How To Mend A Broken Heart 2

Chapter 55

As you strapped your swords on your back and daggers on your waist, Arlo made a few twist and turns down a few hallways, with you following quickly behind. You passed a few empty cells and rooms, losing count quickly as your mind settled on the thought of finding your best friend. 

Once reaching the end of a hall, you peered into the cell, seeing Midnight asleep against the wall. 

"Midnight." You whispered, voice cracking with emotion. 

Midnight's head shot up instantly, her violet eyes flying open as her gaze landed on you. 

"Oh, you're here! I missed you so much!" Midnight rumbled, as Arlo unlocked the cell door, walking directly over to Midnight. 

"He's with us, he's gonna help us escape." You explained to Midnight. 

Once the shackles were off Midnight's legs, Midnight stood on all fours and hobbled over to you as quickly as possible. She covered your face in dragon spit but you couldn't care less, you were finally together again. Tears threaten to fall as you hugged her tightly. She nuzzle the side of your face, her chest rumbling with soft purrs.

"Okay, you two follow me and stay quiet. We don't want to get caught." Arlo informed quickly heading out as you and Midnight followed behind.

After a few minutes, you all entered what you assumed was the main hall. Once Arlo pushed the double doors that led to the outside world, you saw people wandering and working around, minding their own business.

"Okay, we're going to quickly make a dash into the woods, and once doing so we automatically take flight, all right?" Arlo looked at you as you nodded in confirmation. "Okay, on three. One...two...three!"

You three quickly made a dash into the woods, and you sent a grateful prayer to the gods that nobody saw any of you. You all kept running, though wayward branches and bushes. You felt a few branches scrap against your arms and face but you didn't care. Pushing your legs to the limit, you all arrived to a cliff that met the ocean. 

You quickly mounted Midnight's saddle, holding out a hand to help Arlo up as well. 

"Have you ever ridden a dragon before?" You asked him, as Midnight flared her wings.

"No." He replied, hands on your waist.

"Well, hang on then. Midnight!" You gripped the saddle tightly. 

Midnight arched her back and bounded off the cliff, taking flight instantly. Arlo's grip slightly tighten on your waist as Midnight flapped her powerful wings to get you all away from Dagon's island as quickly as possible. 

~~~~~

Your goal was to head straight to Berk, but Midnight began to slow quickly, not being used to flying for a long time with the additional of eggs that she would be delivering soon. 

She was tired.

"I don't think I can fly much longer." Midnight rumbled, beating her wings harder to keep going further.

"Okay, okay. We'll land soon. We just need to find an island to make camp for the night." You stated, rubbing her head soothingly. 

As you scanned your surroundings, you spotted a small island up ahead. When telling Midnight to head towards it, she flew a bit faster, quickly arriving there within minutes. 

When landing, you took out your map from the saddle and quickly sketched out the island, as Arlo disappeared into the trees to collect firewood. Once finishing, you folded the map back up and placed it back in the saddle. 

When Arlo came pack and placed the firewood together in a pile, Midnight was quick to ignite it. The fire quickly warmed you up, and when looking at Midnight, you were able to finally able to get a good look at her. 

She didn't have any physical wounds; no scratches, cuts, or anything of that sort. You were relived, because that meant that Dagon or anyone else didn't touch and harm her. 

What you did notice was that her stomach grew larger. And you knew that she must be close to be delivering the eggs quite soon.

"How are you feeling?" You asked Midnight, placing your palms out towards the fire to warm them up.

"All right I guess. They'll be coming any day now." She rumbled, meeting your gaze.  

You nodded as you looked back at the fire, watching the flames twirl and intertwine with one another. 

"You can understand her?" Arlo asked, raising a brow after watching your exchange. 

"I can. All dragons actually." You informed, pulling your right knee to your chest. 

"How?" He asked. 

You closed your eyes briefly before jumping into the story and telling him what had happened; about the island, necklace, stream, and whatnot. You kept the Night Furies a secret. After all, he did help you in more ways then one, so you owed it to him.

Once finishing, he nodded and watched the fire, seeming to digest and mull over everything you told him. Silence had fell, but it was a comforting and peaceful one. 

"You never told me why you helped me." You stated after a few minutes of silence. "Why did you?"

Arlo kept his burning eyes on the flames, staying silent as you waited patiently for him. After awhile he spoke, not wavering his gaze away from the fire. 

"Because I know what it's like to be locked up in a cell." He said quietly. 

"Dagon locked you up?" You asked after a moment. 

"Yeah," he grunted, "wanted me to work for him, to which I refused after he destroyed my village; my home."   

Your heart pounded heavily in your chest, and you felt that hard lump that seemed to rise in your throat. You could relate. 

"He said he saw something in me, kept me alive so that I would work for him. When I refused, he locked me up." Arlo kept staring at the fire, seeming to remember everything that happened. He seemed unaware of his surroundings as his mouth seemed to move on autopilot.  "After months and months of refusing, and on the brink of death, I finally gave in."

He released a defeated sigh, closing his eyes for the moment. "I helped you because in a way, I saw myself. I saw a person who has been through more than hellfire. Mama used to read people like an open book." He opened his eyes.

It went unsaid, but you knew by the last statement that he inherited the gift of reading people as well, just like his mother. 

"Drago attacked my village when I was just a child." You closed your eyes, your words coming out even if you didn't want them to. Your mouth seemed to have a mind of its own. "He destroyed everything, killed every living thing. No matter if it was a adult or child." Your throat contracted as you went on. "My mother sent me out to the woods, telling me that she loved me and that I needed to run." Your voice broke. "Sometimes I dream about it and it haunts me."

Midnight nuzzled the side of your face, making you open your eyes. Everything had became blurry and you quickly wiped your eyes, sniffing quietly as Midnight curled around you. 

You saw that Arlo was looking at the dirt in front of him, eyes glazed over.

Here were two broken people that had similar stories, similar pasts. Two people who could share stories that made them vulnerable. You didn't regret telling Arlo anything.

And you knew he didn't either.