She dropped the package on her bed, and as quickly and carefully as she could, pulled off the wrapping. Reverently, she lifted the tapestry out, and started unfolding it. The white dragon... So beautiful.. the dragon seemed to grin at her. She turned and pulled down the tapestry on the main wall, and carefully hung up the new one. The dragon glowed, like moonlight. She moved around, trying to see it from a different angle, but no matter where she was it seemed to be. Strange. She examined it closely, it was very fine workmanship, the threads delicately done, perfect in their placement. In the scene, the dragon dominated, but in the background was twilight, with the moon just coming up, and the stars shining bright. On the ground was snaking river, molten white, and a bridge across it... She stared harder, disconcerted. There were two figures carved on the bridge, although she couldnt see what they were. Behind them was a cave, and a volcano sloping up behind. The volcano looked like the one that lived behind the settlement. It looks familiar Shireen thought. and not because of the volcano.. more like my dream. She stared for a while longer, thoughtful, then patted the tapestry one last time and hurried back to the Gathering.. She was supposed to play.

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The day had been good. Even the dance with Simon had been fun, he had twirled her around the floor through numerous songs until they had stumbled off to find seats, hot and breathless, but laughing.
People were leaving now, and it was a lot less crowded. The stars were popping out overhead, shimmering brightly. She was enjoying the quiet peacefullness of the evening. Wandering through the messy field where the gathering had been, she noticed a cart, with a complacent horse attached to it. A woman was sitting on the back, a cloak pulled close. It was getting cold. Shireen made her way over, to see if she could offer assistance. "Can I help you at all?" She asked the woman, who sat there for a few moments, just watching Shireen's face.
"No. I think you will do though. You look like you could handle it." With those cryptic remarks, she picked up some leftover sacks on the ground and swung them on the back of the cart.
Shireen was confused. "I could handle what? What is going on at the moment? Things seem to be a bit.. strange. Do you know?" She looked intently at the woman now, sure that she could give her some clues.
"I do know. And I shall say that you will find the answers when you go out and look for them. You have been given clues already. I must go now." And with a smile, she lifted herself onto the front of the cart, and snapped the reins at the horse, who started off at a gentle trot.
Shireen watched the cart move off and sighed. More crypic clues. She slowly walked home. Closing the front door behind her, she made her way to her bed and changed to her sleeping clothes quickly; it was cold. She glanced at the picture beside her bed - she missed her family, and she was so lonely without them - and slid into the cold bed, curled up into a ball and pulled the covers up to her chin. She tried to sleep, but the dragon tapestry glowed in the darkness. When she did finally fall asleep, her dreams were of white dragons, and of travelling through the stars, the wind rushing though her hair.

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She woke the next morning, hurriedly dressed and shoved down a bowl of cold cereal, then bundled up and headed to work. The day passed quickly, with lots of stuff to sort out after the gathering. It wasn't until she was about to go home, and yet again walked into Simon, that she remembered the night before. "Hey, how're you this morning? Didn't have too much rosewine last night?" He was smiling ruefully, obviously he had. "Oh yea, how do you like the tapestry? Put it up yet?"
"Actually I have. It looks perfect. I love it.. thank you." She smiled at him, and took up his offer to walk her home. She declined to let him stay long though, and shooed him out after he'd taken a good look at it.
After Simon had left, she stared at the tapestry for the longest time. Things rushed around in her head. She set about making her evening meal, still thinking. She finally began to realise what the woman last night had told her. She had to go out and look. But where? The volcano. It had to be the place to start. But now? She glanced at her half-prepared meal, then swept it all in bowl and stuck it in the cooler. She bundled up warm, and taking an apple to eat on the way, headed out into the twilight.

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