I Wish You Could Accept That

Writers: Halyonix, Devin
Date Posted: 13th July 2025
Series: Bronze and Blue Entwined

Characters: Hesbia, K'mai, A'len
Description: A'len tries to warn K'mai away from I'serin
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 7, day 7 of Turn 12
Notes: Mentioned: M'kayre

Hesbia

K'mai

Notes:
~*~

A'len stalked the corridors with purpose.

Traitorous boy! Dallying with a bluerider like he rode green. That _had_ to be why I'serin had dissolved Teal Wing and renamed the Wings. That _had_ to be why he had made that disastrous crossover call the month before. He was distracted! By a _man_!

This had to stop. Unless A'len could somehow convince M'kayre that I'serin was unfit for duty, the boy was ruining his chances at being Weyrleader again rapidly. He had to figure out--

"You!" he snapped, spotting K'mai down the hallway.

The angry shout startled K'mai, but when he turned and saw who it was, he glared. Usually when confronted by an angry bronzerider, K'mai wanted to either appease or charm them. Not this time. "What is it now?"

"Don't you take that upstart tone with me," A'len growled as he encroached upon K'mai's personal space. "You little liar! When I asked you before what business you had with my son, you lied! You stay away from him, you understand me? I've had enough of your distractions with him. He's the Weyrleader! He doesn't have time to be dallying with the likes of you!"

K'mai drew himself up to his full height. "I didn't lie. I said I wanted to make him happy." His voice dropped, mindful they could be overheard. "We make each other happy."

The bluerider might be a little taller than him but A'len was burlier, mostly due to his age. He was not as intimidated. "Whershit," he growled. "He's a bronzerider. He'll never be happy with someone like _you_."

That barb hurt a little, but K'mai's real worry about their relationship was that I'serin might break things off out of fear. "You don't know him at all because you're so busy trying to turn him into someone else. You don't _see_ him, but I do. He's kind and dedicated and brilliant. He's a better bronzerider than you'll ever be."

A'len's eyes flashed angrily. "Better? You think he's _better_? He's making mistakes left and right and you think he's _BETTER_?!"

Unseen by the incensed bronzerider, there was someone else in the hall. Someone who recognized his voice. Had been searching for it for months. Someone who, for now, stayed out sight, listening.

"You've lost your mind!" A'len shouted at K'mai.

K'mai shook his head. "He's done with you bullying him, and so am I. There's nothing you can do to make me stay away from him. I lo--" K'mai remembered where they were.

A'len's tone abruptly dropped. "Surely you weren't about to say something as foolish as you love him," he growled warningly. "Get it through your thick head, bluerider. He's not for you."

K'mai's voice was low and heated. "If I was a woman, would you let him be happy then? This is a _Weyr_!" And yet there were always a few weyrbred people like A'len, who were perfectly accepting of gay and bisexual men, but only in their proper place -- on green or blue or among the Lower Caverns. Because men like that weren't meant for bronze or brown, and therefore not meant to be leaders.

The answer to that was yes but even that came with caveats and standards. Regardless, A'len was _not_ going to give K'mai the pleasure of knowing any of that. "This isn't a debate to be had," he snapped at the bluerider. "Take that philosophical harper nonsense somewhere else. This is a Weyr and we have traditions to maintain! Or are you going to suggest that we throw the Teaching Ballads out next? Bah!" A'len made a scoffing gesture in emphasis. "Get that nonsense out of here!"

"Like he said, he's changing traditions." K'mai could still feel the way I'serin's fingers had woven with his own as the bronzerider stood up to his father. The bluerider leaned closer and spoke quietly so he wouldn't be overheard. "I love him, A'len." Then a wave of sadness went through him, making him swallow. "I wish . . . I wish you could accept that."

K'mai's words produced a visceral reaction from the bronzerider. Purpling angrily, A'len yelled, "You've lost your mind! You stay away from him, mark my words! Stay away!" He rudely shouldered K'mai out of the way as he stormed off.

K'mai made a rude gesture at his back. "If you do _anything_ to him, I'll make you sorry!" Anger was an uncommon emotion for him and he didn't like it. A'len did not respond.

Someone else did though.

"Well, he seemed like a ball of sunlight," Hesbia muttered darkly, even though her heart was hammering. Him! It was him! It was the hated dragonrider she had been searching for! She had to play this right. She had to be careful. She could get almost everything she was looking for if she did this correctly.

K'mai started a little. "Oh, uh . . . hi there." He turned toward the young woman, anger fading. "How much did you hear?"

"Something about someone losing their mind and whatever nonsense comes with that," Hesbia answered. Her mind raced for more to say. "He was yelling a lot but I mean, people yell all sorts of stuff when they're angry. Doesn't always mean something."

The bluerider relaxed a little. "He's an asshole."

"Oh, yeah, totally!" Hesbia agreed. Okay, so it hadn't just been a one off thing, the dragonrider's attitude in the cave. He really was an asshole! Okay, stay cool. Keep talking. She needed information. "So, uh, I work in the kitchens and...well, you can just say the word and I'll make sure something rank gets delivered to his weyr one night. Sounds like he deserves something like that at least."

K'mai felt the tiniest prick of guilt, but then he thought about all the cruel things A'len had said to I'serin -- not just now, but for I'serin's entire life. "Please do. I would appreciate it."

She wanted to scream with vindictive joy. "Just give me a name and weyr and I'll handle it," she said as coolly as possible.

"A'len," K'mai said, and gave her the weyr location. "What's your name?"

Hesbia almost froze. She should lie! She didn't want anything to come back on her! But what if she lied and someone found that out too? Oh, screw this. She wasn't going to run. If the Weyr kicked her out, she'd figure out what to do then. "Hesbia," she answered.

"A pleasure to meet you. I'm K'mai, of blue Sebeth. Thank you for making that tunnelsnake's life a little less pleasant."

"Anytime," she answered pleasantly, victory rushing through her veins.

Last updated on the July 22nd 2025

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I Wish You Could Accept That