The dragons and their rides are the property of AM, but here is the latest update to the story. Thank you for your review, Starsinger, and your query of "fit" and "fitted". I used "fitted" in the past tense because that's how I was taught, through the OED. I hope no one else stumbles over too many other Britishisms!

Because of the canon assertion of the Weyrs remaining empty, there are some logical queries in this story, some of which I address, some of which I'm afraid I'm leaving alone.

12.8.191

If he did not spend quite a sevenday writing letters, H'ric certainly used up a large supply of parchment. Jiverny kept the Records, and she found him the parchment and ink, but asked that if he was writing to the Crafthalls she would appreciate more of both. After due thought H'ric added that request to the Masterharper Serellim in the distant Harper Hall at Fort Hold. He also made a list of who would take the messages, and included their harper Yorus for the trip to Harper Hall. He found time to study the lists of the wings and their leaders, and the younger riders coming through from the weyrling ranks. He made a rough table of the places he wanted overflown and memorised, and B'rnel took over the task of cross-referencing the riders to each place they knew. B'rnel agreed with H'ric that all the riders should know every Weyr and major Hold, an enterprise that would take time.

H'ric went himself to Benden Hold. Benden Hold was the major Hold in his overview, and H'ric wanted there to be no misunderstanding of the enormity of the task ahead of the Weyr and the Lord Holders this close to the end of the Interval.

He came out of between over the heights and Galanath wheeled around in the sunlight, allowing it to catch on his bronze skin to give plenty of warning to the watchers on the towers below.

"Show off," H'ric said on a laugh, as his dragon took him down to a wide grassy area where H'ric had attended a Gather or two in the time before he had become a responsible Weyrleader.

- she is right, the lady with the sad eyes, you have too much imagination

"Sad eyes? Jiverny has sad eyes? Why d'you say that?"

- she must see all the powerful young Weyrleaders come and go, whilst she and her dragon age together until they can no longer fly.

"Shards, Galanath, my heart, I never thought of it like that."

Much sobered, H'ric dismounted from his dragon and took off helmet and gloves, unwound his scarf and prepared to meet the deputation coming out of the Hold. There was not a scrap of grass or greenery to be seen on the buildings all around him, he noted with approval. This Lord Holder took his duties seriously, it seemed.

H'ric was conducted into the great hall of the Hold, carved halfway into the rockface, and Lord Arun came forward to greet him.

"There has been a change of Weyrleader, I surmise? And you are?"

"H'ric, rider of bronze Galanath."

"You are welcome, Weyrleader. A glass of something special to celebrate, I think? Come through to my study, I can apprise you of the tithe at the same time."

"Thank you. I wanted to speak to you face to face about the change in circumstance."

"You flew the senior gold, the dragon known as Haveneth? Will there be a new gold egg?"

"Both dragons tell us so."

Lord Arun nodded. "Then you will be wanting to Search, in due course, Weyrleader, and you may do so."

H'ric hid his surprise at such a welcoming attitude, although when he had questioned Jiverny and C'lin they had both assured him the present Lord Holder was a forward looking and generous hearted man. In the long life of a Weyr, over Intervals and Passes, the fortunes of Hold and Weyr were inextricably mingled.

"The harvest has been very good," Lord Arun said when they were both seated. "There have been some changes in the weather patterns that I am told will increase as the Red Star nears us with its dreadful cargo. But in the Turns until then, I will endeavour to build up surpluses."

"I have a plan for the Weyr to grow some small amounts of seasonal food," H'ric said. "It's not something usually done at Benden, because of being so far north, with such long cold winters. But at Crom, where I was born and raised before I was brought to Benden, there were tubs of seasoning herbs and quick salad greens grown in the summer. With the help of the Weyrwoman, I want to institute that, but of course we would welcome advice from your people."

Lord Arun made a note for himself.

"I'll send you someone with knowledge, Weyrleader. What else can I help you with?"

H'ric explained how he wanted all the dragons and their riders to be familiar with the landmarks of Benden, how he expected them to pop in and out of between in small groups over the remaining Turns, and how he wanted to do the same for the abandoned Weyrs.

"This business of the abandonment is very puzzling," Lord Arun said. "I learned all my duty songs and the question song, of course, but there's another aspect - in two hundred Turns, could Benden not have repopulated all the Weyrs?"

H'ric stared at him, and Lord Arun smiled ruefully.

"Am I treading on Craft secrets, perhaps?"

"No, not at all. Er - truthfully, I don't know the answer to that question. We can weyr 600 dragons at Benden, but you know, I expect, that we have fewer than 300? The population is healthy, the queen has been wont to rise every two or three Turns, but as to spreading out - I've never seen any suggestion of it."

"And the Lord Holders would not like it," Lord Arun replied. "The three major Holds tithe correctly to you, Weyrleader, but the others give only a grudged amount, I know that. A very small portion indeed, and you will be asking for an increase?"

"I must do so, if I'm to increase the dragon strength to a fighting Weyr. It leaves little chance of allowing people in and out to grow stuff. Thread, I suppose, must close down most of the normal agriculture - except where we can flame it from the skies."

"I will warn you now, Weyrleader, at the last gathering of Lord Holders and Craft Masters, it was once again suggested that the reason there are so few dragons, is because Thread is no more."

H'ric nodded. "I understand that attitude, my lord. I would rather suggest to the Lord Holders and Craft Masters that the Weyrs left to fight Thread on another of the worlds circling our sun."

Lord Arun leaned back in his chair, shaking his head.

"That - is not something I would understand. Explain it, if you can?"

H'ric leaned forward. "We know from our oldest Records that the first men came to Pern from other worlds. They stated there were other worlds around this sun as well as our two moons - "

"Could the Weyrs have gone to fight Thread on the moons?"

"I doubt it, because they're so close to us, as close as the Red Star itself comes, at its closest approach."

Lord Arun shuddered and rubbed his face.

"The thought - that I should see Thread - that it should fall to me to marshal my forces and conserve our food and people - unnerves me."

H'ric sat up straighter. "The Weyr will protect Benden, and as much as it can of the rest of the world of Pern, Lord Holder."

"Thank you. But if the Weyrs have gone - will they return?"

"In our discussions in the Weyr it had been mooted," H'ric said, skirting carefully around the truth that those discussions had usually taken place after everyone had consumed significant quantities of Benden wine. "I know they took everything from the Weyrs with them - but then you would need to, if you landed on a distant world and knew nothing of it - but then equally they would return with more dragons and riders, and their own possessions again."

Lord Arun stared intently at him.

"This has been discussed?"

"It's been an idea around the Weyr as long as I have been there," H'ric replied. "Perhaps at first just as a suggestion, but with a close study of the Records and the Question Song, it is a possibility."

"Gone away, gone ahead, echoes roll unansweréd. Empty, open, dusty, dead. Why have all the Weyrfolk fled?"

H'ric nodded. "And we believe they will return. But in the meantime, we need to train up our youngsters, and conserve all we can of food and clothing and all the other things a Weyr needs."

"Fellis juice and numbweed?"

"Yes. As much of that as you can spare."

"I will speak to our Healer about it. Do you have a Healer?"

"We have a number of people who can render first aid, but I'd welcome some instruction from a proper Healer."

"I think you could call on Healer Hall for a journeyman at least," Lord Arun said at once. "A journeyman could teach your people and perhaps grow up in his craft in the Weyr? As long as you don't find he's suited to a dragon!"

H'ric laughed.

"That does happen very often," he admitted. "The dragon chooses, my lord, we do not."

"So I have heard. I would suggest you also go to Bitra and Lemos. Bitra especially, because Lord Holder Viril is a close and suspicious man, prone to seeing conspiracy theories everywhere. His tithe will of necessity be smaller than mine, but make sure you hold him to every morsel of it, Weyrleader."

"I will do so, my lord, and I thank you for your warning."

Lord Arun smiled as he stood up. "We will see each other often during this Pass, Weyrleader, and you must be sure to come to the Gather I am holding shortly, with your Lady. All the dragonriders are welcome, over the three days. Now - let me show you over the Hold, if you have time? The oldest part of the Hold - I wish I knew how the ancients carved it so wonderfully out of such hard rock!"

H'ric followed him into the rooms, making mental notes of things he would like at the Weyr that would soften the stones of his own quarters.