I unsheathed the dagger Ethan had gifted me, marvelling at the silverite blade promising wicked cuts even in its unenchanted form.

It was my sixteenth birthday and the first gift of the day had been an unenchanted dagger from my best friend. My mother had to deal with bandits during the night but promised to take me and Ethan on a flight once she came back. Our first real flight on a dragon.

This day couldn’t get better!

Sure, we had done training and helped the crew unload cargo from Uldru whenever we had the chance but Uldru was the biggest dragon in Dragons Heart and had a crew to match his size. We never had much to do and we won’t be flying with the whole huge crew, it’s only going to be Mom, Ethan and me.

"The blade is made out of silverite, to deal with shapeshifters, the grip is wrapped in Hydra leather which is mostly just for looks, and the pommel will be made with your dragons flame to make it more special," he listed off, counting on his fingers as I carefully resheathed the dagger. He gifted me something for me to finish and truly make mine. "I asked for it to be unenchanted because I know how much you love to tinker," he inhaled deeply and put extra emphasis on the next part "and there is a Manium crystal grown around the tang, which should make putting many enchantments onto it easier."

So that's why the handle was so thick.

I pulled my finger along the leather strips, paying attention to the slight ruggedness beneath. "I think I know why they used Hydra leather. It makes the handle a lot easier to grip without the risk of it tearing after a lot of use and it doesn’t mess with enchantments." It was an expensive workaround but it was a lot less labour intensive than the others I could think of.

I hugged Ethan, careful to resheath the dagger first, "Thanks, First Mate."

He broke the hug as realisation hit him. He asked, mouth agape "Wait, seriously?"

I nodded and pulled out the document scroll from my bag, unfurling it so he could read it. "I wouldn't want anyone else as my First Mate."

He snatched the Scroll from my hand and read it, going over it twice to make sure I wasn’t pulling his leg, before pulling me into another hug. "You won't regret this." He promised and I knew he was right. He would never let me down.

Something big hit the ground, shaking all of Dragons Heart.

We broke the hug and looked at each other, identically huge grins spreading on our faces. There was only one dragon who would shake the keep like this just by landing, Uldru.

Mom arrived.

We both took off at the same time, sprinting out of my room and along the hallway in an unspoken race to see who could get there quicker.

Margaret opened her door as we passed, probably wanting to greet Garry, her husband and cannoneer in Mom's crew, and had to jump away to dodge us, yelling after us “Watch out you two!”

We passed her door and yelled apologies, continuing our race through the castle and briefly passing through the cafeteria where Hans, the chef, guarded the food, expecting Ethan to steal something.

It didn’t take us long to get to the Dragon's Maw.

Dragon's Maw was a tunnel thrice as wide and twice as tall as the other hallways in Dragon's Heart, allowing most dragons to pass through with their crew- excluding Uldru. It led from the main gate to the yard and to another entrance. Human-sized hallways split off in regular intervals, making all of Dragon's Heart easily accessible to humanoids.

A shadow obscured the main gate, blocking the sunlight and leaving us only in the dim light of the magical sconces lining the walls.

I tightened my grip around the dagger and ran after Ethan, almost sliding across the wet grass as we dashed outside. Ethan had always been faster than me but I had a lot more endurance so I slid past him as he slowed down.

Towering above us was a wall of crimson scales, reaching as high up as the walls and covered in scaffolding made out of leather and steel. Uldrus head laid on a bush, two giant horns curling to jot forward next to his maw. His entire body was brimming with muscles, giant trunks as legs leading into claws big enough to tear down the walls.

People were throwing sacks around and going down themselves, anchored to the scaffolding by their own harnesses. There was a lot of cussing and shoving but almost everything went smoothly.

The Quartermaster, Thurn, was barking out orders, standing aside and directing supplies and people before noticing us rapidly approaching. He was waving his arms like a conductor, directing the entire effort with small illusionary arrows of different colours. His greying hair was cut in a ponytail and he hadn't shaved these past few days. After all, it was hard to shave while on a dragon.

He glanced down at the two of us before shouting "Garry, toss two of the harnesses down, there!" He pointed to the side, in front of the gate, and two bundles quickly dropped there."Happy Birthday Sir Interita. Get dressed in the harnesses and go to Durgan, she will check your gear before you can mount."

Mom must have told him about her promise.

We grabbed the bundles and quickly got dressed in the harnesses. They were made out of leather with multiple steel buckles and rings to click into the dragon's scaffolding. There was a subtle enchantment on them to reinforce them.

We checked each other's gear, determined to give Durgan no reason to not let us mount. She'd tell us to redo all of it until we got it all right at once. There was a reason that Durgan managed to enter the biggest, most prestigious crew in Dragons Heart without any ties and it wasn’t because she was sloppy or allowed anyone else to be.

It took not even a minute for us to find Durgan, the elderly woman was quite recognisable as she was one of the few that were already on the ground and checking the supplies without doing any lifting. She was going through a bag of herbs when we lined up next to her, waiting for her to finish. We knew from experience that she didn’t like to be rushed and would point out a single speck of dirt as a mistake on our part if we did.

On the opposite side of the bags, I could see a familiar figure rummaging through smaller pouches.

She was covered in ash and soot and her black hair was cut to shoulder length if it was actually black. I had never seen her in tidy clothes even though she was the heir to the noble house Tonitrus. Even now, her harness was somehow stained beyond reason. She couldn't have been wearing it for long. She wasn’t fit like Ethan and I but rather petite, spending most of her time in her lab and working on her alchemy.

Upon noticing us, Rachel pocketed one of the pouches and stood next to us, imitating our martial posture. She barely reached up to my shoulder even with only a year difference.

She whispered conspiratorially, standing up on her tiptoes as Durgan finished her task "Hi, I thought you'd never come. I'll give you your present later but don’t think I’ve forgotten."

Ethan whispered back, careful to not anger Durgan, "We came as soon as we heard Uldru land, don’t give us sass. Are you coming with us?"

Rachel nodded as Durgan ordered a passing crewmember to take the bags to the storage hall, giving instructions for each bag separately, before turning to us. "Will anyone else be joining you today, Sir Interita?" She asked as she started checking our gear.

"No madam." I don't think so at least, I didn't plan on Rachel coming with us but I won't crush her hopes like that. Not without a good reason, that would just be mean when I knew that she had been anticipating this almost as much as Ethan and I.

She scoffed and lifted up my arm to check the buckles, "Drop the madam, I changed your diapers when your mother couldn't, so there is no reason for you to be this formal. "

"Only if you drop the Sir." I countered. I knew she wouldn't but it was worth a try, she was almost like an aunt, though perhaps grandmother would fit more.

She shook her head good-naturedly and checked the rest of our gear. "Everything looks to be in order. Have a nice Birthday, Sir."

Ethan dashed to Uldrus's leg and clicked himself into the scaffolding before she even finished her sentence "Let's go!"

I rolled my eyes at his overeagerness but followed him all the same with a smile on my face, eager to get some time in the air. He had always been so excitable which caused him more problems than anything else but it's one of the things I envied about him.

Rachel giggled before walking after Ethan, humming a tune I faintly recognised as a work song out of a dwarven tale.

I barely got to Uldrus's leg before a dull thud rang out from behind me, a familiar presence washing over me. I got grabbed by the back of my harness before I could react, a cold unyielding steel gauntlet hoisting me up.

"No, today, you'll be riding with me."

Looking back, I recognised the person grabbing me as Nadia Interita, The Destroyer.

My Mother.

She was still taller than me, fully clad in plate mail made in classic Khazur fashion. Her left arm was coated in thick plates of steel which could double as a shield if need be. I couldn't see her Greatsword on her back so it's probably still in the dedicated pouch on her saddle. It was rare to see her without it, she even kept it on her if she slept, her last memento of Dad.

Ethan was already attached and had one foot in a sling, looking back at me. Mom waved him off, allowing him to climb up Uldrus's leg. "Don't worry, You'll get plenty of practice in due time and…" She whistled sharply, causing Uldru to slowly sink his head next to us, rotating to lay on his side so he could reach us next to him. "My way is quicker than climbing all the way. Click in."

She tossed me at the ladder attached to Uldrus’s saddle and I barely caught on, quickly climbing up the saddle and clicking in at the top.

The Saddle was big, bigger than my bed, and had two separate seats at the front for Mom and the First Mate, allowing the First Mate and Signallers to receive direct orders as well as store some more dangerous supplies. A few bags were still strapped to the platform, probably emergency rations. There was a sort of railing around the platform behind it, allowing crewmates to go everywhere without having to constantly reattach themselves.

I scampered over to the seat and clicked onto the front, claiming the rider's seat and marvelling at the view.

Golden fields of wheat spread around us, dotted with huts and scarecrows. The animal pens that Uldru was eyeing with enough livestock to feed six Dragons -or Uldru and three others- and Dragons Heart itself.

A proud monument standing on top of a hill, a keep made out of greystone with a huge garden in the middle, the Allfathers tower to the north and a black-scaled dragon, Kizmat, lounging on the wall. I had stared at this castle for hours over the years as Ethan and I raced from the Ciar, climbed the towers, or just sat in a field and identified dragons and their crews as they flew past.

Two guards were standing next to Kizmat, gesturing hushedly and trying to find a way around her. She was blocking the way for the patrols, having her long tail hang down the outer wall.

After a few seconds of their gesturing, she cracked open an eye, looking down at them.

Kizmat was a remarkable dragon, her scales were incredibly resilient but flexible, and her tail was a lot longer than what was normal. I had seen her use it as a whip before, breaking a training dummy made out of solid stone in half. She was one of the laziest dragons in Dragon's Heart but notoriously protective and difficult to hurt, slender but almost as resilient as Uldru.

They bowed down and apologised profusely, turning to leave and let her sleep.

Her tail lifted up and slammed down in front of the guards, caging them in. After the guards turned around, she slowly shifted her body and made just barely enough room for them to pass. I shouldn't forget that she was very sassy when tired.

They hurriedly did so as Mom shouted at Kizmat, using an enchanted necklace to amplify her voice, "Kizmat, you lazy Wyrm, stop bothering the guards or I'll tell Tobias!"

Kizmat raised her head and glared at Mom at the threat before laying it back down on a cistern and closing her eyes. Her tail swung around her and cracked like a whip as it passed over the guard's head before hanging back down the wall without blocking the path.

Mom shook her head before pulling off her helmet and putting it into a bag attached to the seat. Her brown braided hair fell down onto her shoulder as she gently smiled at me. "Happy Birthday, Caleb," she said, pulling me into a tight hug.

I wrapped my arms around her, feeling the unyielding but warm -just like her- steel beneath my fingers. Home.

She broke the hug after a few seconds and just as I noticed the hand hidden behind her back, she pulled out a large, circular package. It was a bit wider than my shoulders but didn't seem to be heavy as she was only holding it with one hand. "Your gift, from your father and me."

Father?

I snatched the package from her hands and almost fell forward as it was a lot heavier than I expected.

Did he make something for me?

I didn’t know what to expect. It had been years since his death and I had almost forgotten what he looked like at this point but the mention of him had me remembering the days in the forge where he made me forge nails or help him. I didn't mind but he always had something nice to reassure me when I complained.

I tore through the paper sealing it to reveal a beautiful shield.

I did not mean pretty, but beautiful in the sense that it was made in pursuit of a perfect balance of efficiency and style. The Shield was made out of a lacquered, blackened wood with a metal rim and Boss, two straps of leather allowed it to be tightened to my arm while gripping a steel handle. It was covered in dark purple engravings, stylised to depict the two Elderwyrms, Ignatius and Zephyria, chasing each other in a circle. The engravings were unenchanted but provided a ton of space for me to put enchantments on.

The story of Ignatius and Zephyra was well-known. Every Dragonknight knew how Ignatius sacrificed himself to save the world from Zephyra.

Mom looked down at it and gently ran a finger around the rim, tears threatening to roll down her cheeks. It was rare to see her like this. "It is one of the last things your father made. I wanted it to be a sword but he was sure that a shield was more fitting. Look at the back."

Turning the shield around, there was a message burned into the wood,

For my little Knight, to guide and protect you when the world seems most dire, may the gods accompany you.

-Prometheus

I started crying, hugging the shield to my chest, the last memento of my dad. I could feel a faint enchantment from the Boss but ignored it for now, I would enchant this until it was unbreakable. I would not let this get destroyed by anyone. Uldru won't even be able to break this.

Mom pulled me into another hug, resting my head on her shoulder, she brushed through my hair "He knew you'd be one of the best, a kind soul. He was right."

"Oh my god, the view! Caleb, I think I can see-" Ethan yelled out before groaning as Rachel punched him. "What was that for?" He clicked into the saddle and stopped as I raised my head.

"They were having a moment!" Rachel hissed at him before trying to pull him back.

"It's fine, sit down," I reassured them and they quickly did so. I wiped away my tears, and with one last squeeze, broke the hug before carefully stowing the shield away, tying it down twice. "Are we waiting for anyone else?"

Ethan shrugged but Mom shook her head "Just waiting for your orders, Captain."

"Everyone click in! We are going on a patrol." I ordered, striking a valiant pose to try and alleviate some of the tension.

Mom sat down in the seat and put her helmet on but before I could have said anything, she leaned over and picked me up, before dropping me on her lap. "You'll be calling the shots but Uldru is still my dragon and I am his Knight."

Ethan leaned onto the railing and looked at Mom. "So you are hurt and he is the First Mate, giving orders but not really in charge?" He loved making up scenarios like this and Mom knew it.

She nodded and turned around, explaining "Even if the Knight gets hurt, they are still the one bonded to the Dragon and are calling the shots. Normally, I'd lay in the back with you and relay all orders my first mate gives to Uldru, causing a slight delay, but I want to make sure nothing goes wrong this early."

"Why doesn't Uldru just fly how he thinks is right? He can see as well, can't he?" Ethan was staring at Mom at this point, taking the opportunity to ask as many questions as he could.

"Sometimes, he does. Small Crews do it all the time but if Uldru decides to make a sharp turn and someone isn't properly attached, they will fall. Better to react a half of a second later than to risk losing men with every move." She explained before clapping her hands "But you'll learn all of that when your training begins so let's get to the fun part."

I leaned over the side and saw Thurn standing in front of the gate, clipboard in hand. "Thurn, is everything cleared for take-off?"

He looked up and gave me a thumbs-up before turning and walking away, directing the last of the crew through the tunnel.

Turning back to my passengers, I reminded them "Please keep seated and clicked in during our flight. Don't throw anything away because we will not be finding it again."

Rachel instantly clicked in while Ethan walked to directly behind the seat and sat down, peering over the edge and past me.

Leaning forward to pat Uldru on the neck, I said "Then let's lift off."

Uldru probably didn’t even feel my hand but tensed anyway. After a few seconds of readjusting his posture, he jumped up into the air. The pure acceleration pressed me down and against Mom, her armour immovable and her left arm around my waist keeping me steady.

We rapidly gained height, surging up and away from the keep. I saw nothing but the saddle and Uldru's scales with the sky blurring from the speed.

I could hear a roar from behind us as Uldru turned away, Kizmat sounded annoyed. We probably woke her up with the shaking.

A spell formed around us, stretching over the entire saddle before solidifying into a dome of air, shielding us from the harsh, biting cold of the winds up here. Mom cast it but the wind must have ripped the verbal components away before I could hear them.

It's crude and expensive but that didn't really matter to Mom, she had Mana reserves rivalling the Allfather and could cast more refined spells when needed but preferred the direct approach.

Ethan's yelling sounded out along with my laughter as he was still clutching the railing and noticed the spell too late. Coughing embarrassedly, he pointed out "Look at the view! I can see the Harndom Forest from here."

Rachel was sitting down, just barely peeking over the edge to enjoy the view. "It's magnificent. "

Mom nodded and Uldru gained some more height before gliding over the fields and towards the Mountains.

She gazed into the distance, her face hidden behind her helmet "There is nothing comparable to seeing the World you protect laid out beneath you, with your crew at your back and the scales beneath you. Don't forget this feeling Caleb, once your Dragon hatches, you will have to gather a crew that you can trust."

I paid apt attention to Mom as Rachel and Ethan quietly listened in, whispering something between them.

"There will always be people trying to use you or who seek to harm you but there should be full trust between you and every single member of your crew," She continued, looking down at me, "But I trust that you already know that. The Elderwyrm chose us all for a reason and I know that you will be a great Dragonknight."

I was not sure what to say, starved for answers. I replied, "Thanks, I will take care."

I knew choosing the crew was important and if my dragon grew up to be as gigantic as Uldru, I'd have a lot of positions to fill. I dreaded the decisions coming.

She looked back at the rest. "That goes for you two as well. Don't let him do anything stupid or I’ll tell your parents all about the embarrassing stories I’ve heard."

"Mom! I didn’t tell you anything."

She chuckled as Ethan answered, "Of course not Nadia, I'll take care of these two."

Rachel looked outraged, puffing up her cheeks and stemming her hand into her hips, "What do you mean, 'You'll take care of these two'? You are the one who always gets into trouble!"

If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

Ethan turned around to face her, a smile on his face "At least I didn't blow up my father's workshop, thrice."

"It was only two times!" She yelled out before crossing her arms and retaliating "At least I didn't steal from the canteen more times than I can count."

They were both smiling, everything was in good taste but Mom still poked me and whispered "That is one thing you'll have to get used to, dealing with your crew bickering with each other."

"Guys!" I raised my voice slightly, how I've seen other Knights do in the past, "Stop bickering, we are all on the same side."

"Fine." They both agreed easily.

I didn't know why I was surprised that that worked, they hadn’t really been fighting.

Uldru glided, slowly beating his wings as we travelled over the plains and towards the north, towards the Telkynese deserts. The area bordering the Orc nation always had skirmishes or raids happening, a prime area for patrols.

A dozen carts had been turned over at a crossing, distant dots from where we were but Mom shielded her eyes from the sun and looked straight at them. She had an enchantment on her helmet that allowed it to work like a telescope.

“Everyone, hold tight.” She put an arm around my waist and pulled me tight before making sure Ethan and Rachel were safe on the platform. “We are gonna dive, keep in cover until I tell you to come out.”

Uldru rapidly beat his wings, accelerating towards the crossing, causing the spell my mother wove to shatter as the winds picked up my hair and tossed it around, hitting me with such force that I got thrown against Mom. She was still sitting upright, now having one hand on her greatsword, ready to draw it once we landed.

A few moments later, we started tilting forward, quickly picking up speed as the ground rushed up towards us. A grin spread on my face as I had to press my lips together tightly so they didn’t get ripped open by the winds, relishing in the feeling of freedom flooding through me as my fingers started going numb.

There was no feeling greater than riding a dragon.

The floor got dangerously close as the carts turned out to have been repurposed into houses and I recognised people amongst them, starting work on fields of vegetables. They were tiny.

We stopped in just a moment, Uldru opening his wings completely and softening the fall by bending his knees, shaking the very earth. A few of the people fell over and one cart lost a room, crumbling down to the ground as I hit my head on the front of the saddle before violently recoiling against Mom's chestplate.

She held the arm that had been holding me up to her throat, tapping a rune on her necklace to amplify her voice “Lay down your weapons and get me whoever's in charge!” The few people closest to us appeared confused, looking around and hesitantly drawing weapons before my mother shouted out, “Don’t be an Idiot and fight the Dragonknight that can annihilate your hamlet in a few seconds and get me your leader!”

A few people started rushing off at that, recognising Mom for who she was, the Destroyer. They ran to the building that lost a room as an old man with greying hair in army attire walked out. He saw us and pulled out a flask, taking a swig and walking towards us, reassuring the others.

He motioned for us to come closer and Uldru lowered his neck, keeping us at a respectable distance from him.

He raised a hand “Hail, Destroyer, Miss Interita. How may I help you?”

Mom removed me from the scaffolding and put me onto the platform with Rachel and Ethan before grabbing her greatsword and jumping off, landing with a loud thud. “I know how this goes, how many people did you rob already?”

I hunkered down with them, peeking over the edge of the saddle and mustering the hamlet.

The Leader didn’t directly answer, taking a few seconds to think over his words “I think you got us mistaken, Dragon Knight. We are only travellers, trying to camp for the night.”

Mom scoffed, stabbing her Greatsword into the ground and keeping a hand on it. “With your getup, everyone being armed around here and the amount of carts there is no way you are only travellers.” She gestured to three men standing in line at the side, awaiting orders, “I’d guess you are soldiers from the 6th Legion, retired after the conflict up north and trying to carve your own slice of heaven.”

She must have hit the nail on the head as he winced, taking a step back and putting his hand on his scabbard. “What is it that you want, Destroyer?”

"If I wanted to hurt anyone here," She threatened, "I would have simply bombarded you before landing."

She took off her helmet and put it under her arm as she continued, glaring at him "Most soldiers don't know what to do once retired so they do what they do best, fight. Banditry is easy until we catch wind of it."

At this point, the other soldiers had their hands on their scabbards as Uldru towered over them all. The Leader kept relatively calm though, taking another swig from his flask "I can assure you, the only fighting we do is amongst ourselves and light sparring to keep in shape."

She scoffed before replying "So you know nothing of caravans going missing in this region and the King is getting the taxes he demands of any settlement?" After a short embarrassing silence, she continued "Listen, I've been through this often enough, pay your taxes, stop ransacking merchants and I won't have to wipe you off the map. If you need help we will even help you against the monsters."

"Why should we pay even more taxes after risking our lives for this kingdom and being thrown away?" He demanded.

"You don't have to," Mom relented, "but you won't be able to trade for much, merchants will avoid you, we can't help against monsters until you count as an independent kingdom -if you make it that far- and it's a lot more difficult than paying some taxes and enjoying the benefits. You should know what the protection of the Dragonknights is worth."

He looked around at the other armed members of his village. "I think we can handle ourselves, thank you very much."

She just sighed and put on her helmet, turning back to Uldru. "Believe me, pay your taxes or the king will find an excuse to wipe you off the map, you are stealing from him after all. We might not be aligned with any kingdom but we won’t spare you unless you give us a good reason." She started walking towards us, easily jumping up to the saddle with the help of a gust spell.

With one foot in the saddle, she looked back over her shoulder. "Don't make me kill people I know don't deserve it, I know you are smarter than that Damon."

The mention of his name seemed to have shut him up rather quickly as he turned to his allies and started barking out orders to repair the damage caused by us and send messengers.

Mom fully climbed into the seat and Uldru lifted off, causing one of the houses to wobble dangerously.

It took only a few seconds for us to reach the sky and travel further around Dragons Heart, making a circle around it. I could see Feerwood in the distance, hiding the elves from the rest of the world, imprisoned far away where they couldn’t hurt anyone.

Silence stretched between us as Ethan, Rachel and I were still amazed at the sight beneath us and unsure of what to say after that encounter while Mom was communicating with Uldru. This was the first time we got taken along on an actual encounter so we weren’t quite sure how to react, I was still unsure what had even happened.

Mom spun and detached herself from the scaffolding before crouching down on the platform next to us. She waved her hand and another dome of protective wind spread around us, allowing us to talk. “Sorry about that. Where do you want to go to make up for the interruption?”

I glanced at Ethan and Rachel to see if they could think of anything but they just shrugged, leaving it up to me. I knew Rachel liked to swim and Ethan was up for anything but I had no idea what I wanted. As I couldn’t decide on somewhere to go, I decided to stall instead “What was that about?”

She sighed wearily and put her hand on the side of her head, like she wanted to brush through her hair but forgot she had a helmet on. "The Army. Every time a big conflict is won and there is no need for regular soldiers, they all get unemployed with nowhere to go and nothing to do. They get compensated with a lot of money but they only ever knew how to fight so a lot of them turn to banditry."

Rachel was seated with her legs apart, leaning on her hands while asking. "What about Guards?"

"Hey!" Ethan's head snapped to Rachel just as he grabbed a pack of hardtack from our supplies. "Guards have honour and keep the peace!"

Rachel looked confused at his outburst but I quickly explained, "His Mom is a Guard."

"That doesn't change the truth of my statement. Guards are way better than the army." Ethan added, defending his mom.

Rachel nodded before turning to Mom, "Guards and Soldiers go through the same training, don't they?"

Seeing Ethan's silent rage, Mom gave just a short answer. "They have the same basic training but both specialise in different fields. I think Ethan will gladly give you a more in-depth look at the differences. "

"So, Guards and soldiers both-" he started but got cut off by Rachel before he could finish his sentence.

"Thank you but I am content with the short version." She said before continuing, "Guards keep the peace while Soldiers wage war."

Mom shook her head slightly and I just knew she was smiling beneath her helmet. She turned to Rachel and said, "Soldiers do more than wage war but they tend to fight other Soldiers or big threats while Guards keep cities safe from Monsters and Criminals." She faced me before asking, "Do you want to visit the river?"

I nodded and Uldru changed direction without even seeing me, going to the Ciar that originated in the Harndom Forest and snaked through the plains. It ended in the Leviathan's Maw, a huge lake where we used to bathe most dragons and relax after long expeditions.

Dragonknights visited it so frequently that a little village had sprung up around it.

It didn't take long for us to arrive at the river, Uldru gently landing next to it.

Ethan, Rachel and I climbed off while Mom checked our luggage one more time and put a tarp over it all.

We were just past Uldru's shoulder when Mom jumped past us and landed on a stone, cracking it. "Come on, slowpokes," she yelled at us as she sat down on the rock.

Ethan slid down next to me and asked "You haven't learned Slowfall yet, right?"

"Nope," I replied, continuing my descent. I hadn't had any luck with learning any of the bigger spells which meant I had to wait until my dragon hatched and we could properly bond to increase my mana.

Knightbonds were notoriously enigmatic. No one understood how they worked but they turned ordinary, if not well-trained, individuals strong enough to replace entire armies and granted them magic unrivalled by regular wizards without nearly as much time spent studying.

Mom was already exceptional before she forged her bond and earned her place amongst the Dragonknights by taking on an entire Bandit camp that had been terrorising the surrounding villages for years. Sure, she had the enchanted gear Father had made her but he didn't help her during the fight and she didn’t have her ridiculously complex sword yet.

She had destroyed a bandit camp that had multiple Dragon's skulls as trophies with a singular spell and then got her mana reserves multiplied by the bond.

She certainly would have been forced to choose between becoming a Dragonknight or exile with her amount of power if she hadn't dropped the charred dragon skull at the Allfathers feet and demanded a position.

We touched the ground just as Mom finished a spell, thrusting her hand from the water towards Uldru.

The river diverted and splashed against Uldru, almost submerging us as Uldru got drenched in thousands of litres of water that sickered into the ground or back into the river.

We ran away and took refuge on the rock Mom landed on earlier.

I was glad that she decided to wash Uldru first, my entire body was sore and swimming now might be a bit too much, considering the torrent of water rushing over the ground and back into the river base.

Fish helplessly jumped around, confused as to why they were suddenly out of their comfortable river and midair.

Rachel got the brunt of the water and it managed to wash away enough of the filth for me to notice that her hair had a red hue. It was dark enough to pass as black from afar but that was a moot point with the constant soot covering her.

It was kind of impressive that I never noticed that in the years that I'd known her, even if it was mostly due to her getting dirty incredibly quickly.

Ethan was literally bouncing on his heels, eager to get to moving again. It had been a while since our last trip. He darted down as a fish passed dangerously close to our rock, trying to catch it but failed. He then took off his shoes, not wanting to have them on when we swam.

Mom finished washing Uldru and drained the rest of the water into the river with a simple hand gesture while I mimicked Ethan, putting my shoes on the rock.

I noticed that Uldru wouldn't even fit into the river unless he kept his wings pointed straight upwards and folded his legs beneath him so this was probably the only way he could get cleaned in a reasonable amount of time without visiting Leviathan's Maw.

Ethan jumped off the rock and dove into the water headfirst. He always carried very little gear and had it rather tight so as to not risk losing any of it when climbing or swimming, making it possible for him to adapt quickly to any terrain. It helped with him forgetting everything everywhere as well.

Mom and Rachel walked over to Uldru. While Mom laid with her back against Uldrus' belly, dozing in the sun, Rachel unloaded a dozen small pouches next to Mom to watch over so she could join us without soaking her ingredients even more.

I followed after Ethan and entered the water, the cool liquid instantly relieving me of the scorching sun. I had spent many hours in a forge and could easily bear high temperatures but there was just something relaxing about the cold I could never explain.

I kind of wished that I could use enough magic to cool myself down in summer, but it would feel wrong to use our divinely granted gifts in such a mundane way.

The second I relaxed, Ethan emerged from the water next to me and splashed me with all his might, a wave of water rising.

I recoiled back and swung my arm out, finding purchase. With zero hesitation, I braced myself and pushed him down, submerging him and cutting his laughter short.

He kicked my legs out from under me and pulled himself up, gasping for air as we both started laughing. "Asshole!"

"You started," I replied between bouts of laughter.

Rachel sat at the edge of the river, having taken off her boots earlier alongside her pouches, and submerged her feet in the water.

"Rachel," Ethan yelled out to her, coming close enough to the edge so he could stand, "come on in, the water's fine!"

"Give me a second," she replied, splashing in the water.

Ethan shrugged and turned back to the river, swimming to his heart's content.

We swam a few rounds and dove down to check out the plants and fish. I wished that I had brought my latest model of the Divers gear with me, I was sure it'd work this time, but I hadn't planned on coming here.

Mom appeared to be dozing off in the shadow Uldru provided. Her greatsword laid next to her in the grass, similarly leaning against Uldru.

I knew she wasn't asleep but didn't bother her, she deserved some silence and rest.

Rachel joined us soon after but spent most of her time diving for ingredients and shiny rocks or trying to catch us off guard and drag us down.

It ended with us silently making a plan to have one of us getting dragged down while the other dove after and kept her underwater when she tried to emerge.

Ethan got pulled under water shortly after and I dove after, looking to grab Rachel.

She was surprisingly dexterous for someone who spent her entire day in a lab, almost instantly twisting away, dodging Ethan and my attempts to grab her.

We swam after her as she rushed out of the river, spraying water everywhere and giggling like a little gremlin.

We chased her around Uldru, who curiously kept an eye on us circling him and decided that stopping us was way too much work for him and went back to sleep.

I might have been chasing her and wanted to force her underwater until she surrendered but I already knew the second member of my crew.

We didn't stay long after Ethan managed to catch Rachel, only throwing her into the river once out of the kindness of our hearts. It had nothing to do with it getting late and us getting exhausted.

We flew back to Dragons Heart and enjoyed the sun setting, huddled together for warmth.

Mom had to stay with Uldru and help him out of his gear as they wouldn't go on another mission for quite a while to witness the hatching of my dragon. She wanted Uldru out of his gear as fast as possible but didn't want to keep us waiting so she handed me a few coins and sent us off.

I took my new shield with me.

We went to the cafeteria first. Thurn's niece, Eva, was working the counter. I knew that Ethan had a big crush on her and it was no secret what he liked about her.

She had her long blonde curls that normally frame her round face in a hairnet. She was taller than all of us, not that it was difficult to be taller than Rachel when you were two years older but it counted for something, and wearing some simple brown clothes with an apron, tied around her waist. She was quite shapely but didn't have much visible muscle.

"Welcome, Sir Interita, Sir Lumina, Miss Tonitrus," she greeted us, as polite as always, "How may I help you?"

"Hey, how are you?" Ethan grinned up at her.

She looked down at him with a radiant smile and answered "Splendid, how was your day? I do recall it being Sir Interita's birthday, congratulations. "

"Thanks, it was great," I answered.

Ethan was still in a great mood, continuing to grin up at her. "Our day was great. We were thinking of grabbing some food, do you have anything you'd recommend?"

"We got a shipment of apples so Father decided to make apple turnovers," she said, pointing them out in the display, "there are also fried noodles with beef and a potato gratin with leek."

"Food's on my Mom. I'll take an apple turnover and one portion of the noodles, please," I ordered, putting enough coins on the counter for three meals and three apple turnovers.

She nodded and turned to the other two, waiting for their orders.

Both of them ordered an apple turnover and a portion of the potato gratin each.

"Very well," Eva said and turned around to grab our orders.

We got our meals and sat down, eating in silence until Eva sat down at our table with a glass of water.

"Hey, Eva," Ethan greeted her, fixing his posture. His posture wasn't great but he sat up ramrod straight when she sat down.

"Hello."

Rachel looked at the two for some time before deciding to speak up "Is there anything you need?"

"No, I am satisfied with my water. Thank you," she answered before taking a sip of the aforementioned water.

We stewed in silence until Ethan tried to strike up a conversation "You don't usually join us for lunch, Eva."

"Yes," she replied factually, "Father wanted me to socialise so I have a better chance to make it on a crew."

Ahh, that explained it neatly. I did have to admit that I didn't expect her to tell us directly but I did not remember her ever lying to me so it might have been unwarranted. Most people did a lot to get onto a crew, as it was seen as a huge honour.

"I am sure that you'll find a crew, you're awesome with a bow," Ethan reassured her, shooting me a meaningful glance.

He wanted me to invite her. I finished the last of my noodles before offering "I might have an open spot but I'll have to see how large my dragon becomes."

She looked at me quite confused, tilting her head like a cat. "Thank you, consideration is all I am asking for."

She took another sip and kept quiet as we continued to eat.

Shortly before we finished our dessert, she appeared to notice my shield. "That's a nice shield."

"Thanks. It’s a gift from my father."

I waited a few more seconds for her to say something but she just kept staring at me.

We finished our food and said our goodbyes, making our way to my room.

"Ethan, why her?" Rachel sounded puzzled and spoke up out of nowhere. "I mean she is like a doll, why do you think of her so… highly."

Ethan laughed brightly. He had really earned his last name. "That's why I like her!"

"What," Rachel blandly asked for clarification. She even stopped walking, standing in the middle of the hallway.

"She's almost perfect, like a doll," Ethan explained. He looked back and saw that she was still confused, so he continued "She's well-mannered, always nice, never lies, and we have the same interests. What's there not to like?"

"I am sure her body has nothing to do with it," I added dully. She did look nice, like a doll, but wasn't my type.

He grinned at me. "It's definitely not negative."

"Boys." Rachel sighed but she had a little quirk that betrayed that she didn't really mean it.

She had a bounce in her steps that wasn't normal. Everyone told me that it was just my imagination but I was certain that she bounced when she was in a good mood, no matter how hard she tried to hide it.

"Do you not mind her being kind of cold?" she asked.

"Hey," Ethan interjected, pointing a finger at Rachel. "I am not teasing you about your taste in men!"

He started running before she did, anticipating her reaction and rushing around the corner.

"Fuck you!"

"Language," Drembar reprimanded her as she rushed past him, chasing Ethan.

"I am sorry for those two," I apologised. I gave him a small bow before explaining "They only recently got the news that they'll be part of a crew so they have to get used to it."

Drembar was one of the few dwarves living in Dragon's Heart. Most dwarves kept away from the Dragoknights due to us not lending them help a few hundred years ago. They even refused help of any kind because they wanted to stay independent.

He laughed as he walked around the corner. "We both know that they were aware of their future, every single person in Dragon's Heart knew."

Even with him being a dwarf, he was barely shorter than me -around Rachel's height- but a lot more muscular than either of us. His long dark brown hair spilt forth from under his helmet, braided and adorned with hundreds of beads. I had asked him multiple times how he found the time to braid them into his hair and beard but he had always given different answers.

He was the best blacksmith in Dragon's Heart and took care of most of the larger projects as well as anything too difficult for the others. He took care of my training after Dad died and was even more demanding than he had been.

"Yeah," I agreed. There was no reason to lie to him and he'd have known either way. I rubbed the back of my head nervously. "We're just a bit excited at the moment. It won't happen again. "

"I am sure it won't happen again while I am in earshot," he agreed. He stopped in front of me, blocking the path. "Happy Birthday, Caleb."

I answered with a huge grin. "Thanks."

"Now go get your crew under control before they break something else," he told me, walking past.

"Yes, sir!"

I ran after them and found Rachel standing in front of my door, a vial in hand. "Open the door, Ethan," she yelled, raising her hand threateningly.

"Rachel, put whatever that is down," I ordered. "Ethan, open the door."

Both followed my orders. They knew it'd hurt themselves just as much if they openly disregarded direct orders, no matter the context.

Rachel went inside my room and I quickly joined them.

My room was quite spacious, a perk of being a smith and a soon-to-be Dragon Knight.

A quarter of my room was dedicated to a heavy workbench, two armour stands, an anvil, and a wall of tools. I had spent the majority of my hard-earned money on my tools and then saved up to start making my gear.

The Dragon Knights got standardised gear but I thought it was… weak, so I decided to make my own pretty early on.

This resulted in my workshop being better equipped than some blacksmiths in cities.

A huge portion of my room was reserved for a nest. It was very important for the bond to properly prosper that Dragon and Knight spend a lot of time in close proximity. The nest won't be able to hold my dragon after a year or two, as they grow rapidly in the beginning, but I could always get rid of it to reuse the space.

The growth rate of dragons thankfully tapered off with increasing age. Uldru won’t grow that quickly, but he probably won’t stop growing.

The last measly part of my room was filled with my bed, two dressers and a small nightstand.

I had my priorities straight.

Ethan walked over to my workbench and sat down on one of the three stools. "Does this count as our first crew meeting?"

Rachel sat down right next to him, a menacing grin on her face. "I guess so," she said.

She looked like she wanted to add something but decided against it.

"Well," Ethan began with a huge grin, "then let me start this meeting as the first mate. I vote that we add Eva to our list of prospective teammates."

"Of course you do," Rachel sighed.

I spoke up, rescuing Ethan before he could dig himself an even deeper hole. He was my First mate after all. "It's not totally unwarranted. She is great with a bow, pretty knowledgeable, and non-confrontational."

"So basically the opposite of you," Ethan summarised for Rachel, grinning at her.

She glared at him.

"Although I concede that she would be a good fit for our crew," I said, rifling through my sketches. "I can't guarantee that there will be enough spots in our crew. The egg is still as small as ever."

"Don't worry," Ethan reassured me, putting an arm around my shoulder. He grabbed the sketch I was looking for and handed it to me, "All dragons start small and grow rapidly for a few years. Even if it's a little smaller, we can make up for it with our teamwork and your enchantments."

Rachel chimed in "Yeah, I have never seen anyone create enchantments at such a small scale. You'll be able to enchant every piece of gear separately and make them stronger than even your mother's gear. "

She had a point. I never got why the books from the library stated such ludicrous sizes for enchantments. They had an explanation for it but neither I nor any of the Knights I asked could make sense of it.

Most Knights didn't make their own equipment and enchanters were ludicrously rare in a crew due to how rarely they were needed when on an expedition.

Maybe it had something to do with scale but I couldn’t think of a reason why general enchanters should make huge clouds of mana to draw the shapes instead of drawing them in strands. I hadn't noticed a difference between my enchantments and others.

"Thanks," I said, looking over the sketch.

It was Ethan's armour, a light and flexible leather armour including a harness. He insisted that I add fake runes so no one could figure out what the enchantments were. I quickly relented to add the runes on the outside for more areas to work with.

Rachel dropped a pouch on the sketch, rocks clinking. “Your gift.”

I pulled her into a one-armed hug. “Thanks, you shouldn’t have.”

She hugged me back, crossing her arms in front of my throat, and rested her head on mine, looking over my shoulder. “I should have done more. Your gift from last year set unfair expectations.”

I opened the pouch and pulled out one of the stones, finding them incredibly smooth to the touch. They were perfectly oblong and flat on two sides, made out of a pitch-black material.

They were runestones. Alchemically manufactured stones that held mana remarkably well. A set of them, like the one in the pouch, was used for armour, centralising the enchantments and reducing the chances of enemies hitting one and detonating them catastrophically.

I still had much work to do, Rachel's armour was just a list of notes and measurements and I had to wait with mine until the egg hatched.

Any enchantments I used could be rendered inert depending on what my dragon could do.

This was going to be a long day, but Ethan and Rachel refused to leave which made the day a lot more agreeable.