The Few, The Proud (2/2)

Writers: Corrin, Estelle
Date Posted: 14th September 2025

Characters: Sybana, L'keri
Description: Galgaith’s first clutch has arrived
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 11, day 12 of Turn 12
Notes: Mentioned: Saibra, Chioneth

Sybana

L'keri

After morning drills, L'keri had swapped duties with another rider and spent most of the day lounging around in the dining cavern, chatting to his wingmates and showing off his most insouciant manner to any passing bronzeriders. Despite his outward confidence, he sent so many silent questions to Rhalith about the progress of the clutching that the usually even-tempered brown became a little short with him.

}:I will tell you as soon as Galgaith tells me.:{

When the evening meal was served, he piled his plate as high as usual, but - although the kitchen staff had clearly made an effort in honor of the young queen's first clutch - he could barely manage a bite. He pushed the tubers and roast wherry around his plate, hoping no one would notice. What was going on? Chioneth never took this long. Was Galgaith having trouble laying her eggs? Shells, was there something the matter with them? He wondered if he should fetch a dragonhealer and insist on going in.

He was on the point of going over to the Weyrwoman's table to ask for news, embarrassing as it might be, when he felt a sharp burst of anticipation through his bond and heard Rhalith's voice. }:It is time. Come quickly.:{

L'keri leapt up, made a confused apology to the other wingriders and bolted for the tunnel to the outdoors. Halfway there, he remembered something, came to an abrupt halt, turned and raced back to the kitchens. A brief plea to one of the cooks earned him a covered tray - which they'd clearly prepared and kept warm for this very purpose - and then he was off again to meet Rhalith at the entrance to the Hatching cavern.

To his surprise, he had to wait on the threshold to allow his vision to adjust to the dim light, while Rhalith went ahead, drawn to Galgaith's glowing eyes. He had brought his own gift from the feeding pens: a young herdbeast, freshly killed, and presented it to the gold proudly as a marked improvement over their post-mating meal.

Slowly, L'keri made out a few curved shells half-buried in the sands around Galgaith, and then at last a slight figure, alone in the seats just above the Sands. The tension in his chest eased and, balancing the tray, he made his way around the edge of the stands to join her. As he did so, he picked out more egg-shapes, half-hidden in the shadows of the gold's wings and tail. They did look more sparse than usual, but it was hard to make an exact count - eight, nine?

"Hello." None of the day's tensions were evident in the warmth of his voice as he sat down beside her, placing the tray on the seat between them. "Rhalith said Galgaith was hungry, and I thought you must be, too."

Sybana’s manners were so deeply ingrained that she managed to smile as L’keri joined her, but there was a quiet despair in her eyes, apparent even in the gloom. “I don’t really have an appetite, but thank you. Both of you.”

Galgaith, for her part, was eating heartily.

Reaching over Sybana gave the glowbasket a gentle shake as if that would stoke the light. “Sorry it’s so dark. They wanted to bring in more light, but I didn’t want anyone to--” Her voice broke and it took her a moment to speak again, to admit-- “There are only fifteen eggs, L’keri. Fifteen. I’ve been sitting here all day hoping for more, but there aren't any.”

"Fifteen?" He relaxed, his voice lifting in relief. For most of the day he'd been bracing himself for the news that something had gone wrong and there wouldn't be a clutch at all. In the circumstances, fifteen seemed like a thoroughly decent result. Still, the note of distress in Sybana's voice warned him she needed comfort, not false cheerfulness.

"They'll be fifteen wonderful hatchlings, I know. Why, there were hardly more than that when Rhalith was hatched, and look how well he turned out." He smiled. "And think what a choice they'll have! Only the best candidates will Impress Galgaith's babies."

“...I hadn’t considered that,” Sybana admitted. “I suppose more choice for the hatchlings is a good thing, especially now. There are more holdless taking up candidacy every day, and the harpers are _still_ scrambling to confirm their identities."

L'keri hadn't given much thought to the holdless candidates, beyond the odd gleeful imagining of the trouble they'd cause the weyrlingmasters were any of them to Impress, but now that it was Rhalith's clutch on the Sands he couldn't help seeing their presence in a different and less favorable manner. Still, he didn't want to alarm Sybana, when she already seemed so fragile.

"Don't you worry about them. I'm sure no dragon would choose someone who was bad at heart. Thoroughly bad, I mean. Not just a bit of a rogue." He winked, then reached across to take the fading glowbasket from her. "Can I fetch some more light, do you think? I'd very much like to see the eggs properly. I'm sure they're beautiful."

She preferred the cavern in its soft darkness, as if that made the truth more bearable, but-- "Of course. I'm sorry, sometimes I forget it's your first clutch too. Get some light. I'll show you the eggs."

"All right. But I want you to eat something before I get back." Not caring that he sounded like his foster mother, he uncovered the tray with a flourish. "It's not good for Galgaith if you starve yourself." With a smile to take any sting out of that mild scolding, he turned and headed for the entrance.

Soon he returned, with a basket of fresh glows in each hand. They cast a warm, bright circle of light around him as he returned along the edge of the sands, and threw long shadows from the dragons and their clutch as he passed and approached Sybana. "Here - this is better, isn't it. Later on I can refill the wall baskets, but these should do for now." He handed her one. "Shall we go and have a look, if the clutch mother will permit?"

Despite claiming she had no appetite, Sybana actually ate a good amount by the time L'keri returned. In fact, she wasn't done. She finished the last of the butter roll under his amused gaze before rising. "She will. You're Rhalith's. This clutch is half yours." For better or worse.

Taking the offered basket she turned and led him out onto the sands. The eggs, scattered throughout the cavern, caught and reflected the glowlight, gleaming like earth-bound stars. The effect was almost dreamlike. Almost. Sybana's throat tightened at the sight. Beautiful, yes, but she had dreamed of far more. A clutch to be proud of. A statement of worth. "Here they are," she said at last, managing a weak smile for L'keri's sake, for Galgaith's.

For one of the few times in his life, L'keri was struck speechless. Of course he'd seen eggs before, but never so newly laid, shimmering in the soft light - and never his own Rhalith's. He lifted his glowbasket high, sending ripples of aquamarine light over the nearby shells, and for a moment he felt like a new Candidate again, venturing onto the sands for the first time.

"Oh, Sybana," he breathed, awed. There was no thought in his mind of numbers, or what the gossips might say. He'd never imagined he would have this experience, and it struck to the core of his wayward soul. "They're the most wonderful eggs I've ever seen. Galgaith is amazing. You're amazing." He turned to her, looking startlingly boyish. "Thank you."

His words stopped her short. Not because she believed them -- how could she, when every record told her otherwise? -- but because of their remarkable sincerity. There was no glib flirtation, no casual pandering. There was wonder in his eyes and gratitude in his voice.

It was disarming.

For a moment she could almost let herself see it as he did. Just the glory of the eggs, the precious lives in slumbering wait around them. "I should thank _you_," she said at last. "You've been nothing but kind. If everything had to... happen as it did, I'm glad it was you." There were men that would have blamed her, that would have been mortified to share this clutch. "I'm glad, too." His voice lightened, unable as ever to stay serious for long. "I just hope you don't change your mind after you've been stuck on these Sands for a month. They say it's one of the duties of the sire and his rider to keep you from going out of your mind with boredom, so I'll do my best to entertain..."

He buoyed her mood for the rest of his visit. It was easier to play pretend with him there. But after the brownrider was gone and the staff had come to fill the glows and bring her things to the hatching weyr, after Sybana knew for sure that the truth of her clutch had begun to seep through Dragonsfall-- she could no longer see the eggs as L'keri had seen them.

She waited until Galgaith was asleep, exhausted by the day's labor, and then Sybana finally let the tears come. She wept for her pride, for her guilt, for the strange weight of her new world. She wept in bitter disappointment while her golden queen slept on, blissful and untroubled beside the fifteen fragile eggs.

Last updated on the October 3rd 2025

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The Few, The Proud (2/2)