Forgiveness; the re-write

Chapter 22 - Revelations and regrets

The air was mild, the sun shining and sky clear. It was the perfect day for a long, long flight to Vanaheim. You geared up Shocker and waited outside for Heather and Astrid to accompany you. Heather would be paying her respects to her father alone while you and Astrid would wait for her and make sure you all made it safely back to The Edge.

Yourself and Astrid had never been to Vanaheim before, so you decided why not just take the plunge if everyone else already had. Dagur was edgey about you going, still sensitive about the situation with the lens and his father, but you'd reassured him that you'd be gone and back before he knew it. "I know you will, but please take care of Heather, my love? You know what she gets like when she's emotionally overwhelmed." Dagur asked you, clasping both of your hands in his as you gazed at him patiently.

He'd already asked you that multiple times that morning, mostly out of the need to hear you say that of course you would take care of Heather. You loved her like a sister, why would you let anything happen to her or Astrid for that matter?

"Dagur, as I've told you 5 times in the last hour, we'll all be fine. I'll watch out for Astrid and Heather and they'll do the same for me." You cooed, squeezing his hands and watching him as he sighed, looking at the floor and pursing his lips. "I'm sorry, I know you're probably sick of hearing me asking you this by now." He apologised, red dusting his cheeks. He wasn't exactly used to apologising just yet despite how much of it he'd done after reshaping himself.

You let out a laugh that had him immediately looking at you in almost offended confusion. "Dagur do notapologise! You're just worried, it's fine! Ask me as many times as you want, as long as it makes you feel better about everything that's fine by me." You told him earnestly, hearing the faint footsteps of Windshear and Stormfly walking out of the stables with the others next to them. Dagur however, was all too zoomed in on your face and how loud his heart was beating in his ears.

"I didn't actually think I could love you more, but here I am. Being proven wrong again." He admitted in an almost dreamlike state. You laughed again, shoving him away playfully as he gave his own laugh having snapped out of his daydream. "Ew, come on guys, get a room!" Snotlout heckled the two of you.

"How about you get a girlfriend?" You retorted, using a now very frequently used comeback by yourself and Astrid when Snotlout told either of you and your respective partners to 'get a room'. Snotlout did his usual huffing and puffing before just shouting back an "I will!!" and crossing his arms like a toddler having a tantrum. You saw he was barely keeping a straight face though, laughing again yourself as you kissed Dagur on the cheek, mounted Shocker and waved everyone goodbye as you flew off into the horizon.

Vanaheim was very peacefully uneventful. Thankfully, you weren't disturbed by Flyers or the like, so you and Astrid had some nice and quiet time with yourselves and your dragons while Heather said goodbye to Oswald and made her peace.

"It's been a while since we just kind of...hung out together you know? Just the two of us?" Astrid asked you as you both sat by a quiet lake, Shocker dozing in the sun and Stormfly quietly sat next to Astrid. "Yeah, you're right. With all the fighting we've been doing, it must have been what, a year since we could just sit and talk?" You asked her, clearly overexaggerating the amount of time it had actually been since you both had a good gossip session. Though it definitely felt like years now you thought of it.

You thought of all the years you'd known Astrid. Ever since you were little you'd both been good friends and sparring partners, both having a love of weaponry and fighting as well as keeping up with the adults. And now that had hardly changed, you were both now proud Dragon Riders and most definitely a couple of the fiercest and combat ready young Vikings out there. And after everything you'd both gone through together, especially after the war with the Berserkers and now with the Flyers and Hunters, both you and Astrid had been brought closer than ever.