Disclaimer: Pern is not mine.

Anyways, this chapter is atrocious. I'm completely ashamed. (ButI still hope you like it). Will try to do better on the next one...

The result of this shock was that Niraven suddenly blurted out,
"I'm going to get married!" There was a moment of frozen silence before he realised what he had just told her.

"What?" Nirami gave him a blank look.

"Don't tell!" He was going steadily more crimson. Why did he say that? Why couldn't he have just kept his mouth shut for another few days? Shards. Elixa would not be pleased.

And Nirami was still staring at him as if he had sprouted another ear.

"What? I mean, I won't. But...but...what?" Nirami had not seen it coming. Her brother was getting married. Her first thought was that it ruined her romantic plans. Her second was that her parents would kill her for not telling once they found out, although they might be so pleased that she would avoid trouble.

"Her name is Elixa. She's a journeywoman, been raised her entire life at Harper Hall," He glanced at his sister and noticed her eyes, wide and looking as if they were about to pop out of her skull, "Are you...upset?"

And then Nirami's head, which had gone a bit blank, returned to reality.

"No, no, shells, no! Of course not! I'm just surprised. I mean, I haven't really seen you. For years. And now you're getting married. Which is, well, important," Nirami smiled. She was happy for her brother, but she suddenly felt the gap of many long years apart. These days, they really only had memories in common.

There was a long pause as both sibling struggled to find what to say.

"So, what is she like?" Nirami eventually asked.

"Well, she's short, shorter than even you-"

"Hey!"

"Anyways, she's got red hair, and blue eyes..." Niraven sighed, his expression getting silly and romantic. Nirami laughed at him.

"I want to meet her," She told him. Before he could reply, there was a knock on the door. A moment later, Leanin poked her head in.

"Hey, is...? Oh, there you are Nirami!"

"Hey Lean!" Nirami jumped to her feet, using the nickname she had given the blonde girl.

"The feast is almost ready. Almost everyone is assembled," Leanin told them.

The trio quickly hurried downstairs, where food and laughter and music made the night fly by.

The next day, when Niraven left with his father, was the day Leanin truly became part of White Sand Hold. Everyone was assembled, waving and watching the fishing fleet sail away. Suddenly Zinda turned to the young blonde women and told her,
"Young lady, you are useless. Would you like me to teach you how to cook my bubbly pies?"

Leanin gladly accepted, though she privately thought that she already knew how to make bubbly pies. But she was later to learn that Zinda made the best pies on Pern, and guarded the recipe with her life. When asked why she refused to share, the old woman told an elaborate story of secret recipes and past tragedy, but it was different every time, which caused a fair amount of suspicion. Only a handful of people had ever truly been taught it, though Zinda was always dropping hints. Leanin was soon at work, listening to the old lady lecture on about the best way to sweeten the berries, the best way to bake the crust. It seemed to her that the elderly Auntie lectured more than she cooked, but it was worth it. When Niraven returned, the blonde was nowhere to be found. According to Nirami, she had hardly been seen in days. Pies appeared in the kitchen rather mysteriously, sometimes accompanied by a quick flash of yellow hair. The pies were excellent, and Nirami did love pie. But the younger girl did miss her friend. Leanin was really the only girl Nirami's age at the hold, and now that Leanin was busy, the black-haired girl felt her absence.

Niraven was wet and cold and tired and hungry from the trip, but he was only too glad to spend time with his rambunctious sister, telling her about Elixa, listening to her stories about the hold, wallowing in memories. He did not have much time left at the hold anyways. Eventually, the topic drifted to Leanin.

"So, where's she from?" Niraven asked.

"No one knows but her. She won't tell. All we know is she has a brother, an older one. And I think she is from the North, and didn't do much, but that's just gossip. She's really very nice though. One time..." And Nirami changed the topic to safer ground.

For despite the fact that she was truly part of their hold, mystery still lingered around Leanin. Even Zinda occasionally attempted to slip in a question about her past, though the girl had always caught herself just before answering. But as the days passed, the questions decreased.

Although he planned to leave much earlier, his family seemed intent on preventing his return to Harper Hall. His stay was lengthened until a firelizard was sent with a short message demanding he return to Harper Hall. Even the day of his leaving was a long event. He was hugged by almost everyone in the Hold, even some of the gruff, weathered seamen, and several family members burst into tears and required consolation. Then his mother had to make sure that he was prepared, and then insisted he eat one last meal with them. Finally he was able to drag himself from the slightly too loving clutches of his hold's inhabitants.

Only a few people were absent from this event, including Zinda and Leanin. But Nirami was also missing, and this caused a fair amount of anxiety when she reappeared the next day. However, the dark-haired girl told them with a nervous little laugh that she had simply wandered a bit too far from the Hold. Few believed her, and the others who had fire lizards recieved a brief glimpse of a wine jug. This resulted in Nirami being confined to her room.

And then, about a month after Niraven's departure, Nirami found Leanin in her room, sleeping peacefully, with a scrap of hide clutched in her hand. She deciphered (though with difficulty) that "Well done"was written on it in Zinda's almost illegible handwriting. The blonde smelled of pies and fruits and a bit of mold. The moldy odor was due to Zinda's preference for dank locations, no matter what the family said it did for her health.

The scrap of hide was taken as a signal that Leanin's education on bubbly pies was finished, a fact that was confirmed by the young woman once she woke up. She was glad to have nothing left to do, and she was content to simply sit outside with Nirami. The summer days were coming to an end, and it was getting chilly in the evening, so they took advantage of the remaining warmth. Nirami, relieved to have her friend back, talked in a constant stream of words. Leanin was content to listen and occasionally input a few words, as always. As night fell, the wind began to blow in from the ocean, and they quickly retreated indoors.

The chills of nightime gradually crept into day, until it was no longer pleasant to swim or relax outdoors. But this scarcely mattered, for Leanin was hard at work cooking and Nirami had been forced to care for the children. And besides, they firelizards to care for, and things to clean and arrange, and before they knew it, it was almost Turn's End. According to Nirami, their family did not do much for Turn's End, aside from an enormous feast, and an exchange of gifts for one's closest friends.

Leanin did not have many friends to give gifts to, but she wanted to be sure that her gifts were perfect. She planned to give one to Nirami, of course, but also to Dalohny and Numuna, who had taken her in. And so her plans began.....