After they ensured that all of Alrek's men had gone, the villagers rejoiced. The children emerged from the trees, after being protected by Sora until she sensed the fight was over. That same night Gobber helped Scout mend her halberd, and they melted down Alrek's glaive to make a new dagger that Scout kept on Sora's saddle. A few days later and the wood pile had been replenished, and the looters almost seemed like a bad dream, and things were changing.
Scout was teaching Astrid some of her fighting stances, and Astrid was showing her how to wield an axe, and both were getting along well. It amazed Hiccup at first, but then he was grateful. This was allowing him to slowly patch things up with Astrid through Scout, and it seemed to be working. The day after the looters left, Scout said she'd meet him at the island where they'd spoken a few days earlier. He went, and found Astrid there, who quietly told him Scout had told her the same thing. And he knew why.
It was better to tell people what I thought and felt before I couldn't.
So he did. He told Astrid he missed her, that he would try and make more time for her, and when she admitted the same and that he wasn't boring, he felt a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Slowly things were being patched between them, and the fact that Astrid and Scout were getting along made things better. She was a good friend, and a good fighter and she'd be a good asset to Berk. He'd just have to ask her to stay.
The sun was just rising when Hiccup and Toothless found Scout packing her belongings onto Sora. He tried to sneak up on her, but she turned around and smiled.
"How do you do that? I thought you were half-deaf" he joked, and she rolled her eyes.
"I am, which means my other ear does the work of 2" she said, turning back to Sora's saddle. It was silent for a moment as she tightened a satchel to Sora's saddle. Then Hiccup spoke.
"Are you leaving?" he asked quietly, and Scout stopped. She didn't answer, just nodded. Hiccup laughed and she looked at him.
"What?"
"You're not leaving" he said, and she frowned.
"Yes I am"
"Why?"
"Because I caused trouble and I'll probably keep causing trouble"
"That's why you belong on Berk" he said, and she looked at him, her blue eyes wide.
"Are you asking me to stay?" she said, and he nodded.
"Gobber likes having someone to help him, and Astrid likes having someone she can actually fight with, and the children will miss your stories" he said, reaching out to touch Sora's face.
"Plus, Toothless will miss Sora" he said, and Scout hit her head with her hand.
"Oh Gods, I was so preoccupied with leaving so I wouldn't cause trouble I didn't think of Toothless and Sora" she said, and Sora rolled her eyes. Hiccup laughed.
"So it's decided. We have to keep the last Night Furies together" he said, and Scout sighed before smiling and nodded.
"Sounds like a deal" she said, and then she pointed at a ring on Sora's saddle.
"What?" Hiccup asked.
"Look at it" and he bent down to look, Toothless mimicking him again.
On closer inspection, it wasn't metal rings connecting Sora's saddle altogether. Instead, it was stone that sparkled in the rising sun. Hiccup gasped.
"You did have the stone"
"Of course I had the stone, it just wasn't a stone. It turns out it was really easy to shape it, I'm not sure what exactly it is but it's mine, not Alrek's" she said, and Hiccup nodded, rising.
"Very pretty saddle for a girl" he joked, and she punched his arm laughing. Sora roared and Toothless copied, and both dragons put their heads together, closing their eyes. Scout's face broke into one of pure joy and Hiccup grinned.
They stood for moment and watched the sun break over the horizon.
Then Scout spoke.
"What do you think Night Fury eggs look like?"
THE END
Thank you to everyone for reading this story. As my first story it really means a lot to know that people like and enjoy my work. Thank you all so very much xo