The final chapter is here. And with it comes the end of the book. Please read it and enjoy it whilst it lasts.
A Whole New Beginning:
Hiccup rode on Toothless across the bright and grey clouds. Sharpshot and Smokey were perched on his shoulders. His head was hung down and he couldn't get rid of the gut-wrenching feeling in his chest.
"Hiccup…this is killing you," Toothless said. "You cannot abandon the girl you love,"
"This is the only way Toothless. Those people…our friends…Raya could have died because of those Flyers. Krogan's boss will hunt us forever and we cannot risk the lives of these people. It already breaks my heart so much to leave Raya. There is no other woman like her. But I would never forgive myself if she died because of me," A tear escaped Hiccup's eyes. "I would rather sacrifice a life with her over her own life,"
They flew alone again for a long time when the wailing of Raya's voice made Hiccup turn his head.
"Raya?" Hiccup called. "RAYA?!" He peered around but saw nothing but clouds. Suddenly Raya's head flopped from above. She was upside down and her hair was dangling right in full view.
"Raya, how are you?" Hiccup asked.
"That's me Hiccup," It was Sisu's voice.
Hiccup looked up and saw Sisu resting on a water platform, holding Raya by her foot.
How very amusing. Toothless complimented.
"Why thank you Toothless," Sisu answered back.
"Raya… …what are you doing here?" Hiccup asked.
"Hiccup…I…I don't want you to leave! I want you to stay!" Raya implored.
"Raya…I can't. As long as I'm here, I put you and everyone in danger,"
"Let them come. Let them invade our home. You're a member of our family, our tribe! You're the only one for me. You are the most amazing, most incredible, most intelligent human I have ever met. I never would have been able to have done this without you! Or your amazing dragons!"
"It was nothing," Toothless purred.
Hiccup couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You really mean it?"
"Yes! I want you to stay here Hiccup! Cause I feel if I do, I'll never see you again! So does everyone else! They all want you to stay! They can't care if anyone is after you! All they care about is that you are one of us and we love you and Toothless and Smokey and Sharpshot,"
Hiccup could not believe what she was just asking. Was this his wish coming true? He turned to his little dragons for guidance.
Come on Hiccup. Sharpshot purred. You gotta let go of the past and move on to the future.
She's the one for you. Smokey formed a heart shape with his paws. If you leave forever you will never forgive yourself.
Go on Hiccup. Toothless motivated happily.
Hiccup turned to Raya whose face was full of hope. "You really want that? No matter what happens?"
Raya nodded.
"Then I'll stay," he declared.
Raya couldn't contain her excitement.
"That's a good lad! Welcome to Kumandra!" Sisu cheered. She flipped Raya the right way up and dropped her right onto Hiccup's lap.
"Woah!" Toothless snorted. A little warning next time.
"Sorry couldn't resist," Sisu joked. "So, what do you say Toothless?"
"I would love to," Toothless purred affectionately. "I'm just worried I won't fit in,"
"Nonsense, you'll fit in great. My kind knows what you've done for Kumandra and they've let go of their grudge against your kind. They feel deep regret for banishing your kind long ago! And they want to make amends! And don't worry if any of the dragons give you and the little ones any trouble, I'll handle them,"
"Thank Sisu. You are amazing,"
"No. Thank you Toothless for everything,".Sisu smiled.
Raya and Hiccup laughed at their interaction. Raya turned to Hiccup's face. She felt love blossoming between them. Little did she know that Hiccup was thinking the same thing.
Sharpshot and Smokey hovered behind their heads. They blinked. Then they pushed.
Hiccup and Raya felt their lips touching. Instantly they pulled back. They turned to the two dragons and frowned.
"Guys….!" Hiccup moaned.
"Really?!" Raya crossed her arms.
Smokey and Sharpshot just shrugged.
"Come on!" Sisu motivated. "I love a good kiss,"
Raya rolled her eyes playfully. Not caring that they were still surrounded by dragons, she turned to Hiccup. His face was blossoming like a red flower. She smiled. She clasped his cheeks and they kissed. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and he pulled her close, not able to ever let her go.
"That's my girl and buddy!" Sisu cheered.
Toothless roared in approval.
The little dragons shot tiny fireballs and smokeballs into the sky to make fireworks.
Hiccup and Raya pulled apart, but Raya kept her arms around his neck.
"Let's go home," Hiccup said. Holding Raya in his arms, he commanded Toothless to turn back and Toothless descended through the sky with the other three dragons following behind him.
Raya clung onto Hiccup tightly, not wanting to miss a single second of being in his arms in the sky. What she had felt before during their first flight was nothing like what she was feeling now.
"Thank you so much, Raya," Hiccup said. "You've just given me so much. But this…this what we're having right now…that's even greater,"
Raya smiled. "You've given me so much too Hiccup. You've taught me so much as well. But what we're having right now, that's the greatest thing you've given me," She pulled him into a kiss again.
"All right! All right! Get a room you two!" Sisu groaned.
Raya and Hiccup pulled apart and frowned playfully at Sisu, who just chuckled.
"I think it would be best if we didn't tell my father yet," Raya said.
"I agree. I'd hate to see him get all protective. Especially since I'm a stranger in a strange land,"
They glided down gently towards the bridge where they saw Chief Benja and all their friends waiting for them. Toothless landed elegantly and Hiccup and Raya dismounted him. At that moment, he was suddenly pulled into a giant group hug by Tong, Boun, Noi, the Ongis and even Tuk-Tuk.
"Thank you guys," he said.
"Welcome to your new home Hiccup," Boun said.
"I don't know how to ever thank you all,"
"How about never leave again?" Tong implored.
"Never," Hiccup vowed. He was released from their tight bear hug.
"Welcome to Heart Hiccup," Benja walked up to him. "You helped my daughter and her friends and in doing so have gained my respect and trust. And so have your dragons,"
"Thank you, Chief Benja," Hiccup bowed his head before the Kumandra sign of respect with his hands. His little dragons flew to his shoulders and bowed their heads. Toothless then genuflected. Benja gazed at the dragons with admirable curiosity. "Never in my life have I ever met any dragons like yours. And I've never seen a human have such a strong connection with one,"
"Well Toothless is no ordinary dragon," Hiccup hugged his head. "And neither are Sharpshot or Smokey," he stroked their chins and they purred like cats.
"Our friends have told me that you are from a land where you weren't respected and or treated kindly,"
"That's right," Hiccup did not tear up at the subject. He was stronger in spirit than ever.
"We will make sure you are welcomed here and that you feel very much at home,"
"Thank you, Chief Benja," Hiccup said gratefully. "I hope that one day I can repay everything you all are doing for me,"
"There is no need at all," Benja assured. "Shall we discuss where you wish to live?"
"There's just one more thing that I need to do first. And I feel this is a much more urgent matter if you don't mind," Hiccup requested. Benja bowed his head. Hiccup turned to Sisu. "May I talk to your siblings Sisu?"
"Of course," Sisu led Hiccup away to a small pavilion where her siblings awaited her. Toothless and Raya joined him. The four water dragons bowed their heads to Hiccup.
"Please don't bow," he gently brushed off.
"You saved our world with the Dragon Gem. We know it was you whom Princess Raya chose to use the Dragon Gem," Pengu said.
"I can't take all the credit. They all believed in me. And so did Fang's heir who helped me. I just had to believe in myself,"
"What is it that you wish to discuss with us?" Pranee asked.
Hiccup closed his eyes. What he was about to talk about would be quite a big matter, but what concerned him was whether these dragons would accept his request. He opened his eyes and he spoke. "As you all know there are other dragons out there in the world. Like my own. Where I come from, dragons are constantly at war with my people. I was the only one who saw them for who they were. I tried to convince my tribe that we could live in peace but they didn't believe in me. When I went on the run with my dragons, I saw countless numbers of other dragons being hunted and killed by cruel people, like the ones who came here. What I am about to request is your permission to bring all the dragons from the lands we came from,"
His request put the four siblings in a state of doubt.
"We cannot simply agree to this right away," Jagan said.
"We may not have enough room and all of Kumandra's people will be rather discomfortable," Amba pointed out.
"Jagan, Amba…those dragons that they've rescued, they're hunted ruthlessly by cruel men," Sisu argued, supporting Hiccup. "And they need a safe place to call home. This is not the age that we once lived in. The least we can do is give them a chance…just like how Princess Raya gave Hiccup a chance even if he and his dragons weren't from Kumandra,"
"How can you know for certain Sisu?" Pengu asked.
"Because of the person Hiccup is. His people were the enemy of dragons in his world, but he found it in his heart to find the goodness in dragons. If Toothless can trust him, then he can teach our people to see that the dragons from his lands aren't scary. Raya wouldn't have chosen him to use the Dragon Gem if she didn't see there was truly something special inside of him. Why should their race of dragons be out there struggling to survive whilst our race is living in harmony in this land?"
"And what if they come here?" Jagan added in.
"We can handle them. We have magic," Sisu said. "And we have each other. And besides, we cannot know for sure if Hiccup's enemies out there will find him. We took care of every single Flyer who came here. There is no chance of whoever sent them of finding us,"
Still, the dragons were in doubt.
"I understand your doubts," Hiccup said. "And I don't blame you. Thank you at least for listening to my request,"
He turned and walked off. Raya walked beside him. She detected a dutiful but torn expression on his face. As much as he wanted a life here in Kumandra with her, he just couldn't shake off the fact that there were thousands of dragons out there suffering. "Let's leave Kumandra together," she said taking his hand.
Hiccup was appalled. "What?"
"I can see what you're thinking. I would feel so torn just like you. How is fair that whilst Toothless, Sharpshot and Smokey are here whilst there are thousands of dragons out there suffering? I'll go with you to protect them in need,"
"I will not take you away from your home," Hiccup refused.
"You can't just keep fighting them off forever. And what kind of girlfriend would I be if I made you feel so torn apart?" she made them and she held his hands.
Hiccup couldn't think of what to say next. He was about to say something when they heard footsteps behind them.
They both turned their heads and they saw Sisu and her siblings.
"We have come to an agreement Hiccup," Pengu said. "We have agreed that it's not fair for many dragons out there to suffer whilst we roam free here in Kumandra. And we can see how torn you are as well. We will allow you to go out there and bring back every single dragon to our land but we have conditions,"
"Name them," Hiccup said.
"They will only be allowed to nest where we can afford and allow space. They mustn't be up to any form of activity that disturbs our races or any of the five kingdoms. And if they cause any trouble in a way, you must deliver them somewhere else,"
"I accept," Hiccup said. "I promise you I will make sure I am not followed and that every dragon I bring here will be no danger to Kumandra. You have my word,"
They bowed their heads.
Hiccup mounted Toothless and turned to Raya. "I will be back soon. I promise you,"
"I'm not going to let you go alone," Raya said.
"Neither am I," Sisu walked forward. "You never know when you might need a water dragon for help,"
Hiccup smiled in appreciation.
They returned to the party. Raya excused herself for a while so that she go and get herself ready; she wanted to look more presentable.
Benja had kindly given Hiccup some brand new greenish-bluish clothes and had bestowed upon him a gold medal which he wore on a sash. Hiccup was quite surprised by his generosity. He wanted to refuse politely but Benja declined, saying that he was worthy of these noble clothes for what he had done for Kumandra.
He waited patiently in the hall for Raya. That was when he noticed some people shuffling aside. Looking ahead, he saw the most beautiful sight.
Raya was shrouded in a beautiful green gown, and she wore golden jewellery. Her hair was well brushed and it danced in waves around her shoulders with a golden circlet with an emerald around her head. The audience and her subjects gasped at her with admiration.
Hiccup and their friends awaited her along with Toothless and Sisu who were in their human forms. Hiccup couldn't take his eyes off her for one second as she approached, looking at Hiccup mainly.
"You look …. beautiful," he breathed ou.t
"Thank you," she said.
"You are going to be a remarkable chieftess of your people one day," Tong complimented.
"I don't think I can do it without a wise group of friends. I hope we can work together in the future to keep this era of peace lasting forever,"
"I don't doubt it," Boun said.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Raya asked. "Shall we dance?"
"If you wish, princess," Hiccup offered his hand.
"Please call me Raya," she insisted, taking it with a smile.
"When are you going to tell your father Raya that you and Hiccup are…" Boun puckered his lips in a teasing manner.
"Not yet," Raya said. "Let's just take this slowly,"
"I agree," Hiccup said. "Let's just enjoy the day while we still have it. The only thing…" he leaned his head in. The others copied him. "I don't know how to dance," he whispered.
"What?!" Boun screamed out.
"Shush!" Raya hissed. "Don't worry Hiccup. I'll give you some pointers,"
"Just as long as not a lot of people notice,"
"We dance amidst the crowd. No one will even notice we're here,"
Hiccup thought otherwise.
The ball went on for hours as the day turned to night. Hiccup felt nervous every second feeling dozens of eyes glued to his twirling body as he danced with Raya. He knew Benja was watching them but Raya had assured him earlier that she was only giving him some dance listens to introduce him to their customs in Kumandra. It didn't dissolve his anxiety though. The dragons poked their heads in through the gaps and opened doors to join in with the dancing. They performed cool tricks that made everyone laugh.
Raya smiled at her joyful ba. His dream had come true and everything he wished for had come to pass. She was now living in a world of hope and love and not a word of kill or be killed. This was the world he had always prayed she would live in. She looked at Hiccup and saw how happy he was. He had never been to a party before and it was unexpected that he was enjoying socially intermingling with humans. All alone he only had Toothless and the little dragons. But now he was more joyful than ever.
"Hey," she spoke up. "Do you wanna go outside? It's beautiful under the full moon,"
"Okay," Hiccup accepted.
Raya sneaked him out onto a private balcony with a little garden. "This is where I used to come with my mother,"
Standing under a pink blossom tree, they saw the Heart Lands of Kumandra spread out in the distance. The river glowed under the moon and they witness dragons galloping above the water doing flips in the air.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" she said.
"Not as beautiful as you," Hiccup couldn't help but say.
Raya turned to him, blushing from his words. They turned and stared into each other's eyes. They leaned forward and almost kissed. They heard a cough. They flashed their heads to see Chief Benja with a slight frown and arms crossed. Instantly they pulled back from one another.
"Oh ah…ba…" Raya said awkwardly. "We were just uh…"
"I know you two are a thing dewdrop," Benja clarified. "I could tell from the moment I met you Hiccup. And did you really think I would believe you guys were dancing just because Raya wanted to give dance lessons? In a public ballroom?"
Hiccup felt very anxious. He hadn't prepared. "Chief Benja…I…"
Benja held up his hand. He silenced. He came forward, gently grabbed their hands, and fastened them together. "I give you my blessing," he pulled back, allowing Hiccup and Raya to see their fingers interlaced.
"Thank you, Chief Benja," Hiccup bowed his head respectfully. "I promise you I will protect Raya and love her with my life,"
Chief Benja smiled proudly. He turned to his daughter. "She is no longer a child. She is a brave wise woman full of grace, beauty, and guidance. Just like her mother,"
A tear escaped Raya's face.
"Your mother would be so proud of you right now," Benja reached over and wiped her tear away. "Just as I am. I've always hoped you'd one day find someone worthy of your trust and love. And now you have found him," he clapped Hiccup's shoulder. Sling arms over around their waists, he brought them back inside. At that moment, Hiccup began reflecting on everything he had just been through since the moment he arrived in this magical land full of marvellous people.
And so that was it. I had finally found a new home, a true home where I feel accepted, appreciated, and loved. I have my best dragon friends; some new human friends and I have someone to love with all my heart.
Hiccup and Raya joined back in the dancing. This time in the centre so the entire audience could capture the loving affections they gave to one another. Sisu and Toothless watched them with proud smiles. Toothless couldn't believe he was crying. Neither could Sisu.
"Would you um…would you like to dance?" he asked awkwardly. "In human forms and outside?"
Sisu was quite surprised. "Me?"
Toothless shrugged.
"Okay," she accepted. They became human and they walked outside. "Probably best we take it slowly,"
Holding onto one another, they danced around carefully, stumbling a bit but enjoying the moment. They didn't if anyone might laugh at them or spread gossip about their ridiculous dancing. All they cared about was that they were having fun. As friends. So Sisu assumed.
Hiccup and Raya and their friends danced all night. It was a night that they would never forget. To finish off their night, Raya took Hiccup to a remarkable point on top of Heart Island. They sat down at the very top and from that point they could see so much more of Kumandra, how beautiful it was.
For the first time in both their lives, they were at peace.
And they had each other.
They had love.
Weeks passed and Chief Benja could not stop worrying about his daughter. He wished he could have not allowed her to leave with Hiccup and Toothless and Sisu into the unknown to rescue and find all the dragons of Hiccup's words and bring them to a safe sanctuary which Kumandra would give unconditionally. Nevertheless, trusted those two dragons and the brave teen to take care of her.
Meanwhile, in their lands, Boun, Tong and Noi grew more worried than ever. They prayed that their friends were safe.
Tuk-Tuk couldn't stop thinking about Raya as he lay on a bed of grass outside the palace. Luong and Phuoc would always come down to feed him and comfort him but with each passing day, he grew more and more depressed.
Just then, they heard loud roaring from the sky. Looking up, they saw the most incredible sight. Herds and herds and herds of flying reptiles were flying towards them. There were Deadly Nadders, Monstrous Nightmares, Gronkles, Hideous Zipplebacks, Changewings, Scauldrons, Terrible Terrors, Smothering Smokebreaths and so much more than already Raya's father from his balcony was beginning to lose count.
Taking out a telescope, he peered through and to his relief, he saw Raya riding behind Hiccup on Toothless. Her arms were around his waist.
I wonder. Benja always detected something between his daughter and that stranger from a strange land but he didn't want to act very protectively until he had least seen some sort of sign.
Raya stared down at her kingdom far below. "We made it back. We're home,"
Hiccup turned around. "I promise you I will never take you from Heart again,"
"It was all worth it. I got to see much more out there, see so many cool dragons like Toothless,"
"Aww you're making me blush," he purred.
Everyone on the island starred up at the exodus of dragons whom Hiccup and Raya had brought to Kumandra for safety. They were awed by their shapes and sizes and colours. They landed gracefully on the shores that stood along the river where Heart Island awaited them. Hiccup and Raya walked along the bridge with Toothless and were greeted by Sisu and their friends who rejoiced to see them again.
Benja came forward and Raya hugged him tightly. He then gave Hiccup an awkward hug but it felt fatherly and compassionate that it made Hiccup feel deeply appreciated.
"It's time we celebrated your success in delivering all these dragons here," he said.
"There is so much to learn about them ba," Raya said. "And Hiccup can teach us everything,"
"We have a lot of work to do," Hiccup said. "But I know one thing's for sure. These dragons will be liver happier lives than they could ever dream of,"
"Whatever challenges we may face…we will do it together," Raya vowed, earning a kiss.
No matter what he would face in the future, Hiccup would have Raya and Toothless and his dragons and his new family by his side. He felt he had finally found where he belonged.
Home.
And that's it. The story is done. There will be two sequels. I'm not going to get started on these until at least the beginning of the summer months. There are some other stories I need to finish and I have online exams coming up. I hope you have all enjoyed reading this book as much as I have enjoyed reading it. One thing I can do is put up a story with random romantic scenes between Hiccup and Raya. Feel free to send over any requests. Thank you all so much for your support. It means so much to me. See you in either the short story of random romantic scenes or in the next book.
Bye! :) ;)
