The Girls

Physical stats: 5'3" tall, slim, without an extra ounce on their bodies and without being bony.
They are exactly the same in every proportion... (can you say Rockettes?)

The sun had risen quite some time ago, yet there were four girls still abed. A blond, a brunette, a redhead, and a raven-haired beauty.

"Aurina, are you ever getting up?" the black-haired woman said, arms crossed over her chest.

"I just can't do it!" she cried. "I can't face another day without him!"

Rufiara's eyes filled with unbidden tears. "Neither can I!"

Keirya sniffled and agreed.

Brekey kept a bold face - she wasn't about to cry. "Well, he's gone." She said. "We may as well move on."

Rufiara glared through teary eyes. "If you're so disinterested, why are you still in bed?"

Brekey huffed and turned her back. "You know full well why!"

Aurina sniffed up her tears. "I thought you liked..."

Brekey turned back. "I do Aurina, I do. I just... I can't take it either."

A long time ago, four or five years or better, a large festival had been held at Two River, to celebrate the birth of the new heir - young lord Jorakel. There had been quite the gathering - people came from everywhere. Every one who was - or ever hoped to be- anyone was there.

A young woman - sixteen to be precise, arrived with family, and lots of it. Her hair was flaming red, and she was all of 5'3" tall. Having temporarily escaped, she was bound and determined to have a little fun before she was returned to constant babysitting. A flame-haired young man in rose colored glasses flitted through her peripherals - and she had no choice but to follow... it was love at first sight.

A very well dressed blonde girl stepped out from a shop as that young man went by. Her head turned to follow him. "Don't waste your time, precious." A well dressed woman said.

"Oh mother... why not?" the blonde asked.

"He'll just break your heart and leave you with fatherless sons."

The blonde sighed. As her mother went into the next shop, she slipped away to follow the enticing young man.

Halfway around the square, he stopped to converse with a merchant - his http://geocities.yahoo.com/filemanager?directory=brightside&op-editfile=Edit&editor=advanced&filename=girls.html&rand=13176logical, if somewhat odd speech caught the ear of a petite brunette. She had to see who he was...

The young man soon moved off to the dance floor, either unaware, or pretending the three girls were not following him. Yet there was an obstacle. Four young folk stood in the way, gossiping, and would not move.

A raven-haired beauty, seeing the handsome man's plight, raised her voice. "If you four don't move out of the path..." Startled eyes were raised to her face, and they backed away. The young man was impressed - but mostly with himself.

"My lady." He purred, and kissed her hand, then departed.

Heartbeats later, the blonde, the redhead, and the brunette arrived - if not for their hair color and skin tones, the four young women would have been identical. The blonde hailed from Bell, the brunette from Bynor, the redhead from Sennet, and the dark haired heiress from Jenir Plains. After her tomboyish cousin had impressed gold, the only thing she wanted was a dragon - but now all that was changed. Now she wanted that young man more.

The dance floor cleared, and he began to dance. The four were mesmerized. He struck a pose, and they all but melted when he beckoned to them. "Ladies..." he purred. They moved, left foot first as though they'd been practicing this all along. They joined him in the dance, each one graced with his presence, his touch - and glares from their families.

Afterwords, they sat together and drank cool lemonade. Another young man came up to them. "Ladies, I am Jel - Arik has sent me to ask you all to join him this evening for a chat." Eyebrows raised. "If you accept, I shall lead you to him immediately."

"We accept." They chimed, and rose from the table as one.

Nearby, an old enchantress was amused, and cast a bit of magic at them - synchronicity, until they attained their heart's desire. But what she did not count on was the fact that all they wanted was to have Arik as their own.

The festival days passed, and the girls were left under the tutelage of Two River's scholars, since they refused to be broken apart - or leave where Arik was.

Over time they became more synchronized than just their walking and dancing. Their metabolisms equalized, their heart rates and weights balanced out. It was strange. They even began to feel one another's pain and pleasure - it was almost as though they were one being in four bodies - except their minds were clearly separate.

Years passed. Their life with Arik could not have been any more pleasant. Until the fated day when R'lan and J'rin took Arik off to meet Discodanth. Jel tried his hardest to comfort the girls, but they were inconsolable. It took days to get them to return to any routine, and when word had reached them that A'rik would not be returning, they were shattered.

On this, the day before their 21st birthday - ironically the four shared the same natal day - everything had gone down the proverbial drain. A'rik had been gone better than six months, and they just couldn't take it anymore.

Keirya tried to boost the mood, but didn't expect it to work. "What do you want for our birthday, Aurina?"

"A'rik" she replied.

"Rufiara?"

"A'rik" she sobbed.

"Me too." The brunette said. "What about you, Brekey?"

"I want a dragon." She said, causing the other three to gasp. "A'rik has one. If we're going to get him back, we'll need wings to join in his airborne dance."

Within hours, four nearly identical women in clothes that would have been identical had they been the same color, stood before the door to Baeris' office. "Master Baeris, we would like to be candidates." The girls said.

"It's a bit more complicated of a process then that, ladies." Baeris replied.

"Master Baeris, we'll do anything." Aurina began, and the other three chimed in on the last word.

It wasn't long before they'd been properly searched and were esconced in the candidate quarters with the rest.

A'rik, who was currently residing at Ryslen, was wholly unaware of what his lovelies were up to.

Rufiara's Violet-purple Heliotropeth

Keirya's Forest Green Matsuth

Aurina's Cream Khakith

Brekey's Black-Green Verth

The picture was custom made by me using bits from Dollzmania. Please do not take it!

Background from Jezebel... a site for sore eyes.