The First Hatching

Writers: Estelle, Heather, Suzee
Date Posted: 18th February 2021

Characters: Ashela, R'enh, Saibra
Description: Aglayath's eggs hatch
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 8, day 9 of Turn 10
Notes: Mentioned: H'run, K'yne, and new weyrlings who are listed at the end of the post :)

Ashela

R'enh

Saibra

The eggs were very close to hatching, their shells dry and hard, ready
to crack open. Ashela had checked them carefully this morning, with her
gold watching anxiously. Both of them longed for the moment when they'd
be free of the Hatching Sands. Aglayath had chafed at having to share
with the Weyrwoman's gold for sevendays, while her rider thrilled at the
thought of the celebration that would follow.

She was sitting in the stands, trying to keep her mind on tithe records,
when the moment finally came. Aglayath lifted her head, some unknown
instinct telling her that it was time. Then she began to hum, the deep
sound echoing from the walls of the cavern as her voice was joined by
those of the other dragons of the Weyr.

Ashela's heart leapt in delight. She gathered up her hides and hurried
for her quarters. Outside, the riders would be going to fetch the
dignitaries and the families of the Candidates, while the kitchen staff
sprang into action to prepare for the feast. Harpers would be tuning
their instruments and children running excitedly underfoot, and the
Candidates would be hastily donning their white robes and hoping that
this time, they'd be chosen.

The goldrider bathed quickly and brushed out her golden-brown hair in
shining waves. Then, after a moment's hesitation, she took down the
crimson gown that had been hanging in her rooms, waiting for this
moment. Once, she had planned to wear it for the first time as Weyrwoman
of Barrier Lake, and she'd almost decided to bury it at the bottom of
her press. But as soon as it was on, she knew H'run had been right. This
was meant to be worn. The rich color seemed almost to glow, drawing the
eye to her, and the elegant cut flattered her figure and allowed her to
move with grace.

Ashela smiled knowingly at her reflection and fastened a glittering
golden chain around her neck. She was ready. The humming intensified,
and as she approached the Sands she heard the excited murmuring of the
audience. The stands were packed with weyrfolk and visitors curious to
see the spectacle of two queens on the sands, and she heard whispers as
she came out into the light. Appearing to pay them no heed, she made her
way through the stands to the place nearest Aglayath, where she had seen
the rider of her bronze mate waiting.

"Bronzerider R'enh." She greeted him with a slight curtsy and a
guileless smile. "Isn't this exciting! Aglayath's first Hatching at
Dragonsfall."

"My Lady Ashela," R'enh smiled. "How lovely you look," he said
admiringly. His own black tunic was trimmed in bronze braid to match
his knots and the open neck revealed a fine blue shirt that matched
his eyes. He pulled a hand out from behind his back and extended the
traditional hatching gift that he'd made with his own hands. "For
your first hatching at Dragonsfall."

"Oh! For me? You shouldn't have." Ashela took the small box he'd offered
and opened the lid. She gave a little gasp, seeing a pair of flawless
pearls gleaming against a midnight-dark fabric, and looked up at him
with shining eyes. "They're beautiful, R'enh." She remembered his craft.
"Did you make these?"

He nodded happy that she liked them. "I did," he smiled. "And if you
would allow me I'd like to put them in your ears?

"Of course." Ashela raised an arm to lift her hair away from her neck
and tilted her head, unable to resist the sly hope that the Weyrwoman
was watching. Surely half the Weyr would be... But then, the Candidates
began to file out onto the sands in their white robes, and an excited
murmur rose from the crowd as weyrfolk and guests.

He quickly fastened the earrings and then kissed her elegant neck
before he seated her. He smiled at the titter of the crowd and
murmured. "It's your day today, and we shall make the most of it."

Saibra's eyes weren't on Ashela or R'enh, her entire focus was on
Chioneth, who had begun hissing and emitting deep snarls as people and
other dragons began filling the Sands. The senior queen's thirty-six
eggs sat nestled before her, semi-buried in the sand. Chioneth rarely
allowed Candidates to touch her eggs before the hatching, so the
thought of Candidates and bumbling dragonets coming near her clutch
made her eyes whirl an orangy-red.

**Calm yourself,** the Weyrwoman commanded of her lifemate, standing
before her on the hot sands.

}:Too close! They're too close!:{ Chioneth hissed, swinging her head
around threateningly as Candidates began trickling on the Sands.

Ashela kept a careful eye on Aglayath, who had risen to a crouch and
ruffled her wings as if to cast a protective shadow over her clutch.
With the noise of the crowd, the young people on the Sands and the
presence of the second queen, her lifemate was edgy and more irritated
than she usually was at a Hatching. As Ashela soothed her, the glowing
red of her eyes faded a little, but she still didn't envy the Candidates.

"Oh, look - I think that one's rocking!" She pointed to one of the eggs.
"Which color do you think will hatch first?"

"Bronze for luck," he smiled, taking her hand.

Ashela's smile lit her face and she squeezed his hand. How she loved a
Hatching day, with a handsome bronzerider at her side. As she watched,
several more eggs began to shudder and rock, and the voices of the
audience dropped to excited murmurs. Moments later, a crack split the
egg she'd picked out, a lovely shade of pale brown with creamy speckles.
The humming intensified as pieces of shell shattered and fell away, and
a tiny bronze dragonet stumbled out onto the sand. He shook his wings
and his head turned from side to side, as the boys nearest to him
stepped closer. Then, as if drawn by an unseen force, he turned from
them and began to make his way slowly through the clutch towards another
group of Candidates.

"You were right!" She turned to R'enh and impulsively kissed his cheek.
Perhaps her luck really was changing. "Isn't he beautiful? I wonder who
he'll choose."

R'enh remembered when Mnoranth was that size and he grinned at the
little bronze who whipped his head back an forth then took off toward
the far end of the candidates. "Kaibren!" he cheered for Saibra's boy.
"That's right," he grinned. "I guess he's Ki'ben now."

For a brief moment, Saibra's focus on Chioneth slipped as she heard
Kaibren's name. Looking over her shoulder, her breath caught in her
throat as the bronze dragonet stopped in front of her son. Motherly
pride squeezed inside her chest as Kaibren threw his arm around the
dragonet's neck. **Oh K'fel,** she imagined how insanely proud
Kaibren's father would have been, and then her eyes scanned the crowd,
looking for K'yne and knowing that he was undoubtedly celebrating.

"How wonderful for Saibra," Ashela replied with all the warmth she could
muster, as cheers echoed around the cavern. She couldn't help feeling
slightly aggrieved that the Weyrwoman's son had Impressed the first
bronze at _her_ Hatching. Couldn't they have waited for Chioneth's clutch?

Her annoyance was soon forgotten, though. While the young bronze had
been searching for his partner, another few eggs had cracked shell and
soon two young greens were stumbling onto the sands, one heading
straight for a girl while the other took her time before finally
settling on a stocky young man who looked nearly too old to be a
Candidate. He fell to his knees to greet the little dragonet,
half-laughing and half-crying in delight.

More eggs were Hatching now. A blue, another green, a young brown...
They were emerging too fast to follow them all. Ashela watched as
another brown approached a tall, dark-haired boy who almost didn't see
him, distracted by a blue who was hesitating between him and another
lad. It was only when the hatchling nudged at his leg that he turned and
R'hil's eyes met those of Dath.

A snarl cut across the Sands as a dragonet, searching for her
lifemate, veered in the direction of Chioneth's eggs. A few of the
Candidates had gotten far outside of the semi-circle, trying to dodge
dragonets that were blindly streaking toward their lifemates.

"Chioneth!" Saibra said the name outloud as she backed up toward the
gold to avoid the searching dragonet.

Chioneth's large head appeared by the Weyrwoman's side, hissing at the
baby green who flapped her newborn wings in surprise, talons raking in
the sands as she made to quickly change directions.

The tiny green meeped in fear but a girl ran after her "This way," she
called and as the little one turned toward her, she skidded to a stop
and backed away from the adult gold. "Lalorth," her eyes turned upward
toward the crowd. "Her name is Lalorth!"

The baby tumbled toward her rider. }:I lost you:{ she complained.

"Come," One of the Weyrling staff smiled, drawing the new ones one
away from the queen. "this way is food."

"That could have been bad," R'enh said softly.

"Yes," Ashela replied distractedly, her attention fully focused on
restraining Aglayath. At the threat to her hatchling, the queen had
tensed and half-unfolded her wings, her eyes glowing as red as coals as
she growled a warning. **Be calm, be calm. She won't hurt your baby. She
is only protecting her eggs.**

}:She should not be here,:{ Aglayath replied, her voice edgy and
hostile. }:This is _my_ Hatching.:{

**I know, but it won't be long now. Soon your beautiful eggs will all be
Hatched, and you won't have to be near her any longer.** Only two eggs
now remained, and as she watched, they both split open, revealing a
green and a blue. Ashela breathed a sigh of relief as they both quickly
found lifemates, her body relaxing with the release of tension and the
strain of soothing Aglayath. She was almost glad that the clutch had
been a little smaller than some her gold had laid before.

"All hatched safely." She turned to R'enh with a smile. "They'll be a
wonderful group of weyrlings."

He gave her a wide smile and squeezed her against his side. "They did
great," he nodded in agreement.

***

The new weyrlings from Aglayath's clutch:
Ki'ben, R'hil and Orifa

Last updated on the February 19th 2021

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

The First Hatching