Obedient Weyrlings, Good Friends, Fine Wines
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: Jane
Date Posted: 8th January 2007
Characters: R'haran
Description: R'haran is reminded that the day is special for more than one reason.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 1, day 20 of Turn 4
"Special day for you," the brownrider sitting opposite R'haran said after his nod of greeting.
"The graduation?" Without waiting for confirmation the greenrider nodded his agreement. "Always an important day and more so with gold in the class." In the Ninth Pass – he found it easier to consider that ancient event as simply the Pass before the current one rather than mentally deal with the incredible number of Turns between those dragonriders and himself – Weyrs had boasted as many as four or five gold dragons. He couldn't help but always feel that the more golds were the safer dragonkind, and Pern, would be.
The brownrider leaned back in his chair and smiled at his breakfast companion. For Turns they'd been eating together. Both early risers they had little other than that in common whether in personality or duties. Despite that the younger man always looked forward to the arrival of the harper greenrider. The man always had interesting stories to tell, some wildly unlikely and no doubt part of his background in craft, some no more than observant little anecdotes about what the weyrlings were getting up to. No matter what the subject, the man was a born story-teller and an entertaining table-mate.
"I was thinking of something more personal."
R'haran paused with his mug of klah half way to his mouth, reviewing the conversation. "A special day for _me_?" For a moment his mind was blank, then he laughed. "Oh, yes. I'd forgotten. Good of you to remember."
The brownrider smiled. "How many Turns this time?"
"Sixty-three." Some six Turns older than he'd ever expected to be after Evielenth's scoring.
"A good age."
"Is it?" R'haran asked, surprised at the thought.
"Old enough to have some wisdom, not so old that that's all you have left."
R'haran laughed again. "I don't know about wisdom, but I've learnt some lessons in my time. At least, I hope I've learnt them."
The brownrider thought that he probably had. "I take it you're not celebrating tonight with too much wine and not enough common sense?"
"Ahh. Well, probably drinking a few toasts to the newly graduated riders, but no, no plans for celebrating sixty-three Turns." It was always a busy evening, with the announcements of the weyrlings' new wings and then making the time during the evening to speak to them as the equals that graduation had made them. Although most of the weyrling staff thought they were always there for the former weyrlings the reality was that their responsibility to the young men and women was over and they had to let them go.
"Happy birthingday, then," the younger man said, raising his mug of klah.
"Thank you." R'haran sipped from his own mug. Sixty-three. Born into a time before the devastating plague that changed the way of life in the South forever, already into middle age when the Red Star returned, changing the way of life for everybody on Pern. If he could have, he would have chosen to be born into more settled times, but that wasn't a choice any man was given. "I'll be interested to see what my sixty-fourth Turn brings."
"Obedient weyrlings, good friends, fine wines," the brownrider said, making another toast of it.
The greenrider nodded and raised his mug. I'll certainly drink to that."
Last updated on the January 9th 2007