She had been inside her egg for years, waiting for the right one. The Riders who carried her were worried, but she knew she would find the one eventually.

She just needed to wait.

Jennifer stormed out of the house for the third time in as many days. Her parents were always insufferable, and she preferred being alone to anything else. Girls and boys alike watched her with the same expression on their faces, one which she knew meant 'there she goes again.' She didn't care. No-one was her friend. All she had was herself and two parents who she would give anything to trade in for new ones.

She started up the long track up the side of Helgrind, knowing that she'd be back at sundown if she hurried. The exercise helped to clear her mind somewhat, but the real reason for the climb was simply the chance to get away from everything. Her black leather jacket flapped in the breeze as she neared the top, her boots crunching stones underfoot.
The view from the mountaintop was amazing. On all sides, a large swathe of Alagaesia stretched out beneath her like a patchwork rug.
She glanced out over Alagaesia again, and as she did so she saw something that made her smile a knowing smile. Two shapes, too large to be birds, flying toward her city. The Riders were coming to Dras-Leona.

Of course, she would never even get close to the eggs. She'd be lucky to catch a glimpse of them - unless she took matters into her own hands.
"I hope you're not planning on stealing precious dragon eggs from two of the most capable warriors and magicians in Alagaesia and beyond," a voice said from behind Jennifer. She spun around, her hands going to the handles of the two stolen hunting knives at her belt. A man was leaning against a boulder, his arms crossed, flashing her a smug smile. When he made no move towards her, Jennifer slowly relaxed, crossing her arms and staring at him angrily.
"I don't exactly come here to talk to people," she told the man shortly. The man grinned even more.
"No, something tells me you come here for the exact opposite reason."
"Who are you?" Jennifer asked. The man, in response, pulled the glove off of his right hand, presenting his palm to her. It was a regular palm, except for the pale, almost-white oval in the centre.
"You're a Rider?" He nodded as she quickly dropped to one knee.
"Forgive me, my lord, I-" she began before he interrupted her.
"Nay, I am no lord. We Riders hold no lands but our home and no titles but the ones we earn for ourselves." He pulled her to her feet, and she glanced down, embarrassed.
"Aww, don't be like that," the Rider said casually. "It's a common enough response." Jennifer suddenly thought of something.
"If you're a Rider, why aren't you with them?" she asked, indicating the two Riders in the distance. The Rider burst out laughing.
"You don't know? You really don't know?"
"Know what?"
"They're decoys," he told her, grinning his widest grin yet. Jennifer felt even more embarrassed, then she thought of something else.
"Do you have the dragon egg?" she asked cautiously.
"Wanting to get in ahead of the crowd, eh?" the Rider asked. She shook her head.
"Not exactly. In Dras-Leona, only rich people get to go to the ceremonies. Everyone else is turned away at the gate by the city guard." The Rider seemed troubled by this news.
"So if you don't get a chance now..." He began.
"Then I never will," Jennifer finished. The Rider nodded.
"I like how you think," he told her, turning to head down a different path down the other side of Helgrind. Jennifer followed him, grinning happily.

I wonder if she might be the one? Duris thought as he walked down the slope. He heard the girl stumble on the steep incline.
"Du stenr lunaea," he muttered under his breath, smoothing the ground beneath the girl's feet.
Finally, they reached the base of Helgrind just as the sun began to set. Jennifer began to get worried.
"I'll get locked out of Dras-Leona if I'm not back by sundown," she told the Rider frantically.
"Don't worry," he told her, "you can sleep at our campsite if that happens." His tone of voice calmed her, and she worked up enough courage to ask his name.
"I'm-"
"Duris! You had me worried!" an elf-woman walked over to them. Jennifer watched her raptly, she'd never seen an elf before. She could tell why they were called the 'fair folk'.
"And who is this?" the elf asked.
"I'm Jennifer," she replied, holding out a hand. The elf-woman shook it, raising an eyebrow.
"An uncommon name in Alagaesia," she noted, before turning back to Duris. "Why did you bring her here?" she asked, listening intently as Duris explained. Jennifer glanced around, noticing for the first time the two dragons lazing by the fire. The larger one was emerald-green, while the smaller one was silver. The elf woman nodded once before moving to the side of the larger one, climbing up its leg to reach a saddlebag.
"Who is she?" Jennifer asked.
"My mother," came the reply. Duris indicated the silver dragon.
"Silver isn't exactly a common color for a dragon, so Briam is pretty special." Jennifer nodded slowly as the elf-woman, Duris' mother, walked over and set the saddlebag on a convenient flat-topped stone before opening it and allowing the sides of the bag to fall down, revealing a large, midnight-blue egg. Jennifer stepped forward in wonder as Duris' mother stepped in front of her.
"You understand that, if this dragon chooses you, you will be expected to renounce all family ties." Jennifer nodded.
"And you understand that, if this dragon chooses you, you will hold no lands but some small part of the Riders' home, and no titles but those you earn for yourself." Again, Jennifer nodded.
"Then I, Arya Drottning, queen of elves and Dragon Rider, do hereby give you permission to approach this egg and stay by its side for the allotted three minutes, or until such time as it hatches - whichever comes first."

Jennifer slowly walked toward the dragon egg, feeling worried. Then she scolded herself. What if it did hatch for her? She had nothing in Dras-Leona. Her family was poor, so she'd hardly be giving up land or titles, and they despised her, so she wouldn't really be giving up anything in the way of family. She crossed the remaining distance and carefully placed her hand on the midnight-blue egg.

There! That one was the one!
she stirred, opening her eyes for the first time. she felt the hand being drawn away, and she let out a frantic squeak.

SQUEAK! the sound shocked Jennifer, and she fell backward. She would have hit the ground hard had Duris not hurried up and caught her. He set her back on her feet as the egg began to wobble.

She struggled against the shell that surrounded her, desperately trying to get free. Most of her being told her she could, but some small part of her said it was going to be impossible. Rebelling against that small part, she thrust her head at the shell, hearing a satisfying crack.

CRACK! the egg was suddenly spiderwebbed with tiny cracks as the hatchling inside struck the shell. CRACK! the cracks became more prominent.
The egg shattered, pieces flying everywhere as the hatchling stretched its body and wings. Hesitantly, Jennifer reached out her right hand toward the dragon. She glanced at Duris and the elf queen for reassurance. They nodded gesturing for her to continue. the dragon extended its neck, sniffing Jennifer's hand. As if it had decided she was friendly, it pressed its tiny head into her palm.

Jennifer shrieked in pain as her palm started to burn ice-cold. she fell to her knees, clutching her palm in her other hand.
Duris put his hand on her shoulder.
"That's normal," he told her.
Suddenly, Jennifer felt something brush against her thoughts. The touch came again, solidifying into a finger of thought. along this came two impressions - one of sorrow for the pain she felt, and one of ravenous hunger. Jennifer would have chuckled if she hadn't been focussed on her hand. Anything that could say "sorry" and "I'm hungry!" at the same time wasn't so bad. The pain in her hand slowly faded, and she looked down at her palm to see a pale, almost-white oval right in the centre. the Gedwëy Ignasia.
"I think it's hungry," she told the two Riders. Duris nodded and fetched some cubed meat from a saddlebag. He handed it to her, and she carefully fed the hatchling. When it was finished, the hatchling crawled up her arm and draped itself around her neck, head hanging on one side and tail hanging down the other.
The elf-queen watched her solemly.
"From this day forward," she began, "you are a Dragon Rider."