Tessia and Briaseth

"Argh!" Tessia grunted as she lifted the saddle from Briaseth's back. She blinked back tears as the unacustomed weight sent slivers of pain down her lower back and legs. Her knees buckled and she dropped the saddle.

Woah! The brown quickly caught his rider before she fell. Are you okay?

At the exact same moment Z'mar approached her and helped her stand. "Are you okay?"

She sighed softly. "Why does everyone keep asking me that?"

"Because we're worried about you." Because you keep falling over. Z'mar and Briaseth spoke at the same time.

Tessia put one hand to her head. "Would you two please stop doing that."

They looked at each other. "What?" What?

The blond girl couldn't help but smile. "That." She bent and picked up the heavy saddle. She then bit her lip to keep from crying out and started the long walk across the weyrbowl to put the saddle away. In reality, she only had to take a few steps, but to Tessia, it seemed as far away as the Red Star.

"Are you sure you wouldn't like help with that?" Z'mar hated to see the girl suffer, and she was obviously in pain. Resarith, Z'mar's green, stood behind him. Let her alone.

Z'mar turned to his lifemate. But...

The green cut him off. She should do this by herself. All the other weyrlings, do this by themselves.

She's not like the other weyrlings. That's why she's with us instead of Z'baon.

You think she doesn't know that? Do you think the others don't remind her of it daily? Leave her to struggle Z'mar. It's better for her, and Briaseth. The brown weyrling followed his rider every step of the way, guarding her.

Z'mar sighed. Alright. You win. "Tessia, we're done for the day. I think you should give Briaseth a bath and we'll resume training tomorrow."

Tessia turned to look at him. "Okay." She brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. "See you tomorrow Z'mar, Resarith." She then watched as the two left her alone in her secluded area of the Weyrbowl. She could hear the other weyrlings wrapping up their training. She heard them laughing and sighed. "You know why they're all mad at me Bri?"

The brown shook his head. Why? Although I think you're imagining some of it.

Tessia braced herself as she bent to lift the saddle onto it's hook. "They think I have it easier than them."

Tessia attempted to pull her hair back into it's ponytail as she entered the Dining Hall. She'd managed to clean Briaseth, but not without a few fallbacks. She smirked as she thought that. Like the big brown wherry dropping me in the water.

Briaseth, constantly tuned to Tessia's thoughts, snorted from his weyr. If I have to get in that freezing water, you should have had to as well.

Tessia smiled and sat down between Z'tin and In'dra. Despite the age difference, the two had become almost friends. She quickly began eating, not looking at either of her peers. They both leaned back to share a wink and a snicker. Tessia continued to ignore them. She also ignored the fact that they were the only people on this side of the table, the only people on this bench..... She realized, about half a second too late, what they were planning. The gong rang signifying the end of dinner and the two quickly stood up, taking the bench with them. Tessia, who wasn't as quick as the other riders, fell flat on her back. She closed her eyes in pain and could hear Z'tin snickering.

Tessia! Are you alright?" The question came not only from her dragon, but from hundreds of other mouths around the Dinning Hall. The were all worried about her, because she was weaker than them.

Something inside Tessia snapped. "Yes I'm alright!" She screamed to the assembly as she scrambled to her feet. "But Z'tin won't be." The youth had mere moments to panic at the look of bloodlust in Tessia's eyes before she was on top of him.

Tessia remembered little of the fight that errupted after that, but Briaseth's quiet voice in her mind. I thought you were supposed to be injured.

Tessia leaned against Briaseth in the cold morning air, rubbing her sore arm. She stretched briefly, winced and yawned before heading out to her weyrling training.

Weyrling Master Z'baon glared at her. "Are you Tessia?" The other weyrlings looked up, astonished as she entered.

She nodded once. "Yes I am sir. This is Briaseth."

He sized them up quickly and then pointed to a desk. "Take your spot, beside Z'tin."

She slipped into the chair quickly with a smirk directed at the other brownrider. As soon as Z'baon's back was turned, the youth leaned over. "Why are you here?" He spoke loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. "Aren't you still 'injured'?"

She smirked again, seeing his black eye. "Yep."

"Then why are you here?" He turned his head so she could no longer see her handiwork.

"Because I won." Z'baon whirled to silence the laughter and the lesson continued.

Read Tessia's Hatchling Story!
Read Tessia's Candidate Story!
Tessia impressed Briaseth at Tarizal Weyr.
Tessia's picture from Caleah's Anime Avatars.
Background from Cosmati Web Design.