A Dragonrider of Pern
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: Heather
Date Posted: 13th October 2025
Characters: Rathandra, Evanram
Description: Rathandra unexpectedly Impresses at Galgaith’s hatching.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 12, day 14 of Turn 12
Notes: Mentioned: Galgaith
The leather satchel was worn and scuffed. The corners of it looked as
if they had been scraped and banged along on many a journey. The
leather had become so soft over the years that the satchel had lost
its shape.
Now, as it sat on her bed in the Weyrling Barracks, it looked like a
deflated, wounded animal. It looked as if it didn’t belong. And maybe
that was because… it didn’t.
~* Flashback *~
“Are you sad about leaving?” Evanram asked, a hint of hesitation in
his voice, as if he might set her off by the simple question.
It grated on her nerves when her husband handled her as if she were
fragile, even though she had blown up on him only the day before when
it came to the discussion of leaving Dragonsfall Weyr.
“A little,” she revealed. “The routine, the warm meals, and access to
books have been nice.”
She glanced up at him, reading the uncertainty in his eyes. Eyes that
she loved very much. Eyes that had snagged her attention the first
time she’d ever seen them. The uncertainty made her soften.
“I don’t want to stay, if that’s what you’re thinking.” She left the
brown leather satchel she was packing and crossed over to him. She
took his hands in her own. “Wherever you go, I go. Even if there isn’t
hot bath water or books.” A little smile curved her lips.
Evanram’s calloused hand cupped her cheek. “I love you, Rathandra.”
--
The noise of the Hatching Cavern was unlike anything she had ever
heard. As a former harper, she had read about Hatchings, of course,
but she had never experienced one in her life. She and Evanram had
resolved to see this one before leaving Dragonsfall. She hoped to
savor the experience.
They scooched in on a bench with some of the other Holdless who
planned on leaving after the Hatching was over.
“It’s so warm in here,” she commented in Evanram’s ear. She had not
expected the heat. It was a stark contrast to the otherwise frosty
atmosphere of the cliff Weyr.
“And loud!” He roared in her ear against the hum of the dragons.
When one of the eggs split and emitted a monstrous little thing,
Rathandra gasped involuntarily. The dragonets looked so different from
their fully-grown counterparts. Indeed, they were even… _ugly_. **That
might be a by-product of their mother, though,** she thought, glancing
at the great hulking chunk of ore that was known as Galgaith.
She watched in wonder as some Candidates gladly threw their arms
around the hideous creatures. Were they not aware of the savage teeth
and talons? It made her suddenly very glad that she would never have
to care for such a creature. She would stick to runners, thank you
kindly.
“Look! One is coming close by,” Evanram said into her ear, pointing
down to a green beast that was pacing in front of the Stands where
they sat.
Rathandra craned her neck, trying to see around the taller man sitting
in front of her.
}:There you are, Rathandra! Come down at once!:{ The sharp, scolding
voice echoed in her head like a migraine.
The mottled green creature with her hide so dark it gleamed, hissed
and paced in agitation.
Rathandra sat, dumbfounded.
“Why is she looking up here?” Someone around her asked.
Her hand grasped Evanram’s into a deathgrip, her knuckles white.
“What is it?” he asked, puzzled by her sudden change in palor.
“It’s here… for _me_.”
Evanram’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
Her terrified eyes slid slowly to his. “I can hear her in my head.”
“Then you must go to her!” A boisterous voice insisted behind her.
Suddenly, Rathandra found herself being pushed along by the hands of
the crowd toward the sands, toward the _creature_ that waited for her
there.
When she was face-to-snout with the creature, she could see the
green’s radiant, iridescent eyes. Rainbows. And then it washed over
her, an unexpected feeling of warmth and connection. As if she were no
longer alone inside her own body.
**Morivath.** She knew the creature’s name as readily as she knew her own.
}:Well, it took you long enough. I am hungry. You have no idea. All
the others are eating. I want to eat, too.:{ Morivath insisted.
~* End Flashback *~
Morivath now rested in a box-like bed beside her. Rathandra studied
her in the quiet. A sharp, arrow-like snout and highly arched
eyeridges made the green seem imperious and haughty. The tip of her
whip-like tail was draped over her nose, and the soft little grunts
she emitted in her sleep made her sound as if she were snoring.
A tiny blossom of affection budded in Rathandra’s chest. She supposed
the creature wasn’t _so_ unfortunate looking. And with her mouth
closed, the scary teeth weren’t quite visible. The talons were still
rather frightening, but they were tucked beneath the green's body
where she lay curled in a ball.
The chatter of other Weyrlings headed for the feast drifted around
her. She knew she needed to go. She had to find Evanram. Had to
explain…. Only, what was there to explain? She was somehow now bonded
to one of the great dragons of Pern.
She, Rathandra, formerly a harper, and a Holdless, was now a
Dragonrider of Pern.
Last updated on the October 19th 2025