Hide the dragon?
There was no need to hide it from these men of the Night's Watch.
Even if he wanted to, he could not keep it hidden.
The only uncertainty was Tyrion.
As the final layer of hide was peeled away,
an ice-blue egg lay quietly in Lynn's palm, its surface covered in delicate dragon-scale patterns, like a work of art carved from ice and stars.
It came into full view.
The entire courtyard instantly fell into an eerie, deathly silence.
The wind stopped.
Even the snow seemed to stop.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on the dragon egg in Lynn's hand.
Their mouths fell open of their own accord, but not a sound escaped their throats.
Even their breathing seemed frozen by that bone-deep chill.
What was that?
That perfect oval shape, those dragon-scale patterns covering its surface.
That ancient, boundless aura of a magical creature, palpable even from dozens of paces away...
"A dragon... egg?"
One man of the Night's Watch forced out the words in a trembling voice that sounded almost like someone talking in his sleep.
Boom!
Those words were a spark dropped into boiling oil, instantly setting the entire courtyard ablaze!
"Gods! It's a dragon egg!"
"Am I seeing things? Is that really a dragon egg?"
"By the old gods! Lord Lynn actually found a dragon egg!"
"A miracle! This is an absolute miracle!"
Cries of amazement, excited chatter, and sharp gasps rose one after another, swelling into a tremendous roar that threatened to bring Castle Black crashing down.
Every man of the Night's Watch surged forward as though possessed, heedless of everything,
each desperate for a closer look.
They wanted to witness this magnificent magical creature with their own eyes!
Torrhen and his Northern Guards reacted instantly, forming a solid human wall that held