Asatira was molding a pot out of clay when there was a sudden commotion out beyond the Hold gates. She dropped her Craft, and followed the rush of people that were heading towards the gates.
Two dragons and their riders were waiting outside. There was a bronze, the Weyrleader, Asatira recognized him, and a blue dragon. He must have been a Search dragon since there was a Clutch on the Sands.
After a while the crowd began to clear when the excitement of seeing the dragons wore off. Asatira was turning to head back towards her pottery when someone called to her.
"You there, young potter," A thick male voice said.
"Yes?" Asatira asked turning to face the bluerider. His dragon had moved very close to her and was watching her with whirring eyes. He was a lovely dragon.
"As you know, we ride on Search, looking for both male and female Candidates, as there is a gold egg on the Sands," He said.
"Oh?" Asatira asked. She had not heard of the gold egg. She was suddenly distracted by the sight of the Weyrleader. Asatira had known that bronzeriders were supposed to be handsome, but her stomach did a quick flip flop when she saw him directly. His tan skin was golden light with the sun rays, and his hair was cut close to his scalp. His brown eyes portrayed understanding, kindness, and everything that she would have expected from a Weyrleader. Asatira was lost in his eyes, hardly noticing that he was looking back at her.
With a sudden blush at the sound of someone elses voice, the girl quickly turned away.
"Azurith tells me you are a strong woman with a sharp mind and the ability to lead," He said.
"Me?" Asatira asked she gave a snort of laughter. Asatira was shy and timid and couldn't get a wherry to obey her, let alone a whole Weyr.
"He asks that you give yourself a chance and join as at High Reaches Weyr for the Hatching."
"I have to speak to my Master," Asatira said. She was cool on the outside, but thrilled on the inside. Even if she weren't to Impress a Queen, she could get out of her Craft and live in the Weyr!
Asatira spoke to her Master. He was reluctant to let her go, but he did.
"K'ran, continue along with the Wing to the next Hold," The Weyrleader said tot he bluerider. "I will bring this young lady back to the Weyr."
"Yes, sir," The rider addressed as K'ran answered. Asatira felt suddenly very uneasy to be placed on the neck of a large bronze dragon with the Weyrleader riding behind her.
"What is your name?" Weyrleader L'szlo asked as he and the lovely bronze Japheth approached her.
"Asatira," She said quietly while looking at her feet. She could tell the Weyrleader was looking hard at her.
"Don't be afraid, Japheth is harmless, and the Weyr is a far better place to live than a Hold," He said taking her arm and leading her to the dragon's side. Asatira was in shock at the warmth of his hand, at the sweet roughness of his skin.
"I'm not afraid of dragons," She managed to say. "Nor am I afraid of leaving the Hold."
"You are afraid of dragonriders, but not dragons?" He asked putting one hand on each side of her waist, which caused her to blush and feel slightly feverish. He hadn't made any move to lift her, only held her body in his hands.
"Dragons only act upon instinct, and even then they are gentle and kind, dragonriders can be ruthless and hard, and express that in much more painful ways than a dragon," She said looking up into the bronzerider's beautiful face. He grinned down at her.
"You don't trust dragonriders?" He asked.
"I have not yet met a dragonrider that has been proven worthy of my trust," Asatira was becoming more comfortable speaking with the Weyrleader, and she hardly noticed that he was still holding her waist. They took a long moment to look at one another. Asatira felt a shiver run down her spine.
"Then I will humbly vow to gain your trust and be the first," Weyrleader L'szlo said with a soft, easy smile. The smile showed that he was not making fun of her, but he clearly was not upset about what she had said. With his words, L'szlo tightened his arms on Asatira's waist, and a deep blush colored her cheeks as he lifted her onto Japheth's neck.
The Weyrleader climbed up behind her and secured an arm around her waist.
"Ready?" He asked. Asatira nodded, and Japheth began pumping his wings and bounding forward, until he caught the air and was soon soaring higher than the clouds. Asatira's breath was taken away as she watched the clouds role by in unnameable shapes.
"I can't believe how beautiful it is up here," She shouted over the moving air to the Weyrleader.
"Wait until you see your new home," He said giving her waist a gentle squeeze with his arm. "We are going Between now, it will be cold," He added as a warning. Asatira nodded.
When Japheth moved Between, Asatira felt like her body was collapsing. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, three times, until they were no longer immersed in cold. The air was warm once again, and Asatira opened her eyes to see her new Weyr for the first time.
Weyrleader L'szlo had been right, it was beyond beautiful. Asatira smiled and gave a small, joyful giggle.
"This is wonderful," She said happily as the great bronze began to lower himself towards the ground.
When Asatira and the Weyrleader parted ways, so he could get back to work, and she could join the other Candidates, he brushed her cheek slightly with his finger before brusquely walking away. Asatira was still awed into silence when she was led to the Candidate Barracks.
"Hello," Someone with a strong voice said, which snapped Asatira out of her small daze.
"Hi," She said sighing and sitting heavily on an empty bunk. It was next to the one the girl that had spoken was sitting on.
"I'm Jiranika," The red headed girl said smiling.
" I'm Asatira," Asatira responded. The two girls took a moment to look around at the other Gold Candidates who were all chittering about how they would make the best next Junior Weyrwoman. Asatira saw Jiranika role her eyes, and she strongly felt like imitating her.
"Useless lunks with no more of a brain than a wherry," Jiranika said with a grin.
"I agree," Asatira said. She was not one for gossip and comparing beauty and clothing, or any such girly thing. Yet that was what all the other girls seemed absorbed with. They were excited, nervous, and all together annoying.
"Do you have a bunk scoped out yet?" Jiranika asked.
"No, I'm not brave enough to get in the middle of that mess," Asatira said motioning to the giddy gossiping girls that surrounded each other.
"This one is empty," Jiranika said pointing to the one beside her.
"Okay," Asatira said shrugging and putting her bag on the bunk.
"Where did you come from?" Jiranika asked.
"A small Hold where I was an apprentice Potter," Asatira answered. "Where are you from?"
"Potting? How wonderful it would be to learn a real craft," Jiranika said. "I was the heir to Nabol Hold, but my father, and myself, agree that perhaps as a Weyrwoman I could better serve my Hold and all of Pern." She rolled her eyes when she said Weyrwoman.
"You don't want to Impress?" Asatira asked.
"Oh no, I'd love to Impress, I'm not sure gold is really my color though," She grinned mischievously at her new friend. Asatira smiled uneasily and went back to unpacking. From the way Jiranika was sitting on her bed, from the way she spoke, and her general attitude suggested she would make a decent Weyrwoman, what else could she want?
"Honestly, I'm not even sure why I got Searched," Asatira said confiding in the other girl. "I've never been able to be a leader type, there is no way I could be Weyrwoman, even just a Junior one."
"Well, the dragons do seem to know when they have found someone worth Impressing," Jiranika said thoughtfully.
"Have you met the Weyrleader?" Asatira asked despite herself. She was completely smitten with the way he had treated her.
"Weyrleader L'szlo?" Jiranika asked. "Yes, he has been to Nabol several times," She said absently her mind was wandering into another thought.
"He is nicer than I expected," Asatira said.
"Most dragonriders are decent," Jiranika said allowing herself to come back to the conversation. "You haven't met many, have you?"
"Not really," Asatira said, "Only a few haughty and unpleasant ones."
"Weyrleader L'szlo is a very good dragonman," Jiranika said. Asatira smiled and felt her skin heat up as she thought of the wonderful bronzerider.
"I hear it is Weyrwoman Filia we will have to be cautious of," Jiranika continued. "I personally have not met her, but those who have say she is short tempered, spoiled, and really full of herself."
Asatira's smile faltered. She forgot about Weyrwoman Filia, and that the Weyrleader was weyrmated to her. She had not heard what Jiranika reported, all she had heard was how beautiful Filia was. Her mind began to reel. How could the Weyrleader even notice her with a Weyrwoman of such beauty.
Asatira was nice and curvy with dark hair that was usually a tangled mess, and dirt under her fingernails. She must have been imagining the way he was treating her.