I had spent the rest of the day brainstorming with Ethan and Rachel and had fallen asleep on my workbench, a hand resting in ink.

We got a lot of work done and even had a short list of enchantments for each of our equipment.

"I should've known you'd spend your birthday like this," Mom said, pulling the blanket away from me. "Wake up, we've got errands to run."

She turned to Ethan, who had crashed on my chair with another thick blanket. "Your dad wants to see you, something about your gear."

"Ughhmm," came his very articulated reply as he turned in his cocoon, almost falling off of the chair.

I always thought it was fascinating to watch Ethan wake up as he transformed from a grumpy ghoul to his energetic self within seconds.

As if on cue, he shot up just as I got up and stretched.

"Good morning," he yelled, sending a quick salute towards Mom. "I'll leave you to your duties, but if the egg hatches and you don't tell me, I'll never let you live it down."

"You know you aren't allowed in the chamber during the Hatching as a non-knight," I reminded him. I didn't like the rule but it must have a reason to be there, probably the bond or something.

He threw an errand pillow at my face. "Yes, but I'll be damned if I am not the second person to meet the little guy," he explained.

He was already gone when I removed the pillow from my face.

"What a first mate..." Mom chuckled, before walking back out the door, "Come on, we've got a lot to do today."

I quickly followed after her, not having to dress as I fell asleep in my clothes and didn't smell too bad.

A little bit like ink and ash but that was part of the charm.

We first made our way to Drembars forge, finding him hammering a long piece of iron while one of his apprentices held it in place with tongs. He was making a new sword for Tobias, who managed to break another one.

Mom nudged me with her elbow, cold steel digging into my ribs. "You'll take the lead. I am just here to make sure you don't forget anything and to spend some time together."

I made my way to Drembar and waited for him to finish. You just didn't interrupt someone while they were working with red-hot steel.

I had learned that myself when Ethan had once burst into my room while I was working and burned my forearm quite badly.

It didn't take long for the sword to cool down to an unworkable temperature, and Drembar had to stick it back into the forge.

He could circumvent it by putting some glyphs on the anvil that kept the temperature of the steel constant, but Drembar insisted on his traditions. The glyphs would make everything more orderly but might slow it down.

"Caleb," he noticed me, wiping away the sweat from his soaked face, "your lesson is not for another week. How can I help you? Is it already time for your harness?"

"Yeah, I should prepare for when it hatches," I said, walking with him to the small station where he usually took measurements. I had been here many times.

Mom helpfully chimed in "he pushed everything so far down the road that we have to do everything today."

Drembar chuckled. "That's our Caleb alright," he said, taking out the measuring band.

He started measuring me for the harness as he asked "So, anything new you know about your dragon or is it as much a mystery as before?"

"No, nothing new," I said, standing straight so as to not disturb him.

All I knew was how large the egg was, which wasn't at all, and that it was a deep black. Both qualities hadn't been seen in ages with any eggs.

Usually, the eggs were a brighter colour and a lot larger.

"Tim," Drembar yelled out for his apprentice. "How far is the sword along?"

Tim walked in with a shortsword, a foot in length, but well crafted. "It's done, Sir Lumina can just-" he almost dropped the sword as he jerked into a bow when he saw us, facing Mom and me, "Sir Interita, The Destroyer, I didn't see you come in, I apologize."

"Wait," he suddenly said, facing me, " Sir Lumina is going to be your first mate, isn't he? Can you take the sword to him?"

"Oh, I think his Dad is taking him on a trip to get his gear in order," Mom said, grabbing the sword.

He almost flinched away but stopped himself at the last moment.

Mom turned it over and ran a finger along the blade, a metallic scraping sounding out. "A fine blade," she complimented Tim, "is it purely your work?"

"Mostly, I asked Drembar for some guidance and the other apprentices to do some minor tasks but I've done all the work on the blade myself," he explained, a hint of red creeping onto his cheeks at the praise.

She resheathed the blade and handed it back to Tim. "You should be proud at having crafted something of this calibre."

"Thank you, Destroyer," he said with a bow. He then turned to me and inclined his head, asking "I know this is a lot to ask, but if there is a spot free on your crew, may I request that you keep me in mind? I'd like to get the honour of working alongside someone of your reputation while experiencing the open world. As you can see, I can hold my own and maintain any equipment that needs tending to."

I kept my gaze trained on him as Drembar moved to my legs, taking the final measurements.

I would have liked to sigh but that would have been a bad idea, as well as simply rude. There have been dozens of people asking to join my crew since I had started tending to my egg, even though I had experienced zero growth when it came to my magic.

They just wanted to join because of his mother's reputation.

"Thanks," I politely said, "I'll keep you in mind but I prefer to make my own gear."

"That explains why we never got an order for armours or your blade," he said. He followed it with a quick bow in my direction, "I still thank you for your consideration."

"Done," Drembar said, scribbling down the last of my measurements on a scrap of parchment. "I'll keep it loose as to accommodate future growth on your part. We could also enchant it but that's frankly not worth the cost. Don't worry about it fitting with your armour, I've seen your plan and taken it into account."

"Thanks, anything else you need?"

Drembar stroked a hand through his beard. "What colour was the egg?"

"Black," I said.

He nodded and left, walking into his private workshop.

I had never been there but he always vanished into there when he got a stroke of inspiration, or a divine vision as he called it.

It boded well for me that he disappeared now.

"I wish you a good day, may Ignatius smile upon you." Tim bowed stiffly, focusing on the customary goodbye.

"May Ignatius smile upon you," Mom and I echoed the goodbye, taking our leave.

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The greenhouse took up an entire tower of Dragons Heart and had the floors knocked out, creating a singular room in which trees could grow.

It was rather young in comparison with the rest of the Keep, having only been rebuilt after Durgan threatened to quit after years of service.

They were forced to cave in and got an enchanter from the Dwarven Kingdom sent over who put a ward over the entire tower to mimic the environment perfect for growing Durgan’s herbs.

A feeling of warmth and cosiness washed over me as we entered, only furthered by the view in front of me.

Two trees stood high, carrying no fruit at the moment, but giving shade to the plants below. Mushrooms and flowers sprouted from the trees and rocks strewn around the ground. It was simultaneously ordered but wild as the plants grew in patches that were obviously cut to size.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

Rachel was hanging from a branch of the tree with mushrooms at its base and tried to get a vial of a purple liquid back from a gibbon. She was wearing a long flowing robe traditional for Druids that was dirty beyond belief.

It took me a moment to realise that it was the same vial she had threatened Ethan with.

Durgan approached us from the opposite end of the room, roots and stones in her way not slowing her down in the slightest. "Nadia, Sir Interita," she greeted us with open arms, subsequently pulling us into a hug. "How may I help you?"

A loud yelp, followed by a rustling of leaves but no thud rang out.

Mom had her hand outstretched with the palm facing forwards, towards Rachel.

She was hovering an inch above the ground, hair and robe whipping around wildly from the gusts of wind originating right below her.

She dropped onto the ground with a dull thud as Mom lowered her hand.

"Thanks," she muttered through her robe, flipping it out of her face.

"I need some fruit and veggies for the Hatching," I said with a smile. "Can we take some from here?"

Rachel scrambled from her spot, tidied her robe as much as she could and walked over.

"Of course, I'll prepare a wide array and send it over to the Hatchery," Durgan said, sending a glare to Rachel.

Mom took Durgan by the shoulder and turned away. "I'll help her pick some fruits. We still need to talk about the findings of our last quest."

They left Rachel and me alone, walking off into the storeroom.

"So..." Rachel started, twirling her foot in the dirt, "can you help me get the vial from the gibbon?"

I looked up at the gibbon, who was currently hiding the vial in the crown of the tree. It had appropriated a nest between two branches near the top.

"Let me try something," I said, closing my eyes.

I envisioned a simple strand of mana snaking its way from the tip of my finger and coiling around my arm like a snake or rope, slowly reinforcing it with more and more mana.

Next, I attached a small hook at the top by bending a small thread and twirled my fingers in an attempt to slingshot it up.

It jerked up and got caught on the first branch, dissolving into nothingness.

Technically, it just turned into ambient mana but it completely vanished to my senses.

"Alright, I'll go get it," I said, walking up to the trunk of the tree.

I didn't expect it to work but feeling it dissolve so easily still hurt. I would have to find a way to temper my threads like I would steel, maybe I could vary the density of mana when creating it or reinforce it differently.

It didn't matter now as I climbed up the trunk, but I needed to make some sort of breakthrough if I ever wanted to be a Dragonknight worth his salt.

Rachel took out a banana from the storage and ran back, holding it up for the gibbon. "Come here, Freddy," she lured him.

He jumped down from branch to branch, briefly stopping at my level to look at me and screech, before dropping down next to her.

I quickly climbed up and grabbed the vial, putting it in my pocket. "Got it."

Making my way down, I passed Freddy climbing up to his nest with the banana in his hand. He had it halfway peeled and was already eating but still climbed faster than me.

I dropped next to Rachel and held the vial up to the light. "What exactly is this?" I asked, shaking it lightly.

"Tea."

I unscrewed the lid and pretended to drink it, barely hiding my smile.

"No, no, no, no!" She jumped at me and would have bowled me over if she were any taller. The vial thankfully didn't spill.

I staggered back as I suddenly had to support Rachel's weight, sinking onto a mossy rock.

It took her a moment to properly process it but I knew she realised what I'd done by her quiet exclamation. "Shit."

"So what is this?" I asked again, corking the vial and holding her steady. "You threatened Ethan with it so I assume it's an acid or an explosive, both a bad option to tackle someone with."

"It's..." she trailed off, burying her face in my chest.

A quiet mumble, dampened through my clothes, reached my ears. "Venom serpent poison."

I held the vial cautiously, only using my fingertips to place it back into her hip pouch. "Alright... I won't question why you have it but please, please be careful with it."

"I am always careful," she spoke into my chest.

I rolled my eyes and let her go before sliding to the side to make space for her. Mom and Durgan were probably going to be a while. "Of course, that's why Freddy had it."

She dropped into my lap and kicked her legs in the air, using me as a chair. "He is a ferocious guardian. Neither Man nor Monster can touch his hoard."

"I just stole from his hoard," I laughed, putting an arm around her waist as she almost fell off. She had got to be more careful. "So either I am neither Man nor Monster, or he puts his reputation to shame."

"Or maybe, just maybe, you are the chosen hero who brought peace to the lands by defeating the evil Freddy," she said, leaning her head against my shoulder.

I chuckled and looked up at where he sat. "I told you that I am not some hero destined to bring peace. We already have peace and I can't even conjure a proper fireball," I explained. It was cute how she tried to reassure me but there was no way that I was some chosen of destiny, that age is far behind us.

"I'll say it as often as I need to," she said, thumping her head against me. "You'll do something great, no matter how potent your magic is. Your dragon is going to be the biggest and strongest out of all, dwarfing even Uldru."

"I can only do that with the best crew in the world," I replied, gently lifting her head so we face each other. "Will you join me?"

She buried her head in my chest and hid her face, wrapping her arms tightly around me.

It took her a second to calm herself, inhaling deeply.

She looked up at me with a huge grin and rose-tinted cheeks. "Of course, I'll join you, that's not even a question! I already attended a team meeting so I thought I was already in it!"

"I mean..." I trailed off and scratched my cheek, searching for the right words, "You kind of were but I didn't know what else to reply. Ethan, you, and I already make an impressive team but I am sure the others will be just as great."

"About that…" she said. It took her a few seconds to gather the courage to ask, but she eventually looked me in the eyes, "Can I be our healer?"

"Of course," I instantly replied. "I mean you would make a great cannoneer, but I know that you can make some awesome potions. Why the sudden change in goal?"

"I always wanted to become a Healer, but I do have a tendency to..." she trailed off, looking for a positive spin to put on her failed experiments.

"Explode," I offered.

"... create harmful rather than helpful concoctions when I experiment. Any potions I make with a recipe turn out great!" She insisted, pouting.

"You'll do great," I reassured her.

She squeezed me, resting her head back onto my shoulder. “Thanks. Now how hard is it to believe that you will do just as great?”

I sighed. “Not much.”

Mom and Durgan came back and Rachel jumped up, almost falling on her ass.

"Do you need a minute?" Mom asked.

"Nope, we were just chatting," I said, standing up myself. She had always been jumpy.

I patted Rachel on her back and excitedly made my way to the door. "Let's go to the Hatchery!"

----------------------------------------

The huge double doors of the Hatchery were covered in carvings and metallic inlays depicting the stories of old. The battle of Zephyra and Ignatius was most prominent, their battling forms winding throughout the centre of the doors.

Flames, mountains, and the ocean surrounded them, intricately carved into the wood.

I braced myself against the double doors and pushed them open, straining to even make them budge.

They made no sound as they swung open, years of diligent maintenance and magical assistance making squeaking or scraping impossible.

The room beyond was huge with a second door leading into another room where no one was allowed. No one but the Allfather had ever been there if history was to be believed.

There was a long table that would be filled with a veritable feast when the egg hatched. It was easily big enough for a dozen people to sit at it, a starter crew. They usually met here after practice to bond.

The egg itself was in a huge nest of hay, a coal-black shape two feet high. The surface was scaled with lines of dark purple running up along them.

One corner was a bath, big enough for three people, or two people bathing a newly born dragon.

A huge shrine dominated the empty corner, a statue of Ignatius reaching high and standing proudly, looking over the room. It was made out of gold recovered from the Pale Serpent raid fifteen years ago.

I walked over to the egg as Mom sat at the table, pulling out her journal.

I put a hand flat against the egg and felt the warmth from within, small bursts of cold licking at my hands as I ran my hand along the edge of the scales.

My mana flowed almost naturally, escaping through my hands in threads and unravelling at the boundary just beneath the shell. I completely lost the feel for my mana as I fed the dragon, dumping most of my reserves into it so our bond could grow stronger.

Normally, I'd do this once a week but the Allfather decreed that I had to do it every second day so my dragon would not die. It was so small that it could not hold onto much mana and my capacity was tiny as well.

O mighty Ignatius, god of Law and Order. In the face of adversity, I seek your fortitude for this hatchling. Grant us the resilience of scales that withstand the fiercest fires and the crispest cold, and the bravery of wings that scour the lands in the endless quest to protect.

I kept kneeling for a few seconds before standing back up.

"A robust little one, this one is," The Allfather said from behind me.

I managed to not jump at his sudden appearance and turned around. "I am doing my best to keep it alive but it feels like it just keeps fading," I said.

The Allfather stood tall and proudly, wearing adorned robes made out of golden threads with silver embroidery. A depiction of Ignatius decorated his back and peeked over his shoulder, resting its head on his chest with twin trails of smoke rising from its nostrils. His head almost scraped along the ceiling so tall was he.

His greying hair was cut short and neatly trimmed, not a single strand of hair out of place lest it brought shame to the order of the Dragonknights. His face was all angles, centuries of age showing their wear and tear through scars and marks.

He had a long staff, made out of the sacred wood of the Flametree, only found deep within the Elven Forest of Feerwood that had been sealed for years. It was tall enough to have the gnarly top at the same height as his golden eyes.

"Fear not," he said, looking at the egg, "Ignatius has a plan for all of us; hardship is an essential part of it. The path we follow is grueling, but that's precisely why the great Ignatius has blessed us with our guardians and partners - the dragons. The bond you'll share will serve both your interests, enabling you to harness magic, akin to the powerful wizards of old. Although your father may not be here to witness it, I have no doubt that you'll transform into a valuable Dragonknight. "

"Thank you, Allfather," I said sourly. I fully stood up and bowed.

He looked at the egg one more time before moving past me, going through the double doors that opened in front of him with not even a single wave of his staff needed to create the necessary spell.

I did not pay him any more mind and walked over to the bath, washing my hands and soaking a rag that laid beside it.

The last thing I did before going to bed was wash the egg with the rag, leaving it in the nest as usual.