Egg Touching

[stolenhart]

(Advertising would be nice)

Ilayria was a mess, she was worried something would go wrong, Astoth would be a pain or more importantly she would throw up. Morning sickness had hit her hard these last few days and Ilayria was not happy about it. With several sevendays left until the Hatching it was time for the egg-touching.

While most candidates hadn't arrived yet there was still plenty of people around to touch the eggs. With Northern giving up it's Search status, anyone under the age of thirty could come touch the eggs. Astoth's lovely gold egg was sitting center stage in a swath of light, sparkling warmly. It's lesser siblings were scattered about in the sade, taken care of but not with the single-minded purpose that Astoth cared for her shiny.

"Astoth are you going to be a problem today?", the gold dragon was sitting with her back to the entrance, wings half spread to hide her precious daughter. She hadn't left the Sands since the egg had been laid, afraid someone would steal her daughter. We'll see. Are you going to be a problem today?. The gold replied, looking at her rider. Ilayria had been sleeping on the Sands for most of the hardening but since her morning sickness had kicked in, she had retreated to the cooler confines of her weyr above.

[Femisis]

(Erm... eat at Joes? *shotshot*)

Finally a day off... Well, it really wasn't a day off. The only reason she wasn't off collecting the day's laundry or working her hands to the bone in the kitchens was that the Touching was going on today. It was nothing hardcore, really, but it couldn't hurt to get there ahead of time, right? Showing up places early let people know you were dedicated and cared about what you were doing.

She quickly glanced in the looking metal, scowling at her reflection as she pulled on a fresh tunic and breeches, one of the few clean outfits she had left. Despite how often she was chosen to collect the washing, she always seemed to forget her own. Still, it didn't smell, so she was going to wear it. Besides, after sweating it out on the sands for a while, they were all going to stink. Another peek in the looking metal gave her a glimpse of her hair tumbling down her back. Well, that wouldn't do for today... Frowning, she pulled her hair back into a rather messy bun, but it was better than having it down to make her warmer than necessary in the Hatching cavern.

She would have waited for her friends(It was nice to actually have friends.) and walked with them to the sands, but with her luck they were already there. Then again, they might not be, but she'd meet them there regardless so she wasn't going to worry about it. The walk to the Sands, while lonely, wasn't unplesant at all. It wasn't like it was that far away, either, so she wasn't upset.

"Shardit, it's like walking into an oven in here." Cresce muttered as she arrived at the sands, taking a few steps into the cavern before halting as the heat assailed her like a blow. She looked to Ilaryia, nodding in greeting, before turning to look at the clutch. Fifteen eggs there were, not including the sixteenth egg that Astoth was jealously guarding. The Candidate master wasn't here yet and she didn't feel quite safe marching onto the sands without permission, so she was content to wait until someone else got there.

[saidaltam]

Kirnin plucked Little Baby--for that was fast becoming his name--out of her pocket as she returned to her bunk, so that she could swap out the soapy clothing she was in. She had been on dish duty. She hated dishes.

She plunked the little firelizard onto her bed, shucking off the offending garb, and reached into her small trunk to pull out ... more of the same. But at least it was clean. A simple, off-white shift, pale brown skirts, and an embroidered, chocolate brown corset were more than sufficient. And, after all, she had chosen the embroidered one. The fabric was light weight. It would be more comfortable than any of the heavier things she owned. It would do.

Little Baby seemed to think so as well, springing from the bed to wheel around her, chirping brightly.

"Come on, little one. Let's go--and you keep it down, do you hear? If you disturb Astoth, she might eat you," the girl admonished firmly. As though he understood, Little Baby chirped once, then settled onto her shoulder, his tail wrapping around her neck, and fell silent.

It was just outside of the girl's barracks that she bumped into Trevan, dressed to impress in a striking, deep blue shirt and black slacks, both freshly cleaned. Kirnin raised an eyebrow at him. "Who are we showing off for?" she asked.

"Oh... no one in particular," he replied with a small smile. "But did you /see/ some of the candidates here? Kalley and I met one while you were off getting that little thing," and he gestured vaguely toward Little Baby, "and she was enough to drool over. Who knows what other gems might be lurking in the secret, precious girls barracks!"

Kirnin snickered at him, shaking her head. "Come on. Let's go." Whistling brightly, Trevan fell into step behind her, and the pair made their way toward the hatching sands.

They were early to arrive, it would seem, as Crescentia was the only other candidate present, and Trevan flashed her a wide, bright smile when he entered, pausing to bow his head briefly to Astoth, before greeting her cheerfully. "Hey! Remember me? This is Kirnin. That's who we were looking for, the other day."

Kirnin, a few paces behind, echoed the gesture toward Astoth, then stepped up beside her half brother, flashing an agreeable smile toward Crescentia. A glance was all it took to tell her exactly what her brother had been talking about, and she couldn't help but smile. Poor boy. She wondered how long it would be before his hormones settled down.

((Kalley will get his own post in a little bit.))

[Femisis]

Crescentia has just been beginning to think that she was far too early for the touching when she was greeted by two others, a boy an a girl, the former looking QUITE familiar. Trevan, wasn't it? Yes, that was him, the kind boy who'd helped her out after his brother had stormed off. Kalley wasn't all that bad, either, so she expected that the sister would be just as plesant, maybe even a good friend to her. She'd never been very close to any girls her own age, but that was because she'd never really tried. There was a first time for everything, and this seemed to be a good time to try.

"Of course I remember you, Trevan. How could I not after the row you and your brother pulled the other day?" She snorted, rolling her eyes good naturedly. "Though I'm still grateful for your help. That laundry gets heavy after a while." She added, smiling slightly. This had to be a record. She'd never smiled so much in such a short time, even if it was at another's expense. These guys were good.

"So YOU'RE Kirnin." She said, nodding to the other girl. "It's nice to meet you." Cresce told her plesantly, then added, "You must have your hands full keeping these two in line." She laughed as she turned to look at Trevan. "Don't take offense to that. You and Kalley can cause some trouble, though..."

[saidaltam]

Trevan clutched his chest dramatically with one hand, pressing the other to his forehead and swooning. He staggered back a step, bumping into the wall, and then slumped to the ground, a soft whimper slipping weakly past his lips. "My heart," he breathed thinly, eyes fluttering closed. "Reduced by yon fair maid to a laundry-hauler and a cad. Oh, the injustice of it all!""

Truly, he didn't mind so much. At least she had noticed him, and that was really the start. He could always build up her opinion as they went along. Grinning devilishly, he climbed to his feet and dusted off, winking flirtatiously at Cresce before settling against the wall.

Kirnin burst out laughing, however, at the comment about Kalley and Trevan's row, and, doubled over with tears in her eyes, it was several minutes before she composed herself enough to stand. "Sorry," she gasped, still snickering. "It's just good to see someone else capable of seeing through their... their idiocy." She chuckled, shook her head, and drew a deep breath, calming herself. "Nice to meet you, too. Trev's been crooning about you almost nonstop since he met you." She spared a darkly amused glance at Trevan for that one, and the boy had the dignity to blush, though he said nothing.

[virenn]

As Ryker walked through the Weyr and towards the Hatching Ground sands, he was preparing himself. He had to make a good impression on the Queen, so that she would not mind him going near her clutch; he would present himself to the Weyrwoman and, if he had the opportunity, the Weyrleader in order to let them know that he was respectful of their positions and that he wished to join their ranks (although such a meeting would most likely consist of nothing more than the incline of his head, or a simple “hello”). He had never thought that he would be someone acceptable to the Weyr; managing the cothold had kept him bounded for many turns and now he was liberated. It was almost odd to think that the dragons, at one point the saviors of Pern for their skills in fighting Thread, would ever considered as something as lowly as a liberator. They were heroes; they had better things to do than to Search out boys to stand as Candidates (now girls, on the other hand, were different, especially since Astoth had laid a gold egg).

The Dragonriders here were strong, they were the Northerner’s greatest line of defense and yet one of them had taken the time to bring him back to the Weyr.

It was pure luck, he believed, and he would take that luck and stretch it out as far as possible. If he Impressed, great. If he did not, he could always have the chance to try again. Though he had never once taken the chance to think about it while he was at the cothold, he slowly began to realize that he wanted his dragon to find him; Ryker wanted to Impress and become part of that great air force.

That was one of the reasons why, as soon as he took a single step outside, Ryker bowed to the Senior Queen and her rider. He allowed himself to break his own rules about his posture, dipping low for at least three second before standing upright again. As soon as he did, he realized that he was, in fact, pretty much alone out there (besides for the few Candidates who had made an early appearance, much like himself). There was no Candidate Master out with them, and so he refused to step out any further than he had, not wanting to anger anyone.

Looking back at the others, he inclined his head in a respectful greeting. The fewer words spoken upon meeting someone might make the biggest impact—more words than necessary could risk earning the part of a fool, a role that Ryker certainly did not want.

[stolenhart]

Ilayria watched as a few candidates began to stream onto the Sands. So few of them, more and more people were refusing to become riders. If only she could have the riders forcibly remove them from Hold and farm, surely the emotion in Impressing would curb any wrath. But that was not the way and in the end would not help anything at all. If any dragonets, even her precious gold, went between then Ilayria might have to say something.

"Don't be shy. Spread out and touch them. Astoth won't mind", she told them, meeting them at the entrance. "I would prefer it if you left the gold egg alone for a bit. Astoth has been protective of it but I'll see what I can do to get her to move away from it", she assured them, waving them onto the sands. She remembered her first egg-touching, the gold had seemed so large and overwhelming, keeping Astoth's egg away from everyone, even her own rider. It had taken days before the gold would relent and by then the eggs were Hatching. Ilayria had been overjoyed when Astoth had Impressed her over a green. She loved that gold. "Go on", she waved to the candidates.

(in our canon, we don't have candidatemasters. The Headwoman and Weyrwoman are in charge of them)

[songofhope]

Eris was, as she often did, simply enjoying the sun. The only problem being, is that she was a fair bit off the ground, the young blonde having found an area just outside the weyr with some bluffs that demanded climbing. She felt a million miles high when she finally reached her goal, looking out over the expanse of land that stretched before her. Her critical mind said good vantage point for storms, threadfall, or oncoming anything, at least as far asthe northern direction of things was concerned. The more artistic area in her brain simply sighed, the beauty of the world around her intoxicating, sharp. Up here, there was nothing one could not do.

Except, of course, move quickly back down should the mother of the clutch she had come for called. With wide eyes and a squeaking note of worry, Eris moved back down the rocks as fast as she could. Ignoring the points of pain in her bare feet and the rest of the exposed skin that raked against the rolling rocks, Eris took a fair bit of time coming down the bluffs, but wasted no time in returning to the weyr that had reached for her. She tried to hold onto the sound, the feeling of the call in her head, and broke into a run. Cursing her own stupidity, and thanking Faranth for the slitted skirts in the same ragged breaths, she broke into the weyrbowl and looked around, trying to place herself... The far corner was where the cavern lay, and as she got her bearings Eris closed her eyes and ran. Bare feet pounded the stone, slowing only when the mouth of the cave came into reach, and the young woman took a moment to lean against the rock wall, grimacing at the sharp stitch in her side.

Well, that was just fecking stupid. She should have known... Ah, but nevermind. Straightening, Eris tucked her hair back and caught her breath, looking around as she stepped out of the sun and into the cave. The first thing that caught her attention as her eyes adjusted were the other candidates, and she lifted her eyes to thank Faranth that she had at least wasn't alone in the caves. The second was the large and beautiful queen, stretched near her rider... Turning around to spare her heart the unexplained ache of desire for a partner of her own, Eris smiled and winked at Kirmin, who seemed to be chatting with a young man who was looking about. Eris rolled her eyes, planning to going to steal Kirmn away once she had seen these eggs.

But first... Eris turned back to look at the large queen, beside the eggs She was so beautiful. The field folk didn't follow the weyr's dealings, but had reverence for the golden mothers. Shooting a glance behind her, not knowing quite how others had handled this, Eris made her way to the front, lowering her eyes and head when she drew close to the weyr's queen. "I'm sorry... I don't know your name, neither do I know your story. But I can only offer myself, so that at least one of your children has someone that loves them. " Eris took a deep breath, feeling herself near tears at the queen's radience and fine form. Eris bowed, taking a deep breath, before turning, and moving smoothly back onto the expanse of sand where the eggs rested, running her hands gently along a few shells as she passed. Not knowing where to start, Eris grinned at Kirmin again, moving over to find her side.


"Well, stranger, it is good to see at least one person got here on time." She winked playfully. "So, which of these eggs hold your future, my friend?" The young woman glanced around. There were all so colorful. "Best be finding a partner just as talented at sneaking as yourself!" She winked again before slipping back among the eggs, finding a place to start truly concentrating on the eggs.

[Femisis]

Under normal circumstances, Crescentia would have simply rolled her eyes at Trevan in disgust. But these weren’t normal circumstances at all. Instead, much like Kirnin, she burst out laughing, maybe even louder than the other girl. “Faranth are you always so… dramatic?” She gasped when she’d finally gained control over herself once again. She had been about to say funny, but that might give him the wrong idea. She liked the other candidate well enough, but not THAT much. She knew from experience that boys tended to take little things too seriously, so she had to play this one safe.

Her musings were interrupted as the Weyrwoman gave them permission to wander amongst the clutch, just not the Queen egg. Cresce had no intention of going near the egg with Astoth so close and protective, anyway. She kind of liked having all her limbs attatched.

“What are you two watiting for, come on.” She called to Trevan and Kirnin, cocking a brow curiously at Eris. “Never seen her before…” She muttered as she passed her hand over an egg, a medium sized one that she had guessed would contain a Brown, even if it was a small Brown. Speaking of the eggs… “Have either of you two seen Kalley?” She asked, turning around to face the brother and sister. “I need to check something with him.” Namely, if he had the betting list to give her and submit.

[stolenhart]

Astoth gave Eris a flat stare as she was spoken to. She did not like being approached by anyone who was not a rider, Ilayria felt the same way on occasion. Neither dragon or rider rarely socialized outside of the Weyr which is probably why a few of the Holds did not appreciate their leadership. "Behave", Ilayria warned her dragon as she stalked near the shiny gold.

"Can we let them see the gold egg?", Ilayria asked her gold dragon. Evern Arrow her flitt chirped in agreement before zooming off to let off excess energy. At four months pregnant, Ilayria was just starting to show, though she had taken to wearing looser clothing to hide her baby bulge. With two sevendays left until Hatching, Ilayria hoped she would no longer be pregnant when Astoth flew again. She hoped it would be that long before the gold took the air again.

[horsegal]

Kaelu was seldom ever nervous, but she had never been a candidate before and she had never seen dragon eggs before. It had been told to her that touching the eggs could mean a variety of things. But really, as she thought it over, she knew that there was little truth to it all. She could touch every egg there with love and hope and not impress come hatching. It was with some amount of cynicism and reality in mind that she entered the cavern with it's hot pale sand and great scattered eggs. Though she wasn't showing it, she was indeed a little nervous too.

She lingered in the entrance, letting others go by her. Quietly she watched them go and after a while decided that if it was worth coming and being a candidate, then nothing should hold her back. Her brother's never did, her parents never did, and she would be the last to let herself be the one who held her back. Kaelu took her steps forward and onto the giving sands while straightening herself up and raising her chin a touch. So, this was the hatching grounds and those were dragons eggs and...

"Wow." Kaelu stopped and looked wide-eyed at Astoth, the Northern gold and the dam of the current clutch she stood for. She was large, proud, and utterly gorgeous. At first Kaelu was staring at her with awe and then in respecet, her mouth shutting slowly so that she wasn't rude. "You are quite pretty." She said, mostly to herself really. Kaelu gave the gold a bow, feeling like it was the right thing to do.

Now, she set her eyes on the eggs. Where she felt her future laid. She walked up to them and tenderly touched the first before her. Kaelu found that it was smoother than she had imagined it to be. She had thought that they would be cool and a bit rough, but rather she found that it was warm and smooth with little changed in the surface. Kaelu smiled and placed a second hand on the egg and felt the warmth beneath her palm. It was fantastic. She moved to a second, one on her right, and then to another, crossing over.

[virenn]

As the Weyrwoman spoke, Ryker allowed himself to continue to walk into the Hatching Grounds without a second thought. If the Weyrwoman, and the Senior Queen, did not mind him touching the eggs, then he did not mind being there.

With a small smile, one that was hardly visible, he softly touched the first egg that he reached. Judging on the size of that particular egg, Ryker guessed that it contained a blue. As he stepped away from it, scanning the clutch for an egg that caught his eye, Ryker wondered if any of them contained his lifemate (if he was fortunate to even have one). If one of them did contain the lifemate he desired, he wondered if any of the eggs he touched would be the one that would have his dragon in it.

It was a weird thing to think about, Ryker realized as he stepped through the clutch, having decided to touch one of the smaller eggs before running his hands over a larger one, but it did make for an interesting topic if he was ever willing to bring it up in a conversation. He automatically decided against that; conversation was certainly not his forte.

He lightly shook his head, as if to purge his mind from his thoughts. He knew better than to assume that he had a chance of Impressing--assuming such things allowed room for disappointment in the end. The clutch was small, and while he wanted to Impress, he refused to let himself get caught up in the dream.

[saidaltam]

Kirnin felt compelled to chuckle dryly at Eris's comment, shaking her head, before nodding to Cresce. "You're absolutely right, of course," she agreed, and, tucking Little Baby down properly into her pocket, she moved to mingle with the eggs, leaving Trevan behind. At Cresce's second question, however, she paused to consider. "Last I saw him, he was finishing up a few chores. He should be here, soon," she replied, then paused to bow her head to Astoth before running her fingers over the first soft, smooth egg shell.

They would be hardening soon, she knew, but for now, they were still just pliable enough to give a little bit with the pressure of fingers against them, and it brought a smile to her face. The egg was small, but that was only logical, wasn't it? After all, other than the shining queen egg, it was only a smaller dragon that she could ride, and she frankly wasn't altogether certain she wanted to be a queen rider. It certainly did seem like a lot of fuss, and she had never been fond of wasting her time on appearances and limelights. She supposed she'd rather ride a smaller dragon, anyhow. She could always befriend the new queenrider, after all, and have herself the responsibility without the attention.

Really, it was just that she didn't know what she'd do without the responsibilities, but she couldn't figure a dragon would care about that.

--------------------

Trevan chuckled, dusting off, and winked impishly at Cresce. "You want me to go look for him?" he asked brightly, pausing to bow his head gratefully toward the Weyrwoman when she invited them in. It probably wasn't a prudent offer, for more than one reason, but Trevan was rarely prudent around pretty girls.

Speaking of, that girl that had stopped to talk to her sister was surely a pretty sort, wasn't she? His eyes flicked over to scan her briefly but appreciatively before flicking back to the conversation at hand.

"He's big enough he shouldn't be that hard to find, after all," he pointed out mildly, hooking his hands behind his head and stretching. Of course, Kalley wouldn't take it well if he came looking for him, and really, if he wanted to impress, he ought to stay here and touch the eggs, oughtn't he? Still... if it would make Cresce like him....

--------------------

But Trevan was spared the question. Kalley, breathless from scrambling to conclude his chores (he had been on Cresce's hated laundry detail) and hastening into new clothes, was late to arrive, but he moved swiftly onto the sands, pausing to drop into a polite bow toward the Weyrwoman and her lovely queen and to wave briefly to his sister, who lifted her hand vaguely in reply, before moving over to Cresce, sparing a scowl for Trevan. "Here," he said with a rare, bright smile. "Used a rough map for it, but that should be everything we said before. Go ahead and change anything I got wrong, or you figure we guessed off." He paused, eyeing Trevan darkly out of the corner of his eye, but the younger boy only grinned from ear to ear and waved cheerfully at him.

Shaking his head, he looked out toward the eggs. Several candidates were already moving amongst them, and he pursed his lips thoughtfully. "I suppose... Huh. Just... walk through and touch 'em all, then?" He looked deeply contemplative as he cast an appraising gaze over the eggs. Had he really been sure of what he'd told Cresce when they watched the hatching? Did he want to ride a brown? As he stood there, looking out at the eggs and his only chance to try to sway his fate, if it could be swayed, he found that he wasn't sure, anymore.

[horsegal]

Kaelu's sharp angles were softened by the broad smile on her face. She twisted her head about, wanting to share her joy with someone. Surely if she simply shouted anyone and everyone would hear her, but she was always told it was rude. So her eyes scanned quickly as she touched yet another egg and they fell upon Ryker.

"Hey there." Kaelu said, her voice rather loud to begin with. "Isn't this fantastic?" She asked him. She moved closer to him, going from egg to another. She pressed her cheek against one and gave it a hug. "They're so warm, aren't they? But not as hot as the sand, thank Faranth." Kaelu chuckled a bit and straightened herself up.

He seemed like the quiet type. She was like that sometimes. Unless she had something to say or someone to talk to, she didn't say much herself. Today, though, she was now very excited. Her nervousness had vanished by now and though she was still going to be a little realistic. Not every egg hatched, not every dragonet impressed. Surely though, she would be successful.

[virenn]

Ryker looked over his shoulder, spotting Kaelu right as she started to walk towards him. Still not quite up to date on Weyr customs, he was unsure if he should offer his hand so that they may shake, or if he should just speak. Deciding that his second idea was the best, he turned towards Kaelu, letting his hand linger over the egg as he spoke. “It’s quite the event,” he said. He spoke the truth, especially since he never thought that he would actually have the chance to participate in a touching.

In all honesty, even though he did not even want to consider them, the touching made him think about the three siblings he left behind on the cothold. His two brothers were probably working the fields with Galron by now (to Ryker, the man did not deserve to be called a ‘father’ for all that he put his family through), and they probably realized that they did not like all of the work. That or they loved it. Either way, they were being deprived of their dream of becoming dragonriders.

Then again, the North and the South were warring…

For a long time, Ryker had assumed the role of the family protector and imagining the two boys a-dragonback, fighting the Southern dragons, did not sit well with him. It was probably best that they were not Searched. Suddenly, it seemed appropriate that he found himself at the Northern Weyr, standing in the Hatching Grounds. Ryker truly wanted to have the power that it took to protect people.

Kaelu’s words about how warm the eggs were made him wonder about the creatures inside. Finding the need to have an actual conversation with someone (he had little of that back at the cothold), he found himself asking Kaelu for her opinion. “Do you think that they know that the Candidates are standing all around them?” His smile was there, but it was not evident as he glanced down at the egg that he had let his hand rest on. “Perhaps they already know who Theirs is.”

[horsegal]

Brushing her short bangs a bit, the black hairs sitting a little straighter than before. Kaelu was glad for at least one thing for certain, she didn't have to shout to get Ryker's attention. It was another reason for her to smile. She never did like being ignored. She had had enough of it growing up and she'd not put up with it as she was well on her way to being an adult.

"I was a little nervous at first since we aren't normally allowed here, but once the Weyrwoman said so, how could I pass the chance? Once they start hatching we won't be able to touch them." Kaelu said in reply, standing upright and closing the gap a little more, coming to about two eggs distance from Ryker.

She considered his question, her smile turning to tight lips of thought. As she began to formulate her answer, she scratched her head and then said, "Well, I can't say that I know for sure, but it would be nice to think so. Though not all the candidates that will be at the hatching are here now, right? So maybe they know we're here, but not who Theirs is." Kaelu quickly brightened up, her voice strengthening back to being of higher volume than her thoughtful voice. "Say, what's your name? Mine is Kaelu."

[virenn]

“When you touch them, I would imagine that they get to know you,” Ryker said. “That’s why I wasn’t about to let the chance go. The Weyrwoman did say that Senior Queen Astoth wouldn’t mind, anyway.” If Ryker considered it, he was more worried about the opinion of the Senior Queen—she was the one who was protecting the clutch, and if it was needed, he was sure that she would not hesitate to do anything to protect them.

As Ryker considered Kaelu’s answer, he admitted to himself that her words made sense. While the dragonets could get to know who the Candidates were, they may not necessarily know which one was Theirs until the Hatching occurred. That way, they would be able to really see who their choices were… If they chose directly from the egg, and while all of the Candidates were not there, they were probably severely limiting their choices.

But then again, the dragons always knew best. They would choose Theirs because it was right, and no other explanation would be needed.

He considered this for a few more moments, before the girl had offered up her name and asked him for his. He suddenly remembered his “manners” (his mother would kill him if he was that “rude” in front of her), although he did not do the silly bow that his mother would have deemed necessary when first meeting a woman. “I’m Ryker.” As an afterthought, he added, “It’s nice to meet you.”

[strawberrylush]

Hasia slid into the sands quietly, slowly. Her failure in the South had been embarassing. How could she, descended from Weyrwoman for generations, have failed to Impress the gold egg? Her Holder had been upset with her. But another oppurtunity had struck itself for her here in the North. Another Gold egg, how interesting, how irresitible. So the Holder had found a way for her to come here to Stand. He was a devious one her Holder, sworn to his oaths and pledges but he freely bent them when it worked in his favor. A good man, all in all, ready to do for Pern and North what the North and South couldn't do for themselves.

She smoothed a strand of her plain brown locks and slid amongst the eggs, touching a shell here or there. They were so large these average dragon eggs, but perfect in their flaws. A pitted shell here, a smooth one there, even a spot that was as rough as sand paper. Soon they would Hatch but Hasia had only eyes for the gold egg so diligently protected by her dam. All the dreams and hopes of her Holder, and herself, rested inside that tiny metallic shell.