Chap. 29 Graduation week

Chap. 29  Graduation week part 1

Really?

It'd been a year. An entire year!!

In a week, he'd graduate. He'd be a dragonrider, not just a Weyrling, a dragon rider.

K'ndar reflected on all that he'd accomplished, all that he'd learned.

He turned the Weyrling braid he'd worn, over and over in his hands. It'd been Uncle Fland's. Passed on to him through less than happy circumstances, his training had removed the…curse? that had been on it. Only now could he admit that, at first, he'd been wary of it. But he wasn't superstitious. In fact, he thought, maybe it had brought him GOOD luck.

Of course it'd been good luck. Look what he had: a weyr to himself, shared only with his dragon, Raventh. The dragon was sporting in the surf at the moment with half a dozen other dragons, most of them his clutchmates. THEY weren't concerned that, in a few days, they'd be fully invested dragons. In their minds, they already were. They had always been dragons.

Preparations for the graduation ceremonies were in full speed. He knew his family was coming, probably by horseback. 

As if she'd heard him, he heard a familiar call: "Kandarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr?." His sister, Glyena!!

Then he heard a very familiar whinny. Jordan, his horse! They HAD ridden here, which meant…Uncle Fland had come, too.

He ran to the barn. He saw his mother. His sister Glyena, his mother and Uncle Fland,  were dismounting. Mardriss, his brother was absent as he was Cotholder, now. He was glad, indeed overjoyed, that his father hadn't  come.

 Nyala, his friend, was directing several drudges to take the family's horses.

"Want some help?" he asked, coming up to them. As a group, they all turned around and mobbed him. It wasn't easily done, as they held reins in one hand each, but they hugged him in a group.

"Kandar. You've grown!" His mother said, kissing him on the cheek.

He looked over her head at Nyala and grinned.

One of the drudges reached for Glyena's reins.

Glyena snatched her grey's reins from the drudge's reach. "Hands off," she snapped, "these are my horses. Tell me where to put everything and I'll take care of them, I know them better than you."

Everyone froze. After a few moments of disbelief, Daryat pounced.

"Glyena, shame on you. That is completely unacceptable. You are rude.  Apologize," she snapped, in a tone that brooked no argument.

Glyena didn't quite frown-but her resistance was obvious.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, her eyes on the ground, in a tone that said she was anything but.

"Glyena?????" Daryat said, her tone saying, that wasn't good enough.

Astonished and embarrassed, K'ndar saw something disturbing about his sister that he'd never seen before. Of course, it'd been an entire year since he'd seen her. What was so familiar and yet so strange about her-that look, that tone, wherrrrrrrrre had he seen that posture, that tone of voice…

His father. Tyrannical and abusive Hanliss.

Her attitude, her body language, her domineering tone to drudges-it was pure Hanliss.

Oh shards no.

The girl looked for rescue at K'ndar. He looked hard at her. He had no idea where he summoned the words, but subconsciously, he thought, this thing in her needs to be nipped in the bud right NOW.

Summoning every bit of the alpha male that he had very little of, he said,

"Glyena, these men and women may be drudges, but they are good honest people, hard-working people.  My friend, Nyala, is the Weyr's Masterherder. She and all of her staff are experienced handlers of all beasts, not just horses. They ALL deserve respect, no matter who they are. You notice they've been respectful of YOU. " 

All of them looked down as much as they were able, on the girl. 

"I'm sorry, please. I apologize," she said to the drudge. The words were there, the tone was not. It was artificial,coming from sullen obedience, not honest apology.

Glyena released the reins of the grey she'd ridden to the man, and settling her backpack unnecessariy, retreated to stand behind her mother.

The adults were embarrassed and shocked at her Glyena's behavior. Daryat had had no idea how Glyena treated their hands at home, but now she realized, it had probably been going on, unknownst to her or the family, for a while. Hands didn't complain about the bosses' kids.

She, too, saw Hanliss in her daughter. Damn that man.

"Please, ma'am accept my apologies. I will deal with my daughter later," she said, humiliated.

"I understand," Nyala said. "Apology accepted."

Still dismayed, K'ndar  led his family to the tunnels where guests would be quartered for Graduation and the following Gather. They'd made good time, he noted. Being here a week ahead would give him time to cover the events of the past year. There was so much to talk about!

 After they'd settled in, they met up for evening meal in the dining hall. 

"They've made a lot of improvements," his uncle, Fland had said, sitting down with a plate, "I'm sure that's due to the influence of Aivas. The fans in the weyrs must make a big difference in keeping them cool!  But it's still almost the same place as to when I was here." He'd been there as a Weyrling, twenty years earlier, but had left the Weyr after losing his dragon in an accident. Only because his nephew, K'ndar, had Impressed and was graduating had he returned. As had his ghosts.

Daryat and Glyena had flow in dragonback for the Impression, but had left the next day. Thus they'd not had much time to look around.

K'ndar found it hard to grasp the concept that his family had changed in subtle ways. They looked like they always had, but there were changes he couldn't pin. Mum was a bit older looking, Glyena taller and maturing, Fland? Fland never changed.

People didn't change in one's memory. Children didn't grow up.  And yet they all had.

Hanliss, his father, had recovered some of his faculties after a stroke, now being able to speak. His brother, Mardriss, had a partner now who was a pregnant with his first child.

 Glyena had planned on sitting with the adults, but she'd met several girls her own age at the Weyr, and was chattering away, enjoying the rare opportunity to talk with her peers.

It gave the adults more time to discuss serious issues.

The first, and most recent, was Glyena herself.

Daryat was still distraught-and humiliated at her daughter's treatment of the Masterherder's staff.

"I've been noticing that she's gotten a bit more belligerent, more argumentive, but I never dreamed she'd be so brutally rude to other people," she was saying.

K'ndar was at a loss. He had seen how the Weyr's children were polite and respectful, at least when adults were around. He had no doubt that they still got into mischief when there were only other kids.  Weyr kids were surrounded by alpha adults…and dragons who would tell on them!

But  being separated from the family for a year also allowed him to see the profound change in his sister, something he'd probably would never have noticed if he'd still be living at home.

"I've seen it, too, Daryat, but, given what a lout my brother is, it doesn't surprise me.  Sandriss went to his fists and lit out, Mardriss bore it with stoicism, and K'ndar shut down into his own world. Little girls don't have that escape route," Fland said.

K'ndar dared to say it to his mother. "Even you, Mum. You took it and took it. I am lucky, I could escape. You could not."

She shook her head, tears in her eyes. "A woman doesn't have as much freedom, as men do, Kandar. K'ndar," she corrected herself, never trusting that she'd always be able to remember.

"When a man loses a fight to another man, he can leave and find a new life. When a woman loses a fight to a man, she loses everything. Sometimes, she loses her life."

K'ndar had never given a thought to what life was like for a woman. Living in the Weyr had allowed him to see men who loved their children, treated their wives or partners with respect, kindness, and love. He hoped, he intended, to be the man they were, rather than the lout his father was.

"I was so grateful to leave, Mum. I've missed you so badly, but I don't miss Dad in the slightest and I'm glad he didn't come."

"Being here, it's like I'm seeing you all for the first time. For instance, Glyena. I know, now, what is going on with her. She's turned into Dad."

They all nodded in agreement, dismayed and distressed.

"There's no one for her to turn to, other than me, and you know how Hanliss controls THAT." Daryat said, "I don't know what to do. I can't let him turn her into another Hanliss. It's not right for her."

She looked over at Glyena, who was bubbling over, happy and chattering away with her new friends.

"She's gone from what she is over there, to a sullen, angry child at home. I miss that younger girl."

"Hanliss has always been hard to live with. Now, after the stroke, he's worse. Only Fland and Mardriss keep him from beating me." She looked at Fland. In her mind, she thought, I partnered with the wrong man.

With an enormous sense of relief that she could finally speak her mind, she said,"Fland, thank you, for protecting me."

Fland nodded, nobly. "Of course, my lady. But you note, he's not stopped. He's merely shifted his anger onto Glyena and the hands. It's why we've lost most of them."

They shook their heads, lost in thought. The giggling of the girls rose up for a moment and then died. Glyena ran over. "Mum, Mum, the girls want me to go see new puppies. May I?"

"Of course, dear, but remember: you are a guest here. Carry yourself as a lady."

"Yes,m!!" she cried and ran back.

Daryat was almost in tears. "I think we left THAT Glyena here when we were here for Impression. The one that went home to the cothold is the one that…" she stopped, at a loss as to what to do. Life at the cothold had always been hard, due to Hanliss's tyranny and abuse.  Being at the Weyr, even for a short time, was like being unchained. She felt half guilty, being able to speak her mind without fear of Hanliss's retaliation.

The thought crossed her mind that she could leave him. It was something that had never been there before. Their relationship had always been one of convenience. Hanliss would never love anyone save himself. She'd never given a thought to leaving. She'd been so young when they partnered. The children had been the main reason, that and she so dearly loved the steppe, her gardens, the trees she'd planted and tended, -even the hands. But now, with Mardriss  as Cotholder, and Glyena, her last child, old enough to…to do what? What was keeping her? Her mind began mulling the idea when the noise of the hall was broken by an excited voice.

"By the egg, is that you Daryat? Daryat!!"  Hariko, the Weyr's headwoman came in a rush. If the Weyrwoman was the brains, Hariko was the beating, loving heart of the weyr. Very little missed her oversight, and everyone, even the beasts, loved her.

"My word, Hariko! Hariko!!" the two women embraced. Hariko was much shorter and rather rotund, but no one minded. "By the egg, how long has it been!"

"You have a Weyrling here?! I had no idea!! K'ndar! You didn't tell me Daryat was your mother??! No more pies for you!!"

"Buh buh buh…" K'ndar stuttered, surprised at the connection between the two women and scared with the sudden concept of being in deep trouble with the Headwoman!

 Everyone laughed.

Hariko grasped Daryat by the arms. "How…were you here for Impression?"  Daryat nodded, overjoyed at seeing her friend from childhood.

"We came dragonback, just for an overnight and the Impression. How in the name of Pern did I miss seeing YOU?"

"I was a tad busy, don't you know!  Just like now! I want so badly to catch up on us. It's been YEARS since we've seen each other! But I have so much to do, and I’m suddenly shorthanded, one of my girls just had a baby and…"

Daryat stopped her. "Hariko. We got here a few days early. We plan on staying for the Gather afterwards.  I'm not going to sit around watching everyone work their hands off. What can I do to help?"

Hariko beamed. "Dary, you sweetheart. You always were the one to count on." She looked at Fland and K'ndar.

"Excuse us, gentlemen? I've snared Daryat. You might want to leave or I'll put you to work, I shall!" she grasped Daryat's arm and they walked off.

Ah, Hariko, Daryat thought, no better person than you to discuss leaving Hanliss.