The Soul of a Dragon

Chapter 18

Astrid

I could hit Malcom for exposing us. But there's no time. A Rumblehorn is chasing us and as we're all running away (looking like four lunatics), I keep searching for Stormfly but she's nowhere to be found. Now, a giant flock of dragons is coming after us, roaring loudly and angrily. Though, above all that girly screaming Malcom is doing, I can hardly tell if the dragons are getting closer or not. My instincts are rushing up – telling me to duck, jump left or right, or slide underneath a rock – to avoid getting bitten in half by a wild dragon.

I'm running so fast, my lungs are burning and my surroundings become blurred. I turn around to assess the danger and hear an all too familiar sound: Toothless.

He's telling the other dragons to back off, which they listen to because he's the alpha. In front of Malcom and I, Hiccup is remarkably fast with his prosthetic leg and running next to Vara. Toothless' talons grab their arms, both clinging onto the night fury for dear life. That's when I hear a loud shrieking and chittering sound. It's Stormfly, thank Thor, and she lifts me onto her back whilst Fireblaster does the same with Malcom. We manage to get out of the Hidden World without any further problems and fly up into the night sky, back to New Berk.

Vara

Right after the Rumblehorn found us, I couldn't help but look back at the alpha pair. I locked eyes with Aria and my face lit up the same way hers did until, suddenly, worry clouded her features. Then, I started running because millions of dragons were coming for us, furiously roaring with their teeth flared. Thank you, Malcom, very much.

Before I could really understand what was happening, strong black talons grabbed my arm and I looked to my left to find Hiccup also clutching onto Toothless' strong hold.

Panicky, I turn my head around to hopefully find Aria following us but I can't see her anywhere. I do see Malcom and Astrid safely on their dragons. I smile at them and am glad Toothless is flying us out of the Hidden World.

The night has already fallen, but I wasn't even aware of how many hours went by while we were inside the Hidden World. Rules of nature are bent and shaped differently there. Time seemed to stop in those caves.

I shriek because Toothless lets go of my arm, dropping me towards the black surface of the ocean. Something catches me but I can't see anything. Slowly, the nothingness reveals shiny white scales.

"Aria!" I cry out so happy, tears are filling my eyes and my face hurts from smiling. I embrace my dragon tightly and she barks in joy, relishing my touch and snuggling up to me as much as possible. Oh my Gods, how I missed her. She's my soulmate and losing her...it felt like someone tore out my soul, leaving only an empty shell.

Nobody's speaking a word. But as we continue flying, I sense Aria's mood changing. I glance at her and see her staring straight ahead. She sighs, her mouth forming a thin and tense line and her amethyst eyes dark with sorrow.

I purse my lips and furrow my eyebrows, thinking. I can see that Toothless is wearing the same expression as Aria. Seeing them in the Hidden World, I couldn't deny how perfectly they fitted into the dragon's ancestral home. There, dragons can live undisturbed and without the violence humans inevitably cause. I never thought about Aria leaving me...I never let myself dare to finish such thoughts. But now...

Fear and desolation pierce my heart. And by looking to my right, I can tell Hiccup seems to feeling the same.

Back at Berk, everyone immediately goes to their own homes. The entire journey back, nobody said a thing. I guess we were all too busy with own thoughts.

Aria rolls up next to my hut, warming a circle with her own fire before lying down. She closes her eyes...depression eclipsing her usual lively glow. It pains me to see her like this.