The eleven year-old girl was perched on the rim of the stone ledge, knees drawn up to her chin. She bit her lip and looked down at the smooth-worn stone, sniffling a bit. The light of the setting sun warmed her dark hair, reflecting off the blank silver pendant the child wore on a strip of leather around her neck.

A hair-ruffling whoosh of air made her glance up for a moment. A golden dragon landed lightly on the ledge, furling her wings to let the woman on her shoulders dismount.

Two scuffed boots moved into the girl's vision.

"Oh Ilene, love, I'm sorry." said the boots' wearer. "I know I said I'd take you out on Elieth today, but things got in the way. Wingmother¹ Alara and her dragon are retiring, and I had to meet with the potential replacements. M'lon—Alara's mate²—doesn't want to retire yet, and he held me up..." her voice trailed off. She sighed and crouched down, a lock of prematurely grey-streaked hair falling in her eyes.

Ilene shrugged. "It's okay, I get it." she answered, not looking up.

Her mother smiled wanly. "Things always get in the way, don't they? I'm sorry, Leeni, I really meant for us to have some time together. I won't let you down next time, I promise." She stroked Ilene's hair and stood up. "Come on, let's go down to dinner then. I've asked the kitchens to make you something extra-special for your birthday. How does that sound?"

Ilene got to her feet and put on a cheerful face. "That's great, mommy, thanks."

"There's my girl." Elieth's rider said, popping her daughter lightly under the chin.

"Sure, give them here." Ilene took the sheaf of paper and skimmed rapidly over its contents. "It looks fine to me."

"That's good, then." Elieth's rider remarked, her worried expression relaxing. "By the way, your seventeenth birthday is coming up, and I—"

Just then, someone knocked on the outer door of the weyr. "I'll get it." Ilene said, before her mother could speak. She flipped through the curtain. Amira could hear her conversing with the visitor.

"Who was it?" the goldrider asked, when Ilene returned.

"Oh, just the Steward³ sending someone to tell us that the last load of grain's been stored." the young woman replied, dropping into a chair.

Amira smiled. "You're a life saver, you know that? I don't know how I'd manage without you."

"You wouldn't need me if you let the other Guardians⁴ help you." Ilene grinned. It was a familiar routine.

"That's because they are both too young to be burdened with all this. They should enjoy their youth while they can."

"They're still Guardians. It's their job to help you. You should delegate some things to them instead of letting them off so easily."

Amira's eyes twinkled. "As soon as you bond a matriarch, you'll be the Guardian helping me."

"Mother, I'm almost seventeen years old. I've been present at every hatching since I was fourteen, and I haven't been chosen. What makes you think I'm going to bond a dragon at all?" Ilene was long past the point of being saddened by this fact. She wanted to find a dragon soulmate, of course, but...at this point, it probably wasn't going to happen.

Neither of them mentioned Amira's mate J'han, Ilene's father, who was the Lord Guardian⁵ of the Weyr. Normally the Lord and Lady Guardian shared equally the managing of the Weyr, but J'han had fallen ill and died almost a year ago. Elieth had not come into heat since then, the grief for her lost mate delaying her cycle. So for now, the position of Lord Guardian was vacant.

Looking at her mother, Ilene thought that it would be better if Elieth never mated again, so Amira could retire. The Lady Guardian's hair had more white than auburn now, and her face showed countless lines of strain. After eighteen years as Lady Guardian, she seemed far older than her actual age of fifty-six. Someone else ought to take over now, someone younger and stronger. It wasn't fair to let one aging woman oversee the entire Weyr.

Ilene's thoughts turned to the riders of the other two matriarch dragons in the Weyr, Karenna and Hiela. Both had bonded dragons at the same time, in the rare circumstance of two golds in a clutch. Hiela was considered too young to take on a Lady Guardian's responsibility, being only a year older than Ilene herself. Karenna, though, was five years her senior and a very practical woman. She often tried to help Amira, who always took everything onto herself.

"I really think you should retire, Mother," Ilene said seriously, "Karenna's twenty-four years old, and quite capable of handling the responsibility. Don't you think you deserve some rest after all these years?"

Amira demurred. "As long as Elieth is fertile, it is my duty as her rider to be Lady Guardian⁶." The dragon herself was sleeping at the moment, or she would have joined in the debate.

"That's just because of tradition. It doesn't mean you should wear yourself out for the sake of it!" Ilene snapped, drumming her fingers impatiently.

Her mother smiled gently. "And what is the purpose of the Weyr, if not to preserve tradition⁷?" she patted the young woman's hand. "Don't worry about me, dear, I have many years yet to live."

She simply would not consider it. They had had this type of conversation before. Ilene sighed, and changed the subject. "How many eggs did Aneth lay this time?"

Amira was visibly relieved, although she tried not to show it. "Just three. Oh, that green! I've never seen such small clutches, even for a mother⁸! It isn't as if she's not big enough to lay more, but..."

¹Wingmother: The female dragon leader of a Wing, or her rider.
²A Wingmother's mate is co-leader of the Wing.
³The domestic affairs of the Weyr are overseen by the Steward, though the ultimate authority still resides with the Lady Guardian.
⁴Guardian: The rider of a Matriarch (fertile gold adult dragon).
⁵Lord Guardian: Mate of the Lady Guardian, co-leader of the Weyr.
⁶Lady Guardian: Rider of the oldest fertile gold dragon in the Weyr.
⁷The Weyr is structured with the purpose of maintaining tradition and continuing dragonkind. See The History of Weyr Solarvya.
⁸Mother: Any fertile adult green or female white dragon.