"If you become one, can I meet your dragon?" Lou asked hopefully. "They are supposed to be beautiful. Louise said they are white! I usually don't see white well in the sky. I can only hear them flying."

"Some are black, too", Remy told him. "These are the most dangerous! You can't ride them. This is only possible with white dragons. They're nice. Most of the time."

"Nice? Louise said the whites can also be dangerous. But then why can some people ride them? That's weird!" Lou had never heard of black dragons. But he wasn't interested in them either. Lou preferred to know something else. "Remy? How do you become a dragon rider? Dad said you need strong magic."

"It's not that simple!" Lou heard his friend running his hands across the sand. "Your mom is a witch. Yante, right? She’s a healer. My father knows her."

Lou nodded. "Yes. Mama's name is Yante. And dad's name is Yorick. He is mortal. Mom is a hundred years older than him! He is a stonemason and a potter." At present, his father could not find any employment with the stonemasons. He lost his job after Lou's birth. His former employers did not want to have anyone in this important and elaborate craft, who had a cursed one in the family. Therefore, he only made pottery.

"Ah." Remy nodded. "And Yante doesn't tell you anything about magic? What if you inherited some?"

Immediately, Lou shook his head. "No. Not me. Certainly not. But maybe Louise. So how do you get a dragon? Remy?" Impatiently, he tugged at the tunic of the older boy. The yellow fabric was smooth and cool to the touch.

"Well! You have to be able to use all three kinds of magic. That rarely happens."

Lou nodded. He knew that.

"And then your magic, and the magic of a dragon, has to match. If this is the case, the bond will happen all by itself."

"By itself?" Lou shook his head. "Then you can't choose your dragon?"

Remy puffed. "They're not pets. They’re shapeshifters. They can look like us if they want to. If the magic fits, then you get a best friend. A brother. A sister. No pet."

Lou pouted. "I'd like to have a pet. A dog. But we couldn't feed it."

"Dragons can also turn into a dog." Remy tugged at the cloth with which Lou protected himself. "We wouldn't notice. You can only recognize a dragon if you know it's a dragon. Exciting, isn't it? I met my uncles' dragons once. Olive and Masson. They have orange eyes. Eerily shining eyes."

"Oh." Lou sighed. "Were you afraid?"

"A  bit, yes." Remy smiled. "But that's our secret, okay? The other guys would laugh at me if they knew I was scared. Dragons are very scary. They looked at me like I was their next meal. And they didn't talk to me either!"

"Are dragons mean?" Lou asked worriedly. If dragons were mean, then it was certainly a good thing that he would never meet one. Except Remy got a dragon.

"No. They seemed rather sublime. They were both very serious. But, I was sent out of the room. They discussed something important with my uncles. But I don't know what. But I have to go now, my friend! Actually, I'm supposed to pick up something from the blacksmith!"

Remy was about to jump up, but Lou held on to him. "Wait! I want to show you my new tunic! Look!" He held out an arm to his friend to show him the beautiful embroidery.

Remy stroked Lou's head. "It looks very nice! Now you are as finely dressed as the rich! But I really have to go!" And Remy hurried away. Lou looked after his friend's colors until they blended too much with all the other colors. He remained seated by the well for a while until a few men chased him away. He walked the way back home, where his family was still celebrating. He heard Louise and Nina laughing. They played catch with the other children in front of the house. Lou could hear them running and screeching as their colors swirled.

They stopped playing briefly as he walked past them into the house. He felt their eyes follow him anxiously. It also became quiet in the house as soon as the guests discovered him. Lou ignored them and went back to his room.

"Lou! Sparrow!", cried his mother, hurrying after him. "Was it nice outside? Was anyone mean to you?" She was always worried that someone might hurt him. But this had only happened once when a rich man disliked the sight of Lou. Lou had gone too far, to the better quarters, and had gotten lost there. Later, Remy found him. They’ve been friends ever since.

"No, Mom. They just sent me away from the well. Nothing more."

"Good!" She stroked his back gently. "In about an hour, we have dinner. I'll bring it to your room."

"Thank you, Mom!" He nodded and walked on, all the way to his chamber. He climbed back onto his bed and looked outside through the window. He imagined dragons flying over his room. Remy rode on one. He picked up Lou. Lou climbed onto the dragon's back and they flew all over the city. Lou imagined what the white dragon's scales felt like. Maybe they were cold and hard? Like smooth stone? He imagined the wind blowing through his hair.

But if Remy didn't get a dragon, then that dream would never come true. Except, Louise got one. Louise would surely let him ride her dragon. The thought almost made Lou smile. Frightened, he crawled under his rough duvet and pulled it over his head.

And then he cried.

He cried because the world was mean. He cried because he wanted a hug like Louise and Nina always got. He cried because he was never allowed to sleep in his parents' bed, even when he had nightmares. He cried because his only friend was much older than him. He cried because all Lou could do was cry. He didn't know anything else. Lou's world consisted of tears.

He didn't notice when his mother came into his chamber and put the soup on an old box next to his bed. Lou was already asleep. Therefore, he did not notice how his mother pushed the blanket aside and cradled her sleeping boy in her arms, and kissed his forehead.