The Soul of a Dragon

Chapter 71

Vara

It's strange how quickly things return to normal after chaos. You would think the weight of everything – the battles, the losses, the tension – would take years to fade. But New Berk seems to have an almost magical way of bouncing back. I walk through the village, feeling the warmth of the sun on my skin and the wind tugging at my hair, and for the first time in months, I'm not burdened by worry. Instead, I'm overwhelmed by a quiet joy, a sense that everything is as it should be.

The scent of fish and baked bread fills the air. Children laugh and run around, dragons soaring lazily overhead, their shadows passing over the ground like dark wings in flight. I smile as I watch Aria and Toothless in the meadow, their playful energy making my heart lighter. They've been restless lately, and I know why. It's in their eyes, their distant glances toward the horizon. They miss the Hidden World. They long for it, and I can feel that pull too.

"Hey, you seem lost in thought." Malcom's voice pulls me from my daydreaming. He walks up beside me, a familiar, warm presence. I have seen little of him these past few months and I know why. Em. Last week, I saw Mal showing her how to ride a dragon. Fireblaster was so sweet and it melted my heart. But more astonishingly was the fact that Em, miss I-have-the-biggest-fear-of-heights-and-not-even-you-or-Aria-can-convince-me-to-die, hopped happily onto Fireblaster's back and held onto Mal's arms as they took off. I couldn't help but scream after them in joy (which Em found incredibly embarrassing but I didn't care). I love seeing them both happy.

I smile at Mal, who's throwing away a branch to play fetch with his dragon. "Just thinking about the dragons."

He glances at Aria and Toothless before turning back to me. "They belong somewhere wild, don't they? It's in their nature."

I nod, feeling that pang of understanding. Being someone who has always longed for a home but is a free spirit, Malcom is one of the few people who can understand. "Yeah. I think it's only a matter of time before we'll have to let them go."

Malcom falls quiet, and I appreciate that about our new friendship – he knows when not to push. There's been a shift between us, a comfortable new friendship that has replaced the tension that used to exist. I'm glad for it. It's nice to just...be around him without the weight of the past hanging over us.

Later that evening, I find myself at the Great Hall with the rest of the gang. For the first time in what feels like forever, there's no crisis to deal with. No dragon emergencies or battles to plan. We're all sitting around the long wooden table, the fire crackling in the hearth, and it hits me how strange this is.

"So..." Snotlout says, leaning back in his chair, arms folded behind his head. "What do we do now?"

Fishlegs shrugs. "I mean, there's nothing to discuss, really."

Hiccup chuckles from his seat at the head of the table. "It feels weird, doesn't it? Not having to worry about Grimmel or hybrids or whatever for once."

"Weird? Try boring," Ruffnut says with a dramatic sigh.

Tuffnut agrees with his sister and leans in, smirking. "I say we make a list of things we can do with all this free time."

"There's an idea," Astrid replies with a sour grin, leaning on her elbow. Heather has gone to her home village with her brother, taking care of some issues – or let's say, Dagur's weaknesses such as dealing nicely with people. Ever since then, Astrid has been a little...tense. She crosses her arms and sighs loudly. "Anyone have suggestions?"

Everyone glances around the table, and there's an awkward pause. No one knows what to say because, for once, everything is peaceful. It's so peaceful, it's almost hilarious. I have to force myself not to burst out laughing when I catch Em's gaze, who's obviously thinking the same thing. But there is thing that's for sure: this peace does raise the question of what we should do now.