Pern the world, not mine. The characters are mine. As is the world Alec comes from.


Two more Threadfalls passed. And two more times Alec flew in the weyrling's wing, narrowly avoiding getting scored. Almost all the others in his clutch had gotten scored by now. His luck (magically made) was noticed by the other riders however. Some of them had started rubbing his head for luck. One or two of the bolder ones had tried to steal a kiss for luck, but T'zair usually sent them scampering from his green rider. Escaping one of those attempts, Alec clamored onto his green after giving her a tight hug.

"I want out of here for a while, Ferlen," he said. "Just… somewhere… warm." Realizing that she might take that as a destination to fly between, he quickly visualized a beach that he knew. She sprung up and flapped her wings, gaining the proper distance in the air before vanishing between.

One.

Two.

Three.

And then they were out over the beach. Slowly Ferlendraggiath glided down to the beach. She braked on the sand and flipped her wings shut.

Is here good? She asked.

"Yes. Here is good," Alec said. He climbed down and undid her riding straps. "Go for a swim and bath."

And you?

He looked around, "I'm going to soak up the sun." At least that was what he planned to do. Stretching out, he pulled off his riding jacket and shirt and then took off his boots. Still feeling the bite of between in his bones he conjured a fire. It had been so long since he had used his magic in such a manner he let out a light moan of delight as the power tingled through him. Desiring more he drew the flames up and higher as he let his mind drift away into the song of the elements, immersing himself deep into it, letting it carry him away into a dance.

It was a dance with the fire, he was always closest to fire; he let it take him jerking and spinning, wavering like a flicker of flame. He didn't know how long he danced but something intruded on his awareness slowly pulling him from the song. He blinked his eyes, wavering as the strength he derived from the fire ebbed.

"Alec...?" T'zair asked, his voice quavering at the impossibility that was before his eyes. Alec had been immersed in fire… unharmed!

Dropping to his knees, Alec looked up at T'zair fearfully. He looked like he wanted to bolt, but was too weak to do it.

"Alec… what? How…?" he knelt next to the green rider, not frightened, but confused.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"

"About what? How did you do that?"

"I lied to you. I'm sorry." He trembled and pulled away from T'zair.

The blue rider shook his head, not following this line of thought at all.

"I remember where I'm from… I'm not from here."

"From Igen?" T'zair asked, not remembering if Alec ever had said where he was from.

"No… from Pern. I'm not from Pern. I don't know how I got here, I don't. But I was curious and I met you on the beach and you were so nice to me and then you wanted to go back to the Weyr and I couldn't think of a reason not to go, and I wanted to know what it was like. And then I Impressed… and I couldn't leave after that… and I had to go between and it's so nothing there I can't sense anything." He gulped for air and stared at T'zair.

Sinking down into the sand T'zair tried to take it all in. "You're from another world?"

"Yes. I think so. Yes."

"How did you do that… with the fire?"

Alec shrugged, "It's something I can do… people at my home can do. We can control fire and air and water and earth… we're born with it."

"How?"

"I don't know. We just do. Like dragons going between, don't know how they do it, but they just do." He was talking to the sand now.

"And you just… showed up here?"

"I was walking and I walked out of the trees and onto the beach. It was late so I went to sleep. When I woke up I went exploring and found you."

"Have you ever tried to go back?"

Here Alec looked at him wide eyed, "And leave my dragon? I couldn't! Never! She means more to me than anything. If I hadn't Impressed, maybe… but not now. I couldn't. Never. I belong here now." He ended this with a sharp nod of his head and then blinked as if he didn't realize what he had just said, before continuing softly, "I belong here now, don't I? Here… with you and my dragon."

T'zair didn't know what to say to that. He liked the part about Alec staying here with him, that he was a reason for Alec to stay. But his mind was still reeling from the implications of what he had been told.

"T'zair…?" Now Alec was worried. He leaned over and touched the blue rider hesitantly.

"I'm okay, I just… it's a lot to take in." Sensing that Alec was going to pull back, he grabbed his wrist. "I'm not upset with you… don't you run off."

"I won't. I can't," he laughed softly as if he just realized that. Or it was finally taking root. "I can't."

Tentatively T'zair pulled Alec to him. Alec let him, settling into the bluerider's lap. "You're so warm, feverish."

"No. Always this warm," Alec replied, leaning against T'zair.

"I thought it was just from the excitement of the flight."

"No."

"Another one of those things from where you come from?"

"I guess." Now that his secret was out, he was rather reluctant to talk about it. It was out and gone. A part of the past now. The future held his dragon and T'zair. Or at least his dragon and maybe T'zair. He could feel the other man, breathing, and his emotions, warring and confused. He tilted his head a little and sighed.

"How do you do it… control the fire?"

"I just feel it. Like you feel your dragon."

T'zair frowned trying to figure that out, "And it … listens to you?"

"I listen to it… and direct it… like a song," he said, fumbling for words. It was hard to describe how he did it. It was just something he knew how to do, like walking.

"Tell me about your world."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because, I don't want to talk about it. It doesn't matter."

"Of course it does. It's apart of you and your past."

"Which is the past. This is now," Alec said and twisted around to hesitantly kiss T'zair. Though certainly surprise, T'zair accepted the topic change, kissing back.


Next: Now what?