No More Secrets

Writers: Cali
Date Posted: 8th March 2006

Characters: J'klin, Arilanna
Description: J'klin finally tells Arilanna the reasons behind his and U'kaiah's feud.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 10, day 22 of Turn 3

"I really should get up." Arilanna said dreamily as she played with the hair on J'klin's chest. It felt so good to lay next to him, she had missed him _so_ much.

J'klin pulled her closer against himself, relishing in their skin to skin contact. "No... send Sarha with a note saying you can't come today, you're sick." She giggled as she snuggled in to him, throwing her leg across him for even more contact. "I was _sick_ yesterday, remember?" "An even better excuse!" he reasoned, pulling her on top of himself. He started nibbling on her neck, hoping to distract her. "Oh no you don't!" she scrambled away from him, grinning ear to ear. That sort of maneuver is what caused her 'sickness' yesterday and she wasn't going to fall for it again. J'klin stuck his lip out, trying to pout. "Okay fine, just lay with me for five more minutes. I won't try anything, honest."

She doubted his sincerity, but was easily swayed back into his arms. She sighed, feeling calm and safe. "I'm so glad to be here with you again, I missed you so much." "I missed you too." he said brushing Arilanna's curly hair away from her face and kissing her forehead. She leaned into the kiss, "You just make sure you aren't stupid anymore and I won't have to miss you again."

"You just stay away from U'kaiah and I won't have to get stupid."

Was he serious? She highly doubted he was joking. "Why?" she said cautiously.

"What?"

"I know there is some big thing between you and U'kaiah and both you and he refuse to tell me what it is about." She looked up into his eyes and could see the anger building. "Now I love you, and I don't want there to be secrets between us. If you expect me to abandon my friend, then you had better tell me why!"

He wanted to explode, to tell her it was none of her business, that she should just trust him; but that's what he had done last time and he had almost lost her. Maybe she was right, no secrets were better, and after she knew she wouldn't want anything to do with U'kaiah anyways. "All right beautiful, get ready for a harper's tale."

"As you know, before I impressed I was a seacrafter. What you don't know is that I was also engaged to be married." J'klin started, it actually felt kind of good to be talking about it so he continued. "Her name was Felika, and she was the daughter of the first mate of the ship I was on. We practically grew up together, and were very much in love. I asked her to come to the Weyr to be with me after I impressed and she did."

His tone changed slightly as he continued. "I also made a friend, almost as soon as I was searched, U'kaiah. We became almost inseparable, I usually spent more time with him than Felika when I wasn't taking care of my little Nimyth. Since I was a weyrling I didn't have alot of free time and Felika became lonely. We had been lovers before I impressed and I think she had a hard time dealing with weyrling rules. She didn't know many people at the weyr and started to talk about going back home."

Now J'klin's voice turned cold and bitter. "I asked U'kaiah, my _friend_, to spend time with her for me, to take care of her until I could be there more for her. Well, he took care of her alright. He got her drunk one night and took advantage of her loneliness. He slept with her. My best friend slept with my fiance. And you know what? Neither one told me. They just acted like nothing happened. Of course, it was a little hard to hide it anymore when she ended up _pregnant_. It was obviously not mine since we hadn't been together in months. So U'kaiah got my girl and he got Kaiafel, the adorable son Felika and I had always talked about having together."

"I'm so sorry J'klin." It was all Arilanna could think of to say. No wonder he didn't want her to spend so much time with U'kaiah.

"Yeah, well, that's why I hate U'kaiah; and why I don't want you anywhere near him." he replied. Arilanna snuggled in closer and tried to comfort him. "You know, I'm not Felika..." "I know you aren't." J'klin interrupted, "He just has a way of confusing and tricking people. Everyone here in the weyr thinks he's such a nice guy, everything a rider should be. Even after he got into that fight, everyone thinks it wasn't really his fault."

She sighed. "Did you try and work it out with Felika?"

"No." he shook his head, "Maybe if I hadn't been so young and so new to the weyr things could have been different. I eventually forgave her after I realized it was U'kaiah's fault; that he had betrayed me and seduced her, but it was too late, she had moved on after Kaiafel was born. He was silent after that. She was sure he didn't want to talk about it anymore and she could understand, so she just laid there with him, letting him relax and know that she was there for him. "You know, I am feeling a bit under the weather still, I think I will send Sarha over about my shift."

J'klin hugged Arilanna close to him and kissed her brow; he was so glad to have her back in his life. "Good. I want you to stay."

Last updated on the March 8th 2006

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No More Secrets