Woefully Behind
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: Sia, Corrin
Date Posted: 4th May 2025
Characters: Q'helias, Varethos
Description: Varethos talks to Qelhelias about getting his Journeyman knots
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 5, day 14 of Turn 12
Notes: Mentioned: Lemhask
Varethos hesitated outside the small office door for a moment, the worn wood scuffed from turns of busy harpers and hopeful apprentices coming and going throughout Dragonsfall's long history. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other before he finally knocked and pushed open the door to the small office. "You still have some spare time to talk?" He asked, though he stepped into the office anyway and shut the door behind him.
Qelhelias glanced up from the neat stack of hides on his desk and smiled.
"Of course. Like I said, the students never come." He gestured to the chair across from him with a graceful tilt of his hand. "Come on in, Vare. You’re not interrupting anything that can’t wait. What's on your mind? Got something you didn't want to say in front of Lemhask?"
"Yeah, well. If you haven't noticed, he's a bit sensitive, and he apparently thinks I'm destined for bronze." Varethos winced a little at the thought as he sank into the chair across from Qelhelias. "At Chioneth's last hatching, there was this brown that looked like he might choose me. Then he nudged me aside to go for a boy behind me. It was like a wake-up call. I've only got a few hatchings left, if I stand for them. I need to buckle down and get my journeyman knots."
Qelhelias winced as well in sympathy. He’d had what seemed to be a few tantalizingly close calls on the Sands himself, and they were always gutting. “Well, I can certainly help with that… Studying, getting ready for the panel of Masters-- Whatever you need. Impression will never be a certainty, but we can make sure that you’ll have new knots of some kind before you age out.”
“You’re making a good choice,” he continued. “It feels good to have something to call your own, and your craft achievements will always be there, no matter what happens on the Sands. …But I think you should still Stand while you can. And I’m not saying that because that’s what my father told me. I’ve just been thinking about it, especially with the holdless here… Those of us who know what it means to be a rider--the duty and the sacrifice--should be out there for the dragons and the Weyr.”
Varethos looked down at his hands, fingers loosely laced in his lap. Qelhelias' words were kind, maybe even right, but they sat uneasily beside the knot of frustration lodged in his chest. "I know," he said after a beat. "Believe me, I know. I have enough dragonriders in the family to get that speech almost as often as you. But I can't keep half-assing the craft when most men have their knots by now. I'll see if T'lonas will let me Stand when there's eggs on the Sands, but I don't need to split up my time like I've been doing."
A pause. Then, a little more eager, almost excited, "I've been so focused on the music part of it because, well, it's _fun_, so I'm woefully behind on the judicial parts. What are some of the things you saw while you were on circuit? You've had a lot more experience with actual arbitration since you've been gone."
“The hardest part isn’t the law, it’s getting people to feel heard,” Helias said. Then he grinned, dark eyes dancing. “But arbitration can be fun too. You won’t believe the drama I’ve seen. This last circuit there was an incident with a missing will, a secret love child and a very aggressive wherry…”
Last updated on the May 19th 2025