DISCLAIMER:  ROAR and its characters are the property of Universal Television 
and Sea Change Productions. The author is not using these characters with permission. 
No infringement on copyright is intended. Any duplication or reprint is allowed ONLY 
with authors' permission.
author:  carolzee@worldnet.att.net  All comments welcomed.

Story Rating: PG-13

"MAGIC DAY"  by Carol Zeltman

The afternoon of a new day in the Sanctuary: 
The warriors fought on! 
They came swarming over the high ground, intent on their goal
 --- crush the intruder! 
Nothing slowed the warriors down, no obstacle was too great. 
They struck with ferocity unmatched, unchallenged. They were brave,
they were strong, they never surrendered! Wave after wave attacked 
and fought, attacked and perished, and yet they fought on. 
The enemy MUST BE destroyed. Dylan watched intently 
from his vantagepoint. Trying to understand with a seven-year-old's mind, 
the tactics and maneuverings he witnessed. Instinctively knowing
that someday,he may need to know these things when he grew up, 
to fight as did those before him. The battle 
was epic and consuming to view. How heroic were these warriors! See, there, 
a single battle breaking out amid the larger! Dylan's heart beat faster, his
mouth fairly drooling with the excitement he was witnessing.
"Dylan! Come to eat! Dylan?" a woman's voice called. 
'NO! Not now, the battle isn't over, the enemy not yet defeated.' 
He thought to himself, glancing in the direction of the call. 
"Dylan! You come right now or your food will get
cold... Dylan answer me!" the woman's voice grew impatient. 
Reluctantly, the boy stood up, relinquishing his vantagepoint. 
"You warriors continue your battle, 
be brave - fight with honor!" now speaking aloud. The warriors he 
addressed paid 
him no heed, but he imagined they did. With a pout upon his face, 
he turns to follow
the voice to his midday meal, leaving behind the ant army and their enemy, 
a disabled praying mantis.
On the way he sees Fergus at the forge, sharpening and cleaning 
his weapons, 
as all good warriors must. Distracted now from his journey, he pauses, 
"Good day Fergus!" 
calling cheerily with a wave. "Good day Dylan! How's the battle go'in?"
The older warrior asks with a serious voice, eyes twinkling. 
"Very well, the warriors are brave, they never stop fighting
'til they win" he answered equally seriously. 
Fergus pauses mid-swipe, "Good to hear; they tak'in orders well 
too I suppose?" smiling 
broadly now. "Oh, aye, they listen keenly!" the boy returns the smile, 
pleased that an "older" was taking an interest in his pursuits. 
"Dylan! Last call for your food or 
I'm giv'in it to the dogs!" cries the woman's voice again. Looking 
up from his work 
Fergus says, "You better hurry lad, those dogs are well enough fed,
they don't need yours too!" Sighing, Dylan stuffs his hands 
in his pockets, shrugs his shoulders and 
turns to leave. "Good day Fergus 'til later." The older man 
nods and watches the boy 
again resume for home and hearth and mother. 
***********************************
After Dylan finished eating, he hurries to return to the battle. 
Upon arriving at 
the scene, he discovers that the battle is done. Only the mopping-up 
crew remains. 
Dejectedly, he wanders over near to Conor & Molly's chamber entrance 
and sits down outside waiting for one of them to come out. 
He likes both of them & tries to spend time with each every day. 

Inside he overhears, 
"I just don't understand Molly! Why does it 
bother you what the other women say?" Conor was exasperated. 
He had now spent the better
part of an hour trying to calm down and appease Molly, his recent wife 
and the village novice-Druid. She had been at the river earlier 
today, hidden around the bend from the
other women, but close enough to overhear their conversation. 
A conversation almost entirely about Conor: he was so handsome; 
so young, yet wise; any woman would be proud 
to have him; he was so strong and good with his sword. And that 
last comment brought 
the conversation of the women 'round to another level. They wondered 
if he was a good lover, how he looked naked, his abilities to please 
a woman, comparing him to their 
husbands ... on and on.... until Molly could listen no more. Throwing 
down her wash, she stormed over to the other women and yelled at them. 
Saying it was disrespectful since he was their leader, not just another 
man of the village, and that she'd have no more of it. 
Well, as you can imagine, the scene turned into women screaming at each 
other and throwing wash all about. Conor and two of the other's husbands, 
hearing the commotion, came rushing over to stop it. This of course 
led to Molly needing to explain to Conor what the fighting was all about. 
They were now at the stage of "she" blaming "him" for being the cause 
of "her" embarrassment. "I don't care what they said about me. 
You shouldn't listen. Forget it!" he sits down heavily on the 
side of the their bed, leaning over with head in hands, wishing his 
head would 
stop pounding. Molly paces agitatedly across the room, arms crossed, 
feet tapping, face red and angry. 
"Can't you see how they made ME feel? Don't you care how I feel now?"
Wordlessly, Conor looks up, stands and goes over to her. He gathers 
her in his arms and hugs her close. The tears come flowing down 
Molly's cheeks as she holds him tightly to her. 
"Now, there. I'm sorry you feel badly love. What can I do to make 
you feel better? 'Ya have to tell me, I'm just an ignorant man...." 
He trails off as he lifts her chin and kisses her lips through the tears. 
After the kiss,
"The worst part was you rescuing me ... I have to fight for myself
or they won't respect me" softly spoken into his shoulder.
"All right. The next fight is all yours. I swear!" he grins and 
kisses her again, more deeply and longer. Just as they were 
about to fall onto the bed and make-up with each other... 
"Conor! Are you EVER coming out?" cries a wee voice from the 
doorway. Both adults turn to see an impatient seven-year-old 
face poking out from under the hide door flaps. They stop where 
they are and both laugh.
"Come in Dylan, you're halfway in already!" says Conor walking 
to the doorway and lifting the boy up to stand. 
"Are you and Molly fighting?" he asks, directly, glancing over to 
a smiling Molly. Kneeling down to the boy's level, Conor replies,
"As a matter of fact, we had a serious talk, but we're friends 
again after all. How's that?" Smiling with relief, 
"Good. Can we go fishing now? You promised." Standing, Conor 
turns to Molly,
"And a warrior keeps his promises, like I'll keep MY promise 
to YOU later tonight." And winks at Molly. 
She, with a laugh, shoos them both out the doorway calling after,
"Be careful you two, don't fall into the river or we'll be fishing 
YOU out of it!"
*******************************

Soon after, at the river with fishing sticks in the water, 
"Conor, do warriors have to get married?" asks Dylan, squinting 
up at his hero. 
"Well, I don't think they have to, but, um-m-m, they probably, that is, 
mostly, um-m-m want to" he replies having been caught off-guard, 
a specialty of Dylan's. 
"My Ma says you and Molly HAD to get married because the Father said to." 
"Well, it did start out like that, but then, 
um-m-m, Molly and I decided we liked be'in married." 
"WHY?" Eyebrows arching at the thought of an honest reply, 
Conor shifts uncomfortably on his rock. He looks for something to 
distract the boy away from this line of thought.  Just then Catlin 
wades into view from around the river bend. Waving her over he calls, 
"Cat! Come help us fish!" Waving back she replies, 
"I'm looking for a wrist guard I dropped, 
I think it may be on the riverbed." Standing, Conor hands his 
fishing stick to Dylan, 
"Hold this for me, I'll be right back" and wades over to Cat. 
Pretending to look at the riverbed he whispers to her, 
"Help me Cat, the boy is asking about being 
married and such. I don't want to ever lie to him, but... what can I say?" 
The pained look on his face was all it took for Cat to burst out laughing. 
The awkward moment was averted with the arrival of several older boys 
at the riverbank. Pulling up sharply, one young man calls out, 
"Conor! We're sent to get you! Fergus says to come -- right now!" 
Conor turns to Cat, 
"Bring Dylan back with 'ya for me?" Then calls over his shoulder to Dylan, 
"We'll come back another day Dylan - go with Catlin!" and takes off 
with the older boys. 
***********************************

Having run all the way back to the Sanctuary, Fergus meets them 
at the top entrance, grabbing Conor by the arms. 
"Easy lad, catch your breath." His expression was serious. 
"What's wrong? Why did you send for me?" Sighing and holding on to the 
young leader, 
"Conor, it's Molly. A little while after you left with Dylan, 
she - she collapsed." 
Hearing this, Conor's color fades, & starts to bolt for the 
stairway to down-below. Fergus grips him tighter, swinging him around 
and nearly off his feet. 
"Wait! The healer is with her and she says that Molly is all right 
for now. But I don't know what's wrong yet, or if she's sick .. 
I-- I don't know." 
Clearly Fergus is agonized with worry for his daughter. Conor grabs him up 
in a bear hug, holds it a moment then steps back. He looks directly into 
Fergus's eyes, "I know you're sick with worry Fergus, but if you don't 
let me go to her, I'll lay you out cold." Biting his lower lip, Fergus says, 
"I was told to keep you out of the way lad. Myself too. So just 
calm yerself and wait with me here." 
He releases the younger man's arms, but blocks 
the stairway with his body. Conor steps back preparing to bulldoze 
his way through just as a young girl peeks out from the stairway. 
"The healer says to come now, but be quiet." Both men take the 
stairs in a rush with Fergus scooping up the young 
girl on the way to avoid running her down. The healer was waiting 
outside their 
chamber wiping her hands on a cloth as both ran up to her. 
"What is it - is she all right?" Smiling at the utter concern in 
the young man's face, 
"She'll be fine lad, just a little too much excitement for her condition..." 
Confused, Conor asks, 
"Can I see her?" Still smiling, she holds open the door flap 
for him, then steps in front of Fergus who was following. 
"Don't 'ya think 'ya can let down the wee girl 
now Fergus?" He had forgotten that he still held the girl 
tucked up under his arm. She hadn't made a sound. Looking embarrassed, 
he releases her gently and pats her on the head. As she turns, 
the girl kicks him in the shins and laughing, runs off. 
Catlin and Dylan come running over now as well with Cat holding 
onto the boy's arm. Motioning her to wait, and grimacing a little, 
Fergus ducks into the chamber to see Conor sitting on the bedside 
hugging a sitting Molly. Both were softly crying 
on each other. A worried frown lined his face as he slowly approached them, 
"What's wrong? Somebody tell an old man!" Conor, turning his 
tear-streaked face to him, 
"Nothing is wrong Fergus. Molly just got too excited and upset. 
She's fine now." 
"Then what in blazes is everyone crying for?" he asks, tears starting 
at his own eyes. Conor and Molly kiss, then looking to him Molly says 
"Da, good news...you're go'in to be a granda." 
Fergus's mouth drops open to his toes. Staggering, he falls down on 
his butt and starts laughing like a madman. Hearing the outcry, 
the healer steps back inside and smacks him in the head with her cloth. 
Unfazed, Fergus holds his stomach and roars, tears streaming from his eyes. 
Conor and Molly start laughing as well, which brings Cat and Dylan 
into the chamber to see what was going on. 
"ME! A granda! SWEET BRIGID!" exclaims Fergus. 
Dylan runs over to Conor & Molly, a little frightened with all 
the noise and boisterousness. Conor scoops him up in his arms, 
both hugging him tightly. Seeing the tear-streaked faces the boy asks, 
"If everyone is laughing, why are you crying?" confused with the 
heightened emotions of the adults. Conor answers him smiling, 
"Remember our talk at the river earlier? 'Ya asked why warriors got married?" 
The boy nods, still confused, but now listening intently. 
Fergus had regained his feet and was now dancing joyfully with the healer, 
singing aloud to music only he 
could hear. The healer just went along with him. Cat stood by the door, 
grinning ear to ear at the spectacle and trying to stay out of the way of 
the dancers. Conor continues, 
"Well, one reason to get married is to have children, and guess what? 
Molly and I are having a child now too!" 
They hug each other again, squeezing Dylan between them. 
He's had enough of this and jumps off Conor's lap. 
"When can I see the baby?" he asks Molly. She pats her 
stomach and says, 
"In about seven months from now." Conor kisses her again, 
so happy and so relieved. Still a little confused, Dylan heads 
for the door and outside. He stops a few feet from the doorway. 
Pausing now, between the world of adults inside and his world without, 
he listens to the chorus of june bugs joining in. 
Sunset had come, and the night was alive with it's magic. 
Resuming his walk back to hearth and mother he considers his day. 
A battle waged and won, respect gained from a fellow warrior, 
and promise of a new playmate to come.
Shrugging to himself he decides, all in all, it had been a magic day.

***THE  END***