How to Be a Dragon Star 1

Chapter Twenty-Six - A Different Viewpoint

 Estrella and Astrid stayed up in the air for the rest of the trip. As Estrella flew, she began to really recognize the wounds in her shoulder and front leg. Especially as she worked her wings and her shoulder, they stretched and contracted, and it was all she could do to keep her wincing to a minimum.

Astrid didn't say a word for the rest of the trip, but gave a relieved sigh when Berk came into view.

Estrella shot a fireball and Astrid ducked down, shielding herself from most of it.

"Wow," Astrid said aloud, patting down a whorl of smoke on her shirt. "It's like I'm riding on nothing." Her grip tightened nervously.

Estrella tried to fly in a straight, predictable line.

"Wait," Astrid whispered. "What if they see me... just floating on nothing? They'll think I'm a ghost or something."

Didn't think of that, Estrella thought ruefully, and made her way to the docks, which were deserted. She turned visible and morphed. "Maybe we should just walk in on foot."

"They'll still be confused about you," Astrid mused. "Especially with you looking like this." She gestured to her friend's wounds.

"New idea," Estrella suggested. "You just saunter into the village and do the talking, and I'll be a dragon— an invisible one. I won't come out until the right moment. I'll wait for your cue."

Astrid thought it over. "Okay," she agreed. "You go do that, and I'll find someone. Stay close, Estrella."

Estrella nodded and morphed, yet again.

She made the transformation into invisibility rather quick, not wanting to take her eyes off of Astrid for more than a minute. She watched Astrid make her way up the staircase that made up the docks. On mirrored wings, she followed Astrid silently until the top of the stairs.

There was a man on top of the stairs. He turned and regarded Astrid, confused. "Astrid?"

"Hello, Reef," she greeted.

"Where've you been?" he asked gruffly.

"I'd rather tell the whole village rather than have to repeat my story," she said. "Can you help me mobilize them?"

Reef nodded, still looking a bit incredulous. The two of them made their way to a set of bells in the middle of the village, picking up two more vikings on the way. Estrella wondered what the bells were for. She perched silently on one of the houses and watched curiously as Reef rang the bells, producing a very loud, startling sound.

Before five minutes had passed, the vikings had assembled. There were about twenty or thirty of them in all. Astrid climbed up onto one of the porches on the house Estrella was on.

"Everyone, please!" Astrid called out. "I know you all are a bit confused, so let me start at the beginning of the story. Our chief and those who went with him are in trouble. Hear me out!" she exclaimed as people began to murmur incredulously.

"They arrived successfully at the Dragon's Nest, but they had bitten off more than they could chew. The Queen of the Nest— the Red Death— was a gargantuan, terrifying dragon beast, about the size of this whole village. It would have eaten them all up and still had room for dessert!" she called, spreading her hands wide apart for effect. "At least... it would have, if they had not been rescued."

"By who?" someone hollered.

Astrid hesitated. "By Hiccup," she answered. "And me, and Snotlout, and Fishlegs, and Ruffnut and Tuffnut. And... by the dragons."

There was an uproar. Estrella curled her tail around her legs. How could the vikings ever accept her kind?

"Hear me out!" Astrid repeated earnestly. "Each teen took a dragon in the ring. Hiccup calmed the dragons, and we rode them to Helheim's Gate."