"C'mon..." Anandiar muttered quietly as he twisted the wire in the lock. "For the love of everything....open!" The lock popped open with a snap and Anandiar checked to make sure he was still alone. He grinned. Not a soul in sight.
He didn't really expect someone to be there, after all, it was the middle of the night. He'd arrived in Tamae Hold that afternoon on a nearly dead runner, pleading that he was a beastmaster who'd been assaulted by theives and left for dead. The kind Lord and Lady Holder granted him food and shelter for as long as he needed if he helped out around the Hold.
It's not that much of a lie... He thought comforting himself as he entered the Hold Treasury. A blue watch-wher growled and snorted at him. A pat on the head and a slab of meat and they were best friends. Anandiar had always had a way with animals. Because of his special talent with them, his father had sent him away to a Beast Hall. He'd achieved the rank of Journeyman before he left. The Master had been sorry to see him go, he was a natural. All his life the wild runners would eat apples from his hands. The watch-whers would purr when he pet them. Other people's firelizards would steal things for him. Anandiar grinned. Enter my other talent.
As the watch-wher enjoyed it's snack, Anandiar helped himself to the gold coins and marks. He always made sure not to take to much. If one cleaned out the treasury, everyone would know as soon as the door was opened. If one only took a few marks, noone would notice until some poor fool had to count them. The young thief smirked to himself as he pet the watch-wher on the head and shut the door behind him. As he returned to his room, he counted his money. 30 marks. Not bad for one night's work. Anandiar hid his stash and went to sleep grinning.
* * * The drums called everyone to breakfast a candlemark after sunrise. Anandiar moaned and put his head under the pillow. The sun is at least 2 candlemarks early. He groaned again and dragged himself out of bed. If he was late for breakfast, or even appeared exhausted, people would get suspisious. He quickly got dressed, peered into the looking glass and smiled.
He'd always been rather pleased with his appearence and made sure that he looked his best at all times. He had a slender build, but after years of working with various animals, he was stronger than he looked. He kept his black hair long, clean and tied back. His eyes were a soft brown and he often wore tan colours to complement them. He smiled at his reflection, put a rose in his hair and headed off to the Dining Hall, smiling at all the women he saw. He always made a point to smile at both the atractive and the homely girls alike. After all, make them feel better about themselves and give me a possible acomplice. On his way into the Dining Hall he winked to a drudge and gave her his rose. She blushed deeply. He kissed her quickly on the cheek before taking his place on the bench for breakfast. After it was served he noticed that he'd received an extra piece of sweetbread. The drudge smiled. Anandiar grinned. Who ever said that kindness is it's own reward?
* * * "Must you go?" The Ladyholder clasped his hands again and looked pleadingly at him. Her eyes said everything he wanted to hear. She obviously was thinking of last night.
"I was supposed to be back in my Hall two days ago. If I don't show up soon they might get worried." He bowed and kissed her hand.
She blushed and, with a quick look at her husband, kissed his cheek. "I will never forget you." She whispered into his ear.
He smiled and turned to the Lordholder. The man had obviously figured out why his wife hadn't been in his bed. Anandiar smiled and winked. The Lordholder glared and spoke grudgingly. "Good travels." He then added, under his breath. "Don't come back."
Anandiar bowed again, mounted, and kicked his runner into a gallop. As he disappeared down the road, half the girls of Tamae Hold sighed. The Lordholder simply fumed. It wasn't until two candlemarks later that they realized he'd left on one of their prize runners.
* * * "Journeyman Anandiar, from Tamae Beast Hall. I'm 20 turns." Anandiar bowed again and prayed the the Masterhealer didn't know her Beast Halls.
"Really?" She raised a brow and examined him closely. "Why are you here? The Healing Den isn't exactly on the beaten path?"
I must have met her somewhere before. I hope she doesn't recognize me before I figure out how she knows me. "I'd heard that an interesting phenomena happened here called a flight frenzy and thought I could perhaps see it." He bowed again, respectfully, inwardly cursing himself.
The older woman smiled. "I wondered when that would begin to draw a crowd. Welcome Journeyman. The frenzy should be on sometime today or tomorrow. Make yourself at home."
Anandiar let out a sigh of relief when the woman went on her way. That was too close. He spent the day trying to figure out why Baeris was suspicious of him and locating the treasury.
* * * "Damned lock.....damned wire...ARGH!" He quickly calmed himself down and looked around. No one in sight, luckily. He was making way too much noise. "Blasted lock, why won't it open?" He continued to pick at it, until a cheeping noise startled him. He snapped the wire accidently and swore fluently at the bronze flit. "What the hell do you want?"
The bronze flit looked hurt, but continued to cheep. It seemed to point towards a crack in the wall of the Healing Den. A small gold head popped out and cheeped to the bronze.
Anandiar moved closer and quietly, making sure not to startle the flit. "What have you got there, love?"
The flit cheeped loudly at him and snapped at his fingers when they got too close.
"Oh, my love. You are a beautiful little thing." She bit his finger. "Ow!! Damn!! A wild little beautiful thing." He sucked on the wound.
The bronze flit creeled and landed on his shoulder. The creature put his head in Anandiar's hair and messed it up.
Anandiar laughed. "At least you're friendly, beauty." He remained perfectly still as the queen and her mate examined him. "I wonder what you two are up to?"
The thief didn't have to wait long for an answer. With a cheep the queen flew to his other shoulder and he could seen in the hole. A nest containing 20 or so eggs was nestled comfortably with straw and pieces of fabric into the hard rock. Anandiar smiled. "Sorry flits, but you'll want to find Baeris or someone else." The gold cheeped and cocked her head, obviously not understanding. Anandiar sighed. "What do you expect me to do?"
The eggs began to rock and, as the first flits began to emerge, Anandiar saw the problem. They were nestled so tight in the crevice that they couldn't all fit. If they all hatched they'd crush themselves, unless someone took them out. Anandiar sighed, and looked wistfully to the lock, then back to the creatures. As he began to free the small flits, he glared at their parents. "You're costing me a good night's work." They cheeped and helped their liberated children try to leave. The poor creatures were getting stuck in the snow. Anandiar sighed, and glared again. "Proper planning for the future prevents incidents like this." He picked up the small creatures and put them in his shirt, carrying them back to the warmth of his room. He brought them food, but didn't feed them. Like I want a flock of these damned things following me around. Mother, father and babies went to sleep cuddling up to Anandiar. The thief sighed. Please, He pleaded with whatever god might be listening. Let them all be gone by morning.
* * * Anandiar yawned as he dragged himself out of bed, a pounding on the door forcing him to get up sooner than he would have wanted to.
"Journeyman, Journeyman!" It was obviously a young and very excited boy. "Masterhealer Baeris sent me to wake you. "The frenzy is beginning."
Anandiar glared at the door. "How can the frenzy be beginning?! Why would any sensible person or dragon be up at this time of the morning? Especially on a cold day like this!
"Umm...sir." The lad was obviously taken aback by the harshness of the response. "It's nearly noontime."
Anandiar sighed. "Is it really?" The voice didn't answer. "That's the worst news I've heard all day." A cheep answered him. "Gah!" He jumped out of the bed and onto the cold floor, blankets clutched around him. "What the hell..."
A tiny bronze flit sat on the bed, creeling at him. Anandiar stared, confused, at the creature. "How on Pern...." Suddenly a feeling entered his mind. It wasn't so much a voice as a thought. Hungry....very hungry....
Anandiar backed up against the wall. "Oh no you don't! I don't want you! I just helped you out as a favor to your mom and dad."
The creature waddled towards him, a sad look in his eye. Save....help...hungry....warm...
Anandiar put his hands over his ears, even though the thing was in his mind. "Scadaddle. Now! If someone comes in here and finds me with you I could get in a lot of trouble for not reporting the clutch."
The bronze cries. Help....hungry....alone... The creature is tripping over his own wings as he tries to reach Anandiar.
"Scram pipsqueak! Now!" He looks sympatetically at the flit. "I said get lost." The flit creeled and stretched it's neck toward him. "I'm not your friend." The bronze started to fall off the edge of the bed. "I don't want you." It looked like it could cry. "Ever." It toppled to the floor and began screeching. Alone.....lost....
Anandiar picked his flit up and cuddled it. "Damn."
* * * "I'd love to stay longer and discuss the experience with the riders, but I really must be going." Anandiar's explination to Baeris was short, poorly delivered and a lie. He'd had just about all he could take of this blasted mountain and it's below zero temperatures. He sighed and smiled convincingly to cover the flit's movement. Not to mention the other little surprises...
"That's too bad, but if you must be going..." Anandiar tuned out the rest of whatever the healer said. He could leave, that's all that mattered.
Later, when he found himself on the road, riding the same runner he'd riden in on, Anandiar swore to himself. The flit sat happily in his lap, making a purring sound to itself.
"This is all your fault!" He accused the creature. "Not only did I get no marks, gold or money out of the frozen wasteland, I didn't even get to see the damned frenzy!"
The firelizard cheeped happily as Anandiar fed it a small piece of dried meat. "You're a better theif than I am. You steal opportunities!" He heaved a deep sigh. "That's what I'm going to call you. Touzoku. It means theif!"
Touzoku creeled, happy with his new name. Friend Anandiar. Touzoku happy.
Anandiar glared at the creature. "Glad one of us is. We're moving on to Tesba Beasthold. If you screw this one up, I'll eat you for dinner." Touzoku continued munching on the dried meat. "Seeing as you're eating mine."
Anandiar friend for always. The bronze flit rubbed his head against his bonded.
Anandiar rolled his eyes. "Serves me right. That's the last time I ever do something nice for anybody else." With that he tucked Touzoku into his coat so he wouldn't get cold.
* * * Anandiar growled as he turned down his fifth or sixth invitation to a young woman's bed over Touzoku. The flit was determined that Anandiar's romancing days were over. It creeled and snapped at any girl that got close enough. As the thief entered his room, alone, he threw the creature onto the bed. "What do you think you're doing?"
The firelizard stared at him blankly.
Anandiar sighed and sat down on the bed. "I want to go with those women. I want to sleep with them."
Touzoku still didn't understand.
Anandiar flopped back onto the bed. "You want to drive me crazy."
The bronze flit happily chirped and climbed onto Anandiar's chest, where he promptly curled up and went to sleep.
Anandiar smiled and stroked Touzoku's back. "I'd kill you if I wasn't so attatched to you." He yawned and stretched, tired enough to fall asleep where he was. He claimed that he thought he didn't want to get up because he was too lazy to change, but in reality he didn't want to disturb Touzoku. He yawned again and closed his eyes. "These flits kinda grow on a person..."
* * * "Him!" Someone shouted as Anandiar's door was flung open.
He groaned and turned over, pulling the pillow over the back of his head. "Go away." He grunted, along with a few other choice words.
"Yep. That's him alright. Stole one of our best runners." Another voice replied.
Anandiar's eyes shot open. Uh-oh.
"He's got a flit with him now, that he didn't have before." The first voice Anandiar had now placed as the Ladyholder of Tamae Hold.
"Probably swiped it to." Her husband, the Lordholder, sounded angry.
Touzoku flew at them both, creeling. Go! Go!
Anandiar composed himself, wiped all traces of guilt off his face and got up elegantly. "Touzoku. Come here."
The flit flied to his shoulder and looked subdued and sorry. Anandiar, even though he was wearing wrinkled clothes and his hair was unkept, managed to look deeply offended and humbled. Both the Lord and Ladyholder's were caught second guessing themselves. Anandiar gave them both a hurt look and began his speech. "I'm deeply offended that you would dream of accusing me of theft. I would never, on my life or honour, do such a horrible thing. I am an innocent man, travelling in this area and have never even darkened the doorstep of Tamae Hold, let alone..."
"Wait a minute!" The Lordholder cut in. "How did you know we were from Tamae Hold?"
Anandiar looked, stumped, to Touzoku whose look mirrored his new owner. The blood drained from Anandiar's face as he saw the guards behind his two victims. "I'm in trouble."
He dashed for the door, pushing through the astonished people without much difficulty. He dodged the guards and took off, at a dead run, for the stables. He saddled a runner in record time and, with Touzoku clinging desperately to his shoulder, he raced for the gates. He was off across the fields, leaving Tesba and Tamae Holds in his dust. He laughed and reined the runner in, catching his breath. He turned to look and laugh back at the Hold. "And that Touzoku, is how we make idiots out of them again."
He continued to chuckle as he turned the runner back around. A large bronze dragon took the giggles out of him. A voice from on top of the dragon called down to him. "Halt. You're under arrest. Running would be pointless."
Anandiar kicked the runner into a gallop, but could still hear the rider's voice. "And yet they all try it anyways." He smirked. Nice to know I'll get killed by someone with a good sense of humour.
The dragon leapt to the air and easily overtook the runner. It dove in front of the racing creature and spooked it. The runner threw Anandiar and the rider jumped from his dragon's back to confront him.
Touzoku! Anandiar cried, hoping the firelizard would react to this rider the same way it reacted to girls. Unfortunately Touzoku was busy introducing himself to another bronze firelizard. Anandiar swore and scrammbled to his feet. The bronze's tail returned him to the ground. The bronze's rider straddled him. "I told you running would be....." The rider examined him closly. "Anandiar?"
Anandiar stopped struggling and examined the rider. "Mikellen?"
"Diar!" The rider helped the theif to his feet.
"Mik!" The theif embraced the rider fondly. He then smirked. "Or should I say Mik'len?"
The bronze-rider grinned. "You should. Shards Diar! I never expected to see you again."
Anandiar raised his eyebrows. "I never expected to see you on a dragon. Much less a guard."
"Oh yeah!" Mik'len grinned. "I almost forgot." He grabbed Anandiar and tied his hands together behind his back. "You're under arrest for theft of a runner."
Anandiar stared shocked at his friend. "What?"
Mik'len grinned. "Serves you right Diar. You've gotten sloppy. The Anandiar I knew wouldn't have gotten caught."
Anandiar glared moodily. "The Mikellen I knew would have been helping me."
Mik'len sighed sadly. "Times change Diar. I changed."
Anandiar glared at the dragon. "I noticed."
"His name's Vekunth and it's not his fault." Touzoku flew back to Anandiar's shoulder. Mik'len's firelizard, Gamble, flew to Mik'len's shoulder. The bronze-rider helped the thief to mount, as Anandiar had trouble with both hand tied behind his back.
"I don't believe this!" Anandiar snapped. "You go from thief, to dragon-rider, to guard in 5 turns."
Mik'len smiled. "It happens."
"Yeah right." Anandiar sulked as Vekunth betweened him back to several charges of theft as well as a long, long stay in prison.
Anandiar in prison...
* * *
Anandiar's picture is from Chibi Ningyo's Adoption Center.
Anandiar impressed Touzoku at The Healing Den.
Background from Myrror Images.
Mik'len's weyr.
