When Nobody Knew (Part Three)
Title: When Nobody Knew
Fandom: RPS/Pern Fusion
Pairing: Jared/Jensen
Summary: The humming of the dragons was unmistakable
“J’sen, you have to stop this.”
Jared stopped before he rounded the corner when he heard the concern in the Weyrlingmaster’s voice. He’d been on his way to see J’sen in his weyr after he’d spent his afternoon - the first free one he’d had in the four sevendays he’d been a Candidate at Ista Weyr - bathing J’sen’s bronze in the Weyr Lake. He wasn’t the only Candidate that had been down there admiring the dragons. Like Jared, most of the candidates would take any excuse to get close to them. Alona and Jake had helped him scrub the behemoth of a bronze dragon while the Wingleaders were in a meeting.
Jared had cleaned and planned to steal a few minutes with J’sen for a few minutes before dinner but there was something in the Weyrlingmaster’s words that made it impossible for him to intrude. As curious as Jared was, it made it impossible for him to back away as well.
“There is nothing inappropriate going on, if that’s what you’re worried about, J’mes,” Jensen said quickly.
“I do not doubt your integrity, or your intentions, boy.”
There was a kindness in J’mes voice as he spoke to J’sen, and Jared realized that there was a stronger bond between the two than just Weyrlingmaster and former student.
“Then what?”
“I was there, J’sen, when you Impressed. I was there when you nearly lost it all, or did you forget that? You think I don’t know who you were talking about? You might not have put a name to it, but I’m not blind and I’ve always looked out for you.”
“I know, and I appreciate it, J’mes, but I’m fine.”
“You know what happened when you Impressed. Your emotional reaction almost killed Strith. Would you do that to him?”
“What? No! It wasn’t his fault. I don’t… I don’t want him to know. He can’t. He’s different from me, J’mes. He’s stronger. He would never… Please, what do I need to do?”
J’mes sighed heavily. When he spoke, there was a regret that Jared had never heard in his voice. “I don’t know, J’sen. But the way the Queen treats him, the way you and Dani do, I’m not the only one to notice. I’m not the only one concerned.”
Jared couldn’t move. He didn’t understand he what just heard but he knew it had something to do with him. As much as he wanted to run in and check on J’sen, he couldn’t interrupt the moment. There were no more words spoken and Jared could envision the scene, J’sen sitting at the table in his weyr with his head bowed, and the Weyrlingmaster sitting close by in silent support.
When the dinner bell began to chime, Jared was relieved for the chance to disturb the broody silence. He stomped heavily as he rounded the rest of the steps to J’sen’s weyr and stopped abruptly when he entered. J’mes and J’sen were right where he’d pictured them and Jared forced a smile on his lips.
“Forgive my intrusion, Weyrlingmaster,” he said with a slight bow of his head. “I didn’t know you were here. I was trying to beat the dinner bell to see if you were well, Wingleader, but I guess I was late.”
J’mes gave J’sen a long look before he turned his eyes to Jared. “Did you spend your time well this afternoon, Candidate?”
“I did. Strith was at the Weyr lake with some of the other bronzes while their riders were in meetings. Some of the candidates went down to help bathe them.”
“I thank you,” J’sen said with a small smile. There was a far off look in his eyes that Jared had come to know meant he was talking to his bronze dragon. “As does Strith. He said that you and the other two did a fine job. And the attention you and your friends gave his wings while you oiled him was very welcomed.”
Jared bowed his head slightly because even if he and J’sen were very informal with one another, the idea that Strith thought well of him was something else entirely. “Please, tell him it was our honor to be of some service.”
“Alona and Jake?” The Weyrlingmaster asked Jared.
Jared nodded. “We wanted to have a closer look at the dragons so we went to the lake together. When Strith used his wings to soak us, we figured it meant he was in need of help.”
“Strith soaked you?” J’mes asked as he looked back at J’sen.
“Yes, then the other bronze dragons did much the same to the other Candidates that were already there.”
“It sounds like they were well cared for then, while we were in our meeting,” the Weyrlingmaster said. He stood and looked at J’sen. “We’ll talk later. I believe the Weyrwoman wanted a word with you after dinner in regards to our earlier discussion. I wanted to forewarn you.”
J’sen took a deep breath, but his eyes were downcast. “Thank you. You’ve been a good friend, J’mes,” the bronzerider said softly. “I appreciate it, especially now.”
The Weyrlingmaster gave Jared a small smile as he passed him on his way out of J’sen’s weyr. The man was kind, but strict with his charges, and Jared was thrown by the sadness he caught in the other man’s eyes. His gut twisted with foreboding but he had no idea what the two had been talking about. How could J’sen have almost lost Strith? And what did that have to do with him? He didn’t understand, but he also knew he couldn’t ask J’sen. Maybe Dani would be willing to answer his questions - if he could get her alone. M’sha always seemed to turn up when they finally had some time to spend together. He never asked Jared to leave, but there were some things he couldn’t speak of in front of others.
“I’m sorry,” Jared said as he took a step closer to J’sen. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
J’sen looked at Jared and smiled. “You didn’t. J’mes is a good man outside of his outstanding record as a Weyrlingmaster; I’m lucky to count him as a friend. He was just coming to check on me.”
“Are you well?”
“I am,” J’sen said, but he frowned. “I’m the youngest Wingleader the Weyr has seen though. We have lost too many good men this turn. While I would have done my best to gain my position through years of hard work and dedication, I have achieved it young because of that loss. J’mes likes to make sure I am not worked beyond my ability.”
“He doesn’t know you like I do then,” Jared said softly. No matter what else he’d heard, he had absolute faith in his friend. “There is nothing you can’t do when you set your mind to it.”
J’sen shook his head. “Maybe. What do you say we skip the dining hall tonight? I can have something sent up for us.”
They didn’t do it often, usually only after the Weyr had gone into a bad Threadfall. J’sen liked to keep to himself then, and only Jared seemed to be welcome company. Jared reveled in the fact, even if it saddened him to see his friend isolate himself. He knew J’sen though, and the silence was so the Wingleader could relive the battle, to evaluate his wing, and see what he could have done differently. On those nights, Jared was just there to keep him company, his own mind swimming with the wounds he’d seen or the losses they’d faced.
After the last Threadfall, Jared had stayed with J’sen on the weyr ledge overlooking the forest until sunrise. He didn’t know what J’sen had relived, but Jared had watched a rider die over and over in his head. Jared had been in the infirmary calming the rider’s brown dragon while the rider was treated for his wounds. The rider had succumbed to his injuries though, and Jared had watched as the brown had lumbered away from the weyr, screaming into the sky before he took flight. Clumsy as he was with his own Thread scars, the brown gained air and went between, never to return.
Jared couldn’t imagine a bond so strong that death was the better alternative to life without a bondmate. When he looked at J’sen though, he sometimes thought maybe he could.
**
<<2 sevendays later>>
The closer the Hatching got, the harder J’mes pushed the Candidates. Their few free days were now nonexistent and Jared was exhausted. Thread wasn’t scheduled to fall over Ista territory for another sevenday, but J’mes had half of them scouring flamethrowers for the Queen’s wing, and the other half off with the hall Healers to make the numbweed salve that was so necessary after Threadfall.
As much as Jared hated the stench of numbweed, he’d almost rather be there than be in the middle of the flamethrowers with lessons on how to take them apart and clean them. His mind wandered about today and he kept stabbing himself as he tried to scrape away the grime and muck from the older flamethrowers that didn’t see much use - they were less reliable but the Weyr wasn’t about to leave them to waste. At some point, the parts would be used for replacements but they still worked well enough, and in an emergency an old flamethrower was better than nothing.
“Well done, Candidates,” Junior Weyrwoman Danneel said as she walked around the circle of workers in the Weyr bowl. Jared was surprised to see her there while the eggs were so close to Hatching, but he figured even the Weyrwoman needed to get some air once in a while. The Hatching Grounds were always warm, and even though Jared cherished the time they got to visit the eggs on the sands, he’d have been bored to tears if he was stuck to watch a clutch the way the Weyrwomen were.
Danneel surprised them all when she took an old flamethrower and sat next to Jared. “Just because you ride a dragon doesn’t mean you get out of chores,” she said to the group as she began to strip the parts and clean it. “Taking care of your dragon takes a great deal of time, but there is always work to be done at the Weyr when that is done.”
“And who guards Fantith and her eggs while you’re doing chores?” Jared asked. The others looked askance at him but Jared had always been curious and Danneel full well knew it. If she’d wanted to keep a distance from the Candidates and not be seen as the woman she was, she wouldn’t have sat next to Jared.
“M’sha and his bronze are in the Hatching cavern. There are only so many days I can spend going through musty old records before I need a break and a little sun. I suppose I should be grateful to you, Jared. If you hadn’t taught me to read while I was at the Harper Hall, I wouldn’t even have that respite in the Hatching cavern. I love Fantith, but I am not a dragon that can stay inside stone walls and stare forever at a clutch of eggs.”
Jared laughed. Danneel was older than he was but as a kitchen drudge she hadn’t been given much education. She knew the teaching songs as well as anyone, but that was it. Her days were spent baking and cleaning and taking orders from the Harper Hall’s Headwoman. When they were still at the Crafthall, Jared had spent time in the evenings teaching her to read. He’d thought it remarkable how fast she’d picked up on the language, and over the turns her handwriting had become so clear and crisp that he’d thought to mention her to the scribes at the hall. She’d been searched before he did.
“Weyrwoman Danneel,” J’mes gave a small bow to her and she acknowledged him with a smile and a tilt of her head. “To all of you who think your past lives make you too good for cleaning and drudgery, just remember this:” he said as he pointed to Danneel, “the Weyr works because we all do our part, and when someone can’t do theirs, we pick up the slack.”
Danneel nodded appreciatively at the Weyrlingmaster’s words and Jared smiled at her. Alona and Jake sat close by Jared. He wasn’t surprised when they began to engage in small talk with the Weyrwoman. Jared had told them about her, about the girl he’d known, and though there was some stammering, they got over their fear of speaking to the Junior Weyrwoman. The afternoon was much brighter for her help and her laughter. She spoke of her experiences in the Weyr and brought J’mes into the conversation as well. More than once they had laughed at anecdotes they told about previous weyrlings and Candidates. Jared couldn’t remember a more enjoyable afternoon of chores.
**
<<2 days later>>
“What is that?” Colin asked as a humming noise surrounded them in the Candidate’s quarters.
Although he asked, Colin knew what it was. So did Jared and all the other Candidates who had witnessed a Hatching before. It might be their first Hatching at Ista but Jared had spent two turns at Fort Weyr as he waited to Impress. The humming of the dragons was unmistakable
“It’s time,” Jared said as he looked over at Alona.
“Where are our robes?” Osric asked as he sat up in bed.
“Rise and shine, ladies and gentlemen,” the Weyrlingmaster called out as he entered the room. One of the women from the lower caverns came in with a stack of white robes and began to hand them out to the Candidates.
Behind them was T’moh, the Weyrlingmaster Second - his brown, Halth, was almost as big as a bronze, and Jared had spent more than a little time idolizing the rider. He was kind and patient and he usually came by the Candidate’s barracks just before lights out to see if there was anything about their day’s learning that the Candidates had questions about. Sometimes he just came to check on them, but he’d been known to spend hours talking about their day’s lessons when it was needed.
There was chaos as the Candidates tried to get ready, but Jared knew that it would be even worse out in the Weyr Caverns - riders would be scrambling to pick up the people who had been invited to attend the Hatching and the Lower Cavern workers would be cooking up a storm to prepare a feast for the Weyr to celebrate their numbers. It was a bigger event than usual since there was a gold egg on the sands.
Jared wanted to find J’sen and talk to him one more time, try to get some advice on what to do. Jared had been on the sands for two turns but J’sen had only been on the sands the one time. Surely he had some idea why he had been chosen so quickly. It was too late now though as Jared took his Candidate robe and pulled it over his head.
As they all finished, J’mes led them away from the barracks to the Hatching Grounds. The humming that had woken them had grown steadily as the dragons at the upper reaches of the cavern continued their song. Jared wondered if it was a welcome to the new dragonets or if there was something more to it. He thought that, try as hard as he might, he’d never be able to pen a song that would give credit to the magnificence of the moment.
J’mes stopped them outside the grounds and Jared took advantage of his height to peer into the other room. At ground level, the eggs were nestled safely in the sands, but beyond that were the stands full of people. Riders that weren’t needed to ferry visitors into the Weyr had already begun to take seats around the Hatching Sands. At the far edge was the ledge where Queen Fantith watched over her eggs. Beside her was her rider, along with the bronze who had fathered the clutch and his rider, M’sha.
The Weyrlingmaster called them together and Jared pulled his eyes away from the Hatching Grounds.
“You all know what to do,” J’mes said. “You know what to do if you are lucky enough to Impress today. Keep your wits about you out there and no one will get hurt. Remember, these dragonets will focus on their rider and will push everyone else out of the way. If you stand between them, they will use force. You are here to find your dragon, not stand between someone else and theirs.”
It was a scary speech, considering what they were about to face, but Danneel had told Jared some of the horror stories about a past Hatching where a Lord Holder’s son thought to Impress a bronze that had clearly chosen someone else. They said the warning to keep it from happening again. Jared just felt grateful that most of the Candidates he’d trained with were fairly level-headed.
He felt a hand slip into his and he smiled at Alona. Katie, a Candidate from Ista Weyr, stood right beside her. Alona and Katie had become close friends and Jared was fond of her as well. Jake crowded next to them with Colin and Osric close by. Jared hoped they’d all find their dragons today, but he knew it was too much to hope. They all deserved it, though. They were good people; the sort of people you trusted when times were hard. If Jared could choose the people he went into Thread with, it would be those five.
“Good luck, Candidates,” T’moh said as J’mes stepped out of the entranceway.
They hurried onto the sands and began to make a loose circle around the eggs. The girls formed a circle around the gold egg. It wasn’t the only dragon they might Impress but the Weyr wanted to give the little Queen a wide variety to choose from.
Jared hopped from foot to foot on the hot sands and wondered once again why they weren’t allowed shoes. No one could answer that one for him. He could understand keeping with tradition but holding to tradition just for tradition’s sake seemed silly.
The humming seemed to reach a peak as the eggs around them began to move. They shifted from side to side as the dragonets inside began to try to break free from their shells. A few minutes passed as they looked from egg to egg before a large crack appeared in one of the larger ones in the center. The crack formed a circle all around the top of the egg before a dragon head burst through the top. As its wings stretched the shell cracked down the center in two, and a bronze dragon stepped free from the shards.
A cheer went up from the audience. It was good luck to have a bronze hatch first, and Jared smiled up into the stands where Danneel stood proudly with M’sha at her side. Another egg cracked and Jared’s eyes came back to the Hatching sands.
The bronze hobbled its way across the over-warm, gritty ground, quickly. It tripped over its wingtips and almost fell before Osric righted him. The dragon stared at Osric and then Osric let out a laugh. “His name is Cortanth,” he said in awe.
A green broke through next and soon the eggs were hatching too fast for Jared to see them all. Greens and blues, browns and bronzes cracked through their shells and found their waiting riders.
Jared looked up at the girls to see Katie get head butted in the knee by a little green. She fell onto her knees in the sand and turned in time to find the little green burrow its way into her arms.
Colin led a brown off the sands to where the meat that had been prepared waited for them to feed the hungry dragonets. A brown came stumbling over towards Jared, but when Jake took a step forward, Jared could see that the other boy had claim on the dragon.
He was so happy for his friends, but Jared couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret that he wasn’t going to find a dragon this time. There were a few eggs left on the sands, so Jared didn’t give up hope yet, but he couldn’t help but worry.
In the back of the Hatching sands, the gold egg began to rock, as if she had waited until she could have all the attention. The gold egg didn’t show any signs of cracks but suddenly exploded in a shower of shards. He saw one of the girls clutch her arm and hoped she hadn’t been hurt by the shell. They’d been warned not to step on the sharp edged remains as they made their way barefoot off the sands.
The gold dragonet raised her head high. She seemed to possess a calm that had been missing in the other dragons as they stumbled to find their riders. She looked over the girls around her and took a step forward. The girls closest to the queen took a step back. Apparently J’mes’ story had been enough to cause them concern. The gold continued to walk until she was past the circle of female Candidates. Jared was so entranced by the perfect little queen that he almost missed the blue dragon that charged into Alona. Alona gave a cry of joy at the connection and Jared couldn’t help but give an encouraging whoop for his friend.
The gold dragon stared at the audience around her but his cry brought her eyes to him. He couldn’t help but wonder who would get to Impress the beauty. There was an almost red tint to the gold of her scales around her wingtips and along her wingsail. She was perfectly proportioned and she already had a regal bearing. She would be a strong queen, a good leader, Jared thought as he watched her.
Yes, we shall be.
“What?”
We shall be a strong pair, you and I.
Jared looked around like the voice in his head could possibly be directed at someone else. There was amusement in the back of his head and for the first time he felt the press of another consciousness in his mind.
“Me?” he asked in shock. It wasn’t possible. In all the history of the Weyr’s no man had ever Impressed a Queen.
Of course you. I am Aloqueth and you are mine.
You’re supposed to pick a girl!
Why?
Jared had no answer for that.
I see what you mean about the sands. They should let you wear shoes. Perhaps we should leave the sands and you can find me something to eat.
Jared stumbled forward then, horrified that he’d forgotten she would need food. He reached a hand out and touched Aloqueth’s eye-ridge. Her eyes began to whirl in blues and greens. “Alright, it’s just over this way,” Jared said as he led Aloqueth to the other newly Impressed weyrlings.
Jared didn’t look around to see anyone’s reaction to his Impression. He was too caught in her presence to notice.
When he left the sands, J’mes was there with a raised brow and a shake of his head. “I’m going to tell them to stop searching Harper Hall. They always send us trouble.”
Jared opened his mouth to speak but J’mes smiled at him then gave a nod to his dragon. His dragon. “What is her name?”
“Aloqueth.”
“She is a beauty, Jared. Welcome, Aloqueth.”
I like him, Aloqueth said as they were led to a seat and someone handed Jared a bucket of meat.
Good thing. We’ll be spending a lot of time with the Weyrlingmaster for the next turn and a half.
Why? She asked as she snatched some wherry meat from his hands.
Manners! Jared said and she looked up sheepishly at him. He’ll be training us. He’ll teach me how to take care of you.
I definitely like him.
Jared laughed as he continued to feed her chunks of meat until her belly was full. He scratched her eye ridge and remembered about the oiling before she could complain. He got a pot of oil and a paddle from T’moh and began to slather the oil over her freshly dried scales.
She was nearly asleep when Jared finished and he looked up to find the Weyrleaders standing over him.
“Weyrleaders,” he started to stand up but Aloqueth pushed him back down with her snout. She preferred to lie on his lap than on the cold floor.
“Jared, it seems like you are going to be troubling us a while longer,” J’frey, rider of bronze Esith said. His words were kind, though, and there was a light in his eyes that seemed to imply the Weyrleader actually liked troublemakers. Not that Jared tried to be one.
Samantha, Sr. Weyrwoman, stooped down to Jared’s level and smiled. “What’s her name?”
“Aloqueth,” he said softly as he looked down at her. “I’m sorry, she’s rather sleepy or I’d give you a proper introduction.”
You should wake up to meet them, Jared admonished.
I can meet them tomorrow. Are we going to sleep on the cold floor?
Jared let out a soft laugh then tried to straighten his expression. “I’m so sorry. She’s just…”
“We all understand, Jared,” Danneel said as she came over and sat next to him on the ground. “We all went through this too.”
“Is it always so… encompassing?’
The others laughed and Jared waited. “Yes,” Danneel said. “You’ll get used to it though; I promise.”
The Weyrleaders smiled again at him and J’frey gave him a small nod. “We will speak with you tomorrow, Jared. I would say welcome to our newest Weyrwoman, but we are obviously going to have to find a more suitable title for you. For now, I will simply say, welcome to our newest goldrider. If you have any needs, let us know.”
The Weyrleadership walked past him then and began to welcome the other new riders, but Danneel stayed.
“She wants to know if we’re sleeping on the floor.”
Danneel smiled fondly. “I’m sure J’mes has other arrangements made for you.”
“I do indeed,” J’mes said as he came up beside them, “which you already know from lessons, I’m sure.”
Come on, Jared said to Aloqueth. Time to find our bed.
If we must, she said sleepily. Jared smiled, but as he tried to stand she let him up. He followed J’mes to the Weyrling barracks and stumbled into the bed beside his beautiful gold. It was a fresh morning, but Jared was too tired to try to fight the need to sleep with his dragon.
When he closed his eyes, his only thought was how proud Danneel and J’sen would be of him, and how he was going to do right by his dragon
Fandom: RPS/Pern Fusion
Pairing: Jared/Jensen
Summary: The humming of the dragons was unmistakable
“J’sen, you have to stop this.”
Jared stopped before he rounded the corner when he heard the concern in the Weyrlingmaster’s voice. He’d been on his way to see J’sen in his weyr after he’d spent his afternoon - the first free one he’d had in the four sevendays he’d been a Candidate at Ista Weyr - bathing J’sen’s bronze in the Weyr Lake. He wasn’t the only Candidate that had been down there admiring the dragons. Like Jared, most of the candidates would take any excuse to get close to them. Alona and Jake had helped him scrub the behemoth of a bronze dragon while the Wingleaders were in a meeting.
Jared had cleaned and planned to steal a few minutes with J’sen for a few minutes before dinner but there was something in the Weyrlingmaster’s words that made it impossible for him to intrude. As curious as Jared was, it made it impossible for him to back away as well.
“There is nothing inappropriate going on, if that’s what you’re worried about, J’mes,” Jensen said quickly.
“I do not doubt your integrity, or your intentions, boy.”
There was a kindness in J’mes voice as he spoke to J’sen, and Jared realized that there was a stronger bond between the two than just Weyrlingmaster and former student.
“Then what?”
“I was there, J’sen, when you Impressed. I was there when you nearly lost it all, or did you forget that? You think I don’t know who you were talking about? You might not have put a name to it, but I’m not blind and I’ve always looked out for you.”
“I know, and I appreciate it, J’mes, but I’m fine.”
“You know what happened when you Impressed. Your emotional reaction almost killed Strith. Would you do that to him?”
“What? No! It wasn’t his fault. I don’t… I don’t want him to know. He can’t. He’s different from me, J’mes. He’s stronger. He would never… Please, what do I need to do?”
J’mes sighed heavily. When he spoke, there was a regret that Jared had never heard in his voice. “I don’t know, J’sen. But the way the Queen treats him, the way you and Dani do, I’m not the only one to notice. I’m not the only one concerned.”
Jared couldn’t move. He didn’t understand he what just heard but he knew it had something to do with him. As much as he wanted to run in and check on J’sen, he couldn’t interrupt the moment. There were no more words spoken and Jared could envision the scene, J’sen sitting at the table in his weyr with his head bowed, and the Weyrlingmaster sitting close by in silent support.
When the dinner bell began to chime, Jared was relieved for the chance to disturb the broody silence. He stomped heavily as he rounded the rest of the steps to J’sen’s weyr and stopped abruptly when he entered. J’mes and J’sen were right where he’d pictured them and Jared forced a smile on his lips.
“Forgive my intrusion, Weyrlingmaster,” he said with a slight bow of his head. “I didn’t know you were here. I was trying to beat the dinner bell to see if you were well, Wingleader, but I guess I was late.”
J’mes gave J’sen a long look before he turned his eyes to Jared. “Did you spend your time well this afternoon, Candidate?”
“I did. Strith was at the Weyr lake with some of the other bronzes while their riders were in meetings. Some of the candidates went down to help bathe them.”
“I thank you,” J’sen said with a small smile. There was a far off look in his eyes that Jared had come to know meant he was talking to his bronze dragon. “As does Strith. He said that you and the other two did a fine job. And the attention you and your friends gave his wings while you oiled him was very welcomed.”
Jared bowed his head slightly because even if he and J’sen were very informal with one another, the idea that Strith thought well of him was something else entirely. “Please, tell him it was our honor to be of some service.”
“Alona and Jake?” The Weyrlingmaster asked Jared.
Jared nodded. “We wanted to have a closer look at the dragons so we went to the lake together. When Strith used his wings to soak us, we figured it meant he was in need of help.”
“Strith soaked you?” J’mes asked as he looked back at J’sen.
“Yes, then the other bronze dragons did much the same to the other Candidates that were already there.”
“It sounds like they were well cared for then, while we were in our meeting,” the Weyrlingmaster said. He stood and looked at J’sen. “We’ll talk later. I believe the Weyrwoman wanted a word with you after dinner in regards to our earlier discussion. I wanted to forewarn you.”
J’sen took a deep breath, but his eyes were downcast. “Thank you. You’ve been a good friend, J’mes,” the bronzerider said softly. “I appreciate it, especially now.”
The Weyrlingmaster gave Jared a small smile as he passed him on his way out of J’sen’s weyr. The man was kind, but strict with his charges, and Jared was thrown by the sadness he caught in the other man’s eyes. His gut twisted with foreboding but he had no idea what the two had been talking about. How could J’sen have almost lost Strith? And what did that have to do with him? He didn’t understand, but he also knew he couldn’t ask J’sen. Maybe Dani would be willing to answer his questions - if he could get her alone. M’sha always seemed to turn up when they finally had some time to spend together. He never asked Jared to leave, but there were some things he couldn’t speak of in front of others.
“I’m sorry,” Jared said as he took a step closer to J’sen. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
J’sen looked at Jared and smiled. “You didn’t. J’mes is a good man outside of his outstanding record as a Weyrlingmaster; I’m lucky to count him as a friend. He was just coming to check on me.”
“Are you well?”
“I am,” J’sen said, but he frowned. “I’m the youngest Wingleader the Weyr has seen though. We have lost too many good men this turn. While I would have done my best to gain my position through years of hard work and dedication, I have achieved it young because of that loss. J’mes likes to make sure I am not worked beyond my ability.”
“He doesn’t know you like I do then,” Jared said softly. No matter what else he’d heard, he had absolute faith in his friend. “There is nothing you can’t do when you set your mind to it.”
J’sen shook his head. “Maybe. What do you say we skip the dining hall tonight? I can have something sent up for us.”
They didn’t do it often, usually only after the Weyr had gone into a bad Threadfall. J’sen liked to keep to himself then, and only Jared seemed to be welcome company. Jared reveled in the fact, even if it saddened him to see his friend isolate himself. He knew J’sen though, and the silence was so the Wingleader could relive the battle, to evaluate his wing, and see what he could have done differently. On those nights, Jared was just there to keep him company, his own mind swimming with the wounds he’d seen or the losses they’d faced.
After the last Threadfall, Jared had stayed with J’sen on the weyr ledge overlooking the forest until sunrise. He didn’t know what J’sen had relived, but Jared had watched a rider die over and over in his head. Jared had been in the infirmary calming the rider’s brown dragon while the rider was treated for his wounds. The rider had succumbed to his injuries though, and Jared had watched as the brown had lumbered away from the weyr, screaming into the sky before he took flight. Clumsy as he was with his own Thread scars, the brown gained air and went between, never to return.
Jared couldn’t imagine a bond so strong that death was the better alternative to life without a bondmate. When he looked at J’sen though, he sometimes thought maybe he could.
**
<<2 sevendays later>>
The closer the Hatching got, the harder J’mes pushed the Candidates. Their few free days were now nonexistent and Jared was exhausted. Thread wasn’t scheduled to fall over Ista territory for another sevenday, but J’mes had half of them scouring flamethrowers for the Queen’s wing, and the other half off with the hall Healers to make the numbweed salve that was so necessary after Threadfall.
As much as Jared hated the stench of numbweed, he’d almost rather be there than be in the middle of the flamethrowers with lessons on how to take them apart and clean them. His mind wandered about today and he kept stabbing himself as he tried to scrape away the grime and muck from the older flamethrowers that didn’t see much use - they were less reliable but the Weyr wasn’t about to leave them to waste. At some point, the parts would be used for replacements but they still worked well enough, and in an emergency an old flamethrower was better than nothing.
“Well done, Candidates,” Junior Weyrwoman Danneel said as she walked around the circle of workers in the Weyr bowl. Jared was surprised to see her there while the eggs were so close to Hatching, but he figured even the Weyrwoman needed to get some air once in a while. The Hatching Grounds were always warm, and even though Jared cherished the time they got to visit the eggs on the sands, he’d have been bored to tears if he was stuck to watch a clutch the way the Weyrwomen were.
Danneel surprised them all when she took an old flamethrower and sat next to Jared. “Just because you ride a dragon doesn’t mean you get out of chores,” she said to the group as she began to strip the parts and clean it. “Taking care of your dragon takes a great deal of time, but there is always work to be done at the Weyr when that is done.”
“And who guards Fantith and her eggs while you’re doing chores?” Jared asked. The others looked askance at him but Jared had always been curious and Danneel full well knew it. If she’d wanted to keep a distance from the Candidates and not be seen as the woman she was, she wouldn’t have sat next to Jared.
“M’sha and his bronze are in the Hatching cavern. There are only so many days I can spend going through musty old records before I need a break and a little sun. I suppose I should be grateful to you, Jared. If you hadn’t taught me to read while I was at the Harper Hall, I wouldn’t even have that respite in the Hatching cavern. I love Fantith, but I am not a dragon that can stay inside stone walls and stare forever at a clutch of eggs.”
Jared laughed. Danneel was older than he was but as a kitchen drudge she hadn’t been given much education. She knew the teaching songs as well as anyone, but that was it. Her days were spent baking and cleaning and taking orders from the Harper Hall’s Headwoman. When they were still at the Crafthall, Jared had spent time in the evenings teaching her to read. He’d thought it remarkable how fast she’d picked up on the language, and over the turns her handwriting had become so clear and crisp that he’d thought to mention her to the scribes at the hall. She’d been searched before he did.
“Weyrwoman Danneel,” J’mes gave a small bow to her and she acknowledged him with a smile and a tilt of her head. “To all of you who think your past lives make you too good for cleaning and drudgery, just remember this:” he said as he pointed to Danneel, “the Weyr works because we all do our part, and when someone can’t do theirs, we pick up the slack.”
Danneel nodded appreciatively at the Weyrlingmaster’s words and Jared smiled at her. Alona and Jake sat close by Jared. He wasn’t surprised when they began to engage in small talk with the Weyrwoman. Jared had told them about her, about the girl he’d known, and though there was some stammering, they got over their fear of speaking to the Junior Weyrwoman. The afternoon was much brighter for her help and her laughter. She spoke of her experiences in the Weyr and brought J’mes into the conversation as well. More than once they had laughed at anecdotes they told about previous weyrlings and Candidates. Jared couldn’t remember a more enjoyable afternoon of chores.
**
<<2 days later>>
“What is that?” Colin asked as a humming noise surrounded them in the Candidate’s quarters.
Although he asked, Colin knew what it was. So did Jared and all the other Candidates who had witnessed a Hatching before. It might be their first Hatching at Ista but Jared had spent two turns at Fort Weyr as he waited to Impress. The humming of the dragons was unmistakable
“It’s time,” Jared said as he looked over at Alona.
“Where are our robes?” Osric asked as he sat up in bed.
“Rise and shine, ladies and gentlemen,” the Weyrlingmaster called out as he entered the room. One of the women from the lower caverns came in with a stack of white robes and began to hand them out to the Candidates.
Behind them was T’moh, the Weyrlingmaster Second - his brown, Halth, was almost as big as a bronze, and Jared had spent more than a little time idolizing the rider. He was kind and patient and he usually came by the Candidate’s barracks just before lights out to see if there was anything about their day’s learning that the Candidates had questions about. Sometimes he just came to check on them, but he’d been known to spend hours talking about their day’s lessons when it was needed.
There was chaos as the Candidates tried to get ready, but Jared knew that it would be even worse out in the Weyr Caverns - riders would be scrambling to pick up the people who had been invited to attend the Hatching and the Lower Cavern workers would be cooking up a storm to prepare a feast for the Weyr to celebrate their numbers. It was a bigger event than usual since there was a gold egg on the sands.
Jared wanted to find J’sen and talk to him one more time, try to get some advice on what to do. Jared had been on the sands for two turns but J’sen had only been on the sands the one time. Surely he had some idea why he had been chosen so quickly. It was too late now though as Jared took his Candidate robe and pulled it over his head.
As they all finished, J’mes led them away from the barracks to the Hatching Grounds. The humming that had woken them had grown steadily as the dragons at the upper reaches of the cavern continued their song. Jared wondered if it was a welcome to the new dragonets or if there was something more to it. He thought that, try as hard as he might, he’d never be able to pen a song that would give credit to the magnificence of the moment.
J’mes stopped them outside the grounds and Jared took advantage of his height to peer into the other room. At ground level, the eggs were nestled safely in the sands, but beyond that were the stands full of people. Riders that weren’t needed to ferry visitors into the Weyr had already begun to take seats around the Hatching Sands. At the far edge was the ledge where Queen Fantith watched over her eggs. Beside her was her rider, along with the bronze who had fathered the clutch and his rider, M’sha.
The Weyrlingmaster called them together and Jared pulled his eyes away from the Hatching Grounds.
“You all know what to do,” J’mes said. “You know what to do if you are lucky enough to Impress today. Keep your wits about you out there and no one will get hurt. Remember, these dragonets will focus on their rider and will push everyone else out of the way. If you stand between them, they will use force. You are here to find your dragon, not stand between someone else and theirs.”
It was a scary speech, considering what they were about to face, but Danneel had told Jared some of the horror stories about a past Hatching where a Lord Holder’s son thought to Impress a bronze that had clearly chosen someone else. They said the warning to keep it from happening again. Jared just felt grateful that most of the Candidates he’d trained with were fairly level-headed.
He felt a hand slip into his and he smiled at Alona. Katie, a Candidate from Ista Weyr, stood right beside her. Alona and Katie had become close friends and Jared was fond of her as well. Jake crowded next to them with Colin and Osric close by. Jared hoped they’d all find their dragons today, but he knew it was too much to hope. They all deserved it, though. They were good people; the sort of people you trusted when times were hard. If Jared could choose the people he went into Thread with, it would be those five.
“Good luck, Candidates,” T’moh said as J’mes stepped out of the entranceway.
They hurried onto the sands and began to make a loose circle around the eggs. The girls formed a circle around the gold egg. It wasn’t the only dragon they might Impress but the Weyr wanted to give the little Queen a wide variety to choose from.
Jared hopped from foot to foot on the hot sands and wondered once again why they weren’t allowed shoes. No one could answer that one for him. He could understand keeping with tradition but holding to tradition just for tradition’s sake seemed silly.
The humming seemed to reach a peak as the eggs around them began to move. They shifted from side to side as the dragonets inside began to try to break free from their shells. A few minutes passed as they looked from egg to egg before a large crack appeared in one of the larger ones in the center. The crack formed a circle all around the top of the egg before a dragon head burst through the top. As its wings stretched the shell cracked down the center in two, and a bronze dragon stepped free from the shards.
A cheer went up from the audience. It was good luck to have a bronze hatch first, and Jared smiled up into the stands where Danneel stood proudly with M’sha at her side. Another egg cracked and Jared’s eyes came back to the Hatching sands.
The bronze hobbled its way across the over-warm, gritty ground, quickly. It tripped over its wingtips and almost fell before Osric righted him. The dragon stared at Osric and then Osric let out a laugh. “His name is Cortanth,” he said in awe.
A green broke through next and soon the eggs were hatching too fast for Jared to see them all. Greens and blues, browns and bronzes cracked through their shells and found their waiting riders.
Jared looked up at the girls to see Katie get head butted in the knee by a little green. She fell onto her knees in the sand and turned in time to find the little green burrow its way into her arms.
Colin led a brown off the sands to where the meat that had been prepared waited for them to feed the hungry dragonets. A brown came stumbling over towards Jared, but when Jake took a step forward, Jared could see that the other boy had claim on the dragon.
He was so happy for his friends, but Jared couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret that he wasn’t going to find a dragon this time. There were a few eggs left on the sands, so Jared didn’t give up hope yet, but he couldn’t help but worry.
In the back of the Hatching sands, the gold egg began to rock, as if she had waited until she could have all the attention. The gold egg didn’t show any signs of cracks but suddenly exploded in a shower of shards. He saw one of the girls clutch her arm and hoped she hadn’t been hurt by the shell. They’d been warned not to step on the sharp edged remains as they made their way barefoot off the sands.
The gold dragonet raised her head high. She seemed to possess a calm that had been missing in the other dragons as they stumbled to find their riders. She looked over the girls around her and took a step forward. The girls closest to the queen took a step back. Apparently J’mes’ story had been enough to cause them concern. The gold continued to walk until she was past the circle of female Candidates. Jared was so entranced by the perfect little queen that he almost missed the blue dragon that charged into Alona. Alona gave a cry of joy at the connection and Jared couldn’t help but give an encouraging whoop for his friend.
The gold dragon stared at the audience around her but his cry brought her eyes to him. He couldn’t help but wonder who would get to Impress the beauty. There was an almost red tint to the gold of her scales around her wingtips and along her wingsail. She was perfectly proportioned and she already had a regal bearing. She would be a strong queen, a good leader, Jared thought as he watched her.
Yes, we shall be.
“What?”
We shall be a strong pair, you and I.
Jared looked around like the voice in his head could possibly be directed at someone else. There was amusement in the back of his head and for the first time he felt the press of another consciousness in his mind.
“Me?” he asked in shock. It wasn’t possible. In all the history of the Weyr’s no man had ever Impressed a Queen.
Of course you. I am Aloqueth and you are mine.
You’re supposed to pick a girl!
Why?
Jared had no answer for that.
I see what you mean about the sands. They should let you wear shoes. Perhaps we should leave the sands and you can find me something to eat.
Jared stumbled forward then, horrified that he’d forgotten she would need food. He reached a hand out and touched Aloqueth’s eye-ridge. Her eyes began to whirl in blues and greens. “Alright, it’s just over this way,” Jared said as he led Aloqueth to the other newly Impressed weyrlings.
Jared didn’t look around to see anyone’s reaction to his Impression. He was too caught in her presence to notice.
When he left the sands, J’mes was there with a raised brow and a shake of his head. “I’m going to tell them to stop searching Harper Hall. They always send us trouble.”
Jared opened his mouth to speak but J’mes smiled at him then gave a nod to his dragon. His dragon. “What is her name?”
“Aloqueth.”
“She is a beauty, Jared. Welcome, Aloqueth.”
I like him, Aloqueth said as they were led to a seat and someone handed Jared a bucket of meat.
Good thing. We’ll be spending a lot of time with the Weyrlingmaster for the next turn and a half.
Why? She asked as she snatched some wherry meat from his hands.
Manners! Jared said and she looked up sheepishly at him. He’ll be training us. He’ll teach me how to take care of you.
I definitely like him.
Jared laughed as he continued to feed her chunks of meat until her belly was full. He scratched her eye ridge and remembered about the oiling before she could complain. He got a pot of oil and a paddle from T’moh and began to slather the oil over her freshly dried scales.
She was nearly asleep when Jared finished and he looked up to find the Weyrleaders standing over him.
“Weyrleaders,” he started to stand up but Aloqueth pushed him back down with her snout. She preferred to lie on his lap than on the cold floor.
“Jared, it seems like you are going to be troubling us a while longer,” J’frey, rider of bronze Esith said. His words were kind, though, and there was a light in his eyes that seemed to imply the Weyrleader actually liked troublemakers. Not that Jared tried to be one.
Samantha, Sr. Weyrwoman, stooped down to Jared’s level and smiled. “What’s her name?”
“Aloqueth,” he said softly as he looked down at her. “I’m sorry, she’s rather sleepy or I’d give you a proper introduction.”
You should wake up to meet them, Jared admonished.
I can meet them tomorrow. Are we going to sleep on the cold floor?
Jared let out a soft laugh then tried to straighten his expression. “I’m so sorry. She’s just…”
“We all understand, Jared,” Danneel said as she came over and sat next to him on the ground. “We all went through this too.”
“Is it always so… encompassing?’
The others laughed and Jared waited. “Yes,” Danneel said. “You’ll get used to it though; I promise.”
The Weyrleaders smiled again at him and J’frey gave him a small nod. “We will speak with you tomorrow, Jared. I would say welcome to our newest Weyrwoman, but we are obviously going to have to find a more suitable title for you. For now, I will simply say, welcome to our newest goldrider. If you have any needs, let us know.”
The Weyrleadership walked past him then and began to welcome the other new riders, but Danneel stayed.
“She wants to know if we’re sleeping on the floor.”
Danneel smiled fondly. “I’m sure J’mes has other arrangements made for you.”
“I do indeed,” J’mes said as he came up beside them, “which you already know from lessons, I’m sure.”
Come on, Jared said to Aloqueth. Time to find our bed.
If we must, she said sleepily. Jared smiled, but as he tried to stand she let him up. He followed J’mes to the Weyrling barracks and stumbled into the bed beside his beautiful gold. It was a fresh morning, but Jared was too tired to try to fight the need to sleep with his dragon.
When he closed his eyes, his only thought was how proud Danneel and J’sen would be of him, and how he was going to do right by his dragon