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Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 12:23 pm
Her hands had healed well enough to be put back to work, but Allende was quickly finding that the weeks spent waiting for the burns to heal had done little to bridge the rift in her heart when she thought about her family. Time and time again her mother shown her a gentle kindness that should have earned her something in return, but each time Alle found that she felt a deep resentment forming deep in her chest. She wanted to love her family and their simple way of life, but she just couldn't shake the broody feeling that by accepting their life, she would be denying her own. Recognizing her moodiness, even her brothers had stopped teasing her as much, though she figured her mother might have more to do with that then any feelings of charity.
Her father, however, hadn't changed at all.
While her mother had evolved into a near mythic figure of nurturing warmth during her convalescence, her father had remained stoically unchanging. When he spoke to her, it was in rough monosyllables that contradicted earlier statements, and when he wasn't trying to speak to her, she could catch him watching her with barely concealed confusion and frustration.
All that healing time had led to an awful lot of thinking time as well, and the more Allende thought about her father's strange behavior, the more frustrated she became with the situation. She wasn't that different from them after all! She had performed the duties of youngest daughter to the best of her ability, keeping her personal aspirations carefully concealed in her heart. She had even asked his opinion of the local craftsmen, as if she were thinking of apprenticing with one of them!
Had she missed something?
Whatever was going through her sire's mind, Allende could scarcely guess at, and it never occurred to her that her own inability to read him was equal to his inability to read her. To her way of thinking, the three sevendays spent doing only the barest minimum as her hands healed should have done something to ease the tension she felt mounting between herself and her family.
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Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 12:41 pm
"Down there."
"Oh! You're not serious! We're not meant to be bringing any more in Raith!"
"I am sorry Mine, I cannot change what is. Somewhere down there... Somewhere down there, there is potential."
They circled down towards the cothold. What else could they do? L'thor sighed and shook his head. Too many candidates, and yet if you found one more you couldn't just turn away. What if they were the only one right for a hatchling, and without them it went between? He couldn't contemplate being responsible for that. No rider could. So, down they went.
Raith touched down lightly, and L'thor unstrapped himself from the riding harness before hopping lightly to the ground. Where were they? Alright, they were south of Lemos, but other than that... Some cothold; most candidates supposedly came from places like this, but of late it seemed all he saw were former apprentices. Especially Harpers. What was there, a plague driving all of them off to seek their fortune elsewhere in the world?... But that had no relevance to the current situation.
"Raith?" Where was this potential then? He was supposed to be drilling in a couple of candlemarks; if he could get this done quickly then so much the better... If he couldn't, though, then his wingleader would understand. When you found someone who had the potential to Impress, you had to do all you could to bring them in.
"I'm... not sure," the sleek green replied after some moments. "They are close but... I cannot say quite where they are. I feel as though I am already on top of them. I will know them if I see them Mine, but not before."
Oh good. L'thor sighed and rubbed his face, stepping away from his dragon and setting off towards the nearby cluster of buildings. No doubt the residents had seen the dragon land, and with luck the sight would draw them out rather than send them scuttling inside. He didn't fancy digging out scared idiots who had convinced themselves that dragons ate people.
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Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 1:09 pm
Though her scarred hands remained bandaged, Allende had been doing what she did best when the green dragon and her rider landed. Cooking was not necessarily her favorite chore (and given her condition, one would think she'd scorn pots and kettles of any size) but Alle was a stubborn girl, and she hated to feel useless. Her mother was out tending the animals beyond the protective stone hold limits, and all of her male relatives were out in the woods plying their craft. She suspected they'd be back soon enough, and likely hungrier then usual given the time they had set out that morning. Cooking basic things that required little dexterity was well within her current abilities, so after a few marks moping, she decided to make herself busy.
Keeping herself busy had an additional benefit though, since the kitchen had one of the few windows in the cothold, and it was one that overlooked the wide open square patch of dirt that the green dragon had landed in. Normally, the window provided a welcome breeze and a hint of sunshine that otherwise seldom saw the innards of a Pernese cothold, but today, as she stared incredulously outside, it provided something more. Today that small slit like window offered her a glimpse of something she had never seen before, and yet another piece of reality that she was certain her father would deny vehemently!
Struck by the suddenness and a vague uncertainty of how to proceed, she momentarily forgot all about her childhood teachings about dragons, their riders, and the Threads her father denounced as mere ramblings. Should she go out and greet them? How did one greet a Green Rider? Should she pretend no one was home?
What was she waiting for?
The last mental question startled the rest of her mind into silence, and with almost trance-like steps she stoked the fire and moved her current baking project high enough so it wouldn't scorch. Dragon or not, she had learned her lesson well about moving around fire, and even if her mind was numb to the possibilities the rider presented, her body knew what she was usually about well enough to do it without thought.
Finally setting aside her apron, Allende left the kitchen and made her way to the front of the hold, her pace picking up noticeably with excitement. She had never seriously considered that she may be a brave person beneath her childhood training, but as she walked through the empty hallways, she found that facing the unknown prospects this strange dragonrider represented excited her. Had anyone seen her, they likely wouldn't have recognized the long limbed girl who strode amongst them with her shoulders straight and her head held high, as this Allende was the one she kept so often firmly tethered in a place she wouldn't be teased for being so tall and so forthright with her thoughts and opinions.
Reaching the door, she hesitated briefly, suddenly aware that by granting the treacherous little part of her heart that yearned for adventure this small release, the rift she had been agonizing over would grow even larger. Was she ready for that? Could she face down her father and tell him that change would come, and that she would be a part of it no matter what form it took? Could she handle the look on her mother's face?
Then the handle moved, and with a start she realized that her own burned hands had moved it, admitting daylight into the dusty cothold, and into her life as she stepped through.
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Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 1:20 pm
L'thor paused as the door opened, first to work out who was coming through - not everyone liked riders - and then because of the excitement he felt from Raith. This was the one. The person coming out now was the potential rider... The person coming out now was yet another very tall person. A girl. Another strange trend of late; previously at least of average height, if not a little taller, L'thor suddenly found himself small. Tall people and Harpers. Well, strange coincidences happened sometimes he supposed.
"Greetings Holder," he said with a smile to the tall lass. "I am L'thor of green Raith. We are here searching for a candidate my liftemate has sensed in the area..." Should he tel her now? Oh he loved telling people they could Impress, provided he hadn't specifically been ordered out on a search in any case. No! He would find out her name first and then tell her. He would like to call her by her name, and then ask if she would like to come to Ista, and attempt to Impress a dragonet.
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Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 1:40 pm
Allende knew enough about etiquette and decorum that a Rider needn't address her with any formality beyond the barest civilities. Her father had mentioned it often enough that the teachings came readily as she struggled with how to proceed. The fact that he had greeted her as if she were Holder here made her face warm a bit with pleasure, but she wasn't entirely sure of the 'why' this rider represented. By all rights, she should just make the Rider aware that her father, who was Smallolder here, and all of his sons were out in the woods and would return shortly. Surely he must be on a errand for them-
That was the moment her mind processed the rest of his greeting, and her eyes glittered briefly with a hitherto unknown hope that they might be here for her. She had never considered riding a dragon out of her family's hold, and even now she couldn't really see herself as a rider. This Rider, L'thor, was shorter then she, but then again, few people weren't, and she wondered if she should affect her usual stoop-shouldered posture to avoid the inevitable masculine posturing the accompanied meeting a female of her stature.
Her own father, however, saved her from even introducing herself.
"Allende! What is going on here girl?" He bellowed, appearing from the edge of the woods to her left, coming towards her with the typical swinging gait of a man who spent most of his days on his feet. If the rider and his green even entered his train of thought, Allende would be surprised, as she would swear for years after that his eyes were solely focused on her and the broken rule of bespeaking strangers without him present.
"Father, this is L'thor of Green Raith, they have just arrived-" She started, only to draw back when her father pulled up short, as if he just saw the dragon, then turned to look at her. "In the hold. Now." He said, neither allowing her to continue with why L'thor was here or why she hadn't done her duty and sent the rider directly to him.
The fact that he just had despicable timing would have to wait until Alle could get a word in, but with the brief chance of seeing something different rapidly looking as if it was about to blow away in the face of her short father's bluster, she stubbornly remained where she was.
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Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 1:56 pm
Ah. Allende, was it? L'thor smiled and looked the girl up and down. She was young enough, might even have a few more inches in her yet! An impressive, fit girl for sure. She wouldn't faint and squeal over the tasks that would be assigned to a candidate, or to a young rider. She was, in fact, far better material than he usually saw when Raith felt potential. Before him stood potential, not only to Impress a hatchling, but to be a valuable member of the Weyr community before she even got near an egg.
L'thor flashed the girl a grin before turning polity to address her father. "Greetings, sir, I hail from Ista Weyr. Raith sensed a potential rider here, hence our presence..." He turned back to Allende then, and grinned again. "Sir," he went on, still verbally addressing the man, but keeping his grey eyes level with those of the tall strong hold girl, "she sensed your daughter Allende. Is it not so, Raith?"
The green dragon, who had relaxed in the sun to doze, raised her head and gave a deep rumble, eyes whirling brilliant blue. Though she confirmed her riders words only to him in words, her meaning was quite clear. Here was one she would gladly take back to her home, and see bonded for life to one of her kin.
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Posted: Wed May 20, 2009 7:37 am
Allende's father, Allegon, appeared to be of the opinion that dragonrider's weren't in possession of the kind of authority that could take his daughter from him. Despite the rumbled assent of the green dragon behind the man, Allegon neither budged nor changed his expression. He may not agree with the current policies that demanded some of his hard work be sent to dragon Weyrs that languished in the sun doing nothing, but he had been educated as a boy, and knew that he needn't fear this rider or his beast. So long as Allegon kept his temper (and his belt knife) sheathed, there was nothing this rider could do to force him into anything that wouldn't create an incident between his Weyr and Lemos.
"Ista you say? Little far from home to be Searching for a clutch Dragonrider." He started, then appeared to change his tactics to better suit how he really felt. "As her father and primary guardian, Allende refuses. Please be on your way Rider." His tone was abrupt and cutting, spitting out the 'Rider' designation as if he were spitting out cud.
For her part, Allende kept her eyes trained on L'thor, meeting his look tit for tat, hardly believing this could be happening, but also painfully aware that her father was trying to prevent it. Her earlier bravery was wavering in the face of her father's familiar belligerence, but a new sort of emotion was building as she watched the to-familiar scene being played out. How many times had she watched her father chase away the very change she yearned for? Too many to accurately recall, that was for sure, and with a warm feeling in her belly, she realized she wasn't going to let this one get away.
"I am two years from the age of independence Father, and I am allowed to have some say in decisions being made about my future. Is this not the same as if we were discussing which Craft I should apprentice with?" She said, surprising herself by how calm her voice was. Why wasn't she trembling?
"Are not Weyrs the home for a different sort of Craft?"
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Posted: Wed May 20, 2009 7:53 am
L'thor blinked, too surprised to do anything else for a few moments. "Pardon?" he said after a few moments more. He'd never had anyone just outright refuse before, and it wasn't even the candidate, it was her father! Apparently this one was not fond of the Weyrs, or what they contained. With an effort, L'thor managed not to spit any acid comments at the man right away. Pissing him off, after all, would not exactly help matters. His displeasure however was plainly displayed in the growl of annoyance Raith let out.
"Does he not love his daughter?" she wondered to her rider. "Does he not want her to find a lifemate? Does he not understand?"
"No Raith," L'thor replied, "I don't think he does." The girl, Allende, did though. She wanted to come, she had potential, and therefore it was his duty to get her to the Weyr. That meant he had to be diplomatic. Oh dear. This was going to be interesting.
"Sir," L'thor said with as much calm and politeness as he could muster, "please do consider your daughter's words... It is a great honor to be asked to become a candidate, to have the chance to become a rider, a defender or Pern." He didn't seem to think so. The way he had spat 'rider'... He would not easily be talked around, that much was clear. Why though? Why would anyone show such contempt? He understood the parents who were afraid for their child's safety, being a rider was hardly a safe occupation, but he wasn't worried. He was just disdainful. What a little tailfork he was. Struggling to keep his annoyance at the man's attitude from his face - even if Raith had rather given it away - L'thor awaited a response.
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Posted: Wed May 20, 2009 8:13 am
"Defender of Pern? Don't insult me Rider, Threads are as likely to fall now as Lemos is to find itself having a coastline." Allegon rumbled, crossing his arms across his considerable chest. He hardly considered being a dragonrider a legitimate profession, let alone an honorable one, but as he spoke he was obviously being very careful not too look at his youngest daughter. He wouldn't acknowledge the validity of her statement because it would mean compromising the promise he had made with himself to keep her safe and secure despite her wayward tendencies.
"We do as our Lord bids us and tithe regularly to Benden Weyr, but I am quite certain that the time of the Weyr is approaching its limits Rider. You'd do well to consider that and start thinking about an actual profession." He was still belligerent, but this time his tone had affected the same tinge it did when he was speaking to one of his apprentices in need of lessons.
Frustrated with being outright ignored by her sire, Allende clenched her scarred hands at her side and took a few angry strides towards him, indirectly coming between the woodsmith and the dragonrider. "Father, what you think of Dragonriders isn't the point. Why won't you let me make my own choices?" Alle may be angry, but she knew better then to outright challenge her father's deeply held beliefs that Thread would never fall again when she had bigger fish to fry. To admit to that would mean he would be losing some control over his environment, and to a man like Allegon, that would be unacceptable.
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Posted: Wed May 20, 2009 8:37 am
...Well of course the sharding Thread was going to come back, you sharding wherryheaded deadglow! L'thor flared his nostrils, and was about to say something unwise when Allende spoke up again. Once she did, he was glad of the interruption. Yelling at the idiot was only going to make things worse. Shardit. Thinking about an actual profession indeed. The man made his blood boil, but he couldn't afford to verbally tear into him as he so wanted to.
"Again, sir," L'thor said, his calm now extremely forced, "your daughter makes a good point. I am quite certain that the Thread will return, and soon at that. Even if you will not accept that however, perhaps you should consider letting Allende do as she wishes to with her own life. She would in a couple of turns anyway, he added mentally, so why keep her back now? It would only make her resent him, and probably make her wilder than she otherwise would be when she came of age... If it came to it, she would still be young enough to try for an Impression when she was free to do as she willed. Getting her to the Weyr sooner than later however was desirable. If there was a dragon that only she was right for and she wasn't there, it would die because had hadn't tried hard enough. He was not going to be responsible for such a thing, not in a thousand turns of Thread.
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Posted: Wed May 20, 2009 9:43 am
With Allende in between himself and the Rider, Allegon found that he couldn't continue talking around her as he had been. Added to that, the sharding rider was actually backing up what the girl was saying AND swearing that Thread would fall again! If he hadn't known better, he would have sworn the two had rehearsed this attempt to unbalance him, but even he couldn't put a damper on his daughter's spirit nor remain blind to her wishes. Allegon knew that Dragonmen were men apart, and highly likely to recognize similar traits in others. But he should have acknowledged the signs when he first suspected Allende wasn't going to follow in her mother's footsteps. To the Great Void with the notion of her riding off with a Dragonman now though!
"We can discuss your future inside Allende. " He started, lowering his voice and speaking to her as he had all her life.
What he didn't know was that the tone was a patronizing one, and it only caused the tall girl to draw herself to her entire height in order to meet him head on. "We will discuss it now, with a Dragonman to bear witness." She half turned, as if aware that she might be overstepping herself, and looked at L'thor for confirmation that he would continue to help her. The rule was an old one, and seldom used given the current political climate of Pern, but like her father, Allende had been a diligent student of history when given the opportunity, and she hadn't forgotten this part.
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Posted: Wed May 20, 2009 10:28 am
L'thor inclined his head in the affirmative and folded his arms across his chest. "I will bear witness, Allende," he said aloud. Hopefully the big girl knew how to handle her father, would be able to talk him into releasing her. What a patronizing, hidebound little - well, not so little - man he was. It was so tempting to denounce him for the fool he was, to remind him that history said some people thought the Thread was gone at every Interval, and oh look! They were sharding well wrong... This was for Allende to handle though. Pursing his lips, L'thor waited for the discussion, or possibly argument, between father and daughter to begin.
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Posted: Wed May 20, 2009 3:34 pm
"The Dragonman will bear witness! Allende what has gotten into you! Get inside the hold NOW or the only future you will have is sweeping the workshop for the next ten turns when rational thought returns and this childish impudence leaves!" Allegon roared, uncrossing his arms to gesture at the cothold authoritatively. It was obvious that he wasn't going to listen to her, but Allende wasn't ready to give up on him just yet, so she crossed her arms across her chest and looked for all the world exactly like her sire in that moment.
"Tradition dictates this Father, and Greenrider L'thor has accepted. Please do not disgrace yourself and the hold by refusing." Alle replied, her calm shaken slightly. Years of doing as that tone bid was grating on her resolve to see this matter settled one way or the other. She hated the words she was saying, but she knew the old teachings, and she knew he knew them as well as she did. If only she could get him to see that he was wrong for trying to keep her tied to this place by force!
"At the age of sixteen, a dependent child may enter the work force in a matter of their choosing with parental consent. Parents cannot, however, force the minor child into duties they are unsuited for, and in the case of the Crafts, the child may be taken by a Mastercraftsman to begin early training suitable for their age. At the age of majority, however, the dependent child is now considered an adult under the law and cannot be forced into anything except out the door of their parent's legal residence." She said, misquoting the laws a little due to the hazy memory of the lessons, but nonetheless sure of where she stood within them. She knew she needed her father's consent to go anywhere, but he needed hers to decide anything at all! The Lord Holder's Council did not condone forced child labor, that was why the crafthalls were designed the way they were!
"Father, I would like to choose the option of going with the dragonriders. But I do not want to lose my bond with you and the rest of my family to do it. The dragonmen are not a traditional Craft as you know them, because not anyone can volunteer, but L'thor is here, and he is right, it IS an honor! An honor I would like to accept if you, as my guardian, would let me."
Allegon merely listened in a morose silence. At first he didn't appear to be listening to her, staring instead above her head since she was in the way of him glaring at L'thor, but he eventually snapped to attention when his own daughter quoted the lessons he had taught her. She was wrong of course, she was firmly under his control until she reached majority, but she was right about being forced into anything. However, it wasn't the legal ramifications that drew him up, it was her mention of bonds.
"Bonds? Alle you..." He started, only to find himself at a loss for words. He had never been an emotional man, even the marriage to his wife had begun as one born out of necessity for both of them. To hear his daughter say such a thing, it drew his attention far better then any talk of Thread.
And Allende, she hadn't learned how to recognize when she had the upper hand for merely playing word games with her brothers. "Please, I wish this."
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Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 8:54 am
This, L'thor felt, was not the moment to jump in right away. He didn't have a lot to say in any case; Allende had made her case very well. Well, he thought she had; his knowledge of laws pertaining to children had never been excellent. It seemed to be getting through to Allende's father though, fortunately.
"If the Thread does not return," L'thor began slowly after some moments, "dragonmen, and women, will find new ways to serve Pern... If you allow Allende to leave, I give you my personal oath sir that I will bring her to visit her home and family whenever she wishes." It was the work of a few minutes to meet up with somebody, get them onto Raith and then hop to wherever it was they were going, could be slotted into even the busiest day. Many riders disliked the idea of being a transportation service, but it wasn't something that had ever bothered him or his dragon. Provided it was either for people they liked - and he felt that he already at least respected Allende which was a good start on liking - or for marks. The extra oil that Raith's fastidious tastes demanded had to be paid for somehow, after all.
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Posted: Mon May 25, 2009 11:55 am
Allegon was obviously struggling with himself when L'thor spoke. At first, the confusion in his heart nearly made him react as sourly as before, but with Allende saying the things he couldn't, and even this dragonrider trying to be as calm and kind as he could be...
What an old fool he was!
"Swear it on you and your dragon's honor Greenrider, that you'll bring my girl home if she doesn't become one of you." He finally managed, the words coming out in a gruff bark he usually reserved for his most wayward apprentice. But when Alle looked about ready to interrupt, he hastily added, "And... good luck dragonrider. Whichever way the wind blows." He'd meant in regards to Thread, since he was quite certain it wasn't going to fall, but as Allende had pointed out... now was not the time to debate it. He was a simple woodsman, no more, no less. Let the greater powers of the Lord Holders debate the possibilities, he'd do as his own Lord bid no matter which way the Lemos vote went.
Again Allende appeared about ready to speak, but Allegon swiftly turned on his heel and vanished back into the woods beyond the cothold. He had done as much as his pride would allow, and he knew himself well enough not to stick around when she left. He'd likely say something to spoil the hesitant agreement between them, and likely chase her off permanently. Allende had demonstrated a startling amount of sense, even if he couldn't agree with it, and he had trained her well when it came to the basic necessities of life. She'd pack only what she needed, and be gone within the hour.
Watching her father's disappearing back, Alle felt as if a weight had lifted off of her shoulders, only to settle somewhere in the pit of her stomach. Things were not settled, that much she was certain of, but her father had done the right thing by walking away at this point. She'd seen him in situations similar to this before, when he was angry but couldn't vent it at the object of his anger, so she was glad he was taking his frustration elsewhere. Which left her and L'thor standing in the silent dirt court.
Hesitantly, she half turned, regarding L'thor oddly before speaking. "What would you have me do now milord?"
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