Always Dreaming

Writers: Aaron, Curious
Date Posted: 2nd May 2024

Characters: Islyn, Wirnan
Description: Islyn talks to Wirnan about a new friend and a lingering dream.
Location: Sunstone Seahold
Date: month 5, day 1 of Turn 11
Notes: Mentioned: Y'rim

Wirnan

Islyn had a lot to think about.

She couldn't let on that she had a lot to think about, of course. That invited people to think about what she was thinking about, which would lead to people gossiping about her, which was _entirely_ unacceptable. No, the best that the young lady could do was sit in the dining hall a little later than she usually would, staring off into the middle-distance and contemplating her existence.

As one does.

"Feeling well today?"

Wirnan lifted a hand and waggled his fingers at the daydreaming girl. Well. By her expression, it might not have been a daydream, exactly.

"Not unwell," Islyn said, which left plenty of room to read between the lines without saying anything that she shouldn't. Which meant that the smart thing to do would be to keep her mouth shut. Which, in turn, meant that she had _no_ excuse for giving in to impulse and saying, "I made an interesting new friend."

"Ahh. Something on your mind?" Wirnan wondered. If she was not ill but still not well, he supposed that could only mean something else was bothering her.

"Sort of," Islyn said. "The friend was a dragon. As in, a dragon _spoke_ to me."

"Oh! How delightful. You must feel very special," said Wirnan. Dragons, as far as he knew, rarely spoke to anyone but their riders. He was curious, though, when Islyn had the occasion to meet one.

Despite her worries, Islyn broke into a beaming grin. "I do," she said. "It does. Her name was Quiroanth and she was nice. I mean that, too, I'm not just saying it because she's a dragon. She was kind. Her rider, too."

"It sounds like it was quite the experience." Wirnan could not help but smile back. "Do you know each other? The rider?"

"No," Islyn said with a shake of her head. "He was a total stranger. But he was very kind."

"Hm." A stranger, was he? "Does Lord Bryvin know there was a searchrider at the Hold?" Had the man bothered to announce himself at all? Wirnan could not help but wonder whether he had flown off with someone's son without so much as a word.

"He wasn't a searchrider," Islyn quickly said. "He was just... visiting." She hesitated then, nibbling on her lower lips for a second before softly adding, "Please don't get him in trouble. He was kind."

"He didn't take anyone with him?" asked Wirnan. Anyone - well, almost anyone - could feign kindness.

"No," Islyn said with a shake of her head. "He offered to walk me back to the hold. I said no, of course, but he offered."

"Well, it sounds like a lovely encounter." Wirnan was fairly satisfied the visit was mostly innocent. But he would perhaps have a chat with the watch rider about what they had seen. "Is there anything else bothering you?"

"Not really," Islyn said with a wariness that said that she wasn't _quite_ telling the truth. Having caught it, she sighed and said, "Did you ever dream of being a bronzerider?"

"Oh, maybe once upon a time I played pretend," said Wirnan. If she did not want to talk about it with him, he would not force it. "But I think it's been a long time since I really dreamed."

"I can't stop dreaming," Islyn said. "I've wanted to be a goldrider ever since I can remember, and meeting that man and his dragon... It got me thinking again. She was just a green, I know, but Wirnan, she _spoke_ to me."

Wirnan raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? What did she say?" He had never heard of a dragon speaking to anyone but their rider.

"Oh, this is kind of embarrassing," Islyn said with a self-deprecating chuckle. "Childish. But... I asked if she'd like to be my friend, and she said she would come see me."

Wirnan smiled this time. It must truly be something special to be a dragon's friend.

"I suspect if a dragon ever spoke to me, I might ask it something very much like that. Childish or not."

Islyn grinned, bright and brilliant. "Right? And it got me thinking, if a dragon would speak to me, one who isn't even _mine_, maybe a queen would choose me after all."

"I could see you as a Weyrwoman," said Wirnan. "They are few and far between, of course. How would your family feel about such a thing?"

"If I impressed a gold? They would be over the _moon_." A hint of wistfulness crept into Islyn's gaze, but also an unyielding spark of determination. "I know golds are rare, but I'm a rare person. There's no way I'd impress a green. I'm too... I'm too _me_!"

"You are by far the most you person I have ever met." Wirnan grinned. He had little idea how dragons really worked. For all he knew, she was right. "If you do try to go, I hope you'll say the proper goodbyes. I would hate for anyone to have cause to believe someone absconded with you."

Islyn's smile softened into something less ferociously ambitious and far, far more gentle. "I will," she said. "To you and everyone else who matters."

Wirnan was flattered that she considered him among those who mattered. He smiled and nodded.

"Thank you. For now, I suppose I'd better be getting on with my work," he said. "If there's a thing else you need help with, please let me know."

"I will! Thank you." For talking to her. For caring.

That part, of course, was too embarrassing for Islyn to ever say out loud.

~*~

Last updated on the May 9th 2024

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Always Dreaming