Damsel in Distress

Writers: Anika, Jane
Date Posted: 1st November 2014

Characters: R'haran, R'taran, Arwey, Tellen, Tibby
Description: R'taran encounters some Weyrbrats having an adventure.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 10, day 1 of Turn 7
Notes: Mentor Approved

R'taran paused in frustration. Dolphin Cove sported the endless
caverns typical of a volcanic Weyr and he had stupidly followed the
appalling directions of the dimglow from the lower caverns who
obviously had no idea what he was talking about. The only people to
have been down this corridor of late were the technicians who were in
the process of updating the Weyr! With a heavy sigh, the brownrider
turned around, annoyed at having wasted his time on a restday, when he
heard a high pitched and pain filled shriek from one of the corridors.

Perplexed, he headed in the direction of the cry, noticing the work of
the technicians as he passed. Undoubtedly they had been using this as
an access corridor to whatever upgrades they were working on. The glow
he carried shed adequate light and he arrived without mishap into a
small cavern where several children gathered around a girl who lay
a midst several rocks and a good sized piece of timber.

Ignoring the array of guilty faces for the moment, R'taran focused on
the tear stained face of the adorable darling laying in the rubble
with a badly scraped leg. She reminded him of his youngest sister, and
his heart constricted momentarily, but his voice was calm and even
when he spoke, "What happened? Are you okay?"

"She's fine," Tellen said firmly, trying to help his sister to her
feet. The other children were milling uselessly and it was obvious to
the boy that he would have to take charge. Probably should have done
so before everybody started 'excavating' the rubble but who would have
known it would fall like that? "It's just a graze."

With the additional light brought by the dragonrider Arwey peered down
at her leg and uttered a moan, and feeling decidedly light-headed.

"Doesn't like blood," Tibby informed the man.

"Exactly what are the lot of you doing here?" the brownrider demanded,
arms folded looking both stern and intimidating.

"J-j-just exploring," a tall lad insisted going pale.

"Was supposed to be tweasure," a younger one explained, looking terrified.

At a whimper from the injured girl, R'taran's demeanor softened and
his concern grew as the smallest child's comment about blood
registered. The girl looked as if she might pass out. He knelt to be
on level with the injured waif, offering his own arm in support as he
gently asked, "Can you move it alright?"

"It hurts," Arwey pointed out weakly, wondering why she would move her
leg when it hurt - and was _bleeding_.

Had she been male, the brownrider would have reacted in a completely
different manner, insisting that she control her tears and attempt to
stand on the injured limb. As it was, her tremulous tone cut straight
to his heart. He decided that further examination would best be
accomplished elsewhere with the girl safely on a soft bed. Handing the
glows to the boy who had first spoken and helped the girl to her feet,
probably a sibling he decided, the rider spoke in a soft, soothing baritone,
"My name is R'taran and I'm going to carry you out of here, okay?"

Arwey nodded and Tellen and Tibby exchanged glances. It really didn't
do to pander to Arwey because she would soak up as much cosseting as
she could get.

"Thank you," the girl whispered.

He swept the girl into his arms, careful of her injured leg, but not
heeding the looks traded by her siblings. Turning a stern visage on
the other assembled younglings he lectured "I don't know what you were
doing here, but I think it is safe to assume your parents or foster
parents would not approve so I suggest you go find something more
productive to do with your time and count yourselves lucky I don't
march you all to the Headwoman's office."

He then turned to the two boys who appeared to be related to the girl
in his arms. "Lead the way, I'll follow you to your quarters."

"We'll take you to our father's weyr," Tellen said setting out and
speaking over his shoulder to add: "He looks after us on restdays."

Tibby trotted along behind the pair, glad it wasn't him being carried
but sure Arwey was enjoying the special treatment. Her leg hadn't
looked _very_ bad, but she _did_ have a silly thing about blood.

Following the elder boy, R'taran noticed that of the assembled
children, this one seemed to be the most level headed. "What is your
name?" he asked, grateful that the girl in his arms seemed to have
calmed some.

"I'm Tellen. She's my sister, Arwey," he said with a nod back toward
the girl in the man's arms. "And that's my brother Tibby." Even
though he himself would have made Arwey get up and walk home he felt
some thanks were necessary for the brownrider. "Appreciate your help,
sir."

"No, problem, Tellen, I'm pleased to be of service," the man answered
with a smirk. The lad must be used to taking charge of his younger
siblings. "My plans were thwarted, as I'd been misdirected, so I had
nothing pressing at the moment. Qharterioth informed me that he's due
for a bath, but I'll wait until later this afternoon for that."

"My brothers can help you," Arwey offered, her tone as weak and
failing as she could legitimately make it. "With your dragon's bath."

"It's very kind of you to offer up your brothers, darling," R'taran's
gray eyes sparkled at her audacity, "but they might have plans of
their own for this afternoon."

"No, we'd like to help," Tellen assured the brownrider. "We help with
our father's dragon all the time."

"Well then perhaps I will take you up on your offer, if your father
doesn't have other plans for you. Qharterioth has a lot of hide to
cover." They headed down the stairs and he found himself wondering
about the little family. They'd mentioned a father but no mother. He
supposed something must have happened to her, necessitating the dragon
rider finding a foster mother for his children. Of course if their
mother had been a rider, they would have already been fostered.
Following Tellen when he exited the stairway and turned down a
corridor, he figured they must be drawing near the weyr.

"R'haran!" Tibby called as he ran ahead and pushed open a door into
the rider's quarters of the ground-level weyr. "Arwey's hurt."

The greenrider's smile for Tibby's arrival faded as he hurried out of
the dragon weyr and into his sleeping room in time to see Arwey
arriving, carried in the arms of one of the Hurricane Wing
brownriders.

R'taran masked his astonishment. He'd heard of R'haran and his
heroism of course and knew who the man was, but had never met him. As
if that wasn't enough of a surprise, to find out the older greenrider
was the father to three young children definitely piqued his
curiosity. "I don't think it's terribly serious but I thought it
would be best to allow her to lie down comfortably and let someone she
knew take a look at it," he explained to ease any concern the other
man might be having.

R'haran waved the brownrider in the direction of the large lumpy couch
that divided the room in two. "Thank you for helping, R'taran. What
exactly is the problem Arwey?"

"I hurt my leg and there was ... _blood_."

"Hmm." The blood would certainly account for Arwey's sudden inability
to walk ... that plus her diet of romance reading allied with a tall,
good-looking dragonrider being on-hand. "Could you get Evie's
numbweed, Tellen?"

The brownrider gently deposited Arwey on the couch, "There you are My
Lady," he said with a smile that he shared with very few. The small
girl was captivating and once again his mind drifted to his youngest
sister. He then stepped back so that R'haran could see to his
daughter.

"Does anything else hurt other than your leg," the greenrider asked,
crouching down beside the couch to get a good look at the grazes as
Arwey shook her head. Some _were_ quite deep and the volcanic rock
that had no doubt caused them was difficult to clean out and prone to
causing infection. He might take her to the beach and let her soak
her leg in the sea to clean it - but first things first. "Did you
thank brownrider R'taran for helping you?"

Able to avoid looking at the blood cheered Arwey immensely and she
smiled up at the brownrider. "Thank you. I couldn't have made it
home without your help."

Arriving back from the dragon weyr to hear that Tellen snorted and
handed the small bucket of numbweed to his father.

"Do not mention it, you are more than welcome. I am always happy to
help a lady in distress."

Arwey preened at being called a 'lady' and her smile widened.

"Do you want us to help you with your dragon now?" Tibby asked
hopefully, seeing R'haran's attention on Arwey and predicting a boring
afternoon.

"I've a mind to get a bit of food first, but I'd be pleased to take
you up on your offer if you'd like to meet me in about a candlemark.
That is if it's okay with you, R'haran. The boys kindly offered a me
a hand in bathing Qharterioth."

R'haran paused in smearing numbweed over Arwey's leg with a paddle too
large for the job and nodded, concealing his surprise at the boys'
helpfulness. Something in Tellen's glance made him suspect there was
more to the story but that could wait until the family were alone.
"It's fine with me. I'll be busy with Arwey for a while."

R'taran had been going to issue a warning about being more cautious
where they chose to play, but decided against it. Despite his
affinity for rules, he saw no reason for these children to get into
any trouble when the others involved had not. "I'll see you down at
the Weyrlake in about a candlemark, then. Feel better, Arwey. Good
day to you, R'haran."

"And to you, R'taran. And thank you."

Last updated on the November 30th 2014

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Damsel in Distress