Year 3134 of the Troll

It had been four years since he transferred to the Capitol under the pressure of his father and here he was, cleaning the disgusting stables of the lower tier dragons. Well, not all of them were a lower tier, the new arrivals would stay here for a week as well before being transferred to their new department. He had seen so many dragons and riders come and go, starting their training for the ultimate war. He was supposed to be one of them but that dream was crushed four years ago. He gritted his teeth and lifted another load of smelly dung into the big container which he dragged along.

Now he was supposed to train to become a ground general, and here he was scooping dragon droppings as if there was no tomorrow. Joseph was sick of this job, sick of the constant lying to his father about what he was doing and sick of how life seemed to mess him up over and over. With a big sigh, he threw down the shuffle and with a loud frustrated scream, he punched the wall of one of the stables barehanded. The few dragons present in the stables reacted to his violent outburst by screeching and stomping around. One started bashing his tail against the side of his pen so hard the whole building was vibrating and shaking making Joseph clutch his ears to protect them from the loud noise. 

"Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry!" He exclaimed loudly. 

He was such an idiot. Letting his own frustrations get the best of him yet again and upsetting one of the newer dragon arrivals within a day of arrival. The other dragons had calmed down already but the one in the far back end stable was still thrashing around, albeit a tad quieter. Joseph sacked with his back against the wall, his hands pulling on his long, unkempt hair while he softly budded the back of his head against the wall repeatedly. He stayed like that for a few minutes. Alternating between moving his hands through his hair or through his beard while tightening and loosening his jaw muscles. If only his dad would see him like this... Joseph chuckled softly at first, but started laughing at the thought of it. His dad, his famous well known and respected father. A great leader, winner of many battles and a true hero. Everyone was expecting the same of him, of Joseph. An expectation he once believed he could live up to until he was called to the Matching.

The prospect of having a dragon of his very own had him and his father excited beyond words. It was the best news they had received in ages and his father had even given him a day off from battle training. He might not have been the chosen one to ride with the Golden Dragon but he could become one of his trusty followers and companions in battle. When Joseph had first laid eyes on the massive red dragon that was lined up he had known for sure. That was his dragon. Joseph chuckled again, sounding almost mad, as he remembered how he felt nothing at all when he had touched the red dragon. He had kept on touching the dragon longer, wishing for it to be a mistake, thinking this was the way it was supposed to feel. He practically imagined the tingles flowing through his arm at that point. The red dragon had broken the connection though and did not even glance him one look of worth anymore after that.

The red dragon was the last dragon in line. The last real dragon. Wyverns were no real dragons. They were weak, only made for speed and were only used to send messages hence and forth. The wyvern last in line was the only one Joseph had not yet touched and his heart had dropped when he realized what that meant.

Aleron. His name had been Aleron. The wyvern had spoken to him but Joseph had not listened. Only the name had stuck, and it was still stuck in his head. Aleron, Aleron, Aleron, fucking Aleron!

"Arghh!" With a loud scream, Joseph pushed himself off the wall, turned around and hit it again with his bare fists. The dragon in the back which had finally calmed down started trashing again, roaring with frustration Joseph felt as his own.

"Bloody Rocknuts!" He cursed as he took a look at his bleeding knuckles. 

The physical pain was something he could live with. Years and years of training with his father had made sure of that. The emotional pain was something else alright. Not just pain over his situation, but also the pain that struck him daily in his heart. Pain of the rejection which tormented him over and over again. Pain he inflicted upon himself.

"Get your head back together Joseph." He muttered to himself as he slowly made his way over to the upset dragon. The others which were still present had seen his mood swings before and were not as easily rattled.

The startled dragon was a small female and a rather beautiful one at that. Her scales seemed almost silvery from one angle, but violet from another. A rare color for sure, but she was small and had not many horns on her head.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let myself go like that." Joseph spoke soft and gentle as he observed the dragon before him.

She eyed him suspiciously but had stopped stomping around. Her nostrils flared dangerously though and her eyes showed the white around the amber color. That only happened when a dragon was experiencing great distress and Joseph hated the thought he was the cause of it. 

"Come... Don't be scared, there's nothing to be scared of. It was just me having a fit not aimed at anyone or anything." He kept his voice calm and soothing and it did not only affect the dragon before him.

Joseph saw the white disappear in the eyes of the dragons, the pupils took their original form of two thin slits again. Her tail was still furiously swiping from one side to the other but she already seemed much calmer than before. Joseph took a deep breath and pushed his arm through the bars of the pen, opening his hand in a gesture of trust and closed his eyes.

A dangerous move with a dragon he did not yet know. They could easily bite his arm off in a split second. A dragons' trust had to be earned and they did not take easy on other humans besides their riders. Despite the odds, Joseph had actually managed to get several of the dragons to bump their noses to his hand. A sign they saw him and respected him.

He could feel the hot breath of the violet dragon on his hand as she examined him. She was smelling him, taking in his scents and determining if he was worthy or not. That, or she was just playing with him before she would chew his arm off right then and there. 

"Don't hurt me, don't hurt me, please don't hurt me. I mean no harm." The words left his lips quietly and quickly as he felt beads of sweat forming on his forehead. 

He heard her open her magnificent jaws. He should pull back. That was the most sensible thing to do and yet he kept his hand still, flattened it even. Next thing he felt was a hot warm sticky something against his fingers and palm and a soft pricking in his underarm. Joseph gritted his teeth together, awaiting her bite. 

It did not come. 

Joseph opened his dark brown eyes and stared straight into those of the violet dragon. His heart skipped a few beats as he looked at his hand. She was holding his hand and part of his arm in her mouth. Her lips were retracted and he could see the sharp teeth touching his skin. This was the first time a dragon had done such a thing and Joseph had no idea what it could entail. She was just holding him like that. She was being so gentle the teeth did not even draw a single drop of blood even though they were sharper than any sword in existence. She blinked slowly, breaking eye contact for just a split second. 

"Trust." He breathed in surprise. "Not just respect or acknowledgment, but trust. I don't... I don't understand." 

She opened her mouth again as he spoke up and freed his arm. Slowly she maneuvered her head underneath his palm and nudged it so his hand was now resting on her nose. The cold scales were a big contrast to the heat inside her mouth.

"Trust." He smiled as he repeated it again. "You have my trust and I have yours. So be it. Thank you." 

"Don't bother with that she-dragon! She and her rider are useless and won't stay long. It can't even spew fire." A confident and deep male voice resounded from the other side of the stables. 

The dragon, startled once more, jumped back in fright at the sudden intrusion and Joseph quickly retracted his arm and spun around. Leaning against one of the other pens stood a tall man with his arms crossed in front of his chest. He was well dressed, wore partial armor cladding on his arms and legs and had a big smile on his face as he watched Joseph and the dragon react to his sudden presence.

"How long have you been standing there?!" Joseph felt caught. His duty was cleaning and taking care of the dragons, not touching or attempting to befriend them.

"Long enough to see you have a way with dragons. They seem to like you. Not just this one but I've seen you handle others as well." The man stood upright and approached Joseph. 

Only now was Joseph able to see the man clearly. His blonde short hair was cleanly kept and he had green eyes which stood slightly too far apart. His square face and the dimples in his cheeks gave him something different though. Something boyish. He probably had enough women to chose from if he wanted.

"What? Who in the world are you?! Have you been observing me?!" Joseph clenched his fists. Anger flooded through him for a moment even though he could not act on it. It would cost him everything.

"Just once. Don't worry I'm not stalking you. I actually came here because I was looking for someone to help me take care of my dragon. Rumors are that you are the best despite the way you look. So I came once before to watch you in action and decided to return today only to find you sticking your hand in a dragon's mouth and getting it back in one piece." The man kept his distance, a smug smile adorned on his face.

"Who are you to think I would help you if you think so low of other dragons?" Joseph scoffed.

"Someone who knows who you are. And someone who knows your father will be here in fourteen days' time. I know what kind of man he is and he probably has no idea what your real job is here. I could... help... you with that issue." There was a sparkle in the man's eyes when he spoke.

Joseph's hair on his arms and neck stood upright the moment his father was mentioned. The old man was coming over? That would have been the first time since he had moved here and his father was expecting results. Joseph's blood ran cold at the thought. But just how did this man know about this?! Just as he was about to answer the two men were interrupted by a woman barging in. 

"How dare you!" She went straight for the man Joseph still had no name for. Her finger prodded in his chest and her hazel eyes spewed fire. She was exceptionally tall for a woman Joseph noticed with long blond hair spilling down her back. "Don't think I'll come and rescue your ass on the battlefield when the day comes, Eldon! You can heal your own bloody Rocknut wounds when the time comes!"

Her limbs were too long, her neck was too far outstretched and the simple dress she was wearing seemed a few inches to short as they did not cover her knees as was custom. Joseph could not help but stare at her and for a moment had forgotten completely about his own issues.

"I might have been the nice girl back there with the war council, but that's not who I truly am Eldon! I don't take orders from anyone, and especially not from people like you! I came to help, to offer my healing services to the rider of the Golden Dragon and yet here he stands before me thinking too good of himself while he hasn't seen one battle in his life yet!" 

Wait... what?! Joseph was pulled out of his thoughts as the woman mentioned the Gold Dragon. did he just hear it right? Eldon? Golden Dragon?! The Eldon?! The blonde man was Eldon, soulmate of the Golden Dragon meant to save the country?!