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The prince knew how intelligent dragons were, but didn’t realize he’d been chasing one. It’d been shocking to see how quick and agile the creature was. Tidas was faster, but that didn’t matter much when it could duck into and under things where he simply couldn’t fit. They’d cornered it twice, but both times it had gotten away. The last time, Zazzy nearly smushed Petrie underneath a heavy bookshelf. It knocked the case over as she jumped from the top, and over Lucas’ head. He’d yelped like Skye, and sounded like her too.

In hindsight; Zazzy was probably looking for Skye. Based on the banquet room, she’d been hungry, and was now in the part of her life cycle where she could eat actual food instead of just magic. Tidas had made it a point to look into the Roland Snare journals whenever he had free time. That way, when Zazzy finally hatched, they wouldn’t be scrambling for knowledge.

The journals from DragonSnare Cottage didn’t say how long it took for dragons to hatch, just that they grew quickly. During Tidas’ nightly breaks at the palace, he’d been reading the journals. Trying to get a handle on when Zazzy would hatch, and what she’d be capable of when she did so.

“She got bigger,” Lucas randomly commented; breaking Tidas’ train of thought.

Skye giggled at her father; “Did ye expect her to be the size of the egg? I did..”

Lucas shifted where he stood; “No, I mean she’s bigger than the first time I saw her. Before we decorated the sleigh, I came in to get the coins from yer wedding. I heard something scuttling about around yer room, but I didn’t see anythin’. When I kept walking, I heard it again, coming from right behind me. It ran into the kitchen before I could actually see anything, but the blur was much smaller the first time round.”

Tidas quirked an eyebrow at Lucas; “Why didn’t you tell us then?”

Skye’s father shrugged; “How the bloody hell was I suppose to know what it was?! I just thought twas a servant’s foot or the like! Who in their right mind Expects to see a Dragon?!”

.....

“Can I pet her?!” Petrie nearly yelled in his excitement.

Skye beamed as she replied; “Sure! Isn’t she amazing?! I cannot Believe she hatched already! Best Yuletide EVER!”

As Skye and Petrie fussed over Zazzy, Ralph left to get the others. Once entering the room; Lidia and Nicolas shared it the other two’s enthusiasm. They cooed and pet Zazzy, whom was obviously adoring the attention. She purred and flipped onto her back for everyone to pet her belly.

The scales that covered her body were so smooth that they nearly felt soft to the touch. They shimmered a deep, dark blue hue in the fading sunlight. It was barely noticeable without the natural light; like the midnight blue one sees lining the full moon.

The crystal blue of Zazzy’s eyes reminded the princess of a picture of a glacier she’d seen in an ancient tome. Her cat-like irises were a golden color that matched Skye’s hair perfectly. She wondered if they were like that because of her magic, but lost the thought as her stomach grumbled loudly. The strange noise and vibration caused Zazzy to freeze, then look about with caution; drawing exclaims of awe from those around her.

It was adorable to see, and even made Peggy smile at the wee creature. She’d been standing near the prince and Ralph as they watched the rest of them. Encircling Skye and the baby dragon, everyone talked and fussed over Zazzy like she was a human baby. The scene was a little surreal to the three, and the old servant was the first to comment on it.

“Great... It’s gonna be like caring for an unruly bairn that’s part wolf! I am Not cleanin’ up that thing’s ‘messes’! Ye don’t pay me enough for that!”

Tidas chuckled; “Don’t worry; we’ll hire someone to care for Zazzy when she gets bigger. Right now she’s a manageable size. You’ll do fine, Peg-”

Peggy cut off the prince as she saw Zazzy yawn, exposing her two rows of razor-sharp teeth; “That’s it! I want hazard pay!”

“Ye got me dealing with a bloody Dragon! How many other servants have to deal with things like that?! Ima gonna tell ye how many: NONE! Do ye really NOT think I deserve a wee bit of compensation for the trouble that DRAGON, most certainly Will cause me?!”

Tidas looked at the ground in defeat before replying; “Aye.. I apologize.. I’ll set it up myself when we get back to the capital.”

Peggy smiled her signature toothy smile and said; “Thank ye laddie.”

As much as it annoyed Tidas how she went about it: Peggy was right. He had no idea was caring for Zazzy would entail, other than her basic developmental needs like food, water, and attention. Skye would still need to feed her magic occasionally, but for right now in her development; the journals said she needed actual food.

It wasn’t asking a lot; for an increase in pay to handle and care for a creature that hardly anyone knew anything about. Peggy already did more for the prince than she had to. He wasn’t sure if it was out of kindness, control, or both, but he appreciated it. And felt she’d already earned an increase in wages. It was another thing to add to his To-Do list once they’d returned to the capital.

“Alright; I think it’s time we all ate something. A late start mixed in with missed meals leads to cranky attitudes. Peggy? Would you please tell the servants it’s safe to return to their tasks? And Captain Ralph: please tell all of the guards to return to their posts. Make sure to explain what the excitement was about as well. Don’t need anyone trying to hurt our sweet little lass, do we,” Lidia rubbed at Zazzy’s belly as she finished speaking.

The servants and guards were nonstop talking about the events of the day as they prepared the meals for the household. From the surprise visit from Santa, to the unbelievable surprise of Princess Skye’s egg hatching. They gossiped and swapped stories about their children’s excitement at meeting Nicolas. As well as the cute baby dragon and how it had terrorized the castle.

Some stories said it was the size of a wyvern, and ate one of the prince’s guards. Another story said the same thing, but ended with the princess taming it like she’d done with the Cu Sith. One even said that Skye was the one who’d lost her arm taming it, but grew it back. The only consistency in any of the stories was that Skye had a pet dragon now. With the multiple traits she already had combined with owning a dragon made their young lass one of the most powerful people on the planet.

It took about two hours for the food to cook, and everyone to freshen up and be seated. It was only about six or so, but due to the day; it felt like ten o’clock at night to everyone. Exhaustion was apparent on everyone’s faces except Skye, Lidia, and Petrie. They played and fussed over Zazzy until they had to break away to freshen up for dinner.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Lidia get dressed and ready so quickly before,” Lucas joked as they all took their seats at the main table in banquet room.

“Did you see Petrie was waiting already when we all came back? I’m not sure he even went back to his quarters,” Tidas quipped.

“He did.. To wash his hands and face. Neither of us changed,” Nicolas added.

Petrie pointed a finger in the two men’s general direction; “Hey... It’s a bloody dragon, alright?! And a cutie at that. Of course Ima gonna rush to see her again! Yer leaving tomorrow morning, correct?”

“Aye. My father wasn’t thrilled that our first Yuletide was to be spent here instead of the Moonstones coming to the capital. But once I explained the gift situation, he’d agreed to allow us to come,” Tidas replied as he fidgeted in his seat, hungry.

Before they could speak further on the subject, servants began to flow into the banquet room. Large trays of meats, sides, and desserts were placed in the middle of the table once offered to each person seated. A massive haunch of seasoned elk was offered first. Next, a ham cooked in brown sugar, and a cornish hen seasoned with garlic, caraway seeds, salt, and pepper were offered.

For the sides; three kinds of potatoes were offered first: mashed, roasted, or a whole baked. Next came the winter greens mix that had broccoli, cauliflower, carrots in it. A small amount of noodles were made at the request of Lidia, so they’d made enough for multiple people; in case anyone else wanted them.

Chicken and Turkey were the flavors of gravy the chefs had made. There was also a sweet dipping sauce made from tomatoes that Tidas loved with nearly any kind of meat. Skye had read about ketchup in one of her tomes year ago and made it out of curiosity. It was extremely tasty, and went well with all manner of meals.

Like every meal; bread, butter, and jams were set out at the ends of the table. There was also a cheese platter and fruit bowl near each bread basket. Skye had requested a cranberry mold since it was Yuletide, and Nicolas shared in her enthusiasm when offered a helping. Cranberries were some of his favorite berries, and he’d only ever eaten the delectable treat once. He tried to say it was all he wanted until several pies made their way into the room.

Zazzy got her own plate piled high with every meat. She was so excited that her entire backside shook when she wagged her tail. Tidas said she could pretty much eat anything, so long as she occasionally got fed magic from Skye.

When his wife asked what would happen if she didn’t, Tidas explained: “According to Snare; because she’s bonded to you, only rare exceptions would allow her to receive magic from other sources. Places like Warrick Forest might be fine, but it depends upon your magic. If you die, or she can’t get to you for extended periods of time; she’ll go after others with similar magic.”

“What do ye mean, ‘go after them’? Hurt them?” Skye looked down at Zazzy, whom was happily chomping away on her meat pile.

Tidas grabbed a chunk of the hen as he replied; “I think ‘hurt’ is an understatement.. Zazzy would eat them.”