Name	Zala
Gender	Female
Age	15
Siblings	4
Born	Last
Traits	Illiterate Over-polite Distracted Obsessed Very Selfish
Skills	Dragon Healing Style and Grooming
Personality	Reasonably Commanding Protective of Friends A bit of a Loner Reasonably Vain (and Attractive) Fears a rider who came on to her Likes the Dark Dislikes the Beach Has a beautiful tapestry showing family history
Standing At	The Victory Dance

Name	Julija
Gender	Female
Age	12
Siblings	5
Born	Last
Traits	Illiterate Impolite Focused and Collected Mostly Selfish except with friends Allergic to Grains
Skills	Tactics Weaponsmith - knives
Personality	Workaholic Strongly Protective of Friends Loves being Outside and free Afraid of guard dogs Dislikes living in Town Aversive to Dragonry life too
Standing At	Kavera Weyr
Dragon	Blue Eysoth (Ploath/Bolteth)

Name	Jasna
Gender	Female
Age	12
Siblings	2
Born	Last
Traits	Illiterate Reasonably Polite Extremely Focused Untrusting, Shares only with Worthy Friends
Skills	Throwing Weapons and Aim Judge of Distances
Personality	Bitter Would rather be in a Guild Hates Dragonries Dislikes being Outdoors Afraid of Drowning Resents having been shipped to Sands
Standing At	Darkling Dawn
Dragon	Green Kesath

Name	Lavrenc
Gender	Male
Age	16
Siblings	2 (+1 half-sib)
Born	Last
Traits	Basic Literacy Rude Focused Stingy but for Friends
Skills	Herbalism Gardening
Personality	The Go-Getter Wants to Learn Afraid of uncle (a Lord) Dislikes the Beach Enjoys both very cold and very hot locales Collects Seeds and Leaves
Standing At	The Victory Dance

Name	Yannic
Gender	Male
Age	11
Siblings	4
Born	Last
Traits	Illiterate Rude Focused Won't Share Owns a Pet Goat
Skills	Kickboxing Dodging and Running
Personality	Wants to get away from it all Loves the Open Sea Enjoys Camping on the Beach Afraid of Great-Grandmother (she's terrifying)
Standing At	Darkling Dawn
Dragon	Dark Blue Siahonith

Name	Bojan
Gender	Male
Age	13
Siblings	6
Born	Last
Traits	Simple Literacy Rude Distractable Coyly Giving (egoboost)
Skills	Stewardship Mapping and Layouts
Personality	The Know It All Dislikes being in Town Loves his Mother (rest her soul) Enjoys Bright, Hot Days Afraid of Heights Wants to Build the Perfect Keep
Standing At	Kavera Weyr
Dragon	Brown Yorth (Ploath/Bolteth)

They were indeed the Last in Line.

Having been situated in the higher-class area of Delta Hold all their lives, this group of teens hardly dared hope that they could someday be of more value to their families than they were. Though the size of their family trees varied, all signs pointed to the last children of any lord's family would get snubbed from inheritances.

Even though none of their families were quite broke or overly rich, the eldest children always got more. The oldest sisters would be married to rich lordlings of similar status, the oldest brothers always inherit the bulk of the Holdings. Sometimes the seconds, even the thirds. But when you're the last of the brood? That is another story entirely.

They bonded because of this feature. The children of most higher status families were often tended together, and this group was no exception. Though they are clearly of different ages they'd hardly be split up now. From the youngest Yannic to the eldest Lavrenc there is only four and a half years difference. Lavrenc's early memories include helping take care of the two girls and Yannic as infants, they have always known one another and can not imagine life without each other.

They had all known, somehow, that their parents had been born in another era. This was not unusual here at Delta Hold, because many of the dragon riders in Dragonhope Weyr nearby were adept at 'timing it', and drew a group of settlers from the busier and more crowded past to come and relax here several hundred years after their time. It was not a subject that most people discussed at this point, being some thirty-odd years since that event took place. The pace of life was different from the past's world, they were told in hints and half-muttered reminiscing. Particularly of note, though no one said a thing about it, Zala's tapestry of her family line showed a distinctly different skyline and atmosphere than the coastline of today. Also of note, Yannic's great-grandmother who simply complains the entire time anyone is close enough to listen: that it wasn't so disrespectful or chaotic where she was from. It was somehow better with Threadfall threatening land and life. Because then, tithes were collected and given for a reason.

Not that they weren't here and now. There were certainly dangers and Threadfall was already started in the time the children had been born. Kids in this era had an easier time of it, old Yonka said, because dangers were taken care of almost at whimsy by what she referred to as rogue riders and almost anyone could heft a weapon if they needed. She remembered a time, bitterly, when Ladies like herself were not expected to do any more than raise children and embroider. When children were not expected to learn to write - because they were only good for helping clean and cook, fix clothes and then get married off themselves. Those rogue riders had established a colony for her people - what she didn't know was that they had done so to save them from the giant ground-quake that would swallow the area shortly.

But she continued to complain, brought along because her three daughters and one beautiful son were among those invited. The story went that she was only grudgingly convinced of the validity of the move, she steadfastly believed that time was not something you could travel through except at the 'normal pace', and that the riders had never really relocated them to anywhere other than a new coastline. By the way the stars changed and the maps of the mountain region that had been their home, it was patently obvious they were right in removing the populace. Oblivious, the old woman spoke at length about the men and their dragons, and the way things really should be. Yonka was not really well loved among her own status, but don't tell her that.

Poor Yannic once asked why her friends always spoke behind her back... And that was the last time he saw most of those ladies. Whether they were still around the Hold was something he had always wondered. But little Yannic drove the group with endless questions. Lavrenc tried answering his questions - sometimes leading them on grand adventures around the Delta Hold lands. Bojan would confer with Julija and Jasna about where to best put his keep when he was old enough. Zala didn't have the heart to tell him that he would hardly be getting much land at the rate his family used it up. Bojan was indeed the worst off of the group - the seventh of seven, and sixth boy. There would be precious little for him. Maybe a few pots and pans?

Jasna seemed to be the best off, but then again she was the only girl in her family, and her two brothers had both found high-ranking wives to bring home. She wanted to work for her keep, to earn her way to her inheritance, to go to a Guild hall and learn a proper trade. That was stolen from her when she was Searched. Rarely comfortable among the dragons, Jasna bitterly resents being searched. If she has to ride a dragon, she'll never be able to get into a guild.

Julija on the other hand only disliked being at a dragonry because she had seen how they often treated Ladies. Their own women, weyrborn, seemed to her to be rude and brash, hussies at best and unmentionable at worst. In the grander sense, though, she liked dragons themselves because she'd far rather be standing under the open skies enjoying the landscape, best done from a height. With a keen mind and eye for angles, she and Bojan often talk about where to place battlements and who would be able to save a keep in some made-up situation.

Lavrenc and Zala were frequently seen together, discussing whether his proposal to her a year ago was serious or not. Why wouldn't it be? He'd largely done so to prevent the randy dragon rider from the foreign dragonry from dragging her off. She'd been thankful, vocally agreeing - but they both knew that it was more a convienence-sake agreement than a true-love scenario. That, they would leave to others with the interest in making a family. Perhaps some day - but for both of them they're better friends and won't be lovers unless something changes drastically.

But eventually, things do change. Times have changed - Thread falls. The population of Delta Hold had been warned that this might happen - they were from some three Passes back, in a stronger heyday of dragons in the sky, and from a locale that was more or less 'populated'. Dragonhope Weyr was still small enough that they could only cover so much land. The population was spread thin over the various small Holds, and plainly some dragon riders prefered to keep their concentration on the sea-hold below the weyr. At least, that was Yonka's vocal impression of it all...

Then they were gathered, one bright morning. Some of the young children of the Hold were ill behaved, Yonka was busy chastising them. A pair of riders from Dragonhope had come to Search. Bri'onie with her green Praeth stood proudly beside the much bigger bronze Rath and his lanky rider H'aeny as they surveyed the group of commoners and hold lords.

"We're ready to begin," said Bri'onie with a smile. "It looks as though some of you were already Searched?"

Zala, Jasna, Lavrenc and Bojan looked around - they weren't actually the only ones who could claim they had been Searched at some point past. Half a dozen others raised their hands along with them, and their proud parents nodded or cheered to encourage the riders to bring their children to the sands.

A lot could happen in the meantime, since Searching... Two of the boys, now men, had married, and three of the girls were pregnant. None of them could be taken, or would be, H'aeny asserted. If there were close family ties that would not be willing to come with to Dragonhope - or indeed be dragged halfway across the world to wherever it was determined the Search-ee would stand - they would not be taken at all. That hadn't stopped one pair, a girl with her young toddler, and her equally starry-eyed partner who would look after their son proudly in any Weyr.

That left the Search riders to continue picking over the others. It was never automatically assumed, they told the groups, that Search automatically led to Standing. Or to Impressing of course. Hardly ever, really... There were so many variables. When they approached our friends, Lavrenc proudly announced which of them had been Searched before. Zala two years back, himself before Yannic was born, and Bojan and Jasna while they were but infants.

"And what about you two?" asked H'aeny of Julija and Yannic. Both of them shook their heads and were rewarded with the bright lopsided smile on the bronze rider. "Well you are now. Congratulations. Will you all be together? We would like to have you come along. Thread will begin falling, but not every dragon will have to fight." he smiled and looked at Bri'onie who nodded, "In case you were worried about that."

Dumbfounded, the group of six friends could hardly believe their ears. Jasna grumbled something about a guild.

"But that's the point," said Bri'onie, "We have guild masters in the Weyr. We really require them, actually, working riders is what Dragonhope is all about. That's why we need more than ever, since duties are often ... somewhat spread out."

Jasna glanced at her friends, "I ... think they're serious,"

The others watched as the various scattered few Searched were sent to their homes to collect their belongings. Eventually, H'aeny said, "Well, that's your cue, go on. If there is a problem with your families objecting we can--"

"We'll go!" they all blurted out together. With little to bind them to their homes now, but the potential to be something far more than just Thread-fighting statistics on a roster... Even Jasna was ready to admit it could be the adventure they were all begging for as children.

NEXT!