111Disclaimer: Pern and the Dragons of Pern belong to Anne McCaffrey
AN: OK, now this really is the very last chapter. I hope you enjoy it! (Job's great, by the way - really challenging and interesting. But tiring. Which is why I didn't get this done last week)
'Where did all this come from?' gasped Reia. Music was playing in the dining cavern, bright and fast, and even amongst that huge crowd people had squeezed aside to make room for a dancing square, where Reia could see the whirling shapes of couples tackling the furious measure. A rich and savoury smell was drifting over the hall; the tables had been pushed aside to stand against the walls, and the solid stone slabs were loaded with all kinds of favourite foods.
And the hall was crowded with people; people laughing and chatting and talking in a roar of sound that washed over Reia's ears. The contrast between this and the bleak, silent, half-empty hall that she'd become used to ever since she was well enough to come down was so huge that even the cool Weyrwoman was set back. 'Hanna! How did you manage a proper feast?'
'I didn't,' Hanna told her, looking hot and flustered. 'While you were all up at the Hatching a bunch of Benden riders arrived along with half their Lower Cavern people, all loaded down with baskets and trays of food and barrels and barrels of clean water saying that Weyrwoman Katriel sent them because we've got to have a proper feast. And I'd barely got over that one and shown them where to go in our kitchen and all when a couple of dragons fly in carrying the Masterharper and a bunch of his people, saying that Weyrleader V'kon told them that the Weyr was open again and asking them to come for the Hatching. And then -'
'All right, Hanna,' Reia lifted a hand to stop the flow of talk, beginning to smile. 'I get the picture. I should go and be civil to the guests and new riders. Just tell me who else is here.'
'Master Falathan and another Healer, but he's the only one,' Hanna said, relieved to have told Reia everything and moved whatever problems there might be onto her Weyrwoman's shoulders.
Reia nodded. 'The Masterhealer knows better than to get himself infected now that we know the source of this plague, Hanna. None of them should have come, but now that they're here we can only make the best of it. You know how to manage the kitchen, Hanna - just continue as usual. But make sure that everyone drinks the Benden water!'
Hanna nodded, happy to have clear orders again, and headed off back towards the kitchen with something of her usual placidity restored. Reia continued serenely through the crowd, smiling and greeting the people whom she recognised as she passed, heading towards the table at the top of the hall, where a number of the Weyrleaders had already gathered. Some of the younger ones had joined the dancing; L'mek and Polla were matching the Harpers' pace in a whirl of rich fabrics and flying feet, and T'gin had courteously invited red-haired Wren of Telgar onto the floor. Earla of Fort and Narissa of High Reaches had been swept away too, as well as all the junior queenriders; in a crowd this large and composed mainly of dragonriders the men outnumbered the women three to one, and only those women too old, tired or busy to dance were without a partner. Melly, the queen of the hour, had barely made it into the hall before she was swept of her feet, and had been dancing continuously ever since, unable to stop even if she wanted to.
Katriel wasn't dancing, though; she was waiting for Ista's Weyrwoman to make her way up through the hall. The fair-haired Weyrwoman wasn't much given to physical contact, but she touched Reia's arm as her friend approached. 'Hello. Are you happy?'
Reia blinked. 'Kat, you know my Lystar, don't you? I ask because she's the only other person that I know with such a knack for asking totally incongruous questions that go right to the heart of the matter…'
'You're not happy.'
Reia looked up the table. R'lan was leaning back in his chair with his eyes shut, looking drained. But he looked contented too; J'sor was talking quietly to him, and even V'kon was hovering nearby, although he looked so casual that Reia couldn't tell if he was looking out for Ista's Weyrleader or merely there by coincidence. R'lan was definitely getting better. He was happy; and the Weyr was happy, Reia could tell that in the tone of the voices filling the hall and through Shareth's connection with the dragons. Shareth was happy, crooning softly to herself in the quiet of her weyr, bathed in the warm maternal glow that always followed a Hatching. Reia had praised and petted the great queen dragon and shared that sleepy contentment for a while, but duty had obliged her to leave Shareth and come down to the great cavern for civility's sake. Yes, everyone that she cared about was happy.
'Why shouldn't I be happy?' she asked lightly.
'I can think of one reason straight off,' said Katriel, bluntly.
Reia pulled a face at her friend. 'I preferred it back when you were too repressed and uptight to say anything you really thought.'
'Is it that poor little dragonet?'
Reia nodded tiredly. 'Among other things. Am I strange, Kat? There was a moment of horror, and then for most people - nothing else. I'm sure that most of them will have forgotten by now that one of the dragonets didn't find a partner. But I keep thinking of all the things that didn't go quite right today. Like four female greenriders! That's just… incredible. And the girl might be all right, but are the older women going to be able to keep up with the training? Are they ever going to be fit and agile enough to fight thread, or have we just introduced a group of useless dragons into the Weyr? And those bronzes!' She shook her head. 'I know dragons know who they want, but if I'd had the choice, I wouldn't have picked any of those boys. Four bronzes; Ril might be all right when he gets well, but J'dris got so hysterical with all the emotion that Lystar's still calming him and Treth down enough to get them to lie down and go to sleep. And Benellin! I suppose I ought to call him B'lin now, but he and poor little Malacanth are going to have a tough time of it, I'm afraid. And then the fourth bronze…'
'Yes,' said Katriel, grimly. 'I know. It was just bad luck that he hatched the last in the clutch. I suppose that all the acceptable candidates had been chosen by then, and a lot of the crowd had left too, and were nearly all dragonriders to start with… but Reia, this isn't like you. Calm down. And think how weird it is for me to have to say that. Are you really all right?'
Reia sighed. 'I don't know. I'm tired still.' She looked back across at R'lan. 'And look at him; he's lost so much weight. Is he ever going to get back to what he was?'
'What are you saying?'
'I'm thinking maybe - not yet, not for a while, but I'm beginning to think about retiring,' Reia admitted.
Katriel whistled softly. 'That's a big step, Reia. Are you sure?'
'No,' Reia admitted. 'Maybe in a few sevendays R'lan and I will feel so much like our normal selves that I laugh at the idea. And I definitely don't think that Marti's ready to run the Weyr yet. But the thing is, Kat - I'm not sure if I am, either. Does that sound strange? I've been Weyrwoman for twenty years, after all. But Mother had so much control over things, and without her we're all at a loose end. Meliana could run the Lower Caverns, but she's got Enneth to look after now; Hanna can't do it. The thing is that Mother never trained anyone to follow in her footsteps. She always had total control; none of the other women is at all used to responsibility. Even I don't really know that much about the things that she used to run…' She shrugged. 'It still seems incredible just to believe that she's gone, let alone think about replacing her.'
'Yes, your Gilda was a real character,' Katriel agreed, fervently. 'I can see what you mean, Reia. But you're tired. You should take your own advice and think it over in a few sevendays, when you're well.'
Reia nodded. 'Yes, you're right. And now I need to go and speak to people. Thanks, Kat.' She gently embraced the other woman.
'What else are friends for?' asked Benden's Weyrwoman. 'Now go on; Master Dannen is waiting to speak to you.'
Reia smiled and straightened herself up, turning to face the Masterharper, who was gazing into the distance with his round blue eyes. 'Master Dannen, how nice to see you.'
'Good evening, Reia,' the Masterharper said. His rich, rolling voice always sounded incongruous coming out of his round, placid, slightly vacant face, but Reia had learnt over the years to enjoy the contrast. 'Reia, I'm sorry to bother you when you've got so much demanding your attention, but I really have to know about my Harper. Is Journeyman Jarrin still…?'
Reia's eyes widened almost imperceptibly. This was one thing she'd forgotten to worry about. Shareth, where's J'rin - Valanth's new rider? Could you get Caliath or Rosith to get their riders to find him and send him here, please? The Masterharper needs to talk to him.'Yes, he's alive and well - in fact he's been a great deal of help to the Weyr. The only thing is… I'm not sure you'll be altogether pleased…'
The area that had been assigned to the new weyrlings was almost totally silent as K'beth walked softly through the corridor. Lystar and Marti had hurriedly put their heads together while the young dragonets were stuffed full of food and found a set of rooms that would do; a large one for the boys, a smaller one for the women. They'd given Melly and Enneth a room of their own; they'd considered asking her to share with Jory, as the pair of them had shared when they first Impressed, but decided in the end that it made more sense for the four greenriders to be together, even if Jory was so much younger than the other three women.
J'rin had been a problem to house. He could have shared with the boys, but it seemed somewhat unfair to ask him to do so. In the end, they gave him and Valanth a room of their own too, and that was where K'beth was going to look for his friend.
Are you sure he's here, sweetheart? he asked. The rooms were very quiet and dark; the greenrider was almost sure that everyone had gone on to the celebration. But he'd looked for J'rin there, and not found him. Lystar'd been busy sorting out the assorted problems and emotions of the younger weyrlings, and some of the unsuccessful candidates, and K'beth had wanted to find and congratulate his friends. But Melly was being mobbed by Weyrleaders and bronzeriders for congratulations and dances, and Rosith had relayed a request for Jarr - for J'rin, he must learn to say that - so K'beth was looking for his Harper friend.
For his Harper and dragonrider friend. K'beth grinned. He wondered if J'rin had realised yet that the post of Weyrsinger was vacant. Education of the weyrbrats was yet another thing that Gilda had organised, and now it would have to be done another way.
Yes, Rosith said. He knows now.
Knows what? K'beth came to a halt outside the little room that Jarrin had been given and laid a hand on the hide curtain. 'J'rin? Are you there?'
'Um-hm,' he heard faintly from inside, so he lifted the curtain aside.
'Well, come on, then, you're missing the feast, and Rosith says the Masterharper's - Jarrin, are you listening to me?'
'Um-hm,' Jarrin murmured vaguely. The Harper was sitting on a stool in the centre of the room, with his knees hunched up so that he could lay a small pile of sheets of smooth, brand new hide on them. He was working quickly with charcoal, and as K'beth stood in the doorway, amused, switched to ink and began a more careful, painstaking filling in and addition of detail.
The greenrider laughed. 'J'rin, you're not hearing a word that I'm saying, are you?'
He walked across the room and peered over his friend's shoulder. Lying on the sheet, curled up, belly gorged and distorted, was a little dragonet. And in front of them, sleeping on his wooden platform at the foot of J'rin's bed, was the same dragonet, glowing a deep contented chestnut.
'Isn't he beautiful?' muttered J'rin, his hand moving steadily as he drew a series of hair-fine lines across the page to show the way Valanth's hide creased as he lay with his snout tucked against his belly. 'Isn't he just perfect?'
K'beth smiled and dropped a hand onto Jarrin's shoulder. 'He is,' he agreed, quietly. 'I'm glad, J'rin.'
J'rin seemed to wake up a little from his trance; he looked up quickly. 'K'beth - I wanted to say -'
'What, to flame me for not being at the Hatching?'
J'rin frowned. 'Weren't you there? Where - oh, that's not what I wanted to say, anyway. No. K'beth - you know when Lystar was - was -'
'Yes, I know.' Even now that it was safely in the past, K'beth's face darkened, and Rosith in his head made a soothing crooning noise. I'm all right, love, K'beth reassured her. It's over now.
'Well, you remember how Rosith called, and you had to go to her, and you left Lystar?'
K'beth nodded.
'Well, when you did that, I thought - oh, all kinds of things. I thought that was terrible of you, and that you couldn't really love Lystar, and -'
K'beth frowned. 'I had no idea you -'
'- well,' J'rin rushed on, 'I just wanted to say that I take it all back. I can see why, now.' He looked across at his little brown and smiled involuntarily. 'You had to go. Forgive me?'
K'beth swallowed and laughed at the same time and squeezed his friend's shoulder. 'What's to forgive? You couldn't have known. But you do now. This is what it means to be a dragonrider, J'rin.'
Silence fell for a minute, and then K'beth grinned suddenly and twitched the stack of hides away from J'rin. 'But you can't stay here; you've got to come and face the music.'
Robren curled up into a tiny ball facing the wall and dragged his blankets over his head, trying to block out the sounds of music and celebration. He hadn't opened the glow basket and it was pitch black. The darkness seemed to lean heavily against his eyeballs, but he didn't know if the pressure was coming from out or inside.
He didn't know how long he was there, muscles tense and rigid in his determination to be as small as possible, to vanish altogether into the darkness, but eventually he heard the whisper of the hide curtain in the doorway, a slit of light eased into the room and a quiet voice asked, 'Robren? Are you asleep? I've brought you something to eat.'
It was Lystar. Robren had known her since he was born, and he liked her; a lot. Sometimes it seemed like she was the only person in the Weyr really, truly interested in him and what he cared about and wanted. But right now he didn't want to talk to anyone; not even Lystar. He said nothing.
But she seemed to realise that he was awake anyway. He heard a couple of light steps as she crossed the little room, and then felt his mattress sink beneath the Weyrlingmaster's weight as she sat down on the edge. 'You tried, Robren,' she said. 'It's not your fault.'
'Not my fault?' Robren sat bolt upwards, dragging his creased, tear-stained face clear of the blankets, wide pupils suddenly contracting in the glowlight Lystar had brought into the room. 'That bronze hatched right in front of me! And it looked right at me! And I met its eyes, and thought, Shards, I'm going to Impress after all - and it looked away, desperately, and then -! Lystar, I'm so rubbish it went between rather than choose me! That poor little lonely dragonet. I'll never be a dragonrider now! My father's going to kill me!'
'Ssh ssh.' Lystar hugged the boy. 'Robren, who are you really upset for? The hatchling, or your father, or yourself?'
Robren thought about it for a minute, and then said in a muffled voice, 'All three.'
'Did you really want to ride a dragon so much?'
Robren wriggled. 'You know I didn't, Lystar! But what'll happen to me if I don't? My father's so set on it.'
'Robren - take this from me - there are times when it's just foolish to try and live up to your parents. Look at me; there was no chance I'd ever ride a queen, and even with Cal I'm blind in one eye, but I still thought I had to be the best dragonrider because my parents are the Weyrleaders. But when I stopped trying to do all the things I was no good at, like flying thread, I actually ended up doing a really useful job and helping a lot of people. For you, I'd never have suggested standing as a candidate anyway. I'd've thought you'd do much better in a craft.'
The boy made a muffled noise of agreement, and Lystar smiled at him encouragingly. 'If you had a choice, which craft would you go for?'
'Smiths.' The response was rapid and instinctive.
'So why don't we see if you could get an apprenticeship?'
'Really?' Robren lifted his head for one delighted incredulous moment, and then sagged again. 'But my father…'
'I'll settle your father. You should never have stood at all.'
Robren nodded. 'That little bronze… right in front of me, and I couldn't do anything to help it. And it was screaming in despair, Lystar, and then it went between… right in front of me, and I just couldn't… the poor thing!'
'I know. I know.' Lystar swallowed, her eyes glistening in response. They were both silent for a few minutes, and then Lystar said quietly, 'Do you know, through there they're talking about putting up a monument of some kind, probably just a stone with the names on it of everyone who died. When they do, I promise I'll make sure he goes on it.'
'We don't know his name.'
'No, but we'll put him on it just the same. He was a victim of the plague just the same as Gilda and G'zul and V'dar and Caden and Kalla and all the others; the plague's why there wasn't someone here for him who'd he'd have chosen. And it's sad, and it's horrible too, when you can't do anything. And we won't ever forget any of them, Robren.'
Robren swallowed and nodded tearfully. But somehow it made him feel better to have the tragedy acknowledged and put into context. And he was going to be apprenticed to the Smithcraft! He had no fear that Lystar couldn't manage it somehow. 'Thanks, Lystar.'
'Any time. Now, I have to go. I brought you a plate; it's on the side there. Make sure you eat it, Robren, and then try to get some sleep. I know it doesn't really help to hear this now, but you're tired, and you really will feel better in the morning.'
'I feel a bit better now. I'll eat it.'
Lystar smiled. 'Well done, Robren.' She gave the boy one last hug, and then left quietly, dropping the curtain neatly into place behind her.
Gasping and brushing sweat and strands of hair out of her eyes, Melly dodged out of the crowd of dancers and bolted out of the dining cavern and around the corner of the corridor before anyone could spot her and ask her again. She shook herself and straightened her clothing, then leaned back against the wall, breathing deeply to regain some of her composure. She didn't really like being part of such a huge, excited crowd, especially when most of the people whirling her round and stepping on her feet were strangers. It was all right for a little while, but being caught up in that emotion made Melly feel unsure and slightly frightened. She knew that she wasn't quite in control. Maybe she could get back down to the Infirmary; there she knew exactly what was going on.
She heard footsteps coming down the corridor and straightened herself up, ready to be civil or distant depending on who the passer by might be, but it was Lystar's slim, slightly awkward figure that walked around the corner. Melly smiled, automatically suppressed the expression, and then remembered that she didn't have to do that anymore and let the corners of her mouth stretch upwards. 'Hello, Lystar.'
'Hey, Melly.' Lystar looked tired, and slumped gratefully against the wall beside the smaller girl. 'Did I congratulate you yet? How's Enneth?'
'She's asleep,' said Melly, still marvelling at the way that she knew that instantly even though she was nowhere near the little queen. 'She's well, I think.'
'You'd know about it if she wasn't,' Lystar said, her mouth twisting into a wry smile. 'They shriek the place down at that age. Even later on, you'll learn. Dragons are innately selfish. They don't give you a chance to neglect them.'
'I wouldn't do that!' Melly was shocked.
'Yes, you would.' Lystar looked at Melly and corrected herself. 'All right, maybe you wouldn't. But by the end of the first sevenday I'd've given anything for an hour more in bed, even if that meant missing Cal's morning feed. But he used to come crawl all over me - and those claws are sharp - until I just had to get up. So in the end it always got done.'
Melly looked up at the older girl and began to grin. She found herself remembering suddenly why she liked Lystar. 'You'd have done it anyway. You just think you wouldn't. You'd have done anything for Caliath, like you would for me and the other candidates and for everyone in the Weyr. No wonder everyone likes you, Lystar. You're so nice.'
'Oh, come on.' Lystar wriggled and waved a deprecating hand. 'It's not that special. Everyone helps out their friends.'
Melly giggled and put a hand up to her mouth in surprise. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt like laughing.
'Right, come on,' said Lystar, heaving herself up. 'We have to go back and be polite. I still haven't spoken to everyone yet. And have you seen Master Falathan?'
'No; should I have done?' Melly frowned. 'Why would the Masterhealer want to speak to me?'
'Er… to thank you, perhaps?' Lystar suggested with pretend hesitation. 'Come on, Melly - you found the source of the plague!'
'Oh yes.'
'Besides, between you and me, I've heard that he's going to offer you a healer apprenticeship.'
'Lystar!' Melly pulled up short. 'Is that true? Who told you that?'
'Er - Master Falathan brought a Craftmaster called Nathen with him, who I happen to have known for several years…'
Melly would have laughed again at Lystar's seemingly inexhaustible network of friends, but she was too caught up in the news to spare any attention. 'That's amazing! That's exactly what I always wanted!'
Then she caught her breath in horror. 'But Enneth -!'
Lystar smiled and slipped an arm around her friend, propelling her onwards, back towards the music and chatter. 'It's all right. Cal says that Master Falathan talked to Reia about it and she says that you can go as soon as Enneth's old enough to learn to fly between, serve your apprenticeship, and then come back to the Weyr. She wants a proper Healer here too. We need one now Gilda's gone.'
'Yes.'
For a moment both girls thought of the sharp-tongued old Headwoman in silence. Then they reached the doorway of the great cavern, and K'beth's voice called, 'There you are!'
Melly and Lystar looked up together. K'beth and J'rin were standing together near the entrance, and hurried over to the two girls, smiling.
'Where's Benellin?' K'beth asked his weyrmate.
'In the weyr, with Malacanth. Sleeping. Cal's keeping an eye on them.'
'Good.' J'rin put in. 'Lystar, now you've finally got rid of that baby, you can dance with me. Come on.' He put an arm around the bluerider's waist and pulled her away into the dancing square where the Harpers were just striking up a slower tune.
Lystar laughed, grinned at K'beth, and let the Harper pull her away. 'Don't disrespect B'lin,' Melly heard her throw at J'rin as they moved away. 'He ranks you, brownrider!'
'Which leaves us,' K'beth said, laughing, and then turned serious. 'Melly, I don't think that I've had a chance to say yet how truly glad I am that you Impressed Enneth. Really, you deserved it, and I don't think anyone else would be a better weyrwoman.'
'Thanks,' Melly said quietly. Her face lit up softly as she thought of the gleaming dragonet sleeping contentedly in her new room.
K'beth grinned again, and flourished a low bow towards her. 'So, Lady Meliana, will you dance with a lowly greenrider?'
It reminded her of her brother's comical antics, and she pulled a face at K'beth. She hadn't seen this clownish streak in the greenrider before - although how could she have expected to? However long she felt like she'd known him, it had only been seven sevendays; and the situation had been much too serious to allow for light-hearted fun. But K'beth was free to joke about now - and Melly had loved dancing, once. 'Why not?'
As they entered the dance square, Melly almost tripped over her feet with surprise. K'beth - she'd been awkward around him for ages. Only this morning her face had burned and her heart beat faster as he kissed her. And yet here she was twirling in his arms - and thinking of him like her brother. And it didn't matter that he was embracing her; and she had felt for the first time in a long while how good a person Lystar was.
What's happened to me? she asked herself, surprised.
You have me now, a sleepy voice replied, and Melly gasped and smiled automatically. Who else can you need?
And Melly found herself smiling incredulously, eyes alight and shining as her feet floated across the dance floor, because she was Meliana of Ista Weyr, Enneth's rider, and how could she ever need anyone else's love?
AN: t-d gasps in shock. I finished. Again. This is starting to become a habit. It's no good. I'm going to have to do another one just to see if I can keep up this winning streak. But I am determined to take a good holiday first - so expect to hear from me again in a couple of months! (Unless I break down and publish earlier).
Thanks so much to all of you who have reviewed me; your support does make such a huge contribution, and I can't stress how much it means to me, especially my faithful reviewers - I hope you won't be insulted if I call you my friends - D. , boothnbones, Perndragonrider, paisley and all the others. I hope you enjoyed this final chapter - and that you'll be back on board next time!
Until then, farewell - and good luck!
t-d