Ronan was still gapping at the dragon hatchling. The hatchling paid no attention to the boy, now out of its shell the baby dragon eagerly explored the room. It squeaked when its head bumped into the door.

A smile tugged at Ronan's lips as he slowly calmed down, he got down on his knees, "hey little guy." The dragon immediately perked its head at the voice of its Rider, as fast as its little legs could carry him. The hatchling stumbled his way over to Ronan.

Ronan hesitantly moved his right hand towards the dragon, his hand and the dragons head connected.

Immediately Ronan felt a rush of power course through him, but along with that came great amounts of pain. He heard a voice that was not his own echo through his head. He fell unconscious.

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Ronan slowly awoke when he felt something wet lap against his cheek. He slowly opened his eyes and immediately saw a pair of gold eyes gazing into his own hazel eyes.

"Gah!" Ronan yelled and scuttled backwards like a carb, the dragon fell off his chest making it squeak indignantly.

Ronan slowly calmed down again, so it's wasn't a dream. A real dragon was in his room.

He paled. Oh crap a real dragon was in his room!

Ronan felt something scaly brush his leg, he immediately tensed thinking he would feel that great pain but he felt nothing. The dragon looked at the boy with big golden eyes, his heart softened as he looked at the dragon.

The dragon hatchling was pure white, as white as the egg that had encased it. Not even the most pure snow could hope to compare to it, small spikes erupted from the dragon's spine, while they was not as pure white as his scales, they were more of a softer white. Its eyes were a great gold, no coin or treasure could hope to compare with those eyes. But Ronan immediately knew from looking at the dragons eyes was one thing. It was intelligent. It could think.

Ronan scratched the dragon's chin, it started to purr deeply. Ronan smiled before he noticed something on his palm, he saw with raised eyebrows that a large white mark had appeared on his palm. He scratched at it but it remained the same. Ronan shook his head is disbelief. Yesterday he had been a simple blacksmith's son, now. Now he was a Dragon Rider.

He paused at those words; he was now part of the once undefeatable dragon riders. He had a dragon and could become a great warrior and rider like those before him! His happy mood was dampened as he realized that he was in the Northern part of the Empire with no one to help him. There was only one other free dragon and Rider left in the world. Eragon Shadeslayer and his dragon Saphira, and they were all the way in Surda. There was no way he could get there with a dragon hatchling and not get caught and sent to the king.

The dragon hatchling gave a small squawk that he guessed was a roar, which broke him out of his train of thought. "I'm sorry you must be hungry. Wait here." Ronan quickly left the room, making sure the door was closed he went to the cellar and grabbed some cured deer jerky, he went back into his room and saw his dragon curled up on his pillow.

The dragon immediately scarfed down the jerky, it slowly settled into a deep sleep. Ronan scratched the hatchling and smiled as it purred in contentment.

"Ronan!" Avor's voice roared through the house making Ronan jump and the hatchling to wake up, "get down here! You and Rulf need to fix that merchants wheel!"

Ronan sighed and got up from his bed, the dragon made to follow him, "no stay!" Ronan said as the dragon stopped. "Stay here and don't leave." Keeping an eye on the dragon Ronan left the room.

Ronan exited the house and after bidding a good morning to his father he trudged down to the forge, he had gloves on to hide the mark on his hand. Since he was in a forge he had a good excuse.

Rulf was already at work. He was inspecting the cracked metal outing of the wheel with an experienced eye. When Ronan came near him Rulf smiled, "morning Ronan."

"Morning Rulf." Ronan looked at the wheel and sighed, "it'd do no good, it has to be remolded and everything."

Rulf shrugged, "we may as well start then." He grabbed some of the firewood and put it in the fire.

"Hey Rulf I wanted to ask you something." At Rulf enquiring gaze he continued, "well you've been everywhere and all, and you know a lot about the Riders and their Dragons I was wondering if-"

"If I could tell you another tale of the Riders of Old?" Rulf smiled, "sure why not, once there was a rider named-"

"No. I mean about Riders who are actually here right now."

Rulf stopped talking immediately, he gazed at the boy with slight suspicion, "what do you mean?"

"Well you've been south and I was wondering if you've ever seen the Varden's Rider, Eragon Shadeslayer and his dragon Saphira."

Rulf gaze unnerved the boy. Ronan could see suspicion in the man's eye along with a hint of… knowing? Ronan felt his gut twist. Did Rulf know that was a dragon egg and it had hatched for him? He discarded the idea immediately. He hadn't known it was an egg until a dragon had erupted from it, what was to say Rulf knew what it was?

"Sure I guess, I must admit I don't know much of them… seeing as how they usually stick with the Varden and don't have time for a simple traveler. But I do remember meeting someone in contact with the Varden who had been with the young Rider during the battle of Farthen Dûr.

Ronan listen with awe at how Eragon had killed the shade Durza, where he had gotten the name 'Shadeslayer'. "Wow he's really cool, have you really not met him?"

Rulf just smiled, "no I'm afraid not but I have seen him from a distance along with his dragon."

"How big was she?" he asked wondering how big his dragon would be.

"Around the size of a small house I guess."

"What!" Ronan spluttered out, how was he to hide his dragon in his bedroom if it grew to be bigger than his home?

"Dragons never stop growing Ronan, a hatchling often has many growth spurts, after a couple months of being born a dragon could be big enough to carry someone, though they have to be six months old to be able to breath fire."

"I see." Ronan mumbled out.

"Something's not right, you think the egg hatched for the boy? That was fast." Uznov said within Eragon's mind.

"Or he could just be curious, we'll keep an eye on him though."

Ronan didn't ask Rulf for any more information, they spent the rest of the day redoing the wheel, by the end of the day the wheel was done and Ronan was tired. Ronan slipped a couple more pieces of jerky from the cellar along with some of his own dinner.

The dragon was waiting for him, it immediately devoured the meat before settling in Ronan's lap. Ronan sighed, "What am I going to do?" he asked the dragon who merely burped and fell asleep.

Ronan smiled, he cradled the baby dragon in his arms. He frowned slightly remembering what Rulf had said about dragon hatchlings and their growth rates, along with how to find food. The dragon was the size of the many barn cats and yet it had eaten two handfuls of meat! Ronan fell asleep still holding his dragon.

(Early in the morning)

Ronan placed the snoozing hatchling on his pillow, he stealthily went down the stairs and grabbed extra leather strips and any stray rags, he headed towards the forge and took a normal sized hammer and some nails along with a small saw. He headed towards the Spine, he ventured in and after walking for around five minutes came to a small clearing he had found when he had hunted some years ago. He found a suitable knarled oak and cut off the branches of some young maple trees and set to work.

The sun was starting to rise, and Ronan looked at his work with satisfaction. The old oak was now a suitable place for a dragon hatchling to live, the crude hut was big enough for Ronan to squeeze in and hopefully the dragon will be able to in the upcoming months, all he needed now was an extra day to make it safe from predators and help keep the heat in when Fall ends and Winter comes.

Ronan hurried back home and came to the home just as everyone was coming down for breakfast.

"Hm Ronan what are you doing up so early?" Avor asked as he sat down in old pine chair.

Ronan shrugged, "just woke up early." He scarfed down some of the bacon, "thought I'd take a small walk, that's all."

Avor snorted, "hmph when I was your age all I did was work and sleep."

Ronan grinned, "you were my age once?"

Avor snorted while Ronan laughed, "haha very funny Ronan."

"So where's brother?"

"Albrich is at Kerena's house, her husband's old plough ain't working like it used too."

Ronan smirked, "are you sure its just that or because Rosa lives there as well?" he asked talking about a girl Albrich's age with dark brown hair and light brown eyes, someone who Albrich had an intense crush on.

Avor laughed, "aha you got me there. Ah its good that Albrich is looking for someone to settle down with, I haven't seen you try and court any of the girls your age."

Ronan's ears burned red, "dad!" Ronan yelled with a small blush.

Avor grinned. He finished his breakfast and put the dishes in the sink, he clasped Ronan in the shoulder, "come one you, we got work to do." He strode out of the kitchen.

Ronan shook his head in amusement before following his father out of the house.

The day passed by and Ronan did not ask Rulf any more stories, he was slightly uneasy by the curious gaze Rulf had given him and when Rulf glanced at the gloves that hide his silvery mark he had a feeling he knew why he was wearing gloves.

As the day ended Ronan would scarf down his dinner while sneaking pieces and bolt up the stairs before his father had even sat in his chair. The dragon was waiting for him like it did every day. It jumped from the post of the bed to his waiting arms, gliding with its white wings.

Ronan smiled happily while the dragon nuzzled him, "hey buddy." He greeted while the dragon merely blinked.

Ronan was convinced the dragon was intelligent, ever since the dragon had hatched for him and he had been marked a space of openness had formed inside his head. He guided his thoughts to that spot, "hello." The dragon perked its head up.

The sun was still on horizon and Ronan decided to go outside with the dragon, he managed to hide the dragon in his hunting pack and, ignoring the squeals of displeasure headed off towards where he had built the hut.

Ronan placed the dragon in the hut before closing it with a small door he had woven out of slender willow branches. The dragon didn't say anything and only looked on with those big sad eyes, "Stay here." Ronan said in his mind.

Ronan left the clearing as night started to set, he ignored with a pained heart of the gaze that was burning into his back as he left the dragon in the clearing.

Ronan woke up the next morning early. He immediately grabbed an extra blanket in his room along with his bow and arrow along with rags and several handfuls of food before sprinting out of the house. Ronan saw with relief the small woven door was still on the hut.

As Ronan nearly ripped off the door to get to the dragon it jumped into his chest immediately, Ronan hugged it tightly, "I'm sorry." He muttered over and over.

As the dragon ate the food from Ronan's hand Ronan started to talk to it. He told the dragon about himself and his family. He told it about his town and the many hunts in the Spine. He told him that he was a blacksmith and had one day hoped to leave his small village and go to a big city and be a world renowned smith, though he doubted he could ever do that now, but he told the dragon he was happy it hatched for him.

The dragon never spoke, it merely listened and looked at him with bright eyes. Ronan kept on talking and talking, he didn't notice the sun starting to rise. Today was when everyone had a day off from the forge.

After a couple hours of talking Ronan placed the dragon on his shoulder and got his bow and arrow, he was going to show the dragon the different animals there were. Ronan immediately found a small rabbit trail, he glanced around and saw the near camouflage hide of the rabbit, he immediately shot it.

The dragon jumped off his shoulder and gently glided to the ground, he curiously nuzzled the dead rabbit. "See that dragon, that a rabbit, you can- hey!" The dragon ripped into the dragon and started to devour it. Ronan watched in amazement as the dragon ate the entire rabbit. The dragon's eyes drooped and yawned, Ronan then noticed how sharp those teeth were, especially when they were covered in blood. Ronan grabbed his canteen filled with cool water and cleaned the white dragon who was covered in the rabbit blood. "Remind me not to get on your bad side, eh?" Ronan said with a grin with the dragon merely burped.

Ronan spent the rest of the day showing his dragon everything he knew about the Spine and everything else.

The egg has hatched and Ronan's trying to figure out what to do, kinda reminds you of what happened with Eragon. The next few chapters may go a little fast paced but they will slow down, trust me it's going to get interesting. The next update may not be for awhile since I want to write farther into the story before updating but it wont be a month long wait.

Next Chapter: The Kings Men