Chapter Thirteen: Separate Ways, Separate Endings

The night was set in, with the moon shining brightly over Thariin. Both Matt and Heather glided over the village, still ravaged with some lingering fires and a few columns of smoke. Villagers that weren't otherwise putting out the fires were busy trying to mend some of their homes and shops, given that catapults didn't really care where or what they hit. The sight was a little haunting, especially to Heather, who was seeing flashbacks of when Viggo attacked her village with the Shellfire.

"I forget that battles last more than a day." She called out, staring at the glowing fires below. "At least, the effects of one."

"It's different seeing the aftermath of the battle. I thought we did good to avoid homes and structures." Matt replied, letting a frown grow on his face. "I guess I forget how serious a fight like that can be. It was different fighting against someone that didn't really have a way to counter dragons. Not like Darien or the Hunters."

Shaking her head, they then dropped lower over the bay, heading straight for Bruvos' ship, still moored at the dock. Not wanting to surprise the guards, they purposely flew an extra wide circle around it, silently announcing their arrival.

"Hey, Matt? I'm sorry…"

Taken back by the apology, he quickly turned towards with a confused look. "Sorry? For what?"

"Not being able to find Zekir or Darien. They're still out there. All this…" She gestured to the smoking ruins of Thariin. "All this was for nothing."

Pursing his lips, he quickly looked away. "Regardless of what happened, they were going to get away. They used Astrid and Fishlegs to distract us while they fled. Not to mention the battle. There was no way we could have known before we could have done something. The only thing that would have helped is if we saw them leave last night."

"I guess…" She replied quietly.

At that, the two let their dragons gently stall down to the deck of the ship, being welcomed by Toothless, Stormfly, and Lasher.

"Hey, guys! How are you doing?" Heather asked with a small smile. Sliding off her saddle, she laughed as Stormfly rushed Windshear and began to rub against her.

Wasatch growled at Toothless, greeting him in his own way.

"Ah, Matt and Heather." A soldier called out, walking around the excited dragons. "Your friends are below deck in your regular quarters."

"How is Astrid doing?" Heather asked, looking at the soldier with a hopeful expression.

"I'm unsure. I haven't seen her for myself." He replied, gesturing to the stairs that led down. "I'm sure you'll find out yourselves soon enough."

Thanking him, Matt let Heather go ahead of him down the stairs. They could see a light shine under the doorway of their room, revealing they were still up. Voices could be heard, though muffled through the dense and moist wood.

Taking a deep breath, Heather lightly knocked on the door as she opened it.

"Heather! Matt!" Hiccup called out, smiling as they walked in. "We were getting worried about you guys. We thought you might have flown back to Berk!"

"After today? I can barely stand. Fighting in the morning, searching for murderers the rest of the day, flying to the ends of the world. Oh, not to mention our adventure of sneaking into the dungeons and fighting Ugo." Matt huffed sarcastically, letting a warm smile grow on his face. "Getting that rib taken care of?"

Lying in a hammock, with his shirt off; Hiccup had bandages wrapped around his entire body, keeping him stiff. He had small cuts over him, not being that surprising given the scuffle he had with Ugo. Smiling, he gestured to something to their right. "Yeah, got a healer to look at it. Me and Astrid actually."

The two turned to see Astrid laying there, weakly smiling at them. Lydia was sitting alongside her, as was Ukiah. Both were looking relieved that she was getting better. Lydia's head was wrapped up, evidence that she had a head injury earlier in the day. A big S was drawn on the white bandages, showing them exactly that Snotlout had 'helped' her with it.

"Astrid!" Heather cried, running over to her.

"Hey…" She called out as loud as she could. "Hiccup and Fishlegs told me it was you who killed Ugo. Thanks. Wish I was able to get a swing at him." Essentially stripped from her usual clothes, she wore a simple linen tank top styled shirt, with linen shorts. Bandages covered most of her upper body that almost made her look like mummy, though it was focused more along her stomach. Where she was slashed down her leg, also had bandages wrapped around it. Her hair was out of its braid, and still had flakes of dried blood scattered in it. She still looked worse for wear, though a hundred times better than when they found her.

"Shut up." Heather quickly replied, pulling up a crate to sit next to her. "You're lucky that Zekir and Darien didn't just kill you."

Shaking her head, she looked up at Matt who remained silent. "What? Terrible Terror got your tongue? I mean, your throat looks like a reason why you can't talk."

Matt instantly rubbed his throat. It was sore and tender to the touch. "Yeah, well…Ugo choke slammed me when we were saving your butt. Your welcome."

Astrid smiled as she rested her head back in the hammock. Closing her eyes, she shook her head. "Typical Matt. Get hurt somehow and pull all attention away from those that were actually injured. Me, Hiccup, Lydia, who else can we add to the list?"

"Maybe I should just beat on you now. Since you can't fight back." He teased, grateful that she was still acting the same as she was before. Then, with a frown growing, asked. "How are you doing?"

"I'm not bleeding anymore. That's a start." She grunted, trying to sit up. "I feel weak and sore all over. I think it'll be at least a day before I can ride again."

"Try a week or two. Maybe." Hiccup groaned, trying to swing his legs out of his hammock. "You're not moving until those cuts heal. Even then, we might wait until we get back to Berk for Gothi to get a look at you."

"Yeah, yeah…sure." Astrid huffed, rolling her eyes.

"Any sign of them?" Hiccup followed up with, finally able to stand up.

Matt looked down and shook his head. "They could be anywhere, Hiccup."

Hiccup simply gripped his shoulder, trying to reassure him that it would be okay.

"I wish you grabbed me. I would have gone to help you." Ukiah spoke out, standing up from his seat.

"It wouldn't have made a difference. They left last night. Probably after they tortured Astrid." He replied, walking over to his hammock. Opening a small chest that had his few belongings, he began to shed some of his clothes, being his beanie, goggles, coat, and whatever else he didn't need. "They got at least a full day's ride ahead of us. And they're probably going to God knows where."

"Uh, gods, right?" Lydia asked, looking at him in confusion.

"What? Oh, right. Sure. Gods." He huffed, rolling his eyes at the correction.

"We'll find them. They're not just going to ignore us and let us be." Heather tried to assure, doing the same as Matt. Unstrapping her armor, she slid it into her chest.

"Listen, let's forget about it for now. It's just ticking me off." Matt growled, shutting hit chest with extra force. "Where's everybody else?"

"Fishlegs is going through the records of Thariin. Learning about its history." Hiccup replied, taking a seat next to Astrid. "Snotlout and the twins are helping with the fires. Mainly to get Snotlout away from Lydia."

"Ugh!" She groaned while face palming herself.

"I'd say she's a Dragon Rider now." Heather teased, seeing her misery with Snotlout. "You can't be a girl Dragon Rider without being hit on by Snotlout at least once."

"That leaves Ruffnut out." Matt groaned, taking his shirt off. Relishing in the cooler air, and getting out of his dirty, smoky clothes, he flopped over into his hammock with a loud groan.

"Give it time. I'm sure it'll happen eventually." Astrid jested as she shifted slightly in her bed.

"So, what happened while we were gone?" Heather asked, collapsing in her hammock. It felt so good to lie down. She could have actually gone to sleep after the fight to begin with, given they didn't really sleep the night before, and had fought Ugo by themselves. Suddenly, a little brown blur launched into the air next to her, and crashed into her stomach. "Gah! What? Arrow?"

The Sand Wraith roared, sounding deeper and stronger than even a few weeks ago. Staring at Heather with his wide eyes, he growled with satisfaction as he buried his head under her hand, forcing her to scratch him.

"He went crazy being locked in here." Ukiah replied, grabbing his crude sword out of its sheath that was hanging on the wall next to him. Sitting down on another crate, he rested it on his lap and began to rub a stone along the edge. "I'd imagine he's pretty happy to see you."

Heather smiled as she continued to pet the baby dragon, though his weight was getting heavier.

"Well, in answer to your question, the former advisor to Zekir was who we talked with." Lydia began to explain. "His name is Knut. Anyways, they surrendered everything to us. The city, the Keep, even the markets and lands around us."

"Seems like you guys got everything you need." Matt commented. "Free from Thariin, and more resources to boot."

"That's the thing. Auger can't rule here. He's king over at our place."

"So are you letting them govern themselves? Get a new ruler that you approve of?"

"Actually, exactly that…" She replied, letting a wide smile grow on her face.

Heather sat up, looking at her with curiosity. "Who?"

Lydia simply let her smile broaden, almost brightening the room. "Well, why don't we ask my brother?" At that, she stood up and walked out of the room.

Everyone looked at each other in confusion, not really knowing what to think of the cryptic answer or why she left.

A few short minutes later, they could hear her and some heavier footsteps following nearby. As the brother and sister walked in, they all tried to get out of their hammocks to do a small bow to the new king. His armor, usually being clean, was dented and dirty. Caked with a mixture of blood, dirt, soot, and other random things, he looked twice the warrior he did when they first met him. Some of the leather straps that were hanging from his chest piece were snapped or hanging by a thread, adding to the story that he too fought with all he had.

"Please, don't do that for me." Auger replied in annoyance, seeing them struggle to stand. "You're my friends. The reason why we were able to win today. At least, without as many losses."

Every one saw his and Lydia's face fall at the thought of their dad. It was still fresh in their mind that he was taken from them.

"We're sorry, Auger. We really are." Heather replied, unable to get out of her hammock due to Arrow being in her lap. "Unfortunately, I know exactly what you two are going through."

"If that's the case, I'm sorry to hear that you can relate so well." Auger replied quietly. Standing up straight, he then continued to say. "My dad was a good man. A good man that fought bravely for his people. He'll be welcomed in the Halls of Valhalla like the hero and warrior that he was. I only hope to be able to join him."

"After today, I have no doubt that'll happen when your time comes." Hiccup assured, smiling at the new king.

"Thank you. He tried to prepare me the best he could to take over, but I still feel inadequate."

"You'll be fine. It's always terrifying to try something new for yourself." Matt grunted, also sitting on the edge of his hammock. "It's how I felt when I first started snowboarding. Even more so when I became a Dragon Boarder. The fact that you're nervous about something means you're moving in the right direction. With the right motive."

"Snow…boarding?" He broke up, trying to understand what Matt told him.

Matt let out a long sigh. "A sport I did before I returned home to Berk. Sorry to confuse you. Just remember that if you feel nervous about something, you're doing the right thing."

Heather then spoke up, still curious as to what Lydia was cryptic about. "So, what was Lydia meaning about you telling us who's staying in Thariin?"

Auger nodded, folding his arms and leaning against the door, he began to explain his thoughts. "I'm sure you know, I can't rule Thariin. At least, not from Gorthurk. Aside from the distance, I don't think I want to. Thariin has been a plague most of my life. It's also where my dad was taken from me. I wouldn't be fair or just to the people here."

Everyone nodded in understanding.

"Personally, I wanted to burn the place to the ground and salt the earth. But then I'd be no different from Zekir or Strogg."

"So, who are you placing to rule in your place?" Matt asked.

"Someone from your little group, which had a great deal of respect from my dad." He answered, turning to look at Matt. "Don't get me wrong, he respected all of you the same. The fact that you were willing to travel this far with us, just to help, meant more to him than you realize. We spent nights talking about it while we were traveling here."

"Who was he meaning then?" Heather pushed, getting a little anxious at the reveal.

Lydia then turned to Ukiah with a wide smile, who was still focusing on sharpening his sword. "He was meaning you, Ukiah."

Freezing instantly, leaving the stone in the center of his blade. Looking at her in shock, he could only ask: "Me? Why?"

"You never fold. You never give in." Auger began to explain. Gesturing to his single arm, he continued to give his reasons. "You've had every right to give up and stop trying to help others. You were honest with your intentions. You don't bend to the wills of others. These are only a few reasons why my dad liked you. His intention was to offer you a place in his kingdom as a knight. But, given the events that changed that, I think he'd agree with me by making you Chief of Thariin."

"I'm a vagabond. I have no family. Hardly any friends." He began to excuse. "I'm a Crevite! A killer and a murderer! I'd be a terrible ruler."

"Weren't you trying to get away from that?" Lydia challenged, walking up to him and grabbing his sword. Setting down, she then sat next to him. "You said you didn't want to be a known as a killer, and you know what? You're not! The men all saw that. The men that you led! They don't see you as a heartless murderer you claim to be. The people of Thariin don't see that in you, since you helped negotiate with their leaders. The few that remained at least." Gesturing to everyone in the room, she added. "Everyone in here knows you're not a murderer! Arrow included!"

Arrow growled loudly as he climbed on Heather's shoulder, excited to hear his name and unknowingly backing Lydia's claim.

"The only person that believes that you're a killer is yourself." She whispered, grabbing his hand and forcing him to look at her. "Just for once, believe us. Believe your friends! Not your mind or your feelings. Forget about that. Forget all that you've been told and trust us!"

Ukiah stared at Lydia, unsure of how to respond.

"Ukiah…I need a friend to rule Thariin for me. Someone that I trust and isn't afraid to tell me no." Auger continued to say. "Thariin will be yours to lead. Free from any influence from me or Gorthurk. Because I know what kind of person you are, and how you'll rule."

Ukiah quickly shook his head. "I don't know how to lead or rule! I've always been a loner. Anytime I've worked with others, I just did as I was told. What hope do I have, let alone Thariin if I'm in charge of it? I don't know how it works!"

"We're not leaving you by yourself." Lydia replied, with a smile that was getting wider and wider. "Though my dad taught Auger most of the time, I learned a few things about ruling as well. I'll be with you. What we don't know, we'll learn together."

"But what about your home?"

"I've always wanted to leave it." She excused. "Ask Auger, I've always been anxious to go somewhere else and do something more than just sit in my room."

"It's true." He admitted, rolling his eyes at the claim. "She enjoyed the time she spent with you Riders more than all the years she was home."

"Besides…I promised that I'd help you experience life. This might be the answer you need."

Ukiah quickly stood up, thinking about what was happening. Pacing back and forth, he kept on fighting the suggestion. "I-I-I don't even want it! I've never been inspirational, let alone someone that looked out for others. Why would anyone follow me?"

"I have hundreds of men that will disagree with you." Auger quickly rebutted. "I keep hearing them say how they were led to victory by a one-armed Crevite, riding the back of a dragon and slaying any man that stood in his way. They pledged their swords to you when you asked them to help you charge. What makes you think people won't follow you?"

"And if you don't care for others, why did you save me from that prison ship to begin with?" Lydia challenged. "Why did you help me open the gate for our forces? Why did you come all this way to fight in a battle that wouldn't help you with your goals?"

Staring at her, he then whispered. "Zekir is still out there. Arrow's murderer is still free, and with a person that intends to hurt and kill my friends. I need to go-"

"You'll find him and Darien." Lydia assured, standing up and walking up to him. "But, maybe you should think about this before you say no. You've been living a life of solitude. Hunting this, looking for that, moving to a new place; all this, while trying to have peace in your life."

Ukiah stared at her as she gazed up into his eyes.

"I'm going to honest with you, since you've always been honest with me. Whatever you're doing, it's not working. You're plan is failing you."

Taken back by the charge, he was about to argue it before being cut off.

"Try this. For once, try something different. Do something different! It might surprise you how much good it can bring into your life, as well as good for others. Who knows, you might actually like it."

Ukiah racked his head, trying to come up with any excuse to pass it up, other than straight up saying no.

Hiccup then limped to him, wincing as he gripped his shoulder. "Ukiah, do this. It's an opportunity of a lifetime; and besides that, it might be what you were supposed to do."

Ukiah's head snapped up at Hiccup, shocked to hear him say that.

"You said you don't know what your purpose is, or what's true anymore about you. Maybe you're not supposed to know. Maybe this is where you set your own purpose. And regardless of what you tell yourself, you're someone who only cares about others. You'll do more good here than if you came back to Berk or the Edge."

"You don't want me to come back?!" He cried in shock, almost in anger.

"Of course I want you to come back! I want you to fly with us!" Hiccup quickly defended. Looking at Matt, he added. "Especially now that Matt is going to live with Heather and the Berserkers." Turning to look at Ukiah in the eyes, he quietly whispered. "But I want what's best for you. Not me. You can do so much good if you do this."

"What if I don't want to? I don't want to do this!"

"That's your choice. But why wouldn't you want to?" Hiccup challenged. "Give me one good reason why you shouldn't do this."

"…you guys…" He choked out. For the first time since they arrived in Thariin, he let a few tears fall out of his eyes. "What about you guys?"

"We'll be fine, Ukiah." Astrid called out as loud as she could. Struggling to sit up in her hammock, she flashed a weak smile at him. "You've only done things for us. For others. Even from the time we first met you. Do something for yourself for once. If I could, I'd have smacked your shoulder by now for being worried about us."

"This is an incredible opportunity!" Heather quickly seconded, standing up and almost losing Arrow that was balancing on her shoulder. "You helped me in more ways than you know. You saved Matt's life even before he knew you. So do something for yourself. Help yourself."

"I want you to come back with us." Matt announced, also stepping closer to Heather. Ignoring the quizzical stares, he smiled as he added. "I'll need someone to pull me out of the ocean if I get knocked out. Again. But I want you to experience something you've never really done before. Helping yourself. Besides, I agree with Lydia on this. Trust us for once. Forget everything you know and think, and trust us."

Ukiah stared at his friends, unsure of how respond.

"Besides, we could use another chief at the council." Hiccup added with a smile. "Think about it; between you, Lydia, and Auger, you can help connect the gap between here and the Archipelago. Ukiah, you can do so much good here!"

Swallowing, Ukiah looked at Arrow, who was smiling at him with his rows of sharp teeth. His eyes were bright, almost telling him what his opinion was. Finally, looking down at his stub, he slowly began to nod. "Alright, I'll do it."

Before anyone could cheer, he quickly cut them off.

"On one condition."

Every stood still, waiting for the request.

"If I don't like it after a year, I get to leave with no one telling me what I should do. Alright?"

Auger and Lydia nodded, understanding the request.

"Of course. And I'll be more than happy to help you if you need it." Auger replied, walking up and grabbing him in a hug.

Lydia's face was beaming, trying hard not to cry. The fact that he was choosing to stay and try something different meant everything to her!

"Well, how do I go about this? Where do I start?"

"Knut, the former advisor to Zekir, has agreed to fill in the future leader of how Thariin works. The men that surrendered and pledged loyalty to Gorthurk also stand ready to serve you." Auger continued to say. "Those that didn't pledge loyalty, await your judgement. After which, it'll honestly be up to you. If you want to bring Thariin back to what it was before, you can do that. If you want to change it to something else, that is also an option. Of course, you're going to have to rebuild everything. It'd be good to show yourself working on repairing houses and other parts of Thariin. People will start believing in you as their leader, seeing you help them."

Ukiah nodded, feeling overwhelmed at his new life he had reluctantly agreed to. One thing instantly came to mind though, which made him turn to look at Auger with determination. "Tear down the arena. That's the first thing we'll do. Free whatever dragons we have, and stop all dragon hunting."

Hiccup's face instantly brightened at the order, to which both Matt and Heather laughed out loud.

"Great, you got a life-long supporter now, Ukiah." Matt teased, lightly hitting him in the shoulder.

Hiccup gasped at the hit, wincing as his rib gave him more pain. "Agh! Thanks, Matt…"

Laughing, the group then began to shout, much to Ukiah's chagrin, a cheer for him.

"All hail, Chief Ukiah! All hail, Chief Ukiah!"

And their words echoed through the ship, and out towards the bay, announcing the new leader and ruler of Thariin.

The mist blew in her face as the ship rolled over another large wave. Ignoring the water that splashed on her, Darien remained unmoving on the bow of her ship. This was it. She successfully escaped Thariin from the Riders, came into control of the remaining Hunters, and now was on her way to ascend into the history books.

A sudden flash of glowing blue streak bolted above her, making her watch Banshee surge ahead of the ship. His bright glow contrasted against the black night sky, creating a serene sight to watch. Since they began sailing, he spent his time catching fish for her and Zekir, flying around the ship to burn some energy, and even practicing fighting on two dragons they had in their cells; though it honestly was more of a beating than training.

Letting out a deep breath, she was shocked to feel a hand slip over her mouth and a blade tip rest on her back.

"Mmmphh?!"

"Remember, you have to always be on your guard." Zekir's voice sounded behind her. "Your enemies will always take a chance to end you. Even when you're not expecting it. Like you would to them."

Feeling his hand come off her mouth, she whirled around and glared at him. "What was that for?! You're supposed to protect me! Not try to kill me!"

"I'm teaching you, remember?" He replied, ignoring her angry stare. Sliding his broadsword back into his sheath, he continued to lecture her. "You asked me to help prepare you when you fight Matt."

"I didn't think we were starting." She huffed, standing aside to make room for him.

Zekir smiled as he leaned on the railing of the ship's bow, watching Banshee's glow dance in the night. "You know this, Darien. Training and learning never have a start or a stop. It's always happening. Ongoing and uncaring. Either you learn, or-"

"You get left behind…" She finished for him.

"Or you perish." He corrected.

"Hmm, guess I should be glad you didn't end me right there." At that, she too leaned on the railing, watching Banshee's glow contrast against the black sky, diving in and out of the water.

"Now you're just being spiteful. You know I'd never do that." He laughed, letting a mocking grin grow on his face.

"Yeah, I guess I am." She admitted, closing her eyes and looking down. "Guess I need to learn to be more aware. Even in places I feel the safest."

"Those are the places that are the most dangerous. It's why I was always armed when I roamed around the Keep. When you're in areas where you know you're going to get into a fight, or in danger, you're naturally ready and searching for anything wrong. When you're in the area where you sleep and relax, that's when your enemies show up and usually bring you down."

Darien nodded in understanding, realizing that becoming someone like Zekir was going to take work. A lot of it in her case.

"So, you said we're going back to the Archipelago, right?" Zekir asked aloud.

Darien only nodded, not saying anything else.

"Which lies to the…west, correct?"

Again, she nodded.

"Then why are we going south?"

"I thought you had no sense of direction." She teased, surprised he knew the direction they were sailing.

"I've learned a little bit since I've been part of your crew. Besides your captain, Turik, keeps on yelling to correct the sails to move south. It wasn't a mystery to know where we're going."

"Fair enough. The reason why we're going south, is to avoid the Dragon Riders. They too will be going west, and on the chance they decide to fly their dragons there, they'll have a good chance of running into us. We're going south a few days and then west. Let them get there before us. They won't expect us to be there. Besides, it gives my men a chance to hunt some dragons and earn some gold. They deserve some time dedicated to their trade. They've been nothing but loyal since I became their leader. I need to show them I intend to do right by them."

Zekir nodded agreement. It was a smart move, considering they've only had defeats in recent events.

"We're crippled. Almost nothing." She continued to say aloud. "We need to get our feet on the ground before we start running. We're going to find a new island outside of the Archipelago, one that will suit our needs. We'll use it as a base of operations. Expand our influence, and then advance into the Archipelago full force. My men will carry out the day to day operations, while we go hunt ourselves the ones that call themselves Riders. Until then, It'll take months, if not years to get where we want to be."

"I'll support you all the way, Snake." Zekir replied with a sinister smile.

"Thank you, Black Heart." She teased back. "But…if you'll follow me…I want to show you something. Our future." At that, she turned and walked off.

Surprised at the request, he followed her.

After acknowledging a few hails and greetings, she walked up to the door of her cabin and opened it up.

Though he was with her most times, he had never been in her cabin since they left Thariin. Standing in the doorway with wide eyes, he simply observed the sight. Instead of torches and candles, the room was lit by jars of glowing liquid. The entire room had a blue hue to it, the exact same as Banshee's color.

"What do you think?" She asked, walking up to her desk and flopping in her chair.

"I'm impressed. Creative, and beautiful." He admitted, walking up to a jar and tapping it. "Very different from when I was last in here."

"I wasn't talking about that. I was talking about this."

Zekir turned to see Darien drop a handful of papers on the desk, gesturing for him to read them. Grabbing them, he looked them over and read them aloud.

"Monstrous Nightmare, Whispering Death, Triple Stryke, Sand Wraith, Wooly Howl, Seashocker, Shadow Wing…interesting. What are you wanting to do with these dragons? Are they ones we're going to hunt?"

"Zekir…silly, use your imagination!" She teased. Holding up the Dragon Book she took from Fishlegs, she waved it at him. "You're in the presence of a Dragon Rider. Who has the ability to obtain all kinds of dragons. Who also has in her possession the key to knowing more about dragons than anyone in the world. With the exception of Hiccup Haddock. I'm not showing you those dragons to know what we're hunting, I'm showing you those dragons to ask what you want to ride."

Zekir gasped. With wide eyes, he only stared at her.

Smirking at him, she then stood up from her seat. "Did you think, I was going to ask you to come with me, abandon all you did for yourself, just to trap a few dragons? I want you to ride with me. Possibly a few others, but we'll come to that later. What dragon would you like to ride? And we'll go get one for you."

"You're serious." He replied, letting a small smile grow on his face.

"Of course, I am. You asked me to help you become like me, and I'm going to do just that! You help me learn how to fight, and I'll help you learn how to fly. Think about it. You'll no longer be called Zekir the Black Heart, but now Zekir the Black Scale."

Zekir smiled at his new title. "I like that. I guess I'm no longer the Black Heart, since that died with Thariin. Zekir the Black Scale, the right-hand man to the Snake."

"With the most prestigious Dragon Hunters and killers at their backs..." She added, pointing to a cloth hanging on the door behind them.

Turning around, he smiled at what he saw.

It was what looked like a skull of a Flightmare. At least it had the same facial structure of one. Painted on a grey cloth with the blue glowing mist, it looked like a sigil that would give anyone nightmares.

"Our new crest. What do you think?"

"I think we're going to need to repaint our sails when we make landfall." He answered, smiling at her.

"To us." She laughed, grabbing and holding up two mugs of a drink off her desk. "And our…eventful future."

Taking one, he raised it up to her. "To us."

Hitting the mugs together, they both drank the contents and began to laugh, knowing that nothing could prepare for what they were about to do.

Whoo, eventful right? If you couldn't tell, this is close to the end. One more chapter and then its done. I'll have a whole schpeel with my plans and what I'm thinking right now when I post it. Er, I guess finish it. Hope it was an enjoyable chapter!