The White Dragon - Chapter Three
Aug. 15th, 2020 01:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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i_read_what(A note: this review complains a bit about my timeline confusion at the time I was reading. Actually, I was wrong. The timeline issue IS cleared up by chapter headings that I completely managed to miss. Oops. Chapter One takes place in the 12th Turn of the Present Pass, while Chapter Three takes place in the 15th Turn. So Jaxom should be 18-19 in this chapter. Mea culpa.)
So last time, things were pretty readable. Robinton referenced an adventure we hadn't read yet. F'lar and Lessa did some leadery stuff, and we met a new Lord, Toric, who's pretty damn willing to push for what he wants. I like that.
I feel like it helped that no one was trying to convince me to pity this poor unfortunate heir to a throne, with a dragon.
Look, I'm not saying that Jaxom can't have had an unhappy childhood. Or even that said unhappy childhood has to manifest in a certain way. But please consider how likely it is that a peasant boy should be able to openly bully the heir to the throne, when EVERYONE KNOWS that this is the heir to the throne. Oh and he also has a telepathic dragon!
McCaffrey can and has handled this kind of thing better.
And in fact, chapter 3 starts with Jaxom finally asserting his authority:
"I am the Lord of this Hold," Jaxom went on, staring first at Dorse, his milk-brother. "I am Ruth's rider. He is unmistakably a dragon." Jaxom now bent his gaze on Brand, the head steward whose jaw had dropped in surprise. "He is, as usual," and Jaxom's glance flickered across Lytol's blankly puzzled face, "in the very good health he has enjoyed since his Hatching." Jaxom passed over the four fosterlings who were all too new at Ruatha Hold to have started jibing at him. "And yes," he said directly to Deelan, his milk-mother whose lower lip was quivering at her nursling's startling behavior, "this is the day when I go to the Smithcrafthall where, as you all well know, I shall be served with the food and courtesy adequate to my needs and station. Therefore," and his glance swept the faces around the table, "the subjects of this morning's conversation do not need to be aired again in my presence. Have I made myself clear?"
Now here, I'm going to be a little hypocritical and suggest that maybe this rant would have worked better if we actually saw the events that led up to it. Because here's the thing, it's pretty implausible to me that a peasant boy can openly bully a child raised from birth to be Lord of the Realm. It's a lot more plausible to me that said child can be a bully himself. After all, there's only one party in this exchange with any real power.
By starting the chapter with this rant, McCaffrey is assuming we've bought enough into what was established before to assume that this is justified, and I'm not sure I do.
Jaxom hears Lytol call his name, but ignores him:
This time it would not be Jaxom, however young a Lord or Ruatha Hold he still was, who apologized for his behavior. The enormous backlog of similar incidents, manfully swallowed or overlooked for any number of logical reasons, swept aside every consideration except to put as much distance between himself and his invidious position, his too reasonable and conscientious guardian and the obnoxious group of people who mistook daily intimacy for license.
Okay, actually THIS works better as a source of angst for Jaxom. Not the idea that he's being bullied, because seriously? That could have and should have been stopped at once. (And the other disadvantage of the rant above is that Jaxom could have done it any time and thus put an end to things.)
I do think it must be difficult for a young boy given all that power to determine who his real friends are, versus who is probably currying favor. It's easy to imagine children cozying up for a favor, or adults coddling him, and that being very persuasive compared to his strict and chilly (or wounded) guardian.
Unfortunately, my sympathy does disappear a little when Jaxom basically flees his problems by leaping onto HIS OWN PERSONAL DRAGON.
"You're twice the dragon the others are. Twice! You're better at everything! Everything!" Jaxom's thought was so turbulent that Ruth trumpeted defiance.
You know, Ms. McCaffrey. If you HAD to have this bullying plot, it might have made more sense if it took place in the Weyr?
Because the Weyr is an interesting place. It's outside of the authority of the realms. And there, Jaxom wouldn't be the only kid with a FUCKING DRAGON. Instead, he'd be one of many: the kid who broke the rules and ended up with the tiny, androgynous runt. The Benden Weyrleaders are the de facto rulers of the world. THOSE are kids that I could imagine being able to bully Jaxom.
Oh, and to make it even stupider, Ruth flies between, going to the high mountain lake above the Hold which is their special retreat.
Yes, this kid who inherits a kingdom from birth, has his own private dragon, and a secret lake retreat...what a tragic life he leads.
I'm probably not being fair here, admittedly. Jaxom DOES seem like a good kid, and it's not his fault that his storyline is annoying.
Jaxom and Ruth have a conversation that's really interesting:
Why do you let them upset you? Ruth asked, his eyes whirling with love and affection for his weyrmate.
"A very good question," Jaxom replied after a full moment's consideration. "But they know exactly how." Then he laughed. "This is where all that objectivity Robinton talks about ought to operate . . . and doesn't."
The Masterharper is honored for his wisdom. Ruth sounded uncertain, and his tone made Jaxom smile.
He was always being told that dragons had no ability to understand abstract concepts or complex relationships. Too often Ruth surprised him by remarks that cast doubt on the theory. Dragons, particularly Ruth in Jaxom's biased opinion, obviously perceived far more than others credited to them. Even Weyrleaders like F'lar or Lessa and even N'ton. Thinking about the Fort Weyrleader reminded Jaxom that he now had a particular reason for going to the Mastersmithhall this morning. N'ton, who would be there to hear Wansor, was the only rider Jaxom felt would be likely to help him.
On one hand, I like that Jaxom's isolation from the Weyr has led to a dynamic that feels very different from the other dragon-rider pairs that we've seen so far. Ruth definitely talks a lot more than any of the dragons that we've seen so far. Canth, for example, had all of a handful of lines total. Ramoth and especially Mnementh have more speaking lines, but don't seem to be as involved in casual conversation as Ruth is.
It leads to some interesting theories about how the Dragons may develop to suit their riders' needs. Lessa doesn't need a conversation partner, really. She needs an anchor. Someone who can be steady and solid and calm her down when she gets into an anxiety spiral. F'lar seems to have a genuine issue with comprehending and interpreting emotional responses. Mnementh therefore speaks more than Ramoth does, but more as an interpreter and a guide for appropriate social response.
Canth, Wirenth and Prideth rarely spoke at all.
If we then look at Ruth's conversational ability as compensation for the loneliness and isolation that Jaxom feels, that makes a lot of sense.
On the other hand though, this becomes yet another way that Jaxom is special. And honestly, I'm already getting a little tired of that.
So we find out a little bit of what caused Jaxom's temper tantrum:
It had begun like other mornings, with Dorse's trite comments about oversized firelizards, with Lytol's habitual query about Ruth's health-as if the dragon were likely to deteriorate overnight- and with Deelan snidely repeating that sickeningly old hoot about visitors starving at the Smithcrafthall. To be sure, Deelan's mothering had lately begun to irritate Jaxom, especially when the dear soul invariably fondled him in front of her seething natural son, Dorse. All the time-honored, worn-out nonsense that started a day, every day, at Ruatha Hold. Why, today, should it jerk him to his feet in a fury and drive him from the Hall he was Lord of, fleeing from people over whom, in theory, he had all control and right?
I actually like this. I think the implication of Dorse being a full on bully is stupid, but the idea that a resentful foster brother might make passive aggressive comments. Okay. And the idea that a foster mother might favor her privileged royal foster son over her natural son makes a LOT of sense to me. Basically, I think for the dynamic to work, we all need to acknowledge that Jaxom is the one with the power here.
But be kinder to Lytol, Jaxom.
Anyway, Jaxom apologizes to Ruth. Ruth doesn't mind. He gets a nice, quiet swim before they go onto the Smithcrafthall. As Ruth spreads his wings, a bunch of firelizards appear, broadcasting thoughts of smug satisfaction that they found him. Hee, cats. Jaxom resents the idea that the firelizards are keeping track of him like he's "an unbreeched child or an Oldtimer".
Jaxom cycles between regret and resentment. He DOES understand that they must be worried, even though the lake is about the only place he would go, and the firelizards can keep an eye on him anywhere. The firelizards are normally pretty amusing but right now, Jaxom thinks they're a pain in the ass. He does however think of good advice:
"Analyze," Lytol was fond of directing him. "Think objectively. You can't govern others until you can control yourself and see the broader, forward looking view."
Lytol is so damn great. Listen to Lytol.
So Jaxom is thinking about his outburst, but not the cause. The reactions. First, the dispatch of firelizards to find him. Because, yeah, dude, you're an underage king who just ran off. People are probably fucking frantic.
And here's something worth analyzing:
Another, the look of stunned amazement on Dorse's face. That had been the first time Jaxom had ever rounded on his milk-brother, though, Shells, it was only the thought of Lytol's displeasure at his loss of control that had kept Jaxom's temper in check so long. Dorse loved nothing better than to taunt Jaxom about Ruth's lack of stature, masking his malicious jibes in mock-brotherly quarrels, knowing all too well that Jaxom could not retaliate without a rebuke from Lytol for conduct unbecoming his rank and station. Jaxom had long outgrown the need for Deelan's fussing but innate kindness and gratitude to her for the milk which had nourished him after his premature birth had long prevented Jaxom from asking Lytol to retire her.
See, for me, this puts a complete lie to the idea that Jaxom is a bullied underdog. It's not that Jaxom is too frightened to act. It's not that he's hurt and wounded. Jaxom is very much aware of his power and his ability to put a stop to Dorse's behavior. He's just not willing to take the consequences of exercising his power.
That's a choice. Maybe not a palatable one, but it's a choice.
Jaxom notices one of the firelizards scolding the others, and realizing that it's his milkmother's lizard. They're apparently similar in manner. This leads Jaxom to think about his real issue:
Ruth was the best dragon in all Pern. If- and now Jaxom recognized the underlying cause of his rebellion- Ruth was ever allowed to be. Immediately all the frustrated anger of the morning returned, disrupting what little objectivity he had gained at the peaceful lakeside. Neither he, Jaxom, Lord of Ruatha, nor Ruth, the white runt of Ramoth's clutch, were allowed to be what they really were.
Jaxom was Lord Holder in name only, because Lytol administered the Hold, made all its decisions, spoke in Council for Ruatha. Jaxom had yet to be confirmed by the other Lord Holders as Lord of Ruatha. True, a matter of form only since there was no other male on Pern with Ruathan Blood. Besides, Lessa, the only living fullblooded Ruathan, had relinquished her blood right to Jaxom at the moment of his birth.
Jaxom knew he could never be a dragonrider because he had to be Lord Holder of Ruatha. Only he was not really a Lord Holder because he couldn't go up to Lytol and just say: "I'm old enough to take over now! Thanks and goodbye!" Lytol had worked too hard and long to make Ruatha prosper to take second place to the bumblings of an untried youth. Lytol only lived for Ruatha. He'd lost so much else: first his own dragon, then his small family to Fax's greed. All his life now centered about Ruathan fields and wheat, and runners, and how many wherry bucks...
No, in all fairness, he would simply have to wait until Lytol, who enjoyed vigorous health, died a natural death before he started Holding at Ruatha.
...I'm pretty sure regency doesn't work that way. I'm pretty sure that the terms are that Jaxom will inherit on his maturity, once the other Lords swear him in. (And I think everyone's still much too afraid of Lessa to NOT swear him in.)
And honestly, at 11 or 12, Jaxom's old enough to realize that. Unless you're telling me that no one explained how regency works.
Ah, but here's the thing:
But, Jaxom continued his thoughts logically, if Lytol is active so that Ruatha Hold is not in dispute, why couldn't he and Ruth occupy their time learning to be proper dragon and rider. Every fighting dragon was needed now, what with Thread falling from the Red Star at unexpected intervals. Why should he have to trudge about the countryside, lugging a clumsy flamethrower when he could more effectively fight Thread if Ruth were only allowed to chew firestone? Just because Ruth was half the size of the other dragons didn't mean he wasn't a proper dragon in all other respects.
Jaxom doesn't want to be Lord of Ruatha. He wants to be a dragonrider. And he resents everyone for pushing him in other directions. That makes sense, and it makes his earlier statements read like the denial they are.
Jaxom knows how this works, but he doesn't want to admit it. And to be honest, I still think he has a point. If Lessa couldn't rule Ruatha and be a dragonrider, why should Jaxom?
You are a dragonrider. You are also, and Ruth said this slowly as if trying to understand it all himself, a Lord Holder. You are a student with the Mastersmith and the Masterharper. You are a friend of Menolly, Mirrim, F'lessan and N'ton. Ramoth knows our name. So does Mnementh. And they know me. You have to be a lot of people. That is hard.
It probably is hard. And I'm liking this chapter better than chapter one, because I do think it's about problems that Jaxom ACTUALLY has as opposed to trying to pretend he's a poor bullied scrub.
Anyway, N'ton is coming. Apparently one of the little brown firelizards that came is his. Ruth apparently can identify the firelizards by sight, which is kind of fascinating. Jaxom is alarmed and asks why Ruth didn't tell him. Ruth had wanted his swim. They quickly head back...going between TIMES as well as places.
Oh, you irresponsible children. Jaxom makes a token protest, but Ruth insists that he always knows where he's going. Which is apparently something few dragons can say.
Jaxom has made it to the Smithcrafthall complex.
And I'm realizing that I have no idea WHEN this is taking place. Clearly after Dragondrums, because when Jaxom gets to the Hall, he sees F'lessan's bronze Golanth and Mirrim's green Path.
The last time we've seen F'lessan, he was six years old. And Mirrim having a dragon is a fairly big spoiler. Sorry. I suppose Ms. McCaffrey was right about the recommended reading order. That's my fault, Ms. McCaffrey, not yours.
F'lessan better not have a bronze at age six, McCaffrey. I do not hold with that at all.
But also, if we are late enough in the timeline that F'lessan and Mirrim have their dragons, then Jaxom should fucking well know how regency works. Which also means he's a little old to be skipping duty. (A quick glance back at the first page of the chapter shows me that Jaxom is described as having "broad yet bony shoulders", which is not fucking helpful McCaffrey)
Poor Jaxom can't really win with me, can he.
To add to my confusion about timelines, N'ton hands Jaxom the jacket he'd left at the Weyr and bitches about his old bones. Conveniently, N'ton hadn't spoken to Lytol. Instead, he'd run into Deelan, who was weeping, and basically grabbed the jacket and fled.
N'ton really is F'lar's protege, isn't he?
So Jaxom confesses that he'd told off the Hold that morning. N'ton is unsurprised. He'd apparently told Lytol that it wouldn't be long. He asks what tipped Jaxom off, and it was the criticism of Ruth of course. Everyone calls Ruth an overgrown firelizard.
And this STILL doesn't work for me. Sure, in the Weyr, I can imagine people being dismissive of Ruth. But Ruatha, for all that it's got a historic association with dragonriders, are still normal people. Normal people are still pretty fucking impressed by firelizards. Normal people do not get up close and personal with dragons. And normal people ought to see why a firelizard LARGE ENOUGH TO RIDE ON is a notable thing.
If you came up to me with a housecat the size of a riding horse, I'm not going to dismiss that!
Anyway, the dragonriders have all defended Ruth against that accusation. And again, to me this is backwards. The dragonriders are the ones used to far more sizable and impressive dragons. If anything THEY should be dismissing Ruth, not the other way around. But that'd require the Weyr to be wrong.
This is still the problem with McCaffrey in this series at least. She's got no inclination toward nuance. The good people are good and always right, the bad people are bad and always wrong. Even if it doesn't make sense.
So Jaxom wants to know then, if Ruth is a real dragon, why can't he act like one. Meaning a full fighting dragon.
BECAUSE YOU'RE THE FUCKING LORD OF RUATHA, YOU SNOT-NOSED LITTLE TWERP.
I'm sorry, I recognize that Jaxom is acting realistically as a teenager. I just...ugh.
Eventually, N'ton explains that it's not about ability, it's about Jaxom not getting himself fucking killed. And we get more confirmation that Jaxom DOES know how regency works and is just in denial.
"But I'm not Lord of Ruatha either. Not yet! Lytol is. He makes all the decisions ... I just listen, and nod my head like a sunstruck wherry." Jaxom faltered, aware he was implying criticism of Lytol. "I mean, I know Lytol has to manage until the Lord Holders confirm me ... and I don't really want Lytol to leave Ruatha Hold. But if I could be a dragonrider, it wouldn't come to that. You see?"
N'ton sympathizes with Jaxom more than I do. If it were up to him, he'd have him join a wing, and have Ruth chew firestone. But it's not.
Meanwhile, Jaxom IS apparently old enough to be confirmed as Lord Holder "or do something else constructive" and N'ton will speak to Lytol and F'lar.
WHEN THE HELL ARE WE?
"Lytol will say that I am Lord Holder, and F'lar will say Ruth isn't big enough for a fighting wing"
"And I won't say anything if you act like a sulky boy."
Also stop whining Jaxom. If you're old enough to be Lord Holder, you're old enough to stop fucking whining. But thank you for being an adult, N'ton. Sadly, N'ton gives Jaxom some validation by telling him not to let anyone CATCH him giving Ruth firestone.
N'ton, please, stop enabling this kid.
So now, Jaxom enters the Smithcrafthall. Robinton is in there. F'lar is with him, as are a few other Weyrleaders and a Masterherdsman. There are also half a wing of bronze riders, Lord Holders, and other people. No Lessa though. Aw.
F'lessan calls him over. Maybe we can get an age range for him? Maybe? He better not fucking be six years old.
He certainly reads a lot older, and banters a bit with Jaxom about the size of the audience. Groghe's son Benelek is there too, and he and F'lessan clash because Benelek is too literal minded to appreciate F'lessan's wise cracks. At least from the banter, we can tell that F'lessan is at the age where he eats pretty much everything. Which can mean somewhere between 14 and 18.
Which means that Jaxom should be about 18 to 20. If that's true, then the scrap of sympathy I do have for this kid is starting to wane. He's old enough to know what all this means.
So anyway, the gathering is for Wansor, the Pernese Astronomer or "Starsmith" (term coined by Menolly) who helped track the Red Star in Dragonquest. He seems to have very little idea of what's going on. His clothing is not appropriate for the gathering, he babbles, and keeps greeting people by name.
It occurs to me that I've seen the trope of the absent-minded astronomer in a number of science fiction novels and I'm wondering if there isn't some sort of common individual they're all referencing.
Wansor asks after N'ton, wanting to pull him to the front of the room, because he's put in so much work. Fandarel, thank god, is impatient with all of this and yells at Wansor for wasting time. Wansor comes to order.
Wansor might be disheveled and confused, but his charts aren't. And his presentation is definitely NOT dithering. However, Jaxom barely pays attention, focusing instead on N'ton's firestone comment. He considers whether or not he can get F'lessan to help, and then thinks some pretty unflattering things about his friends:
He glanced at the friend of his boyhood, who had Impressed a bronze two Turns ago. Candidly, Jaxom did not consider F'lessan more than a boy and certainly not serious enough about his responsibilities as a bronze rider. He was grateful that F'lessan had never told anyone that Jaxom had actually touched Ruth's egg when the dragon was still in its shell on the Hatching Ground. Of course, that would have been a serious offense against the Weyr. F'lessan would scarcely regard teaching a dragon to chew firestone as anything at all remarkable.
Mirrim? Jaxom glanced toward the girl. The morning sun slanted through her browny hair, catching golden glints which he'd never noticed before. She was oblivious to anything but Wansor's words. She'd probably give Jaxom an argument about not precipitating the Weyr into more problems and then set one of those firelizards of hers on him to be sure he didn't set himself ablaze.
Wow. That's...really dickish, Jaxom. What the hell?
Am I supposed to like F'lessan a lot more than I like Jaxom? Because right now, I do. Also, technically, I still think F'lessan has as much right to claim Ruatha as Jaxom does. Even with the dragon. If Ruth doesn't disqualify Jaxom, than Golanth shouldn't disqualify F'lessan. And Ramoth shouldn't disqualify Lessa herself.
But why doesn't F'lessan get named when people talk about how Lessa is the last of the Ruathan Blood?
So anyway, Jaxom rules out the others. The other bronze rider is lucky to get a name at all, he's that unimportant, while Benelek "ignore[s] dragons and firelizards as completely as they ignore[] him.". I think I'm supposed to disapprove of that, but actually, that sounds kind of awesome. He's apparently really big into machines and diagrams, and he and Fanderal understand each other personally.
So then Jaxom thinks of Menolly. Which makes sense, because why shouldn't the two characters most unjustly favored by the narrative team up...it works for Drizzt and Artemis Entreri:
Menolly? Menolly was just the person, if he did need someone, in spite of her predilection for putting anything she heard into a tune-a trick that was occasionally a real nuisance. But that talent made her an excellent Harper, in fact she was the first girl to be one in living memory. He stole a long look at her. Her lips were vibrating slightly and he wondered if she were already putting Wansor's stars to music.
Oh yes, tell me again how massively elegant Marc Remillard is, Julian May.
To translate this wisecrack that only one reader will understand: there's really no reason for Jaxom, who is not a musician nor is he thinking anything particularly music related here, to tangent into how Menolly is an excellent Harper. I do however like the acknowledgement that Menolly's habit of composing really fucking intrusive music is annoying. I hope someday Brekke will be allowed to have a reaction to her eponymous song.
So Wansor's speech, what we hear of it, sounds pretty interesting. He starts off with the basic idea that the stars mark time and were used in Lessa's trip back in time. He continues by emphasizing that understanding the stars, their orbit and speed, will allow someone to compute the position in the heavens.
Basically, they can now predict Threadfall, according to the position of the Red Star, when in conjunction with other celestial bodies. Cool. Anyway, the long and the short is, he's figured out why F'lar's charts stopped working, and that they should work again after certain stars stop influencing each other.
And now there's an equation that should help them figure out other issues with this particular Threadfall. They can even predict the exact moment then NEXT Pass will begin, which is going to be a long way away of course. But hey, if they actually WRITE THIS SHIT DOWN, they might be able to prevent the kind of idiocy we saw at the beginning of Dragonflight.
In fact:
“And we must make sure that no one forgets in the long Interval this time,” Mastersmith Fandarel said, his bass voice startling everyone after Wansor’s light tenor. “That’s what this union is all about, you know,” Fandarel added, gesturing to the audience.
I love Fandarel.
Jaxom has the thought that, when he was younger, he'd had the egocentric notion that these sessions were more to give him something to do if Ruth died. But now he realizes how self-centered that was, and that this is actually pretty important.
I won't bitch at him for this. This seems like the sort of realization most young people come to at some point. Don't worry, I'm sure I'll find more reason to bitch at Jaxom.
Jaxom's speculation drifts to Southern Hold. The students apparently have pretty detailed maps of the surrounding land, and there are indications that the Southern Continent is even bigger than they thought five years ago. And he knows that Robinton had been in the Southern Land recently. He knows that the Dragonriders are keeping an eye on things there and wonders if the Oldtimers are keeping an eye on things here.
There've apparently been a LOT of changes: expanding forestland all protected by grubs, for example.
I'm still confused as to timeline, but the five year mark would imply at least that Jaxom is, at youngest, sixteen. It sounds like he's quite a bit older.
Things start getting heated in the audience, and the kids use this time to chat. F'lessan is wondering if they can use Wansor's equations to safely travel forward in time. Mirrim, the Hermione of the group, thinks that's a terrible idea, and that F'lessan could end up in cliff, or a crowd, or surrounded by thread.
Benelek, the Spock, of the group, thinks that it would serve no logical purpose. But F'lessan thinks it's fun. They could find out what the Oldtimers are up to. He seems pretty frustrated with this whole "school" idea: he thinks it's turning them all into "do-nothing talkers. And thinkers.". No one ever does anything, except when fighting Thread. He gets distracted then by food, which is pretty funny.
Jaxom is absorbed with F'lessan's mention of fighting thread, while Menolly appears to add her sense:
“That F’lessan!” Menolly said at his ear. “He wants to keep glory in the bloodline. A bit of derring-do ... ” and her sea-blue eyes danced with laughter as she added, “for me to tune about!” Then she sighed. “And he’s not the type at all. He doesn’t think beyond himself. But he’s got a good heart. C’mon! We’d better lend a hand with the food.”
Have we mentioned that Menolly plays music today? No? We'll fix that.
At least the food sounds good, but Jaxom is noticing something else:
As he passed food around, Jaxom became conscious of something else that annoyed him. The other Lords Holder and Craftmasters were all cordial, inquiring courteously after Ruth and Lytol. They all seemed quite willing to exchange pleasantries with him but would not discuss Wansor’s theories. Perhaps, Jaxom thought cynically, they hadn’t understood what Wansor had said and were ashamed to show their ignorance before the younger man. Jaxom sighed. Would he ever be old enough to be considered on equal terms?”
Well, dude, since it apparently took you well into young adulthood to tell your foster brother to shut the hell up, and you keep insisting that Lytol is ruling your Hold, it's not really surprising that no one is taking you seriously.
Anyway, F'lessan takes Jaxom outside to see where the roof of the Smithcrafthall is filled with fire lizards. More than even Menolly can account for:
Brushing the laugh-tears from her eyes, she denied guilt. “I’ve only the ten and they go off on their own, sometimes for days. I don’t think I could account for more than two besides Beauty, my queen. She sticks by me constantly. You know,” she turned a serious face to him, “they’re going to be a problem. Not mine, because I make mine behave, but this sort of thing.” She gestured toward the covered roof. “They’re such dreadful gossips. I’ll wager most of those don’t look to the people within. They’ve been attracted by the dragons and by your Ruth in particular.”
...I wish we'd actually gotten to see Menolly get better control of her firelizards, because they still seemed pretty wild in Dragonsinger. But maybe that comes up in Dragondrums.
So anyway, Jaxom is kind of sour about the way that "a fair gathers like that" wherever he and Ruth go. Ruth enjoys it, because they keep him company and sometimes show him all kinds of fascinating and unlikely images in their minds. Most of the times, he likes it. Sometimes though, they get "carried away".
Menolly is "bluntly dubious" which is a description I love. She asks how. Apparently they don't have much imagination. They only tell what they see.
Jaxom suggests that they're reporting what they THINK they see. Menolly starts to say something else, but cuts herself off before she spoils Dragondrums further for us.
Menolly relates that she thinks F'lessan is right. Something is going on down south, and Beauty keeps sending Menolly an image of an egg. Menolly gets the impression sometimes that what she's seeing happened a long time ago. But Beauty's no older than Ruth, so she shouldn't remember any more than five Turns back.
...so I'm now completely lost when it comes to timeline. Jaxom was 11 or 12 when bonding Ruth. Felessan was SIX. Which would make Felessan eleven or twelve NOW. And while that would explain some of his impulsiveness, no one else is acting like F'lessan is a small child. SO...
Again, I'm lost.
There's a really weird transition here, because just after Menolly says that Beauty's no older than Ruth, Jaxom says this:
“Fire-lizards with delusions of locating the First Shell?” Jaxom laughed heartily.
Hey, you know, I enjoy Lessa's dislike of firelizards, but I'm not as happy with this kind of thing from Jaxom. Maybe it's just because he so adamant about insisting that Ruth is better than any firelizards.
But really, he's starting to read like a guy who HATES cats. Who wants us to know exactly how much he hates cats. That guy always annoy me.
Anyway, Menolly points out how F'nor's Grail and other firelizards were terrified of the Red Star. They have memories.
“Ah, leave off, Menolly. You can’t ask me to believe that fire-lizards could remember things Man can’t?”
“Got another explanation?” Menolly asked belligerently.
“No, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t one,” and Jaxom grinned at her.
...thank you Jaxom, for making me take Menolly's side. Why are you so obnoxious?
Anyway, Jaxom does have the alarming thought that some of the lizards might be from Southern Hold. Menolly's not worried. The firelizards are outside, and they can only visualize what they've understood. (Jaxom notes that Menolly's chuckle is "a pleasant change from the giggling of Holder girls", because Menolly can't escape "not like other girls" even here.).
Menolly notes that it's not just her that's worried, Mirrim is too. "And if anyone today understands fire-lizards, it's Mirrim."
Aw, I'm so happy that they're friends again. Fuck Dragonsinger.
And as usual, Menolly is so much more interesting and likable when she gets to be one of the local firelizard experts than when the narrative is touting her musical skills. Probably because her firelizard expertise is actually fucking relevant.
Jaxom asks if the fire lizards have talked to Mirrim's green dragon. Another spoiler of course. And I'm a little annoyed. YES, it's my fault for reading in publication order rather than the recommended order. But why on Earth wouldn't you have written Mirrim's Impression first? We got two separate version of Jaxom's after all. Why couldn't we see the first woman in an Age actually Impressing a fighting dragon more than once?
But anyway, Menolly gets some revenge for Jaxom's bad attitude by suggesting that Groghe fancies a marriage between Jaxom and his third daughter. But fortunately, Robinton squashed the idea. But if Jaxom's got someone else in mind, he might want to keep up.
Jaxom was furious, not with Menolly but with her news, and it was hard to dissociate tidings and bearer. “The one thing I don’t want just now is a wife.”
“Oh? Got yourself taken care of?”
“Menolly!”
“Don’t look so shocked. We Harpers understand the frailties of human flesh. And you’re tall, and nice looking, Jaxom. Lytol’s supposed to be giving you instruction in all the arts ... ”
“Menolly!”
“Jaxom!” She mimicked his tone perfectly. “Doesn’t Lytol ever let you off to have some fun on your own? Or do you just think about it? Honestly, Jaxom,” her tone became acerbic and her expression registered impatience with him, “between Robinton, though I love the man, and Lytol, F’lar, Lessa and Fandarel, I think they’ve turned you into a pale echo of themselves. Where is Jaxom?”
Alas, poor Jaxom. His life is so tragic.
I'm raising my eyebrow at this sudden sex-friendly attitude, Ms. McCaffrey. Don't think I don't notice that it's with the first young male protagonist.
Then Menolly says something that's a bit shocking with how out of line it is:
Before he could sort out a suitable answer for her impertinence, she gave him a piercing look through slightly narrowed eyes. “They do say the dragon is the man. Maybe that’s why Ruth is so different!”
WOW. Menolly. What the fuck?!
Jaxom has half a mind to leave if all he's going to get are insults, and honestly, I don't completely blame him for that. What the fuck, Menolly?
Jaxom thinks about N'ton comparing him to a sulky boy, and sticks around. He won't give Menolly the satisfaction of knowing that her comments bothered him.
He thinks about Ruth, wondering why he's different. He notes that his own birth was as bizarre as Ruth's hatching, since he was born "from a dead mother's body". He thinks that Ruth is a dragon, but not weyrbred, he's a Lord Holder, but not confirmed.
The chapter ends with Jaxom thinking about the firestone line again. So we can guess what he's likely to do next...I suspect this won't end well.
So this chapter was more annoying. It would help if I could get a clear idea of how old Jaxom is, because initially I was thinking he was still a kid. But he's not. He's old enough to inherit! And get married even! So now I'm a lot less patient with his behavior. Not that I was terribly patient to begin with. Poor Jaxom.
So last time, things were pretty readable. Robinton referenced an adventure we hadn't read yet. F'lar and Lessa did some leadery stuff, and we met a new Lord, Toric, who's pretty damn willing to push for what he wants. I like that.
I feel like it helped that no one was trying to convince me to pity this poor unfortunate heir to a throne, with a dragon.
Look, I'm not saying that Jaxom can't have had an unhappy childhood. Or even that said unhappy childhood has to manifest in a certain way. But please consider how likely it is that a peasant boy should be able to openly bully the heir to the throne, when EVERYONE KNOWS that this is the heir to the throne. Oh and he also has a telepathic dragon!
McCaffrey can and has handled this kind of thing better.
And in fact, chapter 3 starts with Jaxom finally asserting his authority:
"I am the Lord of this Hold," Jaxom went on, staring first at Dorse, his milk-brother. "I am Ruth's rider. He is unmistakably a dragon." Jaxom now bent his gaze on Brand, the head steward whose jaw had dropped in surprise. "He is, as usual," and Jaxom's glance flickered across Lytol's blankly puzzled face, "in the very good health he has enjoyed since his Hatching." Jaxom passed over the four fosterlings who were all too new at Ruatha Hold to have started jibing at him. "And yes," he said directly to Deelan, his milk-mother whose lower lip was quivering at her nursling's startling behavior, "this is the day when I go to the Smithcrafthall where, as you all well know, I shall be served with the food and courtesy adequate to my needs and station. Therefore," and his glance swept the faces around the table, "the subjects of this morning's conversation do not need to be aired again in my presence. Have I made myself clear?"
Now here, I'm going to be a little hypocritical and suggest that maybe this rant would have worked better if we actually saw the events that led up to it. Because here's the thing, it's pretty implausible to me that a peasant boy can openly bully a child raised from birth to be Lord of the Realm. It's a lot more plausible to me that said child can be a bully himself. After all, there's only one party in this exchange with any real power.
By starting the chapter with this rant, McCaffrey is assuming we've bought enough into what was established before to assume that this is justified, and I'm not sure I do.
Jaxom hears Lytol call his name, but ignores him:
This time it would not be Jaxom, however young a Lord or Ruatha Hold he still was, who apologized for his behavior. The enormous backlog of similar incidents, manfully swallowed or overlooked for any number of logical reasons, swept aside every consideration except to put as much distance between himself and his invidious position, his too reasonable and conscientious guardian and the obnoxious group of people who mistook daily intimacy for license.
Okay, actually THIS works better as a source of angst for Jaxom. Not the idea that he's being bullied, because seriously? That could have and should have been stopped at once. (And the other disadvantage of the rant above is that Jaxom could have done it any time and thus put an end to things.)
I do think it must be difficult for a young boy given all that power to determine who his real friends are, versus who is probably currying favor. It's easy to imagine children cozying up for a favor, or adults coddling him, and that being very persuasive compared to his strict and chilly (or wounded) guardian.
Unfortunately, my sympathy does disappear a little when Jaxom basically flees his problems by leaping onto HIS OWN PERSONAL DRAGON.
"You're twice the dragon the others are. Twice! You're better at everything! Everything!" Jaxom's thought was so turbulent that Ruth trumpeted defiance.
You know, Ms. McCaffrey. If you HAD to have this bullying plot, it might have made more sense if it took place in the Weyr?
Because the Weyr is an interesting place. It's outside of the authority of the realms. And there, Jaxom wouldn't be the only kid with a FUCKING DRAGON. Instead, he'd be one of many: the kid who broke the rules and ended up with the tiny, androgynous runt. The Benden Weyrleaders are the de facto rulers of the world. THOSE are kids that I could imagine being able to bully Jaxom.
Oh, and to make it even stupider, Ruth flies between, going to the high mountain lake above the Hold which is their special retreat.
Yes, this kid who inherits a kingdom from birth, has his own private dragon, and a secret lake retreat...what a tragic life he leads.
I'm probably not being fair here, admittedly. Jaxom DOES seem like a good kid, and it's not his fault that his storyline is annoying.
Jaxom and Ruth have a conversation that's really interesting:
Why do you let them upset you? Ruth asked, his eyes whirling with love and affection for his weyrmate.
"A very good question," Jaxom replied after a full moment's consideration. "But they know exactly how." Then he laughed. "This is where all that objectivity Robinton talks about ought to operate . . . and doesn't."
The Masterharper is honored for his wisdom. Ruth sounded uncertain, and his tone made Jaxom smile.
He was always being told that dragons had no ability to understand abstract concepts or complex relationships. Too often Ruth surprised him by remarks that cast doubt on the theory. Dragons, particularly Ruth in Jaxom's biased opinion, obviously perceived far more than others credited to them. Even Weyrleaders like F'lar or Lessa and even N'ton. Thinking about the Fort Weyrleader reminded Jaxom that he now had a particular reason for going to the Mastersmithhall this morning. N'ton, who would be there to hear Wansor, was the only rider Jaxom felt would be likely to help him.
On one hand, I like that Jaxom's isolation from the Weyr has led to a dynamic that feels very different from the other dragon-rider pairs that we've seen so far. Ruth definitely talks a lot more than any of the dragons that we've seen so far. Canth, for example, had all of a handful of lines total. Ramoth and especially Mnementh have more speaking lines, but don't seem to be as involved in casual conversation as Ruth is.
It leads to some interesting theories about how the Dragons may develop to suit their riders' needs. Lessa doesn't need a conversation partner, really. She needs an anchor. Someone who can be steady and solid and calm her down when she gets into an anxiety spiral. F'lar seems to have a genuine issue with comprehending and interpreting emotional responses. Mnementh therefore speaks more than Ramoth does, but more as an interpreter and a guide for appropriate social response.
Canth, Wirenth and Prideth rarely spoke at all.
If we then look at Ruth's conversational ability as compensation for the loneliness and isolation that Jaxom feels, that makes a lot of sense.
On the other hand though, this becomes yet another way that Jaxom is special. And honestly, I'm already getting a little tired of that.
So we find out a little bit of what caused Jaxom's temper tantrum:
It had begun like other mornings, with Dorse's trite comments about oversized firelizards, with Lytol's habitual query about Ruth's health-as if the dragon were likely to deteriorate overnight- and with Deelan snidely repeating that sickeningly old hoot about visitors starving at the Smithcrafthall. To be sure, Deelan's mothering had lately begun to irritate Jaxom, especially when the dear soul invariably fondled him in front of her seething natural son, Dorse. All the time-honored, worn-out nonsense that started a day, every day, at Ruatha Hold. Why, today, should it jerk him to his feet in a fury and drive him from the Hall he was Lord of, fleeing from people over whom, in theory, he had all control and right?
I actually like this. I think the implication of Dorse being a full on bully is stupid, but the idea that a resentful foster brother might make passive aggressive comments. Okay. And the idea that a foster mother might favor her privileged royal foster son over her natural son makes a LOT of sense to me. Basically, I think for the dynamic to work, we all need to acknowledge that Jaxom is the one with the power here.
But be kinder to Lytol, Jaxom.
Anyway, Jaxom apologizes to Ruth. Ruth doesn't mind. He gets a nice, quiet swim before they go onto the Smithcrafthall. As Ruth spreads his wings, a bunch of firelizards appear, broadcasting thoughts of smug satisfaction that they found him. Hee, cats. Jaxom resents the idea that the firelizards are keeping track of him like he's "an unbreeched child or an Oldtimer".
Jaxom cycles between regret and resentment. He DOES understand that they must be worried, even though the lake is about the only place he would go, and the firelizards can keep an eye on him anywhere. The firelizards are normally pretty amusing but right now, Jaxom thinks they're a pain in the ass. He does however think of good advice:
"Analyze," Lytol was fond of directing him. "Think objectively. You can't govern others until you can control yourself and see the broader, forward looking view."
Lytol is so damn great. Listen to Lytol.
So Jaxom is thinking about his outburst, but not the cause. The reactions. First, the dispatch of firelizards to find him. Because, yeah, dude, you're an underage king who just ran off. People are probably fucking frantic.
And here's something worth analyzing:
Another, the look of stunned amazement on Dorse's face. That had been the first time Jaxom had ever rounded on his milk-brother, though, Shells, it was only the thought of Lytol's displeasure at his loss of control that had kept Jaxom's temper in check so long. Dorse loved nothing better than to taunt Jaxom about Ruth's lack of stature, masking his malicious jibes in mock-brotherly quarrels, knowing all too well that Jaxom could not retaliate without a rebuke from Lytol for conduct unbecoming his rank and station. Jaxom had long outgrown the need for Deelan's fussing but innate kindness and gratitude to her for the milk which had nourished him after his premature birth had long prevented Jaxom from asking Lytol to retire her.
See, for me, this puts a complete lie to the idea that Jaxom is a bullied underdog. It's not that Jaxom is too frightened to act. It's not that he's hurt and wounded. Jaxom is very much aware of his power and his ability to put a stop to Dorse's behavior. He's just not willing to take the consequences of exercising his power.
That's a choice. Maybe not a palatable one, but it's a choice.
Jaxom notices one of the firelizards scolding the others, and realizing that it's his milkmother's lizard. They're apparently similar in manner. This leads Jaxom to think about his real issue:
Ruth was the best dragon in all Pern. If- and now Jaxom recognized the underlying cause of his rebellion- Ruth was ever allowed to be. Immediately all the frustrated anger of the morning returned, disrupting what little objectivity he had gained at the peaceful lakeside. Neither he, Jaxom, Lord of Ruatha, nor Ruth, the white runt of Ramoth's clutch, were allowed to be what they really were.
Jaxom was Lord Holder in name only, because Lytol administered the Hold, made all its decisions, spoke in Council for Ruatha. Jaxom had yet to be confirmed by the other Lord Holders as Lord of Ruatha. True, a matter of form only since there was no other male on Pern with Ruathan Blood. Besides, Lessa, the only living fullblooded Ruathan, had relinquished her blood right to Jaxom at the moment of his birth.
Jaxom knew he could never be a dragonrider because he had to be Lord Holder of Ruatha. Only he was not really a Lord Holder because he couldn't go up to Lytol and just say: "I'm old enough to take over now! Thanks and goodbye!" Lytol had worked too hard and long to make Ruatha prosper to take second place to the bumblings of an untried youth. Lytol only lived for Ruatha. He'd lost so much else: first his own dragon, then his small family to Fax's greed. All his life now centered about Ruathan fields and wheat, and runners, and how many wherry bucks...
No, in all fairness, he would simply have to wait until Lytol, who enjoyed vigorous health, died a natural death before he started Holding at Ruatha.
...I'm pretty sure regency doesn't work that way. I'm pretty sure that the terms are that Jaxom will inherit on his maturity, once the other Lords swear him in. (And I think everyone's still much too afraid of Lessa to NOT swear him in.)
And honestly, at 11 or 12, Jaxom's old enough to realize that. Unless you're telling me that no one explained how regency works.
Ah, but here's the thing:
But, Jaxom continued his thoughts logically, if Lytol is active so that Ruatha Hold is not in dispute, why couldn't he and Ruth occupy their time learning to be proper dragon and rider. Every fighting dragon was needed now, what with Thread falling from the Red Star at unexpected intervals. Why should he have to trudge about the countryside, lugging a clumsy flamethrower when he could more effectively fight Thread if Ruth were only allowed to chew firestone? Just because Ruth was half the size of the other dragons didn't mean he wasn't a proper dragon in all other respects.
Jaxom doesn't want to be Lord of Ruatha. He wants to be a dragonrider. And he resents everyone for pushing him in other directions. That makes sense, and it makes his earlier statements read like the denial they are.
Jaxom knows how this works, but he doesn't want to admit it. And to be honest, I still think he has a point. If Lessa couldn't rule Ruatha and be a dragonrider, why should Jaxom?
You are a dragonrider. You are also, and Ruth said this slowly as if trying to understand it all himself, a Lord Holder. You are a student with the Mastersmith and the Masterharper. You are a friend of Menolly, Mirrim, F'lessan and N'ton. Ramoth knows our name. So does Mnementh. And they know me. You have to be a lot of people. That is hard.
It probably is hard. And I'm liking this chapter better than chapter one, because I do think it's about problems that Jaxom ACTUALLY has as opposed to trying to pretend he's a poor bullied scrub.
Anyway, N'ton is coming. Apparently one of the little brown firelizards that came is his. Ruth apparently can identify the firelizards by sight, which is kind of fascinating. Jaxom is alarmed and asks why Ruth didn't tell him. Ruth had wanted his swim. They quickly head back...going between TIMES as well as places.
Oh, you irresponsible children. Jaxom makes a token protest, but Ruth insists that he always knows where he's going. Which is apparently something few dragons can say.
Jaxom has made it to the Smithcrafthall complex.
And I'm realizing that I have no idea WHEN this is taking place. Clearly after Dragondrums, because when Jaxom gets to the Hall, he sees F'lessan's bronze Golanth and Mirrim's green Path.
The last time we've seen F'lessan, he was six years old. And Mirrim having a dragon is a fairly big spoiler. Sorry. I suppose Ms. McCaffrey was right about the recommended reading order. That's my fault, Ms. McCaffrey, not yours.
F'lessan better not have a bronze at age six, McCaffrey. I do not hold with that at all.
But also, if we are late enough in the timeline that F'lessan and Mirrim have their dragons, then Jaxom should fucking well know how regency works. Which also means he's a little old to be skipping duty. (A quick glance back at the first page of the chapter shows me that Jaxom is described as having "broad yet bony shoulders", which is not fucking helpful McCaffrey)
Poor Jaxom can't really win with me, can he.
To add to my confusion about timelines, N'ton hands Jaxom the jacket he'd left at the Weyr and bitches about his old bones. Conveniently, N'ton hadn't spoken to Lytol. Instead, he'd run into Deelan, who was weeping, and basically grabbed the jacket and fled.
N'ton really is F'lar's protege, isn't he?
So Jaxom confesses that he'd told off the Hold that morning. N'ton is unsurprised. He'd apparently told Lytol that it wouldn't be long. He asks what tipped Jaxom off, and it was the criticism of Ruth of course. Everyone calls Ruth an overgrown firelizard.
And this STILL doesn't work for me. Sure, in the Weyr, I can imagine people being dismissive of Ruth. But Ruatha, for all that it's got a historic association with dragonriders, are still normal people. Normal people are still pretty fucking impressed by firelizards. Normal people do not get up close and personal with dragons. And normal people ought to see why a firelizard LARGE ENOUGH TO RIDE ON is a notable thing.
If you came up to me with a housecat the size of a riding horse, I'm not going to dismiss that!
Anyway, the dragonriders have all defended Ruth against that accusation. And again, to me this is backwards. The dragonriders are the ones used to far more sizable and impressive dragons. If anything THEY should be dismissing Ruth, not the other way around. But that'd require the Weyr to be wrong.
This is still the problem with McCaffrey in this series at least. She's got no inclination toward nuance. The good people are good and always right, the bad people are bad and always wrong. Even if it doesn't make sense.
So Jaxom wants to know then, if Ruth is a real dragon, why can't he act like one. Meaning a full fighting dragon.
BECAUSE YOU'RE THE FUCKING LORD OF RUATHA, YOU SNOT-NOSED LITTLE TWERP.
I'm sorry, I recognize that Jaxom is acting realistically as a teenager. I just...ugh.
Eventually, N'ton explains that it's not about ability, it's about Jaxom not getting himself fucking killed. And we get more confirmation that Jaxom DOES know how regency works and is just in denial.
"But I'm not Lord of Ruatha either. Not yet! Lytol is. He makes all the decisions ... I just listen, and nod my head like a sunstruck wherry." Jaxom faltered, aware he was implying criticism of Lytol. "I mean, I know Lytol has to manage until the Lord Holders confirm me ... and I don't really want Lytol to leave Ruatha Hold. But if I could be a dragonrider, it wouldn't come to that. You see?"
N'ton sympathizes with Jaxom more than I do. If it were up to him, he'd have him join a wing, and have Ruth chew firestone. But it's not.
Meanwhile, Jaxom IS apparently old enough to be confirmed as Lord Holder "or do something else constructive" and N'ton will speak to Lytol and F'lar.
WHEN THE HELL ARE WE?
"Lytol will say that I am Lord Holder, and F'lar will say Ruth isn't big enough for a fighting wing"
"And I won't say anything if you act like a sulky boy."
Also stop whining Jaxom. If you're old enough to be Lord Holder, you're old enough to stop fucking whining. But thank you for being an adult, N'ton. Sadly, N'ton gives Jaxom some validation by telling him not to let anyone CATCH him giving Ruth firestone.
N'ton, please, stop enabling this kid.
So now, Jaxom enters the Smithcrafthall. Robinton is in there. F'lar is with him, as are a few other Weyrleaders and a Masterherdsman. There are also half a wing of bronze riders, Lord Holders, and other people. No Lessa though. Aw.
F'lessan calls him over. Maybe we can get an age range for him? Maybe? He better not fucking be six years old.
He certainly reads a lot older, and banters a bit with Jaxom about the size of the audience. Groghe's son Benelek is there too, and he and F'lessan clash because Benelek is too literal minded to appreciate F'lessan's wise cracks. At least from the banter, we can tell that F'lessan is at the age where he eats pretty much everything. Which can mean somewhere between 14 and 18.
Which means that Jaxom should be about 18 to 20. If that's true, then the scrap of sympathy I do have for this kid is starting to wane. He's old enough to know what all this means.
So anyway, the gathering is for Wansor, the Pernese Astronomer or "Starsmith" (term coined by Menolly) who helped track the Red Star in Dragonquest. He seems to have very little idea of what's going on. His clothing is not appropriate for the gathering, he babbles, and keeps greeting people by name.
It occurs to me that I've seen the trope of the absent-minded astronomer in a number of science fiction novels and I'm wondering if there isn't some sort of common individual they're all referencing.
Wansor asks after N'ton, wanting to pull him to the front of the room, because he's put in so much work. Fandarel, thank god, is impatient with all of this and yells at Wansor for wasting time. Wansor comes to order.
Wansor might be disheveled and confused, but his charts aren't. And his presentation is definitely NOT dithering. However, Jaxom barely pays attention, focusing instead on N'ton's firestone comment. He considers whether or not he can get F'lessan to help, and then thinks some pretty unflattering things about his friends:
He glanced at the friend of his boyhood, who had Impressed a bronze two Turns ago. Candidly, Jaxom did not consider F'lessan more than a boy and certainly not serious enough about his responsibilities as a bronze rider. He was grateful that F'lessan had never told anyone that Jaxom had actually touched Ruth's egg when the dragon was still in its shell on the Hatching Ground. Of course, that would have been a serious offense against the Weyr. F'lessan would scarcely regard teaching a dragon to chew firestone as anything at all remarkable.
Mirrim? Jaxom glanced toward the girl. The morning sun slanted through her browny hair, catching golden glints which he'd never noticed before. She was oblivious to anything but Wansor's words. She'd probably give Jaxom an argument about not precipitating the Weyr into more problems and then set one of those firelizards of hers on him to be sure he didn't set himself ablaze.
Wow. That's...really dickish, Jaxom. What the hell?
Am I supposed to like F'lessan a lot more than I like Jaxom? Because right now, I do. Also, technically, I still think F'lessan has as much right to claim Ruatha as Jaxom does. Even with the dragon. If Ruth doesn't disqualify Jaxom, than Golanth shouldn't disqualify F'lessan. And Ramoth shouldn't disqualify Lessa herself.
But why doesn't F'lessan get named when people talk about how Lessa is the last of the Ruathan Blood?
So anyway, Jaxom rules out the others. The other bronze rider is lucky to get a name at all, he's that unimportant, while Benelek "ignore[s] dragons and firelizards as completely as they ignore[] him.". I think I'm supposed to disapprove of that, but actually, that sounds kind of awesome. He's apparently really big into machines and diagrams, and he and Fanderal understand each other personally.
So then Jaxom thinks of Menolly. Which makes sense, because why shouldn't the two characters most unjustly favored by the narrative team up...it works for Drizzt and Artemis Entreri:
Menolly? Menolly was just the person, if he did need someone, in spite of her predilection for putting anything she heard into a tune-a trick that was occasionally a real nuisance. But that talent made her an excellent Harper, in fact she was the first girl to be one in living memory. He stole a long look at her. Her lips were vibrating slightly and he wondered if she were already putting Wansor's stars to music.
Oh yes, tell me again how massively elegant Marc Remillard is, Julian May.
To translate this wisecrack that only one reader will understand: there's really no reason for Jaxom, who is not a musician nor is he thinking anything particularly music related here, to tangent into how Menolly is an excellent Harper. I do however like the acknowledgement that Menolly's habit of composing really fucking intrusive music is annoying. I hope someday Brekke will be allowed to have a reaction to her eponymous song.
So Wansor's speech, what we hear of it, sounds pretty interesting. He starts off with the basic idea that the stars mark time and were used in Lessa's trip back in time. He continues by emphasizing that understanding the stars, their orbit and speed, will allow someone to compute the position in the heavens.
Basically, they can now predict Threadfall, according to the position of the Red Star, when in conjunction with other celestial bodies. Cool. Anyway, the long and the short is, he's figured out why F'lar's charts stopped working, and that they should work again after certain stars stop influencing each other.
And now there's an equation that should help them figure out other issues with this particular Threadfall. They can even predict the exact moment then NEXT Pass will begin, which is going to be a long way away of course. But hey, if they actually WRITE THIS SHIT DOWN, they might be able to prevent the kind of idiocy we saw at the beginning of Dragonflight.
In fact:
“And we must make sure that no one forgets in the long Interval this time,” Mastersmith Fandarel said, his bass voice startling everyone after Wansor’s light tenor. “That’s what this union is all about, you know,” Fandarel added, gesturing to the audience.
I love Fandarel.
Jaxom has the thought that, when he was younger, he'd had the egocentric notion that these sessions were more to give him something to do if Ruth died. But now he realizes how self-centered that was, and that this is actually pretty important.
I won't bitch at him for this. This seems like the sort of realization most young people come to at some point. Don't worry, I'm sure I'll find more reason to bitch at Jaxom.
Jaxom's speculation drifts to Southern Hold. The students apparently have pretty detailed maps of the surrounding land, and there are indications that the Southern Continent is even bigger than they thought five years ago. And he knows that Robinton had been in the Southern Land recently. He knows that the Dragonriders are keeping an eye on things there and wonders if the Oldtimers are keeping an eye on things here.
There've apparently been a LOT of changes: expanding forestland all protected by grubs, for example.
I'm still confused as to timeline, but the five year mark would imply at least that Jaxom is, at youngest, sixteen. It sounds like he's quite a bit older.
Things start getting heated in the audience, and the kids use this time to chat. F'lessan is wondering if they can use Wansor's equations to safely travel forward in time. Mirrim, the Hermione of the group, thinks that's a terrible idea, and that F'lessan could end up in cliff, or a crowd, or surrounded by thread.
Benelek, the Spock, of the group, thinks that it would serve no logical purpose. But F'lessan thinks it's fun. They could find out what the Oldtimers are up to. He seems pretty frustrated with this whole "school" idea: he thinks it's turning them all into "do-nothing talkers. And thinkers.". No one ever does anything, except when fighting Thread. He gets distracted then by food, which is pretty funny.
Jaxom is absorbed with F'lessan's mention of fighting thread, while Menolly appears to add her sense:
“That F’lessan!” Menolly said at his ear. “He wants to keep glory in the bloodline. A bit of derring-do ... ” and her sea-blue eyes danced with laughter as she added, “for me to tune about!” Then she sighed. “And he’s not the type at all. He doesn’t think beyond himself. But he’s got a good heart. C’mon! We’d better lend a hand with the food.”
Have we mentioned that Menolly plays music today? No? We'll fix that.
At least the food sounds good, but Jaxom is noticing something else:
As he passed food around, Jaxom became conscious of something else that annoyed him. The other Lords Holder and Craftmasters were all cordial, inquiring courteously after Ruth and Lytol. They all seemed quite willing to exchange pleasantries with him but would not discuss Wansor’s theories. Perhaps, Jaxom thought cynically, they hadn’t understood what Wansor had said and were ashamed to show their ignorance before the younger man. Jaxom sighed. Would he ever be old enough to be considered on equal terms?”
Well, dude, since it apparently took you well into young adulthood to tell your foster brother to shut the hell up, and you keep insisting that Lytol is ruling your Hold, it's not really surprising that no one is taking you seriously.
Anyway, F'lessan takes Jaxom outside to see where the roof of the Smithcrafthall is filled with fire lizards. More than even Menolly can account for:
Brushing the laugh-tears from her eyes, she denied guilt. “I’ve only the ten and they go off on their own, sometimes for days. I don’t think I could account for more than two besides Beauty, my queen. She sticks by me constantly. You know,” she turned a serious face to him, “they’re going to be a problem. Not mine, because I make mine behave, but this sort of thing.” She gestured toward the covered roof. “They’re such dreadful gossips. I’ll wager most of those don’t look to the people within. They’ve been attracted by the dragons and by your Ruth in particular.”
...I wish we'd actually gotten to see Menolly get better control of her firelizards, because they still seemed pretty wild in Dragonsinger. But maybe that comes up in Dragondrums.
So anyway, Jaxom is kind of sour about the way that "a fair gathers like that" wherever he and Ruth go. Ruth enjoys it, because they keep him company and sometimes show him all kinds of fascinating and unlikely images in their minds. Most of the times, he likes it. Sometimes though, they get "carried away".
Menolly is "bluntly dubious" which is a description I love. She asks how. Apparently they don't have much imagination. They only tell what they see.
Jaxom suggests that they're reporting what they THINK they see. Menolly starts to say something else, but cuts herself off before she spoils Dragondrums further for us.
Menolly relates that she thinks F'lessan is right. Something is going on down south, and Beauty keeps sending Menolly an image of an egg. Menolly gets the impression sometimes that what she's seeing happened a long time ago. But Beauty's no older than Ruth, so she shouldn't remember any more than five Turns back.
...so I'm now completely lost when it comes to timeline. Jaxom was 11 or 12 when bonding Ruth. Felessan was SIX. Which would make Felessan eleven or twelve NOW. And while that would explain some of his impulsiveness, no one else is acting like F'lessan is a small child. SO...
Again, I'm lost.
There's a really weird transition here, because just after Menolly says that Beauty's no older than Ruth, Jaxom says this:
“Fire-lizards with delusions of locating the First Shell?” Jaxom laughed heartily.
Hey, you know, I enjoy Lessa's dislike of firelizards, but I'm not as happy with this kind of thing from Jaxom. Maybe it's just because he so adamant about insisting that Ruth is better than any firelizards.
But really, he's starting to read like a guy who HATES cats. Who wants us to know exactly how much he hates cats. That guy always annoy me.
Anyway, Menolly points out how F'nor's Grail and other firelizards were terrified of the Red Star. They have memories.
“Ah, leave off, Menolly. You can’t ask me to believe that fire-lizards could remember things Man can’t?”
“Got another explanation?” Menolly asked belligerently.
“No, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t one,” and Jaxom grinned at her.
...thank you Jaxom, for making me take Menolly's side. Why are you so obnoxious?
Anyway, Jaxom does have the alarming thought that some of the lizards might be from Southern Hold. Menolly's not worried. The firelizards are outside, and they can only visualize what they've understood. (Jaxom notes that Menolly's chuckle is "a pleasant change from the giggling of Holder girls", because Menolly can't escape "not like other girls" even here.).
Menolly notes that it's not just her that's worried, Mirrim is too. "And if anyone today understands fire-lizards, it's Mirrim."
Aw, I'm so happy that they're friends again. Fuck Dragonsinger.
And as usual, Menolly is so much more interesting and likable when she gets to be one of the local firelizard experts than when the narrative is touting her musical skills. Probably because her firelizard expertise is actually fucking relevant.
Jaxom asks if the fire lizards have talked to Mirrim's green dragon. Another spoiler of course. And I'm a little annoyed. YES, it's my fault for reading in publication order rather than the recommended order. But why on Earth wouldn't you have written Mirrim's Impression first? We got two separate version of Jaxom's after all. Why couldn't we see the first woman in an Age actually Impressing a fighting dragon more than once?
But anyway, Menolly gets some revenge for Jaxom's bad attitude by suggesting that Groghe fancies a marriage between Jaxom and his third daughter. But fortunately, Robinton squashed the idea. But if Jaxom's got someone else in mind, he might want to keep up.
Jaxom was furious, not with Menolly but with her news, and it was hard to dissociate tidings and bearer. “The one thing I don’t want just now is a wife.”
“Oh? Got yourself taken care of?”
“Menolly!”
“Don’t look so shocked. We Harpers understand the frailties of human flesh. And you’re tall, and nice looking, Jaxom. Lytol’s supposed to be giving you instruction in all the arts ... ”
“Menolly!”
“Jaxom!” She mimicked his tone perfectly. “Doesn’t Lytol ever let you off to have some fun on your own? Or do you just think about it? Honestly, Jaxom,” her tone became acerbic and her expression registered impatience with him, “between Robinton, though I love the man, and Lytol, F’lar, Lessa and Fandarel, I think they’ve turned you into a pale echo of themselves. Where is Jaxom?”
Alas, poor Jaxom. His life is so tragic.
I'm raising my eyebrow at this sudden sex-friendly attitude, Ms. McCaffrey. Don't think I don't notice that it's with the first young male protagonist.
Then Menolly says something that's a bit shocking with how out of line it is:
Before he could sort out a suitable answer for her impertinence, she gave him a piercing look through slightly narrowed eyes. “They do say the dragon is the man. Maybe that’s why Ruth is so different!”
WOW. Menolly. What the fuck?!
Jaxom has half a mind to leave if all he's going to get are insults, and honestly, I don't completely blame him for that. What the fuck, Menolly?
Jaxom thinks about N'ton comparing him to a sulky boy, and sticks around. He won't give Menolly the satisfaction of knowing that her comments bothered him.
He thinks about Ruth, wondering why he's different. He notes that his own birth was as bizarre as Ruth's hatching, since he was born "from a dead mother's body". He thinks that Ruth is a dragon, but not weyrbred, he's a Lord Holder, but not confirmed.
The chapter ends with Jaxom thinking about the firestone line again. So we can guess what he's likely to do next...I suspect this won't end well.
So this chapter was more annoying. It would help if I could get a clear idea of how old Jaxom is, because initially I was thinking he was still a kid. But he's not. He's old enough to inherit! And get married even! So now I'm a lot less patient with his behavior. Not that I was terribly patient to begin with. Poor Jaxom.