She looked over her shoulder briefly to see him smiling, full of disbelief and pride. It felt good to have someone proud of her. Before he could notice her seeing him, she turned around and waited for him to come up from behind her. When he did, he scoffed and blew his hair out of his face, trying to act unfazed by her skill.
"Eh, I could do better." She laughed, and he broke character, doubling over with her as the wind whipped through their hair, calming and serene.
It felt good to laugh together. It felt good to have someone be proud of her. But most importantly, it felt amazing to be in love, and to have someone that loved her back, then, and forever.
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The Nadder blinked slowly, then laid its head down, surrendering under HIccup's hand. It seemed afraid, as if it was waiting to be hurt by Hiccup, and to just get it over with. He then kneeled down by the dragon, and put his head and hands down by it. I'm not gonna hurt you.
The dragon's head popped up, surprised by HIccup's submission.
"I'm not gonna hurt you buddy." Hiccup looked up to the dragon, still on his knees as it began to sniff him, carefully. "Yea, see? I'm nothing like them. I won't do a thing."
"Umm, Hiccup?" Hiccup sighed, turning to look at Sven while scratching the Nadder under its chin.
"Yes?"
"The dragon fight, it just ended." Hiccup sprang up from underneath the suddenly playful dragon, running to the gate to peer out at the two competitors. The razoring had a slightly unnaturally bent wing, and a very red looking eye, while the monstrous nightmare lay on the ground on the far side of the ring, still breathing, but very faintly.
"We'll have to hurry up then." Hiccup ran back over to the dragon as the announcer began to dismiss the crowds and run over stats, as the two dragons where dragged back into their little prison rooms, limp and unable to fight back. He quickly cut through the metal chaining up the dragon using the inferno, with Sven peeking underneath the door every once in a while to make sure they were safe. As the dragon sprang away, looking under weight but still excited to be free, Hiccup held out his hand to Sven.
"W- What?"
"I want this dragon to be yours."
"But I didn't train him.."
"That's ok. I trained every single one of my other friends' dragons at home, and they all are more connected to them than I ever could be." Sven looked panicked for a moment, looking back and forth between the dragon and Hiccup.
"H- Hiccup, I-"
"You won't be used to him at first, but trust me.. You guys seem perfect for each other." And Hiccup wasn't lying. He felt as if the dragon should belong to the boy, and that they would get along well.
"Umm.. A- Alright!" He reached out his hand gingerly towards the dragon, which ran over to him to nuzzle his cheek immediately. "I'm gonna name you..." He contemplated for a moment before blurting out, "Stormy!" Hiccup chuckled. He and Astrid were gonna get along just fine.
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The night winds stung his freezing cheeks as they breezed through the stadium like area, picking up the remaining trash from the deserted stands like a whisper, ghostly and ethereal, blowing through, and then disappearing as if it had never been there.
The moon illuminated the young man clambering up the smooth walls to reach the chains surrounding the fighting arena, Inferno sparking as flame whipped from the shaft, crawling up the weapon as it sliced quickly through the thin metal, sending sparks that drifted off into the silent night, accompanied only by the winds, calm ocean, and the moon.
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After the guards had taken the weak dragons to the shipping dock, including Stormy, accompanied by a very sneaky Sven, Hiccup set the rest of the dragons free. He watched blissfully as some flew out immediately, and others assisted the ones who could no longer fly, pushing them out of the hole in the chains or crawling out slowly with them, and still others slipping into the ocean, some of the dragons' natural habitats.
After the last of them were gone, Hiccup raced down the pathway towards the dock, pulling down his mask and speeding towards the boats, dragging along his temporary dragon while doing so.
Just as the ropes were being untied, his voice rang out through the silence.
"Wait!" The guards looked up suddenly, as two came up from behind, weapons pointed at his back. "Hey, guys, I'm one of you! Come on, you can't even remember one of your own members? You guys drink too much." He chuckled easily, pulling off his mask and ruffling his hair in hopes that the darkness could shadow his face enough to get away with it. "I'm bringing a new dragon, Bludvic sent me last second." The guards looked at each other, mumbling softly before one of them turned back to him.
"The dragon looks pretty healthy to me.. And who's Bludvic?" It then hit him that these weren't Bludvic's guards, they wouldn't recognize him or know his story. He grinned, realizing a perfect opportunity for some fun.
"Oh, he's the dude that sells you guys dragons, I'm sure you wouldn't know him. But..." He put one hand on the back of his head, biting his lip as he looked up at the moon, lighting his whole face while doing so. Time to test his little theory. Seeing that none of the guards recognized him, he continued, "I'm not supposed to say this, but he is royalty, and I am his one and only heir." He stood up straighter, trying not to smirk at their mixed expressions.
"How do we know you're not lying, eh?" One of the guards jabbed at him from behind, a scowl set on his face.
"I am the dragon master, of all seas and across our lands." He whipped back to them, a determined look defying all the doubters. "Anyone who doubts me can come and test me, but I am sure none of you have power over dragons like I do." He heard a little giggle coming from underneath the boat, probably unheard by the guards, but undistinguishable by him from Sven.
"Alright." A guard stepped forward, off of the boat towards him. "Your majesty." He bowed mockingly, motioning at the same time for his fellow guards to bring a dragon out from the bottom of the boat. "I'll try an' tame it, and if I can't an' ye can, you can come. If not, yer stinkin Bludvic can shove the lies up 'is fat patootie." The guards behind him chuckled as he stepped forward, taking the very scared looking Skrill by the reigns and tugging it towards it him, staring the limping and very broken looking dragon in the eye. The dragon took no time to whimper and look down, obviously scared and unable to fight. As it laid down in defeat, the guard pumped his fist into the air, yelling, "Alright! Now how about ye, oh great 'dragon master.'" Hiccup ignored their jeers and laughter as he walked to the exhausted and shaking dragon.
Crouching down next to it, Hiccup looked into the dragon's eye, searching as the guards quieted and waited for something to happen. It was filled with fear, dread, tiredness, but also, defeat. The dragon had given up a long time ago, and wasn't expecting anything new from Hiccup. He wanted to change that.
"Hey.." He stuck out his hand gently, and the dragon winced and pulled its head away, shutting its eyes as if expecting a blow to come. He sighed, and rested his hand gently on the dragon's snout. Its eyes shot open, darting down to where his hand lay, then shooting up his arm to look at the kind and forgiving face. The dragon blinked for a few moments, then closed its eyes and returned the gesture, pressing its head against Hiccup in response. He laughed slightly, then stood slowly, the dragon following him.
For a few moments, the guards were quiet, unsure what to say. Then, Hiccup whispered to the dragon, and, giving its last efforts, it shot into the sky, revealing crackles and shots of what seemed like fireworks of lighting, streaking and exploding across the night sky. The men erupted into cheers, laughing and patting 'Dragon Master Hiccup' on the back as they escorted him and the dragon onto the ship.
It was a good day to be royal.
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As I shook the last guard's hand, nodding to him before heading off with Stormy and Sven behind me, I felt a slight pang. Even though what they were doing wasn't so great, they didn't realize, and some of them were great men that I had gotten close to over the two day trip, getting to hear some of their stories and learn about them.
There was Robert, no last name he insists, the one that went against me in taming the dragon. He was cool about it, and told me of his days growing up on a small island with his father, who taught him how to fight and write well. A brilliant mind, his father passed only two years ago, and he turned to dragon smuggling as a buffer, but really dreams to become a fighting trainer or a lawyer at Arendelle, known for their scandal a few years ago and brilliant political minds.
Then, there was Skullcrusher, a nickname granted to him through his wrestling as a teen that reminded me of my dad's dragon, which is now in possession of my good friend, Eret. He had grown up with both parents in a quiet village that suddenly gained popularity because of his natural and impressive strength. He moved away from his mother and father at just fifteen, and went broke within a year, immediately regretting leaving his kind and forgiving parents. He said there was never a day he didn't think about them and hope for their well being.
And, finally, Squiggle. A weird name, but he was a tall and thin man, almost scary in appearance and very gruff, exactly the opposite of his childish name. Even though he kept to himself and was very quiet most of the time, when he did talk, it always made us laugh. Rumor on the ship was that he was abused as a child and was kicked out at just eleven, but I'll only believe it when he tells the story.
I had told them about my story, leaving out a few bits about releasing their dragons, but they had understood, and let Sven and Stormy out. They were pretty impressed with my escape, but I didn't think it was that big of a deal.
As we turned the corner through the small marketplace towards the 'dragon zoo', I began to take notice of our surroundings.
The dock led into a large structure of blue tinted stone that crept up and around, seeming to be floating over the viking infested walkways that winded underneath, heading towards large holes resembling doorways that let sharp rays of light cut through, making the strange rock seem to glow a slight minty color, something Astrid would love.
Squiggle and Skull had given me specific directions, 'the third huge hole to the right is to the dragon zoo. Don't worry, they treat the dragons very well, no need to rescue them. They'll be happy there. Even though we're not allowed to, we always make sure of it. Otherwise, they'd probably all be dead by next week!' Squiggle and Skull had given their deep, throaty laughs at this, and I attempted to laugh as well. At least the dragons were safe.
"Hiccup!" I was jerked back into reality by Sven's whiny voice. "It's over there." I smiled at him apologetically, then turned around and headed for the huge hole, in which I hoped my dragon would be.
Once inside, a cool breeze rushed through my hair, as we walked into a blue tinted cavern stretching high up, holes in the ceiling providing soft light that illuminated the extremely rare dragons. I was shocked to see what they had there, some of which I thought were extinct. I was glad to see though, that the dragons looked happy and healthy, and some children were even asking for money to buy some fish to feed the dragons.
Down at the end of the cavern, I could see a crowd of people, clamoring to get closer to the clear wall staying between them and the display. I began to rush over, murmuring to an awestruck Sven that he could stay behind and look at whatever he wanted. I don't think he heard me.
As I began to be slowed down by the thickening of vikings, I looked up to see a sign reading, Night Fury. My breath caught and my heart began to pound in my ears as I pushed my way through the crowd, finally pushing myself up against what I heard some people calling 'glass'.
At first I didn't see him. Inside was some room, a mini habitat with a little waterfall and a few large trees. It stretched about 14 yards either way, and looked very natural, with grass and a few flowers poking out here and there. My eyes darted around the tank like room, searching for a sign of my dragon.
Then, out of the corner of my eye, I see a dark shadow, hanging from one of the trees. A flash of red. As I look closer furrowing my brow, I see it again, more clearly now. Toothless' tail swings out from behind the tree, lazily moving back and forth. Nobody else in the crowd notices, but I do.
My eye shoots up to the branches, where Toothless is nestled in the branches, one green eye blending with the leaves and scanning the crowd. I can't see the other eye. He hasn't seen me yet, so I pound against the glass, jumping around waving my arms like crazy to get his attention, getting myself some elbows and rude complaints, but I don't care.
MY DRAGON, MY DRAGON, MY DRAGON, I FOUND MY DRAGON, THAT'S MY TOOTHLESS!!
His one eye shoots over to rest on me, then it widens suddenly, as he loses his balance, falling out of the tree with a crash, causing the crowd to gasp and many children to start screaming in delight or fear.
He sticks his head up, tongue hanging out lazily as he bounds over to me, one eye still closed. He presses his nose against the glass, breathing heavily and causing it to fog up. I laugh, and he does too.
MY TOOTHLESS!!! THAT'S MY BEST FRIEND, MY BEST FRIEEEEEEEEEEND!!
Most of the crowd is running away, dragging whiny kids along with them, most likely shocked by Toothless, and afraid he might break the glass. But I know he won't.
My hand and forehead are pressed up against the glass, lining up with his forehead and paw. We're both breathing heavily, so close, yet so far. A little bubble of people are crowded around, me in the center with Toothless and some free space between me and the very curious crowd.
Some kids are making noise, most of the adults are murmuring, talking about us, but I don't care. I found him, he's here, I'm here, we're both here.
"Hey, you, whaddya doin?" I turn around, fresh tears springing to my eyes that I didn't realize were there until now, to face a stocky looking man with a furrowed brow.
"T- This is my dragon. H- He's been taken from me, I've been searching for so, so long, and now.." I turn back to Toothless, sheer joy pulsing throughout me. "I've found him." The guard grumbles, shaking his head.
"Yeah, sure, sure." I frown, not understanding. Does he not believe me?
"I'm sorry sir, but he's my dragon." I look back to Toothless, who's one eye is opened wide and he's smiling, wagging his tail and trying to understand what's going on. "You don't believe me?" He sighs, shaking his head again.
"You can't just waltz in here and take our best attraction. We only have one more Night Fury, and she's the last of her kind other than this one." My breath catches. Another Night Fury? He ignores this, continuing. "We're the only ones in the world with Night Furies, you can't take one."
"You're right." I sigh, turning back to Toothless to briefly wink, nodding slightly. "We can't take one." I grin, throwing my hands into the air. "We'll take both!" I laugh as Toothless blasts the glass, causing the crowd to scream and glowing purple shards to fly everywhere. He leaps out, a little uncoordinated because of his closed eye, swooping underneath me to scoop me into the saddle. The guard and crowd falls back as Toothless hovers in the air, me laughing as he nuzzles me softly.
"Sven, we gotta go!" The guard leaps forward, grabbing Toothless' tail and yanking him down.
"No! You can't take Shadow! Or Nightwing!" I simply laugh as Toothless flicks his tail, sending the man flying into the crowd.
"Who the hell is Shadow? Sounds stupid to me! His name is Toothless!" I then lean close to a very giddy and excited Toothless, whispering into his ear. "Alright bud, show me where Nightwing is." He swoops around, back into the mini habitat and turning a corner to a mini cave embedded in the wall.
Everyone is too afraid to follow us in, so Toothless and I step inside gingerly. What I see inside literally takes my breath away. A slender and dark dragon, with piercing blue eyes, like Astrid's. She's curled up on the ground, watching me from a safe distance.
She's much leaner than Toothless, much less built, but still strong. Her face is more angular and soft, like a woman's compared to a man's. She watches me from behind sharp black lashes that rest on wide eyes, embedded into an extremely dark and beautiful skin. For a few moments I can't breathe, and we both just stay there, watching each other.
She then rises from her position on the ground, and, still watching me, she walks over to Toothless, and nuzzles his cheek. They then both walk outside of the cave to take off together. But, just before they do, she turns back to me, blue eyes watching, searching me.
She's beautiful. And she reminds me of Astrid. Her blue eyes and beautiful figure, perfect in every way, and then Toothless, my green eyes and missing tail.
I can't believe it. Another Night Fury.
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*mic drop*
HAHAHHA!!!! ANOTHER NIGHT FURY!! Did you guys like the twist? Lol, yes you did.
Over 3000 words again, I'm sorry, these chapters are probably so boring to read, they're way too long 😒 But whatever, I hope u guys liked it and BUHBYE!
~Emmathepug