Chapter 10
Edelweiss hung on with trembling fingers as the Sentinels carried her far from Berk and Dragon Island. The sky stayed black. Edelweiss was very scared, and was very worried about Black Widow.
"What does Draco want me for?" she asked.
"We're not sure," said the Elder. "But we heard other people talking to him." Edelweiss looked around at the Sentinels.
"So, you guys really are blind," she said, a touch of sadness in her voice.
"Yes we are," said the Elder. "We rely on our other senses to get around."
"How did you find me then?" Edelweiss asked.
"The Master Dragon guided us with his power," said the Elder. "Led us right to you." He felt Edelweiss trembling. "We're almost there Dragonborn, don't be afraid." Edelweiss took a deep breath and controlled her trembling fingers.
Soon a large island came into view, surrounded by sea stacks. The Sentinels headed for the center of it, where Edel could see a flickering light. They landed in a clearing near a tall fruit tree. Next to the tree was a golden chariot that was glowing as bright as a bonfire. Draco was hitched to it with a golden harness. There were two people that Edelweiss recognized from her nightmares. The woman with the sun crown, and the man with the hammer and red cape. They were looking very hard at Edelweiss.
"The Dragonborn child as you promised, Master," said the Elder Sentinel.
"Thank you Sentinels," said Draco. "You are dismissed." Edelweiss jumped down from the Elder's back and the Sentinels flew away. Edelweiss looked at Draco.
"Am I in trouble sir?" she asked.
"Yes," said Draco. "But, not with me. Sol here has a solution to Odin's problem with you being Dragonborn." He gestured to the woman. "Odin want to make sure you swear to it."
"Do I have to give up my scales?" asked Edelweiss.
"No, but you will have to hide them," said the woman, Sol. "Come on, we need to get going if we want to make it before your friend wakes up." Edelweiss clutched her stomach.
"I feel sick," she said. Draco reach over and plucked a fruit off the tree. He handed it to Edelweiss.
"Eat this it will help," he said. "But eat it on the way." Edelweiss took the fruit. She timidly climbed onto the chariot and sat on the floor. Sol took the reins in her hands and snapped them. Draco spread his wings and took off. He pulled the chariot high into the stars. Edelweiss got to her feet and leaned against the rail of the chariot, and watched the Earth vanish. She began munching the fruit. It was very comforting. It was the size and shape of a peach, but tasted like a strawberry. It kept her calm.
The chariot flew though the stars, heading for a light in the distance. Edelweiss was aware of the other two people staring at her. She glanced at them from the corner of her eye.
"You don't even know who we are do you?" Sol asked.
"You're the people from my nightmares," said Edelweiss. "You are the human gods."
"Yes," said Sol. "But do you know which gods we are?" Edelweiss considered.
"Draco called you Sol," she said. "And Sol means sun. So you must be the goddess of the sun." Then she turned to the red caped man. "And you must be Thor, you have a big hammer." The two gods exchanged a glance.
"You're smart for a girl your age," said Sol. "I asked Chris and Hiccup that question, they couldn't answer it without more clues."
"My father isn't stupid," Edelweiss said angrily. "And neither is Hiccup. They and my mother taught me everything I know."
"They taught you well then," said Thor. Edelweiss leaned on the side of the chariot. Just then a light appeared in front of Draco. He thrust his wings back and shot into it. Edelweiss looked ahead to see a walled city, that seemed to be hovering in mid air. Towering over the city was a golden palace that looked very intimidating. Edelweiss took a deep breath.
"Is that where Mr. Odin lives?" she asked.
"Yes," said Sol. "Now, Draco can't come in with us. So you'll have you stay right by us at all times."
"Draco can't come?" Edelweiss repeated.
"No, Odin doesn't want him interfering," said Sol.
"What does Mr Odin want?" asked Edelweiss.
"He wants you to hide your scales," said Draco. "At least in the human world. Sol can give you that ability, Odin wants to hear you swear to use it."
"But the vikings of Berk already know I have scales," said Edelweiss. "What will I say to them? And what about my other abilities?"
"You'll have to hide your other abilities too," said Draco. "And you'll have to ask Odin about Berk."
"I don't want to hide my scales," said Edelweiss. "I like my scales."
"Well it's either hide your scales, or let Odin destroy you," Thor snapped.
"You'll still be half dragon," said Sol. "But your scales will have to hide while your with humans." Edelweiss ran a hand over her scales.
"Okay," she said. The chariot headed for the main gate. Draco landed in front of it and the chariot came to a stop. Edelweiss looked up at the huge gates and the palace behind them. She followed Thor and Sol out of the chariot. They went through the gates. Edelweiss turned back to Draco. She ran up to him and hugged his leg. Draco hugged her back.
"It's okay Edel," he said softly. "You'll be safe, and I'll be watching you." He let out a warm breath over her. "You need to go." Edelweiss let go and ran after Sol and Thor. Draco watched them until they vanished into the palace. He reached into a pouch on his harness and pulled out a crystal bowel and a bottle of water from his ocean. He poured the water into the bowel and put the bottle away. He looked into the bowel and it showed him what was happening inside the palace.
Edelweiss was lead through the enormous palace, she refused to look up. She could feel Draco's eyes on her, and she felt safe. She hurried to keep up as the three of them approached a colossal throne room.
"So, Mr. Thor, I have a question for you," she said. Thor sniffed.
"What is your question?" he asked.
"Hiccup once told me and my friends about a time when your lighting tried to take out Toothless," said Edelweiss. "I was wondering why you were so mad at Toothless?" Thor rolled his eyes.
"I wasn't mad at Toothless," he said. "He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. My lightning is attracted to metal and he always has metal on him."
"Oh," said Edelweiss. "Okay." She fell back as they entered the throne room. She looked a head to see a big scary looking man sitting on a golden throne, on a golden platform, in a golden throne room. They came to a stop right in front of the man who had an eye patch on one eye. Sol pushed Edelweiss closer to the man, which she suspected was Odin. He glared down at Edelweiss, and she glared right back, holding herself as tall as she could.
"Like gold much Mr. Odin?" she asked, keeping her voice strong.
"Here's the abomination," said Thor.
"Let's get this over with Mr Odin," Edelweiss said, annoyed. Odin sighed.
"Sol will give you the ability to hide your scales," he said. "And I want you to swear that you'll use it, every time you're in the human world. If you don't, I'll destroy you."
"May I have one request Mr. Odin?" Edelweiss asked. "Just one?" Odin increased his glare, but so did Edelweiss.
"What is your request?" Odin asked bitterly.
"I will hide my scales, but I don't want to hide them from the people of Berk," Edelweiss said. "It's the only dragon and human community in the world." Odin heaved a huge sigh. "I mean they already know I have scales, but they're the only humans who know besides my parents." Odin considered. "You can destroy me if you want to, I'm not afraid. But Draco will just make more creatures like me, you can't stop him forever." Odin narrowed his eyes, and Edelweiss followed suit.
"She's got a point Odin," said Sol. "Draco doesn't give up."
"Very well," said Odin, still bitter. "The age of dragons will be over soon anyway. I'll except the request."
"Thank you," said Edelweiss. "Then I swear to hide my scales when I'm in the presence of humans and not dragons." Odin softened his glare. Edelweiss turned to Sol. "Will this hurt?"
"Not really," said Sol. "It will only take a moment." Edelweiss held still. Sol ran her fingers down Edelweiss's scaly cheek, her neck, then her arms. Slowly the scales melted into her skin, and her eyes turned back into human eyes. Sol let go, and stood back. Edelweiss looked at her scaless skin sadly.
"You just have to will them back in your mind," Sol said. Edelweiss closed her eyes and relaxed. When she opened her eyes the scales were back. She made them fade in and out a few more times, before leaving them out on her skin. She looked around at the three gods around her.
"Can I go back to Black Widow now?" she asked.
"Yes," said Sol. "I'll walk you out." She lead the way back out of the room. Edelweiss followed her. They didn't say anything as they headed back towards the chariot.
"Do you think my dad can survive the tournament?" Edelweiss asked.
"Yes, with a little coaching," said Sol. "He and Hiccup have a good chance."
"I wish I could fight for him," said Edelweiss. "Since I have dragon power."
"I admire your bravery, and your loyalty," said Sol. "But you are far too young, and I can't make replacements." At that moment they reached the chariot and Draco. The Dragon God was beaming.
"Well done Edel," he said. "You did so well in there."
"I would like to go home to Black Widow," said Edelweiss.
"I'm sure you do," said Draco. He untied himself from the chariot and boosted Edelweiss onto his back. Then he turned to Sol.
"You've kept your promise," he said. "Now I'll keep mine. I just need to know the rules."
"You drop her off, then come back and we'll talk," said Sol. Draco nodded, then spread his wings and took off.
"How you doing?" Draco asked.
"Better now that I'm getting away from that place," said Edelweiss. "And with all my scales."
"Don't worry," Draco said. "Soon the Vikings will be converted to christianity, and these guys will loose their power. And that will be after the age of dragons is over. You will only have to hide your scales a couple times. Anyway, you should get some sleep, we've kept you up all night." Edelweiss laid her head down on his neck and closed her eyes. The beating of Draco's wings lulled her to sleep.
When she woke up again, she was back in the Cove laying next to Black Widow as though nothing had happened. The sun was coming up and she could hear Terrible Terrors making noise in the trees. Edelweiss sat up and stretched. Black Widow opened her eyes.
"Good morning," she said, yawning. "Did you sleep okay?"
"Yeah I did," said Edelweiss. "Very lovely."
"We should get to the village, we don't want to be late for training," said Black Widow. They got to their feet and Edelweiss put Black Widow's saddle back on. She mounted her dragon and they took off towards the village.
They landed in the village. Edelweiss spotted Hiccup in the forge working on his Inferno sword. Toothless was at the feeding station eating breakfast. Edelweiss dismounted and they went to the feeding station as well. Edelweiss couldn't eat fish whole like the dragons could, but she could eat it raw. She picked out a large mackerel and munched on it, skin and all. Black Widow stood next to Toothless and also ate the fish.
"How was your guys' night?" Toothless asked.
"Very relaxing," said Edelweiss. "I'm ready for training.".
"Me too," said Black Widow, flexing her wings.
"Eat up then," said Toothless. "It'll be a long day." Edelweiss and the two dragons finished their fish until Hiccup joined them, putting Inferno into its holster.
"So that sword really retracts?" Edelweiss asked.
"Yes it does," said Hiccup. "Are you ready?" Edelweiss finished her last bite of fish, then mounted Black Widow.
"Are we flying through trees again?" she asked.
"Yes, but not right now," said Hiccup. "Meet us up at Gothi's house. I want to set something up." Both Black Widow and Edelweiss exchanged a nervous glance. But Black Widow spread her wings and took off.
They flew up to the witch's house way a the top of the island. They landed on the porch. Gothi was nowhere to be seen, but they kept their eyes on the front door. A large cauldron sat next to the door, empty for the moment. Black Widow walked over to the cauldron and they both looked inside it. Black Widow sniffed, then snorted in disgust.
"Yuck, I wonder what the witch cooks in there," said Edelweiss.
"Probably just her remedies," said Black Widow. "I don't think we have anything to worry about. Everyone knows witches can be stopped by fire." Edelweiss let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Suddenly they heard a loud thud behind them. They both screamed and spun around, taking a fighting stance. But it was only Hiccup and Toothless.
"Oh, it's just you guys," said Edelweiss, relaxing.
"Were you expecting someone else?" Hiccup asked.
"We thought it was Gothi," said Edelweiss. "She's not too fond of my scales."
"That's kind of what you get for calling her a witch," said Toothless. "Yes she makes potions in a cauldron, but she's not evil. If you don't want her to be disrespectful towards you, then don't be disrespectful to her." Black Widow and Edelweiss looked at each other shamefully.
"You guys don't have to be afraid of Gothi," said Hiccup. "She can't hurt you." Edelweiss took a deep breath and calmed down.
"So, why are we up here?" Black Widow asked. Hiccup turned Toothless around to face the sky again. Black Widow came up beside him.
"You see that red flag down there?" Hiccup said, pointing to a flag pole in the middle of the plaza with a large red flag attached to it. "I want you to dive down there as fast as you can and grab it, then come back up here." Black Widow and Edelweiss looked down at the waving flag. "Don't worry about crashing, it's natural."
"It still hurts though," Edelweiss pointed out. She clicked the reins and Black Widow took off. They then went into a dive, heading straight for the flag. Black Widow kept it squarely in her sight. Edelweiss kept her body as low as it could be. The wind howled passed them. Black Widow flexed her claws. Suddenly Fishlegs and Meatlug came out in front of them, followed by the rest of the Academy. Black Widow was going too fast to stop so she turned sharpish. But they didn't turn enough and Black Widow clipped her wing on Meatlug's head. They spun out of control and crashed into a nearby house. Edelweiss flew out of the saddle and hit the ground near the house. Black Widow had crashed onto the roof, then she too fell to the ground. She lay there without moving. Edelweiss sat up and shook her hands and feet. Nothing was broken, but her whole body hurt from hitting the ground. She slowly got to her feet and looked over at her dragon. Black Widow had been knocked unconscious, and her right wing was clearly broken.
"Black Widow?" she said softly. "Are you okay?" All she got was a painful moan. Hiccup, who had seen the commotion, flew down followed by Fishlegs.
"Are you guys okay?" Hiccup asked.
"I am," said Edelweiss, wiping away tears. "But Black Widow won't wake up, and she broke her wing." She sniffed and hugged Black Widow's head.
"I'm so sorry Edelweiss," said Fishlegs. Edelweiss tried desperately to wake up Black Widow, but without any luck. She buried her face in Black Widow's neck, and sobbed.
"Please wake up Black Widow," she wailed.
"I'll go get Gobber," said Fishlegs. He hurried off and Edelweiss looked worried.
"Gobber?" she said. "Should I be worried?"
"No," said Hiccup. "Gobber has done this a hundred times. He'll get Black Widow in a wing sling until we can get you mother over here." At that moment Fishlegs came back with Gobber.
"That must have been a spectacular crash," Gobber said cheerfully.
"Black Widow broke her wing," said Edelweiss, pointing.
"Not to worry lass," said Gobber. "I'll get her patched up before you can start crying again." Edelweiss felt a gently muzzle on her shoulder. She turned to see Toothless smiling at her.
"Let's go back to Hiccup's house," he said. "Until your family comes for you."
"What about Black Widow?" Edelweiss asked with a sniff.
"It's better if you don't watch," said Toothless. "Trust me." He boosted Edelweiss to her feet. She let him lead her away towards the big house on the hill. Hiccup, Fishlegs, and Gobber got right to work.
Inside the house Edelweiss sat in a chair next to the fire. Astrid was there sharpening her ax. She looked up curiously when Edelweiss and Toothless came in.
"What happened?" asked Astrid. "Did you crash?" Edelweiss explained what happened in between sobs. Toothless sat beside her and licked her tears away.
"Oh, I'm sure Black Widow will just fine," said Astrid, sympathetically. "Gobber, Hiccup, and Fishlegs all have experience in broken wings." Edelweiss took a deep breath and scratched Toothless gratefully behind the ears.
"I guess she won't be able to fly for a while," she said. "I'll have to ask one of the other dragonets." She took another deep breath.
"Were you hurt?" asked Astrid.
"No," said Edelweiss. "But I am pretty tired from hitting the ground." Toothless let her lean on him. She yawned.
"I can have Stormfly fly you home," Astrid suggested.
"I don't want to leave Black Widow here," said Edelweiss. "I'll stay here and recuperate."
"You sure?" asked Astrid.
"Would you want to leave Stormfly if she had broken a wing?" Edelweiss asked.
"I suppose," said Astrid.
"I'll hike up to my mother's old hospital," said Edelweiss. "And take a nap there." She slowly got to her feet. But then she heard Black Widow cry out in pain, and it carried into the house. Edelweiss froze in terror.
"They're hurting her!" she wailed. She ran outside before Toothless could stop her. She ran down the hill towards the forge. Black Widow cried out again. Edelweiss found Meatlug and Grump outside. Meatlug saw Edelweiss running up and stopped her.
"Whoa not so fast," said Meatlug.
"What's happening to her?" Edelweiss sobbed. "No dragon ever screams in pain when my mother takes care of them."
"Yeah Gobber doesn't really have your mother's delicate touch," said Meatlug. "But Black Widow will be just fine." Toothless caught up with them.
"What happened?" he asked.
"They're putting Black Widow's wing in a splint," said Meatlug. "And it hurts whenever they touch it."
"Yeah that does hurt," said Toothless. At that moment the other Draconians landed in the plaza, having been alerted to what had happened by Cloudjumper. Edelweiss let out a sigh of relief. She ran over to her family, still in tears.
"You okay Edel?" Serenity asked.
"I'm okay Mama," said Edelweiss. "But Black Widow broke her wing." Hiccup came out, looking a bit frustrated.
"Having any luck?" Aurora asked.
"Black Widow just won't stay still," Hiccup said. "We could really use your help Serenity." Serenity got her medical bag off of her saddle and followed Hiccup into the forge. Edelweiss went over to her other friends.
"Did you guys have a nice night?" asked Avalon.
"Yeah, we slept in the Cove," said Edelweiss. "It was very nice. Black Widow won't be able to fly for a while. So I wonder if I can ask one of you guys to train with me."
"Oh, sure," said Avalon. The other two nodded in agreement. "And the rest of us will keep Black Widow company."
"I think I'll ride Apollo, I haven't ridden him in a long time," said Edelweiss. Apollo blushed and smiled.
"What where you doing when you crashed?" he asked.
"Hiccup wanted us to dive from Gothi's house and grab that flag," said Edelweiss. She pointed to the flag in the middle of plaza. Apollo looked at it all.
"I can do that," he said. "I might not be as fast as Black Widow, but have eyes that are sharper than a hawk's." He took off and flew up to Gothi's house. They all watched him land on the roof of the house. He then turned around and took off in a dive. He sped towards them like a falcon. Luckily he didn't crash and made all the way down. He grabbed the flag in his talons and flapped a way. He circled around then landed beside the others.
"Impressive," said Edelweiss. "You think you can do it with me on your back?"
"Sure," said Apollo.
"What did you guys do yesterday?" Edelweiss asked.
"Hung out at the tide pools," said Avalon. "I must say the group feels a bit small without you two."
"Sorry," said Edelweiss.
"That's okay," said Eider. "It's not a huge issue." Edelweiss smiled and hugged her friends.
"I recon you two will spend a lot of time alone in the future," said Apollo.
"Doesn't mean I love you guys any less," said Edelweiss. She looked in the direction of the forge. "She's been very quiet for a while."
"It must have been a pretty bad break," said Avalon. "Come on we can watch from the roof." Edelweiss jumped on Apollo's back and they all flew onto the roof of the forge. Avalon found a hole in the roof where they could watch the healers working on Black Widow. She was strapped to a table and muzzled. But she was more relaxed now. She spotted her friends and smiled.
"Are you okay Black Widow?" asked Avalon.
"Not really," said Black Widow. "I broke several bones in my wing and ripped a few muscles. It hurts."
"I'm so sorry Black Widow," said Edelweiss.
"It's okay," said Black Widow. "At least it didn't rip off."
"When can she fly again?" Apollo asked Serenity.
"It'll be a month, maybe more," said Serenity. Gobber looked up at the dragonets.
"Will you get off my roof?" he snapped. All the dragonets gave him an offended look.
"We're almost done," said Serenity, more gently. "You can meet us up at my old hospital." The dragonets exchanged a glance, then got to their feet. Edelweiss mounted Apollo and they took off.
Black Widow watched them go, wishing she could follow them. Serenity had injected Speed Stinger venom into her wing so it didn't hurt anymore. But she was far from comfortable. She was still strapped to the table and couldn't move. She shifted as much as she could.
"Hang in there Black Widow," said Serenity. "I'll give you something to help you sleep."
"I can't sleep," Black Widow wined. Serenity poured a fluid into a small bowel then helped Black Widow drink it. She gagged but forced it down, and washed the taste away with water. The medicine made her groggy.
"By the time you wake up, you'll be done," said Serenity. Black Widow felt her body relax and her eyelids grew heavy.
"Where's Mama?" she asked sleepily.
"She'll be there when you wake up," Serenity said. "Just relax." Black Widow let her eyes close and she fell asleep.
The next thing she knew, she felt grass under her scales and could smell dragonnip. Her wing felt heavy and bulky, and she could hardly move it. She felt around with her snout and felt warm scales.
"Mama?" she asked in a croaky voice.
"It's just me Black Widow, your mother is finding you some food," Black Widow knew the voice.
"Daddy?" she whispered. Tenor nuzzled her and she finally opened her eyes. It was night time and they were laying under the Golden Apple Tree. Re and Aurora were sleeping nearby with their dragonets. Black Widow looked at her injured wing. It was stretched out, encased in a splint, and wrapped in so many bandages that it looked more like flipper than a wing. She buried her face in her father's shoulder and burst into tears. Tenor wrapped his wing carefully around her.
"What's the matter, does it hurt?" he asked.
"It looks terrible," Black Widow sobbed. Tenor nuzzled her.
"I know," he said. "It'll be tough but you'll get through it." Black Widow snuggled close to him. "Does it hurt?" Black Widow was crying to hard to answer, but she nodded. "Okay I'll get Serenity, I'll be right back." Tenor slowly got to his feet. Black Widow adjusted as best she could. Tenor went into the house. Black Widow looked over at her friends next to their parents. Eder was sleeping by himself under the tree. Black Widow could hear Edelweiss sleeping in the tree trunk. She wiped the tears from her eyes. She felt a bit better seeing her friends nearby.
Tenor came back out with his rider. Serenity carried her bag and knelt beside Black Widow. Tenor laid back down in his place.
"How are you doing?" Serenity asked.
"Not good," said Black Widow. "I can't move my wing."
"Yes, you won't be able to move it for a while," said Serenity. "Not until the bones and muscles heal. It'll only be a few weeks."
"How many?" asked Black Widow.
"Four," said Serenity. "Three if you stay still." Black Widow sighed. Just then Windwalker landed, carrying a large boar. She put it down beside the tree.
"Hi Mama," said Black Widow sadly. Windwalker nuzzled her as Serenity put more Speed Stinger venom into her wing.
"Hi Black Widow," said Windwalker. "Are you hungry?" Black Widow laid her head down.
"No," she said. Tenor and Windwalker switched spots so Tenor could skin the boar with his fire. He then ripped off a chunk of meat and set in front of Black Widow. She turned he nose up at it.
"I'm not hungry," she said.
"You should still eat it," said Windwalker. "It'll give you the strength to get better." She scooted the meat closer. Black Widow looked at it. Eventually she ate it and it did help her feel better. Tenor ripped off more meat and gave it to her. She ate it quietly.
Tenor kept handing her bits of meat and she ate them. The sun was soon starting to come up. Tenor lit a fire and Serenity put a pot of water on to boil for porridge. As the sun came up the others woke up. Edelweiss came out of the tree. She pulled her saddle off it's rack. Black Widow finally stopped crying and ate the rest of her breakfast. Her parents ate as well.
"What are you guys going to do today?" Black Widow asked her friends.
"I have to go train with Hiccup," said Edelweiss. She put her saddle on Apollo's back.
"I have no plans," said Avalon.
"Nor do I," said Eider. "We can stay until Edel and Apollo come back." Black Widow smiled.
After breakfast Edelweiss mounted Apollo with her sword, bow, and arrows. She said good bye to her family and took off. They landed outside the forge, next to Toothless. Edelweiss dismounted. She gave Toothless a big hug and a kiss on the cheek.
"How's Black Widow this morning?" he asked.
"She's very unhappy," said Edelweiss. "But she's eating."
"Well that's something," said Toothless. "She had a pretty bad crash."
"Worse than yours?" Edelweiss asked. Toothless sighed.
"Probably," he said. "Mine wasn't as painful." He looked down at his red tail fin. Just then Hiccup wrapped up whatever he was working on and came out.
"You riding Apollo today?" he asked.
"I'll be riding him for a few days," said Edelweiss. "Until Black Widow is fully healed."
"It won't be for a while," Hiccup said.
"I know," said Edelweiss. "But I want to get back in the saddle, and Apollo can do most of the stuff Black Widow can."
"Well, then you can head up to Gothi's house while I set up the flag," said Hiccup. Edelweiss got back on Apollo's back and took off.
They flew high up to Gothi's house. She was outside sweeping her front step. She looked up when Apollo landed.
"Hiccup told us to come up here," he said. Every muscle in his body tensed. Gothi nodded and went back to sweeping.
"Toothless confirmed that Gothi is not a witch," Edelweiss said. "And dragons never lie, so it must be true."
"Very well," said Apollo. "But this place still gives me the creeps." Toothless landed beside them.
"Pardon this intrusion Gothi," said Hiccup. "We need someplace high." Gothi nodded again. Apollo turned and faced the open sky.
"Do what you did yesterday," said Edelweiss. Apollo snorted and took off. He went into a dive with his eyes on the flag. Edelweiss kept her eye out of any dragons that might cut across them. Luckily none did. Apollo swooped over the plaza and grabbed the flag. He held it tightly and flew back up to the house. He handed the flag to Hiccup.
"Good job," Hiccup said. Edelweiss patted Apollo on the neck, and Apollo gave a happy bark.
They moved on to harder exercises. Everyday they did something new. Apollo tried his hardest and at first they were tough. But with Hiccup's guidance and good teamwork they mastered it all. Black Widow improved during that time. Her parents and her friends stayed to keep her company.
When Black Widow's wing was healed enough to be put into a sling Edelweiss and Apollo had mastered all of Hiccup's workouts. They had practiced with the other dragonets in their free time. Black Widow watched them from the hospital. The adult dragons were making plans to head home to Draconia as soon as Edelweiss was done at the Academy and Black Widow could fly again. They were anxious to get their Dragonborn child home before something really bad happened.
Apollo and Edelweiss landed in the plaza for their next exercise. They waited there until Hiccup was done chiefing. Edelweiss dismounted and sat on a bench.
"Are you looking forward to heading home?" asked Apollo. Edelweiss stroked his snout.
"Yeah I am," she said. "Maybe next time we come here we can go to Dragon's Edge or explore the ocean with Shark."
"You think our parents will let us go there alone?" Apollo asked.
"Maybe," said Edelweiss. "And maybe Grandmother will let us take the Dragon Eye too."
"I don't think we'll need the Dragon Eye," said Apollo. "If we have questions about a dragon we'll just asked them like civilized folk."
"Good idea," said Edelweiss. "Grandmother says too dangerous to bring the Dragon Eyes out of the castle anyway." Just then Fishlegs and the rest of the Academy came through the plaza with their dragons. Then Astrid landed Stormfly in the plaza.
"Hello Edelweiss," said Astrid. "You'll be training with me today. Did you bring your weapons?"
"Yes," said Edelweiss, holding up her sword, bow, and arrows.
"Good, you'll need them today," said Astrid. Edelweiss strapped on her weapons then mounted Apollo. They took off and headed over the ocean.
Astrid pulled to a stop over the water. Edelweiss stopped beside her. Astrid whipped out her ax.
"Have you sparred in the air before?" she asked.
"No," said Edelweiss. "But I have sparred on dragonback on the ground, so I don't have to hold onto the reins or saddle."
"Good," said Astrid. "Now let's see what you've learned." Edelweiss and Apollo exchanged a glance. "You ready?"
"Yup," Edelweiss and Apollo said in unison. At once Stormfly shot her spines at them. Apollo did a fancy spin to avoid them. They two dragons flew at each other.
Edelweiss used all the fighting moves her father had taught her in the arena. She hardly used her weapons and she never grabbed onto the saddle. All she and Apollo did was dodge Astrid and Stormfly's lunges. They were looking for their opportunity to strike. Astrid found it very difficult to land a hit on either Edelweiss or Apollo. They were just too fast and slippery. Astrid tried to not loose her temper out of frustration, but it was hard. Edelweiss just wouldn't stay still.
Soon Edelweiss saw her chance. She pulled out her bow and a special arrow that ended in an iron fist instead of a point. She fitted it into the bow, then filled Apollo in on her plan.
"Are you sure that's safe to do over the ocean?" he asked. Edelweiss glanced around.
"You think you can catch them and fly them to that sea stack?" she asked. Apollo looked.
"Yeah I think so," he said. "But we should stay in the air. One thing I've learned about humans, especially vikings, is that they hate loosing. It makes them so mad and a bit aggressive."
"I heard that too," said Edelweiss. "Let's go." Apollo flew them back into the fight. They dodged more of Astrid's attacks. Astrid swung her ax but when it hit Edelweiss's shoulder, the blade split in half and didn't even scratch Edel's skin. Apollo flew over Stormfly as Edelweiss drew the arrow. Apollo did a slow spin and Edelweiss let the arrow fly. It struck Stormfly right between the wing joints. Stormfly's whole body shut down and went limp. She and Astrid fell towards the water. Apollo dove after them and managed to snatch Stormfly by the tail. He flew them over to the sea stack and set them down. He then used his magic to create another sea stack to land on at a safe distance. Edelweiss dismounted and they both sat down.
"How'd I do?" she asked.
"Did your dad teach you that?" asked Astrid, a touch sour.
"Some of it," said Edelweiss. "The rest I came up with it myself."
"Why are you way over there?" asked Astrid.
"Vikings hate loosing," said Edelweiss. "It makes them rage, and they sometimes take it out on the closest thing."
"I don't do that anymore," said Astrid. "It sill makes me mad, but I try to be fair. I'll get you next time though." Edelweiss took a deep breath and leaned against Apollo's side.
"Next time I might be riding Black Widow again," she said. "And she's really quick. In fact I might do arial combat on each of my friends. Just in case we have to split up for some reason."
"That sounds smart," said Astrid. "You can go back to the village if you want to."
"You sure?" asked Edelweiss.
"Yes I'm sure," said Astrid. Edelweiss looked at Apollo, and he nodded.
"Okay," she said. "I can take your ax back too." Astrid held up her ax. The blade had a big crack down the middle and the sharp end had a chunk taken out of it.
"Wow," she said. "How did that happen?"
"It must have happened when you hit my shoulder," said Edelweiss. "My being half dragon must my my skin as hard as theirs." Astrid handed her the ax, a bit nervously. Even though Edelweiss was was young and rather small, she could lift the very heavy ax with one hand. She mounted Apollo and they took off. Astrid watched them fly away. She felt a touch of fear. She wondered if Edelweiss was becoming too strong and powerful. Edelweiss could easily destroy them all; with all her indestructibility, speed, strength, dragontongue, and ability to control fire. Astrid worried how powerful she'd be when she got older. Astrid also wondered if it would be a good idea to let Edelweiss grow up. There's was not telling how powerful she'd become or what she'd do with that power.
Edelweiss and Apollo landed in front of the forge. Edelweiss dismounted and took the ax inside. She showed it to Hiccup and Gobber. They were shocked to see the state of the ax. Then when Edelweiss explained what happened they became nervous.
"Your shoulder did this?" asked Gobber. "Didn't it hurt at all?" Edelweiss shrugged.
"Like a punch to the shoulder," she said. "But the blade didn't cut me."
"That's, interesting," said Hiccup, trying to not sound nervous. "Well, we'll get this fixed and give it to Astrid when she gets back." Edelweiss smiled and rejoined Apollo outside with Toothless. She put her hands in her pockets.
"I get the feeling if things like that keep happening, I'll end up banished," she said. "Because the vikings are so nervous about what I'll become."
"You are getting very scary for them," said Toothless. "They think you'll become evil. And if you become evil, you'll be very hard to take out."
"And even if they do banished you, they banish us too," said Apollo.
"I don't think they'll banish you," said Toothless. "You haven't done anything wrong." Edelweiss took a deep breath. She mounted Apollo and they took off.
They landed on a cliff overlooking the village. Edelweiss dismounted and they sat down. They watched the vikings and dragons. Apollo looked sideways at Edelweiss. He was only just now noticing how pretty she was getting. Edelweiss noticed him looking.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"Nothing," said Apollo. "You're just, very beautiful."
"Oh, thank you," said Edelweiss. Apollo blushed and looked back at the plaza. Edelweiss looked down at her outfit. "Maybe when I'm older I can get an outfit that shows my scales more." Apollo shrugged.
"Could just wear no clothes at all," he said. "I mean you're half dragon, and dragons don't wear clothes."
"That's true," said Edelweiss. "But humans do."
"I find human clothing silly," said Apollo. "And Avalon agrees with me. I know humans like decorating everything, but It's still silly."
"Maybe I'll only wear clothes when I'm away from home," said Edelweiss. "When I'm in the human world. Draco and his ally Sol gave me the ability to hide my scales." Apollo looked at her. She made her scales dematerialize into her skin, then made them reappear.
"But you don't hide them from these humans?" asked Apollo.
"They already know I have scales, there's no point in hiding them," said Edelweiss. Apollo gave a shrug of agreement. "Do you think Berk will run me out of their village?"
"I hope not," said Apollo. "I'm sure Hiccup won't let that happen." Just then Avalon and Eider came up to them.
"Hey guys," said Avalon. "We were wondering when you guys were coming back."
"How's Black Widow?" asked Apollo.
"She's finally able to walk now," said Eider. "And she's very happy about it." Edelweiss and Apollo got to their feet. Edelweiss was about to mount Apollo, but paused for a minuet. She turned to Apollo and kissed him on the cheek. Apollo beamed. Edelweiss mounted him and they flew after Avalon and Eider, heading back to the hospital.