The Newest Apprentice

Writers: Suzee, Len, AL
Date Posted: 24th February 2011

Characters: Y'gel, A'shel, Briata
Description: With Briata's coaxing, Angshel asks if he can become a dragonhealer apprentice
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 13, day 25 of Turn 5

Y'gel

Briata

Briata stood outside the healing area, a nervous Angshel by her side.
One hand stretched out to take his and she gave it a gentle squeeze.
She had come as far as she could. From here onward, he was going to
have to take his own steps, make his own moves. She couldn't baby
him, couldn't speak for him, but she could be there and he would know
that she was waiting for him and believed in him. "Go on." She
encouraged, her voice soft, but supportive. "Just go to the Master.
Tell him you wish to apprentice...ask him if you may." A playful
smile tickled the corners of her lips. "He won't bite." The woman assured him and watched as Angshel moved onward tentatively.

So, this was it then. Briata had said just go up and ask the master
if he could be an apprentice. She had made it sound so easy. Angshel
supposed it was, for her. She was a pretty girl, after all, not a
drudge, not some scrawny boy. He sighed, there was nothing for it, he
was going to have to go ask.

He entered the healing area for the dragons.

Y'gel was up on top of a table next to a blue dragon. The dragon's
wing was out stretched reaching half way across the cavern with ten
assistants or more guiding and supporting as much as they could while
he changed the dressing.

The leading edge of the wing had been scored and while the outer
membrane had taken quite a bit of damage the inner membrane was intact
and had supported the repairs nicely. Redwort slathered hands dipped
into a bucket held by one of the boys as he traveled the length of
the injury applying it to the freshly cleaned wound.

"Healing is coming along nicely F'tel" he said to the rider "Only this
one area of suturing will need bandaging." Then spotting a pair of
free hands on the floor he called out "Boy! Bring me those bandages"
he pointed to a stack on the table near where he was standing.

Angshel stared, then looked around. Was he talking to him? There was
no one else around by the bandages but him. Could he be talking to
him? He looked around one more time to make sure. Feeling foolish
and more than a bit scared, he picked up the object in question and
held it out to the burly man, half waiting for a blow to show him he
had overstepped his role.

"Thank you" he said as he felt the stack hit his hand then he tossed
them up on top of the wing and began applying them to the deepest part
of the wound. The redwort and numbweed helped them stick and keep
debris out of the healing area. Much of the area was healing well and
needed only to be cleaned with redwort and have numbweed reapplied to
keep Targolith comfortable. Finally he stepped back and felt for the
edge of the table with his foot, then jumped down.

I'm thinking those sutures can come out before next restday." He
smiled at the rider. "Let him go boys" he said to his pack of
assistants.

Angshel jumped back as the dragon walked away. Even though it was
only a blue, the beast was still huge to a Holder boy like him.
Looking up to the master, he opened his mouth but no words came out.

Y'gel looked down at the little guy so in awe of the blue dragon.
"Imagine one of those for yourself one day do you son?" he asked with
a chuckle.

"I...I..." Him, on a dragon? Like that would ever happen. He
fumbled to find the words to ask the man if he could apprentice but
for some reason his mind had become frozen in fear.

The kid looked like he'd never had the thought before. He shook his
head. "Don't think I've seen you before." he said.

"Oh, I...I've not been around here before."

Y'gel grinned "Well then, why are you here today? Just visiting?"

"Yes. I mean no. I mean..." How could he just say he wanted to be
an apprentice?

Y'gel's mustache twitched. "Spit it out boy, I don't bite."

Angshel clutched his hands to keep them from shaking, and blurted out,
"I'd like to apprentice..if that's okay?"

Y'gel turned a little more serious. "You would, would you now?" he
ask. "And why dragon healing?" he added.

"Well...I..." How could he say he just wanted to be around Pern's
protectors and knew he would never get a chance to Stand? This was
the only way he would help, in his thoughts.

Y'gel knew the boy had to speak up for himself and actually put his
desires in words. If he couldn't even talk to the Master how could he
begin to help control a dragon. So he just waited... patiently.

Angshel struggled to get his words out. "Well...I just...I erm...well,
they protect Pern and sir, I just want simply to do something to help
them." There were so many more elegant words he had planned in his
mind, but when it came to it, this was the reason why he wanted to
join.

Y'gel got the impression that the young man wanted nothing more than
to be close to dragons but he looked a little old to just be starting
out. "Well you do know that to progress much beyond apprentice you
will need to impress?"

"Well...being an apprentice all the rest of my life, helping the
Masters and the Journeymen...well, I'd love that, sir. Helping like
that would be beyond anything I ever thought I'd get to do, in my
life. I'm not Impression material, so would it be okay just to help?
I wouldn't even have to be an apprentice, I'd love just being a
helper, and washing bangages and stuff like that..." His voice
trailed off when he realised what a silly little fool he must look
like. As nice as Briata was, he never should have taken her advice.
He was a drudge, he would always be a drudge and that was that.

Y'gel thought about what the young man had to say. He didn't seem a
dimglow and had jumped to do his bidding quickly. "I tell you what."
he said. "We'll give you a try and see how you do. Why don't you go
see Journeyman L'vis and get set up. I'll expect to see you in
classes tomorrow with the junior apprentices. You know your harper
lessons don't you boy?"

Wha...what was he saying? Was it yes? Harper's lessons? Angshel
blinked hard before answering. "Y-yes, I know my lessons." It may
have been a while since his last ones but of course he remembered them
all. Who wouldn't? They were easy. Was the man actually saying
he_could_become an apprentice?

"What are you deaf boy? Run along and get set started with your
lessons." The big man turned away from the youngster to talk to his
assistant and prescribe care for the dragon they'd just finished
working on.

Angshel blinked and stumbled off in the direction the man had pointed out. After talking briefly with the much less intimadating L'vis, and getting his new time frame to give to the Headwoman, he all but ran out into the sunshine and Briata. "He said yes! Can you believe that?"

Briata turned at the exultant voice of Angshel and she smiled. She reached out to take his hands in his and nod. "Yes, Angshel." She stated without hesitation. "I certainly can."

Last updated on the March 15th 2012

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