It was like venturing into another world.
Kaiya held up the glowbasket, shining light into the darkest corners of the Archives, looking for treasure among the stacks. The slight musty smell of the stacked hides, along with the dust of ages, made her feel right at home.
She had been a regular in the Archives since she was a child, reading make-believe stories about kingdoms and princesses, and later on romance stories of Weyrwomen and their Weyrleaders. At fifteen Turns old, others felt that she should let go of fantasies and embrace reality, or at least take things in life more seriously, but she didn’t quite feel the urgency to do so. After all, it was her affinity for dreams and fantasies that led her to Impress Mabonth.
And she did look for practical things once in a while. An old but delicious recipe hidden in a corner. A blueprint of an aged but beautiful sculpture that could be made from scratch. An ancient game that she could revive and play with Mabonth. Almost as much as she liked reading stories, she liked working with her hands, whether it was cooking, crafting, or playing games.
Kaiya rubbed her eyes and adjusted the piece of cloth she tied over her mouth to keep the dust at bay. When she reached a wall of the Archives she hadn’t checked in a while, she smiled. Maybe there would be something new or different shelved there.
She pulled over a ladder and climbed up, glowbasket in hand. She reached up, pushing aside books and hides to see their titles. Suddenly, her fingers touched something smooth, cold and metallic.
Kaiya raised an eyebrow and carefully pulled the metal something out. She climbed down the ladder and brought the metallic object to where the light was better. From the light of multiple glowbaskets, she saw it was a large tome, edged in silver and covered in blue leather. There was a lock at the opening of the book, with an intricate carving of a dragon on it. The dragon’s eyes were small, inlaid emeralds.
She stared at it for a moment, wondering where she had seen that dragon design before. Then, it hit her. The key. The key that Mabonth had found buried deep in the lake. Excitement made her heart jump into her mouth, and she rued the fact that the key was safely tucked away in a drawer in her weyr instead of in her hand right now to open the lock.
She gathered the book under her arm and walked over to one of the attendants at the front desk to ask about it.
“That?” the attendant asked in a bored voice. “Hmm… Oh, yes, now I remember. Someone found it while cleaning out one of the old ground-level weyrs that hadn’t been touched in nearly a hundred Turns. Must have belonged to a Weyrwoman back in the day, judging by how nice it looks. A shame the key is missing, though!”
“Can I borrow it if I find a way to open it?” Kaiya asked, trying to hold in her excitement.
The attendant laughed. “A locked book with a missing key? Sounds like just the romantic mystery for you!” She signed the book out and handed it back to Kaiya. “And if anyone can solve it, you probably could!”
Kaiya beamed. “Thanks!”
“Mabonth!” Kaiya called out as she took the steps to their weyr two at a time.
Hmm? Mabonth’s eyes were glued to the clouds in the evening sky.
Kaiya smiled. “Cloud-watching again?”
They look like trundlebugs rolling along the ground! Mabonth replied.
“That’s funny,” Kaiya answered with a giggle. She sat on her bed, pulled the locked book from her carrysack and dug inside the drawer of her bedside table for the key. “Look, Mabonth. I found something!” She held up the book and the key.
Mabonth tilted her head questioningly. What is the key supposed to do?
Kaiya smiled sheepishly and mentally sent Mabonth an image of the key unlocking the book.
Ohhh! Mabonth answered, understanding. Will you open it? she asked, sharing Kaiya’s excitement. I wanna see what’s inside!
Kaiya gripped the key in one hand, and taking a deep breath, she inserted it into the lock. It was a perfect fit. She turned the key, and the lock fell open with a click.
She carefully opened the book to the first page and began to read.
48.12.30 (48th Turn, Seventh Pass)
Fort Weyr
My first entry in this book, and I have no idea what to say.
I suppose I should start with a basic introduction.
My name is Larana. I am the third child of Lord Cale of Ruatha Hold, and I am… rather untraditional. My father’s words, not mine.
I am also a candidate for the queen egg of Maryath’s latest clutch.
I sometimes wonder what would have happened to me had the Search dragons not come to Ruatha. Father was already dreading having to find a husband for me; a girl who constantly ran around the Hold in trousers, who climbed trees and read fairy tales and generally always had her head in the clouds. If I wasn’t such an embarrassment to the Hold, I’m sure Father wouldn’t have let me go for Search so easily.
I’m not bitter. I value my independence, and if going to live at the Weyr will allow me to retain it, I would go whether I Impressed a dragon or not.
The sands of the Hatching Ground grow hotter by the day, and many of the Weyrfolk say the eggs will hatch any day now. With it being so close to Turnover, everyone seems to look forward to the extra festivities – a Hatching feast as well as a Turnover feast! I can’t help but think of all the extra work that would have to be done… until I realize that unlike in the Hold, I’m not responsible for planning it, and I breathe a sigh of relief.
I wonder what it would be like to Impress a dragon. Many of the girls in the candidate cohort will accept no less than gold, but I feel differently. I would accept any dragon as long as our personalities fit – it’s no use having someone I couldn’t get along with sharing space in my head! Fortunately, there are other girls in the candidate pool who feel the same way.
I hear a humming noise through the walls. Could it be…?
I’ll stop for now.
49.01.05 (49th Turn, Seventh Pass)
Fort Weyr
How much things change in the span of a few days.
My name is Larana.
I am also Weyrwoman Second, rider of queen Arionth.
I still find it hard to believe sometimes, that a queen as beautiful and kind as Arionth would choose me as her rider. But there is no questioning a dragon’s choice.
I felt it as we Impressed – we can go far together. We can go anywhere, and do anything, as long as we are together.
At the same time, I feel the weight of everyone’s expectations. All eyes will be on us, wherever we go, whatever we do.
Together, we’ll give them a show they’ll never forget!
Kaiya looked up from the page, a faint smile on her face. Here it was. The beginning of an epic story – the story of an ordinary girl, the beautiful gold dragon she had Impressed, and the dragonpair they had become, ready to brave whatever life threw at them!
It was amazing to think that this girl, Larana, had really lived over a hundred Turns in the past. She seemed so vibrant and alive, and she reminded Kaiya so much of herself. A girl who was a dreamer who also thought of practical things.
She longed to read more, but thought better of it. It was getting late, and she had weyrling training in the morning.
My first attempt at writing something a little longer than I usually do! Not quite a longfic (it'll be 3 parts long) but enough plot that it'd take more than a oneshot to cover it all. I hope the experiment will be a success!