Rogier looked up from his work on the wide balcony of Remyndal Hall. The balcony was the ideal place to study the stars. And Rogier, enjoying the piece and quiet, often spent his time there, even during the day. When there were no stars he studied the activity below him, it was a small work to change the setting of the telescope from sky to ground. 
Today he had not resisted the urge to watch the rest of the population again. Watching and thinking, the hours went by. That was always the case. This Monday afternoon he thought about his past. He came from a small hold, quite a distant away from Remyndal. Between all the local students he felt out of his place. But he had never felt quite at home in his home hold either. That had been the reason that he'd come here, to learn more than the journeymen in his
own hold could offer. Marks were no obstruction, Rogier was the son of the hold's lord, and even though he was third in line of succession, his father had spent the amount necessary to get Rogier enrolled. Maybe his father had rather see him move out of the picture, too many sons caused trouble when the time came to take over the hold.
At the thought of one day becoming a Lord, Rogier cringed. He had no intentions to deal with humans. All the petty details of their lives that could go wrong and had gone wrong, the responsibility of keeping them fed and safe. Rogier wanted to look out for only one person, himself. Even here, it was obvious to everyone around him, his students, his teachers, that he preferred to be left alone.
Because of this innate personality trait of Rogier, he did not look friendly toward the person that had come up the stairs.
"I see you are busy." Renna said.
The girl was young, even for a Remyndal Hall student, she was hardly over 12 years old, but had been taken in either because she was very talented in her organisation and spying skills, or because Blanca had felt sorry for the though-acting orphan.
"What do you want Renna? Does anyone need me?"
"Nope." the girl shook her head.
Rogier noticed that she had red hair now, somehow she got away with dyeing it. No-one else at the Hall dared try it, though why anyone would object to a change of colour was not clear. Rogier had never felt the urge to change his auburn hair colour, and at his 17 years of age, he was well past the need to rebel against authorities. 
Rogier could hardly contain himself to ask: "then why did you come?" of course, that would go against his moody, einzel-ganger nature. Renna was the only one who could mess with his head. Rogier thought that the young girl hung around him so much just because of it. Of course, the real reason, that he looked like her older brother, who had died along with her parents during a cave-in, was something Rogier would never learn. At one time Renna had played with the thought that Rogier was her brother, hit with amnesia and set to wandering, but he was so different from her extravert, helpful older brother that she had put away those childish dreams soon. Feeling Rogier's burning curiosity she nearly smiled, "I just like to sit here in the sun." she said, answering Rogier's unanswered question, "And to see the sights."
Feeling a bit irritated by the girl's understanding of what he had wanted to know - he was supposed to be a closed book, not an open one! - Rogier did not notice the sound in Renna's voice. She hinted at something that should have wakened his interest.
Renna felt that Rogier did not pick up the cue and shrugged. He would just have to find out for himself what she had learned only this morning. It was a well-kept secret when the dragonriders came to search, but it was a small trick for Renna to get into Blanca's office and memorise the schedules. The reason why she had only heard about this one this late was because this visit was an off-world one. Somewhere, in the whole constellation of stars, a planet had sent out riders to search someone on Pern. The news had been enough to make Renna, who usually enjoyed keeping secrets, want to tell someone right away.
Big-eyed she looked at Rogier's telescope. She wondered if he knew where the planet that had send their searchriders, was in the galaxy. She opened her mouth to ask just that question, when the dragon appeared above Remyndal.
Rogier felt the chill in the air when a dragon passed through from Between. The green dragoness was smaller than most greens, and differed slightly in colouring. Rogier noticed this from the moment she entered the air. The words of Renna whirled through his mind and again he wondered how this little girl got her information. It was almost as if Blanca told her everything she asked to know, though he knew that dragonrider visits were kept secret.
"This sight?" he asked.
"We're here to impress dragons." Renna smiled excited.
"You maybe, I happen to be here to study the stars."
"Then why is this dragon looking at you."
Startled Rogier looked down. The dragon was indeed staring at him, her yellow-orange eyes glowing faintly.
"There's something strange about the dragon."
Grinning Renna sang: "I know why!"
Rogier turned to the girl and did not bother to keep up appearances: "Tell me."
"She's a dragon from offworld. The people she takes will impress on another planet. I think that's why she likes you."
"How so?"
"You're already aiming for the skies. One day I want to go there maybe, or even to a Weyr. You must feel lucky to have been chosen."
"I'd trade places." Rogier said coldly.
"Then you are an idiot." Renna said, "Or unbelievably stubborn. I know where you came from, even if you tried to hide it." her eyes were very serious and she looked almost adult when she spoke those words, "Do not waste this opportunity."
"But my studies..."
"There will be stars at this new planet too. And imagine, when you come back you'll be the only one who will have seen them."
Renna smiled at him, got up and said: "I'm going down to meet the rider, who knows, she might come back for me later."
And gone she was, her twin pony tails hopping on her head as she took the stairs down. Sighing, Rogier looked down and saw the dragon still looking at him.
"What are you looking at?" he asked.
"She speaks sense." Dresynith spoke, "You should not give up the opportunity."
"Are dragons supposed to talk to strangers?"
"When they wish to do so." Dresynith smiled, "Besides, you won't be a stranger once I take you to Lantessama. What do you say? The stars are beautiful over Lantessama. You might even visit them up close."
"No-one can travel into space."
"But you can travel into the Elsewhere... I could take you to see the stars now, but my rider has business here. She wishes to sample the klah and compare it to coffee."
"Coffee?" Rogier asked.
"I have not tasted it myself, but it makes my rider happy and alert. I like ice cream more though. Sugar makes me happy."
"ice cream..."
"We have a lot of connections to other worlds." Dresynith laughed in his mind. "If you wish to explore as the young girl hinted at, you will like Lantessama."
"You know Renna?"
"She has much potential, but she is too young. With time however she will make a dragon hatchling very happy. You are ready now though."
"You make me feel like a piece of cattle ready to be eaten."
"Afraid?" Dresynith asked, "I meant you can take the responsibility even if you wish to avoid it."
Hearing the word 'responsibility' Rogier wanted to run off as fast as he could. he had promised himself he would never take responsibility for anyone beside himself.
"Then you should break that promise. One day, you will know why you need to to be happy. You might not know it, but you already have a responsibility."
"Which is?"
"To come back for someone..."
"Who?"
"I promised not to tell." Dresynith smiled, "But you'll figure it out. I am quite good at 'hints'."
"In all this, do I have a choice?"
"Hmm, yes, but I'd advice against it."
"Have you found anyone Dresynith?" the rider's voice asked.
"How about it?" the green dragon asked.
"...Ok then." Rogier sighed.
"I have found one."
Privatly, Maira asked her dragon, "This isn't another one of the unlucky few you have pushed into it?"
"He is right, trust me. He just has to realise and believe it."
Casting her eyes to the sky, Maira sighed at the stubborn nature of her dragon. But finding one this easy did mean she had more time to drink klah, not that bad a situation to be in, ... she hoped.

Continue to the Hatching
Continue with Renna's story

Lantessama Isle