A few days passed with Elric waiting patiently on the egg to hatch. He was told to listen for noises like clicking and scratching from inside the egg, that would be the sign that the egg was going to break open.

5 days passed and Elric found himself early one morning leaning back against the far wall watching Sabina rest peaceful curled on her bed of hay with the egg tucked safely beneath her wing. She hardly ate or moved from that spot unless Elric was there to watch the egg which puzzled many as even the Queen herself could not rouse Sabina unless Elric was present, and that was very unlike her.

The Queen gently patted Elric on the head that morning, and commended him on his faithful watch over Sabina and her egg.

“Sabina is getting antsy.” Queen Elizabeth remarked as she stood with Augustin. “Has the egg shown any signs Elric?”

Elric looked up and shook his head, “No, your Majesty.”

She nodded, “As soon as it does please tell me.”

“Yes, Your majesty.”

The Queen turned back to Augustin. “Once the little one is born I’d like to know so my daughter may name it.”

“Of course your majesty…” Augustin responded. “Has your daughter expressed whether she wants a boy or girl?”

The Queen smiled “She hopes she gets a female Rose.” She said warmly, “She’s always wanted to follow in my footsteps.”

“For good reason Your Majesty, a queen as strong as you, commanding one of the most formidable breeds of dragon under your army.” Augustin smiled at her then back to Sabina, “I’d want to follow in my parents footsteps as well.”

The two chatted a moment longer before the Queen excused herself for the day back to the palace, bidding a gentle kiss to Sabian’s snout before she left them.

“You’re doing a wonderful job Elric.” Augustin said, “keep it up.”

Elric nodded tiredly, 5 days of little sleep and a constant worry of missing the hatch caused his nerves to rile up and leave him shaken.

Late into the night Elric found himself drifting off, he had adjusted to a hay bale with a drawing pad, sketching carefully with his writing utensil by the light of a candle. He leaned back and sighed, watching Sabina shift nervously around the egg. She was growing impatient and impish with it, she huffed and chirped at the egg occasionally and then would look to Elric restlessly.

“I can’t make him come any sooner…” Elric said to the fidgeting reptile. She vocalized her frustration in a series of irritated cackles from her throat. “Be still Sabina.” Elric Urged, “They will come when they are ready.” She hung her head as though she understood him. In the 5 days he had talked to her a lot and she had listened intently to him while he did. It seemed easy for him to communicate with the giant beast and in those days he learned she was a gentle and calm creature in general, however her extended wait for her egg caused her to be irritable and unruly at times.

She pushed her head to him and he pressed his hand to her snout. His eyes were weak and tired, she cocked her head to the side as her silver eyes stared into his. Then she bucked her head up to him, pushing his hand back which he withdrew. She then shook her head and pushed it closer to him, tilting so her horns were within grasp of his fingers. He looked into her eyes and matched her cocked head.

“What is it girl?” He asked, she shifted her head up, her tall body looking up to the square platform where his bed and belongings sat overhead. He shook his head “I have to be up for your egg to hatch.” But she chuffed in protest and pushed her head back down to him. He sighed and blew the candle out beside him. Then he folded his drawing pad closed and tucked the pencil into the spine of it. Then he stood and carefully straddled Sabinas neck at the base of her skull, being careful not to stab himself with her sharp horns. Then she lifted herself, standing on her hind legs and hooking her nails into the edge of the tall platform. She leaned her head against the platform and waited as Elric carefully climbed from her.

“I am going to check on you…” Elric said softly to her, she ignored him as she curled back around her egg and sprawled her long tail out along the floor. Elric stripped his clothing off and laid in the soft mattress that was too large for him. He planned on checking in on her in only a few moments and drawing while he sat comfortably in the loft but he quickly fell asleep from the exhausted state and barely woke up in time…

Maëlle peeked around a corner of the hall, she listened carefully for a guard and when the hall was clear she trotted quietly through the hall to the kitchen and slipped from the door leading out to the yard. The windows of the tarragon stable were all open and she carefully snuck her way through the yard to the smaller building. When she peeked in she didn’t see the keeper this time. So she carefully opened the door and slipped inside where Sabina slept peacefully with the yellow egg tucked gently to her arm.

Sabina peeked up a silver eye and chirped happily as she saw Mae. But Mae held a finger to her lip and shushed her as she knelt beside her head. She gently pressed her hand to Sabinas snout and Sabina leaned contently into the touch. Then Mae placed both hands on either side of the wide snout and leaned her forehead against the middle of the dragon's nose. She felt Sabina huff gently against her, blowing her dark hair messily around her face.

Mae giggled softly against her and she sat crossed legged beside Sabinas head and watched the egg quietly. “Where’s your keeper?” Mae asked the creature.

Sabinas eyes flicked up to the loft above them and then back to Maes. Mae nodded understandingly and held her finger to her lip again to tell Sabina to stay quiet. Sabina laid her head down on the hay and pressed the tip of her nose against Maes tiny leg.

The girl, only 10, was Princess Maëlle the crown princess of the Kingdom of Canaille, the only child and daughter of Queen Elizabeth, and the rightful owner of the long anticipated mystery offspring which had been guarded by its mulish mother for 8 long months.

Mae was a mischievous child, who ran a muck with the wet nurses children during her free time, she was playfully regard

ed as the Mischief Princess by the palace staff and insisted she be called Mae by the staff when in non-formal situations. Maëlle was adored by the staff, her kingdoms people, and by her mother. Her father passed shortly before her birth, and left the Queen a widow to rule the kingdom alone; she refused to remarry and sought comfort with her dragon or with visiting noble men behind closed doors.

The Queen, though a kind, gentle, and well educated woman, scolded and forbade Maëlle to see the new tarragon before it had the chance to imprint on its new keeper. However she couldn’t resist the urge to visit Sabina and her egg and found herself sneaking in often through the night while Sabina guarded her egg. Then, the keepers came. Augustin Heilran and his son Elric, she was told the baby must imprint on the young keeper to assure he can train it well. But knowing the tarragon would be hers she couldn’t resist the call when she saw the lamp light blow out through her window and the stable go dark. She had to visit Sabina to see if the baby would come.

She leaned her head against Sabinas. Mae has been introduced to Sabina days after she was born, and grew up with the young dragon for 10 years. Though she would always be her mother’s dragon, as she had been with Elizabeth since hatch, Sabina had a motherly affection toward the princess and was always gentle and patient with the mischievous child. Mae would spend long nights curled up with the dragon as she grew and when the child was ill Sabina would become agitated until she was better.

“Such a pretty girl.” Mae whispered into the ear of the dragon. Sabina purred quietly in happiness, her aggravation settling from the anticipation of her offspring to emerge.

Mae fell asleep against Sabina, only to wake up from a faint scratching noise coming from Sabinas arm. She awoke and rubbed her eyes, then tapped Sabinas nose softly.

Sabinas silver eyes opened slowly and her head adjusted as Mae raised to her knees and they watched silently as the scratching noise became more constant and aggressive. Soon a clicking started and Mae watched as the egg shell began to chip away from the inside like a chicken egg. She watched in the dim moonlight as a pale, winged creature emerged from the egg. Sabina chirped happily as she watched.

The tiny dragon, no bigger than a feline, dug its way through the hard shell. The colour was unlike any Mae had ever seen, the pale, silvery blue scales of the dragon glinted off the equal coloured moon light, the darker coloured comb sat between the two horns on its head flexed carefully as its head came out, indicating that the baby was a boy. The comb was freckled in pale red spots and a single blush line of pale red perched just above its cheek bones below its silver eyes on each side. It’s claws, soft and fragile were dark grey and flecked with silvery spots. The red was so faintly present in the animal that you could hardly tell the animal would have come from a Rose dragon. And had she not seen Sabina lay it with her own eyes she’d not have believed this was her offspring at first glance.

The baby's tail was stubby for now, but would soon grow into a long branching appendage that would be used for balance and stability when flying. It’s wings weren’t developed yet, the weak membrane of the wings would take a few years to develop enough to maintain long flight. For now the baby would only be able to jump and glide short distances until it’s wings were strengthened.

The dragon chirped happily as it opened its eyes and met with the dark circles of Maes eyes. It slowly stood from the egg, it’s small shaky legs making it stumble clumsily. It walked to Mae carefully, her eyes were as wide as tea saucers as the tiny creature stumbled toward her. Their eyes connecting made her heart stop and start and as it stood in front of her. She patted the top of its head gently with two fingers.

“Goodness…” she breathed amazed. Sabina purred quietly as she began to lick the small creature with her wide tongue, cleaning off the fluid from the egg. Mae watched, breath caught in her throat. She had never seen such a magnificent sight, nor had she experienced a feeling of such pride and excitement before that it quite literally stripped her of her ability to form coherent thoughts. She was so amazed in fact, that she just barely caught the eyes of the keeper staring down at her from his loft.

She looked up to blue eyes from far up in the stable. Surprise capturing her from her amazed state she stood quickly and raced out of the door back to her room where she nervously waited for morning to come.

Elric panicked. He was bare naked as he heard the faint “goodness” escape from a young female's voice. He climbed carefully from his bed and peered over the ledge of his loft and found a young, dark haired girl sat on her knees in the hay beside Sabina. She must have been only a few years younger than him, she was clad in a soft looking long night gown and had a cover over herself. She had her hand reached out to a small silvery creature who walked timidly towards her and Sabina had an excited, loving gaze on her face while she licked the small creature.

Elric saw the broken shell of the egg and soon the girls brown eyes darted up toward him and she ran from the stable. He quickly dressed and climbed down the ladder to the floor below to look upon the tiny dragon. A boy with silvery colouring and faint red speckles in his head comb. Sabina chirped and grunted happily as she watched the tiny creature move about on uncoordinated legs.

“Good job Sabina…” Elric said in astonishment as he watched on. Sabina gave a huff of pride as she celebrated herself.

Elric grabbed a blanket and walked to the baby who had now found a small table that he was preparing to jump onto with cleaning supplies. Elric wrapped the tarragon gently in the blanket and brought him back to Sabina, who’s ecstatic vocalizations ceased as he placed the baby beside her. The baby wrestled with the blanket for a moment, nipping it playfully with sharp baby teeth before Sabina licked his head. He calmed instantly and nuzzled into Sabinas side, falling asleep almost instantly.

Elric smiled, and placed a blanket over a hay pile resting on the wall. Then he grabbed another 2 blankets from a round and folded one into a pillow and covered himself with the other. He leaned back and watched the dragons settle into their slumber and soon he too was washed away in a new relaxing calm that eased him to sleep in the hay pile.

Need help With easy pronunciation, Lost on who is who? Wondering what a word is meant to mean? (Many words and names from the story are French, Gaelic, and otherwise European, Translations are often rough and generalized per the use of the word/name in the story.)

Maëlle- My Elle- The Princess of Canaille, Daughter of Queen Elizabeth and King Maël. Often referred to as “The Mischief Princess” due to her mischievous pranks and high jinks toward the palace staff.

Mae- May- The Princess insists she be called this instead of her full name.