Their Bond of Hope

Writers: Aaron, Avery, Devin
Date Posted: 1st September 2021

Characters: A'kades, Jadirah, V'rel, T'lin, J'ler
Description: Kadira's family reacts to the situation
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 9, day 3 of Turn 10
Notes: Part 3 of 3 ; takes place immediately following hatching
Mentioned: Weyrleaders (indirectly), Lenala

T'lin

J'ler

It wasn't even quite a month later and they were back at Dragonsfall
for another Hatching. Today was about cheering on Kadira as she Stood
for the second time. Otherwise it felt more like a typical Hatching,
with only one Queen on the Sands guarding her brood. It seemed less
crowded in the Stands too. T'lin took his seat next to V'rel. A short
while later, the line of Candidates entered and T'lin waved
enthusiastically at Kadira. "I hope her green is in one of those
eggs."

"Me too," V'rel said. "I was surprised she stood again, she sounded
uncertain if it was a good idea last time. But commit to one of these,
commit to both, right?"

"Even if she only wanted to try once, they're so close together, why
wouldn't you?" T'lin said as the Candidates spread out in front of the
eggs. The humming of the dragons intensified as the eggs started to
rock.

"Then you can say you were part of a big event," Jadirah agreed.

"I think it's admirable she's keeping her mind open to new
experiences," A'kades said. He tugged at his tunic as he watched.

"Don't be so nervous. Everything will be all right." Jadirah grinned
at T'lin. "He was just like this with you two."

T'lin chuckled. "Things turned out for us. It'll turn out for her,
too." Of course not everyone Impressed. He'd had friends age out, or
decide to stop trying.

"I'm glad she gets another chance so soon," J'ler said cheerfully.
"Then we can still be weyrlings together, even if we're just a little
bit ahead of her class."

"If I couldn't be in the same class as T'lin, I would have liked
this," V'rel said.

Then the first egg broke open, revealing a brown. T'lin scanned,
looking for a green. There! Oh, but she didn't come close to Kadira,
choosing someone else.

"Maybe if she doesn't Impress here we can kidnap her to Dolphin Cove?"
V'rel pondered.

"You want to slowly move us all, huh? I thought maybe you'd want to go
to Barrier Lake." Jadirah said.

J'ler's heart beat faster at that. He did not like the idea of any
more of his family leaving to the other side of the world. _Between_
made everything closer, but just because A'kades could be back at
Dragonsfall in a few moments, it did not mean he _was_ at Dragonsfall.

}:Is everything alright?:{ Maishoth asked drowsily.

**Everything is fine. Go back to sleep, buddy.**

A'kades exclaimed. "Look out - " as he saw the dragonet heading for
Kadira, who was looking the other way, as though she could hear him
over the crowd noise and crooning.

The dragonet impacted her back and she hit the Sands. For a terrifying
moment she was still, and there was a dash of bright red beside and
below.

"Oh no," V'rel breathed as he pressed one hand to his mouth. "No, no."

}:Everything is *not* OK; you're scared! Who's doing this? I'll stop
them!:{ Maishoth insisted.

**No. No! Stay there. I'll be back soon. There's just a... something
happened, but I'm going to be OK. Everyone is going to be OK.** J'ler
had to convince himself to convince Maishoth. She was going to get
back up. It was nothing. It had to be.

A'kades' breath caught as he saw his daughter crumple to the Sands.
Accidents happened at Hatchings. Sometimes eager dragonets caused real
harm. But that was to unprepared people - to other people - Not
Kadira. Not his daughter. His eyes were fixed on the crumpled dark
haired woman on the Sands. and he thought suddenly of River Bluff, the
collapse, and remembered Lenala, wondering what her last moments had
been like under the collapse and if she'd bled out on those Hatching
Grounds. The parallels took away his breath and made his heart feel
like it had stopped.

He was sitting between T'lin and Jadirah and his hand blindly gripped
one next to him, squeezing it.

And then she moved as she began to push herself up, and V'rel let out
a small noise as he saw her get to her feet. He saw blood dripping
into the Sands.

"Looks like an arm cut, I think he stepped on it on his way to his
lifemate. She's holding it strange, could be broken could be pain, but
standing on both feet. " Jadirah said, tone cool and analytical
despite the horror she was feeling.

**See?** said J'ler to Maishoth as the brown felt his relief. **She's
going to be just fine.**

T'lin winced as Kadira was hurt, then winced again as A'kades squeezed
his hand. He kept his eyes fixed on Kadira until she got up and
started moving off the Sands with the help of another Candidate. Then
he relaxed a little, sagging back in his seat. "Oh look. I think that
blue is heading for the boy helping her." He smiled a little, thinking
the boy deserved it.

"Do you know who he is? I don't recognize him," V'rel asked the family.

"River Bluff, I think, looks familiar," A'kades said sounding
distracted. He let up on T'lin's hand and said, "Sorry."

"If they're going to stitch her up, I want to be there." Jadirah said,
standing up.

"What's happening?" V'rel asked. He pointed. The other Candidate had
stepped away from Kadira so he could face the dragonet, but the blue
was bypassing him and continuing right towards Kadira and the
weyrlingstaff member holding her up.

"Is... he going for Kadira?" J'ler's jaw dropped. He could not
possibly be headed for the staff member. What did this mean?

On the Sands, Kadira stepped away from the greenrider, said, "I can… I
can hear him," and reached out to touch the dragonet's head as it
reached towards her wounded arm.

"_Shards_," V'rel breathed out, as the world turned upside down.

"Did that blue just Impress her?" Jadirah asked, staring at the family
she was surrounded by, hoping as riders they knew more, but seeing her
own confusion reflected on their faces.

A'kades' eyes unfocused as he reached for Volaith. **Ask that blue,**
he said, knowing a blue would have to answer to a bronze, not caring
if it wasn't his Weyr, wasn't his place to have his dragon impose on
another Weyr's hatchling's…

Volaith knew in the way dragons did that Impression was made and that
things were right since the hatchling had found his rider, so he told
A'kades, }:Ishath knows his choice.:{

"Yes. He did," T'lin answered Jadirah absently. That rainbow color in
the hatchling's eyes was unmistakable, and so was the look in Kadira's
face. "A _blue_! She Impressed a _blue_!" That was supposed to be
impossible.

}:We know who is right for us,:{ Calaroth said warmly.

T'lin blinked, realizing the whole crowd seemed to be mutterting and
staring in confusion. Some were pointing at the newly-Impressed pair.
T'lin jumped to his feet and shouted, "Yay Kadira!"

J'ler joined T'lin in standing and shouted the loudest and most
embarrassing, "WOO!" he could muster. A blue. The first woman to
Impress a blue as far back as anyone had ever heard of. If that was
not worth waiting another month for, what was? And now they _would_ be
weyrlings together. Or. Weyrlings at the same time, anyway.

V'rel jumped up and hugged T'lin and J'ler and screamed as well. There
might be dissatisfied sounds from the stands but he wouldn't let her
hear them when she could hear them celebrating instead.

Jadirah was stunned. She cast a glance over at the Weyrleaders' box to
see how Saibra and K'reyel were reacting - then a glance at A'kades,
to see how her prim and proper co-parent was responding to this
unprecedented turn of affairs.

A'kades looked stunned still, but far happier than he'd looked when
he'd thought she was hurt. He rose to his feet, pulled Jadirah with
him, and twirled her in the air. "She did it! She did it!"

Now some in the crowd were giving the family looks at their
enthusiastic celebration. T'lin cheered a few more times until Kadira
and her dragon were gone. Then he turned to V'rel. "_How_ did she get
a blue? This is amazing!"

"I don't know, but I've never heard of it before," V'rel said.

"I haven't either, but it doesn't matter. She Impressed a healthy
dragon, and that's the key part," A'kades said.

"Oh, we have to go congratulate them now," Jadirah said.

"Yeah, let's go!" J'ler insisted, practically bouncing with
excitement. It was easy to be excited for his sister on her day. It
did not yet occur to him how much less impressive his own Impression
might now seem. Boys impressed browns at every Hatching, after all.

T'lin bounced on his toes as the crowd filed out of the Stands.
"C'mon, hurry!" he muttered, eager to get past them so he could get
down and talk to Kadira.

A'kades hung back behind the children. "I hope we get to speak to her."

"Even if she's too busy feeding her dragon, we'll see her at the feast."

He hissed out a breath. "If she attends. If she's allowed to."

"They wouldn't hide her away?"

"I don't know. This is going to be a political upheaval. It might be
better to keep her back."

"She's a newly Impressed weyrling, she deserves to be celebrated with
her friends," Jadirah said. A'kades was silent for long enough Jadirah
looked over. At his pressed-together lips and grim expression, she
stopped short. "Kad. If you were Weyrleader, you're saying you might
not have her at the feast?" Her tone was a mix of disbelief and
warning.

"I'm saying that I don't know what the climate is like here at
Dragonsfall, but Dolphin Cove has had unrest with the holders, and...
I'd be afraid of something bad happening. So yes, I'd hold her back."

"Fortunately, Saibra won't do that," Jadirah said confidently.

V'rel was further ahead with his weyrmate and brother, but heard parts
of this. He turned over his shoulder and broke up the tension with,
"C'mon, or she's gonna have fed Isharth and taken him to bed before we
get to meet him!"

"You're right, let's go," A'kades said, and allowed the topic to be
dropped.

"Kadira!" T'lin shouted as they approached. He'd let V'rel and his
family congratulate her first, but he was _dying_ to talk to her. He
glanced back to make sure A'kades and Jadira were close behind.

V'rel took T'lin's hand and beamed as he saw the Weyrleaders talking
to her. "Oh, look at her and Ishath, aren't they so handsome?"

"Oh, they're perfect. And look - they're free to talk to now."

Last updated on the October 1st 2021

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Their Bond of Hope