Chapter Ten: Is this what Love feels like?

Stoick was slightly worried when his daughter didn't return home by the time she'd mentioned in her note but when she did, his worry increased as he saw the fear written into the emerald-green right eye and Night Fury green left eye on her face.

"Kyra, are you alright?" he asked gently as she dismounted Windwalker. "You've been out all day."

"I just...needed to check something," Kyra muttered. "Dad, can I go for a walk for a while?"

"Sure," Stoick agreed. "Is anything wrong?"

"I need to get some things off my chest," Kyra replied, her gaze constantly darting towards the forest.

"Alright," Stoick nodded. "Just don't be out too long. Oh, and Mugdug and I have arranged for you and Artair to meet up again tomorrow – is that okay?" Kyra couldn't help but smile – secretly she was glad at the chance to see Artair again.

"Course," she smiled, heading towards the forest. "I'll be back later. See you soon, Dad!"

"Be careful, Kyra!" Stoick waved as his daughter disappeared into the trees. He couldn't help but be happy of how she'd grown up – any proud father worth his salt would be over the moon to have a daughter like Kyra.

/\

Kyra raced through the trees as fast as she could as soon as she was out of sight of the village. She had to be sure...she had to make sure he was okay. The information she'd found out that day had gotten her worried beyond fright for Hiccup – she knew they had to get him back to normal as quickly as possible. Leaping down into the Cove, she stumbled upon a snoozing Hiccup by the lake.

"Hiccup!" she gasped, out of worry rather than lack of breath. "Wake up!" The boy stirred but he made no gesture of greeting towards Kyra. Frustrated, she stormed over and forced him to turn around by grabbing his shoulder – she let go almost instantly. Hiccup's face was completely blank and his irises were rimmed with red – you wouldn't notice unless you had eyesight like Kyra's. She let out a small squeak and Hiccup blinked a few times, coming back into the real world.

"Kyra?" he frowned, shaking his head clear. "What happened? When did I wake up?"

"Just now," Kyra bit her lip. "What the heck happened to you just then?"

"What do you mean?" Hiccup yawned. Kyra kept her mouth shut – she didn't want to worry him any further, particularly now.

"Never mind," she said instead. "I'm just worried about you, that's all." Hiccup smiled – Kyra really was a great sister. She just worried a little too much.

"I'm fine, Kyra – seriously," he smiled sleepily. "Where've you been? I was stuck in the forge all day."

"Library," Kyra replied simply.

"I thought Vikings weren't big readers."

"They are if they're us."

"What did you go there for?"

"Information," Kyra answered. "Found out quite a lot...about how I'm...you know...me."

"You found out about the origins of the Dragon Shifter?" Hiccup quizzed. Kyra nodded and explained what she'd found out, leaving out the cursed fate all Shifters before her had suffered.

"It's kind of sad, really," she sighed. "To think that...Ivor went so far," she gulped. "I just...Lohikäärme loved him more than anything and Ivor had nothing against her except..."

"...blind rage," Hiccup finished sadly. He noticed that Kyra seemed uncommonly upset – had she found out something else? "You okay?" he asked gently, noticing tears well up in his sister's eyes. Kyra ignored the question and instead flung her arms around her brother's neck.

"Just promise me one thing..." she whispered. "Don't let them do anything else to you...don't stop fighting..."

"Kyra, what do you mean?" Hiccup mumbled, confused. Even so, he held his sister close in comfort.

"I know you..." Kyra sniffed, tears streaming down her freckled cheeks. "You'd never hurt me...would you?"

"Of course not!" Hiccup exclaimed, astonished that Kyra would ask such as question. He put his hands on her shoulders and looked her straight in the eye. "Kyra – I would never...could never...do anything to hurt you! Don't you ever even think that I would!"

"I know..." Kyra gulped. "Just...remember who you are." With that she turned away and ran back towards the village, leaving Hiccup standing dumbfounded and confused. Why would Kyra ask him to remember who he was? What did she mean when she told him to not let 'them' do anything else? Did she mean the Darkwing? If so, why mention 'them'? And why would she tell him not to stop fighting? Nothing made sense to him.

/\

Astrid had taken to keeping an eye on Draco from a distance – after what had happened at the Academy she was starting to wonder what was going on with him that made Kyra so worried. He'd just been breathing fire and it wasn't as if that was abnormal for a dragon (with the exceptions of the Scauldron, Thunderdrum and Changewing but she ignored those). Still, the Halfling had avoided the teens like the plague since then, finding excuses to get away from them if they asked him anything about himself. It was strange – the dragon could communicate with humans better than any other dragon given his ability to speak Norse and yet despite his claims that he wanted to leave his own kind, it was as if he wanted nothing to do with them either.

Astrid snapped out of her thoughts when Kyra finally emerged from her house. Astrid was slightly taken aback when she first saw her and had to blink a couple of times to make sure she was seeing things correctly. Kyra wasn't in her usual dark green dress that Astrid had made for her – instead she was clothed in a simple but attractive full length emerald-green gown with long sleeves in a style similar to the ladies' of the Mainland. Around her waist she wore a plain golden belt and on her head was the golden crown Hiccup made her for her fifteenth birthday. Her dark auburn hair was neatly combed and fell gently over her shoulders with the usual fringe arrangement covering her Night Fury left eye. As usual, her pink gem pendant was around her neck and it stood out quite well against the dark green of the dress, glinting in the sun.

"Someone's making an effort," Astrid grinned jokingly. She knew that Kyra was meeting Artair again today – the girl had to really like him if she wanted to make such an impression. Especially seeing as she'd only met the guy once before (not including when the Meatheads came to Berk for the annual treaty renewal).

"Oh, please," Kyra giggled slightly. "It's nothing..."

"You're wearing your crown!" Astrid pointed out. "You never pay this much attention to your appearance." Kyra grinned and shrugged. "Be sure to tell me everything when you get back, okay? I want all the details."

"We're just talking!" Kyra protested.

"Admit it – you like him, don't you?" Astrid winked. Kyra blushed as red as the evening sky and punched Astrid in the shoulder, walking off towards the docks with a "No comment!" response. Astrid couldn't help but smile in amusement – her best friend was as easy to read as a book when her emotions were strong enough. She turned her attention back to the forge where Draco could be seen hammering a sword blade into shape. She sighed and walked over – she might as well try talking to him.

/\

"Hey."

Hiccup glanced up from his work and looked over his shoulder to see Astrid standing just outside the forge. Gulping, he avoided eye contact – he was still embarrassed about the whole fire thing, even if Wavewing had given him a way to fix it.

"Hi," he muttered, coughing a bit as he made sure his Scottish accent was being used. Astrid kept her distance for a while but it wasn't a 'keeping her distance' as in she didn't want to go any closer, but a 'keeping her distance' as in she knew the poor boy wanted his space.

"You okay? You haven't spoken to us for a while," she asked instead. Hiccup bit his lip.

"I...um..." he stammered. Great, the one time I need Loki on my side again, he cussed. "It's nothing. I just need some time to think."

"About what?" Astrid quizzed. "Are you missing your family?" Hiccup's heart stopped for a split second. It was true – he did miss his family, even if he was with them right now (not that they, excluding Kyra, knew it). Just not the family Astrid was thinking about.

"I thought we made it clear that I don't want to go back," he grumbled, slamming the hammer down on the metal. "There's no way I'm going back to the sea if I can help it." Astrid nodded her understanding.

"Then what do you want to do?" she asked. "You think you'll stay?"

"If I can," Hiccup sighed after a brief pause. "Depends if I'm gonna be of any use here."

"Well, you've helped bring weapons production back up to the usual rate," Astrid couldn't help but smile slightly as she indicated the pile of swords and axes the boy had done during the course of the morning. "Who knows?" Hiccup's mouth stretched into the smallest of grins. Astrid changed the subject. "Why were you so worried about the whole dragon studying thing the other day? You did really well – I haven't seen Fishlegs as excited since we discovered the Typhoomerang and that was years ago."

"Well...I didn't know I could do any of that stuff," Hiccup replied truthfully. "And...well, when you find out you can do things you never knew you could...it's kinda scary if I'm honest." Astrid nodded – she took that as an acceptable answer. Hiccup suddenly remembered that he was supposed to be working. "Anyway, is there anything you need? Can I help with anything at all?"

"Actually I was wondering if you'd like to join us for Campfire Night," Astrid shrugged. "We have one every Odin's Day. I mean, the others are pretty much set about having you on the team so it'd be nice for you to get to know us a little better." Hiccup blinked in surprise – hadn't been expecting that.

"Uh...umm...I..." he stammered. Astrid smiled subconsciously – miraculously, it wasn't a fake, forced smile. It was a genuine one with a welcoming warmth Hiccup had missed during his three years away from Berk.

"Come on – it'll be fun," she grinned. "Besides – it'll give you something else to do other than just laze about in the forest all evening."

"How'd you...?"

"I think I'd notice someone going into the forest every evening," Astrid smirked. "You're not exactly the most stealthy of dragons." The words almost stabbed Hiccup in the chest like a knife – he was still seen as a dragon. He shouldn't be surprised – he still had a tail and two wings sprouting from his back – but it hurt nonetheless that he couldn't tell the others the truth if he wanted to become him again.

/\

"I'm not the only kid – just the eldest son. I've got three sisters who are older than me – they left home about two years ago now," Artair explained to Kyra as they sat in their usual spot on the docks. "I'd heard you'd gone missing when you were small – Hiccup must have really missed you."

"Yeah," Kyra replied absent-mindedly. Hiccup had told her multiple times how much he'd missed her during her twelve-year absence despite barely knowing her when she went missing and it made her feel incredibly guilty that she had no idea that they were even related. True she'd noticed the similarities between herself and her favourite 'fictional' character back in the other world but she never would have imagined that the world Hiccup was from was also her own. It would have surpassed her imagination to believe Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III was her younger brother.

"This other world...sounds really weird," Artair continued. "I mean...machines that allow you to see what's going on anywhere in the world? That's...insane!"

"Tell me about it," Kyra grimaced. "Think how I felt having to live there!" She was just glad Artair didn't think she was crazy and that he was willing to listen to all of this. She'd told him most of the stuff about her life in the other world before so she was glad to have that out of the way. She had yet to show him her eye but she wasn't ready for that – it wasn't exactly something you could show to someone you barely knew. "Oh, by the way – last time you said you wanted to learn how to fly a dragon?" she grinned, changing the topic. Artair's hazel eyes lit up.

"Do I ever!" he smiled eagerly. Kyra stood up and brushed her dress down before taking Artair to Windwalker who was waiting for her rider at the end of the docks. "Wow – so this is your dragon?" he breathed in amazement.

"Artair Godrikson, meet Windwalker," Kyra introduced the two of them. Windwalker gazed at Artair in curiosity – Kyra was happy that the Star Backed Night Fury didn't do anything to spook the guy. "Windwalker – Artair." Artair could only stare in amazement – he'd seen dragons before but Windwalker was something else.

"She's...beautiful," he smiled. Kyra took his hand and held it out gently so that Windwalker could show she trusted him – Artair's heart stopped momentarily when the dragon gently nudged his hand in a sign of trust. "Whoa..."

"The trick is to be gentle," Kyra explained, scratching Windwalker fondly behind the ear. "If a dragon gives you their trust, you can't betray it – the last thing you want is an irritated dragon on your hands." Artair nodded his understanding. Windwalker cast her gaze to Kyra.

"So this is the one who willbe your mate?" she asked teasingly. Kyra rolled her eyes.

"Oh, lay off!" she retorted in equal jest. "He's a nice guy – no one's stopping me from liking him. And right now, it's a 'could be', not a 'will be'." Windwalker seemed less than convinced. Kyra proceeded to mount the dragonand indicated for Artair to climb up behind her. "Now hold tight," she warned. "I don't want to have anyone falling off – it's harder than it looks, trust me." Artair gulped and held on tight as Kyra led Windwalker into a vertical takeoff. Once they were in the air, Windwalker levelled out and Artair opened his eyes – he was astonished at the view.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed with all of the enthusiasm of a child receiving their first Snoggletog present. "Gods – this is incredible!" Kyra smiled and took Artair on a tour of the island from the air. No matter how many times she flew around Berk, it never failed to amaze her how beautiful her home was and how proud she was to live there. "Do you always see things like this?" Artair asked as they passed over the village. Kyra thought for a while.

"Being in the air kind of brings a new perspective on things," she answered. "You don't realise how amazing things are until you see them from a different angle." Artair smiled behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder – in return, Kyra grinned and placed a hand on his before leading Windwalker back down to terra firma. Artair dismounted first before helping Kyra off the dragon.

"You're so lucky here," he smiled as Windwalker raced off to find Toothless. "To think it wouldn't have been possible without your brother." Kyra smiled – it was true. If it hadn't been for Hiccup, she may never have met Windwalker. Heck, she might not even be around if she was unlucky.

"You're right," she smiled before turning to face Artair. "And we'll help the Meatheads out as soon as we can – I promise." Artair grinned his thanks before heading off to find his father, saying he couldn't wait to see Kyra again. Secretly, she shared the feeling – Kyra didn't know why but every time she even thought of Artair her heart started fluttering. She couldn't help but smile as she waved goodbye to the Meathead tribe.

She still didn't like the idea of an arranged marriage, but what if being with Artair wasn't such a bad one?

/\

"So?" Astrid pressed Kyra as she emerged from the house again, this time in her more casual get-up.

"Took him for a flight on Windwalker," Kyra replied simply. "You can guess the reaction." Astrid rolled her eyes and grinned – everyone was amazed when they saw Berk from the air.

"Admit it, Kyra – you like him," she smirked playfully. "You've been grinning your head off since they left." Kyra blushed bright red again. "Knew it!"

"Do you feel this way around Hiccup?" Kyra asked embarrassingly. Astrid's smile faded for a moment and her gaze drifted to her engagement ring.

"How do you mean?"

"Smiling...your heart feeling like it's going to jump out of your chest...that kind of thing."

Astrid paused before answering.

"Yeah," she replied with a sad smile. "I guess...that's what it feels like." Kyra knew what Astrid was talking about but she was still unsure. Was it possible to love someone you'd met officially only a few times? She wasn't one to believe in 'love at first sight' – the cliché had been over used so many times – but was it actually possible? "What's Artair like, anyway?" Thank the gods for the change in conversation.

"Really nice," Kyra replied, her smile returning. "And, honestly, anyone who can listen to and believe my past is a good person to know for me." Astrid grinned.

"What else?" she pressed. "Come on! Give me details." Kyra gave in.

"Well, he's...smart, fun..."

"Cute?" Astrid teased. Kyra couldn't help it.

"Gorgeous!" she admitted. Astrid laughed – it was nice to know that Kyra seemed to like this guy. There was a very high possibility that she would marry him so it was pretty important that they got along.

"You reckon it'll work?" she asked. "I mean...arranged marriage with this guy." Kyra thought for a while.

"I'll give it a few more visits," she decided, a look of uncertainty crossing her face as if she was confused with her own emotions. "I want to be sure." Astrid nodded her understanding and suggested they head towards the lookout tower where a small fire had already been lit for Campfire Night.