Tiaret stood in the bathing chamber. She was looking down at her normally flat stomach. It was getting chubby...And she knew she had to tell her parents. She walked slowly to where they were sitting. She did not know how they would react. But she knew she would have to tell them sooner or later. Might as well be now.
"Mother. Father. I think... I think I'm pregnant." Her mother just stared. Her father rose to his feet.
"What?"
"I've missed it for three months! But no, it's not what you think." Oh, this was awful. She was saying it all wrong.
"What do you mean it's not what we think?! My sixteen-turn daughter is sharding pregnant!" Her father was very angry. She looked at her mother. Her mother was just sitting calmly, waiting for an explanation. Of course, she couldn't see anything. Her mother was blind.
"Jeden, calm down. Let her speak." Her mother's voice was quiet, but very effective. Her father always listened to his mate. He sat down quickly, and glared at his daughter. She sighed, and began her story.
"Three months ago, I was at that gather, remember? And I was alone... A guy, I never got a good look at him. He grapped my arm and pulled me away from everyone. I tried to scream, but he put his hand over my mouth. He took me outside, it was really cold. I was shaking all over. And he threw me on the ground. It was stone, and hard. And I tried to scream again, but he wouldn't let me. And I remember he looked in my eyes and told me how pretty they were. And he ripped my clothes off, and...well...yeah. And afterwards, he dressed me back up, kissed the top of my head, and thanked me. And then he told me that nobody would believe me if I told them. They would just think that I was sleeping around and made up the story to save myself. So, I didn't tell anyone. But now, I've missed it three months in a row...I think I'm pregnant. I don't know what to do."
For the first time, she felt pressured. It was not just herself anymore. Everything she did would affect not only her, but the unborn child in her tummy. She looked at the floor, one hand on her stomach. Her mother rose, and stepped up to her. She placed both hands on her face, and blind eyes looked into Tiaret's eyes.
"There is a reason your name means Lioness. They are powerful, beautiful creature. Able to care for themselves. They don't need males. And you will get through this. We will always be here for you." With that, her mother walked from the room, one hand trailing on the wall. Tiaret looked at her father. He walked over to her, and put a large hand on her shoulder.
"It's alright. It wasn't your fault. As soon as its born, we'll give it to someone who can take care of it." Tiaret stepped back and looked at her father unbelievingly.
"We can take care of her! We are fully capable of it!" Fire lept in her father's eyes.
"I will not have a bastard child in this house! Another mouth to feed? And no man to help work to feed it? No! We will adopt it out, and you will move on." Tiaret could not believe her father. She mentally told the child in her belly (which she was positive would be a girl) that everything would be okay, and that mommy would never leave her.
"Daddy, no! This is my child! I don't care who the father is... She is still half of me! There is part of me in this baby! And I'm not going to carry her for nine months just to give her away as soon as she is born!" Her father turned away and walked away, facing the wall.
"Then I want you out of my house by the morning." He was so quiet that Tia had to strain to hear him. She gaped at her father. This, her father she had known all of her life, who called her Kitten since she was born, who had always told her how much he loved her was now kicking her out?
"Well go then! Get out! Get out of my house!" roared her father, whirling on her. She looked at him, still in shock, and then ran from the room.
The next morning, Tiaret was trudging down a dirt road. She had on her back a light pack with a few pairs of knickers and shirts, and some food. Around her waist was a string, holding a mark pouch. She walked slowly, not having anywhere to go, so not needing to hurry. She kept one hand on her stomach, her way of hugging her child. As she walked, she thought up names.
"Jendayi is nice. Yeah, I like Jendayi. And Kalei. No, not Kalei. Teshi! That's a good name..." She was convinced that her child would be female. She kept up a good mood, singing songs and skipping along. Few people passed by, and they all smiled at the short, cheerful girl. Some offered her a ride, or asked where she was going. But she just smiled and said that she was fine. They shrugged and left her.
Everything was okay, until night fell. As darkness came, and noises began, Tiaret began to lose her cheerfullness. It became terribly cold. She put on some of the other clothes that she had brought, in hope of some warmth. She huddled by the road, on the edge of the forest. She was crouched against a tree, watching all sides at the same time. She shivered, and moaned. And then, she burst out laughing.
"Did that just come out of me?" She giggled for a few minutes, and then leaned back on the tree and looked up at the sky. The stars were beautiful tonight. She gazed at them for a while, thinking about how far away they must be, and wondering if there were other people out there... And she looked at the moons. Glowing, luminous orbs. And she saw... No, it couldn't be. Why, she'd have to be near a Weyr, and she couldn't have walked that far... So she closed her eyes, and fell asleep beneath the tree, in the light of the moons.
She awoke, blinking in the sunlight. She felt refreshed, but her back hurt where she had been leaning against the tree. She stood up, and her back cracked. She stretched a moment, before looking around. She spied a young boy across the road, looking at her. He was maybe six turns, with curly light blond hair. She smiled at him. He did not smile back. Her smile faultered, and she turned and picked up her bags. When she turned back around, the boy was gone. She shrugged, and began to walk again. She was humming, looking around. She wondered where she was. She found herself in a town. It was small, but home-like. But there were no people around. Anywhere. She looked around, truly puzzled.
"They're all with that dragon guy." Tiaret turned to see a small girl, maybe ten turns, hand-in-hand with the same little boy she had seen earlier.
"Dragon guy?" The little girl and boy both nodded furiously.
"Yes, the man that came on the big blue dragon. They're down by the lake." The little girl looked Tiaret up and down. "Do you want to come in. Maybe take a bath, get something to eat?" Tiaret smiled at the girl's generosity.
"Thank you so much! That would be great." The girl led Tiaret over to one of the homes and inside. Tia took a long bath, cleaning herself for a long while. She washed her hair, watching with disgust the dirt that ran down the drain. she scrubbed herself gently, and then dried off and put her clothing back on. When she came into the kitchen, she could smell fresh-baked food. She looked on the table and saw some meat with some red fruit and a pie to top it off. She thanked the little girl several times as she tried not to wolf down the food.
When she was finished, Tia felt a hundred percent better. She thanked the little girl and her brother many times, and offered them some marks in return for their kindness. But the little girl, even though she was young, knew that Tiaret would need the money more, and wouldn't accept. Tiaret left them then, and began to walk down the street.
J'rin, none of these are that one that I felt beofore! That one person, I felt so strongly... The big blue dragon was standing amidst many people. They were hoping to either be searched, or just to get a glimpse of the Dragon. The Dragon's Rider, J'rin, stood off to the side looking around. It seemed as if everyone from the entire village had come to see them. The special person Amitath had felt had to have been here.
"Amitath, everyone is here. Aren't there any other suitable candidates?" The dragon sighed.
Yes. That one, there. The dragon trumpeted, and the crowd cheered for the young girl chosen. She climbed atop the mighty dragon's back, behind J'rin. And they took off, headed back to Ryslen Weyr.
Tiaret felt a slight tug inside her heart. She looked up, and saw the dragon flying away. He was going in the same direction as she. She saw him glance down towards her, and then he blinked between. She silently wished the best of luck to the girl perched behind the Rider.
A few months later, Tiaret was still on the road. She was proud of herself for getting this far. She was by far a lot stronger than when she had left. Her legs were toned, and her stomach (beneath the growing baby, she could feel) was getting stronger. Her skin had taken an all over brownish tan from the sun. Her hair was still dark, but with bleached blond streaks from the sun. Even though she had been travelling without food for the past month or two, she never went hungry. Every time she passed through a village, someone was kind enough to offer her food and a place to bathe and sleep for the night. She always thanked them fully, and tried to pay. But never would they accept. And when she wasn't anywhere near a village, she made do with what she had. She had in a shaft around her growing waist a sheath holding a long dagger. Whenever she found a pond or lake, she would wait patiently for a fish to swim by, and she would stab it with her dagger. Before she had left home, she never would have killed a fish, or chopped it up for food. But now she did it with lightning speed, and had a delicious meal every time. And she always snacked on the berries. A passerby had told her, when she asked, which ones were good to eat, and which ones never to touch. He told her, and gave her some bread to help her out. People around here were so generous.
Tiaret's belly was getting bigger by the day. Now it had been at least seven months (for she had lost track of the days). And she had a feeling in her gut, that the old woman she passed on the street that one time had been correct.
"They're twins, deary. Two lovely, healthy girls." Tiaret had been startled out of her wits. She had not noticed the old blind woman sitting on the steps.
"Mother," Tiaret called. She called the woman mother out of respect for her elders. "How did you know I was pregnant? And why do you say there's twins...and that they're girls?" The woman said nothing, but grinned widely. Her unseeing eyes swept around.
"I can feel it. Life energy radiating from you. Not just one, but three! Be proud, girl!" Tiaret wondered if the woman was alright in the head...
Tia placed a hand on her stomach, and felt a kick. She grinned at this primitive form of communication with her child(ren?). She sighed. When this baby was born, they would need somewhere to live. They couldn't stay travelling forever. And if it was twins... She sighed again. And stood. And began walking, again. In the direction she had seen that dragon flying, so long ago it seemed now. But that dragon gave her hope...For her, and her child, or children. So she walked on.
Tiaret found herself in a village a few days later. This time, people were rushing all over the place.
"What's going on?" she called to a woman. The woman called back without even looking.
"Feast for the Searchrider! Free food for all." Tia licked her lips. She and her unborn would eat well today. People passed her by, arms full of food. She followed the crowds, slowly, enjoying the sunshine. She rounded over a hill, and gasped at the sight. Many huge tables were in the center of the road. There was one long one in the center, where there were a few people sitting. One was a young man she thought she had seen before... And behind the table was a big blue Dragon that she was positive she recognized. The dragon from that other village! Perhaps out Searching again. And she vaguely remembered the tug at her heart when the dragon left, and the look it gave her before going between. Tia began down the hill, trying to keep her balance so she would not topple over. She walked to a table filled with food, and stood in line with a plate. She filled the plate full of food and sat at a table alone. She ate the food quickly, but neatly. When she was full, she disposed of the plate. She walked through the crowds, smiling at the people who smiled at her. She felt a large warm hand grab her arm, and she remembered the night of the Gather. She choked back a scream and turned. She sighed with relief, for it was the Searchrider she had seen before.
"Hello. I am Searchrider J'rin, and that is Amitath. A few months ago, we were out Searching at a village that Amitath had sensed a potential candidate at. But he could not find that person. And he just told me that he sensed the same person, and that person is you. He believes you would make a very good candidate at the Ryslen Sands." Tiaret was astonished. Her? A candidate? She thought momentarily of her baby. Would she be able to care for a baby and a dragon? And if they were twins like she felt.... But yes. She would manage somehow. She had survived several months alone in the woods, hadn't she? Besides, a Weyr was a place to stay, whether she Impressed or not. Her babies would have a home.
"Would you like to come back with us to Ryslen? Or do you have attachments here?" She noticed his eyes on her tummy. She put a hand on it, and smiled.
"That's a long story. And no, I have no attachments. I would love to try my luck. When do we leave?"