A Surprise Meeting

Writers: Jane, Kaysea
Date Posted: 10th September 2007

Characters: Kaldyn, Rikka
Description: Kaldyn is surprised to meet Rikka, the Hold's journeywoman technician
Location: Amber Hills Hold
Date: month 5, day 21 of Turn 4

Rikka was out enjoying the sun, even if it meant dressing in more layers than she knew she possessed and having to haul her skirts out of the snow that had fallen over the last two days each time she stepped off the path. Stepping off the path happened all too often for everywhere was crowded this restday, as if two days of snow had reminded people what a blessing it was to be able to get out.

"Dah, look!" Reia tugged at her fathers sleeve and pointed to a young girl a few steps ahead of them. Reia had been fascinated by the steps the girl had taken to avoid the deeper drifts of snow. Mam had dressed her up warmly today, mindful of the cold, wet snow that lay everywhere.

Reia was one of the few children to be out with family this day, but her older brother and sister, R'dyn and Karemyn were due to arrive with gifts for Reia's birthingday - as well as letter delivery for the Hold.
Kare had promised Reia a ride on Charyoth as part of her birthingday present, and as R'dyn hadn't seen the family for almost a turn, he had decided to join the get-together for the afternoon.

Kaldyn watched the young woman, it was unusual to see someone traipsing around on their own in weather like this, unless they had somewhere to go, but the woman seemed to be happy dancing from one side of the footpath to the other, avoiding other walkers as she went.

"Oops!" Rikka's incautious step to one side landed her on something higher and more solid that expected under the snow - and rounded, she discovered as her foot slipped off and she staggered. She dropped her carefully held skirts and flailed around with her arms as she tried to keep balance, chuckling delightedly when she did so.

Kaldyn rushed forward with Reia close behind, "Are you alright?" he asked, taking hold of the woman beneath her elbow to help her regain her footing. "Oh, excuse me journeywoman. I didn't realise..." he was flustered to realise this woman was a crafter, it wasn't often you came across female crafters, especially around this Hold.

"Realise what?" Rikka asked, still in too good a mood to assume the man would be unkind about her status as a craftswoman. "That I wasn't going to end up face down in the snow? I'm still grateful for you trying to help. It's not joke to have make a fool of oneself on such a lovely day and you were trying to prevent that."

"I would always run to the aid of a woman who may need my assistance."
Kaldyn smiled, "But I didn't address you by your rank, it was remiss of me," he blustered, which was out of character for him, but this woman, this craft woman was also totally out of character in this Hold. "My names Kaldyn - yours?"

"Rikka. It's a pleasure to meet you, Kaldyn, and there's no need to address me by rank. It can be more of a curse than an indication of respect around here, sadly."

A tug on his coat drew his attention to Reia. "Oh! Yes. Journe...
Rikka, I'd like to present to you, my daughter Reia." He smiled down at his daughter and lifted her up into his arms.

"Hello Reia," Rikka said, leaning down to greet the child. About five or six Turns old, she thought, and cute like most were at that age.

"_I've_ never met a journeywoman before." Reia stated boldly. "It's my birthingday, and I'm gonna ride a dragon." she said, her mind already moving on from something she didn't quite grasp.

"A dragon? You're a very lucky girl," the technician said, glancing up at the man to gauge whether the girl was telling the truth.

With a nod, Kaldyn confirmed Reia's words. "Her sister and brother are coming for a visit today." he said by way of explanation. "We have a few connections at the Weyr," he explained, "but she's excited today because Karemyn said she's now old enough to go for a short flight on Charyoth."

"Really?" This time Rikka looked at the child for confirmation. "And is Charyoth a green dragon?"

"Yes. She's the nicest dragon you'll ever meet." Reia nodded. "She snuffles at me each time Karemyn comes to visit. And R'dyn rides a brown called Horth and K'rei rides blue Bonth, and -." She would have continued, but Kaldyn placed a gentle hand across her mouth.

"Shh, Reia, you'll wear out the journeywoman's ears," he admonished lightly.

"Oh Dar," she swatted at him, " - he tells me that all the time." she grinned at Rikka.

"And I have very tough ears," Rikka assured her. "Am I holding you up from meeting with this green dragon?"

"No, not really," Kaldyn answered, his eyes looking up to the skies, "but if you care to walk with us, maybe you'd like to watch while Reia goes for her ride? You can meet my older daughter, and son, too."

"I would love to, if I won't be intruding on your family gathering."

"Oh no." Kaldyn shook his head, "They'll be relieved to see that we're still making friends in the Hold. They were worried when all our old neighbours and friends were scattered after the move from Amethyst Cliff Hold. Thinking their stick in the mud parents wouldn't fit in." He grinned, to show he had taken no offence from his older children.
"Besides, my daughter will be surprised to find a female crafter here, she almost chose a craft herself before she was Searched."

"Is that why she went - Oh, no. You said she was Searched. I was technician craftbred, so that was never a concern for my parents."

"Believe me, it was a close run thing." he smiled in memory, "By sixteen, her grandparents were at her to marry, but she was determined, 'I won't marry until I have a craft learned, and if I have to go north, I will.' she told us, and she would have. I bred a very determined girl."

"It sounds like it. You must be very proud to have a dragonrider in the family - or two."

"I think at last count there were four or five of them, from my generation and my children's - but yes, very proud of all of them." he smiled, his eyes watching Reia as she walked ahead of them, her eyes scouring the skies, waiting for her older siblings to arrive.

"Four or five? Your bloodline sounds like a very special one."

"Not really, that I am aware of..." Kaldyn chuckled, "My parents are farmers as were theirs before them. But the search dragons certainly enjoy removing some of us from the land."

"I've spent more than enough time -" she swallowed the word 'recently' in an attempt at discretion, "- wishing they'd come for me."

"Well you never know, it could happen when you least expect it. But don't count on Karemyn or R'dyn, neither of them ride search." he rested a hand on her shoulder, "but don't give up hope. If K'rei was coming you might stand a chance, his blue has Searched out a couple of candidates in the last Turn, but unfortunately, he and Bonth won't be here today."

"Oh, I'm not expecting it," Rikka said, smiling up at the cotholder.
"Just wishful thinking before I'm too old."

"I see them dar! I see them!" Reia bounced up and down in the snow ahead of them, her tiny arms waving in the air above her. "Look dar! Up there, that's two dragons, a green and a brown."

"She was never a child to get quietly excited." Kaldyn laughed, "Come on, come and meet my older children." He linked arms with Rikka and propelled them along at a faster pace, to catch up with Reia.

Lifting her skirts with her free hand Rikka kept pace with the man, or perhaps even sped him along. It wasn't every day she got to meet dragonriders and their lifemates.

Last updated on the September 13th 2007

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A Surprise Meeting