Chapter Text
“I thought you were fucking dead.” A complicated mix of emotions played across Journeyman Dakoral’s face as he looked up at them from the ground. He’d been grieving K’thael for over a Turn only to find out that they were not only alive and well but had Impressed a dragon. “And it was my own damn fault.”
“What do you mean?” K’thael replied, sliding down Sprilth’s side and untying the picnic basket. “Sure, you ruined our happily ever after, but how would that have killed me? Shenette wouldn't have let me do anything drastic.”
“You went to the Weyr because I moved away, didn’t you? I thought that had to be it - and why you stayed after Shenette died. I didn’t know about Sprilth, remember? You left, and shortly after I got a letter from the Mastersmith mentioning that you fucking died." His voice trembled as he sat down at the picnic table.
K’thael sat down the basket of meatrolls and put one on a cloth in front of their friend before taking the seat across from him and grabbing their own. “No one else blamed you, did they?” He shrugged, looking at the table. Of course he didn’t know. He was several days’ travel away from anyone that knew them. They could be saying all kinds of nonsense at the hall, and he’d never hear about it.
“I’m so sorry. Really.” They looked at their lunch, mulling over things from his perspective. “I told Karalea that she might as well tell people that since she was denying Sprilth’s existence anyway. It was so… infuriating. I didn’t think she’d actually do it, though, much less let it spread to you.”
“It would have been my fault, though. If you died from the poison. At least partially,” he countered. “Isn’t that why you went to the Weyr? To forget about me?”
“Get over yourself, Dak,” K’thael chided gently, finally taking a bite of their meatroll. “Sure, that was part of it, but I also wanted to get away from my mother. She blamed me for scaring you away with all of my ‘weird ideas,’ you know. Shenette was dead-set on Impressing the queen, and with you both gone, I’d have no reason to stay. So I figured why not go? It might have been my only chance to get out of there before Karalea had Thaeleron marry me off to someone else.”
The journeyman’s brow furrowed, but his shoulders had loosened up. He was peeling the flakes off the crust of his meatroll like he always did, eating them one at a time. “Shit. I hadn’t thought of that. You probably were better off at High Reaches, then.”
“I was definitely better off at High Reaches. Shenette was there, and I like the weyrlingmaster, so even if I hadn’t Impressed, I think I would have been ok. It’s not like you think… well, except for the mating flights.” They grimaced, thinking of the chaos when Selgrith rose.
“So, you’re ok, then? Happy?” Dakoral searched their eyes before he went back to his meat roll, picking out the green bits and tossing them on the ground. “Even without me?”
“Yeah. I’ve had my ups and downs, as always, but life at the Weyr is good. Are you happy? Here, without me?” After a moment’s consideration, during which the bluerider stuffed the rest of the meatroll in their mouth all at once, he nodded. They chewed, swallowed, and nodded officially. “Well… if I’m happy and you’re happy, then…” a slow, genuine smile made K’thael’s eyes sparkle. “I guess we did get our happily ever after, didn’t we?”