E'ston and bronze Danguath

The Road So Far!

It all began at Jessaf Hold, in the protectorate of Madellon Weyr, for Beston – a young man of 18 Turns, dreaming of becoming a bronze rider.

Beston was born to unusual privilege – a grandson of Winstone, Lord of mighty Jessaf Hold. Beston didn't scramble for the attention of the young Search rider, Garlan, who came to Jessaf in early 102 seeking candidates for Madellon Weyr's latest clutch. But as a scion of the Hold, Beston was among the party welcoming the green rider to Jessaf – and, in due course, became the focus of her dragon Hushith's attention. Lord Winstone wasn't enthusiastic about Beston becoming a candidate – displeased that such a opportunity would ruin his plans for Beston's betrothal to a niece of Lord Orfen's. But he grudgingly accepted that, as Beston had his majority, he had the right to accept Search. And with Winstone's admonition that he Impress a bronze – or a brown at the very least – ringing in his ears, Beston left to begin his candidacy at Madellon Weyr.

As a candidate, Beston was assigned a bunkmate – Soburn, an anxious Weyrbred youth with one failed Hatching already haunting him, who would soon become his closest friend in the Weyr. He also got to know many of his fellow candidates, including the Weyrbred twins Leover and Leoguy; Zielaph, the nephew of a Madellon bronze rider; and Chiliam, a good-natured highborn lad from Kellad.

But he also made an enemy – Rielat, a self-important apprentice Weaver – who took a firm disliking to Beston! Backed up by his crony Kestor, Rielat became the thorn in Beston's side throughout the sevendays of candidacy.

Hatching Day

The dragons' hum woke Soburn and Beston on 102.03.17. Following a brief run-in with Rielat, the pair joined the rest of the candidates for a morning lecture. The Weyrlingmaster, L'stev, gave the whole cohort – increased by three late Searchees to a total of thirty-five – strict instructions about pre-Hatching preparations, including eating, drinking, bathing – and in some cases, getting a decent haircut – and then turned the group loose for the morning. Before Beston left, Soburn asked him to find out if H'nar, the young Wingleader of the Betweenless Wing, might currently be seeing someone – or not.

The one-armed green rider and the thieving queen

Immediately on leaving the candidate barracks, Beston was flagged down by M'shen – a green rider with one arm, a fire-lizard queen – and a problem. His queen, Squiffy, had stolen several pieces of the Weyrwoman's jewellery, and hidden it around the Weyr. M'shen recruited Beston to find it. Despite Beston's best efforts, though, he didn't manage to complete and return the jewellery set before the Hatching.

Weyrbrat by name...

A run-in with a Weyrbrat – Terzon, whom Rielat had paid to cause Beston trouble – resulted in an unfortunate public incident. All too aware of being shaken down, Beston gave the kid a shove – in front of a number of witnesses – doing nothing for his reputation!

A shining example

Coming upon Santinoth – Madellon's biggest bronze – being bathed in the lake, Beston was quick to offer assistance to his rider, T'rello. It couldn't hurt to have some close-up experience with a bronze, could it?

Friend request

Conscious of Soburn's bashfulness, Beston approached the object of his affections – H'nar, Wingleader of the Betweenless Wing – with some circumspection. Still, when questioned, H'nar insisted he had to know who was making enquiries of him. And when he learned the identity of his admirer, he told Beston that he wasn't interested in Soburn – or any other men, for that matter. But Beston's agile pivot in questioning revealed that a close friend of H'nar's – blue rider M'rany – might be a viable alternative. Thus encouraged, Soburn began to think more positively of life as a dragonrider – even if H'nar would end up being his Wingleader!

The Hatching

When it came to the Hatching, Beston had to wait for every other dragonet to Hatch and choose a rider before the black-freckled grey egg Hatched to reveal the deep classic-bronze hatchling who would choose him, naming himself Danguath.

A friend in me

And Beston wasn't the only lucky one. To his delight, Soburn also Impressed, becoming the rider of a slender olive-green hatchling, Aeranth.

Whatever happened to Rielat?

Sadly, there was at least one fly in the numbweed. Rielat Impressed an impressively proportioned indigo-blue hatchling, making them Beston and Danguath's new classmates. (On the bright side, at least Kestor didn't Impress!)

After the Hatching

"Danguath" by Chris S. Baily

The Weyrlingmaster was the first to congratulate Beston on his Impression, but it was Garlan, delighted that her risky choice of Winstone's grandson had Impressed, who stepped in to help with the immediate matter of Danguath's first meal. That was Beston's first opportunity to speak to Soburn, too, and they introduced each other, with considerable delight, to their respective dragonets, Danguath and Aeranth. Soburn also told Beston that his new name was to be – perhaps unsurprisingly – S'burn.

It wasn't long before Danguath's personality started to become evident. The energetic bronze dragonet, the classic shade of his colour, was unusually forceful even for his colour – promising to be a handful for his rider!

With both dragonets full to bursting with fresh meat, the newly minted dragonpairs left the Hatching sands for their new home: the weyrling barracks.

Big brother

Another friend Beston made along the way – a young Holdbred candidate, Nichen, whom Beston had encountered in a hopelessly dishevelled state directly before the Hatching – hailed Beston at the barracks – crediting him with his successful Impression of a moon-blue dragonet, Yooth!

Meeting the Weyrleader

As Beston and S'burn wiped the worst of the blood and sand from their tired new dragonets, the Weyrleader, T'gat, came to inspect both boys' dragonets, to ask after their names – and to ask the two new weyrlings how they should now be called. Beston was proud to introduce Danguath to the Weyrleader. And after a brief conference with Danguath, Beston gave the Weyrleader his own new name: E'ston, rider of bronze Danguath!

Following their audience with the Weyrleader, and the application of oily rags to relieve Danguath's and Aeranth's newborn itchiness, E'ston and S'burn headed into the boys' barracks to claim the billets that would be theirs for the next Turn. Choosing adjacent cots, the two new weyrlings got their dragonets settled on the couches that they would take months to grow into. But there was no time for them to sit and admire their new dragons. The Weyrlingmaster soon came along to give them their new weyrling shoulder-knots, before chivvying them off to the Hatching feast!

The Hatching feast

E'ston and S'burn soon went their separate ways to find family and friends. Many of the riders and Weyrfolk E'ston had helped during the day greeted him with warm congratulations as he hunted through the throng – but, at last, he found his family.

Lord Winstone, E'ston's grandfather, was very pleased indeed to be able to boast to all and sundry that his grandson had Impressed a bronze, although he still managed to find fault with Danguath for failing to be the largest dragonet in the clutch – a criticism that the Weyrleaders were quick to cut short in their toast to E'ston and his bronze.

The rest of the evening passed in a blur for E'ston, and it came as a relief when the Weyrlingmaster ordered all the new weyrlings back to the barracks for a good night's sleep. But en route to bed, E'ston was flagged down by a Weyrbrat, Emry, bringing the message that Weyrwoman Second Tarshe wanted to see him in the Archives.

Setting the record straight

Tarshe, tasked by the Weyrwoman with converting candidate documentation into weyrling records, went through E'ston's background with him – including much of what he had got up to on the morning of the Hatching – for good and ill. She offered E'ston some advice about paying attention to his new classmates and surroundings, lest he fall foul of the Weyrlingmaster's penchant for snap quizzes, and made some observations on Danguath.

A close encounter

On his way back to the barracks , E'ston had two peculiar encounters – first, with Tarshe's queen, Berzunth, who seemed quite agitated by one of the visiting dragons on the Rim; and then with a mysterious hooded figure, smelling strongly of what E'ston would later realise was firestone, who called him by name – and gave him a curious wooden box.

"The Watchful Queen" by Chris S. Baily

Back at the barracks, E'ston decided, on balance, not to tell the Weyrlingmaster about the stranger.

Returning at last to Danguath – billeted between S'burn's Aeranth and a mucky-looking brown dragonet – E'ston was too tired to examine the strange wooden box very closely, and put it in his clothes' chest for later examination. But even as he went to sleep – a dragonrider at last, his bronze beside him – E'ston was struck with a deep sense of foreboding. Who was the mysterious dragonrider in the hooded cloak? And what was the significance of the strange wooden box?

E'ston and Danguath's story will continue in Dragonchoice: Weyrling, coming soon!

E'ston's achievements

Achievement Unlocked:
CARRY ON WAYWARD SON

I travelled The Road So Far!

Achievement Unlocked:
OUR ROB, OR ROSS

I received a mysterious box!

Achievement Unlocked:
A HORSE WITH A NAME

I have a name and it's a good name and I don't need to fix my name. Probably.

Achievement Unlocked:
THE YIN TO YOUR YANG

Danguath and I complement each other!

Achievement Unlocked:
SNAKES AND SNAILS

I haven't been very nice!

Achievement Unlocked:
EBONY AND IVORY

Danguath and I agreed on something very important!

Achievement Unlocked:
IN TUNE

Danguath and I agreed on something quite important!