Re'trell and blue Monimith
The Road So Far!
It all began at Jessaf Hold, in the protectorate of Madellon Weyr, for Rentrell – a young man of 18 Turns, dreaming of becoming a blue rider.
Rentrell was born to unusual privilege – a grandson of Winstone, Lord of mighty Jessaf Hold. Rentrell 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, Rentrell 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 Rentrell becoming a candidate – displeased that such a opportunity would ruin his plans for Rentrell's betrothal to a niece of Lord Orfen's. But he grudgingly accepted that, as Rentrell 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, Rentrell left to begin his candidacy at Madellon Weyr.
As a candidate, Rentrell 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 Rentrell! Backed up by his crony Kestor, Rielat became the thorn in Rentrell's side throughout the sevendays of candidacy.
Hatching Day
The dragons' hum woke Soburn and Rentrell 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 Rentrell 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
Immediately on leaving the candidate barracks, Rentrell was flagged down by M'shen – a green rider with only one arm. But whatever he wanted, Rentrell never discovered, after making a mean-spirited joke about M'shen's missing hand that – not unreasonably – made the green rider take against him.
Respecting his elders
In the Weyr's kitchen gardens, Rentrell encountered R'hren, a former Weyrleader of Madellon, now peacefully retired to potter among his beloved plants. R'hren asked Rentrell to help him track down the ingredients for a warming salve to help his elderly bronze, Staamath, with his arthritic forepaws. Rentrell duly located the components of R'hren's salve, winning the old bronze rider's approval in the process.
Gifted a small pot of the salve, Rentrell offered it to old S'rius, who was equally appreciative of the gift. And while Kisha, the blind old green rider Rentrell encountered in the infirmary, would have nothing to do with one of R'hren's concoctions, she too grew to approve of Rentrell – especially after he solved all three of her fiendish riddles!
A Masterful order
In the dining hall, Rentrell 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, Rentrell 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. Rentrell even shared the largesse with Zielaph, who then introduced him to Fr'ton – who, having Impressed a bronze in spite of his less than boundless promise, gave Rentrell a certain confidence in his own prospects!
A rising problem
Rentrell 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. Rentrell's intervention successfully got rid of G'tron, whose Imdoth was very sweet indeed on Bristath, from the mating flight – not to mention G'pellas, another blue rider, needed in the Harper ensemble – and reconciled the two green riders. Even if Rentrell did annoy Soleigh, who wasn't impressed with him for prolonging Maris' binge by bringing her more wine!
Kitchen diplomacy
Madellon's kitchens – the heart of the Weyr, and domain of Headwoman Crauva – provided Rentrell with the opportunity to show off his work ethic before the Hatching. A round of chores duly pleased Crauva. And the kitchen was also the source of the hotfruit R'hren had sent Rentrell to find for his warming salve.
Weyrbrat by name...
A run-in with a Weyrbrat – Terzon, whom Rielat had paid to cause Rentrell trouble – resulted in an unfortunate public incident. All too aware of being shaken down, Rentrell gave the kid a shove – in front of a number of witnesses – doing nothing for his reputation!
A blue lady
Coming across T'gala, Pern's only female blue rider, bathing her Heppeth in the lake, Rentrell offered his assistance – which T'gala gladly accepted.
Friend request
Conscious of Soburn's bashfulness, Rentrell 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 Rentrell that he wasn't interested in Soburn – or any other men, for that matter. But Rentrell'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, Rentrell had to wait for every other dragonet to Hatch and choose a rider before the pearl-green egg Hatched to reveal the deep midnight-blue hatchling who would choose him, naming himself Monimith.
A friend in me
And Rentrell 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?
It turned out that making an enemy of Rentrell was a very poor choice on Rielat's part. For the low, low price of just three marks, Rentrell had Grimes, the shady fellow loitering near the Gather stalls, spread a series of nasty rumours about Rielat. By the time the Weyrlingmaster mustered the candidate cohort immediately before the Hatching, the damage to Rielat's reputation was done – and he was ejected from the candidate pool without ever setting foot on the Sands!
After the Hatching
"Monimith" by Chris S. Baily
The Weyrlingmaster was the first to congratulate Rentrell 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 Monimith's first meal. That was Rentrell's first opportunity to speak to Soburn, too, and they introduced each other, with considerable delight, to their respective dragonets, Monimith and Aeranth. Soburn also told Rentrell that his new name was to be – perhaps unsurprisingly – S'burn.
It wasn't long before Monimith's personality started to become evident. The big midnight-blue dragonet showed an immediate desire to show off and preen – not surprising given his handsome colour and conformation!
With both dragonets full to bursting with fresh meat, the newly minted dragonpairs left the Hatching sands for their new home: the weyrling barracks.
Meeting the Weyrleader
As Rentrell 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. Rentrell was proud to introduce Monimith to the Weyrleader. And after a brief conference with Monimith, Rentrell gave the Weyrleader his own new name: Re'trell, rider of blue Monimith!
Following their audience with the Weyrleader, and the application of oily rags to relieve Monimith's and Aeranth's newborn itchiness, Re'trell 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
Re'trell and S'burn soon went their separate ways to find family and friends. Many of the riders and Weyrfolk Re'trell 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, Re'trell's grandfather, was highly displeased that his grandson had only managed to Impress a blue – against his strict warning that nothing less than a brown would suffice. The Weyrleaders were quick to step in on Re'trell's behalf, but the damage to his relationship with his grandfather was done.
The rest of the evening passed in a blur for Re'trell, 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, Re'trell 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 Re'trell'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 Re'trell 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 Monimith.
A close encounter
On his way back to the barracks , Re'trell 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 Re'trell 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, Re'trell decided, on balance, not to tell the Weyrlingmaster about the stranger.
Returning at last to Monimith – billeted between S'burn's Aeranth and a bright bronze dragonet – Re'trell 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 blue beside him – Re'trell 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?
Re'trell and Monimith's story will continue in Dragonchoice: Weyrling, coming soon!
Re'trell'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
Monimith and I complement each other!
Achievement Unlocked:
SUGAR AND SPICE
I've been a very nice person (so far)!
Achievement Unlocked:
EBONY AND IVORY
Monimith and I agreed on something very important!
Achievement Unlocked:
IN TUNE
Monimith and I agreed on something quite important!