Discovering a Mistake

Writers: Estelle, Miriah
Date Posted: 3rd January 2021

Characters: R'fal, Aviday
Description: R'fal tells Aviday about his argument with J'ackt
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 7, day 26 of Turn 10
Notes: Mentioned: J'ackt

Aviday

Once drills were over, R'fal saw that Marlath was settled and grabbed a
towel and his swim shorts from his weyr. Concentrating on keeping in
formation and not getting caught by the practice ropes had put the
earlier encounter with the bronzerider in the dining cavern out of his
mind, but as he hurried down the steps towards the lower levels of the
Weyr, it returned to his mind like an irritating piece of grit in his
shoe. He knew his family's honor had been questioned, but nothing had
been said outright that he could point to as an insult.

**Holdless sneak,** he thought to himself, wrinkling his nose, and
hurried out into the sunlit Weyrbowl, looking around for the greenrider
he'd promised to meet. Better forget it, at least for the next few hours.

Aviday watched as R'fal came out to the Weyrbowl and a smile of
mischief grew on her face as she crept out from behind a tree to watch
him. Eyes glinting, she began to tiptoe up closer behind him, then
certain he hadn't heard her, sprinted up and leaped upwards to grab
his shoulders and wrap her legs around his waist from behind. "Boo!"

R'fal couldn't help it - he jumped in surprise, then laughed as he
realized who was clinging to his back. "Aviday! You got me." He turned
his head around as far as he could, though it was an awkward angle for a
kiss. "You'd be a good hunter. I didn't hear you at all."

She lifted herself enough to meet his kiss with a warm one of her own,
then wrapped her arms around him lightly to hold on. "Well, you looked
like you were off in your own little world." Aviday quickly pressed her
cheek against his. "I just took advantage." She tightened her legs
around his waist. "Yah, runner!"

R'fal reached back to support her legs and started to trot in the
direction of the beach. "Yes, sorry, I was thinking about something.
Nothing important. Just some annoying bronzerider pushing in where he's
not wanted."

Jostled by the running, Aviday still held on. "Oh really?" Being her
mother's daughter, Aviday was fond of gossip and was always interested
in any new tidbits that she could ferret out for her own amusement.
"Oooo. Tell me what happened?" She pulled back on his shoulders as
they reached the beach to slow R'fal down. "Tell me everything."

"Well...okay." He immediately wished he hadn't said anything, since deep
down he wasn't entirely proud of his part in the incident, but there was
no way he could get out of it now. "I was chatting with some of my
wingmates, and one of them had been out on a sweep and found a cothold
that had been robbed by holdless bandits. The family were all right, but
they were pretty distressed, and it made me angry, so...I might have
said some kind of bad things about holdless people. Which were true.
Mostly. Anyway, this bronzerider - do you know J'ackt, rider of Zith?"

Aviday listened, her brow furrowed even as she hung on to R'fal's back.
When he mentioned J'ackt, her face looked startled and she nodded
quickly. "Sure, I know him. He teaches self-defense classes. I still
take some of them. He's really gorgeous..." Her voice trailed off before
she cleared her throat. "Anyways, lots of the drudges talk about him
and want to moth flights he's in. My mama snagged him once. She
wouldn't shut up about it but he's got a weyrmate, so when he ignored
her, she went on to someone else." She leaned over R'fal's shoulder and
looked at his face. "Wait, you were saying things about the holdless?
Did he hear you?"

"Yes. He came over and lectured us all like we were candidates caught
out of the barracks after dark," R'fal said, not entirely thrilled by
her comment about the bronzerider's attractiveness to women. "It was a
private conversation. He shouldn't have been eavesdropping. Oh, and it
turns out it's fine to steal if you're hungry and don't want to work."

"You do know that J'ackt was holdless, right? Like almost all his life
before he came here?" She wriggled out of R'fal's grip and hopped down
from his back. She slipped an arm around his waist as she moved to stand
beside him. "What I heard is that he was really little when he became
holdless. There's lots of rumors about him, but I asked him about it
once. I was really curious, because he's like covered on scars on his
chest and back. He just said he doesn't like to talk about it."

"Wait, he was made Holdless when he was little?" R'fal turned to look at
her, frowning. "No one would make a little kid Holdless. That would be
awful."

Aviday nodded. "Well someone did. Like I said, he doesn't talk about
it much. He was, like, holdless from when he was a little kid and grew
up that way with his mama and his father. I don't know the story why,
but I do know that he got caught or something after they died, I
think..." Her brow furrowed and she shrugged a little, "but he escaped
and he was hurt really bad or something and a searchrider found him
and brought him here. He doesn't trust hardly any holders, but he's
weyrmated to Alina, and she grew up in a hold, so maybe that's
changed. I know a lot of drudges and even some greenriders and flight
moths are really jealous of her."

Her brow furrowed. "But I do know he's been attacked twice by Holders
since he's been here too. One was a guard when he was a weyrling."
Aviday's eyes grew wide as she spoke, speaking with her hands and
gesturing to accentuate the story. "One drudge said that this guard
from Emerald Falls showed up and challenged J'ackt, but they were
using wooden practice swords like he teaches with now and then J'ackt
disarmed him and he drew steel. Slashed him on his middle, but then a
greenrider friend of J'ackt's got in the middle to try to break it up
and she got shoved or something and with J'ackt, everyone knows that
he doesn't like people hurting or being mean to girls and he went a
little crazy and beat the guard nearly to death with his bare hands. I
wasn't here to see it because I was still at Riverbluff, but lots of
drudges and riders saw it happen. He got in a lot of trouble for it.
And then..."

She held up her hand like she was wielding a dagger. "Some holder guy
snuck into the Weyr and I guess he was related to that guard and he
tried to kill J'ackt by stabbing him in the back and side. Were you
here when that happened? Everyone was upset and angry. J'ackt nearly
_died_."

"Yes, I remember, it wasn't long after we graduated. Marlath was scared,
he heard about it from the other dragons." R'fal was still thinking over
something she'd said before, about J'ackt being made holdless with his
parents. He came to a halt suddenly, and groaned, covering his face with
his hands. "Oh, shards. I'm an idiot! He said something about being made
holdless because of a family member. I thought he was taunting me
because of how my Da lost our farm. But he was talking about _his_ family."

Aviday blinked at him and tilted her head. "R'fal... how would he know
anything about your farm? I mean you haven't even said that much to me
about it and I hadn't heard anything until you told me. "

"But there was a trial at Emerald Falls. In front of the whole Hold."
R'fal felt again the familiar, bitter twist of shame at seeing his
father up there before the Lord Holder, exposed and condemned as no
better than a thief. It was hard to believe that moment, which had
upended their lives, had barely been heard of in the Weyr. "I thought
everyone knew."

Aviday hugged him; the look on his face was enough to tell her that the
situation still pained him. It wasn't hard to relate to the loss of a
home, not with the loss of Riverbluff. "I haven't heard anything and
trust me, drudges talk alot. I guess if it doesn't affect the Weyr in
some way, people just really aren't interested in what goes on in
Holds. I'm sorry. "

He managed a half-smile, then bent his head to touch hers for a moment,
his cheek resting on her hair. "I don't know whether to feel relieved or
annoyed. It was all right in the end, anyway. My Ma petitioned the Lord
Holder, to save the farm for my little brother when he grows up, and her
family helped. They won't be Holdless."

"Well, I'm glad then." She rested her head against his chest, arms snug
around him. "Honestly, I know he's your Da and all, but he is a bit of
a wher fart. He should be helping your mother."

"Yes, I know. He should." R'fal might have defended his father, but
since finding him in his weyr with Aviday's mother he'd begun to see the
man in a new and less flattering light. He'd hoped he might even decide
to patch things up with his wife's family and return to the farm.
Instead Terren had found a bunk in a dormitory with some other single
men, and continued his visits to the tavern, which R'fal hadn't had the
heart to refuse him.

He brightened. "Hey, maybe we could go and see the farm together one
day. My aunt and uncle don't mind if I bring friends, they respect
dragonriders, and the children really love dragons."

Aviday pulled away long enough to beam up at him with excitement.
"Really? I've never been to a cothold or a farm! I've always wondered
what they're like!" She bounced a little on her toes. "You want me to
meet your family? I mean, you've met my momma..." She winked and
snickered before continuing, " but maybe someday you can meet my Da
and brother. They're both riders and they ride browns just like you
do, but they live in Dragonsfall."

"Oh, okay! I've never been to Dragonsfall, except to practice going
/between/." R'fal couldn't help feeling apprehensive at the prospect.
Back in the hold, there were all sorts of tales about meeting the male
relatives of a girl you were courting and being grilled about your
prospects and character. He hoped it wasn't the same in the Weyr. Still,
he wasn't going to admit to that. "You can come to the farm with me any
time. I usually go on a restday, because my auntie and my Ma make a big
roast for noon meal and there's always a pie or something sweet for
dessert."

"I like pie." Aviday's eyes gleamed in excitement. "Maybe next
restday? It'll be _so_ exciting. I mean, I've flown over the Hold and
stuff, like you have to Dragonsfall, but I've never actually landed or
anything." She peered up at him, a bright smile on her face. "You know
what? Meeting you has been so great. You're fun and nice and..." Her
eyes glinted and her brows waggled, "good."

R'fal ducked his head, embarrassed but feeling rather pleased
nonetheless. "Thank you. I'm really glad I met you too. I mean, if I
hadn't, I'd never have known what a complete idiot I've been..." He
caught himself, realizing that was perhaps not the most flattering of
compliments. "Well, it's better to know than not, I guess. And you
didn't make me _feel_ like one."

"That's cause you're not one." She replied simply. "And you need to
talk about stuff that's bothering you, you know. Maybe before you say
something that makes you feel like an idiot later." Aviday paused,
then grinned. "But I kinda do that all the time too, so maybe we're
both actually idiots and we just don't realize it."

"Maybe everyone does that sometimes," R'fal said, thinking of all the
various times he'd made the same mistake. He took her hand and they
began walking onward down the beach. "At least, we're no more idiots
than anyone else is." He fell silent for a while, considering. "Do you
think I should do anything? Like, should I try and explain to J'ackt
that I made a mistake? Or should I leave well enough alone? He doesn't
seem very...forgiving."

"I think you should." Aviday looked up at him, brow knitting. "I mean,
if someone made a mistake about you, wouldn't you want them to talk to
you about it?" She tilted her head. "J'ackt really isn't so bad, you
know. He's got a reputation and all, but during our self-defense
classes, I thought he was really nice. He didn't get tired of my
questions or anything. He just answered them and said that even though
I'm small, I can use that cause I'm quick."

R'fal appeared to be doubtful of her assessment of the bronzerider's
character, but he did know in his heart that she was right. His Ma would
probably say the same. "Okay. I could try, I suppose." He managed a weak
smile. "If he, um, runs me through with his sword, will you come to my
funeral, and tell everyone I died with good intentions?"

Poking him lightly in the belly, Aviday shook her head. "He won't,
silly. Just don't sneak up on him or anything if he's got a sword on
him.." Her eyes glinted as she began to tug on his hand. "Don't worry
about it so much, R'fal. Think of good things cause you're with me,
okay?" Peering up at him, she turned to stand in front of him. "Like
roasts and sweet bubbly pies and kisses and soft furs."

R'fal was only too happy to set aside the prospect of explaining himself
to J'ackt for a while. "You're sweet, like a bubbly pie. Or a restday
morning, or a baby lamb." He reached out and lifted her up gently from
the waist for a kiss.

The moment he pressed his lips against hers, Aviday grinned against
his mouth and uttered "Baaaah...baaaa."

"Heh..." He couldn't help it, the laughter burst out before he could
kiss her properly. "Sorry!" He hugged her close to him. "I didn't mean
you were...I know you weyrfolk say some funny things about holders, but
that one isn't true."

Feet dangling, Aviday wrapped her arms around R'fal's neck and then
her legs around his waist to keep in place. Luckily, her weight was so
slight that he barely bent. "Well, at least you didn't say a spring
calf or something!" She giggled and kissed his chin. "So, next restday
I can meet your momma?"

"Okay! She's going to really like you. We can go mid-morning, so you
have time to meet everyone before noon meal." He thought of something.
"Oh, and don't listen to any stories my cousin tells about me. They'll
all be made up. Mostly."

"Oh, I'm gonna listen. I'm so going to listen and remember _everything_."

R'fal gulped at the thought, but there was no backing out of it now.
He'd just have to hope his cousin took pity on him...

Last updated on the February 19th 2021

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Discovering a Mistake