"And at last I see the light
And it's like the fog has lifted
And at last I see the light
And it's like the sky is new

And it's warm and real and bright
And the world has somehow shifted
All at once, everything looks different
Now that I see you"

- "I See the Light" - from Tangled

Chapter 14

"I assume you've made your verdict?" Astrid said as we entered the stables to feed our dragons.

I gave her a funny look. "Verdict?" I held up a bucket of fish to Bolt, and the Skrill eagerly buried his face in it.

Astrid raised her eyebrows. "You're spending the day with Harald, right? Have you made up your mind about him?"

I stared at her, trying to jog my memory. I came up with a blank. "What was I supposed to be doing again?"

Astrid groaned. "Brennda! You're supposed to find out what he's up to! We both thought he was hiding something, didn't we?"

I blinked. "Oh, right." I had completely forgotten about that. Once I started, each interaction with Harald fueled the next, and I lost sight of my original purpose.

Astrid held her bucket up to Stormfly. "So, what did you find out?"

My conversation with Harald the previous night flashed through my mind. I had found out the answers I wanted. I just thought the answers were too personal to share with my friend. "He's... not up to anything. It was his over-confidence I found odd, but I think he just needs a friend."

Astrid seemed to consider this. She did not appear convinced, but she did not push the point. "You do not believe he's a danger to us?"

I lowered the fish barrel once Bolt finished and set it off to the side. "Not from what I've seen. What could he really do, anyway? We've got seven riders and six dragons, and he's just one Viking. I'd say we have the advantage. He's the one who's had to trust us."

"True. He's have to be pretty dumb to try anything."

I smiled. "Exactly."

"Now that that's taken care of..." Astrid crossed her arms and smirked. "You really do like him, don't you?"

I flushed. "I, uh, like him as a friend. That's it."

"If you say so..."

"Good morning, lassies!" Harald strolled into the stables with Leopold perched on his left shoulder.

"Good morning, Harald," Astrid said. "We were just talking about you."

I shot her a look.

"Really?" Harald said with a smirk. "All good things, I hope?"

"No, Astrid was just giving me advice on how to properly intimidate you," I said.

Harald laughed. "Still on that? I'm afraid that ship has sailed, mate." He turned to Bolt and smiled at him. "Hello, mighty Skrill." He lifted his hand, and Bolt lowered his head so he could pet him.

I had to smile at their interaction. Bolt did not warm up that much to just anyone, and that was reason enough for me to trust Harald.

"Well, you two have fun today," Astrid said.

"Thank you, Astrid," said Harald. "We will report our success at the day's end."

Astrid gave me one last teasing smirk as Bolt and I followed Harald outside. Why did she have to put such thoughts in my head? I did not like him. I had no time for silly notions like romance.

"You have nice friends," Harald said once we set sail on his boat.

The gentle sway of the boat and the smell of the sea relaxed me, and I forgot about my previous worries. "Yes, they're the best." I wondered if he ever had any friends like that. From what he had told me, I suspected not. "Don't you ever get lonely traveling all the time? It must be hard to get to know anyone."

"It does not bother me. I get to meet all sorts of people. I'm never really alone."

"I suppose." But it wasn't the same, and he had to know it. My eyes fell to the dragon on his shoulder. "You do have Leopold though."

Harald smiled and rubbed the Terrible Terror's head. "Yes, it's hard to be lonely with him around."

"How did you meet him?" I found it amazing that someone not from Berk had met and trained a dragon on his own. There had to be a story behind it.

Harald gazed at the little dragon a he continued to pet him. "I rescued him from... a group of villains."

"Dragon hunters?"

"No." His expression darkened. "Pirates."

This caught me off guard. "Pirates?"

Harald gave me a wry smile. "Have you ever seen pirates in these waters?"

"No. I mean, my parents told me stories. Back when Berserkers controlled Skrills, they occasionally ran into pirates, but they were no match for them." It was not something I had ever given much thought, to be honest. Pirates never seemed like a real threat.

"You best hope you never come across one. They're ruthless thieves who only look after themselves." His cold expression softened slightly when Leopold nuzzled his head into his neck. "I found them torturing this Terrible Terror for no reason other than the fun of it. I had heard rumors of trained dragons but had never dared tried it myself. Yet, when I saw this one being attacked..." His eyes glistened with sadness.

"You saved him," I said softly. I moved in close to him and placed a hand on his back to comfort him.

A small smile flickered on his face. "What else could I do? I got him out of there and healed his injuries. He wouldn't leave me alone after that."

I leaned my head against his shoulder. "And you say you don't believe in heroes."

"Trust me, I am no hero."

I looked up at him with a smile. "You are to him." I nodded at Leopold. In response, the Terrible Terror nuzzled him again.

"If you should learn anything from that story, let it be this:" His eyes gleamed with something I did not recognize. "Never trust a pirate."

I shivered but did not move away. Clearly, I had unintentionally hit another sore spot. But why this? Why did this story affect him in this way? I dared not ask.

Harald said nothing for a minute. Then he straightened up and strode to the front of the boat. "Enough of that! We are supposed to be enjoying the day in the present."

I let relief pass through me, gladly accepting the change of topic. "Okay, then how does this work?"

He turned to me with a grin. "We sail until we find adventure!"

I chuckled at his sudden enthusiasm. "Then sail away!"

Bolt lifted his head form his resting spot and gave a growl of approval.

The day flew by, yet at the same time, each moment seemed to last forever. Harald and I stopped and explored the islands that crossed our path and talked for hours on his boat. Bolt either flew beside us or scouted ahead. We ran into several dragons, both by land and sea. I took pleasure in showing Harald how to approach them and gain their trust. He seemed in awe of each one we came across.

We sailed further east than I had ever been. As the sun began its afternoon descent, we approached an island that appeared home to a small village.

"Let's stop there," I said. "Then we should probably head back to Dragon's Edge." Harald might be comfortable sailing at night, but I did not want our friends to worry.

"That sounds like a plan," Harald said. He eyed Bolt when he landed on the boat. "You may want to leave him behind. He may scare the inhabitants."

I shook my head. "We'll never change people's opinions of dragons if we run every time someone gets scared. If they turn aggressive, we'll leave. And who knows? They may already live in peace with dragons."

"Very well. If you are certain."

We pulled up to a small dock. The three Vikings on the shore took one look at us and turned and fled. Harald and I exchanged glances. Okay, maybe they weren't at peace with dragons. Still, it was too late to turn back now. Leopold climbed onto Harald's shoulder as he exited the boat. I followed with Bolt by my side.

An older Viking woman met us at the top of the small hill. "Hello, travelers," she said in a pleasant voice. "Are you here for the festival?"

I blinked. "Festival? What kind of festival do you have in the middle of February?"

The woman smiled. "A festival to celebrate love, of course. It is in honor of the union between the two Vikings who founded our village. We often get visitors who attend to receive our special blessing to protect their love."

"That actually sounds really nice," I said.

"Quite," said Harald, looking at me with a suspicious smirk.

Why was he...? Then it hit me. My eyes went wide, and I leaped about a foot away from him. "No, no, no! You've got it all wrong. We're not together. We don't have any love to bless."

Harald gave me a wicked grin. "But we could, dear Brennda."

I glared at him. "That's not funny."

"Who said I was joking?"

The woman chuckled. "I see. It's just as well. I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to-"

"Over there!" came a loud voice. One of the Vikings from before strode over with a young women and pointed right at us. "How dare you come here with that beast?"

I placed a hand on Bolt's back to calm him before he became defensive. "I'm sorry. He's actually quite tame."

The Viking shook his head. "Not him. Any ferocious dragon that doesn't immediately start attacking us must be tame. I'm talking about him." He pointed at Leopold.

I burst out laughing. "You're afraid of a Terrible Terror? You can't be serious!"

"Why are you laughing?" Harald said indignantly. "Leopold can be very ferocious."

I laughed again when the little dragon let out a high-pitched growl. "I'm sure."

"I am sorry about this," the young woman said. "Please let me explain. My name is Signy, and I am the chief here. Recently, we have had problems with a group of Terrible Terrors that have moved in. They steal our crops and get into all sorts of mischief. And now they're stealing the flowers for our festival. No one can get a grip on them."

"Otherwise we would love to welcome you to join us," the older woman spoke again. "I am Embla, Signy's mother. Where did you two say you were from again?"

"I'm from Berserker Island, but I'm currently living on Berk," I said. "My name's Brennda. This is Harald. He's..."

"I am a humble trader and explorer," Harald said. "And you are in luck. Brennda here is the best dragon trainer on all the archipelago."

I looked at him, startled. "I wouldn't go that far. And you're the one who's trained a Terrible Terror."

"Then you should both help us with out problem or leave," the male Viking said, shooting us angry glares.

"Easy, Andor," Signy said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I am sorry about my brother, but he does have a point. If you cannot help us, we will have to ask you to leave."

"But if you do help us, you will be honored guests at our festival," Embla said, spreading her hands grandly.

"We would be honored to attend your festival," Harald said. He turned to me. "What do you say, Brennda?"

While I was not thrilled at the idea of attending a love festival with Harald, I hated the thought of turning my backs on a people with a dragon problem. So, I offered the chief my best smile. "We would love to help you with your Terrible Terror problem."

I did not expect it to be this difficult to wrangle a bunch of tiny dragons. What the chief said appeared to be true. The Terrible Terrors were going wild and causing a ruckus. I wondered why they had suddenly settled on this island. Had a larger predator chased them out of their home? From what I could tell, they had chosen a nice new location without any larger dragons. But it was that sense of safety that allowed them to cause trouble without fear of retribution.

Bolt managed to herd the dragons into an open field away from the village. From there, Leopold tried to talk to them, but they showed little interest in the newcomer. The dragons were tame enough and clearly trainable; they simply had no reason to listen to us. What exactly were they after?

"Are you ready to give up?" Harald said, watching a pair of Terrible Terrors wrestle over a chicken bone.

"I never give up!" I declared.

He smirked at me. "You really want to attend that love festival with me, don't you?"

I rolled my eyes. "It's not about the festival. It's about helping these people." Movement in the bushes several yards away caught my eye. A little girl probably seven or eight years old, emerged and looked up at us with big eyes. I smiled. "Hey, Harald, go talk to that kid."

Harald frowned. "I'm no good at talking to kids."

"Because you can't fool them with your confident act?" I smirked. "Kids - and dragons - see through anything. You have to be real with them. I've got to see this. Go talk to her!"

Harald scoffed. "You talk to her."

"But she's looking at your dragon." I pushed him towards the girl, and he reluctantly approached her.

Harald cleared his throat and crouched down to look at the girl. "Hello there."

"Hi," the girl said shyly, her eyes still on Leopold.

"What's your name?"

"Ingrid."

Harald looked back at me for help. I grinned at him and nodded at him to go on. He returned his gaze to the girl. "Can I help you with something?"

Ingrid pulled a purple flower out form behind her back and held it up to Harald's left shoulder where Leopold sat. "Mum."

I immediately recognized the flower. "Hey, a chrysanthemum!"

Leopold leaned forward and snatched the flower in his jaws. He made a small chirp in appreciation. Ingrid smiled.

"You may pet him if you wish," Harald said.

Ingrid raised a shaking hand. Leopold met her halfway and touched her hand with his snout. The girl giggled.

"See?" I said. "You're not so bad with kids." A sound behind us caught my attention. I held in a gasp when I saw the Terrible Terrors inching towards us, curious looking on their faces, some staring at Leopold and others at Ingrid.

Harald and I exchanged glances. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" he said.

"The kids," I said confidently.

"The flowers," said Harald.

So, we put the two ideas together.

Our plan worked beautifully. We gathered up all the kids in the village and introduced them to the Terrible Terrors. Of course, the children did not care about the wild play of the dragons, and the dragons seemed overjoyed by the attention. Then we had the kids give the dragons flowers. We were able to work with them to train the Terrible Terrors to find more flowers on their own and bring them back.

The adults in the village were shocked when they suddenly had more flowers for their festival than they knew what to do with. And they were even more surprised to see their children running around with the little dragons. I explained to the chief that the Terrible Terrors would not cause trouble if they were given something productive to do and also allowed to play in a non-destructive way.

The idea struck home. Many of the parents accepted the dragons into their homes and promised to care for them and train them right. It was nice to see their opinions change as they witnessed the Terrible Terrors doing something they had not thought possible. And so, Harald and I were invited to join the festival in the middle of the town.

"You two are simply wonderful," Chief Signy said as she led us to the town square. "How did you manage it?"

I smiled at Harald. "Well, we are the best team in the archipelago."

Harald grinned back at me. "That we are, love."

And then the festival began. The town was filled with flowers, and the smell of roasting meat filled the air. The Terrible Terrors happily followed the children around, not bothering anyone at all. Signy praised us in front of all her Vikings, retelling the story of how we trained their dragons. I felt bashful at the applause, but Harald really took it in.

"I knew you could do it," Embla said as she tottered over to us, giving us a wink. "And now you are our honored guests. Let me give both if you a gift to symbolize the blessing on your love."

My eyes widened. "I told you, we have no love!"

"But it would be rude to refuse a gift from the chief's mother," Harald said. "And you're thinking too much again, Brennda. Weren't we suppose to live in the moment today?"

I bit back a retort. He did have a point. I smiled graciously at Embla. "You may proceed."

Embla smiled. She started the blessing, speaking mumbled words I could not understand. Then, from a pouch on her waist, she withdrew two items. To me, she handed a beautiful flower-shaped hairpin made of silver and painted blue. And to Harald she gave a silver ring shaped like several tiny flowers linked together.

We both thanked her. Harald slipped the ring on a finger on his right hand. When I lifted the hairpin to place it in my hair, he caught my wrist to stop me. "Let me get that for you," he said with a gentle smile.

Time seemed to stop as he gazed at me while placing the pin in my hair. Why did he have to look at me like that? Why did he have to seem so genuine and sincere for once? My heart could hardly take it, and I could not come up with a word of protest.

"Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are?" he asked softly.

"I - I'm not-"

He lifted his hand once more and placed it on my cheek. "Yes, you are."

I sensed not even a hint of teasing from him, and that only made me enjoy his touch even more. I placed my hand over his on my cheek, keeping it there. It felt so good. This was bad. This was very bad. And yet, all my fears and anxieties faded away as I got lost in the moment. I loved the way he was looking at me... like he adored me. No one had ever looked at me that way. "Harald..."

"Do I know love or what?" came Embla's voice from the sidelines.

I blushed and took a step beck, lowering Harald's hand from my face. But he kept a hold on my hand and pulled me close to him. I gasped and lifted my hands to place them on his chest before I fell into him. I let him wrap his arms around my waist and smile down at me.

"I had a great time today, Brennda," he said. "Thank you for accompanying me. I did not realize adventures could be more enjoyable with someone beside you."

I smiled. "I've realized that too. And thank you for helping me relax and have a fun time. You were really good with the dragons - and the kids."

Harald chuckled. "No, I think that was mostly you. I think you're wonderful, Brennda." He leaned in closer to me. "Can I keep you?"

With that, my remaining resistance melted away. I no longer cared about the consequences. I just wanted to be near him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and rested my head on his chest. His strong arms held me securely against him, and I felt completely safe and protected. "You'll have to ask Hiccup."

I felt his body vibrate as he laughed, and I loved the feeling. "I may do just that."

Stars darted across the night sky at Dragon's Edge upon our return. The festival had been fun. There was music, dancing, and good food. I hoped no one worried too much about us coming back so late. Hiccup and Astrid were there to greet us after we docked.

"Did you two have a good time?" Hiccup asked.

"Yes, we had a grand adventure," I said. I led Bolt to the stables, and the others followed.

"We helped a village train a group of Terrible Terrors, and then they invited us to their love festival," Harald explained.

"Terrible Terrors?" said Hiccup. "That sounds exciting."

"Love festival?" said Astrid.

I winced and slowly turned to look at her. "Yes, well, it was quite lovely, and-"

"What's this?" Astrid reached out and touched the flower in my hair.

"Oh, that's-"

"It was a gift she received after the blessing of our love," Harald said very 'helpfully.'

My face turned crimson. "H-Harald!"

He held up his hand. "And they gave me this ring. They're symbols of our love."

"Stop saying that! We have no love!"

Harald smirked. "Then why did we accept these gifts?"

"Because you said it would be rude not to!"

He gave me a mock look of dismay. "Brennda, you really should be careful about who you listen to. Oh, that reminds me." He turned to Hiccup, who had a bewildered look on his face. "I have been really enjoying my time here with Brennda, and it pains me to think that one day I will have to leave. Can I keep her?"

My jaw dropped to the ground. "Harald!"

Hiccup stared at him in shock. "What?" he said. He looked at Astrid for help, but she was too busy suppressing her laughter.

"She said it was alright with her if you gave your permission," Harald said.

"W-What's wrong with you?" I cried. "I didn't think we were being serious!"

Astrid looked at me with a smirk. "So, you did say 'yes.'"

"I was living in the moment!" I glared at Harald. "And you can't just go around and say things like that!"

Harald feigned a look of innocence. "But you are so adorable when you're flustered." He gave me a smile that was way too sincere.

I gaped at him. Was he serious right now? I looked from him to Hiccup and Astrid's amused faces. This was about all I could take right now. "You know what? Good night." I turned and stormed out of the stables.

"Good night, love!" Harald called after me.

I bit my lip to keep from smiling. I knew that was simply a more familiar term to the 'mate' he usually used, but it still affected me like he probably knew it would. I really was doomed.

A/N: That chapter was very fun to write. I hope you enjoyed it as well. :)