Get Me Out, Son

Writers: Estelle, Miriah
Date Posted: 5th December 2021

Characters: R'fal, Aviday, Terren
Description: R'fal and Aviday are exhausted after the Hatching, but Terren has a request for his son
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 9, day 17 of Turn 10
Notes: Mentioned: J'ackt, Y'gel

Aviday

The aftermath of the Hatching had been a blur, with the weyrlingstaff
and helpers frantically rushing to chop up the fresh meat brought by the
dragons, fill buckets and supply them to the starving, piteously
creeling dragonets. By the time the last of the hatchling's hunger was
satisfied and they'd cleaned up the buckets and the carcasses, R'fal was
hot, tired and bloodstained, and he leaned back against the cavern wall
with an exhausted sigh. The activity had kept him from thinking too hard
about what had just happened...until now.

Marlath had told him the feast was cancelled, which was a relief since
he hardly felt like celebrating. Instead, he slid down the wall to a
crouch and looked over at Aviday as she approached. "Hey."

Looking bedraggled, exhausted, and utterly shaken, Aviday trudged
forward on weary feet. She barely heard R'fal until she nearly
stumbled over him, catching herself just in time to not step on his
legs. Taking his idea, she slumped right beside him, legs splayed and
leaned back against the rough wall. "Is it over? Really and finally
over?"

"Shells, I hope so." R'fal didn't want to think about the possibility of
another attack. At least everyone was on high alert now, and anyone who
wasn't weyrfolk was being sent home. He shifted closer to her. "We
probably ought to go and get cleaned up, but I don't know if I can stand."

As he shifted closer, she leaned against him, reached out to find his
hand and twined her fingers into his. "I don't think I can either. I
was...I was so scared, R'fal." Helping that little blue hatchling,
despite the success of it, had terrified her the moment it was done.
Had she really just stuck her arm down the poor thing's throat? What
if she had really hurt him?

"You were amazing." R'fal squeezed her hand. "You saved Delorth's life,
and probably his rider's as well." He didn't want to think what the
shock of losing his dragon would do to such a young boy, so newly Impressed.

She felt a little pleased at his praise, but the idea of having so
much responsibility for the little dragon had horrified her. "I don't
ever want to have to do it again." She shuddered. "Now I just want a
hot bath and..." She looked up, distracted by an approaching figure,
then frowned in barely hidden displeasure.

R'fal followed her gaze and, to his surprise, recognized his father.
Terren was walking towards them with shoulders hunched over and his
gaze darting from side to side in rapid, nervous movements. "Oh. Should
he be here? The Weyrleader said ``riders only." The hatchlings were all
gone to the barracks now, though, so it was likely safe enough. With a
groan, he pushed himself to his feet. "He must have come to check that
I'm safe. I'll go talk to him, get him to go back to his quarters, and
then we can get cleaned up."

Aviday frowned deeply, loath to have R'fal leave her side at the
moment, bit letting her mouth firmly set in a line. Couldn't Terren
wait until later? They were both exhausted, needed a bath, and since
when had she ever seen the man actually really care about R'fal? Huffing
in irritation, she rose and stood against the wall, arms crossed as she
waited.

"Da?" R'fal hurried over to his father. "It's okay - we're fine, the
hatchlings are all safe, but you shouldn't be around here."

Terren caught his son's shoulder and hustled him out of earshot of the
other dragonriders, into the shadows near the entrance to the cavern.
"Ssh! Keep your voice down," he hissed. "Listen. Have you seen that
bronzerider, J'ackt, around here?"

"What? No, I don't think so." R'fal frowned. "I can ask Marlath to ask
Zith if you w-"

"No! Don't talk to Marlath. Don't talk to anyone! He's looking for me."

"Who, J'ackt?" He focused on his father's face. Terren's skin was
greyish with fear, his eyes twitching like an animal caught in a trap.
"Why?"

"I don't know for sure, I just heard that he was. But I heard that
someone I, uh, know was taken to the Headwoman, and now the drudges say
this bronzerider wants to speak with me."

More confused than ever, R'fal tried to make sense of his father's
stumbling explanation. Horror suddenly gripped him. "Da, you didn't have
anything to do with... Did you?"

"Of course not!" Terren's voice rose, appalled, and R'fal let out a
breath of relief. "How could you even think I would do something like
that? Your own father! But..." He hesitated. "I may have...from time to
time, when I was with my friend, or in that tavern you took me to...I
may have mentioned a few things. About the Weyr."

"About the Weyr? Like what?"

"Like...which territory your Wing was flying sweep over in the next few
days. It's not like I did anything wrong! The schedules are hardly a
secret." Terren held up his hands, defensive. "But it could look bad, at
a time like this."

R'fal rubbed his eyes with his fingers. "Shards, Da! Your friends in the
tavern were probably bandits. Who else would want to know where
dragonriders are flying?" Still, as bad as it was, he couldn't help
feeling relieved that his father had nothing to do with the poisoning of
the hatchlings. And he could understand why he didn't want to encounter
J'ackt right now, with emotions running high over the attack.

"Look, you can go and wait in my weyr. I'll get cleaned up, and when
it's calmed down we'll go and see the Weyrleader together. We can
explain everything." He knew, with a dull sense of dread, that the
Weyrleader would be furious, but he didn't have any better ideas.

Terren shook his head frantically. "No, we can't do that! He'll send me
back - back to the mines. I can't go back there!"

"No, he won't." R'fal placed both hands on his father's shoulders,
trying to calm him. "You didn't know. If you tell the truth, maybe it'll
even help them find these people. At worst, you might have to leave the
Weyr." And if his father returned to the family farm, that might not be
such a bad thing.

"You don't understand. You don't know what it's like there. People die.
I was lucky to survive!" Terren's voice rose in a panic, before he
caught himself. "I went there for you. Everything I did was for the
family. You didn't help me before, but this time, you can." He gripped
R'fal's arm, pulled him closer. "You and Marlath. You could get me out."

"What do you mean?"

"You could fly me out. We could go to the tavern. You can drop me off
there, and no-one will ever know."

Fear rose up in R'fal, worse than when he'd flown out to the mine. With
it came the guilt, the shame he'd carried for all those months since his
father's trial, knowing that everyone thought his Da was a thief and how
he'd failed to do anything to stop it. Knowing that it had been his
fault. If he hadn't gone to the Weyr, if he'd been braver, none of this
might ever have happened.

Then he remembered what Y'gel had told him. If he hadn't accepted the
Search, maybe Marlath would not have found a lifemate. When he thought
of doing what his father asked, he imagined what the Master Dragonhealer
would think of him, the look on his face. And his friends, his
wingmates. Aviday.

"Da, I can't. I have a duty to the Weyr." He felt Marlath's warmth and
approval at his decision, and shook himself free, stepping back. "It'll
be alright. You won't go to the mines, I promise. I'll speak up for you."

The look of betrayal on Terren's face cut to his heart, and for a moment
he thought the man might argue, but then his shoulders slumped. "All
right. I'll wait in your weyr, then." Turning, he hurried back out of
the caverns, keeping close to the wall.

R'fal let out a breath in relief. Trying to put the upcoming meeting
with the Weyrleader out of his mind, he returned to Aviday. "Sorry about
that. He was just, um, worried."

Aviday had watched both men during their conversation and had seen the
expressions on both of their faces. Something inside her curdled with
discomfort, especially when she saw Terren grab R'fal's arm. It just
didn't...look right or feel right. Hugging herself, she waited until
R'fal returned and studied his face. "He looked more than worried. I
guess all of this really upset him, huh?" She decided to push her
worries aside. "Come on, let's go get washed up and then, well, I
think I just want to cuddle for a while."

"That sounds good to me." R'fal slipped an arm around her waist and they
started to walk out of the caverns. "There's something I've got to do
after I get cleaned up, though. It won't take long." He hoped, anyway.
"Then I'll come straight over to your weyr."

"My weyr? Oh, okay." They normally went to his as her own was
decidedly a mess and his bed was definitely bigger. But, she decided,
that just meant she could cuddle closer. She leaned against his
shoulder for a moment as they walked towards the bathing caverns.
"I'll pick up the floor."

"You don't have to do that," he teased, tilting his head to rest it on
hers, relieved to leave the Hatching grounds behind them. "I can find my
way through the mess...I think!"

Last updated on the February 10th 2022

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Get Me Out, Son