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[G] [C] 735.10.13 | Between Here and There - Printable Version

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735.10.13 | Between Here and There - R'nya - 13.Feb.15

R’nya watched as Volfetti walked away, Benden at her heels and little Alyren in her arms. It had been a month (he could probably have stated to the minute) since Alyren had been born, and the bronzerider didn’t really want to wait any longer before teaching Rhaedalyn and Aradissicath how to travel between. This was especially since they had no idea when the dear gold dragon would fly again, and successfully render them unable to learn for another several months. Rhaedalyn appeared excited, and anxious, but he wasn’t sure how much of the latter was attributed to Alyren being taken away, and how much was because of the prospect of traveling between without company, and finally being free like a true rider was supposed to be.

Turning towards Rhaedaly, R’nya offered her a ghost of a half-smile. While all of the girls had been trained in the theory of travelling between, R’nya had only managed to get a few of them through the practical execution, leaving just Rhaedalyn – who was then pregnant – and Ameris – since Mizeath was sand bound – to pass the last test. Since the birth of Alyren, R’nya had refreshed Rhaedalyn on the ups and downs of travelling between and finally assigned a day for that theory to be put to the test. “Are you ready?” Pale, sparkling eyes did not really expect an answer; the girl’s firelizards were fluttering around excitedly enough to more than speak on her behalf.

Walking over to Aradissicath, with Xyreith wandering along behind him, R’nya began a thorough examination of her riding gear, tugging on the buckles and running approving but examining eyes over the leather as finders poked and prodded at those areas that looked even mildly discoloured. Those simply proved to be the nature of the leather and the type of oil Rhaedalyn had been using to soften and keep the straps supple. The bronzerider finally stopped and nodded approvingly at his companion when he returned to Aradissicath’s shoulder, giving the gold and approving pat. “They are well made and cared for; you should be proud.” A moment was given for Rhaedalyn to bask in her praise, before he continued. “Mount up, my dear.”

Turning away to fix Xyreith’s straps, R’nya gave Rhaedalyn an impression of privacy to mount, assuming the nervous girl would probably stumble or get flustered if he stood around watching her. Xyreith, deciding to be naughty, danced around and fidgeted as R’nya tried to do a last minute check of his straps, earning himself several half-hearted slaps and some mumbled insults from his rider.

Growing tired with Xyreith’s fidgeting and teasing mood, R’nya turned back to Rhaedalyn to see her atop her dragon, fully decked out in her riding gear and all buckled in. The bronzerider stood for a moment to admire the picture, Xyreith rumbling his approval of the pair over his shoulder. Stepping forward, R’nya approached the pair and nodded his thanks to Aradissicath as she lowered herself so that he could check that Rhaedalyn was properly strapped in and ready to go. When he was sure all was set, R’nya gave the goldrider’s knee a gentle squeeze. “Let’s get this party started!” Tossing her a cheerful wink, R’nya flashed a smile before composing himself and marching his way over to Xyreith as if he’d never done anything out of the ordinary in his entire life.

Mounting up, R’nya caught Rhaedalyn’s eye, and signalled that they should both lift off to appropriate altitude for their lesson to begin.


Re: Between Here and There [Rhaedalyn] - Rhaedalyn - 17.Feb.15

Rhaedalyn had been bouncing through every emotion since Alyren’s birth. She was so happy and proud to be a mom but it was also draining and every time the girl cried, Rhaedalyn was close to tears as well. It was a sound she had never liked and now that it was her child doing it, she felt horribly guilty for not knowing what caused it or if it went on too long. Sleep, surprisingly, was still had in a decent amount. Alyren seemed to enjoy naps and would go down for several hours at a time, making Rhaedalyn’s life a bit easier in that regard.

It was R’nya, however, that stole some of her sleep when he finally put a date to the practical exam of going between. It was thrilling to think that she would have the proper access to go anywhere she wanted like a proper dragonrider but it also scared her. So much was unknown about that dark and cold place and too many of the young riders before and after her had incidents where something went wrong and they never came back. Naturally, it was that fact, not the success stories of thousands of riders and millions of trips that haunted her and kept her up some nights.

When the actual day came, Rhaedalyn was close to locking herself in a room and refusing to come out. The fact that she had to part with Alyren for the lesson as well didn’t help. It was kind of nice to have a bit of time away from being a mother but Alyren was so young still and it didn’t seem right to pass her off on someone else. At least it was Volfetti, someone that was a good mother and understood her situation on some levels since they were both from Holds and brought to Katila under less than favourable circumstances. The fact that Rhaedalyn liked it in Katila and even Impressed didn’t seem to taint the other girl’s opinion too much and Rhaedalyn smiled in greeting and fussed for only a short time before Volfetti left with the kids.

As she set about making sure everything was buckled properly and she had all of her gear, Rhaedalyn tried to absorb more of her firelizards’ enthusiasm and Aradissicath’s calmness. Her little trio were naturals at going between and dragons had the same instinct, so it was kind of silly for her to continue worrying so much. Even R’nya was confident in her and his praise, while making her blush and stare at her toes for a moment, helped bolster her up.

Exactly. You have nothing to fear. We’re all here because we know you can do it. In fact, all you have to do is stay focused and I’ll do the rest. We’re a wonderful team and R’nya with his pesky dragon will be good guides. Rhaedalyn nodded in silent agreement with her dragon, knowing Aradissicath spoke the truth. Even with the fears and misgivings, she was still more excited than not to be able to complete the final step to being a proper goldrider. They would never learn to chew firestone and Rhaedalyn was glad for that as she didn’t need something else to fret over!

She smiled at R’nya’s pat to the knee and then giggled at his exclamation. It was wonderful when he showed his sense of humour and more of a personality than just a stoic and proper bronzerider. Rhaedalyn had seen little glimpses since their friendship began but it seemed a bit more frequent in recent months and while she wasn’t certain what the cause was, Rhaedalyn was glad for it.

Another nod was given, this time to R’nya, when the signal to lift off was given. A final adjustment to her helmet was given, the straps firmly grasped once more, and Rhaedalyn was asking Aradissicath to join the bronze pair in the sky. When they met at the appropriate altitude, Rhaedalyn took a moment to enjoy the view. It wasn’t something she got to see that much anymore once Aradissicath was sand bound and with her own pregnancy so it was nice to sneak a moment in before getting back down to business.

She glanced at R’nya, waiting for the next step in the lesson, though she already knew what it would be and had to start focusing on calming breaths before excitement or fear took over.



Re: Between Here and There [Rhaedalyn] - R'nya - 21.Feb.15

Xyreith hovered easily as they waited for the two girls to join them, R’nya watching thoughtfully as Aradissicath took to the air with a graceful leap. It always seemed to take the bigger dragons so much more effort to get into the air, while the smaller dragons – especially the green and blue – seemed to just dart around like oversized firelizards when it came to flying. Of course, their riders often flittered around like oversized firelizards too, so he supposed that made sense.

R’nya nodded slightly when Rhaedalyn’s glance was caught, with the bronzerider glancing down to confirm that there was a healthy amount of space between both dragons and the ground, as well as suitable wing space between the pair of them. Raising his arm, he gave the wing signal that he had shown the girls which indicated Xyreith would be sharing the image with their dragon. When Xyreith confirmed that the image had been sent and received, R’nya dropped his arm and the pair vanished between.

Trips between always seemed to take so much longer when there were lessons being taught. While R’nya could very well have taught his students to bounce between from ‘here’ to ‘there’ without the travel himself, he’d found it caused less confusion to give locations that weren’t simply a few dragonlengths in front of them. As a result, most of the lessons prior had been jumps to the lake’s edge and back, but he had opted for a different location with Rhaedalyn and Aradissicath.

While the location wasn’t really that discernible from anywhere else in the forested maze that was the Southern end of the planet, the area R’nya had asked Xyreith to take them to was very familiar; the spot they had spent several years isolated in. There was not anything of that left over, between the years that had since passed and R’nya’s own careful packing up before they left to re-join Nirinath and the other dragons. But it was a familiar sight none the less, even if somewhat more over grown than he’d quite expected.

Let’s land. The girls will be high on adrenaline. R’nya’s instructions were passed along to his dragon even as the sudden light of day burst against his eyes, and R’nya’s brows furrowed as his gaze turned towards where Rhaedalyn and Aradissicath should appear from the cold grasp of between. His heart was in his throat for those few tiny moments before he spotted the golden hide – an arm was lifted to wave them down and Xyreith started a lazy spiral, angling in slowly on a familiar landing area.

When the dragon landed, R’nya was already unstrapped and sliding down to land on the ground, helmet and goggles quickly taken off and gloves tossed on top of it by Xyreith’s feet as he waited for Rhaedalyn to tumble off her dragon. He was looking forward to seeing the expression hidden under her helmet and goggles!


Re: Between Here and There [Rhaedalyn] - Rhaedalyn - 23.Feb.15

This was it; the moment she had been waiting for and dreading simultaneously. They knew the theory, knew to focus and relax, and now they had the location. All that was needed now was Rhaedalyn’s okay to make the jump. Aradissicath didn’t rush her, knowing what was at stake if there was even a moment’s doubt in Rhaedalyn’s creative mind and gently brushed against the girl’s mind, sharing her confidence. When the quiet voice that was still full of determination finally met the silent reassurances, Aradissicath didn’t wait a moment longer and vanished between.

It felt like a lifetime before the warmth of the day was on her chilled cheeks once again and Rhaedalyn took a deep gasping breath. That had been the most terrifying few seconds of her life! She knew it had only been that long thanks to the lessons but it was completely different when she was the one in charge of making the trip happen. A moment was taken to enjoy the sun as the fear melted away with the chill. Aradissicath’s trumpet of triumph was the final hint that they had done something amazing and realisation dawned.

They did it!

They had made their first jump between without any issue! Rhaedalyn looked around for R’nya to see what he thought about their success and didn’t see him until Aradissicath glanced down, the girl’s gaze following. She sighed with relief that they hadn’t overshot or went somewhere else entirely and they glided to the ground. It was, as usual, not the softest of landings thanks to the dragon’s lack of spatial awareness but they had certainly improved from the weyrling days.

Rhaedalyn did her best to casually unbuckle, slide down her dragon, and remove her riding gear but a smile couldn’t leave her lips no matter how hard she tried to look like such an experience didn’t affect her. As soon as the pile of helmet, goggles, and gloves were put neatly aside, she gave up, glancing over at R’nya, smile growing brighter with every passing second, and bounced over to him to throw her arms around him.

“I did it, Ren! Dissi was great and there wasn’t a single hiccup! We didn’t screw it up!” Her words came bubbling out excitedly against R’nya’s chest as she held on tight, barely containing the bounce in her step. Biting her lower lip to try to stop the babbling, Rhaedalyn looked up at the bronzerider and spoke a bit more calmly, or at least more quietly, “thank you, Ren. I don’t think I would have learned quite as well or be as comfortable with such an important task if it had been anyone else.”

She paused in her gratitude when Aradissicath pointed out they weren’t at the lake or anywhere she recognized and Rhaedalyn scanned what she could see without leaving her spot glued to R’nya. “But, where did we end up?”



Re: Between Here and There [Rhaedalyn] - R'nya - 15.Mar.15

R’nya laughed, delighted both by Rhaedalyn’s own attempts at severity before she gave up and the by the way she threw herself at him and refused to let go. The bronzerider’s arms wrapped lightly around her waist, secure enough that she would feel in no way unwelcome where she was, but not so captive that she couldn’t easily slip free if she so chose. R’nya rather hoped she did not.

“Of course you did,” R’nya’s murmured response was light with his amusement at her antics, and filled with affection. Pale eyes were amused as Rhaedalyn collected herself, and R’nya restricted himself to a gentle kiss on Rhaedalyn’s forehead as she blinked up at him. Her question had him toss her a wink, and he very gently slipped out of her arms, claiming one hand in his own as he did so.

Taking a step forward and looking over his shoulder at Rhaedalyn, R’nya’s eyes smile even if it is not quite visible on his lips. “Come!” Half request, half demand, the bronzerider leads the young woman perhaps two lengths from their dragons, halting and letting her stand by his side before explaining. The explanation comes with him gently placing his empty hand on one shoulder, while the other – still holding one of her own – carefully lifts up to the other shoulder without releasing the light clasp; he turns her lightly about forty-five degrees.

“This was once home,” the bronzerider explains softly, chin hovering above her shoulder so his voice is more for her ears alone than the space around them. While the history behind the location is not at all romantic – as Xyreith took great joys in pointing out earlier – R’nya is convinced Rhaedalyn will find the area beautiful, and that is all that matters. That, and the silent offer for her to ask questions, if she wishes.

Standing behind her, with his free hand resting lightly on her hip, R’nya uses their joined hands to point out the various locations he knows will be most of interest. “Xyreith and I built a lean-to over there, though it has been lost to the elements now.” If one squinted, the remains could just be seen, but the only real reason R’nya knew where it was, was due to the time he had spent in the area.

“There is a path through there, which leads to a stream. Over there was Xyreith’s wallow,” that at least was still plainly seen, as if other animals had claimed it once the large dragon had left the area. “It would fill with water and turn to mud in the wet season.” R’nya’s voice held merriment at the memory, and he fell into a wistful silence, letting their joined hands lower slowly.

Hearing his wallow still existed, Xyreith trotted up behind the pair and examined it over their heads, before scrunching his nose up and trotting to join Aradissicath once more. She was far more interesting than their silly humans on the best of days, and he was far more interested in watching her snoop around (or pretend regally that she wasn’t interested in snooping around) than his human act like a love struck fool.


Re: Between Here and There [Rhaedalyn] - Rhaedalyn - 15.Mar.15

Rhaedalyn laughed as she followed the bronzerider and paid close attention to all of the details he gave. It was wonderful to see R’nya so happy and excited that even if she hadn’t been interested in everything he pointed out, she would have faked it to the best of her abilities. R’nya definitely seemed happier, like a different man sometimes, since the North was open to them once more but this was different. He seemed almost childlike in his enthusiasm to share a part of his past and Rhaedalyn was just as willing to accept it and nearly bounced on the balls of her feet as she glanced from one spot to another.

When Xyreith’s head appeared above theirs, Rhaedalyn glanced up and giggled at the large bronze that quickly lost interest. She briefly wondered what he had thought about the place at the time they lived in it and soon after leaving it but that was easy enough to ask R’nya about since Xyreith still wasn’t very chatty when it came to her. “What was it like living here? It must have been quite the shock and adjustment after Fort Weyr. What was your daily routine like?”

Aradissicath chuckled at Rhaedalyn’s natural curiosity taking over but didn’t worry about it coming off as annoying. R’nya had dealt with her long enough to know her habits and quirks, and, the gold suspected, he liked them. When Xyreith returned to her as she sniffed at a bush off to one of the sides of the camp, she sat down primly and glanced around. It’s rather quaint. I suppose it worked in a pinch, though. How did you ever survive with only your rider to pick on?



Re: Between Here and There [Rhaedalyn] - R'nya - 29.Apr.15

At first, there had been no routine. At first there had only been loneliness and the oppressive guilt of surviving when those he loved and cared about had not. There had been nights and days without sleep, and then what felt like weeks of nothing but sleep. There had been the desire to end it all, and there had been times of nothing but stubborn determination to march on. Through it all, though, there had always been the comforting company of his dragon. R’nya did not know how anyone could survive the loss of their dragon and he knew he would never have that kind of strength.

Xyreith turned to look at him from where he was sitting with Aradissicath, and R’nya sent the dragon reassurance before offering Rhaedalyn a warm look as he rolled her questions around the inside of his mouth and pushed the more depressing aspects of their time away from everyone away. “It was,” he agreed, a light smile touching the corners of his lips but not quite lifting them into a true smile. “It took a while to find our own spot. We were young then and older pairs claimed lands closer to the coast.” Giving Rhaedalyn’s hand a light squeeze, R'nya took slow steps and lead her around to the locations he had just finished pointing out to her.

“It took a while to settle into a routine,” finding a nice spot, R'nya settled on the ground and leaned back against a fallen tree, the sun shining on the back of his head as he patted the ground beside him with his unoccupied hand, inciting Rhaedalyn to join him. “Hunting had previously just been for when Xy was hungry. Suddenly it became a necessity for my own survival.” He gave a dry snort of amusement. “I am not much of a hunter, so Xy would bring down a beast and I would make of it what I could. Weyrlinghood didn't really prepare any of us, but we were equipped to survive, I suppose.”

R'nya picked a leaf up off the ground by him and picked at it one handed, conscious of Rhaedalyn’s fingers woven between his own. She had such delicate hands. Dropping the remains of the leaf he had tortured, R'nya gently lifted Rhaedalyn's hand up and traced her fingers lightly with his own, smiling at the neatly trimmed nails. Her hands were soft from oiling Aradissicath; he supposed his own were from maintaining Xyreith’s but he'd never really noticed. He lifted her hand and placed a light kiss on the top of her knuckles. He lowered her hand slowly, gaze lost in the empty space beyond them as he remembered himself, wondering with quiet embarrassment what had caused such an action.

“It was a good place to call home, while it was required.” He spoke softly, turning to meet Rhaedalyn's gaze. 


Re: Between Here and There [Rhaedalyn] - Rhaedalyn - 30.Apr.15

Rhaedalyn made herself comfortable on the ground beside R’nya, more than happy to simply sit and take in the area and stories he would share. She startled a moment later at the kiss to her hand but smiled gently as she looked down at their hands still entwined and where lips had just grazed against her skin. A glance to R’nya’s face showed the man was indeed lost to his memories and Rhaedalyn continued with her small smile, a new admiration for the bronzerider appearing in her eyes. “You were so brave. You still are, of course! But, to fly to an unknown land and live on your own… I would have been terrified. I don’t think I would have lasted very long, even if I had Aradissicath’s help.” Her voice was soft at the admittance that she would have been useless and likely wouldn’t have survived a month, let alone turns in the wilderness. Her fear of being kicked out of Katila for not Impressing and having to live in a tree no longer lingered now that she had graduated and her dragon had amazing clutches, but she couldn’t help but wonder about all of the survivors and if she had been one of them.

“I think,” she started then paused as her gaze swept over the remains of the camp that had help keep R’nya alive and teach him new survival skills. It was a good area and with her vivid imagination, she could see how it looked in its prime with R’nya bustling over the cooking fire while Xyreith lounged in the fading sunlight before doing the final preparations for the fall of night and the terrors that would bring out. “I think this was the perfect location for everything you needed. I wouldn’t have minded living here if I had to.”

She fell silent as she looked around again, taking a moment longer to watch the dragons interact. They liked to bicker and even with the irritation she could feel from Aradissicath at times, Rhaedalyn knew how fond she was of the bronze and that it was likely all a weird game the two played. She was glad for that, too. Who knows if Xyreith would ever accept her as a friend of R’nya’s without Aradissicath’s presence.

“You know,” she turned her attention back to R’nya, smile a bit brighter as she switched topics based on something R’nya had said earlier, “I like when you call him Xy. It shows that you have a fun and relaxed side and you’re not all Mr. Serious Business,” Rhaedalyn said the nickname in a mock deep voice and then giggled at her attempt. It was true though; she loved every little hint that R’nya was normal just like her. Or, perhaps it was R’nya was a bit strange like her if she went by the popular opinion of those she interacted with regularly. Either way, she liked it and couldn’t help but wonder how he was like with the other goldriders. She saw a bit of his casual side when they went out with Kahleena but she didn’t really associate with the other Golden Girls and had no idea what face R’nya wore with them. One day she would ask him. Today, however, was about the special place he had shown her and opened up in. It was a rarity when he spoke of his past and Rhaedalyn always jumped on the opportunity to learn more.