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

Elsewhere on Pern
NPC Weyr
River Bluff Weyr
Seacraft Hall

Story Listing
Series Listing

Weyrling Training

Writers: AL, Jane
Date Posted: 25th April 2008

Characters: O'rian, Ravere, Rilisa, T'tan
Description: Three former Candidates are spoken to by a passing bronzerider.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 9, day 25 of Turn 4

Odarian rubbed the centre of his chest again, as he had been all evening. He didn't think the bubble of happiness that kept causing his heart to pound could be eased by rubbing the spot where it seemed to be lodged under his ribs, somewhere, but he still found himself doing it.

He grinned to himself, though he should have been attending to what his friends were saying, thinking back to the weyrlingmaster staff's assurances that what he was feeling was definitely part of him and not some lump of food stuck in Taoth's gullet.

They were _sure_, and it was _perfectly_ safe for him to go off and attend the feast in honour of the Hatching now that the little bronze was sleeping.

He supposed he wasn't the first new weyrling that had need a push out the door to convince him to move. He would rather have stayed with Taoth, but perhaps the staff knew what they were doing. If he had stayed he would have spent the entire evening just sitting there, looking at the ungainly little bronze, and wondering at the luck that made him oblivious of the disappointment of being left on the Sands last time.

_Now_ he could understand why riders often thought there was only one 'right' person for each hatchling. They _had_ to think that because it seemed impossible now he had Taoth in his life that any dragon from any other clutch could ever have been as perfect a fit. Because _this_ was perfect, all other possibilities must not have been.

"Well, well, well, O'dan's son impressed a bronze. I suppose that really should be no surprise." From behind O'rian, another rider had drawn close to him. He was tall, sun-blonde hair that was dusted with grey, though it was difficult to see unless one got fairly close.
Brown eyes assessed the younger rider and a smile creased a rugged, but pleasant looking face. "Congratulations."

"Thank you," the new weyrling said, turning with a smile and ignoring the comments about the predictability of his Impressing Taoth. Nobody had said it was predictable when he _hadn't_ Impressed last time he Stood.

"I suppose I shall be watching you climb the ropes, as they say."
T'tan took a sip from the cup of wine that he held, his gaze never quite leaving the younger man. "High expectations of you, boy."

"There would be high expectations of all bronzeriders, wouldn't there?
Because of the potential for Weyrleadership?"

Wingleaders, after all, were chosen for their skills and abilities.
Weyrleaders were made and unmade on their dragon's ability to win one particular mating flight.

"Yes, well, knowing what a fine clutch this was, I wouldn't be surprised to see you hold that position some day." T'tan smirked, "Though I hope like father like son is not true in this regard."

Odarian - O'rian - struggled with his desire to defend his father and the knowledge that there was little point in doing so. People had made up their minds. Still, he couldn't say nothing. "In many ways I would be proud to be like my father," he said cautiously, "But lots of riders have bronze dragons without ever being Weyrleaders. The odds are I'll be one of those."

"Yes, well, we'll just have to wait and see, won't we?" T'tan's eyebrows shot up and he turned to walk away. "Let's just hope that if it does occur, you have a bit more common sense." With that, T'tan strode off, leaving O'rian with his friends.

"That went well," Rilisa commented, watching the older bronzerider walk away, her expression unimpressed. "Couldn't he have just congratulated you and left it at that?"

"He didn't hit me," O'rian said ruefully, shrugging the other man's comments off. "There's nothing I can do to change people's attitudes."

"They're attitudes about your _father_," Ravere grumbled.

The very new weyrling dragonrider laughed, poking his friend in the shoulder. "At least I have one," he teased, for Ravere and Rilisa had been raised by two mothers with their fathers seldom acknowledged.
"Come on, forget it. I'm going to. Nobody can bother me today."

Rilisa's expression lightened and she nodded toward the older bronzerider. "That 'nobody' did his best, though."

Last updated on the May 1st 2008