Chapter Twenty

Aniu stood there in shock as Zena looked at her in disbelief. Neither said anything for what felt like hours.

"You…" Aniu's fists trembled as she glared at Zena.

"Yeah, me," Zena snorted before noticing how angry her sister looked. "It's been a while, hasn't it? I'd say a good few months since I've last seen you."

A few good months… Aniu felt herself shake a little at the memory of her dream. She remembered seeing Zena there, and they were talking for a few minutes before Aniu had finally woken up. That had been a few months ago. Yet it still felt as if it happened yesterday.

"Why are you here?" Aniu asked warily.

As far as she knew, Zena rarely read books unless she was forced to. It was always a Viking tradition not to read unless it was necessary, and Zena was no different to the rest of her people. She shrugged and leaned against a dust-covered bookcase.

"I guess I was bored," she replied nonchalantly. "I felt like doing some research before heading back to mum and dad." Aniu bit the bottom of her lip at the mention of their parents. Images flashed by of her father using a leather belt to beat her. She flinched and tried to bury them, but they kept returning. Zena frowned when she realized something was wrong. "Aniu, why are you here?" she suddenly asked. "You've been gone for ten years and suddenly decided to go back? Why?"

Silence greeted Zena's questions. Aniu suddenly spun around and ran, fighting the urge to spit out the first thought that came to mind. She didn't bother checking to see whether or not Zena had followed her. Instead she kept running until she reached the docks and the ship, the only place she felt safe.

Cybele's head popped out from below deck the moment she picked up Aniu's scent. Her ears pricked forward in alarm as she caught sight of her Rider approaching her.

"Aniu, what happened?" she warbled in alarm when Aniu hopped on her back.

"I just want to get as far from here as possible," Aniu snapped.

Cybele only narrowed her eyes before taking off. They gave the island of Burgus a wide birth, flying towards the caves where they once called home. Aniu closed her eyes and tried once again to push back the images of her father constantly beating her when Zena wasn't home. Zena had no idea what they did to her. What anyone else did to her for that matter. She was lucky, and would never see what had happened.

"I don't understand," Cybele crooned once they landed. "Why go back here?"

"Because this is where we were raised," Aniu replied, her voice shaken as she slid off and wrapped one arm around Cybele. "This is where the dragons lived before they were driven out. Before we were driven out."

Cybele eyed the cave in surprise as they started wandering. Surprisingly it was large enough to house several dragons of all sizes. Aniu had felt tiny when she first arrived in this cave. Seeing it now only helped remind her of just how small she was compared to the world.

"I knew it!" Aniu froze at the sound of Zena's voice, and Cybele let out a warning growl the moment they whirled around. Sure enough, Zena sat perched on a rock in a similar position as Astrid when they first met. She was cleaning a dagger with her tunic while keeping one eye on Cybele. "I always knew that you were more dragon than human. Isn't that what mum and dad used to say?"

"I would watch your tongue, human!" Cybele retorted. "This is no place for your kind."

I've spent all of my life running from my past, Aniu thought as she closed her eyes. Maybe it's time I started fighting back, and faced the future. Finally she opened her eyes and glared back at Zena, who still remained on her perch.

"You've no idea what mum and dad did to me, or what anyone else did to me for that matter," she snapped, letting her voice rise with anger. "In fact, you've been so full of yourself that you don't even notice what's wrong with the damned village!" Zena's eyes widened in shock as Aniu spoke up for the first time, and even Cybele looked a little startled. "Dragons aren't anywhere near the beasts that you or the rest of Burgus make them out to be. Hiccup and the rest of Berk were able to see that, but you're still too blind to notice what they're really capable of." Cybele warbled in agreement and nudged her Rider and sister gently.

"I am grateful, to call you my sister," she warbled.

Aniu couldn't help but grin at that as she rubbed Cybele behind the ear affectionately. Zena didn't say anything for a while. Instead she gaped at the pair in disbelief. Then she did something Aniu hadn't expected her to do. She laughed.

"Finally, you've grown some backbone!" she exclaimed after catching her breath. "Do you know how long I've been waiting to hear you fight back?" Aniu exchanged a look with Cybele, wondering if Zena had gone crazy over the years. It was a possibility. "Look, I know that it can't be easy going back to the one place you've been avoiding for ten years, but this might be good for you." Finally, Zena jumped off and approached Cybele, whose lips curled in a warning growl. "Can I… Can I pet her?"

"I would rather eat an eel than let you pet me," Cybele snapped.

"She knows you're dangerous," Aniu said defensively, putting one hand on Cybele's shoulder as she started backing away. "It takes years to gain a dragon's trust."

"Yet you gained their trust in how long?" Zena countered, referring to Nina and the other dragons who took her in.

"That is besides the point," Cybele growled in annoyance.

Just when Zena was about to reach out and touch Cybele, a growl from another Night Fury stopped her in her tracks. Aniu's shoulders tensed up at the sight of Toothless flying into the cave, Hiccup in the saddle and staring at the three of them in shock.

"Odin's Ghost, a second Night Fury?" Zena gasped in amazement. "And someone else is riding it? Aniu, you've been keeping a lot of secrets." Hiccup just shot Aniu a question look as Toothless eyed Zena warily.

"Tell me this human is someone we can torch," he pleaded.

"Well, this is awkward," Hiccup said while rubbing the back of his head.

"Yep, just a bit," Zena replied with a nod. "So, you must be Stoick's kid, am I right?" Hiccup nodded at that, and Zena gave Aniu a look of amusement. "And let me guess, you two are together, somehow?"

Hiccup and Aniu exchanged looks, both cheeks turning bright red. Aniu hated to admit that she did like Hiccup. Maybe even as more than just a friend. But she knew that he had feelings for Astrid, and the feelings were shared.

"Ah, not exactly," Hiccup replied before Aniu could say anything. "Who might you be?"

"Zena, and I happen to be her sister," Zena replied confidently, earning a glare from Aniu and Cybele.

"She is my sister!" Cybele retorted, her eyes narrowing with fury. Aniu tried settling her down while Zena smirked at her reaction.

"Look, Aniu, I know this isn't going to be easy, but there's a lot that needs to be said," Zena added once Toothless and Hiccup had joined them. "I've done a lot of snooping in the library, and… well, maybe you should just read this."

Aniu eyed the dusty book warily, noticing that some of the pages were so old that they were crumbling. But she was able to read it easily enough. And what she read made her stomach twist in a knot. Hiccup's eyes widened in disbelief when he read over her shoulder, realizing that it must have been a diary of some sort.

"This was in the library?" was all she could ask as her hands started trembling.

"Yep," Zena replied with a shrug. "I'm guessing old Volstaf was hoping since us Vikings rarely read, we'd never find it. Boy was he wrong." Zena frowned when she noticed how pale Aniu looked. "This isn't going to end well for anyone, is it?" she asked warily.

"How could he?" Aniu's voice was barely a whisper, but Hiccup, Toothless and Cybele heard her clearly.

"That's what I'd like to know," Hiccup added, surprised by the coldness in his voice. From what it looked like, Volstaf had pretty much disowned his daughter from the very start. He knew what that was like, but to suffer from something like that your whole life, it was almost unthinkable.

"Volstaf has always had his secrets," Zena said with a shake of her head. "But this one takes the cake. You're his only daughter, the true heir to the Meatheads. If the people found out, I'm sure there would be Hel to pay."

"You're the daughter of a Chief," Cybele warbled in amazement.

"Makes sense," Toothless added with a shrug. "You have the attitude of a Chief."

"That madman is not my father," Aniu snapped, almost throwing the book at Zena. "If he thinks he can get away with what he did over the years…"

After reading everything in the diary, Hiccup didn't blame her for her anger. He placed a hand on her shoulder to give some comfort, and surprisingly she didn't try shrugging him off.

"We need to tell my dad about this," he said. Zena rose an eyebrow in surprise at that. "He already had an idea that they were… related, but this is something entirely different." Zena only nodded in agreement after realizing that Hiccup was right.

"Aniu, I just wanted you to know that no matter what happens, I still care about you," Zena said as they began to leave the cave. "I know that we hadn't spoken much when you were on the island, and I still live with that regret." Aniu looked at her in surprise as Zena gave her the slightest smiles. "Maybe things would be different if I actually cared when I was younger.

I doubt things would have been different, Aniu thought bitterly. If anything, Zena would have been treated the same had she been caught hanging out with her sister. Zena had always been treated with high regards. Aniu knew that they were different personality wise, and that was why people looked up to Zena more.

...

Needless to say, Stoick was shocked when he heard what the three of them had told him. Cybele and Toothless returned below deck to ensure that no one had seen them. Luckily they were lithe and agile enough that most people didn't even notice Night Furies circling the island. Now they were back on the ship after Stoick's meeting with Chief Volstaf.

"He made no mention of having a daughter," Stoick sighed after sitting down to take it all in. He looked at Aniu curiously to see that she hadn't said much since returning to the ship. Of all the people who should be furious, it should have been her. Yet she looked almost… nervous. "Did the journal mention anything else?"

"Her mother died giving birth to her," Zena explained in a whisper. "I think Volstaf somehow blames her for what happened, and he… he disowned her."

To Stoick, it felt as if someone had punched him in the gut. He himself had disowned Hiccup once when he tried defending Toothless and Cybele, and even Aniu. But he had been too stubborn to see that they were only trying to help.

"He's going to try and disclaim whatever proof we have," Aniu murmured thoughtfully. "Volstaf doesn't take kindly to people who are threatening his position." Stoick gave her accusation some thought before a sly grin spread across his face. Hiccup knew that look all too well, and held back a groan.

This won't end well, he thought.

"I think we already have a way of making him admit the truth, dragon style," he said cheerfully.

At the mention of dragons, Cybele and Toothless emerged from their hiding place. Zena jumped at the sight of the two Night Furies, still having a difficult time getting used to them. Her first instinct was to rush in and kill them as she was trained to do. Yet after seeing them with Hiccup and Aniu, something told her the dragons weren't the cold-blooded creatures everyone made them out to be.

"I like his plan," Toothless warbled as he joined them, resting his chin on Hiccup's shoulder.

"Yeah. I can't wait to see the look on his face when he sees us for the first time," Cybele added with a knowing look.

"What exactly is the plan?" Aniu asked.

AN: This chapter was fun to write... I'm also sorry for the long wait. I've been busy... doing other things :P

MMM - Yeah... unfortunately I can't make any promises about that. As for Aniu's reaction to seeing Zena again in person... I've got big plans for future chapters which involves the second movie ;)

dracologistmaster - He did indeed :P