Chapter 3

Chris woke up on the day the ship was ready to set sail. He exited the house where he and Serenity slept now. Serenity was sitting in her chair making breakfast. Edelweiss was playing with Black Widow in the grass under the supervision of Windwalker and Tenor.

"Serenity I've made my decision," Chris said. "I hope you it won't make you too upset." Serenity got to her feet and stood right in front of him.

"What is your decision?" she asked. "You can tell me."

"I've decided to go with my real parents," Chris said. "Somehow I know it's the right thing to do. But that means I won't see you again for long time." Serenity sighed sadly.

"I understand why you made that decision," she said. "It seems to make sense." Tenor and Windwalker looked at each other.

"He's leaving us?" Windwalker said. "I don't want him to leave."

"I don't either," Tenor said. "But it's his decision."

"Come on lets go tell them," Serenity said. She picked up Edelweiss and they all went down the hill to the plaza. Valkyrie and Rufus were there talking to Valka. Dragons filled the sky, the king and queen among them.

"Good morning Chris," said Valkyrie. "Have you made a decision yet." Re and Aurora landed near them to hear the decision.

"Yes I have," Chris said. Edelweiss put her little hand on her dad's arm.

"Dada," she said cheerfully. Chris smiled at her.

"I've decided to go with my real parents," he said facing everyone. "But on one condition."

"Okay," said Rufus. "Anything you want."

"Windwalker comes with me," Chris said. "She's lost too many friends and it would be cruel to make her loose another." Valkyrie and Rufus both sighed. Windwalker looked surprised, Chris wanted her to come with him. She stood next to him faithfully.

"Fine," said Rufus. "But she's not staying in the house. She has to sleep in the barn with the other animals, if she can control herself around the sheep."

"She can, you have my word," Chris said, placing a hand on her neck. "And she can help protect us."

"Very well," said Rufus. "And first sign of trouble she goes." Chris nodded.

"We'll meet you at the docks in ten minuets," said Valkyrie. Chris nodded again. He slowly made his way to the docks, Serenity and the dragons followed him.

When they reached the dock where the ship waited Chris turned to face the dragons and his family. Suddenly he threw his arms around Re's neck and hugged him.

"Don't think I made this decision because I don't love you," he said. "I have never met my real parents and this may be the only opportunity I have to do so."

"I understand," said Re. "We will miss you."

"Say good-bye to Avalon, Apollo, and Eider for me," Chris said.

"I will," Re said. Chris let go of him and turned to Aurora.

"Thanks for raising me mo... er I mean Aurora," Chris said. The Queen nuzzled his face.

"It was my great pleasure," she said, very gently, and sadly. "And thank you for being apart of our lives." Chris hugged her head, and she purred. Then Chris moved to Tenor.

"I hope you'll be okay without Windwalker," he said.

"I'll survive," Tenor said. "I've spent a good chunk of my life alone, thought I'm worried about Black Widow. She won't have a mother in her life."

"That's okay daddy," said Black Widow. "I will see her again in the Dragon Heaven." Windwalker almost burst into tears at that and nuzzled her daughter.

"Thanks for teaching me how to fight Tenor," Chris said.

"It was fun," said Tenor. "No thanks necessary." Chris stroked his snout, then he moved to Serenity. The poor girl was crying. She put Edelweiss on the ground near Black Widow. Chris took her hand in his, and gently took her face in his other hand. He looked into her beautiful green eyes. He wiped her tears away with his thumb, then he pressed his lips to hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he put his arms around the small of her back. They stayed there for only a few seconds, but to them it felt an eternity. They broke apart when they heard footsteps coming towards them. Chris pulled Serenity into a tight hug, which she returned without hesitation. She buried her face into his shoulder and held on as tight as she could.

"You keep being an angel for dragons until we make room for you and Edelweiss," Chris said, his voice slightly muffled by her golden hair.

"You got it," she said. "I love you so much Chris, no mater where you are."

"I love you too Serenity," Chris said. Suddenly he felt a small tug on his pant leg. He and Serenity separated and looked down. Edelweiss was tugging on Chris's pant leg to get his attention. Then she held her little arms up. Chris picked her up and held her.

"You keep you mama company now, you hear?" he said softly. The child beamed and put a small hand on her dad's face. He gave her little hand a quick kiss, which made her pull it back bashfully. Then she leaned her head on his shoulder and Chris held hugged her tightly.

"Chris, we're ready to cast off now son," Rufus called. Chris handed Edelweiss back to Serenity. He kissed his wife one last time, with her hand in his. Then he went towards the gangplank and his hand slipped out of hers. She watched Chris board the ship. Windwalker prepared herself for take off, she had already said good-bye to Tenor and Black Widow. The ship was untied from the dock and Rufus and Valkyrie rowed it out to sea. Windwalker spread her wings and flew along side the ship. Chris stood at the stern of the ship and watched his friends and family vanish from sight. Serenity and the dragons stood on the dock watching the ship sail away, with the dragon flying beside it. Aurora looked over at Serenity who was in tears and holding Edelweiss close. The Queen draped a wing around her shoulders. Serenity leaned into her Queen, it helped her feel a bit better. They watched the ship until they could see it no more. Then they all made the long slow trek to the Dragon Hospital.

Chris sat against the railing of the ship after Berk was long out of sight. He took several deep breaths and it helped clear his head. He watched the ocean go by very slowly. His mind went back a few years to when he and Serenity were just kids, living in the big castle. They had gotten into so much mischief. Serenity had thought up most of their scandals but Chris always took the blame for her. Every time it happened it made their friendship increase. She was the closest thing he had to a sister. They did every thing together; they rode on Re's back, sit in the shade of a Weeping Willow and read stories, and went ice skating every winter.

"You look lost," said Valkyrie. "You're missing Serenity aren't you?"

"I hate saying good-bye to her," Chris said.

"That's okay, you'll see her again," said Rufus. "With all the work you're going to be doing she'll be back in your life before you know it."

"What sort of work?" Chris asked.

"Well we have a few animals that need looking after," said Valkyrie. "Sheep, pigs, a cow, and three horses. What was your occupation before?"

"Dragon Rider," said Chris.

"That's not an occupation, that's a hobby," said Rufus.

"Soldier then," said Chris.

"Every one on our island is a soldier," said Valkyrie. "Anyway when there's no battle to fight you will look after the animals. Rufus works all day at the docks and I mix remedies and make house calls. Now that we have you back all the house and yard work will get done before each day is out. What dose Serenity do for a living?"

"She's the finest Dragon Healer in the world," Chris said.

"Dragons again," said Rufus. "Well we don't have any dragons for her to heal, so she will have to heal either animals or people. And if you're going to keep that dragon it will have to help around the farm as well. Since our horses are build for rounding up sheep, the dragon will be pulling the new plow I bought recently. I plan to grow wheat." Windwalker heard this naturally, and wasn't too thrilled about doing a horse's job. She and Chris exchanged a glance.

The ship kept moving at a fast pace across the ocean. The sun began to set and there was no land in sight. Rufus had Chris help with the rowing when the wind decreased. Windwalker caught a fish to pass the time. Rufus refused to let her come to near the boat, since it was made of wood and the dragon breathed fire. Windwalker was getting tired of flying so slow, she was a Night Fury and yet she was flying at the speed of a Gronkle. She would have flown on a head, but she had no idea where the island was. So she tried to make the most of it. When the stars came out she spotted the constellation Draco behind the ship, back in the direction of Berk. Windwalker wondered if Lord Draco was telling them she and Chris were making a mistake. When she silently asked the Dragon God this, the sky around the constellation lit up with the aurora borealis lights. They were blue and green. Then Windwalker spotted something in the water, and heading right for the ship at high speed.

"Chris look out!" she called. Chris ran to the side of the ship and looked at the thing coming. It sped right up it and sent it spinning on the spot. Windwalker flew down and stopped it then turned so it was facing the way it wanted to go. The tree humans regained their balance and looked around.

"What was that?" asked Valkyrie.

"Something hit us," said Chris. He looked over the edge to see what hit them. He saw a huge shadow swim under the boat, it looked like a Sculdron. It came to the surface right in front of the boat. It was dark grey and far bigger than the boat.

"What is that?" asked Rufus.

"It's a Scauldron," said Chris. "A very big one."

"What's a Scauldron?" asked Valkyrie.

"A sea dragon," said Chris. "They're common in these parts."

"What did it do that for?" asked Rufus. "Why is it attacking?"

"He's not attacking us," said Chris. "He's only playing, like a human does with a toy duck." The Scauldron swam at them again and tossed it high into the air with a flick of his head. The ship landed with a splash on the water.

"How do we get it to leave?" asked Rufus. Chris went to the side of the ship and wiggled his fingers in the water, making small splashes. The Scauldron swam up to the boat and lifted his head out of the water. When he saw Chris a look of recognition came across his features.

"Hey I know you," he said. "You're the son of the Dragon King."

"Yeah, look could you stop throwing the ship around please?" Chris asked. The Scauldron looked up at Windwalker who was flying in circles over the ship.

"What are you doing out here if I may ask?" he said.

"My real parents found me and are taking me back," Chris said. The Scauldron looked surprised. He looked at the other two humans.

"I see," he said. "Well I'll see you around." He dove back under the water and swam away.

"You can speak to them?" asked Valkyrie, she sounded interested.

"I grew up with dragons, Dragontongue is my first language," Chris said. "I also speak Norse and Mandarin Chinese."

"It makes no sense why anyone would speak a different language," said Rufus. "One should only speak their native language and nothing else."

"But then you wouldn't be able to understand what I say," said Chris.

"Good point," said Valkyrie. "He did make the sea dragon go away."

"Whatever," said Rufus. He went back to steering the ship.

The rest of the night went on with out incident. When the sun came up Windwalker could see an island in the distance. From where she was it looked very big, bigger than Berk and Dragon Island combined. She flew down to the level of the boat.

"Island ahead," she called to Chris.

"Windwalker says there's an island ahead," Chris translated.

"I know that," said Rufus. Windwalker flew back up above the ship. Then she grabbed the prow in her talons and put on a burst of speed, pulling the ship behind her.

"Whoa what's it doing?" asked Rufus.

"Getting us there faster," said Chris. Rufus said nothing just held on for his life. Windwalker pulled the ship closer to the island and steered it towards the dock. When they were close enough she let go and the boat came to a stop. Rufus steered the ship to an empty pier. A few men on the dock came over and Rufus threw them the mooring lines. Chris looked at the village. It was twice the size of Berk, but made up of tiny huts surrounded by pastures of animals and fields of crops, and slightly larger barns. The largest building was the blacksmith, which was the size of Berk's blacksmith.

"Why are the houses so small?" asked Chris.

"Makes more room for farming," said Rufus. "Every citizen here is a farmer and soldier, we have only one blacksmith and one shipbuilder, that's me."

"We have good trade with many other villages," said Valkyrie. "Every summer trade ships come in with anything we can't make ourselves, like more building materials and maybe a few personal items." When the ship was tied down they disembarked. Windwalker landed next to her rider.

"If that dragon values its life it won't leave your sight," said Rufus, pointing at Windwalker. The dragon looked insulted. They made their way to into the village.

"Stay close," Chris whispered to his dragon. They walked through the village. The tiny houses were separated by miles of farmland. The island was very large, providing plenty of space for a village that was a few buildings shy of a small city. There was fresh green grass, tall trees, and wildflowers. It reminded Chris of the Draconian countryside, beyond the city of Bluegreen. The people of the village looked up from their various activities to watch Chris and Windwalker go by. The Night Fury stuck to her rider's side like clue, her shadow merged with his. The people greeted Rufus and Valkyrie warmly. The population consisted of mostly adults, and very few children. What little children there were, all worked in the fields or came out of the houses with food.

"Not a hole lot of kids here," Chris said.

"There's only enough room in the houses for three people or less," said Rufus. "That means fewer mouths to feed and more food. That's why I said there was no room for Serenity and Edelweiss. But don't worry, with the extra wheat crop I can raise enough funding to build you your own hut." At that moment they were approached by a man on a grey horse. He had brown hair and goatee.

"Bran, good to see you," said Rufus.

"Long time no see Rufus," said Bran.

"We had some trouble out at sea," said Rufus. Bran laughed.

"That's why you're a shipbuilder not a sailor," he joked. Then he looked at Chris and Windwalker.

"Who is this?" he asked. "And why does is there a dragon following him?"

"Oh, this is our long lost son Chris," said Valkyrie. "And that's his dragon friend, he made a deal with us that he would come home if he was allowed to bring it. Chris, this is Bran our village leader."

"Hello," Chris said.

"Nice to meet you Chris," said Bran, dismounting. "Not every day we get such a quite dragon. Usually they're running a muck through our village."

"She can help protect this village," Chris said. Bran approached Windwalker and circled around her.

"She's a fine looking beast," he said. "Can she control herself around livestock?"

"Yes, as long as she's well fed," said Chris.

"What does she eat?" Bran asked.

"Mostly fish," said Chris.

"Does she eat rats or mice?" asked Bran.

"Yeah why?" asked Chris.

"We currently have a problem with mice and rats getting into our crops and animal feed," said Bran. "A dragon would be the perfect solution to this problem."

"You sure that's a good idea Bran?" asked Rufus. "Dragons are very dangerous."

"Ah this one seems harmless enough," said Bran. "I'm sure she's capable of earning her keep."

"That's another mouth to feed," said Rufus.

"Stop making excuses," said Bran. "The dragon stays."

"I have another favor to ask," said Chris. "You see I had to leave my wife and child behind when I came here, and I want them to come her as well."

"Why did you leave them behind?" asked Bran.

"I was told there wasn't enough room for them," said Chris.

"Well it is true the huts are a bit small," said Bran. "But I think we can work something out."

"Thank you," Chris said.

"Well come on we'll show you our house," said Valkyrie. "Nice talking to you Bran." Bran gave a nod then mounted his horse. He rode off and Chris followed his parents over to their house with Windwalker at his heels. The house looked the same as the others; tiny with a large barn next to it and huge pastures of animals and fields of crops.

"Here we are," said Rufus happily. "You can put the dragon in the barn." Chris went over to the barn and his dragon followed.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Windwalker asked. "A life of living in a tiny hut, and working all day; instead of living in a huge castle and going flying with Serenity."

"I think we can really help this town," said Chris. "Not every village is as fortunate as Berk you know." Windwalker silently agreed. They entered the barn and found it rather roomy. There were three horses; one black, one chestnut, and one palomino paint. They were in spacious stalls on one side of the barn; three big pigs, a cow, and twelve sheep on the other side. A ladder led up to the hey loft in the middle of the hallway. Windwalker went down the hallway, looking at all the animals. They grew very weary of the dragon, their worst nightmare. Windwalker didn't look happy.

"Yesterday I was sleeping under a beautiful apple tree," she said. "In a lawn of Dragonnip, now I'm sleeping in an old, smelly, barn."

"You'll be okay," Chris said. "It'll keep the rain off you." The dragon sighed. She climbed up to the hay loft where it would be quieter.

"I'll see you later I guess," she said.

"Good night," Chris said. He closed the door of the barn and went over to the house. The door was open so he went right in. The house was a lot smaller than Chris thought. It had only one room, a dirt floor, one large bed, a black stove in the center, and a small table with only enough room for two. The only light came from two candles on the table. Valkyrie was laying out a large mat on the floor, then put a blanket and pillow on top of it.

"We only have one bed I'm afraid," said Rufus. "So you'll have to sleep on the floor until we can get a proper bed for you."

"That's okay," Chis said. "Like Serenity I'm accustomed to sleeping on the floor."

"A girl that pretty shouldn't sleep on the floor," said Rufus. "She could pass for a princess, she should sleep on a big fourposter bed with silk sheets."

"She was raised in a castle," said Chris. "She has a fourposter bed, but cotton sheets not silk."

"They dragons stole her from her castle?" said Rufus.

"No, the dragon raised her in their castle," Chris said. "I was raised in that castle."

"Where do dragons get the funds to build a castle?" asked Rufus.

"Well make yourself comfortable, you probably tired from the voyage," said Valkyrie.

"Tomorrow you start work." Chris sat on is bed roll, he did feel jet lagged. He lay down. Valkyrie and Rufus went out side to water the crops and feed the animals. Chris fell asleep, dreaming of his dragon family and wife and child; he was already really missing them a lot.