Oh how she hated that girl. Chardha had never gotten along with her cousin Faunsey, for whatever reasons girls had for disagreeing with one another. And by that, meaning: every reason. Whether blue looked better on that dress, or green. If they'd marry wealthy men. Whether Faunsey really needed to learn to read - Chardha insisted it was worth the bother, Faunsey thought it was neither woman's work nor appropriate for common holders to care about such things.

Chardha's father had two brothers and a sister. His eldest brother was Faunsey's father. Chardha had one full brother, who had just turned twenty last summer, and though she only knew them by name as they'd been fostered out to other Holds, she also had an elder sister as well as another brother. Their families were reasonably close, and truth be told Chardha got along with every other cousin she had including Faunsey's six siblings.

But perhaps that they were both born at the last of their families, perhaps even that they were born within a month of one another... They looked similar until puberty, at which point it became obvious that Chardha would be much prettier than her cousin. They both kept baby fat, but also both had inherited their fathers' height - or lack of it perhaps a better term.

Their interests diverged rapidly once they were old enough to listen to their first Harper. Chardha became enamored with travel, tales of the ocean and of dragons, and ventured to ask her parents if she could learn to read those scrolls they had in the study. Because of this, knowing that their Hold would be in pretty good hands with her elder brother, they indulged her whims. Not to a loss, either - for she took to reading and script like a Harper. She couldn't sing - Faunsey could. But Faunsey only cared about gossip, trends, clothing, and babies.

While Chardha was off at the beach, learning about where each kind of fish and shell had come from and how best to clean and prepare seafood straight from the fishermen, Faunsey was busy helping her own sisters deliver their children.

Thus when they had been Searched officially and called for by the riders of Aneris Weyr, Chardha had yet another thing to complain about.

"How would she ever, ever ride a dragon?" Chardha muttered as she helped with the evening dishes. Their Hold was built atop a blustery cliffside, overlooking the rich sea and within an easy dragon-flight of Dragonhope Weyr. She'd seen plenty of dragons, they flew overhead almost every day. The sweep riders, she felt, had a great job. They were depended upon to bring word of falling Thread or other emergencies, but didn't necessarily have to see hard combat with the stuff. Thread had fallen often enough that Chardha knew she wanted to do something - anything - to protect her family from it. Another cousin had lost his life to it, when she was young.

"Well," her mother chided, "perhaps like you, she'll have to learn. Your books can't teach you how to balance, nor how to throw sacks of firestone."

Chardha tilted her head, and chuckled, "actually, standing on a boat waiting for the fishermen to throw their catches to us to row in, it's a lot like that. And firestone probably doesn't smell nearly as bad as day-caught fish!"

Her mother laughed with her, trusting that the knowledge she had yet to pass along would put her in a better mood still. "You know... you had actually been Searched, several years ago. Do you remember the brown rider?"

Chardha bit her lips, absently wiping the last of the dishes dry. "I ... I remember that there was one, who came and talked with you and father, but I didn't know he'd Searched me." She gave an appraising chuff, "well, at least I know that I was Searched first."

Chardha's mother knew that was the right answer. She wasn't a petty woman, but she did share a bit of dislike for Faunsey. Too girlish and too short sighted. Her daughter had vision. And perhaps soon, would be a dragon rider! What luck! And, they discussed quietly, what luck that Chardha instead of her brother had been Searched at all. Running a Hold wasn't easily done - and Chardha never expressed much interest in being married off.

In fact that would have sent her packing anyway. Not that she wasn't interested in boys! But she wasn't interested at all in becoming yet another Hold Woman. Though she often comforted herself in knowing that she'd have the pick of any boy almost entirely because she was pretty. Faunsey wasn't nearly attractive enough to land a man quickly, plus that she had such a big family to have less and less dowry money.

So in either case, Chardha packed her things, clothing and some items such as writing quills and inks. She prepared well, though she did snap at anyone who suggested perhaps she could pack a little lighter or more quickly. Originally she'd waited and even been sent to a Weyr with Faunsey, split up though as the Shintaru place appeared to run out of dragons. Faunsey... Impressed first. That was quite galling for the other young woman, but when the riders from Dragonhope shuffled her along to Aneris, she knew that things would be just fine.

***

The first to hatch among these eggs was a sturdy and fine brown, who would be heading home to Dragonhope with the handsome Elegon - now E'gon. Dreamily Chardha almost kept watching him, but soon enough there were plenty of other dragons to spot on the sands. The golden egg rocked but didn't break just yet, while another few dragonets found their proper bonds among the candidates.

The next moment saw another brown and a green milling among the female candidates, who were trying to ignore them, hunting for that perfect match. The brown found his first. He had been rather focused on Chardha from the first. She had almost tripped over the brown in her efforts to move closer to the queen egg. "Sorry, Aldenth ," she apologized as she threw her arms around his neck. "I didn't see you."

It is all right, my sister almost tripped too.

***

If Chardha ever even batted an eye at the fact that she'd impressed a brown, no one saw it. In her eyes, Aldenth was the single most beautiful and important thing in her life, ever. She wrote home as soon as she could calm herself, while the dragon was asleep. All of them were, in their barracks, shared still but that would change soon enough.

With a brown, she'd need bigger space than the girls with greens or the one blue to their name.

With a brown, Chardha knew she was just that much better at things than Faunsey and her obnoxiously green ... green.

Her parents were... a bit surprised, actually, to learn that this 'my one and only' dragon was male let alone a brown. But that ... was their lot. Chardha seriously pondered shortening her name, but didn't mention that at all in her letters.

Not yet anyway.

***

Chardha decided that her and E'gon's browns looked very dashing on either side of B'rek's great bronze! On the ground, they were all manner of perfect, actually. The browns - and their riders - knew their places were assured, they'd never be able to challenge their brother for leadership, though depending on the situation each of them had their best traits.

B'rek was musical and charming and handsome (they were both so gorgeous, Chardha wondered what might happen with any of them choosing to pair off...), and was quite natural at spontaneous good ideas in the air. He didn't care for flying on anyone else's dragon, that was certain. But B'rek wasn't likely to become a wing leader, he wasn't really the temperment even if he had the size and strength for it. E'gon and his somewhat haughty brown would be heading to the burlier wing - to build structures and help with rescues, who wouldn't want to be rescued by E'gon!

Chardha... Enjoyed flying. Just... flying around the Weyr. Up past the snowy fields and over the frozen-over lakes, Dragonhope was a wonder from above. She'd learned that Aldenth was rather flirtatious, but what would that mean when they were around queens? There were impressive queens at Dragonhope too. But equally impressive bronzes, and much bigger browns than her own beloved.

I will still find a beautiful mate. Whether she is green or gold, or ... is that one white? Will you still love me?

"Will I!" Chardha laughed. "I most certainly will!" She narrowed her eyes very slightly, and whispered along with a mental nudge, "but if you dare go near Faunsey's green I swear I will ground you forever!"

She is not so terrible, but... not my type. I would like her more if she said nicer things about others. Like you do.

Chardha patted her brown's shoulder. "It's just like us to fight, I shouldn't drag you into it too."

After a while, it became clear that Chardha would do well as a representitive from the Weyr, to collect goods and trade items, along with tithes from communities around the waterways nearby. Her expertise - such as it was - with the fisheries, would go far to helping them establish closer ties. She proudly penned a letter to her family telling them about this... And about her desire to change her name to Ch'ar. It suited her, she thought. In fact she'd been told it was a good name for a red-head, one as confident as she was.

They would see only minimal Threadfall, but the Weyrleader told her she had done well enough in other ways to warrant the assignment to her new wing. He looked at her with those eerie yellow-green eyes, judging her in whatever manner he would. She'd heard many stories about this man, mostly told from his children in fact. He gave a slight nod and pushed his long hair over his shoulder, "I'll tell Ilina to get your name posted in our directory then, Ch'ar."

She beamed, didn't care what her folks would think, and strutted with her head held as high as her dragon's.

Chardha
Status: Commoner, House Born child
Age: 16
Gender: female
Siblings: 1
Born: last
plus several half siblings on either side of their family over the years
Legitimacy: brought into the world with two loving parents
Childhood Health: very sturdy
Adult Height: a bit short for an adult
Adult Build: kind of overweight but strong enough
Skin Tone: fair, wants to be tattooed
Hair Color: auburn red
Hair Style: wavy
Hair Length: very long
Eye Color: pale teal
Literacy Level: are able to read and write fairly well
Politeness Level: their manners are well known for being tepid, but they are hardly rude to all
Focus: they are able to focus easily on the tasks at hand
They are attractive
Given a gift, they will show but not share

Values and Goals
Hates: their cousin
Enjoys greatly: the Beach
Average goal: build or create
Practically nonexistant fear: a headwoman or steward
Odd Skill (learned outside of craft if any): fishery

Originally From: lake side community
Location size: crowded
Location climate: temperate
Searched: a while ago, but it was kept a secret from them

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