A Dragonman's Word

Writers: Estelle, Miriah
Date Posted: 17th February 2020

Characters: Urlene, L'keri
Description: Urlene gives L'keri a checkup to find out if he's ready to return to Dragonsfall Weyr
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 1, day 12 of Turn 10
Notes: Mentioned: Taren, D'ale

Urlene

L'keri

Not a day went by in the sevenday since L'keri heard the news about
his son that Urlene didn't hear of a question of when he'd be released
to return to Dragonsfall, but she wouldn't be rushed. Finally, on the
last day of the prescribed sevenday, she tapped on the door to his
private nook. Upon his greeting, she stepped in, hands folded calmly
in front of her. "I hear you've been asking for me. Every day."

"Weyrhealer!" L'keri sat bolt upright from where he'd been slumped
against the pillows, a map of Dragonsfall's territory lying discarded on
the floor beside his bed. He curbed his instinct to demand to know why
she'd been ignoring his requests, and instead assumed his best attentive
and respectful manner.

**I'm healthy,** he thought, as hard as he could, as if she might hear
him as Rhalith did. **I'm cured. You're going to release me, so I can
find Arten, and fix everything.**

"Yes," he said aloud. **Don't smile too much, she'll see through it.**
"I hope I haven't been troubling you. I only wanted to explain how very
much better I'm feeling, and to ask if you'd reconsider your opinion
that I'm not yet ready to leave the Infirmary. I can't help but think I
must be a burden on you and your staff."

"A horrific burden to be sure." She replied dryly, but with a hint of a
smile on her lips. He was speaking rather fast and with him being
polite and respectful, she knew exactly what he was about. "I'm
actually here to check your cast and possibly remove it." She removed a
pair of heavy shears from her pocket. "So you're feeling much better,
hmm? Healthy? Stand up please. Use the cane by your bed if you must. "

L'keri swung his legs around over the edge of the bed, then hesitated.
Should he use the cane, or not? He wanted to show that he was strong
enough not to need it, but the thought entered his head that it might be
a trap. If he didn't use it, she could say that he was being too
reckless to be trusted to leave the Infirmary.

**You won't get me that easily,** he thought, looking up at her with a
calculating gaze. Then, he reached for the cane and held it in one hand,
the tip resting lightly on the floor so that he could lean on it if he
lost his balance, before pushing himself upright with his good leg.

Her brows rose, her face remaining impassive, though inside she was
pleased. "Good. Now slowly put weight on that leg. It might feel
weak." She studied him as he rose, tapping a finger against the back
of her hand."The cane's yours. You may need it for the next month
until you get full strength back in that leg. You'll need regular
exercise; Taren will likely prescribe you specific movements and
strengthening exercise to get you back up to full strength. Hopefully,
there'll not be any limp, but with a break like this, we can't ever be
sure."

He did as she'd asked, glad as he did so for the steadying effect of the
cane. It felt odd, to be properly on two feet again after more than a
month of enforced rest. When she mentioned the Dragonsfall Weyrhealer's
name, his head turned, sharply to look at her. "You mean - you're
releasing me? Rhalith and I can fly together again?"

"Not so fast, L'keri. You'll get there eventually, but I need to know
that you're able and healthy before I make that decision. " She took a
few steps back. "Walk to me, slowly. Take your time and don't rush.
If there's any sharp pain, you tell me immediately. It'll be awkward
with the cast, but I need to know if your leg will support your weight."

His hand tightened on the cane, but he breathed deeply, pushing down his
frustration. Then, cautiously, he took a step forward with his good leg,
letting the other take his weight for a moment. Though he felt clumsy
and off-balance, there wasn't any pain of the sort she'd mentioned.
Slowly, he swung the injured leg forward, then took another limping step.

By the time he'd reached her he could feel the sweat damp on his back,
as much from the tension and the sheer effort of concentrating on
walking again as from any physical exertion. He grinned in triumph.
"See? I'm in excellent health. Hardly a thing wrong with me."

"I do. Yes. Excellent health." Urlene finally smiled in approval, but
there was a glint in her eye. "Probably the best you've ever been in
for turns, I'd say. Would you agree? It appears that you've lost our
wager, L'keri. I'll be sure to let D'ale and Taren know about our
agreement. A dragonman's word is of course, his bond, is it not?" Her
smile widened, eyes sparkling. "Have a seat. I'll see to your cast."

L'keri had been about to agree heartily with her, but nearly choked on
his words as he recognized the trap he'd walked into. He stared at her
in shock and dismay, then exploded with a string of frustrated curses.
"Oh, by the Red Star! You - you cruel, devious...scorch it, Master
Urlene, you're a beautiful woman but you've the cold, scheming heart of
a slithering tunnelsnake from the pits of the Weyr!"

He paused for breath, seeing his words were having no effect, and his
voice turned piteous. "Please, Weyrhealer. Have mercy. Don't do this to
a poor, injured rider. I won't survive another month without a drink."

A single eyebrow arched at the spewed curses and her smile changed
from good humored to a bit chilly; she'd been called a cold fish often
enough that hearing those comments irked her already fractious
hormonal emotions. "You have survived and you will survive more. You
gave your word as a dragonrider and I expect you to keep it. Perhaps
your sobriety will allow you some clear headedness while you look for
your son and when you happen to find him, you can apologize to the
boy. Sober. Now," she snapped as she pushed him to a sit on the cot.
"Sit, brownrider."

She bent, bodily lifting his leg with a grunt of effort and laid it in
front of him. She exhaled, taking a moment as she rubbed her belly,
then took a breath. "Hold still while I cut this off. I don't want to
cut your skin if you suddenly jerk."

L'keri was silenced by the reminder of his missing son. How could he
complain about a Turn without alcohol, dismal as the prospect was, when
the boy was out who knew where, perhaps hurt or worse? He truly was
selfish, a useless father and a drunkard. He watched, unmoving, as she
carefully cut away the cast.

"I'm sorry," he said, as she was finishing. "I shouldn't have called you
a tunnelsnake. You've healed my leg and - and other things, and I've
repaid you by being an utter swine from start to finish. It wasn't
worthy of my dragon." He hesitated. "You think I'll find him?"

The scent of sweat under the cast made her nose wrinkle slightly, but
the leg looked straight. There was less muscle tone there, but it would
be built back up over time. Urlene checked the scar, nodding to
herself in approval. It had healed well. Good enough for traveling
between.

She finally looked up, lips thin from her annoyance with him. "You
should be. You've been an ungrateful ass. Who do you think stayed with
you every moment during your withdrawals? Who bathed you and held your
head when you were vomiting out that poison? Do you actually think as
sick as you were that I would have trusted your care to anyone else? And
I get repaid by insults when you're finally healthy despite your best
efforts not to be." She slipped the shears back into her pocket carefully.

Crossing her arms, she tapped her fingers over her bicep. "I don't know
if you will. But if you're as determined to find him as you are to pour
drinks down your throat, then you will. I hope you do and that he's
safe and in good health. And I hope you stay out of the bottle long
enough to appreciate him, because I don't trust you to actually keep to
your word, dragonman's oath or not. "

L'keri scowled at her. "That's where you're wrong, Healer. You won your
wager, fair and square, and if you won't have pity on me then you'll get
what I promised, exact and to the letter. And if I perish from sheer
boredom before the Turn is out, then it'll be on your conscience."

Urlene snorted, approaching to bend to look him straight in the eye.
"Pity? I'm doing you a favor, L'keri. But, I'm so sure that you won't
last a year that I'd even be willing to wager a night with you against
it. I give it at most three months before you're back in the bottle,
much less a turn. You'll be right back to where you were, an unhealthy
slobbering drunk who only cares for himself. Only next time it might not
be your leg that gets broken."

He blinked and a broad grin of anticipation spread over his face. "Done.
One Turn from now, I'll come back to you with a signed statement from
D'ale and Taren that I haven't touched a drop." He winked. "Unless you'd
like to reconsider your assessment of my chances?"

Her jaw dropped as if stunned he'd actually taken her up on the
challenge that her temper had offered. Closing her mouth with a click
of teeth, her lips pressed together tightly and her eyes narrowed
before her chin lifted. "My assessment of your chances stands. As does
my opinion of your trustworthiness. I don't think you can do it, so
there's absolutely no risk to me at all." She sniffed. "Gather your
things. Your dragon is waiting. I'll send my report to D'ale and Taren."

L'keri's grin faded as he remembered the task that would be waiting for
him at Dragonsfall. "Very well. I'll be out of here before you know it."
He'd little enough to take back with him - just a few tokens from
friends who'd visited. And that cane. "I suppose this is goodbye, then,
Weyrhealer. I'll see you...this time next Turn."

Urlene snorted, shook her head and strode out, head held high. "Don't
fall off your dragon the next time you drink."

Last updated on the May 31st 2020

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A Dragonman's Word