Believe

Writers: Clancey, Miriah
Date Posted: 15th January 2014

Characters: J'darin, Paetri
Description: A minor /between/ accident rattles staff and weyrlings.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 4, day 25 of Turn 7
Notes: Mentioned: other weyrlings, weyrlingstaff (not by name)

J'darin

Paetri watched above her as another classmate blinked /between/ and
held her breath until they appeared over the star stones, then let her
breath explode. As much as she was trying to keep her nerves locked
away, it was hard not to think about making a mistake. As of yet, no
one had, for which she was heartily grateful. Even Camilth seemed
immune to her nerves; the little green was nearly quivering with
excitement at the prospect of her turn coming soon and it was all
Paetri could do to hold the green back until it was indeed her turn.

She licked her lips and closed her eyes, counting backwards from
twenty and taking calming breaths. It would be okay. They could do
this.

Despite his mother being so sick and all the time he'd been away
lately, he was still the Weyrlingmaster of this Weyr and he made it a
point to be at the lessons whenever he could, and especially for
important lessons like learning to /between/.

When he could, he had left his very able staff in charge of the
lessons and it had been alright because this class was so much smaller
than the ones they normally were teaching.

But this.. he would not miss this for anything. While he hated this
part of lessons, he would not allow anyone else to preside over this
very dangerous time in the young weyrlings' lives.

Hasaarth and he were up in the air, helping provide visualizations
with the rest of his staff, while the young assistants were down on
the ground helping the weyrlings with nerves and last minute
questions.

So far, the trips /between/ had gone perfectly. Some of the tension
had left his shoulders, and he would never let his fear invade
Hasaarth, or their students despite the fact he worried near to death.

**Send to Camilth. Its their turn. Remind her to show us her
visualization before they go /between/** Hasaarth made a mental sound
that if he were human would have been something like 'go teach your
grandfather to suck eggs' but thankfully his bronze, while quite
smart, had other ways of expressing his disapproval of his rider. A
faint smile curved J'darin's haggard face, and they waited, watching
the young green pair below.

}: It's our turn!:{ Camilth bounced on her toes, jostling Paetri out
of her deep, calming breaths. The little green was excited enough to
not feel the nervous little jump that Paetri's heart gave.

Tightening her fingers on her strap, Paetri looked at J'darin and
nodded, licking her lips and exhaling. They could do this. Camilth
leapt into the air and sent the image that she was supposed to and
that had been drilled into her, the star stones. Paetri closed her
eyes and briefly thought of her family, wondering if they would grieve
if anything happened.... They blinked /between/ and for a eight long
breaths, Paetri kept her eyes tightly closed. As they emerged,
Paetri's first thought was relief, but as she opened her eyes, relief
turned to panic. She wasn't above the weyr.

Hasaarth alerted him almost immediately. The bronzerider blanched
and his face turned whiter still. Oh no no no.. not another one.
The keening didn't start, though, so he managed to calm himself long
enough to send. **Where are they, Hasaarth? Can you reach Camilth?**

Not trusting the green to send a picture of where they were, instead
he said, **If you can, she must take the picture from you, not her
rider. From you! Send the star stones above the Weyr.**

Below, there was some panic among the young weyrlings, enough that
after Hasaarth sent the message, they landed.

}: I do not know this place! I am scared!:{ Camilth wailed, her
wing beats faltering as she dropped from the air, landing roughly and
skidding to a halt on a grassy field. Paetri was jostled back from her
shock, her fingers tightening on her straps as she stared at the
buildings in the far distance. She knew this place; she had grown up
here. Inside the smallest no doubt, was her mother, and her father
would be at the nearby hold, hard at work. They had told her not to
come back after she had Impressed Camilth.

The thought of her green shook her as she felt the little green
trembling beneath her. Her failure to properly /between/ had shaken
her confidence severely. How would they get back? Camilth couldn't fly
that distance all at once...**We'll be okay, Camilth.** She swallowed
roughly. **Just let me think..**

The little green whimpered and hunkered low. }: I did bad?:{

**No..no..It was my fault, I think..I..:{

The little green went still at a distant voice. }: Hasaarth? We are
lost. I do not know what to do!:{

As they landed, Hasaarth caught Camilth's sending. }:I have them,
mine. They have gone to a place familiar to Camilth's, but it is not
here. I have never been to that place. I will get bring them back:{
It was mildy odd for Hasaarth to offer without being told, but then,
the bronze had been training weyrlings right alongside his rider for
several turns, and he knew what to do just as well as J'darin.

The bronze continued to speak, now to Camilth. J'darin could hear
the strong, steady, unflappable, unmistakable sound of his bronze,
trying to calm the young green, and also help her find her way back.

}:Be calm, hatchling. Its alright. You are alright, yours is
alright. You will be home again soon. Clear your mind. I will
send you the proper picture to bring you home again. You will do
well. You can do this, we can all do this. It is easy. Get the
picture from _me_. Not from yours. Understand, lovely?:{ He was
bronze, after all.

J'darin breathed a sigh of relief. They were okay.

He had already called a halt to the other weyrlings practicing until
they could get Paetri and Camilth home again, safely. And maybe for
the entire day. Chances were the rest of the group would be too
skittish, now.

"They're alright." He said aloud. "They are just lost. Hasaarth
has found Camilth and will get them home again." He put all the
confidence he could into that last statement, trying to calm
everyone's nerves. He glanced around the small group, eyeing them.
Yes, definitely no more jumps today.

}: Okay... :{ The little green's voice was a soft whimper, taking
comfort in the big bronze's calm reassurance. }: Mine, Hasaarth is
going to help us. He says he can help us home.:{

Relief flooded through Paetri. She was sure that J'darin would have
stern words for her when they returned, but they were obviously
deserved. **Okay. Just do what Hasaarth says, Camilth. We'll do fine.
But we need to leave before they notice us here.** Her eyes lingered
on the small house in the distance with sad wistfulness, but she
forcefully pulled her gaze away to concentrate on the situation at
hand.

Camilth leapt into the air, working furiously to gain height before
going /between/ again. Latching on to the picture Hasaarth had sent to
her, the little green took a deep breath and went /between/. Paetri
gasped, closed her eyes tightly and held still, counting backwards.

They appeared with a blast of cold air above the star stones, Camilth
giving a cry of relief and triumph as she circled them. Paetri slumped
in her straps, her relief echoing her dragon's, though there was far
too much embarrassment and shame from her mistake for her to feel any
triumph from their successful return. It wasn't lost on her what could
have happened to them both. At her bidding, Camilth landed, Paetri
quietly reassuring her that she had done well before unbuckling her
straps and sliding off of the green. She stayed where she was, head
down and waited.

Hasaarth bent his head to the green and crooned in welcome to her,
while J'darin moved over to Paetri's side. He looked at the
youngling, her head down in obvious concern, maybe worry or fright
about what could have happened. His voice came out soothing and warm,
"Paetri, Paetri. You are alright. Listen to me, lass." He
paused, the stern correction creeping in that she had expected. "You
are very lucky we did not lose you both today. Very lucky. Our
dragons tend to believe they can do anything, but it helps them if
_we_ believe they can do anything. I do not know what caused the
slip, but its okay. I believe you are scared enough by what could
have happened and will not further frighten you except to say: going
/between/ is serious business. You must focus and practice. We
will practice visualizations for one more day before we let you try it
again, is that clear? For tonight, go home, be with your dragon, and
rest. You are alright, and she is alright, and you _will_ be fine.
You can do this, lass, do you understand? You can and you will." The
last words showed the warmth he'd started with, again.

Camilth immediately sidled up to the bronze, seeking comfort from the
familiar warmth. She knew her rider was shamed, and didn't exactly
understand why, but the warm authority that the bronze exuded calmed
her. Her whirling eyes slowed and she exhaled with relief to watch as
Hasaarth's rider approached.

Paetri sucked in her lower lip and glanced up at J'darin through her
lashes, unwilling at first to look at him. She finally lifted her
gaze, and slowly nodded. "I'm sorry...I just...I was thinking of my
family right before." She looked back down. "It won't happen again."
Her voice was soft, embarrassed. "I'll try harder next time. "

Hasaarth deepened his croon and covered Camilth's neck with his own.
He dwarfed her, but the bronze could sense the green struggling to
understand her rider's feelings. He knew. He had trouble with his
own all the time.

In an odd, but not unsurprising, gesture similar to Hasaarth's,
J'darin reached out two fingers to Paetri's chin. His touch was
gentle, but firm. Like the uncle that loved you to distraction but
would punish you for certain sure if you deserved it.

"Look at me, greenrider." The solid strength returned to his voice.
He waited a beat then went on. "You will not _try_ harder. You will
do it. You _can_ do it. You were born for this, Paetri, as sure as
Camilth was born to sear Thread from the skies, you were born to ride
her. You will _do_ it." Her confidence could not be allowed to
falter now. Now more than ever. And he knew, having known her for
several months, that this part was shaky with her. She must not
only _try_ to be confident. She must _be_.
A world of difference.

"Say I will do it. Say it and make me believe it." He dared her,
tilting her chin up with that gentle, but sure pressure. More than
anything, he wanted her to see that _he_ believed she could, because
he did. It was easier for dragons. They were sure they could do
anything, the lot of them. But not all humans were gifted with a
bronzerider's certainty they could do no wrong. He considered
daring her to do it right now, even. To prove it to herself.

But maybe... that was ... a little much.

She blinked in surprise as his fingers came under her chin and
immediately lifted her gaze to the Weyrlingmaster's. She swallowed
roughly, staring at him before glancing at her green. The little
dragon met her gaze with utter devotion and Paetri felt herself
soften. She couldn't put Camilth at risk like that again, not because
of her own self doubts.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and deliberately stiffened
her spine. "I can do it." It was a whisper and even she winced at the
uncertainty of her tone. Her brow knit and she opened her eyes,
meeting J'darin's gaze and then spoke louder, firming her voice. "I
will do it."

He let her chin go with a nod. "Well done, Paetri. _You_ must believe. Have confidence in yourself, your dragon, and your teachers." He smiled faintly at that and then waved her toward the barracks. "You're dismissed for the rest of the day. Spend time with your lifemate and enjoy her. It will remind you of why we do what we do."

The rest of the weyrlings were dismissed as well, and the bronzerider watched them go. His worry returning without the need to hide it from the younglings. So close... but she was alright, and her dragon was alright. The old J'darin would have gone looking for a drink. But the new one... the new one did not know what to do with himself tonight. Except one thing... and she probably didn't even want to see him.

Last updated on the February 1st 2014

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Believe