M'rol and brown Gelionth

The Road So Far!

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

Merolan was born to unusual privilege – a grandson of Winstone, Lord of mighty Jessaf Hold. Merolan 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, Merolan 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 Merolan becoming a candidate – displeased that such a opportunity would ruin his plans for Merolan's betrothal to a niece of Lord Orfen's. But he grudgingly accepted that, as Merolan 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, Merolan left to begin his candidacy at Madellon Weyr.

As a candidate, Merolan 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 Merolan! Backed up by his crony Kestor, Rielat became the thorn in Merolan's side throughout the sevendays of candidacy.

Hatching Day

The dragons' hum woke Soburn and Merolan 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 Merolan 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, Merolan 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 Merolan to find it. Despite Merolan's best efforts, though, he didn't manage to complete and return the jewellery set before the Hatching.

A Masterful order

In the dining hall, Merolan met his fellow candidate Zielaph, who'd been tasked by his somewhat dim uncle, bronze rider Fr'ton, with delivering a complicated drinks order to a group of Master Crafters. Zielaph had information about their names, beverages, crafts, and fire-lizards – but not in any sensible order!

Luckily for him, Merolan solved the puzzle of Fr'ton's confusing notes adeptly, delivering the correct drinks to the correct Masters, and earning a handsome tip in the process.

A rising problem

Merolan encountered both Soleigh, whose green Bristath was preparing to rise near the lake, and her weyrmate Maris, who was getting very drunk in the dining hall on account of her fears that Soleigh was having an affair with a blue rider, G'tron. And while Merolan did manage to get G'tron excluded from the flight – not to mention another blue rider, G'pellas, who was needed in the Harper ensemble – he still ultimately failed to reconcile the star-crossed green riding lovers!

Friend request

Conscious of Soburn's bashfulness, Merolan 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 Merolan that he wasn't interested in Soburn – or any other men, for that matter. But Merolan'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, Merolan had to wait a little while before the very large dark grey egg Hatched to reveal the deep turned-earth brown dragonet who would choose him, naming himself Gelionth.

A friend in me

And Merolan 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 Merolan and Gelionth's new classmates. (On the bright side, at least Kestor didn't Impress!)

After the Hatching

"Gelionth" by Emily Holland

The Weyrlingmaster was the first to congratulate Merolan 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 Gelionth's first meal. That was Merolan's first opportunity to speak to Soburn, too, and they introduced each other, with considerable delight, to their respective dragonets, Gelionth and Aeranth. Soburn also told Merolan that his new name was to be – perhaps unsurprisingly – S'burn.

It wasn't long before Gelionth's personality started to become evident. The substantial dark-brown dragonet – chunkier than any other hatchling – had a stolid, non-nonsense character to match, speaking his mind without hesitation or tact.

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

Meeting the Weyrleader

As Merolan 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. Merolan was proud to introduce Gelionth to the Weyrleader. And after a brief conference with Gelionth, Merolan gave the Weyrleader his own new name: M'rol, rider of brown Gelionth!

Following their audience with the Weyrleader, and the application of oily rags to relieve Gelionth's and Aeranth's newborn itchiness, M'rol 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

M'rol and S'burn soon went their separate ways to find family and friends. Many of the riders and Weyrfolk M'rol 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, M'rol's grandfather, was grudgingly satisfied with Gelionth's colour, if clearly disappointed that his grandson hadn't managed to Impress a bronze – a criticism that the Weyrleaders were quick to cut short in their toast to M'rol and Gelionth.

The rest of the evening passed in a blur for M'rol, 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, M'rol 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 M'rol'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 M'rol 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 Gelionth.

A close encounter

On his way back to the barracks , M'rol 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 M'rol 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, M'rol decided, on balance, not to tell the Weyrlingmaster about the stranger.

Returning at last to Gelionth – billeted between S'burn's Aeranth and a mucky-looking brown dragonet – M'rol 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 brown beside him – M'rol 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?

M'rol and Gelionth's story will continue in Dragonchoice: Weyrling, coming soon!

M'rol'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:
BIRDS OF A FEATHER

Gelionth and I make a very strong match!

Achievement Unlocked:
EBONY AND IVORY

Gelionth and I agreed on something very important!

Achievement Unlocked:
IN TUNE

Gelionth and I agreed on something quite important!