Author's Note

I do not own the Dragonriders of Pern series. All rights to their rightful owners.

There were now sixty two male candidates (sixty three counting herself), and still more being brought in, though it was slower than before. Much slower. With so many candidates (and more to come), Demek was forced to be very careful about keeping her gender hidden. It wasn't the easy thing it had been back at Porret Hold anymore. She had to worry about bathing, and trips to the toilet, and boys trying to get her to go swimming with her.

Sometimes she wondered whether she should have admitted her deception to the Candidate master back when she had the chance and moved in with the other girls.

Then she saw the hot mess that was the class of female candidates and was never more glad that she was away from that.

"Jin! Nin! Have you been messing with the taps in the bathing room again?" shouted a voice from that general direction.

Of course, the male candidates had their… issues as well.

"Maybe," came the chorused reply of the two boys.

Halsen, a tall, dark haired boy came stumbling from the bathing room, a towl wrapped around his waist. "You little brats! Change it back!"

Demek decided not to ask what they'd done this time.

She was pretty sure the two boys weren't deliberate troublemakers, but they did like to… take things apart and put it back together while trying to improve it.

They normally succeeded in making it do something it wasn't meant to do at all.

It was normally something impressive, but still.

But if those two were unintentional constant trouble, then Olareslay's older brothers Kerefid and Regowes were the exact opposite, being absolutely intentional menaces. By their age of seventeen one would have thought they'd know better by now, but all the candidates knew to check their food for added spices when they were eating and make sure there were no pins on their seats when they sat.

Demek straightened her tunic and slipped into the corridor before she was dragged into anything else (again) and bumped into Dudlen, who was coming the other way. He shoved her against the wall. "Watch where you're going small-stuff!"

Of course, boys being boys, there were other dangers as well. While the girls had Jakeiria, Kuyaran and Baliose and her new lacky, the boys had Dudlen and his lackies and Dralyoco and his cronies. Despite both being privalaged morons, they hated each other with a passion.

"It's a free Weyr," she replied, twisting free of his meaty hand. One of his lackies made a fake lunge for her, which she ignored.

"Maybe finish laps sooner next time."

"It's ridiculous! Who does he think he is making us run all those laps?"

"Uh, the Candidatemaster?"

"Ugh! Who can even run all those laps?"

"Literally everyone else?" Demek asked, and made herself scarce before he decided to start swinging (again).

"Areas! Give me back my belt!" shouted Cassoneaval's voice from around the corner. Demek hesitated before deciding to risk it and edging round.

It was a bad move, because she was then hit in the shoulder by said belt.

At least it wasn't the face (again).

"Areas!"

"Oh, sorry, didn't see you there. You're just so small! Like Casson!"

Behind him, Lussiel facepalmed. "So close and yet so far."

Demek rubbed her shoulder. "Doesn't matter."

From him it probably wasn't malice, he just seemed to be very… well, not very intelligent.

Venile, Lendeer, Darunican and Squiglerusay were already at the dining hall. Demek wandered over to them.

"Mind if I join you?" she asked, touching the chair next to Venile.

"Oh, no, not at all."

She dropped into the chair and grabbed one of the bowls of porridge, digging in.

"Hey Demek?" Venile asked nervously.

"Mm?"

"Do you… When you're on the sands- looking at the eggs I mean- do you- Do you hear them whispering?"

"No."

"Oh."

"Why?"

Darunican leant forward over the table conspiritavely. "Ilisandora heard it from Ritilia who said the twins - uh, Cataeliana and Ketielean that is – said they could hear the eggs whispering."

"Those two say and do an awful lot of weird and creepy things."

"Yes they do," agreed Squiglerusay.

"That doesn't make it not true though," fretted Venile. "What if that means none of us can impress?"

"Venile, you're weyrbred. Have you ever heard of someone hearing the eggs whispering?"

"Well…"

"Well?"

"No."

"Exactly."

"But it could just be a really well kept secret!"

Lendeer facepalmed.

More of the candidates began to filter into the hall, spreading out across the tables. A few of the girls attached themselves to riders while others sat in small groups. As usual, Dorasa sat with her brother and Mia, though they were now joined by the bronze haired weyrbred girl. Revina glided past behind them, brushing her arm over Yariel's shoulders. His queen firelizard hissed.

Katsu entered with his sisters and Ilisandora and made a line for where they were sat. The three of them (plus toddler) took chairs and grabbed bowls and bread rolls.

Four boys Demek didn't recognise followed a man in bluerider badges across the hall to where R'ton was sat. One was a small, thin, waifish looking boy who looked about ten (not that she could speak), the second was a dark skinned boy with dark, curly hair, and the third was a plain looking blonde boy. The fourth, though, was the one catching all the attention. Girls' jaws were dropping around the hall. He was huge, the biggest person Demek had ever seen, standing at six foot ten with an impressive width comparable to the size of two men put together. His arm muscles alone looked the size of her head. His skin was a soft, olive-tanned tone, with a very masculine but highly attractive face that was turning every head in his vicinity and a pair of magnificent sky blue eyes. His hair was a brilliant white, cut in a spiky fashion.

Demek blinked and forced herself to stop staring.

"New candidates," Darunican said.

"Do you see that guy?" Leandeer whisper-shouted.

"I see him," Demek muttered. Just what she needed. Another freak for everyone to fawn over. What was it with this place? It was like it attracted weirdos!

"Seeing him and seeing him are two different things," said Luna.

See, this was why she was weird!

The Search rider very quickly left the four boys with R'ton and made himself scarce. R'ton spoke briefly with them and waved a hand at the dining hall along with what Demek guessed was an instruction for them to sit down. Before they could a voice came from the other side of the hall.

"Kingsley Orius Keiren Lunarlight?"

It was quiet, and yet somehow everyone in the noisy hall still heard it. WhiteHair turned to face the speaker, that pale girl with the dark hair and too many names.

"Princess Lilyen Adalicia Midnight?"

Right, that was it.

She squealed (girlishly, of course) and rushed across the hall to launch herself at him, wrapping her slender, delicate arms around his thick, manly neck. He swept her from the floor and spun her round. The smallest newboy scuttled backwards to avoid being kicked.

"I thought I'd never see you again after mama sold you to those pirates!"

"Seeing as you two seem to know each other-" R'ton started.

"Oh, yes, Kingsley Orius Keiren Lunarlight is my longlost identical twin brother. We were separated so long ago-"

"Perfect. Whatsyourname with the white hair, Princess can be your guide and help get you settled in."

And she'd thought she'd be safe from the insanity by staying with the boys.

At least he might not be bothering them quite yet.

He didn't, but he did choose to sit a few chairs down from them with Princess Many Other Names and reminisce about his traumatic childhood being raised by pirates who taught him to fight and then being abandoned on the mysterious western continant, where he apparently battled great monsters. Many of the other candidates (and some other weyrfolk) shuffled a little closer to hear his tall tales.

Faranth save her sanity (what was left of it by this point).

Demek left early to go to the classroom, as did Lily and Luna and a few scarce others.

"How'sit going?" asked Lily.

"Fine," Demek replied, which she had learnt was the answer to that phrase. The two were the closest friends Demek had amongst the female candidates, though they were, admittedly, a little weird. Luna liked to say vague, mysterious things, while Lily used words and language Demek was pretty sure wasn't language at times.

"Did you see the new guy?" Lily asked.

"He's… hard to miss."

"He's like another type of bad fanfic character come to life."

And there she went with the language that wasn't language.

"But what should it matter whether life is created or given?" asked Luna.

And that was the other one.

The only people at the classroom were Arwen Raven Nightshade (aka she who devours the light according to Luna), her apparent best friend Docalakon (aka he who seeks the road ahead to destroy instead of follow it according to Luna), and Imijin and Milenin (the tools of destruction according to Lily).

That wasn't a problem.

Demek could handle them.

The other candidates started arriving twenty minutes later, all of them whispering and talking excitedly about the new boy.

It was like living history all over again, except this time she actually had to deal with him!

Demek found a safe chair at the back, out of the way. Lily and Luna did the same.

The new boy (uh, Kings something, right?), opened the door with a flourish and held it. "After you ladies."

Dorasa, Mia, and, um, bronze haired weyrbred girl, entered the classroom, followed closely by Yariel, who was shooting dagger eyes at NewBoy.

Oh dear.

"It is good and known advice that one should not anger the wild winds, nor awaken the storm," whispered Luna.

She never got any more normal, did she?

Yariel steered Dorasa into the other corner and sat at the end of the row. NewBoy took a seat on the row in front. Yariel proceeded to glower at him for the entire lesson. New Boy spent it whispering to the girls and flipping his magnificent white hair.

What even was her life at this point?

When the lesson finished New Boy immediately started enthralling the younger candidates with tales of his adventures and, of course, heroically saving one from a falling glows basket, as well as trying to flirt with all the girls. A sickening amount of them seemed to fall for it.

"Have you ever heard of Eeayarthach?" asked Lily. Demek was surprised she remembered how to pronounce it. New Boy laughed.

"Oh, I see you've met Desiree Aimah Flameheart. Yeah, she's always on about that place. Ive seen it written though and I'm pretty sure it's pronounced Urth."

"Yeah," Lily mumbled.

"I'm sure we could find it if we looked." He raised his eyebrows with a smirk.

"Another bad fanfic character fasur," Lily muttered as they sat down for lunch. At the next table over, New Boy was teaching fourteen year old Pesson how to care for his firelizard.

"Use your words Lily," Demek reminded her. Lily sighed.

"Another demon Demek."

Over the next two days, Kingsley Orius Keiren Lunarlight did prove himself to be just like Desiree. If not worse. He knew the answer to every question and problem asked in class, he could do twice the amount of chores in half the amount of time, he was stronger and faster than Yariel and smarter than Indigo and Katsu put together, and all the girls fawned over him. Demek knew he had slept with Jakeiria, Revina, and Tulliyoh. Even Lily seemed to be falling for his charms.

He, however, only wanted one girl.

Dorasa.

She refused to give him the time of day, or even look him in the face unless she was slapping him (which she had done twice, earning herself four days of extra duties from Jurdree), but he was relentless in his pursuits. It was quite amusing (and pathetic) to watch.

Demek spent most of her time telling herself it wasn't much longer now.

Demek was usually one of the first ones up, so she could find a private place (usually in the necessary) to wash her face and change before the others were up. She had just finished changing and left her pyjamas on her bed when fifteen year old Rydul, who was an early riser like her, rushed into the room.

"Where's the fire?" asked Zindyl.

"Kingsley Orius Keiren Lunarlight and Yariel are having an honour duel in the Weyrbowl!"

And all chaos broke loose.