Relena sat in her quarters in the Weyrlings barracks. The quarters weren't very big, at least not by the standards she was accustomed to. There was a curtained off alcove for her growing dragon Xenith, and smaller quarters for herself and her room mate. There were two cots on either side of the room, the door was in the wall at the foot of her bed. There was a small dresser in between their beds and another at the foot of her room mates' bed for them to store their clothes in. On the other side of Relena's bed was a small closet for them to hang their finery, and pressed against the foot boards of their cots were matching clothes chests. By all standards, the room was modest. The furniture was worn, but not shabby, the clothes they received were not new, but were in good repair. Still, it was a bit of an adjustment for Relena but she made care to keep any disatisfation or complaints securely behind her tongue. It did her no good to complain about conditions that were perfectly adequate (if a trifle below her usual standards), it did no good and would probably make her disliked and unpopular. The condition of the clothing she was issued was easily taken care of anyway, and she would be moving out of the barracks as soon as Xenith was fully grown and Relena had passed through Weyrling training.

The riding leathers she'd been issued howeverWell, Relena was far from pleased with those! First of all, the last person to have had them did not know the first thing about leather treatment, and secondly (and in her opinion even worse) was that the leathers were plain, unadorned, and the cut of them was simply too ugly to be seen in! She was seeing to the remedying of that matter herself. After all, what was the point in having family connections and status if one did not use them every once in a while? She'd had Jewel Between a note to her brother asking for the use of one of the bolts of uncut leathers she'd helped to cure last season. But then she'd thought she might as well make herself something to go on under it so she'd asked for a smaller bolt of cotton fabric and a bolt of wool and a bolt of sisal fabric from her own private stock. She'd seen the cloth at one of the weavers booths at a Gather one year and had simply had to spend her marks on the high quality fabric. The warm rich golden brown of hide she was working with would complement her dragons hide quite nicely.

Right at that moment she was perched on her bed with various cuts of leather spread out around her. Her leather working tools were secured in a roll in front of her and she was bent over her work, piercing tiny holes near the seams for her to later stitch together with tough threads made of plant fibers. Once she had the outer hide stitched together she could work on the inner lining of the jacket and trews, an absorbent layer of cotton. And in between those she planned to quilt a layer of plush wool and fine down, then line the linings with fur from a Northern Frax. ((Pernese equivalent to arctic fox. I kinda made it up, slurred the vowels a bit to account for language shifts, I think foxes were among the animals imported by the original settlers. Some of them must have been game hunters, right? Or maybe not.))

Working on the leathers in the rare free time she had gave her time to think.

It had been four months since she'd Impressed Xenith, the midsummer Gathers would be held soon, which meant that the Council would meet at Fort Hold. Relena rather assumed that the main topic of discussion would be the recent activities of the Raiders (who had gotten more and more aggressive as the months passed) and the patrols sent out by the Weyrs. For a while, the aggressions of the raiders had been contained, but things were becoming more and more unstable as the weeks passed. Relena knew that there had to be something she could do, some way she could get them all to cooperate if she could only get them to listen to her.

<I'm still only a Weyrling, a dragonrider in training,> she thought. Whatever her prior status had been she now owed her loyalties to her weyr. <But since out Weyrwoman has fallen ill and lies on the pallet beside our Weyrleader, things have only gotten more confused here at Bendan.>

Relena had been doing everything she could, relying on all the skills she thought she would never use, to hold things together there at the Weyr. Heero had been of immense help, because he was the best Wingleader people naturally looked to him as a secondary voice of authority in the times of trouble and he backed Relena up when she made suggestions as to efficient ways of running things. Still, even though between the two of them they were managing to keep things from flying into total chaos, they still had no real authority. Relena, for all of her skill, was not the Weyrs Weyrwoman, and Heero for all of his own influence was not the Weyrleaderwhich left Relena worrying about the mid-summer Gather and the meeting of the Council.

<There is something more going on here. I have met with Masterharper Corliss and I can sense that he worries over something. I'm certain that there is a plan, a direction to these attacks on the shipping lines, and on small Holds and cotsI just wish I could make the connection,> she thought in frustration.

-You worry over the attacks again, don't you?- asked the voice of Xenith, her queen dragon, into her mind.

-Yes I do pet, but there's nothing for you to concern yourself with just yet. You just concentrate on getting big and strongwe may need that in the future dearest heart.- Said Relena lovingly. At four months out of the shell, Xenith was already over four times her egg-size. Relena could attest to that for Relena had had the job of feeding her, then washing her hide and oiling it so it got no rough patches. Relena felt that fire lizard hides were easier to oil for there was a lot less of it.

<By mid-summer of next Turn Xenith will be full sized,> thought Relena with no small amount of pride. A full eighteen months was what it took for a dragon to reach maturity, then

<Then will be the time for mating flight,> Relena thought with no small amount of trepidation. She had mixed feelings about the entire affair, she had heard from other queens that a mating flight offered the bestphysical sensations and satiety and that there was nothing else like it. However, her Hold-bred sensibilities were having troubles wrapping themselves around the concept of bedding someone to whom she was not married. The advice offered to her by Elsa, one of the eldest queen riders (and well past the age of bearing) was that she choose a mate from the bronze riders and bed down with him. The counter argument to that one was that it was no sure thing that the rider's dragon would catch her queen.

<I shouldn't worry about it,> she advised herself. <There's still another full twelve months to go. What I am worried about is the Council Meeting that will be gathering at the Gather in a mere few days time and who will be representing Bendan Wyer. I'm not sure that either of our Weyrleaders are able-bodied enough to make it there and represent us. There will be a lot of things to discuss there, a lot of things that will affect a lot of people. The Weyr needs representatives who are clear of mind and aware of everything going on in the world>

Jewel perched on her shoulder and wrapped her tail around her neck, crooning reassuringly in her mistress' ear. He fair was doing marvelously at the Weyr. There was plenty enough of the foods they preferred near to hand and lots of oil for their hides. Weyrlings were appreciative of them, their antics and their beauty. Even Heero liked them, mainly because Relena used them to work out new formations and possible new thread-fighting tactics. Heero's only comment was a grunted "so they have a use after all," and bending his head back to his maps and Threadfall charts.

Relena herself reluctantly joined him in the studies, after all, she was going to need to know it anyway right, and if he was a little impatient with her constant questioning, Heero was at least though and meticulous about her education. She would be taking that part of her Weyrling training soon and she saw no reason not to give herself an edge.

<Feh! Admit it,> she told herself scornfully. <You just like watching Heero's profile when he talks.>

She didn't really mind sacrificing an hour or two's worth of sleep in order to study these things with Heero, her fair liked him too. In fact, whenever he was around the bronzes Yin and Yang had taken him as an alternate perch rather than fight Jewel or Reppa for one of Relena's shoulders. Heero even at times seemed amused by their antics, as long as they did no harm, he also seemed to enjoy watching them play their game of aerial tag. He said it was a little similar to the games that the older Weyrlings played to learn how to fight Thread.

The study sessions were a great source of teasing and knowing smiles on the part of the other Weyrlings in her class, especially the females sharing her barracks. "Oh studying again were we? Suuuure. I'll bet maps weren't the only thing you two were studying," and this was followed by a knowing wink and the laughter of any of the others listening in. Relena took the teasing in stride, after all, it wasn't as though she hadn't thought about it

But, she had little enough time to pursue a romance, even if she truly were inclined to do so (many of the other girls had no such problems, but then, they ere Weyr-bred most of them). Relena was kept pretty busy. When she rose at dawn in the morning she had a full meal of meat to chop up for Xenith, who seemed to grow larger and consume more with each passing day. Then she would go down to the communal eating hall and seat herself at a table for breakfast and klah. After she, and the other Weyrlings had eaten for the morning came their first morning class taught by one of the senior queens.

For now, it was an anatomy and physiology class. The instructors insisted that they know their dragons inside and out. This included their musculature, the names and placing of all of their muscles, their skeletal structure the names and placing of all of their bones and the major cartilage as well as what the bones were made of. The books and diagrams used were ancient, and Relena thought she recognized some of the terms used as belonging in some of the tomes she'd delved into in the Records hall back in her Hold. The instructors liked to use her Fair as small models to point out the various bones and muscles and demonstrate how they worked. It was very convenient, and Reppa and Jewel basked in the attention. After this class came another on the care and feeding of their charges, Relena was often brought to the fore to present her Fire Lizards as miniature examples/models of why things were done such and so a way. Relena had found the classes interesting and informative, as well as useful in the continued training and care of her Fair, who, in the past four months had grown to full size.

Relena would get her babies to carry messages for the other Weyrlings to their homes for a small fee. It was not always certain that they would return immediately, but Heero encouraged the practice stating that it was useful for her to learn the distinctive features of all the Holds she could. Relena assumed that this was because she would eventually have to know them anyway, in order for her to Between it to them.

He second class was a geography class, the Weyrlings studied maps, not only of their own territory but of all of the territories protected by the other Weyrs. The third class was a class about weather patterns and not only weather patterns but about what caused them. Relena had no idea that there was so much involved in the shifting patterns of weather. Before she had come to the Weyr she had never heard of "warm fronts" or "cold fronts" or "high pressure areas" or "low pressure areas" or even something they called a "greenhouse effect." Currently they were studying the different layers that made up the air (the word they used was an Ancient's word called "at-most-fear) surrounding Pern, the lowest being the troposphere and the effect that air pressure played on not only air currents but weather in general. This in turn had led to discussions about energy absorbed from the sun and its effect on prevailing winds and global circulation. Many of the other students found that particular course dreadfully boring, but Relena was fascinated by it all. The next portion of her morning and early afternoon was spent in Drill. She marched in intricate patterns along with others, some of her own year, many of others. They drilled and drilled, marching about the bowl until Relena felt she could do them in her sleep! She knew that the drills she did on the ground now were in preparation for the ones in the air later, but they were still quite boring and repetitive.

After that class they were allowed a lunch break, thencame Relena's least favorite aspect of her training, drudge-work. For a Weyr to run there were certain necessary chores that needed doing. Relena knew this. But that didn't mean she liked hauling firestone sacks, or running errands, or scouring the heights, or scrubbing burned-on food from the pots, or hauling wood to the furnace, or running through and checking the water filters. She at least felt comfortable in the kitchens and even enjoyed the relative reprieve of mending and sewing and helping with the field beasts. Still, much of it was tiresome, even exhausting, and certainly not mentally stimulating.

Heero could have at least been sympathetic, but he wasn't. He'd commented that he'd had to when he was a Weyrling, and now, so did she. Heero didn't grasp the concept of complaining to a friend, the purpose was so that they would say a few words of commiseration to you and make you feel better. He was obviously missing the point. Still even if he wasn't exactly sympathetic he was kind enough to rub her back for her after a particularly long afternoon of hauling heavy things.

<My hands,> she thought looking down at them. They had never been soft pampered ladies hands to start with, but now they were downright callused. And her nails had been chewed down to where they wouldn't get into the way, and Relena mourned that loss too.

But it was all worth it to her. Every time she looked at Xenith, it was worth it. Xenith was surely the most beautiful, most graceful queen ever to grace the skies (well, actually, she hadn't quite made it to the skies yet) of Pern. Not only that, but Relena finally had something she'd missed, something she'd been searching fora sense of purpose to her life. She had the wonderful knowledge that every task she had done for the Weyr meant something, that every problem she solved would have a good effect. So even if things were still unstable in the Weyr she was helping to hold things together and feeling useful made her feel good about herself. Often, when she had a spare moment that wasn't spent with her dragon or with Heero, she could be seen with Headwoman Jalla helping with the lists of tithes and the supplies needed to keep the Weyr going. Her training at the Hold made her uniquely suited to fulfill that role. That also made her feel good about herself, having a position and a job to do that no one else could do as well at the moment. Normally, the Weyrwoman would have been in Relena's place, but with Adirna falling mysteriously ill that wasn't an option.

<And now that I think about it, the timing of this illness is a trifle on the suspicious sideperhaps it is the result of some kind of action taken by our unseen foe,> she thought, troubled. <Then again, maybe I'm just jumping at shadows. I mean really, soon I'll start seeing some vague nebulous plot behind everything going wrong. Then I'll be no better that those silly Lord Holders who see the Weyrs as the manufacturers of all their troubles, instead of the ones trying to help them end this period of difficulty.>

She shook her head, there was little she could do about it, and she had concerns of her own. Still, she couldn't help but feel that there was a way to convince them to reason if only she could get onto that Council. She just knew she'd be able to reason with them, she knew it!

-Heero and Zeroth are worrying over something,- commented Xenith. ­Actually, Heero is worrying over it. Zeroth says he's gone into one of his broods again and Zeroth wants to know if you're free to help his Rider out of it.-

-Of course luv, I'll be right there,- said Relena. She was well familiar with Heero and his "broods." Sometimes when she brought up the subject of the Raiders he'd go all silent and close himself off where Relena couldn't reach him. Sometimes a brood was even sparked by something so innocuous as Relena mentioning her family and then innocently inquiring after his own. Once when she'd tried to pursue the subject Heero had snapped at her and told her not to bring it up again. She hadn't. (At least not directly, but she was very good at acquiring information indirectly and sometimes what a person refused to answer or mention told her as much or more than actual words would.) Relena set aside her book and went to track down the brooding young bronze rider.

She found him in his quarters with his gear in front of him studying something in his hand. At her footfall her jerked his head upward and he concealed whatever it was he'd had in his hand before Relena could get a good look at it. He glared at her.

"Don't you ever knock first?"

"Normally I would," She said. "But Zeroth told me you were brooding so I didn't want to give you the option of telling me to go away."

"Go away."

"Heero," she said reprovingly. "What's wrong?"

When he turned and glared at her she persisted. "You know you can tell me what's bothering you, I promise I'll never get upset or judge you. Just tell me what has you so disturbed lately and I'll do everything I can to help," she offered.

Heero looked for a moment like he was going to actually say what was on his mind, but the brief second passed and his expression closed again.

"You wouldn't understand," he said.

"Is it the problem with Nabol?" she asked.

"How did you hear about that? It was supposed to be kept secret until after the Council meeting."

"You forget my connections," she said. "It has me deeply troubled, to be honest. I only wish that I could get into that Council meet, I'm sure I could convince the majority of the Lord Holders that their suspicions of the Weyrs are ridiculous and unfounded. But the Lord of Nabol seems to be deliberately causing distention and rifts between the Holds and Weyrs, he's there at every Gather, at every Hatching, at every chance he can get, turning people against each other. I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw one of my brothers precious Ruathan Runner beasts one handed."

"They say that nothing good ever comes out of Nabol," said Heeo flatly. Relena sensed something of a test in his words.

"Oh don't you start prating that nonsense at me," she said. "I think that the nebulous "they" are as ridiculous as most of the things "they" are said to say! If the old saw about nothing ever good coming out of Nabol was true the Hold would not have lasted as long as it has now would it? And besides, I do not believe that evil is an inherited trait, it's something that is learned. To automatically assume that someone is corrupt simply on the basis of "bad blood" would be wrong and unjust."

Heero looked positively astounded, like he'd been smacked in the back of the head with a board. Dimly, Relena could Hear Zeroth give Heero a gleeful and triumphant-sounding

-I told you so!-

And wondered breifly what that was all about. She shrugged and mentally shook herself. If it were any of her business Heero would tell her sooner or later.

"Do you truly believe that?" Heero asked suddenly, seizing her by the upper arm and staring her straight in the eyes. He looked as though he was searching for something, searching desperately. Puzzled by his sudden vehemence, Relena innocently said

"Why of course I do."

Heero was silent for another few moments then suddenly rose to his feet.

"I need to go take care of a few things," he said . "I might not be back until late this evening-"

He broke off. He looked like he wanted to say something more, but then simply said "Study hard."

Relena stared after his departing form in puzzlement and muttered to herself

"Well, at least he isn't brooding anymore."

* * *

Heero left the bewildered Relena behind him and hurried off to Where his mentor, J'Tor lay beside his weakened Weyrwoman. He felt it was strange (not to mention suspicious) that she would so suddenly fall illbut if he knew his mother he wouldn't put it past the woman to have her poisoned so that she would not be able to attend the Council meeting.

Heero knocked and waited.

"Who is it?" the voice of his instructor rasped.

"It's me," Heero said simply.

"Why come in my boy," said J'Tor. "Sit down. I assume that you're here for business?"

"Yes," said Heero. His mentor had trained him well.

"I hear you've been handling the running of things here in the Weyr quite well," said J'Tor conversationally.

"Only until your recovery," said Heero. He was one of the few who, against all odds, still held out hope of J'Tor's eventual recovery.

"Well, I think you'll be waiting a while then. How is that young queen-rider lady friend of yours doing eh?"

"Relena is proceeding with her studies at a rate exceeding expectations. She also handles many of the smaller day to day matters with ease and ingenuity," Heero reported. "She is versed in a wide variety of matters that have proven to be unexpectedly useful at this time."

"How far along is that dragon of hers?" asked Adirna, from the bed next to her weyrmate.

"Four months and growing rapidly," answered Heero.

"She'll be put on one of the Weyrling chains soon, even though her dragon doesn't chew firestone, Relena should still acquire the skill at dragon toss, I take it she's already marching?"

"Yes. In another few months, after her straps have been made, she'll be put to the sky and taught to go Between. She says she already knows the markings of many of the major Holds from flying letters to relatives of the Weyrlings in her barracks with her fire lizards."

"I've heard that the two of you have become quite cozy," said Adirna. The kindly woman had treated him better than his own flesh and blood mother had, and she seemed to take a mothers interest in his love life (or rather, lack thereof). Adirna was a consummate matchmaker.

"Relena has expressed an interest in further study, and I felt it wise to encourage that interest," Heero replied neutrally.

"I don't suppose this would have anything to do with Relena's queen Xenith being the likeliest to rise in mating flight?"

"You and J'Tor are the Weyrleaders, I would not usurp where I am-"

"Don't be silly lad!" said Adirna. "I am certain that you are no fool for I did not have the raising of a fool. You can see for yourself that neither of us is in any condition to be running the Weyr, we can't even get out of bed. No, the one who catches the next queen to rise will be the one who gets the Weyr. You and I both know hat the other queens are old and infirm, many of them have been around since before J'Tor and I took up the reigns. This Weyr needs fresh blood and someone capable and competent to run things here. From all you've said and all I've heard from other sources, Relena is our best hope of that. We have been grooming you, for the position of WeyrleaderIt pleases me to see that you have finally taken to a woman. It pleases me more that it was this one I would like to see you happily paired off before I go. You have been the son I was unable to have."

"If that is how you feel, then you should not have a problem with my request," said Heero.

"Which is?" asked J'Tor.

"As Weyrwoman Adirna just pointed out, neither of you can rise from your beds and there will be a Council meeting at the Summer Gather at Fort on mere weeks. The Weyr needs someone to represent it, someone who knows the ins and outs of politics. Relena has the training in that, she's eloquent, when the need arrives. She would be a good representative. The Weyrs of Pern cannot afford to have a weakened stance, not at this time."

"Ah, but the council would never tolerate a mere Weyrling acting as a representative on their council," pointed out J'Tor. "No matter what her prior position was. She will need someone of authority to back her, someone who will be at her side to lend authority to her words."

"I can't think of who-" heero started.

"Thank-you for volunteering!" said Adirna cheerfully.

"But I can't-"

"You can't wait to tell your wing that the Weyr is in good hands."

"But I'm just-"

"You were just on your way to tell Relena the good news, I understand. You must be in an awful hurry," said J'Tor smoothly. And before another word could be said there came a knock at the door.

"Now what?" muttered Heero, seeing his chance at arguing the Weyrleader and Weyrwoman out of their mistaken decision slipping away from him. For the longer it stood, the more concrete it became.

"Excuse me," said the voice of Quatre, the Wingleader from Igen, on the other side of the door.

"Come in," called J'Tor. "You'll have to excuse us for not getting up, we aren't at our best right now."

Quatre stepped into the room, he was flushed and breathing heavily, obviously in a rush.

"I'm sorry to disturb you," said Quatre. "But I've been sent out to all the Weyrs to tell the leaders that an emergency Council session has been called at Fort. We need the Weyrleaders there right away."

"Emergency? What's the emergency?" asked the weyrwoman.

"Lord Kereth of Nabol has been abjured by a party composed of a representatives from the crafthalls, two from the Lord Holders and one from the Weyrs for mistreatment of his lands and holders. He's to stand trial to decide if he can be trusted not to mistreat his lands."

"Well, we can't come ourselves, but luckily for you, we've just found two people to represent us," said Adirna. "One of 'em's standing right by you."

Quatre looked over and his face lit up in surprise and pleasure on behalf of his friend.

"Heero! How wonderful for you, congratulations!" said Quatre.

"But I-" he tried again.

"But you've got to get going," said J'Tor. "Can't keep the Council waiting after all. Go. Go get that Queen rider of yours and get to that meeting."

"Make us proud lad," Adirna called after him as Heero departed from the room muttering under his breath.

* * *

Relena was halfway finished with the hem of the sleeve when a knock at the door to her quarters startled her. Thinking that it was merely her roomate back from her flight drills, Relena was surprised to open her door to find Heero. He didn't even wait for her to invite him in but strode into her room, seeming to fill the tiny quarters with is presence.

"Heero? What is it?" she inquired when he said nothing but looked around her quarters for a moment.

"You've a Gather gown here?" he asked.

"Wellyes but-" she stammered, taken aback by his abrupt inquiry and the unexpected subject. There were no Gathers due to be held for a few weeks yet!

"Good, put it on, then meet me out in the bowl. You've been selected to represent the weyr in the emergency Council meeting," he told her. "Hurry up and get ready."

He turned to leave

"Wait!" she called. He paused at her threshold and turned. "What's the Council session to be about? And why me, there are many other queen riders who are older"

"But know nothing of the world of politics, that's why you were chosen. You will represent this Weyr well."

"But I'm only a Weyrling!"

"I'll be on hand to give you the authority you need." And with that he left her rooms to allow her time to prepare herself.

-Xenith, Is it just me or did Heero seem to be agitated about something?-

-He is indeed upset,- said Zeroth. -He's worried about facing the Council.-

-You know something, don't you Zeroth?- said Relena. ­Tell me. I won't tell a single soul. Whatever it is that's bothering Heero, it does no good to keep it bottled up. I know I can help him.-

-He just told you to mind your own business, and hurry at getting yourself ready or he'll haul you before the Council dressed in drudge clothes.-

-That's Heero for you. You tell him that I'm only trying to help him.-

With that, Relena cut off communications and hastened to prepare himself. Relena pulled her gown from her closet and set it on the bed then threw the matching soft boots after it. She pulled her shirt over her head then shucked her shoes and trousers. Pulling on the special under shirt that had long belled sleeves of a light blue filmy fabric with blue bands of embroidery to match the gown along the cuff. The sleeves were purely ornamental, but it gave the gown a whole new look. Relena hurriedly fussed her hair into a twist and secured it with a comb, leaving out a few tendrils to frame her face. She carefully pulled on the gown over the long belled sleeves, the outer panel over the skirts matched the optional sleeveshow nice. With the addition of a few accessories it was almost like having a whole new dress. Relena was done in minutes, it didn't take her long to get ready.

She was reluctant to put on the worn and rather shabby-looking riding jacket over her pretty dress, but figured shed regret it if she didn't so she pulled it on as she made her way out to the Bowl. Zeroth waited there, but he told her Heero would be another minute or two. Relena's face lit with almost feindish glee.

<Who took longer than who here, hmmmm?> she thought. She was going to have a fun time rubbing this in!

Heero came out dressed in full riding leathers with his Wingleader cord and badge adorning his shoulder. Relena couldn't help admiring the figure he made, he looked very handsome even with his wind touseled hair. Or perhaps that was one of the things she found so appealing.

"Ah, so you're finally ready I see," said Relena teasingly when he strode up to her. "I've been waiting here forever!"

Heero frowned at her and pulled himself onto his dragons back, then reached down and helped her up. Relena settled into position and wrapped her arms around his waist. Zeroth warned her just before he gave a mighty leap and a few powerful downstrokes to get airborn. It was like magic, these flights, and Relena was eagerly awaiting her own first flight with Xenith.

After a short hop in Between, in which Relena wished there were a way to get her skirts into a pair of warm riding pants without wrinkling them, they arrived in the air over Fort Hold. It was earlier in the afternoon there, to judge by the position of the sun, and here were other dragons there.

-Hello Miss Relena!- said one of the others. A Queen. Relena recognized the mental voice as belonging to Merith, the gold of the Weyrwoman of Fort Weyr. She'd heard that after a while, the dragon's mental voices started sounding like that of their riders.

-Hello Merith,- Relena greeted in return. ­I hope everything is well for you and your rider.-

-It's been a long and exhausting night. I'm looking forward to finding a cliffside to rest and sun. We spent most of yesterday and the day before in a place with a lot of smoke in it. Midii is worried about something.-

-Well, you and the others will have to set for a spell and tell me the whole story sometime,- said Relena. Zeroth was spiraling down for a landing. Heero and Zeroth landed with the ease of long practice, Relena hoped that she and Xenith would be able to land as gracefully.

-Why thank-you,- said Zeroth. ­I've no doubt you will, once you get the hang of it.-

Heero slid down off Zeroths back and turned to help Relena down. Relena couldn't help wrapping her arms around his neck as his grasped her by the hips. She was set gently at her feet, and it seemed to her that he maybe, just maybe, lingered there a little bitbut it could have been her imagination.

Relena loosened and removed her jacket, brushing at the filmy sleeves of her dress to ensure that there weren't any wrinkles in the fabric and straightened her spine. She was nervous about what she was about to do, she'd never really handled crowds too well. But, she had been chosen and so that meant it was her responsibility, and Relena had never backed down from a responsibility.

<Alright Relena,> she told herself sternly, trying to ease her sudden nerves and loosen the knot in her stomach as easily as she'd loosened her jacket. <The Weyr is resting on your shoulders. You have to do your best.>

She took a deep breath and lifted her chin. Taking Heero's arm she walked towards Fort Hold and maybe also towards her destiny.

* * * * * * *

Authors Note: Boy! Chapter Twelve was written so long that I had to split it roughly in half, so now you get two chapters for the price of one! I hope you all enjoy!

Disclaimer: Do I really have to write this thing again? Oh fine. I do not own Gundam Wing. The characters belong to Bandai, Sunrise and Sotsu Agency as well as the their original creators Yoshiyuki Tomino and Hajime Yatate. The world and Terms of Pern do not belong to me but to the Dragonlady herself, Anne McCaffrey.