Annual Rounds

Writers: AL, Suzee
Date Posted: 17th May 2011

Characters: Y'gel, Briata
Description: Y'gel has been working hard to prepare for his rounds and Briata brings him some refreshments - and the two get to talking.
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 2, day 3 of Turn 6

Y'gel

Briata

Y'gel was pulling at his hair again. It was getting too long and he
just hadn't realized it yet. His list for his planned sweep around the
local holds was finally coming together. There were so many singleton
pairs either weyrlings or retired riders posted to outlying holds as
messengers or watchriders. Each of them needed an annual checkup and
Y'gel wanted Aughashyth to stretch his wings instead of laying around
like normal.

He'd made it his habit to do his rounds by going to the holds rather
than sending for each pair. He'd found it made for a bit of excitement
in the Hold when they showed up. Aug was a beautiful bronze and quite
friendly. He often allowed the holder children to climb on him, much
as he had when Gelira was small. He smiled at the thought of his
lovely young daughter. She was becoming so very much like her mother.
He missed Liranet almost every day.

He shoved the thought aside and pulled one of his reference pages
toward him... oh yes... he had to add Onyx Peak.

There was a knock on the door followed by a soft, "Y'gel, it's
Briata." She waited until permission was given and then slipped in, a
tray in her hands. "I brought you something. Someone in the
infirmary said you were working late so I thought you could do with
some refreshments."

"Come in Bree" he called recognizing the voice. "That is very kind of
you," he said with a smile as she came through the door. He moved his
pile of parchment and hides to make a space on his cluttered desk.
"Yes, I've been working on my annual rounds."

"Oh?" Briata drew closer, placing the tray in the area Y'gel had
cleared. "A couple of meatrolls and some klah. There's sugar if you
want it and a bit of cream." Of course, he could see all that.
Briata straightened and let her eyes drift over to the parchment.
"What sort of rounds?"

"Mmmm?" His mouth watered at the smells of the food on the tray. Then
his mind snapped back to her question. "Just the cream," he said
reaching for it to pour a small dab into the fragrant beverage. "I
make the rounds of the tributary holds and checkup the dragons
stationed there. Some are recently graduated weyrlings some are
retirees." He picked up the meatroll and took a bite.

Briata was going to look away, but something caught her eye and her
eyes quickly moved back to the parchment. They stopped upon a
particular name and her eyebrows tilted upward a little. "Oh! You're
going to Onyx Peak?"

He looked at where she was pointing. "Yes," he said. "That's one of my
stops. Do you know it?"

"Oh yes." Briata nodded and finally looked away from the parchment
and back to the dragonrider. "It's my father's hold. But I don't
remember you or Aug going there before."

"Hmm," he thought... "It has been a few turns since I've been out that
way myself. Maybe you remember a bluerider. He was one of my Sr.
Journeymen."

"Yes, I remember him. G'thon of blue Surath." Briata hadn't seen him
since the last time she had visited her old home. In fact, she hadn't
seen her family since then, though they had kept in touch through
letters. "Surath and I talked quite a bit."

He smiled at the thought. "Chatty was he?" Aug was often silent for
long periods of time so it was nice to hear of others who were more
gregarious. "So you grew up there did you?"

"Yes. My father's the Holder - Bridinar. I never knew anything else
until I was..." Briata pauses, wincing. That had not been a good
time. It was supposed to have been a happy time, started that way,
but had changed quickly into something else. Had changed her entire
life. "Married."

He put down the meatroll and wiped his hands and mouth with the napkin
she'd provided. "Married? I don't think I knew that." She was so young
to have lost a spouse. He wondered for a moment if that was who she
grieved for. But the way she acted told him she probably didn't want
to talk much about it so he didn't follow up with a question only
added. "I was weyrmated once. To Gelira's mother. She died." How
incredibly difficult those words were... even now.

Shock registered over Briata's features and for a moment she couldn't
do anything but stare at the bronzerider. "You...you didn't know?"
There had been all those rumours, all those words shifting around
about what she had done. Even now some of them still persisted. It
wasn't as often, but occasionally she still heard whispers and still
saw the way some people looked at her - especially if they were
visiting or new to the Weyr.

"No," he said slowly. He was never one for gossip and had so firmly
shut people down when he heard it he often found himself 'out of the
loop' when it came to certain things. She was uncomfortable again he
could tell and just reached out for her hand. "Look, you don't have to
say anything more if it makes you uncomfortable. I like you for the
way you are now. The past only helped you get here. Alright?"

Briata's hand turned over so she could grip his hand and she smiled a
little. "Thank you. Though...I don't mind you knowing." Y'gel
wasn't the sort to judge, wasn't the sort to look at her as if she was
a horrible person, as if she had deserted an entired Hold. Even when
she told the truth they didn't believe her. She hadn't been allowed
to be a wife. She hadn't been allowed to be a Lady. She had only
been a Lord Warder's wife and her job had been to sit and look pretty.
Desert the Hold? There was nothing to desert since she had nothing
she was allowed to do.

"What happened?" he asked softly. She could tell as much or as little
of the story as she wanted. He was more than willing to listen. There
was so much mystery about her and that air of sadness she almost wore
like a mantle.

Briata let her fingers dance over the desk for a moment, then took the
opportunity to lower into one of the chairs reserved for those who came to
the office. Like her. "I was born at Onyx Peak..." She began. "I met
Lord Ishek, Lord Warder of Garnet Valley and we became friends. He needed
to marry and asked me. I thought, since we were friends, it would be a
good match. I decided that I would choose to love him and become his wife
and accepted."

Those slender fingers came together, lacing as Briata told her tale. "But
while he married me, it was in name only. I was not his wife. I was not
the Lady Warder. I tried to get involved, but was basically told to sit
and do embroidery and be a good little wife. But Ishek would not even
allow me to be that. And then I found out he was having an affair with a
dragonrider."

He held up his hand. He didn't know what to make of her story though
he didn't doubt her in the least. "Before you go on," he said. "Would
you like to come with me when I go to Onyx Peak? You could visit your
family while I work... if you want."

The offer was sweet and Briata had to admit she was tempted. Tempted
and unwilling to resist that temptation. "I would love to. I used to
visit them a lot more before..." She trailed off and looked away,
those tears stinging her eyes again. Her throat tightened and for a
moment she struggled to speak. "Yes." She said finally, "Thank you."

"Good," he said. He didn't push her to reveal more of her past. She
would if she wanted and he was more concerned by the pain in her eyes.

Briata lapsed into silence, her hands playing at one another. He had
interrupted her story and she wasn't sure if he really wanted to sit
there and listen to it. Finally she rose. "I should probably get
back." She murmured.

The moment had gone and she'd closed up again. His gentle eyes didn't
begrudge her her secrets. "Alright," he replied easily. "I'll let you
know when I'm going as soon as I have it all worked out and you can
come along." He pulled the notes back in front of him to make a mark
to remind himself of his promise. "Have plans for dinner?" he asked.

"No. Not really." Briata shook her head, then smiled a little. She
didn't, but she evidently would now.

Last updated on the May 22nd 2011

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Annual Rounds