M'kel and brown Ailanth

The Road So Far!

It all began at Jessaf Hold, in the protectorate of Madellon Weyr, for Mikkel – a young boy of 13 Turns, dreaming of becoming a brown rider.

Mikkel was born to unusual privilege – a grandson of Winstone, Lord of mighty Jessaf Hold. Mikkel 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, Mikkel 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 Mikkel becoming a candidate – while conceding that he could spare a younger grandchild. And with Winstone's admonition that he Impress a bronze – or a brown at the very least – ringing in his ears, Mikkel left to begin his candidacy at Madellon Weyr.

As a candidate, Mikkel was assigned a bunkmate – Martom, a confident young Weyrbred lad, 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 – Gydeton, the blustering, entitled son of Lord Meturvian of Kellad – who took a firm disliking to Mikkel! Backed up by his crony Varell, Gydeton became the thorn in Mikkel's side throughout the sevendays of candidacy.

Hatching Day

The dragons' hum woke Martom and Mikkel on 102.03.17. Following a brief run-in with Gydeton, 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 Mikkel left, Martom – keen to prove himself by Impressing on his first attempt – asked him for help procuring some additional confidence in the form of some alcohol.

The one-armed green rider and the thieving queen

Immediately on leaving the candidate barracks, Mikkel 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 Mikkel to find it. Despite Mikkel's best efforts, though, he didn't manage to complete and return the jewellery set before the Hatching.

Friend request

Given Mikkel's age, finding some wine for Martom proved difficult – the Weyr Vintner, Master Saxton, refused to sell it to an underage candidate. His only other alternative was an illicit purchase from the shady figure of Grimes. And L'stev's warning about getting drunk before the Hatching held weight. The Vintner's offering of alcohol-free grape juice gave Mikkel an idea – and offering it to Martom, none the wiser for the substitution, still had the desired effect of boosting his confidence before the Hatching – without any unwanted side-effects!

The Hatching

When it came to the Hatching, Mikkel didn't have to wait too long for his date with destiny. The very large dark grey egg Hatched out a deep turned-earth brown dragonet who told Mikkel his name was Ailanth.

A friend in me

And Mikkel wasn't the only lucky one. To his delight, Martom also Impressed, becoming the rider of a bright golden-bronze hatchling, Kauth.

Whatever happened to Gydeton?

Quite simply, none of the dragonets seemed to want Gydeton – he was left standing. Although Mikkel did wonder if his own deep turned-earth brown Ailanth might have glanced, however briefly, in Gydeton's direction, and what might have been had he not chosen him...

After the Hatching

"Ailanth" by Emily Holland

The Weyrlingmaster was the first to congratulate Mikkel 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 Ailanth's first meal. That was Mikkel's first opportunity to speak to Martom, too, and they introduced each other, with considerable delight, to their respective dragonets, Ailanth and Kauth. Martom also told Mikkel that his new name was to be – perhaps unsurprisingly – M'tom.

It wasn't long before Ailanth'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.

Meeting the Weyrleader

As Mikkel and M'tom 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. Mikkel was proud to introduce Ailanth to the Weyrleader. And after a brief conference with Ailanth, Mikkel gave the Weyrleader his own new name: M'kel, rider of brown Ailanth!

Following their audience with the Weyrleader, and the application of oily rags to relieve Ailanth's and Kauth's newborn itchiness, M'kel and M'tom 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'kel and M'tom soon went their separate ways to find family and friends. Many of the riders and Weyrfolk M'kel 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'kel's grandfather, was grudgingly satisfied with Ailanth'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'kel and Ailanth.

The rest of the evening passed in a blur for M'kel, 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'kel 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'kel'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'kel 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 Ailanth.

A close encounter

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

Returning at last to Ailanth – billeted between M'tom's Kauth and a slender green dragonet – M'kel 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'kel 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'kel and Ailanth's story will continue in Dragonchoice: Weyrling, coming soon!

M'kel'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

Ailanth and I make a very strong match!

Achievement Unlocked:
INSULT TO INJURY

I Impressed the dragon that my rival coveted!

Achievement Unlocked:
SNAKES AND SNAILS

I haven't been very nice!

Achievement Unlocked:
EBONY AND IVORY

Ailanth and I agreed on something very important!

Achievement Unlocked:
IN TUNE

Ailanth and I agreed on something quite important!