On Her Own at Last
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: Rochelle
Date Posted: 11th August 2007
Characters: Ariau
Description: Ariau contemplates her new freedom from her family.
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 5, day 1 of Turn 4
Ariau stood outside of the candidate barracks in the warm sun, smiling and waving as Bakketh leaped into the air, E'laj turning to watch her reluctantly over his shoulder until they were nothing more than a blue speck in the sky that vanished /between/.
She stopped waving with a sigh, and hugged herself. He was gone. The last connection to her childhood, the last tie to her past had just vanished /between/. No more aunt and uncle to "check" on her at the weyr on restdays, no more E'laj to tease her or hold her back with his insecurities. Jaurin was in Keroon for his apprenticeship, and E'laj was a dragonrider. It was time to grow up and stand on her own, and the only way to do it was to leave her family behind.
She looked out over the weyrbowl, marveling in the differences from Fort Weyr. Her grandmother had said very little about the Southern continent to her family, but Ariau remembered her mentioning that a lot more of it was out in the open. It was definitely the case here. All the crafter buildings, the weyrling barracks, stores, all of it were in separate buildings. The weyrbowl wasn't a bowl at all like the other weyrs she'd been to. It was a river valley in front of a cliff. Hence the name, she supposed.
It looked a little like some of the valley holds she'd seen, but most of those had fewer outbuildings, preferring to keep as much as possible inside the cliffs. Either out of an ancient preference for safety from Thread or to free as much farmland as possible, she couldn't decide.
Her grandmother would probably say it was a little of both...
Ariau squared her shoulders. She was on her own now, with no one to tell her what she needed to be doing, no one who knew her or her family, and therefore no one to report back to her aunt and uncle or grandparents when she decided to do something. She could make decisions on her own without the unwanted input of her brothers and cousins, and could make mistakes without anyone knowing about it. She was free at last. She took a deep breath, and consciously relaxed her grip on herself. It was a whole new weyr, a whole new _continent_ for her to explore. Surely she could find something here worth staying for, no matter what she'd heard. You couldn't believe everything rumors said, and weyrs were safe anyway. Her uncle Shaeo had been very keen on detailing the rumors of mistreatment and abuse toward women crafters that had reached the north.
Uncle Shaeo hadn't wanted to see her go, nor had Aunt Balari. Or E'laj. Actually, the only ones who had understood her desire had been her grandparents and Jaurin, although her cousin Aelari probably had an idea.
She shook her head, feeling the invisible weight of the mountains of Fort Weyr and Hold and the Harper Hall lifting from her shoulders in the bright sunlight. She was seventeen, and the time had come for her to assert her independence. She had waited far too long, relying on her family and chafing under their rules and expectations as an example to her brothers. But now E'laj would be joining the wings, and Jaurin was crafting in Keroon. They had moved on, and no longer really needed her to be the strong one for them anymore.
Aelari would be so jealous...
Nervously, she ignored the sudden queasiness in her stomach at the thought of her cousin, now half a world away, and tore her gaze from the view. She focused on the holes in the cliff face, trying to remember which one had been pointed out to her. She had to find the Headwoman now, and find out where she needed to be. She was reasonably certain that the candidate classes would be the same, but she also needed to report to the Weyrharper and find out what she should do about continuing her studies.
Determinedly, she started forward toward the cavern opening that she finally remembered as being the correct one, her mind firmly on what she needed to do rather than the sudden unease struggling inside her. This was the right thing to do, she told herself firmly. She _needed_ to do it.
But her gaze slipped from the cavern after a moment, back to the sky. She smiled to herself, the unease in her quieting as she slowed down to prevent herself from tripping on the uneven ground.
The horizon had rarely looked so beautiful.
Last updated on the October 11th 2008