(Alister Valcrest's Point of View):

The cold dawn breeze was the first to welcome me that day. Before the sun dared to peek its golden face between the mountains, I was already on my feet. The silence of the mansion at this hour was absolute—a tense calm only interrupted by the soft creak of wood beneath my boots.

I dressed with precise, repetitive movements, accustomed to the routine. The linen shirt, the leather vest with the Valcrest family crest engraved upon it, though for a long time now, that symbol seemed to weigh more than the steel itself. My eyes burned from lack of sleep; I had spent nearly the entire night in my study, surrounded by maps of the area, supply reports, and accounting books that refused to balance.

I vaguely remembered the moment exhaustion overcame me at the desk. I also remembered the touch of a blanket over my shoulders and the scent of lavender that always accompanied Lyanna. I should start spending the nights by her side again instead of falling asleep working.

I went down the stairs toward the hall, greeting the servants who had begun preparing for work, and it was then that I paused for a moment. I felt a gaze fixed on the back of my neck; it wasn't the first time. For weeks, I’ve had the constant sensation of being watched by some kind of creature or predator. I turned my head quickly toward the corner of the room, where a heavy velvet curtain swayed slightly. A tiny hand disappeared behind the fabric just before my eyes could focus on it.

Dorien… I thought, narrowing my eyes.

The boy was an enigma I couldn't quite decipher. Sometimes I forgot he was barely over two years old; his gaze was too deep, too analytical. It still felt strange to think about how time had flown since we found him that day in the forest. That little one had always been cautious of me, avoiding me or trying to interact as little as possible when Lya tried to have us spend time together. But at some point since his last birthday, he hadn't stopped watching me from corners, from behind furniture, as if he were studying my every move, evaluating me.

Still, I had no time to waste on him. I finished preparing my horse's tack while mentally reviewing my tasks for the day. I called for a group of servants and a couple of soldiers to accompany me. I was about to cross the threshold when Lyanna’s voice stopped me.

"Leaving already, Alister?"

She was standing by the entrance, her hair tied up informally and a cloth covering her dress. I should have spent the night with her.

She looked tired, but she gave me that smile that managed to dispel, if only for a second, the fog in my mind.

"There is much to manage in the village today," I replied, adjusting my gloves. "Besides, I need to review a pending request, and some supplies from the west are taking longer than expected." I took a moment to look at her again. "You can come with me, if you’d like."

She smiled mischievously upon hearing that. "I’m sorry, but today I’ll stay here working with Clara and Thomas; I need to stretch my muscles a bit," she said, stepping closer. "But… I have someone who has been insisting all morning on accompanying you on this visit."

She stepped aside and Dorien appeared, walking with a confidence unseemly for his age. He stared at me with those eyes that had been watching me for so long. We both stood there looking at each other in silence; neither reacted, though I could see the doubt in his eyes. He didn’t avert his gaze or get distracted like other children; he simply stood there, challenging me, barely managing to hold the stare.

"On his last birthday, he asked to visit more than just the mansion grounds, and he hasn't stopped watching both you and me, impatient to go," Lyanna continued. "So, to help my two favorite men bond, Alister, I believe it would be best if you took him with you. It will do him good to get some fresh air, and he’s very excited to go with you. And it will do you good to remember who you are working so hard for."

I sighed, feeling the weight of responsibility double. I looked at the boy. Dorien didn’t look away. Carefully, I leaned down and picked him up. He didn't weigh much, but he was too stiff; I could even feel him trembling. It was uncomfortable. He clung to my doublet with surprising strength.

"All right," I yielded, looking at Lyanna. "But if he ends up being more of a nuisance, I’ll have Julia bring him back." I said, looking at the horse behind me where the maid, Julia, was seated. She nodded.

(Dorien's Point of View):

I did it.

The hard effort of several days pleading with Lya since my "birthday" and following Alister had given me the opportunity to investigate beyond the borders of my home. In all that time, my only reliable sources of information had been the servants and the books they gave me to learn to read better. It was a big leap when they started teaching me to read, and thanks to that, it became less strange for me to spend so much time "pretending" to read.

Even so, I needed real information: to see everything I had read about—rumors, races, geography, anything—even some clue that might tell me where the other dragons were, if I could find any.

Feeling the movement of the horse beneath us was a new experience. Alister held me with a rigidity that betrayed his lack of practice with children, but he kept me secure.

Who knows how he raised his other daughter.

I would have preferred to go with Lya, but it's not like I could choose. For my part, I dedicated myself to observing the landscape opening before us. The Valcrest mansion was isolated by hills, making it look like an unreachable temple, at least from below.

It was then that people began to appear on the road carrying large sacks, along with stalls and carts with strange six-legged beings harnessed to them. From the plains, towers of stone and wood began to emerge. We had finally arrived; the change in atmosphere was drastic. The air no longer smelled only of pine and wet earth, but of a mixture of spices, tanned leather, and charcoal.

We stopped right at the entrance of a street, and Alister gave instructions to two soldiers to stay and guard their mounts, and to one of the servants to go check the outer areas of the village. The servant rode away without dismounting.

"Julia, take the child," Alister ordered as soon as we dismounted. "Don't let him wander off. The market might be unusually crowded today."

Julia, a young and somewhat nervous servant, took me in her arms. I wanted to protest; I wanted to walk on my own and explore every corner, but I knew that a child of my age running around alone would attract attention I didn't need. I limited myself to observing from my elevated position in her arms.

The moment we entered, I felt as if everything I knew had been nothing more than a shadow cast in a cave. I saw how part of what I had been reading all this time had come to life; the streets were narrow and the buildings stretched high like mountains. People talked from their windows, and shouts and songs could be heard from the interiors.

We then moved on to one of our destinations for the day: the center of the market, which was a chaos of colors and sounds.