The dragon who bonds with Captain Will Laurence in Naomi Novik’s series is Temeraire.
Their relationship begins when Laurence, a British naval captain, captures a French ship carrying an unhatched dragon egg during the Napoleonic Wars. When the egg hatches, the unusual black dragon chooses Laurence as his handler. Laurence names him Temeraire and is transferred from the navy into Britain’s Aerial Corps.
Temeraire is a Chinese Celestial dragon, a rare and highly respected breed in the series’ alternate-history world. He can speak, reason, and debate with humans, and his intelligence is central to the story. His bond with Laurence develops into a partnership built on loyalty, affection, and frequent disagreements.
The first novel is titled “His Majesty’s Dragon” in the United States and “Temeraire” in some other markets, which can cause confusion about whether Temeraire names the book or the dragon. Toothless and Smaug belong to other fictional universes, while Levitas is another dragon in Novik’s series.