Sunset [open]

[Miranda]

Miranda sat astride Neridath as the sun sank slowly beneath the horizon. The Pernese landscape tucking it into bed. Her head was tilted to one side, and her eyes were far off. Not because she was bespeaking her dragon, but instead she was lost in thought. It was hard to ignore the disturbing rumors involving Kajano Hold, and while she wished to reach out to her siblings there was also the fear of her father. The most openly defiant thing she'd ever done had been to come to the weyr, and maybe things would have recovered if it hadn't been for Jeysu impressing too; the straw the broke the runner's back most certainly.

Neridath yawned, maw opening wide, and she shifted so she was sprawled more comfortably on the rocky ledge. The sea green of her hide reflecting the glow of the sun almost like that of the ocean itself. Miranda's tresses were burnished copper, but soon the fierce fiery light would fade to twilight. She supposed she ought to go back before her thoughts thoroughly ruined her mood, and she rather wished a tithing train would appear on her visible horizon.

It had crossed her mind to go to the Hold without anyone knowing and beg forgiveness like a little girl, but the fear of facing him alone was like a punch in the gut. Miranda didn't want anything to happen to Neridath, and she wasn't sure her father's wrath wouldn't extend to her dragon. The idea was barbaric to her, but if he was really furious then she certainly didn't want to be on the receiving end.

So much fuss over such a trifling thing.

[F'rendil]

As the sun was just touching the horizon, the sky cast in burnished orange and crimsons that spilled into the mid-winter clouds, a dragon appeared. For those who knew the comings and goings of the Weyr, the rider might be guessed as his shift at Kajano Hold as the watch-dragon (and one of the Guardian representatives) was over and he was coming home. To see Neridath brought a rush of joy into his heart, for though their relationship had never passed anything but friendship, he still held her dear. He hoped that after her Weyrlinghood was finished they might... well, certainly T'wenth would be attempting to catch that sweet green on her maiden Flight.

F'rendil had T'wenth spiral downward, leaning over on his saddle to peer at the green pair and giving a wave if Miranda happened to look up. The brown's wings were darker than usual, due to the on-coming night yet hints of greens and even orange could be seen through his wingsails. It didn't take them long to arrive at a relatively safe location away from the females so they didn't kick up too much dust while T'wenth landed. Once the brown was safely on the ground, he loped over to Neridath, giving the green a warble of greetings as they approached. Fair skies Neridath!

Tugging off his helmet, F'rendil revealed his hair plastered to his head despite the chill in the air. While between might be bitter cold, sitting inside a Hold that had a blazing fire in nearly full riding gear was sweltering work. Riding too warmed the body fast enough. F'rendil tugged his scarf away from his mouth and nose with one hand as he hooked his helmet on his belt with the other. Then he ran a hand through his hair, attempting to shape it up. Despite the fact it was short, it was still too long for his liking and he reminded himself to get it trimmed at some point.

"Hello Miranda, how are you and how is Neridath?"

[Miranda]

The dragon appearing caused Miranda's wandering attention to snap back into the present. She smiled, wondering if he was coming from the hold, considering asking for news. The sapphire gaze was drawn to the pair, and she followed them as they flew in.

Miranda waved her whole arm back and forth, letting him know that she did indeed see him. She stretched, and slid down off her perch, carefully choosing her footing, tucking an errant strand of hair behind her ear as it tickled her face.

Fair skies T'wenth. She nearly purred at him as she'd been sort of dozing; however, she joined her rider in stretching. Where have you been? With the not mines?[/i]

"Hi, we're fine, just enjoying the view. You and T'wenth?"

Miranda closed the distance between them, stretching her arms over her head again as she walked, trying to dispel the stiffness from her limbs. She hadn't realized she'd been siting so still and hunched over so long. The negative thoughts she'd been turning over lay discared for the moment, and she had a bit of an advantage on him if T'wenth decided to let her know that F'rendil's mood was other than what he said. Besides it wasn't going to do any good to worry about something that she couldn't really help anyway.

Neridath shifted, moving closer to her bonded, and curling up so she was comfortable, but so she also looked more attentive to the conversation. She didn't want to be left out, after all.

[F'rendil]

As far away from them as possible. T'wenth replied with a half-serious, half-joking tone. Though the lack of tithe trains did not concern him directly, and His could get meals at the Hold, he knew well that the Weyrfolk and others were affected by the lack of incoming supplies. Eventually it would be too much for them to simply eat what the Rivers' Crossing Hold train brought in. He shook himself and folded his wings against his back as he hunkered down near the two riders. I spent most of the day on the rocks near the Hold, watching for danger.... how was your day?

T'wenth knew that Miranda could probably sense his concern both about the situation they had just come from and the grimness of what news F'rendil bore. The dragon knew she could hear him too, which was good because he liked her a lot, which he never failed to show her. In this case, it was with a friendly if careful head butt when Miranda was close enough to them.

Giving a final shake of his hair, he left it to twitch where it would and shifted his green eyes toward Miranda. He gave her a lopsided smile as he pursed his lips, then replied to her question. "We're well enough though I did spent a gloomy few candlemarks listening to a meeting between Feytolian and someone from ..." F'rendil scowled briefly as he recalled the information. "...well, it was one of the Erdan Chain... oh, Jubella." The brown rider shook his head.

"They were planning, of all things, a wedding... and our esteemed Lord Holder had the gall to ask me to deliver a message." He patted his satchel as he continued. "I have some other news too, though I'm a bit leery about revealing it well... here..." F'rendil glanced around the area and though they appeared to be rather alone at the moment, was filled with a sudden apprehension they were being spied upon and listened in on.

[Miranda]

Miranda-mine does make them sound rather unpleasant sometimes. Her sire especially. I do not like him. It wasn't often that dragons took a particular dislike to certain people, but all of the worry it caused Miranda made her unable to like him. Some of her rider's clutchsibs seemed dodgy as well, and Neridath was thankful all of hers were nice.

We did many drills today, and I wanted some sun so we came up here. I was sleeping while Miranda-mine thought.

Miranda laughed a little as T'wenth head butted her. Did you miss me?

She swallowed down the tiniest of lumps that formed in her throat at the mention of her father, and her smiled faded as she listened to him, finding herself biting her lip. Miranda turned eyes away from him as she processed the information, a wedding; of all things indeed. He was picking someone from far away too. What did that mean? Did it mean anything? The young woman felt Neridath's nose needling into her back.

Don't let him upset you. You're thinking fast again.[/color]

She slid her eyes back to him, skating over the landscape.

"No one is listening. Dysmeth is sleeping, and if the riders aren't drilling they're probably eating by now, dragons resting. Nobody except us and the sky. It's not all that bad is it? The news?" Miranda bit her lip, wondering what he could be up to now.

[F'rendil]

No one likes him, not even his wife. T'wenth chortled this time. He meant Jeysu of course who was technically still Feytolian's wife despite the fact she had 'run away' to join 'those threaded dragonriders'. The brown had no opinion of the Lord Holder for the majority of the trauma and stress revolved around politics, which he knew very little about and cared even less about. He could hunt if he was hungry and if push-came-to-shove he could hunt for F'rendil as well. They would not starve. Ah drills, something we all do. His mind turned to things he did care about. Training and friends for two things. Yes, I missed you. He said to Miranda.

Suddenly realizing who he was spouting all this information to and whom it was about, F'rendil scowled and shook his head. "Forgive me... I forget he's your father." Though he had lived at the Weyr long enough to become accustom to children not being close to their parents, and this prevented any trauma such a relationship might cause, he knew Hold life was different. How could he have forgotten that Miranda had been neglected and locked up most of her life? That the Weyr had been her freedom, and HE her rescuer (as it were... alright yes he basically kidnapped her of her free will) was carelessly flapping on about her tormentor. Her memories of her childhood were not pleasant. Silently he berated himself for forgetting and being so thoughtless. Miranda easily heard T'wenth's reply. You cannot be expected to remember it all the time F'ren-mine... she understands I know she does.

Sepia-hued brows drawing together as he waited for Miranda's reply, F'rendil exhaled and forced himself to relax. Paranoia was K'ivan's game not his, but the fear of betrayal that the leader of the Guardians harbored was easily translated to his fellow Guardians. They had to be wary and watchful. Miranda was one of the few he felt he could trust because she already knew all the secrets the dragons could tell her, if she was going to betray them, she would have already and certainly she did not seem like the type of person who would.

"Well... yeah its bad." Despite the reassurances, F'rendil took a step closer. "I overheard Feytolian talking to someone about some plan he's organizing. I think he means to attack the tithe trains coming in from Rivers' Crossing and cut the Weyr off completely.... possibly something even worse..." The idea that the Lord Holder would go so far to attack the other Hold under the Weyr's jurisdiction was not until today within the realm of F'rendil's thoughts. However, because of what he had heard, he was rather concerned for the safety of their remaining allies - Niceta being a Guardian assured her loyalty and therefore that of her Hold's to the Weyr...

[Miranda]

Nkosith and hers find him even more distasteful than we do.[/color] Neridath snorted. She didn't know her clutchsibling very well, but that was certainly one of the things they had in common.

Zionth's kept us busy all day, but we get a break tomorrow I think. She keeps us at it until we are perfect, but I don't mind. I don't want to let mine down.[/color] The dragon was very proud of the work they'd done that day though she was tired. They had done well even though it had been rather windy and that had a tendency to send smaller dragons off course. Neridath had found she was good at correcting herself when the unexpected occurred.

It's alright, I do understand. Once these times have passed I'll be able to forget.

Miranda shook her head, trying to organize her jumbled thoughts.

"He hasn't been my father since before my mother died, and even then I was too little to be sure of that now. Neridath is all the family I care to have. Besides I can't be on his side when that means being against the love of my life."

Her hand reached out for her dragon's soft hide, and she a drew a world of comfort from that little touch alone. Neridath made her feel like she could take on all of Pern if she had to, and Feyotlian was a small part of Pern.

"Attacking the trains would be a little bold wouldn't it?" Her voice dropped to a softer pitch without even realizing it.

"He wouldn't have to do that to delay them though. He could tear up or block the roads, or sabotage the equipment. The dragons could bring in the tithe if Lady Niceta would permit them to come get it of course." Miranda knew he couldn't stop the dragons so easily as long as Niceta allowed them to come and go as such.

"What is worse than trying to starve us to death?" A little spark of heat found it's way into her tone, face flushing.

I'm sorry Neridath. He just frustrates me so much. I know you don't like it when I get upset. I just wish there was something I could do!

Only because you feel responsible, but it wasn't your fault. I love you, and you do not belong there, being here with me is the right thing.

Miranda rubbed her forehead as if her head was beginning to ache, trying to hide and fend off the embarrassing sheen of tears in her yes. Neridath was right of course, but she felt helpless in a situation that she felt she ought to have some impact on one way or another.

"Do you know who he's planning on wedding?"

[F'rendil]

The brown tail lashed once as the unpleasant subject continued and he snorted in agreement with the green. No one liked this not-His, this they could all agree on. That is as it should be. These are important drills because you will need them to fight Thread... T'wenth agreed, shifting his position as he settled on to his haunches and closed his eyes, attempting to soak up whatever sun remained. ...and do not worry, you will never let Yours down.

Upon hearing Miranda's explanation, F'rendil grunted and gave a nod. He understood completely the inability to side against his dragon. The thought was not only ridiculous it was inconceivable. It was one thing to disagree with T'wenth, but how could one be completely against the other half of their very being? At least Miranda did not hold any ill feelings toward him for continually bringing up her ... sire ... he was simply the subject of the hot conversations right now and one that filled almost every dragonrider's ear.

"Well there's always the river, Niceta could bring it that way too... and yes, the dragons would help her. T'wenth and I are certainly not against moving boxes and crates if it means food for the Weyr." He shook his head again, "Far as attacking the trains, yes it would be bold but I wouldn't put it past him to hire people to do it. There have been rumors..." F'rendil trailed off. At the moment that's all they were rumors, and without any solid proof he knew K'ivan would not condone him spreading possibly unfounded stories, no matter who they were about. The Guardians had a reputation to uphold and as a representative that meant F'rendil should not speak about what he was not certain about.

Fortunately for Miranda's pride, the sun was low enough in the sky the faint glimmer of tears did not show up well enough for F'rendil to see them. Not that he would have begrudged them to her, her experiences were still raw. He licked his lips and tilted his head as he eased tension in his neck, then stretching the other way he answered the query.

"Not sure, some girl... I don't recall that her name was mentioned. Its the daughter of the Holder down there though."

[Miranda]

She needs me. Neridath responded, knowing she could not let hers down for that fact alone.

Miranda couldn't hold it against F'rendil at all when he knew how bad things had been for her. He was aware of more than most probably, and she tried to avoid any conversations about her father in her daily life. She supposed the curiosity made them want to poke at her sore spots, but it made it more annoying when she knew just as little as the rest of them. Whatever she knew was nothing that pertained to this current situation, and it took people a while to accept that simple fact. However, all of this talking had made her feel self conscious, and sometimes she wondered if she was paranoid or if there really were whispers and stares following her around. Cl'fey was lucky that he didn't have to endure the same.

"He's a fool. He's going to bring ruin on his hold." Miranda wiped her eyes, trying to get a hold of herself, getting completely upset wasn't going to accomplish anything. Besides she didn't want to look like a crybaby in front of F'rendil. She knew he had his own frustrations where the hold was concerned too.

"She has status then?"

That seemed, suspiciously normal. Generally, daughters were used to strengthen ties amongst Holds, but he'd apparently taken it upon himself to expand his influence. Maybe he'd get past his anger then, and maybe the rumors would turn out to be just rumors. Miranda wouldn't care to repeat them fact or fiction, only hoping to herself that they turned out to be false.

[F'rendil]

Of course she does. T'wenth responded matter-of-factly. It was an obvious statement to him, of course their riders needed them. On the other hand she was young so he understood she was still learning.

Once again F'rendil nodded in agreement. No reason to argue with the truth, for on his current path that was exactly what Feytolian was bound to do and take his eldest son with him. Though again there was no solid proof, F'rendil had his suspicions about Feytoav for he had proved time again to be 'his father's son' so it was hard to believe that he too was not mixed up in this. If they were both gone then the question was who would take over? The obvious choice was Vanech, the second eldest. Yet that begged another question - would the Holdfolk trust someone related to the current Holder after both he and his son proved menaces?

F'rendil nodded again, giving an acknowledging grunt. "Status yes. Makes sense. Regardless of whatever scheme may ... or may not... be behind this alliance..." The fact he had looked so far afield seemed odd to F'rendil, especially all the way to the Southern Hemisphere. "...a marriage to someone of background is something fit for his status as a Lord Holder." It made as much sense to F'rendil as golds and bronzes being together did.

Though her tears were still hidden to him, he could not help but notice her growing anguish. Regardless of the reason, he did not like to see her so troubled and reached out his hand to touch her shoulder if she allowed it. It was a tentative gesture, his fingers lingering close to her arm until he was assured she would not move away from him. "Its all right..." He said quietly, not completely sure what he was reassuring her about yet knowing she seemed to be suffering over something. That was enough for him.

[Miranda]

Miranda wasn't so worried about her brothers as long as Feyotlian was in power. If the Weyr and Hold could reach some sort of agreement then Feyotav would be on his father's leash, but she supposed if one were to cause trouble then her eldest brother might the source. He was crafty, and not in the upstanding citizen type way. She'd been away so long that she couldn't accurately judge how things stood either. It would be hard to say how well the Hold would recover if its people suffered from Feyoltian's foolhardy ways, and that also depended on who was going to pick up the pieces.

"It seems strange now since all of the others have been from nearby, but that hasn't really worked out in his favor I guess. Maybe he's just trying for a fresh start." Miranda was trying to inject a hopeful tone into her voice, but she could tell she fell quite flat of her goal.

She sighed, "I wish it was all right, then I could go back to having a better night's sleep."

Miranda reached over and placed her hand over his, if he didn't move it, to show she appreciated his gesture. It was comforting to know that she wasn't the only one really worried about Feyoltian, because most of the weyr was treating it as the latest bit of gossip; there that day gone the next, back to betting on who would fly the senior queen next. Of course, she wasn't really in touch with the officials that would care, and none of them had approached her on the business either. There wasn't much she could tell them that they didn't already know of course, especially when she was no longer at the hold to say one way or another.

[F'rendil]

F'rendil gave a sour chuckle, "Now that sounds logical and simple. Not Feytolian's style. More likely he couldn't find any suitable girls here." He used the word 'girls' specifically to emphasize the Lord Holders propensity for marrying women much younger than him. "Even though that is a good explanation, it doesn't explain why he'd look in the Southern Continent... Northern is much closer." He shook his head. "No, I think there's something more to him choosing this girl."

F'rendil squeezed Miranda's shoulder gently, hesitant to continue the physical contact. Theirs was an easy friendship, and he did not want to jeopardize it, regardless of where else he'd like their relationship to go. So his gesture was hesitant. "Miranda... if you concern yourself with all the things that are happening at the Hold, you'll never sleep. While we should be wary of what is happening, its best not to lose sleep over it. We'll deal with it as it comes, right now the only thing we can do is tell the Weyrleaders and the Guardians."

He licked his lips and sighed, looking away. "The Hold doesn't concern you anymore, not really... no more than it concerns Cl'fey or me really even if I have news about what's going on. You're dragonriders now. The only thing that affects you is when the next Threadfall is and whether or not Neridath is in good health." Granted, there was more to being a dragonrider than just those two things; however they were the basics, especially for a Weyrling.

"The Weyrleaders and the Guardians will deal with whatever trouble may come." Miranda might not remember it; however she was on the short list of people that had easy access to officials who cared. The Guardians, for example, knew Miranda well and F'rendil was a founding member of the Guardians... he could easily speak to K'ivan (and intended to do so).

"I don't think these are going to be all right anytime soon... sounds as though they might just be getting worse."

[Miranda]

Miranda wrinkled her nose at the use of the word 'girls' for that was quite apt, epecially in the case of Jeysu who had been the latest and youngest of his many wives. Feytolian would have been better off as her father rather than suitor and husband, and now his interests had turned southward for some reason.

She wasn't really sure she could stop worrying about what was going on at the hold. Even if she wasn't concerned about Feyotlian then there were her siblings, and wasn't Lesu still missing? Those were hardly things to put one's mind at ease.

"You don't have to remind me about Thread or Neridath," Miranda could feel the flush on her cheeks as her anger picqued, she wasn't just hatched, "and Cl'fey has the luxury of living on anther continent doesn't he?"

Not that Miranda could really blame him for that, but sometimes she still felt rather alone when it came to thinking about the Hold. There was a certain element of unfinished business about it, and no matter how much she tried to push it to the back of her mind it still nagged at her. Her heart was with her dragon, no question about that, but worrying about the Hold was much like worrying about thread, wondering when it was going to drop down on her from above.

"I just... I shouldn't have left the way I did. I wish I'd been braver and told him that I was going, maybe things wouldn't be so bad as they are now, but I couldn't have known about Jeysu either." She frowned, picking up on her same line of thinking as before; as if she could fix things if only she knew had to be done.

Perhaps she should have let matters be and ceased worrying about them, but when she was younger it had been so important to be prideful of and duty-bound to one's hold; lessons she was finding hard to shake. Just because Neridath and the weyr came first didn't mean she was entirely absolved of her roots if there was something that could be done, or did it? After all, as a dragonrider wasn't as much her duty to protect her hold now as it had been if she'd ever become eligible to be first in line as the heir? What would they say about her in the end? What would they know? Would Miranda and Jeysu be joint consorts in downfall of weyr and hold in the harper's songs someday?

That was not a place she or anyone else would wish to hold, but as weyrling there wasn't much she could do except take care of Neridath and wait. The waiting was the part that was driving her worried thoughts, but once she made it past weyrling-hood the path was unclear. Somebody had to protect her family from itself.

[F'rendil]

F’rendil grunted at her words and the slight ire in her voice. He understood she meant no ill-will by it, it was the stress and anxiety about the situation speaking, not her, not really. His words of comfort and attempted wisdom simply fell-flat. “Yes.” He agreed, his tone neutral, “Cl’fey’s on a different continent.” His lips twitched to one side, “You can always put in a transfer if it’s too much for you here. White Sands is always seeking good riders.”

He started shaking his head before she even finished speaking, and squeezed her shoulder again as he spoke. “Listen to me, Miranda, the way you left … the way we got you out of there…” He jerked his head toward T’wenth but he meant the three of them. “…that was the only way you could have gotten out. If you’d told your father, he wouldn’t have let you go. You know that, don’t you? You think that after keeping you locked up all your life he’d just let you walk out of the Hold? Things turned out for the best and the way they happened was the only way they could happen.” He tensed his hand into a fist as he added, “No one knew about Jeysu. It’s a miracle she got out when she did, and I’m glad for it.”

F’rendil was still unsure Jeysu escaped when she did and whether the meeting with the rider at the Gather was just coincidence or planned. It was a rider who took her that much was certain because the dragons had seen and they knew; however no one knew who it was. It still remained a mystery, at least to him and as far as he knew to K’ivan too. He hoped their leader would tell the other Guardians if he ever found out. Certainly it was a blessing rather than anything else, and F’rendil for one would like to commend the dragonrider who did it. However, it had made things go bad for the others at the Hold and caused Feytolian to go just a little more insane than he’d started.

Unfortunately Miranda did not share her thoughts with F’rendil and he felt her slipping away from the conversation, becoming lost in her thoughts. By the veiled expression on her face, half-hidden in the deepening shadows, he could see her concentrating; see the furrows of concern across her features. It seemed that whenever he thought her comforted, she slipped back into the edges of melancholy and self-doubt. Who knew what lay within her mind.

Brows creased together as the brown rider frowned. Momentarily forgetting Miranda could speak directly to his dragon, F'rendil asked T'wenth to pass on a message to Miranda's Neridath. “It’ll work out in the end, Miranda. Whatever Feytolian’s up to we’ll figure it out, and if he’s not up to anything well... I'll eat the scraps from T’wenth’s riding straps.”

Neridath, Miranda-not-mine is there anything else that we can do? F'ren-mine-heart is very concerned for both of you. He thinks you worry more than you have to worry. The last comment was directed specifically toward Miranda.

[Miranda]

Miranda looked at him, reproach in her eyes. She wouldn't abandon the weyr that gave her a home and a dragon and a true family. Besides perhaps Cl'fey wouldn't even care to see her, sister or not maybe he just wanted to put everything behind him. She had just become comfortable here, and she couldn't bear the thought of uprooting her life and leaving everything she knew. It wouldn't keep her from worrying, and instead she just wouldn't know what to worry about.

"I knew that I guess," she whispered, wincing. It was naive to think otherwise, but also terrifying to admit that it was the only way. It made her father seem less a man and more a monster; a hard thing to face.

"I'm glad she did too," and she really, truly meant it.

She shivered, loathing to think what his new bride might have gotten herself into and pitying her offspring because surely that would be his next step. He had some heirs to replace afterall, some chess pieces to create.

"I hope so. I want it to work out, but if it does work out I'm afraid it won't be without heartbreak."

I just have this feeling that there is something I could do, and if I knew what it was that I could do to help that it would help even though I am not duty-bound to do such a thing. The problem being of course is that it's just a feeling, and there is nothing to be done about a feeling.

Neridath crooned. She just wanted her rider to feel better.

"I'm sorry," she sighed, "maybe there is something childish in worrying about all of this."

Her words seemed to lack the conviction of that conclusion however.