It had been winter on Earth as well. Barely into winter, but still bitterly cold. Autumn had not been kind that year. There had been a few lovely trees, but not many. Most had lost their leaves quickly--a bad omen, surely.
Alaena had just the week before "walked the tables" as she heard it called on Pern, and attained her Senior Journeyman's knot. It was beautiful she remembered thinking at the time, the sapphire blue with the spell-book black. It was a lovely sight for one who had spent many sleepless nights studying for it...
It had been unusually cold that day, even for the foul weather they were having, and it had been on this day, of all days, that the GuildMaster decided that she should journey to her new post at Pertineo Astrum, an Eyrie in the far north. A Dragon Eyrie, no less, though not the one her parents where a part of.
Alaena had packed her things the night before of course, preferring to do such tasks by hand, rather than by magic. Some things just weren't to be trusted to a spell or rune structure. She had left instructions with the StableMaster to have her horse, a gray mare named Achlya, saddled an hour before dawn, and ready for her, as she would be leaving early.
She had left notes for her friends, having left her closest ones gifts in her former room for them to find after they had risen, though she would not give them to her friends personally. No, Pertineo Astrum was too far away to wait that long...
She had left before breakfast, and after a couple of hours found she was starving, or so Alryuhn had pointed out to her, as she had been so lost in thought she hadn't even noticed. They soon found a likely spot under a large tree along the road to stop and have a light breakfast--or as light as Alaena's stomach would allow.
The Journeyman Mage was nearly halfway through her meal when she heard a voice. At first she thought she was hearing someone down the road, but no one was close enough for that, she thought perhaps her mind was playing tricks on her when the voice came again.
I know I smelled someone around here! And it definitely smelled like a Candidate. Please, Min? Let's stay a bit longer at least. After all, we're already here, and Ryslen is going to need all the Candidates they can get with all those dragons clutching...
Alaena blinked, even as she heard--faintly--the reply of who she thought was "Min". Very well, Auspexeth, though if we can't get home we'd better hope that this place is hospitable to dragonriders...
The silver Alryuhn by this time had noticed her state and nudged her. Hey, he said, trying to gain her attention.
"Hm? Oh, sorry, Rune. Just hearing voices I guess. Maybe I had too much wine..." She eyed the bottle warily. She had only had one glass, and a small one at that. Surely she handled her drink better than that, even this early...
Alryuhn suddenly hissed, and Alaena glanced sharply upwards, only to see a dark green bulk descending upon them through the tree's bare branches. "Eek!" the Mage half shrieked, thinking for a moment that something was /falling/ on them, and instinctively began to utter a spell, though it halted on her lips as she realized this was a dragon, and she stood, bowing respectively to the pair, knowing full well what the riders did for her world. "I beg your pardon," she stated, more out of habit than anything else, though it was not that she lacked manners, merely that she was overcome with curiosity.
The rider--Minaeya?--nodded back to the girl before the green stretched forward, sniffing at Alaena, and that immediately put Alryuhn on the defensive and he hissed a warning, landing on Alaena's shoulder. The green drew back, looking more amused and curious than anything else. Is that a white? the voice entered Alaena's head again, and she stood there blinking for a moment before stammering: "Y-you s-spoke t-to m-me?" Her voice shook with shock and fear.
The green snorted. Actually, I didn't, so why you heard me speak is beyond me, though since you did hear could you perhaps answer my question?
Alaena swallowed, but Alryuhn beat her to the question. I am not a white, I am a silver, the only of my kind thank you very much, and you'll do well to remember that, you scaleless dralich! he ended the tirade with a Draconian swear word, and not one Alaena was about to translate for anyone else. Nervously she swallowed. "Did Pertineo Astrum send you after me?" she queried, the faintest tremble in her voice. She suddenly realized her mount was nowhere to be found.
"Pertineo Astrum?" the woman repeated, sounding puzzled. "Well, since I don't know what you are talking about I believe we can both safely assume no. But--" she smiled "--I believe Auspexeth has something she would like to ask you. Auspexeth?" the green's rider asked and then stepped aside.
Would you please come back with me? With us, I mean, and be a Candidate for the Flurry clutch? I would really like to have someone stand for me, and sofar all the blues have claimed all the likely ones. Wing duties kept us from getting them. So, would you please? It seemed the green hadn't even listened to the Dragonet, much to Alaena's relief.
"But I don't even know your name, nor do you know mine!" the Elf exclaimed, startled realization coming to her. She couldn't be a Candidate. Could she?
"Well then," the young woman said, eyes twinkling. "My name is Minaeya, though most people just call me Min, and this is Night-Green Auspexeth. We are from a world called Pern, and a Weyr called Ryslen." At the blank look Alaena gave her she clarified: "A place where Dragons live." Alaena nodded and Min went on. "How we got here we aren't sure, but I don't know if however we got here will get us back, but if it does, would you like to Stand for the Flurry Clutch?" For a brief moment her eyes flicked to the knot on Alaena's shoulder.
Alaena swallowed. "My name is Alaena Melriana, and I'm a Senior Journeyman Mage. I am on my way to Pertineo Astrum, a Dragon Eyrie to the far north. They thought my skills with Ice might be useful. This silver on my shoulder is Alryuhn, and somewhere around here is my gray mount, Achlya," the Elf stated warily, pronouncing Achlya's name with a soft c. Ashlia.
Min nodded. "Pleased to meet you." She looked the girl up and down once more. "Strange aura," she murmured to herself. "Bits of silver everywhere. And white." She squinted briefly, and a slight frown creased her brow as she inspected the girl. "No telling what color, though I see some blue... but also green and gold... Bronze? Impossible..." She shook her head and then smiled at the girl, who bore a puzzled expression on her face. "Surely they can wait three months for--Mage, you said?"
Alaena nodded, but only to the latter part of the question, though Min took it to mean full agreement, much to Alaena's disgruntlement. Alryuhn clung possessively to her shoulder.
Auspexeth proffered a foreleg helpfully, and with a resigned shrug Alaena mounted. Why not? Why not live for once? The worst that could happen is she could die, and then she would be with her brother again. Tears sprang to her eyes at the thought. Alryuhn crooned gentle encouragement.
Once Alaena was strapped in Min mounted, and strapped herself in. "All ready?" she asked, and as Alaena nodded Min gave the mental okay to her green, and she leapt from the earth, wings spreading with a great woosh of sound. Alaena clung tight, eyes closed as they suddenly shifted, and went between.
It was like nothing Alaena had ever experienced before. She had Shifted, oh yes, teleported, but this was so much more different than that, so much colder, so much more frightening, and for a moment Alaena thought she would scream, but then she felt the mental presence of Alryuhn, and things were alright again. Even death was alright, as long as she had Alryuhn there...
Suddenly they were out of between, and bathed in moonlight. Obviously it was night time on Pern, at least wherever they were. Auspexeth bugled to the watchdragon on the rim of the Weyr, and Alaena shivered slightly. That cold had filled her bones with ice and she felt too cold to even shiver.
Min turned and looked at her. "Are you alright?" she asked gently, worried for her Candidate.
Alaena nodded. "I'm fine, I'm just very cold," she replied, and shook herself. "Maybe if we could land...?" she trailed off, the question hopeful, but also because of something else. She could feel the dragons here. See their dreams, everything. She suddenly realized it, and if it had not been for the straps she would have fallen off the green's back.
The green chuckled mentally. Min thinks you can Hear All Dragons, 'Laena, the green declared, giving the girl a nickname of her own.
Hear All Dragons? she repeated, shocked and puzzled.
The green just mentally nodded, and with a smooth backwing landed on solid earth. Min quickly helped Alaena dismount, and gave her her things. "The Candidate Barracks are that way," she directed with a gesture. "Just go into there and they will help you get settled in. I hear there's another Elf in there, male, though I have yet to confirm that..." she trailed off, eyes unfocused as she listened to her dragon. "Sorry to leave you so, but I fear I've been called by Weyrwoman Tyanni. I hope we speak again soon, Alaena!" the greenrider called and then left, leaving Alaena standing there, in shock.
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You are listening to Nubuo Uematsu, Final Fantasy VIII -- Find Your Way (2:17)