Honor and Consequence (3)
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: AL, Heather
Date Posted: 12th June 2025
Series: Honor and Consequence
Characters: Ki'ben, Vadira
Description: Ki'ben goes to pick up Vadira and bring her to the Weyr, as ordered.
Location: Elsewhere on Pern
Date: month 3, day 13 of Turn 12
Notes: Post continues in "Honor and Consequence (4)"
Dread, stronger than anything he’d ever felt before, coiled in the pit
of his stomach like a tunnelsnake ready to strike. Ki’ben exhaled
forcefully to try and ease the tension in his gut.
He had been ordered by the _Weyrwoman_ go and pick Vadira up today,
bring her to Dragonsfall, and help her settle in.
Going to pick Vadira up felt like an admission between the two of them
that Ki’ben was the father of Vadira’s child, even though he had
vehemently denied it. He’d even argued against the niggling bit of
guilt that told him he knew he _was_ the father.
How was he supposed to face Vadira after the parting words he’d flung at her?
}:The sooner we start this task, the sooner we’ll be finished,:{
Setoth reasoned.
Grumbling about meddling mothers, Ki’ben vaulted to Setoth’s
neckridge, clamped his thighs down, buckled his straps, and directed
Setoth to take him to Shadow Mountain.
***
Vadira was losing everything.
She was losing her father.
She was losing her family.
She was losing her home.
She had also lost the man she loved, and that man who had spurned her
suddenly appeared again, but she knew he hadn’t changed his mind. If
he had, he wouldn’t have come back before the goldrider got involved.
Vadira had waited. She had hoped. She had thought maybe, just maybe,
he would change hsi mind and return to her, say that he loved her and
take her back to the weyr with him.
But he hadn’t. Instead, she was forced to go to her father and reveal
the state of affairs. She had not yet begun to show, and according to
the calculations, it was not safe to fly /between/. That meant she
would have to endure hours of flight with Ki’ben. She didn’t relish
the idea.
She had packed light. Considering she had but the clothes she needed
to wear, she didn’t see herself visiting any Gathers any time soon.
However, she had brought one dress, one beautiful outfit of rich
hunter green embellished with silver. It had been her mother’s dress,
passed down to her. Likely, she would have no use for it, but Vadira
couldn’t leave it behind. Beyond that, all she brought was practical.
She doubted he would care.
Above her, the brilliant light winked off the bronze hide as it
appeared from /between/. Heat jumped into Vadira’s cheeks even as her
heart skipped, partially out of desire, but mostly out of despair. He
was there to take her away, but it was not the happy ending she had
envisioned.
Setoth landed near Vadira. He recognized her from Ki’ben’s thoughts.
Ki’ben wished taking his gloves off and removing his flight goggles
would take longer than five seconds, but alas, the menial things took
only a heartbeat, and then he had to dismount and face Vadira.
He sprang down and then turned, retrieving a jacket that was tucked
under one of the bronze’s straps.
“You’ll want to wear this as we fly,” he said, holding the jacket out to her.
Without a word, Vadira accepted the jacket and shrugged into it. The
warmth of the dragon seeped into her, but it offered little comfort
for her broken heart. Even with the tension between them, however,
she had the good manners to offer a soft word of appreciation. “Thank
you.”
“We will have to fly long stretches with small breaks in between until
we get back to the Weyr,” he told her, for lack of anything better to
say.
She knew that. Going /between/ was dangerous for the baby, and even
though Ki’ben had lied to her, that wasn’t the baby’s fault. Vadira
couldn’t let anything happen to the child. “I’m ready.” She stated
finally, hoping the time would fly by so she could remove herself from
his presence.
Helping Vadira to Setoth’s neckridge, Ki’ben dutifully made sure she
was strapped in securely before settling in behind her. She would need
his sturdy form to lean against when Setoth launched himself into the
air. Few people were ever ready for the first time a dragon launched
them into the skies with a mighty thrust.
“Here we go,” he said into her ear, putting a steadying hand to her
waist as Setoth coiled back onto his haunches and then sprang aloft.
Last updated on the June 17th 2025
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