Hiccup's POV

I hadn't seen Nrest is few days now, we had a big shipment coming on the shore and the whole village was bustling around in preparation for the Dragon festival. We did it annually on the day Toothless saved my life. IT was my father's idea, a way commemorate the friendship and bond between Dragon and rider. This would be the second we held, it would be hard to top last year.

Gobber had been so drunk he re-enacted the entire story of the battle for Berk. Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Belch and Barf almost lit the town hall on fire. Astrid passed out in a dragon bowl while Fishlegs tried to teach Meatlug how to swim. Snotlout told every girl that he was ruler of Berk and they would be lucky to date him. I tried to do a new stunt with Toothless while not in my mind and caught on fire, but it was doused quick enough I didn't get burned.

The whole village went crazy, even the dragons, but Toothless was surprisingly controlled. He kept the order better than I did.

"Are you ready for tomorrow?," I leaned into Toothless ear as we soar above Berk.

Her perked up, showing that he was excited for the festival.

"Don't worry, this year, I'll behave. Maybe I should hide some of the ale?"

Toothless snickered.

"You're right, they would find it. Let's go down, bud. We should check on Astrid."

Toothless landed easily and I hopped off gracefully and entered our home to find Astrid standing.

"What are you doing?," I ran to her side.

"What?," she was surprised.

"Agnar said you were supposed to stay in bed, he's serious this time."

"He was 'serious' last time too," she grunted and her hand went to her stomach.

"What is it!? Is it the baby!? THE BABY IS COMING!," I jumped.

"No Hiccup! The baby isn't coming. Agnar said this is common, nothing serious."

"Well at least sit down," I lead her to the couch.

"Hiccup, I'm fine," she sits down and crosses her arms, angry.

Sometimes she had these moods, the doctor said it's common, so I tried my best to keep her happy.

"I just want to sit with my wife, is that crime?," I grin.

She glances at me from the corner of her eyes and sighs, leaning into me.

"I like just sitting with my husband."

I put my arms around her shoulder and pulled her closer and we sat there for a moment, just with each other.

"I have to admit, I'm sick of sitting," Astrid sighed and pulled away.

"I want to ride Stormfly, I want to help with the festival, I want my normal clothes, I want to be useful."

"What? You're doing the most important job!"

She rolled her eyes.

"No, I'm serious. You're carrying our baby..."

She turned back to me, not wanting to admit that I was right.

"...And what's more important than that?"

Her lips twitch into a smile.

"Why do you always know what to say..." she smiled then grimaces and clutches her stomach.

Before I can say anything, she holds up her hand, takes a deep breath, then relaxes back into my side.

"It's nothing Hiccup, I'm telling you."

That doesn't look like nothing...

"Maybe I should get Agnar," I slip out from under her.

"No, Hiccup!," she stands up, it wasn't very graceful, but in her defense she was very pregnant.

"I'm fine, I promise."

"Astrid..."

"Really, I am," she grabs my hands.

That looks serious... but if it was Agnar would tell me about the pains. He hasn't said anything.

"Stop worrying," she smiles.

"Why don't you go do more... I don't know, Chief stuff. If you stay here, you'll drive me crazy." She said in a joking tone but underneath she was serious.

"What if the baby comes, shouldn't I be here?"

"The baby isn't coming Hiccup," she pushes me out the door, then closes it behind me.

I looked at the door to our house as she shuts it," I love you."

Toothless cocked his head and I just shrugged.

I got on his back and locked my leg in and he took to the air.

I hope she's right...

Nrest POV

Xiir jumped into the air, and spread her wings, they stretched out like sails of a ship when the wind caught them just right. She flapped them, screeched and then fell to the ground. She jumped again and again and again, but her wings faltered. Angrily she shot off at bolt of electricity at a nearby tree, then turned ran and jumped again but crashed.

"Xiir," I ran to her side. "Fro tyvbi iko." [Translation: Don't rush yourself."]

She pulled away from and stormed a few feet away. I knew she was upset with herself, she didn't want to be seen as weak or crippled, she wanted to fly like she once did. I sat down on a large rock and watched her try again, she was not going to give up until she was too tired to sand, Xiir was stubborn in that way. It was one of the reasons her and Taroc got along so well.

Thinking of him made me sad, I thought of the life he might be living.

Perhaps he is happier now... then he was with me. He might still be waiting for me... but he would not stay alone long. In his heat he might still love me, but customs says only a year can be for mourning. Have I been gone a full year? I don't know... Even if it hasn't been he's too much of the perfect man, girls would be intrigued.

A shadow passed over me, I looked up and saw it was a Valla, circling above.

FATHER!

I stood up quickly and the dragon dived to the ground, landing about a league away. But it wasn't my father... it was Toothless and Hiccup. I tried to hide my sadness from them.

Hiccup came over to me, careful to avoid Xiir ans she continued her quest for flight.

"Hey...," he looked to Xiir.

"How's it going?"

"She is struggling. Her wings are still weak."

"Maybe... I could help?," he asked skeptically.

I smirked," No. Xiir is stubborn."

"Maybe Toothless could, I mean, he understands what it's like not to be able to fly."

Toothless looked to Xiir and she leapt again, her wings outstretched, but fell back on the ground anyway. He stepped towards her.

"Be cautious," was the only warning I gave.

He took another step and then bravely approached Xiir. She hissed at him as he came near her, but he did not react to it. She then stood tall, eyes now wide and her ears perked.

"They must be talking..."

Toothless then opened his wings in a demonstration, Xiir looked to me then to the valla and slowly copied his posture.

"A dragon might be able to teach flying better then we ever could," Hiccup joked.

"Maybe you do know dragons," I smiled.

"Uhm... Nrest, can I..."

"If you would like," I interrupted," You may call me Nea. It is much better then Nrest anyway, such an ancient name."

"Oh.. okay. Nea... I wanted to ask you something."

"Okay."

Hiccup then sits on the ground beside my rock as Toothless is still trying to help Xiir.

"Why don't you just heal her wings? Or make them stronger? I mean, you have magic."

I understood his question, he saw magic as the answer to everything, but it was not.

"Magic is helpful, but not perfect. I helped heal her wings, but it still takes time for someone to recover from an attack like that. Magic itself does have limits."

"Really?"

Hiccup's boyish wonder still surprised me at times. He was the Cheif of his people, a leader, a husband, soon a father. But he was still so clueless to some things, not that it was his fault. He just didn't know.

"Yes."

"What kind of limits?"

"Well, like this," I gestured to our dragons. "Xiir's injuries, they can only be healed on the surface, but the damage done to her body can only be fixed with time. Magic has limits like... I cannot resurrect the dead, if there is no life I cannot produce it. For instance I could help a flower bloom, but I could never produce a flower out of the air. That was why healing Xiir when I did was so crucial, I could feel her slipping form the world..."

I looked at my dragon, she doing wing exercises with another Valla and she looked like she was having fun. She was alive and I was so blessed to be here with here, I knew not to take this for granted.

"So when someone dies..."

"They are dead."

"... but if someone is dying..."

"I can save them. It takes a lot of energy to safe a life from death and a lot of magic. It can causes the sorcerer to black out, have memory loss, or in severe cases it can kill them."

"Seriously?"

"Yes, it is a hard thing to do. As my Aunt says ' tur jiop nik fuiosla'."

"What does that mean?"

"It's magic, not a miracle."