Tad Cooper was not, on the whole, supposed to be a dragon—lizards were supposed to stay lizards, generally speaking.

But the unshakeable faith of a friend was a funny thing, particularly when that friend also happened to be the one true king of the land.

And so when Tad Cooper unfurled his wings for the first time and belched a great flame that incinerated two fences and a cart full of cabbages, Richard was the only one who wasn't shocked—instead, he hugged Tad Cooper tight and shouted, "I knew you were a dragon!"