Heartscale

the long version

Across the world, two lives are united by one thing - Dragons. In Lutesia, middle-aged farmer Graith isn't one for adventure. He'll leave that to the young and stupid. But when a dying dragon takes refuge in his barn with the rest of the kingdom hunting her, he doesn't hesitate to help her. Before she is even fully healed, Azelia reveals she desperately needs to get back to her cave to protect her clutch of eggs. But with her wings still out of commission, Graith worries about her chances of success, and decides to accompany her on the journey of a lifetime. In Situra - a kingdom where dragons select the rulers - Nerie is chosen by Kiriga, the golden hatchling. Raised as a merchant in a middle class district, she's shocked to learn that she is the king's bastard. Thrown into a chaotic palace life unprepared, she's forced to learn how to be a princess and bond with a dragon - all the while unaware that the machinations of a foreign prince threaten to upend her world again. Neither Graith nor Nerie are prepared for the chaos that dragons bring.