Pern FanFiction Chapter One

Chapter One-

Naina sighed as she emptied her spade-full of soil over the grave of her mother, wiping a tear from her eye. Lady Lona of Ruatha Hold had been strong and independent, easily keeping up with the strange antics of her husband, Lord Holder Tiron.
She stepped back and stood inbetween her twin brother and younger sister; the children of her parents were lined up on one side of the grave in age order. She handed the shovel to her sister, Ola, before clutching her brother's hand, her hand trembling slightly. Dekter looked down at her and squeezed her hand, smiling reassuringly down at her. Tears streaming down her face, she watched as her five other siblings after her sister poured dirt over the grave-another strange tradition her father had come up with after his first wife had died of illness.
As the men, women and children of Ruatha Hold began moving away, Naina stayed with her brother. She closed her eyes and imagined an image of her mother-from her pale complexion and soft brown eyes to her dark brown hair and elegant walk. She sighed and wiped the last of her tears from under her eyes.
Dekter turned to her. "You ok Naina?" He asked, gripping her upper arms and staring her straight in the eye.
Naina nodded and took a deep breath. "I'm fine, I just miss her so much." Her lower lip quivered. "What do we do now without her?"
"As our father's oldest daughter, you are in charge for now." Dekter told her flatly.
"For now?" She repeated savagely, stepping away from him. She shook her head and raised her hands in a helpless gesture as his eyes shadowed with what he had said. "I can't take this right now." She managed before the tears started to flow again. Her brother moved toward her but Naina raced back towards the Hold before he could reach her; she wanted nothing more than to curl up in amongst her furs and sleep off this tragic day.
…
A sharp knock woke Naina the next morning; she lifted a head numb with greif to see her youngest brother and sister-who were also twins-standing there, their own tiny faces blotched and red with tears.
Naina, of sixteen turns, was the second most senior Lady's in her family; only her cousin more than twice removed on her mother's side was older at eighteen.
Naina threw off her furs and beckoned the twins into her room, closing the door quietly after them. She sat on the bench inbetween them, taking one of their hands in her own and smiled gently. "What's wrong Aina, Koller?"
"We miss mam!" Koller told his sister with a sniff.
Naina hugged them to her. "We all miss her Koller, but all the crying in the world isn't going to bring her back." Koller and Aina looked shocked and she frowned. "What I mean to say is, I miss mam, but I have accepted the fact-as you must-that she's gone and she'd want us to continue our lives without moping too much, ok?"
Aina nodded, hugging Naina's arm. "I understand Naina, but It's hard. Mam was always there for us!"
"We're only seven turns!" Koller sobbed into Naina's waist. "Mam would help us with everything and give us games to play! Who will do that now?"
"Koller, shhh." She patted her baby brother's back as he grabbed her nightdress she had remembered to put on last night. "Everything will be alright. Come, let us go to the Great Hall and get some breakfast, hmmm?"
Aina nodded feebly but it took a little more coaxing to convince Koller to let go of her nightdress. Naina left them on the bench as she got dressed and brushed her cropped black hair and when she returned each of the twins looked a little bit happier. Again, she took one of their hands and lead them along the hall to their room which they shared with Naina's second youngest sister, Pala.
Pala ran to them as they entered, looking immensely relieved. "I was wondering where they'd gone." She looked up at Naina. "I should've guessed they'd be with you Naina."
Naina shrugged. "I didn't expect them either Pala." She smiled. "Help me dress them?" Pala nodded and grabbed Koller. They each took one of the twins to their closet and chose and a respectful outfit for each. Aina giggled as Naina tried to fasten her boots, then she nuzzled her sister's face and carried her to the door, her egg-shell blue dress scrunching up where Naina's hands gripped it.
Pala and Koller were waiting, Pala shifting from foot to foot. "We're going to be late, and father expects all his children there!" She told Naina as they headed down to the Great Hall.
"There they are!" Lord Tiron's booming voice carried across the Great Hall as Naina, Pala, Koller and Aina entered. "There's the rest of my offspring!"
"Offspring?" Naina commented drily to Pala before they hurried across the Hall to their father. Pala seated herself at the far end of the raised table with Koller and Aina whilst Naina sat next to her twin brother. Dekter glanced apprehensively at her, then back at the food he was pushing around his plate.
"Ya see H'nor?" Tiron clapped a strong looking man on the back, almost making him spill the food on his fork; he nodded at the Lord Holder. "I told you you could have any of the kids around here, except Dekter. Whoever the dragon goes for, eh!?" And he nudged the dragonrider again.
H'nor replaced his fork on his plate and looked at the Lord Holder. "Yes, Lord Holder Tiron, and Fort wheyr is very grateful." His bass voice resonated around the Hall and Naina's fork shook at the force of it, no wonder this man was a wheyrleader! H'nor placed his huge hand over the hand of the woman sitting next to him and smiled at her, Gorgana smiled back at her wheyrmate, then traced the hall with her hard blue eyes.
"Why are they here?" Naina whispered to Dekter.
"Searching for candidates for Urunath's clutch." Dekter whispered back.
Naina nodded as she shovelled sliced meat onto her plate and reached for the fresh bread. Her gaze flew forward as her hand brushed someone else's and she was faced with the shocked gaze of Gorgana, she snatched her hand back and lowered her gaze respectfully.
"My apologies wheyrwoman." She murmured and left the bread where it was, reaching instead for a drudge who had brought out freshly cooked eggs. Adding some seasoning to the meat and eggs, Naina started to eat her meal, though she could feel the intense gaze of Gorgana, and sometimes H'nor, on her.

"What did you do to distress Gorgana so much?" Dekter asked as they walked together in the grounds of Ruatha Hold.
Naina shrugged and tucked her hair behind an ear. "I don't know!" She smiled at her brother. "I touched her hand at breakfast and she wouldn't stop staring at me after that!" She heard Dekter stop and she turned to see him staring at her in shock and excitation. "What?" she asked.
"They're going to take you to Fort!" Dekter rushed to her. "You're going to be a wheyrwoman!" He picked her up and spun her round, beaming at her.
Naina pushed away from him and eyed him speculatively. "Shards, Dekter!" She laughed off his presumption. "Why would you think that? She was probably seething at me!"
"Then why was H'nor's Shellath so interested in you when we left Ruatha?" Dekter pressed, then gripped her wrist. "Come on! We should get back so they can carry you away!"
Naina rolled her eyes and let her brother pull her away, doubting that Gorgana's interest in her was anything but mild interest or seething anger. As they entered the courtyard in front of the Hold, Naina realized that the bronze Shellath and queen Urunath had been joined by two blues. The four riders were stood around their dragons, discussing in a terse group in muted voice. Dekter turned and winked slyly at her and Naina shrugged in response, showing diffidence, but her insides were buzzing with excitement. Dekter pulled her over to where Lord Tiron was waiting beside his second oldest son.
Tiron looked at her and smiled thinly. "Ah! Naina! Dekter! There you are!" He said in a voice just loud enough that the riders would hear.
"Father, what's going on?" Naina asked urgently. "Why are Gorgana and H'nor still here?"
"They are still searching for Impression candidates, my sweet." Her father replied slowly. "G'lan and O'neer arrived while you were out, the blues-"
"Have higher empathy readings or something, I know." Naina waved her hand dismissively and was surprised at the indignant snort behind her. She turned and gasped when she saw one of the blues had wandered over to her and was sniffing at her, it's eyes whirling with excitement-though were tinged with resignation.
"Hey! Shinith!" The younger of the two blue riders raced over to his dragon. "Don't behave like that in front of Lady Naina."
Naina dipped her head to the dragon. "That's quite alright dragon rider." She raised her gaze to the dragon. "Sorry Shinith."
The rider nodded and was about to run back to the others, but they had joined him and were standing in front of their dragons. Lord Tiron took his daughters arm and Dekter squeezed her hand from the other side.
Tiron turned to Ronell. "Call back the search." He muttered. With a quick glance at Naina, Ronell dashed off. Tiron then turned to his daughter and, taking both of her hands in his, he addressed her straight in the eye. "My sweet, you have made quite an impression on these riders." Naina searched his green eyes. "They want take you with them to Fort Wheyr."
"What." She breathed, looking from her father's sadly proud face to the gentle smile of Gorgana. "What?" She repeated in a stronger, louder voice.
"Naina." Gorgana stepped towards the girl. "G'lan's Polinth and O'neer's Shinith both say that your empathy ratings are higher than most peoples' and that you would make a wonderful queen rider, if," And here Gorgana paused. "You agree to come with us now." She held out her elegant hand, a slight smile curving her thin lips.
Naina looked at her father, his eyes shone with sadness that he was losing his daughter but also with pride that one of his own bloodline would become a dragon rider, a queen rider no less! Naina contemplated the pros and cons of such a venture; she would have a lifelong partner who she would be able to ride against Thread and would be partially in charge of one the many wheyrs of Pern, would-eventually-have a wheyrmate when her queen rose to mate. But she would never be alone in her head again, but most dragon riders said they didn't mind. In a flash, she made up her mind. She turned to Dekter and embraced him.
"Thank you brother." She whispered and smiled against his shirt.
"Likewise sister, and your welcome." He set her down on the ground and dusted off her shoulders.
She frowned affectionately up at him and nodded. "You're welcome, as always." With a deep breath, she turned and took the proffered hand of Gorgana, who smiled affectionately at her.
"Good choice, Lady Naina." She guided her to her golden queen.
"Oh." Naina gasped as Urunath lowered one leg for her to climb up.
"What's wrong?" Gorgana asked, her blue eyes considerate.
"I didn't know queens transported candidates." Naina bowed her head in embarrassment.
Gorgana smiled and lifted her head with a gentle hand. "Queens can do anything any of the other colours can do!" She flashed a smiled. "And you've got to get used to riding queens, don't you?"
"I haven't impressed anything yet!" Naina complained as Gorgana gave her a shove up Urunath.
"But you will," The wheyrwoman laughed as she joined her atop her golden dragon. "Polinth and Shinith have every confidence in you. And I'm sure the other blues will agree." She looked across at her wheyrmate, H'nor was mounted and returned her gaze. Then all four dragons were lifting off the ground.
Naina had ridden a-dragon-back before, but never on a queen. She gasped as the gold lifted off the ground and flapped her leathery wings to gain the altitude needed to go between. She waved at Dekter and Tiron, tears of joy running down her face. Dekter was grinning at her and Tiron was waving so much Naina was worried his hand would fly off. She laughed and clung to Gorgana's riding belt as she was thrust backward by the back draft.
I'm going to Fort Wheyr! Naina thought excitedly. Oh shells! What if I Impress!?