Weyrwoman's Guidance

Writers: Eimi, Ames
Date Posted: 14th August 2010

Characters: Hygalia, Cardella
Description: Cardella has a chance to meet the new Weyrwoman and gets some sound advice in return
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 10, day 13 of Turn 5

Cardella

Carrying the tray carefully in her arms, Cardella made her way to the
Weyrwoman's chambers. She'd been asked to hand deliver the foodstuffs.
Having seen the Weyrwoman only from a distance, Cardella was uncertain
what this short foray into her private space would be like.

Having made her way to the cavernous opening of the Weyr, Cardella
knocked on the door. "My lady, I bring you the tray from the
kitchens." **What if the queen is here?** Cardella gulped nervously.
The size of the queens still gave her pause. She'd not been around them
enough to feel comfortable in their presence.

"Yes, come on in," the Weyrwoman called.

Opening the door, being careful not to spill any of the contents of
her tray, Cardella entered Hygalia's chambers. She looked around and
did not see the Weyrwoman at first. Edging further into the room, she
saw a table and chairs. Cardella moved towards it, thinking perhaps it
would be a good place to put the tray. Sounds from the bed chamber off
to the side made her aware that the Weyrwoman must be there.

"I can leave the tray here on the table if you would like?"

"Yes, that's fine!" Hygalia answered and then ducked her head out of the
bed chamber. "Are you supposed to come back for the tray later?"

"Yes, my lady," Cardella answered. Then bending slightly, she slid the
tray onto the table. She still hadn't actually seen the Weyrwoman
since she entered. **Maybe that's a good thing,** Cardella thought.
**And no sign of the magnificent dragon either.**

"With your permission, My lady, I'll take my leave and return later
for the tray."

"Oh, well, don't go so fast," the Headwoman said, finally emerging from
her bedroom wrapping a towel around her wet hair. "I have to eat this
and run anyway. It will save you a trip if you just sit a minute.
Those stairs can be brutal. I don't know when they're going to fix
that food elevator for me," she said, nodding towards contraption that
would
lift food from the kitchens directly to her weyr. "Whoever thought of
putting the Weyrwoman at the top of the Weyr obviously was not very
practical."

Cardella smiled, then thought better of it and her smile faltered a
bit. Should she smile so easily in front of the Weyrwoman? She was,
after all the lady of the Weyr. Oh, why did she have to feel so
nervous.

"I can wait, my lady. I won't be in your way. I'm afraid I don't think
I can do much about the food elevator, but I can remind the Headwoman
when I see her next." Cardella had moved off to the side. She stood,
her hands clasped together in front of her. She did not wish to
interfere with the Weyrwoman's duties or movements. She glanced over
at the chair Hygalia had indicated. Dare she sit? In her father's
hold, no one would ever dare sit in the presence of a Lord or Lady
Holder unless they, themselves, had already taken their seat. So,
deciding to follow the same protocol, Cardella remained standing.

Hygalia noticed the girl's hesitation. She had sat at the Lord and
Lady's table enough to know that look on her face. Obviously this one
was fresh from the Hold. She smiled encouragingly. "It's all right.
You can sit. It would make me far more comfortable than if you hovered
over me."

"Yes, my lady," Cardella replied, giving a half curtsy. Moving over
she pulled out the chair and sat at the table with the Weyrwoman. She
wasn't really sure what she should do or say, so she sat quietly.

"What's your name?" the Weyrwoman asked as she took the cover off her
plate.

"Cardella," she answered then quickly added, "I work in the kitchens
and I'm a candidate." Then, she wanted to groan internally. **Silly,
twit, the Weyrwoman probably already knows all that,** she chided
herself.

She had guessed as much, but she didn't mind the girl offering
information. It meant she didn't have to use her mouth to ask
questions and could eat faster. "How long have you been at the Weyr?"

"Only a few sevendays, my lady. I believe it was a few days after you
arrived, from what I've been told." Cardella smiled a bit shyly. She
might have started to overcome her shyness around the others, but
this, _this_ was not just anyone. "I like it here though."

"I'm glad. So do I. You're from a Hold originally?" the goldrider
asked as she poured the girl a glass of juice and one for herself.

"Oh yes, my lady," Cardella answered, then taking the juice added,
"thank you." After taking a sip, she spoke again, "my father is the
holder at Three Mounds Hold. It's a very small hold. Not many people
know of it. Though I also spent time at the Bakercraft Hall."

Hygalia hadn't heard of it, but then again, she was still learning the
area herself. "And why did you choose to come?"

"The rider who found me at the Hall said I would like it here and that
I could stay," Cardella paused, fingering her skirt a bit, "You see,
I'd been at the Hall long past when most of the other _students_ had
gone back to their Holds to marry. I didn't want to go back, and," she
shrugged again, "I was never as pretty as the other girls, so father
had a hard time finding anyone interested." Her voice had grown a bit
small at the last, "So he let me stay on. I would have stayed there
forever if they would have let me join the craft, but I knew one day
I'd have to leave. This...well, this new life sounded better than
going back to my old one." She looked up at the Weyrwoman, hoping she
would understand.

She certainly did understand. It was a story she had heard many times
before. But she hardly thought her appearance was in any way a
problem.
"You're more than pretty enough to find a man interested in you,
Cardella," Hygalia said gently, but with conviction. "And since you
loved the baker craft so much, are you now going to apprentice?"

She looked up, astonished, and declared a bit forcefully, "I'm not
allowed to apprentice! That was made very clear to me at the Hall."
Cardella of course was forgetting that she was not _at_ the Bakercraft
Hall any longer.

"Cardella, have you not noticed all the women walking around with
crafters knots on their shoulders?" Hygalia asked, eyebrows raised.
"Surely they've covered this in Candidate training."

"I did notice," she replied, quietly. "I guess I just didn't put two
and two together. We've spent a lot of time in class learning about
many things. Sometimes I get a bit overwhelmed with all the new
information."

The Weyrwoman could tell the girl was still trying to find her feet in
this place, but she thought Cardella would like to know. "You are
allowed to apprentice at the Weyr. You can try your hand at anything
you like - Harper, Woodsmith, and even Baker."

"Thank you, my lady. I've trained alongside the apprentices at the
Bakercraft Hall. Truth be told, I could have run circles around many
of them," Cardella blushed a bit at her boast. "I will look into
following an actual apprenticeship now that I am here."

"You should," Hygalia smiled gently. There was, after all, no
guarantee
that she would Impress her first time out. Or at all, for that matter.
"If you go to the Weyrbaker's office they can tell you what you need to
do to find a master to train you. But remember, it is a big
commitment."

"Oh, yes. I understand that. Had I been allowed, I might have made
Journeyman by now. The males who were with me, had, and I know just as
much as they do." Cardella paused, her brows furrowing a bit in
thought, "I guess I'll have to start over though, now. Back to the
basics of an apprentice, even though I know all that. Did you study
anything before you impressed, my lady?"

"No. I didn't have much time in the Weyr before Genith Hatched." She
had gone to the Weyr specifically for the Hatching of a Gold, and had
been lucky enough to have been the one it had chosen. It wasn't until
afterwards that she had learned just how different her new home was from
all she had known.

"I see. I don't know if I'll Impress or not," Cardella paused and
looked at the Weyrwoman, "In fact, I'm actually a bit scared. I don't
know if I'd know what to do if I did Impress. I've listened to
everything I've been taught, but it still doesn't seem real to me. I
can't imagine what it would really be like."

"You can't, really, until happens. There's nothing to compare it to.
But when you Impress, there will be lots of people around you helping
you everyday. They won't let you make a mistake. Just listen to
them, trust them, and they will guide you through." The first few
sevendays
a weyrling relied completely on the Weyrlingmaster and his staff and
their
turns of experience. Hygalia couldn't imagine what it would have been
like if she had been alone during that time to figure everything out for
herself.

"That's what they keep telling us in our classes." Cardella didn't
always like change, and the idea of having a dragon become a part of
her life was frightening. Especially since she didn't know how else to
prepare herself. She'd done everything her teachers had told her. She
only hoped it would be enough.

"Don't worry, when your time comes, you'll know what to do. Until
then, you can craft or be whatever you want to be. That's one of the
most
beautiful things about the Weyr. Here _anyone_ can be who and what
they want." She would find it was a big change from life in a Hold,
but it
was a positive one, Hygalia was convinced.

"Thank you, my lady. Hearing that from you makes me feel better about
things." Cardella said. She was looking forward to finally holding a
rank in her craft after all the time she'd wished for it, but had not
been permitted to do so. Now, now she'd show them all!

"Well," Hygalia picked up the cloth napkin and wiped her face. "Now I
must ask you to take my tray back. I have a lot of hide work to do now
that drills are over."

"Yes, my lady." Cardella reached for the tray and had just scooped it
up into her hands, when she turned back and smiled at the Weyrwoman.
"Thank you for your advice, my lady. It has been my pleasure to get to
know you better." She gave a bit of a curtsy without dropping the
tray. Once she knew she had the Weyrwoman's leave, Cardella headed
back to the kitchens.

Last updated on the September 18th 2010

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Weyrwoman's Guidance