Nrest POV

I awoke by Xiir nudging me.

"Ract ik," I rolled over. [Translation: Leave me."]

This prompted Xiir to jump up onto my bed and lick my face.

"ARGG! Xiir!," I jumped away from her. "Ubua zxo ass iko llems." [Translation: The fish here make you smell."]

She just grinned and pushed me to the door, I didn't really fight, I was still half asleep. Once outside she bounded into the trees, playfully jumping on trees and running in circles.

"Iko tur ro iqcet?" I laughed and chased her. [Translation: You are happy?"]

She leapt into the air and flapped her wings confidently, soaring into the sky before gently descending. She looked to me happily and I beamed.

"Iko qa trate! Oyz? Me toothless?," I was so surprised by her progress. [Translation: You have practiced! When? With Toothless?"]

She just looked so proud of her self and I was just as happy for her.

"Ivyt ikis ric ract. Reew ric pamu ikis Vallancia." ["Soon we will leave. Father will see us in Vallancia."]

Xiir got low to the ground and looked at me, her way of telling me to climb on her back. Is it too soon? I threw caution to the wind and got on her back, tightening my grip around her torso as she lifted her wings. It had been so long, too long since I had been in this position. I didn't even realize how much I had missed our rides until I had this small taste of what used to be. She can do it. She can!

Xiir started in a run and then jumped into the air, she leaned further left then what she used to, but flapped her wings and corrected, but it became too much so she landed rocklily.

I jumped off," Xiir! Op tur rucc nljii!" I hugged her neck tightly. [Translation: That was amazing!"]

Xiir purred happily at the praise, but I knew she was not happy with it, she wanted to be able to fly like we once had, fly past this island and the next one and the next one, until we made it back to our home.

Hiccup's POV

"And this, this is your home," I held Cauir in the crook of my arm, elevated so he could see the island. Toothless was soaring a gentle wide circle, making the trip smooth and easy, so Cauir wouldn't fuss. " I want you to see it the way it is now. I don't know if it will always be this way," I tucked Cauir closer to me. "But if you one day, you decide this is the future you want, then this island will be yours."

I looked down and Cauir yawned and readjusted in my arm," It's a big responsibility, " I admitted to him, tucking his arm back ino his blanket. "But, that is only if you want it. If you have different future, just tell me, I won't be mad; if you have other dreams, I want you to pursue them, be whatever your calling is. But whatever happens, Berk will always be your home. Okay, little man? You can't fight me on that one," I smiled down at his closed eyes.

Toothless chuckled and I felt calmer than I had last night. I knew today was going to be hard, word had spread across the island of the meeting being called after breakfast. I knew what I had to do, I knew it was the right thing to do, but I was still worried about the reaction of the village.

"Okay, buddy, let's take him home," I told Toothless who turned slightly right and made a gradual descend until we were about the roods of the village. We glided along, watching the people waking up and getting ready for the day. Once we landed at home, I took Cauir inside and Toothless followed me up the stairs and into his room. I placed him in his crib carefully, but as soon as I let go, his mouth opened crookedly and he fussed unhappily.

"Oh no, shh, it's okay, little man," I rubbed his stomach but it only caused him to open his mouth and to scream. "Oh no."

I picked him up and swayed him in my arms but he was angry now and screamed loudly. Toothless ears dropped and he looked worried.

"It's okay, Bud. He's just... hungry maybe?," I looked to Cauir.

"Hiccup?," I heard Astrid muffled voice through the loud persistent shrieks of my son.

"Yeah?"

"Is everything alright?"

"I think so?," I looked back to my son, who's face was red and distorted with his anger.

A few seconds later, Astrid came in and watched me rock him in my arms, then she sighed.

"What?," I asked her.

"Can't you smell it?"

"Smell what?"

"He is dirty," she looked to me mischievously.

"Like he? He..?"

"Oh yeah," she crossed her arms with a grin on her face.

"Oh," I looked back to the boy in my arms.

I haven't done that before...

"How can you smell it? I don't smell anything?"

"Probably because you're just as bad," she taunted. She stepped forward," I will change him. You should... go change yourself."

"Oh," I handed the baby over. "Probably. Are you coming to the hall?"

Astrid looked away from me, down at Cauir," I don't know. I was thinking I'd stay here with Cauir."

"Astrid...," I approached her with a soft tone.

"I'm going to change him," she said and left the room.

I sighed and looked at Toothless, he looked away unsure of what to do.

"Come one," I tell him and we go downstairs. Astrid is in the main room, I walk up behind her and then kiss her on the cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too, Hiccup," she says as she continues to change the baby. I watch over her shoulder as she does it trying to memorize the steps, but it seems very complex. "Good luck," she tells me and I leave the house.

I can already see the mass of people headed to the hall, and it makes a knot in my stomach. Toothless nudges me gently.

"Thanks bud," I rub his ears and then let out a deep breath. "Let's go."

I hop on his back and we take the short ride to Nrest. I walk in to her room but she wasn't there. Figures. Toothless takes me into the woods, where he finds them almost instantly.

Xiir pounces into the air and flies for a steady moment before landing gracefully.

"Wow, she's getting really good."

Nrest turns around and gives a happy smile," Yes. Soon she will fly as she once did."

Toothless scurried over to Xiir and Xiir almost seemed to smile at him, something I had never really seen her do before.

"They seem to be getting along."

"Yes," Nrest agreed. "It is good for her to have a friend here."

"I think toothless likes having a nightfury around. It'll be hard for him when you leave."

Nrest's smile fell and she looked to her nightfury who was now practicing wing movements again with Toothless. "Yes."

"Are you ready?"

"It is time?," she asked.

"Yes."

Nrest stood and then faced me again," I want to warn you, Hiccup."

With those words, I admit my nerves jumped again. Warn me? About what?

"I will not be captive again," her words were cool and her tone was even. "I have promised no harm to your people, and that is a promise I plan to keep. But if your people revolt against your promise to keep me safe, then I will have no choice but to break my promise to you."

Nrest, in that moment, sounded exactly like a princess. Diplomatic and strong, but also swift and cruel if need be.

"It won't come to that," I told her.

"I trust you," she nodded.

Nrest POV

I did trust Hiccup. He had never lied to me, he had only be kind and fair. His ways were different than what I was used to, but almost everything here was different. Even in this confusing times, Hiccup had been consistent and sincere.

I followed him into his village, Xiir by my side, she kept glancing around, expecting something to pop out at us.

"Qspo," I whispered to her. [Translation: be calm."]

"Here we go," Hiccup said as he opened the doors and strolled into a giant building.

Here we go," I thought as I followed him.

Keep our head high and eyes forward. This is just like court. Don't let them see weakness. You have no weakness.

In my peripheral vision I could see the room was full, practically overflowing with people, not to mention all the dragon on the rafters. The grunted and whispered as I passed by, it was just like that the festival, no one spoke to me or said anything. Looking at them, I see why they feared me, they had soft colored eyes and dark hair, and we all fairly short. I was tall, my hair was the color sea foam and my eyes darker then any night they had seen. Maybe they are too scared to attack me...

Hiccup went to the front of the room and I followed him, standing off to the right of him as he addressed his crowd.

"Berk is the home to many..," Hiccup started and I could tell this would be a long speech, much like the one's father would give back home. I looked to Xiir who was sitting with her chest out and eyes forward, adopting the same mind set as me. "... we have dragons now, something none of really expected." The crowd chuckled.

I looked out at them, many of which were awing Hiccup and lingering on his words. I saw the boy who was my guard standing beside the girl who wanted me to give her black eyes. The boy glanced to me and then blew me a kiss so I looked away. The crowd did not seem to notice me, which was nice, I liked not being the center of everyone's gaze.

"...Nrest, a foreigner, but also a friend to us," Hiccup said my name which grabbed my attention. "She is our ally and she is a life saver...," Hiccup paused and the whole room seemed to hold their breath. "When my son was born, Astrid struggled and..."

I could see that it was hard for Hiccup to talk about the death of his bride.

"She died."

The room was filled with murmurs and whispers, the people were confused.

"Until Nrest came, and saved her," Hiccup turned to me and so did the entire room. "She saved Astrid's life and I will be forever in her debt because of it."

"What do you mean?!"

"How did she do it?!"

The people shouted questions and before Hiccup could address them someone else barged up to the front.

"I'll tell you how!," The man pointed to me, his face disgusted," She is not of our earth!"

It was that man, the one from the day I brought Astrid back from the brink. He had shouted at me for bringing Xiir into his house and then insulted me again.

"Agnar," Hiccup tried to reason with him but he only shouted louder.

"This devil woman is going to ring a plague to us! Her eyes show her soul, she is black and rotten and wants us all dead! You all saw what she did to the Knull! She will do the same to us and not think twice!"

I heard some gasps, and turned to Hiccup.

"Agnar, you know that isn't true!," Hiccup argued.

"Oh, am I wrong? Did she not kill men with the will of her mind! Good men, men that I have known for many years! And then she brings back the dead, it is not of this world! She does not belong."

I glance to Xiir, she had been unusually calm, staying in her position, no growling or defensive position.

"Ikis tur tot. Hiccup creckt," I reassured her in a whisper. [Translation" We are safe. Hiccup promised."]

"WHAT WAS THAT! DID SHE CURSE ME!?," Agnar screamed in fear.

"No! Of course she didn't!," Hiccup tried to settle the room.

"She cursed me! I will die! She has cursed me to die," Agnar shouted to the room. The people all drew back from him, afraid to catch the 'curse' I had placed on him.

"Oh god!"

"She's a monster!"

"ENOUGH!," Hiccup bellowed loudly and the room silenced. Hiccup turned to Agnar," That is enough. No more lies. Nrest is the same as we are. She is a dragon rider."

Enough of this, I stepped up beside Hiccup, Xiir following me closely. The crowd look terrified of what I could do, petrified by the monster I might be.

"I will not hurt you. I can promise that," I spoke loudly. " I never meant to be here, I was taken by those men and kept locked away for months. I was tortured and my dragon was scaled and tormented. If I had it my way, I would be home with my family. I am very grateful for all the help you have given me, it is something I will never forget. The kindness shown to me by your Chief, it is truly amazing."

"Did you curse Agnar?!," man called from the back.

"No. I did not curse anyone. I cannot do such a thing, I was speaking the language of my homeland, it is the language my dragon understands."

"What about you! Why do you look like that?," Another person asked.

I sighed," It was how I was born."

"IT'S AWESOME!"

I looked and saw it was the girl from the other day, the one who wanted black eyes.

"It's what Hell looks like it what is! She is straight from Hell and we should return her!," Agnar shouted.

"But she saved Astrid's life. That has to count for something, right?," Fishlegs spoke.

"NO! It counts for nothing! If it was her time to die, we should respect that and accept it. Death is death, nothing else!"

"How did you bring her to life?," Someone called out.

"She was not dead. If she had been dead I could not have saved her, but she was not dead."

"So she didn't die?," the crowd murmured again.

"SHE DID! SHE DID DIE! NO ONE COULD HAVE SURVIVED! I ripped her son from her, no one has ever survived!"

"No one except me."

The whole room turned and standing in the doors was Astrid, holding her son in her arms. She looked fierce, unstoppable, like a goddess had descended. She walked up to the front of the room, eyes forward and her stride was fast. She looked like how I had always hoped I looked walking through court. She stood to the left of Hiccup, handed him their son, and addressed the court.

"This woman saved me. I owe her my life. I wouldn't have survived without her," Astrid turned to me. "Thank you," she then hugged me.

I froze and looked glanced to Hiccup who nodded, so I slowly wrapped my arms around her and hugged her back.

"Does that mean Astrid is cursed?," some else shouted out.

I pulled from Astrid," No one is cursed."

I couldn't really curse people, I could wish them dead but it was not up to me whether they dies or not.

"You came?," I heard Hiccup whisper to Astrid.

"I came to support you," she told him lowly.

"Well, if she saved Astrid's life, then that makes her a hero!," Snotlout clapped.

Tuffnut followed then Ruffnut and Fishlegs and a few other joined until it sounded like the whole village was clapping. It was weird to see people cheering for me, when I was only doing what I would have done any other day back home. Hero? Me? No, I'm not a hero.

"That doesn't change the act that she killed the Yogor," an angry man stepped forward.

Yogor? I know that name. He was the man who has chained me, he was the captain.

"It was self defense," Hiccup came to my rescue.

"She was chained! He wanted to sell her, not kill her!"

"He did not own me," I said sternly.

"You didn't have to kill him!"

"He didn't have to kidnap me," I spat angrily.

"Nrest is a hero," Snotlout repeated. "Isn't that enough? She's saved one of our own."

"But how many has she killed?," the man turned to Snotlout.

"Are you trying to say, you've never killed anyone, Onviok?"

"I did so to protect Berk. Not just out of some petty vengeance," Onviok glared to me.

"See? She is a danger to us all," Agnar tried to rile the crowd again

"If that was true, why hasn't she done anything?! She's been here for like a two months," Tuffnut asked.

"She's... she's plotting. Watching and learning our weaknesses. Then she will strike!"

"How did I trust you with medicine?," Ruffnut asked herself.

"Hiccup would not lie to us," a woman spoke out. "I he says she is an ally, then... I believe him."

"I trust anyone who saved my daughter's life," another woman mentioned. Looking at her, I saw the resemblance to Astrid, she was tall and had a kind smile. Her hair was slightly darker but they looked almost identical otherwise.

"Don't let her fool you!," Agnar shouted.

"Agnar!," Hiccup said sternly. "That is enough."

"You say that until she unleashes the power of the devil and destroys us all," he made one final attempt.

"I said enough."

"You'll see," Agnar vowed. "You will all see!," Agnar stormed from the room.

After he left, the people of Berk all came to meet me, like I was famous or something. They weren't scared of me, they smiled and introduced themselves, asked to pet my dragon. It was odd to see such a dramatic change in their demeanor. It had not been what I was expecting, I was expecting a riot with torches and anger, having to defend myself and Xiir and flee the island. They were all kind and spoke with such accents that I could not really hear their words, but I would smile and nod as I did back home. It almost felt normal, like I was back home, but I had to ground myself and not let myself daydream.