The New Solare - 4. Chapter 4- Emyve and Ruthed

The next morning, Sindri was up like clockwork. He stretched and got ready to meet everyone for breakfast. He hoped that breakfast wasn't as quiet and awkward an affair as dinner was the night before. He finished up his morning routine and changed before heading for the door to leave his room. But, as soon as he turned the doorknob, he felt someone from the other side turning it at the same time. When he finally got the door open, he saw Ansar waiting for him. "Oh, hey. How long were you waiting outside my door?" Usually, he was the one that always sought out Ansar in the mornings, not the other way around.

"Shhhhh!" Ansar hissed before promptly grabbing Sindri by the elbow and all but dragging him into a large linen closet several hallways down. He propped the door closed with one of the smaller cabinets before turning towards his friend with a big grin on his face. "Well, you're halfway through the Gallants! How were numbers one through three? Fill me in, were any of them interesting?" He asked, curiosity bleeding through the tone of his voice. "I've been hanging out with Ruthed most of the time. And though he's fun, he's hardly lifemate material, let alone Lunare material. But, I'll leave that decision up to you. I've been trying to spy on Madhal, but lately, all he's been doing is talking with Ilohir up and down..."

Sindri had gasped when Ansar had hauled him over to a linen closet? He couldn't help but shake his head at his friend's curiosity. "I don't think I'm supposed to tell, but if you can keep it to yourself..." He began as he pondered over what to tell him. "Well, out of the ones that I've gone out with so far...I guess I like Kelius the best? I liked Madhal, but there just didn't seem to be any of that type of connection for me. And Ilohir asked that I not pick him." He added, giving him some of the details that he could.

Ansar clutched his shirt over his chest as if he was in the middle of a heart attack. "K-K-Kelius!?" He hissed. "You've got to be joking! He's nothing but a complete and utterly perverted jerk!" He whined as he thought back to all the times that Kelius sneakily played around with him whenever Sindri wasn't looking. "I mean, do you have any idea how many times..." He trailed off as he took in Sindri's confused expression and sighed. "Darn. I guess I don't have much of a say in any of this...so, I'll just have to deal with it in the end if you really do choose Gallant Kinky, of all people."

"Thank you for your overflowing consent," Sindri replied sarcastically with mirth in his voice as he tried not to laugh too hard about his best friend's antics. "But, as I tried to explain before Ansar, I only meant that I liked Kelius best out of the first three. There's someone else that I think might be a good competitor already...but, I shouldn't make that decision based off of only a few exchanges," The blonde reminded him. "I'm only halfway through this."

"A-ha!" Ansar practically squealed as he reached out to take both of Sindri's hands in his. "So, there IS someone you're starting to like other than Kelius!" The creme-hued dragon's tail began to swish behind him in excitement. "Who is it?" He asked, but before he was able to receive an answer, one of the maids of the fortress began to knock on the linen closet. "Darn. Guess we'll have to continue this another time."

The seating arrangements were similar that morning to the way they were before, except that Emyve took it upon himself to sit between Kelius and Gonuret to keep a closer eye on them. As soon as Sindri neared the table, all of the Gallants stood up. Perhaps the redhead's words from the night before struck a chord with all of them.

Sindri was a bit caught off guard at such a show of respect. But, he recovered quickly and smiled at them. "Good morning, everyone." He greeted as he sat down with Ansar. His gaze fell on Emyve, noting that he made himself a buffer between Kelius and Gonuret. He felt a bit more relieved, having high hopes that they would behave at the table this time.

After a rather peaceful breakfast, Emyve stood from his seat and held out his hand politely for Sindri to take so that he could help him out of his seat. "Please, allow me." He then led the apricot dragon to a library within the fortress. No one was around, so they didn't have to worry about speaking too loudly.

"Wow, they have quite the selection here!" The apricot dragon gasped as he tried to hide his excitement at seeing so many books in one place. His home biome had archives with brittle scrolls and far fewer sturdy books. Sindri secretly loved to read anything that he could get his hands on. He was in the process of taking a book to browse through when Emyve spoke; more than he had ever spoken to Sindri before.

"The fissures underwater in my home biome have been unusually active, drawing forth magma." The burgundy dragon informed immediately. "Similar strange occurrences seem to be happening on a world-wide scale." His intelligent purple eyes gazed into Sindri's. "I know that choosing a life mate is very difficult, but I do suggest that you don't take longer than necessary in your decision."

"Ilohir was saying the same thing about his home...If they're happening on a world wide scale, do you think it could be due to a similar source?"

"I thought so too," Emyve explained as he reached over to pull out a book above Sindri's head. As he leaned over, the distance between their bodies dwindled down to a close inch. He smiled when he saw the apricot dragon flatten himself against the shelf. His blush was rather adorable, but he quickly pulled back to open the book to the pages he wanted to show him. "Right here it talks of the Astral Princess and her collision. We were taught that our ancestors knew nothing about technology, so they merely documented it as a 'Grand Earthquake that tore up the ground.'"

Sindri nodded, recalling the stories that the teachers had taught him when he was younger.

"Since then, we know that the biomes have constantly been moving in their own separate lithospheric sections." Emyve continued. "But, they've always only moved in slow, clockwise circles. Before coming here, I've noticed that a large space has been forming on the complete opposite central point of our planet. Something is causing the segments to slide down."

"I wonder when all of this began to affect everyone on such a scale," Sindri pondered aloud. "I haven't heard about such rumors in my village, but it could be because the elderly might have been trying to keep the younger Visionaries from worrying." He had even noticed that his own mother seemed to have been hiding something from him before he departed to Middlemost. Sindri hadn't thought much of it at the time, but now the changes in the planet were apparent to everyone.

"No one can pinpoint a specific time frame," Emyve replied. "For all we know, this may have begun centuries before we were even born. We're only now noticing its effects." He placed a hand on Sindri's shoulder. "When I've gathered enough information about what all of us have seen in our biomes, I will report to Solare Vitara so that she may begin to discuss it with the Sentains. You don't have to bear this alone."

Hearing the assurance in Emyve's voice, Sindri felt for the umpteenth time that perhaps he might not have been the best choice to take on the role of the new Solare…the redhead before him seemed to be so much better for the part. "I only barely noticed that something was off in the desert. I hadn't even heard of such severe changes elsewhere." He felt his heart sink a little at the thought of being unsuited for his position. But, he felt grateful to have such guidance early on by dragons such as Emyve. "Thank you. That helps more than you know."

Emyve felt that it was time to change the subject. He didn't want Gallant Sindri to worry too much too soon. "Gallant Sindri," He called softly as he walked with him to a spiral staircase that led to the second floor of the library, which was an open dome that allowed the sunlight inside. He pulled up a chair for Sindri to sit at one of the round tables near the center. "What do you look for in a lifemate?"

Hearing his question of choice, Sindri laughed a little. "I'm the one who's supposed to be asking you that." He thought for a moment about how to answer the same question that he had been asking Gallant after Gallant. A faint image of the Gallants that he liked the best so far popped into his mind, causing him to blush. "Ah...I don't think I can give you an answer. I would hate for one of you to start acting like someone you truly aren't." He admitted in a serious tone. "But, what about you?"

"You would subject me to the one question you don't want to answer. The reason I asked you was simply so that you can reflect on how difficult that question truly is. Try not to make an unwise decision based solely on the answers to that question." Emyve advised. "As for me, I am old enough to understand that what I would WANT in a lifemate is not necessarily what I would truly NEED." His hyacinth purple eyes took on a sad demeanor. "For example, I might love literature and might prefer solitude. But one shouldn't have to live alone, lifemate or not."

"All that I know for certain is that no matter who I pick for my lifemate, I hope that all of you will at least be cordial. Not only with me but with each other." Sindri said with a slight frown. "And you are right; no one should have to live alone. Not when they don't truly want to be."

"Please don't frown; it would cause me much worry if you were to be troubled over me." The redhead revealed. "I'm sure that the others would agree that you have a gorgeous smile. As Gallants, we would prefer to always see that smile on your face, regardless of who you choose for Lunare." He stood up and once again extended his hand to help Sindri pull himself up. "I've taken up enough of your time. Gallant Ruthed is an impatient dragon."

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When they entered the ballroom for lunch, Ruthed was indeed the first person to greet them. "You know, for a redhead, you sure are predictable," Ruthed said as he folded his arms in front of him. "You brought him exactly on time, but not a minute sooner." He tossed Sindri a smile even as he sent Emyve a saucy wink. "Come on, let's eat so that we can have some real fun."

Sindri laughed a little nervously when he heard the aquamarine dragon's comments. But, he nodded and returned the smile. "I'm looking forward to it."

Everyone stood up once again for Sindri when he walked in with Emyve for lunch. This time, Ansar was seated on the complete opposite end from where Kelius sat. His entire face was glowing in a pink hue as he glared at the auburn-haired dragon. Gonuret, wanting to avoid trouble as well, was seated near Ansar and away from Kelius. Kelius decided to take the time to acquaint himself better with Madhal and Ilohir. Emyve took a seat next to Kelius while Ruthed sat next to him.

"Since Ansar and I are banned from not only the kitchen now, but the staff room as well…" Ruthed began. "I suggest that we take our date outside to the farmland to look at all the animals!"

Sindri felt a bit better about some of the seating arrangements, hoping that maybe they could keep the peace going. His gaze fell on his beige friend as he wondered what could have happened for the brunette dragon to have such an expression on his face. "That sounds fine to me. I like animals." He replied to Ruthed with a small smile.

"I wonder what kind of moon will be out tonight," Kelius mused aloud, his volume high enough to be heard from across the table as a devious smirk formed on his face. "I know that sometimes the moon is still visible during the day." The smirk widened as he shot a knowing glance in Ansar's direction.

"Forget this!" Ansar huffed and slammed his fork onto the table, storming out of the ballroom in a huff, lunch completely forgotten and his face a bright red.

Ruthed found himself blushing a bit, as well. "I'll explain all of that when we're out of here," He whispered to Sindri.

Sindri was stunned when Ansar slammed his fork onto the table and stormed off. "Ansar!?" He questioned, but the yellow-eyed dragon showed no sign of stopping. The blonde frowned and glanced at Ruthed when the other dragon began to whisper to him. Though he gave the teal-haired dragon a nod, it felt rather strange to be eating lunch without his best friend in the room.

When they all finished their meals, Sindri followed Ruthed to the farmlands. As soon as they were far enough not to be heard, he looked towards the other dragon. "Alright, tell me what happened. Why did Ansar storm off like that?"

Ruthed lifted himself onto one of the sturdy fence posts, urging Sindri to sit beside him as he glanced out at the pastures. Several cows reclined leisurely in the cool shade of the trees. "Ansar and I became fast friends from the moment he became my roommate," He began as he gently kicked his hanging legs and sent Sindri a wink. "We explored a different part of the fortress every couple of hours. We got into trouble in the kitchen when they finally caught us sneaking out snacks." His face fell a bit as he continued. "But, earlier today was a bit worse…"

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"That must be where all of the maids change into their uniforms," Ruthed whispered.

"The uniforms sure make them look good," Ansar whispered back. The two of them were peering around the corner of the hallway at the staff room as girls rushed in to change and came back out for work. "I think just about anyone would look good in that uniform," Ansar concluded.

"I bet that I'd look better than YOU would in one of those maid uniforms," Ruthed challenged as the last maid left the staffroom.

"You wish!" Ansar snickered. The two of them rushed into the staffroom to test out their theory.

Kelius caught sight of the tip of Ansar's beige tail just as it disappeared into the staffroom. He rose an auburn eyebrow and began to turn into that hallway to find out what the two dragons were up to.

Inside the staffroom, Ruthed and Ansar tied each other's aprons as they looked themselves over. They were quite a sight in the dresses and ruffles. And neither of them could stop giggling.

"I think you're right," Ruthed replied in between the laughter. "You're shorter, so it suits you better!"

Kelius was quiet and stealthy as he snuck up behind them. Unable to resist the temptation, he reached down and flipped Ansar's skirts up high. The beige tail shot straight up in shock, and crimson eyes widened at what the skirts revealed. "Well, well…what a lovely well-rounded, pale full moon. I never pegged you to be the type of dragon that didn't wear any underwear!"

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"Ansar's loud screech alerted the maids down the other hallway, and we were banned from yet another part of the fortress," Ruthed finished.

Sindri listened to the story, laughing a bit at first. He couldn't believe the two put those uniforms on! "That certainly explains things..." He sighed, hoping that his friend was alright. Knowing Ansar, the beige dragon would get over it eventually. He smiled at Ruthed. "Well, regardless of such events, I thank you for being such a good friend to him during my absence. I'm not sure how he feels, but I've missed having him around."

"He misses you too," Ruthed pointed out. "All he talks about are all the fun times you had starting from your childhood. He was kind of glad when you asked him to stay here during your term as Solare. He didn't want to leave without you."

"Really...?" Sindri asked, happy to hear that. He then hopped off the fence and held a hand out for Ruthed to join him. "Anyways, want to go look at the animals?"

Ruthed took Sindri's hand when it was offered and hopped off the fence as well. "Want to help me adopt a rabbit? They didn't say we couldn't have pets at the fortress!"

The blonde laughed. "That's true. But, to be safe, we should make sure that it's male. How do you plan on getting one?"

"From one of the barns, of course!" Ruthed said as if it were common knowledge. "Oh, that's right, your bullet train didn't pass by the barns on the way in. I saw all kinds of animals in the barns when I first arrived."

"They would actually let you take one?" Sindri asked, a bit surprised. Then again, many animals in the farms were sold. "Well then, let's take a look at them" He conceded with a smile, secretly excited about the prospect of holding one of the rabbits.

The honey-eyed dragon grinned as they neared one of the barns. He peered at a sign overhead. He threaded his fingers through his bangs to pull the wispy strands out of his eyes as he read. "Yep, this looks like the place." The barn was lined with rabbits of all kinds in a variety of burrows.

The caretaker beamed as she saw them. She was a pink dragon with fuchsia hair and lilac eyes. In her arms, she held a purple lop-eared rabbit. "Welcome! Are you both here to adopt? Feel free to look around!"

"I'm just following him around. He's the one that's really interested," Sindri told her as he smiled at the purple rabbit in her arms that twitched its nose at them. "Any of them catching your eye?" He asked Ruthed.

The caretaker pouted. "Why that's nonsense," She huffed as she placed the purple rabbit down and carefully placed a white one in Sindri's arms. "They need a loving home. I won't take 'no' for an answer. Each of you must pick one."

"But I, ah…" Sindri stuttered, but the woman had placed a white rabbit in his arms before he could fully protest. He blinked as he gazed down at the grey-eyed thing, smiling a little at it. "Oh, alright. But just this one, please. I'm not sure if I could care for more than one."

Ruthed snickered, leaving Sindri to his distress as he browsed all of the other rabbits that were up for adoption. A brown rabbit with red spots and purple eyes drew his attention. "Would you look at that!" He gently stroked one of the brown ears. "Doesn't he remind of you of Emyve somehow?"

Sindri carefully carried his new rabbit with him as he peered over Ruthed's shoulder. He caught sight of the brown rabbit and laughed. "He kind of does. And this one reminds me of Gonuret. I wonder if we can find the others in bunny form here."

A wide grin formed on Ruthed's face. "Let's take pictures of them," He suggested as he pulled out a camera from one of his pouches. "We'll start with that one," He pointed out a golden yellow lop-eared rabbit. "That's Sindri Rabbit." He declared as he snapped a picture. "Ansar will get a kick out of seeing these. Think we should bring him one?"

Sindri watched as Ruthed started to take pictures of them all. "Ah, yeah. He'd probably like that; especially if he's coming to stay here with me. He might like another friend around, albeit a small one." He answered with a small smile. "You must really like animals? You seem even more lively around them."

"Yep!" Ruthed admitted as he continued to take pictures of all the rabbits that resembled Gallants. They found Ruthed's counterpart in a teal-hued rabbit with light brown eyes. They found Ilohir's counterpart in a blue rabbit with pale green paws.

"We've found just about everyone, didn't we?" Sindri asked with a small laugh, looking down and seeing that his own rabbit had fallen asleep in his arms.

The two of them stopped when they came across two rabbits sleeping a few feet away from each other. One was a creme yellow with one brown ear and brown paws. The other was a dark orange-red with red ears and a red underside. "Are both of these male?" Ruthed asked, feeling goosebumps along his arms.

"The creme one's female." The caretaker said as she peered over at the sleeping rabbits. "The ginger one is male."

Ruthed reached down to softly pet the red underside of the sleeping rabbit. The rabbit blinked open its red eyes and peered up at him. "We'll take him."

Sindri gaped at the one that Ruthed had picked for Ansar. "Are you sure about this? That little guy looks a lot like someone Ansar doesn't seem to like at all." The apricot dragon warned. The rabbit himself seemed sweet! But the resemblance...

"Don't you see? It's perfect," Ruthed explained. "Whenever he gets frustrated with the real thing, he'll want to rant to his rabbit counterpart about it. The rabbit can't be blamed for what his dragon version does, so Ansar will only grow to adore it even more!"

"If you say so..." Sindri smiled nervously, petting the other rabbit with one hand while keeping his safe in his arms. "It's hard to dislike any of these guys anyways." He then realized how late it was getting. "We better get going. I guess I'll ask my questions on the way back to the fortress."

The smile on Ruthed's face was victorious. They both signed off for the three rabbits, and Ruthed paid for their food and beds to be delivered to the fortress. As they walked, he carefully held his rabbit and Ansar's rabbit in his arms. "So, what questions did you want to ask?"

"First off, tell me if you would like any help carrying them," Sindri offered. He honestly didn't mind, as he loved animals. Especially ones like rabbits and birds.

Ruthed peered at the sleeping rabbit in Sindri's arms. "Yeah, I don't think so. If this coppery rabbit is anything like its counterpart, it will try to attack yours." He commented in a joking manner.

"G-good point..." Sindri said a bit nervously. He sure hoped those two were alright at the fortress. Ah, but now was not the time to worry about that. "Hm, well...What are some things you like to do? Besides being around animals and causing mischief, I mean."

"I don't know. I just like to enjoy life, whether indoors or out, in good times or bad. It's rare when I feel like resting and keeping still, but there are times that I'm actually calm and serious." He gave Sindri an unsure glance. "I can't really look at myself through an outsider's perspective, so I don't know how to describe it for you."

He listened to Ruthed's words and gave him a reassuring smile. "I think I can understand." He looked down at his rabbit before looking back to the other. "So, what do you look for in a lifemate, Ruthed?"

"Well, I'm not one to be picky," Ruthed replied. "I can find the fun in just about anyone. For a lifemate, I guess it could be anyone who would actually want to deal with me. It's no fun being alone, you know?"

Sindri was feeling some major deja-vu. Emyve had told him something similar earlier on that very day. Hmm. "Maybe Emyve should be your next project. He talked with me for a bit, but he's still rather quiet." He suggested with a smile. "I bet he'd just be happy to have some company around."

Ruthed felt a blush rising right up to his face, and he ended up slowing down. "H-how did you know?" He asked in a whisper. "Did Ansar tell you about my secret crush on Emyve? He said he wouldn't tell anyone." His lips fell to a pout.

Sindri was a bit surprised hearing Ruthed unwittingly confess to liking Emyve. He quickly shook his head no. "No, Ansar simply said that you might not be lifemate material for me... but that was it. It was just that Emyve had told me something similar earlier...that no one should be alone." The blonde explained. "If you'll promise me to give him a shot, I won't pick you two. I'd rather that you go for someone you feel you have that kind of a connection with."

"Emyve said that?" Ruthed asked in wonder. "I…thank you." He said with a sigh of relief. "Thank you. I feel a bit more at ease that you don't seem to like Emyve, too. I promise I won't let this chance be in vain." He sent him a playful smile. "Besides, I know of a couple of OTHER Gallants that are certainly fighting over you…"

"I do like you both, but as friends." Sindri smiled reassuringly. He then blushed a little, having a feeling that he at least knew two of the Gallants that Ruthed hinted at. "I just hope that the fighting will stop once I've made my decision...though two of them certainly aren't making it any easier for me."

"Then may the best Gallant win among them," Ruthed replied with a chuckle, thoroughly amused about his new friend's dilemma as they walked towards the fortress with lighter hearts.