Unchosen

Writers: Jane
Date Posted: 16th January 2007

Characters: Arateyka
Description: After the Hatching Arateyka's family gathers around the two youngest.
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 1, day 13 of Turn 4

"Do _not_ go on about the dress," Arateyka warned her sisters as they approached the rest of the family at the table. She had to shout because the noise from the harpers and the babble of the weyrfolk and guests was making it almost impossible to be heard in the cavern. It was the normal aftermath of a Hatching but that in itself was a study in milling crowds and general confusion.

Lhara smiled and reached out to tug at the sleeve of the pretty citron-coloured gown. "You're lucky with your colouring," she said, getting close to disobeying her sister's injunction.

Arateyka patted her sister's hand briefly then batted it away.
"_Ignore_ the dress."

"Why should we be the only ones not to comment?" Tey asked as she sat herself down beside her father and accepted his arm around her shoulders. Her mother put a platter of small snacks in front of her and sent a quelling look in the direction of the protesting Delhanu who had lost easy access to the food.

"Because you are my little sisters and I expect you to do as you're told," the smith journeywoman grumbled, eyeing every person at the table.

It was rare these days for them all to be together. When they had been little it had been a regular thing – T'kanu would join them and complete the family at many evening meals and more often than not on restdays.
Hatchings … Arateyka could remember the Hatchings of her childhood – how rare and exciting they had been, and sometimes sad when little dragons had been unable to find a lifemate. It had made perfect sense then for T'kanu to want all of his children to Stand in their turn to make certain that if they were wanted by a dragonet, then they were right there for the hatchling to find. Then the Weyrwoman's dragon had started to rise more often and to produce larger clutches. Soon there was more than one weyrwoman. Things had changed but it had been a slow process, one she had been able to ignore for the most part.

Teykara sitting on the other side of the table wearing a pretty, low cut dress in sunset shades had Impressed from one of the early extra-large clutches when she was nearly too old to Stand any longer. Ykana missing from their family for nearly four Turns now had Impressed shortly after her elder sister, and aged only fourteen. Delhanu, sitting on Arateyka's side of the table and laughingly teasing Lhara about her lack of height had Stood until he had passed the maximum age. Arateyka herself had done the same, and now Tey had been left Standing again.
She was eighteen, and had been Standing for more Turns than she had left before she was too old. But Lhara -

That first time one was left on the Sands, unchosen, was always the worst. Each of the siblings knew exactly how she felt and managed to produce an air of sympathy without mentioning the Hatching at all.
Nothing but time would ease the mix of disappointment and embarrassment that afflicted the Candidates left behind, but the family would do their best to distract Lhara from it for one evening, at least.

Last updated on the January 17th 2007

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Unchosen