"When you become detached mentally from yourself and concentrate on helping other people with their difficulties, you will be able to cope with your own more effectively. Somehow, the act of self-giving is a personal power-releasing factor." – Norman Vincent Peale

Chapter 13

The Flame Whipper learned quickly. By the end of the following morning, I felt comfortable enough to let her roam on her own. I thought it was about time for my to relax, but then I spotted Skulder heading in the direction of the lookout.

"Hey!" I called to him as I ran after him, making him stop.

"Oh, hello, Brennda," he said.

"What are you still doing here?" Though I asked, I had an idea.

"I thought I would check up on Phlegma and see how she's doing."

I smirked. "You seemed to enjoy working with her a lot."

Skulder smiled. "Oh, yes. She is excellent in what she does, and I dare say we have become friends."

My smirk widened. "But you want to be more than friends."

Skuler paled. "Wh-What makes you say that?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not blind. I see the way you are with her."

He frowned. "Even so, she probably wants someone much stronger and braver than me."

"You're plenty strong and brave in your own way. She might like you for your own special qualities. You won't know unless you ask."

Skulder waved his hands back and forth frantically. "I - I couldn't do that! It would be too embarrassing. Besides, it would never work. She's a botanist who needs to stay in one place, and I'm an archaeologist constantly moving around. Our lifestyles are too different."

I crossed my arms and raised my eyebrows in disbelief. "You lifestyles are too different? Really? You're going to pull that one on me? You know nothing about incompatible lifestyles. Trust me, you've got it easy. You're just scared. But I'm going to help you."

"You are?"

I grinned. "You bet I am. Now, checking up on her is a good idea, but you know what would make it even better? If you went back to the cenote on Impossible Island and brought back some of those flowers for her to study."

Skulder's eyes widened. "But that sounds dangerous!"

"Exactly. It'll be sure to impress her. Now come on." I pulled him along as I went to find Bolt. He was reluctant at first, but he did agree to my plan.

We flew to Impossible Island together on Bolt's back. I had Bolt drop Skulder off at the cenote while we surveyed from above. Everything was fine at first, but then the adult Flame Whippers got riled up. I urged Bolt to swoop down and save my friend.

"Thank you Brennda," he said once we were safely in the air. "I did manage to get the flowers. I do hope this works."

Bolt dropped us off at the lookout. I checked to make sure Phlegma was at the greenhouse and then went over the plan with Skulder.

"Do not leave after giving her the flowers," I said. "Find some reason to stay."

"Like what?" he asked, fidgeting nervously.

"I don't know. Ask her about her plants... or suggest a walk on the beach."

Skulder nodded. "Alright. I can do this."

"Yes, you can."

I waited, but Skulder stood there, seemingly frozen in place.

I frowned. "Skulder?"

"Yes?"

"Are you going to go now?"

"I can't feel my legs."

I rolled my eyes. "You'll be fine." I grabbed his shoulders, spun him around, and shoved him towards the greenhouse.

I hid behind a bush to watch the scene play out. Skulder slowly approached Phlegma, who seemed surprised to see him. She beamed at him when he handed her the flowers. I wished I could hear what they were saying as they started talking animatedly with each other.

"What are you doing?"

I looked behind me to see Heather giving me an odd look. "I'm making love happen." I motioned to the couple outside of the greenhouse.

Heather glanced at Skulder and Phlegma and then looked back at me, seeming amused. "You can't fix your own love life, so you're working on someone else's, huh?"

I shrugged. "Pretty much."

Heather chuckled. "Well, good luck with that. And Valka wants to see you."

"Thanks." I would have to wait to find out how this all ended. I set off to find Valka. She was waiting for me outside of her hut, and she got straight to business.

"If we want to change everyone's minds on dragons, we need to show everyone that they aren't evil," she said. "We've been using a Terrible Terror mail system to send messages to the other islands. Eret volunteered to take point on the project. Can you ask him how it's going?"

"Sure," I agreed. I realized I had not seen Eret since Dragon Island. I probably should check in on him anyway. When I arrived at the training grounds, he was about to take off on his ship.

"Ahoy there, Brennda," he said. "Are you here to see me off?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but a Terrible Terror suddenly landed right before us. I could see a note attached, which Eret extracted and unfurled. "What is it?" I said when his eyes widened.

"Thor's britches, Queen Mala needs our help! The message says that their ship was hit by a storm at Helheim's Gate. Well, I'm not one to leave royalty waiting. Let's go!"

I gasped. "Yes, of course!"

I climbed on Bolt while Eret took off on his ship. We arrived at Helheim's Gate in no time. It was just as eerie - and windy - as I remembered it.

"According to the note, the storm pushed them northeast," Eret said. "Lead the way!"

I clutched my compass tightly and steered Bolt in the correct location. I was really glad for my previous training in navigating now. After some work, I found Mala stranded on a rock near the salmon fishing hole.

"Brenna!" she exclaimed. "I'm glad you got the message. It's great to see you again, especially in these circumstances. Who's this?" She looked past me at Eret, who just arrive with his ship.

Eret smiled and puffed out his chest. "I'm glad you asked! I am Eret, son of-"

"No time for an elaborate intro, sailor," Mala said, and I stifled a laugh at Eret's stunned expression. "Three of my best Defenders were thrown overboard in the crash."

"That's terrible!" I said once I could speak.

"When Defenders get lost, we whistle a specific note so we can be found over the sounds of the rumbling volcano at our island. Hiccup showed me his 'Storm Ear', so we made a tuning fork that is attuned to it. Perhaps it will help you find my men."

Luckily, I still had the Storm Ear with me in my bag. I pulled it out and started it up. I followed the vibrations until I spotted a stranded Viking. I had Bolt shoot a lightning bolt at the nearest sea stock to signal Eret's ship.

"Thanks the stars we found you!" Mala said to her Defender once she arrived with Eret.

"I knew you would, my queen!" the Defender said.

"Miss Queen Mala, or whatever I'm supposed to call you," Eret said while Mala helped the Defender aboard, "I'm not any run-of-the-mill sailor. I'm the greatest dragon wrangler-"

"I care little about your self-proclaimed titles, sailor. I am focused on the safety of my people. Brennda, stop laughing and use the Storm Ear to find the second survivor."

I looked away from Eret so I could calm down and get back to work. The Storm Ear led me to a second stranded Defender. Like before, Bolt signaled to the others so he could be rescued.

"Nice one, Brennda," Eret said. "I've decided that the Queen can call me whatever she likes - as long as she remembers my name!"

I grinned and shook my head. "I love you, Eret. You're hilarious."

Eret blinked. "Thank you?"

"One last Defender is out there in the water," Mala said. "Let's find him."

It was back to work. Once again, I used the Storm Ear to find the Defender and signal to Eret and Mala with Bolt's lightning. I made sure everyone was settled on the ship. All seemed to be doing well, thankfully.

"My gracious thanks," Mala said. "The Defenders owe you a great debt."

I smiled. "Anytime."

"Another job well done!" Eret said. "I hate to rain on the reunion, but we've managed to lose all bearings inside this hazy maze. I believe we need to head south or southwest of here..."

I raised my eyebrows. "South or southwest?"

Eret smiled sheepishly. "Brennda, could you use your compass and find the way out?"

"I'll certainly try." I had done it before, so I could do it again. I flew in the general direction Eret indicated. Relief filled my lungs when we found our way out.

"We're out!" Eret said triumphantly. "I mean... of course we're out. I never doubted us for a second."

I smirked. "Right, Eret."

"I'll sail these Defenders back to their island and see you next time around. Our adventures seem to be getting better and better, Brennda!"

I chuckled. "They sure are." I was glad to have him as a friend. He made everything more... colorful.

A month passed until Hiccup returned from Nepenthe (no, I did not wait for him at his house all that time - that would be silly!). Valka told me I should leave the Krayfin alone for awhile as he adjusted, so I tried to move on and return to normal life during that time, but I no longer knew what normal was. I had dragons to train and friends to visit, which was as normal as I could find. I missed my little Krayfin friend, and I hoped he was doing well.

I also occasionally searched the waters for Harald's ship... and not just because I wanted to see him. I was still convinced he had set us up at Dragon Island and had some sort of plan for the Luminous Krayfin. I needed to be ready when he returned. But even as I searched, I knew my efforts were futile. Harald could only be found when he wanted to be found. And that frustrated me to no end.

Finally, Hiccup arrived after his long trip, and I finally got to tell him the story of the Krayfin and Impossible Island. He appeared very interested and grinned at me at the end.

"Wow," he said. "You had as big an adventure as I did! I trusted you, and you came through in a really big way. You even figured out what the Krayfin needed at the labyrinth without anyone to help you!"

I smiled. "I just did what I had to do."

"I wonder how much the Krayfin has grown on his own. I hope he's become a confident dragon. Come on, let's check up on him."

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Finally, I would get to see him again!

So, we flew out to Impossible Island. We landed on the shore because Hiccup wanted to explore the island on foot.

"'Impossible Island' feels just like any other island, doesn't it bud?" he said to Toothless. "I wouldn't have guessed that this bland island hides a beautiful cenote secret." He grinned at me. "Toothless and I can't wait to see it!"

"Well, let me take you to the cenote!" I led him across the island to the place where I had last seen the Krayfin. We stood at the edge of the cenote, and Hiccup looked down in awe.

"Wow, your descriptions did't do this place justice," he said. "This is unlike any place I've ever seen. Now, if I were a baby leviathan, where would I hide?"

Hiccup hopped on Toothless and had him fly above the cenote. Then he jumped down and used his flight suit to glide to the center. Just as he landed, the Krayfin emerged from the water below and sat in front of him.

"Aha, here you are!" Hiccup said. He looked up at me, still on the cliff. "Come on down, Brennda - you're lagging behind!"

I turned to Bolt and smiled. "Help me out?" I climbed on, and we flew forward. I glided down to the bridge next to Hiccup. I gazed at the Krayfin, who had grown taller than me. That flower really did wonders. He excitedly moved back and forth.

"There, there, big guy," Hiccup said. "We're happy to see you too. I think he's outgrown the nickname of 'baby' Krayfin, and then some! His new diet is agreeing with him! Ha ha. Don't be a stranger, Brennda, you should come closer and touch him!"

I smiled. It did feel really good to see him again, and I was pleased to see he remembered me. "Hey there, friend." I reached my hand out and touched the Krayfin's wet skin. "I'm glad to see you're doing well."

Suddenly, I got the feeling someone was watching us. My eyes shot up to the top of the cliff. For a split second, I thought I saw familiar blond hair, but then there was nothing. I frowned. That couldn't have been... could it?

"Is something wrong?" Hiccup asked in concern.

I hesitated. I wanted to tell him it was nothing, but he deserved the truth. "I thought I saw someone." I noticed Bolt watching us from the other side, and I made hand motions to tell him to search the area. He immediately took off.

"What kind of someone?"

I met his uneasy gaze. "The pirate kind."

Hiccup frowned. "Why would Harald be on Impossible Island?"

"Because of this guy." I turned to the Krayfin, who watched us intently. "Don't forget who we got his egg from."

"You think you wants him back?"

"I... don't know. Probably not. He's already grown too big for anyone to control. But maybe he needs his power for something, which would explain why he was happy to let us take care of him."

"But the Krayfin could be a powerful ally. What could he want so bad that he'd risk giving us a dragon we could use against him?"

I shrugged. "Beats me. But knowing Harald, he has a plan to overcome that problem." I paused. "Or maybe he was telling the truth when he said his goal has nothing to do with us."

"Maybe." But he did not look convinced. "Whatever he's up to, we can handle it together."

I nodded. "Right."

We spent a few more minutes talking to the Krayfin. Then we said goodbye, and Toothless lifted us back up to the main part of the island. We were just in time to see Bolt trotting over to us, looking mighty pleased about something.

"It doesn't look like he saw an intruder," Hiccup said.

But I recognized the happy look in the Skrill's eyes. "No, Harald was here. Remember, this was the dragon who broke him out of jail and greet him like an over-eager puppy."

"That is odd behavior..."

"Your mother says it means he senses that Harald cares about me. She said I can trust him not to hurt me as long as he behaves that way." I reached out and scratched Bolt's chin.

"Well, that's probably right. Still, if you see him again, I want you to tell me. And... be careful..."

I smiled at him to ease his concerns. "Don't worry. I won't do anything crazy." But that did not mean I had any idea what I would do.

"That sounds like an interesting theory," Heather said in our dorm that evening. "Too bad we can't test it in the lab."

"Yeah," I agreed. "I need more information. There's still so much that doesn't make sense. I need to know what he's up to..."

"Maybe that's not what you should be focusing on. It doesn't seem to be doing you much good."

I frowned slightly. "If talking about it bothers you, I can stop."

Heather shook her head. "No, it's not that. I'm glad you're talking to me about it, actually. You never wanted to talk about Harald before. It's just..." She paused as if searching for the right words. "You're convinced he'll show up again, and I agree. Don't you think you should plan what you're going to do when you see him again?"

I shrugged. "It'll depend on the circumstances."

"No, that's your problem. He's an expert at manipulating situations to his advantage. If you go in without a plan, you'll just be reacting to whatever he has instigated. You'll never gain control that way."

True. I was tired of him controlling our interactions. "Okay, then how do I come up with a plan?"

Heather appeared thoughtful. "To start, what is your goal with him? What do you want?"

"I want to prove him wrong."

"Wrong about what?"

I opened my mouth to answer but then closed it again. I did want to prove to him that we could be together, but there was more to it than that. Technically, with the current external factors, he did have a point. It was his assumption that the external factors could never change that I had a problem with. And what was his reasoning for that?

"It's okay," Heather said encouragingly. "Take your time."

I closed my eyes as I thought about my response. Slowly, the answers came to me. I took a deep breath and opened my eyes. "I want to prove to him that truth does matter and is worth fighting for. And that there are people he can count on. That not everyone will betray or abandon him. That I won't abandon him." I stopped as I took in Heather's expression of wonder. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I'm just.. surprised. That's pretty deep and well-thought out."

"I've had a lot of time to think..."

Heather nodded. "That's a pretty abstract goal, but I would say some smaller, concrete goals would be to get him to trust you and open up to you. First off, I suggest you reward him anytime he is vulnerable like that in order to reinforce it. Never close yourself off to him or reject him."

"Of course not!" It hurt to even think about doing that.

Heather smiled. "I don't think you'll have a problem with that. Now, can you think of anything you've done in the past to get him to confide in you?"

My first thoughts were of Dragon Island since those memories were the freshest. I thought of two times when he showed vulnerability. "We were always alone - or nearly alone - which makes sense. He's open to me when I am honest and share my feelings with him. And... he seems receptive to physical affection."

"That makes a lot of sense, actually. If you're vulnerable with him, it makes him feel safe so he can be vulnerable in return."

I frowned. "But that means I have to be vulnerable. Feelings are not exactly my thing either."

Heather chuckled. "Then maybe this will be good for you too. And it should help if you understand where his reluctance comes from."

I nodded. "Right. Well, I think I have enough information now to come up with a plan. Thank you for the help, Heather."

She grinned at me. "Anytime, Brennda. And by the way... I really want to see you two together. The way you talk about him, he sounds different than the guy I remember."

"Your image is probably accurate, but he is different around me."

Heather smirked. "The next time you see him, you'll have to bring me along. Then I could provide a better analysis."

I laughed. "I don't know if that will work, but I'll see what I can do."