Disclaimer: I do not own Anne McCaffrey's Dragon Riders of Pern (DRoP) series. Most of the characters in this story are mine, although some have been borrowed from Southern Realms: Kahiko Weyr with the permission of the members AND the BoD there.
The main character Jayen, her two siblings, the rest of Jayen's family, and Jenna, rider of Green Haevinth are my own creations and are also my characters at the Kahiko Weyr.
EDIT: 23/8/2006 – I just renamed the chapter because the previous title was a bit confusing and didn't really suit what the chapter was about. Please read and review!
Chapter 2: Painful Parting, New Beginning
Jayen finished packing her few belongings into the two carry bags, and looked around the room she had lived in for the past five turns.
There were so many memories wrapped up the walls of this room, the most recent being of her and Daellin together in the bed… She smiled ruefully and shifted position gingerly. It was a good experience, she thought. Even though it was painful to begin with. She had no regrets about what she and Daellin had done, and was pleased with herself for actually doing it and not backing out at the last minute.
Sighing, she left the room, closing the door behind her and heading out of the building and into the square where the Dragon Rider was to pick her up.
It was almost sunset, and soon she would be returning to the Weyr in shame and would have to pick up the pieces of her life.
Daellin was waiting for her at the edge of the square. Her twin brother and younger sister were with him.
She walked up to them, giving her siblings a hug. "Take care you two. Don't do anything stupid."
Jaycen chuckled and Jadrien hugged her tightly. "We won't do anything stupid Jay!" the younger girl replied. "Say Hello to Ma and Da for us."
Jayen nodded and smiled a little. It would be good to see her parents again, even if they were disappointed in her.
"Well, Jaddie and I have kitchen duty tonight, so we'd better get going before we do get into trouble." Jaycen hugged her. "Take care, sis." Jayen watched sadly as her brother and sister walked off to the Dining Hall. They turned around very couple of steps to wave to her, and Jayen waved back.
She sighed and turned to Daellin once they had disappeared from her line of sight and was hit with a wave of apprehension as she looked at him.
She needn't have worried because Daellin pulled her into his arms and kissed her repeatedly.
"Don't forget me." He whispered.
"I won't. Just don't forget me!"
He laughed. "How could I? Especially after what we did earlier…" he didn't need to say more.
Jayen blushed, her pale cheeks turning pink in the last rays of the sun.
"Your rides here."
Jayen looked over her shoulder at the green dragon that was winging its way down to the square, then looked back at Daellin. "I'll miss you." She whispered, kissing him softly.
Daellin kissed her back. "I'll miss you too. Love you."
"I love you too." She kissed and hugged him one last time and hoisted her carry bags onto her shoulders, turning away just as the Green Dragon landed in the middle of the square.
The dragon's rider dismounted and walked towards her, waving with both hands. "Heya Jay!"
Jayen recognised the voice. "Hey Jenna, hello Haevinth." She greeted both the rider and the dragon.
Greetings Jayen. The other dragons send their regards Haevinth replied warmly in her mind.
Jayen blushed for the second time that evening. She had been able to hear the dragons speak for all of her life, and had slowly learned how to block their conversations from her mind, but it still made her feel self-conscious when they actually spoke to her.
"I heard about what happened, Jay. Everyone at the Weyr knows it wasn't you who ripped up those records. Shards! Most of us older ones have known you since the day you were born, and you've never done anything worse than sneaking into the Hatching Grounds as a toddler to have a look at the eggs!" Jenna plump cheeks were red with her barely contained anger. "It's not right for you to be sent back to the Weyr for something you didn't do, and the Weyrwoman even spoke to the Master Harper on your behalf, but the fardling old man is too stubborn and wouldn't budge as much as a flitters tail length! Said something about having a reputation to uphold or so I heard." The green rider said a few more obscenities before taking Jayen's bags out of her shock-limp hands. "Come on, let's get home. Don't worry about your Ma and Da, the Weyrwoman's already spoken to them and they don't believe that you did it either. If fact, they can't wait to have you home. We've got a clutch on the sands right now, due to hatch in a couple of months. We need all the help we can get right now to prepare for the hatching."
The green rider pushed a still shocked Jayen over to the green dragon and helped her up onto Haevinth's back, strapping her in securely before tying the girls' bags onto the straps below the dragon's wings.
The green rider then climbed up onto her dragons back and strapped herself in. "Hold on now. Haevinth is gonna take off it a sec!"
Having grown up around dragons, and having ridden on quite a few, Jayen was prepared for the take off, even in her shocked state. She remembered to wave goodbye to Daellin just before they took off, and her heart broke when she saw that he was crying again. Shards, but she would miss him.
The dragon winged her way into the air just as the sun sunk below the horizon, gaining altitude with every powerful thrust of her pale green wings.
Even though she had ridden dragons before, being up in the air on one always took Jayen's breath away. The view of the Harper Hall in the darkness was beautiful with all the glows lighting up the buildings.
"Sorry kiddo, but we can't go between today. I've got a babe on the way and I don't want to lose this one like I lost the other two." Jenna apologised, having to yell over the wind of their flight.
The green rider had lost two babes in the last two turns because she hadn't known she was with child when she went between, and each time the grief had nearly killed her. Jenna already had four children, eight turn old twin daughters, a five turn old son, and her youngest girl who was nearly three, but she desperately wanted another baby. She wanted as many as she could get, and often volunteered to help Jayen's mother at the Weyr Crèche.
"Congratulations Jenna!" Jayen said loudly, straining to be heard over the wind, having finally come to her senses. "It's not far to the Weyr anyway, is it?" the green rider nodded in affirmation. "So it wouldn't really be worth going between anyway." It would give Jayen a bit of time to think of what she was going to say to her parents.
"It's a nice night for flying. Nice and balmy. It should be sunny again tomorrow. Would you mind helping me bathe Haevinth tomorrow arvo? Once you've settled in of course."
"Sure. It'd be nice to get back into the old routines again. It'll keep my mind off… other things."
Just then the outline of the Weyr came into view. The caves on the high half-cone shaped cliffs glowed in the darkness, and the lake below glistened darkly. The glowing, whirling blue-green eyes of dragons could be clearly seen up on the fire heights and the Watch Dragon bugled a loud welcome which Haevinth promptly answered.
As they flew over the top of the Weyr, Jayen was looked down just in time to see faint shapes of the eggs that were hardening on the hot sand in the Hatching Ground.
"How many eggs are there this time?" Jayen asked as the green dragon descended down into the Weyrbowl.
"Sixty-eight, including four gold's. It's the biggest clutch yet. It's a sign that Thread will be coming again soon."
Jayen nodded. Sixty-eight eggs! And four gold's! She had once dreamed of impressing a dragon, any dragon, but had never been searched. When she had gone to the Harper Hall, Jayen had given up that dream and had decided instead that she wanted to be Master Harper one day. And now that dream was shattered too.
She sighed as they landed, choosing to ignore the questioning glance that the green rider threw her way, and concentrated instead on the group of people gathering at the entrance to the Lower Caverns.
Her parents were there, with seven of her younger siblings that were still too young to be Apprenticed to a Hall. And, the Weyrwoman was there too.
Jayen had only previously seen the Weyrwoman from a distance. To Weyrbred children, and people outside of the Weyr, the Weyrwoman was a mythical person, almost a Goddess, who was never to be approached, who knew everything that happened in the Weyr, and who could strike you down with only a look.
Since being at the Harper Hall however, Jayen had lost that fear, but not the respect and awe.
Jayen got down from the green dragon and thanked her gratefully.
You're welcome Jayen the green replied.
Jenna passed her bags down. "I'll see you tomorrow arvo at the lake." With a parting smile the dragon and rider pair lifted off and flew up to the Weyr that they shared with their Weyrmate's and family.
Jayen hoisted her bags over her shoulders and walked over to her family and the Weyrwoman. Before she could say anything however, her mother was there, throwing her arms around her daughter and welcoming her home.
"We're so glad you're home sweetheart! We've missed you so much!" her mother gushed, kissing and hugging her daughter tightly as if she was going to fly away and go between forever.
"Ma! I'm not going to disappear!" Jayen laughed, feeling glad to be home again. Her mother let her go and took a step, looking her daughter up and down, only stopping when she was apparently satisfied with how her daughter was developing, and looked.
"Don't you worry about a thing sweetie. The Weyrwoman here has explained everything to us. We're not angry or upset with you. We're just glad to have you back home, where you belong. We are concerned about how you're taking it though."
"I'm alright Ma, Da." Jayen managed to say. "I'm just glad to be home too. I do miss my friends though, and Jayce and Jaddie, and Daellin. But I missed you guys more than anything while I was there." This wasn't exactly true, but she wanted to reassure her parents that she was okay.
Jayen turned to the Weyrwoman who had kept quiet while the family was reunited with their daughter. A small smile was tugging at the corners of her mouth as if she were trying not to laugh.
"Evening, Weyrwoman Lorin. I wasn't expecting you to be here me meet me, but it gives me a chance to thank you for everything you have done for me." Jayen bowed formally, like she had been taught in the Harper Hall.
"Don't mention it dear. I see you've gained the formal ways of a true harper." The Weyrwoman laughed. "We're all glad to have you back here with us child." The Weyrwoman smiled at Jayen and patted her on the shoulder. "If there is anything else I can do for you, please don't hesitate to ask me dear."
Jayen grinned. She had lost some of her misconceptions about the Weyrwoman already. "You've done more than for me than I can ever repay ma'am. I have no right to ask for anything else when I can't repay my previous dept."
The Weyrwoman laughed again and grinned. "Such a way with words! Maybe you can repay me. I'm still having trouble finding a suitable harper to sing and play at the Hatching Feast. I'd like you to be that harper. You have such a lovely voice, and even if you can't be a harper, you can be a Weyr Singer."
Jayen smiled and tears came to her eyes. To be asked to sing and play at the Hatching Feast! "Thank you ma'am! It would be a true honour!" Jayen answered breathlessly.
Something good had come out of all the pain she had been through today.
"If you'll excuse me ma'am, it has been a very exhausting day, and I'm afraid I may fall down asleep soon. Would you mind if my family and I went back to our weyr for the night?" Jayen asked timidly, not wanting to take up too much of the Weyrwoman's time.
"Certainly child, you do look rather dead on your feet. Headwoman Katarina will see you tomorrow sometime to work out what chores you will be assigned once you have settled in properly. And don't worry, you'll still be able to help bathe Haevinth tomorrow afternoon. Good night Rheeva, Jarendall, Jayen, children. Clear skies!" The Weyrwoman walked away to the hatching grounds, her short blonde hair which was only just starting to turn grey blowing in the slight breeze that had sprung up since Jayen's arrival back at the Weyr.
Jayen went with her family back to their weyr and gratefully sank down onto the freshly made bed in the same room she had slept in before going to the Harper Hall. She was so tired that she didn't even give the Harper Hall or Daellin another thought and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the soft pillow.
