"...so strong, so wise, so handsome..." Tiagara purred into the trader's ear. His ego swelled, and he pressed closer to her. Green eyes laughing, Tiagara led him off to dance. She loved Gathers. There were so mnay handsome and eligible young men... Tiagara led another young man from the dance floor, her third partner this Gather. He poured her a generous glass of wine from his private skin. She thirstily drank it down, and the trader poured her a second glass without even sipping from his own. They sat the next dance out, and Tiagara crept closer to the young man. Suddenly she put her hand to her head, then raked long red-colored nails through her fluffy red-orange hair. "I..." she began, "...don't feel so good." The young man looked concerned. "Maybe you should lay down." He said, standing. "Let me help you to your room." He said with a malicious twinkle in his eye. Tiagara awoke the next day with a pounding headache. The light streaming in the window marked it as well-towards midday, but Tiagara couldn't remember anything past the light dinner she'd had before the dancing began. Wine, even in large quantity, never affected her like this... Her gown lay crumpled on the floor, and her mark pouch (though it had scarcely any money in it to begin with) was empty. Something downed on Tiagara, and she crept out of bed carefully and dressed, leaving everything as it was. One hand on her aching head, and one on the wall to keep her balance, Tiagara scuffed barefooted down the long corridor to the healer's hall. "You're lucky that's all he did, Tiagara." The healer said, mixing something together at a table, her back to the exam table Tiagara sat on. "They caught him, you know. He tried his trick on one of the dragonriders. As soon as she blacked out, her dragon screamed bloody murder." Tiagara hardly felt comforted. When she sought male company, she preferred to be awake... She felt violated, and scared. Dronk this." The journeywoman healer siad, handing her a cup. Tiagara sniffed suspiciously. "It's mainly fellis. You're going back to sleep." The journeywoman said, not telling her what else was in that dose. Six days later, Tiagara was in the kitchen scrubbing tubers. She hadn't had any ill effects, but was hesitant to invite anyone to keep her company, especially men. "Tiagara?" the healer said from the doorway, and the 18 turn old woman looked up. "This is bluerider Shianna. She wants to have a word with you..." Tiagara abandoned the scrubbing to one of the kitchen girls and wiped her hands. "Can I get you some klah, rider?" she asked. "I'd rather a glass of juice, if you've any." Shianna said, "It's awfully warm today." Tiagara fetched some juice for Shianna, and a glass for herself as well, and led the blueridder to a side table where they could talk in relative privacy. "...that rider was one of ours, and she told Weyrwoman Tiyanni. Lord Holder Oran sent her a message to personally appologize for that happening at his Gather. Tiyanni suggested that you come to Ryslen - the change of scenery could speed up your recovery." Tiagara swallowed hard. She felt so strange here, though Kielac had been her home all of her life. Getting away sounded like a good idea. "I'll go." Tiagara decided. "Will you help me pack?" Shianna complimented Tiagara on her wardrobe as she helped the girl neatly fold and pack it. "If you want to, Tiyanni may let you stand for the Hatching." Tiagara looked to the bluerider. "I've been Searched?" Shianna shook her head. "Sorry, but Kayrizoth isn't a Searcher. Tiyanni would have sent a Searchrider, but all of them are male and..." Shianna trailed off. "I understand." Tiagara said. "We can have one of the dragons look at you when we get there... if you want." Tiagara hesitated. "Maybe once I'm settled in." Tiagara settled in quickly, but tended to avoid one-on-one situations. She soon found out that Shianna wasn't the messenger, she was the one who'd been caught by that creep. The two became close friends once that secret was out. Nothing like mutual trauma to bring people together. Visiting dragons often lounged about at Ryslen. There was a wide section of weyrless ledge that caught the sun for most of the day, and that was where they lay. Today was no exception, as a few blues, greens, and other colored dragons rested and watched the bowl. Tiagara was asked to take a pot of klah and mugs up the the Weyrwoman's office, but that wasn't out of the ordinary either. Though Weyrwoman she may be, Tiyanni loved to entertain. Tiagara stepped up to the door, and was in the process of shifting the tray to knock when Alabaster's Searchrider opened the door. She wasn't startled to see a man in Tiyanni's office, but rather that he'd known just when to open the door. There were only those two in the room, but Tiagara had been sent with three mugs. Why? Her question was answered when Tiyanni said "Pour yourself one, Tiagara, and sit down." Tiagara complied. It just wouldn't do to disobey the Weyrwoman, no matter how uncomfortable she was. "This is J'rin, Amitath's rider -- they hail from Alabaster, though we of Ryslen claim him as our own. He's looking for a few choice candidates for Diamoth's clutch. Since you missed Yainolith's clutch, and the green's clutches are nowhere near hatching.... " Tiyanni suppressed a laugh, "I thought you might like to go for this one." Tiagara considered carefully. Leaving Ryslen meant leaving the supportive Shianna, but... "On one condition." She said slowly. "And what would that be?" Tiyanni said calmly. "That I can come back to Ryslen, dragon or no." "We wouldn't have it any other way." J'rin said with a smile. Tiagara prowled around Alabaster as though it were her territory. There were many sharp looking young men around – the sort Tiagara would have invited to share her bed had she encountered them prior to her traumatic experience at the festival. Though her eagerness in that department had been drastically dampened, Tiagara did not fear men. Even Lord Engell’s withering gaze did not phase her. She was tougher than iron, or so it seemed, and bent on getting herself heard. Tiagara was walking through the halls of Alabaster when something strange happened. Tiagara wasn’t sure exactly what had occurred, but something had. She ran to a window, and looked out. It was a beautiful day, but the scenery was wrong. Tiagara couldn’t remember what she was supposed to see from this vantage, but she knew this wasn’t right. Her task abandoned, Tiagara stalked off to demand to know what had happened from Engell himself. To her dismay, she found a mob already there. “What has happened, my friends, is that we have moved.” Engell answered the mob, answering their angry, confused shouts. Tiagara didn’t find Engell’s answer to her liking, though everyone else seemed to swallow it well enough. “What does all this mean, Engell?” Tiagara demanded, and found herself unanswered. “Answer me!” she yelled, “Or I’ll go back to East Rock and leave Diamoth’s clutch alone. You know what happens when there aren’t enough candidates.” Engell sighed and hailed a padding dragonner. “Jayrin, take this brat back to East Rock.” “Yessir.” J’rin said, only slightly bothered that Lord Engell had called him by his full name, as opposed to the customary honorific, and knowing full well that it was unwise to argue with that man. Amitath, however, wasn’t so willing to jump at Engell’s orders. Engell! the blue bellowed, What do you mean, ‘take her back’? I brought her for this clutch, and she’ll stand for this clutch if I have to sit on her until it hatches!” J’rin wanted to hide. Tiagara would have cheered if she’d heard the message. Engell opened a window and glared at the blue dragon. “Fine! She can stay! Just keep her out of my sight!” a very cranky seeming Engell said. I win. Amitath said on a very tight band to his rider. J’rin nodded, still on edge. “Well, you heard him” J’rin said to Tiagara. “Stay out of his hair, y’ hear?” “I hear.” Tiagara said, and hurried away, cowed, at least for now. Later, J’rin found himself face to face with Lord Engell. “By my dragon’s egg, Engell. If you’d just told her…” Engell exhaled. “I hate that oath. Don’t you dragonners realize your mate’s shells are long since part of the rubbish heap?” J’rin nodded. “Not mine. You’re the one that claimed Amitath’s shell for your personal collection after he slipped out and left it mostly whole. You didn’t forget which dragon came from that egg, did you?” “It’s been a long day Jayrin.” He said by way of response. “You’ll keep working for Alabaster, even though all this has happened?” “Yessir. As long as Maiahn’s still waiting, I’m yours.” “Good.” Said Engell. “I have a job for you…”

Tiagara had come through a lot; there were not may people who even had an inkling as to the trauma of her life. It was hard for her to find someone who truly understood – until that fateful day… Two white dragons hatched from one egg, and one chose her. Dayath was her name, and she was inseparable from Tiagara – which is how it should be. Tiagara’s life made a total turnaround after she impressed the calm white dragoness Dayath. She was such a balm for Tiagara’s wounded soul, and soon Tiagara was more than she was before. Tiagara? the young white queried, Who is Dalan? Why is …he?… in your mind again? Tiagara sighed and sat down on the ground beside her bonded. “Dalan was my brother, Dayath my friend. He… died in a rockfall five years ago. You would have liked him. He was a good runner, and was very smart – in fact he was very good at logic puzzles.” Dayath leaned heavily on Tiagara. It’s not your fault he’s gone. “I know Dayath. But… I still miss him.” That is to be expected Tiagara. the white said But now is not the time for mourning, it is a time for celebration. Go, dance, have a good time. We’ll have plenty of time to chat later.

When the weyrlings were first allowed to fly, Dayath took to the skies like she was born to them. She had a natural grace – which her twin brother shared – and it wasn’t long before she and a few of her clutchmates were permitted to take their riders on short flight. Tiagara enjoyed this immensely. One fine day brought a load of traders to the weyrhold boundaries. An impromptu festival was organized, and local talents as well as the visitors set out their wares as a fatted calf was set to roast for the festival feast. Tiagara roamed the booths, and stopped to admire an ivory-handled knife, carved intricately with a woven knot patttern. Dalan would have loved this… Tiagara thought, and smiled gently as the warmth of Dayath’s love wrapped around her. A hand reached for the very knife, and Tiagara placed hers over the handle, claiming it, at least for the present. “Excuse me…” the young man said, “but I…” “No, I must have this one, it would have been perfect for my brother…” Tiagara’s green eyes met his. “… Dalan?” The young man’s eyes went wide. “Tia?” he said in shock. “How…?” “That’s what I want to know!” Tiagara laughed, and turned to the owner of the knife. “How much?” He named his price, and they haggled. Tiagara agreed to the final price, and made the purchase. She presented the knife to her brother. “Now… let’s find somewhere to chat.” As things turned out, Tiagara and Dalan’s family existed both on Pern and Alskyr. The Pernese Dalan had died in that rockfall, but not the Alskyrian one. The Alskyrian Tiagara had rescued her brother, and perished. Being that Tiagara didn’t exist on Alskyr, she was free to come here without the agony of existing twice in the same place. After the festival, white Dayath took her rider and Dalan ‘home’ to their parents on Alskyr. And everything was good.

Tiagara raced with some of the younger riders through the halls of Ryslen. She and Dayath had come to see the Flurry hatching, and to spend some time with Shianna and her blue. Suddenly, a pale figure stepped out froma side corridor, and Tiagara barely managed to keep from crashing into him. The other riders vanished and Tiagara was left to face the former Lord Holder of Alabaster Weyrhold by herself. Engell stared at her, his eyes hard. Tiagara remembered how he’d sent her away after she’d demanded answers of him, and was afraid, but only slightly. Even that was unnecessary. “Ah, Rider Tiagara… what a pleasure to see you again.” He said in a calm professional manner, his voice soothingg her jangled nerves. “The pleasure is mine, Lord Engell.” She said with a bow. “It’s just Engell now, Tiagara. “ he said, and a white flit echoed from his shoulder. You’re going to ask him, aren’t you? Dayath said softly, chuckling as she felt rather than heard the affirmative. “Engell… I… will you… could I…?” Tiagara spluttered foolishly, unable to ask him what she had been wanting for ever so long. Engell’s expression didn’t change, but despite Tiagara’s strong bond with her dragon, he could read the question; it was clearly there in the front of her mind. Tiagara wanted to have his child! The unexplained white noise in Engell’s mind must have warped his understanding of her intent, and the next thought to pass through his mind was something along the lines of ‘That’s nice, but K’yl wouldn’t want anything to do with a woman with her reputation.’ Snowflake cheeped at the whiterider as Engell patted her shoulder. “When you figure it out, tell me.” He said. Tiagara sighed her frustration at Engell’s departing form. She’d never had this much trouble before…

Alabaster Weyrhold Kshau Protectorate