A Memory

Writers: Dana, Eimi
Date Posted: 19th March 2008

Characters: U'kaiah, Traelyn
Description: U'kaiah shares a moment from his childhood as he and Trae relax together
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 9, day 14 of Turn 4

Light steam wafted up from the water, making the small hairs curl and cling to the sides of Traelyn's temples. Lifting one hand, she pushed those annoying tendrils back before digging her fingers into the full bag of sweetsand, eyes flickering to the back of U'kaiah's head. "Wet your hair for me, will you, love?"

The bronzerider obediently submerged himself under the water, making ripples that spread out to the far edges of the pool and reflected back again. He resisted the urge to shake the droplets from his head as he resurfaced, opting instead to considerately wipe the trickles of water from his face and comb his hair back with his fingers rather than shower the goldrider. "Am I sitting too tall?"

"Mmmm. Maybe you if you lean back just a little..." she playfully snaked a hand under his arm to press it against his chest, bringing him in closer, "...like this, it'll be easier for me. You are rather tall, you know."

"I grew this tall just to inconvenience you," he teased as he leaned back against her comfortably. "Can you reach now?"

"Uh-huh." Rubbing her hands together until a decent amount of sweet-smelling lather foamed in her palms, she then began to massage the thick stuff into his unruly curls.

"Hmmmmm... you have the most amazing hands..." the bronzerider sighed contentedly as his eyes drifted shut. There had always been something so soothing about a woman running her fingers through his hair.

Grinning, she nibbled gently on the side of his neck. "So do you," she teased before resuming her washing. Carefully she ran her lathered fingers down the back of his neck to soap the shorter hairs there.

U'kaiah leaned his head forward and let her fingers work their special magic. It hadn't been an unusually stressful sevenday so he hadn't realized just how much tension he had been carrying. "We should do something fun tomorrow. What do you want to do?"

"Hmmm...." Her expression was thoughtful as she combed her nails through his hair, absently molding it into little short spikes. Then she grinned, eyes glinting mischievously. "You mean, besides the usual?"

"Well, I do need a _little_ recovery time at least," he said, casting a knowing glance over his shoulder at her.

"I suppose you do," she snorted, affectionately brushing her cheek against him. "Well, is there anything you had in mind?"

It was a little harder to think of things to do with snow on the ground. But then again, snow could actually prove fun! "Have you ever tried sledding?"

"Sledding?" Her eyes lit with curiosity. "I've never done that. I mean, of course I've heard of it, but I never had the chance to try it before. Can we play?"

"I suppose sledding is a form of play," U'kaiah chuckled as he ran a finger along the top of the water. "I know the best sledding hill."

She smiled. "You found it when you were young?"

"My fostermother's weyrmate took me there," he replied thoughtfully, his mind wandering back to a winter scene that for some reason was still clear in his memory. "I never forgot it. I take Kaiafel there now."

Traelyn twirled a soapy curl around her finger, imagining a young U'kaiah--Uzrakaiah--whooping with laughter as he tumbled in the snow. Shards, she could just see it. "How old were you?"

He thought about it a moment, trying to figure out how far back it might have been. "I must have just turned five turns, I suppose. He was gone by the time I was six."

"He died?" she asked softly.

"He was sick for turns," he nodded. It was funny, he hadn't thought about him for a long time.

Gently she rested her hand against the back of his neck. "I'm sorry, love."

U'kaiah shrugged and reached down to rest his hand gently on her knee to reassure her that it really was all right. "I only have a couple memories of him. I was really too young to understand."

"Your sledding memory," she murmured.

"That's one of them. Bathing his dragon. He was a bluerider. And the feeding pens... I think he was carrying me on his shoulders and I remember I felt so tall. That's really it though."

"I remember my papa carrying me on his shoulders too, when I was that age.
I used to spread out my arms and pretend I was flying."

"I bet you were so cute too," he grinned, leaning back against her and turning his head to kiss her cheek tenderly.

"Just like you," she grinned back, wrapping her arms around him.

"Is it time for me to rinse yet?" he asked as he wiped a drip away before it could run into his eye.

"Go for it."

The bronzerider dipped his head under the water, but this time when he came up he purposefully sprayed little droplets in every direction. "Oh yeah, that feels so much better," he said with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Wrinkling her nose at him, she dipped her hand in the water. "Don't make me retaliate, bronzerider.... Things can get vicious."

"Oh now I don't think I can get much wetter," he smirked, grabbing her hand under the water. "So are we on for sledding tomorrow?"

"You bet we are," she grinned, coming in close to kiss him.

"You know the snow is cold, right?" he murmured against her lips.

Her fingers slid down his sides. "So?"

"So..." his fingers traced her collarbones lightly. "So maybe tomorrow I will have to wash _your_ hair."

"Mmm....." Traelyn tilted her head back slightly to look at him, dark eyes smoky. "I certainly wouldn't say no to that."

Shards but she was sexy when she looked at him like that. "Wanna give me a hand toweling off?"

"Tell you what, love," she replied with a slow, suggestive smile, "I'll give you two."

Last updated on the March 29th 2008

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A Memory