Avenged
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: 7th August 2025
Characters: Hesbia, Hellond
Description: Hesbia finds out what happened
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 7, day 22 of Turn 12
Notes:
~*~
The dragons had been making that awful keening sound all hour.
“Guess I’m not getting any sleep tonight,” Hesbia muttered as she rolled out of bed. Just meant that her morning shift was going to suck immensely on this lack of sleep but she’d have to suck it up. She was determined to prove to the Headwoman that she was worth her salt.
At least her sister was still asleep. Haseba could sleep through a hurricane if a hurricane ever came that far inland. Hesbia still muffled her steps as she moved around their small quarters. Maybe they’d get their own permanent space soon. Supposedly all of the Candidates lived in the barracks but who knew if that was an upgrade. Besides, Hesbia still hadn’t said yes to that whole Candidate thing.
She had just broken in the small stash of midnight snacks that she kept when the door to their quarters burst open. Hellond. Back late. Again. “Good thing I wasn’t sleeping,” she greeted angrily, waiting for the scent of alcohol to emanate from him. Because that’s basically all he had been doing in between whatever small jobs he had been working in order to cover his vice.
Her uncle didn’t answer. He was carrying a bunch of things in his arms and went to his bed to begin stuffing it all into the largest sack he had.
“Oh, we’re playing the ‘ignore Hesbia’ game?” she shot. “Why the shells are you packing a bag? It’s nearly midnight.”
“I handled it.”
Hesbia stared at him stupidly. “Handled _what_?”
Hellond, red-eyed from drinking, looked at her with sick victory written across his face. “I told you I would. I told you I would fix it. I did.”
“Fix _what_, Uncle?”
“That bronzerider.”
Hesbia reacted like she had been slapped. No. No way. Suddenly, the dragons keening heralded something more than just her not getting any sleep. They only did that when one of them died, right? Had…
Glad that her sister was peacefully sleeping, Hesbia still dropped her voice. “You…did you…_kill_ him?”
Her uncle didn’t answer. He continued stuffing everything within reach into that bag. “You and your sister deserve better. Better than I can do. I’ve done nothing but screw this family over. So I fixed one thing and now I’m leaving. I won’t be around to mess up your lives anymore.”
As a child, Hesbia had always asked, begged her parents to split ways with her drunken uncle. Her parents had fought about it. Everyone agreed that the family would be better off without him. When her mother had died, bringing it up had been Hesbia’s spiteful way of hurting her uncle more.
But now that he was the only family left…
“You’re _leaving_?!” she screeched.
“I made it look like an accident,” he said. “They won’t know. But in case someone gets too curious…” He stopped packing to take a deep breath. “Look. I know I’ve been the worst thing that’s happened to this family. You’ve made it clear at every turn. I’m leaving so you can be happy. Have a shot at a good life. Isn’t that what you want?”
It was but it wasn’t. Not when it was now going to be just the two of them against the world. How was Hesbia going to take care of Haseba? What was she going to do if they got kicked out for some reason?
Silence ended up being her answer.
He went back to packing, tying off the sack and hefting it over his shoulder. “Tell your sister whatever story you want. Make her hate me if it helps. I know you sure will. But at least my brother’s been avenged.”
And with that, the most unexpected figure of justice walked out their lives.
Last updated on the August 29th 2025