A loud clanging noise rang in Anandiar’s head. He moaned and turned over, pulling the pillow over his head and trying to bury himself in sleep again. He’d had a long night last night and was planning on sleeping well into this one. Touzoku creeled and nipped his nose. The firelizard seemed to think that this noise was important. Anandiar sighed and sat up.
Anandiar’s long black hair was sticking out in all directions and had little bits of hay and straw tucked in it. Touzoku had finally gotten the idea that when a pretty girl started walking off with his master, the bronze was supposed to vanish. The tired candidate smiled remembering last night and rubbed the firelizard affectionately on the head. He yawned and stretched while the clanging noise repeated itself. Someone, somewhere was ringing a rather loud gong.
His eyes were sleep-filled and barely open, but his ears heard the call quite clearly. "The sun’s up and the dragons are hatchling!" Baeris, the Weyrwoman/Master Healer was calling the candidates to the sands.
Gah! His first thought was to rush out the way he was, messy hair, straw and all, but his common sense got the better of him. He pulled a brush through his hair with amazing speed, (and pain), then quickly dressed in the first set of clean clothes he could grab. He ran out the door, stopped, cursed, ran back to his room, grabbed the red cape he was supposed to wear, and was therefore, the last person to arrive on the Sands.
Touzoku looked around rather confused at all the noise. He chirped to himself once or twice and clawed Anandiar’s shoulder with a vengence. What happen? What I do?
Anandiar cringed and cursed again under his breath. "Just leave. Ow!" Someone looked over at him as he yelped in pain. He smiled, unconvincingly, and the person shook their head and left him alone. Anandiar scanned the crowd in the stands and quickly spotted both Magika and Mik’len. "There. See Magika and Mik? Go to them." The bronze nodded and quickly flew to the Weyrwoman and bronze-rider. Anandiar waved to get their attention before Touzoku landed on Magika’s shoulder.
Magika grinned and waved back, well aware that the young man didn’t think he should be a candidate. Before his searching, Anandiar had been on his way to jail. He still felt uncomfortable around all these people who he figured were much more deserving of a dragon than him. Mik’len blushed and grabbed Magika’s arm. "For shards’ sake Magika! You don’t wave at the candidates!"
Magika was Mik’len’s elder by 7 years, but you would have never guessed it by the way she acted. The Weyrwoman pouted, like a spoiled child. "You’re no fun."
Mik’len couldn’t help but grin. "He’s nervous enough as it is. Just leave him alone."
"I was trying to be encouraging." Karina, Magika’s gold flit, and Karia, Magika’s draca, both appeared above the Werwoman and glared down at Anandiar’s bronze. They both settled themselves on Magika’s left shoulder while Touzoku sadly occupied the right. Magika rubbed the bronze’s head. "Cheer up. Anandiar gonna impress you a new friend and then you can go back to him." This seemed to cheer Touzoku up as he chirped once and jumped to Mik’len’s shoulder to have a chat with Gamble, Mik’len’s bronze flit.
Mik’len sighed. "Would you two be quiet. We’re missing the hatching." Weyrwoman, bronze-rider, flits and draca all turned their attention back to the Sands and an uncomfortable Anandiar.
* * * I can give myself several good reasons why I shouldn’t be here. As the first half of the hatching passed without a dragon so much as even looking in his direction, Anandiar had already convinced himself that this was a mistake. I didn’t want to be searched in the first place! I’m too busy with my....um.....work. I have to take care of Touzoku. I won’t be able to do as much if I’m stuck in a wing fighting Thread. I won’t be ....free. I’ll be a part of some stupid Weyr and I’ll have all sorts of stupid responsibilities and I won’t be able to gamble or steal or have any fun whatsoever any more... I should just head into the stands and disappear. I’m good at that....disappearing... He was only slightly surprised to find himself at the edge of the sands. He pulled himself up to sit on the wall and continued to watch the hatching as a spectator. No dragon would want me anyways, I’m a thief...a loner. I only got Touzoku by accident. An impression doesn’t happen by accident. And...His mental ramblings were cut off by a voice in his mind, like Touzoku’s only stronger. You are stalling! I know everyone can see you! You’re my life mate! Come along and help me over here! Anandiar, you do not know how easy it will be to do what you will, with my help... A dark brown hatchling called to him from the Sands. He appeared to be struggling to get free of something.
"D-Doroboth? Asked Anandiar. "You asked for me? You really want me?"
Don’t say it! Don’t say any more, just come over here and help me. My tail is caught, and I’m not able to free it. The dark mottled dragon was right, his long tail had wedged between two still-full shells, and they had rolled together, blocking the large hatchling from pulling himself free. Doroboth spoke without a great sense of urgency and Anandiar was slightly confused. He wasn’t in any pain, why would he need Anandiar to help him? He could have moved the eggs by himself.
Anandiar went to his side, and pushed on one of the big eggs. Once free, the dark dragon turned and set his big wings over Anandiar’s shoulders, so they could talk in private. Within the sheltered darkness of the dragon’s wings, Anandiar grinned and realized what Doroboth had been trying to do. "I get it now, you’re going to help me stay a thief, aren’t you?"
Doroboth grinned at his new rider. If it is what you want. If you want to become something new, we can do that too. I will be big and strong, you know. We can do anything. No one will ignore you if you want to be seen and heard now.
A’diar grinned and hugged Doroboth quickly. "I think Magika will find something for us to do."
The two began to leave the Sands together when Touzoku appeared and chirped loudly at Doroboth. A’diar caught the little bronze flitter out of the air. "Touzoku, meet Doroboth. Doroboth, Touzoku." The bronze flitter glared at the dragon, suspicious of it.
Doroboth licked Touzoku. Your name means theif, just like mine. We shall both protect and help A’diar now.
The bronze firelizard cocked his head to the side, but seemed to find this arrangement suitable. He chirped, struggled free of A’diar grip and jumped onto Doroboth’s back. Touzoku dropped something into his master’s hand.
"What’s this?" A’diar examined it and discovered it was a gold broach, a guard’s broach, like Mik’len’s. He smiled as he heard Mik’len’s cry from the stands. "My broach! Where did it go? Gamble...."
A’diar quickly tucked it into his pocket. "We’ll just return this later, huh guys?"
Doroboth swished his long tail back and forth playfully. You mean after you get it appraised. Touzoku cheeped happily, obviously agreeing with the dragon.
A’diar laughed. "I can see that this will be the start of a beautiful friendship."
* * * Where to next? The giant black-brown dragon twirled and spun in the air, forcing A’diar to hold on tightly to the saddle.
"Woah!" A’diar grabbed at the piece of parchment as it attempted to free itself from his grasp. "If you’d stop goofing off I could tell you!"
Doroboth straightened out and sighed. You’re no fun. The dragon felt his rider’s sudden distress. What?
"Tamae." He gulped and tucked to paper away. "Magika’s sent us to Tamae Hold."
What’s wrong with Tamae? We haven’t been there before, have we? Doroboth got the co-ordinates from his rider and prepared to between.
"No," A’diar agreed. "We haven’t been there. I have." He wrapped the leather reins around his wrists once as Doroboth disappeared.
* * * Doroboth gently set down in the centre of Tamae Hold. A’diar reluctantly dismounted to be greeted by the Lord and Lady Holder, as well as Touzoku. The bronze firelizard chirped happily and landed on his masters shoulder as A’diar nervously approached the two waiting to meet him. Maybe they won’t recognize me...after all, it has been four turns.
What did you do? Doroboth smiled. Or do I want to know?
A’diar hid a grin as he shook hands with both the Lord and Lady Holder, waiting for one of them to glare at him and throw him out....or worse. I got very acquainted with the Lady Holder and swiped a runner....among other things. So be on your best behaviour, you too Touzoku.
The two politely waited for him to finish his conversation with his dragon before speaking. The Lord Holder shook his hand again. "I assume you’re the rider from Adanuk."
It wasn’t really a question, but A’diar answered it none the less. "Yes. I’m A’diar, rider of Doroboth."
The brown-black nodded his head in greeting. Tell them I say that I’m going to eat all their herdbeasts and terrorize their runners.
A’diar smirked, but quickly regained his seriousness. "Doroboth says hi."
Liar. Doroboth settled himself comfortably in the large square.
"Oh." The Lord Holder was giving A’diar an odd look. "You look awfully familiar. Have we met before?"
A’diar smiled convincingly. "I don’t think so." He approached the Lady Holder. "I’d remember such beauty."
The woman blushed slightly and smiled. "You do look familiar."
"I have a lot of relatives." He explained. "Big family. You probably met one of my brothers."
"I don’t know." The man was getting suspicious.
"Let’s just get down to business." A’diar quickly began walking towards the main building, Touzoku still wrapped around his shoulders.
The Lord Holder sighed and followed A’diar in. "As promised we’ve gathered together all you said Magika wanted for tithes." He then muttered under his breath. "Although why she doesn’t want us to pay in marks like normal is beyond me."
A’diar smiled, hearing both the spoken and whispered comments. "We’re really grateful that you could spare these supplies..." A’diar wondered the rows of food, clothes, and equipment. "The riders are getting tired of being paid in marks... we need supplies...." He trailed off, trying to think of something else to say.
"Yes." The Lord Holder agreed, obviously annoyed with giving up his possessions. "It’s all on a platform so if you tie it to your dragon, he can just fly it out of here."
A’diar nodded and called Doroboth. The Lord Holder still glared at the dragon-rider, determined to find out why he looked so familiar. Just as A’diar finished securing the load, it hit him.
"That theif!" He pointed at A’diar. "You’re that theif!! They should have cut off your hands!"
The blood ran from A’diar’s face. "That was a long time ago...." He began slowly backing up. "I’m a changed person. I’m a new man!" He ducked the older man’s fist and began to run to Doroboth. On his way he grabbed the Lady Holder in his arms, kissed her deeply, and set her back on her feet.
The woman swayed, slightly flushed. "I remember you."
Just gotta make an exit don’t you. The dragon beat his wings, preparing to take off while A’diar mounted.
"Shut up and fly." Touzoku chirped once before betweening himself back home to Adanuk. Doroboth leapt into the sky, gaining altitude before following his smaller companion home.
* * * A’diar couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief as Doroboth set down carefully in Adanuk Weyr. Magika ran to greet him. She searched through the load he’d brought with him. "You got it! You got it all! I don’t know how you managed to trade for this, but you did it!"
A’diar smiled and let the Weyrwoman hug him. He’d be lying to himself if he said he didn’t like making Magika happy. She was a good friend, and she trusted him. And what she doesn’t know, won’t hurt me.
Doroboth sighed. I thought you said that Magika sent us to Tamae Hold. I thought we were doing something legal!
We were....sorta......Magika told us to get the stuff from the Holds and we got it. Not only did we get it, but we got to sell all the stuff she wanted us to trade and make a tidy profit ourselves. Everyone’s happy. A’diar smiled as he watched Magika order the new supplies carried to their new owners.
Doroboth smiled. When you say it that way...
Later that night, A’diar doubled their winnings in a friendly card game.....once again Doroboth was ready for take off as the young thief raced out of the tavern with the owner’s money.
* * *
Read A’diar candidate story!
A’diar impressed Doroboth at The Healing Den.
A’diar impressed Touzoku at The Healing Den.
Background from Myrror Images.
