Siobhan and blue Gemirth
The Road So Far!
It all began at Jessaf Hold, in the protectorate of Madellon Weyr, for Siobhan – a young woman of 17 Turns, dreaming of becoming a blue rider.
Siobhan was born the daughter of a modest cotholder at Jessaf Hold, working alongside her widowed father to work their allotted land, and help bring up her young twin siblings, Albon and Gettie. And in early 102, when a green rider, N'jol, and his Kistrith came to Jessaf in search of candidates for Madellon Weyr's hardening clutch, Siobhan didn't even present herself as a hopeful. Yet it was Siobhan that Kistrith singled out among all those young people. She almost didn't accept Search – anxious not to abandon her father. But he insisted, revealing that his late wife, Siobhan's mother, had always dreamed of being a dragonrider – and gifting Siobhan with her blue feather pendant as a lucky charm.
As a candidate, Siobhan was assigned a bunkmate – Erilde, a quiet young woman from the Lower Caverns fearing a second unsuccessful Hatching, who would soon become her closest friend in the Weyr. She also got to know many of her fellow candidates, including the Weyrbred twins Leover and Leoguy; Zielaph, the nephew of a Madellon bronze rider; and Arina, a level-headed young woman from Jessaf who'd stood at the previous Hatching.
But she also made an enemy – Auciet, a snobby and superior Holdbred girl – who took a firm disliking to Siobhan! Backed up by her crony Cedranne, Auciet became the thorn in Siobhan's side throughout the sevendays of candidacy.
Hatching Day
The dragons' hum woke Erilde and Siobhan on 102.03.17. Following a brief run-in with Auciet, 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 Siobhan left, Erilde asked her to make enquiries about any dragonrider heritage she herself might possess, to give her confidence a boost before the Hatching.
The one-armed green rider and the thieving queen
Immediately on leaving the candidate barracks, Siobhan 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 Siobhan to find it. The quest took Siobhan all over Madellon, from kitchens to lake to infirmary – but in the end she succeeded in reuniting the Weyrwoman's jewellery set, to general acclaim.
Respecting her elders
In the Weyr's kitchen gardens, Siobhan encountered R'hren, a former Weyrleader of Madellon, now peacefully retired to potter among his beloved plants. R'hren asked Siobhan to help him track down the ingredients for a warming salve to help his elderly bronze, Staamath, with his arthritic forepaws. Siobhan 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, Siobhan offered it to old S'rius, who was equally appreciative of the gift. And while Kisha, the blind old green rider Siobhan encountered in the infirmary, would have nothing to do with one of R'hren's concoctions, she too grew to approve of Siobhan – especially after she solved all three of her fiendish riddles!
Southern comfort
Siobhan met G'kalte – a brown rider and Wingsecond, not to mention Weyrwoman Valonna's weyrmate – in the Bowl, and was quickly recruited by him to help with a diplomatic matter. G'kalte had been tasked with delivering two gifts from Valonna to her Southern counterpart Weyrwoman Karika – but he'd been summoned away to collect his own grandmother, Lady Coffleby, for the Hatching.
He asked Siobhan to figure out which of the seven Southern dragons visiting Madellon were the correct pair to hand over Karika's gifts. And while G'kalte's brown, Archidath, offered Siobhan some intelligence on the Southern seven, his advice was somewhat garbled! Nonetheless, Siobhan unravelled Archidath's confusing suggestions and got the right packages to the right dragons – without being growled at!
A Masterful order
In the dining hall, Siobhan met her 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, Siobhan 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. Siobhan even shared the largesse with Zielaph, who then introduced her to Fr'ton – who, having Impressed a bronze in spite of his less than boundless promise, gave Siobhan a certain confidence in her own prospects!
A rising problem
Siobhan 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. Siobhan'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 Siobhan did annoy Soleigh, who wasn't impressed with her for prolonging Maris' binge by bringing her more wine!
Harping on
Siobhan perhaps overestimated her own competence when it came to a disastrous spell on the Harper dais in the dining hall. Accompanying Weyr Singer Carleah – badly – on the tambourine, she was lucky not to be booed off the stage!
Kitchen diplomacy
Madellon's kitchens – the heart of the Weyr, and domain of Headwoman Crauva – provided Siobhan with the opportunity to show off her 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 Siobhan to find for his warming salve.
Eggs and baskets
A visit to the Archives led to a meeting with Tarshe, Madellon's Weyrwoman Second. When Siobhan expressed an interested in looking up some Weyr records, Tarshe offered her the loan of a glowbasket – on the proviso that she return it afterwards. But with one thing and another, Siobhan didn't bring it back – earning the Weyrwoman Second's ire!
A shining example
Coming upon Santinoth – Madellon's biggest bronze – being bathed in the lake, Siobhan was quick to offer assistance to his rider, T'rello. Perhaps Siobhan was never going to Impress a bronze – but it couldn't hurt to have some hands-on experience!
Friend request
Seeking knowledge of Erilde's parentage, Siobhan visited the Weyr's Archives and sought advice from Weyrwoman Tarshe, the Weyrwoman Second. While Tarshe could find no evidence that Erilde's father had been a dragonrider, she suggested Siobhan might construct a story about a long-dead rider. Siobhan delved into Madellon's records and unearthed a brown rider, B'get, deceased some Turns ago, but of the right age to have fathered her friend. Bringing this plausible white lie to Erilde may have been a tad devious – but it had the desired effect on her belief that she could, in fact, possess the ability to Impress a dragon!
Hair today
Mindful of the Weyrlingmaster's orders to be smart for the Hatching, Siobhan visited Madellon's resident barber – green rider Z'fell – for a trim. Very conscious of her dignity, Siobhan ensured she came away with a cut she actually liked.
A breath of foul air
Early in the day, Siobhan found out about a secret way into the Hatching Ground via storeroom that might allow her a sneaky peek at the eggs before the Hatching. Successfully entering the combination to the lock on the storeroom door, and suitably equipped with a glowbasket, she crawled into a confusing maze of passages. The route she chose turned out to be thick with choking toxic fumes from Madellon's volcanic foundation, and Siobhan soon found herself struggling for breath. And then she came across Auciet – having apparently followed Siobhan into the passageways – lying unconscious and insensible in the fume-filled tunnel.
Perhaps it was the toxic air, or perhaps not – but when Siobhan crawled out onto the Hatching sands, she didn't drag Auciet out with her – and nor did she tell the Weyrleader about her stricken fellow candidate. Overcome by the ordeal, Siobhan fainted.
Siobhan woke in the infirmary – only to be interrogated by a very grim Weyrleader T'gat and Weyrlingmaster L'stev. Auciet had been found – dead. And only some very quick talking on Siobhan's part spared her from being thrown out of the Weyr entirely.
The Hatching
When it came to the Hatching, Siobhan 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 her, naming himself Gemirth.
But Gemirth was nearly beaten to Siobhan by another dragonet – an inquisitive teal-green hatchling who seemed torn between Siobhan and Erilde. Sensing that she wasn't the best match for her, Siobhan stepped aside to give Erilde precedence – resulting in her Impression of the little green, Shaldeth.
After the Hatching
"Gemirth" by Chris S. Baily
The Weyrlingmaster was the first to congratulate Siobhan on her Impression, but it was N'jol, delighted that his most humble candidate had Impressed, who stepped in to help with the immediate matter of Gemirth's first meal. That was Siobhan's first opportunity to speak to Erilde, too, and they introduced each other, with considerable delight, to their respective dragonets, Gemirth and Shaldeth.
It wasn't long before Gemirth'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 Siobhan and Erilde wiped the worst of the blood and sand from their tired new dragonets, the Weyrleader, T'gat, came to inspect both girls' dragonets – and in particular to remark upon Siobhan's unusual Impression of a blue. T'gat further enquired if Siobhan would like to elide her name, as T'gala had done, or not. Siobhan elected not to elide her name – content to remain Siobhan, rider of blue Gemirth!
Following their audience with the Weyrleader, and the application of oily rags to relieve Gemirth's and Shaldeth's newborn itchiness, Siobhan and Erilde headed into the girls' 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
Siobhan and Erilde soon went their separate ways to find family and friends. Many of the riders and Weyrfolk Siobhan had helped during the day greeted her with warm congratulations as she hunted through the throng – but, at last, she found her family.
Siobhan's father almost couldn't believe his daughter's good fortune, completely thrilled to be the father of a dragonrider. And he was even more starstruck when the Weyrleaders came to drink a toast to Siobhan and Gemirth.
The rest of the evening passed in a blur for Siobhan, 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, Siobhan was flagged down by a Weyrbrat, Emry, bringing the message that Weyrwoman Second Tarshe wanted to see her in the Archives.
Setting the record straight
Tarshe, tasked by the Weyrwoman with converting candidate documentation into weyrling records, went through Siobhan's background with her – including much of what she had got up to on the morning of the Hatching – for good and ill. She offered Siobhan some advice about paying attention to her new classmates and surroundings, lest she fall foul of the Weyrlingmaster's penchant for snap quizzes, advised her to report to Master Isnan before returning to the barracks to get her injuries checked again, and made some observations on Gemirth.
A close encounter
On her way back to the barracks (by way of the infirmary, as ordered by Tarshe), Siobhan 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 Siobhan would later realise was firestone, who called her by name – and gave her a curious wooden box.
"The Watchful Queen" by Chris S. Baily
Back at the barracks, Siobhan decided, on balance, not to tell the Weyrlingmaster about the stranger.
Returning at last to Gemirth – billeted between Erilde's Shaldeth and a pale green dragonet – Siobhan was too tired to examine the strange wooden box very closely, and put it in her clothes' chest for later examination. But even as she went to sleep – a dragonrider at last, her blue beside her – Siobhan 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?
Siobhan and Gemirth's story will continue in Dragonchoice: Weyrling, coming soon!
Siobhan'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
Gemirth and I complement each other!
Achievement Unlocked:
SUGAR AND SPICE
I've been a very nice person (so far)!
Achievement Unlocked:
PLEASE STATE THE NATURE OF THE MEDICAL EMERGENCY
I returned to the infirmary!
Achievement Unlocked:
EBONY AND IVORY
Gemirth and I agreed on something very important!
Achievement Unlocked:
BUM NOTE
Gemirth and I disagreed on something quite important!
Achievement Unlocked:
OUT, DAMNED SPOT
I left Auciet to die, and I'll have to live with that secret, forever.