Caught Between

Writers: Cali, Paula
Date Posted: 22nd September 2009

Characters: Ednan, Aileyan, Trellyn
Description: Ednan discovers that it is possible to lose everything in one moment.
Location: Dolphin Hall
Date: month 4, day 16 of Turn 5

"You got seaweed in your hair," Ednan said to the petite greenrider.

"I have? Where?" Aileyan asked, reaching to pat her hair. Her skin was still glistering with water drops from their recent swim and her braid was geting undone. She looked so beautiful, that Ednan's heart hurt.

"Let me help," he said and sat down behind her back. He started to pull the seaweed from her thick, dark hair, his touch slipping to caress her neck. His touch lit a fire in her and suddenly she just twisted around and kissed him with a passion. He wrapped his arms around her instictively.

"We shouldn't be doing this", he murmured when the finally broke the kiss.

"Why not? You're not married or engaged, are you? And don't throw the word proper around me," she asked, eyes flashing.

"Well..." Ednan hesitated with a twinge of quilt. The problem was that he had not told of Trellyn to Aileyan (and vice the versa). On the other hand, Trellyn and he had not been together since the Shell Cove, they barely saw or talked to each other these days.

"You're living next to a Weyr, Eddy. No one cares unless you make someone pregnant."

Ednan looked her heart shaped face with perfect bow of rosy lips and large eyes and just bent to kiss her again.

"Oh, Eddy", she sighed.

Trellyn stood numb as she watched the two in the sand. It wasn't hard to recognize Ednan, not with his red hair. The green rider she didn't recognize, but that didn't make it any better. The man she loved was with another woman. He was betraying her to be with another. She couldn't make herself turn away, couldn't make herself do anything. She just continued to stand there and stare, like if she stared long enough then maybe the image would change and it wouldn't be him. But the image didn't change, so Trellyn continued to just stand and stare.

They broke apart. "What to find a more private place?" Aileyan asked whimsically.

"Maybe," Ednan replied and glanced around. He spotted Trellyn and he froze.

"Eddy?" she sensed the change in him.

The eye contact, the recognition on Ednan's face broke Trellyn out of her trance. It was real, he had seen her, it wasn't in her mind at all. She didn't know what to say, what to do. Was there anything that ever could be said in these situations? She didn't know, it had never happened to her before. So she turned and walked away. There were no tears, not yet, the shock was still fully in place. It covered her like a cloak, warming her though it made her limbs heavy under it's weight. Somehow she discovered she was in the water, the pull of the waves lapped lightly against her knees. It wasn't unwelcome, she was at home in the water, it was her safe place.

"Trellyn! Wait!" Ednan ran after her. He wanted to explain it.

Aileyan was left to stand alone, wondering what was going on.

"For what?" Trellyn heard herself saying as she stared at the blurry image of the water. She couldn't focus on anything, couldn't make her eyes move towards one direction or the other.

"I'm sorry Trellyn, it's not what you think it is. She started it," the words just tumbled out of his mouth. When they were out, he realized how lame they sounded. No, worse than lame, like dreadful attempt to roll the blame on someone else.

Trellyn started to feel something push through the numbness, she wasn't sure what it was, but it was enough to give her a bite as she spoke. "_She_ is a greenrider. _She_ probably doesn't know any better." Which of course meant that he _should_.

"Trellyn, I do love you," Ednan said. But he also loved Aileyan, which was the heart of his dilemma.

His statement solidified the feeling she had felt forming in her stomach. It was anger, resentment, betrayal. "Apparently not enough. I _never_ want to talk to you again." And she dove into the water, staying under as long as she could until her chest hurt from the lack of air. When she surfaced, it was only long enough to get a deep breath and then she plunged herself back under the water, not looking back.

"Trellyn!" Ednan yelled after her. He was afraid for her. He could just hope she didn't harm herself. The feeling was like a ball of lead in his belly. He turned and met Aileyan's gaze. She had walked over to them, and overheard it all. Her eyes burned with anger.

"Liar!" She hissed and slapped him. She felt betrayed. "You never ever even once hinted you had someone in your life! I wouldn't been so ....aggressive, if I had known," she turned away and started to stalk off, trying to blink the tears away.

"Aileyan!" Ednan called, rubbing his cheek. The hurt from the slap was mostly emotional, not physical. "Trellyn!" His gaze wandered from woman to woman and he couldn't decide which one to follow. With sinking feeling he realized he was losing them both.

Last updated on the September 23rd 2009

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Caught Between