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

Elsewhere on Pern
NPC Weyr
River Bluff Weyr
Seacraft Hall

Story Listing
Series Listing

Weyrling Training

Writers: Paula
Date Posted: 11th September 2006

Characters: Keayd, Kedritt
Description: Keayd's brother has some good news to tell him.
Location: Amber Hills Hold
Date: month 13, day 14 of Turn 3

"Hi, Key, do you have a moment? We could walk together and talk?" Kedritt asked, catching up with the young vintner journeyman. Keayd was taking his canine for walk, both limping slowly along the road. Well, the canine spent more time sniffing the bushes that actually walking.

"Sure I do," he smiled. They had always been closed, despite the age difference and the fact that they had different mothers.
"How are Sacily and your kids?" he asked.

"Just fine, adjusting to life in Amber Hills hold. It sure is different here."
They all came to Amber Hills after the earthquake. Kedritt and his family as refugees, Keyad as a part of the Vintner hall.
"Did you hear Lenke is pregnant again?" Kedritt asked. Lenke was their father's third wife and almost ten turns younger that Kedritt. (That fact that always had bothered him.)

"Again? And so soon after she lost the last baby?" Keayd asked incredulously.

"Yes," Kedritt said bitterly. "Father takes the pride of his virility and she suffers a miscarriage after miscarriage. If he had to have a wife, why couldn't he marry some older one, a widow maybe?" It was all too familiar complain to Keyad. He felt nothing but sympathy for his father's young wife.

"How's Venny? I haven't had a change to meet her. Moving and setting up the Vintner hall here has kept us all busy," Keayd asked. Venny or Venciel officially, was his favourite little sister. She had been only three when their mother died and Key had always looked after her.

Kedritt rolled his eyes. "She's growing up. She's going to be a pretty and she's already a turning the heads among hold's young male population. She's getting a handful," he told.

Keayd nodded thoughtfully. Maybe he should spend more time with his sister, talk some sense to her.

Vena, his canine, came carrying a stick. She dropped it at their feet and barked shortly. Key picked it up and tossed automatically. The canine raced after it with all three legs. Like her master, Vena suffered from deformity. Both had a bad leg. Keayd's right foot was club-footed, Vena's left back leg was just a stub and she had no tail.

"Man, she moves well for a three legged canine," Kedritt remarked.

"Yes, she does. You learn to compensate," Key answered. He was proud of Vena.

"You know, I have good news to tell too," Kedritt said suddenly. Key could hear from his voice that his brother was excited.

"Is Sacily going to have child too?" Key guessed.

"No, not that one. I was granted a hold of my own!" he almost shouted.
"Really?" Keayd broke into a smile. "That's great! What kind of? Have you seen it?"

"Yes, I've seen it. It's mile or two up river, a small cot hold with farmland that's been fallow for turns. There's small orchard too, but is gone wild after so many turns left untended. The buildings need to be rebuilt too before we can move there. But it's mine. I'm now a holder of Twisted Brook hold!"

"That is great! I'm happy for you," Keayd said and meant it.

"So am I. Sacily and me took kids there last restday, for a picnic. I didn't know it will be ours then, but I had already filed a request for it, soon after we came here. It's beautiful place, and fertile. Much better than the mountain hold dad used to have."

Used to have, before an avalanche destroyed it and the place turned uninhabitable. Keayd had no warm memories of that place, unless they were about his mother. She had died in that avalanche. That disaster had forced their father Kedvenc to move his family to the Amethyst Cliff hold and find a job as a non-crafted farmworker. It had been a hard hit to a cot-holder who had used to be his own master, to become someone else's hired worker.

"After all the repairs done, I'm going to host a big homecoming party!" Keayd realized he had missed a part of what his brother had said, when he got lost in his thoughts.

"Don't forget to invite me," Keayd said teasingly.

"Don't worry, I won't. You're my favourite brother," Kedritt said and engulfed him into a big bearhug. Key was quite surprised by it. Vena ran around their feet, barking excitedly. She could sense their happy mood. Keayd felt that after all their family had suffered, a stroke of good luck and happiness was sorely needed and deserved.

"So, do you know what you're going to farm then?" Keayd asked when his brother finally released him.

"I was thinking of barley. Then I can sell it to you and you can brew beer from it," Kedritt actually sounded like he was serious about it.

"Ah, but I don't brew beer. My specialty is turning wine into vinegar," Key laughed, reminding him of one incident in his apprentice days. Now he could laugh at it, but back then, having several masters furious at you had not been a laughing matter. In truth, Keayd didn't have any specialty, he was still looking for the facet of vintner craft he would fit best.

Last updated on the September 27th 2006