Alike in Dignity (2/2)
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: Corrin, Estelle
Date Posted: 19th April 2025
Characters: Sybana, Ashela
Description: Sybana seeks out a visiting goldrider at the Hatching Feast
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 3, day 22 of Turn 12
Notes: Mentioned: Tsaera, Saibra, Lanniya, R'enh (not by name), Corofel
Their progress was briefly interrupted by some craftmasters who wanted to bestow their congratulations on Sybana and bemoan Ashela’s absence. Once they had drifted away, and there was no one else in earshot, Sybana ventured to ask one of the most pressing questions on her mind: “You were at Dragonsfall for some time. I imagine you must know the other goldriders quite well. Not Tsaera, perhaps, but the others? What are they like?”
"The Weyrwoman is competent and well respected. Weyrbred, of course, but you'd hardly notice it in dignified company." In truth Ashela had little to complain of about Saibra other than holding the rank - and the bronzerider - she herself desired, and she had appreciated how the other goldrider had refrained from mentioning the disgrace that had sent her to Dragonsfall. All the same, she couldn't resist a few little barbs. "I imagine she'll be something of a motherly figure. She has a daughter...would she be about your age? No, a little older, I think - and a brood of younger ones. That wouldn't be my choice, given the responsibilities of rank, but I have to admire how she's kept her looks, considering."
A motherly figure.
The phrase pricked at Sybana, though she didn’t let it show. She had lost her own mother Turns ago. The woman had not survived Sybana’s birth. The idea of someone stepping into that role, even abstractly, was oddly disconcerting. Did she want that? Did she need that? She wasn’t sure.
Still, if she was competent, well-liked, and… had kept her looks, as Ashela had noted-- there were worse examples to aspire to. Sybana could admire that kind of balancing act.
Ashela sipped her wine and lowered her voice confidingly. "Lanniya is closer to your age, but her people were crafters or traders, I think. She's still working on acquiring the dignity appropriate to her rank. She's one of those who listens to other people's dragons, which I suppose has its uses, but has always seemed to me a little impolite. Like eavesdropping. But she's a sweet girl, all the same."
“I see…” murmured Sybana. One of those who heard dragons not their own? That wasn’t merely unusual-- it was a skill. A rare one. Not something one could cultivate with charm or discipline or dedication. It simply was. An exceptional gift. Sybanna felt a touch of anxiety. It tasted like envy. “That does seem a bit impolite, now that you mention it. …Do you suppose that power makes her better at dealing with dragons in general? At being a weyrwoman and managing her gold?”
"I suppose it might," Ashela admitted grudgingly. "The rest of us must cultivate our own perception and judgement when dealing with other dragonpairs, which isn't such a bad thing. After all, if I wanted to know what other dragons were saying, I would ask Aglayath." Still, she couldn't deny it would be interesting to know what Chioneth was thinking, or to find out discreetly from Mnoranth where his rider might be...
Sybana was quiet for a while after that, letting Ashela steer the conversation while she digested her words. It was a bit worrisome to hear that Lanniya, her age mate and peer in the ranks of the goldriders, may have such an innate advantage. It was a small comfort that it sounded to be more of an information-base advantage than a control one-- but information _was_ power, wasn’t it?
By the time they were finishing their circuit, conversation had drifted over to Sybana’s plans if she hadn’t Impressed. In a low voice she had shared her bitter disappointment over her ‘betrayal’ by Corofel, and was more animatedly dressing down the remaining highborn marriage prospects of her generation when she realized to her chagrin-- “Oh, but I forgot, you may very well know the sons of Lord Alquinn yourself,” she blushed prettily. “Where are you from? No one seemed to agree when I asked. They aren’t your Blood, are they? When I said Alberquinn was poxy I just meant…” She trailed off with a half-hearted shrug and a short laugh.
"Oh, no! No, we're not related," Ashela replied, a light laugh covering a jolt of anxiety. Since she'd been Searched, no one had shown any interest in the precise details of her background. Holder bloodlines just didn't seem to be of much interest to most weyrfolk. "I can't say I knew that family well. The boys were quite young when I left for the Weyr. Though I do remember them being rather irritating little grubs." As much as she hated to mention her age, it did serve to buy her time to think. "To tell the truth, I've tended to be discreet about my background. When I Impressed Aglayath, the Pass hadn't yet begun and a dragonrider in the family, even a goldrider, didn't have quite the prestige it does today."
Sensing that she hadn't entirely headed off the new goldrider's curiosity, she went on, lowering her voice confidentially. "The only reason I was allowed to be a candidate was that I, too, had been unlucky in a courtship. So, you see, I quite understand your feelings."
That worked.
Sybana’s eyes widened, sympathy and interest sparking in equal measure. “Oh, I _am_ sorry. What an unhappy thing to share! I remember thinking I’d never recover from it,” she said of a shame a mere three months past. “That the gossip would never fade… but I supposed our golds have given them something new to talk about.”
“With time, I’m determined that Lord Corofel will be a mere footnote in my life,” she said, lifting her chin with a touch of youthful bravado. “...Who’s your footnote?”
"He was a Holder from the hill country, near my - where I was staying, with an elderly relative. We met at a Gather. He was a sweet man, and generous, and he had a beautiful home, in a valley lined with skybroom trees. I really thought he loved me. But his family had a different alliance in mind, to someone with a larger fortune, and he... He didn't have the strength of character to stand up to them."
Ashela sighed, her eyes going faintly misty in the glowlight. "At the time, I was crushed. I thought my life was over, and no one would ever want me. But now I see how lucky I was. If I'd married him, I would never have Impressed my Aglayath. I'd have faded into obscurity. But now I - we - have the chance to be significant. To make our names known."
Later, Sybana might realize that Ashela had remained oddly circumspect about her background. Despite the question about her family and her old beau, there were no names, no known bloodlines. But for now, the young goldrider was intoxicated by the suggestion of kinship and friendship, by Galgaith’s love and slumber in the heart of her mind, so she smiled and lifted her glass in toast. “To making our names known.”
Last updated on the April 25th 2025