Wings of Gold

Ch. 7 - Perspective

          The others were searching the cargo more thoroughly, while I found myself wondering over to the place the arrow stuck in the wall. I examined the placement, searching with my eyes for anything important on the walls. I felt a presence behind me and immediately knew it was Viggo. As I slightly tensed up he gently wrapped an arm around my shoulders. When he spoke, his eyes didn't try to meet mine, he simply scanned the wall with me. 

          "I'm sorry for saying that before," he began. "I didn't intend for it to come out that way." I exhaled shortly, thinking of what to say. "Viggo, all I care about is that you don't see me as incapable, I've scuffled with dangerous people just as much as you." I said this while running my hands on the wall, pushing to feel for any hidden traps like the one Hiccup had stepped on before. "You're anything but incapable," Viggo shook slightly with a contained laugh. "You're probably the most capable person I know, and I believe I've met myself." He stepped forward to assist in feeling along the planks of strong wood. "When I looked at it from a different perspective, your perspective, I realized how saying that could make it sound like I didn't think you were," he said, then added, "capable, that is." I froze, then looked at him as I felt my face brighten. "That's it!"

          "What is it?" He asked, tilting his head at me. "A different perspective," I clarified, though it clearly didn't help him much. "We're looking in the wrong area!" I pointed at the other wall of the ship, where the arrow presumably came from. His face lightened as well as we hurried to the other side of the room.

           I began searching the wall, then realized Viggo wasn't assisting. "Are you just gonna sit there and watch, or?" I said sarcastically over my shoulder, then went back to searching. I quickly found the hole in the wall where the arrow shot from, and in the very back of the hole I peered into, was a glistening object. "Hiccup, you've got to see this!" I shouted, smiling as I stepped back. Viggo peaked into the hole too as Hiccup hurried over. "It must be a lens!" I was practically jumping around the cabin of the ship, I was ecstatic. Hiccup finally took his turn looking in and examining the object. "Likely, but how are we supposed to get it out?" Hiccup pondered out loud as he continued staring at the lens, wedged in the back of the hole in the planks. As I began brainstorming, a loud thud came from Viggo's clenched fist I watched land hard against the wall near the hole. Hiccup's head was a mere three inches from where Viggo's fist landed. He jumped back and Toothless quickly came to his guard, growling at Viggo. Viggo showed no expression of fear as the lens fell out of the wall and onto the floor with a gentle tink sound.

         Hiccup was staring at Viggo's smug face with smoldering arrogance, and Viggo returned his anger with a small, content smile. I ignored their rivalry, picking up the lens in a hurry. I held it up for the other riders, who had gathered around us by now, to see. Ooo's and ahh's echoed around the dim cabin.

         "I wonder what dragon this one will tell us about!" Fishlegs enthused as we all were leaving the space below deck, closely inspecting the lens now in his hands. I squinted and blinked as my eyes adjusted to the bright light of the day. Above deck, we all gathered and chatted about the new lens. Astrid punched my shoulder playfully, "Good thinking, y/n, even Hiccup wouldn't have thought of that!" She said this with a teasing look at Hiccup. I knew she was just playing it up, Hiccup would've figured that out without the help of a dragon hunting mastermind over his shoulder. "Viggo got the wheels turning," I laughed, nudging him with my elbow. He nudged me in return, accidentally catching me off my balance and making me fall into Astrid's arms.

          "Careful Y/N!" Astrid laughed, catching me easily. I've always admired how strong and resilient Astrid is. I found myself laughing so hard I could barely stand back up on my own. I managed to gain my feet, and passed the lens to Hiccup. "What could be on it?" I asked, watching intently as he turned the lens over in his hands. "There's only one way to find out..." He closed his hand around the lens and looked around at the other riders. "We aren't going back to Berk." He announced, and everyone stayed quiet.

          Recently, the dragon riders decided to retire in a way, retire Dragon's Edge and return to Berk. The Dragon Eye and Hiccups recreation of it were already destroyed to signify to end of this era of our lives. But this, this new lens we never knew about is bringing a new perspective. A new reason to keep going. My heart began beating in my chest, the excitement of our days of endless adventure aren't over.

         I couldn't resist the smile that lit up my own face, and as I looked around at the others, I realized this didn't just relieve me. Snotlout jumping, raising a victorious fist into the air. "The Dragon Rider's aren't over yet!" He shouted triumphantly, and everyone else raised their fists and voices.

          As I looked around at this group of people I've spent the last year with, I felt a renewed spark of liveliness. We aren't leaving. We aren't done. We have more time to enjoy the good old days while we're still in them.