Mruna pushed her hair back with a casual finger, while swirling the glass of wine with her other. "I really think it's not so much fruity as fruit accented. It's not like their last barrel at all."

The man that had been following the honey-haired Lady around nodded furiously and sipped too quickly at his own glass. "Yes I agree, it's nothing like it. Much too tart."

Mruna gave herself a private smile. "Well that would be interesting for you to know about," she said with a pause as she drank the sweet dark-red liquid down. "We bought the entire barrel, never shared it with any other house or hold." Gently she put her glass down on the table beside, and wove through the large number of people in the room, toward her mother. She could feel the steel eyes of the man following her, but he did not step out from the wine tasting area to pursue her.

Good. She was worried by the way he would doggedly follow her in the last two days. "Mother, he is doing it again. I would suggest telling him to stop, because he's hardly listened to any of my suggestions."

The older woman who looked almost entirely like her daughter save for a few deep lines in her attractive face looked toward the path her daughter had taken. The room was crowded now, it had been nearly empty a few hours before. They were celebrating Mruna's older brother's wedding to a Lady from a nearby hold. They'd all but vanished in haste to get on with their own celebration of course. But the rest of the family was there to talk, gossip and spread their ties.

"Have you given any thought at all," her mother Mareen said, "to actually accepting his advances? He is a wealthy merchant, Mruna. Not a commoner and certainly no rider. He could offer you a stable, sound environment to raise your family in."

Mruna almost coughed. She hadn't realized that her mother was actually going to try pawning her off at this party! "He is a braggart and a liar to boot," she said in a low voice. "Talking about things that he doesn't understand at all. Wines."

"My dear are you nervous to meet anyone?" Mareen said, turning to her daughter. The tall girl would grow taller by the time she was twenty, and was already more beautiful than her three sisters. She would probably remain that way too, given how much she resembled her mother.

"Nervous, no," Mruna said, "but ... confused. I thought we were meant to be celebrating Runmar's wedding and his new family."

With a darkness furrowing her brow the elder woman said, "Mruna you have been to a score of parties just like this and every time any man comes to you, you run to me. I cannot assist you any longer. You will be married by the time you are Runmar's age, and to a good man. That is that." To punctuate this sentiment, Mareen turned and walked to her husband who was speaking with another pair of traders from the west. Mruna could never convince her father of her concerns: he had wanted her married off a year ago. Mareen always came to the rescue before, claiming 'oh she's still just a child, Urdel leave her be' or somesuch. But now?

Now it looked as though Mruna would be left to fend for herself. A year? Runmar was only a year older than she - a sixteen year old Lordling and his fourteen turn wife? It was a travesty in Mruna's eyes. Both of them were too young to really have enjoyed their childhoods and certainly would never contribute anything to the world at this rate - except for children, which Mruna was convinced the young woman was already carrying.

Mruna glanced around again at the party, found too many eyes upon her for her liking, and went up to her room to sulk.

***

"Did you see that girl? I thought she was lovely," Saebastyn said, as he packed down another box of gifts for the couple, and thought about how nice they looked together. "His sister I think. Where's she going?"

"Probably to be alone, so she doesn't have to listen to your prattling," Cethian said with a smile. "All she could take of your compliments and endless adoration I think."

"You're just jealous, I don't always praise you as much as I ought." Saebastyn said. The odd thing, though (and Cethain knew it), was that he wasn't lying. He was absolutely serious - he was so quick to find the best bits in anyone. Even stuck up Ladies, even annoying merchants, even scruffy riders.

The nearby scruffy rider - they could all tell because he had his riding leathers on and was hardly in the right dress for a party like this - walked by the two working on packing things up. "Did you happen to see that girl, the one with the hair?"

"They've all got hair," Cethian muttered with a smirk.

"She went upstairs," Saebastyn said helpfully, "but I think those are their private quarters. This is a private party, anyway."

At that, though, the rider puffed up with a silly grin and said, "well there's no private place that this search rider won't go to find his prey - er, his search subjects!"

While Cethian was laughing, Saebastyn got a strange look on his face. "You're a search rider? Here? Now?"

"Of course here and now. Why," the man said with an equally strange look, "what have you heard about that mishap with timing it?"

The bewildered expression on Saebastyn's face told the rider that he'd just given something important away - but fortunately the seventeen year old had never had a dragoning class and didn't know what the saying meant.

"Never mind, do you think you could fetch her for me? And, have her come outside to meet my dragon? It's important she come out. No one ever just believes a rider, now do they?"

Cethian shook her head, "no, they don't. They wouldn't if all search riders were like you..." She shrugged, "Sae, what's her name again?"

"Mruna, Lady Mruna. It would probably be best if we both went." Saebastyn suggested. "We'll bring her outside. The wine's over there," he pointed.

"How did you know I wanted wine?" Asked the search rider.

"You're a rider, aren't you?" Cethian laughed. Together she and her slightly older companion went up the wide stairs into the private halls of the House. The place was made halfway into a stone cliff face, but mostly of woods and cut stone brought from the nearby quarry. It was a sprawl, quite unlike most cotholds and entirely unlike many more Thread-fall prone locations. Upstairs was darkened, lit only by a few sparse glow baskets. Cethian immediately paused when they reached the top of the stairs, but rather than be left behind in the darkness, she followed Saebastyn along.

"You are such a worrier," he said to her, holding his hand out and beckoning to himself. "Scared of the dark."

"I am not scared of the dark, you wherry, I'm just happier where I can see everything properly."

Saebastyn paused at one door, decided there was no one inside, and went to the next. He tilted his head, his pretty auburn hair caught the light of the glows above. Cethian thought he was much too pretty to be a mere commoner, his father must have been a lord or ... perhaps even a rider? He did have that wild look to him sometimes, even if he was the kind and gentle young man all along.

To Saebastyn, Cethian was a constant distraction - a lovely young thing with fiery hair and a charmingly short temper. She meant well, she always had to be reminded to work during the day. They'd met in the hold nearby, both from elsewhere and both eventually heading on to this one.

They found Mruna in her room, and Saebastyn clapped twice at the door - it was a real door, not a cloth hanging. That there was enough wood in this part of the world to support such things on a regular basis surprised both Saebastyn and Cethian. "Go away," the girl inside her room said.

"Lady Mruna," Cethian said carefully, "the search rider downstairs wishes your presence in the courtyard. He says his dragon wants to meet you."

They both heard her rush to her feet, and a little gasp - but she paused inside the room. Probaby, Saebastyn surmised, straightening her dress and making herself look like she wasn't at all interested. Finally she came to the door and stepped out of it like she knew exactly where to go and who she was meeting.

The other two followed after her, a Lady deserved an entourage after all. They stole a glance between the two of them, behind her mass of honey brown hair, Saebastyn winking, and Cethian sticking her tongue out at the girl. She was hardly a snob, though - when she saw the bunch of people downstairs still gathered around, she paused. "You're taller than I am, could you walk on this side of me?" She positioned Saebastyn on her right. "And you should stay on this side, yes," she commanded Cethian with a strange waver in her voice.

"Are you all right?" Cethian asked. "What's wrong? It's your Hold, you should just march right down there."

"I should," Mruna said, and turned darkly to look at the two. "But my mother hates riders. She'll burn up if she sees me 'consorting' with riders!"

"There's nothing wrong with riders," Saebastyn said, "must all Lords and Ladies think ill of them?"

"When they're partially responsible for getting your uncle and cousin searched and killed in Threadfall," Mruna said, "yes, yes they must."

"But you don't think that way do you?" Asked Cethian, and Mruna rapidly shook her head.

"No, I think ... Right now is a great time for me to be searched, if that's what he wants. Shards, if he wants to steal me away for a life of drudgery at a weyr I'd go."

Saebastyn put his strong hand on her shoulder, to steady her. "It's all right, what's happening?"

"She wants me to marry, as soon as possible." Mruna moaned.

"There is nothing wrong with marrying," Saebastyn commented.

"I think you're missing the point," Cethian said, "a boy like you marrying off to some girl is fine and well. But a Lady marrying is ..."

"Property," Mruna said, low and cold. "Just property. Now that I'm next in line for it. My brother will be inheriting most of this place," she waved her hands, "but I'm going to be married off and sent to wherever my husband wishes me to be, pushing out brats and making my own daughters marry men they won't love."

The three of them paused, looked at the party goers, and Mruna suddenly turned around to head back to her room.

"Where are you going?" Saebastyn asked, a whisper.

"I'm going to pack. If he searches me I won't be held her a minute longer. Waiting to be arranged into something horrid..."

Mruna vanished into her chamber, and came out a few minutes later. "I've packed two bags. If ..." she stole a glance at the party which wasn't winding down any time soon, "If I am searched, might you get them for me? If I come out of here - this is the only way out of the Hold anyway - with two bags on my shoulders ..."

"No problem," Saebastyn said, with a quick salute and a friendly smile.

"Thank you," Mruna said with such relief that they both wondered how she'd managed to remain here for as long as she had already.

***

Though it was night, and the stars bright against the velvet sky - the red star farther away tonight than it had been in a while - there were torches and glow baskets and candles brightening the courtyard. Just inside the area were many carriages and wagons, all the runners being cared for in the stables. But there was also a dark shape, long in body and neck, blocking some stars from view.

A dragon, brown in color. The tall, long-legged and lanky rider who had been inside conversing with as few people as possible, stood beside the creature.

The dragon's shining eyes turned in their colors as though a lamp was behind each facet. He swung his head across the trio and snorted at each one.

"Well he says you're all ready for impressing," the rider said. "I guess it was no coincidence that I asked you to fetch her, eh?"

"You came into the party?" Mruna asked, between aghast and alight. "And my mother didn't chase you away?"

"Oh she did, a few minutes after they went upstairs to find you," he smiled. "In fact I'm meant to be on my way now."

"But -- but you can't leave without me," Mruna stated suddenly.

The rider, K'roohan, blinked a couple times and the dragon above him moved his nose back down to sniff at the girl again.

Saebastyn remained a little farther away than the girls, concerned that the large size of this beautiful creature might overwhelm him. "Lady Mruna, should we get your things?"

"You've packed already?" K'roohan asked, suddenly grinning wildly. "Well then it's a very good thing that you were searched, eh?"

Saebastyn bolted back inside to get the bags - they would hardly be missed if a mere porter were taking these things outside to their owner's caravan.

"Even if you didn't," Mruna said honestly, "I'd have asked you to take me away."

Shortly Saebastyn arrived, panting, "your mother - she's looking for you."

Mruna stiffened, "Search rider K'roohan, would you please take me quickly away from here? I'm quite ready."

"... Usually ... one's meant to inform family before -"

"Please," Mruna said, as the pair of her newfound friends placed themselves between the girl and the open doorway to the Hold. They could see a set of shadows approaching on the walls, cast by newly lit torches.

By then, K'roohan had boosted Mruna onto the riding saddle, and caught the two bags deftly as any rider would. "Go," he said to the brown, Takanath, and they lifted quickly and quietly into the sky.

Barely a moment later, the irate sound of Mareen's voice could be heard from inside the Hold. "Mruna! Oh that girl, she's always so flighty. She's not out here either, Mruna! I've a man you must meet here!"

***

The wagon ride into Dragonhope weyr was a fairly short one, considering the weather and season. In summer of course, it was quite warm on the coast but there were always snow caps on the framing mountains. Bugs by the millions would sweep by this place every season - but fortunately there were many natural predators to take care of them. Flocks of fire lizards were uncommon this far north, but Saebastyn and Cethian both spotted colorful faires of them now and then. Spinners caught more of the bugs, and Cethian wondered if they couldn't have domesticated those little odd insects instead of making ugly things like whers.

"I don't see why you hate them so much," Saebastyn said. "Whers are quite sturdy, great guard animals."

"But they impress, how horrid. They can't even come into the daylight!" Cethian countered. Their travel was spurred on by a message from K'roohan that the weyr would be expecting them but due to threadfall elsewhere, their riders were all busy. Directions had been given via a little map brought by a flitter.

Oddly enough though, the flit decided to remain on with them, as they traveled. He sang a bit, out of tune, and clung to Saebastyn's messy hair. They reached Dragonhope shortly - coming straight from the western hills, into the higher country where the weyr was carved.

Neither of them had ever seen such a sight. The weyr wasn't a conventional sort, no volcano home for this group of riders and dragons! Cliff walls overlooking a beautiful bay met their eyes. Snow shone brightly, violet and white, in the haze above the weyr's lands.

When they reached the lower caverns entrance, a number of drudges and workers came to help the pair out, and to send goods back down to the next port on the wagon they rode in. The flitter flew off to his owner at last, chirruping and tittering at everyone nearby.

"Friendly little thing," Saebastyn said. "I'd love to have one of those."

"Me too, but I'd like to find Mruna first," Cethian said. They took their bags (what little they'd really had to pack anyway) and stood in the cavern waiting for instruction.

"You're here!" Mruna's voice came to them, and she sounded so much more happy than she had that night they met. Rushing up to them, so unLady like, Cethian noticed that she'd slipped into a pair of rider's pants and a warm jacket instead of her expensive looking dress.

"You fit right in here," Cethian commented, as she hugged her newest friend. "I'm glad for you."

"My mother sent a runner immediately," Mruna said, "he got here a day ago, and I sent him away. She's furious of course."

"Mruna," Saebastyn said, "are you standing here, at Dragonhope?" He looked at the girls, "are we all, or what?"

"No, no," Mruna said, "K'roohan explained it to me. They've not got a clutch on the sands that we're ready for, but there is another place needing folks. It's far more exotic, he's said."

"Exotic how?" Cethian asked. "If it means we have to get rid of all our warm clothing I don't know what I'll do!"

"Not like that," Mruna said, "but I don't know exactly what climate to expect there. We should ask." She helped grab Saebastyn's bag, much to his surprise. "Tripaldi is what it's called, though. Their dragons sometimes are what are exotic about them. They've got a nice normal clutch on the sands, but other places hidden around the place with ones that aren't like the ones we've been taught about! So says Weyrleader S'xon."

She suddenly got this oddly dreamy look on her face. "Wait until you meet him," she told Cethian.

NEXT

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