"So, she'll clutch in the winter?"
"So long as she does clutch!"
"Here's to a triple her last one!"
"We'll need every one," F'lon said and downed the wine, breaking the glass in the hearth.Robinton, though he regretted losing two such fine goblets, followed suit."I'll come for you myself when the Hatching's due.Both my sons'll stand." Before Robinton figured that the youngest would be only ten, F'lon was out the door.
"Well, he is the Weyrleader," Robinton murmured."And the dragons will make the right choices." He hoped.
He had another, totally unexpected visit that same seven-day which turned out to have almost as fortuitous a result.
Silvina tapped on the door of his rooms."You've two visitors, Rob," she said, smiling broadly as she pushed the door open wider to admit the guests.
Robinton instantly rose to his feet to greet the arrivals: a grizzled man, and a very gawky shy lad whose eyes were round and so fearful that Robinton increased the warmth in his own smile.The older man pushed the lad forward with a hand that was missing two fingers.He nodded with great dignity to the MasterHarper.
"You wouldn't remember me, likely," he said, "but I've never forgotten my cousin, Merelan."
The injured hand, the deep voice, the tanned, weathered and faintly familiar face of the man combined with the heavy boots he wore gave Robinton a clue.
"Rantou! he exclaimed.
"Aye." A huge grin split the man's face."Rantou from the woods. Fancy you remembering my name after all these turns."
Robinton shook the offered hand vigorously and urged the two to take seats, gesturing to Silvina to bring refreshment.
"Why, it's been…turns!" Robinton said."I do remember that summer, and swimming in the sea and all the cousins I didn't know I had…"
"Heard Merelan had died a while back," Rantou said, his expression sober."Heard her sing at South Boll Gathers now and then."
"You had a fine voice, or so she often said."
"Did she?" The old man's face lit up.The boy wriggled in his chair, uncomfortable and not certain what to do or how to act.
"She did," Robinton said warmly, turning kindly to include the boy in the conversation.
Rantou cleared his throat and sat forward on the chair."Well, that's what I'm here for."
"Oh?"
"Yes." Rantou gripped the boy by the shoulder."This is my grandson, Sebell.He can sing.I want him to be a harper, if he's good enough."
"Why, that's wonderful, Rantou."
"He's better off here, much better than in the woods.I never forgot your father, you know." Rantou grinned slyly."He didn't think much of us."
"Oh, now…"
"Don't mix the truth up, lad, I mean, MasterHarper." Rantou suddenly realized that he had no right to reprimand such an important person.
Robinton laughed."He hated to lose any promising musical talent." "I want Sebell to have the chance," Rantou said."He's smart, he already plays pipes he's made, and our old gitar.Knows all his Teaching Songs and Ballads.We don't have a regular harper down There, too small, but I've seen that Sebell learned as much as we could teach him."
Robinton turned to the very nervous boy, who jerked his chin up almost defensively at such scrutiny.He was as tanned as his grandfather, with a shock of sun-bleached hair and wide-set dark eyes which had been surreptitiously noting everything in the room, from the instruments on the walls to the musical notations on the sand table.He was ten or eleven turns, Robinton thought, more bone than flesh, but with the suggestion of height and strength in his frame…and bony wrists and ankles which protruded from pants legs that were too short.
"I started on pipes too, you know," he said gently, and pointed to them on the wall.
The boy looked surprised.
"Did you bring yours with you?" Robinton asked.
"He's never without them," his grandfather said proudly and nodded to Sebell.
The boy reached behind him and produced multiple pipes which he had tucked into his waistband, hidden from view under his shirt.
Robinton rose and got his own boyhood pipes.He grinned at Sebell as he tried to make his adult fingers fit the stops which had been made for much smaller hands.Then he did a quick scale and glanced at Sebell.The boy's grin was slightly amused as he repeated the scale, quickly and well.
"How about this one?" And Robinton essayed a more complex arpeggio.
The boy's grin broadened as he set his lips to the pipes and immediately brought forth the same run.
"Which is your favourite Teaching Ballad?" Robinton asked.
The boy began the Duty Song, which was not the simplest of the Ballads, and Robinton joined by piping a descant around the melody.Sebell's eyes twinkled at the challenge, and the two pipers ended the song with quite a flourish, for Sebell had variations of his own.
Robinton chuckled."Can you sing it for me too, while I accompany you?"
The boy's treble voice was not the least bit breathy, so someone had taught him a few vocal tricks.It was a good voice, too, and he had a good sense of rhythm and pitch and imbued the words with appropriate feeling.Shonagar would be overjoyed to have a new student.
"He's your kin, Rantou."
"And kin of yourself as well, Master Robinton."
"Why, so he is!" Robinton quickly suppressed a wish that this had been his son, rather than poor retarded Camo."Why, so he is," he repeated more firmly and held out his hand to the boy."The Harper Hall will be pleased to have you join us.Very pleased."
"He won't expect any favours, kin or not."
"I do him none by giving any," Robinton said, and then smiled encouragingly at Sebell.
A tap on the door and Silvina entered with a tray of refreshments, including newly baked cakes which brought an eager expression to the boy's face.
"Silvina, meet Sebell, grandson of Rantou, and by way of being a relative of mine from my mother's hold," Robinton said.
Having settled the tray on the long table, Silvina held out her hand to Sebell, who jumped to his feet and gave her a shy bow before accepting her clasp.
"A new apprentice?" she asked, smiling kindly.
"And a new treble for Shonagar to train.Pipes well, too," Robinton said with pride.He couldn't resist ruffling the lad's hair in his pleasure at his coming."I met Rantou when I was much younger than Sebell…"
"You are related to MasterSinger Merelan?" Silvina asked as she poured klah and passed around the sweetener.
"We were very proud of her, we were, Silvina," Rantou replied proudly.
"We all were," Silvina said and her warm smile included the newest recruit to the Harper Hall, who grinned shyly back at her as she passed him the plate of cakes.
Sebell settled in, a quiet lad but endlessly curious about things musical.Heen his son, rather than poor retarded Camo."Why, so he is," he repeated more firmly and held out his hand to the boy."The Harper Hall will be pleased to have you join us.Very pleased."
"He won't expect any favours, kin or not."
"I do him none by giving any," Robinton said, and then smiled encouragingly at Sebell.
A tap on the door and Silvina entered with a tray of refreshments, including newly baked cakes which brought an eager expression to the boy's face.
"Silvina, meet Sebell, grandson of Rantou, and by way of being a relative of mine from my mother's hold," Robinton said.
Having settled the tray on the long table, Silvina held out her hand to Sebell, who jumped to his feet and gave her a shy bow before accepting her clasp.
"A new apprentice?" she asked, smiling kindly.
"And a new treble for Shonagar to train.Pipes well, too," Robinton said with pride.He couldn't resist ruffling the lad's hair in his pleasure at his coming."I met Rantou when I was much younger than Sebell…"
"You are related to MasterSinger Merelan?" Silvina asked as she poured klah and passed around the sweetener.