I'm alive! I'm so sorry for not posting anything lately. School's been really crazy and I just finished my last college entrance exam. Again, my deepest and most sincere apologies.
My Riders and Defenders of Berk story will be updated next weekend, I promise.
Now, I've been receiving tons of messages asking for when I will post HTTYD2 with Zenna.
Well, wait no more my fellow HTTYD fans! For it has finally arrived!
This here, is the first chapter of HTTYD2 with Zenna and Stryka!
The storyline might get a little confusing so feel free to send me any questions. Now on with the story!
DISCLAIMER NOTE: I do NOT own HTTYD or HTTYD2. All rights to both films go to Cressida Cowell and DreamWorks Animation.
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Chapter 1: Good to Be Home
The wind blew at just the right speed as Trader Johann's ship passed between the old Viking guardian statues that guarded Berk. Stryka and I stood at the helm, unable to contain our excitement. Stryka was practically wiggling about like an excited little caterpillar and bouncing around, making the boat rock a little.
"Settle down, Stryka! Remember, we have to go below deck in just a couple of minutes." I laughed as I fiddled with my lucky silver pendant. Trader Johann smiled at me and asked, "Anxious to see your family, Lady Zenna?" I smiled back at him. "Overly excited and fit to burst from excitement is more like it, Johann." I replied as Stryka and I headed below deck just as Johann's ship docked at Berk.
Good thing nobody saw us yet. Wouldn't want to spoil our big surprise now, would we?
Oh, where are my manners? I'm Zenna Fiersome, by the way.
In case you don't know me, I'm the other half of Berk's Two Original Dragon Trainers, the other half being my best human friend and surrogate brother, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. He also happens to be the partner of Toothless, his male Night Fury and Stryka's mate, as well as the only son of Chief Stoick the Vast.
Another thing you should know about both me and Stryka is that both of us have only one eye. We lost our right eyes in the battle with the Red Death five years ago. Back then, the dragons and Vikings of Berk were sworn enemies. But when Hiccup and I met our two Night Furies, it wasn't long before the 300-year old feud ended through our efforts. Now, Berk has integrated dragons into society and we've been at peace ever since.
As for why Stryka and I are so anxious, here's the reason: We've been away from Berk for five whole, freaking years.
I know crazy, right? Well, you see, I'd been accepted to study medicine under the great Hippocrates not long after the war ended. While I had been trained under Gothi, the village elder, in the basics and already learned the healing arts from my past experiences as an apprentice healer in my old home in the South, I figured that more advanced medical knowledge could help save more lives. Also, since Berk has dragons living in it, it makes sense to know more about medicine if you wanna treat more injuries that had been caused by flying accidents or accidental dragon attacks.
So Stryka and I left Berk, I went to Greece to study and, as part of my learning experience, travelled around the world with Stryka to learn different healing techniques from other lands.
Together, Stryka and I have seen a lot, done a lot, learnt a lot and met so many amazing new people and have been to so many new places. I had to admit that the five years of freedom and adventure were good for us both.
But honestly, there's no place like home.
I could now hear Johann talking as Stryka and I waited below deck. My heart was racing in my chest as I tried to imagine how Berk has changed and how everyone will react to my and Stryka's return. I couldn't wait to see my parents, Hiccup, Toothless, Astrid, Stormfly, Snotlout, Hookfang, Fishlegs, Meatlug, Ruffnut and Tuffnut, Barf and Belch, Stoick, Gobber, Gothi and everyone else again. And judging by Stryka's big, gummy smile, I could tell that she was just as excited as I was.
"In fact, I have a surprise for all of you!" Johann's voice sounded from above just as I got on Stryka's back.
"Showtime, Stryka. Time for our big comeback!" I whispered to Stryka, who crooned as the hatch opened. We shot out of there like a firework and up into the air. Stryka spiraled up into the sky with me on her back, corkscrewed a few times and then, did a mid-air somersault before we landed. I could see everyone staring at me and Stryka with a mixture of surprise and amazement.
"Okay, so Stryka and I've been away for five years. What've we missed?" I asked, grinning. No sooner had I gotten off of Stryka, I was immediately greeted with cheers.
My parents, Edgar and Henna Fiersome, were the first to greet me along with their Hideous Zippleback, Serpent and Serpentine. "My precious little gemstone! My darling Zenna, it is so good to see you again!" my father shouted joyfully as he swung me around. "Zenna…Sweet Freya, love! You've grown up, sweetheart…" my mother said, beaming with pride. I laughed and embraced them both, Serpent and Serpentine intertwining their heads around us. "Stryka and I've really missed you guys. It's so good to be home…" I said with a big smile on my face.
Suddenly I felt the baby in Mom's tummy kick. "Someone else is also glad to have you back home, love." Mom chuckled, rubbing her swollen belly. Dad looked at me with pride. "If your brother were here, he'd be so happy." He murmured. "Yeah…" I said quietly. My older brother, Elias, had died seven years ago in a dragon attack. It was he who had the beginning premonition of dragons and Vikings co-existing together peacefully. And if it weren't for him and his premonition, Hiccup and I wouldn't have tried to change our world for the better. Elias was and always will be the greatest older brother to me, even if he's already in Valhalla.
And now, he will be an older brother to both me and our unborn sibling.
About seven months before Stryka and I returned home, I had received a letter from Hiccup. In it, he told me of all the new adventures he and Toothless had had, new inventions he had made for the village, his proposal to me and Stryka to join him and Toothless on their explorations…and the news of my mother's pregnancy.
Let me tell you, dear reader, that I was practically running around the streets of Greece while shouting, "I'm gonna be a big sister!" at the top of my lungs after I read that letter. And even if we were far away from home and our family, Stryka and I celebrated and praised our Norse gods.
Now I was home, and I couldn't wait to meet my little brother or little sister.
Kneeling in front of Mom, I pressed my cheek to her belly where I could hear the baby's heartbeat and feel it kicking like there was no tomorrow. "I'm home, little one…And I can't wait to meet you soon." I whispered lovingly. Stryka warbled softly and gently nuzzled Mom's tummy, making us all chuckle at her motherly antics.
Standing up, I looked at all the happy faces surrounding me as I was welcomed back home. I smiled and bowed gratefully to Gothi, who smiled and bowed back. I waved to Spitelout and Phlegma, who cheerfully waved back. Gustav ran up to me and gave me a hug, which I happily returned. "You've gotten big. Are you still training with Fanghook? Did the others find out that you still kept him?" I asked him coyly. Gustav shrugged. "They were gonna find out sooner or later. But once they saw how much better Fanghook and I worked together, they let me keep him. Hiccup even promoted me to Apprentice Dragon Trainer. If I keep up the good work, I can be an official member of the Academy!" he told me excitedly.
Then, a large burly Viking dressed in the trappings of a Chief approached me accompanied by a two-limbed Viking with a dirty blond mustache. I smiled and stood respectfully straight. The two-limbed Viking is Gobber, Berk's blacksmith and Dragon Dentist while the larger Viking was Hiccup's father and Chief of Berk, Stoick the Vast.
"It's good to have you back, Zenna." Stoick smiled warmly at me. "It's definitely good to be back, Chief." I smiled. "Well, well, well! The Fiersome has become quite a jewel. You're all grown up, Zen!" Gobber whistled, winking at me. "Thank you, Gobber. You haven't changed much." I laughed in jest.
As I looked around, I could see that some of the men were giving me looks. I rolled my eye at them, indirectly telling them that I wasn't interested. I guess I had grown quite a bit over the last five years. My long black hair, which I usually tied up into a messy ponytail, was now let down and my previously choppy bangs had been cut and trimmed to become neat and wavy, giving me a more feminine look. I was taller now, and had blossomed I supposed into a woman. For today, I made sure to wear the white coat Hiccup had made for me before I left for my travels as well as the leather eye patch he made for me during Snoggletog five years ago.
That's when I noticed that six people were missing from the welcoming party. Namely: Hiccup, Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, Ruffnut and Tuffnut. Their dragons weren't around either and Stryka was standing on her hind legs to try to spot her beloved mate.
"You're looking for Hiccup, aren't you?" Stoick chuckled when he saw me craning my neck to look at the crowd. "Yeah, I was actually hoping he'd be the first to greet me with everyone else." I remarked, slightly disappointed. "Ah, the lad's gone off with the others to test out his new flight suit. They'll be back shortly." Gobber told me.
"Flight suit…?" I blinked at Gobber, confused. Suddenly I heard Fishlegs shouting, "Make a hole! Clear a path! He's headed this way!" in a panicked tone that made me look up. I could see Fishlegs and Meatlug, Astrid and Stormfly, Snotlout and Hookfang as well as the Twins and Barf and Belch flying in. Then I heard the familiar shriek of a Night Fury and Toothless came in for a landing. What perplexed me was that Hiccup wasn't on his back. I was so busy pondering as to why, that I didn't even notice the crowd parting. That's when I heard a very familiar voice scream, "Look out!"
I looked up and saw this masked flying Viking headed straight for me! I only had a second to mutter, "Holy Shields…" before wham! The masked flier flew straight into me, the impact sending us both sprawling into the dirt.
"Owww…" I groaned as we both struggled to untangle ourselves from each other. "Well, he's here now. You two alright?" Stoick remarked. "We're okay, Dad! Just a minor malfunction with the suit. No injuries!" the masked flier grunted as he helped me to my feet. I noticed the metal leg where his left foot should have been…along with the leather riding helmet I had made.
I smiled as I dusted myself off. Facing the masked man, I grinned. "No injuries, huh? If there were any, you'd say that it was an occupational hazard. And I see that the helmet finally fits you, Hicc." I commented. Even if his face was covered by the visor, I could see Hiccup's emerald green eyes widen. By now, the others had already landed along with their dragons. Stryka immediately bounded over to Toothless, who roared with joy and nuzzled and licked her. My friends' dragons were also crooning and warbling happily, welcoming Stryka back.
"So…how have you guys been?" I asked casually to my friends, who were all staring at me with wide eyes and amazed expressions.
'Red shirt…that suits Astrid. Ha! Snotlout's the short stack of the gang. Fishlegs just keeps getting bigger…and is that a beard I see? Ruffnut looks pretty much the same. Wow, Tuffnut with spiked arms bracers. That's kind of cool.' I thought, taking a quick and good look at how much my friends had grown.
Then Hiccup took off his helmet.
My eye widened in awe.
Hiccup's hair had gotten shaggier and now had two small braids at the back near his ear (No doubt Astrid was the one who did those). He had filled out pretty well too. He was easily the tallest among the seven of us…even I came up about an inch shorter than him! And he was decked out in this complicated-looking but, nonetheless, still pretty awesome suit made from black and brown leather. His upper torso had this black leather armor that made me think of dragon skin with a shoulder pad emblazoned with a red skull emblem and a small button-like pin that had the same symbol I had embossed on his helmet stamped in red. His prosthetic leg looked new and improved, obviously from his own tinkering. And his face? Let's just say that if I had romantic feelings for him (which I clearly do not have for some very important reasons), I'd be drooling right now.
'My best human friend has gone from adorable and awkward fishbone to lean, mean and goddamn hot Viking heartthrob!' I thought, feeling both surprised and proud at the same time.
For a minute, Hiccup and I just stared at each other. Finally I spoke up. "What happened to all of…this?" I asked jokingly, gesturing to him from head-to-toe. Hiccup then smiled that familiar crooked grin of his that I missed so much. "You just gestured to all of me!" he laughed. "Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?" I laughed as well before we embraced each other tightly. "I missed you…" Hiccup whispered to me. "I missed you too…" I whispered back. Letting go, Hiccup and I smiled. "Okay?" Hiccup extended his hand out to me. "Okay." I replied and we slammed hands.
Then the others came up to me, still amazed. "Zenna?" Fishlegs asked. "The one and only." I curtsied playfully. "Y-you're back! That's…quite a surprise." Snotlout said uncertainly. "We didn't know you were coming back today." Ruffnut told me. "You totally surprised us!" Tuffnut added. "Which I'm pretty sure you were planning to do from the very beginning." Astrid smiled knowingly.
"It's good to see you guys too. Sorry if I didn't give any of you the heads up. Stryka and I were just so excited." I said, smiling as I watched Stryka have her own little reunion with her comrades. Then Toothless scampered over to me, his tail wagging with delight. "Toothless! Hey, you big lug!" I giggled as I was licked in the face. Toothless warbled happily and rolled onto his back, begging for a belly rub. "I missed you too, bud. You've grown so big." I smiled, gladly giving him the belly rub he wanted so much. Toothless crooned and smiled his big gummy grin while Stryka lovingly nuzzled him.
More greetings were exchanged for a couple more minutes until Trader Johann and my parents got all of my things off the ship. I turned to my friends, who were all looking at me expectantly. "What?" I asked, a little confused. "You need help moving back in?" Hiccup asked me, grinning. Seeing my parents struggle with some of the trunks along with Johann, I nodded. In no time, my things were being brought to my house.
"Thanks for bringing me and Stryka home, Johann." I thanked the trader. "I'm sure you'll make a fine doctor for Berk, Lady Zenna. May Odin bless you and your family." Johann said courteously as he took his leave. Going back to my house, I could see Hiccup and the gang helping my parents move my stuff back into my previously empty room. Rolling up my sleeves, I proceeded to put my room in order.
"What did you see out there, Zenna?" Astrid asked, helping me place my lab equipment on the table. "A lot of things, Astrid." I smiled, polishing all of my medals until they gleamed.
"Any new dragons?" Fishlegs inquired eagerly, arranging my newly acquired books on the shelves. "Sometimes Stryka and I didn't see a single dragon for miles. But every now and then, we did see a few. I think I've got a few sketches around here. But I didn't name them because I'm pretty sure that you already have them recorded in the Book of Dragons, Fishlegs." I replied as I leafed through one of my sketchbooks and found the drawings I wanted to show my chubby friend.
"Have you been in a battle before?" Tuffnut asked curiously. "A bunch of times. My fighting skills and healing skills were put to the test during those times." I shrugged. "Was there a lot of blood?" Ruffnut asked eagerly. "Blood and gore left and right. And a lot of injuries to treat." I nodded.
"Did you see anything awesome?" Snotlout asked next. "Oh, I've seen plenty of awesomeness." I grinned.
And to prove my point, I took out my map and laid it out on my bed. I saw Hiccup's eyes widen in amazement at the map's sheer size. "You and Stryka have been to all these places, Zen?" he asked in awe. "Only the ones I colored in with violet, Hicc. As you guys can see, while Stryka and I've been to lots of places, the world is huge." I told him, grandly gesturing to the patches of violet spread across the map which only added up to a very minuscule part of the map compared to all the other lands Stryka and I haven't explored.
Then I decided to show them some of my medical equipment. Good thing I kept them all in my belt bag. Most of my special instruments didn't really catch my friends' attention. But when I showed them my stethoscope, they all got interested.
"With this thing, you can listen to a person or dragon's heartbeat." I told them before calling Stryka over. She knew what to do since I've practiced some of my first aid techniques on her and she has always been happy to be my practice patient. I always made sure to give her extra salmon for that. Placing the ear nubs into my ears I placed the metal piece on Stryka's chest. "Mm-hmmm…Good and strong heartbeat as always." I observed, hearing the lub lubs loud and clear. I called Hiccup over and handed him the stethoscope so he could try it on Toothless. "Wow…this is incredible…That's some ba-bum you got there, bud." Hiccup told his best dragon friend, earning a big, slobbery lick.
"It was fun to go out into the world…meet new people and help them while learning new things…It was amazing…But Stryka and I always remembered Berk when we were on the road. We really missed you guys. And it is so good to be back home." I shyly admitted. "Group hug!" Fishlegs suddenly shouted and the next thing I knew, all seven of us Dragon Riders were huddled together in a hug of sorts. Awkward as it may have seemed, I was still glad to be home and be a team again with my crazy friends.
When we were all done fixing up my room, I accompanied my parents to the grandstands at the cliffs. And then, Hiccup and the others took me and Stryka to get ready for the Dragon Race. After deciding on violet for our racing paint, Stryka and I listened attentively to Hiccup as he gave us a quick rundown on the rules. The entire island serves as the racetrack and the objective of the game is to get as many sheep into your dragon's assigned net at each lap. White sheep are worth one point each while the black sheep, which is released at the last lap, is worth ten. To add to the danger and fun, Riders and dragons have to dodge various obstacles and simultaneously keep an eye out for their opponents as they try to steal each other's sheep.
"The game is aggressive, dirty, and full of rule-breaking sabotage." Hiccup grinned at me as he helped me apply the finishing touches on my lightning bolt face paint design. "Just the way we Vikings like it." I said gamely. Stryka and Toothless both began to psych themselves up as Hiccup and I got on their backs. When we got to our starting positions, the stands were already packed. I waved to Mom and Dad, who excitedly waved back.
"Hold on, there are only five nets. We've got six dragons competing." I pointed out, noticing the colorfully painted net labels. "Until we get a net constructed for you and Stryka, Zen, you're Hiccup's racing partner." Astrid smiled.
Hiccup and I looked at each other and grinned.
"Aw, great…They'll win by a landslide!" Snotlout whined as he leaned against Hookfang's horns. "Double the Night Furies, double the points." Tuffnut complained. "We're doomed!" Ruffnut concluded. "Good luck to us…" Fishlegs mumbled.
"Hey, it's my first Dragon Race. I'll be lucky enough to get one point by the last lap." I laughed, reassuring them before leaning over to Hiccup. "We're gonna have them eat our dust." I whispered to him, making him chuckle.
That's when I heard Snotlout and Fishlegs arguing over who was gonna get more points in this race…for Ruffnut?
I watched with wide eye as the two boys desperately tried to impress the female Thorston. "Just you wait, babe. In the blink of an eye, you'll have every sheep in your net." Snotlout said suavely. "No way! I'm gonna get every last one including the black sheep!" Fishlegs countered. Ruffnut just groaned, tuning the two of them out. Poor Tuffnut, on the other hand, had covered his ears and shut his eyes while repeatedly chanting, "Please let the race start…please let the race start…"
"Holy…Holy…Holy…Shields…" I muttered, turning to Hiccup and Astrid with a completely shocked expression on my face. They started to laugh once they saw how confounded I was. And really, I was!
I mean, Fishlegs and Snotlout fighting over Ruffnut? What in Odin's name happened while Stryka and I were gone?!
"Ruff's the only single girl in their age group, Zen. They're that desperate." Hiccup informed me, still chuckling a bit. "I don't know who to pity first: Snotlout, Fishlegs, Ruffnut or Tuffnut. So I take it that Snotlout finally gave up on you, Astrid?" I looked at the blonde shield maiden expectantly. "He gave up once he saw it was official. By the way, did you meet any potential suitors out there Zen?" she asked, her blue eyes sparkling with mischief.
Well, that question made me clam up. Instinctively, I reached up my neck to hold my pendant. Hiccup gave me a questioning look which I tried really hard to ignore. But as I struggled to come up with an answer to Astrid's query, a memory that I had kept locked away in the safety of my mind for so many years resurfaced.
(Zen's flashback starts)
'Four year old Zenna whined, uselessly kicking her little legs as she dangled upside-down from the tree. All she wanted to do was go pick some flowers in the woods before it got too dark and all of a sudden, she got caught in a rope snare trap! This was not how she wanted her day to end. Now the sun was beginning to set and she was still stuck…
"Hello? Can somebody please get me down? Pleaaassseee?!" she had then resorted to calling for help when she heard voices coming her way.
"Let's check that snare of yours to see if we caught anything, Eret!" the first voice belonged to her dear big brother, Elias. Another voice followed, this time, slightly older-sounding and somewhat accented. "Alright, Elias, I'm coming!"
That's when Zenna saw…him.
Black hair, brown eyes and all bravery and confidence rolled into one young boy walking over to her with a slightly surprised look on his face. Violet met brown and Zenna couldn't help but smile like a love struck little girl, which she really was.
"Hello…" she said softly, still hanging upside-down. The boy stared back at her for a few seconds before smiling back. "Hi…" he said quietly. Then Elias came in, looking both shocked and confused at the same time.
"Zen? How'd you get up there?!" he asked, slightly panicking. "I accidentally stepped into the trap. Don't worry, Eli, I'm okay." Zenna chirped. The boy who was with her brother looked at her again before looking at Elias.
"Not exactly the wild rabbit we were hoping to get, Elias." He chuckled and then quickly added, "No disrespect to you, milady." With a courtly bow. "My name isn't 'milady', it's Zenna Arrowhead Fiersome." Zenna giggled, remembering to state her full name to every trustworthy person she met so they would know her like her parents taught her. The boy's brown eyes widened.
"…Fiersome? As in…?" the boy mumbled before Elias politely cut in. "She's the little sister I've been telling you about, Eret." Zenna's five year old brother said proudly. The boy looked at Zenna, who curiously cocked her head to the side.
"You didn't tell me she was that pretty…" the boy suddenly said. Zenna giggled, her cheeks turning slightly pink. The boy then realized that he had voiced his thoughts out loud and his whole face turned scarlet. "D-did I say that out loud?" he stuttered, making Zenna giggle again. Elias couldn't contain the smirk on his face as he nodded.
That's when Zenna started to feel dizzy and decided to move onto more important matters.
"Can you two get me down?"
Hanging upside-down from that tree for a pretty long while made Zenna's memory of the next events a little fuzzy. All she remembered during that time before being right side up again was seeing her big brother climbing up the tree, the feeling of falling for a short while and, finally, finding herself safe and sound in the other boy's arms.
"Well, Zenna Arrowhead Fiersome since I know your name, I might as well tell you mine. I'm Eret, Son of Eret." the boy, who Zenna now knew, said kindly as the three of them walked back to their village. "Eret's our commandant in our Wolf Pack Army, Zen. He's the best young warrior in the army." Elias told the little girl. Zenna looked up at Eret, who smiled at her. And that's when she pretty much realized that she was in love…'
(Zen's flashback ends)
Oh gods, why did I suddenly remember that right now?! I sighed and shook my head to forget it before seeing all of my friends and their dragons looking at me funny. Blushing furiously, I mumbled, "It's nothing…"
But they didn't look too convinced, which made me start freaking out.
Thank the gods Stoick chose that moment to stand up from his throne, silencing the crowd. My friends immediately forgot about my weirdness and got ready. The race was about to begin!
"Today will be a race to remember! Not only has my son, the Pride of Berk, returned from his temporary absence (I looked at Hiccup questioningly at that. He just rolled his eyes and smiled knowingly at his father) from the games but we will have a new Dragon Racer! But we all know her for she is our 'Heroine of Berk' and one of Berk's Original Dragon Trainers alongside my son. Now, she has returned with a new name for herself. People of Berk, rejoice! For Zenna Fiersome, the Dragon Doctor, has come home!" Stoick announced grandly.
The crowds went nuts.
"Zen-na! Zen-na! Zen-na!" the Vikings cheered energetically while the dragons roared excitedly for Stryka, who crooned appreciatively. Not wanting to disappoint all of our fans, Stryka and I did a quick round around the stands and high-fived the people and dragons.
"Show 'em how it's done, Zen!" "Have fun, love!" my parents cheered from their seats beside the Chief and Gobber. I smiled and glanced at Hiccup and Toothless. "You and Stryka ready for this, Zen?" Hiccup asked coyly. Stryka chuffed and excitedly bounced, making me bounce as well. "We were born ready, Hicc." I replied.
And with that, the starting horn blew and we were off!
Since Toothless and Stryka are both Night Furies, Hiccup and I naturally got the head start. The four of us soared around the island, getting the specially painted target sheep. The others gamely chased us, trying to steal our sheep. But as always, Hiccup, Toothless, Stryka and I were one step ahead of them. We zigzagged, dove and did all kinds of acrobatics to evade their moves. Six laps had gone by and Hiccup and I were in the lead with 9 sheep. Astrid was tailing us with 8, the Twins at 5 while Snotlout and Fishlegs trailed behind with 0.
"We're gonna win this!" I whooped, holding a sheep up high. Then Astrid swooped in and grabbed it. I groaned, face palming myself. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to boast…
Luckily, I had a plan.
"Watch this." I winked at Hiccup before Stryka sped after Stormfly. I made sure that we were directly above Astrid before I executed my plan.
"Alright, Stryka! Partial barrel roll!" At my command, Stryka did exactly what I asked for and kept on flying upside-down. Letting my arms dangle over my head, I quickly snatched the sheep away from Astrid. I looked down at her surprised face and smiled. Bet she didn't see that coming!
"Thank you!" I grinned cheekily before flying over to the net that had the Night Fury emblem painted on the hatch and dropped another sheep in, making our score 10.
"How…?" Hiccup asked me, amazed as we got on our seventh lap. "Did you really think Stryka and I didn't learn any new tricks while we were gone?" I asked coyly as we dodged an obstacle pole. Now it was Hiccup's turn to do something daring. He pulled a lever in his saddle that locked Toothless' red prosthetic tail fin into place, got his metal leg out of the left stirrup, and leaped off of Toothless! His target was a sheep Snotlout was holding.
"Here's one more point for you, my princess!" Snotlout hollered to Ruffnut, preparing to toss the sheep to her and her brother. That's when Hiccup snuck up from behind and grabbed the sheep, leaping off Hookfang's back and back onto the safety of Toothless'.
"Nice move, Hiccup!" I cheered. That's when I heard the horn blow again.
"Last lap, Zen!" Hiccup alerted me. "The black sheep!" Fishlegs yelled as we all spotted the hapless animal fly up into the air via sheep launcher (one of Hiccup's many new inventions).
Unfortunately Hiccup and I were quite a ways far from it so the Twins got it. But not for long…
As Hiccup and I flew alongside each other, we both quickly formulated a plan. "When I give you the signal, you and Stryka go for it." Hiccup instructed me. "Got it." I nodded seriously.
Once we were right behind the Twins and Barf and Belch, Hiccup shouted, "Go!" and I quickly jumped onto the Twins' Hideous Zippleback's back while Stryka flew underneath, shadowing them. Lucky for me, the Twins were busy bickering over who got to hold the black sheep. That gave me the opportunity to run and grab the black sheep, and then jump off and land back on Stryka. At that moment, Snotlout tried to swing his hammer at me! Good thing I quickly tossed the sheep up to Hiccup and Toothless while simultaneously avoiding another obstacle, which Snotlout and Hookfang smashed themselves into.
"Owww!" I heard Snotlout yelp as Hiccup and I flew to our net. "Well it looks like I know who my first patient's going to be." I shrugged. Hiccup just laughed and slammed the black sheep into our net, ending the race.
Everyone went ballistic!
"Hiccup and Zenna take the game!" Stoick boomed. "Zen-na! Zen-na! Zen-na!" the crowds cheered. "That's our girl!" my parents whooped.
Hiccup and I landed along with the others. Smiling widely, I hugged Stryka first. "We won our first Dragon Race, girl! We did it!" I grinned. Stryka warbled and licked my face.
"You and Hiccup are still the best, Zen." Astrid complimented me as Stormfly squawked in agreement. "Those moves were crazy." Ruffnut told me, petting Barf's head. "You gotta teach us those!" Tuffnut added, bouncing on Belch's head. Snotlout (who had chipped a tooth from bashing into that obstacle pole earlier) was still rubbing his sore mouth, but gave me a thumbs-up. "Your teamwork and flying abilities with Stryka have increased 100 percent up, Zen." Fishlegs commented me.
I then glanced at Hiccup, who was giving Toothless a good scratch behind his ears. When he caught my eye, Hiccup strolled over to me. "You just keep surprising me." He smiled. "Isn't that what all sisters do to their brothers?" I asked jokingly. Then, just for old time's sake, we hugged.
A chorus of 'Awws…' sounded from the stands.
My parents, Gobber and Stoick soon came down from their perch to where we were gathered. "You've done us proud, sweetheart!" Dad playfully ruffled my hair. "That was by far, the most thrilling race we've ever seen!" Mom giggled, patting her belly. "First day back and you've already won a race. Good job, lass!" Gobber said jovially. "Well done, Zenna. And exemplary flying as always, son." Stoick beamed proudly at me and Hiccup.
Hiccup and I smiled and nodded before getting on our dragons. "Victory lap around the island?" Hiccup asked. "Definitely." I nodded before we lifted off, the crowd's cheering still roaring in our wake.
We flew around Berk, taking in all the sights and sounds. I was pointing out water towers, windmills and all kinds of interesting works of sheer genius to Hiccup, asking on what they were. And Hiccup gladly told me of all the new developments that had been made to the entire island. Berk now had underground stables, a Dragon Armory that also served as the forge and a clinic of sorts, a Dragon Wash, all-you-can-eat feeding stations…basically, a lot of great improvements.
Even the whole island itself looked different. It was more colorful and more peaceful than the last time Stryka and I saw it.
Then, we headed to the one place that hadn't changed over all the years.
The Cove.
"Stryka and I can't tell you and Toothless how much we've missed this place, Hiccup." I sighed, gazing at the sanctuary where Hiccup and I met our two best dragon friends in the whole, wide world. Hiccup smiled and then took out a wrapped package from his saddlebag and handed it to me. I curiously opened it.
My mouth dropped open in amazement when I took out pieces of leather armor that looked exactly like Hiccup's, only altered to suit my style and with a violet dragon pin.
"It's a flight suit that I made for you. I did the best I could on estimating your size. D-do you like it?" he asked sheepishly. I examined every detail carefully. I could tell that Hiccup had spent a great amount of time on it. Every stitch, every buckle was carefully and made especially for me. Next to the Isle of Zen, this has got to be one of Hiccup's best gifts to me in all the 12 years I've known him.
"It's…it's amazing, Hiccup. I-I don't know what to say…" I mumbled. Figuring that I should try the suit on, I made the sign for both Hiccup and Toothless to turn around. They willingly obliged and averted their eyes.
Taking off my white coat, revealing my regular everyday clothes: a violet tunic, black leggings and my leather skirt, I began to put on the suit. Easier said than done, there were just so many buckles and straps to fumble with!
"How in Thor's hammer do you manage to wear this thing every day?" I asked loudly, admitting defeat. Hiccup didn't answer, but I could see his shoulders shake as he stifled his laughs. "Oh, just help me out with this already!" I whined, giving him the signal to face me again.
It took about 10 minutes to get the suit on. Some pieces were easy enough for me to put on myself while the rest of the complicated parts required Hiccup's assistance. When it was all done, I moved about to make sure everything was a perfect fit. Good thing Hiccup's measurements were close to accurate and he had allotted some room.
"It fits perfect." I smiled at him. "What do you wanna do now?" Hiccup asked. "We got a lot of catching up to do. Let's just stay here and talk." I suggested.
And we did just that.
For the rest of the day, while Toothless and Stryka did some catching up of their own, Hiccup and I stayed in the Cove and talked. Hiccup told me of all the adventures he and the others have had over the years as well as the new dragons he and Toothless discovered while exploring new lands. He showed me the map he made. I was pretty impressed. Then I noticed the hunk of metal attached to his right leg.
"What's this little thing?" I asked, unlatching it from its holder and toyed with it. "I call it Inferno. It's my Dragon Blade." Hiccup answered proudly. "Dragon Blade?" I raised an eyebrow at him before my finger alighted on one of the two switches. To my surprise, a sword blade popped out of one end and it was on fire!
"Holy Shields! How? When? Wha…?" I exclaimed in shock. "The blade's coated in Monstrous Nightmare saliva." Hiccup informed me before retracting the blade back into the hilt and flipped it over.
"The other end spews out Hideous Zippleback gas." He continued, flicking on another switch that sent a steady stream of explosive gas spewing out and upward. "All they both take is a little spark and…"
BOOM!
With another click of the switch, the gas ignited. Toothless and Stryka promptly began to bat at the embers slowly floating down to the ground while Hiccup and I watched.
"You've started carrying a weapon. Impressive." I beamed at Hiccup. Then it was my turn to tell some stories. I told him about learning the healing arts under the great Hippocrates in Greece, being sent out into the world to learn of new healing methods from different lands all across the world as well as all the crazy adventures and escapades Stryka and I had had over the past five years with some of the equally crazy people we'd met.
"And they weren't scared of Stryka?" Hiccup asked me. "Well when we first arrived at Greece, Stryka did unintentionally spook some of the locals. But once we helped fight off an invasion in the city, everyone accepted her. We even got to meet the Emperor! While out in the field, we had to be careful because some people didn't quite see Stryka as a friend. Sometimes, our journey was dangerous. But luckily, Stryka and I knew how to outsmart anyone who tried to mess with us." I said modestly.
But when our talking got into the topic of family, I was shocked to discover that Hiccup had been avoiding his father.
"Why would you avoid your Dad? I thought you guys already patched things up." I asked him, confused. Hiccup took a while to answer before he finally sighed in defeat. "He wants me to take over as Chief. But…I don't know, Zen. There's a whole world out there that Toothless and I wanna explore, and if I become Chief now…we might never be able to go out there…" he said wistfully. Lying down on our backs, the two of us watched the sky turn all shades of pink and violet as the day began to end.
"You know, Hiccup…Becoming the Chief of Berk…you're more than cut out for it. You're fearless, intelligent, clever, kind, caring, compassionate, a diplomat, a master inventor and weapons maker…plus, you're the first ever Dragon Trainer and the best Dragon Rider. If none of those things make a great future Chief, then I don't know what does." I told him. Hiccup looked at me, still a bit unsure.
"He also wants me to marry Astrid and start a family." He added. I had to laugh at that. "Can you blame him? He's 50 years old already, that's a normal age for a man to want to have grandchildren!" I giggled. "Oh, shut up!" Hiccup laughed, before launching a tickle attack!
"Hahahaha! Oh yeah? Take this!" I laughed, retaliating with a tickle attack of my own. We rolled around, laughing like fools until we couldn't take it anymore and collapsed breathlessly.
Once I had calmed myself down, I looked at Hiccup with a smile. "Hiccup, just remember that when you're ready for all of this, I'll be right by your side and will always have your back." I promised him. He smiled back at me as we cuddled up. "I missed hearing you say that…I missed you so much, Zen…" he said softly, wrapping his arms around me. I smiled and gladly hugged him, pressing my ear to his chest. Even with all that leather armor on, I could still hear Hiccup's strong and steady heartbeat.
"To be honest with you, I'm a little nervous myself…I'm gonna be a big sister…I'm also gonna be a doctor for the whole village…It's kind of scary…" I admitted. "And I've been hearing your parents getting on your case about not finding a suitor." Hiccup said, looking at me curiously. I blushed and averted my gaze. "It's…complicated, Hiccup. The whole 'me falling in love' thing…I…I just…" I trailed off, suddenly looking down at my pendant again.
Twelve whole years and I hadn't seen him…
Where was he…?
"Zenna, you're the bravest and most caring girl I've ever known. You'll find someone someday, I'm sure of it." Hiccup's reassuring voice suddenly brought my focus back to my best human friend. I smiled to show that I agreed with him.
But deep down, intense longing filled my heart.
'That's the problem. I've already found someone…' I wanted to say that to him so badly, but I knew better than to talk about…him.
Gah, I can't even say his name already without losing my cool!
But then I decided to focus on more important things. I was home, I was finally gonna fulfill my dream of becoming a doctor and I've got a new sibling on the way…those were now the things I lived for.
"But you know what, Hicc? Love can wait. Stryka and I are finally home and that's all that matters to me now." I sighed, snuggling up to him. Hiccup smiled and softly kissed my forehead. "Welcome home, Zen…" he whispered as Toothless and Stryka joined us and curled up with us in the Cove.
I smiled, enjoying this moment. I had my entire life in front of me and I was more than ready to live it.
"…Good to be home." I whispered to Hiccup as we watched the sunset.
I was home and I was happy.
How is it? This is probably going to be the longest chapter in the story and I worked pretty hard on it. Chapter 2's going to have the official movie transcript lines included so it's something to look forward to.
Read and review, those two things make me happy and inspire me to write even more ;)
Love you guys!
-GuardianDragon98