A Good Dad

Writers: Devin, Estelle
Date Posted: 30th May 2026

Characters: M'sar, L'keri
Description: L'keri commiserates with M'sar over Nazoth's flying woes
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 1, day 14 of Turn 13
Notes: Mentioned: A'ten, Sybana

L'keri

M'sar watched Nazoth swimming, weaving his way around the other dragons, occasionally pausing to splash one of them or one of the groups of weyrbrats. The brown liked swimming, and he liked doing things that got him closer to being able to fly Fall. He understood enough that doing laps would make him stronger and make it easier to fly.

But he was behind his clutchmates in training now, and it was M'sar's fault. He'd failed Nazoth again, and he tried to keep his mixed feelings from his dragon as the brown started another loop around the lake. At least today that stupid, stuffy kid wasn't watching them.

Another dragon entered the lake and M'sar recognized him immediately. He lifted an arm. "Hey, Rhalith! Hey, L'keri!"

L'keri waved his scrubbing brush cheerfully as his brown bounded into the lake ahead of him, sending waves rippling out ahead of him. "M'sar! My favorite dance partner." He looked out across the water in search of the weyrling's partner. "And can that possibly be Nazoth? He's grown so big!"

"He's the _biggest_." Though M'sar's boast now came with a sting of guilt.

He felt Nazoth's pull of interest, and the young brown turned, bugling a greeting. }:Hello, Rhalith! You are my sire!:{ M'sar didn't know if Nazoth just knew that, or somehow remembered, or if he'd gotten it from M'sar's mind.

}:Hello, Nazoth.:{ Rhalith greeted the young brown with a friendly croon. His memories of the Hatching day were hazy, but he knew that he and his rider had a special affection for this weyrling class. }:You are a strong swimmer. Would you like to race?:{

}:Yes!:{ Nazoth paddled over eagerly. }:A race!:{

}:Once around the lake?:{ Rhalith swam out into the deeper water and waited for the younger dragon to line up next to him. }:Ready, set...go!:{

"Well, I was going to give you a bath, but I guess you can swim instead," L'keri said aloud, watching in fond exasperation as the two browns tore off, their thrashing limbs sending up clouds of spray. He dropped his scrubbing brush and sat down next to M'sar. "He's going to be bigger than Rhalith before long. Must take after his mama."

"But handsome like his da," M'sar said with a grin as he also sat.

"Naturally." L'keri stretched out his legs and leaned back, enjoying the rare warmth of the Dragonsfall sun on his face. "So, how are you finding weyrling training? Thought I saw some of your class practicing short glides the other day."

M'sar frowned. He didn't want to admit it but . . . L'keri was an alright guy. "Nazoth is . . . kinda behind. He did manage to fly the other day." Barely. "But he's too heavy, so the weyrlingmasters are making him exercise and . . ." his voice dropped, "eat less."

"Oh, shells, poor Nazoth." L'keri gave him a sympathetic grimace. "That can't be fun. It's hard, when they're that young, and you never want to say no to them."

M'sar relaxed a little when he got sympathy instead of a scolding. "He's the best thing in the world, and I just wanted to make him happy." He watched Nazoth doing a pretty good job of keeping up with the larger, more fit Rhalith.

L'keri shaded his eyes and looked across the lake to the swimming dragons. He sensed that Rhalith was generously holding to a steady pace that the younger dragon could match, but he certainly didn't have to slow down too much. "He looks very happy to me, so I'd say you've been doing a decent job on that front. At least he seems to be having fun with the exercise," he added. "I had to go through the same treatment once - diet and exercise - and I can't say I enjoyed either."

M'sar's gaze roamed over L'keri. "Mmm, can't argue with the results." A bit of mild flirting wasn't going to hurt anything, especially when Nazoth was so distracted.

The brownrider grinned and flexed an arm. "I should hope not. I earned these!" He thought back to those slow, depressing months after his leg had healed. Slogging around the running track, through the worst of Dragonsfall's weather, trying to ignore the constant nagging of his stomach - until the evening when, quite unexpectedly, he noticed he'd not thought longingly of beer or sweets all day. "It does get easier, you can tell him that from me. In no time at all, he'll be strong and fit and the greens will be eyeing him with interest."

"I hope so." Despite the subject, M'sar relaxed a bit more. L'keri really did get it. "You're much better company than that stupid A'ten."

L'keri blinked, not sure he'd heard right. "Hold on. Did you say A'ten?"

"Yeah, stuffy little weyrlingstaff kid."

"Ah. Well, this is awkward." He grimaced. "I guess you didn't know A'ten's my son?"

M'sar's mouth fell open. "He's your _son_? _Him_?" They were nothing alike! But now that he thought of it, there was some physical resemblance.

"Yes. We haven't been talking much lately, so it's understandable you wouldn't know." L'keri rubbed the back of his neck. He seemed far more embarrassed than M'sar at the situation. "A'ten's been having a hard time since - well, Galgaith's flight. I don't suppose I make it easy, being my son."

"Easy? You're great!" M'sar almost said L'keri was far better than his own da, but that would lead to questions he didn't want to answer. And things he didn't want to think about. "What's Galgaith's flight got to do with it?"

"Sybana was in A'ten's weyrling class, so I expect he found it inappropriate that Rhalith and I would chase, let alone win. And then there was the size of the clutch. _I_ don't feel ashamed," L'keri said, his voice firm and emphatic. "All of those eggs hatched exceptional dragons. Just look at Nazoth. But there was a lot of talk and criticism, and I didn't exactly have a spotless reputation to start with. I can see how it made his life uncomfortable, having to listen to that, and people wondering if he's just like me."

"He'd be way better if he was just like you," M'sar said. "And unless Sybana is his girlfriend, I don't know why he's upset you won her Flight."

L'keri shook his head. "It's not that - at least, I don't think so." He frowned. A'ten hadn't been speaking to him for long enough that he'd no idea if there was a girl, or indeed anyone in his son's life. Surely he would have heard if he'd got involved with a goldrider? "Oh, but shells, he could have a crush on her, though. Maybe that time he spent out of the Weyr affected him more than I knew."

M'sar laughed. "Oh no, he picked up holder morals? That explains a lot."

"Perhaps. Or it could just be the age-old quest of a young man to be nothing at all like his parents." Guiltily, L'keri remembered the struggles he'd had with A'ten even before the boy had run off to the tavern. He was ashamed of how he'd behaved back then. "It's hard on him not to be joining the Wings, too. I never had that problem; back when I graduated from weyrling training, there wasn't any Thread, so it didn't much matter how old you were."

The Weyrling scoffed. "Tryin' to make me feel sorry for him?"

"No..." L'keri was, at least, not insensitive enough to ask that of one of the formerly holdless weyrlings. "More trying to make sure the blame lies where it belongs. With me. If A'ten is angry, it's not his fault."

"If he's mad at _you_ he don't need to be takin' it out on _me_. He needs to take that stick out of his ass." Then M'sar was distracted as the browns neared the end of their race. "Go Nazoth!"

The not-so-little weyrling was struggling now but he wasn't going to give up. He huffed and puffed and paddled as fast as he could.

"Come on, Rhalith!" L'keri leapt to his feet and waved. "You can do it!" Inwardly, he sensed that his brown had more than enough strength left to overtake his younger competitor, and he reached out. **I think he could do with a boost, don't you?**

With an indulgent sigh, Rhalith slowed his pace imperceptibly, allowing Nazoth to inch ahead just as they passed the dragonriders on the shore.

Nazoth bugled at his victory. }:I won! Did you see M'sar!:{

With his dragon's elation washing over him, M'sar couldn't help smiling. **I did! You did great!**

"Rhalith's a good da," M'sar said. He quickly stuffed away his suspicion that Rhalith had let him win. He didn't want to spoil Nazoth's fun. And he just as quickly stuffed away the thought that he wished his own dad had been more like L'keri.

"He is, isn't he? But perhaps I should get him down here to exercise with Nazoth more often." L'keri couldn't help but grin at the sight of Rhalith, who had turned over and was floating on his back with his eyes closed and limbs spread in an attitude of complete exhaustion.

Nazoth celebrated a moment more, then he waded closer to the shore and flopped down with his head on the sand, sides puffing as he tried to catch his breath.

M'sar chuckled. "They wore each other out good."

}:I want an extra-good scrubbing for that,:{ Rhalith said privately, his voice sounding tolerant, but amused.

**Of course.** L'keri grinned and clapped M'sar on the shoulder. "He's a strong lad. He'll be soaring through the air in no time."

"Yeah." It would suck tomorrow morning when M'sar had to limit Nazoth's food again, but right now all that mattered was that his dragon was happy.

Last updated on the June 4th 2026

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A Good Dad