Bound
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: Corrin
Date Posted: 16th November 2024
Series: From Hold to Weyr
Characters: Sybana
Description: Sybana Impresses
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 3, day 22 of Turn 12
Notes: Malkari was originally written with Nosarre in mind, but Impression order means it can’t be her. If anyone would like to adopt and flesh her out as a candidate or weyrling, be my guest!
The barracks were a storm of chaos. Outside, the dragons had begun to hum-- a low, resonant sound that filled the air with anticipation and set every candidate’s nerves alight. Inside, it was a mad dash to get ready. Trunks slammed open and shut, robes yanked over heads, discarded clothes flew through the air. Everything was steeped with urgency. A chosen few were about to have their lives changed forever.
Sybana wasn’t immune to the frenzy, but her movements were measured, deliberate. She slipped into her pristine white robes and spent the last precious few minutes adding a touch of rouge to her cheeks and tint to her lips. It felt frivolous. It felt grounding. There was little she could control now, except her appearance. _That_ she could master. If nothing else, she would at least look her best.
Still, she knew deep down that looks wouldn’t Impress a dragon. A dragon didn’t care about hair or rouge. Newly hatched, they only cared about their lifemate and food… which was why Sybana had taken the sausage. She’d snuck it out of the dining room when the humming started. Really, it was half a sausage, just enough to be a morsel for a dragonet. Call it desperate, call it daring, she only hoped that it’d work. She couldn’t bear to let this opportunity go by without attempting every possible edge. Consequences be damned. They’d throw her out of candidacy for it, but what did that matter? Only this queen mattered. It was her only shot.
As the candidates began filing out onto the sands, Sybana carefully hid the sausage in her fist and joined the throng. Together they formed a ring around the clutch, the girls clustering on the side nearest the gold egg. The tension mounted as the humming swelled to a fevered pitch. Heart pounding, she focused her attention on the gleaming egg, willing its occupant to see her-- to know her.
She’d bare her soul, if she only knew how. In that moment that was nothing she wanted more than to gain the little queen’s notice. For her to see the depths of her ambition, her worth. She was _more_ than just a pretty face. She had potential, she had dreams. If only the little queen could sense it. If only she could feel how much Sybana needed her, wanted her. How she was ready to give her absolute all in return for a bond that could shape the world.
“What's that in your hand?” An all too familiar voice cut through her thoughts. “We're not supposed to bring anything onto the Sands.”
Malkari. Of _course_ she'd notice. The girl had it out for her from day one, watching her with an irritating vigilance, waiting for her to slip up. The eggs were beginning to hatch. Sybana didn't have time for this. “It's none of your business.”
“It is too my business,” Malkari snapped, her voice rising. “Is that _food_? You're going to get us all mauled, you idiot.”
Sybana tried to distance herself, but Malkari was having none of that. Heedless of the cracking eggs she bore down on Sybana and seized her wrist, wrenching it violently. The sausage flopped limply to the sand as a sharp pain shot up Sybana's arm. She lashed out with her foot, catching Malkari on the ankle and sending them both tumbling to the ground. “_You’re_ the one doing the mauling, hag!”
Sybana was at a disadvantage. She'd never so much as wrestled with her brothers growing up, much less fought. She had a fist of Malkari’s hair and yanked with all her might, but the other girl knocked her into the sand with a punch that made her see stars.
}: No! MINE! :{
The mental shout struck her like a physical force, reverberating through Sybana’s very soul. One moment Malkari was over her, pushing her further into the hot sands, the next, a mass of gold was there. The gold hatchling. Her gold hatchling. Galgaith. The name surged into her mind with startling clarity as the bond flared to life.
The sheer wave of love and protectiveness that crashed over Sybana left her breathless and brought tears to her eyes. “Me?”
}: You. :{ The mental-voice of the hatchling was a low rumble that defied her age. }: I felt you as I hatched. You are what I need. Be clever for me. I will be strong for you. :{
“... Do you want the sausage?”
}: No. It smells gross. :{
Last updated on the November 19th 2024