A/N: This chapter will have a little D/N fluff, since I fear Crazy Horse Girl. Gracias to her for beta'ing!

Chapter 4

Daine, Sarra and Rikash in tow, made her way back to the rooms she and Numair were using. Sarra was protesting heavily at having to leave the fight, she was just as curious and precariously annoying as Kit. Rikash was crying out of hunger and need for sleep. Sarra broke free of her mother's hold as soon as they were in the right rooms. She began to rummage in the fruit basket for grapes. Daine sighed heavily and pulled out a cluster for her to munch on. She set Rikash to nursing as she herself grabbed a book to read. Sarra started to play with one of the toy stormwings one of the craftsmen had made her. As she pushed up and down on the head, making it hover above the ground, the door opened again.

Daine didn't even look up from her reading, since the footfalls of Numair were distinctly uneven from a skirmish on the borders that had gotten him an arrow through the thigh for his troubles. A large, weathered hand reached down to stroke his son, now asleep.

"She never would let them come to harm, you know that."

Daine sighed, and set down her book. "I know she wouldn't. I know that she means only the best when she lets them ride her. I know it! But for some reason I feel like she's putting them in danger every time she does it. I've become as over-protective as Alanna and Thayet, even when I promised myself I wouldn't. Now Dragonfly's probably going to disappear again." Daine's grey-blue eyes looked up to meet Numair's black ones.

"I don't know. She may or she may not. And yes, we're both over protective. It comes with being a parent, I think," Numair replied. He gently picked up Rikash, before settling him in his cradle. Sarra, still munching her grapes, trotted over to look at her little brother. The little girl's eyes were inquisitive.

"Mommy?"

"Yes, Sarra?"

"Is Rikash gonna have to leave for the universty' some day?"

"If he's as powerful as Daddy, he probably will. You could too, if you wanted to." Daine picked her up and began to wipe the sticky grape sap off of her daughter. "But that's a long time from now."

"And we don't want you leaving any sooner than you have to." Numair remarked. He followed Daine as she settled Sarra into her own, small bed. They both kissed her good night, before closing the door and going into their own room.

"She's two and thinking of leaving…" Daine murmured forlornly. Numair gathered her up in his arms, resting his chin on her curly, brown hair.

"You're worrying about something that won't happen for many, many years. You need rest, Daine." He kissed the top of her head sweetly, smelling the sandalwood soap she used in it.

"I know, I know."

"No, I don't think you do. Not the way you need to. Our children will someday leave home to make paths for themselves, Daine. You know that and I know that. But you shouldn't worry about it the way you do. Sarra and Rikash will grow up to be respectable human beings if we have any say in the matter and you're worrying your head over nothing." Numair held her our and made her look at him. "You worry about things you shouldn't worry about, sometimes, I think, for the sake of worrying about something."

"I didn't used to be like this. You bring out the worst in me," Daine replied coyly.

"That's who I married," Numair smiled. "An impertinent minx with absolutely no cares in the world."

"I've never been carefree, you know that."

"Maybe not care FREE, but certainly not slowed by her cares." He leaned over to kiss her, his lips brushing her hair, eyes, and finally her lips. His hand was loosening the ties on the back of her dress as hers worked on his belt. The kissing, became more and more passionate, and Daine could feel her skin heat up with each brush of his hand over her back. She buried her head in his bare chest, feeling safe, feeling like she wasn't alone in this foreign country. That's when a loud THUNK and a shriek echoed through the pavilion. Daine's dress was sliding off her body, along with Numair's pants when Sarra came screeching in.

"MOMMY! DADDY!" She came in, and her eyes got to the size of saucers. The thunk was forgotten. "What cha doing?"

Daine was horrified. Her two year old daughter was seeing something that no little girl should ever, ever see. There was really no way to explain the fact that her mommy and daddy were about to have carnal relations.

The humiliation was not complete yet, however. Dragonfly, long hair flying behind her, pajamas wrinkled, feet stuffed into Santa hat wearing penguin slippers, slid into the room after Sarra. Normally, she would have caught herself before actually hitting the floor on her side. However, the sight of Daine and Numair half-naked captured her attention a moment too long, so she was unable to catch herself. She landed flat on her back.

"Sarra, next time you want your parents, I suggest you knock first."

Daine was turning red, and Numair's eyes had actually surpassed his daughter's in relative size. Dragonfly, seeing that this was going nowhere, grabbed the little girl and dragged her out of the room. "Your mommy and daddy are busy right now, sweetie. The thunk was just a painting falling off the wall in the wind, nothing to worry your pretty little head about."

In the grand tradition of heavy sleepers in the Salmalín family, Rikash hadn't woken up. Dragonfly, with a last smirk, shut the door. They could hear voices coming from the children's room now; Alanna, George, Sir Myles, and his wife had all come to see what had happened. Daine could hear Dragonfly making the quick explanation of where Daine and Numair were, without going into any detail. The voices dissipated, and doors shut as everyone went back to bed. Daine peered out, to see Sarra and Rikash both fast asleep again. Daine sighed and sank back into Numair's arms. This time, they locked the door…

Dragonfly trudged back to her own bedroom. She'd managed to procure a pizza through less that legal means, now she sat down on her bed, which she'd dyed lime green to match her bed at home, and started to eat her spoils. Meat Lover's was her favorite, and she was drinking the Diet Mountain Dew Code Red by the gallon. Her laptop was on, and she was listening to the Simple Plan's Welcome to My Life. A knock on the door interrupted her musings, and she went to get it.

"Hello?" She opened the door, to find herself looking at the mage she'd fought with that afternoon. "Oh, it's you…"

She noticed he was doing something with his hands, and her mind flew back to what she'd learned from Numair so long ago about hand signals. Her mind, dulled by chick flicks and too much pizza, managed to get the gist of it after he repeated it for the 3rd time.

I wanted to apologize for this afternoon, I made a mistake. Was what Dragonfly thought he was saying.

"It's not a problem, really. Don't worry about it. We were both stupid." She smiled a little, then motioned for him to come in. She shut the door again.

She sat back down on her bed, and paused her movie. He took another chair.

You're not going to kill me or anything? Your temper is as legendary as your powers. He asked.

"Aren't you forward! No, I'm not going to kill you or anyone else while I'm here. Well, anyone except Kaddar. Bloody git."

Why do you hate him?

"You've never heard the stories? I'm surprised. I thought all of the Eastern and Southern lands had heard about the great spat between the Dragonfly and the Emperor." Ysul shook his head no. "Well, I suppose it can't hurt to tell you. He took me back to Carthak after I'd fulfilled my missions. I didn't want to go back to my world anymore. He said he loved me. Said he wanted to marry someone powerful who could help him protect his people. Well, six months later I heard from an ambassador that he and Kali were engaged. I ran away."

You didn't know up until then? But those talks were taking place for years. Ysul signed.

"They were. But no one took the time to tell the love struck mage that." Dragonfly sighed. "Second best, like always." The song blared on.

Ysul looked around for the source of the music. Where's that coming from?

"Hmm? Oh. I forget you're not used to my gadgets. It's a CD player." She held out one of her cases. He looked at it curiously, before handing it back to her.

What's that? He pointed to her laptop, where she had started to play The Stepford Wives.

"It's a laptop computer. For playing games, writing things, playing movies, that sort of junk." He peered at the screen for a moment, where she'd paused an image of Glen Close in the book club scene. She hit play again, and Ysul nearly jumped out of his skin when it began to move.

Dragonfly laughed as his hand hit the pizza box. She pulled it out of the way before he fell on it, and saved her glass of bright red soda as well. She jammed a piece of pizza in her mouth after using a charm to warm it up. She handed him a piece as well, and he looked at her like she was crazy.

"I'm not trying to poison you, I swear."

He took a bite. Where on earth did this come from? It's not bad.

Dragonfly tried to look innocent. "I went back to my world for a bit. There's just no pizza parlors here."

Ysul nodded. You're not what I expected.

"I'm never what anyone expects. If I was, then I'd be predictable, and I hate being predictable."

He chuckled silently.

"I don't mean to pry, exactly. But I'm curious. How did you loose…?

King Oron's torturers, when I was little. They thought I was a spy, or rather, Oron did. The torturer's knew I wasn't, but they didn't care. My mother tried everything to get it back. Spells, hedge witches, everything. Never came to much. I wasn't even supposed to live. But I did. He pulled down the collar on his jacket. His neck was a mass of scar tissue. Dragonfly's eyes widened and she gasped. It hurts sometimes, even now.

"That's awful," Dragonfly murmured. She met his gaze, "May I?"

He nodded, unsure of what she was going to do. Her hand gently rested on his neck, lime colored fire rippled gently into his skin. The sore pain that had always been resting just below the surface dissipated for the first time in a very long time. Some of the scars

disappeared. Her hand came away, and he missed it's warmth.

"Did that do anything?"

He nodded, his eyes wide. It's not sore anymore. Thank you. You're a healer too? No one ever mentioned that.

"Alanna the Lioness taught me, long ago. It comes in handy during battles, being able to heal yourself." She grinned impishly. "How old are you?"

21 in November. You?

"I'm 18 since last May." She smiled.

I'm tired, and I should let you get back to what ever you were doing. He picked up her hand and kissed it. I'm sure we'll get other opportunities to talk during your stay.

"I'm sure we will." She opened the door for him. "Good night, Ysul."

Good night, Dragonfly. He signed as he walked away.

A/N:. Please Review!