A Gift for a Daughter

Writers: Stasha
Date Posted: 16th February 2008

Characters: Alasha
Description: A'son gives her sister a sparring lesson while A'berso gives his daughter a flit egg
Location: Amber Hills Hold
Date: month 7, day 28 of Turn 4

Alasha felt herself rise high into the clouds on the neck of her green dragon. Never had she been so free as she flew away from the prison of the cothold below her. Free from her step father, and free from any constraint of marriage placed on her, Alasha was no longer bound to anything but her dragon, Jezith, who only took her higher into the sky, them together. But Alasha was still bound to her hold, and her step father still reigned over her. She was still just a mere girl in a mere cothold where the only dragon that existed was Jezith, who was nothing more than Alasha's dream of hope.

Neloneth's welcoming bugle broke Alasha from her train of thought, and she focused back on her runnerbeast as she road up the hill to her brother and his brown. She would have to cast any ideas of becoming a dragonrider for now. Still, she hoped...

~*~

Alasha studied A'son as his foil rushed with her own blade. The slim swords chimed together as Alasha pivoted passed her brother and took a step back guarding her flank.

"Don't ever take defense when you have the upper hand," her bother instructed her. "It tells your opponent that you're insecure."

She nodded before she sent her body forward and jabbed at A'son. He was quick to parry her blow and sent his own blade darting towards her, but she danced out of the way. She lunged again and counteracted his parry before she sent a slash just below the block. A'son saw the blade shimmer and swung his light blade around to catch her foil. She was getting better he thought to himself as he gave his sister a grin.

"You're getting craftier sister," he encouraged her, but he could not help but add a taunt as well. "But still not crafty enough."

Alasha laughed at her brother before she sent her foil forward again driving him back. "I can only do what I am taught. Forgive me if your lessons can propel me no further, A'son," she flashed a grin back as she settled back into position.

Again their blades whirled together, randomly clashing together as they met. Alasha used the opportunity to send another jab at her brother. She got passed his defense this time and the tip of the blade rammed hard into his chest padding.

"You got me," A'son exclaimed in disbelief.

"Apparently your blade is not cunning enough."

"Gloating is not becoming of you." He raised his foil, though he did enjoy their lyrical talks. "Again."

As they prepared to spar Neloneth let out a welcome bugle as a bronze dragon emerged for /between/.

Her father? Alasha realized as she recognized the unmistakable red tinted bronze hide of her father's dragon, Muroth. But he never said anything about coming today. She threw an accusing glance at her brother. "You didn't tell me he was coming."

"I didn't know he was," her brother simply shrugged. "Come on, we'll meet him at the cot." He removed his mask and stuck it in a bag before he mounted onto his eager brown. "I'll race you to the cothold!" He called out before Neloneth sprung into the air throwing up snow.

"No fair!" She cried out in disapproval as she leaped onto her runnerbeast. However, as the beast rushed down the hill back to the cothold, all Alasha could think about was not about beating her brother, but about how excited she was to finally see her father again.

~*~

Murasha looked at the small cream blue egg, before she gave A'berso an approving nod. "It will suit our daughter well," she replied.

He was happy for her approval. "I'm sure she'll love it."

"I'm sure she will, almost as much as having her own dragon." Murasha held her gaze with A'berso.

That again? He knew what she was implying, and hated her for attempting to push the same issue again. It was not that A'berso did not want the same for his daughter. He would have loved to see her stand, and even tried to convince her, but she refused the offer to leave the cothold. It was obvious that Alasha wanted to try and Impress, but something held her back. Whether it was fear of failure, or a bizarre sense of loyalty, A'berso could not force his daughter to stand regardless of what Murasha thought. When he heard Neloneth land just outside the cot he answered with a "We'll talk about this later."

A'son was kind enough to let his sister enter into the cothold first, though he did not let her forget that he won.

"You got a head start, and you were on dragon back. Of course you won," she poked back at him.

Murasha smiled at her daughter's laugh. Nothing made her happier than hearing Alasha's joy.

Alasha turned her attention to her father and rushed over to him.
"Papa!" It had been too long sense she had seen him.

A'berso held his daughter for a moment before he stood back. "How've you been? Has Desamin been treating you well?" It had become habit for the rider to always ask the two questions together.

}:She's okay:{ Muroth assured him.

"I've been great," she responded, though she did not want to speak of her step father. Luckily he was away from the hold for the seven day, but unfortunately it was for a cotholder that would be willing enough to marry her. It was only about marks for him.

A'berso knew not the press the issue. He would let the topic lay for now, but he would make sure to ask Murasha once Alasha was out of the room. "I'm glad to hear that."

"Why were you gone for so long?" It did hurt her when he did not come for weeks at a time, but she reminded himself that he was a dragonrider. It was to be expected.

"Threadfall, weyrlife, You know how it is Alasha."

She did, not that she liked his absence. "Yes, well, at least you're here now."

Always looking on the bright side, though her disappointment remained obvious. "Yes, and I got something for you."

Something for her. She peered over to her brother who only grinned like an idiot. What was it?

A'berso stepped to the table and took a pail that Alasha did not even notice until now. "One of the riders found a flit clutch last sevenday, so I thought I'd see what they had, and found this."

Alasha's eyes widened as he gave her the small pail. She gently pushed the sand aside and saw the soft cream blue hue of a flit egg. "You got me a firelizard?" She could scarcely believe what she saw. "But," they were so expensive, and what about Iriek, Demashin, or Desamin? Well, luckily Desamin was away from the cothold and Iriek and Demashin were not there to see the flit egg or else she knew they would rid of it.

"No buts," A'berso cut her off before she could say anything more.
"You deserve a flit," if not a dragon.

"Besides, it can be practice for you for when you finally decide to stand," her mother added with a soft smile at her daughter. She set her hands on her shoulders and kissed her forehead.

She could hear the eagerness in her mother's voice. Alasha was about to rebuke any ideas her parents had about her standing, but she kept her mouth shut and instead stared at the small egg. Still, she did want to stand, she wanted to so badly, but her mother... She could not leave her behind like that, and at least she would have a small dragon now of her own, even if the flit was not the real thing. Maybe then she could live with her decision to stay off the sands, and life in the cothold could be bearable.

A'berso caught the slight tension that radiated off his daughter. "Why don't you take the egg to your hearth before your siblings sees it,"
for some of her siblings were just as bad as their father, and they did not need to see the egg either. "A'son can go with you too," he turned his gray eyes to his son who nodded as he read between A'berso's words. A'berso sent a firm glance back to Murasha.

"Come on Ash," A'son motioned to the stairway.

Alasha knew there was more than one reason why A'berso wanted Alasha to go and to have A'son to go with her. But she complied and led A'son to the stairway, all the while thinking about the small flit egg.

It was not a dragon, but it was close and would provide her with the same bond she had always wanted. Still Alasha found her eyes gaze over to the direction at the Weyr. Alasha knew she would never have the strength to abandon her mother, but Alasha still dreamed. As she climbed the stairway she allowed her imagination to take her back into the clouds on Jezith's back. They flew far beyond everything; away from the cothold, away from her step father, and one step closer to freedom...

Last updated on the February 21st 2008

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A Gift for a Daughter