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Legs wasn't the best at change. The unfamiliar had always been scary to him—so many things could go wrong so quickly.
His mom always said he got it from his father, who he'd never met (probably for good reason). He'd gotten a lot of things from him, supposedly—his eyes, his smile, the urge to constantly try and make things.
Legs liked to think that he looked more like her, but no one else thought so. He had her hair, for the most part.
The blue streak was new—and a complete accident. More unknown variables, more unknown consequences. One of the new components he had been working with exploded in his face and colored the front part of his hair a pale blue, which was…
Definitely different.
He needed to do more research on it, if he could find anything on it. The one library in their small town was… limited, and new people didn't come often, never mind with books on niche topics like that.
"Hiya."
Legs jumped, spinning around and coming face-to-face with Mae, who was grinning at him, perched atop a wooden crate.
"Spirits, Mae, you're gonna be the reason I die of a heart attack." Legs exhaled sharply, staggering back.
"Sorry," her grin turned sheepish. Her ginger hair was tied back into a loose ponytail and resting over one shoulder. "You doing okay?"
He shrugged loosely, running a hand through his hair. "I guess? Weird day." Legs shook his head slightly. "What about you? How are things with your apprenticeship?"
Mae's eyes lit up with mirth. "Oh Spirits, it's amazing, Legs! I didn't think taking care of horses would actually be so much fun."
He continued to listen to Mae ramble on about her apprenticeship at the communal stables in their town. They both took lessons there when they were younger, but Mae was the only one out of them both that stuck with it for so long.
Turns out, Legs wasn't a fan of things bigger than him and willing to kick him at the slightest abrupt noise.
Who would've thought.
He liked listening to Mae talk. She had a nice voice, and always got excited at the small things. It was a nice change of pace compared to a lot of people he was around.
Not to say that they were unpleasant, but Mae was a ray of sun compared to them. Sixteen, and so bright.
He hoped she stayed that way.
He needed to tell her.
He needed to tell her about the letter he received.
A royal summons to the other side of the country.
Dragon riding.
Mae would be so much better at it than Legs would be—she'd thrive there.
Why him?
He was an alchemist, not a rider of any kind. Was it a random draft? Did they pick him for a specific reason?
Dragons were real?
Since when?
"Hey, Mae?" Legs looked back at her once she had finished speaking.
She raised her eyebrows. "Hm?"
"…I'm leaving."
"Why? To where?" a puzzled look crossed her face.
"It's…" he sighed. "Not my choice. I- erm got a letter yesterday. I'm being summoned to the capital."
Mae's eyes widened. "They want you to be an alchemist at the capital?!"
"…Not an alchemist." he paused, rubbing the side of his face. "They want me to be a dragon rider."
"…What?"
"I know!"
"That's a thing?!"
"Apparently!"
"Legs, this is great!" she paused. "Ok, probably not for you, considering you don't like riding things. Or heights. Or animals bigger than you. Or-"
"I get the point," Legs flapped his hands. "Unfortunately, I can't say no to royal summons." he took a few steps forward before his vision began to cloud around the edges, and everything started to spin. He leaned against one of the stacked crates as his vision began to fade out entirely.
Oh, come on…