Updated May 29, 2015
Disclaimer: I do not own How to Train Your Dragon…Sadly
"What is your name?" He asked me.
I was perplexed by the question. Hiccup had just spoken my name only a few minutes ago.
"My name is Erin." I spoke slowly.
"Your real name." I stiffened slightly, fear lacing my veins. The only people who knew my real name were my mother, who'd left me when I was only a baby, and my adoptive family. If this man knew who I was he could very well be trying to bring me back home.
But then I thought again…my old village hated dragons, and these people live side by side with them. There's no way they're connected.
"Irina." I spoke in a whisper, terrified that saying my birth name aloud would cause my past to find me. Looking back up to the Chief, I saw his eyes alight with an unfathomable joy. What he said next changed my life forever.
"You've come home…"
In a word, I was shocked. I watched as the Chief stood to his full height and looked over at Hiccup, who looked confused beyond words.
"Home? I…I don't understand. I've never been here before." I sat upright as best I could without moving my leg, and looked up at him.
"No…you were. Irina this is your home…" He looked back at Hiccup, who still looked totally and utterly confused.
"We're your family." He said it quietly, but the raw emotion in his voice was not hard to hear.
My eyes widened. I opened my mouth to deny what the chief was saying. To argue that I hadn't been born here, that I was from a different village. That my mother had abandoned me and left. But somewhere deep down, the possibility of it roared up to the forefront of my mind.
I had the same color eyes as both Hiccup and Stoick. Though of course, that could've been pure coincidence.
The only thing I knew would be able to confirm any of this, was the small thing I asked next.
I looked to Hiccup then, the boy who was supposedly my brother.
"Hiccup…where is your mother?" I did not know what I hoped for him to say. If she was here, then I'd finally be able to meet the woman who'd left me behind, and we would find out once and for all if I belonged to this family.
"She…she was taken when I was only a baby." My heart cracked slightly, knowing that Hiccup had grown up without a true mother also. Hiccup's face did not hold sadness, only a deep confusion.
Stoick spoke up then, his eyes sad with memories of the past.
"You and Hiccup are twins, fraternal, but twins. You were born with that birthmark. Even though you're fraternal, as newborns it was a way of telling you apart. Your mother was taken from us when you were still just an infant. And though it was not her intention to do so…you were taken with her." His eyes fell to the ground as he said it.
My heart faltered at his words. This couldn't be possible.
"Why didn't you ever tell me I had a sister?" Hiccup didn't sound angry. His eyes held a different emotion. One that made him sound sad, happy, and relieved all at the same time.
"I thought it'd be best if you didn't know about your sister. When your mother was taken by the dragons, we all assumed she and Irina were dead."
Hiccup looked like he was about to argue, but not before I spoke up.
"Dragons? Dragons took my mother?" I asked, almost breathless. Was it possible that she didn't abandon me like I'd been led to believe?
"She didn't abandon me…she tried to keep me safe…didn't she?" I asked Stoick, considering he knew her the best since he was indeed her husband.
"She would've never abandoned you. She must've tried to find a place for you among a village." I knew he was being sincere. The words hurt my heart, and tears began to well at the corners of my eyes. All my life I'd believed my mother was a woman who didn't want me. But she was only trying to save me.
The tears spilled over then and I flashed a heartbreaking smile. For once I didn't care if I cried in front of people. For once I knew I didn't have to push down how I felt.
"I…I have a family. I'm not alone." I smiled brighter then, the hot tears still flowing as Stoick enveloped me in a large hug, and I made a mental note that I should ask for permission to call him 'Dad.'
Hiccup walked over then, Destin in tow. I realized he had been entirely silent the entire conversation, but was happy nonetheless.
"So I guess this means I can call you sis?" He asked jokingly. I smiled and hugged him tightly. I didn't care that I'd known him less than twenty four hours. I was so happy, it was hard to contain.
Before any more words could be said, one of the healers spoke up. I'd almost forgotten they were even in the room. When I saw her move forward to speak, I released Hiccup from my hug with a smile.
"Irina, it seems that your scratches will heal well with time. You do not have any head injuries, and your leg is not broken, only severely bruised. You are able to walk on it, but slowly and with support." She smiled at me and walked out of the room, leaving with me with Hiccup, Destin, and my newly deemed father.
"As celebration, we'll be having a bonfire feast tonight in the woods. It won't be too many people. Just us," He gestured to all of us present in the room. "The teenagers, Gobber, and the dragons." Stoick announced. I wondered who Gobber was, but decided I'd find out later.
"That sounds absolutely amazing…but you don't have to do that for me." I blushed. Nothing I'd ever done had been celebrated. Not even my name day.
"Nonsense. My daughter has come home. That is more than enough to celebrate." His tone held little room for argument so I laughed and nodded.
"Hiccup, tell everyone else what I've told you three, and inform everyone of tonight." Hiccup nodded and shot me a smile before leaving the room.
"It seems I have a celebration to plan. I will see you both tonight. I suggest you rest until then, Irina." My father smiled slightly, his suggestion more of a protective order, and he left the room after Hiccup.
Destin looked at me then, his blue eyes filled to the brim with excitement.
"Well, Princess, I guess that means you're one of us now." I swung my legs over the side of the bed I was on, letting them dangle.
Destin stood in front of me and we were silent for several seconds. It was a comfortable silence, and I thought about how in less than a day, I'd gained a family and a home. I'd never been this overwhelmed with joy.
"I guess you'll be seeing a lot more of me then." I teased. I'd pretty much been nothing but trouble since he'd met me, but something told me he didn't mind.
"That I will." He said it happily, a small smile gracing his lips. He tucked a loose auburn curl behind my ear. I blushed from the close contact, but didn't mind. It actually felt kind of nice.
"You should probably rest until tonight." He said with a smile.
Holding his arm out to me he put on the impression of a formal escort. "I will return at sundown to escort you to your celebration, my lady." I giggled at his façade, but looped my arm under his.
"Well, thank you my good sir." I bowed my head, and did my best curtsy while sitting on a table. He laughed at that and pulled away, walking towards the door.
"Don't get into too much trouble while I'm gone, Princess." He smirked and walked out of the room.
I was left with a stupid smile on my face, and a warm feeling in my heart. I'd never felt this happy before.
Laying back on the hard healing bed, I closed my eyes, and soon drifted into a much needed sleep.
After a brief nap, I awoke and immediately asked a healer if there was a place that I could bathe.
She nodded happily and showed me the way.
After soaking in the warm water for a short time, I got out and got dressed into a new set of clothes that had been laid out. Among the new clothes were long black pants, a green top with gold accents, and a pair of black boots. The top was my favorite shade of green, and I wondered briefly it belonged to me now.
It took a bit of time to manage the pants on with my leg still aching, but I eventually managed. I slipped on the boots, tucking my pant legs inside.
After my hair was mostly dried, I tied it into a loose braid that fell over my shoulder. A few curls slipped away from the braid and hung a bit past my ears, coiling up into loose springs.
I almost looked like a new person now. Free of dirt and stains. It felt good to be clean.
When I found my way back to the healing room, I saw that Destin was waiting by the bed where I previously was. It seemed like it had only been a few hours since he'd left instead of most of the day. It was good to see him though.
"Hey, Princess. Wow…you look great." He smiled and I blushed when his gaze never left mine. He seemed to snap out of his gaze and his face lit up.
"Ready to go?" He offered his arm once more and I took it, using it as a slight support as we walked out of the room.
We walked through the area where we'd first seen the healers. It was a warm place. Lots of people around, who were all staring at me. There were several fires lit, and tables all around. I tried not to notice everyone looking at me. No doubt they'd heard the news.
"We're almost outside." He spoke in a reassuring tone, and I was grateful that he understood I was uncomfortable with all of these people looking at me.
Once we were past the large doors, and outside, I saw that it was indeed sunset.
The sky was lit up with oranges and red and pinks. My attention was soon drawn away from the sky, to the black dragon making its way over to me.
I recognized Nova immediately, and a bright smile lit up my face.
"Nova! I missed you!" I wrapped my arms around her large neck, and I felt her nuzzle the side of her head into my shoulder.
"She's coming too, right?" I looked behind me, aiming my question at Destin. He chuckled and nodded.
"Of course. She's actually your transportation." He walked over to where I was standing, Nova now at my side.
"Well if she's my transportation then where's Cedric?" I asked, swiveling my head to look around the area. He wasn't anywhere that I could see.
"Up ya go!" Ignoring me question, he quickly picked me up and put me on Nova, who didn't falter in the slightest under my weight. I sat side saddle for a moment, a little confused.
"Are we riding?" I asked him. He still hadn't answered my previous question about Cedric's whereabouts.
"No, I'm walking. Nova's following, and you're riding." He chuckled and began to walk forwards, making his way down the hill.
"Whoa, why don't we ride? We'll get there quicker." I protested.
"Well Cedric is already there with the others. He flew with Astrid and Storm Fly." He said, starting to move forward again. There was nothing I wanted to do more right now than fly, and I intended to get my wish.
"What's wrong? Scared to ride a Night Fury?" My voice implied a challenge, and I was waiting for him to take the bait.
He turned and gave me a look that told me I'd have to do better.
"C'mon, please? She needs some exercise." I looked at him with a pleading expression, trying to look as cute as possible. I saw his resolve fading and he rolled his eyes.
"Fine, fine. But if we die, I'll have to kill you." He walked over gracefully, not betraying any fear in his stride that was clear in his tense shoulders.
I swung my right leg over the other side of Nova and felt Destin climb on behind me.
"Hold on." I blushed when he wrapped his arms around my torso.
"C'mon girl." I patted her neck softly.
She took off effortlessly, gliding, but slowly gaining altitude with each flap of her raven wings.
She was careful not to jostle too much because of my leg, and I was grateful.
I let out a happy laugh, loving the familiar wind against my skin and thrill of being above the world. I raised my arms and stretched them out, holding onto Nova with only the muscles of my thighs.
I felt Destin stiffen at this, no doubt worried about our safety, but I knew nothing would happen. I only enjoyed the moment. That moment ended shortly when I realized I had no idea where I was supposed to be going. I tapped Nova on the neck, giving her the signal to stop.
"Destin, where do we go from here?" I called.
"We're not too far, actually. Do you see that clearing down there?" He pointed towards the ground, where a large, green clearing held several people and dragons.
I nodded and tapped Nova again, giving her the signal to go. We glided effortlessly down, landing at the southern end of the clearing. Everyone's heads turned as we landed, and I blushed again from the attention.
After landing, Destin and I dismounted. I noticed my leg was feeling a little better, and I felt okay to walk on my own.
Nova immediately took off to run around with Toothless and Cedric. She seemed most comfortable with them, but would soon be better with the rest of the dragons, I hoped.
Mostly everyone was seated around the large pile of logs in the middle of the clearing. They all smiled and greeted us when we approached.
When my father stood up to greet us, I gave him a hug. He chuckled and hugged me back tightly. After he released me, I quickly did the same to Hiccup. He laughed and hugged me back.
"Irina, there's someone I'd like you to meet. This is Gobber. He's my closest friend." I let go of Hiccup and turned to see who my father was speaking about. The man my father introduced me to was large. He was missing a hand, and a leg. He smiled at me in greeting, and I returned it.
"Nice to meet you, there, lass." He had a thick accent, just as my father did, and I shook his remaining hand.
After introductions, I sat next to Destin on one of the logs and watched as Hiccup had Toothless set the fire in the middle of the clearing.
The sparks burned blue and then shifted to orange and red. It was a beautiful sight, even after I'd seen Nova do the same a hundred times over.
We were all given food, but for the time being I wasn't very hungry.
It was silent for a while as everyone else ate, but eventually someone spoke up. That someone was Astrid.
"So…Erin…or should I call you Irina? Where did you come from?" She didn't seem to be too hungry either because she sat on the ground, her back against the log, and her legs up against her chest.
"I'd actually prefer Erin, thank you for asking. Well I came from a village that's actually really far from here. We lived on an island probably a little smaller than Berk, but we had no name." I spoke about my old life with bitter sweet emotions. So many bad things had happened there, but so many good things at the same time.
"What about your family you had there?" She asked. I knew it would be hard to talk about my adoptive family, but I had nothing to fear here, and that gave me confidence.
"I lived with my adoptive family on a small sheep farm. I had a father, a mother, and a sister. To be honest…they weren't much of a family. My father pretended that I didn't exist most of the time, pushing me aside like I was worthless. My mother…well she paid too much attention to me it seems. She'd scrutinize everything I did, always telling me that I was wrong. My sister…well my sister always treated me like I was an animal more than a human." I stared at the fire while I retold my long set aside memories of my past life.
"They didn't physically harm me, they only ever said hurtful things. They told me I was worthless, that my mother never wanted me." My heart clenched, but I knew the words they spoken were no longer true.
"I'm so sorry, Erin. That must've been hard for you." Astrid said, looking at me sadly. I offered her a small smile.
"It was a long time ago. I tend not to worry over it much anymore." I felt my gaze slip back to the fire. I could sense in the atmosphere that there were several unanswered questions still not voiced.
"You mentioned that you'd rather be called Erin. Why is that?" My father's voice did not sound accusing, and I was glad. I didn't want to offend him by changing my name.
"I changed it because it was a reminder of that life. I felt that if I changed my name, I could start fresh and not worry about being weighed down by the past." I felt slightly ashamed, and I hoped that my father wouldn't be upset about it.
"Do not worry. As long as you are happy, that is all that matters." I lifted my eyes to meet his and smiled. It wasn't long before the next question was voiced. Though this question was mine.
"Could I ask…what was my mother's name?" My eyes didn't leave my father's face as he smiled sadly.
"Valka." He said it quietly, but I knew everyone had heard it. All my life I'd wondered what her name was, hoping for any small connection. I smiled and closed my eyes for a brief moment.
"Why did you leave in the first place?" Hiccup asked. I opened my eyes and watched as he slid down off the log to sit next to Astrid, draping his arm around her shoulders.
"That's a pretty long story actually. Are you sure you want to hear it?" I looked around to everyone, making sure it was okay to go on. Everyone seemed eager to hear my story.
I looked next to me at Destin and he gave me a reassuring smile. I took a deep breath.
"Well it all started when I found Nova." As if in response to hearing her name, she ceased her playing in the meadow grass to come to my side, sitting down next to the log I was on. I smiled up at her.
"I was eight. When I was younger, my parents used to punish me for small things like spilling something, or forgetting to clean a particular area. As punishment, they would send me out to sleep with the sheep. In a way, I actually enjoyed it. On warm nights I'd lay in the pasture grass and stare up at the stars, wishing to fly away." I looked up at the stars then, smiling like they were old friends.
"One night, during the winter, I was admiring the shooting stars when I saw a black shadow pass over. It screeched and landed in the forest near my home. Being a curious eight year old, I went and saw what had happened.
"After searching for a good half hour, I finally found it. It was a dragon. Nova. I remember being scared, telling myself to run, to tell someone, but for some reason, bringing her to death made me want to cry.
"So I walked to her, not knowing if she was dead or not. I saw the large gash across her chest…" I paused to run my hand over the scar reaching across Nova's chest.
"I saw her breathing, and some part of me told me I needed to help her. So I did. I went home, asking my parents for a few bandages and medicine, telling them that one of the sheep had cut itself on the wire. They believed me, and I was able to bring the supplies back to her.
"After taking care of the gash, I noticed that her eyes were open and staring right at me. I remember tripping backwards, scared that she'd now harm me, but she didn't. She only stood up to the best of her abilities and walked over to me. She stood two feet in front of me. Not knowing what to do, I tried to reach out and stroke her head, and to my surprise, she let me." I paused to stroke Nova's forehead. She grumbled deep in her chest.
I watched as the other dragons started to join their riders.
Astrid's dragon laid down beside her and leaned its head against Astrid's legs. Toothless laid down next to Hiccup; the twins' dragon had its body behind the log they were sitting on, but the separate heads came to rest in each of their laps. Fishlegs' dragon nuzzled his head affectionately against his riders' side. Snotlout's dragon came to coil its body around Snotlout's log, laying its head down in the grass in front of him. The dragon who I assume belonged to my father simply laid down next to him, as did Gobber's dragon.
I marveled at the sight in front of me.
"From that day on…she was my best friend." Nova placed her head in my lap momentarily, and I giggled softly.
No one else spoke, so I kept speaking.
"I'll never understand why she stayed. Her wings were not broken, nor was anything else. She could've flown away, never to be seen again. But she didn't. I always liked to think that she was just as alone as I was, and maybe in some small way I made her not feel alone anymore.
"I admit, punishment wasn't so bad anymore. Eventually, I intentionally did things that would get me sent to sleep outside. On those nights, I'd bring leftover food. Anything I could find, really. Fish, lamb, vegetables, and I'd give them to her to eat.
"It continued this way for years. Nova became my only source of happiness. I still remember the day she let me ride her. It was…the most unbelievable feeling I'd ever experienced." I fell into my memories of my rides with Nova. On sleepless nights, we'd explore the island, sometimes even going beyond."
I continued to my least favorite part of this story.
"As for why I left…well I had been walking home from our lessons with my sister and a few of her friends. I don't remember what I did wrong, but they pushed me to the ground and started punching me, kicking me, scratching me, and trying to inflict as much pain as possible. I was fourteen then. I could've ran, I could've fought back, but I knew I'd receive a punishment worse than sleeping outdoors.
"I tried my best not to, because I knew she could hear, but one of the boys kicked me hard in the stomach, and I screamed. It didn't take long for Nova to come. I'd had my eyes closed because of the pain, but I heard the screams of my sister and her friends. Nova would never hurt them, but she did scare them.
"I remember her standing over my bruised body protectively as she growled at the children. Most of all I remember the threats from my sister. She was going to tell our parents. Whether or not they would believe her, I didn't know.
"I knew I'd eventually have to go home and face them. I convinced Nova to stay out of sight, but near enough that she would still be able to protect me, should anything happen.
"Walking through the front door, the first thing I heard was my sisters crying. Before I could even see her, I felt my fathers' hand slap me across my face. He'd never hit me before, so I didn't know what to do. All I remember was him yelling, calling me an outcast, a freak. I remember crying so hard that I could barely breathe. It didn't take long for Nova to realize that something was wrong. She crashed through the ceiling, growling at my family who yelled in shock. I wasted no time climbing onto her and leaving that horrid place. We never went back." A single tear slid down my cheek remembering all the things my father had called me.
"So you've been by yourself for that long?" Gobber asked, simultaneously eating a piece of meat.
I nodded. "Yes, for almost six years, it was only Nova and I." I looked at Nova now. She was laying on the ground. I would've thought she was sleeping if her eyes hadn't of been wide open. She was staring at the fire with open interest.
"What about all of the scars you have?" Snotlout spoke up for the first time. I wasn't offended by the question. Fine, white lines covered most of my arms and legs. It was hard not to notice them.
"Well during our six years on the run, Nova and I had a few complications. Any place we landed for rest had villagers that would chase us away or try to hurt us. Though most of these are from dragon trappers. When I was younger, I was not so careful. We were caught several times, but we always managed to make it out, however slightly scathed." I looked at Nova and traced some of the blackish-blue scars lining her legs and back.
Everyone seemed to notice the scars for the first time, and they seemed surprised by the number of them.
"It had been two years since we'd had any incident at all…up until a few days ago. They surprised us mostly. It was nearly midnight and dark. We didn't see them fire the net at us. I impressed myself by cutting the rope off of Nova during our fall, but I wasn't quick enough. We hit the water hard. It knocked me out, and I probably would've died if Nova hadn't rescued me. I woke up, not really knowing how long it'd been, and not long after that, Destin and Cedric came along." I looked at Destin who had his elbows on his knees, head propped in his hands, staring at the fire. He smiled.
"It's a good thing I convinced you to come back with me too. Otherwise the chief's daughter might've never returned." He sat upright and nudged my arm lightly with his elbow. Everyone laughed at that, and I felt truly welcomed by them all.
"So during your time with Nova, how many other dragon types have you seen?" Fishlegs asked. Something told me he was really interested in the different types of dragons by how enthusiastic his question sounded.
"Not many, really. Mostly common dragons, like the ones here. However I've seen a few others. On our own we've seen Thunderdrums and Timberjacks. But we've never seen anything else." I felt bad for disappointing Fishlegs. He seemed really interested in the dragons. I took comfort in the fact that someone else held such an interest in them.
"So what do you exactly like to do? Besides riding Nova." Destin joked.
"Well I'm really good at sketching. I used to sketch Nova a lot, and the places we'd stay. But my sketchbook was ruined in the fall." I remembered searching through my bag after waking up in the healing room, and finding that my sketchbook was waterlogged and useless now.
"I've got a few spares that you can have if you want." Hiccup offered. I smiled and nodded at him.
For another few minutes, nobody spoke. I took this as an opportunity to ask some of my questions.
"So Hiccup…how did you manage to be such good friends with Toothless? And what happened to his tail?" I asked my brother. He looked up and then looked at Toothless and let out a laugh.
"Well if you can believe it, Berk wasn't always dragon-friendly. I was fifteen then, and I'd made this contraption to take down a dragon in midair. Back then, killing dragons was what made you a Viking. During one of the dragon raids, I shot down a Night Fury. Nobody believed me of course." He chuckled and nudged Astrid, who smiled.
"The next day, when I found him, he was caught in the net. I told myself I was going to kill him, to prove to everyone that I could really be a Viking. But in the end, I couldn't. I saw his eyes, and I saw me. So I ended up cutting him free. He tried to fly away, but courtesy of me…" He rubbed the back of his head, looking embarrassed.
"Part of his tail had been injured and he couldn't go anywhere. So for weeks, I brought him food, learned about him, and eventually made a prosthetic so he could fly. And the rest is history." Hiccup laughed and patted Toothless' head.
Ruffnut chimed in for what seemed the first time, and I observed that Tuffnut was now completely asleep, though he was sitting upright.
"So you're planning to stay right? We could use another girl on our team." Ruffnut looked at Astrid and they both smiled and nodded.
I looked at my father, and then at Hiccup. They both looked hopeful.
"If you will have me…than I would love nothing better than to stay."
Author's Note: So if any of you read this and there are things that don't make sense in the next few chapters, it's because I'm updating the stories (:
