Chapter One: The Test
395 Words
Chapter 1: The Test
Everyone in the kingdom knew the commander's son.
They whispered that he would never become the warrior his father was.
For generations, his family had carried a name that people both feared and respected. Long before his birth, their ancestors had sailed the seas as mighty Vikings. But those days had long been forgotten. Now, all that remained were old stories, family traditions, and a duty that every son was expected to fulfil.
The boy had never understood that duty.
On the morning of his trial, his father placed a round shield in one hand and a poisoned dagger in the other.
"If you wish to prove yourself worthy of our family," his father said, "return with the proof."
No more was said.
The boy entered the Dark Woods alone.
Hours passed beneath the towering trees until the earth gave way beneath his feet.
He crashed into the bottom of an ancient stone well. As he slowly stood, he noticed a narrow opening hidden within the broken rock. A faint blue glow flickered beyond it.
Curiosity overcame fear.
He squeezed through the gap.
Beyond it lay a cavern unlike anything he had ever imagined.
In the centre stood an enormous nest.
Inside rested a single giant egg, covered in strange black and blue spots.
Then...
A c***k echoed through the cave.
Another.
The shell began to split.
The boy's heart raced.
"If it hatches..." he whispered.
He searched his belt for flint, but before he could light a fire, two glowing blue eyes opened inside the broken shell.
The hatchling looked straight at him.
Panicking, the boy threw a piece of sheep meat across the cave.
The tiny dragon hurried towards it, swallowing it eagerly before slowly walking back.
Instead of growling...
It gently rested its head against the boy's arm.
It believed he was the first creature it had ever known.
The boy looked down at the poisoned dagger in his hand.
He remembered his father's final words.
Then he looked back at the dragon.
He couldn't do it.
Not because he was afraid...
...but because something inside him refused to raise the blade.
As dawn broke over the forest, the boy climbed from the ancient well with the hatchling following close behind.
Neither of them realised that this single choice would awaken secrets that had been buried for generations.
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