Disclaimer: Everything to do with Pern and the dragons of Pern belongs to Anne McCaffrey. Only the characters and plots presented here are my own.
AN: This chapter is quite long and nothing much really happens, sorry. It's necessary to have it in order for things to happen next time. Please R&R, I would love to hear your comments, even if they're bad.
Yes, it had been worth it, Lystar decided, after some months of catering to Caliath's constant demands. By the end she'd almost screamed with frustration when asked, yet again, to find food to fill her dragon's seemingly bottomless stomach, but it was all worth it now. Now she and Caliath, along with all the other Weyrlings from their Hatching, were going to begin flying together.
She finished oiling him one last time, spreading the thick, gloopy stuff evenly across his rough, warm hide. A lot of the Weyrlings hated this task, but Lystar never minded getting dirty and she welcomed the chance to spend a long time with her beautiful blue dragon, relaxing with the soothing movements of an often repeated task, burnishing his hide until it glowed through the oil with a misty shine.
That's good, Caliath told her, shrugging his shoulders as she kneaded oil into his wing joints. We will fly well today.
Um-hmm. Lystar finished her job and leant back against her dragon's solid body, not caring that the oil smeared across her shirt. At least with her hair clipped short so that she could cram it into a flying helmet she didn't have to worry about getting it full of the gunk. Love you, Cal.
I love you too, Caliath said, and sensing the root of her problem said again, We will fly well today.
'I hope so.' Lystar said aloud. They were alone in the quarters which they shared with Marti and her young queen Minath, it having been judged inappropriate for Lystar to share with the boys, so there was nobody to overhear her conversation with her dragon. But what if I'm not as good as the boys, Cal? You're the most wonderful dragon in the whole world, but you're only a blue. It's not like people really minded that I Impressed instead of one of the boys, but I've had a few comments made. I'm not just any girl, after all, I'm clumsy old Lystar, everybody's fool.
You are not just any girl, Caliath said firmly. You are Lystar, Caliath's rider. You are special.
Love you, Cal, said Lystar again, but her thoughts were elsewhere. The fool Lystar, yes. Only Impressed by accident – she'd heard it said… Caliath, why did you choose me? At the Hatching. I mean, I wasn't doing any of that stuff we're supposed to do, like broadcasting love and acceptance or anything. She didn't dare add, Was it just because I happened to be there? Would you have Impressed someone else?
You were trying to protect me, Caliath said, simply. Even though I was only in the egg. His long neck snaked round so that he faced her, and Lystar caught the sly glint in his eye as he added, Even though I am only a blue.
'Oh.'
You gave your sight for me. Caliath added. Lystar's hand flew to her face, leaving a smear of oil over the smooth new skin which had finally grown over her burns. She'd never, never told anybody that her vision in her left eye had become misty and obscured since her accident on the Hatching Ground. She'd not even told Caliath, although he seemed to know anyway. You haven't told anyone, have you? she asked anxiously. Or any other dragons?
No. Should I have?
'No!' Lystar yelled it at the full force of her lungs. No! You mustn't tell anyone, Cal. Not even Shareth. Especially not Shareth, in fact, or Aneth. It's important. She'd done such a good job covering up, forcing herself not to turn and look at people with her good eye, learning to identify people standing on that side of her by their voice and step and gut instinct. But dragons were notoriously unable to keep things from their queen…
Why not?
What use is a dragonrider with one eye? Lystar asked in answer. None at all, that's how much. Even less than Lystar the fool. If anyone gets to hear of it we'll never be allowed to fly together. Maybe not even in fun, certainly not against thread. And father will kill me, she added privately to herself. They were so proud when I finally became a real dragonrider – even if I missed the party because of my burns…
Shareth would stop us flying together?
R'lan and Reia would, certainly.
Caliath considered this for a minute, regarding her through his steady blue eyes. I won't tell anyone, he said, and heaved himself up, knocking her off balance so that she had to put a hand against the wall to steady herself. Now let's go. We are late.
Old G'zul, the Weyrling master, surveyed the crowd of teenagers and young dragons in front of him. A mixed bunch, this. He had years of experience judging youngsters, and it enabled him to sweep his eyes across his charges, picking out with unerring accuracy those who would shine. Not the lad he'd have marked out as a bronzerider, T'ril, but he was solid and sensible and Haleth was already a head taller than the other young dragons. He might easily fly a queen one day. The other bronze out of this clutch was smaller, and G'zul thought that was probably not such a bad thing. Heart-throb K'tar was far too often blind to other people's feelings and needs to make a good Weyrleader.
And the others… Galath was a promising brown, and his small, cheeky rider N'bor would be a loyal second, while organised and efficient S'mar would fill a similar post in an entirely different way. Belligerent T'ban needed to learn to control his temper but would be a fearless companion to Fareth. There were a fair few greens and blues, and they and their riders ran the full range from organised and capable T'kor and Selith to the agile and quick-witted Desath and L'mar. There was brave Marti and Minath to lead them, as well. All in all, a promising clutch…
And then… a faint frown swept across the old rider's face as he came to the end of the line. Lystar. An odd pairing, a girl and a blue, though not unheard of. Certainly she and Caliath were the odd ones out here (and surely that dragon was far too thin and bony? But he knew for a fact that Caliath ate enough to sustain any two of his clutchmates).Well, she would be treated no differently from anyone else in his classes, that was for sure. He merely hoped that she would be a credit to him. He had no problems with training a girl as a combat rider, but Lystar was not noted for either her hand-eye coordination, her balance or her accurate judgement of size and distance.
The girl returned his gaze defiantly as he met her eyes. Well, he would see.
Lystar saw G'zul sweep his eyes down the line of candidates and stop when he reached her. She felt her face burning and lifted her chin, glaring, to show him that she didn't care what he thought. She and Caliath would fly well, as well as any of the boys. Better!
G'zul turned away and, gesturing to the young riders to gather round, began to explain how to fit and adjust a dragon's saddle. In due time they'd have to make their own, measured to fit their dragons, but there was no point until the young animals had finished growing. Today they would use spares.
G'zul sent them up one by one, his brown Oreth helping to explain to the dragons how to balance and adjust to the weight in flight and for take off and landing. As each in turn lifted off, circled the Weyr and came back to earth with varying degrees of confidence and assurance, G'zul dismissed them, and the courtyard began to empty slowly. Most of the young dragons, when divested of their saddles by fumbling fingers unused to the task, flew off to hunt before taking a nap, but G'zul was surprised to see that most of the lads hung around after their own turn. To see their friends fly, he assumed and thought about it no more.
Somehow, Lystar had gravitated to the end of the line of eager Weyrlings desperate to fly their dragons for the first time. She had been slow adjusting Caliath's saddle, knowing that it really mattered to get it right, and realising that if she tried to hurry the task she would probably get straps tangled up and make an embarrassing mess. But despite Caliath's assurances, she was nervous, her stomach twisting itself into knots. She was finally, finally, a dragonrider, a credit to her parents, and it was so important that she get it right…
Lystar jumped like a startled cat, letting out a half-stifled cry, when G'zul tapped her on her left shoulder. She hadn't spotted him approaching in the peripheral vision of her bad eye.
Come on! said Caliath, eagerly. It's our turn now!
G'zul had never marked Lystar down as nervous, but he supposed that it was perfectly natural to be apprehensive at a moment like this. Even so, her reaction was a little violent, when she must surely have known that he was there…
Obeying a sudden compassionate impulse, G'zul turned on the boys hanging around the courtyard. Everyone liked Lystar, whom most of the Weyr had known since her birth, and he was no exception. If she was going to make a fool of herself, there was no need for her to have an audience. 'What do you lot want?' he demanded. 'Go on, get out.'
'I don't mind.' Lystar said instantly, clearly and loudly. G'zul met her gaze, a little startled, then smiled. Well, she had guts, that was obvious. Maybe she wouldn't do so badly after all.
Caliath flexed his wings and took a short run up before leaping into the air, Lystar crouched on his back. Yes, thought G'zul, watching the blue's muscles flexing as he took long, regular wingbeats. Considering her parentage, maybe there was more to Lystar than there seemed.
He winced as she and Caliath made an ill-judged landing, thudding hard onto the ground, Lystar's head whipping back as only the straps held her in the saddle. Or maybe not.
AN: Please help me with comments this time! If there is anyone out there with medical knowledge, PLEASE tell me if the damage I've described to Lystar's eye is at all feasible, and whether it would be likely to be permanent damage or not. This is really important!