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Istvan continued in his routine, though he did allow his friends to keep him occupied with pursuits other than lifting and mending, healing and guarding. They continued to encourage him to meet people - which he didn't do very well.

He did have contact with some of the Drakling Trainers and the Judges - some of them remained entirely unconvinced that this strong healthy young man should Pair at all - they too sensed something amiss.

None of them planned on sending him away, though. He was far too useful around the Castle. Very good with any wounded Knights, or more mundane injuries around the Castle, and plus, he had experience dealing with the Nex - dangerous creatures like those which occasionally breeched the Drak defenses under the cover of darkness or distraction.

Always - Istvan wondered when his Master would come to call. He would never look here - would he? Julian might have spies anywhere, but Istvan doubted that he'd include a Castle in his web of intrigue.

Van had long realized in the safety of the Castle, that Draks and fairy-draks and all those other things that people had around them were just perfectly safe. Fun, even. He didn't want the responsibility of a fairydrak, though they seemed like they were quite useful.

Days moved into weeks, and then perhaps a month had gone by. Another female had eggs on the sand in the deep cavern, this time a lovely moody vain Wind. With their duties expanding to their professional extent, Rey and Alex were distressed to notice that they actually had little more time than Istvan did, to interact any more.

But shortly, it wasn't going to matter. Normally, the mother of a nest would announce when her children would hatch. But this Wind was of her own mind on this subject. And so late, late at night, the trio of eggs broke open to only an audience of their mother Kaayri.

She paraded them through the silent early-morning halls of the Castle, rather unlike any dam had ever done before. (And most likely, rather like no dam would be allowed to do in the future.) She left the first at a girl's dorm, the Rain drak paired a young troublemaking inhabitant to her delight.

The second, a Forest, teamed up with another girl, happily, while she attempted not to rise to feed her fairy drak this early in the morning.

And at last, Kaayri led the third, a Wind (another female) down the hallway into Istvan's room. Kaayri nudged the door open gently, it didn't squeek or make a sound while she did so. But she was concerned. This was where the nervous wreck of a human lived. Was that right? Well, the Wind hatchling decided that her mother didn't know enough about him to judge.

"Have a care, Cephari," was all she said to her youngest.

The darkened room was cool, so Cephari trundled up to Istvan's cot and snuck herself under one muscled arm before he woke fully. Her bright blue eyes matched his - white where his were black - and blinked gently at him.

I shall enjoy being with you, no matter what anyone else thinks - even you. She thought to him.

Immediately startled beyond fear, and in a fiery pain the likes of which Istvan had never even considered, he shot out of bed and fell back into the wall, as his drak pair did likewise onto her own rump on the other side.

Cephari felt a bit confused. The horror in Istvan's eyes was mirrored in his mind - but it was a pure instinct kind of thing. She knew that this was the right person to Pair. So when Van dropped to the floor with a sort of gurgling groan, Cephari was worried that her brief mental contact to seal the Pairing had killed him. It certainly and obviously put him into a pained state. Cephari chirped with distress.

She crept around the bed, and found him laying on the floor unmoving. His leg was close to her, so she kicked at it and Istvan moaned a bit. So he wasn't dead! That was a relief.

But that left a problem. He was unconscious because of what she'd done - she touched his mind and he collapsed. Well, there was only one thing to do about that: wait for him to wake up and apologize. It wouldn't happen again.

Maybe.

Cephari sat down, not quite bored, and waited. While she did so, her mother's knight came through the halls with a bluster and a bit of noise. Perhaps she'd help Istvan?

***

In the infirmary as a patient for the first time in months, Istvan shuddered awake.

Cephari was right there with him. She'd supervised his transfer into the room, and refused to leave his side. When she realized he was awake, she nuzzled his hand. At first his fingers twitched away from her, but ... Then they rested on her warm muzzle and scratched her nose. He felt around the back of her skull and to the top of her neck where the start of her mane would grow.

"I am Cephari," she proudly announced - the first time that most of those present even knew her name. "And I have chossen you."

Weakly, Istvan sighed. "I noticed," he said. "It hurts. I am sorry. I do not know how this will work."

"I know!" Cephari said, excitedly, "you will learn to become a Knight and we will sserve a Casstle in an Armada. That iss how it iss done!"

In spite of his painful state, Istvan gave a chuckle. She was entirely opposite him.

Or was she? He managed to turn and look at her. The pale sky color of her wings almost could match his eyes. She was open, happy. And, he knew in his heart, she'd never leave him. He looked at Cephari and smiled, crying. She was him - young and innocent again.

"Then that's how it will be done, won't it." He said. He groaned again, and put his head back down on the pillow which for all intents and purposes might just as well have been made of brick - that's how it felt inside his head now. Thickly crowded with the Drak's feelings and thoughts - she was hardly expert at keeping them apart from his own. And she was impossibly pleased that he acknowledged her.

"I will try to keep it down," she promised him, "it hurtss."

"I will... have to get used to it."