A week had passed since the news of the girls' father's infidelity had been discovered. A week had passed since there was any harmony between the four spirits that were tied with the elements. The soil wasn't as rich, the rain had started three days ago and hadn't let up, the wind had an icy bite to it, and the fires that the villagers lit seemed to not be as warm as they once were.
Several attempts had been made over the past few weeks to bring some peace to the girls. Fishlegs had made the first attempt with Isla by quoting her a sonnet. She had only smiled softly in an attempt to settle his nerves but the sound of the rain pouring heavier had shown the true result of how she felt.
Eret had attempted to lift Terra's spirit by bringing her to a remote spot in the woods that was away from the village. The few flowers that survived the harsh cold were in full bloom and he'd thought that the breathtaking sight would bring a smile to her face. He had been proven wrong quickly as the bright amethyst flowers turned brown the longer they stayed.
Hiccup and Tuffnut walked into the arena with their dragons following closely to them. He heard the sound of the twins' dragon growl a yawn as they reached to open the gate. They normally would have been able to rest more but the work they had to do needed to be done at a time with no rain, which meant it had to be before Isla woke.
It was a fairly normal chore for the two riders. However, there would be nothing normal about this morning. That was made apparent when they swung open the gate and a gust of wind knocked them into their dragons.
"The hell?" Tuffnut asked as he was pushed back to his feet by Barf and Belch. "Skya must be in one of Astrid's moods."
Toothless growled and Hiccup sounded concerned when he said: "You could say that."
Another strong gust of wind hit them but didn't knock them back because they were prepared this time. Inside the arena held a very angry Skya dressed in training gear and a calm Vesta dressed similarly.
They watched as Vesta effortlessly held her ground against the wind that had been directed at her. She gave her sister a goading look before asking: "Is that all you've got? If you can't move me, you aren't going to stand a chance against a real threat."
Skya growled before moving a strand of purple hair from her face and pulling her hands back behind, gusts of wind gathering in her open palms. She looked both hesitant and determined as she looked at her younger sister, unsure of her decision. Vesta could see the hesitation and decided to give her sister an idea of how it would be to face a real threat.
Her expression could only be compared with the ferocity of an approaching storm as she held her fingertips together to create a ball of bright red flames. What no one expected was for her to not hesitate a moment before hurling the flames at her sister. Skya lost all concentration as her eyes widened and she held up her hands. The flames disappeared in an instant but Skya had covered her face, still bracing for the burns.
Vesta didn't say a word as she made her way across the arena to her older sister. The moment she was close enough, she gently pulled Skya's hands from her face and the predatory look in her eyes disappeared.
"I'm sorry," Skya said, defeat crossing her beautiful features. "I don't know what happened.
Vesta softly smiled and reached a hand up to tilt her sister's chin so their eyes could meet. "It's not easy facing someone you love as an enemy. The battlefield isn't a place where there are rules. When it comes to your life or theirs, yours is what's precious."
They exchanged a nod of understanding before looking to the two young men in the doorway. Tuffnut stared in awe while Hiccup raised his eyebrow, an unspoken question hanging between them.
Skya was the one to answer, explaining: "Vesta was teaching me how to separate my heart and mind on the battlefield."
Vesta gave them a blank explanation as she explained further: "More that she needed to be in a situation where someone she loves and trusts was her enemy."
Hiccup gave her a look of understanding before speaking the unspoken statement. "Because an enemy can reside even in your family."
While her facial expression didn't change, her eyes had a fierce intensity to them as she said: "Especially family."
Tuffnut gave Skya a solemn look before grinning at her. "How can we help?"
"You... want to help?" Skya asked hesitantly. She looked over at her sister, almost pleading for her to say no.
Vesta didn't offer a moment of hesitation before saying: "Actually, that's a great idea."
Hiccup attempted to offer her comforting words that would also support Vesta's decision. "It's so you can know to handle all ranges of enemy. Vesta has... whatever her abilities are and Tuffnut has..."
"Pure Viking awesomeness." Tuffnut declared as he puffed up his chest and held up his mace.
Evidently, that was all the encouragement that was needed because it wasn't a moment later when Vesta summoned the flames back to her hand and threw them in her sister's direction whilst Tuffnut let out a Viking roar and charged in her direction.
While she knew that neither of them would hurt her, Skya couldn't help but have an overwhelming feeling engulf her as she saw the flames and the gleam from the mace in Tuffnut's hand as the sunlight hit the blade.
Hiccup noticed this as well and decided the best way to approach Skya was through encouragement. "Skya, you can do this! Just focus and distance yourself from reality. Treat them like a threat!"
She held up her hands and with a twist of her body, she let the wind lift her off her feet. With this one swift movement, she extinguished the oncoming flames and avoided the melee attack. She gracefully landed on her feet and let out a relieved sigh.
Tuffnut wore a proud smile as he looked at the girl who had stolen his heart. While Vesta did not offer a smile, Skya could see the proud look in her eyes. Hiccup smiled brightly at the perfectly executed dodge and joined the other two as they approached the girl in training.
"That was perfect, Skya." Hiccup praised and this brought a victorious smile to the girl's face.
Tuffnut snorted before he exclaimed: "Perfect? That was freaking awesome!"
Vesta let out a breath of laughter before saying: "Well done, sister. I think you have proved you can take care of yourself enough for today. Why don't you and Tuffnut go have some fun?"
Vesta gave her a wink before looking towards Barf and Belch, knowing that the feeling of the wind beneath her feet had been like a call from the clouds.
Not another word was exchanged as the two flew off into the sunset, the sound of Tuffnut's joyous shouts and Skya's laughter fading as they flew further away.
Hiccup wrapped an arm around Vesta's waist as she stared after them and he spoke into existence what Vesta had been trying to hide. "You're preparing them for the worst."
She let out a sigh that echoed the exhaustion she felt. "I have to, Hiccup. In a perfect world, an enemy and a loved one would never share the same face. However, this world isn't perfect."
Hiccup shared her sigh and gently rested his head on top of hers, letting his stress melt as the smell of lavender that lingered in her hair engulfed his senses.
"Would you like to get away for a bit?" He asked with a hopeful smile. Toothless growled out a sound of approval and stood to the side, his saddle in full view and showing his eagerness for the ride.
"I would," Vesta told them with a half-hearted smile before moving away from him to look into his green eyes. "but I can't. The worst is yet to come and I want to train my sister's as much as possible before it arrives. You have duties as Chief as well, my love."
He laughed softly before running a hand through his hair. "Some other time then?"
"It's a date." She told him before placing a soft kiss on his lips. She pulled away before he had time to deepen the kiss in an attempt to change her mind and gave him a teasing smile. "Now go."
He jumped on Toothless back and with a final smile between the two, they took to the skies. As he flew over the arena, he watched as Isla walked in with a sleepy but excited expression. She was the one they both worried about but he had no doubts that if anyone could teach the girl's to defend themselves, it was Vesta.
***Hey, everyone! So this is not my best work but it is what I have managed to come up with. I can't believe it has been so long since I updated this story and I am so sorry for that. I have had so much go on since I last updated and while some of it has been good, a lot of it has not. I lost my inspiration for writing during the difficult times but I am working on getting back into it. I plan to update as often as possible and still planning on finishing this story. Thank you for your patience and your support! I hope you all have a great day! Much love!