Hey everyone! So, I've been having some writer's block with my other story, Acatalepsy. I decided to change gears for a little bit to see if that helped things. Fablehaven was one of my favorite book series as a child. Initially, I was apprehensive about writing a fic for a "children's book", but I decided this is a tribute to one of the many books series I have read that continue to inspire me. This is rated T for the usually Argeiphontes stuff: swearing, violence, sexual references.

Hope you enjoy!

Prologue

"Please," the woman begged, clutching her child close to her chest. "You must let me in!"

The wizard stood at the door, contemplating the woman's state. "Then this is the last night you may spend in the sanctuary," he said.

She sighed. "So be it."

Agad led her to his dining table and pulled out a chair for her. She sat, not relinquishing her tight grip on the infant.

"Allow me to see the baby," he said gently.

She reluctantly placed her child in his arms, and was surprised by the tenderness with which he held her.

"A Dragonling," he said.

She remained silent.

"Who is the father?"

But he needn't ask the question- he tacitly understood the answer.

"There haven't been any like her in centuries," he continued. "You are correct. Should the Society discover her existence, they will deem her a valuable asset and stop at nothing to have her in their grasp."

"I'd rather destroy her," the woman said, her voice cracking. "I tried, but I could not do it."

"Anya," Agad said, and she looked up.

"I didn't think…" she trailed off.

"No," he said sternly. "You did not think."

She studied her reflection in the glass table as he spoke. "Even if you didn't have to worry about the Society, you'd have the issue of raising a powerful, unpredictable creature with a tendency towards violence and instability. I do not care what sort of dragon tamer you are; you are not prepared for that."

The child opened her eyes. They were bright violet, the color of sunset mountains or the dawn sky.

"Leave her with me," he said finally. "I will raise her as my own. She is a creature of Wyrmroost. No ancient agreements will jeopardize her if she grows up within these walls."

"Spasiba," she murmured. "Thank you. I owe you everything."

Agad nodded solemnly. "You best leave now, before any being in this sanctuary suspects what has happened."

Anya stood. "Her name is Natalia. Natalia Semyonova."

With that, she left the table, exited the Keep, and started for the gates to the outside world.

Fourteen Years Later

"Absolutely not," said Agad, scowling.

The skinny black-haired girl before him sighed. "Please, in fourteen years, I have scarcely met another-"

"What? Another human being? Is that what you were going to say?"

She glanced down at her feet, refusing to answer.

"You are more my kin than theirs, Natalia," he said, somewhat more gently. "You must not forget what you are."

"How can I?" She lifted her head, her eyes full of fire. "I live with a wizard who runs a preserve full of dragons."

He nodded, clasping his hands. "The party will be here shortly. I can only offer them one night of lodging. You are to stay out of sight while they are here. Stay in your own quarters. I will have food brought to you."

"I'm not hungry," she muttered, but he either ignored her words or didn't hear them.

She watched from a window as Camarat interrogated the group. It was one of the larger parties she had seen enter the sanctuary- there were seven of them, all of whom appeared human. It would be fascinating to see how many managed to leave with their lives.

She knew Camarat's procedure well; these initial "interviews" provided one of her greatest sources of entertainment. First, he would ascertain their reason for visiting. Next, he would figure out which of them could resist a dragon's aura of intimidation. This part was threat assessment. Camarat generally aimed to restrict entry for emboldened fools who wished to brag of slaying a dragon.

Natalia realized one of the members of the group was a girl, perhaps not older than herself. This piqued her curiosity. Never had she seen a child enter Wyrmroost.

There was something strange about the girl, something she couldn't place. Perhaps she could ask Agad. The girl appeared to be able to speak to the dragon, but was unable to move, which struck Natalia as odd.

Evidentially, Camarat determined that the group was relatively benign, and allowed them to proceed to the Keep.

She waited for the party to leave before she took to hunting the next morning. Once there was about three miles of distance between them, she grabbed her bow and a quiver of arrows and padded softly through the frosted woods.

She smelled a herd of wild deer nearby. Crouching, she hid in the bush, pinpointing the heart of the largest male. She drew the bowstring back to her ear and released. The buck immediately dropped and the others scattered.

"I hope that's for me," said a voice behind her. She turned and watched as a small, silvery dragon materialized.

"In your dreams, Raxtus," she smirked.

He laughed. "Like you and Agad will eat the whole thing."

"I'll turn it into a jerky for the next blizzard. Or he can give it to the next batch of visitors."

He didn't miss the look that crossed her face. "I heard there were visitors."

She sighed. "Agad didn't let me meet them. He never does."

"He's just concerned for your safety, Nat. You know what would happen if the Evening Star found out about you."

"But they were Knights!"

"The Sphinx was a Knight, too," he said gravely. "You don't know who you can trust in this world. If any of them let word slip about you to the wrong person... You would make the perfect assassin for the Evening Star,"

"Or for the Knights," she countered, summoning amethyst flames in the palm of her hand. "I could help."

Raxtus gave her a pitying look. "Your time will come. I promise."

She curled her hand into a fist, quenching the flames.

"Why don't we go visit the hot springs? You might find more game there."

"Fairies," she grumbled.

"Nah, it's too cold for them to be out," he said. "Come on."

He knelt so she could climb onto his back. Since she had flown with the dragon for many years, she knew how to sit to avoid his spines.

Once he felt she had a secure grip, he launched into the sky, spiraling like a bullet. Despite her frustrations, Natalia couldn't help but smile. Her greatest exhilarations were from such flights, where only Raxtus' shimmering scales and the wind in her face accompanied her.

She only wished she could be so free.

"There's the group!" she called, looking down.

They were trudging through the forest. The only one she could clearly make out was the girl and her strange glow.

"Why's that one glowing?" she asked, speaking loudly so Raxtus could hear her over the roar of the wind and his beating wings.

"I'm not sure," he responded. "I'd assume it's Fey. Fairystruck, perhaps?"

"Perhaps."

"Do you know what they're here for?"

"No idea," she shouted. "I couldn't hear what Camarat said from the Keep."

"They better not be planning anything stupid."

She looked down at the group again. "They're human. Of course they're planning something stupid."

After a couple of brief hours by the hot spring, Raxtus dropped her off at the Keep. "I'll be in and out the next few days," he said, and Natalia knew better than to ask for specifics. Raxtus was a dragon with conflicting loyalties, many of which he refused to admit to her.

She spent the next few days hunting on her own by day, reading and studying by night. She managed to finish "Shakespeare's Complete Tragedies", and taught herself to derive equations. Raxtus collected these materials for her during his outings into the human world; she'd have to beg him for more books later.

"Natalia!" someone shouted- Raxtus. She ran to her window and tore it open, staring down at the small dragon in the courtyard.

"Navarog-" he gasped for breath. "He's in the sanctuary!"

Her stomach dropped. "No," she whispered.

"Stay here," he commanded. "He can't breech the Keep."

He unfurled his wings and prepared to take flight. "Where are you going?" she screamed.

"To find him," he answered, nerves lining his words.

With that, he vanished, and she was left cursing at her own uselessness.