Disclaimer: Dragonriders of Pern belongs to Anne McCaffrey not us.
A/N: We of TFW do not believe in the ideas espoused by the Weyrlingmaster. We agree with the Weyrlings!
R'nal had spent his childhood praying to escape the family's holdings in Bitra. He hated the mountain chill, the desperate rush to feed everyone and the utter lack of privacy he'd found there. He had never expected to find himself at the Weyr though. He'd often thought of hoping to be chosen for a Craft, but that had never worked out. Therefore, he had long since resigned himself to being a younger son, married to whomever his parents picked out, never having land of his own, and working to pay tithes that always seemed to take everything save what the hold needed to scrape by.
Never had he expected a pair of dragons to come on Search and call him out. He'd thought that, at age nineteen, he would be too old to stand. He was Searched and he went, grateful that his parents would now plan to marry another of his brothers to the sharp tongued holder girl in the next valley.
When the klah-brown dragonet had searched him out on the sands, R'nal was ready, eager even, to begin his new life. At least, until he woke up the day after the Hatching and received his first taste of Weyr politics.
He had never known just how distinct the color ranking was in the Weyr, the Candidates were sheltered from a great deal of it by the Candidatemaster, a bronze rider who seemed to lack any ambition and had been assigned the job as a sinecure when he'd shown little true talent for the Wings.
Under Weyrlingmaster R'kor, however, R'nal knew exactly what the color ranking was. R'kor was a Weyrlingmaster who hated his job. He'd been Weyrleader until Weyrwoman Adanah's Sorenth had chosen bronze Xeperdeth, K'beren in the last mating flight. K'beren had put R'kor in the position of Weyrlingmaster as revenge for R'kor taking his Wing from him in an attempt to discredit him in Adanah's eyes. Forced to teach his rival's Weyrlings, R'kor made no secret of his opinion of any of them, especially when L'say and J'kai, mostly L'say, acted out.
As for R'nal, well, R'kor seemed content to mostly ignore him when he could. And when he couldn't, he made no secret his opinion of the man's petty and spiteful nature. Such as during drills, when R'nal was relegated to the blues and greens.
"Why are you here?" S'vero asked.
"The Weyrlingmaster," R'nal replied, "as decreed that I need to learn the Wing formations in this manner instead of receiving his personal attention in the formations strategy class."
"Why?" Z'rat asked.
"Because, as a Brownrider, I could never fathom the complexity of formations strategy and thus must learn the formations themselves," R'nal replied. "I really wish they would decide if I'm an elite or not. At least then, it would be easier for me to find a place in the insurrection."
"The what?" Z'rat said.
"L'say is beginning an insurrection," R'nal said, watching for their teacher. "He wants to inject some change into the Weyr. Stir up the riders and all that."
"Think he'll get anywhere?" S'vero asked.
"First he's going to drive R'kor to a nervous breakdown," Z'rat replied dryly, "I've heard him talk."
"Exactly," R'nal said. "In the meantime, the Weyrlingmaster thinks that, should every bronze in the Weyr drop dead, I could become Wingsecond, so I get to take the elite Bronze classes. Except when he realizes that I've got a Thread's chance in water of that ever happening."
"All right Weyrlings!" R'kor called, "Today we begin ground drills. If your dragonet is curious, they're welcome to walk along side you as long as they don't get in the way. R'nal, come up here, you'll stand as leader."
"It all makes since," R'nal muttered before making his way through the small group.
"Now, all of you blue riders form a straight line behind and to R'nal's left and all of you green riders do the same on the right." R'kor said. He watched them move into position and nodded his head. He walked down the line. "You, S'vero, correct," he said.
R'nal, like the others, turned to look as R'kor faced the young blue rider at the end of the line. R'kor looked up and frowned, "Eyes front! Don't worry about what the other riders are doing right now."
R'nal sighed and faced forward.
"Now, S'vero, take five steps to your left. H'ber, take four." R'kor ordered. "Did I tell you to move, Z'rat? I didn't think so, back in the line." R'nal refrained from turning around. "Now, take three steps to the left, Z'rat."
"Didn't I just do that?" Z'rat asked.
"I didn't tell you to do it," R'kor replied.
"I'm perfectly capable of recognizing what you're doing and acting accordingly," Z'rat replied. "Logic is still taught in the Smith Craft same as it is in the Harper Craft."
"You aren't here to learn logic," R'kor said, "you're here to learn to take orders. When I want you to do something, I will tell you to do it."
"I love people who think I'm ignorant," Z'rat announced.
"Silence, blue rider," R'kor snapped. "A'zon, take two steps to your left and T'nan take one."
R'nal closed his eyes and tilted his face up to the sun, winter was coming and soon being outside would be miserable. What are you doing? Verdeth asked suddenly.
Standing around doing nothing, R'nal replied, smiling slightly. Did you sleep well?
Yes, Verdeth replied. Now I am bored.
You could come and stand with me if you wanted, R'nal offered as R'kor began to order the greens in line.
"Z'rat," R'kor snapped loudly, "I've had enough of your mouth today. Until the end of the lesson, you may only communicate through your dragon. Say anything else before the end of the lesson and you'll wish I'd let you join the next Weyrling class."
Well, that should make things interesting, R'nal commented.
What do you mean? Verdeth asked.
Z'rat finally made R'kor angry enough to punish him, R'nal replied.
How did he do that? Verdeth asked.
Talking too much, R'nal said.
Wintreth says that we are the worst Weyrlings Wintreth's has ever seen because our Riders talk back so much, Verdeth offered after a moment. Is that a good thing?
R'nal couldn't help the first bark of laughter, but he managed to suppress the rest. "Finding this funny, R'nal?" R'kor asked.
"No sir," R'nal said, "Verdeth's awake sir."
"And what does Verdeth have to say that is so amusing?" R'kor replied as he appeared in front of R'nal.
"He said Wintreth said that we're the worst Weyrlings you've ever seen because we talk back so much," R'nal replied, "and then he asked if that was a good thing."
"And does Verdeth often share what Wintreth tells him?" R'kor asked.
"Yes sir," R'nal said, "Verdeth tells me all sorts of things the other dragons say. I've told him that I don't need to know it, but it hasn't stopped him yet. I think it's because I've always been curious sir, I want to know what's going on and Verdeth tries to tell me."
R'kor nodded slightly and then moved back so that he could see the entire class, "Now, we will begin drills. Your first drill is to reverse your 'V'. Begin!"
R'nal took a deep breath and turned around and began to walk forward, as he passed the first two riders, they turned and fell in behind him. "Stop!" R'kor shouted. R'nal froze. "Return to your starting point."
R'nal turned and walked back to the front, along with the others.
"Z'rat, what are you doing?" R'kor asked once everyone was in their original formation.
Olenth says that his is obeying R'kor's orders, Verdeth offered. He is reversing the 'V'.
"You are supposed to wait until the person before you has moved behind you before you follow," R'kor said. He stopped, "Never mind, get out of formation. You can sit through some personal teaching on formations with G'vani. He's waiting for you in the classroom. When you enter the classroom, your speech ban will be lifted." R'nal watched Z'rat leave out of the corner of his eye, wondering what the blue rider thought he was doing. "Now," R'kor called, "Reverse 'V'!"
R'nal turned and began to walk across the drill grounds with a stifled sigh.