The Soul of a Dragon

Chapter 9

Astrid

Feeling the wind mess with my hair helps me regain my sense of reality. Ever since Grimmel's visit, Hiccup's been restless. Correction, he's been restless before. But now he's come to the brilliant idea to take the entire village...and move it somewhere else.

He wants to flee.

And I wasn't raised to be a refugee. It's against my very nature. I stay and fight for the people I love, for my home. I don't run away.

I scoff and pinch the bridge of my nose. Stormfly senses my distress and coons softly.

"And after me storming out his hut, he even had the audacity to ask us to get his designs from the Dragon Edge!", my voice has turned into a vexed growl which upsets my dragon. I pet her reassuringly. "At least this grants us some quality time." Stormfly flaps her colourful wings in agreement, making me chuckle at her goofiness.

Right on cue, the Edge appears in front of us. The sunset casts a beautiful and delicate pink atmosphere around the island. It's been a while since the gang hung out here. I miss those times, where every day a new adventure would await us and it felt like we could conquer the entire world...

...or where Hiccup and I were a lot closer than we are now. He used to confide in me. I was his trustworthy and loyal friend and partner. Nowadays, he's too occupied with that rider and Grimmel. I understand his reasons and his need to keep his people safe, but his neglect stings, nevertheless.

Stormfly and I land on the big wooden platform, after which we make our way to Hiccup's hut. I just want to gather his things quickly and make a long detour home to enjoy the sunset above the clouds. I walk up the stairs but make a sudden halt.

The door is open. The tiny hairs on my neck tingle, letting me know there's something strange present. Or someone strange. The sunset is quickly transforming into dusk, thereby reducing the daylight entering the hut. Squinting my eyes to increase focus, I spot a person's silhouette standing in front of Hiccup's tail fin designs. The first thing I notice is long, wavy, dark brown hair falling gently down the person's shoulders, the locks reflecting even the last bit of light. The fact that this is probably a woman eases my nerves but I am still suspicious. She could be working for Grimmel or Thor knows who.

"Who are you?", I say flatly. The woman doesn't answer nor does she turn around. I take a deep breath to calm my anger, "If you're not going to answer, we're going to have some problems." This catches her attention. The woman slowly starts to face my direction, her breathing is shallow and rapid like that of a small bunny. She's scared, good.

A pair of dark, glistening eyes hesitantly make contact with mine. She opens her mouth and closes it again, clearly struggling to find the right words. Finally, she speaks, "I mean no harm." As if remembering something, she straightens her posture and continues with more certainty, "My dragon and I stumbled across this island a few days ago and I am simply exploring, nothing more."

I open my mouth to answer but I am interrupted by her adding, "I am not one of the dragon hunters." Something in the way the corners of her mouth drag down at the words "dragon hunters", and the way she spits out those words, tells me she's telling the truth.

"Where is your dragon, then?", is the only question I can come up with for now. I am known for keeping cool during unusual events but her presence has thrown me off. It's been a weird day already. I don't need this.

She clears her throat and points at the door, "Waiting for me outside with your dragon, I suppose."

"Your accent tells me you're not from here. So, what are you doing so far out north?", I relax more and more with every minute. I put down my axe, which I've taken hold of instinctively.