False Emotions
I had no words. My mind went completely blank, except for this…beautiful sound.
It was like the entire ocean was filled with music, an amazing symphony of harmonious notes and emotions, sometimes running, sprinting, sometimes walking, almost stopping entirely, before speeding up, laughing at our astonished faces. It wasn't a song—it was a moving, living presence that walked among the skies, swam in the seas, flew right next to us for tantalizing seconds, before streaking away, only to return with a beaming smile a minute later. Dimly, I was aware of tears prickling my eyes, and suddenly, without me realizing it, I swung Stormfly around to where the sound seemed to be coming from. There was something in me that was filled with longing; for a world with incredible bliss, with no wars, no fighting, with only happiness and beautiful sounds…
Again, seemingly from a long distance, I noticed the Riders around me turning also, in my same direction. They were quite blurry…was that bad? I strained my eyes, trying to make them out… Suddenly, the sound dimmed slightly. It was small, but it was very noticeable. My head snapped back in alarm. No! I can't lose it!
I pushed Stormfly urgently, and I could feel her moving beneath me. The music started getting louder again. The yearning in my chest suddenly grew ten-fold, and I knew I had to get there. I just needed to follow the music…follow the music…
I squeezed Stormfly as hard as I could with my legs, trying to increase her speed. The music got louder and louder, so much it hurt my head, but still I flew, closer and closer to the land of my dreams…I felt tears streaming down my face, because some part of me now felt immeasurably sad...We flew faster and faster, and my arms and legs began to ache, but still we flew, music pounding in my head, tears streaming down my face…now I had to get there, just to get away from this horrible sadness, into the beautiful world beyond…
The certain misery far outweighs the potential euphoria.
I gasped as the sentence flashed through my head, bitingly-clear from a life long before…
However sad your existence is now, there is always something worse.
Now, those simple words seem to have a new meaning...
The spell was broken. The song faded from my mind. The tears stopped. I sat up straight. Even the pain in my body was ebbing away! My mind filled with thoughts, memories, emotions of my own…and that's when I realized what a fool I had been. These were the real things…infinitely stronger then the empty promises of the music…
Wait! Stormfly!
I pulled on the dragon, trying to get her to stop flying. But, it was just as I feared…she wouldn't stop, seemingly not even noticing me…she was caught up in a world of her own, the false world I was dreaming for.
On the horizon, a faint speck could be seen, growing larger every second. The music started again in my head, weakening my resolve, pulling the strength from my limbs and replacing it with lead…still Stormfly pulled onward, flying closer and closer until the island started to take shape.
I fought the music and focused on the land in front of me. It was huge—bigger than Berk, even from this distance. Bigger than any island I've seen.
The music was back, dancing in front of me, I was struck with how fighting it was exhausting…so much easier to just give in…it was only sound, after all…amazing sounds…
The island grew closer and now I could see the colors…or maybe just color. The whole island seemed to be one shade of grey that was surprisingly ominous. I felt the hair on the back of my neck rise…and suddenly, something wasn't right. There was a feeling in the air that made the music, still playing in the background, fade. My senses returned slowly, and I felt Stormfly shift in alarm. The island grew closer. I suddenly realized I was alone—none of the riders were anywhere in sight.
None need suffer for your mistakes.
Uh-oh. This doesn't look good.
But still, the music grew stronger, blocking out the disturbance in my mind, soothing my fluttering nerves…I closed my eyes, the dim light from the sunset suddenly scorchingly bright…I felt myself slipping away…
…until the unthinkable happened.
The music stopped.
I cried out in alarm, right as Stormfly reared back, squawking madly. Suddenly, my mind sprang back from the pit it was in, and that small feeling of uneasiness exploded. Fear filled my body, a shivering, quaking terror that was impossibly powerful…and I knew instinctively it was coming from the horrible grey…thing, barely a minute's flight away.
I couldn't fight it. My head was exhausted, first fighting the music, then Stormfly, and my body was exhausted. I could feel Stormfly moving slowly, and the fear multiplied, surpassing whatever I felt when I fell a lifetime ago…
The Fearless Astrid Hofferson laid her head down on her dragon's saddle, and waited for the end to come.
In what seemed like hours later, she felt a jolt run through her, and the fear melted away, leaving her body horribly empty. She had no strength left in her. She fell off her saddle, and groaned when her aching body hit the ground. It felt like rock…really really hard rock. And cold! Freezing! Yikes!
The shock caused her so jump up, already shivering. What was this place? She was starving, exhausted, parched, and now quickly turning cold in the windy air. Thunder cracked over head—that was weird. There weren't any storm clouds around before…
Lost in thought it took her a second glance before she noticed that there was a figure standing right in front of her.
Her already shot nerves made this surprise all the more unpleasant. She screamed and jumped up, landing on her backside in a very undignified way. The figure moved closer, and now she could make out a silhouette…it looked like a boy, a little taller than her. He seemed to have…claws?
Before she could back away, a surprisingly warm voice spoke out of the darkness and stopped her in her tracks.
"Welcome." The silhouette started. "I know the mental strain you have just endured, so I will not bother with questions. Come. Rest. It will help." He spoke in Old Norse.
A few seconds later, she felt a hand, also surprisingly warm in the frigid air, gently grab her arm. With constant pressure, she was lifted to her feet. She heard Stormfly behind her begin to get up. With quiet encouragement from the figure, she began to walk slowly, tiredly, feet gaining very little traction on the icy rocks. Her feet slid out continuously, but the mysterious boy—for the voice was clearly masculine—grabbed her arm quick enough every time, and helped her to her feet.
After a few minutes of silent movement, her mind formed the question she would have asked first if she wasn't so exhausted. She could barely form the words, and the question "Who are you?" came out as a raspy croak that scraped her vocal cords and sent her into a coughing fit. When it finally ended, she was barely conscious, every part of her body hurting.
The silhouette stopped and gently lifted Astrid into his arms. Usually, she would have balked at such a gesture, but now she welcomed the extra warmth the figure seemed to exude. She burrowed closer, mumbling incoherently. The figure started walking, feet finding purchase easily where Astrid's feet tripped. Even carrying her, they moved a lot faster. Astrid was barely aware of a passing of time before the dim light entering her eyelids was extinguished, and she was laid down on something soft. A faint squawk echoed through her ear, and she was aware of something freezing cold and scaly settle down next to her. She didn't mind though. Stormfly was always welcome…
Her throat seemed to be a little stronger now, so she tried to speak again. "Who…are…you?"
She opened her eyes slightly, but she couldn't see anything. The place she was resting seemed to be sheathed in blackness. She suddenly felt the presence of the mystery figure beside her. Her mind dimly recognized she had not heard him approach.
"Rest. You are safe for the night." He said softly. "My name is not important at this moment."
She resisted, shifting away from his warmth. She needed to know at least the name of her rescuer. "Who are…you?"
The boy sighed. "I see you will not take no for an answer." Silence for several seconds. "While my name is not reflective of who I may or may not be, it will give you solace for your sleep, so I will answer."
The gentle voice was slowly sending her drifting off, but she still heard his final words.
"In my language, my title is Umbra. In yours—Dusk."
She finally fell into dreamless, soothing, merciful sleep. The crouching figure beside her makeshift bed sighed, and stood up. He was surprised the Norse girl in front of her was strong enough to speak at all. None of the others were. He looked around the cave, lost in thought.
His eyes lingered over the sleeping shapes of 5 bruised and battered vikings, and beside them, their dragons. One pair of blind eyes watched his every move, following his silent footsteps. The figure laughed when he noticed the Whispering Death, and walked over to give it a good scratch.
"You have done well, Percutien Aurora. You have not had to endure the shadow's song for many years. I am glad you are finally home. Rest well."
The dragon snuffled once in agreement, and the boy backed away, still smiling slightly.
Then he turned around and sank down athletically at the entrance to the cave, peering out to the grayness beyond. Even now, with the sun barely down, the rains were starting, starting to buffet the rocks, and the walls of the cave shed dust as the first of the tremors rocked the ground far below. But even above this clamor, the boy's sharp ears picked up the sound they were straining for—a low, pulsing hum that seemed to be coming from both below the rocks and high in the air. The boy suddenly stood up, and quickly walked towards the back of the cave, towards his own bed.
He was exhausted as well—and it was much safer inside.