Daelin wouldn't remember the first day of his new life as anything but mostly boring. The morning of his departure was relatively exciting as he got into the carriage, but after a few minutes sitting in it, the young boy of six realized that eight months was a really long time. Fortunately Daelin wasn't quite old enough to grasp exactly how long it was or he would have turned back right then, but instead the chubby boy with a neatly kept mop of blonde hair did his best to sit still and continue onwards.
The news of Daelin's departure had come a few days ago from his father at the dinner table. The purchased lord paused from daintily placing food into his mouth and very casually mentioned that perhaps Daelin should begin preparations for his departure to the academy. The whole thing had been done so casually, as if the weather or the cutlery or maybe even the grass outside the window were the topic of discussion instead of the possibility that the young boy might get a dragon.
"Daelin," his father said with almost no inflection, "the Academy has accepted your application."
The young boy stifled a whoop, instead he rose as calmly as he could appear from his seat and bowed respectfully to his father. "When shall I be departing, my lord?"
Daelin's father took the time to daintily place a morsel of food into his mouth that he chewed quite slowly upon while his son nearly ran over and shook the information out of the fat man before Lord Landon answered. "You will leave in four days' time if you are to make it for when the gates open."
"May I attend to the packing, my lord?"
"Tomorrow you and Jem will construct a list of items that you will need for your journey. The following day I will look it over, you will make any corrections and the final day you and Jem will oversee the servants packing. Jem and your tutors will accompany you to the Academy so be sure to account for them and a proper sized guard. Tonight, though, you will finish what is on your plate, recite what you've learned today and then you will go directly to bed."
Daelin nearly sighed, but he held it back as he sat back down reluctantly in his seat to eat his meal. While he ate, he did his best to sulk in his head without showing the disappointment he felt at having to bring his tutors. That thought nearly made him want to cry but he knew that he'd be going nowhere if he broke down in front of his father.
Daelin's father was named Lord Tunrinde Landon and was the proud owner of the wealthiest family in the kingdom, he was also the largest. Landon's girth made it difficult for the man to continue eating, but he managed to eat startling amounts despite his protruding belly pushing up against the wooden table, making it difficult for the man to lean forward in his seat. His clothes were made of the finest material available and a deep red, as close to purple as the law allowed. Landon was tall, but his girth distracted people from the towering height. People who had never gotten close to the Lord laughed at how large he was but people who had met Landon face to face forgot about the weight quickly; they saw an expressionless face and an imposing demeanor with unforgiving blue eyes that seemed to penetrate past peoples' defenses.
Landon's eldest child, Daelin, had hair that was short with unruly curls but Tunrinde ensured that it was kept short so Daelin couldn't mess it up easily. Daelin was tall for his age with bright green eyes and a chubby toddler's body. Being the son of the wealthiest man in the kingdom allowed Daelin's clothes to also be of the finest material but the boy wore mostly green to match his eyes. There was something odd about the boy that most people couldn't place but it was his clean clothes along with untanned and unbruised skin. Daelin spent most of his days indoors with his tutors which left him rather pale and his father wouldn't let Daelin outside much as he felt there were more useful things his son could be doing with his time, things like studying for a future as a merchant lord like his father.
Daelin had absolutely no desire to be anything like his father because it seemed to be very boring but he was too scared to say anything and his father and Jem both said that soon it would be fun and would get better he just had to get through his learning first.
Daelin scrubbed away a tear at being denied leaving the table, but he knew that if he let out even a sniffle his father would revoke the boy's permission to go the Academy. He knew that as long as he acted properly he would be able to do almost anything that he wanted.
And he really, really wanted a dragon.
However, despite how rich and powerful his father was he could not get to a dragon's egg without first enrolling his son at the Academy. Another issue with enrolment had been the boy's age; Daelin was already six and the academy requires you to be six in first year. The journey would take several months and Daelin would be seven by the time he got there. The Dragon's Academy was on the southern border of the country Daelin lived in. It was a large country as country sizes went and Landon owned property on the northern shores where it became cold enough for some snow to fall during winter.
"Daelin," his father started sternly, "stop daydreaming and focus on your supper."
The boy nodded, "sorry, my lord."
Daelin looked down at his plate but it looked so unappetizing now. He stabbed the quail with his fork and cut it awkwardly with the large heavy knife that his hands couldn't quite fit around. As quickly as protocol and his small hands allowed, Daelin finished his meal. The difficult part for Daelin was sitting still and not fidgeting as he waited for his father to finish his meal so that the servants could clear away the table. Daelin resented the fact that his father ate so slowly and that his father was so strict when it came to protocol; everyone would have to finish their dinner before the dishes would be cleared. Only once all the dishes had been cleared from the table would Daelin be permitted to get up from the table. He'd have an hour of free time then to review his studies before debriefing with his father.
As he waited, the boy looked to Feonna, his mother; Taeil, his brother; and Gren, his sister.
Daelin's sister, Grenaelin, was still an infant, though there was no milk to suckle from their mother's breast. The child was quiet, which Daelin appreciated, but he was too young and inexperienced to know that babies were supposed to be loud and squalling. Already the baby was slim with plain brown eyes, the only thing that her eldest brother could see beneath the baby's blanket.
Taeil was almost as old as Daelin, only a year and a bit younger. Taeil had a dark tan and messy brown hair that someone had attempted to tame for dinner for their father, but Daelin knew his father didn't actually care what Taeil did or looked like. That fact made Daelin very jealous but he loved his brother; instead Daelin blamed his father for the unfair treatment. Both Daelin and his younger brother had straight hair but the younger of the brothers' was much longer and tied back in a loose leather thong. Despite the best efforts of the servants there would be always be strands of hair that had come loose from the thong and at that dinner there had been a smudge of dirt had hardened onto his cheek. To Daelin his brother was the most beautiful person he'd ever laid eyes on because Daelin envied his messy hair and with it all the freedom that must come with it.
Their mother, Feonna, was a young woman in comparison to her husband whose hair was lined with grey. Feonna's skin was pale and her face was hollow in contrast to her husband's bloated appearance. Feonna didn't breast feed; there was a nurse maid for that but Daelin wondered if she even had milk since she was so skinny, it seemed as if there was nowhere to put the milk. Her eldest son envied her portion sizes, they were so much smaller than his own and she finished much faster. Landon told Daelin that she was allowed less food because she had a figure to keep (or something like that), though Daelin had no idea why that was so important. He thought his mother was very pretty without having to keep a figure. Feonna with her long black hair tied back in a neat braid, and elaborate dress looked like a sad woman to the boy and he wished he could talk to her more but Landon was very particular about how much time a boy was allowed with his mother and their time had always been heavily supervised by either a servant or Landon himself.
Daelin didn't see much of any of them except at meal times, but Daelin remembered that towards the end of Feonna's pregnancy with Gren that he hadn't seen his mother at all. Of everyone in his family he spent the most time with was his brother or maybe his father in the evenings but Daelin was nervous every second that he spent with his father. The time that Daelin got to spend with his younger brother was much better but always quick and in short bursts. The two had to meet in places that the servants or their father wouldn't see them together. They had made a code a few months ago so they could write each other notes without the fear that someone would read them and passed them to each other when they could as a way to talk as much as they could.
Since Daelin was the older of the two boys their father forced Daelin to attend hours of tutoring where his brother had few to no responsibilities, though Landon did become upset with Taeil that night when he showed up to dinner so messy. Landon's main focus was appearance, even to the servants and Daelin had been told that even when no one was looking appearances should always be the very top priority. It made sense when Daelin's father explained why but it didn't mean that Daelin enjoyed any of it.