Following the arrival of the egg, life resumed on Berk as usual. Zyrah, Konall, and Rurik became acclimated to the new village, enjoying their time.
Additionally, Blueheart allowed Hiccup and Fishlegs to observe the egg, as long as they kept their hands off it, of course. She demonstrated how Night Furies cared for and incubated their eggs, a singular egg in this case.
She'd dug a shallow hole into the house extension's floor, breathed a gentle fire into it, then rolled the egg into the hole. Surrounded by Night Fury fire constantly.
"Fascinating! They must have a special temperature to keep the egg warm!" Fishlegs remarked.
"Gods, I just hope it doesn't explode like with Gronckle eggs."
"To be fair, Gronckles are the only of the Core 4 species that lay exploding eggs. Nadders, Nightmares, and Zipplebacks don't have that."
"Oh, that's true."
Elsewhere, Zyrah opted for the opportunity to explore Berk, even without Blueheart or her other usual companions. It was a chance for Blueheart to be a bit more acclimated to the feeling of being apart from her rider as she stepped into motherhood, given it would be time-consuming, and most of her attention would be mainly on her future hatchling.
As the raven-haired teen strolled around the village of Berk, she navigated her way through the ever-growing crowd of dragons. Little Terrors scampered around her feet or hovered just overhead like a Junebug. Baby Scuttleclaws squawking for attention, a pair of siblings rushing up to her, only for them to be chased by a burly man.
It was quite mesmerizing. Even though Firewind and Berk had many things in common, being dragon friendly and all, it was evident there were differences as well. Firewind was more of an outward-expanding village, the outskirts growing further into the wild forests of the small island. Contrarily, Berk seemed to expand skywards. Towering buildings and other structures were being constructed higher and higher till they kissed the sky.
It was like Berk wanted to become the sky.
That being said, she admired the adjustments the Berkians had made for their new companions and pets. Feeding stations were everywhere, as were variously sized perches, dragon washing stations as well, and even a contraption intended for fire prevention.
It was quite impressive. And sure, Firewind had beaten Berk in being dragon-friendly, but that wasn't to say it wasn't old-fashioned. Maybe she ought to mention to Kjarr about using technology to better their village.
Hm. A discussion for when she returned home.
As she took in the sights and sounds of Berk, she found her way to the forge, where she could see Gobber hard at work. There was no line at his window, so it was fair to assume it was a light work day.
As if he had a sixth sense, the aging blacksmith looked up and flipped back his protective face shield.
"Ah! Berk's finest guest! How're ye?" He enthusiastically greeted. Zyrah couldn't help but grin in response.
"I'm doing alright, thank you, Gobber."
"'Akin' a good stroll 'round the village?" She nodded.
"It's a lot to take in. Berk is surprisingly much busier than Firewind."
"That right? Fascinatin'. So, what brings you to me humble abode?" He inquired, scratching his braided mustache with his good hand.
Zyrah paused, it had really just been a casual stroll, but as she thought more, the weight of her twin swords on her back suddenly felt heavier. She could catch the scent of old blood reeking from the metal and cries of slain dragons echoing in her ears.
With an uncomfortable shiver down her spine, she wordlessly pulled the swords from their sheaths. She couldn't wield them like this. Not with the weight of their crimes, the countless souls of dragons waiting to be released. With a hitched breath, she laid them on a nearby table. Gobber watched her closely, observing the look of pain cross her features.
"What shall I do with 'em?" He gently inquired. He could tell those swords had meaning.
"Reforge them. Keep the hilts and handle… but change the blades." As she finished her request, she reached for a pouch of coins to offer, but he held his good hand up, denying the payment.
"No need." She slowly grazed the surface of Raghild's former sword once more as she departed from the forge, sending Gobber a pained but small grateful smile as she exited.
She couldn't figure out the feelings that churned violently within her stomach and head. It was supposed to feel liberating to melt those old blades, but… she couldn't find that feeling. Her hands felt jittery, so she attempted to wring them out, but it didn't seem to help much. She decided to go to the Great Hall would help.
As she made her way up the towering steps, she paused briefly to marvel at the statue of the late Chief Stoick. Hiccup had mentioned in passing that the statue had been different before Stoick's death and was recarved in his image to honor him. And having been in the Great Hall prior, she'd seen many tapestries and statues woven and carved in Stoick's image. It was evident he'd been a wonderful chief before his untimely death, and a feeling of missing someone she'd never met overcame her.
With a shaky sigh, she pushed her way inside through the gargantuan double doors. A few men and women nodded to acknowledge her presence, one of the women gesturing to a buffet table that was covered with roasted chicken, bread, fruit, and other foodstuffs.
She grabbed a small plate of food and sat at the far end where Hiccup's throne sat. Behind his throne was a massive tapestry of him and Toothless together over a background of brilliant red.
And so she sat there, quietly eating her meal, slowly tuning the buzz of the villagers in the background out. Every so often, the doors would open and close with people coming and going. It was a rather mundane kind of day… and that was okay for her.
Not aware of how much time had passed, she heard footsteps approach her.
"There you are!" Came Konall's voice. She whirled around to see her boyfriend rush over and bring her into a hug.
"Konall." She acknowledged. He took a seat next to her on the bench and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.
"Hey there, you seem a bit down. You doing alright?" She side-glanced him, tracing the cracks in the wooden table.
"I dunno how to explain it… I just… feel heavy. Like my heart feels heavy…"
"Do you know the reason why?" She slowly turned to face him, and with a heavy sigh, she explained what she did with Ragnhild and Einar's swords. Konall was silent until she finished, and he was understandably astonished.
"Wow… uh…"
"I don't really need praise or anything." She said, her eyebrows knitting together.
"Hey, I was just going to say that I know it was a difficult decision. But if you felt it was the right thing to do, then I support it. You know that." She pursed her lips together and gave a slight nod in response.
The couple sat there in relative silence for a few moments. Then Konall got an idea that he knew would cheer her up.
"C'mon." He said, taking her hand.
"Where're we going?" He wordlessly led her out of the call and called for Lightbolt, who landed in front of them almost immediately. He hoisted himself onto the saddle and held his hand for her.
"Let's go on a flight. Just for a bit." He offered with a knowing grin. He knew she would never turn down a moment to fly, even if it was without Blueheart.
And just as he expected, she took his hand and pulled herself up behind him on the saddle, wrapping her arms around his torso. Konall then patted Lightbolt on the neck, and the Skrill took off into the sky.
It'd been pretty clear for the majority of the day, with few clouds scattering the sky. Behind Konall, Zyrah took in a deep breath of the crisp cold air, letting it fill her lungs. As Lightbolt attained a higher altitude, he leveled out and passed through a large cloud.
With a small smile, Zyrah extended her arm to the cloud, allowing her hand to pass through, feeling a chill run up her arm. She pulled it back, her hand glistening with water droplets refracting in the sun.
The flight lasted for hours, extending well into the evening. As the day passed, more clouds accumulated, and the rays of the setting sun cast brilliant reds, oranges, and pinks, seemingly lighting the sky up.
Briefly, Konall glanced at her from over his shoulder, and then he shifted Lightbolt's direction further up, past the growing cloud cover, and once they broke through the blanket, the sky was then an inky black dotted with stars.
"Beautiful…" Zyrah said quietly, ignoring strands of her hair whipping in her face.
"I'd say so." Konall agreed, twisting his body to face her, and gave her a soft kiss on her lips.
"You are corny."
"But it cheered you up, didn't it?" She scoffed but nodded. It did cheer her up.
Happy that his rider and girlfriend were both in good moods, Lightbolt ruffled his back spines, sending an electrical charge down his back.
Later on, the pair made it back to Berk well after dark. They made their way up to the Haddock house, where Stormfly was waiting outside. She spied Lighboot and called out to him.
Upon the sound of the dragons communicating, the door flung open, and Hiccup ran outside, early greeting the couple.
"Oh my Thor, there you guys are!" He exclaimed.
"Hi, Hiccup!" Zyrah replied. As she was about to ask him what was up, he reached forward and grabbed her arm, yanking her inside the house.
"Whoa! Hiccup-" He practically dragged her into the back of the house where the Night Fury pair were. And Zyrah connected the dots before he even told her what was happening. Nearly tripping over her boots, she scrambled to the entrance just in time to see Blueheart and Toothless doting over the tiniest hatchling she'd ever seen. It was making a chirping-like sound as it cried for its parents.
In astonishment, Zyrah emitted a soft cry, keeping a safe distance from the new parents. Momentarily, Toothless glanced up upon hearing Zyrah, and he gave her a huge gummy grin. He gestured for his mate's rider to come over, as well as Hiccup to come to meet the newborn.
Blueheart gave her rider a lick on the cheek when she settled down beside her and nudged her hatchling to Zyrah to introduce them.
"Oh… my… gods…" Zyrah squeaked out. The hatchling was slightly longer than her entire arm. Its teal eyes had already opened but were slightly squinted due to being sensitive, even to dim light. And it had no teeth. At least not yet, but in time they'd come in.
"W-whu… when did this happen?" Zyrah managed to ask. Hiccup gave her a tiny grin.
"While you and Konall were out flying. It was incredible."
"Did it explode?"
"Nope, it actually hatched like a bird's egg. But the hatchling was steaming when it pulled itself out." The pair shared a soft chuckle at the visual. They were equally enamored with the hatchling, who was curious and very cuddly.
"So, is it male or female?" Came Astrid from the doorway, Ana and Konall right behind her. With the question in mind, Zyrah gently flipped the hatchling over and made her quick observation. Zyrah made the determination that it was a female and verbally affirmed so.
"What should we name her?" Hiccup got his turn to hold the female hatchling, lifting her up like a cat. Astrid watched him closely with a raised brow, hoping he'd choose wisely. She and the other riders would sometimes tease Hiccup for his naming skills, as they were often strange choices.
After a moment of thought, Hiccup came up with a suitable one.
"How does… Nightfire sound?" The others took quick glances at each other, processing the name, and then, all shared a nod of approval.
"I think it's perfect!" Ana beamed.
Blueheart and Toothless also approved of the rider's name for their daughter. However, she had her own dragon-given name; Virva.
After the riders left to give the new parents some time alone, Toothless helped settle his mate and new daughter. He couldn't believe that he was a father now, a proud father of a little girl.
He would do whatever it took to protect her.