Adrienne and green Chalath
The Road So Far!
It all began at Jessaf Hold, in the protectorate of Madellon Weyr, for Adrienne – a young woman of 17 Turns, dreaming of becoming a green rider.
Adrienne was born to unusual privilege – a granddaughter of Winstone, Lord of mighty Jessaf Hold. Adrienne 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, Adrienne 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 Adrienne becoming a candidate – displeased that such a opportunity would ruin his plans for Adrienne's betrothal to a nephew of Lord Orfen's. But he grudgingly accepted that, as Adrienne had her majority, she had the right to accept Search. And with Winstone's admonition that she should remember her place as his granddaughter and not make a scene ringing in her ears, Adrienne left to begin her candidacy at Madellon Weyr.
As a candidate, Adrienne 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 Adrienne! Backed up by her crony Cedranne, Auciet became the thorn in Adrienne's side throughout the sevendays of candidacy.
Hatching Day
The dragons' hum woke Erilde and Adrienne 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 Adrienne 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, Adrienne 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 Adrienne to find it. Despite Adrienne's best efforts, though, she didn't manage to complete and return the jewellery set before the Hatching.
Respecting her elders
In the Weyr's kitchen gardens, Adrienne encountered R'hren, a former Weyrleader of Madellon, now peacefully retired to potter among his beloved plants. R'hren asked Adrienne to help him track down the ingredients for a warming salve to help his elderly bronze, Staamath, with his arthritic forepaws. Adrienne duly located the components of R'hren's salve, winning the old bronze rider's approval in the process.
Kitchen diplomacy
Madellon's kitchens – the heart of the Weyr, and domain of Headwoman Crauva – provided Adrienne 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 Adrienne to find for his warming salve.
A shining example
Coming upon Santinoth – Madellon's biggest bronze – being bathed in the lake, Adrienne was quick to offer assistance to his rider, T'rello. Perhaps Adrienne was never going to Impress a bronze – but it couldn't hurt to have some hands-on experience!
The Hatching
When it came to the Hatching, Adrienne had an excruciatingly long wait before the grey-splashed beige egg Hatched to reveal the dark teal-green dragonet who would choose her, naming herself Chalath.
A friend bereft
But to Adrienne's dismay, Erilde wasn't as fortunate. No dragonet showed an interest in her, and she was left among the candidates remaining unmatched at the end of the Hatching.
Whatever happened to Auciet?
Sadly, there was at least one fly in the numbweed. Auciet Impressed an unusually aggressive grass-green hatchling, making them Adrienne and Chalath's new classmates. (On the bright side, at least Cedranne didn't Impress!)
After the Hatching
"Chalath" by Chris S. Baily
The Weyrlingmaster was the first to congratulate Adrienne on her Impression, but it was Garlan, delighted that her risky choice of Winstone's granddaughter had Impressed, who stepped in to help with the immediate matter of Chalath's first meal. That was the first moment Adrienne had truly grasped that Erilde wasn't going to be a weyrling alongside her – a truth that hit hard. In Erilde's absence, Arina, who'd Impressed a cloudy-green dragonet, Chanth – was a welcome friendly face.
It wasn't long before Chalath's personality started to become evident. The teal-green dragonet, inquisitive about everything from the instant of her hatching, also proved to be an especially sweet-natured and kind character.
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 sister
Another friend Adrienne made along the way – a young Weyrbred candidate, Brithie, whom Adrienne had encountered in a sudden crisis of confidence directly before the Hatching – hailed Adrienne at the barracks – crediting her with her successful Impression of a tiny bottle-green dragonet, Epatanth!
Meeting the Weyrleader
As Adrienne and Arina wiped the worst of the blood and sand from their tired new dragonets, the Weyrleader, T'gat, came to inspect both girls' dragonets and to ask after their names. Adrienne was proud to introduce Chalath to the Weyrleader – and to give him her full new name: Adrienne, rider of green Chalath!
Following their audience with the Weyrleader, and the application of oily rags to relieve Chalath's and Chanth's newborn itchiness, Adrienne and Arina 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
Adrienne and Arina soon went their separate ways to find family and friends. Many of the riders and Weyrfolk Adrienne had helped during the day greeted her with warm congratulations as she hunted through the throng – but, at last, she found her family.
Lord Winstone, Adrienne's grandfather, was faint with his praise for his granddaughter's Impression of Chalath – suggesting that she should have waited for a chance at a queen. The Weyrleaders were swift to insist that Impressing any dragon was a great achievement!
The rest of the evening passed in a blur for Adrienne, 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, Adrienne 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 Adrienne'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 Adrienne some advice about paying attention to her new classmates and surroundings, lest she fall foul of the Weyrlingmaster's penchant for snap quizzes, and made some observations on Chalath.
A close encounter
On her way back to the barracks , Adrienne 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 Adrienne 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, Adrienne decided, on balance, not to tell the Weyrlingmaster about the stranger.
Returning at last to Chalath – billeted between Arina's Chanth and a very large green dragonet – Adrienne 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 green beside her – Adrienne 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?
Adrienne and Chalath's story will continue in Dragonchoice: Weyrling, coming soon!
Adrienne'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
Chalath and I make a very strong match!
Achievement Unlocked:
EBONY AND IVORY
Chalath and I agreed on something very important!
Achievement Unlocked:
IN TUNE
Chalath and I agreed on something quite important!
Achievement Unlocked:
ENEMY MINE
Chalath and Naisseth took against each other!