Changing Places

Writers: Estelle
Date Posted: 18th December 2020

Characters: Gienah
Description: Gienah receives a letter with important news
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 7, day 16 of Turn 10
Notes: Mentioned: R'fal

Gienah was with her chore group in the dining hall, wiping down tables
and collecting trays, when she heard her name.

"She's over there, I think. The one in the green tunic." The kitchen
worker who was supervising them, a middle-aged man with the efficient
manner of most of the Headwoman's staff, gestured towards her. Next to
him stood a younger man with harper knots. A blue firelizard perched on
his shoulder, his tail coiled around the man's neck, and he was carrying
a rolled-up hide in one hand.

Gienah immediately put her cloth aside and bounded over to meet him, her
spirits lifting. A letter! There was only one person who it could be from.

"Candidate Gienah? Letter for you, from Dragonsfall Weyr."

Gienah blinked. Dragonsfall Weyr? She thanked the harper, took her
letter and started to put it into her tunic pocket to read later. The
older man must have seen the look on her face and her reluctance to put
it away, though, or he'd seen holdbred candidates receiving letters from
family before, because he smiled.

"We're nearly done here. If you finish that table and take the plates to
the kitchens, you can go ahead and read it."

"Thank you!" She hurried to do as he'd asked, then washed her hands and
went out into the warmth of the outdoors, finding a sunny spot outside
the Candidate barracks. A few others were starting to drift back from
chores, which meant there should be time to read it before afternoon
classes began. The handwriting was immediately recognisable as her
father's. But how had he managed to get to that Weyr, so many thousands
of miles away?

**

"Dear Gienah,

I'm writing this from Dragonsfall Weyr in winter. I know it must be a
surprise! It's very different here to anything we've knew in Emerald
Falls. The Weyr is cut into the cliffs and both the mountains above us
and the plains below are dusted with snow, and whenever you step outside
your breath turns to mist. The herds here have to be hardy beasts to
survive.

But I ought to be telling you about all the advantages of this Weyr as a
home, because I have good news: I have a job here! It turns out the
chief herder had need of another worker to take the place of one who
decided to move with his mate to the Weyrhold at Barrier Lake, and a
friend of a friend gave him my name, knowing that I'd been looking for
work at a Weyr. I've been here on a month's trial, but I said nothing
until now, not wanting to get your hopes up. All went well, and today I
was offered a permanent position.

I could tell you about the beauty of the landscape, the hot springs and
pools, the vast rock-cut caverns the like of which I've never seen, but
I expect what will be of most interest to you is the eggs. There are two
clutches on the Sands: Aglayath's is expected to hatch in the next few
sevendays, while Chioneth's was laid only a few days ago. The Search
dragons are out, scouring the Holds under Dragonsfall's protection for
suitable Candidates.

Not knowing much about candidacy, I can't say whether a transfer would
be approved. From what I've heard, any new Candidate with potential
would be welcome here, but I expect it's up to the staff at Dolphin
Cove. And perhaps you've made friends, and would rather stay where you
are. Even so, we are now both weyrfolk and a step closer to one day
living near to one another. I've missed you very much.

Whatever you decide, a message by firelizard to Dragonsfall will find
me, and I'm told that they will gladly take me by dragon to Dolphin Cove
to witness your next Hatching.

Your father,
Bergien of Dragonsfall Weyr

***

Gienah had only just begun when she gave a cry of delight and jumped to
her feet, eagerly scanning the rest of the letter. Her father had
finally got a place at a Weyr!

Not before time, she thought, with a hint of annoyance. It had always
seemed unjust that R'fal's father, who was one of the laziest men
imaginable and an ex-convict to boot, had been given a place among the
herders without question while there was no room for her own Da. True,
R'fal was a dragonrider and she was only a Candidate. But her father was
hard-working and honest and she loved him, and there was no question
that she would go.

Or try to. For a moment, the significance of her decision struck her.
What if her dragon was destined to hatch at Dolphin Cove, and she wasn't
there? There was no clutch on the Sands at the moment, so the
Dragonsfall eggs would hatch first, but she clearly couldn't be going
back and forth constantly.

**But if she's at Dragonsfall, I wouldn't want to miss her.** She
sometimes watched the green dragons, from the smallest hatchlings to the
seasoned adults, and wondered if she ever Impressed, what hers would be
like. What shade her hide would be, whether she'd be sinuous and agile,
or large and robust, nearly matching the smaller blues.

Now she was sixteen, if she did Impress she'd go straight into the Wings
and fight. No waiting with the weyrlings. If anything, now that
milestone had passed she only felt more impatient to Stand again.

**Where are you?** she wondered. Dolphin Cove or Dragonsfall? Or
somewhere else? Or perhaps there would never be a dragon for her at all.

The truth was, she couldn't know, no-one could, so the decision was
simple. Be with Da. Gienah tucked the letter back into her tunic pocket
and set off for the room where the next class was to be held, hoping to
find one of the weyrlingstaff.

Last updated on the January 13th 2021

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Changing Places