Mysteries Beyond (Dragons RTTE Fanfic - Sequel to Deception)

Chapter 3

You had no choice but to follow the stranger through the complex of caves. Worry filled you, as you heard Viggo trying to conceal his heavy breaths behind, due to his injuries. You sincerely hoped you could win this stranger's trust as quickly as possible, so you could turn your attentions to helping Viggo.

 You were mildly worried about where she was bringing you, but not nearly as much as before. What you had told her was the truth, so there was no reason for concern. At least, that's what you told yourself. The woman seemed to be a friend to dragons - that was something. Whilst she was speaking, you thought you had seen a glimmer of compassion in her forest green eyes. Now it was just a matter of proving you could be trusted.

'Easier said than done.' you thought to yourself.

You finally saw a light at the end of the cavern tunnel. As you approached it, you became aware of a kind of rhythm that increased in volume with each step you took. It was almost like a beat - the beating of wings! Finally, you reached the end of the tunnel, and stepped out into a huge, spacious nest of ice. The cavern seemed to expand in all directions, and the ice brought a shimmering, almost dreamy, aura to the space. You gasped at the wonder of the place, unable to suppress your bubbling feelings of profound astonishment and bewilderment. The perfectly designed structures of ice, covered with lush plants and gushing waterfalls, amazed you. At the center of the nest was a giant core of ice, which hundreds of dragons were circling, their multi-colored wings flapping and creating a paradisaical atmosphere. All around you, dragons of all species (some of which you recognized, and some of which you did not) swarmed. You tried to speak but couldn't. You couldn't tear your eyes away for a second, and you imagined Viggo couldn't either. As you continued to gaze up at the dragons, you felt Viggo's hand gently slip into yours. You couldn't help a smile sweeping across your face.

The woman's voice broke you from your thoughts.

"This way." she ordered simply, pointing towards the edge of the cliff with her staff. Glancing quickly at Viggo, you let go of each others' hands, and ventured to the edge, looking down into the heart of the nest. There, beneath you, you saw a leviathan dragon sitting calmly in a pool of crystal clear water. You had never even imagined that it was possible for a dragon to be that big! It made the Red Death seem as small as a Night Terror in comparison.

"This is the king of dragons." the woman stated proudly, gesturing towards him with her staff. You saw Viggo's eyes widen at this. "The rare alpha species of dragon." she continued, "The Bewilderbeast."

"Wow" you muttered under your breath, the idea of simply thinking the word not seeming sufficient.

The woman's introduction seemed to spark the Bewilderbeast into action, as it lifted its huge head, and turned towards you. You saw Amethyst and the Skrill, trail their eyes over the ground submissively. The Bewilderbeast's sapphire eyes scrutinized you, as you looked up at it. Then, it snorted a gentle icy mist of from its nostrils, sending a light frosting of ice through your hair, as well as Viggo's.

"Hmm." you heard the woman say from beside you, "He seems to trust you." Well, that was a relief. You could tell from her voice that she was by no means about to welcome you with open arms, but did mean that, for now, she had no reason to kill you.

 "My name is Valka." she said, "We can never be too careful of strangers, especially those you carry the crest of the dragon hunters." she eyed Viggo sternly. You were pretty sure she wasn't entirely convinced, but why should she be? You, of all people, knew how hard it was to trust others. "But, it is clear that the Bewilderbeast has revealed that you are not a threat to us." she finished. Again, you weren't entirely sure how trusting she really was. You figured she didn't have much of a choice, as the Bewilderbeast seemed to have accepted you, having sensed that you had no malicious intentions. But gaining Valka's trust, you knew, would take time.

"May I ask," Viggo began, "if you recognize the dragon hunter crest, does that mean you once lived in the Archipelago?" you saw Valka frown, as she worked out an answer.

"That was a long time ago." she simply said, "It doesn't matter now." She seemed quick to change the subject of her past to something else. It was understandable that she didn't want to share what must have been a painful past with two people who were only a little more than complete strangers to her.

"A Changewing and a Skrill." she sounded impressed, "Not the easiest dragons to bond with by any means. It takes an incredible level of trust to tame any dragon, especially ones as intelligent as these." she spoke compassionately as she patted their heads and examined their features, her deep love and reverence of dragons clearly shining through. Normally the dragons would have acted aggressively, or suspiciously at least, around a stranger. Instead, however, both dragons seemed completely at ease alongside Valka.

"I've had Amethyst since she was a hatchling." you pointed towards your dragon, who was now rolling on her back, clearly enjoying herself in this dragon paradise.

"And the Skrill?"

"His name is Sclera." Viggo informed her (and you for that matter). "Although we only recently met, we seem to have formed quite a substantial bond. He truly is a magnificent creature." Viggo said, looking graciously at the indigo dragon, though his voice was strained with pain. Scerla returned his gaze, with lively amber eyes, clearly pleased with Viggo's choice of name.

"I can tell." Valka replied, "Both of your dragons were intent on protecting you, when we arrived. Dragons possess an inexplicable ability to see the truth in people." she continued, "First, your own dragons protected you tenaciously; then the dragons at the entrance of the nest seemed unwilling to harm you, as if they could sense you did not pose a threat; and, finally, the Bewilderbeast himself has confirmed your innocence." You smiled warmly at Valka. She had seemed a little wild and abrupt at first but now you could see that, deep down, she deeply cared for the community of dragons in the nest and their well-being. With time, you hoped she would come to trust you too.

However, you were soon snapped back to reality, as you heard a small, unintentional grunt from Viggo. Worry once again gathered in the pit of your stomach, as you saw Viggo step backwards a little to lean against a rock, his arrow wounds clearly becoming excruciatingly unbearable.

"Come," Valka said with concern, "those wounds need tending to."

A/N: Yay, another chapter! Thank you to @SomberTide  for thinking of the name Sclera for the Skrill - I think it suits him really well! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!