Standing out in the Bowl of Dragonhope Weyr , Aysa watched the flying dragons with rapt admiration. She was a candidate and wished to get a dragon for her very own. Finally, the training Wing wheeled and disappeared. Aysa sighed and walked to her own weyr, about halfway up the Bowl.
She knew she had to get back to her studies; Weyrlingmaster R'fven had given her some books to study on dragons and the care of them. She had been studying them avidly, trying to prepare for having her own dragon. When Aysa had finished with the first set, R'fven gave her more books detailing Wing patterns and flight drills. Aysa read through all of them and took notes on each drill, drawing them out onto her own sheets.
Aysa looked over her garden, in the very first room of her weyr. She kept it there because the plants got the most sunlight. Also, the sight of flowers also calmed her visitors. Aysa was considered trustworthy and always listened to the others when they had problems. She was the person that was most like a psychologist. Better still for all the inhabitants, Aysa knew when to keep a secret and when not to. Aysa tenderly weeded the herb garden and the small flower plot. She used some of her magic to coax the plants to grow healthier and larger.
After weeding, she looked over her herbs and pruned a few. The cooks were looking for new spices to create different tastes in their dishes. Aysa was a good cook, so she was the one that usually experimented. She put the newly plucked herbs into a small bag and placed it to the side. She would bring it to the cooks later. Right now, she had a weyr to look over and clean. After floating some brushes and rags to herself, Aysa set to with a will.
After Aysa looked into all the rooms of her weyr, she decided to tidy it up a bit. Her papers were strewn haphazardly around her study and her sleeping room was rather messy. She spent about fifteen minutes cleaning it up until her friend Bri'onie walked in. The older dragonrider had her usual grin on her face as she surveyed all Aysa had done so far.
"So, getting ready for a new dragon?" Bri'onie asked. Aysa grinned back at her and said, "When better? How's J'ren coming along with Trofasth?" Bri'onie started telling Aysa about her lover and his dragon. Trifasth had become an adult and been assigned to the same Wing as her. Aysa grinned, happy that this new friend had found someone to complement her. She had met J'ren briefly when Trofasth was still a weyrling and liked the earnest scholar.
"And now, J'ren's enjoying flying Fall. It's still a new experience for him and Trofasth," Bri'onie finished. Aysa nodded and led the way to her study. She grabbed a couple of cups and filled them for her and Bri'onie. The older girl accepted the cup gratefully and drank quickly. Aysa sat down at her desk and showed Bri'onie the drawings she had made of the Wing patterns.
"I've been working on memorizing these," Aysa said. "And I'm not completely sure I'm right about this. It's hard to see them in three dimensions as opposed to two." Bri'onie looked at the drawings and explained each pattern to Aysa. The younger girl nodded, her blue-gray eyes wide with interest. At one point, she shook her head and her short, dark-blond hair swung around her head. Aysa pointed to one dot on the diagram and said, "I thought so. I think this is a bad idea. This dragon, in the middle of this cluster of other riders, will not have the room to dodge a clump of Thread. If one fell there, the dragon would have to go immediately between or risk getting charred. That seemed inefficient to me." Bri'onie looked closer at the picture, running the scenario in her head.
Suddenly, she nodded. Bri'onie folded up the diagram and put it into the pouch she always carried at her side. Aysa nodded happily and sat back. She thought that that part of the diagram shoudl be fixed, but wasn't completely sure. Aysa packed up her diagrams and walked over to put them on the shelf. Bri'onie followed and looked over the books Aysa had gathered in her travels. Like Bri'onie and J'ren, Aysa loved to travel and usually got at least one book from each place she visited. Aysa was an avid learner of languages and had mastered four so far. She was working on two more, in which she was semi-fluent.
Bri'onie picked up to small books and asked, "Can I borrow these? J'ren hasn't seen these and neither have I." At Aysa's nod, she slipped the books into her pouch. Bri'onie looked sqpeculatively at her friend and said,"Aysa, I've seen you use magic sometimes. Why don't you use it more often?" Aysa looked thoughtful for a minute then replied, "I use it when I need to or when I need to make something easier. I prefer to make my own way and save my magic for when I really need it. Also, I use it often to help the healers." Bri'onie nodded, now at ease with the extra talents her friend had. Suddenly, Bri'onie had a thought.
"Aysa, when I landed at your village, you had already started training Karen to be your successor. Why?" Bri'onie asked. Aysa looked at her friend sadly and tears started to glint in her eyes. Bri'onie wondered if she really wanted to know why Aysa had started training Karen so early. Aysa swiped a hand across her eyes and sniffed. She smiled and replied, "Because I wasn't expecting to be there for very much longer. One way or another, the village wouldn't have me anymore. I didn't want them to be left without a healer because of my selfishness." Bri'onie pondered Aysa's words, wondering if there was a meaning behind them.
"No, I was not planning to kill myself," Aysa laughed, easily reading Bri'onie's thoughts from her face. "I was planning on becoming a hermit in the woods. It's the only place I've really felt at home other than Dragonhope." Aysa sighed and held out her hand as a book came floating off the shelf. It was a thick, leatherbound book and landed lightly on an open page. Aysa pointed to a section Bri'onie saw was a forest named Kell's Forest. She wondered who Kell was and why a forest was named after him. Aysa looked sadly at the page, envisioning the cool forest and smelling the crisp scents. She decided to use a little more of her magic than usual and summoned an illusion to show Bri'onie what the forest was like.
Bri'onie started as the stone walls of the weyr faded into a dark forest. It wasn't glooomy, though. It was welcomingly dark, as if the forest itself were half asleep. Dark birds flitted through the canopy as a few rays of sunlight meandered their way down to the floor. Tall cedars, majestic oaks, and silvery birches filled in much of the space and seemed to welcome Bri'onie with down-stretched branches. The older dragonrider breathed deeply and caught the scents of rain and moist earth. Dark green vines wound around many of the trunks of the trees and Bri'onie turned in place to take in all she could. About three-quarters of the way through her turn, Bri'onie caught sight of Aysa. The younger girl was standing with her eyes closed and her arms outstretched. A small smile lit her features.
After Bri'onie completed her slow turn, the trees started to waver and thin and the stone walls appeared again. Bri'onie sighed and shook her head. She understood now why Aysa would have lived there. Turning to her, Bri'onie saw a radiant smile on Aysa's pretty features. She was nodding and her thoughts flitted through Bri'onie's.
"You understand now?" Aysa asked. "You see why I love and miss it?" Bri'onie nodded emphatically and replied, "Oh yes. I understand. When you Impress, you and your dragon can fly there and stay for days. I may even take J'ren there for a small vacation. He and I need some alone time now that Trofasth's old enough for J'ren to have free time." Aysa laughed with Bri'onie as the two girls all but collapsed onto the chairs by the desk. The thick book lay between them, like a mystery neither cared to solve at the moment. Aysa leaned back and closed her eyes, bringing the forest back to her mind's eye. She still wouldn't mind living there, but loved the weyr just as much. The weyr would be her home if she Impressed.
"What else is in that book," Bri'onie aked quietly. Aysa looked at her friend again then down at the book. It seemed so small a thing, yet encompassed most of her world. She smiled and replied, "Maps and descriptions. Places I've been and hope to be. I love to travel and only hope my dragon feels the same. Who knows? Maybe my future weyrmate will too?" Bri'onie laughed again and started paging through the book. Fantastic cities and serene beaches came to view, almost jumping from the pages. She closed the book reverently and said, "Maybe we'll borrow this from you for a little while. J'ren loves to travel, too. I know he'd be interested in this book."
Aysa felt a little scared at the thought of loaning the book out. The last gift from her parents held a special place in her heart and the thought of giving it up, even for a little while, hurt. She wondered if she ever could let it go, then thought it would be for the best. She decided on a compromise after a few agonizing moments and said, "Maybe after I Impress and visit a few more places. I don't want to let the book go quite yet." Bri'onie nodded companionably, knowing her friend had her reasons. Bri'onie trusted Aysa implicitly and knew the trust was returned. They talked a little while longer about inconsequential things, mostly dragon-related.
Then, Bri'onie got a blank look on her face. Knowing Praeth was talking to her, Aysa kept silent until her friend was through speaking with her dragon. Aysa felt a pang of jealously, but quickly shrugged it away. She hoped she'd have a dragon soon. Bri'onie focused on Aysa again and smiled. Aysa smiled back, a little tentatively.
"Good news, Aysa. One of the golds will rise soon," Bri'onie said. "There will be a clutch of eggs on the sands. Why don't we go register you?" Aysa nodded eagerly and grabbed the light jacket she wore during the cooler days at Dragonhope. Talking animatedly with Bri'onie, Aysa nearly ran to the Sands. She could barely restrain her glee and excitement and couldn't wait until the gold clutched.
