Light in the Dark (Open)

[HG]

The sun was just going down as he left the Weyrhall. The long day now over he was quite ready for some rest but he needed some time to think before he did. Nemesyth had been sleeping for over a candlemark now. She was tired from their first day of training. No doubt all the other dragonets were too. He knew he was rather exhausted himself. Pushing his hand through his dark brown hair he found a spot off the beaten path where he could sit. The lake reflected the stars that had begun to shine in front of a dark blue backdrop of a sky.

N'var had much on his mind, not the least of which his failure with the Weyrleaders. The north needed protecting. Although he was certain of this, he knew that the Leaders of the South had their version of how they were sent here without help from the North. He had nothing to do with that. Punishing the Lord Holders would also punish the regular folk. N'var may be a failure at his diplomacy but he would not so easily be deterred from accomplishing his main goal. Dragonriders to protect the North. He was going to have to be more subtle and less demanding. He did not know how to be different from the arrogant and spoiled youth he had grown to be.

A long sigh escaped him. Life was so much more than he had thought it was when he left home. With Nemesyth added to it, he had so much more to look forward to and so much more to be responsible for. Not only was protecting Pern the duty of a dragonrider, it was now his own personal goal to protect Pern. Even if he had to protect her from the other Dragonriders being stubborn grudge holders. Talk about being hard hearted. They wanted the deaths of thousands of people on their hands, fine. It was not his problem. He however refused to stand by and let it happen. A restlessness consumed him now as he thought more and more about the possibilities. What he really needed to do was convince the other Weyrlings, especially Essa, that the North was worth saving.

If Rhiannoth ordered them to go, then none could gainsay her. The Weyrling dragons would have bonded closer to her and perhaps see her as their true Queen and not Aeriath. Then they could make a stand and support the North and no one else could get in the way. Of course his plan was great up to the one little problem. Maybe it was not so little... people here did not like him. At home he was beloved by all. No one at Keroon thought ill of him. Except maybe his father who thought he was nothing but a vain fop. His chance to change that had slipped through his fingers somehow.

How was he going to get people here to respect him enough to listen to what he had to say? He did not understand how anyone could not like him. He was charming, handsome, witty, a brilliant dancer and when all that failed there was his infallible judgment. Briar who had landed next to him curled up on his lap, crooning softly to him. He should have known the greens would like him. Females of the human kind generally despised him. That they were less then men in some ways seemed to really piss them off. He wasn't saying they did not have their own virtues that men could not have. They all seemed to focus on the negative. Especially that Razia girl. Ugh and she was in his wing too!

How was he going to survive Weyrling training let alone gain everyone's trust? Thank Faranth K'dyn was going to be there. The only person he could trust on the Expedition and now here at the Weyr. No one understood his thoughts better and no one treated him more like an equal. He'd never had a brother who could compare and so K'dyn was the best friend he had ever had. Well, other than Nemesyth. Dragon bonds were quite different though. He sat looking across the lake, wondering about the future. Whatever life had in store for him next, he really hoped it would go his way!

[meadow]

Tired but happy, Synchella made her way delicately along the path that would lead her to a nice spot looking over the lake. She'd found it weeks ago, and while her Cailleth slept, she wanted some time to think over things to herself. She loved her beloved's input, but sometimes it was easier to relax when it was just herself.

Strange that she should think that. She hated being alone normally. But the day had been long, filled with training and helping and...well she was never truly alone now. Such a marvelous thing, to feel that other presence with a thoughts distance. Sleeping deeply, maybe dreaming. Synchella wrapped her arms around herself. She'd never be alone again. She could sit in silence to herself, mull over this weeks training and not get tangled up in the misery of silence and being alone.

She paused momentarily as she noticed the other figure ahead. It wasn't her spot, her spot was farther on...and perhaps they wanted to be alone? She recognized the other Weyrling...one of the boys from the North. N'var of Nemesyth...for some reason it was always easier to remember the dragon riders name after she thought of the dragon's. He also rode a green, and Cailleth had informed her, that her sister Nemesyth was a touch moody. She'd said it good naturedly though, but then, Cailleth said most everything in that tone. She was the sweetest, most wonderful dragon...

If she remembered correctly, N'var was disliked by many of the others. It made her sad, he was just a little over opinionated...well and maybe a bit arrogant. But he was a dragon rider...he'd Impressed, so everyone should make an effort to get along. Besides, he was far from his home, it must be lonely. Since he was outspoken, he'd probably tell her if she was intruding, and then she could just continue on her way.

So she wandered closer, making enough noise to be heard so she she didn't startle him. Smiling, she gestured to the ground beside him.

"Do you mind company? You're N'var right? You Impressed to Nemesyth?" she asked.

She knew it was true, but it was always nice to let people know you knew who they were. Sometimes it helped them feel safer around you, that you'd noted and paid attention to them and their dragons.

[HG]

Looking up into the skies, he found the twinkling of the stars oddly comforting. Although the position of the stars seemed different here, he knew that they were the same stars he had seen at home in Keroon. His home was not here at the Weyr no matter what they tried to make him believe. He had a family back on the Northern Continent. They were doomed there in the North if the dragonriders continued to stay in the South caring only for their people. He was missing something in all of this. He knew he was. However whatever it was eluded him.

The young woman's voice snapped him out of his thoughts, like a whip to a runner's back. Who was she and what did she want? He brushed his hair back with one hand, as was habit. He could easily brush her off and say he wanted nothing to do with women on dragons but considering his latest scheme, he needed to be nice. Not overly so, of course, that would not seem natural. Still he had to try to not be completely rude. “Yes, I'm N'var.” He nodded, “Again, correct. Nemesyth sleeps.”

He looked over the other girl carefully. She was without a doubt a Southerner. “I'm sorry, I've not had the chance to learn everyone's names. You ride green as well?” N'var did sort of feel bad for not remembering but he had a lot of more important things on his mind. He would learn about everyone else in good time. This girl seemed to be the sweet, caring sort that women should be. He would have little problem with her seeing as she wasn't a woman who wanted to be a man and have stubborn opinions about how things should be instead of dealing with reality.

He eyed the other girl quickly. She had hair that his mother would have wanted. The curls were perfect. In fact she would be just the sort of girl who would be welcomed in the North. Other than the fact that she was now a Dragonrider. This led him to wonder if her curls would be horrible to manage cut short. He had to admit being a male rider, cutting his hair would also bother him. He liked it at the length it was but they'd probably want it cut shorter to avoid being eaten by Thread.

[meadow]

Cheerfully happy that the other Weyrling hadn't dismissed her, she moved forward and sat beside him, looking up at the sky as she answered.

"Oh I'm Synchella, and my sleeping beauty is Cailleth. They sure do sleep a lot. And yes, she is green as well," she glanced over at the Northerner. "No need to apologize though. Us Southerners have a bit of an unfair advantage at knowing the names of the rest of the Candidates. You have to learn a whole Weyr's worth of names, we only have to learn the new dragons names and those who have arrived from the North." Her voice was gentle and held no rebuke, just cheerful sincerity.

Her dark eyes returned to the night sky, then drifted down to look at the lake and the surrounding environment.

"Is it very different in the North? Than it is here I mean? I haven't really had a chance to speak much with those of you who have made the trip here from the North, what with the Impressing and all. It must be hard, having so many new things thrust at you at once," she continued.

She could barely handle all the new chores and lessons being a Weyrling handed her. How much the Northerners feel? She was sure none of them had ever thought they'd be dragon riders...they'd come for a completely different purpose. And now they were at a new place, with new people, and some were openly hostile to them.

[HG]

A bit surprised at the other Weyrling's willingness to be so nice, he tried hard not to stare at her and instead continued to gaze out at the sky. There were hopefully more like her in their clutch. If he could rally most the greens to his cause, then K'dyn could work on getting the browns and blues on board. Of course he was not about to let the girl know about his inner scheming. In fact he was doing fairly well at paying attention to what she was saying. “I suppose you are right. Just like young people, they need more sleep now because they are going to grow so quickly. If you think its hard to bathe Cailleth now, just wait!” He wasn't looking forward to it. Nemesyth was the size of a small blue dragonet instead of a green, meaning she was larger than most of her color.

The differences of the North and the South made him think a moment. A silence fell over him as he thought of the best way to describe things. “Well its different for all of us depending on where we came from before we were sent on our journey. I for instance, being the son of a Lord Holder, have had a hard time adjusting to your customs. Women in the North must know their place and it is not in a position to lead or fight. Most women in the North are married and have children which is considered their lot in life. Men in the North have to work to provide for these families and protect them.” He paused, brushing back his hair with his hand and looking down into his own lap.

“Seeing as there are no dragons. We have been using a lot of Whers to guard the major holds. There are three major Wher-Holds, one in my home, Keroon, one in Crom and one in Fort. In the North the smaller holds tithe to their protective Lord Holder's who make sure they are safe and not ill treated. As there are no dragonriders to tithe to, the Lord Holders can keep all that was tithed to them. The crafts I know little about really. Each Hall is about as greedy as the Holds. Which is why we need the dragonriders.” He did not yet count himself as a dragonrider as his green was not mature enough to fly, least of all fly Threadfall.

It was clear on his face that the topic made him worried. The people down South were safe from the fear that now gripped him. Loss of those who are innocent because of something that happened over a century before. N'var wondered what she was thinking about all of this. Maybe the topic was too deep or disturbing? “People up North are convinced the Dragons are extinct and are never coming back. My father, with a group of other Lords has been saying that Thread is returning and that we need to convince the dragonriders to come and save everyone. Unfortunately with the banishment and all, they are less than willing to help out. That combined with the fact the Holds have grown to mistrust each other and have completely different opinions on the matter , pretty much means war. If the Holds cannot agree they will make each other do so by force.” And that was why he could not fail.

“If you thought that living here in the South was difficult, its not much better in the North and a lot more complicated.” N'var looked over at her a moment. Seeing her reaction to some of this would be good for him to gage how the others would feel about the predicament up North. “Adjusting to your culture here is not as hard as adjusting to my failure.” N'var did not sound sad but determined. He would do better in the future. He had to.