Impressed at Artaq Weyr
Pronounced cue-ih-leenah
"I am not lying. Why would I lie? What would I have to gain by that?" Quilina asked.
"You are not no way Alabaster's Lord Holder's daughter."
Quilina rolled her eyes. "You've never met him, have you..." She sighed. Then, she shrugged and looked at the other weyr girls. "Do you think I'd have sharding white hair and this cute face if I wasn't?"
One of the girls giggled. "He's so cute!"
"He's like three times your age, Iena!" Said the other.
Quilina let them argue. She knew the truth, she believed her mother: when the Weyrhold had been very young, and ties had to be made, visits and extended stays at Weyrs and Holds scattered around Southern Pern, it was absolutely positive that the white-haired and dangerously canny man had stopped in at Dawnlight and rested with Quinnada. She was a pretty woman, even in her late thirties, and had obviously been very attractive when she was eighteen. Quilina was now that age, and her mother had even asked if she wanted to remain at Alabaster for more Starcraft training.
But then, one of the dragons of the Protectorate had sniffed her out of a crowd, searching the young pale-topped tan girl. She was so proud of both herself and her mother... She had no way of actually proving that her lineage led to the Lord Holder of Alabaster, but this meant she would never have to worry about being married off, or taken into the intrigue of that kind of life.
She was relieved.
Her hair stood on end, on her arms and neck. The young man behind her had pale blond hair, flopped over his eyes, and a relaxed attitude befitting of a brown rider.
But he was her brother.
"Karyle?" She whispered. The young rider looked with his eyebrows furrowed, and then his blue-green eyes widened.
"Quil?" He said, tilting his head. "I didn't know you were a Starcrafter!"
"I didn't know you were a rider!" She exclaimed, and bolted into his arms. They had met, several times, but years before. He was perhaps half a dozen turns older than she, and they shared a long afternoon talking about what had happened to each of them while they grew up. It was only by accident that they as children learned of their relation.
"So if you don't want to go I'll understand," K'yle said, sweeping his hair over his forehead again, only to have it flop back down. "But I think the wings will need you. You're a good Crafter, aren't you?"
"My masters seem to think so. I like working with the beautiful old equipment they have. You know, have you seen them?"
K'yle's eyes brightened again. "Seen them, Quil, some of our guys make them! Distance viewers, tools for measurements and all that stuff I don't know much about that. But I know that if you know how to use em, the Currier wing will want you too! I mean, I'm usually running stuff for my dad, or the Protectorate, but there's starcrafters and search riders in it. I bet you'd fit in real good with us."
"Then, take me to Artaq! Let me stand there!" Quilina said, happily. "Any chance I get to be around family the better, huh?"
Yet, the eggs were clearly calling to her! Just like the stars... Just like K'yle would call to her sometimes and they would talk and laugh and eat pies... There was just something so familiar about the eggs!
And so when they began to hatch, abruptly in the early evening, Quilina darted to the sands among the first to arrive. She felt her heart pounding, and breathed to herself... please be there... please ...
It wasn't like all the other girls and the lads weren't doing the same, but...
The first of this green's clutch to hatch was a beautiful emerald green who got out of her shell with ease and style. She trotted over to the girls, and gave a cute trill when she met Quilina's eyes.
What are stars? Where are they? I want to see them! I am Talaith, and you are my friend! I am hungry, too!
Quilina laughed and embraced the dragonet, crying freely and loving every moment of this impression. "I will show you the stars, Talaith, later after you've eaten!"
They went across the sands, getting a grin and a nod from the huge Paniper, and K'yle's eager applaudse was added to the crowd behind them as they left for food.
Now, if they'd done so with the other weyrlings and under supervision, it might not have been so bad for Quil, but even though they didn't mean to head between, it was all impulse and it probably saved their lives.
A rain of silvery thread fell from the sky that day and to avoid it, haltingly backwinging and trying to spin in the air, Talaith simply brought the pair of them back to the weyr, where it was sunny and not a thread in the sky.
Their sudden appearance alerted the weyrling master, but he had words with Quil separately. She was still given harder duties and her green was grounded while the others in the clutch were educated. But, she was also offered a better class for navigation in the long run.
I am sorry. I thought I did the right thing...
"You did, sweetie," Quilina said as she mucked out yet another weyr, "But it's not our fault. No one knew there was thread out there and you saved us so I'll muck out as many weyrs as it takes - you proved yourself to me. I trust you, so if you ever have to do that again I'll go with it."
With that vote of confidence, the green fell to sleep with a pleased purr.
The planet is beautiful! Talaith said, It is all water and coastlines! You know how much I've been waiting to dip in a warm coast?
"I do know," Quil laughed as they descended to the big mountainous island now known as their home.
Do you know something else? I am very glad I cannot be made to chew that awful stone any more. I do not think it was ever any good for me. It made me feel... less female. I hated that.
"Well here we are," Quil said, unsure how to interpret her green's statements.
