We were just returning from the battle with Dagur, and I was exhausted both emotionally and physically. On the ride home, I had been too confused and tired to even try to comprehend the information given to me. Now with my feet back on the ground, my mind began to click. Dagur was my brother. The man I had spent the last three years of my life trying to kill was related to me. He killed my adopted family, but he was my birth family. Most likely he was the one who killed my, our, mother and father. Where would the irony end?
Thankfully everyone knew better than to talk to me. The twins and Snotlout were goofing off and hitting one another with plenty of elbow room between me and them. Astrid and Hiccup were off to the side still on their dragons quietly chatting. They kept giving me worried glances. Lastly Fishlegs stood a few feet away pretending to feed his dragon. He was nervously chatting to himself, possibly Meatlug. It seemed like everyone was trying to avoid eye contact with me like the plague!
Quickly and without a word I hurried off to the hut I had stayed in the night before. The moment I was safely inside shielded from the other riders, I burst out into sobs. I couldn't keep my tough girl image up any longer. There would be no way to avenge my family. I could never do anything to bring them back. What was even the point?
After crying on Windshear's shoulder for an hour or two, I got up, dusted myself off, and realized what I needed to do. As much as I wanted to stay at Dragon's Edge and become a rider, I needed to get things settled. I wasn't sure how Dagur would fit into everything, but I knew the first thing I had to do was find out what happened to my father. I had to know if Dagur really did kill him, and if somehow my mother might still be alive. I wasn't sure what I would do from there, but I knew I had to try to figure things out along the way.
I instantly began to gather my supplies. I knew if I stayed too long Astrid or Hiccup would convince me to stay for good, and I had to figure out my past first. Maybe there was some way I could still make things right. As I was gathering my supplies into a bag, I heard a knock on the door.
"Ummm, Heather?" I heard Fishlegs' voice from outside. "Are you in there?"
Quickly checking if I was presentable in a nearby mirror and fixing a stray hair (what, I am a girl after all), I opened the door. Fishlegs stood there awkwardly holding what smelled possibly like the most delicious stew I'd ever taste. Seeing it made me realize how hungry I was, and how I had missed breakfast and lunch. He gave me a nervous smile and I returned him a reassuring one. As long as he didn't tread into bad waters, aka mention Dagur or anything related to him (*pun not intended), I would be happy to have him and his yummy meal inside.
"Hi," he said with a small wave. His eyes darted from my eyes to the side and back again. "You never came out for lunch, so Meatlug and I figured we should bring some to you."
I couldn't help but notice how attractive he looked at the moment. He was just so caring and kind, and beyond cute.
"Sure Fishlegs, come right inside. Windshear and I were getting pretty hungry."
I stood to the side, and he walked in and set down the heavy pot on a large round wooden table. I opened a large side door I used to bring Windshear in and out for his Gronkle while he prepared a bowl. Meatlug trotted inside and walked up to Windshear. I couldn't help but giggle as the two completely different dragons cautiously circled each other. Meatlug was extremely friendly and seemed to want to communicate with my Razorwhip and play, but in contrast my dragon, being the loner she was, kept her distance.
"Meatlug! Don't agitate Windshear! We're guests!" Fishlegs scolded.
I laughed again. "Don't worry; after all of the attention she's been getting from Ruffnut and Tuffnut, she's used to being around very exciting visitors. Besides, it's good for her to make some dragon friends."
"I've read that Razorwhips are very reclusive." Fishlegs stated, examining my dragon. His eyes were full of curiosity yet had that same excited look Meatlug had had on entering. "It's amazing that you were able to bond with her!"
I walked over to Windshear and coaxed her closer. Fishlegs ran his hand along Windshear's back and gave her a good look over. My dragon seemed to be tolerating Fishlegs, which is more than I can say for how she responded to Tuffnut.
"They really do have fascinating armor! I didn't believe they could possibly be a 32, but now up close I would say she could be a 35. Those scales are amazing; no wonder their attack is an 18. Gronkles are marked as an 8 even though they have a huge heavily spiked tail, so having such a high attack on any dragon is impressive!" Fishlegs went on spilling out statistics about Razorwhips that I didn't even know. He seemed to be in some type of nerdy trance, and I couldn't help but be pulled in too.
"So Windshear's really an 8 in venom? I knew she had poisonous tears but I never really had the chance to test their strength," I admitted to him after talking more about Razorwhip/Gronkle statistics for a few minutes.
"Yep!" He replied. "It's not extremely high, but more than I can say about Gronkles. They're at a zero, no offense Meatlug." He patted his dragon lovingly.
"Where did you learn all of this stuff about Razorwhips? I didn't think they were in the Book of Dragons." I questioned him.
"Oh, I read it using the Dragon's Eye, I'm not sure you've seen it yet."
"Hiccup told me about it, it sounds fascinating. I bet you've discovered a lot of new things about dragons with it."
"Tons!" He opened his mouth to speak again but suddenly remembered something important. "Oh, your stew! I bet you and Windshear are starving. Let me serve you some famous Fishlegs Fish Fin Stew before it gets cold."
Fishlegs pulled out a chair for me very gentleman like. I sat down and immediately began to scarf down the late lunch.
"This is delicious!" I exclaimed. "Aren't you going to have any?"
He shook his head while setting the pot that contained the rest of the meal on the floor. "I already ate. The rest is for Windshear. I thought she would enjoy some too."
To my amazement I saw Windshear gobble down the rest of the chunky fish stew with as much intensity as me. She's usually such a picky eater.
I asked, "How on earth did you come up with such a delicious dish that both dragons and humans can both enjoy?"
"Well," he began while looking down slightly sheepishly, "It took a lot of trial and air, but eventually I got it. I'm basically the cook at Dragon's Edge, so it's easier to make one dish instead of two separate ones for everyone. Unfortunately Meatlug only eats rocks, but I try to spice up her meals with some Dragon-nip. She loves it, don't you girl." He again turned and started petting his Gronkle.
"You really do love your dragon, huh Fishlegs?"
"Of course! Statistics are fun to learn, but in the end the best dragon is the one that you connect with the most. Gronkles may not have the best stats, but Meatlug will always be the only dragon for me."
I smiled at him and Meatlug, and then looked over at my own best friend. Fishlegs was right, there were even more powerful dragons than Windshear, but I wouldn't give her up for anything in the whole world. We loved each other, and we had a dragon to dragon rider bond that we could never break.
"So, last time I talked to you was three years ago when you were telling me about Gronkles," I said to him between spoon fills. "What have you learned about them since then with the Dragon Eye."
His face broke out into a huge smile and he looked even happier than he did at first when we were first discussing stats.
"You won't believe what I discovered."
We sat there for hours, but this time instead of crying I was laughing and exchanging stories. He told me about an island called Dark Deep and how he discovered a Boulder class Dragon he had named Catastrophic Quaken. I told him tales of how my dragon and I had sunken criminal ships and stolen their loot. We argued about which dragons were better and which ones would win a fight. At the end I couldn't be happier. Not once was Dagur or my birth parents mentioned. It was just me and him, two friends spending quality time together.
We probably would have sat there forever had we not noticed the sun about to set and had Fishlegs' stomach not begun rumbling.
"Well, it looks like I better start preparing dinner; we talked the whole day away!" He hesitated for just a moment. "Are you okay with coming outside and talking with the others while I cook?"
"That would be fine." I assured him. I tried to keep a happy face on as we walked to the large meeting hall to greet the others, but I knew that eventually I would have to tell him and the others what I was planning.
The other dragon riders and their dragons were already there hanging out. Fishlegs had already gone to the kitchen to make supper, so all eyes were on me as I entered the room by myself.
"Heather!" Hiccup greeted me, trying to make things seem not awkward. "How are you doing?"
"Fine," I lied as expected of me.
"Wow, really?" Tuffnut said. "'Cause if I had been plotting to kill Ruffnut all my life because she killed my parents but it turned out she was my sibling, I'd be pretty upset."
Astrid and Hiccup sent killer glares at Tuff while Snotlout elbowed him in the ribs.
"IxNay on the IblingSay!" Snotlout loudly whispered.
"Guys, you can drop the act. I'm fine really." I told them, not wanting to have an unwanted conversation.
"Hey Heather!"
I sighed in relief as I saw Fishlegs run inside.
"I forgot to ask if you wanted me to take you up to Dark Deep tomorrow. I can show you the Catastrophic Quaken and we can do some further research on the boulder class together."
The enthusiasm in his voice almost made me say yes, but I knew reality would have to kick in at some point and I would have to tell him I wasn't staying. Before I could say anything Snotlout butted in.
"Uggh, why even ask Fishlegs. Heather would much rather spend the day with me, riding on my manly and dangerous Monstrous Nightmare." He bragged, trying to put his arm around me.
I shoved his arm off and stepped away from him. Completely ignoring Snotlout, I decided it was time to tell him and everyone else the truth. No sneaking off this time, I wasn't going to be secretive anymore.
"Fishlegs, I can't. I'm leaving tonight to find out what really happened to my father Owald the Agreeable."
The room broke out into a cluster of words. The twins started sobbing, begging me to leave Windshear behind. Hiccup and Astrid were throwing around excuses for why I had to stay, and Snotlout was yelling at me about something, I wasn't sure because I was still trying to ignore him. Fishlegs was the only one who stayed quiet. He seemed unsure of what to say.
"Everyone quiet!" I screamed. The noise in the room dialed down. "This is my decision OK? I need to finish unsettled business. It's won't be for forever."
Astrid walked up to me and said, "Heather, you don't have to go. Your home is with us, the Dragon Riders."
"Yah, and Windshear's home is here too!" Tuffnut insisted.
There was a few more seconds of arguing until finally Fishlegs spoke up, loud enough so everyone could hear him. I was preparing myself for him to start arguing when he surprised me. Instead of trying to convince me to remain at Dragon's Edge like the others, he said, "Guys, Heather needs us to be supportive and understanding of her decision." He then turned to look me in the eye. "Just remember, you're not alone. If you ever need anything, I, all of us, will always be here to help."
Without a second thought I rushed up to Fishlegs and wrapped my arms tightly around him in a bear hug. He seemed uncertain at first of the grateful display of affection, but soon returned the hug.
"Thankyou Fishlegs," I said, burrowing my nose into his shoulder. "Thank you for understanding. I promise I'll visit and return as soon as I can."
When we broke our hug, I turned to see everyone's mouth hanging open. The only person who didn't seem completely surprised was Astrid, who had a knowing smile on her face.
"Thank you so much for all of your hospitality, but I need to leave as soon as possible," I said to the others, knowing I had lost most of the day talking to Fishlegs. "I'm going to go load up Windshear and leave at sunset. I really do appreciate knowing that I'll always have you guys as friends to back me up."
I went around giving everyone quick hugs, not quite as intense as the one I gave Fishlegs, but very emotional none the less. I knew Astrid and Hiccup would probably try to convince me to stay one last time before I left, so I figured I could save the big goodbyes for later. When I got back around to Fishlegs we stared each other in the eyes.
"Sorry you don't get to try my Catfish Kabobs," Fishlegs told me, not really sure what else to say.
I shook my said and assured him it was fine. "I'll try them soon," I promised.
"Just, remember what I said," Fishlegs said, "and remember what you said too. I'll always be here for you, waiting. You just need to not forget about me."
We kissed then. It wasn't too passionate, but just a quick peck on the lips that lasted for a little bit longer than needed. If mouths had been dropped open before, the others' mouths were falling to the floor.
"So, when did this happen?" Hiccup finally managed to ask after he had gained his composure. Our faces turned bright red. Fishlegs looked extremely happy but also extremely embarrassed.
Snotlout started to look extremely annoyed. He complained very loudly, "How come the nerds always get the girls?!" That deserved a laugh from Astrid and me.
"I'm going to go get ready," I said to everyone. I gave Fishlegs one last glance and told him, "I'll remember. If I'm ever in the neighborhood, keep an eye out for a Razorwhip in the sky."
Fishlegs nodded. "And you be on the lookout for a Gronkle."
And that was our goodbye. Not a parting but a promise. A promise that there would be a future. No matter what I would always have Fishlegs, Windshear, the other Dragon Riders, and a place at Dragon's Edge. I would never be alone again.
6