No Need for Congratulations

Writers: AL, Jane
Date Posted: 15th July 2009

Characters: Ri'len, O'rian
Description: Ri'len congratulates a former weyrling on his graduation.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 3, day 2 of Turn 5

"Hello, weyrling," the young, dark-haired man sporting the new knots of a wingrider said with a grin. "How are things going?"

"It's all right." Ri'len's gaze traversed to the knots. "Congratulations are in order. I heard about the graduation."

"No need for congratulations," O'rian said, though his smile widened, if that was possible. "Graduation comes to all weyrlings in time. Well, most of us. Them. You." He waved a hand, dismissing the muddle he'd got himself into. "You know what I mean."

"In time." Ri'len agreed with a short nod. "Though I have to admit time seems to be going by quite slowly and I sometimes wonder if we'll ever come to that point."

The other man nodded. "That feeling that you'll be getting up and going to bed at set times for the rest of your life. Though I suppose that's what the training's for - to set us into lifetime patterns that suit the life of a dragonrider."

"Really, the getting up and going to bed doesn't bother me. I worked on a hold, I'm used to that sort of schedule." Ri'len cast his eyes in the direction of the barracks. "It's other things that I'm not used to."

"Like what?" O'rian tried to remember what he had found difficult but he thought it might have been the lack of academic study required of him and he wasn't sure that was a tactful thing to say.

"Well, the type of work, the formations, all the different things a dragonrider has to know, the restrictions placed on weyrlings." Ri'len shook his head. "I never realised how hard it was to _be_ a dragonrider."

"I thought it was regarded as an easy life," O'rian said, rather surprised. "Or is that just because we have the ability to move around Pern at will?"

"It was regarded as that - easy in some ways, that is." Ri'len cast a glance toward the sky. "We never thought fighting Thread was easy, but I think most holdbred, myself included, had no idea how much hard work must be done to prepare a dragonrider to fight Thread."

"I know I 'knew' when I was young that dragonriders lived longer than holdfolk - but I suppose that's not possible now." O'rian shrugged. "We can't change the era we're born into, I suppose."

"No we can't." Ri'len shook his head. "But, we were chosen for a reason. I'm not going to go down without a fight."

"But you could have stayed at home, at your hold. You were the heir, weren't you?"

"Yes, I was." That life was beyond him now. Ri'len wouldn't give Monilath up for all of Pern, not even for Sorsha. "But now I'm a dragonrider."

"Yes." O'rian nodded, completely in agreement. "I was a healer, once. Before Taoth."

"The hatchings changed both of our lives." And Ri'len was certain neither of them would have it any other way.

"Let's hope that's the major change, then," O'rian said, thinking of his just begun Turns with the fighting wings.

Last updated on the July 21st 2009

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No Need for Congratulations