As he stormed down the halls Joseph tried to talk some sense into himself. One part of him knew exactly what he was doing while the other was just protesting and declaring himself insane. In Rocknuts name, what had gotten into him?! Hazel's words still echoed in his head and one word rang out in particular.

Friends.

Friends helped each other, stood up for each other, and had each other's backs. Even though he had known Eldon and Hazel only for a short while, they had grown closer. There was no denying that. They had all helped each other but they had all fought together too. Joseph had never considered them friends, more like nuisances who tossed his life upside down. He was not one who liked surprised and before the Wyvern incident, his life had been clear. Then the rejection happened, things crumbled and after a turbulent time, he managed to make his life his own again with a clear path. Eldon and Hazel had completely messed with that and it had not been something he had enjoyed. But now... The last two days had been quiet, silent, and rather boring he admitted to himself.

They were not nuisances. For the first time in his life, Joseph had found himself friends. A small smile gathered on his lips as he came to terms with himself. He rounded another corner as fast as he could and found himself in front of the main kitchen. She had mentioned she was on kitchen duty and Eldon had guessed it was the main kitchen. He took a deep breath and went in.

The heath struck him first, the loud sounds second, and the constant rush of people going around last. It seemed completely chaotic at first glance. There were people behind giant stoves where the fires sometimes blazed even higher than Joseph himself. The cooks were almost taming the flames as they placed their pans on them. One person kept walking around, shouting at people when things didn't go his way. Around the cooks, there were more people running around, grabbing silver plates or plain ones, grabbing the cooked food from the cooks, and plating the dishes. It was chaos, almost like a hornet's nest. But as the hornets all had their job, here it worked similarly. The longer Joseph stared, the more patterns he could see. The only thing he did not see was a blonde woman.

He threw himself into the chaos, careful not to disrupt any of the people working. Nobody seemed to notice the young man as he ventured deeper into the depth of the kitchen. He made his way past the busy cooks and servers and went through another door. Not only was it hot in the next room but the humidity in it was much higher than anywhere else in the castle. Steam raised up from giant holes in a gigantic long countertop. Beneath the holes a fire roared, heating up water which caused the steam. With every cleaning station, a girl or woman stood with their arms in, what Joseph could only imagine, scalding hot water. Dirty plates, cups, pans, pots, and everything used in a kitchen and dining room was brought over and cleaned. The women all stood hunched over, hair tied on the back of their heads as the scrubbed everything clean. When someone would take a break, Joseph noticed how red their arms were. A woman stretched her back for a moment, the blisters on her arm clearly visible from the scalding water. Joseph bit his lip as he watched it and quickly looked away. That was when he saw her.

"Hazel! We need to go!" He strode over to her as she pulled her delicate arms out of the hot water. 

The blonde completely ignored him as a few women started looking their way. She rubbed her arms which had turned red and winced at the touch.

"Hazel... We need to go," Joseph repeated. "Eldon is off to fight and he needs our help! He grabbed her shoulder just as she was about to toss in some new dishes. She grunted and shrugged him away while she gave him a glare that would have many people cower in fear.

"We don't need to go anywhere." Her voice was ice-cold causing shivers to run down his spine. "You made your point pretty clear. Now get lost as I need to finish my work."

Exhaustion ringed through her voice as she turned back to her work. Joseph watched stunned as she let out a defeated sigh and grabbed a few plates and started rinsing them off in the water. He only noticed now how deep her eyes lay in her skull and how a dark ring surrounded them. She breathed in deep and clenched her teeth together as she worked in silence. Joseph just watched her, unsure of what to do as she did not acknowledge him at all. Words failed to form in his head as he bit his lip. It felt like an eternity before he made up his mind. Eldon needed them and he had wasted too much time already.

He grabbed her arm and yanked her away from the scalding hot water. "You are my friend, Eldon is my friend and friends look after each other! We need to go now, Hazel!" A new determination gave him the courage to drag her away while the other women just watched.

"You were right, Hazel. I was wrong and I was stupid for not seeing it." As he dragged her out of the kitchen and into the hallways he kept talking, not giving her a moment to protest. "It doesn't matter now though as we need to go and save Eldon! He, Sorsha, and the rest are flying to a trap! They think it's just a small rebellion they're facing but it's not! There's a whole army of those bastards out in the North and Eldon is going straight towards them! You and I both know he isn't ready for that!" They rounded more corners and went up a few staircases. "They need a healer and you're the best. I'll grab my sword and provide ground support. We need to hurry!"

He had let go of Hazel and his pace set into a jog as she met his pace with a bewildered look o her face. "But how?" She finally replied. "I need Violet and I have tried so many times to get into the stables but they won't allow me! They beat me, dragged me to the kitchen as if I was some slave girl! And since when do you own a sword?!"

"You're forgetting I was the stable boy! There are more ways into the stables than the front door." He slowed and stopped in the middle of another one of the hallways. They all looked alike but Joseph had learned to tell the difference with the subtle changes of each one. He walked to a big tapestry and pushed it to the side, revealing a small entryway. "I'll explain later... let's just say I was bored at times." He squeezed himself through the narrow entryway and extended his hand to Hazel. She took it and allowed him to guide them through the dark and tight corridor. 

"The sword, that's another thing," He breathed as he wiped some sweat off his brow. "I Don't own it... technically but it was meant to become mine once I would prove myself. It belonged to my grandfather and my father never got to use it as my grandfather promised it to me. My old man was pretty angry about it but respected his father's wishes and kept it safe. I bet he has it with him, probably somewhere in his quarters."

Before Hazel could reply, Joseph turned around and placed his finger at his lips indicating her to be silent as he slowly shuffled the last bit to the light. The corridor had been just big enough for one person to squeeze through but it had not been very far. Joseph peeked around the corner and wriggled his way out soon followed by Hazel. When she had made her way out she blinked as they found themselves in one of the stables right next to a big green dragon. Joseph was smiling as he stroked the beast's leg and softly spoke to it as if they were old acquaintances.

The beast remained silent as it eyed the two humans that had appeared in its pen with curiosity. Joseph beckoned the tall young woman to follow him. He crawled through the straw underneath the stable door and peeked around the corner, before continuing on with Hazel hot on his heels. Their clothes stained from the dirt but that was not important. They could hear the voices of the new stable boys in coming closer. Joseph's heart skipped a few beats as panic rose within him. They could not be discovered and Violet's stable was at the very end. 

The two glanced at each other in a panic until one of the dragons in one of the first stables started making a ruckus. The footsteps of the approaching man halted and soon after he ran back to the first stable. Joseph sighed in relief as he could swear the blueish dragon opposite winked at them. Well, whatever passed as a wink from a dragon. He shook his head and silently ran to the back where Violet had always been stabled. Just as suspected, she was there.

Hazel burst in and engulfed her dragon in a big hug. When scales touched skin, a purple glow immediately radiated around her, healing her burnt skin and making her glow again as she always had. The light was amazing to watch and Joseph found himself staring with open mouth. When the glow faded Hazel turned to him, a renewed energy surrounding her.

"Thank you, Joseph. I was wrong too. You are our friend. Now, where is Eldon off to?" She caressed Violets's nose as the Dragon nudged her gently.

"Nanthgard and Lanslow. They will need your support. Once I'm out of here, you make some ruckus and get out of here! I'll find a way to get the sword and... probably steal a horse or something." 

"You'll be too slow on horseback! No, you're going to fly with us! I'll be waiting for you outside the walls! Don't take too long." She smiled as she waved him off and turned around not wanting to discuss any further.

Joseph scowled inwardly at her as wondered how on earth he could fly with them if Violet was unsaddled. There was no time to saddle her up though let alone that her saddle was not even in Violet's stall but at the front of the stables. He did not have any time to think about it though as he had to go were they to be on time to actually help Eldon. Biting his tongue, he quickly made his way back to the stall of the green dragon. Just as he slipped back into the corridor, he could hear Violet roaring loudly as she broke out of her stall and through the doors to the outside. The first part of the plan was done, now for the rest. 

He knew the way by heart. Joseph ran al the way to the guest quarters, unfazed by the people that he almost ran into and stared at him. There was just one thing that kept going through his mind: what if his father was in his quarters. He shook the thought away. He could deal with that when the problem would present itself. 

In the distance, a loud bell started to ring. It's deep and poignant sound made it through the thick walls with ease, alerting everyone inside something was wrong. What that something was, Josep only had to guess at as a smile crept on his face. Joseph paced his feet with the ringing with the bell as the whole palace started to come alive with running people. The castle was always prepared for emergencies and everyone had a part to play. Joseph running through the hallways suddenly did not seem so strange anymore and the little trick Hazel had pulled to get guards to ring the bell was brilliant as to distract the influential people like his father. 

It was not long before he reached his father's quarters and for once, luck was on his side as he noticed the door being slightly open. His father had been in his quarters and had obviously left in a hurry. Joseph glanced around to make sure no one was around to see him slip in and when the coast was clear he did just that. He wasted no time ogling the place as he systematically scanned the room to find the sword. He knew it was here somewhere. His father had always kept it safe but never carried it on him no matter how badly he wanted to.

As Joseph dropped to his knees to search under the bed it caught his eye. Carefully placed on top of two pillows was the sword in its beautifully adorned scabbard. Joseph reached out while he lay flat on his stomach and just as his fingers were to wrap around the dark brown leather he paused. He had never touched it before, only saw it from afar. He could have taken any sword with him to help Eldon, and yet now he was here, claiming his prized possession. Why now? What had changed that now he felt so strongly of obtaining this particular sword? And why in Rocknuts name had his father hidden it under his bed?!

Joseph pulled it out and carefully laid the sword on the bed, running his fingers over the scabbard and hilt. The leather of the scabbard was in perfect condition and on either side was an engraving which said 'Knight.' Proof the sword had run in the Knight family for a long time. The hilt looked as if made from the finest Bubinga wood. An expensive wood as it did not grow naturally on the continent. The pommel design was what struck Joseph the most. The head of a dragon carved out in the smallest detail with the deep green emeralds where its eyes were. He ran the tips of his fingers over the entire hilt, almost feeling the power and legacy that the sword held. 

This was not just a sword.

When Joseph grabbed the hilt and pulled the shining steel blade from the scabbard he couldn't help but gasp at the sight. Elegant engravings all over the steel. They swirled in circles, split and curled around some more. It was a one-handed sword that could be used two-handed when needed. Easy to wield, light in weight, and made for quick and close combat. Ideal for when riding a Dragon, Joseph grimly thought to himself. He had been trained in the use of swords like these since he was little and as he took a few swings with it, he knew this sword was the best one he had ever held on to.

Shouting in the hallway placed him with two feet back on the ground. He had the sword, he had to help Eldon. Joseph quickly sheathed the sword and secured it around his waist. He had to go before he would get caught. He ran back out as fast as he could and sprinted down the hallways towards the courtyard. Everybody was running and panicking so he made sure to blend right in. He reached the courtyard not long after. Dragons flew above his head but as he peered out into the sky, he did not see the purple one he desperately wanted to find. There was no way he was getting out of the gate now as they had closed it off and it was the only way in and out. As Joseph's gaze scanned the outer perimeter, he did not notice the dark shadow that washed over him and became bigger until he heard a scream of victory and felt a dragon's purple front paw curl around his body and lift him off the ground.