Fara

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Lasair Weyr

Fara and the other candidates were just sitting down to the morning meal when the Weyrlingmaster came running into the Dining Hall. "Candidates! Into your robes! The Hatching is about to begin!" K'zandir shouted, herding the startled young men and women towards the door.

Fara's long strides brought her to the Candidate Barracks first. She practically ripped the white robe off the hook in her haste, pulling it quickly over her head. That done, the young woman rushed out again, almost crashing into several of her fellow Candidates.

Breathless, Fara finally arrived in the huge Hatching Grounds. She waited for the other candidates to come dashing up around her. They bowed collectively to the golden Raith before stepping onto the scorching sand and forming the usual loose semi-circle around the rocking eggs. Fara kept one eye on the two queen eggs, her other eye taking in the first Impressions. A blue hatched first, followed by two greens and a brown. Fara gave each a hopeful glance, but so far none had reached her end of the circle yet.

The first cracks appeared in one of the gold eggs then, soon revealing a lovely, almost white-golden hatchling. Fara's breath caught at the young one's beauty, and she watched as Menna was singled out for Impression. The journeywoman Harper clapped loudest as the dragonet's name was announced as Kynmarrath.

Three more dragons Hatched and Impressed accordingly as the cheering died down a bit. Then, almost simultaneously, the remaining gold egg and two other cracked. Two bronzes clambered out of their shells first, followed closely by their golden sibling. Fara couldn't take her eyes off the little queen. She was completely different from her paler sister, her hide a deep, richly glowing amber-gold.

The bronzes paused, seeming to wait for the golden one to make her choice. The aureate hatchling seemed to huff haughtily, flouncing forward to make her choice. But the effect was spoiled when she tripped over her long tail and rolled head over heels--right into Fara's knees.

"You need to look where you step, Duvessath!" Fara chided, giggling despite herself. Tears of happiness leaked from her eyes. Those riders were right; Impression was like nothing else in the world.

Duvessath crooned lovingly at her rider's thoughts as they made their way out of the Hatching Grounds. Fara walked with one hand stroking her dragon's gleaming neck, still dazed by Impression. She almost couldn't believe that she was now the proud lifemate of the beautiful little gold at her side. It had happened so fast....We are one, Fara, and that is all that matters. Duvessath interrupted gently, already wise in her youthful way.

Fara smiled slowly, thoughtful. "Yes. That is all that matters." she repeated softly as she lifted up the first handful of meat for her dragon. Duvessath all but inhaled the morsels and asked for more impatiently. The young woman laughingly supplied more and more until the hatchling couldn't chew another mouthful.

Duvessath announced that she was tired and wanted to sleep. Fara managed to coax the sleepy young queen over to the warm sand by the lake before the dragonet curled up and fell asleep in an instant. Fara sat down softly by her dragon's side, content just to watch Duvessath sleep.

Vessa, we're supposed to land now... Fara admonished her queen as Duvessath continued gliding around above the Weyr. Most of the other weyrlings had already landed, and the rest were spiraling down. Nonsense. I am a queen, and he is a brown. I do not have to obey anyone but a senior queen! the golden weyrling retorted, referring to the Weyrlingmaster's brown Brendaith.

"Duvessath! Land! Now! You may not have to listen to a brown when you're grown, but right now you're weyrling and if you disobey him we'll probably be grounded!" Fara practically exploded. Duvessath landed meekly, abashed by the stern tone of her rider's voice. The young queen hid her head under one glistening wing, peering out with one eye as Brendaith and K'zandir approached, both faces irate. Contrary to her petulant words, the weyrling gold was still a little in awe of the big brown.

Duvessath! "Fara!" the Weyrlingmaster and his dragon began at the same time. Fara did not lower her eyes but met the older rider's gaze unflinchingly. Duvessath, heartened by her lifemate's defiance, lifted up her own aureate head.

Both rider and dragon listened silently as Brendaith and K'zandir ranted on about the danger, the stupidity of what they had just done, and how they were now grounded for the next sevenday.

"If you're quite done, sir, we'll be going now." Fara interjected coolly during a brief break when the brownrider had to breathe. She turned and walked off with her dragon, deliberately slow, and smiled despite herself as the Weyrlingmaster began yelling at their backs.

"Yep, those were the days, 'Vess." Fara remarked, as the memories of her weyrling days faded away. She glanced at the outer weyr, where Duvessath was lounging in the sunlight. I don't have to listen to a mere brown anymore now. was the gold's answering comment.

Fara laughed, getting out of her chair and walking over to where her dragon was sunning. "No, I suppose you don't. But you still have to listen to Elheruth and Raith. And me, of course." she reminded the queen with a smile. Duvessath made a disgruntled sort of whuffing sound, but the rider knew her dragon wasn't actually put out by the fact.

I will never cause you to be unhappy, my rider. Duvessath responded, her mental voice suffused with love. "You couldn't if you tried." Fara told her, leaning against her lifemate's warm golden side. She was comforted by the steady rising and falling of Duvessath's breathing, accompanied by the beating of the golden queen's heart. I can do anything. the dragon replied teasingly.