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Writers: Emma, Len
Date Posted: 10th April 2012

Characters: G'wen, Teseada, Miranek, Kerell
Description: G'wen overdoes transport duty and pays the price.
Location: Emerald Falls Hold
Date: month 7, day 6 of Turn 6

Teseada

Neath must have landed so smoothly that G'wen didn't even feel it, or
so he told himself, once he realised he was just sitting on her neck
long moments after she had settled in the court yard of Emerald Falls
Hold. He blinked a bit at the circle of faces staring at him. There
was the line of male workers, respectfully waiting for him to get off
Neath; there were the boys clustered in the windows with excited
expressions, no doubt hoping this was a Search; there were a group of
kitchen drudges who looked awed to be so close to a dragon. And there
was Neath herself, looking back at her tiny rider with concern.

}:You okay?:{

**I...I don't know. I feel sort of funny.**

Lifting his right leg--which felt like pads of lead had been attached
to it--over her neck, he slid down. As he landed his legs buckled and
he crumpled into a heap. His last thought was how much like their
Blooding this was like, only there was no J'darin and no S'vin to save
him. He felt Neath nuzzle him before all went black.

It was moments before a boy ran to the infirmary, "Master Miranek, please!
We need you, there a dragonrider and he's sick!"

The Master Healer didn't wait, grabbing his bag he let the lad lead him back
to where a green dragon was bent over her rider. "I'm here to help your
rider," he said, hoping the dragon would understand him. "Will you let me
see him?"

Neath moved her head out of the way, crooning anxiously. As much as
she was trying to prod G'wen mentally she was getting nothing, not
even a dream.

"Can you hear me greenrider?" asked the Healer, even as he gently laid a
hand on the young boy's shoulder, shaking gently to see if there was a
response. The young man's chest seemed to rise and fall indicating he was
breathing, but it seemed rapid and shallow.

One of the men attending the rider spoke up. "He just went straight
down, sir, like he was struck or something. Just right down after he
got off her." He nodded at the large dragon who's head was hovering
over them. "We've been trying to get him up since we told Gerren here
to go get you." The boy had done well, getting the healer so quickly.
"He's really young, this boy, eh? Can't be more than 12...13 turns,
looking at him." He scratched his head, wondering what would make
such a young child pass out like this.

Miranek laid a hand on the lads head. He had a slight fever, "Gerren,"
he said to the lad who'd brought him here. "Can you run back to the
infirmary and fetch a couple of the journeymen with a stretcher, I need to
get the lad inside and fever down."

"No need for that." The man, Kerell, stopped the boy before he could
run back. "There's nothing to this child," he said before reaching
down and gathering the greenrider carefully in his arms. "He's
smaller than my youngest, it'll be quicker this way."

When he was lifted G'wen came to a bit. He felt like he had been run
over though. **Neath...can you call for some help?** Even though
thinking seemed like hard work, he knew he had to relay that message
to her.

The message took moments, relayed by the dragon on watch before a response
came from a dragon based at Dragonsfall.

}:Tell the little one I will come,:{ Onnyth said. }:My rider and I will be
there soon.:{

}:Onnyth's on her way,:{ Neath told G'wen.

**Ah, good.** Vaguely he felt the man lay him on a bed and saw the
healer's face over his.

"Greenrider, can you hear me?" asked the Healer.

The diminutive lad nodded his head a bit and tried to focus on the
man. "Where's Neath?" he said groggily.

"She's outside," Miranek assured him. "Can you tell me your name?"

He tried to say "G'wen," but it came out a bit blurry. At that he
just closed his eyes, feeling too weak to keep them open.

"G'wen," said the healer slowly, thinking that what what he had heard.
"You're in the infirmary at Emerald Falls, Can you tell me what happened?"

The man who had carried him in, Kerell, leaned in, a tad exasperated
with the Healer and all his questions. It was obvious the child was
ill and he looked too much like his own little boy for Kerell's heart
not to go out to him. Taking the boy's hand in his, he said, "now
son, try and squeeze my hand as hard as you can." That would let them
know just how much strength he had which, judging by the faint grip,
wasn't much, and he told Miranek just that.

"It could be exhaustion, but I think there may well be something more,"
Miranek explained. "And with a dragonrider, you need to keep making sure
there is some level of response, because of their dragon, and the more G'wen
can tell me, the better I can treat him."

"Okay, you're the healer." All the same he held the boy's hand,
worried about him.

"I'm just going to take your shirt off," Miranek told G'wen reaching for the
fastenings, "I want to listen to your heart and your breathing."

G'wen nodded and let himself be sat up so his shirt could be taken
off. Now that he was down he could feel his whole body aching. How
had he not noticed this before now? He blinked mournfully at the
healer.

}:You will be well, I won't let you go:{ Neath told him.

"How did that happen?" asked the healer gently as he helped the youngster
ease back down. It looked recent, and the lad seemed barely old enough to
have taken to the sands, let alone be fighting thread.

G'wen blinked a bit more, starting to come to. "Two...?
Two months ago...I think. Can I have some water?"

"Just a few sips," Miranek gestured to an apprentice to fetch a glass. "What
did the Weyrhealer say?"

Before anyone else could speak, another person entered the infirmary. "The
Weyrhealer told him to take it easy and to take time to regain his health
and fitness." The knots on her flying jacket were visible, even though she
hadn't removed it yet, so her identity was obvious.

"Teseada..." G'wen said weakly, never so happy to see his best
friend than at this time.

**Why didn't you tell me Tes was coming?**

}:I did, you were too out of it to register.:{ was Neath's short
reply. She too was thrilled to
see her golden friend and lost no time pressing her head into Onnyth's
much larger shoulder, wanting all the reassurance she could get.

"Stay calm," Teseada said to G'wen, trying to keep the shock of his
appearance from her face. "Onnyth will look after Neath." Then she turned
her attention to the Healer. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"Ma'am," Miranek began, acknowledging the goldrider. "The greenrider
collapsed. We've brought him in here to examine him and see what we can do
for him. He seems exhausted and is probably in need of rest, I'm not sure
I'd recommend travel just yet, the cold of /between/ may be too great a
shock."

"Wha...stay here?" Was the man mad? G'wen looked at Teseada to see
her reaction. He couldn't stay amongst Holders!

"How long for?" Teseada asked the healer.

"I'd say the rest of the day, and if he's escorted, he can go back to the
Weyr then."

G'wen looked at his weyrwoman with no small desperation. He couldn't
stay here, not amounst Holders! And all alone!

"Is it okay if I wait with him?" Tesead asked.

"Certainly," replied Miranek. "But he needs to rest, and have a light meal
and then I'll release him into your care, assuming you take him straight to
the Weyrhealer."

G'wen let out the breath he found he was holding and lay back on the
pillows. If Tes stayed here too it wouldn't be so bad. He did feel
badly that he was probably keeping her from her work and when he got
back to the Weyr his da and E'naer would probably be upset. But this
was a lesson learned.

"You can rest assured I'll have him straight to the infirmary as soon as we
get back to Dragonsfall."

Last updated on the May 1st 2012

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