I Was a Harper ...

Writers: Jane, Kaysea
Date Posted: 3rd May 2007

Characters: R'haran, Corder
Description: R'haran talks to Corder and is reminded about his craft.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 3, day 25 of Turn 4

R'haran saw the gitar leaning against the end of the table when he went to sit down. After putting his plate and wine glass down he leaned over and picked the instrument up. It wasn't his; his own instruments were now stored on hooks high in his room where little fingers couldn't get to them, but it was nicely made and well used.

It had been a while, he thought, pulling the chair well back from the nearly empty table and sitting down with the gitar still in his hands.
He tried a chord, shrugged and played a few more.

"That sounds good." Corder said, stepping over the bench seat next to the table, and setting down his klah. "You have hidden talents, R'haran."

"I was a harper. I _am_ a harper, I suppose." He tilted his head and listened to the sound his fingers were bringing from the instrument.
"Only ten Turns ago I was a harper ... Evielenth's rider, certainly, but not a dragonrider in the sense we mean nowadays. Strange how things can change so completely."

"And you're missing your craft? Have you played for the children, yet?"

"They have harper lessons and they've been playing little whistles for me." He made a show of grimacing. "It hasn't been pleasant." He strummed some more, finding a quiet pleasure in the accuracy of his finger placement. Perhaps fingers remembered of their own accord. "I suppose I do miss my craft, a little, but to be honest, not this part of it." He looked up at the master beastcrafter and grinned. "For some harpers music is a vocation; it's their talent and their love. For me it was never talent - just skills I learned."

"You use your skills well." Corder smiled, and took a draft of his klah, "Though I expect children, learning their first whistles would be a little hard on the ears." He laughed.

R'haran nodded, though his smile was kindly as he thought of the five children and their attempts at music. "Hard on the ego, too. I had hoped one of them would have some harper leanings. I might not have been talented or naturally drawn to harpercraft but I did have an ear and voice. As far as I can tell the children are all tone deaf and are quite happy to sing flat."

Corder threw back his head and laughed at the disconsolate look on R'haran's face. "Well, it's not as if you haven't tried to discover a talent. So not even a voice among the five of them?" he asked, stifling another laugh.

"Perhaps Tibby. At two Turns old it's hard to tell. We shall see." He sighed and put the gitar back where he had found it and moved his chair forward so that he could eat his meal. "If he develops he might make a harper - of my kind. It's such a varied craft that as long as basic musical skill can be achieved one can specialise into areas that will never again involve an instrument or song." His own harpering had involved much more of mediation and negotiation than composing and performing.

"You're set on replacing yourself in the Harper craft then?" Corder took another draft of his klah, and eyed the rider with speculation, "From what I have seen of the children I wouldn't mind one or two of them coming to my craft either. They all have a love of beasts, I've seen them with Taia."

"Perhaps." Was he being foolish for not taking advantage of the offer?
At least for Sahna who at ten should be thinking of her future. And Iselen was only a Turn younger. But they would have been forced into making those decisions if they had stayed at the SeaHold and he wanted to give them more time now they were safe in his care. "I'll talk to the older two about Beastcraft. _They're_ certainly not going to be harpers. And none of them are going to be anything they don't choose to be." He thought about that for a moment. "I hope they don't want to be seacrafters. That's something they can't do here."

"Well, the offer is there for any that want to craft. Of course they have the choice here not to craft, who knows, they may Impress."

"They may have to be Searched," R'haran said, having given the matter some thought. "They're not weyrbred, for all they're blood related to me. Anyway, these decisions are all a few Turns off, but thank you for your offer. It will do them good to start to regard their futures as something they can plan." He took a sip of the wine and sighed. "Very nice white they're serving tonight. Did you have some?"

"No, no wine for me, I'm working tonight." Corder lifted his mug and took the last draft of klah, lukewarm but still tasty. "And I have to get a move on, I guess. The runners we're bringing in tonight, are all due to foal sometime over the next sevenday. If you think the older children would be interested, you're welcome to bring them to watch a birth?"

R'haran wasn't sure he would want to, but the children were more than ready to surprise him about their likes and dislikes. "I'll see what they think - and what their foster-mother advises."

"If you think they'll find it educational, you're more than welcome.
But as for me, I guess I should get going." He pushed himself from the bench, and stood. "Oh! Did I mention, Taia kept that damned pup. The one your kids were playing with the other day." Corder shook his head, "All right, I'll see you later!" he gave a brief wave and walked off.

Taia? And the pup? R'haran grinned and wondered if a little maternal longing wasn't making itself felt there and then realised that his own suddenly developed paternal attitudes didn't leave him much room to laugh.

And he wasn't looking forward to seeing any foal born, either.

Last updated on the May 6th 2007

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I Was a Harper ...