Kilian

The girl woke and looked about her with wide purple eyes. She did not recognize her surroundings but that did not bother her. What did bother her was that she was alone, completely alone as far as she could see. She searched her small pack, all her many pockets and the ground about her but found no one. She was on the verge of tears when she felt a light breeze caress her cheek. She turned her head quickly and there was Kilia and she sighed in relief. The little air-sprite danced her tiny almost transparent form cavorting about in the air and the girl managed to discern a smile on the little fairy’s lips. She grinned in return and got up, looking around wondering which way she should go.

She did not wonder where her parents were because she had never known them, and as long as she had her friend with her she did not care where she ended up. It never struck her as odd that she should wake up somewhere other than where she fell asleep; it had happened most of her life, though she’d never woken up in a place quite this different before. But she skipped along merrily anyway, Kilia dancing and cavorting in the air beside her.

Eventually she came upon a large stone structure and stopped, looking up at it in curiosity. Kilia did not seem to be worried and so the girl kept skipping along and skipped right through the front gates. Her manner was so self-assured that none of the guards bothered to stop her and she soon found herself in some sort of gathering. There were people everywhere and most dressed in such finery, as the girl had never seen before. The aromas in the air were amazing and she soon found herself skipping past a stand that sold some sort of pie. She stopped and licked her lips, wincing at the grumbling of her stomach as she laid eyes on the scrumptious-looking pies.

“Hello there,” said a kindly looking man behind the counter and the girl jumped, looking up at him with wide eyes. “What are you doing without your parents little one?”

The girl just shook her head and kept one eye on the closest pie as she silently played with the fabric covering the front of the stall.

“Well now, not much of a talker are we?” asked the man with a smile then noticed wherein lay her gaze. He picked up the pie and held it out to her. “Would you like one? They’re not too expensive. Perhaps you have a few coins in one of those many pockets I see on your coat?”

The girl didn’t quite understand the concept of coins but she saw him point to her pockets and reached into one and pulled out a ball that Kilia liked to play with. She offered it to the man and his eyes widened in surprise.

“You haven’t a clue what I’m saying, have you now?” he said with a slight frown creasing his brow. He looked down at the pie then at the longing look she was giving it and ducked out of the stand. He picked the girl up and she didn’t protest so he ducked back into the stand and sat her down on a chair he kept back there. “I tell you what. You sit here and enjoy this bubbly pie and I’m going to go see if anyone knows where you belong, alright?”

He handed her the pie and she looked up at him with such a look of delight that he had to smile before he ducked back out, yelling to a young man to take over the sale of the pies. The young man scowled and entered the stand, frowning in curiosity at the little girl sitting there happily munching on the pie. He was a teenager though and whatever was not directly affecting him could be shrugged off and ignored so he put his attention to selling the pies as several people came up.

Before the girl had finished the pie but after she’d managed to smear the gooey hot juices all over her hands and face the man came back with a tall gentleman in tow. She grinned up at them both and kept eating, scooping up some of the pie filling with her fingers and licking it off, much of it dripping down her chin. The two men just stood there for a moment watching her then the first man turned towards the second.

“Any idea where she belongs, M’ron?”

“None whatsoever,” replied the tall man, shaking his head in bafflement.

“But you’ve just finished a Search haven’t you? Surely you’ve seen every young person on Pern by now?” insisted the older man, a frown creasing his brow.

“I have, almost, but I’ve never seen this child before. Perhaps we should ask the guards if they saw her come in with anyone?” he asked and the two of them walked off again leaving the teenage boy to continue selling pies and the little girl to continue smearing hers all over her hands and face.

Before long though they returned with a guard in tow. The little girl waved a sticky hand at them cheerfully then continued finishing up the pie. The guard frowned at her then suddenly recognized her.

“Yeah, I saw her come in. Came skipping in like she owned the place so I didn’t think to ask where her parents were, mayhap they were already inside?” asked the guard, looking at the two other gentlemen.

“I certainly don’t recognize her,” said M’ron with a frown, “and I’ve seen most of the children on this planet after the recent Search. Perhaps we should take her to Xalia. If she is an orphan Xalia will no doubt take her in and if not Xalia can circulate a notice to the other Weyrs that if anyone is looking for a little girl they should come to her.”

The guard and the other gentleman nodded in agreement. M’ron and the guard strode off then and the older man ducked back into the stand. The teenager gladly ducked out and before long a woman strode up with M’ron not far behind her. She smiled at the little girl, trying not to laugh at the way she was smearing more pie on her face than she was actually getting in her mouth. But she was almost done and so the woman talked quietly to the other two men until the girl finished. Then the woman beckoned the girl to come out of the stand and squatted down to start cleaning her face and hands with a damp cloth provided by the pie vendor.

“I’m Xalia, little one,” she smiled and the girl smiled back. “What’s your name?”

The girl tilted her head at Xalia in question and Xalia frowned.

“Don’t you have a name, girl?” she asked, trying to smile and be friendly but now very concerned so the child. “You can speak?”

The girl nodded happily and sounds came from her throat, but nothing that could be called words in any tongue and Xalia’s frown returned. She straightened then and looked to the other two gentlemen.

“I think I’d best take her back to the Weyr with me. She looks to be about five turns old in which case she should be able to produce more than unintelligible sounds. It may be she’s had some sort of traumatic experience and will regain her words in time. Meanwhile I’ll send out an enquiry to see if anyone has lost a child, it’s not uncommon at a Gather like this that a child will wander off. Thanks for informing me M’ron. I’ll take care of things from here. Go enjoy the Gather!” and she smiled at the other man as she took the little girl’s now cleaner though still somewhat sticky hand in her own. “Come on, little one, I’ll introduce you to Frinaith, my dragon!”

The girl had no idea what a dragon was and so she skipped along happily beside the nice woman, happy to have a stomach full of sweetness and people to call friends. She giggled at Kilia as the sprite danced about her head, causing strands of her curly blonde hair to tousle about as if in a slight breeze.

Xalia frowned at the little girl sitting before her staring quite intently at...nothing. She had started talking at least but still refused to tell anyone her name.

“I’m going to ask you one more time,” said Xalia, trying to maintain her patience with the strange child, “What is your name?”

Again the girl just shook her head and giggled at the air in front of her. Then her face grew more serious and she shook her finger in the air as if scolding someone. “Kilia no!”

Xalia raised her eyebrows in surprise and queried the girl, “Kiliano? Is that your name?”

The child blinked in surprise as if seeing Xalia for the first time and shook her head.

Xalia threw her hands in the air in exasperation and shook her head. “Okay, unless you tell me otherwise I’m going to call you Kilian, do you have any objections to that?”

The girl shook her head and returned her attention to the air in front of her where the air sprite, Kilia was dancing about in delight at her friend’s new name.

Xalia, who had no idea that’s what Kilian saw before her, just frowned and walked away, glad at least that they had something to call the girl now.

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