Escort Duty (2/2)
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: Corrin, Heather
Date Posted: 5th June 2025
Characters: Ki'ben, Sybana
Description: Ki’ben accompanies Sybana on her first visit home since Impression
Location: Elsewhere on Pern
Date: month 7, day 16 of Turn 12
Sybana had clearly written ahead.
All of Skyvale seemed to turn out to meet them, filling the main courtyard to gawk at the gold (and bronze) dragons. There was a storm of introductions for Ki’ben: an elderly father, a dragonless uncle, several brothers and their wives, a bevy of cousins. It was followed by a fabulous early luncheon and then Sybana all but vanished to catch up with her family, leaving Ki’ben with Nalya as tour-guide and company. At sixteen, Nalya was a pale copy of her cousin, sweet and starry-eyed.
There wasn’t much guarding for Ki’ben to do. Sybana spent most of her time in the family apartments of the main hold, but she was generally in high spirits when he did see her between one visit and the next. It was only towards the end of the day that something seemed to change and a more somber mood overtook her.
It lingered as they said their goodbyes and went to the courtyard to restrap their dragons.
Sybana was quietly starting on the first buckle when she remembered her manners. “I hope you weren’t too bored? Was Nyla a good hostess?”
"She was sweet," Ki'ben said, thinking it was probably the safest and most polite thing he could say. The young bronzerider glanced toward Sybana, noting the difference in her countenance. "Everything go okay?"
Sybana kept her eyes on the buckle, working it with deliberate care. “Oh, yes. It was good to see everyone again. I just… have a lot on my mind.” Her voice was soft, as if admitting it too loudly might make the tangle of thoughts harder to contain. There was no way to explain to Ki’ben that she was worried about Galgaith’s approaching maturity. No way she was going to admit she’d flown to Skyvale in large part to ask her sister-in-law about the basics of sex and her uncle about the realities of mating flights. Ki’ben was weyrborn and a man, she couldn’t talk about any of that with him, but it was equally impossible to pretend that nothing had happened and that she was fine. The safest topic was her uncle.
“My Uncle Dorix used to fly for Dragonsfall. He had some… advice for me. He wants to make sure I succeed as a goldrider, they all do-- but mostly it struck me how much it still hurts him to be without his Saeruth. I knew he grieved the loss, but before Galgaith I didn’t really _understand_.”
She hesitated, pausing her work on the straps to press her hands against the solid mass of Galgaith’s shoulder as the gold rumbled encouragingly. “It just made me think about how much I rely on Galgaith already. It’s only been a few months, but I can’t imagine… I know it’s silly to worry when she’s so young and strong, and honestly we’re going to be as safe as possible in the Queen’s Wing, but…”
She forced a small laugh, brittle around the edges. “I didn’t mean to get so grim. It’s been a strange day.”
"I'm not sure why people always say it that way 'safe as possible in the Queen's Wing,'" Ki'ben said. "You still fight Thread. You can still get scored. You're working with a flamethrower, and hope that the others around you with their flamerthrowers don't scorch you. At a moment's notice you might have to catch a falling dragon and rider. The Queen's Wing has plenty of risks, so it's not silly to worry. Let your worry make you sharp when you're in the air."
Sybana’s head dipped in acknowledgement, her gaze still on Galgaith’s straps. “That’s… actually sort of comforting to hear,” she admitted after a beat. “Everyone keeps telling me it’s the safest place to be, like that should quell any fear. But it doesn't. It just makes me feel foolish for having it. It's nice to hear I'm not being completely ridiculous.”
"How long have you been flying Thread?" she asked, finally looking up at him. He looked her age, or near enough, but he spoke with such authority.
"It'll be two Turns in month eight," he answered, a blush coloring his cheeks just a bit. "But I grew up in a dragonrider family. I've heard it talked about my entire life.... And it's what killed my dad."
Sybana blinked at that. “Oh,” she said, softly. The word was small, insufficient, but it held the weight of understanding and sympathy. "I'm truly sorry. It's hard enough losing a parent and now you face the same danger... That must be difficult."
She tightened one of the last straps. "Is that what you do yourself? Using your worry to sharpen your wits in the air?"
The young bronzerider hesitated. It felt against the grain to admit something like this to a pretty goldrider like Sybana, but.... "It's not worry for myself that sharpens my wits in the air. It's my mother. Losing my dad that way.... I don't want her to have to lose me that way, too."
"That's a good reason," she agreed quietly. "I'd also hate to put my family through that."
It was still somewhat grim talk, but reassuring in its own way. She wasn't alone in her fears--wasn’t being silly or soft for having them--if even dashing bronzeriders like Ki'ben could acknowledge the chinks in their armor. Sybana's mood improved as they finished with the straps and mounted. "Well, thank you for the escort and counseling service," she said with a gentle laugh. "Ready to get back?"
Ki'ben felt he was probably the last person who should be giving out counseling, but it felt nice to hear her soft laugh. "Of course, milady."
Last updated on the June 13th 2025