The 'room' was pleasantly crowded, twenty-nine queenriders sitting or loitering about, adding nibbles to their plates. The Magnificent Eight sat equally spaced around the table, the younger queenriders moving about, except for Ofsee, who was sitting and breastfeeding her babies. Like all queenriders she would have to foster the younglings as soon as they were weaned, but for now, she enjoyed being a mother, and all the other queenriders, all too aware of the too short nature of motherhood as riders, took their turns holding and cuddling the twins. Jurille smiled sweetly at the sight, remembering her own all too brief motherhood.
"I'm glad Meredad convinced her to join us this night." Brinda murmured, gazing in the same direction as Telgar's Weyrwoman.
"She was going to stay away?" Jurille asked, looking surprised.
"She didn't believe that she was invited at first. Kimi has told all the other queenriders that it is only for Senior queenriders."
Jurille's jaw dropped. "And they believed it?"
Brinda looked steadily at her in return.
"After Reema left, there were no other pre-C'seld queenriders to counter her. I had wondered why they hadn't been coming, I had no idea the Kimi was complicit in their 'exile'." The older queenrider explained.
"We'll have to set this right." Jurille frowned.
"Ofsee already has. According to what I hear, she told all the queenriders, and Kimi used that as an excuse not to come at all. I really don't understand it, but she has decided C'seld'd way of running things is the proper way of things." Brinda sighed.
"This close to the end of the Pass? Is she insane?" Reema demanded, and the rest of the room fell quiet. "We are two autumns away from the last of Threadfall for the next two hundred Turns - rather than alienating the Holders, we should be looking at ways to integrate our duties in the Turns to come! Ten generations is a long time to have to live on their generosity."
"How is it that Kimi became senior queenrider at Benden?" Veyl, junior queenrider of High Reaches asked in an amused tone.
"Bad timing." Asvi replied with a bemused smile. "But perhaps on that note we should start the meeting?"
There was a general agreement, and the women all took their seats.
"Jurille, if you please." Brinda nodded at their hostess, and Jurille nodded, standing. "First of all, thank you all and once again welcome." She made a point of meeting everyone's eyes, and smiling at Ofsee.
"As many of you know, during the last Hatching we had our first female bluerider in... almost three hundred Turns?" She glanced at Verney, who nodded. "Which did bring up the question of returning women the hatching grounds, as potential green and blue riders." Looking around the room Jurille didn't see anyone who appeared in disagreement.
"Do you know why they were removed?" Ofsee asked, more comfortable to ask than some of the other junior queenriders.
"Pregnancy." Diretta sighed. "The first half of the Third Pass nearly saw substantial portions of Pern Threadbare, because a full quarter of our fighting ranks were pregnant at any given time. The Weyrwomen of the time restricted Hatchings to men, unless of course, there was a queen egg or the dragonets made an in stands Impression. During the Interval this was lifted, of course, but ten turns before the Pass started women were once more relegated to Queenriders. According to the Records they didn't lift the restriction until after the end of the Pass, but given that we wouldn't be put pairs in the air for two Turns, there's really no reason we can't start standing women on the Sands now."
"And it'll stand us better with the CraftHalls, they have accused us of trying to relegate women to subordinate roles. " Ryla added.
"They do not say that about us." Milli, the junior queen from Fort said, with an astonished look.
"Yes they do." Said several Hall born women at the same time.
"So, do we have any objections to returning women to the candidate ranks?" Jurille asked.
"We would be sharing them like all candidates?" Wytly, senior queen of Ista asked.
"Naturally." Jurille nodded.
"Then I have no objections."
"May I see a round of hands?" Every hand went up. "Good. To start with, Telgar is going to pull from our lower caverns, mostly to get the Holders used to the idea of women on smaller dragons, but we were thinking about Searching the Holds starting next Turn."
"You could start in the Halls now, if they've lifted the prohibition on us." Meredad mentioned.
"Jentlth will rise in the summer. You might want to make it known to the Halls which Weyr you're from if you do Search." Ofsee observed with an acidic tone.
"Which brings us to the second order of business. We need to throw Jentlth's next mating flight wide open." Jurille sighed. It was generally frowned upon, strongly, but there was no love for C'seld left in the Queens Wings.
"How do you recommend we do that?" Meredad asked, a smile playing on her lips, as the rest of the room fell into a startled silence again.
"The old fashioned way. Our bronzes just happen to be in the area when Jentlth rises." A couple of the young queenriders stared wide eye as the Magnificent Eight shared bemused glances.
"M'hall's Gambit. I like it." Kenbib laughed. "Only question remains, who will report it?"
"I have that taken care of. Willth is listening for Benden's Archivist's shout." Reema grinned predatorially. A twitter of laughter ran through the crowd.
"So we need to find willing participants. Sounds good." Wytly smiled and relaxed. "Have Willth keep us up to date and we'll give C'seld a run for his Marks like he's never seen." Belatedly, Jurille remembered that Wytly had been a Bitran card dealer when she was Searched.
"Alright, that leads us to the last order of business that I have, which is requesting an update on Benden's offspring." Telgar's Weyrwoman glanced around again. "We have handled the women in Telgar's territory, and the southern reach of Nerat. It's... not a happy report."
"You're finding a lot of dead babies too?" Meredad asked, her eyes flinty. The gathered women nodded grimly.
"We've made a lot of headway in repairing the damage, but we are finding that Benden has done some pretty irreparable harm. Whomever the next Weyrleader is to be, he's got a lot of work ahead of him." Jurille sighed. "We've also had to take in a total of nine woman, and thirteen children. Children are not the only ones paying the price for these dalliances. "
"Igen has taken in three woman, and seven children for the same cause. It's shameful their Holders are treating them like this." Meredad grumbled.
"Shameful, agreed, but the Holders are only interested in protecting their women's marriagabilty." Kenbib sighed. "That's why I'm in favor of Search for girls sooner than later, it's a dynamic we must change, or we'll see more women and girls sacrificed if a Hold is left resourceless."
The other Weyrwoman reported their numbers, and a glum sort of mood descended upon the group.
"Alright then. We know the numbers, and we have a plan of action," Jurille announced, determined not to let this end on a sour note. "IIs there any other business that you would like to discuss?"
"May I?" Milli asked, standing as Jurille to her seat. "I've been discussing it with Verney, and there hasn't been a Pern-wide re-shuffling of junior queens since the Pass began. Since you're going to need to do that anyways when C'seld is replaced, I'd like to recommend we draw up the lineages and discuss new Weyr assignments next Queens' Meet."
"That's an excellent idea," Brinda agreed, as Milli sat back down.
"All in favor?" Jurille asked. Again every hand went up.
"And add on, if I may," Wytly added, standing, "C'seld's actions mean that re-Weyring his bronzeriders will be in order as well. We should seriously consider the very real possibility of rotating out all of Benden's riders."
"Hmm. Something we should keep in mind when choosing his replacement," Diretta nodded.
Joith landed lightly, and crouched so L'stur might dismount.
"Welcome, and welmet," Holder Kiplur cried, standing holding a mug of steaming liquid with which to greet the Wingleader. Despite the icehold receiving no actual protection during Fall, L'stur had always made a point as Weyrleader to check in with them, a practice B'ton had carried on, and the inhabitants of the icehold reciprocated in kind.
"How was your Turnover?" He asked, sipping the mulled cider and following the fur clad man back inside.
"Quiet. We were afraid to celebrate too loudly, you understand." Kiplur admitted.
"Let me make it up to you," L'stur offered, "Next Hatching you are all my guests."
"Really?" His youngest, a ten Turns old boy with sandy colored hair squeaked, lurking by the entrance.
"Yes, really." L'stur laughed. "So be sure to be ready in four months." He ruffled the lad's hair, then sobered up, catching sight of Minket in her widow's whites, looking gaunt and half gone herself.
We will fly straight back, so she might see the land Kestle so loved. Joith suggested.
I should think so. I'm not sure going between won't kill her right now. He waited as the Holder's wife helped the former Lady Holder into thick furs for her ride to the Weyr.
"Lady Minket?" He saluted her, then offered his arm. Minket had never been a large woman to begin with, for all that she and Urlyra came from the same bloodline, but he was appalled at how frail she had become.
"Forgive me, Lord L'stur, but may I ride side saddle for this trip?" She asked simply, appearing wearied by that short walk.
"Of course." He settled her in front of him, and with her tucked against his shoulder gave Joith the go ahead. The bronze sprang skyward, caught a thermal and soared away from the icehold.
"We're going to a Hatching!" His son danced with his sister as Kiplur watched them leave, wondering if he would see the Lady Holder alive at the Hatching.