Running Out of Time
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: Halyonix
Date Posted: 24th May 2024
Characters: S'yen, I'lon
Description: Syerin is left Standing again
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 9, day 24 of Turn 11
Notes:
It was joke. It had to be a cruel joke.
As Syerin watched the last paired hatchling stumble away with his new rider, as blue- and greenriders dropped down to escort the disappointed, the unwanted away, Syerin stood, fists tight, feeling as though after four Turns of Standing, the dragons were now playing some cruel joke on him. Why else would they have given him hope, taken him from his cothold, and then showed no interest in him whatsoever for the next four Turns?
"Better luck next time," a voice said from behind him. A bluerider -- I'lon, if Syerin remembered right -- approaching to take him back to the Barracks. Again.
"Easy for you to say!" Syerin shot back hotly, ignoring all decorum. "You have your dragon!" Said dragon was waiting just a few feet away, a gorgeous ultramarine blue color and sleek like nothing Syerin had ever seen. Envy scoured at his wounded heart. To be paired with such a beautiful creature, to be a dragonrider and not just a cast-off...
To finally feel validated.
Syerin _belonged_ in the Weyr. He was attracted to men, something that he had hidden while at the cothold (not very well, honestly) and he didn't want to spend the rest of his life reminded that the dragons _hadn't_ found him worthy if he aged out of being a Candidate. So in Syerin's mind, it left him with pretty much the same options as he had at the Hold. Which was nothing.
I'lon just watched Syerin's outburst calmly. Syerin couldn't decide if that infuriated him more or meant that he needed to calm down before he did something worse than just yelling. "Don't patronize me, bluerider," Syerin eventually growled softly. "I'm not a child Standing for the first time."
"I was aware," I'lon replied. "I have seen you at more than one Hatching. And yes, while I have Napeth, I also spent four Turns waiting for him to find me."
"Which makes you the lucky one," Syerin spat. "Again, easy for you to say. A dragon is not guaranteed whenever a Candidate is Searched, we both know that. So don't make it sound like it's just a matter of time. Time isn't on my side."
I'lon arched one eyebrow. "Is it ever on anyone's side?" he asked rhetorically.
Syerin bristled. "I don't need your opinion on the matter. Go rub salt in someone else's wound." He turned to stalk away, then felt a hand close around his arm. "Leave me alone, bluerider," Syerin snarled.
"That was cruel of me. I am sorry," I'lon admitted, holding on for an extra moment before letting go. "Yes, it is quite easy for me to say 'better luck next time' when I knew there could be a next time for me. But you...you still have some Turns to Stand. This was not the last time for you."
That broke open a dam within Syerin. "But there will be. There will be a last one. It's coming, I know it. Every time I don't Impress, every time I watch someone else Impress, it's a sharding timepiece ticking down! I'm twenty! How many more Hatchings will there be before I'm too old? How many? Two? Three? Do I try Standing at other Weyrs too, just to up my chances? Or get rejected even more? And what happens when I age out? Do I stay here, taunted by the very dragons who promised me a future with them? What's the answer, bluerider? Hm? Because I'm desperate to find one!"
By now, Syerin was yelling. I'lon made a mental note to bring this up to the Weyrlingmaster team when they were not overwhelmed with newly hatching dragons. Obviously, Syerin needed someone to talk to about this. It was also not a problem that I'lon could fix and his discomfort showed. "I have no answer for you, Candidate," he answered quietly. "Only the hope that you will not give up just yet."
There was somehow a long, tense silence there even though the Hatching Grounds were still bustling with the activity of others leaving.
"One more Turn, bluerider," Syerin eventually growled. And then it would be decided for him. But today... "Take me back to the Barracks. I'm going to get drunk off my ass and screw the next man who crosses me." At least he would live it up while he still had a shred of hope. I'lon inclined his head and followed a stalking, fuming Syerin back to the waiting Napeth.
Last updated on the June 1st 2024