(COMPLETED) Melanie washes up on the shores Berk. When she wakes, the riders quickly realize that she's quite a handful to deal with. However, there's something about her that feels comfortable, even familiar, so she is easily taken in to the team.
...
"So," Snotlout began as the four walked, "this 'surprise' you and Hiccup were talking about..?"
Dagur grinned and held his chin up, "now, now, we're not supposed to be telling anyone yet."
"A surprise?" Melanie asked with excited eyes, "oh, I can't wait!" She threw a hand in the air to express her joy, but immediately regret it. She'd stretched her abdomin in a way it shouldn't have been stretching at the time, causing her to wince and yelp in pain.
"Careful!" Heather warned with a worried gaze. She stepped closer to her sister and put an arm under her shoulders in order to help her walk.
Melanie accepted the help with a weak grin and muttered, "thanks..I guess I'm not used to being this hurt. Usually I can just walk it off."
"Well, walking is the last thing you should be doing right now," Heather told her as they approached Gothi's hut.
Although she didn't want it to be true, Melanie knew that her older sister was right. They entered the hut to find a very frustrated looking healer waiting inside. Gothi had her arms crossed and eyes squinted at Melanie. As Heather and Snotlout helped the injured girl back to her bed, Melanie smiled brightly at the healer and explained awkwardly, "just wanted some fresh air; it smells like plants and wet sheep in here."
Dagur sniffed the air, an impressed look crossing his face as he realized how accurate Melanie's description was. He watched Gothi turned to Snotlout and shake her fist at him. "Wha--I didn't do anything!" Snotlout objected. But this only earned him a wack in the head from Gothi's staff.
He growled in pain and went to take his seat beside Melanie. Her smile was enough to cool his anger. "You stay here now, okay?" Snotlout demanded in a serious yet playful tone.
"Yes, sir," Melanie responded with a giggle. The four then continued to converse the rest of the day. When the sun began to set, Dagur and Heather left for their home. Snotlout stayed with Melanie until she fell asleep, then went back to his family's hut. He could finally sleep easy knowing that his love was safe.
• • •
Melanie was on Bones' neck, soaring swiftly through the sky. She laughed manicly as he swirled around to entertain them both. It had been a month since her incident, and her wounds were finally scars. "Faster!" She cried out with a giggle.
So Bones snorted in response and sped up. He was glad that his friend was finally able to fly with him again. He'd missed their adventures together. But as he grew tired, Bones eventually had to land. He dropped Melanie off by the arena then went to find a quiet place to sleep.
Melanie twirled once happily before entering the arena. Inside, Astrid was training with Snotlout and the twins. "Guess who's back!" She shouted with a wide grin, throwing her arms into the air.
"Melanie, hey!" Ruff greeted. She looked to the red-haired girl's bare stomach and exclaimed, "woah, gnarly scars." The three gashes had healed into thick, prominent, purple scars.
Tuffnut also raced over to greet his friend. He bend down slightly and poked at one of the puffed purple lines. "Cool! Those are never gonna go away," he observed with a grin.
"Hey, no touching," Snotlout yanked Tuff away from Melanie and gave him a hard glare. When he turned to Melanie again, his breath caught in his throat. She was wearing a completely different outfit than usual.
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Melanie wore a woolen top that stopped just under her ribs, along with a gray fur vest. Her black skirt was similar to Astrid's having studs along the waist. Dark gray-blue leggings fed down into her fur boots. Her wrist protecters also matched all of the other fur she wore. And along with her mother's necklace, Melanie accessorised with a silver dragon cuff around her left bicep.
"Woah," Tuff began, pulling Snotlout from his daze. The male twin peered into his face closely with squinted eyes and marvelled, "I don't think I've ever seen your face turn that color."
Melanie cocked her head and asked, "really? He looks like that a lot around me."
"W-what? No I don't," Snotlout shouted defensively, "I'm just..tired out, from training." He scratched the back of his neck nervously and adverted his eyes.
Melanie waltzed over to him and pecked his cheek. "How do you like it?" She wondered.
"Like what? O-oh," Snotlout internally facepalmed for not understanding at first. Giving Melanie a weak smile, he sighed, "it looks great, babe."
She slung her arm over his shoulders, which was difficult due to him being taller. "I want to show off my battle scars, like Dagur does," she explained with a wild smile, "but I also really like Heather's style with the dark colors."
Astrid shook her head and laughed lightly with her arms crossed, "you really look up to them."
"How could I not?" Melanie asked with wide eyes, "they're the best brother and sister I could ask for."
"Then you'll be happy to hear the big news," Hiccup's voice came from behind Melanie. She turned to find him walking inside, Dagur and Heather on either of his sides.
