The Soul of a Dragon

Chapter 15

Another random Viking

"Mr. Grimmel, Sir." I try to keep up with Caelan as he runs up the hill to Mr. Grimmel's large and luxurious house. The guards in front of his house nod and let us in. Inside, the room is dark for this time of day. But it doesn't surprise me, Mr. Grimmel very much prefers the dark. I hear some men that grow too greedy and thirsty for blood turn into vile creatures called 'vampires'. Mr. Grimmel certainly checks all the requirements.

The vampire turns around and frowns at our presence. "What."

"I fear we bring some bad news," I say as calmly but determined as possible. Mr. Grimmel's icy eyes are colder than any northern storm. He waves his hand to urge me to continue. "The dragon hasn't been released."

He pauses. "What?!", he spits out. "I have my men observing the boy and his night fury, his entire village for crying out loud! They have seen the night fury interacting with a white dragon."

I swallow hard because my mouth is feeling a little too dry. Caelan is still standing next to me, quiet like a very frightened statue. "Y-yes. But-"

"No, but! I don't pay for an army full of dragon hunters only to get stuttering imbeciles!" Mr. Grimmel yells. He takes a deep breath whilst pinching his eyes together. Now, he speaks much calmer but it's even more chilling and dangerous than his yelling. "It's probably just another dragon those kids have apparently tamed. Now...release the female."

I hesitate. "But what about-"

His calm demeanour is gone again.

"Do what you're told!"

Vara

"So...what's the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to you?" I fix my mask because the wind is harsh today. Conveniently, it's hiding my goofy smile.

Hiccup shakes laughing. "Oh my Thor. There's loooads."

I join his laughter as he tells me some stories about when he was a young teenager. Apparently, he was – and I quote – 'a streak of piss', and nobody took him seriously, even after the village made amends with dragons. I admire his ability to laugh at himself.

During this conversation, we're flying our dragons along the coastline of New Berk. Ever since that evening Hiccup and Toothless found us flying around, we've been doing this every day. Somehow, we always ended up meeting each other in the air. I caught myself getting excited about flying with him, so each evening I 'randomly' steered Aria to the spot where they found us. It's the only time I get to see and talk to him. And every evening, Hiccup's already been there waiting for me. At one point, I wondered if that really was just a coincidence or if he actually...

Nahh. No way.

We spend our flights exchanging knowledge about various dragon species and he teaches me the names of different star constellations. Though, every now and then my mind takes me back to my cave and my life there. I miss it dearly. But I must admit, I'm also starting to enjoy living with the people of (New) Berk. Hiccup and I are talking again and becoming good friends. Despite this, Astrid's been nice to me and we sometimes hang out after helping out at construction sites. I've also been spending more time with Snotlout, we both silently decided to ignore that awkward moment when he caught me. I underestimated him because underneath all that ego is actually a loyal and trusting friend. The twins, well, they're doing their own thing and I try to keep my distance because every time they're around, something always starts to burn or blow up. And Fishlegs...huh. I have no idea what he's been busy with.

Hiccup and I – my entire body hurts from laughing so much – land on the newly established wooden landing platform located on the open cliff side.

I catch sight of Fishlegs standing near the village houses with...a beautiful young woman dressed in shimmering silver armour. "Hey, Hiccup. Who's Fishlegs talking to?"