Birth of a Symbol 

There was once a boy who got wings from his father to fly, so he could escape their shared prison on an island. But he was so delighted by his new ability that he flew too high which angered the gods, who struck him down.

At least that was the version Azure remembered as an adventurous five year old as he roamed the northern castle grounds. His cheek was still hurting from the slap he got earlier from Opal, his five year older sibling, because she caught him again in the small chapel crying next to their late mother’s tomb.

He shouldn't be so weak, he was told. It was time to "grow up!". 

Azure didn't know what that meant. He just missed his mum, her warmth, and the stories she told him every day, before the illness she developed from the death of her bonded drake chained her to her bed. The servants whispered it was a miracle by itself that she survived so long after the soul bond died. 

So while wondering what a soul bond could mean, and if it was safe to return to the kitchen already to soothe his grumbling tummy, the little boy kept playing in the empty hallways.

As he continued flapping his arms pretending to be flying like the boy in the story, he ran through an entrance and found himself in a small courtyard with dragon barns on each side. He knew he wasn't allowed here, but the forbidden always tempted him the most. It was early in the evening and most of the stablehands and riders were already at supper. Azure wasn't, because Opal said he didn't deserve one after his fit in the chapel. He didn't care; he knew Minna in the kitchen always had a spare apple for him.

He walked into one of the small sheds on the side as he heard a squeaking sound from that direction. Along the wall were a few makeshift nests with straw bedding in which rested  beautifully coloured eggs. Each egg was nearly as big as one of the huge pumpkins Azure saw the other day in the kitchen. Bigger than his own head, at least he guessed. One of them, a beautiful blue egg with sparkling speckles, made another questioning squeaky sound. He stepped closer.

"Hello?" He called. "Are you about to hatch? Where's your mommy?" The egg continued with an answering squeak, and now also a loud crack. Fascinated, the boy watched as the shell slowly teared open on the side, revealing a tiny blue paw. After lots of wriggles and squeals, more thin tears appeared until the eggshell broke with a final snap.

Azure found himself face to face with a cute looking dark blue dragon pup and a pair of bright blue eyes who looked into his own brown ones. He was mesmerised as he stared at the little face and, before he knew it, something like a warm bright spark flared up behind his eyes, making him gasp in awe. The newborn dragon seemed to be in a similar state because it let out a surprised squeal at that too. Both tumbled over in the nest, sudden sleepiness overcoming them.

Azure just curled up next to the tiny thing who cuddled closer to him and fell asleep, at least he thought. Later he learnt that the soul bonding connection he experienced in that moment simply made them faint.

Azure woke up to angry loud voices around him. He slowly came back to his senses, the dragon pup still pressed on his chest who was now hissing viciously at someone in the shed.

"Impossible, which of you idiots left the door open?! The king will have our heads when he learns about it!"

"When he learns about what?" Azure suddenly heard the deep voice of king Aaron, his father, ask.

He sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes with fists that felt funny. The dragon baby was clinging to his tunic so he hugged her. He knew suddenly she was a her. And he felt how scared she was. He actually was scared too. 

He saw his father stepping in through the door, eyes widening in surprise as he saw his youngest son sitting in one of the egg nests. He cursed under his breath as he saw his changed eye colour, meaning he bonded to the dragon on his lap. And what dragon it was. "Oh Azure," he only said as he recognised the eggshells of the only egg they got from a white feathered dragon in decades.

He stepped closer and crouched down next to his son. The sweetest and softest of his three children. The one he had a weak spot for because he resembled his dead wife so much.

With his no longer brown eyes and his blonde curls that looked like they were kissed by the sun. 

He gently stroked over his red cheek. "Did Opal hit you again? That's the reason I didn't see you at supper?" The boy nodded, tears dwelling in his eyes. He hugged the boy with his new dragon in the lap close. Which went still at the approach of the huge man. Closing his eyes at the task that was now in front of the small child. The trials he had to go through now. King Aaron of the Northern Clan felt incredibly old at that moment. 

The rare white feathered dragon, the holy symbol of the northern nation. Only the king's successor inherits the beast and therefore the soul bond who comes with it. Azure as the youngest child will only get a symbolic position, the dragon was originally meant for his oldest sister Opal.

But it was him now bearing the heavy burden of being the representative of the holy order of the dragon riders. 

He dreaded the future which awaited Azure now.

"Send for Stuart." He only whispered to one of the stablehands.

They needed to prepare for Azure’s move to the dragon rider monastery. The sooner his training started, the better.

Azure and Icarus, how he stubbornly decided to name his dragon even when she was a girl, were sent off in a coach the next morning. Little did he know that this would be the last time he would see his father for the next 10 years.