"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.
"My, you've grown," Betrice cried, giving him a big hug before Lexey and Libby could reach him. "And is that young Maizella?" she asked as Master Bosler and Ginia went to help the Benden Hold girl. "Another of Halanna's stripe? No, there's not that much luggage, is there?"
"Maizella's all right, and she listens to my mother." Robie grinned as he opened the heavy jacket he'd worn for between and resettled his shirt.
"Didja miss us?" Lexey wanted to know, dancing about: his expression suggested that he had missed his patient friend very much indeed.
"Course I did, Lexey," and Rob gave him a mock punch. "I learned some great new games, too, Libby," he added, turning to the girl.
His mother began to introduce her new student to the MasterHarper, his spouse and the other adults, letting Betrice take charge.
"Robinton ..." and his mother prompted him to thank Spakinth and C' rob for returning them home.
"Glad to do it, MasterSinger. Any chance of your coming back to sing at the Autumn Gather? I was asked to ask you," C'rob said, grinning from ear to ear.
"I'll see if it's possible, C'rob. I'd certainly like to." At her words, Robinton nodded vigorously, which made her laugh. "I can see that I'll be nagged to death until I do," she added, tousling her son's hair. "Can you not stop for some klah?"
C'rob shook his head with real regret. "Not today. But thanks!" They stood there courteously while both riders remounted; then the dragons launched themselves into the air and turned eastward before disappearing.
Robinton caught the sad little sigh from his mother before she turned back and smiled at those who had welcomed her.
"Come now," Lorra was saying, taking Merelan by the arm, "I've put on a little something to take away the chill of between ... And you lot be careful with the MasterSinger's things," she added, scowling at the apprentices who were halfway up the stairs, burdened with carisaks.
"We weren't between long enough to get cold," Robinton said.
"And who's the seasoned traveller, then?" Lorra asked, amused.
"Mother and I got to the Weyr several times a-dragonback, you know," he went on.
"Can we come in too?" Libby asked, hovering in the doorway with Lexey and Barba.
"When were you ever refused food in this Hall?" Lorra demanded. As she resettled young Silvina on her hip, she waved them towards the small dining room with its table set with a huge bowl of her special fruit drink and plates of pies and cakes. "Even if you only just got up from lunch. Did Benden feed you just before you left?" she asked the travellers.
"Well, we were given lunch Benden time ..."
"At least their timing's right," the headwoman said almost approvingly.
Merelan swung round from the table when she heard boot-steps on the flagstones in the hall, but it was Masters Gennell, Bosler and Ogolly coming in.
"I'd hoped that Petiron would make it back from Ruatha Hold in time," Master Gennell said apologetically to Merelan.
"Oh?"
"But he was certain he'd be here to greet you," Gennell went on, "so we didn't drum a message to delay your return until he was back." The MasterHarper looked towards the open Hall door as if he expected Petiron to be riding in at any moment. "It's not that long a journey, and I saw that the harpers were all well mounted.
Their Autumn Gather, and they'd particularly requested something special from us."
"Halanna went?" Merelan asked in a bland voice.
"Yes, and Londik, though I'd say," Gennell added with a frown, "his voice is about to change."
"That won't matter now," she said almost casually, and looked down at her son. "Robie can take over the treble solos. He did all that were needed at Benden, both Hold and Weyr, and it's not just as his mother that I'm proud of him."
"No, of course not. And did you like visiting the Weyr, Rob?" Master Gennell smiled kindly down at him.
"It was fabulous," Robinton said. He was quite willing to describe everything: he couldn't remember if Master Gennell had been to the Weyr. "Isn't it?"
"Yes, a very special place indeed." Gennell gave Rob a pat on his head and then turned to Merelan. "So, tell me more about our new soprano, Lord Maidir's girl."
"She's a well-behaved young lady," Merelan said, chuckling as Master Gennell's obvious apprehension eased. "I'd scarcely inflict the Hall with another ..." She cleared her throat and suggested that Robie might like to finish his drink with his friends.
Robinton went off, grinning to himself because he knew what she'd been about to say.
His father did not arrive back at the Hall until the autumn day had nearly ended. Two of the journeymen with him were leading runner-beasts, one of which was very definitely lame.
"Runner-beasts went lame, Mother," Robinton said from his perch at the front window. "Not Father's, though," he added as she hurried in from her bedroom to peer over his shoulder. "See. There he is!" And he pointed to his father's unmistakable tall, lean figure, dismounting from a Ruathan bay gelding.
He couldn't understand his mother's reaction. She'd worried about Petiron not being there, and now she didn't seem to care that he was safely home.