He'd always felt a bit odd keeping the girl's existence a secret, but...he'd loved her mother. Intensely. And for whatever reason she'd never felt comfortable bringing it up, and he'd not had the heart to force her. She was gone now, of course, and the only reason any of them at all still lived was because of the work of men just like the one she'd been hiding from...and now that his wife was gone, and every time he looked at Zelaya, he saw her mother's face, and then the bronze...no. No, it was time this all got settled. So he'd told her to take the rider's offer, and set quill to paper, and found a bronze firelizard, and reminded her that she was Hold-raised, but Weyr-bred. She'd do fine. Make both her fathers proud. He hoped.
The firelizard had cleverly shrugged out of the strap that had tied the scroll to it's thigh, and perched with a claw atop it to wait for the man it had been sent to find. The tiny gold-capped tube was full of creamy parchment, covered in fine dark lines written in a steady, practiced hand.
Mx Cherie
To Wingleader Z'tir, of Bronze Siloth,
My name is Havers, and I am writing to you on behalf of my late wife, Raya. You may not remember her, but she recalled you well through the turns we spent together, if not unfondly. Unfortunately I have found that following her passing, I can no no longer keep certain information to myself, and in the face of the current situation, thought it best to be upfront in my request to you.
Some fifteen turns ago, Raya was visiting High Reaches Weyr when one of the resident golds took flight. Unprepared for the emotions such events can stir, she found herself in your company, which I do not begrudge either of you for—it is long past, and long forgotten. What cannot be forgotten, however, is the life that came from that encounter. Raya named her daughter Zelaya, and we have done our best to raise her to be a good, obedient, loyal follower of the Weyr. Many times I begged Raya to let me contact you, but I believe she feared you would seek to take the child away, and following the...drama, of the gold flight, she sadly found the thought of her child in a place she was unwilling to follow unbearable. I could not force her hand to pen the words.
I regret, now, that my indulgence has stolen from you the chance to see your daughter grow. No father could be prouder, I promise you. She has apprenticed in the traditional way of Balen, and you could ask for no finer young hand in the orchards. I...do fear, though, that such talents will not serve her when she comes to the Weyr. And she is coming. A recent encounter with a bronzerider, I believe going by the name of W'dre, resulted in Zelaya receiving an offer to stand as a candidate that she intends to accept. I will admit that though some selfish part of me will be glad to see her off to...bigger and better things, another part of me worries deeply for her. She is the daughter of my heart, if not my blood, and though I know that Wing and Weyr must come first, it would mean a great deal to me if you might look in on her from time to time.
She knows that her father was a bronzerider, but Raya never shared your name with her. I promise that she will not be a burden to you, or disappoint you, Wingleader.
Humbly at your service,
Havers, of Balen Hold
My name is Havers, and I am writing to you on behalf of my late wife, Raya. You may not remember her, but she recalled you well through the turns we spent together, if not unfondly. Unfortunately I have found that following her passing, I can no no longer keep certain information to myself, and in the face of the current situation, thought it best to be upfront in my request to you.
Some fifteen turns ago, Raya was visiting High Reaches Weyr when one of the resident golds took flight. Unprepared for the emotions such events can stir, she found herself in your company, which I do not begrudge either of you for—it is long past, and long forgotten. What cannot be forgotten, however, is the life that came from that encounter. Raya named her daughter Zelaya, and we have done our best to raise her to be a good, obedient, loyal follower of the Weyr. Many times I begged Raya to let me contact you, but I believe she feared you would seek to take the child away, and following the...drama, of the gold flight, she sadly found the thought of her child in a place she was unwilling to follow unbearable. I could not force her hand to pen the words.
I regret, now, that my indulgence has stolen from you the chance to see your daughter grow. No father could be prouder, I promise you. She has apprenticed in the traditional way of Balen, and you could ask for no finer young hand in the orchards. I...do fear, though, that such talents will not serve her when she comes to the Weyr. And she is coming. A recent encounter with a bronzerider, I believe going by the name of W'dre, resulted in Zelaya receiving an offer to stand as a candidate that she intends to accept. I will admit that though some selfish part of me will be glad to see her off to...bigger and better things, another part of me worries deeply for her. She is the daughter of my heart, if not my blood, and though I know that Wing and Weyr must come first, it would mean a great deal to me if you might look in on her from time to time.
She knows that her father was a bronzerider, but Raya never shared your name with her. I promise that she will not be a burden to you, or disappoint you, Wingleader.
Humbly at your service,
Havers, of Balen Hold