(Oh, dearies! My cruelty has never seen a greater height than my leaving you with nothing for so long! I hope you will forgive me once you read this. I could give you excuses, but instead I shall give you chapters. Enjoy!)

Mercy stood in silence, her anger building with every moment the stubborn brownrider continued looking away from her and saying nothing. He had to speak, at least say something! But, as he did not, she decided that she would. His loss, as her words would not be kind. She knew it just by the way they felt on her tongue even before they had been uttered.

"Do you have any idea how much I went through to get to you?" Her voice was dangerously calm, and that only served to underline the storm that was about to erupt from her. "First you worry me sick, then you bloody fly away!" She turned to look at him and, seeing as he was still looking away, she growled. The feral sound forced him to turn his head and face her, and her anger. "I nearly fell to my death twice during this flight, and why? Because you decided to leave me! Shards, you idiot! What were you expecting, that I'd just stay behind like an obedient watch-wher?" She caught her breath for a moment, but the silence was long enough for him to break in.

"It wasn't your burden to bear." His first words were a mumble, but then he caught her eyes, and his own rage was ablaze, fed by years of frustrations and horror. "Faranth's egg, Mercy, you didn't have to follow!" He stood up, the gloves falling to the sand. Their dragons only watched, careful not to interfere, as their riders finally gave in to feelings and frustrations they'd been holding back for far too long. "I would have found myself somewhere peaceful and stayed low. You needn't ever have worried!"

"That's the single most stupid thing I have ever heard! I hate that weyr, and you bloody know it!" Mercy retorted, taking a threatening step closer to him. Neither of them blinked. "You brought me there, so you can't just leave me!"

"Mercy-" he began, but she cut him off.

"No. Shut up! I don't want to hear your excuses! Because you know what? They won't do!"

"Mercy-"

"No! I told you-" She was silenced as he suddenly stepped forward and grasped her shoulders tightly, looking deep into her eyes.

"Mercy, listen to me!" He waited for a moment to ensure that she would not interrupt him again. "I didn't mean to leave for good. Neath is young, and you hadn't flown yet, I couldn't bring you with me." He swallowed once, taking a deep breath as though he was gathering strength, or courage. "I was going to tell you once I'd found somewhere safe. I would have asked you to come with me."

"No you wouldn't." She sounded bitter, and the hint of deep sadness in her voice stung his heart. He knew it was at least partially true.

"Not at first, no. But eventually. Once Neath had matured, before she…" He didn't continue, it would sound wrong. However, he couldn't deny that he had feared the day the green dragon would rise. There were few kind partners to be had in the southern weyr, and he had to admit, with some guilt, that he wished for that privilege himself. As much as he wished it was not so, for her sake, he could not deny it.

"Before she rises." Mercy finished his sentence, looking away as she felt an unexplained rush of hot blood run to her cheeks. She hadn't thought of that, but he was right. She wanted to be out of that weyr before Neath rose to mate – she didn't want to be engulfed in the throes of mating with any of the riders there. Except, of course, she realised with a pounding heart, Z'ev.

The brownrider, realising that him holding her shoulders so tightly was getting awkward, let go of her. He hesitated a moment before he spoke again. "Yes. But now, that plan will no longer do. You must go back to the weyr, and if you will not leave without me, then I must go too." He spoke with regret, as though he had suddenly lost more than just his own freedom. As though there was something more precious to him now.

"No." Mercy surprised even herself with her sudden outburst, but then her expression softened and she looked at Z'ev again. "No. None of us can return to that place, not now that we've realised how wrong it is." She said, her voice tough with decisiveness. He looked at her with a mix of surprise and worry, as though he was not sure she was quite well. "What do you mean…?"

"We'll both go. We'll search for a peaceful place together, and we'll create our own weyr." Her anger had disappeared, and now she spoke with eagerness and resolve, determined to convince him to follow her idea. "Don't you see? We would start alone, of course, but there are others who want the same as we! Some of the weyrlings, riders from your wing-"

"Hold on, hold on." He stopped her eager speech with a frown. "A new weyr? To rival the southern? Are you mad?" For a brief moment she thought he would scold her and send her home, and her hope began to diminish. Then he grinned broadly and, with no warning, grasped her waist, lifted her and swung her around. She shrieked once, in surprise, but when he laughed she couldn't help but answer with her own glee and relief.

"That's brilliant!" He said as he gently put her down again, his hands still on her waist to keep her steady while she recovered from his sudden ecstasy. "Simple, bold and brilliant!" He looked like he was about to embrace her for a moment, then his expression fell and he let go of her. She looked at him with a pout and a raised eyebrow, eyeing him for a moment before she rolled her eyes and threw herself into his arms. He took a step back, almost falling as he managed, in spite of his surprise, to catch her. She smiled as he held her, both her arms wrapped securely around his neck.

"I know. Now hold me, you stupid, stubborn, idiotic man."