A Lecture from the Parents

Writers: Avery
Date Posted: 20th February 2014

Characters: K'ran, Corran, Serra, Neja
Description: Corran gets the marriage lecture. Again.
Location: Elsewhere on Pern
Date: month 5, day 14 of Turn 7

K'ran

There were advantages to having a dragonrider for a brother, Corran
thought. One of them was the ability to travel back to his family's
home once a month, even though it would have been three days travel by
runnerback. The weather at Amber Hills had been cloudy and chill, so
he appreciated the fact that it was sunnier in his family's area. As
the twins walked to the door, Corran thought that the small cot looked
the same as it always had - meticulously kept exterior and with
brightly painted trim. It made him feel like a lad of 12 Turns again.

But the sight of their family broke that illusion. Neja was leaning on
a cane and stooped like an old man, while Serra had aged better - her
face was lined with wrinkles, showing that she'd had a life of
laughter and smiles.

The guard felt a pang of regret that they stubbornly refused to move
to Amber Hills. He could have found them a place to stay, he was sure
of that. But they'd lived in the cot for 30 Turns and had no desire to
leave it, not even when it was clear they'd have an easier time
elsewhere. Corran had to respect their determination, even as he
worried for their health.

Serra stepped forward to enfold K'ran in a hug. "You look fit and
tan," she said approvingly.

"Tropical living agrees with us," K'ran said.

"Perhaps Corran should consider it. You're too pale," Neja said, with
a smile to show he didn't entirely mean it. "How are you?"

"Well enough," Corran said with a shrug. It was the same response he
had given for the last few Turns, every time his parents had asked. He
didn't love Amber Hills, though he'd settled in, made friends, and
developed a set of life routines. But it just wasn't home in the way
Amethyst Cliff had been.

"Let's have a drink before we talk of weighty things," Serra said,
gently chivvying her family into the cot. She bustled about pouring
redfruit juice for K'ran and herself, and wine for her husband and
Corran.

Corran's lips twitched in amusement at how familiar the ritual was.
The family was one of predictable routines, he thought. Everyone drank
the same drinks, sat in the same chairs, and their parents always
asked the same questions. It was like nothing had changed in the last
twenty Turns.

Predictably, Neja opened with work. "Got a promotion yet?"

Corran shook his head. "I'm not angling for the Captain's job, if
that's what you're asking. I respect the man who holds it."

Neja frowned. "Aren't there opportunities elsewhere? You're seasoned
enough to have great responsibilities."

Corran shrugged. "If I'm busy with administrative duties, I'm not out
with my boots on the ground being useful."

"He's got a point, m'dear," Serra told her husband.

"I could move to a smaller hold, or perhaps work at the tavern. As
long as the duties are interesting, I don't mind what they call me."

His brother nodded in support. "That's the same reason I don't want
Wing rank. I'm fine where I am." K'ran had in the past, when he'd been
younger and felt as though he had to prove himself to make up for his
dragon's perceived flaws. But he'd settled down as he realized it
didn't matter if he had rank, praise, or acclaim - it just mattered
that he did his best for himself.

That focus on the collective good over personal satisfaction was the
strongest trait the twins shared. Otherwise, they were very different
in temperament.

"What about a wife?" Serra asked, looking between them. "I had had my
four children by the time I was your age. And might I remind you that
they're all married now."

"It doesn't quite work like that in a weyr," K'ran reminded his parents gently.

"No children, even?" She sounded so disappointed.

"Sometimes I work with the weyrlings. I do enjoy encouraging the young
bronzeriders," he added, to mollify her.

"What about you, Corran? Surely there's not a shortage of lovely women
at Amber Hills," their father said.

"I just haven't found the right woman, and with my schedule..." It was a
lame-sounding excuse, and the guard knew it even as he said it.

He didn't really understand why his parents were making such a fuss.
It wasn't entirely socially unreasonable to be a bachelor. But Corran
still felt embarrassment at the attention his parents always turned on
him about it. He liked his work, he liked living in the barracks, and
he liked taking his meals communally. Moving in with a demure woman
and raising children wasn't something he deeply desired. He liked
women whose minds were sharp and their spirits lively, and he worried
that being just another guard was too mundane of a job to attract that
sort of person.

"I am sure that a Hold as large as Amber Hills will not fall into
chaos just because you decide to move out of the guard barracks and in
with a fine wife. Especially if you're _not_ the captain," she added,
wagging her finger.

His father shrugged. "She has you there."

Corran pressed a hand to his face, really not interested in the
lecture at the moment. "I promise to tell you as soon as I find a lady
I'm interested in."

"Tch. We'll be in the ground by then."

Corran realized that there was an opportunity in her words, and he seized it.

"It's a shame you're so far away. I'm sure you'd have your thoughts on
the women of the Hills."

Neja crossed his arms across his chest. "We're not leaving the cothold
permanently," he said firmly.

"But we could visit sometime," Serra said. "Assuming Rogueth would bring us?"

"He'd be honored," K'ran replied. "Speaking of my dragon, did I tell
you he has a new trick with the dolphins?"

The change of subject worked, and Corran flashed his twin a grateful
glance. He _really_ hadn't wanted to spend his whole visit with his
parents getting a lecture on marriage again.

Last updated on the February 22nd 2014

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A Lecture from the Parents