Chapter 36: Misguided Travel
"Almost ready, Astrid?" Arkyn called as he secured the last of the supplies onto Stinger's saddle.
"Almost!" The girl replied. "Just a few more goodbyes."
"Ya know we're not leaving forever." Arkyn joked, walking over to where she stood.
It had only been a day, but even still news of their betrothal had spread like wildfire throughout Berk, not only because such occasions were quite rare in their own right, but also due to the high regard that the village now had for the dragon riders. The teens were becoming quite popular in the wake of their various missions, and their successful defense of the Screaming Death as well as the Flightmare only served to fuel this even more. Two of them getting together was all anybody could talk about, and to Arkyn and Astrid's surprise, a small crowd of Berkians had even gathered to see them off that day.
Of course their closest friends had managed to push their way to the front of the group, and Ruffnut waved the pair over just before they were planning on taking off. "Can't ditch me that easily, Hofferson!"
Astrid giggled. "I'll be back before you even realize I'm gone. I'm sure you can find someone else to hang with for just one evening."
Her best friend nodded. "I think the only solution is to take my sorrow to the boar pit. Have fun, you two. Try not to get yourselves killed before the dragon races."
"Wasn't planning on it." Said Arkyn, looking around at all of the villagers. He was quite overwhelmed with the turnout, even more so because Astrid obviously knew many more of the faces than he did. However, one face that he did know escaped his gaze no matter how much the boy tried to search for it. "Hiccup still isn't with you guys? I thought he would've recovered from the fish by now, at least."
"Things got bad last night." Snotlout covered for his cousin. "He'll be fine, but I knocked on his door earlier to see if he wanted to come along and the Chief said he was still sleeping."
"Sorry to hear…" Arkyn frowned. The only reason he could now take this trip was because Hiccup had taught him how to ride a dragon, but the opportunity to thank the Haddock for this help hadn't been available since last night. "Send my regards. I hope to see him on the starting line tomorrow."
"I'm sure he'll be back on his feet, er- foot for that." Snotlout reassured him, trying not to disclose either Hiccup's or his own true feelings towards the situation.
Despite her annoyance at Snotlout's wording, Astrid relaxed at this comment, but she too was feeling slightly bummed that Hiccup didn't make an appearance. She had a small idea of why this was the case, but believing just the information present on the surface was a lot easier than overthinking things. Nothing she'd done with Arkyn was ever meant to hurt Hiccup, but now Astrid was the one who found herself feeling hurt. Potentially losing Hiccup as a friend over something so silly was not what Astrid wanted, but it was her life, and Hiccup would have to learn to accept her choices on the off chance that they were, in fact, the reason he hadn't been showing up for her recently.
The girl tried to focus on the adventure ahead rather than the notion that Hiccup was avoiding her as she bid Tuffnut and Fishlegs farewell, eventually turning back to Arkyn. "I think I'm ready to get out of here now." She whispered, squeezing his hand.
"As you wish." He smiled, and with that, the couple waved to the remaining onlookers and moved to mount their respective dragons, who had been waiting patiently behind them.
"Alright, Stinger." Arkyn began. "Let's go flying." The Triplestryke leaned forward and slowly extended its massive wings, finally launching skyward with a series of powerful strokes. Stormfly was close behind, and after a long morning, the two teenagers found themselves airborne. They pointed themselves towards the ocean and climbed away from Berk, leaving the island in the distance as the faint cheers from the crowd faded into silence.
And suddenly there was peace.
Arkyn and Astrid now had nothing but their dragons and each other for company, and it couldn't have felt any better. In this moment they were free, rocketing across the open expanse before them aimed at the horizon, able to travel without bounds. It was as if the world was at their fingertips and they were out to see as much of it as possible. Their dreams seemed as big as the sky.
"It's nice to get away from all the noise, huh?" Arkyn spoke over the sound of rushing air. "I wasn't expecting all those people back there."
"That makes two of us." The girl answered, guiding her Nadder to fly just off of Stinger's wingtip. "I guess people are just excited. Personally I find it a little endearing."
"I suppose it is." The boy nodded hesitantly, looking out to where the sea met its end. He still wasn't fond of being in the public eye, but it was nice to know that people's initial reactions to his betrothal were positive rather than negative. The water reflected in the high midday sun and stretched on like a field of glass. An occasional sea stack, far away ship, and even a few wild dragons were the only things left populating their surroundings. "It's been too long since I've been able to just enjoy this." Arkyn thought aloud.
"Yeah…we've been pretty busy lately." Astrid's smile faltered. "I even overheard one of the villagers refer to us as 'The Defenders of Berk' earlier. I thought about arguing, but…" she trailed off.
"But it's kind of true?" Arkyn finished her sentence and the girl nodded, looking down. "Well…there are worse things to be called than that." He smiled warmly. "I know I've got a few nicknames I'd like to forget, at least…"
Astrid's smile returned, though only slightly. "You earned those nicknames, and I'll make sure you remember them."
"I'd expect nothing less." There was a slight pause before he spoke again. "No need to worry about a new title out here though…"
"Yeah, I get that. I've just been looking for something to take my mind off of it." The new title wasn't the only thing troubling Astrid in that instance, but it probably wasn't the best time to bother her partner with her suspicions about Hiccup's absence either.
Arkyn thought for a moment, appreciating their solitude. "How about a little stunt show?"
The girl's expression finally brightened once more. "It could be nice to let the dragons stretch their wings a little."
"My feelings exactly."
And at last the pair unleashed the gift of flight they'd both been given.
Arkyn and Astrid became lost in the wind trying to best each other's most daring maneuver. Flips, corkscrews, inversions, and dives came one after the other as the teens let go of their responsibilities and just let themselves be enveloped by the sky for once. They burst through clouds and soared higher than they'd ever been before. They hit the deck and buzzed the sea, dipping talons in the water and racing a pack of Scauldrons. They circled mountains, threaded the needle through forests, and kicked up sand on the beaches of various islands they passed as they went.
They lived.
In that moment they got to live the lives they'd dreamed about. In that moment they got to live the lives they deserved. In that moment they lived one life together, their souls intertwined in a graceful web of passion and destiny. In that moment they were infinite. Each of their movements was in harmony with the other's and nothing slowed them down. It was bliss.
After some time the thrill began to naturally subside, however, with Arkyn performing the last act as he flew upside-down overtop Astrid close enough to reach out and grab her hands in his. They glided along like this for only an instant, placing complete trust in their reptilian companions to remain steady as they locked eyes from their respective saddles, vastly different perspectives between them. It was a brief exchange, but they both felt as if it had been enough to make up for a lifetime of memories. Arkyn eventually separated from the girl, calmly moving to fly next to her once more now that tranquility had overtaken them.
"Flying is a lot more fun when nobody's watching." Astrid declared.
"Couldn't agree more." Arkyn smiled. "I don't think my tricks were quite as polished as yours though, which makes me extra glad that there are no lingering eyes looking to ridicule." There was a pause. "Feeling any better?"
"Oh, worlds better." She affirmed, her mind now trouble free.
A sense of relief fell over Arkyn. "I'm glad." He said simply, taking the opportunity to change subjects as the first signs of dusk appeared. "Fairly soon we should start thinking about picking a spot to get some rest."
But it would be a twisted fate that denied the boy rest that evening.
No sooner had these words left his mouth that Stinger squawked loudly and jerked suddenly to the right, pulling Arkyn off of his stable flight path and away from Astrid.
"Ok, I heard you, but whoa…where are you going?" Astrid called out, quickly moving to pursue the duo.
"I- I don't know… I didn't tell him to do that." Arkyn replied in a confused tone, uncertain of the reason for his dragon's sudden deviation. He soon noticed that the Triplestryke seemed to be in some sort of trance, following a sixth sense that none of the rest were aware of.
Astrid settled in beside Arkyn and his dragon once more, trying her best to stay as close as she could.
The Stryerson tried to get control of Stinger once more, but no amount of repeated commands or pulls on the creature's harness could break the dragon's focus. "Astrid, have you seen anything like this before?"
The girl thought for a moment, chills running down her spine as she landed on a memory. "Only once. It was the first time Toothless brought Hiccup and I to the dragons' nest. He acted just like that when the Red Death had power over him, but…we killed the Red Death months ago, and it affected every dragon in its range. Stormfly is still responding just fine."
"This isn't good." Arkyn said, frantically looking around at anything that might give a clue towards the strange behavior. He was suddenly hit with a strange wave of déjà vu, and things quickly began falling into place as they subsequently got far worse for him. Neither of them had been paying any attention to where they were going… "Astrid I…I think I'd like to go home now."
"Wait, what?" She raised an eyebrow. "We don't have to be back until tomorrow evening, and we haven't even figured out what's wrong with your dragon yet!"
"Yes…yes. I get all that." His voice had gotten much quieter and it was now infested with obvious hints of nervousness. There was something he wasn't telling her. "But I just…can't we just go home? Please? I'll make up our vacation to you some other day…"
Astrid's eyes softened as she realized something was seriously wrong. "Arkyn, what's going on?" She pleaded, almost begging for his trust in her. "What don't I know?"
This time Arkyn ignored her and redirected his efforts towards Stinger, much to the girl's disappointment. "Stinger? I need you to turn around."
"Arkyn, you need to tell me what's happening or I can't do anything to hel-"
"Stinger!" Arkyn got louder again. "We can't be out here anymore! Turn around!" He began tugging on his harness as hard as he could. The leather straps in his hands creaked under the strain, but still his dragon wouldn't budge. The boy was at the brink of a full on panic attack.
"What do you mean we can't be here? Where's 'here'?!"
"STINGER GODDAMMIT TURN AROUND!" The boy practically screamed at his companion but it was no use. The dragon was now beginning to descend on a small patch of land in the open sea. Astrid fell silent at the outburst but continued to follow close behind.
In no time at all Stinger had touched down, and Astrid quickly landed Stormfly nearby on the rocky surface. Arkyn dismounted in a fury as soon as he was on the ground and snapped his gloved fingers rather close to the dragon's left eye, making the Triplestryke flinch with a small whimper. "What the fuck did I tell you?" He whispered, seething with anger.
Astrid looked on, taking slow steps towards the other two. She was quick to notice the wetness forming at the corners of her partner's eyes. It was something she'd seen only once before. "Arkyn…?" She spoke softly, a little frightened and still unsure of their current whereabouts or safety. "Where are we…?"
The boy backed away from the scaly creature before him and slowly turned his head to face Astrid, staring at her with a sickening expression that she would come to remember for the rest of her life.
He uttered but a single word that fell from his lips between raspy, irregular breaths as he held onto his last shreds of composure.
"Nomanisan."