E'mond and blue Acostiath

The Road So Far!

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

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

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

Hatching Day

The dragons' hum woke Soburn and Edmond 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 Edmond 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, Edmond was flagged down by M'shen – a green rider with only one arm. But whatever he wanted, Edmond never discovered, after making a mean-spirited joke about M'shen's missing hand that – not unreasonably – made the green rider take against him.

A Masterful order

In the dining hall, Edmond 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, Edmond 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. Edmond 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 Edmond a certain confidence in his own prospects!

A blue lady

Coming across T'gala, Pern's only female blue rider, bathing her Heppeth in the lake, Edmond offered his assistance – which T'gala gladly accepted.

Friend request

Conscious of Soburn's bashfulness, Edmond 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 Edmond that he wasn't interested in Soburn – or any other men, for that matter. But Edmond'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!

Wherry bad behaviour

Edmond's assorted instances of bad behaviour finally caught up with him. L'stev collared him in the Bowl and gave him an ultimatum – buck up his ideas, or sit the Hatching out. Edmond chose the former, and the Weyrlingmaster sent him to do penance in the wherry hatchery – though Edmond remained on probation, with one more slip promising to rule him out of standing!

The Hatching

When it came to the Hatching, Edmond didn't have to wait at all for his date with destiny. The gleaming blue egg that Hatched first produced a bright indigo-blue hatchling who spared no time in choosing Edmond, naming himself Acostiath.

A friend in me

And Edmond 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?

Quite simply, none of the dragonets seemed to want Rielat – he was left standing. Although Edmond did wonder if his own bright indigo-blue Acostiath might have glanced, however briefly, in Rielat's direction, and what might have been had he not chosen him...

After the Hatching

"Acostiath" by Emily Holland

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

It wasn't long before Acostiath's personality started to become evident. The big indigo-blue dragonet, the largest of his colour, showed his alert and serious nature from the beginning, demonstrating a high degree of focus for a blue.

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 Edmond 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. Edmond was proud to introduce Acostiath to the Weyrleader. And after a brief conference with Acostiath, Edmond gave the Weyrleader his own new name: E'mond, rider of blue Acostiath!

Following their audience with the Weyrleader, and the application of oily rags to relieve Acostiath's and Aeranth's newborn itchiness, E'mond 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

E'mond and S'burn soon went their separate ways to find family and friends. Many of the riders and Weyrfolk E'mond 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, E'mond'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 E'mond's behalf, but the damage to his relationship with his grandfather was done.

The rest of the evening passed in a blur for E'mond, 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, E'mond 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 E'mond'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 E'mond 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 Acostiath.

A close encounter

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

Returning at last to Acostiath – billeted between S'burn's Aeranth and a bright bronze dragonet – E'mond 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 – E'mond 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?

E'mond and Acostiath's story will continue in Dragonchoice: Weyrling, coming soon!

E'mond'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

Acostiath and I complement each other!

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

Acostiath and I agreed on something very important!

Achievement Unlocked:
BUM NOTE

Acostiath and I disagreed on something quite important!