She was barely done with her mission to deliver her youngest twins to Maura Lynna weyr, when MarishiTen thought she felt something go "ping" in her dragon's mind.

So, she hadn't been far wrong - Erinquath was about to rise. If she didn't tell her husband, he'd never know. Well, he might suspect - he did have the presence of mind to look at her now and again, and it wasn't like she was getting any younger. True, she was only in her mid-forties, but those little lines on her eyes and around her mouth gathered when she smiled - or yelled - and MarishiTen didn't feel like a 20 year old any more.

I am a twenty year old! Erinquath bespoke with a snide grumble. Do I look worn out and flabby?

Mari wasn't sure whether she should be extremely angry, or - nope, just angry.

"Erinquath, get on the ground this instant!" Mari said, her voice was like steel. The big gold dragoness turned her head, and the slipstream that the sleek neck and head provided was broken. Mari narrowed her eyes when the wind blasted over them. "Now." She stated again, and this time, Erinquath obeyed.

Grudgingly, the golden dragoness lit onto one of the higher platforms of the Weyr. She didn't seem to take into account that this might be someone else's weyr - but fortunately for her and her rider, the weyr was new and no one had taken up residence in it just yet.

I cannot believe you - you don't want me to rise! But you were just telling Hajimi that you would let me!

"I WAS JOKING!" Mari shouted. Her voice reverberated in the empty weyr beyond the ledge. "I swear, 'Quath, you can't rise here and now. We've no time to contact Hajimi."

We do not need time, you know that. We are outside of the Protectorate, and they can reach us any time they please. Erinquath huffed.

And besides, even though there are eggs on the sands here, there are no other rising females nearby. Their senior queen will not be rising until her offspring are at least weyrlings.

Mari fumed. "But we really should get back to Blackstone. I'm supposed to be teaching a class on appraisal - it's the only thing that those idiots at Dawnlight would let me do, besides ride you and steal things! If I miss it I-"

But MARI, the dragoness trilled angrily, you will have time for that later on! We will be able to go right back where we belong - just like you were planning on telling the twins to do! You have the paper - the one that Hollis gave you! Ohh, she got all dreamy-swirly-eyed, that Synesth is such a hunk! Wish he were here...

"You do not wish that," MarishiTen said, calming down a little. It was true, since she was from the Kshau Protectorate, and they seemed to run a pretty flexible 'ship' so to speak, she would easily be able to remain here until at least her dragon's potential nest broke and were bonded off. Then, they could return literally the night they left and no one would be the wiser.

Erinquath would blab it to everyone she knew. That was the catch. She didn't have to remain here, like the Senior Queen Zaltith did. But that dragoness had a mind like a steel trap - or perhaps more apt a description would be a bullhorn and amplifier. From the moment that Mari had become pregnant the first time, that dragon had kept every single rider appraised of her situation - and of course was stunned that there were 'only two' offspring from that horrid labor.

It was almost like she was trying to make up for having been such a pain in the butt, right now, by laying down nicely and rolling her crested head back to face Mari. But you love me, she bespoke. And you know I would never let some lame male catch me. They would be very fine indeed. And if you remember, Erinquath folded her wings down and purred, Protectorate dragons like myself always have beautiful offspring. They always take after those found locally - and the twins are very fond of those types.

"Okay okay," Mari groaned and threw her hands into the air. "Whatever. I'll... I'll go see if there is a sign-up for this weyr. You stay put. I don't care if you go supernova glowing so much, you stay put until I arrange this. Clear?"

Clear, Erinquath bespoke. She still had that look on her wide eyes - she was looking for good bronzes for her flight. A nice fine bronze, yes, that would make her quite happy. Or, look at that brown, he's quite strong looking... Oh, such decisions...

***

Sadly, though, Maura Lynna Weyr folded up shop before Erinquath got herself into the air. She demanded Mari come to her and mount up - and they flew off away from the quiet remains of the Weyr. When they came out from Between, though, it was ...

"This is odd," Marishi said. "They look like the same dragons to me."

They are - sort of... Sort of... Erinquath said. And look - there are still healthy strong males for me. This place is good for me.

"But where? Where is this? And," she glanced at the Red Star in the sky, "when?"

It is Coeptus Weir, Erinquath said, and it is in the future of the world that never happened... It's not the same, yet it's the same. I don't want to think about it any more. I want you to go down and meet the right people, and then I will fly. I am really happy here.

Really.

When they'd landed, Mari barely had time to unload her clothing and small sack of things, before the gold took to the air again. Her wingspan blocked out the sun over a couple males, whose riders glanced up along with their dragons. Of course.

Mari strode toward the portion of the place that looked most official - and realized that barely anyone there was older than her own children. That couldn't be good...

***

"What... What? Do you mean!?" Marishi Ten bellowed. The Weirwoman rolled her eyes, and sighed.

"It's just temporary. You must understand that she won't be ready, not yet... And she's small. Not like Erinquath."

"But I - I'm not a..." Mari nearly shrieked. Here was a young woman, and her equally young wing riders, telling her that because Erinquath is the eldest - and most experienced - queen around, she has somehow, by default, signed up to become the temporary Senior Queen...

Mari paced around the office, and noticed the looks on the faces around her. While a couple were serious, some had smiles - smirks along through to big bold laughable ones. "What are you looking at?" She demanded.

"Boy that queen's proddy," he said, nudging his friend. Mari spun but Erinquath's bugle proved him right.

"Fine." She said, "fine. But I'm not going to take over anything for you. I can do some... paperwork or something," Mari thought about her extensive lack of experience in the field of running a weyr. She realized that she'd never been expected to do anything like this - just fly the occasional dignitary to and from Blackstone, that kind of thing. She was hardly cut out for this. "But the bronze - he'd better be bronze, Erin," she warned loudly and mentally as well as verbally, "and his rider needs to know that he'll be shouldering the responsibility as if it were your dragon."

The current young weyrwoman nodded, half grinning herself. Maybe the next real weyrleadership flight would run a little more smoothly...

***

Erinquath is an older dragoness comparatively speaking, at around 22. She is medium to small for a gold, however she is a very strong flier, and will be able to last in the air. She has had 4 good sized clutches before, all with her normal mate Bronze Talisanth. This will be a bit of a departure for her as well as her rider. MarishiTen is married and has no interest in remaining with a man that rides her dragon's mate. However, she will accept a bedpartner for the duration if he's 'acceptable'. He'd best watch his pockets and if he's got any sellable items on him, keep them somewhere 'safe'. Mari is a very well-practiced thief, after all. Mari speaks her mind about everything, and rarely holds her tongue in social situations - not particularly endearing features. She would entertain a female rider only grudgingly during a flight, but wouldn't mind having a room mate for the wait until the hatching.