Chapter 72: Silverscale Hatches - Part 2
POV: Corwyn Darke
The first week nearly killed me.
Silverscale required constant attention—feeding every two hours, temperature maintenance, bonding time that couldn't be delegated. I slept in the converted dragon chamber, ate meals while the hatchling fed, conducted essential governance during the brief periods when he napped.
[ 🐉 SILVERSCALE: DAY 7 ]
[ SIZE: CAT-SIZED → DOG-SIZED (+150%) ]
[ WEIGHT: 2 LBS → 8 LBS ]
[ DIET: RAW MEAT, FISH (INCREASING) ]
[ BOND STRENGTH: 85% → 89% ]
[ HEALTH: OPTIMAL ]
[ GROWTH RATE: +200% (ABOVE BASELINE) ]
[ NOTE: OPTIMAL CARE ACCELERATING DEVELOPMENT ]
The growth rate exceeded everything our research had predicted. Scholar Aldric's theories about nutrition, temperature, and bonding strength proved accurate—Silverscale was developing faster than historically documented hatchlings because every variable had been optimized.
"The growth rate is remarkable," Aldric observed during a rare permitted visit to the chamber. "Historical records suggest dragons this age should be half his current size. Whatever we're doing, it's working."
"Keep doing it." I watched Silverscale devour a fish I'd cut into appropriate pieces. "What else does the research suggest?"
"Fire breathing typically develops around three months. Flight capability between six months and a year depending on wing development. Rideable size..." Aldric consulted his notes. "Two to three years at normal growth rates. At his current acceleration, possibly eighteen months."
[ 📊 DEVELOPMENT PROJECTIONS ]
[ FIRE CAPABILITY: ~3 MONTHS ]
[ FLIGHT CAPABILITY: 6-9 MONTHS ]
[ RIDEABLE SIZE: 18-24 MONTHS ]
[ NOTE: ACCELERATED TIMELINE DUE TO OPTIMAL CARE ]
Eighteen months to a rideable dragon. Less time than I'd hoped, more time than the Dance might allow.
POV: Silverscale (Developing Intelligence)
The warm one.
Food comes from the warm one. Safety comes from the warm one. The warm one's presence means good things.
Others visit sometimes—the old one with paper-smell, the thin one with ink-stains. They bring food too, but they're not... important. Not like the warm one.
The warm one's mind touches mine. Feelings flow between us—his worry becomes my alertness, my hunger becomes his urgency. We are not the same, but we are connected.
Trust.
POV: Corwyn Darke
The bond deepened through constant presence.
I spent hours each day simply being near Silverscale—not actively doing anything, just existing in proximity while the mental connection strengthened. His emotions became clearer: contentment when fed, curiosity about new objects, attachment that grew warmer each day.
"You're getting bigger," I murmured during an evening bonding session, stroking scales that had hardened from newborn softness to something approaching armor. "Soon you won't fit in this chamber."
Silverscale chirped, pressing his head against my palm. Through the bond, I felt his affection—simple, uncomplicated, genuine. He didn't understand politics or war or the reasons I'd worked so hard to bring him into existence. He understood only that I was his person, and that was enough.
[ 🐉 BOND UPDATE ]
[ STRENGTH: 89% → 92% ]
[ MENTAL CLARITY: IMPROVING ]
[ EMOTIONAL TRANSMISSION: STABLE ]
[ MAXIMUM POTENTIAL: ~95% (NON-VALYRIAN LIMIT) ]
[ STATUS: STRONG FUNCTIONAL BOND ]
Ninety-two percent. Not the perfect connection Targaryens achieved, but strong enough for practical purposes. Silverscale would respond to my commands, understand my intentions, fight for me when the time came. The blood magic had created something genuine—not inherited but earned.
"You're going to change everything," I told him quietly. "When you're bigger, when you can fly, when people see what we've become together... everything changes."
The dragon chirped again, clearly not understanding the words but responding to the emotion behind them.
POV: Maester Harlan
The secrecy protocols required careful management.
Harlan coordinated the logistics that kept Silverscale's existence hidden—food supplies acquired through various merchants to avoid suspicious patterns, chamber access limited to four people, cover stories prepared for anyone who asked about Lord Corwyn's increased time in the Sanctum.
"The exotic pet research project," Harlan explained to anyone curious. "Lord Darke's scholars are studying unusual creatures for various purposes."
The explanation held for now. But every week, Silverscale grew larger. The chamber that had seemed spacious for an incubation project was becoming cramped for a dragon approaching hunting hound size.
"Six months," Harlan estimated during private discussion with Lord Corwyn. "Perhaps eight. After that, he'll be too large to conceal within the Sanctum."
"We'll need a new location by then. The eastern caves—we'll claim they're being developed for storage." Lord Corwyn watched his dragon sleep, scales rising and falling with each breath. "The secret won't hold forever, but every month of hidden growth is a month of advantage."
[ 🔒 SECRECY STATUS ]
[ PERSONNEL AWARE: 4 ]
[ - LORD CORWYN DARKE ]
[ - MAESTER HARLAN ]
[ - SCHOLAR ALDRIC ]
[ - SCHOLAR SEPTON MYLES ]
[ COVER STORY: EXOTIC PET RESEARCH ]
[ VIABILITY: 6-8 MONTHS ]
[ CONTINGENCY: CAVE RELOCATION ]
"When do you plan to reveal him?"
"When revealing serves our interests more than secrecy. When he's large enough to be impressive, small enough to be controllable, and the political situation makes dragon ownership more valuable than dangerous." Lord Corwyn's voice carried calculation that balanced against the obvious affection in his expression. "Probably just before or just after Viserys dies—when the factions harden and a new dragonrider becomes asset rather than threat."
"The Blacks will be pleased."
"The Blacks will be ecstatic. Rhaenyra needs every dragon she can get for what's coming. Silverscale won't match Vhagar or Vermithor, but he'll matter." Lord Corwyn smiled—genuine warmth that Harlan rarely saw. "Besides, I didn't hatch him for political advantage. I hatched him because I wanted to prove it was possible. That dragons don't require Valyrian blood—just dedication, research, and will."
"You've proven it."
"I have. And when the histories are written, they'll record that a minor Crownlands lord achieved what dragonlords claimed was impossible." Lord Corwyn's smile faded into something more serious. "Now I have to make sure those histories get written. Silverscale is miracle and responsibility both—keeping him alive and growing through what's coming will be harder than hatching him."
POV: Corwyn Darke
Night found me in the dragon chamber, Silverscale curled against my side.
The hatchling radiated warmth that made blankets unnecessary—dragon fire beginning to develop within his small body. His breathing was slow and steady, punctuated by occasional chirps as he dreamed whatever dragons dreamed.
[ 📊 CURRENT STATUS ]
[ SILVERSCALE: HEALTHY, GROWING ]
[ BOND: 92% (STRONG) ]
[ SECRECY: MAINTAINED ]
[ NEXT MILESTONES: ]
[ - FIRE CAPABILITY (~3 MONTHS) ]
[ - CAVE RELOCATION (~6 MONTHS) ]
[ - PUBLIC REVEAL (TIMING TBD) ]
[ - RIDEABLE SIZE (~18 MONTHS) ]
Through the bond, I felt his contentment—the simple satisfaction of a full belly, warm surroundings, and trusted presence nearby. He didn't understand the significance of his existence, the years of work that had brought him into being, the wars his presence would influence.
He was just a dragon. Young, growing, learning to trust the person who'd called him from his shell.
"I did it. The impossible dream—achieved."
The thought brought tears I didn't bother hiding. Seven years since waking in this body, fighting to survive, building toward goals that seemed absurd when stated plainly. Now I held a dragon against my chest, felt his mind touching mine, knew that everything I'd sacrificed had been worth it.
"We're going to survive this," I whispered to Silverscale, who stirred slightly at the sound. "The Dance, the chaos, all of it. We'll survive because we built the strength to survive. And when it's over, we'll build something better."
The dragon chirped softly, nuzzling closer.
Outside, the first hints of dawn touched the horizon. Another day of careful nurturing, secret keeping, preparation for conflicts that drew ever closer.
But for this moment, there was only warmth and connection and the quiet miracle of a dragon who had chosen me.
Author's Note / Support the Story
Your Reviews and Power Stones help the story grow! They are the best way to support the series and help new readers find us.
Want to read ahead? Get instant access to more chapters by supporting me on Patreon. Choose your tier to skip the wait:
⚔️ Noble ($7): Read 10 chapters ahead of the public.
👑 Royal ($11): Read 17 chapters ahead of the public.
🏛️ Emperor ($17): Read 24 chapters ahead of the public.
Weekly Updates: New chapters are added every week. See the pinned "Schedule" post on Patreon for the full update calendar.
👉 Join here: patreon.com/Kingdom1Building