A/N-As promised, an extra chapter!

Chapter 5

Premonitions

It was another two days before Sigrid decided finally that Ember was well enough to move about. When she was made aware of this, the girl wasted no time in getting outside, having been stuck in a bed for five days already.

Back at my house, the storm finally began to let up, but it would be a long, long time before anything opened back up; we'd had a ridiculous record-setting four feet of snow dumped on us. The speculation on the "polar vortex" people were talking about actually made sense to me at that point. In any case, that meant that my school finals were cancelled, and I had plenty of time to hang out with Hiccup and company because of it. This led to me being around when Ember took her chance to explore the village.

Hiccup and I had just left the forge when I noticed her walking down the pathway outside. She noticed us too, and waved, heading in our direction. "Hi Hawken, hey Hiccup!" she called. We waved back, and I asked, "Feeling well enough to be walking finally, huh?" She shrugged. "Sigrid finally let me out, and I couldn't stay cooped up in that bed any longer either. I had to get outside." She glanced around. "So, uh, Hiccup, where's you're dragon…uh….whatever his name was again? I was hoping to get a better look at him." Hiccup raised an eyebrow, but turned and whistled in the direction of the forge. From inside, I heard an irritated groan.

::What? I was comfy in there,:: Toothless growled as he stepped out the door. ::It's warm, cozy, not like out here. Can we at least go somewhere with…:: he trailed off when he spotted Ember standing with us. ::Oh. That's why you called me out here.:: I huffed at his laziness, while Ember's eyes lit up.

"What did you call his species again?" she asked. "Toothless is a Night Fury," Hiccup replied. "He's the only one we've ever seen too." Ember nodded as she walked up to the dragon and looked him over. "He's magnificent. Reminds me a lot of a dragon species we have where I come from." She got a faraway look in her eyes for a moment, before she shook her head and smiled, chuckling a little as Hiccup drawled, "Well, don't praise him too much. It goes to his head." He then ducked to avoid Toothless' tail.

Ember's smile then turned to a slightly uncertain, concerned look when Toothless started looking her over, walking around to check our visitor out. "I promise he won't hurt you," Hiccup said. "Toothless is a very trustworthy dragon, he's just checking things out."

As Toothless satisfied his curiosity of the outlander, something Ember said came up again in my mind. "You never did say exactly where you were from," I noted, turning to her again. Ember gave a sheepish smile. "Well, I doubt you'd know where it is," she said. Hiccup smirked and shook his head. "We're both well versed on the world, Ember. If I don't know then I can be certain he will," he gestured to me as he said this. "He likes to know things like this."

Ember sighed. "Very well then. Do you know where Jerusalem is?" Hiccup shook his head, then looked at me, raising an eyebrow at my expression. I stood there in slight shock, before shaking my head and asking, "You-you come from Jerusalem?" Ember laughed. "Well, not quite, but just north of there."

"Uh, pardon my asking, but where is Jerusalem?" Hiccup asked. "The eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea," I replied. "It's kind of…important to my beliefs." "Well, you never mentioned that before." "It never came up in conversation. Though I'm sure it would have eventually."

"Wait a minute," Ember butted in, "you mean you don't share their beliefs?" She gestured to Hiccup, then the village. I shook my head. "I may be a local friend, but I'm quite different from them on such terms. I believe in only one God, unlike those that live here." "As do I," Ember noted. "But anyway, back to the original topic: yes I live near the city of Jerusalem. I've come a rather long way to get here, as I've been, uh, looking for someone." She sighed, gesturing with her hands. "I'm afraid I haven't found that person yet. Though, from everything I've heard so far I should be in the right place."

She shook her head again and smiled. "Well, anyway, if, uh, Toothless here is done making sure I'm okay, I'd rather not just stand around doing nothing on my first day out of that bed." I gave a pointed look to the dragon, telling him he was done. He huffed and plodded back over next to Hiccup, who gestured toward the village. "Well, care for a tour then?" Ember nodded.

We wandered around the village for a time, pointing out this interesting house or that important building (making sure we weren't giving away anything dangerous; we still didn't know our newcomer well enough to really trust her), and along the way we managed to run into a handful of the other teens as well. Astrid decided to tag along, giving Ember another girl to talk to on the walk. However, she wasn't the only one we found. Or, more correctly, not the only one who found us.

"So this is the castaway, huh?" Snotlout asked, grinning and flexing his biceps. I glared at him as Astrid groaned and started to lead Ember a different direction. Snotlout followed of course. "She's a lot better looking than I would have expected, coming from a shipwreck," he stated bluntly. I glanced at Ember, gauging her reaction. She appeared to just be continuing on her walk, but to my trained eye I could see she was waiting for the arrogant airhead to make the wrong move. She didn't have to wait long either. True to Snotlout's reputation, he approached her.

"You wanna take a tour around the island with me?" he asked flirtatiously. He sidled up next to Ember. "I ride a Monstrous Nightmare, he's the most awesome dragon. We could show you where I work"-

He was cut short as Ember whirled, aiming an elbow and then the back of her hand right at his face. "AAAAHHHHOOWWWWW! Snotlout screamed (in a very un-manly manner, I should add) as he staggered back, clutching his nose, and sporting a small amount of blood running from his split lip as well.

"Maybe that will finally teach you what NOT to do around girls, hmm?" Astrid quipped as she sauntered by him. Hiccup chuckled as we caught up to the two girls again. "It's about time someone gave it to him," I commented, looking back at Snotlout as he nursed his broken pride, and possibly nose. "Where'd you learn how to do that?"

Ember shrugged. "Where I lived our lands are often attacked by nomads and rival kingdoms. You have to know how to defend yourself. Who exactly was that, anyway?" "Eh, Snotlout," I replied. "He was one of the original riders back when Hiccup here took down the Red Death, but unfortunately he's never learned to let go of his pride." She nodded as we continued on toward the Great Hall.

As we entered, another thought occurred to me. "By the way, Ember, I've been kind of curious: how exactly did you get your name?" She put on a faraway smile. "Oh, I was named for my hair, among other things." There was silence as all of us glanced at her hair: mostly brown, with a tinge of red. "Oookay, so you have a little red in your hair, but that doesn't seem to be enough," I noted. "Hiccup has more red than that." "Well, if the sun ever decides to show itself," she muttered, "you'll understand. This place is really cloudy. Anyway, now a question for you." She looked right at me as we reached the hall's firepit. "You never did say where you come from either."

There was an awkward silence for a moment, neither of the two Vikings wanting to say anything, and I scratched the back of my head. "Yeah, about that. Like I said, I'm a local friend, but I don't live here on the island," I finally said. "My way home is off to the west from here, in a way. You could say I'm from a land discovered by our friends here, even," I gestured to Hiccup, Astrid and Toothless, "but the whole story…well, it's complicated, and it's not something I readily share with people."

Ember sighed. "Gee, talk about suspicious. But, I'm sure you have your reasons, I have mine." She glanced around. "I'll have to find out some other time then, maybe. So, this is your main hall? It's quite impressive." "It's carved out of a cave," Hiccup said, "so it's great for hiding out from bad weather, but mostly it's used for celebrations and drinking fests nowadays." He rolled his eyes as memories of the twins came to both our minds. Ember snorted, then began looking around the hall, at the decorated shields and tapestries hung around. As she did so, I pulled Hiccup and Astrid to one side, Toothless following along naturally.

"Remember when Ingavar came, and I said I had read a story about those events?" I whispered. They both nodded. "Is Ember the same story or something?" Astrid asked. I shook my head. "No, but there was a character with the same name from a different story. But in any case, I fear that may be partially what's happening, though admittedly in that book there were some notable differences." "Like what?" Hiccup asked. "Like, in the other version the girl had a Night Fury with her."

Toothless immediately glanced over at Ember, eyes widened in renewed curiosity. I sighed. "If that happens and I'm right again, and honestly I really hope I'm not, we've definitely got a fight coming soon." I looked back at Ember. "And, if then, she may need protection as well." I looked straight at Hiccup. "One thing, one good, solid piece of evidence that I'm right, and I'll reveal myself. But not until then."

Once Ember had satisfied her curiosity of the artwork hung within the hall, we wandered back outside and down to the training arena, where both Fishlegs and the twins were helping some of the villagers out with various dragon problems. Or, really more precisely, Fishlegs was being helpful, while Ruff and Tuff were fighting once again over something. I sighed and walked over to the two, grabbing them by the back of their shirts and pulling them apart, lifting the pair off the ground for good measure. They both froze upon realizing who held them.

"What, pray tell, is the issue this time?" I growled. "My idiot sister thinks that her saddle idea is actually better than mine," Tuffnut griped. "That's because it is," Ruffnut snapped back. "Yours is all misshapen and crooked. Mine at least looks like something you could sit on!" "Nuh-uh!" "Uh huh!" "Shut up!" "You shut up!" "Troll breath!" "Bride of Grendel!"

"Enough!" I yelled, barely even having to glance down at their "saddle designs," both of which proved why Hiccup and Gobber were the smiths and thereby in charge of that particular project. "Sorry to disappoint, but neither of them could be used. They don't even have anything to attach the rider to the saddle!" I cast an apologetic look to the person they were supposedly "helping," the well-respected Phlegma the Fierce. "I do apologize Phlegma. I'm sure Fishlegs will be happy to resolve this once he's done with Gunnar over there." I looked back at the twins, walked over to the entrance of the arena, and dumped then unceremoniously on the ground. Then, I turned back toward Ember.

"Sorry you had to see that," I apologized. "The twins are sort of legendary for their quarrelsome nature, and I'm sure you'll see it at least a couple times more today." Ember chuckled. "Yeah, reminds me of a couple people back home. You are also apparently a lot stronger than you seem, unless those two are a whole lot lighter than they seem." She looked over at the pair as they left, already going at it over something else, then back at me, and her eyes widened.

"What?" I asked concernedly. "Uh, your eyes, do they always change color like that?" she asked. "They're tinged red; I've never seen a color like that before." I blinked, and nodded, letting my eyes fade to my more normal aqua coloration. "Oh, yeah, they change colors with my mood," I said. "Yeah, they go red whenever he gets angry," Astrid said, "so the twins see that color a lot. And if they ever go black, run." "Thank you, Astrid," I drawled. "Anyway, those two are Ruffnut and Tuffnut, the twins as we mentioned, and over there is Fishlegs, our resident dragon nerd." Ember smirked, and looked around at the doors in the walls of the ring.

"So, what exactly is this place used for?" she asked. "Oh, a number of things now," Hiccup replied. "It's mostly used for the so-called 'Dragon Academy' that we have going, with training classes and occasionally holding rogue dragons, but occasionally it's used as a secondary jail if needed, since those doors can hold even the strongest dragons." He shuddered. "Those were not pleasant days." He shook it off and smiled at Ember. "So, shall we move on?"

As we exited the ring, Ember went first leading the way. Just as she stepped out into the open, too, the clouds finally broke, and a beam of sunlight cut across the ledge where we stood, illuminating the area. It also hit Ember's hair, and the reaction brought the other four of us to a complete halt, staring at the picture it presented: her hair reflected the sun in a way we'd never seen, looking almost as if it had caught fire and shining in a bright reddish orange glow.

Ember turned and saw us staring, and she smirked. "Wow," I said, and she chuckled, looking up at her "halo." "Yeah, it's kind of strange. I'm the only one I know with color changing hair." "It-it's beautiful," I remarked, then blinked and snapped out of my daze, embarrassed. "I-I mean, well, you know what I mean I'm sure. Uh, has it always done that?" Her smirk deepened. "Yeah, ever since I was born. And it's brought on more attention than I'd ever like. I mean, it's pretty, and I'd never trade my hair for anything, but not very good for going unnoticed by the wrong people."

I nodded. "I understand completely. Though hopefully you won't have to worry about that here. Just Snotlout." We both chuckled at that.

At this point Astrid seemed to wake up from her shock, and glanced at Toothless and Hiccup, who were still in a trance. "Hey! Hello, you two?!" she snapped. Both of them jolted and looked around, embarrassed as well. "Sorry," Hiccup mumbled, going red, while Ember and I just laughed again.

The rest of the island tour was uneventful, as the clouds closed up again (Ember complaining about this as the temperature dropped with it) and Ember's hair lost its shine. When we were done though, we all suddenly realized we hadn't figured out where Ember would stay. Since she was well enough, she wouldn't be sleeping in the infirmary beds anymore.

"She can stay in our guest room for now," Astrid suggested, to which we all agreed wholeheartedly. But Ember still had something on her mind, and our mentioning of where she would stay brought it out again.

"Hiccup, Astrid, all of you, you have been very kind to me," she said, "and I thank you for your hospitality, but I did come here for a reason, and I can't stay long if I don't find an answer here." "Oh?" Astrid said, raising an eyebrow. Ember nodded. "I-well, I've been on the run or months now, ever since…well, I'd really rather not go into details, but something terrible happened where I came from, and I fear I am part of the reason for it."

"You're a criminal?" Hiccup asked in surprise, glancing at me. "No, no, nothing like that," Ember hurriedly defended. "There's something…not right with where I come from, and I had heard rumors, stories really, that there may have been someone here, someone touched by God who might be able to help me fix whatever happened." She gestured to Hiccup and I. "You two I thought would be the best leads here, since you're both good with dragons and might know the person I'm looking for. Supposedly he has powers related to them, or able to work with them, or… something. What I've heard wasn't very specific, but I still needed to try."

There was silence for a moment as Ember gave us an almost pleading look. ::That the proof you need?:: Toothless asked. I only barely shook my head, not enough for Ember to see but enough for him to catch.

"We may know who you're talking about," Hiccup said, earning a glare from me, "ooor maybe we don't. There's quite a few legends and stories like that up here, and few are actually true." "I'm afraid we don't have enough information to work with given what you said," I added. Ember sighed, looking somewhat defeated.

"If the stories are true, then I need his help," she said quietly. "Everything I've heard pointed to Berk, but if you don't know who I'm looking for, I'll have to thank you for your help now and find a new lead somewhere else." She smiled sadly and turned to head toward the Hofferson house.

"Ember wait!" I said, running up and grabbing hold of her shoulder. "Look, whether or not we can help you now, give us a little time, some more information, and we may be able to find what you're looking for." Ember shook her head, appearing on the verge of tearing up. "I can't tell you much more. Every time I've done so, and I didn't find help immediately, those who I tell end up getting hurt, killed, somehow because of me." She looked away, but I turned her back. Her look morphed to one of irritation now, but I continued anyway. "Just give us some time, that's all I ask. This island and the people here may yet surprise you. Just a few days at least, alright?"

There was silence again as Ember debated within herself. Finally she sighed and nodded. "But, I cannot promise it will be safe for me to stay," she said quietly. "Eh, we've handled a dragon the size of a mountain," Hiccup joked, walking up to us. "I'm sure we can handle whatever comes next." Ember smiled at his attempt to lighten the mood. "Maybe, but I hope you don't have to."

"It's coming!" Ember yelled. Trees broke and the ground quaked as it made its way after us. Toothless shot into the air, spinning around and preparing to fire, but was swiped to the side by a massive, gleaming tail, and a piercing roar echoed across the island.

Ember and I broke into a clearing and turned, frozen in terror, as the massive serpent erupted from the forest, its eye blazing in deep hatred. Ember grabbed tightly to her sword and screamed at it, but the creature focused instead on me. I felt rooted to the spot, as if even the power in my hands wouldn't do a thing, as it opened its mouth and lunged, screaming to the heavens.

"She is mine now!"

I jolted awake in a cold sweat, my arms covered in black scales. That was concerning enough, as I'd never morphed while unconscious, but the images still burned into my mind were all the worse. I changed back to normal and tried to relax, but something was definitely off. I needed to get back to Berk, and fast. Grabbing my four swords, I scribbled a note and left it on the table for my parents in case I was gone a while, then trudged through the snow to the portal. Unbeknownst to me at the time, I wasn't the only one who had gotten the hint that something was very wrong.

Ember jolted awake as the nightmare faded. She didn't know why that boy happened to be there in her dream, or why he was targeted first, but she did know one thing: they had found her again, and they wouldn't care this time if there was a village in the way or not; they would come after her. She needed to leave, immediately. As quietly as she could, she got out of her borrowed bed, gathered what few things they had salvaged from the boat for her, and slipped out of Astrid's house.

Hiccup and Toothless woke up simultaneously, then looked at each other. There was nothing right with that, if they were having the same dream, at the same time. The both got up and suited up, and headed out the skylight toward the portal, knowing Hawken would be needed, and immediately. Ember was in danger, and most definitely it had to do with whatever she was afraid to tell them.

A/N-Alright, things start to get interesting here! A few of you made notice of the lack of longer chapters I promised, but worry not as the first of those are soon to come. In the meantime, I want to hear your comments, theories, etc. so make sure to leave a review!