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Jarin and the Riders of Berk
Chapter 11 – Truth Shall Set You Free

Shadowhorn woke to the sound of his friend Jarin's voice, calling to him. He had been having the most wonderful dream about fishing with other dragons on Berk's shores and even soaring through the skies with them, with Jarin on his back. The prospect of such a thing would have been foreign to him before, but now with all the two-legs he had met recently doing whatever they could to help him feel welcome on this wonderful island, he was ready to believe anything was possible. He stretched, and noted that while his legs still ached from yesterday's long walk, the discomfort had dulled a bit from when he first woke up at dawn, too early to really do anything.

He took slow and easy steps forward, still relishing the fact that he was strong enough to walk after so many years chained to a wall in a dank cave, where the only thing he could look forward to was another day of torture. He sighed, as he locked his eyes on his friend, straight ahead. He no longer needed to fear that, for all the two-legs he knew from that awful place were far away.

He realized that Jarin was not alone, and he cut his eyes over to the man's companion. His breath caught in his throat. His heart began pounding faster and faster. Terror laid hold of his soul. His legs began to give out as he scrambled backwards into the shade room... Away from HER.

He was up against the wall, panting. Why was she here. Were the despised ones with her somewhere nearby? What was Jarin doing assoicating with HER? She who once gave him hope and then left him to rot. She who caused him to give up hope and surrender to the inevitable. She, the most despised despised one.

He was aware of Jarin approaching and could sense his deep concern and confusion. So he didn't know what she was and what she had done that had hurt his soul more deeply than any wound inflicted upon his body. Of cours, how could he know, anyway? He had never been to the despised ones' home. He wanted to look at Jarin and make him understand that he didn't blame him, but he could not take his eyes off of HER.

He saw Jarin look back to where he was staring, then look back at him, with eyes that conveyed understanding. Without a word, Jarin turn away from him and strode towards HER, the way he moved reminding him of how a predator stalked prey. He heard Jarin's voice, in a tone that was anything but kind and gentle as he had come to know it.

"Who are you, really, and why have you come to Berk?" was what Jarin asked, and Shadowhorn cocked his head to the side, listening to whatever lies she was about to tell him.

O O O

Tarina's heart felt like it was being crushed when she saw how the dragon reacted to her. She had not expected this reaction from him if she was ever to see him again. Then she saw Jarin striding towards her with a fire hotter than that of any dragon in his eyes. And her heart felt like it was going to jump out of her chest. She took involuntary steps back.

"Who are you, really, and why have you come to Berk?" he asked in a dangerous tone that she was used to hearing from her father all her life. A tone that meant that she had better not give any answer other than the truth, and that he had better like what he heard. Well, this man was not her father, but he had been kind to her and in just one afternoon, had shown her more wonders than she had seen in her entire life.

"I came here to find him," she answered pointing to Shadowhorn. "Or rather, I was looking for him when a storm blew me off course. I was not expecting to find him here. But I needed to stop and get supplies."

She saw Jarin's eyes narrow. "Why were you looking for him. Hadn't you done enough to him already?"

She saw Shadowhorn striding forward to stand behind Jarin, his head stretched forward so that it was at his right shoulder. His teeth were bared, and there was a low rumble in his throat.

"I never did anything to him but show him kindness!" she said. She was scandalized by the thought that she had harmed the dragon.

Shadowhorn snarled and Jarin folded his arms across his chest. "It would seem, woman, that he disagrees with that."

Sudden't, she understood why the dragon was behaving as if she was some kind of monster. And had she been in his place, she probably would feel just as betrayed. And she also knew that it was not Jarin she needed to explain herself to.

"Shadowhorn, my friend," she began, and the dragon fixed her with a dangerous stare as if demanding how she would dare call him friend. "I am so sorry that I never came back to you. But you couldn't possibly know what happened that last day I brought you fish."

The dragon's eyes seemed to become curious, while still holding a measure of danger. It was almost as if he was thinking, "This had better be good."

"I was leaving the dungeon, still carrying the basket the fish were in," she began. "I couldn't leave it down there, he would have known. I was rounding a corner and I ran right into him. My father. He saw the basket and could smell the fish.

"'What are you doing down here, girl,' he demanded. I couldn't answer. 'You was feeding that beast, weren't you?' he asked. I still didn't respond. 'WEREN'T YOU?' he screamed at me.

"I couldn't help but nod, and he back-handed me full in the face. 'You little piece of dung!' he snarled at me. 'I told you never to come down here in the first place. And if I ever catch you down here again, not only will I beat you to within an inch of your pitiful useless life, I will bring you down here and make you watch me put that dragon's eyes out with a rusty sword, and you will know that it will be YOUR FAULT!

"He doesn't lie. My father tells the absolute truth when he threatens to hurt someone. It's all about control with him. But I am a grown woman now, and I decided that I would no longer let him control me. So I left the day he dumped you into the ocean, with no intention of ever returning"

She looked at the dragon before her, and tears leaked from her eyes. "You must have thought I had abandoned you. In a way, I did. But I did it to save you yet more pain. I am sorry, but I was not going to see you harmed because of me."

She knew what she had to do, thought it would be risking her life.

"Please forgive me," she asked, stepping forward, raising her hand, palm outward.

O O O

Shadowhorn had listened to every word she spoke. More importantly, he sensed the truth of every word. He had misjudged her. She stopped coming to him, not out of cruelty, but to protect him. He had not known that she was his tormentor's hatchling. That had never come up. She would simply bring him fish and say nice things to him. And after she had stopped coming, he had simply begun thinking of her as being indistinguishable from the others. Hateful. Cruel. Despised. He had been so wrong.

"Creator-of-all, forgive me," he said, though to the two-legs it would have come out as an anguished whine. He looked at her outstretched hand and stretched his head forward, resting his snout in her palm. And it happened again. That surge of joy he experienced before when he had done the same with Jarin. And just as he would never harm Jarin, he knew he wold never harm HER... her... Tarina. Daughter of his tormentor, but friend of his heart.

How was this possible? He had heard the other Dragons talk about the bond. They had all said that it was for one person and for life. And yet here he was, clearly bonded to two. This had to be a miracle from the Creator-of-all.

It was at this moment when Toothless arrived in the training yard with Hiccup.

O O O

Toothless looked over towards the shade room that Shadowhorn had been staying in, and was surprised to see him out. He knew he was getting better and all, but it was the first time he had seen the newcomer out since he had moved in there. Of course, he hadn't been to the academy for a few days, because Hiccup had been tending to important stuff everywhere else but here.

A breeze blew through the training yard from that direction, and he caught the smell. His teeth were out in an instant and he began bounding towards the woman standing next to Shadowhorn's two-leg. She was from THERE. She did not belong HERE.

"Toothless, what are you doing," he heard Hiccup exclaim.

I'm doing you a favor, he thought.

The woman turned and gasped. "Night Fury!" she exclaimed. "Get down!"

It had been a while since Toothless had heard those words. But the woman was cowering before him, and he felt powerful. Yes, little one, he thought. Be very afraid!

"No, friend," shouted Shadowhorn. "She is mine!"

Toothless looked up. "Then kill her and be done with it. She stinks of evil!"

"You misunderstand me," Shadowhorn responded. "She is mine. She is bound to me and I to her!"

Toothless could not believe what he was hearing. That was impossible, and he said so.

"I do not understand it either, my friend. But I am bound to both Jarin and Tarina. And while she is from the place of those who tormented me, she is not like them. I promise to explain later, but please do not harm her."

Toothless looked back and forth between the woman... Tarina... and Shadowhorn. This would be something he would look forward to hearing. He bobbed his head in a nod, and retracted his teeth, just as Hiccup arrived at his side.

"What's going on here?" Hiccup asked, looking at Jarin.

Toothless did not have to wait to hear the story, and after Jarin had told it, with the strange, evil-smelling woman confirming it, he understood the truth. The woman had been just as much a victim in all of this as Shadowhorn had been. But the double-bond that Shadowhorn had with both Jarin and Tarina was a mystery. He wondered what it meant, but was sure that all would be revealed in time.

Okay, I know that this chapter is a lot shorter than the previous two. I decided that I wanted to go ahead and get Tarina's background established. I hope you all enjoy it.

God bless...