Dimidius

➌ A Night Flight and Astrid

It had been a long day of dragon training at the academy and the stars were particularly bright. I climbed up to the roof and Gobber, knowing my routine, told me to stay safe and be back within an hour.

I was going for a short flight over Berk.

Nothing felt better than putting my wings to good use. The wind brushing through my hair and the rush of soaring through the clouds made flying absolutely incredible. It came rather naturally, and I've known how to fly since I could walk.

I made sure everyone in the village was fast asleep, before taking my coat off. I left it on the roof and stretched out my wings. Taking a deep breath, I beat my wings hard and shot straight up into the night sky.

The view from above was stunning. You could see the fireplaces burning in everyone's homes, and the constellations shining down on the whole village. The silence was serene and calming. I loved being up here. It wasn't tiring to glide around, and it was a great time for me to think.

I thought about new friends. About how I want to lead my life. About troubles I'll face. About whether I should ever tell anyone about my secret. About what I would do if anyone found out. Now that I'm at dragon training and getting to know so many more people, these questions have become more crucial than ever. It made me realise how isolated I've been, growing up, yet how sheltered I am. I knew it was all for my own good but it was time for me to make my own decisions in life and I didn't know how. It was a lot to think about but time did not stand still to wait till I had answers to them all. An hour passed and it was time for me to get back home so I descended onto the roof, picked up my coat and went back inside. Gobber was already fast asleep, probably tired from a long day. Training, running the armoury and Stoick's second-in-command are just a few of Gobber's roles and it puzzles me how he juggles it all.

The next day, I got up before sunrise and decided to pay Astrid a visit. She gets up really early to train on her own, I really admire her determination and it's no wonder she's one of the strongest fighters on Berk. She's really pretty too, though everyone knows better than to let that fool you into thinking she's ladylike.

I walked up to her house and found her feeding Stormfly.

"Hey Astrid!" I called out to her and waved.

"Oh hey Ellie," She turns to face me, "What brings you here?"

"Nothing much, really. I just thought I should get to know more people at dragon training and get some tips too."

She raised an eyebrow, "Tips? Don't you stay with Gobber?"

"Yeah but he won't let me in on any tricks. He says it'll be unfair."

"I see..." She feeds Stormfly the rest of the carrot and picks up her coat, "Well I guess we can chat along the way to the academy." She dropped off her empty bucket back inside her house and grabbed her axe.

"So why did you only decide to join dragon training now?"

"I was never any good with socialising and I prefered to stay as far away from people as possible. That has changed, though, I guess Gobber's convinced me that it's good to try and make some friends. Dragons can be friends too."

"Yeah. So... Don't mind if I ask, but if you stay with Gobber then what about your parents?"

I looked down, trying not to make eye contact as I replied, "I don't know who my parents are, to be honest. Gobber adopted me way before I could remember."

"Oh... I'm sorry." She sounded apologetic, afraid the topic might've been sensitive.

"No, it's fine. I'm sure good friends can easily make up for that void."

She smiled at me and I smiled back. I knew I should try befriending as many people as possible. Except for Snotlout, that guy's a gone case.

We reached the academy and went inside. I was making friends and it helped make dragon training a lot more enjoyable. In fact, I don't think I'll ever get tired of dragon training.

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|Author's Note|

Hey guys! I've been updating a lot because I do see people enjoying the story which really does push me to put as much effort as I can into this. But do continue to give me your honest opinions and vote so I know if you want to see more, thank you! :)