Blueriders Can Do Anything

Writers: Devin, Estelle
Date Posted: 15th June 2024

Characters: R'lor, R'ayl
Description: R'lor tells R'ayl about his promotion
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 8, day 25 of Turn 11
Notes: Mentioned: L'pin, N'vanik, I'rad, T'lin
Follows "You've Earned It"

R'lor

R'lor was still in a daze after telling the older staff about his
promotion. _Weyrlingmaster_. He couldn't believe it. He planned to let
the younger staff know the following morning, but there was one young
rider he couldn't wait to tell.

Kularth bespoke Delorth. }:If yours has time, can he please meet mine
in his office?:{

}:Yes, of course. He is on his way.:{ Delorth replied. He sounded
contented, having just settled on his weyr ledge to sun himself after a
bath.

R'ayl wasn't quite so calm as he hurried to the office and knocked at
the door - part hopeful that he could do something to help the
Weyrlingmaster Third, and part anxious that he'd done something wrong.

"You asked to see me, sir?"

R'lor was packing items into boxes and fought to keep his expression
neutral. "Ah, yes. I was wondering if you might help me pack. I had a
meeting with the Weyrleader today."

The young bluerider stared at him, his mouth open. If R'lor had been to
see the Weyrleader and he was packing...did that mean he was leaving
Dolphin Cove? The thought sank in like a leaden weight in his belly. He
liked all of the Weyrlingmasters, but it was R'lor who he most deeply
loved and trusted, ever since his kindness when R'ayl had been a small,
frightened Candidate, alone in the Weyr.

"Y-yes. Of course, sir." His throat felt tight, but he refused to
disgrace himself by sniffling. Dragonriders didn't cry! He glanced
helplessly around the office, not sure where to start. "Are you... Did
you get a transfer?"

R'lor immediately felt guilty at the poor boy's expression. Maybe this
little joke had been a bad idea. "Not exactly, though I do have to
leave this office . . ." He pulled his new knots out of the top drawer
and set them on the desk. "Because I got a promotion."

R'ayl's eyes went as round as marks. "Weyrlingmaster's knots!" He
couldn't help it - he jumped up in glee and ran around the desk to hug
R'lor. "Congratulations!"

R'lor laughed, his face breaking into a grin as he returned the hug.
"Can you believe it? He wanted _me_! A bluerider!" He was
half-convinced this was all a dream.

"Of course he did," R'ayl said loyally. "You're going to be the best
Weyrlingmaster ever. I bet the Weyrleader thought so too."

"Well, I'll certainly try my best," R'lor said as he stepped back from
the embrace. "And I know I can count on you to help me."

"You can, sir." R'ayl was still trying to take it in. "Is it unusual,
for a bluerider to be Weyrlingmaster?" He'd never considered it before,
assuming that a bronzerider would be in charge, just as they were in the
Wings.

"I've heard there are a few in the Records, but it hardly ever
happens." R'lor shook his head. "I thought I might hope for 'Second,
someday, but this was quite a shock." Even Weyrlingmaster Second was
an unlikely prospect for a mere bluerider, but Dolphin Cove had one
before -- L'pin had served under N'vanik as well as the previous
Weyrleader. That was the only reason R'lor had even thought that much
was possible.

"I don't see why. Blueriders can do anything," R'ayl said firmly. "And
there are a lot more of us blue weyrlings than bronze."

R'lor laughed. "Do you think we should all gang up on them?"

}:Some of them could use a little humility,:{ Kularth said lightly,
which made R'lor laugh harder.

The boy grinned. "Well, if we had a vote on who should be
Weyrlingmaster, there'd be a lot more blue and greenriders in the post."

"Maybe you'll have my job one day." R'lor wondered if there would be
others like him in the near future, though it was hard to imagine
other Weyrleaders being as . . . independently minded as N'vanik.

"Oh - not me." R'ayl had known that a bluerider could become Wingthird,
but he couldn't picture himself in that role - and Weyrlingmaster, still
less. "But maybe one of the others?" He thought about some of his
classmates, like I'rad, who had always been friendly to him and didn't
seem to be scared of anything. Or T'lin, who was teaching him to Search
and who he admired more than anyone except R'lor himself. "A lot of
blueriders will be really excited by this."

"To be honest, it's pretty intimidating," R'lor said. "If I fail . . .
I might ruin the chances of every other bluerider."

}:We will not fail,:{ Kularth said with perfect confidence.

"You won't fail," R'ayl said immediately, not knowing he was echoing the
dragon's words. "I trusted you to lead us into Threadfall, that day..."
He remembered the Blooding, the first time they'd brought firestone to
the Wings. Then he blushed. "Well, I think you can handle a few bronze
weyrlings, sir."

R'lor gave a warm chuckle. "I've actually scolded a few Wingleaders
and 'Seconds in my time."

R'ayl's eyes went wide. He thought of the Wingleaders, who all seemed
impossibly remote and terrifying to a young weyrlingstaff assistant.
"What happened? What did they say?"

"I was a Wingthird. My job was to keep the Wing on task and safe, and
that included those above me."

"But - you scolded a _Wingleader_?" R'ayl's eyes were wide. He wondered
if he would have the courage to do such a thing, if the safety of other
riders was at stake. There'd been the time when he'd answered back to
the Weyrleader after the Hatching, which still gave him chills to think
about, but Delorth had been frightened then.

"I know that sounds intimidating, and it was to me that first time.
But Wingleaders aren't perfect. As much as I respect the Weyr
hierarchy, there were times I had to speak out. Obedience is
important, but complete obedience at all times is dangerous." Leaders
needed at least a few trusted people who could challenge them.

R'ayl considered that, and then a very small smile tugged at the corner
of his mouth. "Even for weyrlings?"

R'lor hesitated for a moment. "Even for weyrlings, though they should
have a _very_ good reason."

The boy's smile widened. It was one of the rare occasions when he didn't
look anxious, and for a moment he seemed just like any other mischievous
weyrbrat. "I'll remember that, sir."

R'lor gave him a look, but a little mild disobedience might be good
for the lad. "Just remember you outrank the weyrlings now."

"Only for now." R'ayl sighed. In a few months, most of the weyrlings
would graduate to the Wings, and he'd still be too young to join them.
"One day, one of them might be Weyrleader."

"And by then you might be his Wingthird and help knock some sense into
him when he needs it."

R'ayl put a hand to his mouth to cover a giggle at the thought that he
might ever scold the Weyrleader. Even being a Wingthird seemed
impossible...didn't it? Still, up until today he hadn't thought the post
of Weyrlingmaster could be open to a bluerider. "That's a very long way
off."

"And until then you'll get plenty of experience bossing around weyrlings
of every dragon color." R'lor smiled. "Let's get this packed up so I can
start organizing my new office."

R'ayl picked up an empty box and headed over to a shelf to start packing
it with Records. "Yes, Weyrlingmaster, sir!"

Last updated on the June 16th 2024

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Blueriders Can Do Anything