Welcoming the Heroes

Writers: Devin, Estelle
Date Posted: 23rd March 2025
Series: Guarding Gil

Characters: Gilbek, I'lek, Tr'vel, Terella, Ochyra, D'stan, C'nal
Description: The Lightning Wing riders greet Gil and Tr'vel the morning after the attack on R'ayl
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 3, day 4 of Turn 12

Tr'vel

As soon as Gil set foot in the dining cavern the next morning, he was
nearly knocked down by a giddy and overexcited greenrider, who wrapped
his arms around him in a tight hug.

"Gil!" I'lek squeezed his waist, then just as suddenly let him go and
did the same to his escort. "And Tr'vel! Our two heroes! Come and sit
down, we got you breakfast. We want to hear _all_ about it."

"Gil's the real hero, I was just following him around," Tr'vel said as
he headed toward the Lightning Wing table.

"But I couldn't have done it without you." Gil thought of how Tr'vel had
trusted him, and how near he'd been to the end of his strength.

"Oh, don't be so modest, the pair of you," I'lek said, hustling him over
to the table. "And stop praising each other! That's our job." He rapped
on the table. "Everyone! They're here!"

Mugs of klah and glasses of juice were raised in welcome as Gil took a
seat, feeling even more embarrassed than he had the first day he'd met
Tr'vel's Wing. A plate heaped with what looked like half the breakfast
buffet was placed in front of him by a beaming Terella.

"Well? Tell us all!" I'lek squeezed on to the end of the bench next to
Tr'vel. "Is it true? Someone attacked that poor little bluerider from
the Weyrling Wing?"

"Yeah," Tr'vel said. "We'd just gotten our food when Gil took off
running." He nodded toward the man. "You tell the story." Tr'vel
wasn't going to mention the part where he'd suspected Gil had ill
intentions.

"I recognized the man. He was someone I used to know." Gil seemed
uncomfortable saying more about that. "There was no good reason he would
be here. I didn't know what he intended to do, but I knew I had to stop
him, so when I saw the knife, I just...did what I was trained to do."

"You were a guard, weren't you?" D'stan asked.

"Yes, at Emerald Falls. I got him under control, and then Tr'vel was
there to help me."

"The holder tried to kill Weyrlingstaff Assistant R'ayl. He's just a
_boy_ and that man . . ." Tr'vel shook his head. "Gil saved his life.
I mostly just stood there while Gil restrained the attacker."

"Tr'vel took charge of the situation," Gil said. "He secured the weapon,
and then we took the man to the Weyrleader."

"Sounds like you made quite a team." I'lek turned to a brownrider
sitting further down the table, his smile widening. "Don't you think so,
C'nal?"

"Mmph. Gilbek did a good thing, I'll admit that," C'nal said.

"A good thing? He saved a dragonrider from a knife-wielding lunatic! It
was heroic. But at least you remembered his name." The greenrider
sounded thoroughly smug.

"I'lek, don't gloat," Terella reproved him.

"C'nal did have a point." Honesty compelled Gil to defend the
brownrider. "What happened yesterday shows that you were right to be
cautious about visitors, when you don't know their intentions."

"Exactly," C'nal said. "How were we to know you weren't still plotting
against us?"

"But we _do_ know now," Tr'vel said. "Gil risked his life to save a
dragonrider. We can trust him."

"It's just like in a book." I'lek closed his eyes and placed his hand
over his heart with a dreamy sigh.

"A happy ending?" Terella asked.

The greenrider opened one eye and shared a conspiratorial look with
Ochyra. "Almost."

"There's one...uh, chapter left." She stole a glance at Tr'vel, then
Gil, and suppressed a giggle.

Tr'vel made a face. "Oh shards, now you'll never stop."

Gil looked from one greenrider to the other in confusion, wondering what
they were talking about. A dragonrider in-joke? D'stan looked as baffled
as he was, though. Perhaps it was something from a book they'd all read.

"I think we can give Tr'vel and Gil a reprieve for today, in the
circumstances." Terella spoke firmly, despite her amusement. "So, is
guard duty going to be relaxed from now on?"

"He's still going to be escorted around the Weyr, for a while at
least," Tr'vel said. "It's more to make the other weyrfolk comfortable
while the story gets around and they learn he's a hero instead of a
threat." He flashed Gil a smile.

The former holder pulled a wry face. "If you keep on calling me that, I
_will_ run away."

"Brave and modest too." I'lek eyed them both slyly over his klah mug.
"Never mind being comfortable, once word gets around, you'll be needing
an escort to hold back all the ardent admirers who want to show their
appreciation. They'll be lining up for the chance."

Gil froze with his spoonful of porridge halfway to his mouth, with an
expression as though he wanted to slide off the bench and hide under the
table. "He's joking, right?"

"Just tell them no if you're not interested." Tr'vel sipped his klah
casually, but there was a hint of an amused gleam in his eye.

"But I'm..." Gil almost said 'married', and then remembered it wasn't
true any more. He felt his face turning as red as the fruit on the side
of his tray. "I'm not sure I'm ready for...that."

"Then just turn people down if they start flirting with you," Tr'vel
said. "And if they keep pestering you, I'll chase them off." He turned
and pointedly said, "I'lek."

"Mmm?" Unrepentant, the greenrider lowered his voice to a seductive
purr. "You can chase _me_ off any time."

Tr'vel gave him a long look. "Might not be the worst thing."

Ochyra nudged I'lek and raised an eyebrow, tilting her head fractionally
towards Gil. He hesitated, then sighed and drew back with an air of
great restraint and self-sacrifice. "'Not the worst thing?' You really
have to work on your chat-up lines, Tr'vel."

"Otherwise you might not even be able to snag one of Terella's
grandchildren," D'stan said. He winced as she elbowed him and rubbed his
side.

"I chat people up just fine when I'm interested." Tr'vel said. "Which
is why I don't need any of you pushing every available relative at
me."

"If you'd hurry up and find someone, then we'd stop doing it," Ochyra
pointed out.

"Exactly. It's such a waste," I'lek complained. "A dragonrider who's
kind, intelligent, a good father, a hero of the early days of the Pass -
and gorgeous, of course - going unclaimed. Who will win your heart? We
want to know. Perhaps the right person is closer than you think."

Gil had kept quiet at first, relieved that they were teasing someone
else for a change, but now he came to the rescue. At I'lek's last words,
he looked around the table as if looking for potential candidates.
"C'nal? Do you have a weyrmate?"

"No," the brownrider said before taking another bite.

"Hard to imagine, isn't it," I'lek said. "With that sparkling wit and
conversational skill..."

Ochyra snickered, but Terella gave the greenriders a severe look. "Nor
do either of you. In fact, as the only one here who _is_ weyrmated, I
suggest we change the subject."

"I have a job for you lot," Tr'vel said. "You can make sure everyone
in the Weyr knows what Gil did, so they can start accepting him as one
of us." After all the man had been through, Tr'vel wanted to help make
this a home for him.

"Our job is gossiping?" I'lek's eyes lit up. "Count me in."

"D'stan and I will make sure all the aunties and uncles know," Terella
offered.

"They probably know already," D'stan said, sounding slightly nettled at
being grouped with the old uncles. "They're worse gossips than I'lek."

"Is that even possible?" Tr'vel said with a laugh.

"I bow to my superiors in the art." I'lek gestured grandly towards the
older riders. "I learned from the best. Now, Ochyra, you can handle the
crafters, and C'nal..." He stopped, as if lost for words.

"I'll leave the storytelling up to the rest of you," the brownrider said.

Tr'vel rolled his eyes. "Maybe it's best if you do."

"I could give him some tips," I'lek suggested with a wink. "Perhaps a
little personal tutoring. It's very easy...telling stories."

"That's very kind of you all." Gil glanced from one to the other,
seeming overwhelmed by the change in his fortunes. "It's enough that
_you_ don't think I mean any harm - but thank you."

Tr'vel leaned over and whispered in Gil's ear. "It's a distraction to
keep them from pestering us, and it just so happens to work in your
favor."

"In my favor, but not C'nal's," Gil replied in a low voice, watching
I'lek's attempts to provoke a response from the brownrider. "Still, I
appreciate it."

"Maybe I'm being selfish. Once you're not under guard, then I don't
have to follow you around all day." But Tr'vel was smiling, and he
nudged Gil with an elbow.

"I suppose it must be boring, watching me do chores or run around the
Weyrbowl." The corner of his mouth lifted. "I can always stage an escape
attempt to make your life more interesting."

Tr'vel groaned. "_Please_ don't. I was thinking, if I could stop being
your guard, maybe I could be your friend."

The former holder relaxed, the last of his wariness falling away as his
smile warmed. "I'd like that. I was thinking...maybe we already are?"

"Well . . . I need to stick to my duty for a little while longer. And
if I quit now, you'll probably be stuck with that." Tr'vel hooked a
thumb toward C'nal.

Gil smiled. "He's not so bad, really. But I'd rather it was you."

The flicker of warmth in his chest told Tr'vel he was sliding into
dangerous territory. "Uh, well. Good to know I'm at least preferable
to C'nal."

"You have your moments." He remembered something, and grinned. "Besides,
I still have to beat you in that running race, once my arm's healed."

"Ha! I'm not going to go easy on you."

"Good. I don't want to hear any excuses like 'Oh, I let you win' or 'I
wanted to make you feel better'..." Gil became aware that he was being
watched and looked up to see three pairs of greenrider eyes watching
them avidly. "Ah, Tr'vel has challenged me to a race," he explained.

"So we hear." I'lek looked fascinated. "Can we watch?"

Tr'vel snorted. "Sure. It'll be in the Bowl, it's not like we could
stop you." Although now he felt just a tiny bit self conscious at the
thought of people watching them.

"I'll try not to beat him too badly." Gil didn't seem to suffer from any
lack of confidence, at least where running was concerned. "For the honor
of your Wing."

"Don't go easy on _me_ either," Tr'vel said. "If you beat me, I'll
take it like a man. I might throw you in the lake, but I'll shake your
hand after."

"Very sporting of you." Gil's eyes were bright with amusement. "That's
good, you'll need to be."

"Then may the best man win," I'lek said solemnly, before turning to the
others. "So...who wants to place a bet?"

Last updated on the April 3rd 2025

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