After a few rough weeks of hobbling on one foot, Ana determined my ankle was healed but could still swell once I started putting weight on it again. She instructed me to use herbs to reduce swelling and other pain. I thanked her profusely and was careful until I could fully use it again.

And much to my surprise, Eyarr remained helpful around the house. I kept telling him to stop, but he didn't give up.

"Take it as my way of apologizing for breaking your ankle." He told me.

"Alright, fine. I accept your apology." I had to say. His whole demeanor seemed to have changed after the sparring incident. He wasn't so… stiff, which is the right word. I couldn't quite place it, but he was slightly different but in a good way. Perhaps he was loosening up a bit. That didn't mean I wouldn't give him a hard time periodically to keep him on his toes. While I was happy he seemed to be adjusting, I didn't want him getting too comfy yet.

One night, I only thought about hearing Eyarr leave the house well before the sun rose. I frankly didn't care enough to chase him down and drag him back. Let him do what he wanted, I knew Hiccup would ensure he didn't get far anyway.

After waking up, I did some chores around the house, hung out with Zephyr, and helped around the village. After a long day, I made it home and was surprised that Eyarr still wasn't back. With a huff of annoyance, I made myself dinner and pulled out a book to read, stoking the fire occasionally. And I read myself to sleep.

Probably not much later, I heard the door creak open.

Alarmed, I bolted out of my seat and grabbed something to defend myself in my half-asleep state. Without hesitation, I hit whoever walked in.

"OW! HEY WAIT A MINUTE-" After a few thuds, I lit a candle only to see Eyarr on the ground. I groaned and rubbed my eyes, grabbing my dagger.

"What the hell are you doing?!" I shrieked. He grunted as he looked up at me in bewilderment.

"Well, I was going just to come back in and go to bed!"

"Eyarr! It's the middle of the night! Where the hell have you been all day?!"

"None of your business." I glared at him, pointing my dagger at his face. I was impressed I could take him down like that. This tower of a man…

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but currently, you're under my roof. And as long as you're staying here, I need to know where you're going during the day." He rolled his eyes.

"Going to find my dignity." He replied as he stood up, brushing off his tunic.

"What dignity?" I quipped, raising an eyebrow. He glared at me.

"Gods, when are you not going to make our situation difficult?" He demanded in a frustrated tone. I furrowed my eyebrows.

"I could ask you the same! You don't make this easy for anyone, especially me! And I think I've been pretty easygoing on you."

For once, he had no snarky remark to throw back. He didn't know what to say, and maybe he was too tired to think of something snippy, not that it mattered anyway. With a sigh, I put the candle down.

"Okay. Let's take a few steps back here." I pushed him to sit down.

"What will help you open up and understand that I want to help? What do I need to do?" He stared at me for a moment, and I stared back at him, taking in the details of his features. The way his eyebrows moved, his intense golden eyes… the little freckles that patterned his skin. His strong nose scrunched up a bit, and he scratched at his beard.

"I don't know… it's been a while, to say the least, since anyone was genuinely interested in being friends… or even helping me. I've had to help myself most of my life."

"Well then, help me help you. Please." I sighed deeply. Did I dare tell him? Seeing him struggle to adjust to trusting people… almost like me when I first came here. The only difference, the Berkians shared a culture and language with him. But at least one thing we have in common, we're outsiders. And had to show who we are to be trusted and accepted. I've made that accomplishment, and… I wanted to help him reach that, too.

"Eyarr, I, too, struggled to become comfortable here. It wasn't easy. I had to learn a language and adjust to new weather… new people. It was hard. You have the advantage of knowing their language and having cultural similarities. But one thing you and I share… being outsiders, I've already told you this. I don't know if that helps, but that's how I see it. And I want to share the comfort of having a home, a place to come back to." His eyes were wide when I finally looked at him again. But I held up my hand, I didn't need him to say anything else.

"I-..."

"It's fine if you don't feel the same, but I wanted to share what I've been able to piece together from the past couple of months you've been here." He didn't have anything to say, so I just got up and was about to go upstairs to bed. Walking past him, still in the chair, he gently grabbed my wrist. He straightened up in his seat.

"You're right."

"What?"

"You're right. I know I've been a pain in the ass. But there's a lot I'm not ready to share with people yet. I only told Dustin what he needed to know about me. He asked the same question."

"But… you're not going to tell me, are you?"

"Not tonight… but, I think, in time." The way he looked at me…

It would take time and patience with him. But luckily, I had a lot of the latter. However long it took for him to open up, I'd be there.

After a quiet lunch at home with myself as company, I decided a walk would be nice. A few minutes in, I walked past the path that led to the old dragon stables. I debated whether I should go check on him, I knew the two were there. I could hear Eyarr and his dragon a distance away. With my curiosity piqued, I turned and followed the path.

It was more of a trail at this point, overgrown and almost nonexistent from lack of use, even more so than when I first came down this way, but regardless, it wasn't difficult to follow. I saw enough bare earth to show me the way. Soon, I came across the familiar clearing where the stables were. There, Eyarr and his dragon were basking in the sun.

The dragon heard me approaching and lifted its head, snorting. Eyarr sat up and had a look of surprise to see me.

"Oh, hi, Laeli, wasn't expecting you to be here." I shrugged.

"I haven't been down that trail in a while. I wanted to see it again. It is quite nice here." The warm summer breeze rustled the rich emerald leaves of the trees and the tall grass around us. Soft rays of the sun shone through the canopy above us, casting a glittering play of light. The warmth eased me as I took a spot a few feet away from Eyarr. Without hesitation, his dragon extended his wing to shield me from the sun. Eyarr hmphed with a smile and leaned back against his dragon's side, crossing his arms across his abdomen.

"He likes you." I raised an eyebrow.

"He does?"

"Him doing that is his way of showing he trusts you." The dragon reached his head to me, his nostrils flaring. I looked at it hesitantly, slowly reaching out, anxious if it would bite my hand off or something worse.

"He won't bite. I promise. Let him come to you." Swallowing hard, I kept my hand out. The dragon watched me intensely before gently pressing his nose against my palm. For a moment, there was silence. Nothing but the sound of the breeze rustling through the grass and the occasional bird.

"Whoa…" I finally breathed out. The nose horn was rough under my palm, but the scales growing around it were surprisingly smooth. And there was a beautiful color shift of orange contrasting against the brilliant blue.

For the first time, I saw the dragon's sheer, raw power and beauty. I reminisced in the details of his body, covered with a brilliant deep blue, reminding me of the ocean's deep blue.

The crest of horns and spines around his head was a sight itself. And he had the most intense orange eyes that contrasted with the blue of his scales.

I had never appreciated it before, but sitting in the sun with Eyarr and his dragon gave me a new understanding. Cliffire was unlike any creature I'd ever seen. While not the first dragon I'd seen or formed an initial bond with, it was the first dragon I'd encountered more than once and was slowly getting to know. Hiccup and his friends and family had shown me illustrations and told me stories of their dragons, but I doubted I'd ever been able to see them in person.

But Cliffire was enough.

I think Eyarr saw me admiring his dragon.

"He's a beauty, isn't he?" I nodded slowly.

"He is. He's nothing like anything back home. I wish I could see more dragons." I wanted to tell Eyarr about the Hidden World since Hiccup entrusted me with the knowledge of that place. But it was now a matter of whether I could trust Eyarr. And what were the possibilities of him even knowing about it?

"Maybe sometime I could take you somewhere where I've seen dragons in the wild." I faced him with a perplexed but surprised look.

"What do you mean?"

"I've seen it with my own eyes. A massive waterfall in the middle of the ocean. Unlike any wonder, I've seen. The sound of the water cascading down into the earth was exhilarating. What I would give to go there again. I only went in once when Cliffire and I were bonding as dragon and rider. He took me there, and I met his family." I saw the wonder fill Eyarr's eyes, and it was beautiful. He had that same love and wonder of the unknown. But holy shit, Eyarr knew about the Hidden World.

He must've known what I saw in him.

"Maybe this is a lot to offer, but… we can go there. I can show you myself. I can show you everything I've seen. I know you've traveled far, and I wanna show you that. I know you would love it." I was astounded.

"You… you want me to travel with you?" He nodded sheepishly, shrugging and rubbing the back of his neck.

"I know I'm not an easy person to figure out, but I know that you have a traveling soul. I've heard you talk about your love of the sea and that you miss it. I've hardly found anyone who has that same love of seeing the world and learning what's out there. And despite everything… I've genuinely always loved going to new places."

"You've been paying attention?"

"Of course. I like to observe. That's how I've survived on my own."

"I feel like this is the first real conversation we've had where we're not arguing." He laughed a bit.

"Fault on my part." I shook my head a little bit.

"On both of us. Ana was right…" I saw him perk up at her name.

"What do you mean?" I gave him an awkward half-smile.

"Oh… well, uh, when she was setting my ankle after our spar… she talked to me about how to be a better friend." He shook his head in bewilderment.

"We have not been easy on each other."

"No. But I promise I'm fun!" I assured, "I swear. And there's a lot I can teach you."

"I can only imagine. You have a lot under your belt in sailing."

"Among other things… yes. But… you're completely right, I have a love of travel. It's in my blood. And it's something I intend to pass on to my children someday."

"That's a good goal to have. I don't think I have anything valuable to pass on." I raised an eyebrow. He wasn't serious…?

"Dragon knowledge? That's something I don't have!"

"I suppose you're right… But you mean it, you'd like to come with me?" He asked, circling back to his earlier question. I nodded.

"It's lonely not having the right person with you," I said, "I would love to. And I know exactly what waterfall you're talking about."

"You do?" He blinked in confusion, almost astonished I knew what he was talking about.

"Yes, because the first person to ever go there told me."

"Who?"

"The chief."