The Master Harper of Pern

by Anne McCaffrey

  "Do harpers really like wearing bags?" Clostan had sarcastically demanded when Robinton would have settled for the first outfit long enough to fit his torso and legs at Tillek's WeaverHall. The MasterHealer was as tall as Robinton, dark-haired and handsome, with fine, long hands which were clever in sewing up wounds and gently strong in setting broken bones. He had been at Tillek for the past seven turns, ever since he attained his Mastery, for the Hold required an experienced healer and Clostan had worked hard to adapt treatment to the needs of a fishing community. "By the Egg, man, you do yourself no favours. You've broad shoulders ..." Clostan flicked fingers at them. "You've a trim waist' – he couldn't pinch much there – "and long shanks ... Show them off." Clostan's trousers tended to cling to his strong, muscular legs, just missing a tension that might be considered lewd. "Especially during your espousal ... show all the girls what a fine one they missed out on.

  And allow Kasia to be proud of you."

  "Because I show off?." Robinton had demanded, almost indignant.

  "I can't imagine you ever showing off, Rob," Clostan had said, shaking his head in mock despair. He grinned, a smile which showed his excellent white teeth and echoed in his dark eyes. He turned serious then and grabbed up the swatch of materials the tailor had on hand. He held them up to Robinton's face to see how they looked against the weather-tan the harper had acquired over the summer. "Hmmm, yes. I know what Kasia's wearing, so we must also consider her colours. Can't clash. Hmmm. I think this rich resset shade of the brocade ..."

  "Brocade?" Robinton was aghast. He was prudent with his marks, and he had brought the sum he felt adequate with him. But brocade ...

  "Well, you can hardly appear in something shabby for your espousal, can you?" Clostan remarked in disgust. "Look at it this way," he said, mastering his impatience, "you'll be able to wear this to Gathers for turns before it frays." He robbed the sample roughly between his fingers, and then pulled both ends of the swatch to show its strength. "You'd have to spend far more to match it for quality over the same period of turns. Good clothing is an investment."

  "And you make many," Robinton said, stung to retort.

  Clostan gave him a slightly malicious grin. "I may, but they have all been wise choices, and I can change to fit the mood of the day and the weather of the season. Besides, it heartens my patients to see me well-dressed."

  Dispassionately, and because it was his espousal to Kasia, Robinton fingered the swatch and then held it against his face, noting that the rich russet shade did enhance his skin colour.

  "Tailored correctly," – Clostan gestured for the tailor to take measurements – "you'll be glad you took the time and effort. And you might consider a few new shirts too," he added, waving another set of colours. "You've only three."

  Robinton, extending his arms for their measure, was half-tempted to clout Clostan for his manners. Then he started to laugh.

  At himself.

  "And a new pair of pants. The ones you came with are all but threadbare – in embarrassing spots – since you rode out of here," Clostan added, peering down at Robinton's backside.

  Since the harper had that very morning realized that Clostan's observation was all too true, he also ordered shirts and pants, including one of leather which would take the harder wear. He had secretly coveted the leather pants he had seen Ifor and Mumolon wearing.

  When he returned for the fitting, he had been very pleased with the result and admired himself in the tailor's long mirror.

  Furthermore, they all fitted so comfortably that he wondered why he had never thought of having tailor-made clothing before. But it had been as easy to find something in a Gather stall that was reasonably priced and fitted – more or less.

  He was grateful to Clostan and brought him a skin of good Benden wine.

  "Well, you do me proud," Clostan said, gratefully accepting the skin. "The one drawback with this Hold is its wretched wine." With which sentiment Robinton totally agreed.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Smiling over that episode, he opened the glowbasket over the new worktop which he and Kasia had had such fun finding and setting up in their room. He snagged the sonata from where his mother had left it on the music stand and, taking pen and a new square of hide – Kasia had said she was going to make sure he always had good, fresh writing materials – he began to make a copy of the sonata for his mother to take back to the Harper Hall. Maybe Petiron would even see it and find few faults, since it was written in a classic style. He grinned ruefully even as his fingers flew across the sheet: Robinton could not really see his father approving of anything his son wrote.

  He looked back over the score, to be sure he had annotated it properly, and mused over Kasia's possible reactions to it when she heard it the first time. If she was even half as pleased as his mother...

  He paced back and forth, paused to pour himself a glass of wine, and then went back to the table and proceeded to copy out his Kasia songs. His mother would like them too. She might even want to sing a few as encores to recitals. He finished those, drinking as he worked, and rolled up the music with a neat ribbon tying the packet, ready to give to his mother. He had a final glass of wine and then, realizing that dawn was not far away, took himself back to bed and willed himself to sleep.

  Despite his late-night activities, Robinton was up at dawn: he'd forgotten to close the curtains over the small round windows, and the sun was shining in his eyes. But he felt rested enough and sprang from his bed. The day was so clear that he fancied he could see the High Reaches shore across the wide bay ... which reminded him that he hadn't heard whether Lord Faroguy had accepted Lord Melongel's invitation to come to his espousal day. Not that it was his alone, he corrected himself, for others would be taking vows at this Gather as well. As he dressed, he groaned as he thought of having to waste this morning at the Gather Court, but at least it would keep him too occupied to worry about anything else.

  He joined Clostan at the table for breakfast, and the healer inspected him critically in his new clothing.

  "Yes, I did you a favour, old thing," Clostan said, sniffing a little as he turned back to his bread and cheese.

  "You're looking splendid yourself," Robinton replied, now able to recognize good tailoring when he saw it.

  Clostan glanced down at himself, as if he couldn't remember what he had put on that morning. "Oh, well enough. I may change for the dancing. That is," he added, nudging Robinton in the ribs and rolling his eyes slyly, "if I'm allowed to dance with the fair spouse Kasia."

  "Since it's you and I owe you a favour, I'll let you dance with Kasia when I have to play."

  "What?" Clostan affected great horror and surprise. "They make you do a set on your espousal day?"

  Robinton hushed him. "I'm a harper. I take my turn. You wouldn't turn away a sick person today, would you?"

  "Well, I'd change my clothes first," Clostan replied, flicking an errant crumb off his sleeve. "I'll hold you to that dance," he said, rising. "I do have rounds to make now." And he was off.

  Lord Melongel, looking austere in dark brown with just a piping of gold at the neck and sleeves, entered the dining hall. An approving smile appeared on his face as he noted Robinton's new clothes.

  "You are looking the part, that's certain," he said. "Oh, a message was drummed in yesterday from High Reaches. Lord Faroguy regrets."

  "Well, I didn't think he'd be able. Is he well?"

  Melongel frowned slightly, rubbing at his chin. "Now that's the oddity. I've known Faroguy a long time. Had many messages from him, and he always enquires after Juvana. She spent a Turn with Lady Evelene, you know. Odd that he didn't this time."

  Robinton felt a surge of concern. "If he is ill, could the message have come from someone else?"

  "Farevene would have asked, too." Melongel frowned. "Well, we've enough to do today without adding other problems. I see you've finished your meal, so we'd best adjourn to the Court Hall.

  We've a full morning."

  Robinton
rose, suppressing a sigh. Unlike some of the larger Holds, Tillek used a stone building closer to the centre of the Holding for such proceedings – right in the middle of the Gather, which was already in full swing. Both official CraftHall and independent booths were doing a good business. The entire fishing fleet was moored in the harbour or alongside the wharves, and distant sails indicated that the home crowd would swell even more with the passengers coming in from up the coast. Melongel and Robinton had to slow their steps to the crowd's pace, with people either smiling a greeting or nodding courteously as Lord Holder and harper passed.

  Robinton felt a tug on his sleeve and was surprised to see Pessia at his side, and, beyond her, the gaggle of Sucho, Tortole, Valrol and Klada, who peered out from behind the protective bulk of her father until Robinton's eyes fell on her, and she ducked away.

  "Good Gather day to you, Lord Melongel," Pessia said with a polite jerk of her head, and then she looked right back at Robinton, a proud if shy smile on her face. "You did a great deal for us, and especially Saday. This is for you and your spouse." She threw a cloth-wrapped parcel at him and, before he could prevent her, ran off, the others following like leaves blown from a tree in a high wind.

  "Your wall folk?" Melongel asked.

  "Yes." Robinton tried to see in which direction they had run, but there were too many people milling around and, despite his advantage of height, he couldn't find them.

  At Melongel's gesture, he unwrapped the parcel as gatherers politely skirted the two stationary men.

  The cloth was new, the smell of the dye acrid, and when he had removed it he gasped as he held up the wooden bowl.

  "Elegant!" Melongel said. "Truly elegant."

  They both examined it with their fingers, feeling the thin, smooth wall and then discovering the band of tiny flowers which ringed the top, so perfectly done that they seemed to blossom from the wood rather than having been carved from it.

  "A beautiful gift, Harper. And deserved."

  Then Melongel touched Robinton's sleeve and indicated that they should proceed. They were not far from the Court Hall and the knots of anxious men and women looking their way. Carefully re-wrapping his gift, Robinton matched strides with the shorter-legged Lord Holder, and they were soon being smiled into the building by those they would shortly be judging.

  Good fortune seemed to favour Robinton that day. They were hearing the representations and alibis of a holder who had been delinquent in managing his fields and cot when a messenger slipped in and handed Lord Melongel a message. He read it, gave a sniff and then, with a slight grin on his face, handed it over to the harper to read.

  "You may leave. Other duties take precedence," Melongel murmured.

  Reading the note, Robinton wasn't at all sure if he should take the excuse to leave. The message told him that F'lon had arrived with Holder Bourdon and his spouse, Brashia, who were awaiting him in Juvana's apartment. He dreaded meeting Kasia's parents far more than he dreaded being bored by the court proceedings. When he did not immediately rise, Melongel gave him a stern look. And so he pushed back his chair, nodded to Minnarden and to the faltering holder, and left.

  The first thing he saw outside the Court Hall was everyone looking up at the Hold heights and pointing out the bronze dragon settling himself in the sun. Like rider, like dragon, Robinton thought as Simanith made quite a show of extending his gleaming wings before, with a smart crack of the tips, he folded them to his back and sprawled, his shorter front legs overlapping the edge.

  F'lon was lounging against the front entrance to the Hold and grinned as he saw the harper hurrying towards him.

  "I brought them safely here," he said, slapping Robinton on the shoulder and then holding him off to inspect the new clothing.

  F'lon whistled and his amber eyes gleamed with mischief.

  "Someone's taught you a thing or two. The lovely Kasia, perhaps?"

  "I'm well able to choose my own clothes," Robinton said. Then he asked in a lower voice, as F'lon hurried him into the Hold, "Why did you have to bring them here so early?"

  "Early? It's not early by my time, lad. Don't worry. I'll see that they don't rough you up."

  When Robinton started to cross the hall to the stairs, F'lon neatly hauled him in another direction.

  "This way," he said, and then pushed Robinton towards the side room which served as a private interview chamber. "And here he is," F'lon announced triumphantly, pausing at the threshold to let Robinton enter on his own.

  "Ah, Robinton," Juvana said, rising to greet him and bring him towards her mother and father who were seated on the high-backed couch.

  Swallowing fiercely, Robinton managed a nervous smile at Holder Bourdon, a grizzled man with deeply tanned skin. His green eyes, slightly darker than Kasia's, were tilted just like hers. His spouse, a sweet-faced woman with fading brown hair, gave Robinton a lovely smile and jumped up eagerly.

  "Oh, Journeyman, you cannot know how pleased we are!" she exclaimed, coming forward and seizing Robinton's free hand.

  Bourdon had been about to speak, but now he closed his mouth, made a gesture of helplessness and let her go on. "We've been so worried that she would mourn Merdine for ever ..." Her face clouded briefly, then her marvellous smile came out again. "And when she wrote to tell us' – she turned to her spouse for confirmation and Bourdon gave a patient nod – "we were overjoyed, but never did we expect to be able to attend her espousal so far away from Mardela. And at a very busy season." Bourdon nodded again.

  "My pleasure, I assure you, to assist my good friend in every way," F'lon said, bowing.

  Holder Bourdon cleared his throat. "Kasia says you're comfortable at sea, too?"

  "Well, I don't get sea-sick," Robinton admitted.

  "And not too proud to help gut and salt either, she says." "Come, sit, Robinton," Juvana said, gesturing for him to take the other double couch. "I can't imagine that you'd mind leaving Court Hall today ..." She gave him a sly sideways glance. "Your mother has already met my parents and is upstairs, keeping Kasia from a case of nerves."

  "Kasia's nervous?" Robinton only just managed to keep his voice from betraying his own nervousness.

  Juvana chuckled. "It's her privilege. My, but you look every bit as gorgeous as she does. Clostan?"

  "Hmmm," Robinton admitted, shooting a glance at F'lon, who blinked and then rolled his eyes over his friend's prevarication.

  "And what's this?" Juvana asked, touching the wrapped bowl Robinton still held. "An espousal gift already?"

  Eager for something to discuss, Robinton showed the bowl and explained how pleased he was that Saday had taken him at his word.

  "Oh, the wall people," Brashia said, and Robinton groaned, wishing he could make a better impression on Kasia's family. "Kasia told us how clever you were then."

  Bourdon chuckled. "Got a quick head on your shoulders. No harm in that, lad."

  A kitchener arived with a tray of refreshments, klah and wine with little cakes and biscuits. Robinton leaped to his feet to help her settle the tray. Then, as Juvana asked what her parents wished to drink at this hour, he busied himself passing cups and glasses and the plates of food, regaining some poise in that simple act.

  "You're busy at this season in MardelaT he asked Bourdon politely.

  "Packfish are running. D'you know them?"

  "We've the northern variety, the bordos," Robinton said, as if he discussed fish varieties every day.

  Bourdon nodded with approval. "Good eating, the bordos." Will your mother be singing today?" Brashia asked shyly. "We all know about MasterSinger Merelan in Mardela, but few of us have had a chance to hear her sing, living where we do."

  "She plans to," Robinton replied, once again grateful to have such a mother – if only she were there with him now, to smooth his way.

  "Special music?" Brashia asked, tilting her head in the same charming way Kasia had.

  "Some of Robinton's own songs," said Juvana, ignoring Robinton's dire look. "He's far too modest. Melongel's
of the opinion

  that our Robinton is as good a composer as his mother is a singer." "Now, that's taking it a bit far, Juvana," Robinton protested.

  "I don't think so," Juvana replied, unmoved. "Nor does Kasia." "She's partisan," F'lon said, leaning against the door frame and idly twirling his wineglass, his eyes dancing with mischief. "But I'll allow that Rob has spawned some fine tunes."

  "So we'll hear some?" Brashia twisted round on the couch to look in Robinton's direction.

  "You probably won't hear anything but Rob's songs," F'lon went on. "Most of today's best songs are his."

  "Really?"

  "Every new one and half the revised Teaching Ballads our Robinton composed."

  If F'lon and Juvana thought they were helping him in this initial meeting with Kasia's parents, they were wide of their mark.

  "I thought it was your father who composed so much music," Bourdon said, slightly confused.

  "They both do," Juvana said, just as F'lon remarked, "You can sing Rob's stuff."

  "Haven't you other Gather guests to collect?" Robinton asked as mildly as he could.

  "Oh, no, I reserved the day entirely to help you," F'lon said with a flourish.

  "You might like to see the Gather, then?" Robinton suggested, an edge to his voice.

  Juvana laughed. "We'll stop, Rob. It's not fair to tease you, today of all days."

  "I'm glad to hear you say that, Lady Holder."

  "Oh, now come, Rob," she said, touching his arm. "I'm nearly your sister, you know."

  Robinton's mind froze for a moment.

  "Don't tell me that fact has escaped your clever mind?" F'lon asked, delighted by his friend's confusion. "Which makes Lord Melongel your brother. Doesn't it? Well done, Harper."

  He felt Juvana's hand press gently around his forearm and, feeling extremely stupid, he turned to look at her.

  "It does, you know," she said gently. Then she grinned at the others. "I never thought I should be able to render a harper speechless."