The Cart First

Writers: AmajoS, Devin
Date Posted: 14th March 2007

Characters: Narrala, D'ren
Description: Narrala and D'ren discuss his sister's future.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 2, day 18 of Turn 4

Narrala caught sight of a rare and welcome sight across from a familiar looking Weyrling - an empty seat. The Dining Cavern was packed and seeing the two together seemed too good to be true. She hurried over before someone else noticed the same thing and plopped down, setting her tray down.

Once she'd sat down, she realized why the boy seemed familiar. They'd been apprentices studying together under the Weyr's Harper for a while after he'd been Searched and before he'd Impressed. They hadn't seen each other much since then, but he was someone she was comfortable enough with to initiate a conversation. "Do you mind?"

D'ren looked up, a bit surprised, but he soon gave her a friendly smile. "Not at all! You look very familiar."

"We, um, apprenticed together? Before you Impressed, I mean." His not exactly remembering her threw her off a little bit. "I'm Narrala," she added with an unsure smile.

"Oh, oh! Now I do remember! You're good at drawing." He offered her a hand. "I'm D'ren, just in case you're as forgetful as I am."

Her smile returned and she nodded quickly before beginning to slice into her roast, "I know. Though you were Doren then. Congratulations.
I mean, I know it was a bit ago, but I don't think I've had a chance to say it yet." She was always an emotional wreck at Hatchings and, that had been around the time the Harper Hall had come to the Weyr and Narrala's life had become so hectic shortly after anyway.

"Thank you. Belated congratulations are still nice to hear," he said.
"I'm sorry you didn't find your lifemate. I know how hard it is to be left behind."

Her smile didn't falter, though inwardly she cringed. "Well, there's always next time," she replied cheerfully before taking a bite of food.

"That's a good attitude to have. The right dragon for you just hasn't come along yet." D'ren took a bite of his tubers. "So what have you been up to?"

"Well, I transferred to the Harper Hall." She grinned.

"Oh, really? How do you like it?"

"It took a while to get used to it really, the classes are set up differently - more structured, everything is scheduled and there's a lot more apprentices being taught at once. It's taken a bit to catch up with everyone else, but it's been fun." She smiled before taking a sip of her fruit juice.

D'ren smiled. "That's good. You're not having too much trouble with being a . . . female apprentice?"

Narrala shrugged, tearing a piece of bread from her roll. "Could be worse, I imagine."

"Do the other apprentices pick on you? Do the teachers treat you well?" he asked.

"Oh, you know how these things are." She made a dismissive gesture before popping the bite of bread in her mouth. When she'd swallowed she added, "Some people are still adjusting and all. It's fine." She smiled reassringly, not wanting to make a big deal of it.

"Sorry. I don't mean to be nosy. I've just been thinking about trying to convince my parents to let my sister apprentice, and I wanted to know what it's like for girls there." His mother might like the idea, since she'd been denied her chance, but D'ren didn't think his father would be happy about it.

"It's not easy," Narrala replied after a moment's consideration. "But nothing good is, right?" She felt torn now. On the one hand, she felt she ought to lay it all out and tell him about the pranks and snobbery of some of the older male apprentices, the way many of the journeymen looked down their nose and their snide remarks to questions, the harshness and subtle favoritism of certain Masters - but on the other hand, she didn't want to make too big a deal of something that was better just dealt with.

D'ren nodded. "I suppose so." If his parents were somehow convinced to let Renil apprentice at the Harper Hall and things were too difficult, she could always transfer to the Weyr. Although his father was sure to like that even less.

Still feeling uneasy, but glad the weyrling rider hadn't pushed it, Narrala added, "And I could look out for her anyway." There was strength in numbers and perhaps if there were more girls, the boys would back off a bit and get used to it.

He gave her a wide smile. "Thank you. Although I have to worry about getting her there first."

"She's not here at the Weyr?" Narrala tried to remember seeing D'ren with a sister, and couldn't.

"No. She's still at my family's Hold."

"Where's that?" Narrala tilted her head and took a bite of her food.

"Along the river in Emerald Falls territory," he answered.

The most hidebound of the males in the Hall always seemed to be of Emerald Falls stock. Narrala also remembered that the reason that the Hall had come here in the first place was because someone at Emerald Falls had set their other Hall on fire for accepting females. "Do you think your parents will let her come?"

"I . . . don't know. I think I have a lot of convincing to do." D'ren absently pushed a few things around on his plate.

"You could always point out the benefit of the Hall being in the Weyr:
That you'd be here to protect your sister's virtue."

He laughed. "I don't think that's the biggest problem. My father isn't the most hidebound, but he is traditional. Girls aren't supposed to be harpers."

Narrala snorted, "That's silly." Then she sighed, as it was that very idea that gave her the most problems in the Hall and she had no idea how to combat it - other than the obvious. If she had, things would probably be easier on her. "How're you going to convince him?"

"I don't know. I haven't even convinced my sister yet, so maybe I should start there," he chuckled.

"Probably a good idea," Narrala shook her head in amusement at his putting the cart before the draft-beast.

Last updated on the March 16th 2007

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