The New Solare - 3. Chapter 3- Ilohir and Kelius

The following morning saw all of the astral dragons seated around a long, rectangular table. Ansar, naturally, sat next to Sindri. On Sindri's right was Ilohir, who had taken the initiative of starting their 'date' off as soon as possible. Madhal sat across from the apricot dragon, and the others were seated near their assigned room companions.

The jade dragon began the day by asking Sindri the questions instead of the other way around. "So, your people are supplied with water through wells?" He asked as he munched on his breakfast, intrigued. "Do you have any restrictions on the growth of the population? Is every family allowed only a certain amount of children?"

Sindri hid a grimace as he was tossed all of those questions right off the bat. Perhaps he was the one being questioned today? "That's right. We get it through wells. Not much water elsewhere in the desert, after all. Solare Vitara made sure that the well was constantly flowing during her term." He answered as he took a bite from his breakfast. Even as he chewed, the questions kept coming. He shook his head in a 'no' gesture before he swallowed. "No, there are no such restrictions. We have families like Ansar's that are rather large, where-as mine is made up of only my mother and myself."

Ilohir was curious as to what happened to Sindri's father, but he wisely chose to hold onto that question for a later date. When they were done with breakfast, his pale green eyes gave the apricot dragon their full attention. "Have you ever seen pine trees?" He asked as he led them outside. The jade dragon was feeling out of sorts in the fortress, but he imagined that all of the others felt the same.

Sindri followed Ilohir outside as they began to explore. "Actually, no, I haven't." He replied, his small, friendly smile in place. "Do you know where we can find them around here? I'd like to see a pine tree with my own eyes."

"Definitely," Ilohir stated. "Just follow me." He replied as he walked towards the tundra segment that touched the fortress. "I'm sure that most of us are already starting to feel homesick for their lands. Only you will feel homesick for an entire decade. We should be grateful to not be in your shoes."

Sindri felt his heart sink when Ilohir brought up the subject of homesickness. While he was happy to explore the places beyond his home biome, he knew that he would miss it. "I suppose you're right. But, in the end, we'll all get to see our homes again. So, we shouldn't get too upset, right? Speaking of homes, what's yours like?"

"Just like this," Ilohir explained as he motioned towards the pine trees in the tundra segment. "During winter, it snows so much that it coats everything in layers of white as far as the eye could see." He sat down on a large boulder and motioned for Sindri to sit next to him. "I can't imagine what it must feel like to be you right now. And, frankly, I wouldn't want to."

"Ah, I wish I could see snow up close. I've only ever read about it," Sindri admitted as he sat down next to the jade dragon.

Ilohir's gaze became distant as he gazed at the segment that was part of his home land. "Don't choose me. I ask this for both our sakes." He said in a serious tone. "I never would have imagined that I could miss the tundra so much and so quickly. I thought that I would be able to easily survive however many days it took for you to choose a life mate, but all of my thoughts are clouded with worry."

"That doesn't sound like mere homesickness to me. What is the source of your worries?" Sindri asked with a frown.

"My home biome has become unpredictable when it comes to the weather," Ilohir explained. "Storms and blizzards are familiar to us; they are simply a part of the colder seasons. But, the winters are becoming shorter. The air is drier. I worry that my biome might one day be as desolate as your own...and I mean no disrespect towards the desert."

"I understand." Sindri stood up straighter. He knew that this was merely one of the many things that he had to start looking into when he was officially the Solare. Ilohir simply wasn't ready to bear the responsibilities that came with having to live by the Solare's side. "Well, if you don't want to be my life mate, then may I ask what you look for in a friend?"

"In a friend? Perhaps simply the desire to become one," Ilohir replied with a relieved smile. "I would turn no one away from a friendship."

Ilohir and Sindri returned to the grand hall in time for lunch. Once again, the other Gallants (and Ansar) were seated around the same rectangular table. Ilohir took a seat across from the apricot dragon who, in turn, sat next to Ansar once more.

"Ansar, what would you say if I asked you to move here to Middlemost during my term as Solare?" Sindri asked in a low whisper.

"Me? Live here in civilization? Spare me," Ansar whispered back. They had only been there for a day and a half, and he already wanted to go home where he could have some of his freedom back. But, one solid look at his friend's face had him changing his tune. "I mean, I would if you needed me to. Is something wrong already?"

"You could say that," Sindri hinted.

Gallant Kelius immediately moved from where he was sitting and took the seat to Sindri's left. An unspoken agreement had been made amongst the Gallants to court the blonde dragon in half-day turns. They wanted to make the desert dragon's decision as painless as possible, but the majority of them were anxious to get everything over and done with as soon as possible.

Kelius himself was eager to spend as much private time with Sindri as he was allowed. "Do you like berries?" He purred as he held a strawberry to Sindri's lips.

Sindri's orange eyes settled on the copper dragon. He could feel his friend glaring at the Gallant as if he was getting to ready to protect him at a moment's notice. He let out a nervous laugh as he took the strawberry with his fingers. "Very much, actually. I like any that have a rich, juicy taste..." The only fruit he didn't like very much was bananas, but he really loved all sorts of other fruits.

A smirk formed on Kelius's lips when Sindri outright plucked the fruit from him to eat it instead of taking a bite out of it from his own hand. The blonde had spunk. He wanted nothing more than to get a rise out of him. "The juicy ones, huh?" He asked with a raise of an eyebrow. "I wonder what other juicy things you would like the taste of..." He purred into Sindri's webbed ear suggestively.

Sindri blinked in surprise as his cheeks began to heat up, already having an idea of what exactly he meant. "That's not something to be discussed at the table, Kelius." He scolded with a little hiss, though he was a bit too flustered to sound authoritative at the moment.

Ansar sent Kelius a suspicious glare after hearing his friend's reprimand. "Hey, you better keep those hands where Sindri can see them at ALL times, Gallant Kinky."

Kelius leaned with his elbow on the table to shoot Ansar a smug glance. "I'm sorry, last I checked, that would be Gallant Sindri's decision, not yours."

Ansar was just about to chuck some of his food at the offending face when Sindri stood up to leave. "So, where would you like to go?"

Kelius deliberated for a moment. If he spoke what was truly on his mind, he would tell the apricot dragon that he cared not where they went so long as they ended up on any surface so that he could have his wicked way with him. But, out loud he merely said, "Why don't you decide?"

He thought for a moment. "Well, I haven't seen the market yet. Care to check it out? We might find something interesting," The apricot dragon suggested.

"Sounds good to me," Kelius conceded as they headed out. He paused at the doorway, making sure that Sindri stepped out first, before blowing a teasing kiss to Ansar. He let out a soft chuckle when he heard something slap against the door as soon as he closed it.

Sindri couldn't believe how many people and venders took up the massive market. "I didn't expect it to be so crowded! Though this may be nothing compared to other tribes..." After all, the desert tribe wasn't as big as the others, so their market was quite a bit smaller in comparison.

"Here at Middlemost, everything is seven times bigger than any single tribe. It was made with all tribes in mind." Kelius pointed out. As they went from stall to stall, he kept a sharp eye for anything that stood out to the blonde. He certainly didn't want to be outdone by that Gallant Gonuret! He bought him a bracelet that the apricot dragon liked and made sure to clasp it to his wrist immediately. As they continued to walk, he slid his arm around Sindri's shoulders. "So, are my rivals giving you a hard time?"

Sindri did not expect Kelius to get him anything, so was surprised when the other Astral bought him the bracelet that he liked. "You didn't have to get me anything. But thank you," He began with a small smile. He felt the arm around his shoulders, but let him get away with just that. After all, it was far better than taking more devious liberties without his permission. "Trouble? Not really. Everyone's been kind so far." He paused to look up at him. "Hmm, you know a bit about me, but I don't know a thing about you. Is there anything you'd like for me to know?"

"I would prefer for you to find out for yourself," Kelius admitted. "But, I will warn you of a few things. I tend to get physical at times. It's how I show affection. I won't do anything you're too uncomfortable with, but I will keep pushing until I figure out what that limit is," He grinned in a shark-like manner. "And I'm not going to give up until the end with this. I've taken a liking to you."

Sindri blushed when Kelius confessed to liking him. "Well, I'm glad to hear that. I like to see some determination in others." He admitted. In fact, he found it admirable when a fellow dragon didn't give up easily. "Well then, I'll get right to the point. What do you look for in a lifemate?"

Kelius felt some hope rise inside him from Sindri's words. "Someone that can keep up with me," He replied after some thought. "Someone that would not hesitate to keep me in line if need be. And, so far, you seem like you have the right kind of strength of will to be such a person to me."

Sindri smiled at the compliment. "Well, I'm honored to hear that. You are a bit bold, but you seem like a pretty nice guy." Kelius didn't seem like a bad guy at all, just daring and straightforward.

The closer they got to the fortress, the fewer people they saw walking around. Kelius was already calculating when he could steal another kiss. "Oh?" Kelius teased. "And how do you know that I'm not just nice when it's convenient for me?" He began to realize that there was something about Sindri's nature that allowed others to open up to him. If he weren't careful, the blonde would steal his heart before he was ready to give it. "I'll tell you what, this time I'll ask first." A sexy smirk tugged at his lips. "Would you allow me a kiss goodnight? It doesn't have to be right here and now."

"Call it intuition. I have a feeling you're a nice guy deep down, at the very least." Sindri replied with a small, answering smirk of his own. They were near to the fortress entrance when Kelius spoke again. A kiss goodnight? "If you become my life mate, then yes. Until then, I can't agree. But..." He began as he gave him a gentle hug. "I can allow this for now."

Damn. Gallant Sindri was going to be dangerous for him, he just knew it, Kelius thought to himself even as his hands enveloped the apricot dragon in a return hug. "I accept only what you're willing to give," He pledged with a sigh. "Now, let's get you back before you skip dinner again."

A small smile formed on Sindri's face when Kelius accepted his conditions. "By the way, that's one of the reasons I believe you're secretly a nice guy." He said smugly before they headed inside. He was a bit surprised to hear that Kelius knew he had skipped dinner the night before. "How did...?"

Kelius let out a chuckle at the incredulous look on Sindri's face. "You were talking about it with Visionary Ansar in the hallway before we went to eat breakfast. That little friend of yours is rather loud, you know."

"O-oh, I see..." Sindri laughed a bit nervously. But, Kelius was right. He loved his friend dearly, but Ansar could sure be loud. He supposed that was one of the ways they balanced each other out.

::::::

Dinner was held at the ballroom that night. Once again, the Gallants sat beside the dragons that they were already familiar with. Ruthed and Ansar were exchanging parts of their dinner while Emyve looked on with a disapproving shake of his head. Madhal and Ilohir seemed to be carrying on a heavy conversation, from the serious expressions on their faces. Gonuret was lost in thought, but he immediately sent Sindri a welcoming smile as the blonde dragon sat across from him. "Did you have a pleasant evening, Gallant Sindri?"

The apricot dragon felt a bit worried seeing the serious expressions on Madhal and Ilohir's faces after what Ilohir had told him. But, he sent a Gonuret a smile in return with a nod. "I did. I've never seen such a busy marketplace. Though I worried, Kelius might go broke while we were there." He joked.

Before Gallant Gonuret could ask what he meant, Kelius gently tugged on Sindri's hand to show off the bracelet. "He's talking about this gift I bought him," Kelius boasted to Gonuret. "It will certainly last longer than any flower, I would say." He added in a scoff.

Gonuret's expression was guarded, but his hand seemed to hold onto his fork a little tighter. "I see." His slate gray eyes locked onto Sindri's orange ones for a moment and he gave a slight nod. "I could never hold a grudge against an inanimate object. The bracelet looks lovely on you. It can't very well be blamed for being purchased by a conniving Gallant."

"Call me conniving one more time. I dare you." Kelius's voice fell to a low growl.

"This sort of behavior is unbecoming of Gallants, the representatives with the weight of entire biomes on their shoulders," Emyve spoke up from where he was sitting. His voice was deep and carried effortlessly down the entire table.

Ruthed and Ansar stopped playing with their food as they gaped at the redhead, as it was the first time either of them had heard him speak. Ilohir's gaze fell to the tablecloth in embarrassment while Madhal closed his open mouth.

Emyve stood up and walked over to Sindri. He gave him a bow of greeting and pulled out a chair for him, making sure to tuck it back in as the apricot dragon finally sat down. "Where are our manners? We should all be ashamed of ourselves." He concluded before taking his seat once more. In the past, the Gallants would refuse to touch their food until the Solare representative took a bite of his own. They would also stand whenever the Solare representative entered the room, out of respect. Though times changed with each new generation, Emyve still felt strongly about such traditions.

Sindri felt bad for even bringing the subject of shopping up. Those two were starting to get at it! He was about to tell them to stop when Emyve, of all the Gallants, put everyone in their place. Sindri even felt like he almost got scolded, too. After he was seated, he looked towards Kelius and Gonuret. "I can't ask you two to get along. But, please, refrain from any form of conflict when I'm around. I'd rather not see a bloodbath if I can help it."

"I apologize," Gonuret stated softly.

"Yeah, you're not worth getting in a tizzy over." Kelius drawled as he finally sat down next to Sindri.

Dinner was a quiet affair after that. Everyone ate solemnly and, one by one, began to depart for the night.