Updated July 1st 2015
Disclaimer: I do not own How to Train Your Dragon
It had been three days since I'd been found. Several days since I'd suddenly been graced with a welcoming home and family.
Unfortunately the past several days had been miserable. Even though I'd felt fine on the bonfire trip, my father wanted me to be able to heal properly. Especially my leg. Which meant that I was confined to my bed for most of the three days.
My father, the Chief of Berk, had stated that I'd obviously be living with him and Hiccup. Though my room was not much at the moment, I intended to have books, sketches, and other things personal scattered around sometime in the near future.
I was happy that my father had at least let me go on short walks with Nova throughout the day. Sometimes I'd walk around with her and Destin would join us. Then we'd sit outside my home and watch the sun go down. The sunsets were always beautiful here on Berk.
In my 'confinement', as Destin called it, I became a little restless. All I really wanted to do was explore and go riding with Nova. Though no matter how restless I came to be, I listened to my father, knowing that he was only concerned for me. And that was something I was dearly thankful for.
But today…well today was different.
It had been three agonizing days and the healers said I could leave and walk around on my own. Hiccup and I had been planning to go riding with Toothless and Nova as soon as I was feeling better. And today was the day.
I woke with the sun, feeling ecstatic and anxious to be in the air again.
I wasted no time brushing through my unruly curls and throwing on some pants and a light shirt. It was still summer here, so I didn't really need anything much warmer than this.
I all but ran down the stairs, practically slamming into a still half-asleep Hiccup on the way down. I narrowly dodged him on the way down the steps. I was already trying to run out the door when my father stopped me.
"Whoa whoa, slow down. You can't go out there on an empty stomach." My father chuckled and I realized it was probably a good idea to eat something before a big day like this.
I smiled and took a seat at the small table in our house next to Hiccup.
I tried my best to eat slowly, seeing as I wouldn't be going anywhere at least until Hiccup was fully functional.
When I finished eating, I sat at the table still, eagerly bouncing my leg up and down.
I saw my father smile and I could see that he'd given up on trying to keep me in the house.
"Okay, Erin. Why don't you go ahead and get Nova ready. I'm sure Hiccup will meet you at the stables soon enough."
A bright smile lit up my face. I didn't know how long it would take for Hiccup to be ready, considering he was dozing off at the table. But, I would make the best of that time.
"Thank you! I'll see you later." I smiled brightly and kissed my father on the cheek. He chuckled heartily and it made me smile brighter. Before Hiccup could pass out at the table, I wrapped my arms around his neck from behind and hugged him.
"Don't keep me waiting forever." I joked. Letting go, I gave them both one last smile before heading out into the early morning sunshine. Looking at the sky, I couldn't see a single cloud. It was a gorgeous day.
I casually made my way through the streets of houses that headed down to the stables. On my walk, I saw several children running around with baby dragons, which was adorable. It was a refreshing change to see humans interact with dragons. I heard a screech from above me and saw Snotlout race by on Hookfang. I smiled and continued to make my way to the stables. My father had said that Nova would be allowed to stay with me at night once we got her a platform to sleep on. Walking into the dragon stables, I was happy to see that someone had already let Nova out. Presumably Destin, since she was playing with Cedric.
At my approach, she seized her playing and bounded over to me. I gave her a hug around her neck and then kissed her head lightly.
"Ready to go riding, girl?" I laughed. She immediately switched to play mode and started to leap around me in the same way a dog would. I smiled at her and walked back out of the stables to await Hiccup. Cedric followed us, and I wondered briefly where Destin was.
After a few minutes of waiting, I saw some movement headed towards us, and I turned to see Hiccup striding up the hill. Out of nowhere, Toothless jumped off the roof of the stables and landed right in front of Hiccup. He started to lick Hiccup before he could even get out a word.
"Toothless! This probably won't wash out you know?" He playfully scolded him.
He looked at me then and chuckled.
"Guess you just couldn't wait, huh?" I laughed and walked over to him. I patted Toothless' head.
"Well I've been cooped up for three days. You can't blame me for being excited." I smiled widely and turned to see Nova making her approach over to us.
She sidled up next to me and nuzzled her head under my arm.
"Well before we go, I've got something for you." I watched as he walked into the stables for a moment. I quirked my brow and angled my body to try and get a better look at what he was doing.
They've graced me with everything I could ever need. What else could they possibly give me?
My eyes widened when I saw Hiccup walk out carrying a large, black leather saddle.
He set it down on the ground and looked back up at me.
"While you were tucked away in the house, I took the liberty of getting a special saddle made. You don't have to use it if you don't want to. I just noticed you rode Nova without one."
I walked over to the saddle and inspected it, running my fingers over the leather. There were electric blue spirals all around the saddle, and it was easy to see that Hiccup outdid himself.
"There's pockets for knives, food, and pretty much anything else you could think of." Hiccup gestured to it with a shy smile, probably wondering if I liked it.
"It's amazing, Hiccup. Thank you." I smiled. I stood up and looked at Nova, who had come up beside me. She was staring at the saddle like it was a bizarre insect. She started to paw it like it was a toy and I giggled.
Hiccup helped me pick it up and place it on her back. We tied it underneath her stomach, and stepped back to examine our teamwork.
It fit her perfectly, and the black almost matched her scales perfectly. Nova bounced around once it was on and she ran around Toothless a few times, looking back at the new accessory occasionally. Toothles gave her what looked like a dragon smile and he showed Nova the saddle that he wore. I giggled and walked over to Nova.
"Let's get this show on the road." Hiccup said. He climbed on top of Toothless and I did the same with Nova, fitting myself into the new saddle. I saw that there were also small sheaths on the side, and made a mental note to fit my daggers in there on the next trip. Perhaps I'd even get a sword.
I watched as Toothless and Hiccup took off, and I felt the gust of wind that came from the beat of Toothless' wings. I patted Nova and gave her a smile.
She took off at a run and then we were flying.
We caught up with Hiccup and Toothless easily. We glided for a while over the vast ocean, and I reveled in the sunlight and the wind on my cheeks.
"So what are we do…"
My sentence was cut short when Toothless shot up into the sky at a staggering speed. Letting out an excited laugh, Nova and I followed suit. As we flew higher and higher, I saw that clouds had started to gather in the sky, creating what looked like a vast land of ice. It was a truly astounding sight, and one that I never tired of.
We found Toothless flapping in place above the clouds and Hiccup had a large smile on his face.
"Just making sure you could keep up sis!" He shouted. I laughed at him and shook my head,
"Don't worry about me!" I screamed before he took off and did several tricks with Toothless in midair. I watched as Toothless did a tight corkscrew and then fell back down beneath the clouds.
Nova and I lowered down just below the clouds to see Hiccup and Toothless gliding effortlessly across the water. I laughed and waited for them to come back up to meet us.
When they did, I remembered a trick that I used to do with Nova.
"Oh yeah? Well just watch this." I stood up from my saddle, and I felt Nova grumble when she realized what I was doing. She didn't particularly like this trick.
I saw Hiccup raise a brow. And then I jumped.
I fell straight down, laughing hysterically all the way. It only took Nova a matter of seconds to reach me. I was back in the saddle and hanging on in no time.
We flew back up to where Hiccup and Toothless had hovered, watching us. Hiccup had a challenging look in his eyes.
"Oh it's on." I watched as he unhooked himself from Toothless. He whispered something to Toothless, and then slipped off the edge of him.
Toothless' eyes grew with alarm and I could tell Hiccup hadn't tried this before. Nova and Toothless took off in pursuit of Hiccup and I watched in amazement as he pulled a string at his side. And suddenly, he was flying.
I laughed in amazement. He was using some type of leather flaps to glide through the air. Toothless glided next to him, Nova and I on the other side. He was shouting and laughing and looking at Toothless and then back to us. I saw pure joy on his face.
But that was when things went wrong. The leather that connected to his torso ripped. I saw his face morph from joy to panic and my heart dropped in my chest.
"Hiccup!" I screamed my brother's name as he plummeted at dizzying speeds towards the churning water below. I knew that the impact would surely kill him.
It was a chore to hold back screams as we plummeted down to try and catch Hiccup. It hadn't even occurred to me until that moment that Toothless couldn't properly fly on his own without Hiccup.
As we neared the water, I saw that Toothless had already spiraled down in a speedy attempt to catch up with Hiccup. It seemed he would make it, but I still took off with Nova towards the water.
I faintly heard him screaming Toothless' name.
I didn't realize I'd been holding my breath until Toothless finally caught up with Hiccup. I watched as Toothless spread his wings out wide, sending them soaring upwards with winds.
They soon came to glide next to me and Nova. To my surprise, Hiccup was laughing. Toothless didn't seem all that amused though.
"We'll have to work on that some more bud." Hiccup laughed shakily. He patted the side of Toothless' head. In response Toothless smacked Hiccup with one of the scaled flaps on his head.
"Hiccup are you alright? You scared me half to death." I felt my heart beating rapidly in my chest. Although I hadn't been the one falling…losing my brother who I'd just come to know almost broke my heart.
He met my worried eyes and smiled reassuringly.
"I'm fine, Erin. Toothless wouldn't let anything happen to me." He said as he scratched the side of Toothless' forehead. I smiled shakily.
"We should find a place to rest for a while. Don't you think?" I suggested. I was pretty sure everyone needed a break after what just happened.
Hiccup nodded, and Toothless started to fly to the north. Nova followed and I decided I'd take a breather.
I bent forward and laid my cheek on top of Nova's head, my arms wrapped loosely around her neck. Nova made a noise in the back of her throat that she usually did when she was concerned about me. I rubbed her neck.
"I'm okay, Nova. It's just that I just found out he was my brother. That I even had a brother. And I was so close to losing him right then…it's just a scary feeling." I closed my eyes briefly, feeling the wind play in my hair.
I smelled the fresh air and even from this height I could taste the saltwater from the ocean. I took several deep breathes to calm my nerves. After a few minutes, I opened my eyes and sat up.
I saw that we were approaching an island. Toothless began to slow down, and Nova followed his example.
We landed effortlessly on the mossy grass of the island. I dismounted Nova and patter her head before walking over to Hiccup who had just gotten off of Toothless.
I watched with a small smile as Toothless and Nova started to leap around and play together.
"You're sure you're alright?" I asked him. He didn't seem affected at all by his fall, and I realized that he held as much trust in Toothless as Toothless did in him.
Even though he reassured me he was okay, I grabbed his face and checked for bruises. I also moved his arms around to make sure they weren't broken. He laughed.
"Erin, I'm fine. I promise." He smiled big, trying to reassure me.
I nodded and then punched him in the arm.
"That was for scaring me." I laughed as he rubbed his arm, laughing also. He shook his head.
"I can tell you and Astrid will be the best of friends." He laughed. I didn't really understand what he meant by that but I guessed that she used to hit him for similar reasons.
We stayed on the island for most of the day. We watched Toothless and Nova run around playing and playing tug-of-war with several trees. Hiccup told me the story of the Red Death that they had to face, and I finally learned how he lost part of his leg, and how Berk had come to love dragons and accept them as their own.
He also took the time to show me his map that he'd been making. He told me of all the islands he'd discovered with Toothless and the rest of his friends. It was easy to tell that Hiccup and I were one and the same. We both had that unquenchable need to know what lies beyond the horizon.
When the sun was just starting to go down, we heard the distant flapping of wings. As they drew closer, I saw that it was Astrid and Destin. I smiled.
I hadn't really been able to see anyone except Hiccup and Destin since I'd been mostly confined to bed, so it was nice to see some of my new friends.
I sat in the grass and watched them land. Hiccup stood to go greet them and I saw Destin's bright smile the instant he saw me.
"Where have you guys been all day?" Astrid laughed. She watched Storm Fly run off with Toothless and walked over to us. She hugged Hiccup and came over to sit down with him on the grass.
I faintly heard Hiccup replaying the moments of today to Astrid. Destin quickly dismounted Cedric and came to sit next to me on the grass.
"Glad to see you're up and about, Princess. But you spent your whole day away from Berk. I couldn't even see you when you were better. I'm hurt." He put his hand over his heart in a mock attempt at pain. I rolled my eyes and nudged his shoulder with mine.
"I'm sure you'll be just fine. I had to get out and fly for a while." I smiled. I didn't meet his gaze because I knew I'd probably stutter. Instead, I idly picked at the blades of grass under my hands. I heard him chuckle.
When I looked up at him, he was looking at Hiccup.
"You know, Hiccup. We should build a fire and then fly home at dark. That's always my favorite time to fly." He suggested. Hiccup seemed to contemplate it and then nodded. He turned to Astrid
"Sounds good. Did my Dad seem mad that we'd been gone all day?" He asked her. She shook her head.
"No. I think he was expecting that you would be home a little later than usual." She smiled and then looked at us.
"You guys have to find the firewood though." She laughed and settled down to lay in the grass, her arms crossed behind her head.
I laughed and nodded. Destin stood up first and then offered me his hand. I took it and he pulled me up easily.
Nova seemed to understand that I was leaving the area and padded over to see what was going on.
"It's okay, girl. We're just going to get some firewood. You can stay and play with everyone." I scratched her neck and she nuzzled my side. I smiled and walked into the wooded area of the island once I saw Toothless was occupying Nova.
The light flooded through the trees in odd shapes, and it felt like I was walking through a shadowy mosaic. Destin walked ahead of me, pushing aside branches for me.
Picking up several pieces of wood at a time, Destin looked over at me curiously while I swatted bugs away.
"So what did you do all day?" He said while continuing to pick up wood. I laughed at the memory of the days' events.
"Well we went flying, obviously. We showed off some tricks that we knew. Hiccup almost died." I said, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.
Destin burst into laughter.
"Seriously? What happened?" He seemed to have enough firewood, so he walked over to me.
"Well I guess Hiccup made this thing to make him fly? I don't know but I guess it didn't work and he fell." I rolled my eyes. I hoped he wouldn't do something like that again. I didn't plan on losing my brother anytime soon.
When I'd piled up enough wood, I set it down on the ground in a heap. I wanted to explore a little bit.
"C'mon let's see what's around here." I smiled at Destin and walked through the trees up ahead. This was my need for adventure and I was curious to know if there was anything interesting about this island.
For a few minutes, there really wasn't anything to see except more trees. But even then it was gorgeous. The birds sang their songs in the trees and the pools of light changed color as the sun set.
Destin walked close to me, and we observed in a comfortable silence.
After a few minutes, I saw a break in the trees up ahead.
I turned and smiled widely at Destin before walking up head. There was a clearing after the trees, and at the edge was cliff that over looked the ocean.
The sight was simply breathtaking. The oranges and reds of the sunset were thrown across the water and the clearing. I heard the calling of the seagulls and I could smell the salty ocean spray.
I walked closer to the edge of the cliff. Standing on the edge, I felt as if I was on top of the world. I closed my eyes and let the remaining rays of sun sink into my skin.
My eyes shot open at the abrupt crumbling noise from underneath me. I realized that the edge of the cliff must not be very stable. I backed up as far as I could but I wasn't quick enough. The rock beneath me was already falling.
Before I could let out a scream, I felt myself being pulled away from where I had been.
Opening my eyes, I saw Destin's face a few inches from mine. His eyes were wide with surprise and concern. His arms were around my waist and my hands were pressed flat against his chest. I could feel his heart beating fast through his shirt. He was so close that I could see every detail of his face. I noticed for the first time the several different hues of blue that swirled in his eyes.
Destin seemed to notice how close we were standing because he stepped back a little bit to give me some space to breathe. Though thinking about what just happened still made it a little hard.
"Are you okay?" His eyes still held concern. All I could do was nod.
He'd saved me. He'd actually saved me, and from the look in his eyes, he was just as scared as I was about me falling.
"Thank you…for saving me." I couldn't meet his eyes for some reason. So I busied myself with looking at the outcropping of rock that had previously fallen into the waters below.
"Sure thing, Princess." I noticed that he didn't sound as cheery as he usually did when he called me 'Princess'. He seemed a little breathless…nervous even.
"Well we should probably get back…they'll be expecting us." I motioned back towards the woods and he nodded.
He went through first, and I realized I didn't like it when he was this quiet. I liked it when he was funny and himself. Trying to break the weird silence, I decided to ask some questions.
"So Destin. How long have you been living on Berk?" I asked shyly. He turned around to give me a small smile but continued walking.
"I've been living on Berk for about two years now. It seems like it's been longer than that though." As he continued walking, I quickly thought of another question to ask him. We neared our piles of wood that we left behind earlier and hastily gathered them in our arms.
"Okay so w…"
"How about this. You ask one question, then I ask one question. Sound good?" He chuckled and I nodded with a smile. There wasn't a whole lot of interesting things to know about me, so I didn't know what to expect from his question.
"What's your favorite color?" He asked. I scoffed at the question. When he looked back at me, he had an eyebrow raised, which looked really attractive on him.
"You want to know what my favorite color is?" I asked disbelieving. He chuckled lightly.
"Is that such a bad thing to ask, Princess?" He asked wryly. I giggled and shook my head.
"No, I suppose not. It's green. Like the green in Nova's eyes. That's my favorite color." I smiled up at him, and realized that I loved the color of his eyes also. I blushed and looked down at the wood I was carrying.
"That's interesting. Mine is probably yellow. It's bright and it's a happy color." He smiled and didn't take his eyes off of me.
Blushing still, I decided to voice my next question.
"How old were you when you found Cedric?"
He let out a breath of air and I saw him counting back the years.
"I was sixteen when I found him. It seems like it was a life time ago. In some ways I guess it is." He smiled again and looked at me, ready to say his next question.
Before he could speak, I saw that we were about to walk back into the clearing that our friends and dragons were in.
When we entered the clearing, Astrid and Hiccup gave us a skeptical look, but thankfully didn't enquire further of why we'd taken so long gathering firewood.
As we walked towards the fire that was already lit, I spotted Toothless and Nova curled up next to each other and I smiled.
'It's good they're getting along.' I thought. 'Maybe one day there'll be more than just two Night Fury's.' I smiled at the thought.
I helped Destin stack the firewood and then we sat down across the hearth from Astrid and Hiccup.
For the rest of the night, we all sat and told stories. Astrid told us about first meeting Toothless. It made me laugh that he'd toyed with her until she'd apologized to Hiccup for the way she used to treat him.
I listened intently as Destin told us about how he was being chased by thugs when Cedric saved him. He told us that he never quite understood what possessed him to do it, but since that day they'd been the best of friends. It had been a few years after that that he found Berk.
Though I didn't tell any stories of my own, I listened intently to everything they said. I only wished that I could've been present for all of the amazing things that had happened here.
At one point in the night, Nova left Toothless' side and came to lie down behind me and Destin. She twisted so her body was behind us, her head was on my lap, and her tail was wrapped around the front of us. I remembered how she used to do this on cold nights. She'd stretch out her wings and I'd use her body warmth to keep myself alive.
From his spot beside me, Destin reached over and stroked Nova's forehead. She looked up at him with wide, curious eyes. Then she closed them and leaned into his touch.
In one of the silences that stretched on, I asked another question for Destin.
"Destin?" I looked and saw him watching the flames dance in the fire.
"Yeah?" He didn't look at me and I hoped this question wouldn't cross the line.
"Did you have a family before you met Cedric?" I asked the question quietly, so quietly that Astrid and Hiccup probably didn't hear. I saw his shoulders sag, and I already felt guilty for asking such a question.
"You don't have to answer, I completely understand." I said it quietly, placing my hand on top of his. It amazed me how warm he was.
He looked at me then and smiled slightly.
"No it's okay. Yes, I had a family before Cedric. But at that time, I hadn't seen them in years. When I was eight years old, someone killed my family. I only had my parents, but my mother was about to have my baby brother, Cedric." He said slowly. I felt my heart break when he told me this. Who would do such a thing? Whoever did that must've been a terrible, terrible person. I squeezed his hand lightly in reassurance.
"I lived on my own for eight years after that. It was a hard life, and I took whatever I could get." He went back to looking at the fire and I remembered what he'd said about it seeming like another lifetime when he'd met Cedric.
"Cedric was the greatest blessing of my life. I'd be in the same place I was then if it hadn't been for him." He looked away from the fire and looked at Cedric who was curled up with Stormfly and Toothless.
"Cedric and I were on our own for two years after that. When we found Berk, it seemed like it was too good to be true. But it wasn't, and we have this amazing life here. I wouldn't want anything else."
He looked at me then with a small smile and I saw the flames dancing in his eyes. I smiled back and him and found happiness in the fact that someone who'd been through so much, could be so happy. It was how I hoped I would be some day.
After there were no more stories to be told, we decided it was time to go back home. We snuffed out the fire and all mounted our dragons.
Toothless and Hiccup were the first to take off, and the rest of us followed closely behind. Destin and Cedric flew close to Nova and I.
Every few moments I'd look over at them and there were several times when I caught him staring at me. Other times he was looking up at the sky. The midnight black was illuminated by millions of blue and white flickering stars.
Although Nova and I had flown at night a hundred times, the view was never any less amazing. I found myself smiling and staring up at the bright lights. There were usually fires lit all around Berk, so I was sure it made it hard to see all of the stars.
I watched as one streaked across the dark sky. I smiled and closed my eyes, making a small wish. It had been something my 'sister' had often done. Though she'd always wished for material things, I'd always wish to find happiness one day.
I was happy to know that my wish had come true.
Author's Note: Hope you guys like the edited version of this chapter (: Much more details about Destin and Cedric. Hopefully there won't be many more chapters left until we get into the movie. I just thought there should be some stuff beforehand so we get a feel for the new characters (:
