The White Dragon - Chapter Fifteen
Nov. 7th, 2020 11:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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i_read_whatLast time, Ms. McCaffrey used the really annoying and lazy plot device of having a character almost die so that other characters realize how much they love him and make up with him without him ever having to apologize for being a fucking asshole.
Convenient.
This time, we're back to Jaxom. And it's funny, I like a lot of this book more than Dragonquest, but I miss how Dragonquest had ONE protagonist out of two that I could actually stand. Jaxom vs. Robinton is like trying to decide whether we'd prefer to get a finger broken or lose a tooth.
So we rejoin Jaxom. He's with Sharra and Brekke, of course. Sharra is apparently teaching them how to play a children's game. This is interrupted when Ruth wakes up and makes a keening sound. He's sensing last chapter's mating flight. Salth is gone.
Brekke is sad and angry, calling T'kul a fool. Sharra, who happily doesn't seem to arbitrarily hear dragons and that makes me like her more, thinks it serves T'kul right. Since she's from Southern Hold, she's had to deal with the Oldtimers, who aren't like the Northern dragonfolk at all.
I like that we have to include that bit, just to remind the audience that our heroes are NICE dragonriders.
Brekke is still pretty desolate. Jaxom justifies the exile of the Oldtimers by citing how they weren't honoring their duties. I am amused that he feels his strongest point is that he's heard Lytol criticize them.
Brekke knows he's right, but she remembers how they came forward to help in the first place. It makes some sense that Brekke's taking this harder. Sharra doesn't hear any dragon, so Salth is not really a separate entity in her mind. And Jaxom is a dick.
Jaxom rants a little about the Oldtimers, mostly remembering how T'ron was a dick to Lytol. Sharra just shrugs, Southern Hold mostly ignores them. They clean up the green, pen the animals, and do a search with flamethrowers afterward. The grubs get what's left. I STILL don't understand how the plants on Pern work. Leaves and greenery are generally important, and grubs can't help there. But maybe alien vegetation is alien?
The Oldtimers occasionally fly Thread, we're told. Which is actually better than I'd expected. Usually because their dragons get upset. Sharra doesn't blame the dragons though, or even the riders, figuring it's not their fault. Which...I don't quite understand. I think the riders should do their fucking job.
This is the passage:
“Don’t they ride a Fall?” Brekke asked in surprise.
“Oh, now and again. If they feel like it, or if their dragons get too upset ... ” Sharra’s contempt was trenchant. Then she noticed the dismay on the other two faces and added, “Oh, what’s happened is not the dragons’ fault, mind you. And I don’t suppose that it’s really the riders’ either. I do think they should at least try to act what they are. To be sure, most of the Oldtimers stayed north. So just a few are giving dragonmen a poor reputation in Southern. Still ... if they’d met us halfway ... we would have helped.”
...see, in context it still doesn't make sense. It IS the riders' fault that they're not acting like dragonriders. And what could Southern Hold help with. They don't have lady dragons to sex the menfolk up, right?
Brekke thinks she should go, knowing how T'kul feels. But then she stops as she hears from Canth. Then Mnementh. Why is Mnementh talking to Brekke over Lessa??? T'kul and F'lar are fighting.
Brekke decides she has to go, and explain that T'kul isn't responsible for his actions. She wonders why they don't overpower him. Um. Yeah, okay, you do that.
Sharra has a different perspective though. She knows T'kul hates F'lar. She's heard him blame F'lar for everything. If T'kul is insane, he'll kill him. Accurate.
I'm rather intrigued by the novelty of Brekke getting to be wrong here. Of course, Jaxom, Sharra, Robinton and to a lesser extent, Menolly, have taken the role of "protagonist is always right". Sharra's at least less obnoxious about it.
Ooo, there's mention of Ramoth coming to Ista. I guess Mnementh did call the wife and Lessa first. Brekke, meanwhile, can't go there because Canth is busy seeing to B'zon's Ranilth. Huh. Maybe one will live after all.
THEN of course, they hear what McCaffrey considers the important news:
“Robinton!” Brekke reeled and would have fallen if Sharra and Jaxom had not jumped to her support. “Oh, no, not Robinton? How?”
The Master Harper.
“Not dead?” Sharra cried.
The Master Harper is very ill. They will not let him go. He will have to stay. As you did.
“I’ll take you, Brekke. On Ruth. Just let me get my flying gear.”
Stop teasing me, book. We know Robinton will live, and learn nothing. Anyway, Jaxom can't fly, he's not well enough to take the cold of between. He's supposed to stay put for at least a month. He could risk headaches or even blindness for the rest of his life.
“How do you know that?” Jaxom demanded, struggling with fury at having been kept ignorant of such a restriction, with frustration at not being able to help either Brekke or the Harper.
They're healers?
Sharra knows because a Southern dragonrider got sick. They didn't know the danger. He went between, went blind, then mad with the pain in his head. Both he and the dragon died. Whoa. Okay. Not just simple headaches then, apparently.
Jaxom asks why he wasn't told about this. Because you're a patient? It's generally not a great idea to tell patients horror stories when they're recovering? It's not like Sharra ever lied about the severity of his condition.
Jaxom does finally have an idea though. Brekke could ride Ruth. Wow. That seems awfully insensitive. But Ruth's on board and so is Brekke. She thanks him profusely. She'll send Ruth back right away.
So now Sharra and Jaxom are alone. Ugh. Poor Sharra.
“I know more of him,” she said, biting her underlip. She expelled her breath in a deep shudder, struggling to control her fears. “Through Piemur, and Menolly. I’ve seen him, of course, in our Hold and heard him sing. He’s such a wonderful man. Oh, Jaxom! All those Southerners have run mad. Mad! They’re sick, confused, lost!” She dropped her head against his shoulder, surrendering to her anxieties. Tenderly, he drew her against him.
Seriously, Robinton sucks and failed those kids so hard.
Also, Sharra, really. You could do so much better.
Anyway, conveniently Ruth sends back the info that Robinton lives. They're both very happy:
Jaxom was intensely aware, at this highly inappropriate moment, of Sharra’s vibrant body pressing against his. He could feel her warmth through the thin fabric of her shirt, the long line of her thighs against his, the fragrance of her hair, scented with sun and a blossom she had tucked behind her ear. The startled look that crossed her face told him that she, too, was aware of the intimacy of their positions-aware and, for the first time since he had known her, confused.
Oh no. But hey, soon it gets infuriating:
He eased his grip on her hands, ready to release her completely if necessary. Sharra was not Corana, not a simple hold girl obedient to the Lord of her Hold. Sharra was not a bed partner for a passing indulgence of desire. Sharra was too important to him to risk destroying their relationship with an ill-timed demonstration. He was also aware that Sharra thought that his feelings for her stemmed from a natural gratitude for her nursing. He’d thought of that possibility in himself and decided that she was wrong. He liked too many things about her, from the sound of her beautiful voice, to the sure touch of her hands: hands he was aching to have caress him. He’d learned a good deal about her in the past few days, but he was aware of a hungry curiosity in himself to know much, much more. Her reaction to the Southerners had surprised him; she often surprised him. Part of her attraction, he supposed, was that he never knew what she’d say or how she’d say it.
WOW. WOW.
Look at this bullshit. LOOK at this bullshit.
a) I love the needless comparison between women, fuck you Jaxom.
b) I love the dismissal of Corana as a "simple hold girl obedient to the Lord of her Hold". Also, exactly how consensual was this.
c) I love that SHARRA, in contrast, is too good to be a casual partner.
d) You still barely know this woman, Jaxom. What does she want in all this?
In my fantasy rewrite, Sharra's a lesbian and involved with Brekke. F'nor is dead, and Jaxom can fuck himself.
...
“I wish I knew what was wrong! If that T’kul has harmed our Harper ... ”
“What about his harming F’lar?”
“I don’t know F’lar, although I’d naturally be very sorry if he were hurt by T’kul.” She absently folded her legs as he sat down beside her, just close enough so that their shoulders nearly touched. “And, in a sense, F’lar ought to fight T’kul. After all, he sent the Oldtimers into exile so he ought to finish it.”
What the fuck?
McCaffrey's favoritism at work!
Sharra just admitted she doesn't know Robinton either. But of course she's devastated, because he's McCaffrey's favorite. Whereas,
a) she probably SHOULD know F'lar. F'lar's had quite a few interactions with Southern Hold's Lord, Toric. Being high ranking, she'd likely have met him too.
b) F'lar was the one who spearheaded the efforts to save the fucking world from Thread. What exactly has Robinton done?
It would be interesting if Sharra did resent F'lar for sending the Oldtimers into exile though. But I'd accept that more if she wasn't all weepy about Robinton the craptastic.
To be fair, Jaxom does defend the man:
“We’d be in a far worse state,” Jaxom replied with more heat than he intended at her callous dismissal of F’lar’s fate, “if the Benden Weyrleader gets killed! He is Pern!”
“Really?” Sharra was willing to be converted. “I’ve never seen him ... ”
Of course we're cut off here by Ruth's update. Because while F'lar is one of McCaffrey's favorites, he can't usurp Robinton's attention. Robinton's asleep. Oldive is with him. F'lar and Lessa are waiting outside. Sebell is coming, though Menolly can't. She's still recovering.
They ask what happened, and we get Ruth's description of a heart attack:
Mnementh said Robinton’s chest hurt and he wanted to sleep. Wine helped him. Mnementh and Ramoth knew he should not sleep. He would go. May I come back now?
Does alcohol help with a heart attack?
Sharra, being a healer, tries to figure it out. She considers sending her own lizard, because of course she has lizards. I don't remember them being mentioned. But of course she does. She also apologizes again, saying she didn't mean to disrespect F'lar.
Aw, don't worry, Sharra. It's not your fault that the author has decided Robinton is the biggest saint in the universe. Suddenly, Sharra's lizards (Meer and Talla, no idea what kind, I'm going to GUESS gold and bronze because she's an important character. Only nobodies get blues or greens) start reacting very strange: startled, before relaxing.
They realize that someone's coming. it's Piemur! He's been looking for them!
We end up switching scenes to F'lar and Lessa. They're in one of Ista's weyrs, which had been "hastily vacated by its occupants so that the Master Harper of Pern could be accommodated."
Intellectually, I realize that this makes sense and Robinton is an important guy. But emotionally, I'm annoyed on behalf of whatever poor person lives here, considering they go out and fight thread every day, and had to suffer through a crazy mating flight (...I'm GUESSING they didn't give the Harper the quarters of a lowly green/blue/brown rider).
F'lar is updating Lessa, saying the Weyr is organized. They have some lovely hand holding. D'ram's taken charge. The older bronzes are helping with Ranilth. Apparently, he'll only live a few more Turns. I'm curious again about dragon lifespan. Do they mean that the mating flight took a lot out of him, or was he always going to die?
B'zon's dead asleep. The disappointed bronze riders are drunk "as winemakers' apprentices". And..." from every indication Cosira and G’dened are ... so involved they haven’t any notion of what else has been happening here in Ista.”
Ahem.
Lessa's grinning too, and F'lar playfully asks when Ramoth rises again. She'll remember to let him know. Hee.
Ugh, unfortunately, they start discussing Robinton. And I KNOW this is going to lead to THEM apologizing to HIM, when he's the one who was a dick. Oldive said he'll have a good recovery. Lessa's fascinated by the way all of the dragons were linked in to hear Oldive. I'm annoyed they did it for Robinton.
For his part, F'lar's more interested in the fact that Brekke flew Ruth. Or more specifically (when Lessa bristles in endearing defense of Brekke's ability) that Jaxom was generous enough to let her. He doesn't imagine Lessa offering up Ramoth, and Lessa agrees. (I don't mind this, because F'lar says it without judgment, and there's the implication that he wouldn't have been so generous with Mnementh either.)
But then, UGH.
You know, I could almost get to like fire-lizards after today.”
“What brought about this change of heart?” F’lar stared at her in surprise.
“I didn’t say I had. I said I could almost-watching Brekke direct Grail and Berd to bring her things, and that little bronze of Robinton’s. The creatures can get vicious when their friends are hurt but he just crouched there, watching Robinton’s face and crooning till I thought he’d shake his bones loose. Not that I didn’t feel much the same myself. When I think ... ” Lessa broke off, her face blotchy with tears.
I am so annoyed.
Lessa is fully in her rights to dislike firelizards! And it's not like this answers any of her actual, legitimate complaints.
So anyway, Lessa had gotten here very quickly. She'd been worried about F'lar of course, and thinks it'd have been better to kill T'ron at the wedding. F'lar's response is interesting:
“Lessa!” He gripped her fingers so tightly she winced. “T’ron’s Fidranth was very much alive at Telgar Hold. I couldn’t cause his death no matter what insult T’ron had given me. T’kul I could kill with pleasure. Though I admit, he nearly had me. Our Harper’s not the only one who’s Turning old.”
I do like F'lar's dragon-centered morality. But it occurs to me that T'ron's only been mentioned in past tense in this book. And F'lar said Fidranth WAS alive. Is T'ron dead? Is Mardra? I kind of wondered before, when they said there were no queen's flights. But it's also possible that Mardra's dragon had just gotten too old.
(I took a peek at Pern's wiki to find out about T'ron. Apparently in a later book we'll learn that T'ron did die of some illness and T'kul did take over. And you know, I'm actually a little sad about that. He was obnoxious and annoying in Dragonquest, but I still remember his speech in Dragonflight, and how warm and welcoming he and Mardra were. Damn. Mardra's still alive though.)
So Lessa and F'lar discuss what to do with the Oldtimers. D'ram has a solution: he'll go down and take charge of the Weyr. Since he's an Oldtimer himself, he thinks they'll accept his commands. He'll accept F'lar's help though: some greens, preferably from R'mart or G'narish (Telgar or Igen). I'm glad to see G'narish is still around even if he's been supplanted from having the worst name ever by the men in this book. He'll need a few younger bronzes, and enough blues and browns for two fighting wings.
D'ram thinks that they need to start fighting Thread again, it gives them hope and occupation. Apparently he's learned a lot from B'zon and he feels sorry for them. He and F'lar engage in mutual self-blame and reassurance: it had been the right decision at the time, but D'ram thinks he should have gone South after Fanna died to take charge. It might have helped.
Lessa disagrees
“I doubt it,” Lessa said, angry that D’ram was blaming himself. “Once T’kul plotted to steal a queen egg ... ” and she gestured her condemnation of the man.
“If he had come to you ... ”
Lessa’s harsh expression did not alter. “I doubt that T’kul would have come,” she said slowly. An expression of distaste crossed her mobile features and she made a sound of annoyance before she looked at D’ram again; this time her expression was rueful. “And I’d have probably sent him about his business. But you,” she pointed her finger at D’ram, “wouldn’t have. And I imagine that F’lar would also have been more tolerant.” She grinned at her Weyrmate. “It wasn’t in T’kul’s nature to beg,” she went on more briskly. “Nor in mine to forgive! I will never forgive the Southerns for stealing Ramoth’s egg! When I think they brought me to the point where I was willing to set dragon against dragon! That I can never forgive!”
I love Lessa so much.
Anyway, D'ram asks if she disapproves of his plan, and I love that she gets a say too. But anyway, she's on board. She admires D'ram for it. She admits she didn't know what was going on in the South and hadn't wanted to.
I love that Lessa actually gets to acknowledge her shortcomings. Hell, I love that she has them. Brekke's far more tolerable in this book, but still.
F'lar basically says D'ram can take any rider from Benden except F'nor. And that more because it wouldn't be fair to ask Brekke to go back. There's another factor consider: the slow spread of Toric's settlement. The Oldtimers haven't really noticed yet, and F'lar doesn't want to alarm them.
His intention is still that the dragonriders get first choice of land. He doesn't want them dependent on Hold or Craft. He wants them to "have [their] own places, without prejudice". And he has no intention of ever having to beg wine/bread/meat from anyone.
Again, you mean, F'lar. Because that's what those tithes in early Dragonflight basically were. Or more accurately, ransom. But I get why F'lar would want to ensure some protection for the next Interval.
D'ram is happily on board with this, and intends to help secure the South. F'lar is happy too. He'd actually considered asking D'ram before the man volunteered. They share a Manly arm grip. And we get this, which is nice:
“I have grieved for my weyrmate as is proper. But I still live. I liked being in that cove, but it wasn’t enough. I was relieved when you came after me, and kept me busy, F’lar. It doesn’t answer to give up the only life I’ve known. I couldn’t. Dragonmen must fly/When Threads are in the sky!” He sighed once more, inclined his head respectfully to Lessa and then, turning smartly on his heel, strode from the weyr, his step firm, his stance proud.
Aw.
Meanwhile, Lessa and F'lar have their own moment:
There are too many deep lines in his face, now, thought Lessa, lines that she hadn’t noticed before. His eyes were sad, his lips thin with worry as he gazed after D’ram. But the muscles in his arm were as strong as ever, and his body lean and hard with the active life he led. He’d been fit enough to preserve his skin against a madman. There’d only been one time when weakness had frightened F’lar-just after that knife fight at Telgar, when his wound had been slow to heal and he’d been sick with fever from foolishly going between. He’d learned a lesson then and had started delegating some of the strain of leadership to F’nor and T’gellan in Benden, to N’ton and R’mart in Pern, and to Lessa herself! Keenly sensible of her deep need of him, Lessa embraced F’lar fiercely.
Aww.
Soon Sebell appears. F'lar and Lessa wave him on. He's followed by two lizards, who squeak upon seeing Lessa and disappear. Hah, that's awesome. Lessa only comments that she hadn't realized he had two queens. He doesn't. The other one was Beauty of course.
“Oh, tell them to come back. I don’t eat firelizards!” Lessa said, curbing her irritation. She didn’t know which annoyed her more, the fire-lizards themselves, or the way people cringed about her when the subject came up. “And that little bronze of Robinton’s showed a commendable amount of common sense today. So tell Menolly’s queen to come back. If the fire-lizard sees, she’ll believe!”
I love Lessa so damn much.
So the queens return. One chirps a thank you to Lessa. Lessa doesn't know which because they all look alike to her. That delights me. When Sebell goes in to see Robinton, they discuss whether Sebell is taking over Harper Hall.
Please! He was actually doing something!
F'lar feels guilty for asking so much of Harper Hall. Then they have a toast of Benden wine for Robinton.
They made an unspoken toast. “Benden wine!”
“The wine that kept him alive!”
“Miss a cup of wine? Not Robinton!” She drank quickly to ease the pressure in her throat.
Haha, that Robinton. Alcoholism is hilarious.
Oldive emerges to note that Robinton will live to continue to be a raging alcoholic. His description is interesting!
. He glided to the table, a curious figure with arms and legs apparently too long for his torso until his back was visible, with its hump. His handsome face was serene as he poured himself a cup of wine, regarding the rich crimson color a moment before he raised it, as Lessa had, and drank it down. “As you said, this helped keep him alive. It’s seldom that a man’s vice sustained life in his body!”
...I wish I knew more about medicine. But google does not tell me that wine is a good remedy for heart attacks. Maybe the grapes on Pern are made of aspirin?
So anyway, Oldive updates them: Robinton will be okay with care and rest. But he can't be "fretted by any worries". And he'd been warned to reduce his activities. Sebell, Silvina and Menolly have assisted, but Menolly taking ill fucked that up. Because Robinton isn't a grown man who ought to be able to take care of himself.
Anyway, he notes that F'lar and Lessa can do no more at Ista, and urges them to go home and rest. The dragons reassure them as well as the chapter ends.
Convenient.
This time, we're back to Jaxom. And it's funny, I like a lot of this book more than Dragonquest, but I miss how Dragonquest had ONE protagonist out of two that I could actually stand. Jaxom vs. Robinton is like trying to decide whether we'd prefer to get a finger broken or lose a tooth.
So we rejoin Jaxom. He's with Sharra and Brekke, of course. Sharra is apparently teaching them how to play a children's game. This is interrupted when Ruth wakes up and makes a keening sound. He's sensing last chapter's mating flight. Salth is gone.
Brekke is sad and angry, calling T'kul a fool. Sharra, who happily doesn't seem to arbitrarily hear dragons and that makes me like her more, thinks it serves T'kul right. Since she's from Southern Hold, she's had to deal with the Oldtimers, who aren't like the Northern dragonfolk at all.
I like that we have to include that bit, just to remind the audience that our heroes are NICE dragonriders.
Brekke is still pretty desolate. Jaxom justifies the exile of the Oldtimers by citing how they weren't honoring their duties. I am amused that he feels his strongest point is that he's heard Lytol criticize them.
Brekke knows he's right, but she remembers how they came forward to help in the first place. It makes some sense that Brekke's taking this harder. Sharra doesn't hear any dragon, so Salth is not really a separate entity in her mind. And Jaxom is a dick.
Jaxom rants a little about the Oldtimers, mostly remembering how T'ron was a dick to Lytol. Sharra just shrugs, Southern Hold mostly ignores them. They clean up the green, pen the animals, and do a search with flamethrowers afterward. The grubs get what's left. I STILL don't understand how the plants on Pern work. Leaves and greenery are generally important, and grubs can't help there. But maybe alien vegetation is alien?
The Oldtimers occasionally fly Thread, we're told. Which is actually better than I'd expected. Usually because their dragons get upset. Sharra doesn't blame the dragons though, or even the riders, figuring it's not their fault. Which...I don't quite understand. I think the riders should do their fucking job.
This is the passage:
“Don’t they ride a Fall?” Brekke asked in surprise.
“Oh, now and again. If they feel like it, or if their dragons get too upset ... ” Sharra’s contempt was trenchant. Then she noticed the dismay on the other two faces and added, “Oh, what’s happened is not the dragons’ fault, mind you. And I don’t suppose that it’s really the riders’ either. I do think they should at least try to act what they are. To be sure, most of the Oldtimers stayed north. So just a few are giving dragonmen a poor reputation in Southern. Still ... if they’d met us halfway ... we would have helped.”
...see, in context it still doesn't make sense. It IS the riders' fault that they're not acting like dragonriders. And what could Southern Hold help with. They don't have lady dragons to sex the menfolk up, right?
Brekke thinks she should go, knowing how T'kul feels. But then she stops as she hears from Canth. Then Mnementh. Why is Mnementh talking to Brekke over Lessa??? T'kul and F'lar are fighting.
Brekke decides she has to go, and explain that T'kul isn't responsible for his actions. She wonders why they don't overpower him. Um. Yeah, okay, you do that.
Sharra has a different perspective though. She knows T'kul hates F'lar. She's heard him blame F'lar for everything. If T'kul is insane, he'll kill him. Accurate.
I'm rather intrigued by the novelty of Brekke getting to be wrong here. Of course, Jaxom, Sharra, Robinton and to a lesser extent, Menolly, have taken the role of "protagonist is always right". Sharra's at least less obnoxious about it.
Ooo, there's mention of Ramoth coming to Ista. I guess Mnementh did call the wife and Lessa first. Brekke, meanwhile, can't go there because Canth is busy seeing to B'zon's Ranilth. Huh. Maybe one will live after all.
THEN of course, they hear what McCaffrey considers the important news:
“Robinton!” Brekke reeled and would have fallen if Sharra and Jaxom had not jumped to her support. “Oh, no, not Robinton? How?”
The Master Harper.
“Not dead?” Sharra cried.
The Master Harper is very ill. They will not let him go. He will have to stay. As you did.
“I’ll take you, Brekke. On Ruth. Just let me get my flying gear.”
Stop teasing me, book. We know Robinton will live, and learn nothing. Anyway, Jaxom can't fly, he's not well enough to take the cold of between. He's supposed to stay put for at least a month. He could risk headaches or even blindness for the rest of his life.
“How do you know that?” Jaxom demanded, struggling with fury at having been kept ignorant of such a restriction, with frustration at not being able to help either Brekke or the Harper.
They're healers?
Sharra knows because a Southern dragonrider got sick. They didn't know the danger. He went between, went blind, then mad with the pain in his head. Both he and the dragon died. Whoa. Okay. Not just simple headaches then, apparently.
Jaxom asks why he wasn't told about this. Because you're a patient? It's generally not a great idea to tell patients horror stories when they're recovering? It's not like Sharra ever lied about the severity of his condition.
Jaxom does finally have an idea though. Brekke could ride Ruth. Wow. That seems awfully insensitive. But Ruth's on board and so is Brekke. She thanks him profusely. She'll send Ruth back right away.
So now Sharra and Jaxom are alone. Ugh. Poor Sharra.
“I know more of him,” she said, biting her underlip. She expelled her breath in a deep shudder, struggling to control her fears. “Through Piemur, and Menolly. I’ve seen him, of course, in our Hold and heard him sing. He’s such a wonderful man. Oh, Jaxom! All those Southerners have run mad. Mad! They’re sick, confused, lost!” She dropped her head against his shoulder, surrendering to her anxieties. Tenderly, he drew her against him.
Seriously, Robinton sucks and failed those kids so hard.
Also, Sharra, really. You could do so much better.
Anyway, conveniently Ruth sends back the info that Robinton lives. They're both very happy:
Jaxom was intensely aware, at this highly inappropriate moment, of Sharra’s vibrant body pressing against his. He could feel her warmth through the thin fabric of her shirt, the long line of her thighs against his, the fragrance of her hair, scented with sun and a blossom she had tucked behind her ear. The startled look that crossed her face told him that she, too, was aware of the intimacy of their positions-aware and, for the first time since he had known her, confused.
Oh no. But hey, soon it gets infuriating:
He eased his grip on her hands, ready to release her completely if necessary. Sharra was not Corana, not a simple hold girl obedient to the Lord of her Hold. Sharra was not a bed partner for a passing indulgence of desire. Sharra was too important to him to risk destroying their relationship with an ill-timed demonstration. He was also aware that Sharra thought that his feelings for her stemmed from a natural gratitude for her nursing. He’d thought of that possibility in himself and decided that she was wrong. He liked too many things about her, from the sound of her beautiful voice, to the sure touch of her hands: hands he was aching to have caress him. He’d learned a good deal about her in the past few days, but he was aware of a hungry curiosity in himself to know much, much more. Her reaction to the Southerners had surprised him; she often surprised him. Part of her attraction, he supposed, was that he never knew what she’d say or how she’d say it.
WOW. WOW.
Look at this bullshit. LOOK at this bullshit.
a) I love the needless comparison between women, fuck you Jaxom.
b) I love the dismissal of Corana as a "simple hold girl obedient to the Lord of her Hold". Also, exactly how consensual was this.
c) I love that SHARRA, in contrast, is too good to be a casual partner.
d) You still barely know this woman, Jaxom. What does she want in all this?
In my fantasy rewrite, Sharra's a lesbian and involved with Brekke. F'nor is dead, and Jaxom can fuck himself.
...
“I wish I knew what was wrong! If that T’kul has harmed our Harper ... ”
“What about his harming F’lar?”
“I don’t know F’lar, although I’d naturally be very sorry if he were hurt by T’kul.” She absently folded her legs as he sat down beside her, just close enough so that their shoulders nearly touched. “And, in a sense, F’lar ought to fight T’kul. After all, he sent the Oldtimers into exile so he ought to finish it.”
What the fuck?
McCaffrey's favoritism at work!
Sharra just admitted she doesn't know Robinton either. But of course she's devastated, because he's McCaffrey's favorite. Whereas,
a) she probably SHOULD know F'lar. F'lar's had quite a few interactions with Southern Hold's Lord, Toric. Being high ranking, she'd likely have met him too.
b) F'lar was the one who spearheaded the efforts to save the fucking world from Thread. What exactly has Robinton done?
It would be interesting if Sharra did resent F'lar for sending the Oldtimers into exile though. But I'd accept that more if she wasn't all weepy about Robinton the craptastic.
To be fair, Jaxom does defend the man:
“We’d be in a far worse state,” Jaxom replied with more heat than he intended at her callous dismissal of F’lar’s fate, “if the Benden Weyrleader gets killed! He is Pern!”
“Really?” Sharra was willing to be converted. “I’ve never seen him ... ”
Of course we're cut off here by Ruth's update. Because while F'lar is one of McCaffrey's favorites, he can't usurp Robinton's attention. Robinton's asleep. Oldive is with him. F'lar and Lessa are waiting outside. Sebell is coming, though Menolly can't. She's still recovering.
They ask what happened, and we get Ruth's description of a heart attack:
Mnementh said Robinton’s chest hurt and he wanted to sleep. Wine helped him. Mnementh and Ramoth knew he should not sleep. He would go. May I come back now?
Does alcohol help with a heart attack?
Sharra, being a healer, tries to figure it out. She considers sending her own lizard, because of course she has lizards. I don't remember them being mentioned. But of course she does. She also apologizes again, saying she didn't mean to disrespect F'lar.
Aw, don't worry, Sharra. It's not your fault that the author has decided Robinton is the biggest saint in the universe. Suddenly, Sharra's lizards (Meer and Talla, no idea what kind, I'm going to GUESS gold and bronze because she's an important character. Only nobodies get blues or greens) start reacting very strange: startled, before relaxing.
They realize that someone's coming. it's Piemur! He's been looking for them!
We end up switching scenes to F'lar and Lessa. They're in one of Ista's weyrs, which had been "hastily vacated by its occupants so that the Master Harper of Pern could be accommodated."
Intellectually, I realize that this makes sense and Robinton is an important guy. But emotionally, I'm annoyed on behalf of whatever poor person lives here, considering they go out and fight thread every day, and had to suffer through a crazy mating flight (...I'm GUESSING they didn't give the Harper the quarters of a lowly green/blue/brown rider).
F'lar is updating Lessa, saying the Weyr is organized. They have some lovely hand holding. D'ram's taken charge. The older bronzes are helping with Ranilth. Apparently, he'll only live a few more Turns. I'm curious again about dragon lifespan. Do they mean that the mating flight took a lot out of him, or was he always going to die?
B'zon's dead asleep. The disappointed bronze riders are drunk "as winemakers' apprentices". And..." from every indication Cosira and G’dened are ... so involved they haven’t any notion of what else has been happening here in Ista.”
Ahem.
Lessa's grinning too, and F'lar playfully asks when Ramoth rises again. She'll remember to let him know. Hee.
Ugh, unfortunately, they start discussing Robinton. And I KNOW this is going to lead to THEM apologizing to HIM, when he's the one who was a dick. Oldive said he'll have a good recovery. Lessa's fascinated by the way all of the dragons were linked in to hear Oldive. I'm annoyed they did it for Robinton.
For his part, F'lar's more interested in the fact that Brekke flew Ruth. Or more specifically (when Lessa bristles in endearing defense of Brekke's ability) that Jaxom was generous enough to let her. He doesn't imagine Lessa offering up Ramoth, and Lessa agrees. (I don't mind this, because F'lar says it without judgment, and there's the implication that he wouldn't have been so generous with Mnementh either.)
But then, UGH.
You know, I could almost get to like fire-lizards after today.”
“What brought about this change of heart?” F’lar stared at her in surprise.
“I didn’t say I had. I said I could almost-watching Brekke direct Grail and Berd to bring her things, and that little bronze of Robinton’s. The creatures can get vicious when their friends are hurt but he just crouched there, watching Robinton’s face and crooning till I thought he’d shake his bones loose. Not that I didn’t feel much the same myself. When I think ... ” Lessa broke off, her face blotchy with tears.
I am so annoyed.
Lessa is fully in her rights to dislike firelizards! And it's not like this answers any of her actual, legitimate complaints.
So anyway, Lessa had gotten here very quickly. She'd been worried about F'lar of course, and thinks it'd have been better to kill T'ron at the wedding. F'lar's response is interesting:
“Lessa!” He gripped her fingers so tightly she winced. “T’ron’s Fidranth was very much alive at Telgar Hold. I couldn’t cause his death no matter what insult T’ron had given me. T’kul I could kill with pleasure. Though I admit, he nearly had me. Our Harper’s not the only one who’s Turning old.”
I do like F'lar's dragon-centered morality. But it occurs to me that T'ron's only been mentioned in past tense in this book. And F'lar said Fidranth WAS alive. Is T'ron dead? Is Mardra? I kind of wondered before, when they said there were no queen's flights. But it's also possible that Mardra's dragon had just gotten too old.
(I took a peek at Pern's wiki to find out about T'ron. Apparently in a later book we'll learn that T'ron did die of some illness and T'kul did take over. And you know, I'm actually a little sad about that. He was obnoxious and annoying in Dragonquest, but I still remember his speech in Dragonflight, and how warm and welcoming he and Mardra were. Damn. Mardra's still alive though.)
So Lessa and F'lar discuss what to do with the Oldtimers. D'ram has a solution: he'll go down and take charge of the Weyr. Since he's an Oldtimer himself, he thinks they'll accept his commands. He'll accept F'lar's help though: some greens, preferably from R'mart or G'narish (Telgar or Igen). I'm glad to see G'narish is still around even if he's been supplanted from having the worst name ever by the men in this book. He'll need a few younger bronzes, and enough blues and browns for two fighting wings.
D'ram thinks that they need to start fighting Thread again, it gives them hope and occupation. Apparently he's learned a lot from B'zon and he feels sorry for them. He and F'lar engage in mutual self-blame and reassurance: it had been the right decision at the time, but D'ram thinks he should have gone South after Fanna died to take charge. It might have helped.
Lessa disagrees
“I doubt it,” Lessa said, angry that D’ram was blaming himself. “Once T’kul plotted to steal a queen egg ... ” and she gestured her condemnation of the man.
“If he had come to you ... ”
Lessa’s harsh expression did not alter. “I doubt that T’kul would have come,” she said slowly. An expression of distaste crossed her mobile features and she made a sound of annoyance before she looked at D’ram again; this time her expression was rueful. “And I’d have probably sent him about his business. But you,” she pointed her finger at D’ram, “wouldn’t have. And I imagine that F’lar would also have been more tolerant.” She grinned at her Weyrmate. “It wasn’t in T’kul’s nature to beg,” she went on more briskly. “Nor in mine to forgive! I will never forgive the Southerns for stealing Ramoth’s egg! When I think they brought me to the point where I was willing to set dragon against dragon! That I can never forgive!”
I love Lessa so much.
Anyway, D'ram asks if she disapproves of his plan, and I love that she gets a say too. But anyway, she's on board. She admires D'ram for it. She admits she didn't know what was going on in the South and hadn't wanted to.
I love that Lessa actually gets to acknowledge her shortcomings. Hell, I love that she has them. Brekke's far more tolerable in this book, but still.
F'lar basically says D'ram can take any rider from Benden except F'nor. And that more because it wouldn't be fair to ask Brekke to go back. There's another factor consider: the slow spread of Toric's settlement. The Oldtimers haven't really noticed yet, and F'lar doesn't want to alarm them.
His intention is still that the dragonriders get first choice of land. He doesn't want them dependent on Hold or Craft. He wants them to "have [their] own places, without prejudice". And he has no intention of ever having to beg wine/bread/meat from anyone.
Again, you mean, F'lar. Because that's what those tithes in early Dragonflight basically were. Or more accurately, ransom. But I get why F'lar would want to ensure some protection for the next Interval.
D'ram is happily on board with this, and intends to help secure the South. F'lar is happy too. He'd actually considered asking D'ram before the man volunteered. They share a Manly arm grip. And we get this, which is nice:
“I have grieved for my weyrmate as is proper. But I still live. I liked being in that cove, but it wasn’t enough. I was relieved when you came after me, and kept me busy, F’lar. It doesn’t answer to give up the only life I’ve known. I couldn’t. Dragonmen must fly/When Threads are in the sky!” He sighed once more, inclined his head respectfully to Lessa and then, turning smartly on his heel, strode from the weyr, his step firm, his stance proud.
Aw.
Meanwhile, Lessa and F'lar have their own moment:
There are too many deep lines in his face, now, thought Lessa, lines that she hadn’t noticed before. His eyes were sad, his lips thin with worry as he gazed after D’ram. But the muscles in his arm were as strong as ever, and his body lean and hard with the active life he led. He’d been fit enough to preserve his skin against a madman. There’d only been one time when weakness had frightened F’lar-just after that knife fight at Telgar, when his wound had been slow to heal and he’d been sick with fever from foolishly going between. He’d learned a lesson then and had started delegating some of the strain of leadership to F’nor and T’gellan in Benden, to N’ton and R’mart in Pern, and to Lessa herself! Keenly sensible of her deep need of him, Lessa embraced F’lar fiercely.
Aww.
Soon Sebell appears. F'lar and Lessa wave him on. He's followed by two lizards, who squeak upon seeing Lessa and disappear. Hah, that's awesome. Lessa only comments that she hadn't realized he had two queens. He doesn't. The other one was Beauty of course.
“Oh, tell them to come back. I don’t eat firelizards!” Lessa said, curbing her irritation. She didn’t know which annoyed her more, the fire-lizards themselves, or the way people cringed about her when the subject came up. “And that little bronze of Robinton’s showed a commendable amount of common sense today. So tell Menolly’s queen to come back. If the fire-lizard sees, she’ll believe!”
I love Lessa so damn much.
So the queens return. One chirps a thank you to Lessa. Lessa doesn't know which because they all look alike to her. That delights me. When Sebell goes in to see Robinton, they discuss whether Sebell is taking over Harper Hall.
Please! He was actually doing something!
F'lar feels guilty for asking so much of Harper Hall. Then they have a toast of Benden wine for Robinton.
They made an unspoken toast. “Benden wine!”
“The wine that kept him alive!”
“Miss a cup of wine? Not Robinton!” She drank quickly to ease the pressure in her throat.
Haha, that Robinton. Alcoholism is hilarious.
Oldive emerges to note that Robinton will live to continue to be a raging alcoholic. His description is interesting!
. He glided to the table, a curious figure with arms and legs apparently too long for his torso until his back was visible, with its hump. His handsome face was serene as he poured himself a cup of wine, regarding the rich crimson color a moment before he raised it, as Lessa had, and drank it down. “As you said, this helped keep him alive. It’s seldom that a man’s vice sustained life in his body!”
...I wish I knew more about medicine. But google does not tell me that wine is a good remedy for heart attacks. Maybe the grapes on Pern are made of aspirin?
So anyway, Oldive updates them: Robinton will be okay with care and rest. But he can't be "fretted by any worries". And he'd been warned to reduce his activities. Sebell, Silvina and Menolly have assisted, but Menolly taking ill fucked that up. Because Robinton isn't a grown man who ought to be able to take care of himself.
Anyway, he notes that F'lar and Lessa can do no more at Ista, and urges them to go home and rest. The dragons reassure them as well as the chapter ends.
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Date: 2020-11-28 02:12 am (UTC)I love Lessa and F'lar so much though.
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Date: 2020-11-28 04:37 am (UTC)In a fairer world, this would be Lessa and F'lar's book.