A Letter from the Hall

Writers: Francesca
Date Posted: 25th April 2021

Characters: Arrilon
Description: Arrilon receives a letter from the Harper Hall
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 9, day 13 of Turn 10
Notes: Mentioned: Chalzie, Kamalia
Mentor Approved

Arrilon took the letter and thanked the apprentice, heart pounding and
stomach tight. This was it; official correspondence from the Harper
Hall about his transfer request. If accepted, he would start a new
chapter of his life, and his career, at the Hall. After so many Turns
at the Weyr, it was hard to imagine leaving, but it would be a relief
to leave behind constant reminders of his failure to Impress. It was
also exciting to imagine being in an environment where his craft was
the main focus.

He thought back to his recent trip to the Hall, to be tested by some
of the Masters. Since he was trained by Weyr harpers rather than at
the Hall, he had needed to prove that he merited his journeyman rank.
He thought it had gone well, but it was impossible to know exactly
what they were looking for. And, he knew he had walked the tables
later than most, and did not know if his age was a concern.

Not wanting to walk all the way to his room before opening the letter,
Arrilon found an empty practice room and entered, closing the door
behind him. He called Joy to him, wanting the firelizard there to
either comfort him or celebrate. He sat down, took a deep breath, and
opened the letter.

~*~

Arrilon sat there, a huge smile on his face. Joy began flying around
the room, reacting to the explosion of happiness that had hit him as
soon as he had read the words, "We are pleased to accept your transfer
to the Harper Hall." He had skimmed through the rest of the letter,
before returning to the beginning to savor the words again, reading
and rereading that line.

He had done it. Turns of hard work, of pushing through the pain of not
Impressing, and of focusing on his studies in the hopes of being able
to prove he could succeed at something. And here he was, a Journeyman
Harper heading to the Hall. Unable to contain his excitement anymore,
he punched the air. "Yes!" Then to his firelizard, who was still
moving excitedly around the room, "We're going to the Harper Hall!"

Looking back down at the letter, he read the rest of it.

~*~

He would travel by dragon to the Hall at the beginning of the next
month. That gave him just over two sevendays to wrap things up at the
Weyr. Another Journeyman could easily take over the classes he was
teaching, as well as his shifts in the archives. The Weyrharper and
other Masters already knew he had applied for a transfer, so this
wouldn't be a surprise for them. And he didn't own much, so it would
be easy to pack and bring everything in a few bags with him. At least
the ride would be quick. If he didn't live at a Weyr he might have had
to travel to the Hall via a slower route.

And then, he would need to settle into life at the Hall. It would be
strange, no longer being surrounded by dragons. He wondered what
Threadfall days would be like, without seeing dragons and their riders
preparing to fight and then returning candlemarks later.

Joy alternated between flying and almost hopping around the room,
still unsure how to react to the strong emotions coming from Arrilon.
He rarely felt such unbridled happiness, and his body was practically
vibrating with the need to find a physical outlet. "I did it, Joy!" On
the one hand, he wanted to shout the news to everyone. On the other,
there was something exciting about this, at least temporarily, being a
secret.

Thinking of telling others dampened his excitement. Chalzie. His
girlfriend of almost a Turn knew he had applied for a transfer. But,
his possible move hadn't been real until now. As a dolphineer, he knew
she couldn't join him. But, there must be a way to stay together,
between him having a greenrider sister and her living near the Weyr
with plenty of dragonrider friends. He was committed to at least a
Turn or two of study at the Hall, but then maybe he could be posted
somewhere coastal, or even at the Dolphin Hall itself. As far as he
was concerned, this was not an insurmountable problem. And, since he
knew Chalzie didn't want to marry any time soon, time apart could give
her time to continue focusing on her studies and walk the tables.

He was tempted to head straight to the Dolphin Hall to let her know
the news. But, he knew she was in classes. And they were planning to
see each other on the restday. What about his sister, at Dragonsfall
Weyr? Or his parents, at Amber Hills Hold? No, he wasn't in the mood
to write a letter. Besides, Kamalia was visiting in a sevenday. He
could surprise her with the news then.

First things first. He would go to his room and write a brief reply to
the Hall. Then he would figure everything else out. Joy disappeared
/between/, sending an image of sand and water as she left. Arrilon
left the practice room and walked down the corridors, attempting to
school his expression to be a bit more neutral. However, his lips kept
threatening to spread into a wide smile and there was an extra bounce
to his step. As he walked, he couldn't help but mentally repeat the
refrain, **I did it.**

Last updated on the July 21st 2021

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

A Letter from the Hall