News of the scarlet egg swept across the kingdom like dragon fire.
“It’s a miracle!” some said. “A red dragon will surely bring good luck to the kingdom.
Others said, “Oh no! Scarlet dragons are bad luck. Nothing good can come from this.”
The local merchants cashed in on the news. An inn known as the Red Rooster had now become the Red Dragon. The grocer began to dye his eggs red. The village boys sold hand-carved red dragons by the side of the road.
But Prince Lucas had bigger things to think about. He had to design a lair for the scarlet dragon. Lucas and Clara learned everything they could about dragon lairs. They read books and talked to the knights and the wizards.
Then Lucas drew a plan for the dragon’s home. The main entrance, which was behind the castle, looked like the opening to a cave. Rocks and boulders surrounded the mouth of the cave. Lucas added a ledge for the dragon to perch on. Underground tunnels formed the inside. Each tunnel led to a chamber. Lucas drew a sleeping area, a dining space, and a playroom with a wading pool and a waterfall. He added a large fireplace to each chamber, because he read that red dragons needed their homes to be hot. Lastly, he added an escape exit in case an enemy approached the lair.
Then Lucas presented his plan to his father. The king loved Lucas’s ideas. He had his men draw up the official plan.
Meanwhile, Clara and Lucas planned to make chew toys for the baby dragon.
“I’ll sew some stuffed animals,” said Clara.
“I’ll carve some wooden toys,” Lucas said.
Over several weeks, Clara sewed and stuffed a rabbit, a bear, and a fox with her mother’s fabric scraps.
Lucas collected branches from the woods and carved a sea serpent, a boot, a war hammer, and some bones. When they were done, they stored the chew toys in a chest in Lucas’s playroom until the lair was finished.
The king’s men worked on the lair for two months. While they were building, Lucas took dragon training classes on Hobsgrove. André and Grom taught him how to feed and care for hatchlings. They also taught him about dragon discipline. Lucas shared everything he learned with Clara. He wanted his best friend to help him raise the dragon.
Then one afternoon a trumpet sounded. The king’s men announced that the lair had been completed! It was time for the royal family and Clara to have the grand tour. The children brought the dragon’s toys.
Everyone followed Stefan into the lair. Torches lit the tunnels. Even though it was a warm summer day, fires crackled in each of the chambers. This is the temperature it would have to be for the baby dragon. The king and queen walked around excitedly. They were very impressed.
“A job well done,” said the king.
“A splendid dwelling,” said the queen.
“Now all we need is the baby dragon!” exclaimed Lucas.
When they got to the playroom, Lucas and Clara laid out the chew toys. While Stefan talked to the king and queen, the children dipped their feet in the wading pool. They left the lair through the escape exit, which led them to the west side of the castle, under the bridge.
