Eliot's pages - originally written around 2001

Eliot is the older of two brothers, at 20 turns old he is more responsible and steady than younger Parithet. He is a Journeyman Harper, and wishes to be a recordskeeper for a weyr.

He is skinny and tall, and not muscular in the slightest. He knows that he'll have to get a lot stronger to lift sacks of firestone and ride a dragon, and the prospect is somewhat daunting to the young man. He is used to talking and writing, not flinging and shoveling.

Eliot was sent to the Harper Hall when he was only 13 turns old, and his talent for writing and organizing brought him up the ranks quickly. He has remained as a Journeyman since his 17th turn, and will probably stay there unless he does impress and become a recordskeeper.

Eliot has a girlfriend in Dawnlight, a young farm crafter named Patrah. She hopes he will become a dragonrider, but also hopes that he remains with her. He is unsure where his loyalty should lay, regarding her. She is a very steadfast supporter of the upstarts and rebels among the Holders of Dawnlight, they have that much in common. However Patrah is much more vocal, and Eliot is usually quiet about his politics.

He, Rue and Rocky are good friends, along with Rue's extended friends Nabi and some of the other riders of the Protectorate. Through these contacts, he met Shard. They amazingly get along very well, and have become drinking buddies. Eliot does drink quite a bit, though at the moment it is not out of control.

If Eliot wants anything other than to be a weyr's records keeper, it is to fly on a sturdy dragon. He doesn't necessarily have a taste for fighting thread, but he wants to fly certainly. He also would like to have the intimate mental and emotional bond which a dragon can offer, knowing others who already have it makes him slightly jealous. If he impresses he may be on anything from green to brown, certainly not cut out for the heavy-weight Bronzes, or their responsibilities. He is organized, he's not a leader. He will elide his name to E'l. (Or "just L", whichever is funnier... of course this was while very drunk with shard...)

They were having a good time, that was for sure. Rue watched her friends drinking from above, leaning on the railing on the ledge that looked over Shard's weyr. N'ate, Shard, Eliot, several others who Rue could hear but not see wandered in and out of her range.

She took notes, of course. Smiling. Some of these things would make great blackmail material...

"'s jus like I said," Shard said, extremely drunk, "ifff you want to impress, you gotta get to where the eggs are!"

"Dimglow," Eliot said, "I know that. I was looking for a ... list or something."

"WE have one of those!" N'ate yelled, pointing his finger into the air. "I think I can get it... Lemme stand up--"

He didn't make it out of the weyr that evening.

However, the others at the party had a little fun with the bronze rider, even to his dragon's rumbling chuckles. Eliot stood aside, watching the dragon outside.

Shard came to his side, still towering over his friend by at least a head. "You'll find a place."

There is a place, Jeremoth bespoke, but only to Eliot. I will tell the drunk rider that calls me 'his' in the morning, when he'll have a hangover and you will ride with him.

"Really?" Eliot said, and Shard slapped him on the back, thinking he'd been spoken to instead of the dragon nearby.

Really, the dragon assured him. There is a very small clutch on Seasparkul's sands. Creaith the white and little Sixth the blue are the parents. I wonder at what kind of colors will come from that crossing...

Sadly, Eliot realized that the dragon had his own white's clutch to remember, never having hatched from Seascape Weyr so long ago. It was common knowledge in the Weyr, that Shard's dragon had flown a white there at his home weyr, and that it had suddenly vanished like the rest of the weyr... A spooky thought.

Not as spooky as that Seasparkul clutch's male... His rider at least... Jeremoth gave off a very human shudder of his skin.

***

In the morning, Shard true to form had a thumping headache but it went away with the appearance of Eliot as his weyr's entrance.

"What can I do y'for, El?" He said, leaning heavily on the wall.

"Jeremoth told me last night you'd be able to take me to Seasparkul's Weyr. The clutch there might be right for me." Eliot said, looking past his tall friend at the dragon beyond, who apparently then informed Shard that he'd learned of this flight through typical draconic connections.

"Okay, well.... You're packed I see..."

"I'm ready as I'll ever be, Shard. I just hope that whatever dragon might choose me is suited to what I do and what I'm capable of..."

"That's what they do, El," Shard assured the young man, "that's what they do!"

It most certainly was what they did. Eliot arrived and very shortly, the hatching at Seasparkul's sands started!

It was such a small clutch, though. Eliot found himself wondering if he WAS right for any dragon, if this was the start... But in the excitement of the hatching, he lost his worries. There was something nagging in the back of his mind. Not just the heat of the sands, or the fact that his feet were almost about ready to burst into flames...

The hatching was going, a blue came first... Then not surprisingly, a white like her mother Creamith came tumbling out of the shell, and landed near a girl. Then a brown assuredly stepped out and went to a lad who walked quite oddly.

Then there was a lull. It not only made Eliot burn his feet further, but made him turn almost with a jump when the next egg broke. It had opened while he wasn't looking, but the dragon within it was a bronze, and shattered that shell with his tail just to prove that he was out of it!

I am here, and I am Goherth. I am bronze, my friend. El'. You and I are the best pair here.

"Now, don't brag, Goherth," El' said, proud that he'd finally done something worth mentioning...

He noticed that Shard was in the stands. Where did the man find time to do this? He was the weyrleader for Faranths sake! But he grinned widely at El' and his bronze, and when they finally got off the sands Shard slapped him on the back proudly, as if he'd impressed the bronze himself.

"You see! Jeremoth was right, this clutch WAS the best thing for you! You'll make a great rider, you know."

"Keep telling me that," El' said as he almost shoveled meat at the ravenous, eager hatchling.

Goherth and El' learned quickly all their moves in the skies. Because El's harper training helped them, they were able to memorize most of their work in days rather than weeks. El' was very proud of this fact, and rightfully so!

When they allow us to go between, I think I will go to that place you like so much in your mind.

"Which place is that, Goherth?" El' asked curiously.

That place where Jeremoth found you.

"Weyrleader Shard's place? Well, I suppose, but you might not fit when you're all grown up. His weyr is fit for a blue, not someone like you."

There was a sad trill from the dragon.

"But I'm sure there are other nearby weyrs that you can land on. We'll find a way!"

"Goherth, would you just stop complaining about Synesth? He's doing the best he can."

He is in my way! He is too big to fly with!

I know that! But you aren't supposed to say it!

On Synesth's great bronze back, H'lis seemed to be laughing.

He knows! Oh, I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to insult him...

"I think he doesn't care... He's got the biggest bronze I've ever seen anywhere, and he can flaunt it all he wants. Now, concentrate! We're going to convince my brother to become a candidate."

That won't be hard, El'.

"I know but it might be difficult to find a way to get him to the right place."

Then we should talk to Jeremoth. Shouldn't we?

"That is an excellent idea, Goherth."

The dragon seemed quite smug.

"Are you happy now?" El' asked his bronze, slightly annoyed that they took this trip all the way up north.

I am very happy, El' for there is a beautiful golden dragon there, sunning herself. I think I saw her while we were flying around here before.

"Before? We haven't been here before..." El' looked doubtfully at his dragon. "Have you been flying around without me?"

There was a silence, mentally. Then the dragon guiltily lowered his head to his rider.

I need to see her. I will try very hard to fly her, and you will see. I bet that her rider is as lovely as she is!

Startled, El' took in a breath. "You aren't trying to--" he sputtered, "you and Jeremoth and all of the guys always try to set me up with someone!"

And when are you going to at least try talking to one of the nice women we find for you?

El' groaned and rolled his eyes. But he looked at the weyr. This was a part of the world he didn't normally habit, and it was quite cold up here among the peaks of High Reaches. Buenos Weyr was nearby, but before they reached it, a watch dragon flew up to greet them from the Healing Den.

You are welcome here, we need some bronze boys like you!

Why thank you! Goherth sent to the dragon, and they seemed to laugh.

When they finally landed, they saw Lurineth in all her glory...