Growing up the middle daughter of six, to a well-placed but minor lord at Dawnlight Hold, Galiana was expected to marry off and become some lordling's trophy wife.

When she first visited Blackstone Weyr, the troubles began. She fell in immediately with the "blackbottom" crowd, who offered her the strange 'hair' cult status, and when they dyed her already-black locks, the top turned a vibrant crimson, blood red. Her deep green eyes are always looking for fault in those around her, and it is no wonder: her parents usually found it with her.

The only way to combat this? Become more than they expected. By following her sister Gresilla into the guard weyr, learning the ways of the blade and tactics from elders at Blackstone, Galiana proved herself to be far more of a fight than a trophy girl would ever be. No man would want her, so claimed her mother.

With a smirk across her small, red lips, Galiana would reply, "good."

"She's a menace!" Cried the lord's son. "She tried to bite me!"

"You told me you liked spice in your relationships," Galiana purred. The lord, his son, Galiana's parents, AND lord holder Spencer all glared at her. The 16 turn old guard-trainee took their eyes with a sneer of her own and continued to watch the lordling.

He looked away first. Of course, he did. They always did. This was the fourth such coupling that her parents had tried since she came back from Blackstone and they knew they had to do something new to get her to behave.

The problem was, she never missed a class, she never lashed out at someone of a higher status than she unless she was provoked -- and in company. Galiana was quite the young spitfire.

"Even a dragon wouldn't want her, she's full of spite!" Cried the lad, still holding on to his neck where Galiana had left a small mark.

Her red lips were met by her tongue, and the corner of her mouth twisted into a grin while he squirmed. But she didn't much like what he said about a dragon not wanting her.

"Of course a dragon would want me. What do you think I've been training for all my life? Sitting by a glow basket and embroidering tunics for half a dozen babies I've squeezed out for you? HAH!"

She leaned back, aware that her mother was seething and her father was about to break a tooth with the grinding he was doing on it.

"Galiana," her father said, "go to our cothold and stay there until I get back. You'll be awaiting punishment for this behavior."

"Punishment for doing as a lordling asked? I think not," she said, standing. Galiana was angry, but her eyes were the only indication. Her voice was flat, deep and calm. But her eyes burned with green fire. "You shall not punish me for that, father. And I will not go to the cothold. I will go to another weyr, and be out of your hair forever. If that suits you," she added, to Spencer. The older Holder lord licked his lips and sighed.

"Gallnor," Spencer said to the girl's fuming father, "She has a point. Believe me, I've seen enough angry girls among the ranks of lords, minor and major, and it's best to just... Let her go. She won't be of any use to marry, unless some dragonrider or craftman catches her eye."

Galiana stifled a smirk and giggle at that. She'd had her eye on dragon riders for ages. But yet, none of them were quite who she wanted to be with. And, if what she'd heard was true, if she was on dragon back, she wouldn't really be required to remain with any one given partner for long. Such was the way of relationships in Weyrs.

Such was the way she wanted her life. Fast, firey, and free.

"Galiana," her mother Analia said, with tears in her eyes, "please? Just tame yourself and come home with us."

"Mother," Galiana said, "I'm going to a weyr, the first one with a clutch I will be allowed to stand at, and I will not come back, even if I don't impress. I would be happier in a weyr. Look at Blackstone."

"I'd rather not!" Analia exclaimed, seeing her daughter's hair and attitude had condemned the place in her eyes. "It is a pit!"

"That would be Northstar hold, mother," Galiana muttered, and even Spencer snorted out a laugh at that. "It is all right with the Lord Holder," she indicated Spencer, "and I'm sure that our little boy lord here wants me as far away from him as possible." She bit at the air after saying that, and he cringed back into the chair. Galiana couldn't resist putting on a prideful smile. "I won't make any promises I cannot keep, mother. If I come back, it'll be on a dragon. It won't be to marry off to some rich lord so you can retire in comfort."

Her mother gasped, but her father put his firm hand on her shoulder. "She is not welcome in my cothold," he said simply, and turned to leave. "I am sorry that this has inconvienenced you, lord," he said to the boy's father, "and you, Lord Holder." To Spencer. To Galiana, he offered nothing more.

And that was the way she wanted it.

When everyone else had left the room, Galiana slouched back into the plush seat, and Spencer looked at her. "You don't seem too angry about being kicked out of your own home, Galiana."

"I'm not. I'll need to get my things. And," she looked at her strong, short fingers, "I'll need to find a place to go to stand."

Spencer moved a wherhide off a stack of papers on his large stone desk, and rolled it around on his fingers before handing it to Galiana. "This is from Istabitha's. They've a green's clutch. And in all honesty, you don't strike me as the type who will need to stand for a gold egg."

Galiana laughed hard, relieved and sad all at once. She would be standing and hopefully, she could be true to her words. If she ever did return home, she would do so flying on dragon back!

She wasn't going to be made into a liar. Galiana sat in her chair late in the night, after the Impression. Her beautiful brown Dagreth slumbered and she wrote in her journal about the whole night. How it was already quite late when it happened, and how... Everyone was surprised that she -- a girl -- had gotten a brown! In fact, one of only two in the clutch!

Dagreth, she wrote, is a marvel. He is already asking about how to dive, how to circle, and he can't even walk right yet!

Dagreth's tail twitched, and Galiana felt him dreaming... Something she knew she would never take for granted. She would never be alone, again, she would never have to prove herself to anyone. She was a dragon rider now!

Dagreth swung his tail hard, and then began flapping. His wings were growing stronger by the day, it seemed, and he was looking big enough to ride. Istabitha's weyrling master wouldn't allow any proper riding until the whole class got their riding harnesses made correctly.

That suited Galiana fine. Her harness was made, oiled and tested several times, before some of the others got the hang of braiding the hard leather at all. Her deft hands moved over the harness one more time, and Dagreth crooned at her.

I wish that we COULD fly, today. Look at the sky! It is clear and fine. Not like yesterday when Thread fell... I was hoping to fight it.

"I know you were, sweet, but you're still not chewing firestone, so that MUST wait until you're older." Galiana felt her heart pound. It would be so grand to fight Thread, up there... Her sturdy brown dragon agreed, quite vocally, and they spent the rest of the afternoon studying up on wing formations.

Will you look at that! Galiana bespoke to Dagreth, look at the size of that gold!

The golden dragon who took to the air was magnificent. And she simply cowed Dagreth.

"You could fly her, don't tell you don't think you could!" Galiana laughed.

She is... big!

"You're a big boy yourself, Dag. Don't sell yourself short!"

I will not. But you said we will meet our new wing today. Are they coming here?

"Nope, we're heading to the Island."

Galiana pictured the island as her friend in the Cherry Bombers wing showed her. It was a fine place, never touched even once by Threadfall and covered by a beautiful, lush jungle. There was room on the island for the dragons, the wherry they chased, and huts to live in if need be.

The island of women was known only by the ladies -- if one could call them that -- who rode their male dragons into Threadfall. It was also only known by name to a certain few, who had cared to name it. Galiana was one of them, now.

They dropped from between, into the hot equatorial air, and Galiana breathed in deeply.

"This is paradise!" She called out, waiting for the response. It came in the form of dozens of fire lizards exploding into the air from the trees, as a massive brown came out of the jungle depths. T'ver, the wing leader -- a woman who had shortened her name for the occasion -- greeted the dramatic red-headed rider, and their wing became one member stronger!