Chapter 8
Draco watched Edelweiss sleep from his diamond throne. Suddenly he heard a knock on his front door. He opened the doors with his power. Sol and Thor walked in.
"You two again," Draco said. "Did you tell Odin your idea?"
"Yes," said Sol. "He agrees to it."
"He wants the abomination brought to him," said Thor, slinging his hammer over his shoulder. Draco looked surprised.
"But Odin never allows living mortals to enter Asgard," he said. "What's he going to do to her?"
"He wants Edelweiss to swear to him that she'll use this enchantment when she's among humans," said Sol. "He promises to not hurt her."
"All right," Draco said. "I can get her to Vanahiem, that way you won't have to show yourselves to the other humans."
"We'll meet her there," said Sol. "Odin doesn't want you there. He's only allowing you to drop her off and pick her up. So, the plan is you bring her to Vanahiem, where you, Thor, and I will meet her. You fly us to the gates of Asgard and we'll escort her inside. We'll call you when you can fly her back." Draco looked nervous.
"She'll be very scared," he said.
"I know," said Sol. "I'm prepared for it." Draco considered for a few minuets. He heaved a huge sigh.
"All right," he said.
"My chariot's outside," said Sol. "You can pull us in that." Draco nodded. He looked back down at Edelweiss and the dragonets.
The sun came up. Edelweiss woke up before her friends. She sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She looked around the hideout and her gaze fell on the fire pit. There were a few embers left. She wanted to practice controlling fire. She made the fire burn brighter. She got to her feet and faced the flames. She used her new power to pull a piece of the fire into her hands. She then left the hideout.
She spent several minuets swirling the fire around. She made it tiny, then enormous, then small again. She blew it from her hand like it was powder. It shot across the beach as though a dragon had shot it out of his mouth. Her new fire proof skin kept her from sweating in the heat. She tried something a bit different. She held her hands out in front of her, the flames encased her fingers. She bent the fire around her hands and wrists like fiery gauntlets. She took several deep breath and lowered her hands again. The flames stayed in place, like normal metal gauntlets. She smiled, satisfied with her work, and headed back towards the hideout.
However she was unaware that the Berkians had been watching her control the fire the whole time. Meatlug and Cloudjumper loved watching her, but the humans were more unsure.
"She's becoming more powerful everyday," said Valka.
"She could become dangerous," said Fishlegs. "We'll have to be very careful around her."
"We head back to Berk tomorrow morning," said Valka. "We'll see how things go from there." They left to pack up their things.
Edelweiss went back into the hideout. By now the dragonets had woken up by now. They were quick to notice Edelweiss's new gauntlets.
"Wow, Edel," said Eider. "You've really mastered fire."
"You like them?" Edelweiss asked, showing them her hands.
"Very cool," said Apollo. "You going to use this skill when you're sparing?" Edelweiss considered.
"I don't think they'll like that," she said. "So I'll only use it as a last resort." Just then Black Widow entered the hideout.
"How's your mother?" Avalon asked.
"She's much better today," said Black Widow. "She's up and walking now."
"That's good," said Edelweiss. "Hey, I've started to master fire." She held up her flaming gauntlets. Black Widow looked enthralled.
"Wow, just like Hookfang," she said. Edelweiss smiled proudly, then snuffed out her gauntlets so she could hug her dragon.
"You ready to go to Berk with me tomorrow?" she asked.
"Yes I am," said Black Widow. "I know Mama will be fine." She nuzzled her rider. "Lets go for a ride, we haven't done that for a while."
"We haven't," said Edelweiss. She looked at the other dragonets. "Do you guys mind?"
"No, we need to hunt anyway," said Avalon. "We'll meet up at the tide pools later." Black Widow and Edelweiss left the hideout. Edelweiss mounted her dragon and they took off.
They flew over the island. They watched the other Academy students find their dragons. Dogsbreath had found a Gronkle named Seaslug, Camicaze had found a Nadder named Flysrtom, Bertha found a Zippleback called Double Trouble, Hildagaurd found a Gronkle named Puggy, Eerika found a Thunderdrum named Sonic, Gull found a Nadder named Bighead, Haskell found a Changewing named Slitherspit, Igor found a Scauldron named Boils, Salazar found a Monstrous Nightmare named Crazyfire, and Tad found a Nadder named Whip.
Edelweiss and Black Widow watched them for a while. Then they flew up to the top of the volcano and landed on the rim. Edelweiss dismounted and looked in the direction of Berk.
"Those are some pretty big dragons down there," Edelweiss said.
"Bigger's not always better," said Black Widow. "Daddy told me that. He told me more stories about his adventures on Dragon's Edge last night. Hiccup and Toothless were pretty amazing back in their day. They're a great team. I hope we can be as great them one day."
"Well I doubt we're cut out to be chief and alpha," said Edelweiss.
"I'm not talking about leadership," said Black Widow. "I'm talking about teamwork."
"Oh," said Edelweiss. "Well the time of dragons will draw to a close soon. There won't be much left for us to do."
"You never know," Black Widow shrugged. Edelweiss had nothing to say to that. She stepped closer to her dragon. Black Widow turned to face her and gently nuzzled Edelweiss's cheek. Edelweiss smiled at her, and patted her snout.
"We have quite a long future ahead of us," Edelweiss said. "But a bright one." Black Widow purred in agreement. Edelweiss laughed when it tickled her cheek. Black Widow stepped back and sat down on the very edge of the rim. Edelweiss sat next to her, and laid her cheek on Black Widow's warm neck. Black Widow draped her wing around her shoulders.
"So Avalon has Eider, I have Apollo," said Black Widow. "Who are you going to have?" Edelweiss considered.
"I don't know," she said. "Maybe I won't have anyone. I'm dragonborn, Draco said the humans won't accept me."
"How about a dragon then?" said Black Widow. "He said the dragons will like you just fine." Edelweiss considered.
"Married to a dragon," she said. "I do like the sound of that. But I don't know any other dragons our age."
"Draconia's full of them," said Black Widow. "You'll find one." She nibbled Edelweiss's neck. Edelweiss hugged her and kissed her nose. Suddenly they heard a dragon flying towards them. They turned to see Eider hovering in front of them.
"Sorry to interrupt your romantic moment," he said teasingly. "But Valka wants all the students and their dragons to meet on the beach."
"Thank you Eider," said Edelweiss, not realizing she was blushing. She and Black Widow got to their feet. Edelweiss mounted her dragon and followed Eider down to the beach.
They found Fishlegs, Valka, the other students, and all their dragons waiting near the Red Death Hideout. Black Widow landed next to them and Edelweiss dismount. The other students gave the two of them hard looks. Valka and Fishlegs inspected everyone's dragon. They seemed pleased. They came to Edelweiss and Black Widow last.
"Wouldn't you want a bigger dragon?" asked Fishlegs.
"Black Widow can't be replaced," Edelweiss said. "She's still young, and will get bigger." Fishlegs patted Black Widow on the head. Valka turned to the rest of the group.
"We'll be returning to Berk tomorrow morning," she said. "Today we'll teach you the basics of riding, so you can fly back to Berk." The students looked excited.
The two instructors went from student to student, instructing them on how to approach their dragons and mount them. It was a lot harder to do since the dragons were still wild. They would growl and move out of the way. Edelweiss watched for a few seconds then whispered something in Black Widow's ear. Soon Valka helped all the students onto the dragons. Fishlegs turned to Edelweiss.
"Let's see you mount your dragon," he said. Edelweiss went to mount Black Widow, but the dragonet pranced out of the way. Unlike the older dragons, she was quite happy. She and Edelweiss practically danced around each other. Then Black Widow charged at Edelweiss, who ran out of the way. Black Widow chased her, snapping at her heels. Suddenly the dragonet darted ahead of her, turned, and blocked her path. Edelweiss rammed into her, knocking her on her back, and Edelweiss landed on the dragonet's chest. They looked at each other, and blushed.
"All right, enough fooling around," snapped Fishlegs. Edelweiss jumped off her dragon's chest, and they got to their feet.
"Was that acting wild enough for you?" Black Widow asked, as Edelweiss mounted her.
"Yeah," said Edelweiss. "That was fun too."
"Wait, you told Black Widow to act like a wild dragon?" asked Fishlegs.
"I did," said Edelweiss. "You told me to fit in, so I told her to act like the other dragons."
"You're going to need to sit out of a few classes Edelweiss," said Valka. "It'll just be basic riding for a while." Edelweiss jumped off her dragon again.
"Fine," she said. Black Widow nudged her.
"Let's go to the hideout then," she whispered. She turned to leave. Edelweiss caught the glare Dogsbreath was giving her as she followed her dragon.
"Meet back here for dinner," said Fishlegs. Edelweiss nodded and ran after her dragon.
They entered the hideout. It was empty since the other dragonets were still out hunting. Black Widow lit the fire pit and the two of them climbed all over the jungle gym, and swung on the hanging ropes. They played more tag as well, all the way to the top of the skull. Edelweiss ran up the Red Death's crest and looked down at the other students. Black Widow laid beside her and rested her head on her rider's chest. Edelweiss held her head in arms and stroked her forehead. Black Widow purred and closed her eyes lazily.
"I appreciate what you said back there," Black Widow whispered. "That I couldn't be replaced."
"I meant it," said Edelweiss. "I love you too much to replace you with any other dragons, even the other dragonets."
"I feel the same way about you," said Black Widow. "I promise to keep you safe from everything, including the coming plague." Edelweiss shivered at the mention of the Black Plague. Aurora had told them all the terror it would bring.
"Do you fear the plague?" she asked.
"Not really, do you?" asked Black Widow.
"Grandmother said it will kill half the world," said Edelweiss. "In more ways then one. It my not effect me, but it will be horrible to watch."
"We better not watch it then," said Black Widow. "There are plenty of places to go that the plague won't reach. There's nothing to be afraid of." Edelweiss took several deep breaths and calmed herself.
"Where should we go?" she asked.
"Somewhere warm," said Black Widow. "With color and light, someplace where dragons have never been heard of."
"The South Pacific," said Edelweiss. "There are humans there, they've never heard of dragons." Black Widow purred.
"That sounds perfect," she said. She closed her eyes and dozed off. Edelweiss held her head and stroked her face.
Edelweiss watched the other students training to ride their dragons. Valka and Fishlegs helped them. It was quite fun to watch. None of the other students could ride very well. They kept falling off and hitting the ground. Their dragons would land near them every time. Black Widow stayed asleep, but her ears twitched at every sound much like her father's did. Edelweiss kissed her forehead.
They sat there until after lunchtime. Then Black Widow woke up and stretched. Edelweiss jumped onto her back and they flew to the tide pools. The other dragonets were there already, having returned from their hunt. Black Widow landed beside Apollo.
"How was your hunt?" Edelweiss asked.
"It was a lot of fun," said Eider. "All those years of playing Hide n' Hunt really payed off." Just then Avalon spotted something way out on the horizon.
"Guys look!" she exclaimed. They followed her gaze in time to see a tall black fin emerging from the water. It was followed by a huge spray of water and a black hump.
"It's Shark," said Apollo. "It's been a while since she's been in this area."
"Should we go say hello?" asked Black Widow. "Will she mind?"
"No she won't," said Avalon. She spread her wings and flew out towards the massive Whale Dragon. The others followed and they circled over Shark. She spotted them and lifted her back further out of the water so they could land on it.
"Hi Shark," said Avalon. Shark lifted her head out of the water and looked over her shoulder at them.
"Hello dragonets," she said. "I heard about the dragonborn child, and come to see her for myself." She lowered her head. Edelweiss blushed, but it could only be seen on her scaleless cheek.
"Do I look ugly to you?" she asked.
"No, not to me," said Shark. "I have already told the rest of the ocean dragons."
"What's it like in the ocean?" asked Edelweiss. "It must be nothing but blue water."
"You are wrong," said Shark. "The ocean is very colorful and filled with life. Perhaps I can show you someday. Maybe even take you down to the Mariana Trench, the deepest part of the ocean."
"That does sound cool," said Black Widow. "And we can see all the dragons that live in the sea."
"Yes," said Shark. "Not just dragons though, but all sorts of animals."
"So am I becoming a celebrity among dragons?" asked Edelweiss. "It feels like it."
"I think so," said Shark. "I've heard so many dragons talking about Father Draco's dragonborn child." Edelweiss heaved a sigh.
"But the human gods don't like me at all," she said.
"Join the club," said Shark. "They aren't super fond of us either." Then she cleared her throat, then changed the subject. "What do you say to me taking you for a ride around the island." Edelweiss and the dragonets exchanged a glance.
"That sounds like fun," said Avalon.
"I've never ridden a sea dragon before," said Edelweiss. "Yes please." Shark beamed.
"Hold on tight then," she said. She lowered her head back under the water. She paddled the water with her flippers and propelled herself forward with her wide tail. Edelweiss found it to be a bit of a different movement than flying on Black Widow. It was a gentle rocking movement, as opposed to the up and down movement of a flying dragon. It took some getting used to, but Edelweiss grew to like it.
Shark swam up on side of the island. Her black fin cut through the water.
"This is fun," said Apollo. "Very different to flying." Edelweiss sat down and laid on her back. She watched their Red Death Hideout go by, then the Berkians who were still learning to fly on their dragons. They all looked up as Shark swam by.
"You can let us off here Shark," said Avalon. Shark looked back at them.
"Hold on tight," she said. She then dove into the water all the way. The dragonets held on as she swam in a wide circle to line up with the shore. When she was far enough, she turned around to face the beach. Then she swam towards the shore at high speed. She she was close enough she launched out of the water and threw herself onto the beach like a killer whale. The Berkians watched in amazement. The dragonets slid off her back and onto the rocks. Shark watched the Berkians very carefully. Valka had never met the giant black sea dragon. She looked up at Shark.
"Wow, that's a huge sea dragon," said Hildaguard.
"This is Shark," said Avalon. "She's the sea dragon queen."
"Shark, this is Hiccup's mother, Valka," said Apollo. Shark looked down at Valka.
"Valka," she repeated. "Yes, I've heard of you. The Bewilderbeast kept talking about how much fun it was to have a human in his squadron. He'd bring it up every time I'd bring him more refugees." Valka looked interested in this.
"You were friends with my Bewilderbeast?" she asked.
"I was friends with all of the Bewilderbeasts," said Shark. "Including the one Toothless defeated. They were like brothers to me." A dreamy look on her face. But it vanished as quickly as it came. "I must get back into the water before I dry out. Nice to meet you all." She slowly scooted herself off the beach and back into the water. She turned around and swam back out sea. When she was deep enough, she dove into the water and vanished with a wave of her massive tail.
