The Most Unexpected Gift

Writers: Devin, Estelle
Date Posted: 2nd June 2026

Characters: I'lek, Gilbek, Tr'vel, N'vanik, Talryne, R'ayl, Alyena, Rhysel, Amigene, Ochyra, Beniran, Calenta, Velaria, Nemari
Description: Tr'vel and Gil host a party to celebrate their weyrmating
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 1, day 7 of Turn 13

Tr'vel

N'vanik

Talryne

"Here we are! I'll bet you've never seen the inside of a dragon's weyr before." I'lek chattered away non-stop as he ushered his passengers, an elderly couple who looked rather windblown and unsteady on their feet after their flight, inside from the ledge. "They're surprisingly cozy for a cave in the rock. Tr'vel's is bigger than most because he's a Wingleader, although not as big as some of the bronzeriders'. Oh, hello, Eboroth!" He greeted the blue dragon as they passed the couch.

It was a warm Dolphin Cove evening, and the party was just beginning, but the weyr was already filling up with guests who'd come to celebrate the weyrmating. Staff from the lower caverns were carrying in trays of snacks, jugs of water and juice and bottles of wine, and around them was the soft light of dozens of small glowbaskets and the delicate scent of garlands of flowers. As Lirioth leapt into the air behind them, another green took her place on the ledge, ready for another pair to dismount.

"Look, there's Gil." Amigene, leaning on her husband's arm, pointed to where the fugitive they'd once nursed back to health was standing next to his bluerider mate, talking to a couple in Harper blue. The man was tuning up his gitar, the chords rippling through the weyr over the sound of conversation and greetings.

"Tr'vel! Gil!" I'lek bounded ahead. "Rhysel and Amigene are here! I brought them, safe and sound."

"We're so glad you could make it," Tr'vel said warmly.

"I'm still not quite certain I did." Rhysel sounded dazed. "That young green is very...agile."

"But we were careful," I'lek protested. "Lirioth didn't even do one aerial roll."

"For which we're both extremely grateful," Amigene said, laughing. "I can't deny I'm relieved to be on solid ground again, and glad to see the pair of you looking so well. Congratulations!"

Gil embraced the two holders warmly. "Thank you both for coming. I know it must have been a little unexpected..."

"Not entirely." She gave Rhysel a sly look. "I told you that nice young dragonrider was a catch, didn't I? Handsome, polite, and a good cook."

"I can't argue with that. At least, the first one," Gil teased as he stepped back to Tr'vel's side and slipped an arm around him.

"I'm a good enough cook when I have a good instructor." Tr'vel nodded to Amigene.

"Hey!"N'vanik called as he entered with Talryne just behind him. "Congratulations!"

He walked over and bent to kiss I'lek on the cheek. "Hi," he said with a playful little smile.

The greenrider gave a little squeal of delight and actually blushed. "Oh, you came! I was _so_ hoping you would."

"Weyrleader, it's an honor. And Talryne, thank you both for coming." Despite all he'd learned about the relaxed attitudes between weyrmates compared to married couples at the holds, Gil still found I'lek's open flirting - and the Weyrleader's tolerance of it - a trifle disconcerting. "Ah...you remember Rhysel and Amigene? They were the holders I stayed with before I came to the Weyr, and took care of me through my illness."

The holders were glancing at each other in surprise, as if they hardly recognized the bronzerider who'd descended on their cothold after nightfall to take Gil away. Rhysel recovered first. "Good to see you again, Weyrleader, and in happier circumstances."

N'vanik smiled at them both. "Life takes some interesting twists, doesn't it? Welcome to Dolphin Cove. This is my weyrmate, Talryne."

"Nice to meet you," she said.

"Did you know . . ." N'vanik's gaze flicked around the group. "That when they first got together, Tr'vel came and guiltily confessed to me."

Tr'vel groaned and closed his eyes. "Weyrleader, please . . ." Embarrassment heated his face.

"'Sir, I swear to you on Eboroth's hide that nothing happened while I was his guard.'" N'vanik mimicked Tr'vel's deeper voice and then laughed. "To be fair, I would've been furious if the circumstances had been different, but Gil had saved R'ayl's life and he'd earned his freedom. And my trust." He nodded to Gil.

"Thank you, Weyrleader." Gil bowed his head, both in acknowledgement and to hide his amusement. He'd save teasing Tr'vel about that for later.

"Well, not _nothing_. There was one time when Eboroth...ouch!" I'lek yelped as the wheel of Ochyra's chair ran into the back of his leg.

"Oh, sorry, I'lek." She gave him a meaningful look. "We could really use your help over by the snack table." She pointed to where a group of Lightning wingriders were arranging the plates of food. "If you'll excuse him, Wingleader?"

"But I was just telling the Weyrleader...ouch!" I'lek reluctantly allowed himself to be led away before he could say anything indiscreet.

"That's not a bad line," the man with the gitar said thoughtfully. He strummed a chord and sang, matching the pitch of Tr'vel's voice. "Weyrleader, I swear to you upon my dragon's hide, I did my duty as his guard while I was by his side..."

His fellow harper tilted her head, considering. "Needs a little work."

Gil glanced at Tr'vel in apology. He'd been hoping they'd been joking about performing the ballad of R'ayl's Rescuers, but they sounded entirely serious. "Weyrleader, Talryne, these are our friends from the Northern Harper Hall. Journeymen Beniran and Calenta."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." N'vanik gently touched Calenta's hand to let her know he was there before gripping it in greeting.

"Will there be dance music later?" Talryne half-teased as she shook Beniran's hand.

Tr'vel glanced over at I'lek to make sure he was being distracted. He'd have to thank Ochyra later. And possibly strangle I'lek.

"Of course. I'm more familiar with weddings than weyrmatings," Beniran replied, "but I can't imagine it would be a proper celebration without a dance for the happy couple?"

"I wouldn't know, but I'd like that." Gil turned to Tr'vel, his voice lifting hopefully.

"It would be my pleasure to dance with you." Tr'vel smiled and kissed Gil on the cheek. His heart was light and full, standing here with his new weyrmate, seeing their friends and family mingling, weyrfolk and holders alike sharing in their happiness.

Dragons continued to arrive on the ledge and soon the weyr was crowded with guests, all eager to greet the weyrmates. As they were chatting to Terella and her own mate, a retired master craftsman, Gil spotted one young visitor standing shyly by the side of the Headwoman while she talked to another woman from the weyr staff. When the older couple headed off to the drinks table, he squeezed Tr'vel's arm and guided them in his direction.

"R'ayl! I'm so glad you could come."

"Oh - thank you!" The young man blushed, partly in relief that someone was talking to him. "Congratulations."

"And from me, too." Alyena turned to them, smiling warmly. "You've done a wonderful job with your new weyr, Tr'vel. Or is Gil the one with the gift for decoration?"

"That would be I'lek," Tr'vel said with a little laugh. "I left most of the party planning to him, and I have to admit he did a good job."

"Hi R'ayl!" Velaria said brightly as she came up to them.

"Velaria!" R'ayl greeted his former classmate in surprise, and it took him a moment to understand that she must be related to Tr'vel. Their dragons had been hatched from the same clutch, but like most of the others, she'd graduated to the Wings, while he was still too young to join them. "It's good to see you. How's Arajeth?"

"She's good," Velaria said with a smile. "I'd like you to meet my mom, Nemari." She gestured to the woman standing behind her. After giving Nemari a moment to greet the young bluerider, she turned to her father's new weyrmate. "Gil, I'd like you to meet my mother."

"It's a pleasure. I'm glad you could make it, Nemari." Gil greeted her courteously, but if anything, he was more nervous than when he'd met Velaria for the first time. He'd managed to build a relationship with Tr'vel's daughter where she tolerated him - at least, he hoped so - but what would her mother think of him? Was he still the man who'd conspired to poison her daughter's dragon? Or might she resent his weyrmating with Tr'vel? Though he'd been at the Weyr long enough to see many brief and casual partnerships, the holder side of him found it hard to believe otherwise.

Nemari smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Gil. I've been very curious to meet the man who could charm Tr'vel so thoroughly."

He relaxed. "Oh, it was quite easy, really." Turning to Tr'vel, he gave his new weyrmate an impish look. "I let him win a race."

"_Let_ me?" Tr'vel protested.

Nemari laughed. Velaria snickered behind a hand.

"It's only fair," R'ayl said shyly. "Wingleader Tr'vel did let him win at wrestling."

Gil blinked, then laughed aloud, as much in pleasure at seeing the young bluerider plucking up the courage to join in the teasing as at the joke itself. "Good point!" He gave Tr'vel a sly glance. "I'm sure he had his reasons."

Tr'vel actually blushed. "I was flirting shamelessly." And right in front of young R'ayl and the Weyrlingmaster.

"I didn't discourage it," Gil said. His heart filled with memories of that day and he met Tr'vel's gaze with such affection that he almost forgot the others were there.

Alyena shared an indulgent glance with Nemari, while her son shuffled his feet in embarrassment.

Velaria made gagging noises.

N'vanik came up to them, drink in hand, and announced, "I'd like to say something about the happy couple." He waited a moment for people to quiet down. "Gil, you came here as a prisoner, under a cloud of suspicion, because of the terrible things the conspirators had done. It was a dark time for me, for everyone." He glanced around the room. Several people here had been affected, directly or indirectly. "But when I look at you and Tr'vel, at how much you clearly love each other, it makes me so happy to know that something so beautiful came out of something so terrible. And here we are, weyrfolk and holdfolk . . and hallfolk, all here to celebrate your weyrmating. It gives me hope." Swallowing against a lump in his throat, he lifted his glass. "May you have a long and happy life together."

"Tr'vel and Gil!" I'lek called out. The guests chorused their names, and the weyr echoed with cheers, whistling, applause and the sounds of stamping feet.

When the noise finally died down, Gil managed to overcome his embarrassment enough to reply. "Thank you, Weyrleader. I'll always be grateful to the Weyr, and the many people here and elsewhere, who welcomed me and showed me kindness when I was at my lowest." Their faces were there, among the guests: Rhysel and Amigene, N'vanik and the dragonriders of Lightning Wing, Alyena and his fellow workers from the lower caverns. But his gaze returned, like a compass needle to the north, to Tr'vel.

"For all that, I don't think I understood quite how fortunate I've been, until this delightful, funny, gentle man asked me to share his life. If for nothing else, then thank you for bringing me to him." He turned to his weyrmate, eyes shining and his heart full, and his lips moved in the silent words only meant for him. "I love you."

Heedless of their audience, Tr'vel pulled him into a kiss. "You are the most amazing man," he murmured.

That earned them more applause and a chorus of "aww"s - and beneath it all, the soft sound of chords played on a gitar. Gil wondered why they seemed so familiar, until he remembered the love ballad that Tr'vel had sung, that day when they'd visited the Harper Hall, and heard the first lines in Calenta's pure soprano.

He offered a hand to his weyrmate. "May I have this dance?"

"I would be honored." Tr'vel took his hand, warm palms and fingers pressed together.

N'vanik reached for Talryne and then turned to I'lek. "Tal gets the first dance, but you can have the second."

"Maybe my dance card has already been filled up by eager admirers." I'lek batted his eyelashes. "But I'm sure I can...squeeze you in, Weyrleader." With a cheeky little wave, he headed off in pursuit of D'stan, who appeared to be trying to hide behind a couch.

The weyr-turned-dance floor soon filled up, with even Amigene and Rhysel taking a sedate turn together. Among the onlookers, Alyena nudged her son and whispered to him until, red with embarrassment and nerves, he approached Velaria. "Would you, uh...like to dance?"

It was so cute she couldn't help but smile. "Sure." She offered her hand.

"Oh! Wow... thank you!" R'ayl had been so sure that he'd be turned down that he almost forgot what to do next, and he blushed even harder. Thanks to his mother, though, he knew enough dance steps not to tread on her toes.

Gil was only distantly aware of the pairings forming around him. There was only one dancer he had eyes for, and that was the man whose arms he was in at that moment. He smiled at Tr'vel as though there was no one else in the Weyr, or the world. "I'm very happy."

"So am I." Tr'vel was equally wrapped up in Gil, moving to the music. "You are the most unexpected gift." Gil seemed to be glowing, and Tr'vel could hardly take his eyes off him.

"I don't think anyone could have predicted we'd have ended up here. It is a little like a harper's tale, isn't it?" As the music progressed into a new key, the singer's line soaring then falling gently away, he leaned closer, his voice low and inviting. "I can't wait to find out what happens next."

Last updated on the June 8th 2026

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The Most Unexpected Gift