Emilin and green Fumanath
The Road So Far!
It all began at Jessaf Hold, in the protectorate of Madellon Weyr, for Emilin – a young woman of 16 Turns, dreaming of becoming a green rider.
Emilin was born to unusual privilege – a granddaughter of Winstone, Lord of mighty Jessaf Hold. Emilin 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, Emilin 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 Emilin becoming a candidate – while conceding that he could spare a younger grandchild. And with Winstone's admonition that she should remember her place as his granddaughter and not make a scene ringing in her ears, Emilin left to begin her candidacy at Madellon Weyr.
As a candidate, Emilin 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 Emilin! Backed up by her crony Cedranne, Auciet became the thorn in Emilin's side throughout the sevendays of candidacy.
Hatching Day
The dragons' hum woke Erilde and Emilin 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 Emilin 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, Emilin 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 Emilin to find it. The quest took Emilin 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 infirmary, Emilin encountered Kisha – a blind old green rider giving the Weyr's Healers a difficult time about taking her medicine. Kisha challenged Emilin to answer three riddles before she would consent to behave. And Emilin rose to that challenge – answering all three correctly, and winning Kisha's grudging respect!
A rising problem
Emilin 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. Emilin's intervention successfully got rid of G'tron, whose Imdoth was very sweet indeed on Bristath, from the mating flight and reconciled the two green riders. Even if Emilin did annoy Soleigh, who wasn't impressed with her 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 Emilin with the opportunity to show off her work ethic before the Hatching. A round of chores duly pleased Crauva.
A blue lady
Coming across T'gala, Pern's only female blue rider, bathing her Heppeth in the lake, Emilin offered her assistance – which T'gala gladly accepted. Getting some first-hand advice about what it took for T'gala to Impress a blue dragon was an opportunity Emilin didn't want to pass up.
Friend request
Seeking knowledge of Erilde's parentage, Emilin 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 Emilin might construct a story about a long-dead rider. Emilin 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, Emilin visited Madellon's resident barber – green rider Z'fell – for a trim. Very conscious of her dignity, Emilin ensured she came away with a cut she actually liked.
A Weyrleader's mercy
Early in the day, Emilin 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. By chance, she found a way onto the Hatching Ground – onto a very high ledge! Calling down for help was the only option, and a welcome – if embarrassing – lift down from Muzzanth himself returned Emilin safely to ground level.
Realising that honesty was the best policy, Emilin apologised to the Weyrleader for intruding – and was surprised to find T'gat remarkably sanguine about it, reminiscing about his own youthful journey through the passages. And a polite request granted Emilin the Weyrleader's permission to approach the clutch. She touched one of the eggs, marvelling at its palpable vitality. And something about the blotchy pale turquoise egg made her feel strangely certain that she would Impress later that day.
The Hatching
When it came to the Hatching, Emilin didn't have to wait at all for her date with destiny. The blotchy pale turquoise egg that Hatched first produced a bright olive-green hatchling who spared no time in choosing Emilin, naming herself Fumanath.
A friend in me
And Emilin wasn't the only lucky one. To her delight, Erilde also Impressed, becoming the rider of an inquisitive teal-green hatchling, Shaldeth.
Whatever happened to Auciet?
Sadly, there was at least one fly in the numbweed. Auciet Impressed an unusually aggressive grass-green hatchling, making them Emilin and Fumanath's new classmates. (On the bright side, at least Cedranne didn't Impress!)
After the Hatching
"Fumanath" by Emily Holland
The Weyrlingmaster was the first to congratulate Emilin 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 Fumanath's first meal. That was Emilin's first opportunity to speak to Erilde, too, and they introduced each other, with considerable delight, to their respective dragonets, Fumanath and Shaldeth.
It wasn't long before Fumanath's personality started to become evident. The rather slender olive-green dragonet demonstrated an immediate haughty pride in herself – and in her rider.
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 Emilin made along the way – a young Weyrbred candidate, Brithie, whom Emilin had encountered in a sudden crisis of confidence directly before the Hatching – hailed Emilin at the barracks – crediting her with her successful Impression of a tiny bottle-green dragonet, Epatanth!
Meeting the Weyrleader
As Emilin 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 to ask after their names. Emilin was proud to introduce Fumanath to the Weyrleader – and to give him her full new name: Emilin, rider of green Fumanath!
Following their audience with the Weyrleader, and the application of oily rags to relieve Fumanath's and Shaldeth's newborn itchiness, Emilin 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
Emilin and Erilde soon went their separate ways to find family and friends. Many of the riders and Weyrfolk Emilin 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, Emilin's grandfather, was faint with his praise for his granddaughter's Impression of Fumanath – 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 Emilin, 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, Emilin 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 Emilin'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 Emilin 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 Fumanath.
A close encounter
On her way back to the barracks , Emilin 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 Emilin 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, Emilin decided, on balance, not to tell the Weyrlingmaster about the stranger.
Returning at last to Fumanath – billeted between Erilde's Shaldeth and a very large green dragonet – Emilin 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 – Emilin 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?
Emilin and Fumanath's story will continue in Dragonchoice: Weyrling, coming soon!
Emilin'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
Fumanath and I complement each other!
Achievement Unlocked:
THE PATH LESS TRAVELLED
I pre-Impressed Fumanath by touching her egg before the Hatching!
Achievement Unlocked:
SUGAR AND SPICE
I've been a very nice person (so far)!
Achievement Unlocked:
EBONY AND IVORY
Fumanath and I agreed on something very important!
Achievement Unlocked:
BUM NOTE
Fumanath and I disagreed on something quite important!