Foolish Girl
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyrhold
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Elsewhere on Pern
NPC Weyr (NPC)
River Bluff Weyr
Seacraft Hall
Writers: Miriah, Suzee
Date Posted: 13th February 2022
Characters: Cyradis, Enali, Urlene
Description: Enali is brought to Cyradis
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 10, day 4 of Turn 10
Notes: Mentioned: Cyradis, D'hol, N'vanik, Y'gel, Briata, K'deren
The men who brought Enali to Cyradis' quarters weren't rough with her,
but neither were they overly gentle. She was allowed to bathe and
groom herself, but she was carefully bound to ensure that she could
not escape. Her rounded belly was getting even more obvious as she was
brought into the chambers. The days of imprisonment had had a visible
effect on the girl; unlike when she was caught, Enali's
rebelliousness had been muted by the realization of the severity of
what she had done and what she was facing. When presented to Cyradis,
she stared down at her feet, a single man on either side of her arms.
Cyradis reclined on her couch with a neutral expression on her face.
None of her advisers had wanted her to meet with this young woman
until after her child was born. And yet, it was her responsibility to
handle it. "Well," she said drily. "You sure helped cause a mess."
Enali didn't look up at the Weyrwoman, keeping her eyes locked on her
slightly wiggling toes in her boots. "Yes." She swallowed hard. "I was
doing what I thought was right." The Weyrleader had been letting her
stew, alone in her own thoughts, for days, and now, the young woman
was terrified of what was to happen to her. The uncertainty of her
future gnawed at her; she'd been so sure she was going to get away.
"Tell me," she said. "Do you want your child to grow up with hate and distrust?"
That was an unexpected question; for a moment Enali lifted her eyes in
surprise to look at Cyradis before dropping them immediately back
down. It was on the tip of her tongue to say that she didn't want the
thing growing inside of her, but it might be the only thing keeping
her alive. She cared little for the babe; it was a means to an end.
So instead of answering clearly, she shrugged. "I don't know."
"You don't know? Hmmm," she mused. "Well _I_ know, several bronze and
brown riders who would like to stake you out for Thread to take you."
She looked down at her tea and took a small sip. "But even though you
tried to poison me and my baby, I said no." She looked at the younger
woman with a small smile.
The young woman's eyes shot up as she blanched and spoke quickly. "It
wasn't poison. It was just to make you sleep. Just fellis. So you
wouldn't....be alert and such. To stop what was supposed to happen."
Her voice trailed off and she shuddered at the idea of being staked
out. Her eyes dropped back down and she seemed to shrink.
"But fellis does poison infants and baby dragons. Adult ones too. You
tried to _kill_ babies Enali. What kind of person does that?"
"I didn't give you enough for that..." Her voice was soft. She had
meant to at least kill a few of the hatchlings. She'd hoped to. That
was her purpose. But to tell _this_ woman that...she might change her
mind about getting her staked out for Thread. "We had to let you know
we were serious. I...it wasn't my idea. I just did it. For Grevan and
for the Hold. So everyone would know that..." She went quiet."
Cyradis put a hand on the side of her face looking at the young woman
and shook her head. "_Really?_" she nearly shouted. "So do you expect
the Weyr to just 'suck it up' and continue protecting your cots and
livestock while you stupid farmers try to kill us? Is that it?" She
struggled to control herself and saw Panitath's whirling eye through
the window while her anger rose. "Faranths' first egg woman, are you
stupid? or did someone put you up to it?"
The sight of the large eye glaring at her made Enali's knees knock
volubly against each other as she squeaked in terror. The men holding
each of her arms had to catch her before she fell as her legs nearly
gave out. "It wasn't my idea! Don't let her eat me, please, Lady! I
promise you it wasn't my idea. They said I would be a hero and that
Grevan deserved real justice!" Real tears welled up in her eyes. "I
loved him! The Weyr took him away! We were to be married and after
he...they came and talked to me. Asked me to help for Grevan's sake.
For justice!"
"Grevan? The one who ambushed an unarmed man in the lower caverns?
That Grevan? The one who picked out a spot and waited until the boy's
back was turned?" She glared at the young woman. "You loved a coward
who got what he deserved. His father at least was honorable in his
attempt to kill J'ackt. But all of this is the Weyr's fault?" She was
fast becoming agitated and knew it wasn't good for her or the baby but
she couldn't help herself. "Is it really the victim's fault when they
are attacked and happen to beat off their attacker?"
"Grevan wouldn't do that." Enali protested, now openly sobbing. "He
was good. He was sweet and gentle! He took care of his family!"
The door opened suddenly and Urlene stepped in, stepping around the
woman and pair of men. Her face was cool, irritation only shown by the
tightness around her lips as her eyes went from Enali and then to
Cyradis. She exhaled through her teeth. "For Faranth's sake. I told
you no stress. You're lucky that Panitath tattled on you to
Aughashyth." She arched a brow at Cyradis as she bent to check her
pulse. "If I have to go get K'deren or N'vanik, I'll happily do so,
Weyrwoman." She glanced up at the two men holding Enali. "You get that
girl a seat. She's just as pregnant and I don't want to have to do two
early child births at the same time."
The men glanced at each other and then at Cyradis. "Weyrwoman?"
"No," she said but without the same force. "Take her out of my sight.
Back to her room," she waved a hand at the door. Then she glared up at
the healer. "Neither of them will help calm me down, shardit. No, I
need... I need. You and more tea." She closed her eyes and tried to
breathe regularly.
The men dragged the sobbing woman out of the room, half-carrying her
and half-walking her as Urlene set the pot to boiling over the
brazier. "I suppose I'll have to check on her again later. Slow even
breaths, Cyradis. Count them out in your mind. In through your nose
for three counts, then out through your mouth for a count of three."
She sat on a small stool, then took her wrist once again, checking.
"If you know there's a chance of your temper rising, I suggest you
leave Weyr matters to your second or to N'vanik."
"I know," she muttered as she kept her breathing even. "But I had to
form my own opinion and she's a sharding fool. She was just used by
others. She's no one's master planner to hatch this whole plot." She
rubbed her temples and shifted uneasily on her seat. She'd pushed it
too far in her frustration.
"I didn't think she was. That would require someone with influence
that she doesn't have. " Urlene replied calmly as she kept a close
monitor of the pulse that she felt. "I know the need for keeping her
in that room, but she's under a great deal of stress and I _am_
concerned for the babe she carries. I monitor her closely and won't
allow a junior to do so for obvious reasons. She's a manipulative
little baggage." Urlene kept her voice even and calm as Cyradis
breathed. "She seems disgusted by her condition, but oddly is very
interested in it. She never asks about the child's health except if I
think it will live, how long she'll have to feed it, that sort of
thing. I'm sure it's not for the child's wellbeing."
Cyradis nodded and reached up to stroke the little brown eyeridges of
the flit on her shoulder. Shadow was wrapped around the back of her
neck where he'd burrowed under her hair. "It's so hard for me to
understand how they feel they can attack us and then expect us to
provide protection as if nothing has happened. "You're all bad people
but come when we need you."
Urlene watched Shadow for a moment, her lips tightening a fraction
before she relaxed. "Entitlement." She finally let go of Cyradis'
wrist once she felt the pulse ease. "I can understand it. Most people
in the Holds believe Weyrfolk live a life of ease outside of
Threadfall and even then, they don't understand how dangerous it
really is up there. You can't know unless you experience it. Even I
don't even fully know and I see the results of it. They think life is easy
here and while they work to give to the Weyr, the Weyr plays and
allows people to give in to their basest desires. I had many of the
same thoughts, Cyradis."
"I understood that point of view before 'fall started back up, but the
proof is in the sky every week." So many dragons and riders had given
their lives or become incapacitated because of Threadfall. She lifted
her hands, her eyes big and full of tears. "We give so much they never
see."
"That's the whole point, Cyradis." Urlene calmly, but gently, lowered
Cyradis' hands. "They don't see. They don't see the wounds or the
hurts or the injuries, not when they're fresh. They may see the scars,
but don't understand the wounds. They don't see mangled dragons or
riders; very few do outside of a Weyr. I certainly didn't have an
understanding before I saw it first hand. Even now, it's hard for me
to understand the connection between rider and dragon...because I've
never experienced it and I wasn't raised with that understanding"
Urlene tilted her head. "But weyrbred folk, even Hallbred folk, and
sometimes even those of us of the Blood, don't see _their_ struggles
either. Lords and their stewards and Hallmasters, they deal with the
Weyrs. Very few outside of those elite positions truly interact with
riders outside of a Search. And many Weyrfolk, you have to admit,
think of those who are holdbred as backward and difficult to
understand. I'm no Mindhealer, but perhaps both sides are guilty of
not understanding or truly seeing the other side."
"We're born, we live, we die, same as they do. But when the red star
is in the sky, we die a lot more." She remembered what it was like her
first sixteen turns living at Vintner Hall. She'd been as shocked as
anyone and as naive as any young woman was outside the Weyr. "You may
not realize it but I spent my first sixteen turns at the Hall. I do
understand their feelings. But the Red Star returned. How do they
ignore the evidence of their own eyes? That is the part I don't
understand."
"Not all, Cyradis." Urlene sighed, "but some. I didn't realize or
perhaps I just see you as Weyrbred. I don't know either. I think some
are just angry. That young woman is not thinking with her mind. I
think something is broken inside of her that I can't heal. She needs a
Mindhealer, but even so...what she did...what could have happened..."
Urlene shook her head and took a breath. "I don't think you should see
her again. Not until after your child is born. Leave her to N'vanik,
Cyradis."
Cyradis stared at her for a moment then slowly nodded. "But keep him
from staking her out for Thread until we are sure we have everything
she knows _and_ the child she carries."
Urlen's brows rose in surprise. "I think you're overestimating the
strength of my friendship with N'vanik, Cyradis. Of course I'll not
allow anything to happen to her until her child is born, but after
that, I'm afraid it will be up to the Weyrleadership. I'll have little
say in the matter. It's not my place. But I'll keep her alive until
then. Would you like me to have a Mindhealer speak to her? Perhaps
they can discover things that anger won't."
"Or logic apparently," Cyridis muttered. She blew out a long breath.
Then a small smile played around her mouth. There weren't many people
who could correct her and get away with it these days but Urlene had
earned the right. "I'll behave," she said. "And don't underestimate
your influence with N'vanik. You are a Master of your craft and can
thus speak your mind and he will listen, no matter how begrudgingly.
You are part of the Weyrleadership, my dear." she added. "Oh and just
remember, sometimes you have to yell to get his attention." She shook
her head. "I love the man dearly but he doesn't like to be 'managed.'"
"I can't remember the last time I yelled." Urlene finally gave a wider
smile. "I rarely need to. I'll speak to him if there is need," she
agreed. "I don't believe any man enjoys being managed, hm? Though I
think Briata does fairly well with Y'gel when necessary. "
"I doubt she needs it very much," Cyradis agreed. Y'gel was a gentle
giant. "And _you_ can yell without raising your voice at all. Like a
harper with his students. I'm afraid I get a bit too excited to
maintain that kind of control. Thus..." she waved her arms over
herself at where she reclined. "...this. And thank you. I'm sure
he'll listen if you give him the right information. Just as I am sure
he trusts your judgement."
"No, I don't believe she does." Urlene answered with a small smile.
Y'gel obviously adored his weyrmate; they were a well matched pair.
"You do tend to, but that's your nature. You're welcome. " Urlene
rose with a faint hint of a smile. "I'll send a mindhealer to her, see
what he can delve. You rest and I'll get a report to you as soon as
it's delivered. "
Cyradis nodded. She longed to make her own observations about Y'gel.
She'd seen the way the man looked at Urlene and though she knew he
loved Briata she also had personal experience with how it felt to love
more than one person at the same time. Her only thought about it was
not to hurt any of them if she could walk that fine line. She loved
K'deren with a full heart and knew she belonged with him. Yet, she
also loved D'hol with a passion that sometimes scared her. Then there
was N'vanik and she loved him too, but in a very different way from
the others.
But, she didn't feel she and Urlene were quite close enough for the
Master Healer Urlene to accept advice on her love life. "I'll rest,"
she said with a tiny smile.
Last updated on the July 15th 2022