As We Fly
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: Sia
Date Posted: 8th March 2025
Characters: Q'vettan
Description: Q'vettan has an unexpected flashback
Location: Barrier Lake Weyr
Date: month 5, day 18 of Turn 12
Notes: Song is to the tune (vaguely) of The Ballad of Captain Kidd
Names on a page. They were all names on a page. Birth, death, weyrmate and lineage records, compiled by half the weyr and sent to him to review. This report would be sent to the printers and a copy distributed to the archives for posterity, to the Weyrwoman for approval, and to the local bulletin that recorded all changes to the weyr census. Q'vettan only had to do the final approval before sending it along.
Except he couldn't.
The ink on the hide had blurred. He hadn’t noticed at first; his grip on the quill too tight, his breath too shallow. Q’vettan’s chest tightened and the world around him seemed to spin just out of control. He blinked rapidly, trying to focus on the report before him. He couldn't breathe, couldn't think. The numbers and names on the report wavered, shifting into something else entirely: the glint of wings against an ashen sky, the heat of flame too close, a too-loud scream that should have been lost in the wind.
Q’vettan closed his eyes, but the memory didn’t leave. It never did. His throat tightened, his pulse drummed too fast beneath his skin. Without thinking, he hummed. The words followed, barely above a murmur, shaped more by muscle memory than conscious intent.
"With my bronze we flew too fast, as we fly, as we fly." His voice wavered, unsteady, and more of a mutter to himself than an actual song, but the familiar cadence grounded him. "With my bronze we flew too fast,"
}: As we fly. :{
Tzenketh’s voice was steady, an anchor in the storm, his mindvoice humming through their bond. The bronze had learned long ago to echo the refrain; it was more of a reflex for the dragon now, a simple habit when Q’vettan found himself unraveling. Q’vettan latched onto the connection, gripping it as if it could keep him from being dragged under.
"Chased the Thread but did not last,
As we fly,"
The melody faltered, barely audible, as Q’vettan exhaled sharply. He continued the verses to himself until his vision cleared and the wavering script on the hide settled back into legible names.
}: Q’vettan. :{
The warmth of his dragon’s presence curled around him like a steadying hand.
He dragged a breath in, pressing the heel of his palm against his forehead, as if trying to physically force the tension from his body. “I know.”
}: You can't change what was.:{
A hollow chuckle slipped from his throat. **I know.**
The silence stretched between them, heavy with grief. It never got easier, no matter the time and distance between them.
Q’vettan let it sit, let himself breathe through it. Then, with careful precision, he picked up the quill again, forced his fingers to steady, and returned to the report. His hand stilled only briefly as he whispered the next line, softer this time, more to himself than to Tzenketh.
"My father taught me well, to heed the tales we tell..."
The words weren’t an answer. They never were. But they were enough to keep his hand moving. Enough to keep him here.
And for now, that was all he needed.
Last updated on the March 20th 2025