Chapter Text
Shenette folded her map and put it in the pocket of her backpack. If Harper Jefisden wasn't going to recommend her to Harper Hall as an apprentice, she'd just have to go there and convince the Masterharper herself. There were already rumors of a female apprentice. If they were false, she would make them true. Surely, skilled hands like hers would excel in making the more delicate parts of the instruments - someone had to make those beautiful inlays and carvings. If she had to start off doing dishes or laundry at Harper Hall, it would still be better than staying here and stagnating.
Even though she could see the great waterwheel from her grandparents’ living room, the Smithcraft Hall had never quite felt like home. It was unwelcoming, for one thing. The main buildings were forbidden without explicit permission, and she was usually relegated to working on jewelry in one of the outbuildings with some of the other women. As satisfying as it was to create a tiny, pristine chain out of nothing, it wasn't worth wasting her life on. There was more to Pern than just this hall and its sweaty, dull men, and she intended to see some of it.
Originally, she’d planned to take Karathael with her, but her friend was now too besotted with that apprentice to even consider leaving. So she had decided to wait to leave until after Karathael was settled into her new life, but that depended on how long of an engagement they had planned. Some couples got married practically on sight, while others dragged things on for turns. Traveling would only be an option for a few more months before Shenette was trapped here for another long, dreary winter in the soot-filled snow.
“You’re sure, Gran?” Shenette asked, walking out onto the front porch where her grandmother sat knitting a sweater. The rocking chair was too big which had the effect of making the old woman look even smaller and more frail than she already was. “You and Gramps will be ok if I leave?”
Gran set down her needles to grab her grandaughter’s hand and pat the back of it. “Dear, I survived sixty turns before I ever saw your face. Forty-four with your grandfather. We can survive a few more without you. The neighbors won’t let us starve. Just promise you’ll remember us after you’ve Impressed that queen.” Shenette rolled her eyes. Gran had always insisted she would have a gold dragon one day, but that was one of those stories grandparents tell every little girl to make her feel special.
“I’m only stopping at the Weyr. I told you - I’m going to get a ride to Harper Hall to make instruments and learn to teach.” Shenette used her other hand to muss up Gran’s neat curls, same as she had done since she was little. “After I leave, I won’t be able to visit for a long time, and by then…”
“We might all be gone between,” she cackled, pausing to smooth her hair before picking up the knitting needles again. “Oh, stop worrying. Your mother’s been there for turns, tidying up the place to my liking. It can’t be that bad. You visit if you can, and if you don’t make it… we’ll see you there.”
“If you say so, Gran,” Shenette sighed at her grandmother’s cheerfully morbid comment, preparing for another long day of making chains and listening to Karalea’s gossip. “I’ll be back before Gramps, with supper from the Dining Hall. Don’t forget to drink some water.”