Once Kael had disappeared from sight, she shook her head and paced back and forth. "No. No, I can't do it here. I need somewhere open... Somewhere with no inhabitants that no one may recognise..." The door knocked. "Just a moment!" She quickly tidied up the mess she made of the house to cover up that there was a demon roaming inside these wall. The knock beckoned her a few more times. "I'll be there in a second!" And she opened it with a smile. "Oh, hello! I'm glad you're here."

Hiccup nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "Really?"

"Yes! Come in!" She grabbed his hand quickly and pulled him inside, swiftly closing the door. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you."

Hiccup blushed and grinned widely, "Really? Well, I guess that's good." He took a deep breath to calm his racing heart. "Listen, I need to talk to you."

"What a coincidence, so do I!"

"Oh, well... ladies first, then." He just prayed that she felt the same, regardless what she was about to say. "Go on then. What is it?"

"Would it be okay if I walked in the woods tonight? Alone?"

Hiccup gulped, "Alone?"

"Yes." He gulped again and his heart thudded hard against his ribcage. "You see... I have been doing some thinking but I think I need your help."

"Like I said," he grabbed her hands in his, rubbing his thumbs over her knuckles, "name it and I will see it done."

"Please don't think I'm taking advantage-"

"Oh, believe me. You're not... Where do you want to go?"

"Well, to put things into perspective, you need to know that I'm adopted. And... I just recalled some details about my life; bits and pieces of who I am and where I came from."

"... Huh." He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but it definitely wasn't this. Maybe something more on the lines of a mutual connection between them but then he only just admitted to himself that he had feelings for this woman. 'Is there nothing else? Anything to do with me?' "So… it's to do with your birth family, right?"

"More or less. And this." She held out her necklace for him to take, and he did so carefully, tracing the sapphire and crescent moon design on the back. "I've had this for as long as I can remember and I think it's the key to something; something connected to my birth family. That's why I want to go to the woods tonight. To keep a clear head."

"... Is there anything else I should know?"

She shrugged, "That's what I want to find out, but to do that I need to be on my own... Will you be able to keep this quiet for me? I don't want anyone to wonder where I've gone tonight, and I want to keep this on the down low as much as possible. Can you do that for me, please?" She held his hands again and looked into his eyes with a hopeful smile. "It would mean so much to me if you did."

"What about getting home to Enthornas? Don't you want to leave?" His heart thudded more at the idea of her staying with him for longer.

She smiled more, mainly to cover up the encounter from less than five minutes ago and prayed it was convincing. "As sweet as you are for wanting to get me home... I can't just go without knowing the truth... Can you do this?"

"... Of course. Anything for you, sweetheart." He was jolted back at the force of her hug but wrapped his arms around her anyway with a chuckle, breathing in everything of her once again. Like last night, he never wanted to let go. He hated the idea of her leaving, but he would do everything possible to make her happy; even at the potential cost of his. But he still had to tell her. "Listen... There is something I want to say, and I want to say it before the privacy is gone."

"Yes, of course. You can tell me anything."

He breathed in and relaxed, not letting go of her but loosening his grip enough so he could look into his favourite shade of blues once again. "I know we haven't known each other for very long and I know it's hard especially since what happened to you and being so far from home... But what I feel... I don't think I can put into words."

Skai smiled more. "Try it. You might be surprised."

"I don't think I can, being totally honest with you…" Even now, looking into her eyes, he couldn't find the courage he needed to let those words leave his mouth. "I… I…" He cleared his throat, "That is, I..."

"Yes? What is it?"

"I... I lo-"

"Hiccup!" Astrid's voice bellowed from the door. "We really need your help out here, like right now! The twins are wreaking havoc again in the stables!"

He groaned to himself and ran his fingers through his hair as he scowled at the door. Out of all moments to ruin, it just had to be this one. He gave a weak smile & turned back to Skai. "Tell you what, how about a rain check? Maybe go for another fly tomorrow night, just you and me?"

Skai nodded with a small bounce on the balls of her feet. "Of course. That would be lovely." Her cheeks burned as he kissed one as his goodbye; giving her a charming lopsided smile as he closed the door behind him. She breathed a sigh of relief, glad for this one time that he didn't ask what she was hiding.

That night, once everyone was sound asleep, Skai snuck out of the Hofferson residence & off to the woods just as she was told to; determined to keep her promise in order to keep Byril alive. It had been several weeks since she saw him last and it would be more than just euphoria that swept her body astray once he held her again. She occasionally scanned the woods behind her to make sure none of the villagers, especially Hiccup, were anywhere near or following her.

Once far enough, now deep in the cove that Hiccup told her about, she waited by the lake. Kael had yet to make an appearance, but she knew it was better to be there first than last.

"Waiting for me?" asked a cracked voice off to her right. Turning, she saw Kael striding over to her; empty-handed. "Good, you are on time. Did anyone notice you?"

She shook her head, "I made sure everyone was asleep before I left… Now, where is my father?"

"Calm down. He is safe." He gestured to the large tree on the other side of the lake.

Her hand clasped over her mouth as she audibly inhaled a sharp breath. And there Byril was. His orbicular belly and a pomegranate tunic with raven gaiters and fur-lined boots were now wrinkled with ropes tight around the points of circulation. His thick beard and his chin-length hair were knotted with mud and straw. His face was pale other than for the large graze on his forehead, clearly showing that he was knocked out. From the distance, especially now her eyes were sharper than before, she could see that he was still breathing.

"I promised he is safe; not well fed and cared for."

"You clearly look for loose ends in the knots."

"Thank you."

"That wasn't a compliment."

"Well, it is quite clear you hate me."

"Just as much, if not more than, you wanting to kill your leader. Now, that information I was promised. And don't play games with me. My patience is running thin, so you better have a good excuse for me keeping you alive."

"Don't be so angry, girl… For the information, you must come with me. I have upheld my end of the bargain."

"You never said I have to leave with you for this information!"

Kael shrugged, "You never asked. I thought it was implied."

"How do I know you're not just lying to me, to take me to your master so he can kill me?!"

"Just as how I know that you have no experience with that sword you're hiding behind your back." Skai gulped. "Don't be foolish. It won't get you anywhere if you kill me."

"It would sure as Hel make me feel better."

"Now that is a lie." Instinctively, as he took a step forward, she held the handle of the blade & took a step back. He smirked. "Clearly not as foolish as the next person, it seems."

"I wasn't about to go anywhere near you unarmed."

"Well then…" He smirked wider and withdrew his own sword from its sheath; longer with a wider & wrinkled blade, its silver dated with dullness and the edges were blunted. "Let's see how well you wield it. Now begins your first lesson." She circled her opponent slowly, observing each individual limb for sudden movements or change in posture. "Good, good. Always keep your eyes open and watch every move your opponent makes. You will need this to know when to block. For example," He was so fast that she barely saw the blur behind him. On instinct, she brought her sword up to block the blow but was unprepared when Kael quickly shifted his balance and kicked her knees out from underneath with his foot. She tripped but quickly recovered in time to just duck and avoid his second strike.

"What was that for!?"

"That is what you should be prepared for with your enemies. But your feet were too close together and your posture was crooked. Straighten it up!" He pushed her back up, tilted her head to the side, dominant arm forward to match her leg. "You need to breathe properly to keep your composure. Be quick, and light! If you don't look ready for the fight, you will never be ready." He swung again, and she blocked him again, bicep flexed with the blade facing down just before the blade managed to slice her neck. He swung the other way, and she flicked her wrist so it blocked it just the same. "Good! Good! Again!"

With every swing, parry, attack and block… she didn't blink. She reflected his movements like an opposing mirror, predicting all the possible moves he could make. Every hair & freckle on her body burnt like fire against the ice cold that was now her foe. Everything was alive. That instinct with her sixth sense was tingling, and threatening to explode from her chest. She thought she was going to be sick for a moment as the sensation exploded around her. Blue waves of light, like a shield, forced their way out like ripples in water; pushing Kael into a tree about thirty feet away. The tree broke from its trunk and collapsed to the side.

She panted and collapsed to her knees, her shaky fingers dropping the sword and leaned forward; heaving as she felt a tsunami of nausea overcome her, her head was dizzy with white dots in the corners of her vision.

Kael got up on his feet, laughing. "Yes! That is exactly it! It seems your power is coming sooner than later. Oh my, you could have given your mother a run for her money." Skai looked up. "Oh, yes. I knew her very well. In fact, she and I grew up together. Not too far from Tua-Wiloe actually."

She leant against the stone wall for support. "… I thought you hated humans."

"Oh, I do. But some I cared for when I found them less irritating; especially your mother."

"And my father as well…?" He paused, clenching his teeth. "What was he like?"

"Well... I can't say I knew the man very well. Your mother lost touch with me once she married him. Had some tykes running around after a couple of years. And I briefly rekindled with her before she had you."

"You really knew her?"

Kael scoffed, "I'm the only one who knew her…" He looked up. "That will be all for tonight. I need to take my leave back to my master as he will be expecting my report, and Byril will be returned to Tua-Wiloe along the way… I will be back in a week's time. Do you understand?"

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because you need more training."

"Not that! All of this!" She failed her arms around her in a wide gesture. "This chasing me away from Tua-Wiloe. Kidnapping my father! Why!?"

"Let me put it this way; I'm not going to allow you to waltz in to a wolf's territory like a naïve sheep… Be here at this time in exactly a week. Once I return, we will be continuing your lessons. In return, I will offer you more information about what I knew of your family; the Rhavendil bloodline. Understood?"

She blinked, speechless. It was too sudden; one moment, he was hunting her down to bring her to his master, and the next he was talking about training her? What kind of twisted world did she suddenly wake up in? Well, she knew she wasn't going to be eating any strange green plants for the rest of her life; that was a fact she would stick to until she was laid down in her grave. "How much will I learn?"

"As much as I will teach… Now go. Your father will be returned home safe, that I guarantee however he will have no recollection of my meeting him; the same goes to everyone else. But you must keep this meeting a secret. No one must be trusted with this." Hesitantly, after briefly thinking about it, she nodded. "Perfect."

A throne sat between two pillars of green and black fire. The room itself was an ugly pale turquoise and the tiled glass floor carried a blurry reflection like it didn't actually exist. The walls were built with shattered skulls and all sorts of disgusting worms & spiders crept through the bony creases. The throne was made of rot and held together with cooled lava, and was coated with dead vines & sliced finger bones so it was thick and lumpy with a crunch, and it towered & curved like the hand of a demon. The evil monster that lurked there before sat there yet again, scratching his longer fingernails against the arm rests.

The monster growled unhappily as his servant approached him once more, "You have failed me, Kael. Again. How by this world could you have possibly lost Rhavendil to the rapids? And then sometime later lose her before managing to collect her from dragon trappers on a single ship?! And now you cannot find her at all!? Was Byril not enough to lure out that little bitch!?"

"I didn't do it on purpose, sire. I must have simply misunderstood their relationship!" Kael exclaimed desperately. "I have simply overestimated their bond. He wasn't too upset that she wandered off; claimed this was normal of her, even. So he wouldn't be the prime bait to attract her attenrion."

The creature fisted his hand and threw him against the wall about ten feet off the ground, again as arms and legs spread while restraint by two voids; one on each side. He moved his hand again and Kael screamed, though somewhat now used to the pain, as he twisted his neck sidways and backwards into unnatural positions. "Why do I even bother with you!? You couldn't lure in rats, let alone a young bitch at the gullible age of sixteen!"

"I swear! One last chance; all I ask is that! I will not fail you again…You have my word on it. I just need more time!"

The creature contemplated this in silence, leaving Kael dangling there to let the worst of thoughts come to him. "Give me one good reason. What of your pathetic existence is left to offer me now?"

"I didn't mention it because I had to be certain... There is one member of her birth family still alive. The family member that sold the Rhavendils out in service to you. I know exactly where, and right now, and would be your best option to drawing her out again."

"… And who is that?"

"Her father."

He hissed. "I don't follow... Byril adopted that brat as an infant in Tua-Wiloe. He isn't of much use like you said. Better of dead, in all honesty. He isn't blood related to her, and there is no solid proof that anyone survived from that blasted family. You better start making sense, you wretched half-breed."

Kael nodded. "Yes, I understand. But that is not the one I speak of. There is one other than Rhavendil that survived."

"Who else could it be? There is no one else in her bloodline that lives."

"Not true... the man I speak of is the one who married her mother..."

"Her biological father?"

Kael nodded again. "Yes, and I know exactly where to find him. I know that he is trying to condone for his actions as we speak; trying being the operative choice of words. He will be the most desperate in trying to keep her alive."

"You are certain of this?"

"Yes. More than anything."