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About the music?"

"Me?" Flustered, he didn't know what to say."Are there any words to it?"

"Why don't you write some, dear?Then it would be a father-and-son collaboration.The first, perhaps, of many?"

"No," Robinton said thoughtfully, though he wished with all his heart right then that there could be a chance his father would use words he had written."I think you'd better add the words, Mother."

"I think, my son, we'll both work on the proper lyrics." She ruffled his hair, her eyes sad despite the slight smile on her lips."If we can find appropriate ones…"

CHAPTER EIGHT

Robinton didn't know what his mother wrote in her reply to Master Gennell, but she did explain to her son that she had to serve out her contract with Benden Hold.She also wanted to give C'gan, the Weyrsinger, more training.He was musically sound enough, but needed to develop more confidence in his harpering.She would also insist that a good, voice-training harper be assigned to Benden Hold when apprentices walked the tables to journeyman status this summer.Benden deserved the best there was.

"For a variety of reasons," she said."However, I think we'll bring Maizella back with us to the Hall.She'll profit more from working with various Masters now that she's learned the basics." She gave one of her enigmatic smiles."She can sing with Halanna."

Robinton's opinion wasn't asked, but he would have much preferred a longer term at Benden Hold, and not just because of his friendship with Falloner, Hayon and the others.He didn't really want to go back to the Harper Hall, even if, when an excited Maizella started quizzing him about his home, he suddenly missed his friends there, even Lexey.

Maizella's parents were delighted to think that the MasterSinger even suggested the idea for their daughter.That was after Lady Hayara gave birth to another son.

"I'd have preferred another girl," she admitted to Merelan when she and Robie dutifully visited her."It's so much easier just to marry them off suitably than have to worry about all the rivalry among boys to succeed.I mean, I know that Raid will make a good Lord Holder but…" And she never finished her sentence.

Falloner had spent one evening explaining to Robinton why it was better to be in Weyr or Hall because, if you were a male in line for succession in a Hold, you had to guard yourself against jealous brothers and cousins.

"But don't the Lord Holders all get together in one of their Councils and decide?" Robinton asked, and got a snort for his ingenuousness.

"Sure, they decide, but it's usually the strongest one they pick, the one who's survived long enough to present himself as a candidate.

Mind you, at the Weyr there's some scheming and displaying when there's a queen to mate." A shrewd look came over the weyr lad's face."But no one dies, of course, because dragonriders can't fight to-the-death duels, and a real smart rider can make certain his bronze gets the queen ahead of the others."

"How?"

Falloner gave him a patient look."There are ways, there are ways!That's how my father beat out all the other bronze riders when Feyrith rose the last time.Carola wanted C'rob in her weyr, but Spakinth wasn't as clever as Chendith.Not by half, he wasn't.

And Feyrith's clutch by Chendith was much larger than her last one by Spakinth."

"I thought the Weyrleader stayed Weyrleader…" Robinton mentally reviewed all the songs he knew about dragonkind.

"Only as long as his dragon flies the queen," Falloner said, shaking his head.

"I wish you could come back to the Harper Hall with me," Robinton suggested shyly.

"No way," Falloner said.I'll be back at the Weyr.I don't want to be away too long, you see."

"Why?There're no eggs on the Hatching Ground, and besides, you're not old enough yet."

"Only another Turn to go," Falloner said, as cocky as ever."Not that it hasn't been great getting to know you, and your mother's terrific.She's made sure I'll be more visible now."

"Visible?" It seemed to Robinton that Falloner would do better to efface himself instead of getting into so much trouble that he had to be sent away from the Weyr so the Weyrwoman would calm down.Robinton never did find out what his friend's offence had been.

"Yes, I can help C'gan now that I can read and copy music almost as well as you can."

"You learn quickly," Robinton said generously.

"I have to," Falloner said, quite serious, "if I'm to be Weyrleader in the next Pass.C'mon, I'll help you finish packing.You've sure got more than you came with."

"Everyone's been very kind to me," Robinton admitted.

"Why not?You're stepping on no one's toes here."

Robinton had a lump in his throat the next afternoon when he had to say goodbye to all those he'd met at Benden, especially Falloner and Hayon.

"Don't worry, Rob," Falloner murmured in his ear as they stood by Spakinth's side, watching as the carisaks were heaved up and over the bronze's back."As soon as I've a bronze dragon, I'll come and visit.Promise."

"I'll expect you," Robinton told him, grinning broadly to keep the tears back.

"Up you get," C'rob said and flung him up the bronze's side.

Robinton knew the trick of grabbing a neck ridge and scrambling into place.Then his mother, more gracefully, seated herself behind him and waved to those on the ground who were seeing them off.When he heard her sniffing, Robie knew he wasn't the only one sorry to leave Benden.He did wish they could have stayed longer.

It took a little longer to get Maizella up on Cortath, since she had so much baggage to bring with her for her Turn of training at the Harper Hall.Tears were streaming down her face, tears of joy, he knew.

Well, he thought with little charity, she'll find the Hall quite different from living in Benden Hold.And that thought kept him from sniffling.

Then they were off, Spakinth once more nearly shaking his skull from his neck with his skyward jump.Robinton was becoming inured to the fright of between by now and felt only the cold, not the fear.He was rather proud of himself.

Spakinth was showing off: he emerged right over the Harper Hall courtyard, low enough to be on a level with the rooftops as he backwinged and delicately landed.

"Well done, Spakinth," Merelan said, clapping her hands.

"I'll kill him later," C'rob said almost grimly."Pulling a stunt like that without permission."

"Oh, don't, C'rob," Merelan said, her eyes dancing."What an entrance!And here comes Cortath with M'ridin and Maizella, rather more circumspectly."

Grinning, she waved at those gathered on the steps.Then she began to clap again as a chorus from the second-storey assembly room sang a loud musical welcome:

We're glad you're home

We're glad you've come

We welcome you

With heart and voice

And hope you'll never leave.

Someone even provided a trumpet flourish and a roll of drums as a finale, which delighted Merelan even more.Only Robinton saw her sweeping gaze looking, just as he was, for his father.

Petiron was not among those standing on the Harper Hall steps, but maybe he was leading the singers.Master Gennell was there, waving enthusiastically along with Betrice, Ginia, Lorra, with her youngest daughter on her hip, Master Bosler, and Master Ogolly who had an arm about Lexey and Libby.Barba stood on the step below them.

"Don't mention your father's melody, Rob, love.Not unless he does' his mother hurriedly whispered in his ear, and then helped him dismount from Spakinth's high withers as Gennell and Betrice rushed forward to assist.