A Whole New World (part 1)

Writers: Patrick
Date Posted: 18th April 2007

Characters: Saria, Faran
Description: Saria finally leaves for the Weyr to make her way in the world. And just when she and Faran where starting to get along.
Location: Amber Hills Hold
Date: month 3, day 12 of Turn 4

"Look I'm leaving and that's final!" Saria told her brother sternly as she moved yet more clothes into a pack. Scout jumped up on her bed and barked at her older brother.

"Look Saria, I wanted you to go North! Not to the Weyr. The Weyr's not a good place for women." Faran began to plead with his sister.

"And why not?" Saria put her clothes down and stared at her sibling with her hands on her hips. "You want me to start my apprenticeship right? Well what better place than a Weyr that accepts female crafters?"

"But there's men. at the weyr." Faran began but Saria cut him off with her hand.

"Ah so we reach the real problem. You can't see your darling baby sister with all those "dragonmen" at the weyr. Trust me Faran I can take care of myself, I did it for most of my life." Saria turned back to packing, rubbing Scout on the head as she did.

"What do you mean most of your life Saria? Our parents have always been there for you. Paying for your classes and seeing you were well cared for." Saria turned to him again.

"No Faran that was you. You were always Mum and Da's "special little boy," while I was always just one of the girls. You got to apprentice and I couldn't even do that. I had to receive extra training behind my families _back_ so I could feel challenged. Don't give me that face Faran, you _knew_ I was doing it. You _knew_ my instructor said I had Master potential."
Saria glared at her sibling, angered and sad that he had never figured all this out.

"I knew you were a good chef. Not as good as mom understandingly but." Faran began, Saria laughed.

"Not as good as mom? Do you _know_ who cooked for us all those years growing up? Me. Do you _know_ who gave mom tips and ran our homes kitchen? Me. After I started to look at Mum's cookbooks on my own, she just left me to my business." Saria turned back to her packing, disgusted at the sight of her ignorant sibling. For all his Harper intelligence, he could really be stupid.

They both stood in silence for a while, Saria bustling about packing this or that. Rolling up her valuables into her clothes to save space and checking that she hadn't forgotten any necessities. Faran stood and opened his mouth a few times, staring into space. Finally he took a deep breath and looked at his younger sibling.

"I know I can't stop you. But I'm just worried for you. You're my little sister and my only family left.
And I can't let a girl of your heritage." Faran began.

"There we go again Faran. "Girl of my heritage." What by the Egg is that? I'm only a year younger than you. I'm certain you don't call the women you're courting "girls" or are you this bigoted to all women you know." She closed the last carrying case with a loud snap. "And you're right Faran, you can't stop me. Because whether you like it or not I'm just as much of an adult as you and I won't stand for this injustice." She put all her belongings together and turned away from her brother, wiping a tear from her eye. Faran came up and put his hand on her shoulder. She grabbed his hand.

"Why do we do this Faran? You've been North; you know what women can do, so why do you fight me at every turn?" She looked at her brother.

"I don't know Sar," He pulled her into a hug. "I guess it's because you're my baby sister and all I have left. I don't want to see you hurt. Like mom was, like our siblings were, like. I. was." His voice was strained, and Saria could tell that she had found the root of their problems.

"Far," She said turning to hug him back. "You will always be my big brother. But I need to be on my own.
Something inside me is telling me that it's time to leave this Hold. To start a new life. I'd felt it for so long now, like a whisper in the back of my mind. But I couldn't leave you after Mum died. I just couldn't do that to you. But since." she gulped.
"Since the quake I knew that where I was, wasn't where I knew I should be. And I think the Weyr is calling to me." She grinned up at her taller brother.
"Besides, if I stayed you'd have to deal with my teasing as you courted that fostermother. What was her name? Lyra?"

"Lymria." Faran said sheepishly backing away to look at his sister. "And I'm _not_ courting her. We're just friends." He told her sternly.

"Yup and I can hear dragons." Saria said sarcastically and handed him two bags. He sagged under their sudden weight.

"What do you have in here? Boulders?" Faran asked as he took the bags and headed to the door. Saria gathered up the rest of her belongings and Scout and bustled out the door after her brother.

Last updated on the April 19th 2007

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A Whole New World (part 1)