Chapter Seven: Commitments & Compliments

Matt let out a long yawn, stretching his arms as he limped out on the deck of Bruvos' flagship. The sun was out and showing that it was at least late morning; also hinting to the fact, was that he was the last one up.

"About time you woke up." Heather huffed, seeing him rub his head to get the bed hair out and to get the hair to cover his scar a little more. Walking up to him, she lightly hit him in the shoulder. "I was about to have Windshear grab you and throw you in the ocean."

"You know, these couple days of sailing has made me think you should give me a break." He replied back with a nonchalant tone. "It's not like me waking up any earlier is going to help us get to Thariin sooner. Besides, I haven't slept in since we beat Viggo and Ryker. I'm treating myself!"

"Well, at least you never changed while I was gone."

Both Matt and Heather turned to see Ukiah walk up to them, again with Arrow darting in between his legs. He had his chainmail removed, and he too looked like he had just woken up; as his hair was a mess and he was shirtless; revealing his many scars on his body.

"Hey, Ukiah. Have good rest too?" Heather asked, smiling at him.

"Yeah, I did. Until Arrow decided to wake me up." He huffed, glaring at Arrow who was clawing at Heather's boots. "I'm glad I became a hunter instead of a sailor. I don't think I'd do very well sleeping as much as I have."

"There's nothing wrong with having a little extra sleep!" Matt laughed, turning to lean against the ship's railing. "To be honest, this is the first time I've really been able to enjoy an actual cruise. I've been on boats, even before I came to Berk, hence why I've been able to wakeboard; but never really had a chance to sail on one. Especially for a length of time."

"What about the time Ryker had you, Astrid, the twins, and Fishlegs?" Heather asked with a mischievous smile. "Oh, and me too. Though I was a captive far longer than you ever were."

"I said enjoy! As in, I want to be on a ship." He growled, shaking his head at her. "Last I checked, I was held against my will on the ship. Nor was I able to enjoy it!"

"Speaking of Ryker…and Viggo as well. What happened when I was at Crev? How did you guys beat them? Last I saw, they still had a large fleet and plenty of men."

"Well, a lot happened actually." Matt replied with a smile. "We met a new village that worships and helps dragons shortly after you left. Maybe a day after."

"Weren't too friendly when we first…met with them." Heather added, remembering the chase that ensued with the Defenders of the Wing. "Knocked Matt and I out after they captured Astrid and Hiccup."

"Wait, why? Didn't they see that your dragons were your friend?"

"They thought we were enslaving them. That it wasn't a bond, but rather master and slave." Matt explained. "Let's just say...I quickly changed their minds on that. As did Hiccup."

"These guys called themselves the Defenders of the Wing. And after we showed them that we were friends, that's kind of where all our adventures started." Heather continued to say. "But it mainly involved Hiccup and Matt."

Ukiah turned to Matt with a raised eyebrow, asking him to explain; who simply let out a smile and gestured to something behind him.

Lydia then walked up to the three, nervously looking around; as if looking out for something.

"Something wrong, princess?" Matt asked, teasing her with her title.

"Ugh, thanks Matt." She growled, shaking her head angrily at him. "Snotlout isn't here, is he?"

Heather was the first to respond. "Not that we're aware of. No."

"Good. I've been hiding from him since we set sail…" She moaned, turning to lean against the rail with Matt. "I never thought I could be annoyed by someone so easily."

"And welcome to our lives." Heather groaned, shaking her head as she remembered all the times he was hitting on her.

"Sorry to interrupt you, what were you talking about?"

"Just talking about the adventures we had while Ukiah was missing." Matt replied with a shrug. "You're more than welcome to stay and listen."

"Sure! I'd like to learn more about the Riders." She replied with a smile. "As well as your history with past events and such."

"History." Matt scoffed, chuckling at the thought.

"What's funny?" She asked, confused at his laughing.

"Never had anyone put it that way." He replied with a wide smile. "So…as Heather said, what we went through was entirely because of Hiccup and me. Viggo wanted to stop us, and at the time, we thought his entire focus was on me."

"Because it was." Heather huffed, rolling her eyes at him. "Viggo placed bounties on Matt and Hiccup, Just so that he could get them. At one point, he then took over the Northern Markets and while we were scouting them out, he captured Matt."

Ukiah looked at him nervously, not sure what to expect.

"This is where it got weird. He wanted me to…join him. To be his lackey." Matt began to explain. "I thought it was because he no longer had Darien as his own Rider, but that wasn't really his intention at all. It was the fact that he wanted to ruin Hiccup. Not ruin, he wanted to destroy Hiccup. To make him feel like a failure and someone that killed his friends."

"But what did he do to you? I mean, you never joined him, right?" Lydia asked, listening to every word. Ukiah simply stood there with an expressionless face. He of all people experienced the feeling Viggo was trying to make Hiccup feel.

"No. At least, not at that moment." He answered, looking at Ukiah to see what his reaction would be. Seeing his face set in stone, he then continued to say "So…during our adventures, Hiccup and I…we've had a few arguments and disagreements. And at the time, it seemed like every single idea he had somehow hurt me along the way." Grabbing Heather, he pulled her closer to him. "Even hurt Heather a couple of times."

"It's a risk we all take." Heather defended. "Being a Dragon Rider is unique as it is. So are the dangers of living like one."

"And your position as sister to a chief adds to that." Ukiah quietly added. Gesturing to Matt, he added "And in your case, being The Dragon Boarder and brother to the Dragon Master."

"But you have perks, right? I mean, you wouldn't be Riders if you didn't want to be." Lydia asked, looking at them all with concern.

Matt nodded with a wide smile. "Of course. There's a reason why I…why I chose this lifestyle. Same with Heather and Ukiah. All for different reasons, but with all the same goals."

"That reminds me…" Lydia began to say "You mentioned that you weren't always Stoick's son. When did that happen? Where were you before? Were you adopted like Ukiah?"

"That's a whole other conversation. Let me finish this tale first for Ukiah." He replied with a smile. "Anyways, Hiccup and I had a falling out. A pretty big one actually. We both said some things we'll never say to each other again."

Heather shook her head, grabbing and holding Matt closer.

"During our…disagreement. Hiccup and the others were captured by Viggo."

"Wait. Everyone? And their dragons?" Ukiah asked, gaping at him in horror.

"Except Heather, her brother Dagur, and me." He answered. "He ransomed them for me, and that's where I learned exactly why he had such a big target on my back. He made me choose either Hiccup and Toothless remain as his prisoners, or to swap them out for me and Wasatch; which is what I chose."

"Hiccup was a wreck after." Heather began to say, taking over the story. "Viggo accomplished what he set out to do, and that was to mentally destroy Hiccup."

"What about you?" Ukiah asked, looking at her with concern. "I know how Matt reacted when you were taken."

"I was in shock; almost beyond feeling." She whispered, almost in shame. "Dagur…my brother…he was the only one that really could help me, which he took me to my home, Berserker Island. From there we'd go search for Matt, since we had no idea where Viggo would have taken him."

"However, while she was gone, Hiccup and the others came to get me, as they had an idea where I was." Matt interrupted, looking down slightly ashamed. "Astrid was the first to scout the island I was being held on, only to find that I had joined with Viggo and Ryker."

"Wait. You mean it? You actually joined your enemy?" Lydia gasped, staring at him in shock. "Why would you do that?!"

Ukiah gently reached out and grabbed her shoulder, as if to comfort her frenzied mind at the idea. "Let him finish his story. We know how it ends."

Looking at him, she slowly nodded, realizing she was a little immature with her reaction.

"So…just to get it out of the way, I actually captured Astrid for Viggo. Not because I was now a Hunter." Matt began to say, rubbing the back of his head. "All to show him that I was aligned with him. You see, the only reason why he spared me, was because I said I wanted to get back at Hiccup. I wanted to get revenge on him. And so, me capturing Astrid let me prove I was going to fight against Hiccup. He had a secret project, and the only way I was going to learn about it, was if I became someone like Darien."

"What happened to Astrid?" Ukiah asked quietly, his voice growing cold at the thought of her being hurt for Matt's charade.

"Viggo used her to bait Hiccup and the others into a trap. And it worked. He would have one too if I hadn't played a little intervention." He explained, folding his arms and looking down with an ashamed expression. "Viggo would have suspected me if I hadn't…beat on Hiccup before he left. I really hurt him, but I was able to pass the message to him that I was trying to figure out what Viggo was up to."

"So it all worked out…" Lydia whispered with a relieved smile.

"Not…really." Heather spoke up, glaring at Matt. "While Viggo spared Hiccup and the others, thanks to Matt, Ryker hated it. And in turn, betrayed Viggo."

"The battle between the two destroyed most of the Hunters and their ships." Matt explained. "Ryker did win though, and as I was flying away with Viggo, Viggo poisoned me with Scauldron Venom. Because I was barely alive, Viggo was able to play Hiccup into fighting Ryker; making everyone think he was on their side."

Ukiah simply stood there, staring at Matt with an earnest expression.

"Ryker was in control of a dragon called a Shellfire. And because he could control it, he destroyed The Defenders of the Wing's home, as well as Berserker Island."

"Being the reason why my brother, Dagur, isn't here with us. He's rebuilding our village and we still have a lot of time before we actually recover."

"During the raid on Berserker Island, I almost lost…I almost lost Teton." Matt whispered, looking at Ukiah sadly. "I almost went through what you did. And God…I don't know how you went through that."

Lydia looked at Ukiah with wonder, unsure of what Matt was talking about.

"I said I lost a friend, thanks to Zekir." Ukiah quietly explained. "It was Arrow. The first one. The one that grew up with me and fought with me…"

Lydia stared at him in sadness, unsure of how to comfort him.

"The Shellfire was going to attack The Edge next, so I took Heather, the twins, and Snotlout to strike at the dragon, and to stop Ryker from controlling it. Hiccup, Astrid, and Fishlegs stayed to defend Viggo as a prisoner, and to stop any Hunters that would try to land themselves on our island. To be short, we beat Ryker. Wasatch ripped him apart."

"While Viggo hit Hiccup and Astrid from behind." Heather added, taking over the conversation. "He held her hostage for the Dragon Eye, which Hiccup destroyed while freeing her. Stormfly and Toothless then took care of him, which in the end, leaves Darien as the one in charge of the remaining Hunters."

"Being my entire purpose for being here. To stop her." Matt whispered. "I swear, if she escapes again…erggh…"

"Let's not think about it. At least for now." Heather whispered, resting her hand on his shoulder. "Well, there you go. That's what we went through while you were missing."

"Had I known…I'd have been here instead of training…" He whispered hoarsely. "I'd like to think I could have changed a few things."

"Not to worry, it's how I felt after you told us what happened to you." Matt replied with a wide smile. "Can't go back, only forward. Remember what I told you?"

"Get up and keep on boarding." Ukiah repeated, shaking his head with a hopeless smile. "Trust me, I haven't forgotten that."

"Good!"

"What do you mean, 'board on'? Is that something I should know?" Lydia asked, looking at Heather with confusion all over her face.

Laughing, Heather shook her head as she went to walk away. "I'll let Matt explain that. I guess I should check on Windshear and see if she's not getting into trouble."

"Do the same with Wasatch for me!" Matt called out, watching her leave. Shaking his head, he then asked "Where did Hiccup and Astrid go? I haven't seen them or their dragons."

"They went for a ride. They said something about patrolling around the fleet." Lydia answered for him.

"Right. Patrol." He huffed quietly, shaking his head at the thought of them finally setting time aside for each other. Stretching his arms, he let out a long yawn. "Welp, since we still have plenty of time before we get close to Thariin, I guess I can answer any questions you have."

"Good! I only have about a hundred!"

"Wanna sit in for this, Ukiah?"

Ukiah let a wry smile grow on his face. "Depends. Are you going to tell her about…"

"Yup! The whole nine-yards!"

"The…what?" Lydia asked, even more confused with the saying.

"Nine-yards. It's a term used by…uh…how do I say this…soldiers from where I came from. Specifically called pilots. They had nine yards of projectiles and would empty everything they had into one target."

"I…see…" She replied, even more confused with the explanation.

"I guess I better sit in on this. I want to see her face when you tell her." Ukiah replied, taking a seat next to the railing. Letting Arrow curl up in his lap, he smiled as Lydia just stared at Matt with a blank expression.

"Alright…so! Here we go!" Matt laughed, taking a seat next to Ukiah. Rubbing his hands excitedly, he laughed as Lydia also took a seat. "As you know, my name is Matthew Haddock, and this is how I became the Dragon Boarder."

"There you go, girl." Heather replied, pushing the doors open wider for Windshear, Lasher, and Wasatch.

The three dragons quickly ran out onto the deck, scaring a couple of the soldiers and sailors. Lasher instantly began to search for Ukiah, given he was also curious as to where Arrow was. Wasatch roared happily, finally able to stretch his wings out. Without a second thought, he launched into the air to leave Heather and Windshear behind.

"Well, there he goes. Think he'll be back before sundown?" Heather asked Windshear.

Windshear smiled as she nudged her Rider. Rubbing against her, she was taken off guard as a hand gently rested itself on her back. Whirling around, she softly growled at the stranger.

"Oh! Prince Auger!" Heather replied, shocked to see him standing there. "Sorry about letting the dragons out. I figured they were ready to get out."

"No worries! Our ship is your ship! Do what you need to in order to be comfortable." He replied with a soft smile. The massive, silver chest plate glistened in the sun. The leather straps dangling from his waist were scorched and cracked with the sun, though it added a bit of character to the armor. His blonde hair rivaled Astrid's in color, though his beard seemed to be more scraggily than what would have otherwise been for a prince.

"Well, thanks for tolerating us. Especially…" Heather began to say, slowly turning to face a direction.

Turing to see where she was looking at, he let a small frown grow on his face. The twins and Fishlegs were arguing with each other, about something that probably didn't matter. "Yes, well…we all have those few people that entertain us while on long trips such as this."

"Be careful what you say. They might take you literally with that and try to be entertaining." She laughed, returning her attention to Windshear. Stroking her neck, she asked "Have you been on trips this long before?"

"Aside from coming to help invade Berk? No. Not really." He answered, gazing at Windshear with wonder in his eyes. "I tended to stay home to govern my people while my dad dealt with the foreign affairs."

"So you're training to be king?"

"A ruler isn't made with a passing of a crown. It's something they strive to become every day they live." He began to say. "I just hope to be half the man my father is."

"He seems very kind and dedicated."

"Very much so; but that's enough about me. What kind of dragon is this? I've never seen anything like it before."

Smiling, Heather looked straight into Windshear's eyes. "This is Windshear. She's a Razorwhip. I found her injured when she was barely a year old. I helped her recover and she never left my side since then."

"She's must be very lucky to have met you." He commented, smiling at Heather.

"I guess. I feel the same way with her. I don't know where I'd be if I hadn't had her in my life." She continued to say. "To be fair, that's probably how all of us feel about our dragons. And our dragons towards us."

"I was told you're not a Berkian, but a Berserker. How did you-"

"Learn to train a dragon?" She finished, looking at him with a kind smile. "I happened to have met Hiccup and the others a few years ago. After…an adventure we had, they trusted me enough with their secrets. We didn't meet back until a little longer than a year ago. Since then it's been nothing but an adventure."

"I assume that is when you met Matt then. When you met Hiccup and those you call friends."

"Not really. We've only met each other recently."

Auger's heart skipped a beat, not believing the news he was hearing. Perhaps there was a chance after all.

"It was a little tense when we first met." She continued to explain, recalling the moment she first met Matt, when he was trying to free Hiccup and Astrid from Dagur. He ended up getting caught himself, by Windshear. Shaking her head so slightly in disbelief, her smile widened as she added "Since then, we've become really good friends…but I'm sure that's not what you want to hear about when you asked about Windshear."

"I don't mind listening. It's not like I have much to do while we travel." He replied, gesturing for her to walk with him. "How about a quick walk? Though I know you can simply ride to get off this tub, a walk seems to help rejuvenate me when I'm feeling tired and lazy."

"Uh…sure." She agreed, thinking that it would help break up the long wait for Thariin.

"What kind of adventures have you been on?" He asked, furthering the conversation along.

Heather laughed, shaking her head at the question. "Even with the long trip, I don't know if I have time to tell you all about what we did."

"Then how about you're most memorable?"

"Hmm…I'll have to think…I guess the most memorable was when I officially became a Dragon Rider."

"What do you mean, officially?"

"Well, I had trained Windshear a while ago. Maybe two years ago? Maybe a little longer. However, during that time, I was on my own. I'd argue that I was a rogue. I did things my way."

"What changed?" He asked, moving out of the way for a sailor.

Blushing a little bit, she looked down and quietly said "At first, it was the fact that I was alone. It was nice to be with others that cared about me. But the reason why I stayed as long as I did, was because of Matt."

Again, Auger's face fell. He had hoped that it whatever was between her and Matt was nothing serious. But his hope was fading fast as she continued to tell her story.

"He did a lot of things for me…heh, and I guess to me."

"Care to elaborate on that?"

"When we first met, we had axes and knives at each other's throats. I did some things that made him not trust me, and he just annoyed me with his sense of humor and general laid back attitude he has."

"How did you go from being enemies to being friends? Don't you worry he still feels the same way he did?"

"No. I don't." She quickly replied, slightly frowning at the accusation. "He was right to not trust me, since I betrayed Hiccup and Astrid at one point. However, while I was regaining their trust, I was captured with Hiccup. And the one person who assumed leader of the Riders while Hiccup was missing, was Matt. Who went way out of his way to help me. To save me."

Arriving at the bow of the ship, Auger stopped to face her, hanging onto every word, and wishing he was in a position to 'save' her.

"In the end of that little episode, we both knew that we could trust each other. We became friends."

"But something changed that, huh?"

"After…another round of adventures, including both of us being held captive by Darien and her Hunter friends, we ran into Strogg. Well, Matt ran into him."

Auger went quiet, knowing this was something he could relate to.

"He…kidnapped Astrid, and was going to keep her as a trophy; though to be honest, we thought he was willing to negotiate for her. Matt went with the ransom and…"

Auger noticed her choke a little bit.

"…he never came back."

"What do you mean, never came back?"

"Strogg almost killed him. He cracked open his skull and left him in the ocean. If you look at his left eye, you'll see a scar going from it and up his head. Ukiah was the one that found him and saved him."

"Lucky man." He commented, leaning against the railing while listening to her tale.

"Had I known, I wouldn't have been as worried. But the moment I was sure Matt was dead…I felt…"

"Alone?"

"Dead myself." She whispered, looking at him with misting eyes. "He was everything to me, and I didn't realize it. We cared about each other before, and even had a couple of dates; but…never have I felt so empty before. Even after losing my parents. Matt was someone that didn't just care about me, he was someone that…lived for me. I'm not sure if that makes sense."

"I can tell what you mean." Auger replied quietly.

"Thank the gods, I was wrong. He was still alive! And because of that experience, we both felt that we were ready to be more than friends."

Auger shallowly nodded his head, saddened to hear her say that.

"He's already done a lot for me, but when he decided to leave Berk and being a regular Dragon Rider with Hiccup, all in order to stay with me at my home; I knew that he was committed." Turning to look at where Matt was sitting, still talking with Lydia and Ukiah, which Lydia looked like she was in a stupor, she smiled as she commented. "I only hope that he feels the same way about me. I hope he knows that about me."

Finally accepting that he would never be able to sway her from Matt, Auger looked down at the deck. "He's a lucky person to have someone as beautiful as you, Heather. I only wish I was able to meet you sooner."

Gasping, she whirled around and stared at him.

"I now understand how you feel about Matt." He continued to say with a hurt smile. "I hope you'll at least view me as a friend as you have my sister Lydia."

"Uh…yeah, of course." She stammered, shocked at the sudden turn of the conversation. "I just…I uh…"

"Forget about it. I'm just glad you and your friends agreed to come along with us to stop Zekir and Darien."

"Well, if Matt had his way, Darien would have been killed when he dueled her." She quickly replied, trying to put away the awkwardness.

"What happened between their duel anyways?" He quizzed, wanting to help her move past his quiet confession to her.

Sighing, Heather shook her head. "I don't really know. I was passed out, since I was taken prisoner by her. Zekir had bought me as a slave at the time too."

A vein in Auger's neck bulged out as he stared at her in disbelief.

"I'll tell you from what Matt told me though, if you have the time."

"Considering we're all stuck on this tub of a ship, I have all the time in the world." He replied. "Now, tell me from the beginning. How did Zekir purchase you as a slave, and how did you escape?"

Leaning against the railing, Heather let a small smile grow on her face. "Well, I'll have to back up a little bit. You see, it all started with my brother, who was actually an evil man when I first met him…"

"I'm not asking if they are or aren't invading us, I'm asking if we can win should they choose to!" Zekir growled, staring at a map with narrowed eyes.

"My chief, we both saw the size of Bruvos' army. I'm willing to say he sustained minimal loss during the fight." Ugo began to report. "If they do invade us, we'll only have half our fleet to stop them, and half our men to defend the shores. The odds are in their favor."

Slowly reaching for a knife that was resting on a table nearby, Zekir raised it to the map. Letting the tip rest on the speck labeled Berk, he growled "I can't believe I failed. I had victory in my hands! Oh, you better pray I make Lydia's death quick, Bruvos. I'm going to make her suffer for every man I lost thanks to your treason…"

Ugo looked down at the deck, thinking to himself on how he should have been more adamant about not invading Berk.

"Ragh!" Zekir shouted to vent his frustration bottled up inside of him. Slashing the map, he sliced a clean cut with the knife all the way down, effectively destroying the map. "Set the sails to carry us away from the fleet. We'll go prepare while the rest return home. I will not lose to Bruvos without costing him as many of his men's lives as I can."

Ugo bowed in acknowledgement, to which he turned to leave his brooding leader. Opening the door, he was shocked to see Darien and Banshee standing there. "Ah, Miss Darien! How long have you been standing there?"

Zekir whirled around at the sound of Darien's name, confused and anxious to see her.

"Long enough to hear most of the conversation." She replied, stepping through the door. "May I speak with the Black Heart alone, Ugo?"

"Of course, I was just leaving." He replied, stepping aside for Banshee to walk through. At that, he walked out and shut the door behind him.

Standing in the mixture of a lantern's light, and Banshee's glow, Darien looked at Zekir with worry.

"Ah, don't worry about me, Darien." He replied, perceiving her thoughts. "You have your own problems to worry about."

"The most important one being you." She quickly pointed out. Walking over to a table, she sat down on it as she continued to look worried about something.

Sighing, Zekir took a seat with her, waiting to hear what she had to say.

"They're going to come for you, you know that right?" She whispered hoarsely.

"And you as well."

"Yes, but only Matt really wants me dead. The other Dragon Riders would be content with me rotting in a cell."

"Which I won't let happen."

"It can happen if you let yourself be killed by them."

Zekir frowned, not liking where the conversation was taking place.

"Listen, if Berk is teaming up with Bruvos and his men, then Thariin has no chance. You will lose. Even if it's just the Riders that come, that's more than enough to tip the scale in their favor. You'll be killed by the end of the month."

"There are worse things than death." He calmly replied.

"You think death is the only thing you'll suffer?" She challenged. "What you did to Ukiah ensured he's going to make you pay for taking his dragon and his arm. What about Bruvos? His son Auger? There has to be a reason why they betrayed you, even with your threat over Lydia."

"Who will not be spared when she is returned to Thariin." He growled, narrowing his eyes at the thought.

"Zekir, please listen to me." Darien began to plead. "I…I have an idea. One that I know you're not going to like."

"I'm not letting you fly against the Riders. Or strike at Bruvos' fleet by yourself." He quickly snapped.

"It's nothing like that." She quietly replied.

"Darien, I chose this lifestyle. I chose to do those things to those that want me dead. Who am I if I ignore the consequences of my decisions? I can't be the Black Heart if I run away from them. Either I overcome, or I perish pursuing what sought for."

"What about me? Am I simply a trophy? Or someone worth pursuing after?"

Taken back by the question, he scoffed loudly at it. "What's that supposed to mean? Are you worth pursuing? You're everything to me! I can't even begin to show you how much you mean to me, because I only have so much gold and luxuries to offer rather than what I want to give you!"

"I don't want gold or luxuries. You should know that by now." She quietly whispered. "I want you. I want you to be with me."

Zekir frowned, seeing what she was asking him. Sighing, he reached for his longsword and a cloth on the table. Wiping down the blade, he stared at Banshee's reflection on the glistening metal. "Nothing else will suffice?"

Darien slowly shook her head. Resting her hand on his, stopping him from wiping his already clean sword, she whispered "Nothing else can compare to you. I didn't realize how much I cared about you, until I saw that we were going to be overrun by the Riders and other ships. That's why I risked my life to give us a chance to escape."

Staring down at his longsword, watching the light from Banshee dance off of it, he quietly asked "What do you want then, Darien? I promise I'll give it to you."

"I want Matt's head. I want to end him myself." She began to say, resting her hand on his knee and making him look her in the eye. "But I can't do that now. I need to practice more on Banshee. And I don't have enough time if I stay with you at Thariin."

"You want to go somewhere to train…" He summed up, nodding in agreement.

"And I want you to hear me out with my plan. Please. It'll guarantee us the time we need before we can strike back at the Riders, and you'll be able to reobtain your position as chief. After all, you can't be the only one sacrificing for our relationship. I want to help you, but we have to both stick to this plan. It'll only work if we do it together. "

Zekir turned to her, looking at her in the eyes. Seeing her determination, he finally let out a long sigh. "Alright. I promise to hear you out. And if I agree, I'll be a hundred percent committed. However, I'm saying this right now; we will return to Thariin first, and then we'll go with whatever you came up with."

"Thank you." She whispered, wrapping an arm around him. Pulling him closer, she pecked him on the cheek. "First off, we're going to need to fill Ugo in with what we're doing; and one of your half-brothers if you have any left."

Sorry for the long wait in regards to updates. I've been...uh...slammed. With work and school. I'll try to post a chapter ASAP, but one of my classes has a test or tax return due every other week. So...sorry! Hope you enjoy the set up, and hopefully the journey along the way. I'm really excited to finish this Act and bring stuff to a closure.