Dragoncarnation: Good or Evil? Who cares?

E5: That day

Here I am.
Staring out into the distance, trying to understand what the hell just happened that day.
Even if I wanted to know, who would I ask that wouldn't call my thoughts fantasies or delusions again.
Conrad would be a good option.
However...
He was still recovering from what happened to him.
Everytime I go visit him I'm simply watching him sleep.
Its not as though he'd be able to move due to his injuries, but to be sleeping for so long...
When asking the doctors and priests, they said that his condition was externally induced.
That is to say it was a type of magic that's still afflicting him.
Strong magic at that.
The only thing that it could've been, was the dragons from before.
Seeing him lying in that bed, bandaged up and unmoving.

I shake my head of those thoughts and look down at the knights training field.
I watch as one of the knights gets dragged around by the little white dragon before sequentially being tripped.
"Pffheh."
With a small chuckle from the scene, I start thinking about that strange event once more.

Several days ago, after hearing about the dragon they captured, I was curious about it.
A dragon.
A surreal existence that you only see in movies and fairytales.
I knew that they existed in this world, but to think that we had one captured and locked up so close.
I simply had to see it for myself.
Was it going to be one of those dragons you'd expect out of those big movies, or maybe like one of the cute fluffy looking ones you see in those kids shows?
I was sure it would be the big ones like the movies: scales, big fangs, sharp claws; but I secretly hoped it was cute and fluffy looking.
Still, my journey was almost over before it started.
I managed to figure out where they were keeping the dragon by over hearing some knights talk about it.
They're using one of the cages for the larger beasts to hold the dragon.
They're not too far from the stables but are far enough away from the barracks and main manor so as to not cause too much trouble should it get loose.
...right. I doubt if a dragon got loose here, we'd be fine.
If it just flies and breathes its breaths enough this place will be up in flames in a matter of minutes.

Regardless I headed towards the monster stable, thinking I could convince the guards to let me see the dragon for just a few minutes.
Oh how wrong I was.
General Haveron was guarding the door.
The general was an easy going but serious person.
If I asked him to see the dragon, he would either refuse me outright or let me see but report to my father later.
Both options were unfavorable to me.
I didn't really have that great of a plan for getting inside to see the dragon for a couple minutes.
I thought I had to give up before I even got started, until my father decided to show.
When it happened, I hid myself just enough to where he didn't notice me around the corner.
He was dressed up in his usual business attire as he approached the general.

"General." He says moving up to him.
"Duke Rianard." The general replied with a smile.
"I'm surprised to see you stand guard."
"Well, I couldn't stay in bed all day, but I'm not in tip top shape to do any real heavy work." He replies.
Father looked at his arm before patting his shoulder.
"So, what exactly can you tell me about this dragon?" My father asked.
"It's quite the story M'lord." He says opening the door and leading my father inside. "As you're aware, I was off fighting one of the parents, and it was doing quite the number on my troops and I. I only heard the story once I regained consciousness back here..."
The two went past the door and closed it behind them.
With both of them in there, I had no real way of going in without being caught.
It was either turn back now, or risk being caught by my father.
With no guards and really nothing to lose I decided to follow the general and my father.

The way inside was dark.
Even with light peeking through several openings, the stone room had to be lit up along the way.
I slowly made my way down overhearing my father and the general talking from the hall's echo.
"It's very surprising. To say the least." Haveron says " I mean, we have never seen a dragon like this."
"Isn't it just a monster that looks like a dragon?" My father would ask.
"No, It's definitely a dragon. Appraising it shows as much." the general says.
I hurry my steps a bit more to hopefully catch a glimpse of what they were talking about.
I hear their footsteps stop as I reach the corridor where the dragon's cage was.
"White fur?" Father starts up again. "Reports said it was black."
I peak around the corner of the hall to see the two of them standing before the bars of the cage.
"Reports from those who survived said it was white before suddenly turning black." The general replies
"If its body turned black, then perhaps it's a skill related to it." My father placed a hand under his chin staring into the cage.
Both of them seemed distracted by the dragon, but I'm too far away for me to see anything.
I look around to spot some barrels a bit closer to the cage, but still out of their view.
So, if I slowly and carefully try to sneak inside...
"A variant? No wonder its stats are all over...Come out Ernamaria!"
I hear my father's voice boom and quickly hide.
It startled me.
I didn't expect him to catch me so suddenly.
I took a deep breath and walked out from my hiding spot and over to him.
"I thought I said that no one was allowed down here without my permission." He asks.
I stopped in front of him and the general.
"I'm sorry father." I peaked up at them, then shifted my eyes back down. "I was curious about the dragon and I couldn't quite control myself."
I hear my father sigh a familiar disappointed sigh.
"How many years has this been going on?" He asks no, before turning to me. "You're not a child anymore. You need to rein in these defiant habits of yours."
Defiant habits?
Don't act like I'm the only troublemaker in this family.
"If you keep this up you'll end up causing harm to the Von Saurtide name."
Right.
How could I forget?
He didn't care about what happened with his kids or what was wrong with them.
If anything, he cared more about his family name than his family's wellbeing.
Really...