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Writers: Estelle, Nici
Date Posted: 29th August 2005

Characters: Lindria, Enriline, Alalir
Description: Lindria asks Enriline and Alalir to allow her to attend the Hatching
Location: Amber Hills Hold
Date: month 7, day 20 of Turn 3

"Mama, Mama!" Out of breath, Lindria burst into her mother's private
sitting-room in a state of great excitement, causing Lady Enriline to shake
her head and wonder if her daughter would ever learn how to make a graceful
entrance. "Have you heard? The eggs are hatching!"

"Lindria, a Lady walks sedately around the Hold at all times. She does not
run!"

"The eggs! At Dragonsfall Weyr. And you know there's a gold egg..." Lindria
blithely ignored her mother's lecture. Her cheeks were flushed and her dark
curls had, as usual, come loose from the pins and ribbons that a drudge had
so carefully arranged that morning. "The dragon is outside, and the rider is
telling Lord Alalir now. We must hurry!"

"Yes, we must." Enriline got to her feet. "I must find Lord Alalir's best
tunic, and you must get Alajeran's...Lord Jeralir will already be suitably
dressed, I'm sure. Oh dear, do you think we ought to have prepared a present
for Lady Jaela? Perhaps a bottle of wine would do?"

"And our boots, too, Mama. I've heard we must wear boots on the Sands, not
slippers, on account of the heat."

"Our boots?" Her mother stared at her. "What for? We're not going."

"Of course we are. I'm sure they won't mind, and the dragon is a bronze -
quite big enough to carry all five of us. Isn't it exciting? I've never been
to a Weyr before. What do you suppose it's like?"

"I don't know, Lindria. You'll have to ask your husband when he gets back,
because you're not going. It's not proper," Enriline said firmly.

"Not _proper_?" Lindria wailed, horrified. "Mama, you can't mean it!" She
turned as the door opened behind her. "Lord Alalir, you think that my mother
and I should go to the Weyr, don't you?"

"Um..." Alalir looked distinctly poleaxed. Jerandra had never gone to a
Hatching by choice--he'd certainly never told her yea or nay. "Well, what
does your Mama say?" He certainly saw no harm in the matter.

Enriline looked a little flustered. She never quite knew how her husband
would react to anything and didn't want to offend him, but neither did she
like the thought of her youngest daughter in the Weyr. "Lord Alalir, I know
you respect the dragonriders greatly, as I do too. But the Weyr is a
very...strange place and I don't think a visit would be suitable for a young
Lady."

Alalir grinned. "She'll be with Alajeran and two other male chaperones. I
hardly think some lovestruck young rider will kidnap her for his very own."
He doubted seriously that any man would get _close_ enough if Alajeran were
there for starters!

"But what if...while you're there..." There really was no ladylike way for
Enriline to explain her fears for Lindria should she go to the Weyr. If it
had been just herself and Alalir, perhaps...but her daughter was listening
and Lindria came up with enough improper ideas on her own without her mother
giving her more!

"Yes?" Alalir knew perfectly well what his wife was thinking--the key was to
get her to actually _say_ it.

"What if one of the dragons should...well...rise?" The last word came out as
a whisper. As a Lady, Enriline had heard only the least scandalous of the
stories concerning the behaviour of weyrfolk during mating flights, but even
those were enough to make her blush.

Lindria burst out laughing. "Oh Mama! Surely if a dragon were to rise then
it would be better that I was there for Alajeran than not."

"Lindria!" Enriline was near tears. "How can you say such things?"

Alalir was left town between laughing and comforting his far too uptight
wife. "I don't think that happens during a Hatching, love. I hope..." Alalir
shook his head and gave into the comfort bit. He couldn't stand to see
Enriline upset and went to her and put his arm around her. "Lindria, you are
the future Lady of this Hold. Surely you can learn not to purposefully upset
your mother. Being married should make you _more_ respectful and careful of
others' feelings, not less!"

"But she's upset _me_ by trying to stop me going to the Hatching!" Lindria
protested. "I've been looking forward to it for sevendays. She's being
silly - there's nothing indecent about the Weyr."

"Well, just for that, perhaps you _aren't_ ready to visit the Weyr, young
Lady." He pleaded with her silently. Enriline would be upset for _days_ if
he dared circumvent her wishes in this--and surely he could make it up to
Lindria _some_ how! If she went to Alajeran however, she would surely be on
the bronze dragon awaiting them--his son could deny his daughter by marriage
nothing.

Lindria was thinking the very same thing, and wished heartily that she had
simply gone to Alajeran in the first place. Then her mother would not have
been able to complain until she got _back_!

"Please, Mama?" she begged. "I promise I'll behave like a Lady all the time
I'm there. If you'd only come along as well, you could watch me and see that
I did. Wouldn't you like to congratulate Lady Jaela and Lord D'wrayt
yourself?"

Enriline hesitated. She was a little reassured by Alalir's assertion that
flights did not happen at the same time as Hatchings, but what if he was
wrong? Lindria's father would be turning in his grave if he knew she was
even considering letting his daughter set foot in a Weyr. Still, he was
gone, and she had a very different husband now.

"You have my permission to go," she said eventually, "but Lord Alalir must
agree to this too, as must your husband. And if there is any sign that a
flight is about to occur, you must come straight back home!"

"I'll set her on the dragon myself, love!" Alalir smiled. "And as long as
Alajeran agrees, then I certainly have no problem with her accompanying us.
It is the event of the turn in this territory...a golden egg of all things,
Enriline!" He hugged his wife and winked at Lindria over her head, as sure
as he knew his age that he'd narrowly avoided having to make a decision that
would have lost him his favorite reader for _months_--or as long as Lindria
had decided to hold it against him!

Lindria squealed in delight and gave both her mother and her father-in-law a
kiss on the cheek. "I'm going to tell Alajeran! Pick Lord Alalir out a good
tunic, Mama...he must look smart if he's going to be my chaperone."

Enriline watched her daughter hurry out in a manner that did not bode well
for her promise to be ladylike, and wrung her hands. "I hope I've done
right..." One thing she was glad of was that Lady Calanna could not go in
her condition. She did not trust _that_ young woman to behave herself in the
Weyr!

Last updated on the August 29th 2005

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