"No," Char said, "I don't think they'd understand." She smiled sheepishly at her friends. "I'm not sure I understand enough to explain it." That letter, with all the accompanying details had gone to Fulsa and Namul, on beaten sheets of paperplant that the harper had taught the Weyrlings to make. The sheets lacked the give of vellum, which she hoarded for her letters home, and had to be rolled loosely to send by fire lizard or messenger, but she still derived great pleasure from knowing she could make her own.

Fulsa's response had arrived tied to the leg of a blue fire lizard, who preened upon finding her. Tell Urlyra.

Intimidated by the thought of approaching the queens' table at the meal, Char caught Urlyra as she was leaving lunch. Grateful for any excuse to delay returning to the smelly task of rendering numbweed, Urlyra listen to Char's concerns. Like all the queenriders she had heard of C'seld's aborted attempt to retrieve 'his' errant queen dragonpair, but listening to Char's recounting, particularly of the sensation of weight when describing the arrival of the queenriders, she realized just how close a miss it had been. Fleetingly she wondered if C'seld knew how close he came to being flayed alive by a Wing of gold dragons.

She doubted it.

"And you say physical contact with your dragon lessened the weight?" She asked curiously. Char nodded as Urlyra considered the information. "Interesting. Come find me before dinner."

Jurille and Zandur were with Urlyra when Char reported back, and nervously, she recounted her experience.

"Curious. And you say you herd Couragth repeat Brinda's words?" Jurille asked.

"Yes. But... sometimes the dragons talk to me so I didn't think it was all that important."

"The dragons talk to you? Which ones?" Urlyra asked.

"The watch dragon always says hello in the morning, Wubath sometimes speaks to me if I'm up before the Weyrleader, Mirrth checks in on me, but I think that's because C'bay worries about me, and Deerith always greets me as Char of Vaeth, which Vaeth thinks is just the greatest." The queenriders chuckled appreciatively. "Oh, and the firelizards always send happy thoughts at me, but I don't know iffin' that's because I always leave them a little extra when I carve food for Vaeth. And... sometimes I heard real faintly Telgarsk and Namusk in the evenings, so I think they're checking up on me too." She added the last only because Vaeth had been puzzled by their soft mind touch. Jurille looked confused but Urlyra snorted.

"They have been. Fulsa, my cousin, the wherehandler," she explained for Jurille and Zandur's benefit, "her blue pegged you as a potential candidate, but it looks like Vaeth had other ideas."

"A watchwher?" Jurille looked a little surprised.

"Makes sense to me." Zandur grunted. "Dragons and watchwers were bred from the same source. If one is sensitive to the needs of one dragonkin, then they're sensitive to the needs of all dragonkin. Do you ever hear them when they aren't speaking directly to you?" He asked Char. She shook her head. "'Cept when Brinda was talking, no."

"If Courath was broadcasting her words, Char might not be the only person who heard them." Urlyra pointed out. "But you felt the weight of their anger. Can you often feel their emotions?"

Char bit her lower lip, thinking.

"I... I don't rightly know. I grew up around herdbeasts, and you have to keep a sharp eye on them because their big and can hurt you iffin' you're not paying attention. Because of that I'm always keeping one eye on the dragons, not 'cause they'd mean to hurt me, but 'cause they're so big, you have to respect the space they fill. Pa calls it the law of gross weight." Zandur raised an eyebrow as both queenriders fought not to laugh aloud. "So iffin' I say I know how the dragons are feeling, I don't know iffin' it's because I'm hearing their feelings or 'cause I've been watching their body language." Char explained apologetically.

"Do you know what it means to be empathic?" Jurille asked, smiling. Char scratched her head. "That's when you're aware of other folks feelings? and try not to hurt them?"

Urlyra giggled, then coughed.

"Ignore her." Zandur grumbled when Char looked over at the queenrider worriedly.

"You're half right, sweetling." Jurille explained soothingly. "To be empathic is having the ability to feel the emotions of others. After what you described, we were wondering if you had some latent empathic ability. There's nothing wrong with it, but it's a handy trick to have up your sleeve, particularly if you are still interested in Herdbeasthall when Thread stops falling."

Char suddenly focused on Jurille.

"You mean, I can still attend Hall?" Her voice cracked with hope.

'We have to take the long view here at the Weyr. The pass will end in three short Turns. If you still want-"

"Yes, please yes!" Char interrupted fervently. "I really like animals, even Pa's mean milking ewe- I want to learn everything about them!" She all but pleaded, sending Urlyra into a fit of giggles.

Jurille smiled. "Then you shall."

"Oh thank you!" Char all but danced in glee.

"But first- we'd like you to exercise that talent of yours." Jurille continued.

"Okay, but... how?" Char asked, perplexed.

"Reema's an empathy, I'd like you to work with her, say, tomorrow after dinner?" Jurilla asked and Char nodded.

"Good. Now run along to dinner. I hear the kitchen has made a surprise for us."

Reelon wiped his brow, and smiled as Tibitha shooed off an overly curious bovine. The twins were helping them stow the half bales of alfalfa into the barn. Farmer Azon had delieved the alfalfa, grown in fields the ovines had grazed the year before, as per their agreement, and had left with his two head of cattle. Gwedli had regained her old vigor by the end of the month, but Reelon forbade her from helping with the heaviest lifting just yet. In her place, Harper Shelt, visiting as part of his rounds, worked the lift. Little Flit sat on a sunny perch, watching the whole operation with mild curiosity.

"Mistress green, if you would be so kind as to call the workers?" Gwedli said to the firelizard, carrying out a tray of snacks, a skin of chilled water hooked to her belt.

Flit soared over the to the barn, warbling as she circled around the men, then Tibitha, and lastly up to the loft where the twins worked.

"Break." Reelon called, and the twins, giggling the whole way, rode the lift down courtesy of the harper.

"Ma made harperbread!" Tibitha announced from the table, beating the rest of them to the food.

"Really?" Shelt grinned. "I haven't had that in a canine's age!"

"Really?" Tibitha asked, unconsciously mimicking him. "We had it last week too." She explained, picking up a triangular wedge of flatbread, with it's thick layer of tom-fruit sauce and cheese.

"Ah! Gracious lady, you have saved this pitiable harper." Shelt flopped into a chair melodramatically as Flit landed on his shoulder, creeling piteously.

Gwedli laughed, and pushed a small dish of slivered wherry meat, left over from making sausages, to the harper.

As the girls and Reelon helped themselves to the harperbread, Gwedli filled their earthenware cups with the chilled water, flavored with mint and hyssop. There was a round of 'to the hostess with the mostest', then they all relaxed, chatting and eating leisurely. Flit chirped suddenly, looking skyward, and Shelt looked up in time to see a dragon pop into existence.

"Is it Charrie?" Tibitha asked, shielding her eyes against the nooning sun.

" No... it's Mirrth!" Relecca identified the green as Reelon put an arm around Gwedli and murmured softly, 'one day, beloved, the answer will be yes.'

paperplant = papyrus

tom-fruit = tomato

If you find any grammatical or spelling errors, let me know.

Additionally, I finally got hired - to three part time jobs. I will endeavor to update once a month, but I am much shorter on time these days. That said, I am in no danger of giving up on this story, so no fears.