"Anything?" As Nik and the other guards that formed the search party returned, Roza was there to meet them. A chirping Lilium perched happily on her shoulder.
Nik shook his head sadly. "Sorry, no sign of him."
Roza sighed, but wasn't really surprised. It had been two turns since Lilika's death and Amarylis' disappearence, but out of his friendship for Roza, Nik still went out every day to search the nearby Holds for any sign of her missing friend.
Nik ran his hand through his shaggy blond hair and dismounted, letting one of the other guards take his runner. Lilium chirped happily again and flew to the guard's shoulder. Roza smiled. "Sometimes I think she's your flit, not mine."
Nik rubbed the green's head. "It's just because I'm the one who gives her all the treats and you're the one who tells her not to break into the supply tent to steal treats."
Lilium chirped and flew back to Roza, letting the gypsy know who she really liked best. Roza rubbed her pet's head. "Go tell that evil guard to leave your owner alone."
Lilium chirped and flew back to Nik, nipping playfully at his ears. "Gah!" He swatted the flit as she bit a little to hard and drew blood. "Call her off! Call her off!"
"Lilium!" She gave her pet a stern look and she winked between back to Roza's tent. Roza smirked. "Truce?"
Nik laughed. "Truce. Friends?"
She nodded with mock solemnity. "Friends."
"Roza!" Mother approached, calling loudly. "Roza! Where are you?"
"Here Mother!" As Roza approached the old gypsy woman she noticed Nik fading into the background with his other guard friends.
"I've got something for you." The old gypsy woman smiled. "It's taken me quite a time to find this for you." She handed Roza several sheets of folded parchment.
Roza carefully unrolled them, realizing that this paper was probably older than Mother. Written on it was a song...a very old song. Roza looked over the melody. "It doesn't look very challanging Mother."
Mother smiled. "It's not the melody that brings holdlings to tears, it's the words. It's an ancient Tarren song, I searched long and hard for it, you'll sing it. Now get ready. We're leaving in an hour."
Roza continued to read the melody as she walked towards where her runner, Forda.
"Too busy to notice your own firelizard and friend huh?" Roza's head whipped up and she saw Nik holding Forda's reins and Lilium on Forda's back. The runner didn't have a saddle on and her bridle was nothing but a strip of leather and some feathers. Gypsies rode bareback, guards rode with saddles. Nik's own runner was fully saddled and standing appropriately at attention while it waited for it's rider. Forda, on the other hand, stomped her feet and snorted, longing to get going.
Roza pulled herself up onto her runner with a little bit of difficulty, her short stature forcing her to jump onto the creature. "Thanks." She immeadiately turned back to the parchment and began reading over the words.
Lilium flew to her shoulder, chirped a couple of times and, receiving no acknowledgement, flew back to Nik. She cocked her head and creeled. "I know." Nik smiled. "She's ignoring me too."
"What?" Roza finally acknowledged her friends.
"It's time to go." Nik mounted his runner and they both set off following the main wagons. "What are you reading?"
"A new song Mother found for me. It's really old and really rare..." She continued reading the words. "...and really pretty."
"Sing it." Nik slowed his runner's pace to match Roza's smaller pony's.
"But I haven't practiced it." Roza objected half-heartedly, knowing she'd lost this battle before it'd even begun. Truth be told, she wanted to sing it.
Nik just smiled and waited for her to begin.
I hope you never lose your sense of wonder,
You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger,
May you never take one single breath for granted,
GOD forbid love ever leave you empty handed,
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean,
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens,
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance,
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.
I hope you dance....I hope you dance.
I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance,
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Livin' might mean takin' chances but they're worth takin',
Lovin' might be a mistake but it's worth makin',
Don't let some hell bent heart leave you bitter,
When you come close to sellin' out reconsider,
Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance,
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.
I hope you dance....I hope you dance.
Time is a wheel in constant motion always rolling us along,
Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder where those years have gone.
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean,
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens,
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance,
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.
Dance....
Both Nik and Lilium were silent for a moment as Roza let the last note go. "Pretty." Nik agreed.
"Yeah." Roza agreed. "I wonder where...WOAH! Forda!" The runner, realizing her rider wasn't paying attention took this moment to break into a gallop. Roza reined her in and pulled back to where Nik and his runner were. "Stupid runner."
Nik laughed. "Where'd you get a silly name like Forda anyways?"
"It means cow."
"Cow?"
"I looked at the runner and the first thing I thought was 'cow'."
The guard laughed. "You do know you're crazy."
Roza leaned over in the saddle and punched Nik in the arm, hard. "That's what Amar used to say." The smiled fell from her face and she stared at Forda's mane.
"Sorry." Nik muttered, feeling horrible. "He could still be out there you know. He's a resourceful person. He can take care of himself."
"I know." Roza sighed. "I should stop moping over the memory of them." She attempted a smile. "'Give faith a fighting chance...' and all."
"Roza..." Nik was cut off by the sudden gust of air blowing past him and by that fact that both he and Roza were flung from their bucking mounts. He landed on the ground hard. "What in the name of the first egg?!" He tried to see through the dust that was being created by the gust. "What's going on?"
"I...I can't see!" Lilium helpfully told her owner what was going on. Roza's mind was flooded with pictures of a beautiful blue dragon and his rider. "It's a dragon!"
"A what?" Nik couldn't see her and obviously didn't believe her. "What would a dragon be doing out in the middle of nowhere?"
Roza shrugged, realized Nik couldn't see her and called out. "I don't know. Let's go see." She quickly grabbed Forda's reins and urged the runner through the settling dust storm towards the front of the caravan. Nik was close behind her.
"I told you." Roza stared in awe at the beautiful creature in front of her.
"Woah." Nik muttered as he pulled up beside Roza. Lilium glared at the dragon, angry that it was getting more attention then her. The blue looked her way and Lilium chirped and into Roza's arms.
She laughed. "You silly wherry. You can't take a dragon." She clucked her tongue and Forda started moving foreward again. "Let's get closer."
"No. Roza. Stop." Never having been one to take orders, Roza kept going. Nik sighed and followed. "We could get in a lot of trouble for this."
"Dark Moon Weyr you say?" Mother was questioning the rider.
"Yes'um." The rider was being very polite. She saw Roza and Nik approaching and nodded in their direction. "What about them?"
Mother turned and saw them. She looked at them carefully. "I suppose so. The is Roza, she sings. The guard will go along as a bodyguard. Acceptable?"
The rider nodded again. "Yes'um. They'll be returned to you in three days."
"Alright. Roza take your bodyguard and go with the rider." Mother turned back to the caravan to restore order.
"Umm..." Roza was slightly confused. She turned to the rider for help.
The bluerider smiled. "My name is Cheche, I'm a Searchrider at Dark Moon Weyr, but I'm not here on Search right now at least not a normal Search. We need a few performers for a gathering we're having and I've been sent to find them. I saw your caravan and stopped to see if you have any performers to spare and your mother said I could have you."
"Oh." Roza said. "What kind of gathering?"
"Huh?" Cheche's eyes had unfocused as she talked with her dragon. After a few seconds she shook her head and gave Roza her attention again. "Did you ask what kind of gathering it was?"
Roza nodded. "Uh-huh. Helps me know what to sing."
Cheche smiled. "Don't worry. Our Harper will be telling you exactly what to sing. Don't bother packing, we'll give you everything you need."
Roza smiled. "C'mon 'body guard'." Roza dismounted and walked towards the dragon.
Nik muttered something to himself and followed.
Roza grinned as the blue kneeled for her to get on. "What is your dragon's name?" Nik elbowed her to remind her that that was rather rude, but Roza didn't care. The dragon fasinated her.
Cheche laughed. "His name is Raimith."
"He's beautiful." Roza murmured as she climbed onto his back.
Nik nodded and climbed on behind her. Lilium chirped and flew around Roza's head. "Umm..." Nik wondered how to address a dragonrider. "Ma'am?"
Cheche mounted in front of the two youths and turned to face him with a smile. "You can call me Cheche, ...." She paused waiting for him to tell her his name.
"Nik." He added quickly. "Will we need to carry Lilium, or can she find her own way?"
"Most flits can find their own way, but you might want to grab her just in case." Cheche whispered to Raimith and the blue leapt into the air.
Roza lost her stomach as the ground got farther and farther away. She was glad for Nik's arms around her and Cheche's presence in front of her. They gained altitude and disappeared between. Roza closed her eyes tight and felt Nik hold her tighter. Least I'm not the only one who finds this really freaky!
Roza at Dark Moon Weyr...
* * *
Roza is a candidate at Dark Moon Weyr.
Forda's picture from White River Weyr.
Song is "I Hope you Dance" by Lee Ann Womack. Lyrics found at A to Z Lyrics.
Midi of "I Hope you Dance" found at My Music.