[G] [P] 744.03.25 | The Mermaid

He was not the first to fall in love with the ocean.

Many people before him, common folk and sailor alike, had come to adore the way the water mirrored the sky, or the hidden world beneath the waves. To some, the feeling of being dwarfed many times over by something so vast as the sea, that perfect feeling of being finite when all you can see is water, is a major drawing point in itself.

For sure, he loved the ocean for all these reasons and more, but if there was one thing he had to pick about it that he loved most (especially on days like today), it was that the ocean didn’t judge him. She, like death, was a great equaliser; it didn’t matter to her if you were a Lord holder, or a holdless drudge. She treated any and all in the exact same way: if you swam too deep, she would still drown you.

It wasn’t something that most people liked to think about, but it was a truth all the same. Perhaps he knew it more than others because of how he had lost his mother. But, sooner or later, every person who loved the sea would have to come to the same conclusion, or else they simply wouldn’t survive upon it.

And now he was a Journeyman Seacrafter, so Valtala felt like it was crucial for himself to make peace with the knowledge so that he could not only survive on water, but flourish upon it. It was only the logical course of action. Accept your own mortality, move on to the next problem.

Which brought him back to today.

The other boys at Seacraft Hall had been especially adversarial this morning. It did not matter to them that he had walked the tables not a fortnight before; Valtala now outranked most of them, and he could fathom a guess that their assault today was maybe spurred on by that fact, instead.

Were they jealous? Almost certainly. Maybe not to be him — after all, what he was to them frightened them, he was sure of it. - but most definitely coveting of his newfound position as Junior Journeyman. At just eighteen turns old.

This made the youth smile to himself, a little, in pride, at his reflection in the hand mirror. He had to do so gingerly, because his upper lip on the righthand side of his face was still swelling. Valtala could still taste the blood in his mouth.

Normally, the other boys weren’t so quick to escalate to fisticuffs and violence. Usually, it was just name calling, or perhaps shoving, or maybe even pulling his hair or little pranks (like cutting holes in his fishing nets!), but today had been different, because today Valtala had pulled rank and had tried to tell them off.

“I’m a Journeyman, now, and you boys simply can’t do this to me any longer.” He had said to them. With sureness in his voice, and with his palms raising towards the sky. Maybe trying to implore them.

The biggest one of them (and their obvious ringleader) had swung at him for that, swung and struck true to Valtala’s poor, beautiful face. “Watch me!” The jerk had sneered, and that was invitation enough for all of the other boys — in their circle around him! - to rain down their own blows.

Not all of them had been physical, either.

“Cocksucker!” One of them had spat at him. As if it were a bad thing. Well, to the apprentices at Seacraft Hall, it was, maybe. Maybe for sure. But it was not an insult to him, however. Still, the boy had flung the word at him as if to hurt him, so it could still be considered a blow.

Valtala’s fingers tightened on the round hand mirror in his grip. With his other hand, he reached up to lightly touch another one of the bruises on his body. Only the one boy had hit him in his face. The rest of the blows had been to his arms, back and chest. Seven or eight of them he gathered, although he could not tell for sure.

“It could have been worse,” he sighed, as he set the mirror down on the bedside beside himself. There was no use in getting upset about his reflection now, even though he really, REALLY wanted to. That would be letting them win! Besides. He would heal.

The young Journeyman stood up, deftly unbraiding his hair from its long tail and letting it flow out in waves down his shoulders.

If there was one place in the whole world, one where he didn’t feel judged, it was in the ocean.. So, even if today seemed like a little bit much to him, Valtala decided that he would tackle this problem — the whole ‘what to do with the other boys’ issue! - a little later, after clearing his head. Going for a swim would do just that, so that’s what he was going to do.

He grabbed a satchel to put a change of clothes into, then headed out the door. It wouldn’t take him long to get to the water. He could trace the steps from his bed to the shoreline in his sleep. He left the hall, then started walking down towards the beach.

When he got there, he was delighted to find out that he was the only person on the rocky shore. Valtala set down his bag, stripped off his clothes, and dove into the ocean headfirst and nude. It was still early spring so the water had an icy chill to it, but the blonde adored the shock that it set to his system, and so he dove into the crashing waves with gusto, enjoying the movement of his limbs and even the salt water sting of his upper lip. He was not aware of wether he was in the water for minutes or hours.

Everything felt better.

Valtala swam out deeper, to where the water was about ten meters deep. His body now acclimated to the temperature, he dog paddled lightly at the surface, looking into the sun filled afternoon for ships or anything interesting in the distance. There was nothing, so he turned to face the beach once more.

It was then that he realised that he was no longer alone. Somebody had come down to the water while he had been splashing away, and what’s more, it was someone he did not recognise, although it was hard to tell from this distance. Curiously, the Journeyman raised an arm out of the water and waved at the onlooker. Just in case it was someone new.

“Helloooo!” He called out, as an additional precaution against appearing unfriendly.

R'dal started his day by visiting friends at Telgar Weyr. Several had Impressed last summer and were just learning to fly together with their dragons and he had hoped to see some attempts in between catching up with them now that they were able to have more outside visitors. Gold Amagrith had been so graceful on her wings with Mylorah laughing and seeming to be her usual carefree self. That changed upon landing. Amagrith landed hard and stumbled, but her rider only gave a quick grimace before smiling and patting the gold. Apparently that was a better landing than the last several had been, he was told after the lesson.

After chatting with some friends and sneaking in cuddles with Mylorah--even Z'kel seemed okay with curling up with them!--before the young goldrider had her special lessons with the Weyrwoman, R'dal had only pouted a little. He was tempted to push his luck with the former lordling and try for a nap with him, but Mylorah offered to walk with him on her way out as she also had a favour to ask. Since she still couldn't leave the Weyr with her young dragon, she asked if he would mind picking up a few items at Tillek Hold so she could surprise Z'kel and even L'ri with. Of course he would help!

That was how he next found himself at Tillek Hold with his satchel full of a few bottles of wine and a few other little trinkets and snacks the Hold was known for. He even delivered a letter for Mylorah! And since she said he didn't need to rush back, R'dal figured an afternoon at the beach was a nice treat for both Edath and him. The water is cooler here, Edath pointed out as he walked them just deep enough into the ocean that the dragon's feet were wet. Perhaps I will just sun, he added as he backed up again to dry sand so R'dal could dismount.

The bluerider was considering his own options as he strolled a bit away from his dragon and looked out over the water when something--someone--caught his eye and he gasped. "Is that a mermaid?" He asked excitedly but his smile dropped as what F'drel would call the more realistic option hit him. "Or is someone in danger? Are they drowning?" I believe they're waving and calling out a greeting to you, so no, likely not drowning.

R'dal was smiling again as he gave little hops of excitement and waved back at the person. "Hi!" While he didn't get into the water, he did move a little further down the beach so they wouldn't be yelling at each other as much. "Aren't you cold?" He gasped again. Didn't the stories say the merpeople didn't feel the temperature of the water? "Are you a mermaid? Merman? That's so cool! F'drel will never believe me," he gave a little pout at that last idea but was back to smiling brightly at the beautiful person splashing around.

As the person on the shore responded to him, Valtala became certain that they were a stranger, someone he had never met before. Even if the Seacrafter had been born blind, that almost ecstatic way of saying ‘hi’ back had sounded way too friendly to be voiced by someone who came from the Hall. The little (adorable!) excited hops just added to the confirmation. Definitely not someone from around here.

Interesting, he thought to himself. What’s a stranger doing in these parts? Had his reputation proceeded him so much that news of ‘the mermaid’ had spread beyond his Hold and Hall? Valtala felt almost giddy at the prospect. He could go down in history, if that were the case! Finally, some recognition!



He watched as the person moved down the beach, closer to him, but out of the corner of his eye he caught something even more interesting than a stranger on the beach: a big, glorious blue dragon! A dragon! How had he missed seeing him (it was a blue, so of course he was a him!) in the first place? Now it was Valtala’s turn to gasp. What was a dragonrider doing at Fishercraft Hall? Now he was so curious that he almost couldn’t stand it!

His curiosity was momentarily distracted, however, when the dragonrider started talking to him. The blonde started to swim closer to the shore, so he and this fascinating stranger didn’t have to yell at each other.

“Aren’t you cold?” Came the bluerider’s excited sounding voice. Before the Seacrafter could respond to the stranger, came more questions. "Are you a mermaid? Merman? That's so cool! F'drel will never believe me,”

Now, it was Valtala’s turn to be delighted. He gave a full, silvery laugh. “I am a mermaid! I am!” He waded out of the ocean to the point where he was waist deep. “At least, that’s what they call me! ‘The Mermaid’!”

Now that half his body was out of the water, Valtala could feel a slight breeze, and the wind to him felt more than a little chilly. He hugged himself with a sigh, smiling back at R’dal. “And it’s colder out here than it is in the water!” He laughed again, then, since his curiosity could no longer be denied, he added, “Are you searching for candidates? Why are you here? I’ve never met a dragonrider before!”

R'dal gave a small squeal of delight at finding a mermaid. Best day ever! Although when he returned to Telgar Weyr he would have to give Z'kel his mightiest of pouts and ask why he never said they had merpeople in his region. Maybe it was a secret that only the Lord Holder's family knew and he wasn't allowed to say anything unless someone else stumbled upon the truth. This was so cool! R'dal was about to ask if he could see the tail and a hundred other questions when Edath gently burst his bubble. R'dal, the man is standing on legs. I think you just happened to stumble upon his nickname, which means he may be part fish in spirit because of his love of swimming. So you aren't entirely wrong.

With horror, R'dal turned from his dragon back to the ocean and studied the figure a little harder. It did seem like he was standing and balanced as he didn't bob with the movement of the water like he knew floating people did. Maybe that rule didn't apply to aquatic life. But Edath was likely right, as usual. If he paid attention to what had been said, it did seem like it was a nickname based on a love of an activity.

Some of his enthusiasm over the discovery dwindled but this was still a potential new friend so R'dal didn't entirely deflate. Instead, he glanced around the beach for where his kind-of-mermaid may have left his gear. "Do you have a towel? I could grab it for--" he broke off with another giggle as questions came at him at the same time, objective temporarily forgotten.

"I am a searchrider but we're not officially looking right now. I was just running errands and we thought a little break at the beach would be nice. I'm R'dal and this is Edath," he pointed at his mate as the dragon meandered over to meet the new person. It was clear he wouldn't get any sunning done in peace with R'dal so riled up. "We're from Igen Weyr! We moved there when it opened several months ago. Before that, we were in Fort. My weyrmate, but not my weyrmate got a very cool job offer so we moved so he could take it and it's been fun! Oh yeah, a towel!"

Now that Edath was beside him again, R'dal fetched from his bag a towel that he always packed for leisure travel. Never knew when a beach trip would happen! He held it out to his new friend to use, in case he didn't bring his own or the air was too cool and an extra would be appreciated.

Perhaps it was because he was too busy looking at the gorgeous blue dragon — okay, it was definitely because of that! - but Valtala didn’t notice that the bluerider had been busy regarding him for a tail. Nor did he notice R’dal’s inner drama surrounding his nickname. By the time he looked back at the dragonrider, the stranger had been giggling at him.

Valtala smiled back at the interesting stranger as R’dal explained that he was a search rider (weren’t all blue riders search riders?), but was visiting the beach for pleasure instead of work. And then he introduced themselves! R’dal was the stranger’s name, and his beautiful blue dragon — whom was making his way over towards the two humans - was named Edath.

A sense of awe filled the Seacrafter as Edath approached his partner upon the beach. Valtala had never seen a dragon so close before. Edath was a magnificent sight, with a hide that seemed to glow, and beautiful whirling eyes. Taking in the dragon’s beauty made Valtala’s hands raise and clasp at his chest, and a sigh escaped his mouth. “Edath, is it? Truly, you are a majestic sight to behold…!”

But here he was, forgetting his manners. Now, R’dal was telling him what Weyr he came from, as well as about his personal life with his (sort of?) weyrmate, and the Seacrafter hadn’t even given his name yet.

Valtala drew his gaze from the great blue dragon, and managed to make eye contact once again with R’dal. The blonde drew his hands in a flourish, and took a small bow.

“I’m sorry, my name is Valtala. Journeyman Seacrafter.” He introduced himself, with more than just a hint of smugness at the title. “Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

He smiled when R’dal offered him a towel. “Oh my, thank you!” He managed to say, remembering now his gear upon the beach. “I was so flustered when I left the Hall that I don’t think I packed one! Look away if nudity offends you!” He warned, giving a pause to let the dragonrider process his words before he crawled out of the ocean.

As Valtala made his way out of the sea, he met R’dal upon the shore, smiling at the other, again, as he gingerly took the towel from the rider and wrapped it around himself. The blonde couldn’t help but feel a little self-conscious in front of R’dal, as he was very aware of the fact that he was covered in bruises and sported a split lip. He looked more like a ruffian than a gentile, he thought, and that was entirely the wrong impression he wanted to give.

Oh well. There was nothing he could do about it now. Instead, he figured that he would try his best to be friendly, and hope that his new friend wouldn’t notice. “So, how can someone be your weyrmate, but not your weyrmate? Are you just friends? I’ll bet you have a lot of those!”

Edath preened under the compliment while R'dal gave a wide grin. His dragon wasn't too caught up in such things but they both appreciated such words when they did come--and from a mermaid no less! R'dal felt the resigned sigh through their bond but only turned the grin on Edath. He knew the man wasn't a real mermaid but it was fun to think so! Besides, Valtala might actually know real ones and that added even more cool points to the seacrafter.

"I'm weyrbred," R'dal stated in response to the chance to look away but then added on for further clarification, "we're raised to believe nudity is normal. Natural. We all have bodies. Sure, some are more appealing than others but nothing to be ashamed of." Valtala had a fairly appealing body as well! Or he would if there weren't some bruises blooming here and there. How much work went into fishing?! Considering the first time he tried with F'drel and nearly drowned his friend, R'dal suspected it was indeed a lot. Dragonriding was probably considered intense by other people as well and he could agree with that. He had been sore every day in those early months with Edath growing like a weed and in need of constant oiling. It was a lot easier now!

"Oh!" He had forgotten he'd babbled a bit about F'drel before going on about bodies and rubbed the back of his neck in slight embarrassment. F'drel would probably be mad at him for bringing up such things in the first minutes of meeting someone but mermaids and seacrafters weren't Lords, so it was fine! "We live together but our dragons aren't mated and we only cuddle and are great friends. So we're considered mates by everyone but there's no sexy times which most believe needs to happen to truly be considered mated." R'dal shrugged, unsure how else to explain his relationship with the greenrider. F'drel was one of his best friends and they were always there for each other. He didn't care what other labels people used for them.

"Anyway! Do you have the rest of the day off? Do you like your craft? Do you get to travel a lot?" He didn't truly mean to pepper the man in questions but he was excited and wanted to learn more about his potential new friend.

While Edath preened, Valtala focused on drying himself off. It had been rather lucky of him to have met the dragon and his rider, he decided. Otherwise he would have just had to have dressed with the saltwater still dripping off of him. Something he could have dealt with, mind you, but this was much nicer. And now he had a new friend! Much nicer, indeed!

"I'm weyrbred,” R’dal had stated when he had warned the other about his nudity. Even though Valtala didn’t know what that meant, exactly, the bluerider took it upon himself to clarify. “We're raised to believe nudity is normal. Natural. We all have bodies. Sure, some are more appealing than others but nothing to be ashamed of.”

Valtala nodded at this idea, giving a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank goodness! That is so much more sensible than out here. I find the Holderfolk to be more… backwards, here. Not just about nudity, but about, well, most things!” He sighed again, this time in frustration.
As R’dal explained his relationship to the other dragonrider, Valtala nodded as he listened, feeling both enlightened by the nature of the the relationship, and also, fascinated by the idea of platonic cuddling. It sounded nice, to have someone support you, even though you weren’t romantically involved. It was a foreign concept, but, weren’t dragons and Weyrs and blue riders another world altogether to him? Cuddle with friends? Live with dragons? Why not?

“That sounds so nice!” The Seacrafter smiled at the other, moving up the beach a little to where his satchel was still laying. He picked it up and moved back towards the dragonrider and his blue, again. “I’ve never cuddled with anyone I haven’t fucked, before. Even then, the men around here aren’t really the cuddly type.”

It was cold in the breeze, and Valtala felt himself shiver a little. He stood a little bit behind Edath to give himself cover from the wind, before pulling his clothes from the leather bag and starting to dress. Now it was his turn to be asked questions.

"Anyway! Do you have the rest of the day off? Do you like your craft? Do you get to travel a lot?” R’dal inquired, as Valtala pulled his shirt over his head. The Journeyman gave a silvery laugh at R’dal’s questions, answering them as he drew his clothes onto his body.

 “I do have the rest of the day off,” the blonde admitted, readily, as he finished pulling up his pants. “We’re seabound at dawn, tomorrow. I have to have my nets ready by then, but I already finished with them this morning. Provided, of course, that the other boys haven’t cut holes in them, I’ll be ready to go.”

Valtala slipped into his shoes as he answered the next question, sighing, with lidded, dreamy eyes. “Well, that’s a bit complicated, isn’t it?” He smiled at R’dal, then clarified with a second sigh. “Yes, I love my craft, very much, but not so much the people I have to work with… you see, the older ones, oh, they’ll fuck you, but they won’t say a word, do anything to stand up for you.”

He sighed for a third time. “And then the younger ones… I think they’re so afraid that you’ll fuck them that it turns them mean. The other Apprentices here are jerks, and even though I’m a Journeyman, now, it doesn’t change anything between them and I. It’s difficult.”

“But,” Valtala added, brightly, changing the subject and answering the third question. “I do get to travel! I’ve been to all sorts of places, and I love that!”

R'dal knew he was being rude with the way his mouth hung open in a little o-shape with his eyes wide while Valtala spoke but he couldn't help it! It was a lot to take in and most of it wasn't what he expected to hear from a holder based on everything he had ever been told. Although, he supposed it made sense that a lot of male crafters would end up together simply due to lack of options and that certainly sounded like the case the more he listened to life in the seacraft. And the way he spoke about the older and younger crafters, the Apprentices and Journeymen... it was a bit like the colour hierarchy in Weyrs. At least that part R'dal could understand, even if it still made him sad in both instances. Some brown and bronzeriders were good people but there were just as many, or more, that didn't want to associate with the lower ranks unless they wanted something from you before shoving you and the interaction back under a rug.

Not that he got too much of it himself. R'dal wanted to believe it was because of his own merits and personality but it likely had more to do with his dad being a Weyrleader, even if he led at another Weyr. But he didn't say anything about the comparisons, not when he had felt Edath's keen interest in their new friend. I like him, the blue stated simply and R'dal smiled broadly. He didn't need to ask if it was like or like since his dragon usually meant both when they met new people outside of Weyrs that were of a searchable age.

But would Valtala be interested in knowing that? The man liked his craft despite the rough times and probably wouldn't want to give it up, especially after just making Journeyman. Edath made the decision for him by pulling their usual routine of lowering his head near Valtala and making a show of sniffing and inspecting the man. Holders often seemed to believe that there was more to Searching so they had decided to give them something to see with their own eyes to help sell the point.

Edath gave a little bob of his head in approval before straightening back up and R'dal continued to grin. "Weeelll... would you be interested in trading most of that in for the chance at a dragon? I swear we really didn't come here on Search today! But we also can't ignore a good person when we meet one and Edath says you would make an excellent Candidate." There was the slight issue that they weren't in Igen's region but his dad wouldn't mind. Besides, the Candidates were shared amongst the Weyrs if they chose to be so there was a chance he could end up in High Reaches anyway.

Even though R’dal wore an expression of awe or horror — Valtala could not tell which! - the seacrafter continued his confession while the other stood with his mouth agape. It probably wasn’t the best idea to shock a new friend, but all that the blonde was saying was the truth, and he wasn’t going to sugarcoat it for anyone. This was his life, this was the reality of his situation. And for the first time in his life, he had somebody who might understand him, listening to him about it. The blonde saw his opportunity and ran with it. Crudely so, but he ran with it all the same.

See, Valtala’s problem — including his dilemma on what to do with the other boys back at the Hall! - wasn’t that he was gay. It was never about that for him. It was that his truth of being so was making him a pariah in his social circle; his father wanted him to hide it, his higher ups wanted to ignore it, and his fellow Apprentices wanted to bully it out of him, maybe. Or just wanted the Journeyman to go away. Keep it away from them. But where was he to go? He didn’t think R’dal would have an answer, but maybe his new friend could relate, somehow. Or at least empathise.

Something he had said, or something Edath was maybe saying, made R’dal break out into a large grin. The dragon rider had a very nice smile, and Valtala was about to tell him so, when Edath lowered his head so close to the blonde’s that he could feel the dragon’s breath on his cheek.

“What are you doing?” The seacrafter asked the dragon curiously, his hands fluttering up to almost touch the blue as he wondered. Then the dragon bobbed his head in what Valtala took to be a nod, and then R’dal turned his beautiful smile upon him.

"Weeelll... would you be interested in trading most of that in for the chance at a dragon? I swear we really didn't come here on Search today! But we also can't ignore a good person when we meet one and Edath says you would make an excellent Candidate.”

It appeared that R’dal did have an answer, after all.

Now it was Valtala’s turn for his jaw to drop. He stared from R’dal to Edath, then back to R’dal again. Speechless.

Could he become a dragonrider?

Valtala had never considered it before, but he didn’t think that it was one of the options on the table before this moment. He would be the first to confess didn’t know very much about dragons — only what he had heard in stories and sea shanties! - but certainly that couldn’t be an all bad thing? Was he willing to learn?

More importantly, was he willing to give up the sea? The greatest love in his life?

For a moment, Valtala closed his eyes, and breathed in the cold ocean air.

Yes, he loved the ocean. But he did not love the people he shared it with. And, since he had faced his own mortality just this morning, he reasoned that he could face a few other truths now, too.

If he stayed here, what was in store for him? A lonely life at sea where sharing a bed with a man was done but not encouraged? Would he ever fall in love? Would he be safe, on an ocean where all the other sailors would ignore him, or worse? The blonde lifted a finger to touch the split in his lip, carefully. It could have been worse. In the future, would it get worse? Today was already the worst it had ever been. What would tomorrow be like?

Valtala opened his eyes, again, with a sigh. He looked up at the pathway leading up to the rocks, to the Hall beyond. Would he truly be happy here when he didn’t even have a friend? Then he looked at Edath, again.

“A dragonrider is never truly alone…” he stated to himself, wondering about that bond that R’dal shared with his dragon as he said it. The blonde twirled a finger in his hair as he contemplated this, and the idea of Valtala the dragon rider. V’tala?

“Alright.” He whispered to himself. Then, louder, a second time, for R’dal. “Alright! I can give it a try!”

Thinking about it was good, right? There wasn't an immediate 'no' so that was a start! Still, R'dal nibbled on his lower lip, unable to hide the worry he felt over what would come next and the guilt at making Valtala even have to make such a decision. But he couldn't pretend Edath didn't like the seacrafter! This was a good learning opportunity, however. It was a lot easier going out to cotholds and searching people that had a hard life and wanted something else. He had yet to come across someone that deeply loved their craft and would have a harder time deciding. Sure, most crafts were still needed within the Weyr but Valtala was so proud of his new rank and it wouldn't mean much if he accepted the offer and he would never advance beyond it.

He was about to tell Valtala it was okay if he wanted to stay out at sea when the man whispered something to himself that he barely caught. R'dal stopped biting his lip and gave a tentative smile. That statement was true and one that was hard to fully understand the weight of it until one Impressed. He had never felt alone growing up as he had a lot of friends and his mom was amazing, but once Edath came along, everything shifted. He had a constant companion that understood him and never had issues with his weird quirks and always supported and encouraged him.

He was about to explain that and ask if Valtala had questions to help sway him, but an answer came first. "Really? Yes!" R'dal gave a little hop and pumped his fist in the air, beyond excited. "We Searched a mermaid, Edath!" He giggled again and gave his dragon a quick hug around the neck. He knew it wasn't proper to hug the recently Searched like he really wanted to so Edath was always a stand in for the urge.

"Guess we should talk to the craft Master now? We don't really do the kidnapping thing anymore, but we could if you want to be dramatic in your exit. You could leave a note stating you ran off with an adorable bluerider." R'dal laughed at his silliness even as he straightened his tunic and then double checked he had his knots on. Telling a Master that he was taking one of his crafters was going to suck but he would have Edath with him and it would lead to helping his friend find a happier place to be himself. Definitely worth any awkwardness.

Now that he had decided, Valtala felt giddy and electric. Was he really doing this? Becoming a Candidate would seem like a step down from Journeyman to his father and the other Master Seacrafters, but being a Journeyman hadn’t solved the blonde’s loneliness, so maybe a fresh start in a new world was exactly what he needed.

The little hop in R’dal’s step, as well as the fist pump into the air, only added to Valtala’s growing excitement. When the other proclaimed that they had searched a mermaid, the Journeyman gave an excited laugh, nodding in his agreement. “You really did!” He giggled as R’dal hugged his dragon.

"Guess we should talk to the craft Master now? We don't really do the kidnapping thing anymore, but we could if you want to be dramatic in your exit. You could leave a note stating you ran off with an adorable bluerider." R'dal laughed, and Valtala grinned back at him, green eyes sparkling.

“I think,” started the blonde as he whisked his fingers through his hair, while R’dal was checking his knots. “I think that’s exactly what we should do.”

Valtala was delighted with the idea of making a dramatic exit. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to do it.

“I think we should sneak back to my room, grab the important things, and leave a note. Besides, I am very sure that you would not relish the idea of talking to my father. He’s one of the Master Seacrafters. And he might want to fight you over it. He already thinks poorly of the dragonriders. I’ll write him a note saying that I’ve been Searched and I am running away with an irresistible bluerider, instead!” Valtala laughed to himself, draping his satchel over his arm. He bent at the waist to pick up R’dal’s towel, shaking it off of sand and folding it up before holding it back out to the other to take.

“Can you imagine what his reaction will be?” The blonde laughed again, clearly jovial about the fact that his disappearance could cause some mayhem in the Hall. “I love it!”

A pout formed when R'dal heard someone didn't like dragonriders. He knew there were still people that thought poorly of them and hated their return, but it didn't mean he was ever happy about it. They had been back in the North for nearly ten years and they hadn't really caused any disruptions. It was well past time to let go of any weird grudges in his opinion. Still, a little giggle escaped and R'dal smiled again at being called irresistible. He wasn't truly swayed by flattery but it was still nice to receive compliments! And maybe he didn't want to deal with a confrontation from a Master and the note was a good stand in for announcing Valtala's departure. His friend was old enough to make his own life decisions, after all!

"Okay! We leave a note and pack up and we'll whisk you away to Igen Weyr!" He paused as he reclaimed his towel, hesitating on the idea again as the logistics started popping out at him. "Well, maybe you should do the packing and writing. My appearance in the Hall might draw attention, even if Edath stayed here to wait for us. You don't need to pack too much; just clothes and anything important to you. Everything else will be provided for you." Since he Searched mostly in small cotholds, his Candidates never had much to bring to begin with, but he had heard the stories about some that came from larger Holds or more well-to-do families and they wanted to bring more than they needed. He thought back to a conversation earlier in the day with Mylorah and Z'kel and how the greenrider was sending for his belongings soon to furnish their weyr. Given what he knew of Mylorah, R'dal was fascinated by her giving in and having both a large weyr and more things than she would know what to do with.

Valtala's enthusiasm was contagious and R'dal's worries over a letter and not a proper claiming vanished. He still hated that the man may not have been well-liked in a craft he clearly loved so much but it did mean he likely wouldn't be missed. Maybe they wouldn't even believe the letter and just assumed he left and then no one would get in trouble for not following proper steps! At least Valtala was coming willingly.

"Oh, make sure you dress warmly because we'll be travelling between. It's short but cold, though you'll warm up pretty quickly when we appear in Igen. I can't wait to show you around!" R'dal had to work at keeping from bouncing in excitement again and instead focused his energy into returning the towel to his bag. He'd have to remember to air it out when they got home--after all the boring administration steps of bringing in a Candidate and then the fun tour!

Valtala caught R’dal’s little pout when he mentioned that his father did not like dragonriders. It was the truth, however, since his father, Lorian, did not trust the dragonriders one little bit, not since the incidents with the stolen Candidates. No, Lorian tolerated dragonriders because he had to, but he never had anything good to say about them.

None of his father’s opinions had much sway with the Journeyman, however. The boy and his father never saw eye to eye on anything, and this would be no different.

The blonde squealed in delight when R’dal agreed with him on leaving a note. He’d expected some resistance to his plan, but the other was open to it, after all. Valtala clapped his hands giddily as R’dal continued speaking to him about the plan, pausing when the bluerider brought up packing.

"Well, maybe you should do the packing and writing. My appearance in the Hall might draw attention, even if Edath stayed here to wait for us. You don't need to pack too much; just clothes and anything important to you. Everything else will be provided for you."

“Hmmmm…!” thought the seacrafter as he nodded to R’dal. “I have a lot of clothes. And jewellery. And toiletries. I will undoubtedly have to leave some of it behind.”

Valtala turned to Edath consideringly, looking the dragon up and down. His fingers twirled some hair in a loop as the Journeyman wondered exactly how much the dragon would be able to carry. He didn’t want to overload the blue.

“I’m sure I could pack enough to have at least a trunkful of valuables. Would a trunk be too much for you, Edath?” Inquired the blonde. “Regardless, I’ll try my best to pack light.”

The thought of going between had likewise, never occurred to Valtala before, because he had never thought he would ride a dragon before today. He was nervous and excited as he considered R’dal’s words to him. Maybe it was a little like being at the bottom of the ocean? Of course, Valtala had never been that deep, but he was aware of the parts of the sea that never saw any light. He imagined it would be cold down there, just like it was between.

“Will it be like swimming in the dark?” He asked, curiously. “I hope I’ll like it,” he breathed, turning from from the dragon and his rider and moving to the footpath up to the Hall. “I suppose we’ll find out.” He smiled.

And with that, he left R’dal on the beach, tracing back the familiar steps up to his room. Luckily, he didn’t see anyone on the way. If he could get out of here without being detected, well, Valtala was sure that it would be best.

Going through his clothes would be easy enough. The blonde pulled a trunk out from underneath his bed, unlocked it, and set it open on top of his blankets, next to the hand mirror he had left behind this morning. He immediately turned to his closet, and started to pull out his ‘nice’ clothing. The stuff that he didn’t wear to work. The soft and more feminine apparel. Blouses and embroidered shirts. He chose only his favourite outfits, since he didn’t have enough room for them all.

Next, came his jewellery. This was harder for him, since he didn’t want to leave any piece behind. In the end, he had to put a few shirts away to make room for all the pearls and precious stones, the chains and rings. He also packed his brushes and perfumes, and the little hand mirror.

 “Am I forgetting anything?” The blonde thought to himself, pausing when he remembered that he would have to leave a note. Oh, yes. That. A grin spread across the Journeyman’s face as he left his room in search of quill and paper. He found some in his father’s study, where the man kept his ledgers and correspondences with other Halls. Valtala thought he would make it brief:

‘Dear Father,

I have been Searched by a very handsome dragonrider, and I am leaving my life here behind. Instead of sailing with you in the morrow, I will be far, far away, somewhere where I can be myself without having to hide. Give Astoria my love.’

He had wanted to write something funny, but he couldn’t think of anything that wasn’t too crude for a goodbye letter, so he left it be. He left the letter on his father’s desk, then he returned to his room, put on a fur lined jacket, and began to carry his trunk out to the beach. It would be supper soon, so if he wanted to get out of here without being noticed, he’d have to go now.

This knowledge made him move hastily back down to the beach, half dragging and half carrying the trunk behind himself. He was out of breath by the time he reached R’dal and Edath, again.

“Here it is! The best of my wardrobe!” Valtala giddily exclaimed as he set down the trunk upon the sand. It was heavy, and the blonde once again looked to Edath with concern. “Is it too much?”

R'dal spent their time in hiding by not really hiding at all. He chatted with Edath while they both watched the water lap lazily at the shore and soaked in some of the sun to warm up before their quick hop home. He was so excited to bring Valtala back to Igen! Another successful Search, even if he wasn't technically on a Search, and this Candidate was fun! He was just what they needed, he knew it with utter certainty. He also couldn't wait to see F'drel's reactions when he told him how it went. Probably a lot of sighing and head shaking but there would be a small smile in there as well because he'd also be proud.

Edath noticed Valtala's return first but R'dal was quick to follow his dragon's gaze and grinned when he saw the man--and then frowned. "I'm sorry! Maybe I should have come with you after all." He felt horrible over Valtala dragging what looked to be a rather heavy trunk all the way from the Hall and gave himself a few more mental kicks for not removing his knots and helping. That part of the story was definitely going to make F'drel frown. Maybe he could omit that part in the grand retelling?

"And it's not too much! Edath can hold quite a bit, can't you?" The dragon gave a dip of his head in agreement as R'dal gave him a few sturdy pats to the side. He was constantly amazed by what Edath could do no matter how much time passed. "You should have seen how much he helped when everyone was getting the Weyr cleaned up!" Before he could continue glowing about Edath, the dragon cut in, letting Valtala hear him for the first time as well, As much as I like being praised, we should be off before anyone notices.

R'dal rubbed at the back of his neck, slightly embarrassed. "Edath is also my voice of reason. Here, let me show you how to climb up and then we'll be on our way!" R'dal pointed out the best spots to place a hand or foot as he scrambled up the dragon's side and settled in atop.

Valtala stood with his hands on his hips, catching his breath. He smiled at R’dal, even as the other’s smile turned into a frown when looking at the blonde’s luggage. At first, the seacrafter was certain that the frown meant that what he had packed was too much for the dragon, but then R’dal was apologising to him.

"I'm sorry! Maybe I should have come with you after all.” Spoke the blue rider in an apologetic way. Valtala waved off the apology, however, with another smile.

“It’s fine. Nets full of fish weigh more than this, and I got my workout for the day! Don’t worry about me.” The blonde responded, in the kindest voice he could muster. It was really no big deal. No reason for a frown on his new friend’s face.

Then R’dal responded to his question and worrying. No, a trunk was not too much for the dragon to carry. Apparently, Edath had been a big credit to Igen Weyr when it had needed cleaning. While the dragonrider praised his blue, Valtala marvelled at the bond between the rider and dragon, and couldn’t help but feel envious of it. Surely, having a dragon of his own would be just like this — a sense of truly unconditional love! - when the time came?

If the time came. He had to keep remembering that he didn’t have a dragon, yet. And also, it could be possible that he would never Impress a dragon. It could be possible that he was meant to be a seacrafter, through and through, and he would have to come back here, empty handed and defeated. The blonde didn’t want to think about that quite yet, though. Failure was not yet an option.

Then a remarkable thing happened! Valtala heard a voice inside his head. It was a deep, sultry voice, and the Journeyman realised that he was hearing Edath speak, for the very first time! Valtala stared at him in wonder.

“You truly are magnificent, aren’t you…!” Praised the blonde, even as Edath was telling him that he should hurry. A sentiment that Valtala truly appreciated and agreed with.

"Edath is also my voice of reason. Here, let me show you how to climb up and then we'll be on our way!” Instructed R’dal as Valtala was shown the places on Edath that were best for mounting the dragon. The blonde found this part to be easy, and he found himself gracefully scaling Edath and settling in behind R’dal on the dragon’s back.

“Do I need straps or something? I’d hate to fall off and die, mid-air.” Valtala laughed at the idea of his own demise. He then glanced behind himself, at his trunk on the ground. “And what about my things? Shouldn’t they be strapped in, too?” Wondered the Seacrafter aloud, suddenly feeling very curious about how all this would go.

At Valtala asking if he needed straps, R'dal couldn't stop the mischievous grin as he countered with, "that all depends on your balance when Edath twirls or dives." He waited several beats before the grin turned bright and he stuck out his tongue. "Kidding! We save that for the second flight." It didn't take long after that to buckle Valtala in safely with a promise they were sturdy and checked regularly because R'dal didn't want himself or a passenger to fall off either. It would be a big dent in an otherwise excellent day.

"Now that the more important cargo is taken care of... Edath, if you will?" R'dal made a wide and dramatic gesture with both hands toward the trunk so his friend knew exactly what he was talking about and where to look. Edath shifted into a better position which had R'dal shifting where he pointed, as the dragon started to scoop up the trunk with his front paws. "Hang on! We're about to lift off!" It wasn't much of a warning but R'dal had learned from a few of his past Searchees that if he gave them too long to think about how they were about to be extremely high off the ground, they would panic. A panicked passenger sometimes tried to choke him in a death hold while others started to breathe funny and threatened to pass out or vomit. 

Edath was also a fan of not waiting after one unfortunate mishap with a Candidate and their breakfast so with little effort, he pushed off with his hind legs, wings flapping as they moved higher and higher. Let's give him one final look of the area before we leap, R'dal directed as Edath climbed to the proper height for safely travelling between. He lazily soared over the beach, moving closer to the Hall but didn't go directly above it. A dragon in the area was remarkable enough but no sense in calling too much added attention--though it would add credibility to Valtala's note if he did in fact mention he was Searched.

After a couple of minutes of enjoying the view and freedom of being in the sky, R'dal finally gave the order. "Ready, Valtala? It's a quick trip but the shock of how cold it is can be jarring. Take a deep breath and count to ten in your head and you'll be hit with the Igen heat before you know it! All right, Edath. Take us home!" With that cue, Edath blinked between, leaving Tillek behind and emerging seconds later to the comforting blast of the dry heat of Igen where he again lazily circled above the Weyr for Valtala to take it all in.

Not one to scare easily, Valtala was at first undaunted by R’dal’s mischievous jest. When the dragonrider told him that needing straps would be a matter of how good his balance was while Edath performed aerial stunts, the first thing that came to the blonde’s mind was, “Well, I grew up on the sea, so I’d like to think that I have better balance than most. Still, it’s my first time riding a dragon… I think I’d prefer some straps, just in case.”

Of course, Valtala did not know the other was joking until R’dal stuck his tongue out and told him so. His cheeks burned with embarrassment at not understanding the joke sooner as the bluerider told him that aerial stunts were saved for the second flight. Valtala laughed away his embarrassment, brushing some hair out of his eyes as R’dal helped him with the straps. The other promised him that they were checked regularly and that he would not fall off.

“Well, thank goodness for that!” Exclaimed the blonde as he watched the dragonrider settle back in. He liked how fun R’dal was being; it was quite entertaining and kept the seacrafter from being nervous.

"Now that the more important cargo is taken care of... Edath, if you will?” Directed Valtala’s new friend, as he immaculately gestured to the trunk still on the ground. Then, the dragon started shifting underneath the blonde, and Valtala was abuzz with excitement, eagerly repositioning himself to match Edath’s stride. So far so good!

The dragon picked up the Journeyman’s trunk in his front paws as if it were full of feathers, and then, all of a sudden, R’dal was warning him to hold on! Valtala barely had time to wrap his arms around the bluerider’s waist before they were suddenly launched up in the air.

It was exhilarating! It was amazing! It was also kind of terrifying! Up and up they flew, and Valtala couldn’t help but gasp as they flew over the beach, then closer to the Hall. The blonde’s mouth hung open as he took in the sight of his home — no, his old home! - for the last time.

He could see people below, around the front of the Hall. They were so small that he couldn’t tell who they were. Valtala remembered crawling up to the crow’s nest on one of the tall ships that he’d sailed on. This was way, way higher! Almost instinctually, the blonde tightened his arms around R’dal’s waist. He was not so terrified that he was clinging on for dear life, but on the other hand, he didn’t think he would let go any time soon, either.

As if on cue, R’dal asked him if he was ready. Then, the other was giving him instructions on how to brace himself for the cold and darkness, Valtala held his breath — it was like diving, after all, right? - and then, before he had a moment to think about it, everything was gone.

Valtala had thought he was prepared for this blackness, but he was not, Not only was it all encompassing, it was frigid as hell, and he could not feel anything around him. Not the dragon he was straddling, nor the rider he was afixed to. He could see nothing, hear nothing. It was if the world had stopped existing.

Is this what drowning felt like? The blonde couldn’t help but think of his mother, what her last moments would have been like. Surely, not like this? He wasn’t so sure, but before he had a chance to think about it any more, the world suddenly came back to him.

He could feel Edath below him again, and his arms around R’dal. He was struck with the sweltering heat of Igen before he had a chance to look down upon it. Valtala let out the sharp exhale of his breath (having no need any longer to hold it), and looked down.

The Weyr was beautiful from up here, and the first thing that he noticed was all the dragons on the ground, and in the sky. He wanted to point them out, to share his delight with R’dal, but the other had grown up around dragons. This was probably nothing to him.

“Woooow!” Valtala exclaimed, anyway, unable to fully hold back his excitement.