Riders Dragons of the Archipelagos

IV

The flight to the woman's homeland was long. Or maybe it just seemed like that because of how slow the dragon I was riding was compared to Starfire. Sometimes I'd urge the Nadder to go faster, but the pace seemed the same the entire trip. The woman was still sleeping when we arrived though, and I thought that was a good thing. She was finally getting the rest she needed.

The Isle of Berk reminded me of home. Except it really had no meadows, it was basically just a mountain. Many other, smaller islands stood around it. Another Rider rushed out to meet us, his dragon was completely black. Except for a red, prosthetic tail flap. A saddle sat on its back that was similar to Starfire's, it ended at about the end of the dragon's wings. Something was connected to the back flap from one of the foot harnesses on the dragon's side.

Its Rider also had a prosthetic leg from about the knee down. The man wore a suit of leather, with the skull of a person wearing a helmet on his shoulder pad. He was thin, and had all sorts of contraptions connected to the suit he was wearing. His hair was brown, and his eyes were emerald green.

He gave me a dirty look when he saw me on the back of the woman's dragon though. But when his eyes fell on her he grew concerned.

"What happened?" he asked, his voice slightly high pitched. "Why is she like that, why are her clothes so bloody?"

"She's okay," I said, trying to reassure him. "She's just resting, I'm sure she'll give you a hell of a story once she wakes up."

"Lets land by Gobber's Shop," he said. "I'll get you some food, and meade. Follow me."

As I followed the man, I noticed he kept glancing back at Astrid, over and over again. I guessed this was her husband, that's why he's probably so worried.

I will not speak in public to you, Star said suddenly, and I knew why.

You're right, I agreed, this place is weird, everything here is.

The man's dragon dove, and the woman's followed. She knew where she was going, he'd probably been talking to her when he'd said where to land. At least the dragons here are smart too.

Star let out a huff behind me, that part is partly true.

You just used two words in the same sentence, I said, your starting to get simple.

Never, she growled. I heard the woman yawn behind me as we landed, Star had woken her. I jumped of the Nadder and rushed over to her,

"Hey, Man!" I shouted to her husband. He turned to look at me, "She's awake."

He dismounted his dragon and ran over to us. I stepped back to allow him to help his wife out of the saddle. He gave her a kiss, then hugged her.

"Why'd you go, Astrid?" he asked, "I was worried about you, you shouldn't have gone after Hugh without the others, or at least me."

"Hiccup," she said, "You were busy, and I didn't wanna-" she vomited on him, that's when I jumped over to them. I pulled a handkerchief out of my pocket and gave it to Hiccup,

"Thankyou," he said, then wiped off Astrids lips, then began wiping off himself. "Well that's just great."

"I'm so sorry!" Astrid gasped, "I just feel horrible-"

"It's because your body is trying to produce enough blood to make up for that it lost," I said, (actually Star had said it to me, and I copied it).

"You got hurt?" Hiccup asked. "How bad."

"I almost died," she mumbled. "I should have died."

"Hugh, that son of a-"

"But James saved me," Astrid said quickly, cutting him off.