Valerian, The Legendary

93 Name.

Valerian and Fragrantia held their breaths when they heard a crackle from the egg held by the former. They were standing like statues, with their hearts beating frantically. While Valerian thought that he might have broken the egg, as in broken in parts, the empress knew that the egg was hatching but they were both having different emotions in their hearts, immersed at the moment.

The child was anxious and Fragrantia was excited. Soon the crackling increased and they both saw a mass trying to push out from the inside of the egg. The egg was as big as two human heads. It was not heavy for Valerian to hold, but the struggle put up by the being inside of it, made things tricky for him.

The egg was wobbling and he was moving his hands to balance it out. Suddenly, Fragrantia supported his hands and said in a low voice, “It will not fall. Calm down.”

Valerian calmed himself and a head popped out from the shell. The head was silver in color, like that of a lizard, but the sharp fangs were revealed by the little one as it made its first noises. The silver-haired boy knew that he was holding a live dragon in his hands. The beast did not open its eyes but used its limbs to break apart the shell slowly.

Fragrantia looked at the silver creature that was gnawing at the egg shell and said, “Beautiful.”

The dragonling looked as if it was a piece of artwork. The silver scales cover its small body, a slender, long tail, four limbs that also had cute tiny talons, and two small delicate-looking pair of wings folded around the body of the beast.

The beast was only as big as a puppy born for a week or two. Valerian watched this beast eating up the complete shell, he held, and then make noises. The boy was confused, when Fragrantia said, “Put it down and feed it the fallen pieces of shell.”

Valerian followed her instructions and looked at the beast that was sleeping on his shoulder. The beast finished eating all the shell pieces and suddenly, coiled up on his shoulder and went to sleep. The silver-haired child had no idea what happened and why was this beast so close to him. Also, he could not understand the meaning of the noises this beast just made.

Fragrantia said, “Let’s get back to the convoy, you follow me closely, do not let anyone see it.”

.....

Valerian was shocked, “Huh, what do you mean? Are we going to take it with us?”

The empress nodded and said, “Valerian, the dragons are at their weakest when they are just born. The wild beasts would try to hunt it down as this newborn can increase their mana to another level. Are you sure you want to leave it behind?”

Valerian hesitated and said, “Fine then, but what if it wakes up in the middle of the night?”

He has never dealt with a dragonling, so he did not know how to look after one. Fragrantia smiled and said, “You have yet to learn a lot about new dragons. Come, I will get you a book from my study.”

The child nodded and after Fragrantia negated the dome of vines, they left the clearing after Valerian paid respects to his mother with a promise to come back soon. The two people moved through the woods and to hide the beast better, Valerian had taken it off his shoulder and was now carrying it in his hands.

He said, “The scales look so fascinatingly beautiful.”

Fragrantia turned her head back at him and with a smile, she said, “Yes, Indeed.”

The scales were all shimmering with moonlight, but when they moved through the darker regions, it was impossible to even spot the dragon in his hands. They reached the edge of the woods, and Fragrantia spotted Ensis and the rest looking in their direction anxiously. She smiled and said, “Hey! We are back.”

Everyone heard their voice and Valerian said, “You said, do not let anyone see it. Now, you call them all over.”

He was dissatisfied. Fragrantia chuckled and wrapped her shawl around his tiny frame and said, “Now they cannot see it. Let’s go. My call will put them at ease and they will not suspect anything. Stupid child.”

Valerian turned his face to the side to project his dissatisfaction with her logic. Fragrantia placed one of her hands around his shoulder and led him toward the convoy. Azula was the first one to come over to them and then she asked, “What are you doing so late in the woods?”

Fragrantia could sense that her daughter was tense so she said directly, “We were ambushed. There was a Valkyrian grandmaster and a grade-five warrior. Dealing with them took time, and Valerian was almost injured so he needed rest.”

The statement was enough to break through the potential barrage of questions. The Empress led the child in the carriage and said, “Ensis, we will travel in the night, in the morning I have a feast to organize for the family members.”

The guard captain nodded, and then they all boarded their carriages to move. When Valerian had moved closer to the carriage, the wraiths pulling it were all shocked and they took a step back in fright. The aura of a dragon was not something that could be easily approached by just anyone.

Valerian let out low-sounding bleats to calm down the beasts and got in the carriage. The convoy moved and inside the carriage, the silver-haired child was holding the silver dragon in his hand. His expression was calm. The empress said, “Valerian get some sleep.”

The child looked at her and found that his aunt was already leaning back in her seat with her eyes closed. Valerian did not ask her if she feels anything when she looked at the dragon beast. When he looked at the beast, he felt an inexplicable connection with this beast. At first, he thought it was because of the power of decay inside of him, but after pondering more he found that the connection was not something as superficial as magical powers.

When he looked outside the window, it suddenly clicked to him, that the bond between the two of them was not just the power inside of him, but the almost similar fate that they share. The Queen Of Dragons has passed away, leaving behind this unprotected child, who happened to fall in his arms.

His parents have also passed away, and he was also once held by Diligentia like this. The death of the dragon queen might not be as simple as natural death, but something even deeper. Valerian realized that the connection between the two was not only that of the life but also the death of their parents.

Gradually, Valerian fell asleep and as he entered the state of dreaming, he heard an ethereal voice inside his head, “You have found her, Valerian.”

The same voice that sounded when his magical blessings were awakened. Valerian was calmer at this moment and asked, “Who are you talking about?”

A chuckle sounded and the voice said, “The life that you hold in your hands is the one that is meant to change your life.”

Valerian thought of the dragonling in his hands, and asked, “It is a she?”

The voice did not reply and the child continued to question the darkness around him, “Can you tell me what you mean by changing my life?”

The voice sighed and said, “I wonder how you become so stupid sometimes. If all the things are revealed, will you be able to understand their value? Be patient and things will unfold.”

Valerian was depressed about being called stupid but he was content too. He replied, “Fine, at least tell me her name?”

The voice sounded and said, “The strength will not always help you get by. Sometimes, a pinch of luck is also needed.”

As the sentence was being said, the voice faded into the silent darkness. Valerian did not bother asking again, he was sure that the answer was luck. Upon thinking more he suddenly said out loud, “I know what is her name.”

As soon as he said this, he opened his eyes, and looking ahead, he found two small blue beads with vertical slits in the center, looking back at him. Valerian held his breath and the beast revealed a set of terrifying fangs. He was confused about the situation when he heard a voice from the side, “Do not move until you have figured out her magical name. The size of this small one may not be intimidating, but I am telling you, she will tear you apart the moment you take a wrong name or try to run away.”

Valerian did not know what Fragrantia was saying, but he was afraid. The beast on his chest dug her cute tiny talons into his flesh and Valerian said with a grimace, “Stop it, Fortuna.”