Queen Rider
Joanne Foxcourt
2005
Forward
This story is based upon the works of Anne McCaffrey, notably the incredible Dragonriders of Pern® series. The legal notice of Anne's copyright is as follows:
The Dragonriders of Pern® is Reg U.S. Pat & Tm. Office, by Anne McCaffrey, and may not be used or reproduced without permission of the author.
The use of this setting, the world, and their concepts are written in accordance with the guidelines posted by Anne McCaffrey for fan fiction. The specifics of which can be found on her website:
http://www.annemccaffrey.net/fan-fiction-rules.html (March 14th, 2005)
If the above URL does not work, replace .net with .org. Unfortunately, Anne's site has had some difficulties and the URL above is the one currently functional as of the writing of this story.
Sadly, if you're not familiar with the works of Anne McCaffrey, then this story probably won't be all that easy to follow as it presumes that you already know something about Pern and it's inhabitants. The Dragonrider books have long been a favorite of mine, I've read them several times and they have never become stale for me. It is that love of these stories that has motivated the writing of this tale perhaps, in some small way, to feel even closer to the world and it's people. I won't even begin to presume that my fiction is in the same league as Anne McCaffery's work, but I hope that after you read this you will have found it both enjoyable and a positive contribution to a remarkable place.
Enjoy!
Joanne
Barrit Cothold, 5th Pass, 4.7.8, Post Fall
Jared stared wistfully at the hovering blue dragon as he absentmindedly mopped the sweat from his brow. He knew he shouldn't be staring, it was rude, but he couldn't help himself. Like all Pernese boys his age, and not a few girls as well, he dreamed of being a dragonrider, soaring through the sky, fighting thread with his lifelong companion. "Stuff of dreams," Jared snorted to himself, "nothing more. You're going to be a dirt farmer all your life, so get over it." Still, he watched the dragon as it landed near his father, Darion. He could hear his father's cheerful greeting to the blue rider and his dragon. Jared sighed again and shook himself alert before making his way to where his father chatted with the dragonrider.
"Well fought," Darion was complimenting as Jared approached. "Fort Weyr shows its prowess once again."
The blue rider smiled his thanks. "In truth, it was a light fall."
"You rode well and Saleth is as spectacular as ever, A'lon," Jared rushed out and then immediately blushed for his temerity.
"Hush boy," Darion admonished, though not sounding angry.
A'lon grinned at him. "Saleth thanks you for the kind words," he added. He gave a Jared a deeper look and then glanced at Saleth before suggesting, "Why don't you scratch his eye ridges for him while your father and I have a quick chat?"
"Really?" Jared was almost breathless at the chance to actually touch a dragon.
"Really. Saleth doesn't bite, mostly." He laughed at Jared's alarmed expression. "I'm teasing you lad! He says his ridges need scratching and I still have to check with your father, so if you'd do the honors?"
"Of course!" Jared breathed as he stumbled his way over to the dragon.
A little to the left, Saleth commented as Jared began to industriously scratch the eye ridges of the blue dragon.
"What?" Jared asked, stumbling back a little, surprised by the sudden mental contact of the dragon.
Don't stop!
"I'm sorry," Jared apologized as he began to scratch Saleth's eye ridges again. "I just didn't expect that you'd speak to me!"
Why? Saleth asked, sounding slightly amused.
"I don't know, I guess I've never heard of it happening before."
That's because we have chosen not to.
"To speak to me or to humans generally?" Jared queried, feeling a little bolder.
We only speak to others when we see a need for it, Saleth told him. I needed you to scratch a little more to the left.
"Oh."
You sound disappointed J'red.
"J'red? I'm not a dragonrider!"
Yet.
"Yet? You mean?"
I mean what I say, Saleth responded, sounding amused again. There's something different about you.
Jared gulped. "Different? How?"
I don't know, Saleth admitted, sounding a little puzzled. I sense you should be at the Hatching. I've told A'lon.
"Oh, wow," Jared breathed.
That's the spot, Saleth said as he let out a long breath of satisfaction.
Jared tried not to cough at the fumes from the firestone exhaust from the dragon as he allowed his imagination to wander. "Me!" he crowed to himself. "Saleth thinks I should be a dragonrider! Me!" He imagined himself astride one of the great bronzes, but quickly realized that that was probably beyond him. Still, he much admired Saleth and the other blues, so he would be overjoyed to be paired with one of them. Privately, Jared admitted to himself that it didn't matter what color the dragon was as long as he got to ride one.
Barrit Cothold, 5th Pass, 4.7.8, Evening
"Silly fancy!"
"It is not!" Jared shouted back at his father. "Saleth talked to me and told me I should be a dragonrider."
"Enough. They already have the candidates for the hatching and we have spring crops to plant. So get this foolish notion out of your head right now and start thinking about what we need to plant this season. You're my heir, so you'd better start to learn something."
Jared glared at his father. He'd been so excited about having a dragon talk to him that he told his father the first chance he got. He was surprised to discover that his father was less than pleased with the notion and had decided that Jared was making the whole story up.
Darion sighed as he looked at his son. He could see that the boy was taut with anger, but he had to get these silly ideas out of his head before they came to grief. "Besides," Darion admitted to himself, "the lad is too small to be a dragonrider. Good heart, a little too tender, but it takes more than that to ride a dragon during fall."
Jared sulked up to his room in the small hold. Since he'd reached puberty, he'd been given a room of his own, separate from his sisters. He enjoyed the privacy, but during times like this, he really wished he could easily talk with his sisters. They'd understand, they all wanted something more than being wives of farmers, eking out a living in the soil.
"Jared?" Aimee whispered through the door, answering his wish.
"What is it Aimee?" Jared sighed, rolling over onto his back and wiping his tears, suddenly feeling reluctant to talk to his older sister despite his attitude of a few moments ago.
"May I come in?"
"Yeah."
"I heard your fight with father," Aimee said as she entered the room.
"Sure."
"I understand how you feel."
"Do you? Saleth talked to me! He said I should be a rider, even called me J'red," Jared told her.
"They've already got a full compliment of candidates up at Fort," Aimee reminded him.
"I know," Jared sighed.
"At least you get to Hold," Aimee reminded him. "What do I have to look forward to?"
"You can have the Hold Aimee, I don't want it."
"It's not up to you."
"Nothing ever is."
Fort Weyr, 5th Pass, 4.7.8, Late Evening
"I'm telling you, Saleth is never wrong and he sensed something in the lad," A'lon pressed.
"I'm not disputing Saleth's judgment," Marina told him. "However, we have a full compliment of candidates for Wrybeth's eggs."
"What's one more?" he asked.
"Why the big deal?"
A'lon sighed, "Saleth has been nagging me non-stop since the fall over this lad. Did you know that Saleth talked to him?"
Marina sat up. "Really?" That admission put a whole new light on the discussion.
"Really. Saleth is never this insistent about anyone and that's the first time he's talked to anyone but me."
"Now, that's a little more interesting. What of his family?"
"Well..."
"Come on, the details."
"He's the only son," A'lon admitted.
"That settles it. We can't take the only son," Marina told him.
"Why not?"
"What if he Impresses? They'll have no heir."
"So?" A'lon asked. "If he's meant to be a dragonrider, he'll be a dragonrider. They have plenty of daughters to take over the Holding."
Marina sighed. "It's not that easy," she told him. "You know better than that."
"He's one amongst many."
Marina laughed. "A'lon, my dear blue rider, you know as well as I do that Saleth is never wrong."
"You see!"
"I'll think about it," Marina promised.
"Not too long!"
"I promise!"
Barrit Cothold, 5th Pass, 4.21.8, Early Morning
Jared spotted the dragon in the sky before the rest of the family. His father was preoccupied with the soil clump he had at the table and his sisters were still laying out the breakfast meal. "A dragon!" Jared finally called, dragging his eyes, and his internal longing, from the sight.
"It's not so rare a sight that you need disturb the morning peace," Darion replied absently, taking a sip of klah before turning his attention to the dirt clod again.
"Maybe he's coming here?" Jared suggested, still hoping that he would be Searched. He knew that the eggs on the hatching grounds were getting close to their time.
"I told you to leave off your flights of fancy," Darion growled, looking up from the earth in his hand for the first time.
"He's right, the dragonrider is coming here," Aimee called from her vantage near the window.
"It's true," Liana, Darion's wife told him, suddenly feeling a little breathless herself. It was a bronze too!
Darion dropped the clump of earth into the pail beside the table and quickly wiped his hands on his trousers. "What would bring a bronze rider here?" he wondered aloud as he made his way outside.
Jared tailed his father, not wanting to miss seeing a bronze. It was one thing to see them way up in the sky, but up close? Jared was excited.
"Good morning bronze rider!" Darion called as the dragon made a graceful landing in the small clearing near the cot.
"A good morning to yourself as well, Holder Darion," the dragonrider called in return. "Also to you, young Jared."
Jared waved shyly, surprised at being included in the greeting.
Saleth is right.
"Excuse me?" Jared asked as the two adults looked at him.
My name is Brineth, the bronze dragon told him as it lowered its massive head for a better look at Jared.
"Greetings Brineth," Jared replied. "I'm Jared."
J'red. I know.
The bronze rider looked very surprised. "It appears that you and Brineth have become acquainted. I'm his rider, D'vid."
"I'm sorry sir! I didn't mean anything by it!"
D'vid laughed. "Shards! No fear there lad, Brineth does as he pleases let me tell you!"
Darion cleared his throat.
"Oh, I'm sorry," D'vid replied, turning to the Holder. "I imagine you're wondering what brings us here this fine morning."
"You could say that," Darion agreed. "Not that I'm objecting, I'm just curious. Would you like a cup of klah?"
"I'd love one," D'vid replied, following the Holder into the cot. "In any case, what brings me here is a blue dragon who wouldn't stop pestering the Weyrwoman or her dragon..."
Jared ignored the voices of the two adults as he looked up at Brineth. "Um, did you need anything Brineth?" Jared asked politely.
The sun is warm. I'm content.
"Did you want me to wait with you?"
That's not necessary, Brineth responded with a hint of amusement. You should go inside and listen as it concerns you.
"Me?" Jared felt his hopes rising. "I'll go then. Thank you Brineth!"
Jared entered the cot just as his father was saying, "He's the only boy here! If he goes to the Weyr, who will inherit?"
"You have lovely daughters," D'vid said, trying to placate the agitated holder.
"Daughters! Don't misunderstand me dragonrider, I realize the honor of this, but I need him here."
"I can't force the issue," D'vid told him, "but I do have two dragons absolutely convinced that your son should be on the hatching grounds this afternoon."
"Today!"
D'vid nodded.
"What are the odds?" Darion sighed.
D'vid shrugged. "Normally, I'd say fairly low, but the dragons..."
"The dragons?"
"It is early in the pass and we need riders. The dragons know this."
Jared locked eyes with his father. "Please father," he begged. "Just this one chance? We've never had a dragonrider in the family."
"You have to let him go," Liana added, backing up her son. "Besides, there will be more sons."
Darion glanced up at her, surprised.
Liana nodded. "I'm pregnant again. It's a boy, I can sense it." The bronze dragon bugled outside.
"Brineth just confirmed it," D'vid added, sounding surprised. "Well, the day is full of surprises."
"Then I must," Darion capitulated.
"You're all invited to the Hatching, of course," D'vid added with a grin. "Brineth can carry all of us."
Aimee gasped with excitement.
Fort Weyr, 5th Pass, 4.21.8, Hatching
"Okay lad, I know you haven't had any of the training for this, but it's really not that hard," D'vid was saying as he dropped Jared off. "Just remember, don't be afraid."
Jared gulped and nodded nervously.
"Besides, A'lon and I stand to win a lot of marks if you Impress!"
Jared laughed and looked around at the other candidates on the sands of hatching grounds. He could feel the heat of the sands through his boots, but he was feeling too detached from reality to even sense discomfort from it. He quickly scanned the audience, looking for his family, and felt some of the tension drain as he spotted them. Away from the gaggle of boys was a clutch of girls clustered around a golden egg and the hovering, almost nervous looking, Wrybeth. He turned his attention to the forty-two other eggs lying in the sand before him as one of them began to rock back and forth to the mighty hum of the adult dragons watching over the ceremony.
A hush fell over the crowd in the stands as the first of the newly hatched dragons poked its head through the shards of its egg. "A bronze," came the excited whisper. A bronze was always a good omen at a hatching, especially during threadfall. Jared watched, almost detached, as the bronze made straight for a tall, strapping young man. Very quickly after that, more eggs began to wobble and crack, with excited boys moving forward to meet with the emerging dragons. All around him, Jared could sense the feelings of elation as boy after boy Impressed a young dragon.
Still, Jared stood there and before he knew it, only the gold egg remained on the hot sand and he could hear people stating, with some surprise, that Saleth was wrong for the first time. He could almost feel the disappointment from his mother and sisters, as well as the two riders who were so certain. Yet, in his mind, he felt the presence of Saleth and Brineth almost assuring him it wasn't over. "Wasn't over?" Jared laughed to himself, trying to keep away the tears of what might have been. "Only the queen is left."
It's not over.
"Saleth?" Jared asked, looking up to the rim of the great volcano.
And Brineth, added the bronze. Saleth is right, it is not over.
"Only the gold egg remains," Jared disagreed as he turned to follow the other bypassed and dejected candidates from the grounds.
Wait.
Jared stopped at the emphatic command of the two dragons and turned to look at the gold egg as it began to rock on the sands. He continued to obey the two dragons despite the calls from various people around him to leave the grounds. His heart leapt as the golden head pushed its way through the cracks in the egg, the humming from the dragons arrayed around the rim growing even louder. The young queen whirled to face the girls arrayed before her and she pounced towards one of them with a hiss. The girl screamed and tried to jump backwards, falling to the sands. The Queen ignored her and burst through the circle crying out, her head swinging back and forth, searching.
Some of the girls tried to follow her, but the little Queen spun and hissed at them. They cowered back, fear and disappointment evident on their faces. Jared felt the detachment stealing over him again as he gazed into the eyes of the golden beauty before him. She ended her headlong, searching, dash at his feet, her eyes gazing at him as he absently began to scratch her eye ridges, oblivious to the commotion around him.
Finally, he looked up to the two dragons on the rim of the bowl and said, "Her name is Sianeth."
Welcome Sianeth. Saleth and Brineth replied at the same time as the other dragons bugled a greeting.
J'red fell to his knees before Sianeth and hugged her. "Why me?" he asked, suddenly realizing what had happened.
Don't you want me? Sianeth asked, sounding concerned.
"Of course I want you!" J'red shouted, his voice ringing with sudden, profound, love. "You are the most beautiful, most intelligent, dragon on all of Pern. I am a boy though."
Sianeth's eyes whirled pleasure at the compliment. I'm hungry, she informed him. What's a boy?
J'red began to laugh, the only sound in the now silent grounds, the audience speechless at what they witnessed.
Fort Weyr, 5th Pass, 4.21.8, Hatching Celebration
T'kon scowled at the laughing Fort Weyrwoman as he watched the hatchlings make their way out to get bathed after being fed. His scowl deepened as his eyes took in the form of a slight boy walking beside a golden hatchling.
"Funniest thing I've heard in ages," Marina was saying. "Wrybeth told me that she didn't know what I was talking about, that young J'red wasn't a boy."
"Don't let the lad hear that," D'vid commented, laughing himself. "I'll grant that he's as slight as a girl, but he seems like a good, honest, lad."
"This is no laughing matter," T'kon growled as he whirled around, irritation at their mirth plain in his tone of voice.
"Relax Weyrleader, what's done is done," Marina told him soothingly. "You can no more change this Impression than you could grow a second head."
"Did it occur to either of you that this is going to be a problem with the Lord Holders?"
"It's Weyr business," D'vid scowled.
"Two daughters of powerful Lord Holders were left standing on the sands while a boy Impressed the queen. How, by the first egg, am I going to explain that?" T'kon demanded.
Marina shrugged. "Explain nothing, the dragon chooses. That is all."
"I wish it was that easy." T'kon sighed as he glanced at J'red's family, looking very uneasy amongst the assembled. Not all of it was related to their status, he decided. Clearly they we're troubled by the events on the Hatching Grounds.
"Well, I for one am going to enjoy myself," Marina decided aloud as she stood up and walked over to Darion and Liana. "Darion, Liana, I hope that you're enjoying yourselves?" she asked, trying to sound solicitous and put them at ease.
Darion scowled and Liana blushed. "What happened?" Darion demanded abruptly.
Marina felt her eyebrow rise uncontrollably. "Happened? Impression happened. The dragon chooses and that is it."
"A queen?" Darion almost look embarrassed. "My son Impressed a queen?"
"Is there something wrong with queens?" Marina asked, starting to sound a little annoyed.
"Of course not! What I mean is, uh, that this has never happened before. A boy is not supposed to Impress a queen!"
"Ah, well, greens are female and Impress boys," Marina told him.
"That's different."
"Indeed, if you say so. Well, there's a first time for everything in any event."
"Can't you do anything about this?" Darion asked.
"No," Marina replied flatly. "I wouldn't even if I could. Impression has been made and the bond cannot be separated."
"Ah, Marina, there you are!" Paellion's cheerful voice rang out, interrupting the conversation to the relief of Marina.
"Paellion my friend," Marina smiled in real delight. "Darion, Liana, you know the Masterharper?"
"Honored," Darion and Liana replied together with small bows.
"Shards, it's nothing. It's I who is honored to meet you. The parents of the quite remarkable young lad I would assume?" Paellion grinned cheerfully.
"You could say that," Darion replied, his voice conveying his displeasure with the state of affairs.
"I see." Paellion cocked his head and gave the Holder a penetrating look. "I gather that you're less than pleased by today's events."
Darion grunted agreement.
"Hmm. I would think you'd be pleased, truly. Your son has become a dragonrider and that's quite an honor in and of itself."
"Boys don't Impress queens!" Darion complained.
"Well, nobody will be saying that again," Marina laughed drily and nodded at D'vid.
"Come Darion, I'll take your family home," D'vid said as he approached the small circle of people, winking at the grateful smile from the Weyrwoman.
"Why bronze rider? Why?" Darion demanded as D'vid led him away.
"Only the dragon knows," D'vid shrugged.
"Did yours?"
D'vid cocked his head. "Brineth said that they only knew after all of the other eggs had hatched."
"They?"
"Brineth and Saleth."
"It's not right," Darion said, sounding stubborn.
"Not for me to say one way or another."
"How can a boy be a Weyrwoman?" Liana finally asked, sounding confused.
D'vid laughed. "No worries, we'll figure something out."
Barrit Cothold, 5th Pass, 4.21.8, Evening
"Can you believe it Aimee?" Mari asked. "Jared Impressed a queen! A queen! No boy has ever done that before."
"Hush little sister, don't let father hear you," Aimee said with a smile.
"Why's father so upset?"
"I don't know," Aimee sighed. "Maybe he thinks it's less than manly for Jared to Impress a queen."
"Would he feel the same way about greens?"
Aimee brushed her hair as she thought about that question for a moment. "No, I don't think so. Men Impress greens, women Impress golds. He'd see that as being women's work to Impress a gold."
"That doesn't make sense," Mari argued. "Golds are the biggest dragons and the most beautiful. Besides, I heard a Harper say that women rode green dragons before."
"When? Harper fancy I'd imagine."
"I wish I was Jared," Mari sighed. "Lord Bartalon had a daughter at the Hatching, did you know?"
"No, I didn't. Who told you that?"
"I heard some people talking about how upset he was."
"You hear a lot of things," Aimee said, smiling to take the sting out of the comment. "Perhaps that is why father is upset. Maybe he thinks that our Lord Holder will blame him for it."
"Lady Maliana wouldn't Impress anyways, she's too mean."
"Hush!"
"It's true. I hear that she beats the drudges at Fort for no reason at all."
"Mari, you shouldn't be passing on tales like that," Aimee told her sternly.
"It's not a tale!"
"It doesn't matter, you should keep your observations to yourself, especially concerning our Lord Holder and his family. You don't want father turned out do you?"
"No."
"Good girl."
"I wish I was Jared," Mari grumped.
"So do I dear sister, so do I."
Fort Weyr, 5th Pass, 4.21.8, Late Evening
Lord Bartalon, Lord Holder of Fort Hold, was not happy. He was upset that his daughter was passed over for the queen dragonet and that she was passed over in favor of a nothing boy from a minor holding on his own lands, of all things. Despite the protestations of the Weyr, Bartalon was still grinding his teeth over the second point.
"What can I tell you Bartalon, the dragon chooses," T'kon repeated. "No amount of cajoling or shouting is going to change that."
"This is unacceptable Weyrleader," Bartalon reiterated as though T'kon could do anything about it.
"That's irrelevant Lord Bartalon," Marina added. "Nobody in this room has the ability to make the choice for the dragon. Sianeth has decided, that is all there is to it. Maliana will be presented at the very next Hatching if there is a queen egg."
"How could a queen choose a boy? I thought they were bred to only choose women?" Farallen, Lord Holder of Ruatha questioned, sounding mild despite one of his daughters also being passed over.
Marina and T'kon looked at each other.
"Out with it!" Bartalon demanded.
"The dragons claim that he isn't a boy," Marina told them, finally.
"What? He's clearly a boy. Well, maybe not clearly, but he's a son of one my Holders and I know he's a boy."
"Nevertheless," T'kon replied, "that's what the dragons are claiming."
"I'm having a hard time believing in the idea that all of the dragons of Pern are engaged in a mass delusion," Bartalon snorted.
"It does sound quite odd," Farallen added.
"I asked Wrybeth what happened," Marina said, clapping her hands against the table top. "She said that J'red is not a boy."
"Should we be calling him J'red?" D'vid chimed in all of a sudden.
"What difference does that make?" Bartalon growled.
"Just an odd thought," D'vid grinned diffidently. "The dragons called him that before he Impressed a gold, now they don't."
"This is making less sense with every moment that passes."
"I, for one," Paellion intruded, "think it's a little refreshing. Events like this shake up complacency and turn people's brains on."
"The wisdom of the Master Harper is legendary," Farallen smiled. "However, I think you're wrong in this instance. Radical change during a Fall scares people and this qualifies as radical change."
"Be that as it may, it's the job of the Harper Hall to reassure people and reassure we shall."
"Surely you don't condone this Paellion!" Bartalon burst out.
"What's to condone? It's done. None of us can change it, so we'd best make what we can from it," Paellion suggested.
"They really stopped calling him J'red?" Marina suddenly asked, shaking herself from her thoughts.
D'vid nodded. "Ask Wrybeth," he suggested. "Queen rider's names aren't contracted out of respect. They don't call him Jared, though."
"Wrybeth?"
Yes?
"What do the dragons call J'red now?" Marina asked.
Jara.
"Jara? That's a girl's name."
Jara is a girl.
"I wonder if anyone has told the lad that little tidbit of information?" D'vid asked, smothering a grin at the expression on Marina's face as she repeated the conversation.
Marina sighed. "I doubt it, but someone has to tell him," she decided.
J'red sat cross-legged in front of his sleeping dragon. He smiled indulgently at her full belly and gleaming hide as he allowed his mind to drift across the events of the day. He could scarcely believe what had happened to him, despite the hours of cleaning and scrubbing Sianeth's hide. He had been so busy that he hadn't even time to think about the events and what they might mean. He even missed most of the strange looks, puzzled frowns, and incredulous expressions around him. One thing, he decided as he relaxed after the long day, that was nice was getting his own quarters away from the other weyrlings. Obviously, queen dragons weren't expected to share space like that and so neither were their riders.
Marina watched the oblivious boy from the entrance to his weyr with a speculative eye. Clearly, the lad was in love with his dragon and Wrybeth assured her that Sianeth was equally smitten in return. "The bond is special, is it not?" Marina asked, breaking the lad's apparent reverie.
J'red spun around in surprise, nearly falling over. "I'm sorry, Weyrwoman, I didn't know you were there," he apologized as he struggled to stand up.
"No apologies needed," Marina smiled as she entered the spacious cave. "I see that Sianeth is well looked after."
"She stuffed herself senseless," J'red admitted with a fond smile directed towards the dragon.
"All dragonets do that. She'll grow quite a bit in the coming weeks and will need that food to provide energy for it. So, Sianeth is well, but how about you?"
"Confused, I guess. Happy too."
"I would imagine," Marina agreed. "You're not the only one that's confused about today's events. I understand that Saleth and Brineth had decided that you were going to Impress Sianeth before she hatched?"
"They told me not to leave," J'red told her. "They said it wasn't over. I was going to leave, honest, but the dragons..."
"Dragons are surprisingly wise. If Sianeth had sensed you before hatching, she might have tried to follow. Who knows what would have happened then."
"Are people mad at me?"
"Don't worry about them. Worry about your dragon, she's more than enough for you right now."
"I suppose," J'red agreed. "I didn't mean to Impress her!"
"We know. However, I do have to figure out what to do about you," Marina told him with a gentle smile.
"About me?"
"All queen riders are the responsibility of the Weyrwoman. I lead the Queen's Wing against thread and so you will be reporting to me. It's just that we've never had a male riding a queen before."
"I guess I never thought about that. Sianeth can't chew firestone, can she?"
"No queen can chew firestone, we have flamethrowers for that work."
J'red laughed. "I never thought that if I became a dragonrider, I'd still have to carry a flamethrower!"
Marina laughed in agreement, "I never thought that either. Of course, I wasn't thinking that we'd have thread when I Impressed Wrybeth. Wrybeth likes you, you know. So do the other dragons."
"Really?"
"Really. Did you know that the honorific contraction we use for dragonrider names come from the dragons originally?"
"I didn't know that," J'red admitted.
"Except for queen riders. Queens don't tolerate nicknames for their riders."
"Then I'm still Jared and not J'red?"
Marina hesitated. "Not exactly," she replied, looking a little uncomfortable. "I'm really not sure how to explain this."
"What do you mean?"
"They call you Jara."
"Jara! That's a girl's name!"
"Hush, don't get angry or you'll wake Sianeth and upset her," Marina cautioned.
"But..."
"J'red," Marina continued, "the dragons call you Jara and dragons know true names. All of the riders know because of their dragons, but they won't call you Jara if you don't want them to."
"Of course I don't!" J'red exclaimed, flushing deeply. "I'm not a girl!"
"It's not intended as an insult, the dragons are just adamant that it is your name."
J'red calmed down a little. "I know they don't intend insult," he sighed. "It's just that all my life people kept telling me that I look like a girl. Now this."
"Look on the bright side," Marina suggested.
"The bright side?"
"You have Sianeth. Not many people get to experience that kind of unquestioning love in their lives."
J'red turned to gaze at Sianeth and smiled with a shine in his eyes. "I guess you're right Weyrwoman, that is a bright side. A golden, beautiful, bright side."
"Just between you and me," Marina added. "People, probably other weyrlings, will slip and call you Jara. Don't let it bother you. Just become the best queen rider you can and the rest will take care of itself."
"Thank you Marina," J'red said.
"Now get some sleep, you have a long day, many of them really, ahead of you."
Fort Weyr, 5th Pass, 4.22.8, Morning Weryling Training
J'red tried to ignore the stares and whispers of the other weyrlings as he led Sianeth out to the grounds for morning training. It had already been a long morning, with feeding and scrubbing Sianeth, and he was exhausted. Looking after a dragon was hard work, he decided for at least the tenth time that morning.
Did I upset you? Sianeth asked, sounding worried.
"Oh no," J'red told her. "I'm just tired after yesterday and this morning."
"Hey, how come you weren't in the weyrling quarters with us," asked a young lad of about fourteen turns sitting near J'red.
"They said that queens always get their own weyr," J'red explained, sounding apologetic. "I'm J'red and this is Sianeth."
"I heard. You were the talk of the quarters all last night. I'm B'rall and my sleepy bronze here is Karaneth."
"What were they saying last night?"
"All kinds of things," B'rall grinned. "Most thought that you were secretly a girl that they had tried to get to Impress a different dragon. Some of them thought they should make you give up your dragon."
"Give up my dragon!" J'red looked alarmed.
"Relax, they can't do that. No dragon would allow it once Impression is made and those of us that are weyrbred told them that. You and Sianeth belong to each other for as long as you live."
Nobody can separate us, Sianeth added with a soothing voice.
J'red looked relieved.
"So, how did you Impress her?" B'rall asked curiously.
"I don't know," J'red admitted. "She made the choice." J'red smiled lovingly at his dozing dragon.
"You're not really a girl are you?"
J'red stiffened. "No!"
B'rall made calming motions with his hands. "No offense, I had to ask."
"If you people are quite through whispering at each other," G'ten, the Weyrlingmaster, called out, interrupting the conversation. "We do have some training to accomplish."
J'red tried to focus his attention on the lecture, but the events of the previous day and the early morning hard work began to make him drowsy. Within a few minutes, he was lightly dozing against Sianeth, her warmth drawing him further into sleep.
"J'red!"
J'red sat upright and blinked. "Huh?" The other weyrlings around him snickered.
"This discussion may seem boring to you, but it is vital to the health of your dragon."
"Sorry sir, I don't know what came over me," J'red replied, trying to shake the sleep from his eyes. "It's not boring me."
"Prevent what ever it was from doing so again then. Now, as I was saying..."
Why do you call yourself J'red? Sianeth asked, wakened by J'red's sudden movement and alertness.
"It's my name," J'red told her.
It's Jara. I can see it inside you.
"Jara is a girl's name. I'm a boy."
I don't know the difference. You are Jara, I am Sianeth. We are together. These are our true names.
"I'm confused," J'red admitted. "Are other riders named like that?"
No. Wrybeth tells me that you are different.
"You could say that again!"
Why would I? Wrybeth says that your outside hides your inside because you are a girl. I'm not sure I understand.
J'red felt his face flush. "I'm not a girl! Not since the last time I looked!"
I upset you.
J'red hurried to reassure her.
It will work out. Wrybeth is very wise.
J'red shook his head and tried to put the conversation out of his mind and focus on the lesson.
"Generally, when a dragon is young, you'll stuff them until they sleep. However, once they get older, then you'll need to control their diet better or they won't be able to fly thread because they'll be too full and sleepy," G'ten was saying.
"How will we know how much they should eat?" One of the weyrlings asked.
"You'll learn that over time," G'ten explained. "Part of the training process is to help you determine the right balance for your dragon."
"What about greens?" Asked another weyrling who was absently scratching the eye ridges of his green dragonet. "I heard there are times when it matters more than eating for thread."
"It's a little early for you to worry about that," G'ten told him with a grin. "However, since you asked, greens and golds need to blood their kills when they rise to mate. If they don't they won't be able to fly well and that will impair the mating flight."
"Rise to mate?" J'red asked, standing suddenly with a shocked realization.
"What did you think lad? Your Siabeth will rise to mate."
"Uh. Are you sure?"
G'ten rolled his eyes. "As far as I can judge, Siabeth is a healthy queen. She's a big dragon to start with and will lead a fine mating flight when the time comes."
"Oh." J'red looked at Siabeth in surprise.
Is it time to eat? Siabeth asked him, sounding a little plaintive about hunger and bored with discussion at the same time. Karaneth is hungry too.
"The dragons are hungry," B'rall called out, just as J'red was about to say it.
Fort Weyr, 5th Pass, 4.22.8, Morning
"You talked to him?" T'kon asked as he joined Marina on the ledge to watch the weyrlings train.
Marina pulled the sleeping fur tighter around her body in the cool air and nodded slightly, her attention focused on the young golden queen below.
Siabeth is well and contented, Wrybeth noted as she shifted slightly. You should stop worrying and I want to hunt.
"I worry, love, because this has never happened before," Marina told her dragon. "Wrybeth says everything is well," she added to T'kon.
"She doesn't have to deal with all of the Lord Holders and assorted Craftmasters who think this situation should be halted," T'kon snorted.
"Nothing can do that."
"I know that, but they don't want to believe it."
"What's the big deal?" Marina asked. "I mean, it's going to be a bit awkward at mating time and figuring out how to fit him into the Queen's Wing, but beyond that I don't see any problems."
"There are some that think J'red isn't what he appears to be."
"What does that mean?"
T'kon shrugged. "The same rumors flew around the weryling quarters last night as well. Most of them think that J'red is really a girl. He looks a lot like a girl pretending to be a boy, really."
"He's definitely a boy," Marina protested.
"Some would prefer that he wasn't."
"Too bad for them."
Marina watched the lad jerk awake at the call of the weyrlingmaster and laughed softly. She knew how he felt; queens can be hard work because they're so much bigger. She watched J'red a while longer before an idea began to form in her mind.
"T'kon, perhaps the answer to pacifying everyone is right in front of us," Marina suggested.
"What do you mean?" T'kon asked.
"Well, you said it yourself really."
"I'm not in the mood for riddles."
"You said that J'red looked like a girl trying to be a boy," Marina pressed. "That the rumors claimed that he really was a girl."
"So?"
Marina sighed with exasperation. "With his appearance, his slight build, and a bit of work, we could give them what they want."
"The lad would never go for it," T'kon protested.
"I don't know, the dragons seem positive about him. Maybe he's like some of the green riders."
"None of them want to be girls that I know of!"
"I didn't say that they did, but it could be something similar. Something that the dragons sensed and J'red isn't aware of."
"This seems quite dubious," T'kon decided.
"Don't be so negative," Marina chided him. "We can certainly try. It's not as though J'red is going to suffer any worse if we don't succeed."
"If you can convince him?"
"We'll convince him."
"We? I don't want any part of that!"
"I mean me and the other queen riders. Then I'll ask Paellion to spread the necessary rumors. Before long, everyone will believe that J'red really is a girl."
T'kon shook his head in disbelief. "Well, I think you're crazy, but that's never stopped one of your ideas before. What are you going to do, though, when the boy turns into a man?"
Marina shrugged. "We'll think of something, we've got plenty of time from the looks of him."
"I'll admit that it could make my life easier."
"I live for that T'kon, really I do!"
"Go feed your dragon!" T'kon laughed and kissed her.
Fort Weyr, 5th Pass, 4.22.8, Late Afternoon
"Paellion!" Marina called as the blue dragon dropped off the Masterharper at the entry ledge to Marina's weyr. "Thank you so much for coming."
"It's always a pleasure to see you and your lovely queen," Paellion replied with a slight bow. "So, what is the nature of the emergency?"
"No emergency," Marina laughed. "We do, however, have a situation with a potential solution to it."
"Young J'red?"
"The same. T'kon tells me that he's been getting reports that some people aren't too happy about the lad Impressing a queen dragon."
"Some," Paellion agreed. "Most people are under the belief that J'red is actually a girl in disguise. In truth, the lad has that appearance."
"A fact that, fortunately, presents a possible solution," Marina grinned.
Paellion looked at the smug grin Marina presented him and the idea began to take shape in his thoughts as well. "If I had to guess at what that grin entails, I would guess that you intend to make J'red over as a girl."
Marina nodded.
"Have you spoken to the young lad about this idea yet?"
"Not yet. I want to see if you thought it might work."
Paellion laughed. "Oh no, my dear Weyrwoman, I have absolutely no idea if it would work!"
"You do admit that he has the appearance?"
Paellion nodded. "The voice too, with a little coaching," he added. "However, he is unlikely to remain looking and sounding as he does for that much longer. If Blood holds true, he'll end up as gruff and stocky as his father."
"No, I don't think so," Marina shook her head. "His voice should have broken by now and he looks very little like his sire. I think he may carry that look all of his life."
"What if he doesn't want to do it?"
"Then we don't. I can't force him into to, it would never work then."
"My role in this?" Paellion asked, already certain of the answer.
"Encouraging the second rumor about our queen rider."
Paellion chuckled. "I should have surmised that. I can also help with coaching his voice and see to some training in the Hall that would assist him."
"So you agree that it will work?"
"No, but I'll try."
"Good enough!"
"You wanted to see me Weyrwoman?" J'red asked as he tapped politely at the entrance.
"Marina, J'red, I'm called Marina. I did want to see you though," Marina said as she waved the boy in. "Have you met the Masterharper?"
"Sir," J'red said politely.
"Paellion," Paellion responded with a smile. "We don't need to dance on ceremony here young J'red."
"What can I do for you Weyr... uh, Marina?"
Marina indicated that J'red should take a seat at the table and joined him. "Do you remember our discussion about names from dragons last night?" J'red nodded. "Well, we've been discussing some ideas about that," Marina told him.
"I don't understand," J'red admitted.
"May I?" Paellion asked and continued without waiting for agreement. "The problem is that there appears to be two camps of people where you're concerned. There are those that want to see you and Siabeth separated because they think it's wrong and there are those that are positive that you're actually a girl. There are very few, like myself and most of the dragonriders, who don't see why it matters at all."
"Nobody is separating me from Siabeth!" J'red protested.
"Nobody can," Marina soothed. "You should already know that."
J'red nodded, mollified.
"So," Paellion continued, "there's a possible solution that will serve to quiet the first group who would only continue to make noise and harass you."
"Solution?"
"Marina?" Paellion offered.
"Oh, do continue, you're doing so well," Marina grinned.
"Hey!"
"Alright, it is my idea after all," Marina conceded. "J'red, and please don't take this wrong, the idea is to make use of a feature you commented on last night."
"I did?"
"Yes. The first group wants a girl riding Siabeth and the second group thinks that one already is. The answer, then, is to put a girl on Siabeth's back."
"You said you wouldn't separate us!" J'red protested, angrily shoving back from the table.
"We won't!" Marina promised. "The idea is to make everyone think that you are that girl."
J'red slumped back into the chair and shook his head slowly.
"It has merits," Paellion suggested with a persuasive note in his voice. "Do you mind if I explain? I mean no insult."
J'red nodded reluctantly.
"First, the dragons already insist that you're a girl. We have no idea why, just that they do and that they've named you. That's something of a serious honor, by the way."
J'red snorted. "If you don't mind having a girl's name," he added wryly.
"Be that as it may, it's never happened before. You're engaging in a number of firsts for some reason. Secondly, if I may be so bold, you are quite slight for a lad."
"I've been teased about it before. B'rall, one of the weyrlings, asked me if I was a girl today."
"And?" Marina asked.
"I denied it, of course."
"Did he believe you?" Paellion asked.
J'red shrugged, "I don't know."
"Precisely. It's not your fault lad and nobody, especially me, is doubting your courage and desire to fight thread."
"Nobody will really believe I'm a girl though," J'red decided.
"I beg to differ," Marina told him. "Given some time, I could make your father look like a girl."
J'red laughed at that image. "Do I have to answer now?" J'red asked.
"No," Marina assured him. "Not right now, but very soon."
"We need to encourage certain beliefs," Paellion added. "The longer we wait, the more people will learn. It's only been a day now, so there's not a lot of people that actually know the truth."
"I see, I think."
"J'red," Marina said, grasping his hands in hers. "If you really don't want to do this, we won't. T'kon and I will deal with objections and you will fly Sianeth against thread. However, as strange as it may sound, it could make life easier for you."
J'red nodded reluctantly. "I'll answer tomorrow?" he asked.
Paellion and Marina nodded their agreement.
Fort Weyr, 5th Pass, 4.22.8, Evening
I don't understand, Sianeth said.
"They want to make me into a girl," J'red told his dragon as he scratched her eye ridges. Sianeth's eyes whirled with pleasure mixed with confusion.
Wrybeth says that you are already a girl.
J'red sighed. The dragons, including Sianeth, categorically refused to believe that he was anything other than a girl. Even after J'red had explained the physical differences to Sianeth, she failed to grasp why it mattered. "Lets just say that humans have a different perspective on what is a boy or a girl," J'red suggested.
Marina is trying to change perspective?
"Exactly!"
That is good then.
"Well, I don't know," J'red said. "I don't want to be a girl."
I'm confused. You're confused. Why don't you want to be a girl?
J'red ground his teeth in frustration.
I'm sorry!
"It's not your fault!" J'red hugged Sianeth tightly. "I love you, I just don't know what to do!"
"J'red?" B'rall called from the corridor.
"B'rall?" J'red looked up, startled at his new friend's appearance at the door.
"Karaneth said that Sianeth told him you needed me," B'rall explained.
I don't understand, maybe B'rall can help? Sianeth added.
"Maybe I do need help," J'red admitted beckoning B'rall into the weyr. "Marina and Paellion made a suggestion that I'm trying to figure out what to do about."
"Suggestion?"
J'red quickly outlined the suggestion to the surprised look on the face of his friend. "Did you tell anyone our conversation today?" J'red finished by asking.
B'rall shook his head. "No. What do you think you should so?"
"I don't want to be a girl, but..."
"But it would be better for the Weyr and our Weyrleaders if you were," B'rall finished for him.
J'red nodded morosely. "Shards! This is a fine mess. All I ever wanted to be was a dragonrider, but I never figured that it would be so complicated."
"Too late for second thoughts."
"I don't have any!" J'red favored Sianeth with a loving look. "I'd walk through threadfall unprotected for Sianeth."
B'rall shuddered at the thought. "I know what you mean," he agreed. "Would it be so bad? To do this idea? You'd only have to do it when outsiders were around."
"Outsiders are almost always around and then, if I wanted to go somewhere, like a Gather."
"I suppose," B'rall nodded. "Girls aren't so bad though. You, uh..."
"Go ahead, I know already, I kind of already look like one," J'red grumped.
B'rall shrugged and nodded sadly. "Not much you can do about that. Like I said today, half the weyrlings already believe it because their dragons always call you Jara."
"I know, Marina told me that last night."
"They all like you too. Saleth and Brineth said that you were very polite to them."
J'red smiled at the mention of his two dragon friends. "They're the ones that made me stay on the Hatching Grounds when Sianeth hatched. They seemed to know that she would pick me."
"That's pretty unusual!"
"Marina didn't seem completely surprised by it."
"I'm weyrbred and I've never heard of it happening before. Still, it explains why the dragons think you're a girl. Sianeth certainly reacted as though you were."
"Maybe I should just do it," J'red decided with a little distaste. "It would make everyone's life easier."
"Not yours," B'rall suggested.
J'red shrugged. "Probably not. If Marina can't make me look realistic though, I'm not doing it. There's a chance there that I won't have to do it after all and at least nobody can say I didn't try."
B'rall's expression suggested that the chance was close to zero.
It will be okay, Sianeth told him comfortingly.
Fort Weyr, 5th Pass, 4.23.8, Early Morning
"Thank you J'red," Marina smiled with happiness. "I know you don't want to do this, so I really appreciate what you're doing for the Weyr."
"You promise that if I don't look believable, we'll drop it?" J'red asked.
"I promise. The other women of the Queen's Wing are going to help and we'll make sure that you look beautiful enough to take to a Gather!"
"That's what I'm afraid of," J'red told her as Marina laughed affectionately.
J'red was shortly surrounded with a whirlwind of activity as the Weyr's three other gold riders went into action to transform J'red into a girl. He often found himself blushing with embarassment as the women had him change clothing, change them again, stuff various items into his shirt, and try various cosmetics out on his face to soften his appearance. Finally, after what seemed like more than half the day, J'red was pronounced ready.
"You know, we can't keep calling you J'red and maintain this illusion," Ahlanna, Varaneth's rider, told him.
"It's true," Kyalla, Amareth's rider, agreed. "It's time for you to adopt the name the dragons have given you."
"Jara," J'red said, rolling the name around his tongue. "I suppose you're right. How do I look?"
"Truth to tell," Marina said, "I'm a little jealous."
"No, really?"
"Really." The other two nodded agreement. "Look in the mirror," Marina suggested.
J'red turned to the mirror and stepped back in surprise. Tentatively, he raised his hands to his face and peered a little closer. Finally, he turned to the women with an open mouth.
"Well?" Marina asked.
"I look like Aimee," J'red told them.
"Your sister?" Ahlanna asked. "I think I saw her at the Hatching party. She looked very proud of you even if your parents didn't."
"My parents," J'red frowned, "are not going to like this."
"Your father anyways," Marina agreed. "However, I think we can work around him. The threat of withdrawing protection will keep him in line."
"You wouldn't!" Kyalla gasped.
"Of course not Kyalla," Marina sniffed. "Holder Darion, however, doesn't know that."
"You're thinking of yourself as J'red aren't you?" Ahlanna asked suddenly.
"I guess so," J'red admitted.
"Varaneth asked Sianeth," Ahlanna smiled.
"Snitch!" J'red sent his dragon with a small laugh.
You need to be Jara, Sianeth told him seriously. It will make you complete.
"Sianeth says being Jara will make me complete," J'red told the others.
"You're doing it again," Ahlanna told him. "Think Jara. Think Jara every minute of every hour."
"Jara."
All three women nodded.
"Now, we have to do some practicing before you can join up with your friends," Marina said. "I've told G'ten that you are to be excused for the morning."
"I'm going to need longer than that," J'red replied.
"Jara! Jara! Jara!" Ahlanna admonished him.
"Sianeth!"
I'm only trying to help, Sianeth told him. Wrybeth says I'm to remind you and tell them every time you forget.
"You're subverting my dragon," J'red accused them.
"Jara! Jara! Jara!"
"Okay, okay, I'll try!"
Fort Weyr, 5th Pass, 4.23.8, Afternoon
As soon as Jara appeared on the training grounds with Sianeth, the whispering started. The most frequent phrases were "I told you so" and "I knew it." B'rall just stared in surprise.
"If you don't close your mouth, a tunnel snake will crawl in," Jara told him.
"Wow."
"Thank you, I think."
"J'red, you look good," B'rall finally managed in a whisper.
"Jara, think Jara. I've had that pounded into my head all morning."
"Jara then. Are you okay?"
"I think I'm more scared than when I stood on the Hatching Grounds," Jara admitted. "What if someone sees through it?"
"Are you kidding, J'red, uh Jara?"
"You never know."
B'rall shook his head emphatically. "You're the prettiest gold rider at Fort right now. I mean that in a good way."
"I'm trying to take that as a compliment," Jara smiled wryly, blushing slightly.
"If you two lovebirds are about done," G'ten called over to them. "We do have a lesson to complete. Jara, you will need to stay later to catch up on what you missed this morning."
B'rall blushed in turn as Jara groaned and the rest of the weyrlings laughed.
"I still think you're crazy," T'kon replied as he sipped on the cool wine.
"He looks the part," Marina suggested. "In fact, he looks better than many natural women."
T'kon shrugged. "Did the Masterharper agree to the plan?"
"Yes. He even helped pursuade young Jara."
T'kon continued to survey the weyrlings washing their dragons and looked thoughtful. "I know the dragons call him that, but I still find it hard to credit," he finally said.
"We need to stop referring to Jara as a boy," Marina replied. "I'm guilty of it myself."
"Indeed."
"Jara is quite remarkable, though."
"Oh?" T'kon asked.
"All of the dragons hold her in high regard and she hasn't even done anything! Other than Impress Sianeth, of course," Marina told him.
"Not a lot of things make sense where this child is concerned, even my Galleth seems enamoured with him, uh her, but won't tell me why."
"Maybe they're being precognative?"
T'kon snorted. "They've never had that ability before," he reminded her.
"A boy never Impressed a Queen before either."
"Point taken. However, I doubt that is what's happening."
"I'm open to a better suggestion," Marina said.
"I don't have one," T'kon admitted, "but that doesn't mean there isn't one!"
"Well, if they're precognative, the question would be about what?"
"Leading to greater speculation. It doesn't matter, though, if your plan somehow manages to work. Those two Lord Holders know she isn't a girl though, and that's not going to be helpful."
"I have every faith in Paellion."
(continued)
*********************************************
© 2007 by Joanne Foxcourt. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all
articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No
portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or
otherwise made available without the express written consent of StorySite and the copyright holder.