A New Life (part three of eight)

Writers: Len, Paula
Date Posted: 2nd April 2019

Characters: L'fael, Jessmyr
Description: Jessmyr gets Lafael settled into the lower caverns.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 5, day 9 of Turn 9
Notes: Part three of eight

Yanley had assigned Jessmyr to take care of Lafael, so he had showed him
around, taken him to the bath cavern, to rummage the storerooms for
clothes and other nessessaries and finally to someone who could trim
his hair. After that it was meal time anyway. (Jess couldn't trusted
with scissors, not if you wanted to keep your earlobes). Since Lafael
hadn't been officially Searched yet, Jess got him a bunk in same dorm
he lived. Actually it was the very next on from his. At the foot of
the bed, there was clothes chest and small night table next to it.
There were bigger wardrobes for outdoor clothes at the end of the
room.

Lafael carefully placed all the new clothes down in the chest Jessmyr
pointed to him. Then he all but collapsed onto the bed assigned to
him. It was still early evening but he was more than happy to think
about sleeping. In fact, all he wanted to do was think about sleeping.
He hadn't even tried to reach out to any dragons, to test his ability.
Little Reanth had checked in on him several times in the day, and
another green dragon who he made out was the lifemate of Jaylene's
brother. He smiled to himself, who knew dragons were so sweet?

Aware that Jessmyr was watching him, he struggled to open his eyes and
asked the other boy, "So how long have you been here?"

"Four turns, give or take few months," Jess replied. He had taken an
oil jar and was now spreading it to Val's hide.

Lafael couldn't stop the little sigh of happiness when Val sat on
Jessmyr's bed. "He's so lovely. I'm really surprised by how many
drudges--I mean lower caverns workers--" He'd have to get used to
saying that phrase "have so many flits. We'd never would've been
allowed something so precious back ho--I mean Sunstone." The Hold had
never been home, not in the way this place felt like home with only a
few candlemarks of having been in it. Everyone--and he meant everyone--had
shown him more kindness in one day than he had ever felt from
anyone--bar Uegot and Nerylyn--in his entire life. It was at times
overwhelming. Even the lady who had cut his hair had smiled and acted
like there was nothing she enjoyed more than chatting with him as she
cut away the knots and the snarls and made him look like perhaps he
was someone who belonged at the Weyr. He unconsciously fingered the
edge of his new tunic, so rich in colour and by far the grandest
piece of clothing he had ever been given.

"Yes, the Weyrfolk does treat even the dimglowed ones better than in
the Holds. As for the many flits, well, there's at least two golds in
Weyr and their owners either sell the eggs or just give them away,"
Jess replied with a smile. "Best part, if you get sick, you can just
walk into the infirmary and they treat you same as the dragonriders. I
never saw actually craft-trained healer before I came here. Most of
the ailments back home were treated by womenfolk or that old lady that
lived up in a mountain. Some said she used to be a healer before they
banned women from crafts. But she did mostly just the midwifery."

Lafael smiled. "We had a little old lady up the path as well, when I
was little, before I was traded away." His voice trailed off, thinking
of that horrible day when he was ripped from the only family he had
known. To cover up that feeling of sadness, he asked, "So where did
you come from? Did they just rescue you too?"

"I'm from a small runner waystation, somewhere between here and Opal
Cove Hold," Jessmyr replied. "I came here with my father and brother,
and they left me here," Jess felt that all to familiar bitterness
resurface. "After all, what good does it to keep a runner who can't
run around? An extra mouth to feed who can't earn his keep?" He pushed
the memory back, the memory of feeling that he had been dumped like
unwanted trash. The Weyr was his home now, he reminded himself, here
he was useful and accepted.

Lafael nodded, feeling that familiar bitterness of being unwanted in
Jessmyr's tone. "I understand, I never knew my parents at all. My ma
died from an infection and no one knew who my da was. I got taken in
by my uncle's family but they never treated me like I was family; they
acted like I was their drudge and my cousins always liked to remind me
that I was a bastard and unwanted and only good as a drudge. Then a
passing caravan came to our Cot and my uncle traded me for a
runnerbeast." He too couldn't help the bitter tone of his words. "They
treated me kinda alright. At least I was beaten slightly less than the
runnerbeasts. Then I broke an ankle in a hurricane when they left me
outside to take care of the runners." He shivered at that memory of
the strong winds and lashing rains, and hanging on to the line of
runners so they wouldn't run off in panic. "I wasn't any use to them
after that--or at least they weren't willing to let me heal. So they
dumped me at the next Hold, which unfortunately was Sunstone." His
voice hesitated and stopped. He wasn't yet willing to talk about that
place, about the beatings and the almost rape. But it was behind him
now, all for a skill he had taken for madness.

Jess reached to squeeze his arm with compassion. There were no need
for words, he understood completely what the other boy had gone thru.

Lafael grinned, he'd never had a friend before. If he could call
Jessmyr a friend. He hoped he could. "Does everyone stay this nice here?
I'm not used to it!"

"Oh, we have few obnoxious bullies here too, you can't escape them and
some dragonriders can be arrogant. But they don't get away with it, so
after awhile here, a new bullying candidate from Hold will tone down
their behaviour," Jess replied.

"Oh, right. Well, the two green riders who rescued me, I can't see any
bully trying it on with them, particularly the one. She was the
tallest woman I've never seen!" Well, she probably wasn't but she was
certainly imposing!

"That has to be Uetia, she's very nice but she does look she could
lift her dragon," Jess grinned. "Did you know she's got a baby? I've
tended her in creche. The baby that is."

"How big is the baby?" Lafael's voice came out in a squeak.

"Do you mean size or age? She's around Turn and a half and about the
size of a two Turns old. Really cute little girl." Jess giggled.

Lafael joined in the giggling. It felt so good to giggle, to laugh, he
found that once he started he couldn't stop. At least not for a good
long while. "I needed that," he said to Jessmyr. "I don't think I've
laughed in turns."

"You're welcome," Jess smiled.

Last updated on the April 16th 2019

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A New Life (part three of eight)