Bri'onie's Weyr

Brialonie looked up from the dishes she was washing as she heard a thump and an exclamation from outside. She hurriedly dried the last dish, threw on her jacket, and went outside. Her parents were offering a tall dragonrider a cup of fruit juice. The brown dragon had just folded his wings and turned to regard Brialonie intently. His rider turned as well and strode over to the befuddled girl.

"My name's K'roohan and this is Takanath. I'm a Search rider for Dragonhope Weyr. We'd like you to come be a candidate," the tall rider said. Brialonie stared speechlessly at him while her mother, Adrialla, swayed, a wordless denial on her lips. Fifteen-year-old Brialonie was her only child and she didn't want her to leave. Her father, Mich, held her mother back with a slight shake of his head. They both knew the honor that Brialonie might receive and Adrialla nodded sadly.

"I'd love to be a candidate," Brialonie finally got out. K'roohan smiled and said to Mich and Adrialla, "You are welcome to visit her when you like. Dragonhope really isn't all that far." The two parents nodded and herded Brialonie inside to pack. After many tearful farewells, Brialonie was finally packed and riding behind K'roohan on brown Takanath. She was introduced to Werylingmaster R'vfen and his brown Yukanth.

Brialonie learned as much as she could from the Weyrlingmaster and soon stood on the sands for a hatching. One of the first dragons to hatch was green Praeth, who was drawn immediately to the shaking, russet-haired girl. The green nuzzled the shocked girl plaintively when all she did was stare. Brialonie, broken from her stillness by the dragon's jewel-blue eyes, knelt and hugged the little hatchling. Her parents walked down from the stands to congratulate her and were the first to call her by her shortened name, Bri'onie.

For the next few years, Bri'onie was kept busy taking care of Praeth and learning the rest of her duties to the weyr. When Praeth was fully grown and Bri'onie was eighteen, Bri'onie asked K'roohan if she could be a Searchrider. He agreed and Bri'onie spent the next year Searching out candidates to the weyr. Then, she met Jeren.

Jeren was the same age as Bri'onie and he was as surprised as she was when Searched. His family were just as sad to see him go, but Bri'onie repeated the promise made to her that they would be allowed to visit. Jeren and Bri'onie quickly became friends when she found out he had the same love of learning she did. Often, they would spend nights talking over the books Jeren brought with him while Praeth curled up in a corner of the weyr Jeren was given.

A few months later, Bri'onie realized she was coming to love Jeren. She had no idea he had the same feelings for her, so she tried to ignore them. Her conversations with him gradually became more awkward until Jeren finally asked what was wrong. She told him of her feelings and was surprised when he confessed to having the same feelings toward her. They soon became lovers and Bri'onie spent as much time in Jeren's weyr as he spent in hers.