“Hey! You coming or what?!” A voice echoed throughout the stables and found its way into the ear of a young boy who stood still with his eyes closed, just listening to the world around him.

“Where are you going to?”

‘It’s time for food! Come on already or you won’t get any.”

With a sigh he scratched his black hair and slowly, very slowly, turned towards the direction where the voice had come from. “Okay, okay.” He said then waited. After a few seconds he heard footsteps gradually heading off to where the food is and, with his eyes still closed, he follows the sound of the footsteps.

The footsteps are going too fast though and soon they stop. Silently the young boy turns in all directions wondering where to go. He opens his eyes for a small second before quickly shutting them again, it doesn’t do any good if they’re open anyway. “Great.” He backs up until he backs into a wall then he slumps down and stays there sitting quietly wondering what’s happening.

What seems like an eternity later an older sounding voice travels through the hall. “Boy! What are you doing just sitting around, you have work to do now get to work!”

“Yes Prillee.” The 8-turn-old answered and got up slowly taking his time and hoping there was nothing above his head. “Where am I to go?”

“The stables! That’s where you work remember?” He jumped when her hand connected with his head.

“Sorry Prillee. I shall go now.” Very slowly he made his way down the hall.

“Boy! The stables are the other way!”

“Oops.”

“Shards! Use your eyes!”

As he turned around and headed down the hall in the other direction he thought slowly to himself, ‘I can’t though.’

Turns went by and every day he would learn to memorize where things were, he had to, he couldn’t use his eyes, they didn’t work anymore. He tried to never let anybody suspect that he was unable to see, but a few caught on and they tried to help him or find out how it had happened. He denied everything and did not accept help.

“Strange that young man is, been working in these stables for so long and had one too many accidents if you ask me. Always bumping into things and tripping over objects.” An older man commented to his assistant while they watched the young man whose eyes never opened.

“He doesn’t use his eyes, never has actually. Runners just go right over him sometimes because he’s not looking, but then again sometimes I’ve seen him hop out of the way as if he heard their hooves coming right towards him. Then again, most of the time when that happened he’d have jumped right into a fence. I don’t understand it myself.”

“You think he’s got something missing up in his head? Like he doesn’t know to use his eyes or something?”

“Dunno, but he won’t answer yer questions if that’s what ya be getting after. Go ahead, ask him sir, but he won’t answer.”

The older man ruffled his graying hair and walked over to the mysterious young man. “Hey you! Why don’t you open your eyes, it’d be easier to get the job done with your eyesight helping you.”

“No thank you sir.”

“Eh? What kind of stupid answer is that?”

“Don’t know sir.”

“Can’t you see?” No response came. “I said, can’t you see?”

“Maybe.”

“You know you’re getting pretty skinny, here, have this.” From the older man’s pocket came forth a fruit of some kind.

The other’s head didn’t lift from his work. “Have what?”

“This fruit! I won’t eat it so you might as well have it.”

“No thank you.”

The older man walked off shaking his head and his assistant just whispered, “Told ya so Barajan.”

Barajan though turned though and asked one more question. “Hey kid.”

“Yes sir?”

“What’s your name?”

“I don’t have one sir.”

“Well get one, I have to call you something else other than boy or kid or whatever.”

“I will try sir.”

“And stop calling me sir!”

“Okay.”

“And open those eyes!”

“No thank you.”

As he got older he got better at hiding the fact that he was blind and much to Barajan’s delight he also found himself a name. “Keain! Gimme that broom you got there! I need it to sweep up this infernal dust! It’s everywhere!”

Keain quickly gave up the broom and sat in silence. Barajan swept up the dust and deposited a piece of bread in Keain’s lap and sat down next to him. “What happened?” Barajan asked.

“What do you mean?” Keain asked taking a small bite out of the bread after learning what it was.

“I’ve known you far too long to know that you can’t see, you never open your eyes and even when you do you still sometimes run into a wall. Now the others might just pass you off as stupid and clumsy, but Keain I know what’s going on so don’t deny it, at least not to me.”

“So you’re asking how I became the way I am?”

“Yes I am.”

“I do not know.”

“Oh come on! You know! I know you know!”

“I think… Well I think I was born this way.”

“Hmph, well that’s gotta bite.”

“What’s that?”

“I said its gotta bite! Not being able to see and all, but why do you hide it?”

“I don’t want to be treated differently just because I can’t do what some people can.”

Something was set next to Keain and with a questioning look Keain turned in the direction Barajan last was. “Nope, kid, I’m not over there anymore. I’m back to work and you should be too, though you aren’t good at sweeping I suppose you can find something to do, eh?”

“I would like to sit for a minute and think if that is okay.”

“Oh no! You aren’t getting off that easy! I’m not treating you differently! You’re going to find something useful to do.”

Keain nodded and even smiled slightly. “Okay Barajan.”

“One thing though, lemme see them eyes, I’ve never seen their color so I want to see.”

Keain shook his head. “Not a good idea.”

“Why not?”

“Most of the time when I open my eyes people scream and run away shouting, ‘He’s not normal!’”

Barajan scratched his head and laughed. “Keain I already know you aren’t normal! Now let’s see them eyes alrighty?”

“On one condition.”

“Oh and what’s that?”

“Tell me what color they are.”

“I think I can do that.” Keain shrugged and open his eyes. Underneath his jet black hair there was like a flash of light emitting from his eyes and Barajan’s jaw dropped open. “I can see why people might think your eyes a bit odd.”

Keain blinked. “So what color are they?”

“They’re silver for crying out loud!”

“What?”

“Have you ever seen colors? Oh wait, you were born this way?”

“Well I don’t know. I think I was, but then again I remember seeing colors when I was about two, so maybe I did lose my eyesight.”

“Normally people don’t have silver eyes.”

“Perhaps I should keep them closed like I always have.”

“It’s up to you.”

That evening as Keain lay in a large field with his eyes open and looking towards the sky he tried to think back to when he thought he remembered what things looked like.

Fire was everywhere, flames bounded towards him, red and orange.

Keain closed his eyes and yawned. “So much for trying to remember. Maybe I don’t need to remember.” He stayed like that not knowing if it was still day or night, just staying there wondering if he should ever move from that spot.

Meanwhile, up in the sky, something gazed down curiously at the boy who lay in the field.

Do you see that?

“See what?” Asked the rider of the dragon that spoke.

Down there! It seems to be a young man, but I don’t know what he’s doing. Perhaps sleeping? Maybe we should take a closer look?

“Yeah, sure, okay.” The rider didn’t see to be caring much, in fact he seemed a little on the tired side. “We’ve got to get some sleep though.”

We have a job to finish, remember? Can’t be lazy searchers!

“I know, but-“ The rider was cut off by a large yawn.

No buts my rider, besides I have a funny feel about this person. I think he’d make a good candidate, let me get a closer look.

The blue’s rider, almost asleep managed to say something along the lines of, “Yasureniftytired.” But luckily his dragon understood him just fine.

The blue landed easily next to the young man who had leapt up as soon as he had heard the sound of wings beating and then something landing. “He-Hello?”

“Hey.” Muttered the rider of the blue as he climbed down lazily. “Kid I’m over here.”

‘I wish some people would stop calling me kid.’ Thought Keain as he tried to act like he knew where the voice came from.

The rider shot his blue dragon an odd look, but the blue merely replied secretly to his rider, He is different, hold on, let me get a good look. The blue dragon was silent for a few moments and when he was ready to speak with his rider he found him asleep! WAKE UP!

“I’m awake! What?!” The rider asked his dragon while Keain listened curiously at what was happening. The scratched his black hair and actually blinked a few times because he didn’t have a clue what was happening.

This one would make a good candidate.

The rider nodded at his blue then turned to the young man who had his eyes now closed. “Well, my blue here seems to think you’d make a good candidate at our Weyr. So how ‘bout it?”

Keain was silent for a long time before he whispered, “No dragon would want me.”

“Huh? Why not?”

He is different. The dragon said speaking so all could hear him.

“Yeah, so?” The rider questioned confused.

Keain frowned and his head dropped sadly. “No dragon would want me because I cannot see.”

Again the rider said, “Yeah, so?”

“So you’d best look for somebody else, I would not be a good candidate.”

You don’t trust my judgment? The blue dragon questioned Keain.

“I cannot go with you, no dragon would want me. It’s that simple.”

Nonsense! I’ll have my rider tie you to my tail if that’s what is takes! You’d make a wonderful candidate, just have a little faith.

The rider suddenly started to snore and his dragon looked at him and sighed. “I don’t think he’ll be able to tie me to your tail right now.” Keain said recognizing the snoring and actually smiling. His eyes opened for a second and then quickly shut, but the blue dragon had seen them and he blinked with curiosity.

Your eyes are interestingly colored. Beautiful even and I would question more about them except you must come with me to Ryslen first.

Keain started to walk away. “I shall be going now, that I will.”

That you won’t! You’ll be going with me to the Weyr! Have faith in yourself, you will be a good candidate and will impress!

“I get the feeling that you will not leave me alone until I agree to go.”

You’ve got that right!

Keain sighed and turned to face the dragon even though he could not see him. “What good is a dragonrider that cannot see?”

A dragon is waiting for you, ask that dragon that question for I cannot answer it. I just know that you will be a good candidate and will impress.

“Fine then.” Replied Keain. “I’ll take a leap of faith.”

Moments later after Keain had informed those whom he worked with, mostly Barajan, what was happening and the blue had brought his rider back from his deep sleep Keain guided to his seat on the blue dragon and they all went back to Ryslen.

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