Things start to get interesting!
In the months following Snoggletog, the weather began to warm up and improve, with snow and sleet becoming springtime rain.
By the time spring rolled around, I had overcome my flu illness and felt much more like myself. And day by day, I became more accustomed to New Berk and its community, which felt more welcoming to me. The stares were less and less frequent, turning into respectful nods and even kind smiles. Even the children would approach me, beaming. One little girl offered me a flower when flower beds began to bloom, one of the sweetest gestures, I wore that flower behind my ear until it became wilted.
One warm day, I was sitting in the main living area of the Haddock's house, snacking on some bread and honey while sewing up some old clothes I offered to fix. It was fairly quiet, save for the occasional sounds of birds outside. The curtains around the house were pulled back, allowing sunlight and fresh air to circulate around the rooms, a soft breeze sending a sweeter spring aroma through the air. It was quite lovely.
My fingers had become sore and tired from sewing, so I paused, leaning back on the couch that was near the large fireplace. My gaze shifted around the living area, taking in the little details of the house, my sight eventually landing on the tapestry hung over the fireplace. A tapestry of Hiccup's beloved Night Fury, Toothless.
I often wondered about the dragon. I had yet to see him in person, but based on the knowledge I had of him, he seemed like an incredible creature. Remarkably intelligent and powerful.
From outside the front door, I caught the sound of Hiccup and Astrid's voices, alongside two other voices I didn't recognize. Putting my sewing to the side, I quickly stood from the couch, brushing myself off.
The front door opened, revealing Hiccup and Astrid walking a couple inside. The other man had dark honey-colored hair with a short braided beard and two long scars on the left side of his head, and a similar eye color to Ana. The woman by his side had jet-black hair that was half up, and I spied several braids scattered throughout her hair. She had six moles on her face, she carried a long stick at her side, and her most striking feature were her eyes.
She was blind.
Her stick was briefly caught on a gap in the floorboard, causing her to swear in a language I didn't understand.
Hiccup then spied me in the living room.
"Ah, Laeli!" He greeted, "come, I want you to meet some friends." I made my way over, smiling at the guests, even though I knew the woman couldn't see me.
"Hello, nice to meet you," I said, slightly bowing my head out of respect.
"Who's this?" The woman questioned, her eyebrows knitting together as she focused on my voice.
"Zyrah, meet Laeli." Astrid began, "Laeli, Zyrah." Zyrah… the name sounded familiar.
Oh!
"You're the Night Fury rider!" I realized, grinning in pride at my memory.
"Well, you are correct on that!" The woman, Zyrah, affirmed, "bragging about my history, eh, Hiccup?" The mentioned just shook his head and rolled his eyes.
"No, actually… Ana made mention of you over the winter." I explained. Zyrah's mouth cracked into a smile. I'd only been given some insight into her history, mostly about her dragon-riding days and her beloved dragon, but that was about it; even with such a short introduction, I felt like I understood the type of person she was.
It was good timing for Zyrah and her husband, Konall's arrival. They'd just returned from a trip to the mainland, dropping off their youngest daughter with Zyrah's family.
Shortly after Zyrah and Konall arrived, Zephyr followed with a young man of our age at her side, and something told me the young man had to be Zyrah and Konall's son.
"Zephyr!" Zyrah greeted, pulled in a tight hug by Zephyr. "My son has been behaving?" She inquired playfully, quirking an eyebrow. She knew her son was there, he just rolled his eyes.
"He has, absolutely wonderful." The redhead drawled lovingly.
A short time following the two couples' arrival, I soon found myself surrounded by the company of the Haddocks, their family members, along with their closest friends. We were all seated in the main living area once more, as it seemed this was their main meeting area.
While I was seated next to Zephyr and Dustin near the hearth, I took notice of Hiccup conversing in hushed voices with Astrid and their friends. Hiccup made a quick glance at me in my direction, though I wasn't sure what for.
I leaned over to Zephyr and asked her what was up with her father.
"Oh, um. I think they're finally gonna tell you." She replied, her answer vague and unhelpful. Tell me what?
My attention drifted back to the chief as he emerged from what I believed to be his study, holding a few books in his arms. There was a serious feeling in the air as Hiccup set the books down and pulled out a large sheet of parchment from one. He then kneeled down and began to unfold the parchment on the floor in front of me.
My eyes scanned the parchment, noting the drawings of various islands, and I spied illustrations of dragons and various landmarks and other little sketches.
"Laeli." Hiccup began, his voice the most serious I'd ever heard it, "you have been on New Berk for nearly a year now, and I've come to the decision to fully let you in on the world myself and the others helped create." I raised an eyebrow, allowing him to continue, "you know about the dragons visiting us during Snoggletog," I nodded, very much aware, but I'd only seen Thundersong.
"But I think it's time to tell you the full story of why the dragons visit us, instead of live with us."
I was silent as Hiccup began telling the story of his friendship with his beloved Night Fury, Toothless, which changed their world. The 300-year-long war with dragons, came to an end when he and Toothless killed the Red Death. I was in awe of such an adventure. He had dared to challenge his tribe's traditions and beliefs to change their world and make it better.
It reminded me of my own mother, willing to go the extra mile to save our world from destruction.
Oddly poetic, in a way.
Hiccup passed the story along to his family, Astrid, Valka, and Gobber. And to his friends, Ana, Zyrah, Fishlegs, Ruffnut and Tuffnut, Snotlout, Minden, Eret, and Konall. They added their stories to Hiccup's, and they fondly recalled their short time with their dragons.
And I could see the impact of those bonds in their eyes, even in Zyrah's.
They discussed their adventures as teenagers before Zyrah, her brother, and Konall came into the picture. With mentions of Dagur the Deranged, his wife Queen Mala, and Dagur's sister Heather, the former and latter being children of a past chief.
And then there came the many people who stood as obstacles. Viggo and Ryker Grimborn, Trader "Traitor" Johann, Krogan, the Dragon Flyers, and Alvin the Treacherous, who had redeemed himself and was a trusted ally of the Berkians after a long-standing feud. It seemed that even after all these years, he was implied to still be living, though I was unsure.
Even though I was certain that the former Dragon Rider's children had likely heard their parent's stories dozens of times, I could see the sense of wonder and awe in their eyes. I mean, who could blame them? Their parents had helped change their world forever.
And then, came the serious discussion about the Hidden World. Hiccup began by saying it was believed to be a mariner's myth, about a great waterfall at the edge of the world; the ancestral home of all dragons. For some, I could believe that such a story was hard to believe, but I knew better, as did my mother and my family.
We had sailed the seas countless times, often witnessing the strange wonders of the deep sea. I've definitely seen things I cannot explain to this day.
Hiccup and Astrid were the first and likely only Vikings to ever venture into the Hidden World, and they proceeded to describe the marvel they saw. The bioluminescence, the plant life, and of course, the dragons that lived there. Just about every kind was an inhabitant. And the way they described it… it brought similar visuals to Lalotai, the realm of monsters that my mother and Maui visited all those years ago.
It seemed I must've made a face upon the mention of the Hidden World, as Hiccup turned to me.
"What's the face for?" He inquired. I caught myself and shrugged nonchalantly.
"Oh, pff, nothing…" I attempted. His eyebrow raise meant that he knew I knew something.
"Laeli?" With a sight, I gave them a brief explanation about Lalotai, and how the worlds struck me as very similar.
"I don't want to get too involved in that yet, please, continue your story!" I encouraged with an awkward grin.
After a brief pause, Hiccup then proceeded forward with his tale, which led into this whole spiel about the relationships of the dragons. Especially once Zyrah and her Night Fury came into the picture.
Hiccup and Zyrah's Night Furies, Toothless and Blueheart, were both initially believed to be the last of their kind. And then, after a whole debacle and a traumatizing incident with Zyrah's birth parents, the group discovered that there was one last Night Fury colony left. Which then led to Toothless and Blueheart becoming mates, and then having a hatchling of their own.
This led to their encounter with Grimmel the Grisly, who claimed to be the Night Fury killer; a title he claimed for himself, but he proved to not have enough knowledge of the very prey he sought to slaughter. And I did find that ironic, as it seemed the others did as well.
The conversation got deeper when Hiccup reached the point of having to let the dragons go after a massive battle that left deep physical and emotional scars. Toothless and Blueheart became the Alpha pair of the Hidden World, and had two more hatchlings following the war. I found dragon relationships to be kind of complicated, and I zoned out slightly. I did try to pay attention, but I didn't feel that it was necessary information for me to remember.