Life mate

In dragon terms, becoming a Life Mate is the human equivalent of marriage and being married. Once two dragons are joined together as life mates, they can never be separated, save only by death. This always follows engagement, which the dragons call being "Spoken For", and usually occurs after 10-20 years of dating, and getting to know one another. Since dragon marriages are rare, given the time between when each one happens, these are held as exceptionally special events where the bride and groom are showered with much praise, love and joy. After this, the happy couple is sent away to live in solitude for a time to enjoy their new union with one another. This period of isolation is the dragon equivalent to a honeymoon and serves to strengthen their relationship even more. After this they return to normal dragon society and their previous duties while looking forward to starting a family and raising their first children. Dragons typically have children within the first 10 years of having become life mates, although some have waited longer. But generally most get that issue settled in their first decade together.