Hey there! So this chapter is finally here. Hooray. Feel special, because it took me a great deal of effort to finish it.

My lovely reviewers!

QuiteARandomFan (x2)

MoonbornWalker

thesnakecharmer18

Vvarden

The Lightning Phoenix

Ciara11

ShiNe

Colinou

NightsAnger (Check my profile for a character list)

Spartan10007

Sag1ttar1us

Kelroe26

Gunkey (Welcome, and thank you :) )

Sousuke Tenki

Harkonnen 28

You are all magical and delightful and it brings me so much joy to read your reviews. Now, without further ado...

Aeri was in the forge with Vasara and Gobber, who seemed pleased to have what he deemed "useful company". They were working in companionable silence, though Gobber was humming under his breath.

"I'll be right back, need to take a breather," Aeri said, rolling her stiff shoulder. It still ached occasionally from her experience aboard the pirate ship, seemingly a lifetime ago, and she wasn't sure how to get it to stop. The sun was high in the sky, and a cool breeze swept through the open windows of the blacksmith's stall, providing welcome relief from the stifling heat of the forge and hinting at the nearness of autumn. Stepping outside, she slid to the ground in the shade of the building, where Shade was dozing off. His wing had healed nicely; they could probably fly together now, but they were in no rush to put any strain on it.

He opened one eye halfway as she leaned against his side, before closing it and shifting his body so that he was curled protectively around her. His motherly side always made Aeri smile, and so she rested one arm along his shoulder, gently stroking his scales. A deep purr emanated from his chest, but that was the only sign he gave of being awake.

They stayed like that for a while, listening to the sounds of smithing and watching the people and dragons of Berk go about their business. The refugees from Heimme were around, too, but they were still becoming accustomed to the Viking way of life, and so they laid low. Everyone on Berk, for their part, had opened up their hearts and homes in an extraordinary display of hospitality and welcome. The normally brutish and coarse Vikings had shown remarkable tact when dealing with the grieving and lost people of Heimme.

"Aeri." She turned her head to see Haku striding towards her. Suppressing a nervous shiver, she forced herself to maintain her composure and meet his eyes. Ever since they had argued, things seemed... different. She felt a strange sort of detachment from him, as though part of their connection had been lost with life on Heimme. Maybe it was being home for her, that changed her perspective. He was also acting differently, though. Their interactions weren't so casual anymore. After their argument, he became very polite, very respectful. Very distant. And sometimes it made her want to scream.

"Hey, Haku."

"Have you seen Maara? She left this morning with Mika and her sword and I haven't seen her since."

Aeri frowned. "No, I haven't. I've been here all morning, and she hasn't come by to get her sword sharpened, so..."

"Huh. Okay, I just thought I'd check."

"Mhmm."

He started to walk away, then turned back. "Is everything... okay?"

"With me?"

"Yes?"

"With me... Yeah, completely. Everything is one hundred percent perfect in my world."

"Well, okay..." His tone was guarded, calm, and it made her want to throw her boot at him. Why was he asking?

Just then, Shade raised his head, ears straight up as he looked around.

"What is it, bud?"

Overhead, three patrols appeared, flying out towards the ocean.

"Where are they going?" Aeri asked aloud, getting to her feet along with her dragon.

"Ah, there's probably an approachin' ship or somethin'," Gobber called from within the structure behind her. That wouldn't be surprising, she mused, and she prepared to get back to work, nodding at Haku, when a familiar roar sounded above. Looking up, she saw her armored grandmother standing atop of Cloudjumper with her staff in hand, following the path of the patrols.

What was going on? People had stopped in the square and were gathering there. Aeri jogged around the building to the cliffside, Shade on her heels. Squinting, she could make out the three patrols in the distance, along with the X-winged Stormcutter, but there was no ship in sight. So where were they going?

Then she saw it. A smaller shape, out even farther than the patrols. But it was very clearly airborne, which meant... "A dragon."

But what kind of dragon warranted three patrols and her grandmother in full gear? The dragons and riders of Berk were now circling the incoming dragon, and Aeri desperately wished she had a spyglass on her. But after almost a minute, all five dragons turned in the direction of the village.

"I wonder what kind of dragon it is," a dreamy voice said at her shoulder, and she jumped in alarm.

"Oh. Hey, Fishlegs."

"There's been so much excitement lately," the large Viking said, eyes focused on the approaching dragons. "I wonder if it could get even better..."

A few moments passed, then he gasped, suddenly and loudly, startling her again.

"What?" she asked, her curiosity mingling with her slight irritation.

"Look!" he pointed at the dragons, as if that explained everything. Aeri glanced over at Shade, who was watching the scene intently.

"What am I looking at?" she asked.

"Aeri," he asked patiently. "What kind of dragon is that?"

"I don't know!" she said irritably. "I can't see it..." Then she did. "Oh. Oh."

"And it's not alone..."

About a minute later, at the indication of Valka's staff, the Skrill landed in the town square, its masked rider surveying the gathering crowd of suspicious Vikings. Following Fishlegs, Aeri fell in next to Haku, Vasara, and Gobber in the back of the throng. Something nagged at the back of her mind, but she couldn't figure it out. Pushing the thought aside, she noticed that Shade had tensed up, and was staring hard at the dragon and rider in the center of the crowd.

"What is it?" she asked him in a low voice, but he didn't respond. Then she saw her father, flanked by her mother and Toothless, striding down the hill from the direction of the Great Hall. A path opened up for the Chief, and Aeri watched her father smile at her mother, before stepping into the wide open space that the villagers had given the Skrill.

Aeri had to swallow a sudden thread of nervousness at the proximity of her father to these strangers. He was armed with his fire sword, but that was no match for a dragon as ill-tempered as a Skrill. Memories of her last encounter with one of the purple and black dragons left a familiar ache in her chest. Then Toothless stepped forward, right behind him, and she was able to relax slightly.

"Hello, stranger," her father's words carried easily throughout the square. "To what do we owe the pleasure of an unknown dragon rider and his partner?"

The man's voice was only slightly muffled by his mask. "Greetings. I assure you, I mean you no harm. On the contrary. I'm actually looking for someone."

"Oh?" was Hiccup's reply.

"Yes. A girl, who rides a dragon very much like the one standing beside you."

A murmur passed through the crowd, and Haku and Vasara stepped closer to her protectively. A chill ran down Aeri's spine. Who was this man? Was he working for the pirates? Had she unwittingly brought destruction upon her own people?

"You'll have to be more specific," her father was saying. "There are a number of Night Furies roaming these parts, and more than a few women."

"Well," the man said, sliding off his dragon. Toothless immediately stepped forward, preparing to protect his best friend, but the stranger held up his hands. "Don't worry, dragon... I mean no one here any harm." Toothless simply snorted, not moving. "Anyways, I don't know her name, but she would be maybe two inches shorter than me, slim, long auburn hair... Was kidnapped and tortured by pirates not long ago, but she escaped."

A gasp rippled through the crowd, and Haku looked down at her, as if he could gauge the truth from her expression. Everyone knew he was looking for Aeri, but she had been very selective about what she revealed to them thus far. The whole "torture" thing tended not to come up in polite conversation. But she wasn't worried about having to explain that. No, her heart was beating hard at the mention of the pirates for an entirely different reason. Only one person, besides a pirate, would know of what had happened aboard that ship.

Even as her father maintained his composure, and began to suggest that the man remove his mask in order to make everyone more comfortable, Aeri was pushing through the crowd, pulling her arm free of Haku's protective grip.

"What're ye doin'?" someone hissed. "Get back here!"

More hands lifted to hold her in place, but she just slipped through their grasps, intent on one thing.

James, for his part, was more than a little nervous, though he had learned long ago that it was always best to disguise his emotions. So he played the confident, innocent dragon rider, part of him knowing that the entire charade could blow up in his face at any time.

He was half listening to the slim man he assumed was the Chief, and half watching the black dragon between them. It did not look happy, and James was perfectly aware that he had never been this close to another one of the creatures. Sahko stood at his side, probably bored with the whole affair, but James hoped that if push came to shove, his dragon would come to his aid. Not that it would matter. The they were surrounded by potentially hostile people and dragons, and he was beginning to suspect he might have made a mistake in asking directly for the girl.

"...if you removed your mask," the Chief was saying, and James had to stop himself from leaping onto Sahko and getting the Hel out of there.

"Of course," he said smoothly, reaching up and pulling down the fabric covering the bottom of his face. The man in front of him nodded with slight approval at the motion, so James hazarded a question. "If you don't mind me asking, where exactly am-"

A disturbance in the crowd to his left distracted him, and he looked over just in time to see a familiar face push her way to the front.

She was just as beautiful as he remembered, although she looked much better off than the last time he'd seen her.

"Winter," she said, stepping forward.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the Chief's face tighten inexplicably, and the green-eyed dragon let out a low sound of warning. Warning her off, perhaps, or maybe warning him not to try anything.

So he nodded, unsure of what to say, and she stepped forward.

"You're alive." Another step closer.

He nodded again. This time, she didn't stop walking, and he noted that her ankle seemed to have recovered from the sprain. That was the only thought that went through his mind, then she was before him, her expression unreadable.

"Thank the gods," she whispered, before suddenly throwing her arms around his neck and embracing him tightly. Instinctively his own arms came up and wrapped around her slim waist. He found himself surrounded by the sweet, clean smell of her hair, and the odd thought popped into his mind of how nicely she fit into his arms.

"I was so sure you had died..." she said softly, and he couldn't help the small huff of amusement that escaped him.

"It takes more than a little fire and water and things falling on me to kill me," he murmured jokingly, and she leaned back, beaming at him.

He couldn't help it. He smiled back, and his heart seemed to skip a beat at the twinkle in her vivid green eyes.

Someone cleared their throat, and immediately James released her, stepping back and praying fervently that his face wasn't flushing red. Looking to his right, the Chief and the black dragon had matching expressions on their faces; one eyebrow raised in an almost bored question.

He dared a quick glance at the girl-the girl, he needed to learn her name- to see that her face mirrored the Chief's and his dragon's. Almost... sassy. It was cute. Cute? Oh gods.

"This is Winter, and he saved my life," she offered in explanation to the man, who gave him another once over. The black dragon's expression was no longer threatening, simply curious, and James was immensely thankful she'd come out of the crowd, which was now buzzing with conversation.

"Then... Welcome to Berk, friend." The Chief lifted a hand and James took it, unreasonably pleased with the turn of events. Before he could step back, the man pulled him slightly closer. "And thank you for saving my daughter's life."

Daughter?! James looked back and forth between the two of them, and could have smacked himself for not having noticed it before. The same auburn hair, twinkling green eyes, not to mention the armor… She was the Chief's daughter. But he looked far too young to have a daughter her age! How old was she? James felt bewildered, and completely out of his element. He wasn't used to not knowing so much. Glancing over at Sahko, he realized he wasn't going to get much support there. The Skrill looked incredibly bored with the proceedings.

He looked back towards the girl. She was still standing at his side, and as the Chief stepped back and the crowd converged, she glanced up at him with a small smile. Once again he found the corners of his lips tugging upwards, and he was about to ask for her name when the back of his neck started tingling ever so slightly. Turning, he met the stormy gaze of a young man standing back in the crowd, staring him down with no small amount of hostility. Whoa… Quickly, James glanced back at the girl, but she hadn't noticed anything, and was now fielding curious questions from a bunch of people.

Looking back into the crowd, he realized the other man had vanished. Feeling more than a little uncomfortable, he followed the girl as she began to make her way through the crowd. "Come on, let's find somewhere quieter to talk," she said just loudly enough for him to hear. They broke free of the throng, everyone giving Sahko a wide berth as he followed behind them.

Suddenly they were intercepted by another black dragon, but this one appeared familiar to James. His wary blue eyes were trained on him, as though demanding an explanation.

"Shade, you remember Winter, right?" the girl was asking. So her dragon's name was Shade. Seemed… appropriate.

The dragon snorted, as if saying, How could I forget?

"Uh, hi, Shade," James said a bit awkwardly, hoping the dragon wasn't too suspicious of him.

Shade just gave him a careful once-over, before snorting again and moving to the girl's side. "Alright," she said. "Let's go. I have so many questions for you." She didn't sound like she suspected anything, but James had been dreading this part. The questions. He was used to not answering to anybody. Clearly he was going to have to become accustomed to it. All he had to do was remember what not to say.

They followed a path out of the village, winding up to a grassy spot at the edge of a cliff. James wasn't much one for beauty, but even he had to admire the view. The ocean stretched out to the horizon, gulls spiraling around the sea stacks offshore.

"So," the girl said, bringing him back to reality, and he turned to see her lowering herself to sit on the grass. Shade laid down behind her, and she scooted back to lean against his side. Sahko dropped unceremoniously to the ground, looking at James as if to say, Lean against me if you must. So he did, joining the rest of them on the ground.

"I've just realized that you don't know my name," she smiled at him, and he gave a soft laugh.

"Guilty."

"Well, I'm Aeri."

"Aeri… that's a nice name."

Her cheeks grew red and she looked down. "Thanks."

"It's fitting, really," he said, and she glanced back up at his face.

"What's fitting?"

"A beautiful name… for a beautiful girl."

Her eyes widened, and for a moment she just stared at him, her mouth partially open. Inwardly, James was berating himself. What is wrong with you?!

"I— thanks, I guess," she finally responded.

"I'm sorry. That was much too forward. Forgive my terrible social skills, they aren't what they used to be."

"Well, I imagine spending time with pirates doesn't much improve one's tact," she replied, and his heart began to pound. Relax. She doesn't know anything.

"No, not really."

For a minute neither of them said anything, until the silence became too much to bear.

"How did you—"

"How are you—"

They both stopped, then laughed. "You first," James said.

"How did you survive? I watched the mast fall on you. The ship sank. How did all this happen?" she waved a hand at him and the Skrill dozing off behind him.

"Well, when the mast came down, I dove through a hole on the deck. Managed to swim back out, was rescued by Sahko, then got out of there."

"But where did you get the armor, and the sword? And Sahko? How did you befriend the Skrill? Wasn't it attacking everyone?"

"The armor and sword were already on the ship," he said. "I had a good idea where they were, so it was just a matter of retrieving them. As for Sahko, here… we actually go way back."

Aeri looked incredulous. "You mean the pirates were holding both of you captive together? How did that happen? And what do you mean, you go 'way back'?"

James shifted uncomfortably. Aeri was clearly very intelligent, intelligent enough to ask the right questions. Or rather, the wrong questions, questions that could very quickly expose parts of his past he had no interest in sharing. He decided there was no harm in telling her pieces of the truth.

"Well, by 'way back' I mean about three years. It was sort of a chance encounter. I like to think fate sort of threw us together. We were each other's last hope." He couldn't help the fond smile that grew as he looked at Sahko's sleeping face.

"Skrills are some of the most dangerous and difficult to train dragons known to man. How did you do it?"

"I don't know. He was badly wounded. He's pretty much eternally grumpy, and doesn't generally do what I ask of him, so I'm not sure he's a trained dragon, but I guess he realized then that I wasn't a threat, and that I was being honest when I told him I could help him."

"And why did you help him?"

"I don't know the answer to that, either," James said truthfully. "Maybe I was too frightened. Maybe I felt sorry for him. Maybe I was just lonely, and he was someone to talk to. In any event, he didn't kill me, and I didn't kill him, so something of a bond developed out of that, I suppose."

"Where are you from? Were your people at peace with the dragons?"

"I come from an island that rests vaguely south of here. I'm not sure exactly where, because once I left, I never looked back. We had the occasional dragon raid, that's how my mother died. So no, not at peace with the dragons. Sahko is really the only dragon I've ever had experience with directly. I'd never seen people living side by side with them until now." A half-truth. He'd first witnessed the phenomenon back on Heimme, but he wasn't about to tell her how he had ended up there.

"Why did you leave your home?"

James grimaced. "It's not a very pretty story."

"I've been exposed to a few not-pretty things before," she said wryly, and he had to give her a rueful smile in return.

"I suppose you have. Very well, I'll tell you why I left, but you probably won't think the same of me afterwards."

"I hardly know what to think of you now."

"Fair enough. Well, you see… I guess I have to go back to the beginning. Which is something I haven't done in a long time," he said meaningfully. "Back where I was born, I was the blacksmith's son. And I made the mistake of falling in love with the Chief's daughter. A mistake, because I thought she loved me too. Until I found out she was to marry someone else. She promised me one last night, which I willingly partook in, before sneaking back to my house… Anyways. The next morning I was awoken by my father and two guards, who escorted me to the village square so that they could try me for the murder of my beloved's husband-to-be. The night before, someone had killed the man using tools from my father's forge. The only problem was, I had been with Ihana- that was her name- at the time the murder had been committed. That, and I was pretty scrawny back then, and my supposed victim was approximately twice my size. Basically, I didn't do it, but the Chief declared me guilty anyways, despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary. And my beloved Ihana said not a word in my defense. So…" James sighed heavily, before continuing. "So, I opted for banishment. I knew that there was no point in trying to fight back. I gathered a few possessions and a sword I could barely use and I walked off into the wilderness. A few months of meaningless wandering later I met Sahko, and everything changed."

Aeri didn't say anything, she just looked thoughtful. "What did you do after meeting Sahko?"

James told her about how he had earned the dragon's trust, how they had fought off the thugs who had come to hunt Sahko down. How Sahko had carried him to safety, and then away forever. "We flew straight, rarely encountering land, until finally we came upon Merirosvo. It's… well, it's not the most morally upright place in the world, but I made a home for myself there. Met a handful of people I could trust. Took up smithing, and did some… odd jobs to earn money."

"Wow. And you're from there? How did you run into Surmata?"

"That's… actually a story for another time, I think." Aeri looked disappointed, so he said, "Trust me. I promise I'll tell you someday, just not right now."

"Alright," she said in a resigned way. "I'll hold you to that."

"I wouldn't expect anything less," he said, somewhat saddened by that truth. Several minutes passed, and neither of them spoke, until Aeri turned and looked out at the setting sun.

"I guess we should get back to the village," she said softly. "I have some explaining to do, and I bet you and Sahko are hungry. We'll figure out a place where you can sleep, too—"

"No, that won't be necessary," James said quickly, and she shot him a strange look.

"Are you sure? The weather seems temperate now, but winter is fast approaching. You won't be able to sleep outside when the ground is covered in snow."

"We can figure that out when the time comes," he said firmly. "I'm not worried about the cold."

"You've never experienced Berk cold before, though," she persisted.

"I'll be fine, Aeri."

She sighed, one brow raised. "Fine. But we will be having this conversation again in a matter of weeks."

"I look forward to it," he said with just a touch of sarcasm, and her eyes widened. James, you idiot. Don't be a sarcastic jerk. Before he could apologize for being rude, she just laughed, and started getting to her feet.

"Alright, Winter. Come on, let's head back."

Nodding, he followed her back down the path, their dragons behind them. James was pretty much winging everything at this point, which was unusual for him. He always liked to have a plan, to know more than everyone else around him. But here? He was completely out of his element. He'd followed the ships from Heimme because he hadn't known what else to do. Would it have been wiser to go back to Merirosvo? Almost certainly. But three things kept him from returning to his old life.

The first thing, was that he had made a mistake. Well, mistake was a vast understatement, to say the least. He had almost singlehandedly brought about the destruction of an entire village, and the senseless slaughter of many of its people. Because he'd successfully been played by Surmata. But he couldn't lay all the blame on her, no, that would be unfair. All he'd had to do was say no. No to her schemes, no to her lies. He should have known better than to follow through with her plans, to give her what she wanted. But she had made it what he wanted. She had made Aeri seem like some barely attainable victory, something that would grant him fulfillment. As if Aeri was an object. As if she would ever willingly speak to him again or even let him live if she knew his part in the devastation of Heimme. How stupid he had been.

Because the second thing was Aeri herself. He had come here in part because wanted to see her again. Some unnamable force had drawn him back to her, something deep within him that he didn't understand. During the very brief time he had spent with her on that ship, she had changed him. She was the catalyst that shifted his entire life in a new direction. Of course, if not for Surmata, James never would have met the girl. Not that he was using that fact to justify his part in the entire mess, not even close. It was just an observation.

But lastly, and most chillingly, was what he had seen when he had surveyed the damage after the survivors had left their island. Or rather, what he hadn't seen.

The ship. The massive, black-sailed ship. Surmata's ship. It wasn't among the wreckage of the other pirate vessels that had capsized in the water. And James knew better than to believe that its absence meant that the pirate queen was gone for good. No, if Surmata was still alive, which he believed she was, she would return. And she would be angry. James intended to make sure that she would never hurt anyone else from Heimme, or bring her wrath down upon Berk. Upon Aeri, and Shade.

Those were the main reasons he gave himself and Sahko for their journey north. For the past week he'd been camping out on an island nearby, that happened to be crawling with wild dragons that were kept at bay only by Sahko's displeasure. He hadn't been able to summon the courage to approach Berk immediately, not wanting to arouse suspicion. If not for Sahko's impatience, they'd probably still be there. But that morning, he had been awoken by the insistent Skrill, grumbling and huffing at him to get his act together, and he'd known he couldn't wait any longer. So, he'd bathed, eaten a quick breakfast, and packed up his camp.

He knew he was placing himself in immeasurable risk by coming here. As soon as these people discovered his past, or his part in the destruction of Heimme, he would be at best driven away. At worst… well, a slow and painful death didn't sound terribly appetizing at the moment, though he no doubt deserved it. It wasn't an if. It was a when. When they found out.

But if Surmata was still out there, he couldn't just let her renew her search. He couldn't let her find this place, these dragons. James was very good at gauging situations with very little information and with very little time. From what he had seen of Berk already, they were a close-knit community, ready to fight for one of their own. He hoped it would never have to come to that.

He turned his focus back to the woman walking in front of him. He had an excellent view of her back, not that he was ogling her. (Although, admittedly, the bottom half of her armor left little to the imagination.) The breeze lifted strands of her long hair, the setting sun glinting orange on the auburn locks. As if she sensed his scrutiny, she turned sideways to glance back at him, giving him a small smile, which he returned.

"You know, it's going to be dark soon. Maybe you should sleep in the village, at least for tonight."

He opened his mouth to protest, but she lifted a hand to shush him. "By the time we've eaten— and you will be eating with us— the sun will be gone. How are you supposed to find a suitable campsite in the dark?"

"It's not like I've never been out at night before," he retorted.

"Please. In a dark forest? Where dragons and other wild creatures roam freely?"

"I think I am able to take care of myself," he said, gesturing at Sahko, who was walking at his side.

She rolled her eyes. "It would make me feel better if you stayed with us. There. I said it."

Oh. James felt like an ass. The last time they had parted ways, she had thought him dead. Of course she would want to keep an eye on him. That, and she had no way of knowing how capable he was of defending himself, even without Sahko's help.

He sighed. "Fine. I'll stay in the village tonight. But who would take me in on such late notice?"

Aeri gave him a funny look. "You'll stay with me."

It was his turn to give her a funny look. "Won't your family mind my presence?"

"Oh, I live with my grandmother. She's excellent company, although she's a terrible cook. No, it'll be just fine with you there."

"If you insist…"

"I do!" she said brightly, before facing forwards again and continuing down the sloping path, Shade padding along silently next to her. The four of them made their way back into the village in a companionable silence, each lost in their own thoughts. James was soon distracted by their surroundings, though. The bright colors, the architecture of the buildings, the dragons, the people… Even though the day was winding down, there was still plenty to see. Compared to the undignified, cramped streets of Merirosvo, Berk was a veritable paradise. And it didn't stink like sewage.

Passing people waved at Aeri, while casting him and Sahko curious glances. James was immediately able to tell who was from Berk, and who was from Heimme. For one thing, the Vikings were for the most part built more sturdily than their refugee counterparts. But the most telling difference were their clothes. The refugees appeared to be adorned with little more than rags, while the Vikings wore a great deal of fur and leather along with the regular materials of their garments.

He didn't have long to feel guilty about this, as they approached a grand stone staircase leading up to a set of massive doors set in the side of the mountain, flanked by enormous, torch-bearing statues.

"What… is this place?" he asked Aeri quietly as they ascended the steps.

"The Great Hall. You'll see in a moment. For now… Bud, will you take Sahko to get something to eat?" she addressed her dragon, who nodded, before turning away and heading back the way they had come. "Don't worry, they'll be waiting for us after dinner." With that she pushed open one of the enormous doors, allowing the sound of many voices in conversation to filter out into the open.

Sorry for the abrupt cutoff. This chapter was going to be very long if I didn't stop it there, and it also wouldn't have been finished on time. Anyways. What did you think?! I have a massive soft spot for James. He's such a wonderfully complex character with such potential! I hope you all grow to love him as much as I do. (Another reminder to read Silver if you have not.)

Anyways. Lots of love to you all, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. See you next week!