The Dashing Hero Saves The Day

Writers: Bree, Eimi
Date Posted: 12th February 2007

Characters: M'galec, Shalai
Description: M'galec rushes in to save Shalai and promises to take her to the Weyr, where she can learn to control her ability to hear dragons.
Location: Elsewhere on Pern
Date: month 2, day 7 of Turn 4

Shalai was sedated but lucid when the healers let the bronzerider into her room. She knew he was a bronzerider because the quiet, cautious voice had whispered a warning before she'd even heard the footsteps outside the hallway. Of course, she still wasn't entirely sure she believed it--it wouldn't be the first time the voices had lied to her, after all. She didn't bother to try to move from her chair as he sat down carefully across from her. The medicine had made her sleepy, and the blankets wrapped around her seemed far too heavy. Instead she simply blinked at him, trying to decide if that quiet voice in her head was to be trusted.

What animals were these that they would sedate a poor woman to such a state? Just for hearing dragons? The outside world indeed was ignorant. "Hello, Shalai. My name is M'galec. I am the rider of the dragon you have been talking to."

Shalai tilted her head to the side and studied him. "Bronzerider?"

"Yes," he nodded. "You are right. My dragon is a bronze. Do you know his name?"

**I don't know your name,** Shalai thought hesitantly, not really expecting an answer. }:Dwarkanath,:{ the bronzer gently supplied.

"Dwarkanath?" she said hesitantly, not sure if she wanted the answer to be the right one or not.

"That's right," M'galec smiled encouragingly. "And has he told you where we are from?"

She lifted one hand to push the tangled strands of hair from her face.
"From River Bluff Weyr?" Her voice sounded calm enough, but her thoughts were frantic. **I can't believe you're real... maybe your not. Maybe your not real and neither is the bronzerider. I see people who aren't here.**

Of course, she could just read that from his knots... "Could you ask Dwarkanath where we lived before River Bluff?"

Shalai hesitated for a moment as the gentle response drifted into her mind. "Rising Moon Weyr?" She wanted to reach out to see if he was real, but she was too afraid. He was dangling the hope of sanity in front of her... or something closer to it than she'd been in turns. Finding out he wasn't real would kill her.

"That is right," the bronzerider nodded, triumph in his eyes. **She _can_ hear dragons!** "How long have you heard dragons, Shalai?"

"I--I don't know. I didn't know they were dragons..." **And not all of them were.** No matter how nice it would be to pretend, she couldn't explain away the constant visits from her late husband as hearing dragons.

"Rest easy now," M'galec smiled, reaching out to pat her arm gently, "those voices you hear are _real_ voices. They are the voices of dragons speaking to each other, and now speaking to you directly. Do not be afraid. They will not hurt you."

She jerked back from his touch without thinking about it, only belatedly realizing that the fact that he _could_ touch her meant he was real. One shaking hand reached out and she touched his hand softly. "You're real?"

"Of course I am real," he nodded, slowly reaching out with his other hand to lightly cradle her hand. Just what had these healers _done_ to the poor woman! "And Dwarkanath is real. You can see and touch him later and put your mind at ease."

After a few moments she curled her fingers around his hand and offered him a tentative smile. "Do I have to stay here?"

"I think we are going to try to take you back to the Weyr. It will be confusing at first, because there will be many dragons and many voices there. But there will also be people who understand what you are going though. We can help you."

"Can--do you think I can learn to ignore them?" Hearing so many dragons all at once _would_ drive her mad if she couldn't!

"There are ways of dealing with it, yes," M'galec nodded. "You do not have to become crazy just because you can hear the dragons. Dragonfall Weyr's Weyrleader can hear dragons the same as you do, and he is not crazy."

Her smile was gentle and terribly sad. "But I'm already crazy," she replied softly. "Well, we will see about that," M'galec said with a gentle smile as he squeezed her hands once more. Is she had been driven mad, it was probably from this pit of ignorance they called a Mindhealer Hall.

Last updated on the February 17th 2007

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The Dashing Hero Saves The Day