The first male fairies that heard about the dragons and the princesses were the dullahan and their reaction was condescending: mere toys, useless in battle, unreliable.
When they saw the princesses and their dragons in real life, the dullahan decided to go looking for male dragons since they were thought to be more aggressive and large enough to carry the large creatures the dullahan were.
Soon however the search for male dragons turned into a disillusion: they lived solitary lives, often hidden in caves or dark woods,...
...but most of all they were huge, looking invulnerable,...
...and first attempts to contact were met with aggressive responses.
One day, by accident, Yavanna, partner of Valdarin, stumbled upon a wounded dragon. She knew Valdarin was not far, so she awaited him.
When Valdarin met Yavanna she told him about the wounded dragon.
Valdarin wanted to go meet him, but asked Yavanna to go and search for healing herbs in the wood, as he knew her knowledge of the plant world to be extensive.
Yavanna soon had found a basket full of herbs and decided to return to Valdarin.
When Valdarin received the herbs he silently and carefully mounted the dragon, who seemed to be in a kind of feverish dream.