This is her story, slthough it is still shakey... -- Tell Your Story

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Date Posted: 01:11:07 01/09/02 Wed
Author: Koylu
Subject: This is her story, slthough it is still shakey...

Koylu was the oldest of 10 children born to a small semi-prosperous holder family in Igen Hold. The family had held their land for over 15 generations and many traditions and rules had developed over that time. One rule was that the eldest daughter must stay at home, tending to her parents and other older relatives. Once her eldest brother took over the holding, he would decide when she could go to her own life, usually too old to do much but become a huge burden on her eldest niece. Koylu didn't like this chain of events, and, being the oldest girl, it was understandable. No one in her family owned a fire lizard or rode a dragon. Indeed, no one had ever been searched from Kole hold. She had only seen the magnificent beasts from afar, as they flew past her family's small holding. When Koylu turned 15, the age when most young girls started looking for husbands, Koylu's parents announced that she would spend the rest of her days as their keeper. She had a major blowout with them over the lunch table, a fight that resulted in her storming out of the Hold, never to return. Koylu ran to the room she shared with 2 of her younger sisters, retrieved her own personal things and hurried to the beasthold. She mounted her old gray runnerbeast and rode out of the hold. A few days later, she came upon a runner trace and was following it.

It was sunny, with not even a cloud on the horizon. She was ridding comfortably when a tunnel snake slithered in front of her mount. The stupid creature reared, dumped her, and raced into the woods.

She had kept walking down the runner trace, hoping to find a place to spend the night. As dusk drew near, she spotted the runner station. They fed her and put her up for the night. The next day, some of the younger boys were racing and invited her to join them. She did and beat every one of them. She thought about this for a while and approached the runner stationmaster, asking if she could become a runner. He told her

"Only men can become runners. You wouldn't have the stamina to run as far as real runners do. I'm sorry but you are out of luck young girl."

She took her leave of the runner station and it's sexist master as soon as possible and continued towards the next runner station. The day before she reached the station, she stopped, took her belt knife, and cut her hair in the same style all the boys at the runner station had. She then traded pants for her skirt, just in case, and approached the runner station. She sought out the station master and, using her Hold's name, Kole, posed as a young boy trying out to be a runner. The stationmaster saw her in one race and gave her the position. After a year of running messages and seeing more holds than she ever thought existed, she was sent to the Weyr. This was Fort Weyr and as she drew near the tall crags of the Weyr, her apprehension grew. She entered the hollow Weyr bowl and saw a dragon, up close, for the first time. She was a huge Queen, diving after a heardbeast. The Queen was shimmering in the afternoon light like a miniature sun. Koylu stood there for what seemed like forever, entranced by the beautiful creature. She finally shook herself and approached the tables, where she could smell food. After eating and delivering her message, she returned to the runner station. She asked to be excused from running, as she would like to go back to the Weyr to try to impress a beautiful dragon like the gold she had seen on her first trip.

"So you want to impress a dragon, eh son?" He had asked, chuckling, "Can't say I blame you, you're the fourth lad we've lost to the Weyr. Shards but its hard to keep a runner around here when he delivers to the Weyr. Oh go on then."

He had dismissed her so that she could go to the Weyr and impress. How she wished that she could impress a gold dragon, and soar through the clouds like a bird. If only�

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