"Listen to the Healers."

Before Ista

Maddy was born the only child of Olinar, Harper at Telgar Hold, and Madelynda, a Telgar Hold seamstress. The Telgar healers advised Madelynda (Sr.) not to have additional children due to an innate weakness that caused severe, life-threatening bouts of pneumonia and other ailments -- especially because her daughter seemed to have the same disorder. Instead, Olinar and Madelynda took in a total of five fosterlings, which their daughter took care of after her mother's early death (when Maddy was 10 Turns).

Olinar's deep attachment to his wife was transferred to his daughter upon her death. In fact, in contradiction of the Healers' advice to the contrary, Olinar insisted that Maddy stay with him instead of fostering at another Hold in a warmer climate. He justified his decision with the notion that Maddy was unusually precocious and therefore perfect for the Harper Craft. Olinar painstakingly taught his daughter reading and writing as well as the important teaching ballads and songs. She was required to assist him in classes with Telgar's children as preparation for her eventual entry into the Craft.

On the cusp of her 14th Turnday, Madelynda fell gravely ill with a strain of pneumonia that seemed virtually incurable. After a long and tortuous battle, Madelynda overcame the illness; but the Telgar healers finally insisted that she be sent to a warm and humid climate for a least two Turns, at which point she would most likely have grown out of her susceptibility to cold-weather illnesses. They recommended Ista Isle, and Olinar -- having heard that the talented and promising Journeyman Harper, Wendell, was to be posted there -- sent her to Ista Weyr. Armed with a message from her father to Weyrwoman Merellia and Headwoman Daria, and accompanied by her foster brother Telrin, she made the trek and arrived safely there.

"I am Madelynda, daughter of Harper Olinar at Telgar Hold."

Life at Ista

Madelynda was granted residency and eventually, due to her experience with children and harpering, was posted Nanny there. Under the careful and expert care of Healer Jithan (and his regimen of rest, herbs, and time outdoors), her body was given the opportunity to grow and strengthen without the burden of constant fatigue due to infection and relapse. But good weather, good herbs and a good healer weren't the only things that improved her: out from under the pressure and dictatorial rule of her doting father, Madelynda began to realize her potential as an intelligent young woman with a mind of her own.

Her Hold-breeding hindered her for a time, and strict courtesy and conservatism color her behavior still, but slowly Weyr life allowed her to speak bravely and plainly in the presence of others. As Nanny, she sought to create a Hold-like stability for the Weyr children through her modest, Holdcrafted Harper abilities as well as her creative solutions to the special problems of raising littles at a Weyr. (For example, the tithes to Ista rarely contain entertainments for children; and so, through alternative means, she attempted to creatively use common materials and the varied skills of other residents and riders to entertain the children with special activities.) A sense of confident "take-charge" emerged in her, though her Hold-manners and -courtesy remained intact. Often timid and shy one moment, and insistent the next (when the situation called for decisive action), she endeavored to become an asset and productive member of the Weyr.

When Miri -- the green firelizard of Rykel (Istan rider of blue Faerth) -- clutched on Ista's beach, Madelynda first experienced a flit hatching. After much hesitation, she offered a piece of bubbly to the final blue hatchling, who accepted her gesture and became Pwyll. Feeding him one morning in the living cavern, Istan riders Ellwiny, Alania and Weyrlingmaster Merien entered to fetch some breakfast. And while Madelynda chatted amicably with them and two other residents (Yazric and Kylandra), green Tesith pushed her head into the cavern and warbled very softly. In a few moments, it became clear that Merien's dragon wanted to Search the nanny to stand for Senior Queen Neith's latest clutch, by that time already hardening on Ista's obsidian Sands.

• Madelynda's Search by Merien's green Tesith (log)

"At least, I can be Ista's spy on the Candidates..."

Candidacy at Ista

After promising Merien she would not be too hopeful, since every one of Tesith's previous candidates had left their hatchings without a lifemate, Madelynda moved from the Residents' Dormitory to the Candidates' Barracks and joined the more than fifty candidates to Stand for that particular clutch. She made friends with a great many, including Carinah, Chegaren, Draven, Elexand, Ianthe, Jennae, Jereboam, Jorenan, Laurene, Liz, Lusani, Maehryn, Makeda, Melina, Mercy, Orimia, Randrin, and Rivael. Since Ista was short of nannies at the time due to a variety of reasons, Ista Headwoman Daria granted Nanny Callista's request to delay Madelynda's candidacy chores until the headwomen were able to make alternate arrangements. But soon, the nanny became former nanny as she was assigned to do everything from firestone bag mending to glow changing to dishwashing. After one of Madelynda's former charges (young troublemaker Druyan) found himself in an argument with cook Sandia (Ista's gossip fiend) and quoted his nanny in calling her "firelizard-brained," the candidate was assigned to become the cook's personal pot-scrubbing lackey. Sandia still holds a bit of a grudge, and some of her harshest gossip has Madelynda as its subject, true or no.

Eventually, Madelynda was forced to tell her father, Harper Olinar, of her being Searched. After much wrestling over the wording of the inevitable message -- and with the generous help of Merien, Lal, Kh'gar, and Shast -- she sent her Pwyll to deliver it. After a few sevendays, the missive found its way back to Ista -- carried by Olinar himself. The ensuing confrontation between Father and daughter ended, luckily, on a supportive note. Coincidentally, the Weyr hosted a "Visitors' Gather" that day for the families and friends of the candidates, which the Harper enjoyed thoroughly.

Her candidacy led to a great number of adventures, most notably "The Bucket Incident" (in which young Druyan toppled Chegaren's mop bucket full of dirty East Cavern water, causing a flood in the Living Cavern) and the whitewashing of the Children's Cavern, which resulted in a highly quirky and colorful mural depicting each candidate's favorite dragon at Ista Weyr. When Rykel's gold flit Spart clutched, little Druyan caused even more trouble. Enlisted by Rykel to paint the firelizard eggs, he ultimately lost all of her precious paint jars. Rykel commissioned the candidates to find the lost jars, promising an egg for each one found. Fetching something from the Residents' Dormitory one day, Madelynda spied a blushing pink-colored paint jar amongst the general clutter on a table. Promptly returning it to its rightful owner, Rykel allowed her to try for the hatchling in the egg painted that blushing pink -- and out came a plump, fiesty golden queen in minature, thereafter called Haiya.

Threadfall and its unavoidable effects and outcomes, despite her new life at the Weyr, always disturbed Madelynda. One particular Fall during the candidacy period, during which her fellow candidates offered aid and assistance to the Istan riders, left a harsh impact.

• Olinar's Visit to Ista (log)
• Visitors' Gather (log)
• The Bucket Incident (log)
• Whitewashing the Children's Cavern (log) and the resulting mural (descs)
• The Candidates Witness Threadfall (log)

"Don't worry...Tesith's candidates never Impress..."

The Hatching

Just as it seemed to Madelynda that her chores would never end, serving the riders wine and juice in the Living Cavern while simultaneously trying to clean it, the golden queen Neith announced with a bugle that her eggs were rocking on the Hatching Grounds. After a few moments of disbelieving shock, she darted into the baths and then to the Candidates' Quarters, where all her young friends frantically donned their white robes. Plaiting her hair and tying it with a small white ribbon while listening to tense instructions of the Weyrlingmasters and Weyrleader L'tan, she found her way to calm by reminding herself of the fact that Tesith's candidates had never yet Impressed. With no intention to break that record, Madelynda -- clinging to Carinah's hand -- walked onto the Sands.

One by one, she witnessed the Impressions of dragonets to humans. Many of her close friends found lifemates: first Rivael, who became R'vael upon calling out the name of his green Yalinith; next, Lusani and blue Myndirth found each other when the Vibrant Patchwork Egg broke into shards; Madelynda let out a surprised and happy cry when her shy friend, Ista's Assistant Steward Maehryn, became M'hryn as bronze Talibenth and he became one; she shrieked again when Mercy then Impressed the lovely green Evath; and quickly, mischievous Liz and blue Dioth also became lifemates.

Holding tightly to Carinah with one hand and to the scared and weeping young Nela with the other, Madelynda watched in awe as the Brilliant Baccarat Egg split perfectly in two and the gold dragonet emerged. After shaking her lovely Elegant Calligraphic Gold hide free of shards, the dragonet proceeded to plop down on the black sand and wait for the candidates to come. Suddenly, Nela Impressed a lovely blue dragonet because he made her laugh. A brown hatchling stumbled over to Carinah and announced to her that his name was Berizeth; and so, Madelynda took a step away from her friends, happy yet reluctant to let go of their hands. Randrin was soon called A'drin by brown Nalimoth, and they became lifetime partners.

Standing alone and watching as her friends walked away to feed their lifemates, Madelynda felt a rush of warmth and turned to see the whirling eyes of the freshly-hatched young queen as she stumbled across the sand and collapsed in front of her. Mind opened wide by and to the gold dragonet, she heard the fateful introduction which changed her life forever:

• Ista Weyr Hatching from the Sands (log)