Fantastic Flipping Friday!
Thank you for your reviews! Would it help y'all if I gave you another specific description of Haku's appearance? (StormMoonRabbit: His hair is actually black haha, just wanted to be clear on that)
Little Did You Know: I'd be more than happy to give you a sneak peek, buuuuut you'd have to be the 100th reviewer for that to happen (or 150th, or 200th... you get the idea) :)
QuiteARandomFan: Oh yes, their reunion is going to be quite... dramatic. Poor, poor Shade. And yes! Assured updates are a thing. Thank you for your thumbs up, and if you're going to be sticking around, then welcome aboard, explorer.
I'm working on the final chapter of Silver, but as I said, James is going to be showing up here for the most part from now on.
Shouts echoed above, right before a loud thump traveled through the deck into her cabin. Smiling darkly beneath her mask, Surmata waited patiently for the knock on her door.
"Enter."
The door swung open, revealing the slim, dark figure of Silver, face hidden behind his black mask. She ignored the chill that raced down her spine at the sight of him. He was dangerous, and to Surmata, danger was… arousing.
"I expect that you have good news?"
"I've traced her to an island far south of here. Heimme."
"Well? Give me a map, so I can be off."
"It's not that simple," he said, peeling the fabric away from his face to reveal dark stubble lining his jaw. "Whether or not that is her home, she is a part of the society there. From what limited information I could gather, she spends her days with the villagers and her nights hidden somewhere in the forest. You can't just show up without more knowledge and expect to be able to find her and capture her. You will be opposed."
"Then what do you suggest I do, Silver? Let her go?"
"Not at all. After asking around, I've found a trade ship that will eventually visit Heimme. My advice would be to send a couple of men on that ship, to learn about the people and infiltrate their village."
"So, even more waiting. What's stopping me from sailing in and destroying the place?"
"It's hard to say how militant the people are there, but they aren't the biggest problem."
"Dare I ask?"
"The place is crawling with dragons."
"What?"
"There are dragons in the village."
"Besides the girl's black one?"
"Definitely besides hers." James hesitated to tell Surmata about how the girl and her dragon had defeated the giant nest Queen. For some reason, he didn't want to disclose that information to the ruthless pirate captain.
"Fine. I'll send the men, and work on fortifying my own force for her extraction."
"So my work is done."
"Not quite."
"What else could you possibly want from me, Surmata?" James couldn't contain his frustration. "I just spent eight months of my life trying to find this girl, and I've even told you the best way to go about getting her. I'd like to get back to Merirosvo, if you don't mind."
"I do mind. And I think you do, too. All this work, just to let her go? She's intriguing. She rides a dragon, just like you do. She's a warrior. You haven't challenged yourself at all. What do you have to go back to? You're a mercenary and you always will be. Why give up now? Why not follow through?"
"Because I'm done with that life. I'd like to try and preserve what little remains of my soul."
"Yours is the soul of a hunter. You're hungry, hungry for more than what you have. Hungry for a challenge. You would never be happy as a blacksmith on an island of thugs and pirates. Do this for me, Silver."
"There is nothing that I want that you can give to me."
"Then choose for yourself. We both know you aren't ready to give up the game."
James was silent for several moments.
"You might be sorry you kept me around, Captain Veri."
"We will see, Silver. We will see."
Aeri was getting pretty tired of waking up in Vahna's house after being injured.
Not that she didn't care for the old woman or her apprentices. The bed was comfortable, and they took very good care of her. Aeri just didn't like feeling useless. And she was basically that now, for a third time, bedridden and begging to be let free.
"For the last time, Rádgatá, no."
"But Vahna—"
"Do you really want to reopen the wound in your back? You'll be here even longer, then."
Aeri groaned. There was no escape. And she hadn't seen Haku since the night he had come back to tell her that Ajaa had been the one to try and get her killed. She couldn't even see Shade, who apparently never left his position beneath the window, because she couldn't get up. That arrow had done a fair bit of damage, and it was going to take time to heal.
The next few weeks passed in a boring blur of bland food and no visitors, until one morning she woke up, ready to scream. Containing herself, she slowly scooted to the edge of the bed, being mindful of every twinge that passed through her back. It's time to get up.
Rolling back the blankets, she gradually shifted her legs over the side, pausing every few seconds to take a breath. Then she was upright, sitting up, and after a few moments the dizziness in her head cleared, and she felt invincible.
Hearing slow footsteps on the stairs, she looked down at herself, realizing she was only in her breast bands and underwear, along with the wide bandage wrapped around her torso. She debated trying to get back under the covers, but she had spent too much effort getting upright, and besides, it was either Asti or Alkaa coming to bring her tea or something.
Her back was to the door when it opened. "I'm not getting back into that bed, so either you can help me up or I'll do it myself."
When no one answered, she turned to glance behind her, and nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw Haku standing there, gaping.
"Oh. Hello, Haku."
He didn't say anything. Rather, his eyes widened even further, his face going completely red, and she remembered belatedly that she was next to naked. Before she could yell at him, or shoo him, or whatever, he leapt back out of the room and quickly shut the door, leaving her blinking in confusion.
Laughter bubbled up in her throat, and in a moment she found herself cracking up, small tears running from her eyes. It felt good to laugh after everything that had happened. She wished she could have a painting of Haku's face like that, it was priceless. Wiping away the moisture with another amused huff, she looked around for her clothes, not finding them, but spotting a folded up tunic on the desk.
Steeling herself, she put both hands on the bed and slowly pushed herself to her feet, wavering a bit. She frowned at her weakness, making a mental note to get back to training as soon as possible. Damn that Ajaa.
Hobbling across the room, she stiffly lifted the thin green tunic up and over her shoulders, wincing as her healing back stretched. There were no other clothes, not even leggings. Shrugging, she wandered over to the door, her steps coming more easily now. Listening through the door, she could hear voices, but couldn't make out what they were saying. Should I go down there? The whole "no pants" thing might not go over too well. Whatever. They should have thought of that before they left me up here by myself, to my own devices.
With that in mind, she quietly opened the door.
Haku stood on the stairs, trying his hardest to shake the image from his mind, but it stubbornly stayed front and center. Her long, lithe body, barely clothed… The smooth expanses of creamy skin he already knew of from after she had been shot, but- oh, Gods.
"What's the matter, Haku? You look like you're in pain," Alkaa inquired innocently from below.
Oh yes. Pain. Punishment. The end.
"No…" he forced out with a laugh, quickly descending the staircase. "I'm fine. She's… asleep, so I'll just be going now…"
"Nonsense! Vahna and Asti will be back soon, and Rádgatá will be so disappointed if you leave now."
Disappointed? Probably quite the opposite. She hadn't looked angry, but she was a warrior, and he still valued his life enough to not want to risk her wrath.
"No, it's alright, I'll come by another time…"
"Why are you leaving?" The front door opened and Asti poked her head in.
"I don't—"
"He says she's asleep, but I told him she'd be disappointed if he left," Alkaa offered helpfully. "He only just got here."
"Oh, you must stay!" Asti fully pushed into the room, arms laden with supplies. Haku quickly rushed over to help her with her burden, for which she smiled gratefully.
"Who?" Vahna entered the house, glancing around before her gaze settled on Haku. "Hello, Haku. Leaving so soon?"
"I- I think it would be best if I just came back another time—"
But the three women were no longer talking. Instead, they stared past his shoulder. Following their gazes, he turned slowly, just in time to watch a pair of slender legs— unclothed legs— descend the staircase. His heart skipped a beat, then began to hammer like never before as the rest of her body appeared, thankfully concealed by a longish green tunic. Then her long hair, somewhat wild from having been in bed— bed. Don't think about the bed. Don't think about her. Don't think.
"Rádgatá!" Vahna's stern voice filtered into his consciousness, and with a start he realized he had been staring like a deer caught in torchlight. Their eyes met, and a slow, lazy smile spread on her face, as though she was reading his mind and found it immensely entertaining.
"What?" she asked, sounding innocent, though she paused on the stairs.
"Where are your clothes?"
"I don't know, I was hoping you could tell me."
"Don't you have any sense of modesty, girl?"
"I guess I got tired of it being exploited."
Vahna let out a frustrated huff, before waving her hands. "Impossible child!"
Rádgatá's smile widened further, and she came down the last few steps. "Hello, Haku. Long time, no see."
He gulped, but none of the other women seemed to pick up on her sarcasm. Instead, they were bustling around, putting away supplies and starting to prepare dinner, which wouldn't be ready for quite a while. After all, it wasn't even lunch time yet.
"Oh, for the gods' sakes, will one of you find her some pants?" Vahna's irritated request caused Aeri to snicker. She felt rebellious, energetic… it wasn't a good idea to confine her to a bed for that long.
"I think I'll just step outside for some air, if that's okay," she said casually, heading for the door.
"With no pants? No shoes?"
"I won't go far." On foot.
As soon as she was out of the confines of the house, she hurried around to the side, gaze immediately fixing on the large black form huddled against the wall.
"Hey, bud."
Shade's head snapped up at the sound of Aeri's voice, and in an instant he had leapt to his feet, rushing to her.
Whining, he nudged her carefully, sniffing her from head to toe. "Don't you ever scare me like that again!" he said firmly, and, gathering his point, she grinned widely.
"We don't have a lot of time," she said in a low voice. Thank goodness he was still wearing his saddle. "Have you been wearing this the entire time?"
He shook his head. Vahna had instructed Asti and Alkaa to remove it only at night, because he point blank refused to have it taken from his sight. In the mornings they would come out with some fish and replace it on his shoulders, their skilled hands getting the hang of the complicated straps in no time.
"Good." A low squawk sounded, and surprised, she turned to see Kova, Fern's mate peering around the side of the house. "Hey, Kova," she grinned. "Don't tell Haku." The purple Flashfang just watched her curiously, not making any noise.
Taking that as a show of support, Shade lowered himself so Aeri could stiffly climb onto his back, hissing with pain as she straightened up in the seat. "Alright…"
Haku was wondering where she had gotten off to, when a loud roar shattered the quiet. Alarmed, he burst through the front door in time to see Shade take off with Rádgatá cheering him on from the saddle.
"Rádgatá!" he cried out, and she lifted a hand to wave at him. Then he lost sight of them as the black dragon passed through the trees to the open sky above.
"Haku! What is it?" Vahna hurried out, for once her calm face showing her concern.
"I— she—"
"Damn, foolish, stubborn girl!" With a stomp, Vahna turned and went back into the house, muttering under her breath.
Haku knew she'd be alright, but he worried nonetheless. "Kova!" Immediately the Flashfang ran around, hopping up and down. "Yeah, that's right. We're going after them." Hauling himself up to the dragon's back, he settled into the saddle and urged Kova skyward. "Let's go!"
With an excited squawk, he spread his wings and leapt up, beating them hard as they pursued the Night Fury and his errant rider.
"Oh, Shade! I missed you!" Aeri cried out, the sound disappearing in the wind. "I missed this. This is where I belong, where we belong, bud."
She felt, rather than heard, the approving rumble emanating from his chest, and her grin intensified. "I wish we could go crazy—" Shade shot her a stern look, and she giggled. "— but we'll save the antics for another day."
"You'd better!"
The voice carried to her ears and alarmed, Aeri turned around to see Haku and Kova right on Shade's tail.
"You're too sneaky for your own good, Haku!"
"You act like you've never snuck up on me!" The pair pulled up alongside them.
Haku's heart skipped a beat when she smiled freely, closing her eyes and laughing aloud. She spread her arms out, feeling the wind between her fingers. Her hair was streaming out behind her, the sun glowing on her skin. Wearing only the green tunic, which rode high up on her slim thighs, she nonetheless appeared as a creature from another world. A beautiful, otherworldly being. That's who she was. She was… something else. Haku had never met another woman like her. She changed everything she touched, she made life flourish wherever she went. She was incredible, fierce, mysterious, and she had thoroughly bewitched him, body and soul.
And he loved her.
The realization took his breath away. It was her. It was always her. And it always would be.
After a moment he registered that her eyes were open, and that she was returning his gaze. But she wasn't shying away from the intensity of his own, rather, the green depths sparkled with awareness and something he could not yet identify. Her white teeth flashed in a quick smile before Shade brought his wings down and blasted forward with a loud boom, startling Haku and Kova, who squawked loudly with suprise.
"Well?" Haku asked the Flashfang. "Let's go get 'em!" With a squawk of agreement, Kova took off faster than he had ever flown with Haku before, filling the man with a nervous excitement. Rádgatá and Shade were far ahead, flying towards the mountains. There was no way they could catch up, but Haku leaned low over the purple dragon's neck, encouraging him on.
In the distance, the black dragon vanished into a cloud, and Haku urged Kova forward. "We can come around the other side, maybe cut them off!" So they did, arriving on the far side of the cloud in no time. But Shade was nowhere to be found in the wide blue sky.
Where could they have gone? Haku didn't have long to wonder when a high pitched whistle began to build, and only seconds later Shade blasted out of the cloud behind them, flying upside down so that Rádgatá's head passed within half a foot of Haku's.
"Whoa!" he ducked, hearing her joyous laughter echo through the sky. Shaking his head, he couldn't help but smile as he and Kova took off in pursuit once again. This time, though, they easily caught up to the black dragon, who was now right side up and flying at a much more leisurely pace.
"We should go back now," he called out to the auburn-haired woman, who had a funny look on her face. "Rádgatá? Are you alright?"
"Just a little… sore…"
Looking at her back, he spied with alarm a dark spot permeating her tunic.
"You're bleeding!" At that exclamation, Shade jerked his head up to look at his rider, who was quickly becoming pale. With a frantic roar, he started to dive, realizing just in time that she might not be able to hold on if he did. So, despite the nervous hammering of his heart, the Night Fury spiraled gently back down to the forest floor, locating Vahna's cabin within moments.
He roared again, and Asti and Alkaa ran out of the house, followed by the cross-looking old woman. On his back, Aeri struggled to stay upright, but pain was radiating from the wound on her back, causing her to grind her teeth. Behind them, Haku and Kova landed, the future chief leaping from the dragon's back to rush to her side, gently lifting her from the saddle to carry her inside. Up the stairs, to the bed… the path was unpleasantly familiar to Haku now.
"Just set her down, Haku, then you can go."
"I don't—"
"Having visitors encourages her to pull stunts like this. It's best if you leave her until she is truly well, which may take a while, given her penchant for finding trouble."
"But—"
"No buts! Begone with you!"
Haku could tell the old woman wasn't pleased with him, and so he gave Rádgatá one last meek glance before heading down the stairs.
"Vahna, I'm fine—" Aeri tried to sit up, but the old woman's hands were firm as they held her down.
"Don't tempt me to agree with you and throw you out! Now, roll over." Begrudgingly, Aeri obeyed, and thus began another two weeks of incapacitation.
A few months passed. Aeri, once cleared by Vahna, returned to a strict schedule of training, both alone and with Maara, who was eager to continue her sword-fighting lessons. Haku didn't see much of either of them, except when his sister would return late in the day, grinning wearily.
A trade ship came into port, much to the excitement of the villagers, who were somewhat deprived of exotic goods and other such frivolous things. The crew of the ship was somewhat awestruck by the number of dragons inhabiting the village, and a few even nervously asked to join riders on their flights. Haku didn't take much notice of any of them, simply pleased that their first encounter with the outside world since making peace with the dragons was going well.
One night at dinner in the town hall, one of the sailors, a larger, burly man, sat down across from Haku and proceeded to make small talk with him. Haku had more to drink than usual that night, and was beginning to feel the effects of it.
"It's really quite amazing what you've done with the dragons," the man began. "How did it happen? I don't imagine you just one day asked nicely for them to stop raiding you."
"No," Haku replied slowly. "It took a while, but eventually we realized that dragons are not the monsters we used to make them out to be."
"How did you make peace with them, though?"
"Through something of an epic battle between the nest Queen and…" And who? What was Rádgatá to them? "… our bravest warrior."
"Nest Queen?"
"A giant dragon that controls the other dragons to do her bidding, like raiding us for food."
The man's eyes took on a strange glint. "Your best warrior must be legendary to defeat such a foe."
"Indeed she is," Haku said, distracted by memories of Rádgatá. He didn't notice the man's fist tighten.
"She? Your best warrior is a she? And she took on this dragon alone?"
"Not quite alone. She had her… partner with her."
"Her partner?"
Maybe it was the mead, or the lateness of the hour, but Haku found himself wanting to talk about Rádgatá and her accomplishments. "Her own dragon companion. It was she who inspired us to find peace with the dragons, and the pair of them defeated the Queen with the help of the wild dragons on the island."
"I can't even fathom such a feat. Her dragon must be unique to have already been trained."
Some warning instinct flashed in Haku's fuzzy mind. "What makes you think that?"
"Well, ah, nothing, but I'd be interested in meeting this warrior of yours. She sounds remarkable."
Remarkable was right. "Well, she's not often in the village, so I don't know if I can promise you that."
"Why is that?"
"She and her dragon often like to have time together on their own."
"How… interesting."
Haku grunted his agreement. She was interesting. Dangerously so. Lost in his slightly intoxicated musings, he didn't notice the man quietly get up and leave the table, leaving his mead untouched.
The next morning, Aeri awoke in the meadow, blinking at the bright sunlight. Yawning widely, she sat up, taking in her surroundings. Butterflies flitted about, landing momentarily on the grass before being caught up in the soft breeze once more. She could hear the trickling of the stream, the whispering of the wind through the trees, and—
A loud snore startled her, and she twisted around to see Shade, lying on his back with his mouth slightly open. He was still sound asleep. Grinning, she got to her feet, noting that she was somewhat sore from the previous day's training. Maara was improving dramatically, and now Aeri actually had to work to keep the younger woman from striking her.
But it was a good soreness, so she removed her bodysuit and boots, quietly stepping through the tall grass until she reached the pool of fresh water on the edge of the forest. While it wasn't the most common of practices on Berk, Aeri's family had always bathed regularly, and the habit had continued no matter where she found herself. She stepped into the water, feeling goosebumps travel up her skin from the chilliness of it. Holding her breath, she submerged herself completely, coming back up with a gasp.
Reaching out, her fingers wrapped around the bar of soap she left on a rock at the edge of the pool. In a matter of minutes she was stepping out of the water, squeaky clean. Shivering, she ran back through the grass, dropping down to the blanket she slept on and wrapping herself in it. Shade was still completely unconscious, so she reached out a hand and poked his side.
"Hey you! Wake up!"
A groan resonated through him, and one eye opened halfway, peering out at the world. It was bright. Too bright. So he rolled over and covered his eyes with his paws.
"No, don't go back to sleep! We need to go get breakfast." Well, that sounded nice. With another groan, Shade slowly lifted himself to his feet, eyes squeezed tightly shut.
"Ready," he mumbled.
Something wet landed on his head and for a moment he struggled with it. It was a blanket, and looking up in disbelief he could see Aeri pulling on her body suit, her hair gleaming from the water saturating it.
"Hey! Don't throw your dirty blankets on me!" he said indignantly.
She flashed him a cheeky smile, and was soon completely dressed. "Alright, sleepyhead. Let's go." Leaping up to his shoulders, she patted his neck, and he spread his wings and took off. Soon they were circling the village, and people were looking up at them and waving cheerfully. That's a new ship, Aeri thought, noticing the trade ship for the first time.
Landing in the square, they were soon surrounded by cheerful villagers with dragon-related questions and the occasional problem.
"Rádgatá!"
It was Maara, and smiling, Aeri finished speaking with the baker, whose dragon had been hoarding objects in her shelter.
"It could be that she's getting ready to nest," Aeri explained, and the man's eyes nearly bugged out of his head.
"N-nest?"
"Well, it's a natural part of life. You'd best prepare for a few new additions to your family." Looking stunned, the baker nodded, then headed back to his home to break the news to his wife. Unable to hide her amusement at his shock, Aeri turned to face Haku's sister.
"Hey, Maara. Is that a new ship?"
"Yes! A trader. They got here a few days ago, and will be here for another week at least!"
The younger woman's excitement reminded Aeri of the stories her parents used to tell her of their own youths, when the only regular visitor to Berk besides the Outcasts and Berserkers was Trader Johann. Of course, Aeri had grown up with a far stronger connection to the outside world, thanks to her father's influence. Berk was a regular stop for traders from all over, and they brought with them the promise of excitement and adventure. Now that Aeri had actually explored some of the world, she found that life certainly was exciting and adventurous, but she also realized that she longed for something more stable.
Listening to Maara speak, Aeri wondered if perhaps she had found stability after all.
What Aeri did not know was that fate had other plans. What she did not know was that she was being watched. What she did not know was that time was running out. Heimme was a wonderful place, but darkness lurked, and the shadows were coming for her.
How foreboding ;)
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