Taleran
:Story::Search::Candidate::Hatching::Weyrling::Adult:
:Dark Moon Weyr::Tripaldi Weyr

That evening Taleran was helping his foster mother in the kitchens. Piliana noticed how glum her foster son looked and set about trying to cheer him up. When none of the usual things worked she resolved to sit him down and talk it over. Once the evening meal had been served she heaped two plates full of food and led him over to the small table in the kitchens reserved for dragonriders who miss the usual mealtimes.

“Sit down, my boy,” said Piliana, plopping one of the plates down in front of him as he sat. “What’s wrong with you, today? You’ve got all the personality of a wet mop!”

“Nothing, Piliana, I just didn’t sleep well,” lied Taleran, using his fork to stir his food around on his plate.

“I don’t believe that for a second, Tal, you were your usual cheerful self this morning. Now spit it out, what’s wrong?”

“It’s just, well,” Taleran sighed, keeping his eyes on his plate as he mumbled, “I’ve got girl problems.”

“Ah, you finally took interest in girls, did you? I’m glad to hear it. Who is she and what’s the problem?”

“I don’t know her name,” Taleran mumbled, blushing in embarrassment.

“Is that the problem? Well, is she a weyrbrat or a candidate? I know all their names,” said Piliana with a smile.

“She’s a candidate, but the problem is that she likes someone else.”

“Who does she like?”

“I think she has her eye on Weyrleader F’rol,” said Taleran miserably.

“F’rol?” said Piliana in surprise, her brow furrowing.

“Yes.”

“Well, you tell her that she can’t have the Weyrleader, he belongs to the Weyrwoman as long as Dritenth keeps flying Frinaith,” said Piliana, her face pinched as she said it.

“That’s what I don’t understand, Piliana,” said Taleran, changing the subject as something else caught his interest. “I’ve heard some bad rumors about F’rol lately, and from what I’ve seen, I’m not so sure they’re not true.”

Piliana’s eyes widened, almost as if in fear. “What have you heard?”

“Just that F’rol won’t be Weyrleader for long, and a lot of the drudges have been gossiping about how F’rol never shares Xalia’s bed anymore. And you should have seen the way he was admiring that new candidate,” Taleran almost spit the words, they tasted so foul on his tongue, “almost as if she were a piece of meat he intended to cook and toss aside.”

Piliana frowned then, anger seething beneath her eyes. “Did he now? We’ll have to see about that.”

Taleran looked at her in shock but didn’t say anything more. He contented himself with choking down his dinner, though he hardly tasted a bite.

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