Learning the Hard Way

Writers: Aaron, Estelle
Date Posted: 12th January 2019

Characters: R'fal, Brennault
Description: R'fal gives Brennault a letter for his family and they talk about lessons learned
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 6, day 18 of Turn 9

Brennault

R'fal had finally managed to find a few minutes in his day to write to
his family. It hadn't been an easy letter to write, since he'd had to
confess that he wouldn't be able to visit as soon as he'd hoped, and
explain about the party. He knew his mother would be disappointed in
him; he just hoped she would read the letter herself before showing it
to the rest of the hold.

He folded up the letter and looked around him at the other people in
the dining cavern, searching for someone with the knots of a runner.
He didn't have to look for long - he recognised a familiar face, and
headed over to join the young man at his table.

"Hi, Brennault!" He wondered if the other young man remembered him.
Runners must meet a lot of people in the course of their duties.

Brennault looked up from his meal and smiled from ear to ear on seeing
R'fal. He had always had a knack for remembering names and faces – a
valuable skill for a runner – so he had no trouble remembering R'fal.
He was glad to hear such a cheerful greeting. It meant it was likely
that R'fal did not hold his over-forwardness on the heights against
him.

"R'fal! Good to see you again. Got a message to send?" he asked,
seeing the folded letter in R'fal's hand.

"Yes, it's a letter home, to my family in Emerald Falls." The weyrling
slid onto the bench opposite and showed him the letter. "Are you going
out that way, any time soon? Or do you know someone who is?"

"I can most definitely get your letter on its way," said Brennault,
smiling happily as R'fal joined him. He was glad to see him sitting down
rather than merely dropping the letter and leaving to be on his own way
in short order.

"How goes the training?" he asked. "I was thinking you'd be able to talk
to your folks face to face rather soon. Everything alright, or have I
just miscounted the days?"

"Um, well." R'fal looked slightly embarrassed, but he'd got used to
explaining what had happened over the last few days. "I would be able to
go myself if I hadn't got in trouble with the Weyrlingmaster. I had a
party in my weyr to celebrate our graduation to senior weyrlings, and it
got a bit wild, so Marlath and I are confined to the Weyr for now. This
letter is to tell my parents, so they don't wonder why I don't come and
visit."

"Sounds like a hot time if it was that wild," said Brennault, though he
gave R'fal a sympathetic smile. He doubted R'fal would be in the mood
for too much joking around if he was losing the opportunity to fly home
to see his parents.

"Well," he said more seriously, "in that case, I'll personally make sure
they get the message as quickly as possible." He paused for a moment and
asked, "You OK?"

"I'm all right. It's hard, but it was my own fault. There were young
riders at the party, and one of them could have been badly hurt." The
weyrling managed a smile. "But thank you for asking."

Brennault winced. He really had no concept of what it would be like to
lose a dragon, but he could understand the gravity of a young rider
being hurt.

"But they weren't," said Brennault, inferring this to be the case from
R'fal's 'could have been'. "And now you know better, yeah?" He reached
out across the table to touch R'fal's arm. "Better to learn without
having to learn the hardest way."

"I've been grounded before," he said. "So I know it's no fun."

"You were?" R'fal was reassured to know he was not the only one to have
ever got in trouble. "What did you do?"

Brennault shrugged, winced, and coughed. He supposed he should have
expected that R'fal would ask.

"Well. I got myself into a hold girl's furs. And she thought there was
more to it than I did. Her brothers chased me off, and word got back to
my father about it. He said I could stay home until I learned the value
of communication," Brennault explained.

"I didn't hurt her on purpose," he added. "But I did hurt her. It was a
hard way to learn that lesson."

"That's the worst part. Knowing you hurt someone, or could have. Even
getting punished for it wasn't as bad as that." R'fal's eyes had gone
round as he listened to Brennault's story. "But didn't you have to marry
her? That's what would have happened, in the hold where I'm from."

"Well, I didn't get her pregnant," said Brennault, looking relieved that
such was the case. "And I didn't live there. So the Holder couldn't
twist my arm. As far as I know, they kept it hushed up in the family,
but my father never let me deliver there again, so I don't really know.
Nobody had to find out unless they told them."

"Poor girl. Maybe she's still dreaming of you." R'fal realised that he
probably wasn't making Brennault feel any better, and hastily changed
tack. "I mean, I'm sure she's got over it - not that I think she'd just
forget about you and..." He winced. "Sorry. I should just stop talking."

"She might still mad at me, but I'd be surprised if she's dreaming about
me." Brennault chuckled, though he kept his eyes downcast. "Not dreaming
about anything pleasant, anyway. She only set her brothers on me because
she thought she was my only girl and then found out otherwise. And I let
her think it because I knew she wouldn't stay with me if I didn't. So as
you can see, I also deserved the grounding." He offered another smile
that was half wince.

"I like to think I've learned better since then."

"Well, your father let you out again, so he must have thought so." R'fal
felt a little better for the reminder that all punishments came to an
end eventually. "But - you said she found out she wasn't your only
girl?" His eyes widened again. "You mean, you had more than one?"

"Oh, sure. Still do. I've got a sweetheart at most of the holds and
waystations along the road from hither to yon," said Brennault. "It's
just now, they all know how it is with me before we go any further than
kiss and tickle. It makes it harder to get past kiss and tickle, for
sure, but it makes things easier in the long run when you're up front
about everything. I can't just love only one person at a time. It's not
how I am."

"I can see why you'd have to be careful, out in the holds. When I was
there, I thought everyone got married and settled down, just like my
parents." Even after several months living in the Weyr, R'fal found he
could still be surprised by all the different ways people found to love
each other. He recalled the last time he'd met Brennault, and blushed.
"But I thought that you...um...liked boys?"

"Well, most do," said Brennault. "Get married and settle down, that is.
Not like boys. But more than one of my sweethearts is a man." He winked.
"That does require quite a bit more care and tact in the Holds than I
gave you here, and I do apologize again for that, too. I guess the
stories about the Weyr aren't as true as I thought." And then he chuckled.

"Most of my sweethearts will probably settle down and leave me behind
someday, but that's OK. Sometimes paths split. And nothing stays the
same forever. My parents are still friends but not lovers any more."

"Maybe it's better that way, if you're always travelling, moving on to a
new place," R'fal said, thoughtful. "As for stories about the Weyr, I
think I'm the exception. I'm still getting used to the place. You should
meet some of my classmates!" He shook his head, half embarrassed and
half admiring. Ever since the party, his friends had been taking full
advantage of their new status as senior weyrlings. It didn't make
spending all his free time on punishment duties any easier.

Brennault nodded, smiling. He was grateful that R'fal did not seem
entirely put off of him after his explanation of his feelings on
relationships. Some were, and he was used to that now, but it never made
it any easier to see the seeds of a friendship uprooted and burned.

"Perhaps you might introduce me," he said, his smile broadening.

The young brownrider grinned. "Of course. I think they'd enjoy meeting
you. Are you staying at the Weyr tonight?" he asked. "You could come and
join us for the evening meal, if you like."

"If you don't mind me entrusting your letter to another runner, I'd love
that," said Brennault. His original plans for the day had already been
to stay, but he had been considering changing his plans to ensure the
letter was on its way as quickly as possible. But if he was making
dinner plans now, and R'fal had no objections, Brennault was more than
pleased to revert to his previous scheduling.

"That would be fine. Thank you." R'fal suddenly remembered something,
and he blushed again. "Oh! I should pay you." He reached into his
pocket. "It's a quarter mark, right?"

Brennault grinned. He would have brought it up eventually, but he was
not worried that R'fal was trying to get away without paying. "Yes,
sir," he said. R'fal had an adorable blush, but Brennault did his best
to keep any obvious reaction specifically to that fact out of his
expression.

R'fal handed over the mark, looking slightly abashed at having nearly
forgotten about it. Though he didn't grudge the runners their fee, he
certainly hoped he'd be able to fly with Marlath to his family soon.
Sending so many letters was burning through his savings like dragonfire
through Thread.

"I've got to run now, drills are starting soon and I can't be late or
I'll be in even worse trouble with the Weyrlingmaster. But I'll see you
at dinner?"

"At dinner," Brennault agreed with a nod as he pocketed the mark – one
he would be passing on to the next runner anyhow. He scarcely deserved a
cut for walking the letter across the bowl. "Fly safe," he added. He was
not sure if that was the usual well-wish, but it seemed as apropos as
anything else he could wish.

"Thanks!" The young brownrider's smile lit up his face. "Marlath will
take good care of me, as always. He can breathe fire now, and..." He cut
himself off, remembering that he was in a hurry. "Well, I'll tell you
all about it at dinner!" With a wave, he set off at a jog for the weyr
bowl, reassuring his dragon that he was on his way.

Brennault could not help but smile back. That kind of smile was always
contagious, and Brennault loved putting that kind of smile on someone's
face. He shoved the rest of his meal into his mouth and then set off to
put the letter and the payment into the right hands.

Last updated on the January 29th 2019

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Learning the Hard Way