes D'jeke did open up and shared a bit about being a Protector.
They enjoyed each other's company quite a bit, and soon Gyune had blown off the entire afternoon; D'jeke likewise. The suns sank lower in the horizon, until at last a hazy shade of red--mixed with purple--filled the sky. Gyune stood up and brushed her clothes off. Then she reached for D'jeke's hand, and the other girl took it.
They stood very close to each other, scarcely daring to breathe. All sorts of thoughts raced through D'jeke's head, her heart going equally fast. As for Gyune, her face was unreadable, leaving D'jeke slightly uneasy.
"Well..."
"Hm." The two laughed, D'jeke blushing prettily. She had thought of something.
"I guess...Goodnight?" Gyune said, smiling faintly. She didn't really want to leave. D'jeke nodded, but before Gyune turned to go, she leaned forward and planted a little kiss on the side of the HawkMaster's mouth. Gyune turned a bright shade of red, D'jeke likewise.
"Ah, well...'bye.." D'jeke turned to go, silently berating herself for her foolishness. She felt Gyune's hand on her shoulder, and the HawkMaster turned her around with a strength that was exciting. She pulled D'jeke to her, engaging her lips in a firm kiss that seemed to last forever. D'jeke's head swam with bliss...
They were both reluctant to let go. But the red faded from the sky, a shade of deepest indigo and distantly twinkling stars replacing it, and they knew they had to.
Parting, their lips lingered against one another's, fingers clasped, pulling apart slowly. They waved fondly to one another, unable to turn. Finally, they did...And turned right back around, running into each other's arms.
"I can't go home alone again," Gyune said, her voice trembling. D'jeke nodded, a sob constricting her throat. At last! The love she had been missing was found, to her surprise, in another woman...And most unlikely, the one that she had cherished from the get go. "Come with me."
They spent the night in each other's arms.
And every night afterward...
Right up until the day D'jeke was Found by a Huntrider from Ryslen, and accepted their proposal.
Gold Arosambyth & Brown Hirlath
An uncounted throng of people wandered around chatting in Ryslen’s vast courtyard waiting for an announcement that the hatching was imminent. It had not taken long for word to spread that the 500th dragon to hatch at Ryslen since Litayth’s surprise final flight would be coming from Arosambyth’s brood. It seemed fitting that this queen, golden daughter of Yainolith, the last golden daughter of Litayth, would be the mother of such a historically important hatching.
A bit later...
Meanwhile, many speculative conversations had begun, but the appearance of a second fiery red hatchling hushed them temporarily. He shook his damp wings and calmly approached the candidates as his blue brother had, rather than in an all out charge like the first red. D’jeke, your duty is my duty, your oath is my oath… “Morytlath…” she began, and her words were lost amidst the surprised chatter of the witnesses. One named ‘properly’ after four odd ones!
Morytlath snorted, shaking his head as his green eyes opened, looking around sleepily. I never snore, he replied indignantly, as D'jeke shot him a look of deep amusement.
"Whatever you say, love," she said, turning back to her work with a sigh of intense satisfaction. Her (now seldom solemn) face smiled back at her from the shining metal, reflecting the suns' warmth as they beamed down from on high.
