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Xalia
Xalia groaned and rubbed at her temples as her headache flaired up so bad she though she would keel over. Perhaps she should talk to the weyrhealer about it, but she'd ask him another time, tonight all she wanted to do was sleep. She went into her private bathing room and scowled as she saw the mess F'rol had left there. She was getting sick of her Weyrleader. He never slept in her bed anymore but he insisted on using her bathing room and leaving it a wreck. There were little hairs everywhere from him trimming his beard and wet towels shoved in a corner. Plus there were puddles of water on the floor that he hadn't bothered to mop up. "I know my bathing room is the nicest in the Weyr but if he's not going to share my bed why do I have to share my bath?" she grumbled as she picked up the now mildew-scented towels and used them to sop up as much water as she could. She grabbed a smaller one and tried to get all the little hairs up. She was unsuccessful and stood, wearily dragging herself back into the weyr to call down the shaft to the headwoman, Piliana. "Piliana, send up a drudge to clean my bathing room, would you?" Nothing but silence answered her request but she was too tired to realize this might mean there was no one down there and went to collapse in one of her comfy chairs. She smiled slightly as she sat there in the chair's enveloping softness. It was a shame she had such comfortable chairs when she was never permitted the time to enjoy them. That was the last thought that filtered through her mind before she drifted off to sleep. She woke several hours later with a crick in her neck from the way it had fallen against the back of the chair. She frowned grogily and reached up to rub at the stiff muscles as she looked around in confusion. Finally realizing she'd fallen asleep waiting for the drudges to come she got up and walked into the bathing room, assuming they'd come and gone without waking her. She found to her shock and disbelief that the drudges had not come to clean up the mess in her bathing room and she immediately returned to the shaft to call down again. "Piliana!" she yelled down and heard nothing. Scowling she yelled again, "Piliana? Would someone down there answer me?" "Piliana is not here, Weyrwoman, she left with the Weyrleader hours ago," came a timid voice. "Can I do anything for you?" The last part was lost to Xalia's ears though as all she heard was the rush of blood in her ears as her face flushed with anger. It was one thing to know your weyrmate no longer shared your bed, it was quite another to find out he was sharing someone else's. And the Headwoman's at that! She had always thought of Piliana as a friend! How could the woman do this to her? But Xalia should have known. She'd seen the way F'rol flirted with everyone. She'd even shipped off one of the weyrbrats recently because she'd been led to believe F'rol had taken a liking to the girl. Xalia felt the anger draining from her body as her thoughts shifted directions. She sank back into the chair she'd been occupying and sighed heavily. She and F'rol had never really had a happy relationship. He was too much of a flirt and truly as a Weyrleader he shirked many of his duties. Xalia sighed and resigned herself to having to wait things out. Frinaith would rise again eventually and then she would hope for a change in the Weyrleadership. She would throw open the flight and allow any bronze to chase. She only hoped Frinaith would rise again before long. Almost as if in answer to her thoughts Frinaith stirred and woke, complaining grumpily that the stone in her weyr was too hard. Xalia, you really need to find a more comfortable location for our weyr, this stone is far too lumpy and hard! "Then change positions dearheart," replied Xalia, still lost in her own thoughts. But the stone in the comfortable spot is too cold. I need a stone warmer. Where's that great lout Dritenth when I need him? "I don't recall you thinking he was a 'great lout' when you let him fly you, my dear," said Xalia casually, still not quite registering her dragon's tone. As if he could ever do it again. I despise him, and all the other bronzes here. They are not worthy of us! That was when it registered and Xalia sat bolt upright in her chair. She turned to look out at Frinaith on her stone couch and saw the dragon's tail twitching and the way her eyes were swirling with a touch of angry red. Eyes wide, more with excitement than shock, though she definitely felt both, she got up and walked out to stroke her dragon's eye ridges. "Don't worry, Frinaith, we'll find you a fantastic mate. We'll throw open the flight and get a truly great leader in here. Have no fear, dearheart, we'll find someone worthy..." The queen seemed at the least a bit mollified by this thought though she added one more thought as she drifted back to sleep. I still don't think any of them are worthy of us... |
