Life's True Cost (1/2)

Writers: Avery, Estelle
Date Posted: 20th February 2020

Characters: K'ran, Ashela
Description: A goldflight nearly becomes a disaster
Location: Barrier Lake Weyr
Date: month 1, day 23 of Turn 10
Notes: Mentioned: Riyanth/Kapera, Teseada/Onnyth, Jayzine

K'ran

Ashela

Ashela was awake with the dawn at the Weyrhold, slipping out of bed and
heading for the bathing room. She didn't always rise this early, but
there was something indefinable in the air that drew her out of bed,
some thrill of excitement that she couldn't quite name. She passed
Aglayath, curled up sleeping in her couch, and wondered if her hide
gleamed with more than its usual sheen. Would this be the day that made
her Weyrwoman?

She was sitting at her dressing-table in her robe, brushing her newly
washed hair to a shine, when she heard the first scream of challenge and
her heart jolted. **Aglayath?**

But only drowsy thoughts returned from her lifemate as she stirred and
yawned. There was none of the proud defiance and desire that she knew so
well, that would overwhelm her as soon as Aglayath blooded her kill.

The hairbrush fell from her hand and she ran out onto the weyr ledge and
stared, aghast, at the scene laid out below her. The air glittered with
mist, but down at the feeding pens, she saw the burning gold hide of
another queen, crouching over her prey.

**No. No!** Ashela froze, all rational thought departing as she felt, at
a distance, the dragons' lust. **Aglayath! Oh, please, wake up,
darling!**

}:I am awake.:{ The gold sounded sleepy and irritable. She uncoiled
herself and followed Ashela out, gazing down to where Riyanth blooded
her kill. }:She will steal my bronzes,:{ she complained, and Ashela felt
her indignation growing like a slow-burning fire inside her. }:They will
follow her.:{

**Can't you...** Ashela felt her breath catch in sheer terror at her own
thoughts, helpless to hide them from Aglayath. They'd been warned, over
and over. When another golden dragon rose then you took yours out of the
Weyr, come what may. But who had ever seen two rise together? Who knew
what could happen? She _couldn't_ lose this chance! Undecided, torn
between fear and audacity, she remained unmoving on the ledge.

K'ran had woken up already but hadn't yet left his weyr to start the
tasks of the day. He had a pile of notes on his lap as he sat on the
comfortable couch, when suddenly he heard the unmistakeable sound of a
gold dragon shrilling her challenge to the male dragons.

Rogueth's head on the ledge snapped up and his eyes began to whirl.
}:Riyanth rises. I will blood.:{

K'ran shoved aside the hides to go pull on a shirt to ward off the
chill, suspecting that this first gold flight would be a long one. Even
if the shirt got destroyed later, he'd want it for now...That done, he
shoved his feet into shoes and began to head for the feeding pens,
thinking about how this would change things.

Riyanth...that would be Kapera. K'ran knew her twice over now. The first
time, when she was Weyrwoman of Dragonsfall, she'd been difficult to
work with. But at Dolphin Cove, she'd been changed and humbled. She'd
shown much more competence. And she'd been working hard here. She'd be a
better choice for this now than before, and he thought he could work
with her... assuming he won.

K'ran's path to the feeding cots and flight rooms went past the junior
goldrider's quarters. Riyanth's couch was empty - **well, I know where
she is,** he thought - and so was Onnyth's - **good, Teseada took her
out,** -

**She's still here?** he thought, incredulous, as he saw Aglayath still
on her ledge, Ashela not visible from where he was. **She should be gone
by now, with the bronzes already feeding!!**

As much as Rogueth's desire tugged him towards the feeding pens, to join
the crowd of dragons and men waiting for their chance at the prize, his
sense of duty drew him to approach Aglayath. There must be a reason she
was still her. Ashela was an experienced goldrider she knew to take her
queen away - maybe she was hurt.

"Ashela? Aglayath?" he called, approaching the queen dragon warily.

Aglayath turned her head towards him briefly and hissed, her eyes
glowing deep red, before she looked back to the feeding pens. Her tail
twitched in agitation and she rustled her wings, as if preparing to leap
into the air and descend on the dragons below. }:They are mine!:{

Her rider stood by the gold dragon's foreleg, her hand resting lightly
on her hide, her eyes unfocused, her embroidered robe hanging loosely
over her shift. She looked up as K'ran came closer, though it wasn't
clear if she recognised him. "She's ready, too! It's her time. Why
shouldn't she have a chance?"

K'ran was a polite gentleman who didn't like to handle women even when
they asked, much less when they didn't ask, much less when they were a
goldrider whose dragon outranked his. But Ashela didn't look entirely
coherent, and he saw how Aglayath was looking to the pens.

**Rogueth, get up here, we need to get them away,** he commanded his
bronze.

His bronze, who was at the pens, herdbeast in talons, mouth on the neck
and eyes on Riyanth, resisted at first. The pull of the Rising gold was
strong, the need to chase, to win and prove his superiority...

K'ran sent him a mental image of two fighting dragons. He had read,
once, in hides, about two golds fighting. One had gone /between/
forever, the other had lived crippled with her injuries. **We _must_ get
Aglayath out of here,** he insisted. **You're a bronze. You can charm
her away, if you don't chase Riyanth.**

There was a meaning for that that he knew, but he couldn't let it leak
through to Rogueth. They _needed_ to prevent a queen fight. Aglayath
needed to be gotten out of here. Nothing beyond that mattered.

He reached out and touched Ashela's arm, gently. "She's not glowing.
She's not ready."

"She is! She could win!" Ashela's face, usually so smooth and poised,
showed the strain as she struggled between her own fear, her ambition
and her dragon's growing rage and envy of the gold down at the pens.
"It's not fair - she's so close!" Behind her, Aglayath rose to a crouch,
a low, threatening rumble growing in her throat as she gripped the ledge
in her talons.

"She could get hurt," K'ran told Ashela. He stepped in between her and
the end of the ledge, trying to break the rider's sight line to what's
happening. He dared to reach up and cup her face in his hands. "She
could get hurt," he repeated again, softer. "No queen deserves that."

Rogueth stepped forward and nudged the meat at Aglayath. }:My queen, an
offering for you. Meat, and blood. You are worthy.:{

Aglayath's head snaked around to gaze at the dragon who had just arrived
on her ledge. She bared her teeth, but his words held her back from
snapping at him. A bronze! One that had come to her, not Riyanth, and
he'd brought her his kill. For a moment, she hesitated between the pull
of the feeding pens and the beast that lay on the ledge before her.
Then, with a growl, she buried her jaws in its neck, tearing at the
flesh. Gouts of blood streaked her hide and spotted her rider's shift
and face, and a hot, heavy metallic scent filled the air.

Ashela met K'ran's gaze, her eyes clearing as the hold of her dragon's
desire and her own frustrated ambition began to fade. Aglayath was
blooding her kill, she should tell her to take blood only, so she'd fly
fast - but something wasn't right. She shouldn't be here. Her lifemate
could be hurt... She held back, letting the gold gorge on the meat. For
a moment, it seemed that Aglayath was distracted, her turbulent emotions
beginning to cool, the grip of her talons on the ledge relaxing.

Then, a wild roar echoed from the feeding pens, and the golden head
instantly turned to watch as, in a glittering blur of wings, her rival
leapt into the air, pursued by her bronze suitors.

}:NO!:{ Aglayath roared a challenge filled with all the outraged envy of
a queen denied her rightful place. }:They are MINE!:{ Tossing the
bloodied remains of the beast aside, she tensed, then spread her wings
and leapt into the air.

The bronze had to duck as the queen threw the beast. Fortunately it
didn't go near the riders either. He winged up after the queen dragon,
putting himself between her and Riyanth. }: Aglayath, beautiful queen,
come with me where I may appreciate you,:{ he encouraged.

K'ran grabbed Ashela with a hand on each shoulder and shook her. "Tell
her to go with Rogueth. Tell her he's her bronze."

Rogueth lunged for Aglayath, aiming to wrap around her in a parody of
mating, to catch her in talons and bring her away.

The gold screeched in fury and beat her wings to evade his grasp, aware
the she was falling far behind Riyanth and the chasing bronzes. }:Out of
my way!:{ She felt heavy and slow, without the usual surge of energy
that the urge to mate brought with it. That bronze was still with her,
but he was only one. She wanted the others, her pack of chasers, so the
best of them would catch her, and she wanted to bring down the other
gold who dared steal them from her.

Then she heard a voice in her mind, faint, but familiar, and her
wingbeats faltered in confusion.

**Aglayath? Don't...**

She felt the other mind trying to control her, to hold her back, and
roared her frustration to the skies. The bronze dived towards her again,
but her blood was up and she lashed out at him with a swipe of gleaming
claws.

Last updated on the May 31st 2020

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Life's True Cost (1/2)