Tenth Month of 1,266
- A few weeks had passed when Gil asked for a ride to Minecraft Hall. It was commencement time and it was likely he would be promoted. The smaller Faranth’s Wing accompanied him, and we learned that compared to Healer and Harper Hall commencements, they were much more informal at Minecraft Hall.
- We cheered Gil on as he became a Master Miner. It was well earned, in my opinion. He was a brave man and an asset to his Hall, and would hopefully continue to serve admirably for Turns to come.
- K’brin played some tunes and we celebrated until late in the night, making sure to brag up Gil to all his fellow Miners.
Eleventh Month of 1,266
- Winter had fully come to Ista. Gil sent word that Sakarian and Pernese firestone was indeed the same, which is something I had been curious about.
- The time came once again for the memorial for those Istans who had died during the previous Turn. There were three total, one from the ground crew and two from the lower caverns.
- K’brin played “Last Sweet Day”, but he played with so much pathos it couldn’t not affect people. I found myself, all the way from where I was seated, openly weeping despite not having a close connection with anybody who’d died. Norilla had been one of those whom we remembered that night, and she had been a motherly figure to K’brin. I thought he could use a friend… or several, so I gathered L’nos, B’dir, and Seliana together to play cards and drink with K’brin later on.
- A bit later, a firelizard from D’fel arrived with a message for K’brin. It announced that Mikala had given birth to a baby girl, named Kenzie. That notice suggested to me that K’brin was the father of the newborn.
- Not long after, the two-Turn anniversary of N’rion’s death arrived. In a move that was apparently coordinated, R’mar attended from Benden and G’lared from High Reaches Weyr. They asked for stories from N’rion’s life.
- K’brin told me something shocking about N’rion that night. He said that N’rion wasn’t there in Chonlam to tell him it would be okay, but to be there for me in case I died. They say the dead in Varlada come back for friends, family, fellow dragonriders. N’rion helped raise K’brin, and I was K’brin’s friend and wife for many Turns, so I was…and always would be… family.
- The shock, awe, and sheer emotion I felt almost overwhelmed me. Knowing that I had someone there for me in case I had succumbed to my injuries, and to comfort K’brin, meant everything to me.
- G’lared shared that there was to be a Weyrcouncil meeting at Fort in a sevenday. Faranth’s Wing was invited to come, but not be present in the Council room until invited.
- N’lan sent word that Shyvath had clutched 20 eggs
- When the time came for the Weyrcouncil meeting, the Wing was set up in the Weyrwoman’s reading room to wait.
- There were five visiting bronzes as well as some browns – R’mar, S’gar, G’lared, D’fel, G’mar, and all their Wingseconds.
- It was some time before we were invited in. Everyone stood up when we entered, before sitting back down, which struck me as a bit… confusing. It was normally a sign of respect for higher ranks.
- The mood was serious, but far less stressful than the last meeting I had been a part of.
- R’kur slid the papers that were in front of him over to K’brin, telling him that they were translations of the books that had supposedly been burned in Tillek. That sent a shock through my body. Translations!? The books hadn’t been totally lost?
- Lord Thenlas and Lady Kestalla had sent the books off to Tumar, who had spent countless hours piecing together what he could. They seemed to detail potential ways of stopping Thread forever. It had been partially successful in the past, hence the 200 Turn Intervals with only 50 year Passes.
- Therefore, Narion Weyr (N’rion’s name before Impression) would be established, built in the Western Barrier Range, at the southwest end of an inland sea, not far from Syfrin Valley on the Southern Continent. It would be finished around 1,270. K’brin would become its Weyrleader.
- Faranth’s Wing’s new mission would be, among other things, finding a way of stopping Thread and exploring Varlada. We would possibly end up fighting Thread for Syfrin Valley, and weren’t yet clear on if we would be able to acquire staff or dragonriders from other Weyrs.
- Narion Weyr would not be a fully functioning Weyr in the traditional sense. There would not be a Queen, nor hatching sands. It would be more of a massive outpost.
- My head swam with questions, a myriad of emotions and a sense of purpose. A new Weyr! A new mission to end Thread forever! K’brin was going to be a Weyrleader! It was so much, and yet it just felt right.
- With all of the recent revelations and announcements, there was suddenly so much to do and plan for. We knew when the Elixir of Two Moons would be needed, so we had some breathing room to organize and be ready before Maranath rose to mate.
Twelfth Month of 1,266
- I spent the next few weeks organizing all my notes and information about alchemy, and working on how to introduce it to all of Pern, in such a way as to not arouse suspicion as to its origins.
- I regularly visited with Sanli to help him adjust to his new life, helping him learn our language (we already had some training material from learning Fasa Kia, so that certainly helped) and talking about dragonhealing with him.
- Turnover arrived before I knew it and Faranth’s Wing gathered to celebrate with assorted family and friends.
- L’nos grabbed me to talk before the party, asking my thoughts about taking a furlough to the Southern Continent. He mentioned that it was “now or never”, because we were going to be getting very busy before we knew it, between building and planning Narion Weyr and creating the Elixir. I asked him how he felt about kids and he burst out, all excited, that he had already checked in with K’brin about it. My heart was full. He was right, things were never going to be better for taking time off and starting a family.
- I received many lovely gifts, but the one from Seliana really went above and beyond. It was a 12” hollow sphere of glass, a diamond cut globe with constellations from Sakaria.
- Later, L’nos confided that he had a list of potential baby names that his mother had given him. I decided to head to Katz Field, both to ask Valora for her suggestions and to check on her two Galatian fosterlings. It had been awhile since I had taken the opportunity to visit them. I felt a sense of responsibility for the siblings, since I had been the one their mother approached to take her children to another world.