I was flying on the Sentinel dragons back as we flew out of the Caldera and out of the Hidden World and towards my home.. Berk.
It's been five years since I've left to master my Amulet of Dragons and learn how to become the Queen of Dragons one day. The Sentinel spoke of a great darkness that shall threaten every dragons and Viking in the Archipelago and I needed to be prepared so she brought me to the Hidden World so I could master my Amulet and learn how to become a Queen and hopefully defeat this darkness.
I was very excited to see Zenna, Hiccup, Mom, Dad and everyone back on Berk after five years.
My hair has grown down to my back so I put it into a ponytail so it wouldn't be that much of a bother.
I had the Fury Family with me and they were all excited to see their friends and their homes. Pouncer, Dart, Ruffrunner, Moon, Luna, Eclipse, Winter, Snowheart and Crystal all were fully grown now and they all were the spitting images of Midnight and Snow, their parents.
Ruffrunner was still the lethargic one in the group and was still falling asleep in the sky, making Pouncer fly down and grab him as he woke up.
Two nights have passed and by the third day, Berk was in our sights!
"We're home everyone.." I stated.
I heard cheering from below and saw everyone in Berk cheering for my return. Some of the people were holding a large banner that said "Welcome Home, Aurora!"
I saw my family and friends at the front of the large crowd, including Stoick and Gobber. The dragons landed and I dismounted the Sentinel. All of my friends; Zenna, Hiccup, Snotlout, Astrid, Tuffnut and Ruffnut came up to me. "Welcome back, little sis." Zenna greeted.
I hugged my big sister. "So how was the Hidden World?" Astrid asked.
"Yeah, tell us all about it." Ruffnut added.
"Sorry guys, but the Sentinel said I have to keep the location and any information about it a secret for the safety of the dragons." I replied.
"Aww." Tuffnut whined. I rolled my eyes playfully.
My parents, Edgar and Henna Fiersome, were the first to greet me along with their Hideous Zippleback, Serpent and Serpentine.
"My precious little gemstone! My darling Aurora, it is so good to see you again!" my father shouted joyfully as he swung me around.
"Aurora…Sweet Freya, love! You've grown up, sweetheart…" my mother said, beaming with pride. I laughed and embraced them both, Serpent and Serpentine intertwining their heads around us.
"Stryka and I've really missed you guys. It's so good to be home…" I said with a big smile on my face.
Then the Fury Family landed and everyone gasped in awe at the grown up dragons. "They look just like their parents, Aurora.." Fishlegs gushed over the grown up Night Lights.
"Pouncer, Ruffrunner and Dart, look just like their father and Toothless." Zenna cooed with glee. The three Night Lights purred and nuzzled her happily.
"I see your Night and Light Furies are all grown up." Astrid smirked.
"Yep, they are all grown up." I smiled with glee. Suddenly I felt the baby in Mom's tummy kick. "Someone else is also glad to have you back home, love." Mom chuckled, rubbing her swollen belly. Dad looked at me with pride.
"It's good to have you back, Aurora." Stoick said coming up to me.
"Glad to be back, Chief." I replied.
Hiccup turned to the Sentinel. "So is Aurora Queen of the Dragons now?"
"No, not yet. She must defeat the darkness to become the Queen of Dragons. The darkness has significantly grown in the last five years, so you all must be very cautious."
"We will." My mom replied.
"Yeah, that's a promise." Hiccup said.
"Now how about we finish this celebration of our returning future Queen?" Stoick suggested. Everyone giggled and agreed. There were lots of food for my return and games as well. Viggo had grown a small beard while I was gone too. "Ah, so you decided to grown a beard for me, huh?" I teased.
Viggo rolled his eyes, "Very funny, honey.."
I chuckled at his antics. "How are the other dragons?" I asked him.
"They are flourishing greatly, Aurora." Viggo replied with a big smile.
The race was about to begin!
"Today will be a race to remember! Not only has my son, the Pride of Berk, returned from his temporary absence (I looked at Hiccup questioningly at that. He just rolled his eyes and smiled knowingly at his father) from the games but we will have a new Dragon Racer! But we all know her for she is our 'Heroine of Berk' and one of the best Dragon Trainers Berk has ever known alongside my son and Zenna. Now, she has returned with a new name for herself. People of Berk, rejoice! For Aurora Frode Fiersome, the soon-to-be Dragon Queen, has come home!" Stoick announced grandly.
The crowds went nuts.
"Auro-ra Auro-ra!" the Vikings cheered energetically while the dragons roared excitedly for the Fury Family, who crooned appreciatively.
"Show 'em how it's done, Aurora!" "Have fun, love!" my parents cheered from their seats beside the Chief and Gobber. I smiled and glanced at Hiccup and Toothless. "You and Pouncer ready for this?" Zenna asked coyly. Pouncer chuffed and excitedly bounced, making me bounce as well. "We were born ready, Hiccup." I replied.
And with that, the starting horn blew and we were off!
Since Toothless, Stryka and Pouncer were Strike Class dragons, Hiccup, Zenna and I naturally got the head start. The six of us soared around the island, getting the specially painted target sheep. The others gamely chased us, trying to steal our sheep. But as always, Zenna, Stryka, Hiccup, Toothless, Pouncer and I were one step ahead of them. We zigzagged, dove and did all kinds of acrobatics to evade their moves.
Six laps had gone by and Hiccup and I were in the lead with 9 sheep. Astrid was tailing us with 8, the Twins at 5 while Snotlout and Fishlegs trailed behind with 0.
"We're gonna win this!" I whooped, holding a sheep up high. Then Astrid swooped in and grabbed it. I groaned, face palming myself. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to boast…
Luckily, I had a plan.
"Watch this." I winked at Hiccup before Pouncer sped after Stormfly. I made sure that we were directly above Astrid before I executed my plan.
"Alright, Pouncer! Plasma Camo" At my command, Pouncer blasted a plasma blast and cloaked herself and I in it. We sneaked up Astird and Stormfly from the air and snatched the sheep away from Astrid. I looked down at her surprised face and smiled. Bet she didn't see that coming!
"Thank you!" I grinned cheekily before flying over to the net that had the Night Fury emblem painted on the hatch and dropped another sheep in, making our score 10.
"How…?" Hiccup asked me, amazed as we got on our seventh lap. "Did you really think the dragons and I didn't learn any new tricks while we were gone?" I asked coyly as we dodged an obstacle pole.
Now it was Hiccup's turn to do something daring. He pulled a lever in his saddle that locked Toothless' red prosthetic tail fin into place, got his metal leg out of the left stirrup, and leaped off of Toothless! His target was a sheep Snotlout was holding.
"Here's one more point for you, my princess!" Snotlout hollered to Ruffnut, preparing to toss the sheep to her and her brother. That's when Hiccup snuck up from behind and grabbed the sheep, leaping off Hookfang's back and back onto the safety of Toothless'.
"Nice move, Hiccup!" I cheered. That's when I heard the horn blow again.
"Last lap, Aurora!" Zenna alerted me.
"The black sheep!" Fishlegs yelled as we all spotted the hapless animal fly up into the air via sheep launcher (one of Hiccup's many new inventions).
Unfortunately Hiccup and I were quite a ways far from it so the Twins got it. But not for long…
As Hiccup and I flew alongside each other, we both quickly formulated a plan. "When I give you the signal, you and Pouncer go for it." Hiccup instructed me. "Got it." I nodded seriously.
Once we were right behind the Twins and Barf and Belch, Hiccup shouted, "Go!" and I quickly jumped onto the Twins' Hideous Zippleback's back while Pouncer flew underneath, shadowing them. Lucky for me, the Twins were busy bickering over who got to hold the black sheep.
That gave me the opportunity to run and grab the black sheep, and then jump off and land back on Pouncer. At that moment, Snotlout tried to swing his hammer at me! Good thing I quickly tossed the sheep up to Hiccup and Toothless while simultaneously avoiding another obstacle, which Snotlout and Hookfang smashed themselves into.
"Owww!" I heard Snotlout yelp as Hiccup and I flew to our net. "Well it looks like I know who my first patient's going to be." I shrugged. Hiccup just laughed and slammed the black sheep into our net, ending the race.
Everyone went ballistic!
"Aurora, Hiccup and Zenna take the game!" Stoick boomed. The crowds cheered.
"That's our girls!" my parents whooped.
Hiccup, Zenna and I landed along with the others. Smiling widely, I hugged Winter first. "We won our first Dragon Race, girl! We did it!" I grinned. Winter warbled and licked my face.
"You and Hiccup are still the best, Aurora." Astrid complimented me as Stormfly squawked in agreement.
"Those moves were crazy." Ruffnut told me, petting Barf's head.
"You gotta teach us those!" Tuffnut added, bouncing on Belch's head. Snotlout (who had chipped a tooth from bashing into that obstacle pole earlier) was still rubbing his sore mouth, but gave me a thumbs-up.
"Your teamwork and flying abilities with Winter have increased 100 percent up, Aurora." Fishlegs commented me.
I then glanced at my sister and Hiccup who were giving their dragons a good scratch under their chins, Hiccup strolled over to me.
"You just keep surprising me." He smiled. "Isn't that what all sisters do to their brothers?" I asked jokingly. Then, just for old time's sake, we hugged.
A chorus of 'Awws…' sounded from the stands.
My parents, Gobber and Stoick soon came down from their perch to where we were gathered. "You've done us proud, sweetheart!" Dad playfully ruffled my hair.
"That was by far, the most thrilling race we've ever seen!" Mom giggled, patting her belly.
"First day back and you've already won a race. Good job, lass!" Gobber said jovially.
"Well done, Aurora. And exemplary flying as always, son." Stoick beamed proudly at me and Hiccup.
Zenna, Hiccup and I smiled and nodded before getting on our dragons.
"Victory lap around the island?" Hiccup asked.
"Definitely." I nodded before we lifted off, the crowd's cheering still roaring in our wake.
We flew around Berk, taking in all the sights and sounds. I was pointing out water towers, windmills and all kinds of interesting works of sheer genius to Hiccup, asking on what they were. And Hiccup gladly told me of all the new developments that had been made to the entire island while I was away.
Berk now had underground stables, a Dragon Armory that also served as the forge and a clinic of sorts, a Dragon Wash, all-you-can-eat feeding stations…basically, a lot of great improvements.
Even the whole island itself looked different. It was more colorful and more peaceful than the last time we saw it.
For the rest of the day, we stayed at the Cove and while The Fury Family, Toothless and Stryka did some catching up of their own, Aurora, Hiccup and I stayed in the Cove and talked. Hiccup told me of all the adventures he and the others have had over the years as well as the new dragons he and Toothless discovered while exploring new lands. He showed me the map he made. I was pretty impressed.
I also mentioned that Dagur and Alvin had a change of heart. "Okay, so Dagur married Mala?" I asked, skeptical.
Hiccup and Zenna laughed, "Yep. We didn't believe it either." Zenna replied. Then, I noticed the hunk of metal attached to his right leg.
"What's this little thing?" I asked, unlatching it from its holder and toyed with it. "I call it Inferno. It's my Dragon Blade." Hiccup answered proudly.
"Dragon Blade?" I raised an eyebrow at him before my finger alighted on one of the two switches. To my surprise, a sword blade popped out of one end and it was on fire!
"Holy Shields! How? When? Wha…?" I exclaimed in shock.
"The blade's coated in Monstrous Nightmare saliva." Hiccup informed me before retracting the blade back into the hilt and flipped it over.
"The other end spews out Hideous Zippleback gas." He continued, flicking on another switch that sent a steady stream of explosive gas spewing out and upward. "All they both take is a little spark and…"
BOOM!
With another click of the switch, the gas ignited. Pouncer, Dart, Ruffrunner, Moon, Eclipse, Luna, Winter, Snowheart, Crystal, Toothless and Stryka promptly began to bat at the embers slowly floating down to the ground while Hiccup and I watched.
"You've started carrying a weapon. Impressive." I beamed at Hiccup. Then it was my turn to tell some stories. I told him of all the dragons we saw in the Hidden World and what the Sentinel taught me.
"She taught you more about your roar?" Hiccup asked.
"Yeah, though you'll have to wait and see what I can do now." I teased.
"Alright, Ms. Mystery." Zenna teased.
"That's Queen Mystery to you." I playfully punched Hiccup and we all laughed.
Our laughter ended and I stared at my Amulet. "Hiccup, Zenna.. Do you think.. I'll be a good Queen?"
"What do you mean?" Hiccup asked.
"I mean, what if… I'm not ready to be Queen just yet?" I asked them. "I still have so much to learn."
"Sis, from what I've seen is that you are ready to be a Queen." Zenna said. "You're a great leader, you're caring, kind, generous, loyal and that's not even everything."
"Zenna's right. You're everything that a Queen is." Hiccup added. "And I know you'll be a great Queen."
I smiled at my sister and surrogate brother. "Thanks you guys."
But when our conversation got into the topic of family, I was shocked to discover that Hiccup had been avoiding his father.
"Why would you avoid your Dad? I thought you guys already patched things up." Zenna asked him, confused. Hiccup took a while to answer before he finally sighed in defeat.
"He wants me to take over as Chief. But…I don't know.. There's a whole world out there that Toothless and I want to explore, and if I become Chief now…we might never be able to go out there…" he said wistfully. Lying down on our backs, the two of us watched the sky turn all shades of pink and violet as the day began to end.
"You know, Hiccup…Becoming the Chief of Berk…you're more than cut out for it. You're fearless, intelligent, clever, kind, caring, compassionate, a diplomat, a master inventor and weapons maker…plus, you're the first ever Dragon Trainer and the best Dragon Rider. If none of those things make a great future Chief, then I don't know what does." I told him. Hiccup looked at me, still a bit unsure.
"He also wants me to marry Astrid and start a family." He added. Zenna and I had to laugh at that.
"Can you blame him? He's 50 years old already, that's a normal age for a man to want to have grandchildren!" Zenna giggled.
"Oh, shut up!" Hiccup laughed, before launching a tickle attack!
"Hahahaha! Oh yeah? Take this!" I laughed, retaliating with a tickle attack of my own. We rolled around, laughing like fools until we couldn't take it anymore and collapsed breathlessly.
Once I had calmed myself down, I looked at Hiccup with a smile. "Hiccup, just remember that when you're ready for all of this, Zenna and I will be right by your side and will always have your back." I promised him.
He smiled back at me as we cuddled up. "I missed hearing you say that…I missed you so much, Aurora." he said softly, wrapping his arms around me.
"Me too little sis." Zenna added, wrapping her arms around me.I smiled and gladly hugged them both.
The Fury Family, Toothless and Stryka came over and wrapped their wings around us.
"…Good to be home." I whispered to Hiccup and Zenna as we watched the sunset.
I was home and I was happy.
'This is Berk. The best kept secret this side of…well, anywhere. Granted, it may not look like much, but this wet heap of rock packs more than a few surprises. Life here is amazing. Just not for the faint of heart. You see, where most folks enjoy hobbies like whittling or needlepoint, we Berkians prefer a little something we like to call…DRAGON RACING!
Now, dragons used to be a bit of a problem here, but that was five years ago. Now they've all moved in. And really, why wouldn't they? We have custom stables, all-you-can-eat feeding stations, a full-service dragon wash, even top-of-the-line fire prevention, if Hiccup and I do say so ourselves.
Yep. Berk is pretty much perfect. All of my and Hiccup's hard work has paid off. And it's a good thing, too, because with Vikings on the backs of dragons…
The world just got a whole lot bigger…'
It's been a month ever since the Fury Family and I returned home to Berk. And life has been good. Zenna was now in charge of the Dragon Armory's Dragon and Viking Clinic, where she treats any human or dragon malady for a reasonable fee, already earning enough to support herself and still going on lots of epic adventures with all of our friends.
My parents are now super psyched for the arrival of the baby. My Dad's practically going loco coco with making the nursery while my Mom's been sewing clothes like crazy.
Me? I'm pretty psyched too. I've been doing double shifts to earn extra to support my parents. Mom and Dad keep telling me to save the money for myself, but I always tell them that I think of them first before my own needs.
Now I bet you're all wondering if I'm currently competing in today's Dragon Race, right?
Wrong.
I'm out exploring new lands with Zenna, Stryka, Hiccup and Toothless.
We're flying over the ocean now, free as dragons and doing all kinds of acrobatic tricks. A pod of Thunderdrums just started jumping out of the waves and Toothless and Stryka skillfully weaved among them. Zenna, Hiccup and I were having a blast as we flew up higher into the clouds, our dragons roaring with glee, as we flew with a few wild Timberjacks.
Then Hiccup straightened up. "What do 'ya think, bud? You wanna give this another shot?" he asked Toothless.
Oh, boy…
Toothless groaned a complaint to which Hiccup cheerfully said, "Toothless, it'll be fine!"
When Hiccup glanced at Zenna,
Zenna rolled her eyes and smiled,. "If you think I'm gonna let you try that crazy solo gliding stunt all by yourself, you've got another thing coming." I told him. Stryka warbled at me with concern. Hiccup and Zenna have done this a bunch of times already. Admittedly, it always ended in near death experiences, but I was there to catch them.
"Don't worry, Stryka. I'll be careful." Zenna reassured her dragon, gently patting her head.
Hiccup then pushed his prosthetic leg forward, activating the locking mechanism on Toothless' tail and sat up straight. Zenna straightened up as well before they looked at each other.
"Ready?" Hiccup asked Zenna and Toothless. Toothless chuffed and hovered while Zenna said, "Let's do this!" pumping my fist in the air.
Closing our eyes, we both took deep breaths…and slid off the saddles.
"AAAAAHHHHH!" "KYYYYAAAAHHHH!" They yelled at the top of our lungs as we hurtled through the air, their two loyal Night Furies diving after them along with me and Winter
"YEAH! WHOOOO-HOOOO!" Hiccup and Zenna both hollered as we continued our descent. Toothless and Stryka caught up with them and they free fell together.
"THIS IS AMAZING!" Hiccup yelled with glee. Zenna was about to agree with him, when she saw something looming up ahead of us in the fog.
Namely…
"Sea stacks!" I shrieked in alarm. If Hiccup and Zenna collided with those things, it was over for us both! Hiccup heard her warning and looked ahead, spotting the dangerous obstacles.
"No longer amazing! TOOTHLESS!" Hiccup shouted. "Stryka, rescue maneuvers!" Zenna yelled. Quickly, our two best dragon friends hurried to catch them.
And to make the situation all the more dangerous, our suits malfunctioned!
"OH, NO! AHH!" "MAYDAY! MAYDAY!" Hiccup and Zenna screamed.
I flew in front of them, "This better work." I concentrated and used the Roar of Dragons, my mythical power, and I aimed it at the sea stacks, breaking them down to where Zenna and Hiccup would not hit them and Styrka and Toothless grabbed the two and they landed on an island.
The island we had ended up on was filled with aspen trees and covered in fog. "Thanks for the save." Zenna said to me.
"Yeah, didn't know the Roar could do that." Hiccup said.
"Like I said, I learned many things about the Roar while I was in the Hidden World." I smirked at my sibling and surrogate sibling.
Zenna's POV
As we looked out over a cliff, Zenna, Hiccup and I got a pretty good view of a beautiful valley.
"Wow…Pretty cool place huh, Stryka?" I said in awe.
"Oh. Looks like we found another one, bud." Hiccup grinned, glad that our little flying mishap had a pretty good outcome.
That's when we both got hit by pebbles. Hiccup and I turned around, a little surprised and annoyed, to see Stryka and Toothless pouting.
"Oh…Is someone mad? Is that why you threw a pebble at me, Stryka sweetie?" I cooed at Stryka in jest.
"Oh, what? You want an apology? Is that why you're pouting, big baby-boo?" Hiccup asked Toothless, trying to get his best dragon friend to forget the incident.
Toothless and Stryka both made sounds that sounded a lot like, 'I'm not pouting!' that were so adorably funny that Hiccup and I couldn't take them seriously.
"Well, try this on!" Hiccup suddenly lunged at Toothless. I started to laugh as he tried to wrestle with him, while it honestly looked like he was hugging him.
"Oh, you feeling it yet? Huh? Picking up on all my heartfelt remorse?" Hiccup asked, still trying to move Toothless who stayed as steadfast as a rock. Stryka was now rumbling in amusement at her mate's deadpan look.
I then laughed harder as Toothless stood on his hind legs and walked over to the edge of the cliff, with Hiccup dangling from his neck!
"Oh, come on, come on. Yeah-yeah. You wouldn't hurt a one-legged—" Hiccup stuttered before looking behind and down him. He was practically dangling over the cliff now with nothing but air between him and the ground hundreds of feet below!
"AHH!" my best human friend then screamed, clinging onto Toothless for dear life. And I could've sworn that I heard Toothless laugh!
"Surrender now, Hiccup?" I asked, smirking a bit.
Hiccup was quick to respond.
"O-oh, oh. You're right, you're right. You win…You win." He said in defeat. Gladly obliging to his master's silent plea for mercy, Toothless fell backward with Hiccup yelping, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Ahaha!"
"Those two are goofballs." I giggled to Stryka. She laughed as well, before suddenly tackling me to the ground! I barely had time to react before she promptly licked my face!
"Bwahahahahahaha! Oh no, I'm…hahaha…! Being attacked by a crazed dragoness! Hahahahaha! Stryka, that tickles!" I shrieked with laughter while Hiccup and Toothless did some rough housing of their own.
Aurora watched with a happy smile.
"He's down! Oh, and it's ugly!" Hiccup shouted as he and Toothless began to play fight, Toothless harmlessly batting him with his paws.
"Dragons and Vikings, enemies again! Locked in combat to the bitter—" Hiccup managed to say before Toothless plopped his head on his stomach and pinned him down.
"AAHHHhhhh…" I heard Hiccup groan in pretend defeat. Stryka was still tickling and covering me with slobber until I cried out, "I admit defeat! Waving the proverbial white flag of surrender here!" Upon hearing me say that, Stryka got off of me.
"This is never gonna wash out…" I sighed, wiping dragon saliva off my suit. Stryka just smiled cheekily at me.
"You clever sneak attacker…" I smiled, giving her a gentle pat on her head.
And Hiccup was the next to get the overdose of dragon affection courtesy of Toothless.
"You know that doesn't wash out!" he exclaimed as he stood up, shaking the spit off. Toothless merely laughed his deep throaty dragon laugh. To get even, Hiccup splashed some of his spit at him.
Once playtime was over, Hiccup and I got down to serious business, which was adding this new land to Hiccup's map and cataloging the place's medicinal plants for my Medical Journal.
Hiccup unfolded his map, got a new blank sheet of paper that Toothless glued to the ever-expanding map with his spit, sharpened his charcoal with his pocket knife and opened up his compass. I, on the other hand, found some Glechoma hederacea growing in a patch by some rocks as well as an Achillea millefolium plant not far from where Hiccup was as he drew his surroundings on the map.
I took out my portable Plant Press, a device I had invented while I was still studying in Greece and that Hiccup had helped me upgrade not long after I came home, and got the useful parts of both plants and placed them on sheets of paper. I then inserted them into my Plant Press' slot and cranked the small handle at the side. The top part pressed down, drawing out all the juices from the plants and drying them effectively. Once that was done, I inserted them in my Medical Journal, where I keep dried specimens of all medicinal plants I find along with all my formulas for potions, salves, brews and tonics.
Hiccup and I worked side by side in silence.
Then Hiccup asked, "So…What should we name it?" To answer him, Toothless chewed at his armpit. Stryka stuck out her tongue, a little disgusted.
"Itchy Armpit, it is." Hiccup proclaimed, writing the name down on the map.
"That's a pretty…unique name. Maybe there's another name we could use?" I suggested innocently. Hiccup smiled at me. "Sorry, Zen. You and Stryka already named that other island we found two days ago 'Whistling Winds Isle' so Toothless and I get to name this place now." He reminded me.
"Well at least Whistling Winds was a fitting name to our discovery. That isle's weird rock formations allowed the wind to pass through and made whistling sounds whenever it blew." I also reminded him. But, hey, I mostly agree with whatever Hiccup wants so I'm cool.
Hiccup turned to Toothless as we curiously eyed the map.
"So what do you say? Just keep going?" Hiccup asked us. "I'm up for that." I smiled at him. Toothless and Stryka, on the other hand, said "Nwooo…"
The shriek of a Deadly Nadder and flapping of wings then got our attention. Turning around, Aurora, Hiccup and I saw Astrid and Stormfly come in for a landing.
"It's amazing how they tracked us down so fast." I remarked as Astrid took off her fur hood.
"Afternoon, Milady. Where have you been?" Hiccup asked, happy to see her while Toothless and Stryka bounded over to the tough Hofferson shield maiden to greet her.
"Hi!" Astrid giggled, giving them pats on their heads before looking at me and Hiccup.
"Oh, winning races. What else?" she replied casually. Stormfly, Toothless and Stryka were now doing some sort of greeting dance that involved some pretty funny movements. I had to smile at those three dragons' antics. It was just so cute!
"The real question is, where have you been?" Astrid asked, directing her question at Hiccup who kept working on the map.
"Avoiding my Dad." Hiccup answered as he added a few more drawings. "Oh no. What happened now?" Astrid asked, looking at me next.
"To be honest, I just followed him when Aurora, Stryka and I saw him and Toothless take off." I shrugged.
I didn't really know why Hiccup had left so early this morning. I was just finishing up an examination on a sick Terrible Terror at the Clinic when I saw Hiccup and Toothless leave. Naturally, I got Stryka saddled up and we followed them. But I didn't bother to ask Hiccup why he just flew off all of a sudden because I knew that he'd been avoiding Stoick and the pressures of being future Chief lately.
"Oh, you're gonna—you're gonna love this. I wake up, the sun is shining, Terrible Terrors are singing on the rooftop, I saunter down to breakfast thinking that all is right with the world, and then I get: 'Son, we need to talk.'" Hiccup told me and Astrid (who he had given his charcoal pencil so she could add her drawings to the map as well-a sure sign of their relationship going as strong and steady as ever), the last part of his sentence in a pitch perfect imitation of his father's gruff voice as he stood up.
But before he could continue, Astrid interrupted with, "'Not now, Dad. I've got a whole day of goofing off to get started." While trying to imitate Hiccup's nasally voice!
Aurora, Hiccup and I both laughed. But I kept my mouth shut and didn't say anything.
"Okay, first of all, I-I don't sound like that. Who—what is this character? And second, what is that thing you're doing with my shoulders?" Hiccup questioned, slightly amused as he rolled his shoulders a bit to emphasize his question. Astrid responded by bouncing her shoulders around, laughing softly as she did so.
"Yeah, a-a truly flattering impersonation." Hiccup said, feeling slightly embarrassed.
"Oh, you two lovebirds are so fun to watch." I said, shaking my head in amusement.
Moving on, Hiccup continued with his tale.
"Anyway he goes, 'You're the pride of Berk, son! And I couldn't be prouder!'" he said, confidently tapping his chest lightly with his fist.
"'Ah, thanks, Dad! I'm pretty impressed with myself, too!'" Astrid responded in her best Hiccup voice.
I just had to laugh! It was so funny because Astrid really did almost sound like him!
"When have I ever done that with my hands?" Hiccup asked while laughing.
"You just did!" Astrid exclaimed, pointing him out.
"It's true, Hicc! Don't deny it!" I laughed as Aurora chuckled.
Sighing, Hiccup sat back down. "Just hold still. Very serious." He said to Astrid, trying to convey the seriousness of the conversation and failing as Astrid nodded in jest. But my best human friend was determined to finish the story, and also his Stoick impersonations.
"'You're all grown up. And since no Chief could ask for a better successor, I've decided—'" Hiccup managed to say before Astrid beat him to it. "To make you Chief!" she exclaimed as she stood up.
"Oh, my gods! Hiccup, that's AMAZING!" she said excitedly before giving Hiccup a hard punch to the gut, making his flight suit's back fin pop up!
I laughed again as Hiccup yelped in pain. "You're going to wear out the spring coil. The calibration is very sensitive." Hiccup told Astrid as he winded up his back fin to return itself back into place. Suddenly Toothless, Stryka and Stormfly rushed past us as they played tag! The three of us yelped as we were knocked down to the ground.
"You two okay?" I asked as I stood up, dusting myself off.
Hiccup nodded to me before looking at Astrid.
"Yeah, so…this is what I'm dealing with." He told her as she helped him up. "What'd you tell him?" Astrid asked, dying to know the details. "I-I didn't. By the time he turned around, I was gone." Hiccup answered.
Yep, it was another case of Hiccup avoiding taking on the role of Berk's Chief again…
"Huh, well…that's a lot of responsibility." Astrid said as she turned away from Hiccup. I then saw Hiccup's face turn sullen and knew that this wasn't exactly something he felt good with.
"Astrid…" I said warningly but she didn't exactly listen.
"The map will have to wait, for sure, and I'll need to fly Toothless since you'll be too busy, but…" Astrid continued until I decided to speak up a bit louder.
"Astrid." I said, raising my voice a bit. When she finally caught my eye, I motioned to Hiccup with my head.
She turned around and saw what I'd been seeing the entire time. Hiccup, the poor guy, looked pretty overwhelmed and really troubled. But who could blame him? Becoming Chief of your village is a monumentally huge responsibility. I've known Hiccup for 12 years and I know that he's more than cut out for the role. But I guess you could say that his self-assurance to take on being Chief still needs a little more work.
"I-It's not me, Astrid. All those speeches and planning and running the village, that's his thing." Hiccup said, gesturing with his hands for emphasis. "I think you're missing the point. I mean, Chief. What an honor. I'd be pretty excited." Astrid comfortingly said to him. Hiccup sighed as he picked up his helmet.
"I'm not like you. Both of you." He told me, Aurora and Astrid.
Aurora, Astrid and I glanced at each other, a bit surprised.
Seeing our confused expressions, Hiccup explained to us. "You both know exactly who you are, and you three always have."
"Correction, mine was forced upon not discovered on my own." Aurora pointed out.
"But, me? I'm still looking. I know that I'm not my father, and I've never met my mother, so…what does that make me?" he told us as he sat down and looked out into the distance.
"It makes you you. You can never be somebody else, Hiccup, because you're your own person. You can't be anybody else because it's already been taken by everyone else." I said, sitting down next to him on the left and I gently placed my hand on his shoulder.
Astrid followed my lead and sat down next to him on the right. As she braided his hair (again!) Astrid said,
"What you're searching for…isn't out there, Hiccup. It's in here." Placing her hand on his chest on the last sentence. My heart melted at the sweetness…and ached a little.
Glancing down at my pendant, I recalled yet another precious memory…
(Zen's flashback start)
'Zenna, now six years old, was lying under a big fir tree with Eret who was now 11 years old. It was just morning and the two of them were already bored senseless. The fir tree's branches spread out wide and the tree itself seemed to touch the sky. Watching the birds soar overhead in silence, Zenna began to wonder. Finally she turned to Eret, who had closed his eyes, and asked,
"What do you think flying is like, Eret?"
Upon hearing that question, Eret opened his eyes and looked at Zenna curiously.
"Come again, Zen?" Eret asked. "What does flying feel like? Do the birds always feel a thrill whenever they take to the skies? Do their hearts beat fast when they launch themselves into the blue? I'm just curious." Zenna asked, throwing her hands up in the air spontaneously to emphasize her boundless curiosity. Eret softly chuckled. He loved it whenever she got spontaneously curious about things.
"I'll have to ask some of our feathered friends here to get a specific answer. But if I was flying…I'd feel free. Up in the sky…I bet it's beautiful up there…" he said, looking up at the sky in wonder. Zenna smiled as well. "I'd like to go flying someday…" she said, looking wonderstruck as well. "When you do that, I hope you'll come down and tell me stories of what you've seen up there, Zen." Eret smiled at her. "Who says that you have to stay down here? I want you to come with me." Zenna giggled. Eret looked at the little girl, a genuine smile of excitement on his face.
"You mean that?" he asked. Zenna nodded emphatically as they both sat up. "And when we're flying together, Eret…We're going to have adventures every day, together. You and me…Me and you." Zenna whispered, gently placing her hand on Eret's chest. Eret couldn't help but smile as he gently placed his own hand over Zenna's, his hand slightly dwarfing the young Fiersome's petite hand.
"I'd really like that…" Eret whispered in her ear as they sat under the fir tree together, watching the birds fly high up into the sky…'
(Zen's flashback ends)
"Maybe you don't just see it yet."
Astrid's voice suddenly snapped me out of my reverie. I sighed in frustration and shook my head to clear my thoughts. Why was I suddenly remembering all of this?! Yes, I missed…him terribly but I didn't always obsess over him!
Instead of wondering why I kept remembering my past affairs of the heart, I focused on Hiccup and Astrid. I stifled a laugh as Astrid kissed my best human friend's cheek that still had a thin film of Toothless' saliva. But Hiccup was still looking out into the horizon so I followed his gaze.
Nothing looked out of the ordinary…wait, hold on…
Was that smoke?
I focused on a mountainside and saw a thin trail of smoke rising up from it. What was that?
"Hiccup…" I said in a low voice, a feeling of dread coming from the pit of my stomach.
"Maybe. But you know, there is something out there." Hiccup said, agreeing with my silent suggestion of heading out there to investigate. "Hiccup…" Astrid sighed, not seeing his point until Hiccup gently took hold of her chin and directed her gaze to the valley.
"We gotta check it out." I said, Stryka running to my side once she saw my worried face. Hiccup and Astrid nodded in agreement and called Stormfly and Toothless over. When we were all good and ready, Hiccup gave the go signal and we headed out.
But deep down…I couldn't help but feel that something was going to happen…
And what scared me a little was that…it might have something to do with me.
Little did I know that what was gonna happen next…was going to completely turn my world upside down and inside-out…