Tylisse 3-26-2521 – month 11 2521

Tylisse yawned, and stretched luxuriantly as she finished helping her daughter T'alla to oil the girl's young green dragon Seelith. It was a tiring time for all the young newly Impressed dragonriders with the voracious appetites and rapid growth of the dragonets; and Tylisse had been helping all the newly Impressed girls as well as T'alla. She was tired herself; but it was a good tired, a feeling as though something had been accomplished. How different this was to the Seahold where poor diet, grief and worry for the future had been grinding her down! Not that the other holderfolk had let her or her daughter starve, but there were no extra rations for excess mouths. Hints had been dropped to the effect that she would be considered more productive were she to marry again and breed future fishermen, and hints too that her daughter was also of marriageable age. Tylisse shuddered. A miscarriage every year and feeling weaker every time had made her frightened of bearing more children. There had been one who had lived a while, long enough to prattle her name in his childish fashion before he succumbed to some winter's ailment. She sniffed hard, putting the sorrow behind her, burying the bitterness at her husband's shrug and declaration that little Tyal would never have been strong enough to make a good fisherman anyway. Rayal had been a good enough husband, but he never had understood what the grief of every loss had meant, the more when she thought she had succeeded in giving him a son. Then Rayal had drowned and life had become suddenly harder, with uncertainty for the future an added worry. She swore that she would never marry another fisherman, and nor would her daughter; so she had packed together their meagre belongings and took her apprehensive but excited daughter to High Reaches Weyr.

The decision had been justified; Tyalla was now T'alla and bonded with green Seelith, a pretty little dragon with soft skin all the colours of the sea on one of its deceptively calm days. There were grey greens, deep greens, grass greens and rich viridians, all playing in the rippling muscles and sleek hide of the little dragon. Tylisse loved Seelith deeply for the love and security she gave to her beloved daughter. Yet she had to recognise that being bonded to a green dragon could bring its own problems. As they left Seelith drowsing happily, Tylisse slipped her arm through her daughter's and drew the girl aside. They could have passed as sisters standing there; T'alla had cut her rich brown hair short, as many young riders did, whereas Tylisse wore hers long in accordance with Holderfolk custom, but it was the same rich shade. True, care had etched a lock or two of grey, but it scarcely noticed; and release of worry and good diet had done wonders for Tylisse's spare figure and had smoothed away the little lines that had started to form about her eyes. Now Tylisse looked more her true age, which was scarce thirty turns, for she had been married young to Rayal and had conceived Tyalla straight away.

T'alla recognised that her mother wanted private speech with her and cocked her neat brown head interrogatively on one side. Tylisse did not beat about the bush.

"When she's grown, she'll want to mate." She said. "It would be as well if you could find a kind Brown or large Blue rider who will show you what to do beforehand and whose dragon will be sure to catch her."

T'alla had an excellent relationship with her mother, understanding much of what was un-said as well as what was said. She nodded understanding, but pulled a face. She hated being forced into decisions not of her own devising, and she was more willing to say so than her gentle, if stubborn, mother.

"Thank you Tylisse." She said "But I don't want to have to be so cold blooded about it. I'll be seeing a lot of the other riders – I'm bound to fall in love in my own time."

Her mother sighed, then laughed ruefully.

"Such things are lovely in Harpers' tales." She said, matter of factly. "But how often does love happen in the real world – especially with someone suitable and at the right time. Here in the Weyr you don't have to worry – you can always hope to fall in love when you are more experienced. In the meantime, it's only good sense to have a relationship with someone kind who won't hurt you."

T'alla made a rude noise and Tylisse frowned. The girl cried,

"I'm sorry, Tylisse, but it DOES happen – look at T'lana and Sh'rilla and Y'lara and – and lots of them! Why should it be any different for me?"

"You're very young." Her mother sighed. "You may be lucky – but you might not. Consider the idea for me, will you?"

T'alla sighed too.

"Very well. I'll let you throw me at suitable men – I know you dearest Tylisse – and I'll do my best to like them for you. But I'll not let the colour or size of a man's dragon or even if he's a rider influence me"

With that Tylisse had to be content; but she noted that from comments let drop by other female riders that there seemed to be no comparison between non riders once dragonlust had entered the equation! It was a shame, she mused, that Sh'allen's Warneth would never fly, for he seemed an ideal partner for an inexperienced girl. It was plain that he was gentle and caring, and he always seemed to be aware of anything that needed doing. As Warneth was also very young there was that point in common, though Sh'allen was tacitly left much to his own devices by the other new riders. He had, after all, been through this all before, and would not, moreover, be needing to brush up on the finer points of flying Thread since Warneth would never fly. Not that he was in any way stand-offish and often offered offhand suggestions and advice to the young riders, helping R'gar more and more as his heartache eased. Even so, he was not really one of them, and how should he be when he was so much older and more experienced! Still, there was always his brother T'ral, a Dragonhealer with gentle hands and rider of Brown Firath. Yet somehow there was something so fine, so sensitive about Sh'allen that Tylisse wondered whether, after all, an introduction to loving would be enough to prepare T'alla for the possible ordeal to come. Surely the girl could not fail to be drawn to the stirling qualities of such men as these brothers – one must surely attract her, and if the braver, the nicer and the better looking of the two happened to be Sh'allen, well, there must be ways around the problem of first flight.

oOoOo

Of course, there was a big difference between theory, and practice. Experienced Riders, especially those of the status of Sh'allen and T'ral, were unlikely to come much into contact with weyrlings like T'alla and still less with a romance promoting lower cavern woman as Tylisse effectively was. Even in the egalitarian High Reaches, Riders were accorded the status due to them for their exploits and T'ral had the added kudos of being a dragonhealer. Sh'allen was still treated by many as though he were still a Bronze Rider, partly from habit but mostly out of the respect that the majority of the personnel of the Weyr felt towards the young man. Many had felt that Sh'len, as he had been as Tath's rider, had been a serious contender to follow T'bor as Weyrleader one day, and he was at least as well thought of as T'kil. The fatal accident had made that question academic; but many still sought his advice, and T'bor considered his opinion worth while listening to. Of course, with Warneth's youth, Sh'allen was often near the Impressed weyrlings so that the little dragon could join in with his clutch mates, and he often helped out, which made him a little more accessible. Though his sense of loss was less intense with Warneth to need and love him, though, Sh'allen still tended to be rather remote and distant with those not of his intimate circle of friends. Tylisse felt that the only way to get to know the brothers was to make herself useful, and thus be able to put in a word for her offspring. Accordingly, she took it upon herself to bring klah for them both, and undertake such tasks as she could that were not already covered by other drudges. She bitterly regretted that the years of gutting cold rough skinned fish had left her hands unequal to the task of fine mending, but her fingers were nimble enough despite their roughened ends to contrive skilfully knotted bags which shyly she offered to Sh'allen.

"I – I thought they might be useful to put scrolls in and hang them up to keep them dry and airy." She murmured. "You and your brother have a lot of teaching scrolls."

Sh'allen was surprised, pleased and touched. He had been helping R'gar with teaching duties, better able to bear being around weyrlings since Warneth had helped fill the aching hole left by the death of Tath.

"Thanks!" he said, flashing Tylisse his rare smile. "That's a clever idea – it's so difficult to see if damp has got into the regular boxes."

Tylisse flushed with pleasure and murmured something about how she and her daughter were not too bad at knot-work. Sh'allen grinned.

"Well I daresay when she's grown up she'll be as good as her mother." He said. "Are you a candidate?"

Tylisse's mouth fell open.

"I Oh no, sir, I'm too old for that." She shook her head to emphasise the negative. "I brought my daughter – she's newly Impressed."

Sh'allen raised an eybrow in disbelief.

"Never, surely!" he said. "Since when have dragonets picked babes? You can't have a daughter of age can you?"

Tylisse flushed again and she thrust forward her chin.

"My daughter is T'alla." She said firmly. "I do not lie, sir. I am very proud of T'alla but I would not tell untruths about her. As well as being wrong, it would ultimately be self defeating."

Sh'allen's mouth twitched with unaccustomed amusement. This practical twist to the reasons for honesty reminded him a little of his friend T'lana. He recalled now that the young seabred girl had come with her mother – they must breed from them young at that Hold, he reflected. Y'lara too had come rather young to Impress and from the same Hold, like T'alla only thirteen turns old.

"Are you a relative of our Y'lara?" He asked curiously. Tylisse nodded. She had been inclined to bridle at his inexplicable laughing at her, but there seemed to be no malice in it.

"Y'lara is a distant cousin of mine." She admitted. "She's more forceful than T'alla and me, but that doesn't mean we don't have as much pride or as much ability to hold our own if we need to. It was a decision that we made to come to the Weyr, we did not flee for fear of doing anything else." She drew herself up proudly. She felt a need to make the tall dragonrider know that she and her daughter were not meek nor easily dictated to. They had, after all, defied the unreasonable wishes of the unmarried hold males for some months before leaving!

Sh'allen smiled understandingly and thanked her again; determining to ask Y'lara about her quieter cousin. Tylisse was, in the meantime only too ready to tell him what a fine daughter T'alla was to her, hard working and responsible.

"I hope she manages to have fun too." Said Sh'allen dryly. Tylisse nodded.

"Yes, sir, she's not averse to enjoying herself now there's some time to do so, and it's not considered wrong." Sh'allen reflected that this was rather a revealing comment – but decided not to pursue it. He thanked Tylisse again and went on his way to find Y'lara.

oOoOo

Y'lara grinned cheerfully at Sh'allen.

"You have to understand" she explained "That you either have to prove yourself better that the boys in Safehaven Hold or you have to be womanly and submissive. I grew up with eight brothers. Tylisse's no milksop though!" she added. "She's quiet, but she's pretty stubborn. Rayal didn't have it all his own way I reckon, though she's been weakened by too many dead babies. To leave takes some doing if you don't have the support – both my parents were keen for me to try for Impression so I was dead lucky. Don't worry about T'alla, Sh'allen – she'll work out just fine as a rider. She's a sharp enough tongue on her when she's feeling in control. If you're finding her quiet in lessons, it's just because she's summing you up."

"I wasn't actually worrying about T'alla, actually." Said Sh'allen. "I scarcely see the female weyrlings, that's T'lan's business. I was just curious that so young a woman as Tylisse should have an Impressed daughter."

Y'lara snorted.

"It's a bad custom, marrying off a girl as soon as she starts bleeding." She said, her eyes flashing. "I wish we were allowed to intervene and stop it. But it happens. At least here we'll separate off the girls that are too young, same as we do the littlest boys. You can - no, I'll reassure Tylisse of that."

Sh'allen nodded thanks; it had been something that had disturbed him. Rarely did girls know their own minds as young as T'lan and Y'lara had – but those two were, he told himself, rather unusual and special people. Especially dear T'lan!

oOoOo

Tylisse meanwhile did what she could to introduce T'alla to Sh'allen's notice, taking the tack of greeting Warneth – who was a dear little thing in any case, and such a pretty colour russet brown – and mentioning how happy T'alla had become since they had come to the Weyr. Sh'allen was too polite to say that he was entirely unmoved by T'alla or any other scrubby brat for that matter; but he was happy to let Tylisse talk, for her affection towards Warneth was plainly genuine, and Sh'allen was biased towards anyone who showed any kindness to his friend. Warneth was even friendlier, and reached out a long neck to Tylisse to have his eyebrow ridges rubbed.

"May I?" she asked Sh'allen, shyly. He shrugged one shoulder, a half smile on his face as he regarded his soul mate.

"That's what he wants." He said softly. "Soppy fool."

Warneth snorted disparagingly; and, delighted, Tylisse rubbed the soft skin of the young sport.

oOoOo

Tylisse was astonished when Y'lara approached her and explained the custom of dealing with avoiding the potentially physically damaging side effects of dragonlust by sequestering the littlest boys and those who had not already experimented with other boys as lovers.

"It's only sensible, after all." Said Y'lara, practically. "And should be extended to younger girls. Apart from the pain and distress, what's the good of training up a pair only for the human half to bleed to death and the dragon half to go between from grief. Admittedly, sexual immaturity can inhibit a dragon to a certain extent, but it's not a guarantee. Hope that makes you feel a bit better." She added gruffly, for Y'lara was not one to show her softer side readily. It did; and Tylisse embarrassed her prickly cousin by hugging her, which made the Green rider snort and stalk off in pretended dudgeon.

oOoOo

T'lana was pleased that Y'lara had taken it on herself to sort out what might have become a problem. The seabred girl had recently herself come to terms with having woken up beside a rider who was not her weyrmate M'kel and knew that, even with a pleasant experience for someone who knew what they were doing, it could be disconcerting. Moreover, T'alla had turned out to be much younger than anyone had though; she was a well-grown girl, and both she and Tylisse had looked older than their turns when they had arrived exhausted and careworn at the Weyr. She had a word herself with T'alla, and found the girl philosophical about dragon lust; but not unwilling to defer her own participation if offered the opportunity.

"Mother had the idea I should pick myself someone kind" she explained to the little Weyrwoman "but I'm just as happy to wait until I've got a lover. It's not totally silly to want to fall in love, is it Weyrwoman?"

T'lana hugged her.

"Not at all, dear one." She said. "But you may find that making some close friends among young blue and brown riders is a good idea too, so that you have fun while you wait to find someone special. You've plenty of time as yet for love."

T'alla grinned.

"You're so relaxed about everything." She commented. T'lana laughed.

"It helps our dragons to be relaxed – and keeps us beautiful!" she grinned. "You and Seelith will sort yourselves out when the time comes – and it's no good getting too uptight before that's imminent. Just enjoy yourself as Seelith grows and you learn more together."

T'alla was happy to take T'lana's advice. She knew that here in the Weyr there would be no pressure on her as there had been back in the Hold. She told Tylisse what T'lan had said; and Tylisse told her that Y'lara had already explained.

"Good.." Said T'alla "That means you don't have to poke me at every available male you like, doesn't it."

Tylisse flushed.

"I do NOT poke you at people!" She asseverated.

"No? then why do you keep trying to get me to talk to Sh'allen?" asked T'alla, half amused and half irritated by her mother's interference.

"Just looking to the future." Tylisse tried to maintain some semblance of dignity. "He's the nicest and the most handsome young man here and you should be flattered he always speaks to you when he sees you."

T'alla was flattered that Sh'allen had taken to politely passing the time of day when their paths crossed, but did not intend to admit it.

"Fardles." She declared airily. "I can think of a dozen boys better looking than Sh'allen, and not so old either. I'll be looking for a lover, not a father. Why don't you have him if you like him so much?" she added cheekily.

Tylisse gasped, and coloured. T'alla's eyebrows went up, and she grinned.

"Sits the wind in that quarter then?" she asked, amused, and went off chuckling as her mother lost herself in a morass of half sentences and disclaimers. Her laughing face gradually sobered as she considered more deeply the implications of the emotions she had surprised in her mother, and she sought out Y'lara.

oOoOo

Y'lara was, unusually, taking things easy. She had taken herself between to ensure a miscarriage of T'chal's child conceived as a result – Y'lara maintained – of Vorth's and M'kel's carelessness in failing to be the couple to fly her and Tanath. The resultant bellyache had persuaded her to find some more sedentary tasks than she usually considered within her sphere, and she was glad to chat to T'alla. She had been being helped by the young seabred widow M'rian and her friend Sh'ranis, but they had gone to feed M'rian's baby, Amira. Y'lara was not one of life's natural mothers, but she felt for some reason a little depressed, and a laughing baby had not improved her mood. Thus, though glad of the distraction from her hated mending, she greeted T'alla with a grunt. T'alla knew Y'lara too well to be offended; and came straight to the point.

"I need to do something about my mother." She began, bluntly. Y'lara raised her eyebrows as she bit off a thread.

"Sounds ominous." She spat out the thread end with an expression of disgust, whether at the taste or the whole concept of sewing T'alla could not guess. The girl explained quickly.

"You know she was hoping to sort me out with a lover before you told me I didn't need to do it? well, she's gone and fallen for one of the men she picked for me." She blurted.

"What of it?" Y'lara could not see a problem. "Or are you jealous?"

T'alla shook her head rapidly, impatiently.

"It's not that." She frowned. "Only she'll not do anything on her own account – I know Tylisse. She'll just suffer quietly because – well, because. You know."

Y'lara nodded. She knew how most women were trained to subordinate themselves to needs of family and hold.

"Who?" she asked.

"Sh'allen."

Y'lara whistled.

"She's got good taste." She said, thoughtfully. "and, you know, small fry, it might just be a good thing."

T'alla was too concerned about her mother to take umbrage over being called 'small fry'. She pulled at her earlobe, a nervous habit she had developed.

"Why's that?" she asked. "I don't want Tylisse to get hurt."

"I hope she won't be." Said Y'lara. "But I was thinking about Sh'allen. A weyrmate would also help him – and it would be a bad thing if she were a rider. He'd feel bad if he couldn't participate in mating flights with her – I guess Tylisse never thought of that one when she considered him for you – and if he does go to Sarel's cothold he could hardly take one of our fighting force with him. Your mother could just be the ideal solution."

"That's all very well" put in T'alla "But I could care less about Sh'allen. Oh, I don't really mean that – " as Y'lara opened her mouth to make a stinging comment "- but I'm more concerned about Tylisse."

Y'lara grinned.

"We shall just have to throw them together, then, shan't we and see what happens!" she patted T'alla on the shoulder and buffeted her in a roughly friendly way; and with that T'alla had to be content.

oOoOo

Y'lara waylaid Tylisse later.

You know how to prepare fish oil, don't you?" She asked. Tylisse nodded, and Y'lara went on, "R'gar directs the use of fish oil as a rub for Warneth's wing roots. If it helps joint-ail he says, it should help ease any discomfort in the little creature's twisted bones. Perhaps you'll help Sh'allen put it on too – these landsmen make such a fuss about the smell of fish. Can't think why!" she twinkled roguishly.

Tylisse coloured, pleased to be asked.

"Of course, I'm always happy to do anything I can for any dragon." She said quickly. "Warneth is so sweet, it's such a shame. Will he ever fly?"

Y'lara shook her head.

"No, there's not enough substance to the wings." She said. "But according to Sh'allen, there's no reason that he can't travel between providing they're careful to leap on going and emerge a short drop above the ground."

"Sounds a little jerky." Tylisse said, dubiously. Y'lara shrugged.

"You ever argued with a dragonman over his dragon's capabilities? No? It's generally fairly futile unless you're R'gar or T'bor. I'M not going to contradict Sh'allen. First egg knows, the man's got enough experience, and if he and Warneth are prepared for a bumpy ride, I guess I'll not make it my business." She grinned to indicate that no rebuke was meant, and shooed Tylisse towards the kitchen caverns to prepare the oil.

oOoOo

Sh'allen was glad of the fish oil; R'gar had told him that Y'lara had had an idea to help Warneth.

"Though I do not have much pain really" Warneth said.

"But you do have some." Sh'allen was concerned for his dear friend. "Besides, a little bird tells me that Y'lara is up to something – she doesn't usually concern herself with dragonhealing – and I'd like to know what."

He found out when Tylisse presented herself with the oil, rather diffidently offering to help rub it in. He smiled at her encouragingly. Tylisse blushed furiously, and Sh'allen reflected how charming she looked with the colour in her cheeks. He was not looking for romance, and he felt briefly annoyed with Y'lara; but it would do no good to take it out on the helpful young woman who had already made his storage of scrolls easier. Strange, he had had the feeling on previous occasions that Tylisse might have been trying to fix his attention with her daughter – but of course, that was ridiculous, for the girl was scarce more than a babe! Sh'allen conveniently forgot that T'lana had determinedly pursued R'gar at not much older!

"If you would rub the left hand side of his wing roots while I do the right" he said, "That would be very helpful. Is Seelith less demanding now?" He added, knowing that Tylisse was very fond of her daughter's dragonet. Tylisse nodded wordlessly. Sh'allen pulled a face to himself. She had been quite chatty when telling him T'alla's virtues. Maybe she really had been trying to interest him in the girl. Ah, but that was before Y'lara had informed the child that she had no need to worry about her dragon's maturity. Had Tylisse wanted him merely to tutor the girl? Sh'allen was not sure whether to be flattered or angry! And now Y'lara was thrusting the mother on to him – at least that was a more realistic age to be considering. He had no intention of playing Y'lara's games, though – and perhaps he had better make that quite clear to Tylisse before any misunderstandings arose!

oOoOo

Tylisse found it impossible to meet Sh'allen's gaze. Her daughter's joking remarks had made her realise the truth – that she was strongly attracted to the Brown Rider. She also suspected now that Y'lara had sent her to help on the suggestion of T'alla, and this thought embarrassed her. She was certain that Sh'allen too saw through the ploy, and was afraid lest he think that it had been her idea. Willing to do anything to help her daughter, Tylisse shrank from putting herself forward. Besides, she told herself, as a Green Rider, T'alla had some ranking. Thus she kept her face down and spoke the barest minimum to try not to seem forward, and concentrated on doing her best for dear Warneth. That at least was easy; the young dragon had subsided happily and was crooning gently as the stinking oil smoothed into his soft hide. Suddenly her hand encountered Sh'allen's, and it sent a tingle through her whole body! Shocked, she looked up, and met his eyes….could not look away. Sh'allen was smiling ruefully.

"Y'lara does like to interfere, doesn't she?" He said, conversationally. Tylisse swallowed hard.

"She means well." She whispered.

The smile became a touch broader.

"Oh yes, she means well." Sh'allen agreed. "I had meant to tell you that I did not think that it would be wise for us to let ourselves get entangled in Y'lara's plans…" - blinking, she tore her gaze from his, and nodded quickly in acquiescence, certain that he was angry at being manipulated. Gently he reached out an oily hand and turned her face back to his before continuing. "…but perhaps it would be better not to be led by irritation over Y'lara's high handedness, and just get to know each other anyway, hmmm?"

Tylisse blushed furiously.

"You are not angry?" she asked in a small voice.

"Angry? Oh no, certainly not even annoyed – at you." He said. "You evidently are fond of Warneth, which predisposes in me kindly feelings in any case. I won't insult you by being sorry for you – for you have the courage and determination to leave your troubles behind you and seek a new life. I don't know you very well yet, and I've been finding it difficult lately to reach out to people. But if you are prepared to get to know an old grouch, I think I'd like to try to be friends. More than that – I don't know. Is that acceptable?"

His voice was quiet, controlled, the long speech an effort. Tylisse smiled mistily at him while tears sparkled on her lashes.

"You are so good…so kind…" she whispered. "I – I had hoped you would look kindly on T'alla, which is why I was rather pushy…"

"Bother T'alla!" said Sh'allen, forcibly. "I'm sure she's a nice child, Tylisse, and I understand your motives. But she can sort herself out."

Tylisse laughed.

"That's what she says." She confessed.

"You see? I said she was a good girl." Sh'allen smiled. "Now stop thinking about her, and think about yourself."

Warneth interposed a complaint that they had stopped thinking about him, and broadcast the thought to Tylisse as well. Filled with contrition she reached for more oil, while Sh'allen called Warneth a spoiled and cosseted babe!

"And so I should be."the little dragon said complacently. "Because you love me." Sh'allen met Tylisse's eyes over Warneth's brown back and they laughed together; and suddenly, Tylisse knew that here was comfort, and friendship and ultimately shared love as well as the physical attraction that drew her so strongly. And she knew too that Warneth approved!