Death of Dreams

[E]

^{(((Back setting this thread a short way to happen with the death of the Sr. Queen. Thanks)))}


The Queen is dead. It was felt throughout the whole Weyr as the dragon’s keened and the stone beneath his feet shook. The power of the sorrow that swept through the Weyr was unlike anything Somadin had ever felt before and it tore at him painfully. Bringing his hands to his head, he pushed his palms against his temples as they throbbed.

The Queen is dead… that means it’s only the little one now – the one the healers were not even sure would live to full growth… It was all the small boy could do to put his back to the wall and slide down the cold stone to the floor. Pounding head still in his hands, he brought up his knees and rocked just wishing for the wailing to stop. It didn’t hurt his ears like the dragon’s death song normally did, but instead it felt truly inside his head.

Tears rolled unbidden down his face as he cringed, his mind seemed caught on that one painfully clear realization. The Queen is dead…

The Queen is dead. Her daughter is sick. Will there be a next hatching? Will he ever get a second chance? As his mind stepped from one thought to the next, his chest suddenly tightened and his breath caught short. No second chance? I can’t stand again? No… NO!

A gasp for breath broke through his lips even as his body violently shuddered out a painful sob. Moving his hands to the back of his head, he wrapped his arms around his head as he rocked. No, no, no, no… I have to have a second chance… Who could I ever be with no family if I can not impress? No, no, no, no….

[Rowen]

Itona had stopped walking down the hall as the dragons began keening. She wasn't sure what it meant, but so many dragons, making such a sound made Itona's heart twist. It wasn't a pleasant sound, but one that reminded Itona of despair. She placed a hand on the wall and waited until the sound passed, she closed her eyes letting out a sigh. It was then another sound reached her ears.

Her eyes opened as she glanced around spotting the source of the gasp that had reached her ears. Cautious and curious Itona moved toward the small form curled on the floor. When she reached them she crouched down. It was obvious they were crying, but Itona couldn't see any bruises or cuts maybe it was on their face which was hidden from Itona's view. She sat down next to them knowing that Dela had once done the same for her, the warmth of Del had let Itona know she wasn't alone. They had always suffered together. Now she sat with this small person wondering what caused such pain to such a small person.

[E]

The sixth sense of someone nearby made Somadin sniff hard before looking up carefully. The dragon’s were not keening as strongly, but many were still letting out their voices in sorrow. Seeing a woman he did not recognize, he wiped his nose on his sleeve and sniffed again. She was sitting next to him, her hands on her knees and the brown hair framing her face.

After growing up in the Weyr, Somadin could safely say he knew everybody by face even if the names often escaped him and this woman was NOT one he recognized by face or name. Head still pounding, he laid it on his arms as he wrapped them around his knees instead of his head.

“I’m sorry, I don’t think I know you…” Sniffling again, he wiped his nose a second time. If Somadin did not know that dragon’s only spoke to their own riders, he would have sworn that they were crying out in his head, but with the stone still echoing the vibrations of their calls it couldn’t be in his head, right? Then why did it hurt so?

[Rowen]

Itona smiled slightly. Well of course he didn't know her, she didn't know him either. What a silly boy. He was cute though, small and he still looked much like a child. "Well I don't know you either. So isn't that fair?" Itona tilted her head slightly. "I'm new to the weyr, my sister and I we... We were flown in on the..." Itona tried to remember what he was called. She couldn't remember the riders name, Caselo had said that he had some title or other, she could only remember the dragons name... "We were brought in on Xialanth. We came with the caravan, who was bringing less than healthy beasts to the weyr.. We warned the dragons, and for now my sister and I stay."

Itona gave a shrug of her shoulders. "Why do you cry? Does the dragons cry hurt you that much? I'm not sure why they are crying, but it's... Not a happy sound I hear." She shifted leaning forward so her elbows were on her knees and her hands could reach her toes which she lifted and grabbed as she continued to watch the little man. Yes that's what he was, but Itona couldn't place her finger on what it was that made her think so...

[E]

Somadin watched the woman carefully, his eyes widening as she told her story. She was not from the Weyr? Well that explained a lot about why he did not recognize her. Hundreds of questions flooded his mind as he blinked at her. Even as he opened his mouth, however, she shrugged her shoulders and asked her own questions. Hearing them, he wiped his nose yet again and shook his head.

“It does hurt. The dragon’s are crying because their Queen has died. They are very sad. I have heard them cry before when one of their own kind die, but never like this…” Lifting a hand to his head, he closed his eyes. “It’s like… it’s like its right in my head instead of just my ears.”

Opening his eyes again, he felt his face warming to a blush. Not being from the Weyr, she must think he is crazy… he didn’t want anyone to think he was crazy. Maybe he shouldn’t tell anyone of the way his head felt.

[Rowen]

Tilting her head Itona wondered if he had that funny word Caselo had used the other day. Tel- something. Itona couldn't quite recall that either, she did remember Caselo saying that the golds were the most important, then the bronzes. Well that's what she thought he'd said, she still wasn't sure. "The queen? Like a gold you mean?" Caselo hadn't said they were queens, but Itona thought that's what he meant.

A queen died. From what Itona had seen there weren't very many dragons at all, every dragon must be precious. "Well, I'm sure that everything will be fine..." The thought that came to mind was one of the times that one of the other holdless had died, none had really been sad for long. It hadn't been long before people were arguing over the dead mans possessions and home. The little man didn't need to know that. She smiled as she realized she didn't know his name, and he didn't know hers. "I'm Itona by the way. Deltontai is my sister. You'll know her when you see her."

[E]

Her questions brought a hint of a smile to his face, they seemed such basic questions and it felt rather silly to be telling a woman who was obviously older than himself what seemed to be common knowledge. Everyone knew queens were gold, but her question was sincere, that was easy enough to tell. Sniffing again, he kept the small smile on his face as he nodded even as his head lay on his arms.

“Yes, I mean a gold dragon. They are the only ones who can lay eggs, which is why the dragons are crying for her.” At her mention of everything being fine, Somadin thought to the little pale queen and lost his smile once again. “I don’t know about that… With the queen gone, the only gold left is her daughter, but she is so little and so pale… The healers are not even sure if she will live to grow up.”

Even as he spoke the words, they felt funny in his mouth. With how small he was, had the healers ever thought he wouldn’t grow up? He suddenly felt a surge of emotion and he felt the need to hope and believe in that little pale dragon despite the odds. “Perhaps your right.” He said, more confidently. “She can grow up, I did after all.”

Hearing her give her name, Somadin tried the name out for himself. “Itona and Deltontai.” The names seemed foreign to him, and it just brought back more questions. “I’m Somadin, though some call me Soma and some call me Tiny. Don’t let them fool you though, I’ll be a dragon rider someday too!”

Lifting his head off his arms, he tilted his head to her. “Itona is a funny name. Where are you from? I didn’t know the Weyr even had caravans coming here anymore.”

[Rowen]

Itona watched the emotions cross over his face, sadness, then a small bit of hope. She wasn't sure what had made him so sad, losing a dragon really was a sad thing, but it had not brought Itona to tears. Maybe after she had been here a little longer. She blinked as he asked where she was from. "We walked here from the caves above Ponna hold. There was still one caravan. They wouldn't let us join them because they didn't trust us, but we had seen the dragons in the sky. I wanted to see them again."

Itona drew a lazy design on her shoe with her fingertip not really paying attention to what she was doing. "And well... My sister and I planned it, and we came. We came across more than what we expected." And not just dragons. Itona said to herself as she watched Somadin. So people called him tiny? It was easy to see why, but he was right he should grow a bit more yet. Even if he remained small he would have an advantage others did not. "I bet your pretty fast." Itona found herself wondering if she could run faster than Somadin. She'd been a good runner against all at the caves...

[E]

Somadin found himself confused at just about everything she said. Even as his mind attempted to form questions on her answers that really didn’t answer any of his questions at all, he found the topic changed completely and without warning. Jaw dropping, he blinked at her for a moment before closing it again.

“Fast?” he asked, completely lost with the statement. Fast at what? He was good at numbers and quick with those but he certainly wasn’t fast at chores or his letters. “I’m quick with numbers…” he said, attempting to grasp what eluded him. “What do you mean fast? Fast at what? There isn’t alot I’m good at…” he admitted finally, his head sinking a little.

[Rowen]

Itona blinked at him. "Numbers? No no. I mean running. You're legs!" She poked one to emphasize her words. She paused and stared at him. "You know numbers?" It was a benefit of being raised in a place like this Itona supposed. She couldn't count much, and couldn't read a lot either. Itona waved away her last question. "But you're fast right? At running." She added to make sure he knew what she meant.

It was strange talking to someone new, as much as she was, but Somadin had been hurt, if anything Itona knew that talking about random things, was as good a distraction as any. Dela had once started talking about cloud shapes once after Itona had one of her upsets. It had helped distract her, when the pain came back it had been lessened with the time.

[E]

Somadin’s eyes were wide as he listened to her and watched her poke at his leg. Leaning back against the wall, he let his legs stretch out on the floor. They were short, to match his short height. Where on earth would she get the idea that he was fast? Quicker at turning than people with longer legs, perhaps, just as a green with a smaller wingspan is quicker at maneuvering than a bronze, but when it came to a straight race he would never beat anybody.

Letting out a laugh, Somadin felt some of the sadness sweep away with the silliness of the notion that he would win a footrace. “No, silly. Look at how short they are.” Pushing her own leg straight, he scooted a little closer to her to compare his legs to her own. There was an easy five inch difference.

“You wouldn’t have to work nearly as hard as I would to go twice as far.” Looking back up from her legs, he let out a whistle. “Gosh, you know what Itona? Your tall for a girl. How old are you?”

[Rowen]

Itona blinked as she listened to him watching as he put his leg flat and then hers. The difference was noticeable. He still would put up a good race if it was a go around race. "Ah well, 19 turns, and you Somadin how old are you?" She was curious after all. He looked fair number of turns younger than her, but Itona still felt he was older. Maybe it was his eyes. Itona hadn't seen a child out of the caves who had eyes like that. All the hold bound children she'd ever seen had eyes that didn't hold a candle to Somadin's eyes.

She liked his eyes, Itona realized. The blue eyes were entrancingly sweet. She found herself smiling at him. He'd forgotten about the dead queen for the moment, and the pain he had been feeling. That was good, she looked up as a woman walked by stepping over her legs as she went glancing back at them like they were crazy for sitting in the hall and having their legs out. Itona pulled her leg back close to her not wanting to trip anyone who might come through who wasn't looking.

[E]

Somadin laughed as he watched her pick up her legs after the woman stepped over the pair of them. Shaking his head, he told her “Don’t worry about the women, they always scold people. It’s what makes them happy.” Even though he said what he did, he still lifted his legs as well.

Hearing her question, he puffed out his chest as if doing so would make him instantly grow another ten inches. “I’m 15 turns.” He said happily. “I turned just in time to stand on the sands for the last clutch.” Chest falling and smile fading, Somadin added, “I didn’t get a dragon though…”

An idea floating into his head, he tilted his head as he looked at the girl next to him. “Say, your new here, have you seen the Hatching Sands yet? Will you stand when the… little queen rises?” The thought of that pale queen rising had him doubtful, but he dutifully replaced it with hope and pride – the queen deserved that at least. It would be a few turns till that happened though, she was still so small…

[Rowen]

Itona blinked and stared at Somadin. "Hatching Sands?" She wasn't sure if that was a place or a thing. The way it sounded it could be a something, but he made it sound like a place. "No I haven't seen them.." He'd kept asking questions. He sure was a curious one, Itona couldn't blame him, she could be curious at times too.

"Stand? You mean as a candidate for a dragon?" Itona nodded. "We were offered that when we came. I hope Dela does get a dragon, something to protect her when she gets in too deep again. To always be there for her when I can't be." Itona blinked realizing what she'd just said. She smiled to cover up her words. "Ah well that's just a hope anyway. Are you a candidate too?"

[E]

“Oh good! If you’re a candidate that means you’ll get in even less trouble for being there!” Standing up, he dusted off his own pants before offering her both his hands to help her up. “Come’on I’ll show you where they are. There are no eggs yet, but it will still be good for you to see.”

The excitement was easy to see in Somadin’s eyes. Yes, he’d put his faith in the pale little gold. It was easilier to keep the smile on his face when he believed that. Sure it would take a turn or two, maybe even three but she would grow eventually and if Somadin was not too old by then, he’d be able to stand again. Besides, if it took the gold some time to grow, that only gave him more time to grow as well. Maybe, just maybe he would be better for the dragons then. Maybe then they would choose him.

Pulling her to her feet, he had to look up to smile at her again. “Yes I’m a candidate.” His smile faultered, but not for long. “I’ve stood once already, but my dragon was not on the sands… or at least that’s what I believe.”