Ehzeia

Br'then had to admit he was rather impressed with how easily Ehzeia rode a dragon. She hadn't panicked as they lifted off, or even when they went between, and when they set down, Ehzeia dismounted like an expert. Finally Br'then had to ask. "Do you ride a lot?"

Ehzeia smiled. "I was forced to."

The Searchrider was confused. "What? Forced to?"

"I used to get myself into situations that required a dragon lift down." Ehzeia lifted her bag and caught Promise as she reappeared in the Protectorate. "Which way to the Candidate Barracks?" She'd grown up in a Weyr, so she knew the general direction, but she'd feel stupid if she just left the Searchrider here.

"Down?" Br'then was still confused. He shook his head. "This way..." He walked towards a smaller cavern in the side of the Weyr near the Sands. "You should have it all to yourself, this clutch is pretty new and only a few others have arrived."

Ehzeia nodded and threw her bag onto one of the beds. Promise began flying around, examining all the nooks and crannies in the room. Ehzeia smiled as Br'then left. "By the way," He called back. "You might want to check in with Saro and Hiraeth. Hiraeth is the mother and Saro her rider. You'll probably have to read a bit and sign something saying you promise to be a good little candidate...It's really just a formality. It's also to give the mother of the clutch a chance to sniff you, so she knows you a bit." Br'then disappeared down the hallway.

"Read?" The blood drained from Ehzeia's face as she sunk down onto her bed. "Why read?" She turned to Promise. "Why read?"

The gold-white rubbed her head against her owner, sending comforting thoughts. Somehow the firelizard understood that although Myanar tried her hardest, Ehzeia had never learned to read or write.

"I can do this." Ehzeia took a few steps towards the door. "I'm not scared of anything, I'll just tell them the truth. I'll just go to the Sands, and the big, angry, proddy, mother dragon, who can probably flame me..." Some logical part of Ehzeia's mind was telling her that if the dragon clutched, she could't flame, but logic had no part in Ehzeia's panicky ramblings. "They can't throw me out because I can't read....can they? Can they Promise?" She grabbed the firelizard. "They can't!"

"What are you doing girl? Leave your flit alone! She can't talk anyways. What's the problem?" A pleasant looking woman approached the girl.

Ehzeia jumped about four feet when she heard the voice. She turned, startled. "Who are you?"

"I'm Saro, a Masterhealer. You're new here, can I help you?" She was obviously used to dealing with confused travellers.

"Sort of...I'm looking for the Sands." Ehzeia debated whether or not to tell this woman the full problem.

"They're not that hard to find. Straight out that door and to the right. Are you a candidate?"

"Yeah." Ehzeia mumbled it. "I guess."

"Wonderful." The woman smiled. "My Hiraeth is on the Black Sands now. I'll walk you there."

Promise happily chirped after the woman, sending Ehzeia happy pictures. She couldn't help but laugh. "I see you think you've made a new friend." She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. "You've climbed the Weyr walls, the old pools, anything put in front of you Ehzeia." She told herself. "This is just another obstacle to be climbed."

She walked carefully, quietly and terrified behind Saro, onto the Sands. Even though she'd ridden J'kar's bronze Millith hundreds of times, no dragon scared her more that this violet-white did. She clasped her arms behind her back and waited for Saro's instructions. Promise helpfully returned to the candidate barracks. Chicken. Ehzeia forced a smile as a woman approached her.

"Come with me. You just need to look over a couple of sheets and sign something then it'll all be official. You come from a Weyr don't you? So you probably don't need a guide, but feel free to look around." The Masterhealer realized that Ehzeia looked uncomfortable. "What's wrong?"

"Um..." She blushed again. "I can't read or write." She quickly stared at her shoes. "No way to say that without sounding silly. I'll understand if Hiraeth doesn't want me to stand here anymore or something or..."

She was cut off by Saro's laughter. "Is that what you were worried about?"

"Yeah." Ehzeia nodded, feeling stupider.

"I thought you said you grew up in a Weyr?"

"I did!" Ehzeia didn't understand.

"Did you ever talk to the candidates?"

"Of course not! They were all stammering, scared, 'I'm so humble, look at me' idiots!" Ehzeia covered her mouth as she realized she's just snapped at the cluthmother. Saro raised a brow and Ehzeia smiled. "Kinda like me."

"Literacy isn't a problem to impress, but we'll get you some lessons as you wait for the clutch to hatch. It's a new clutch so that should be long enough for you to learn." Saro began leading Ehzeia to the forms again. "I'll read them to you, don't worry. You can sign with an 'X'."

Hiraeth bugled as they left the sands, declaring Ehzeia a candidate of her clutch.

* * *

"So I can't visit the eggs until they're hardened eh?" Ehzeia stood before the outer wall of the Weyr. Right through the stone wall were the Black Sands. Ehzeia smiled to herself. Or right over them.

As Promise kept a look-out for people, Ehzeia began to climb. The going was tough for two reasons. One because it was a new wall, she didn't know what it was like, and the other because it was sunset and the light was fading. A few candlemarks later, when she'd finally made it to the top, darkness descended upon the Weyr. Ehzeia sat on the lip of the Weyrbowl, looking down on the Black Sands.

Promise landed beside her, and cocked her head at the odd sight. "One of those eggs might contain my lifemate Promise." She picked the gold-white up and cuddled her next to her skin, underneath her shirt. The night air was kinda cold. "It's funny really." Ehzeia continued to talk to her pet. "I've spent my whole life in a Weyr, in a day-to-day routine, not unlike this one. Lessons, work, training...everything's the same...practically." She smiled as Hiraeth found them and roared at them. Saro and Br'then were on the Sands quickly, looking for the intruder. Ehzeia waved her hands and called, hoping they'd send a dragon for her as a cold climb down in the dark didn't sound like such a great idea.

"There's only one difference..." She informed the firelizard as Br'then and Alendreth flew to get her. "This..." She mounted the dragon and took one last long look at the eggs. "This is an adventure."

* * *
Ehzeia is a candidate at The Pelar Protectorate Black Sands.
Background from Myrror Images.
Ehzeia's picutre from Magentasky's Beach Pit.