The Girl with the Changewing Cloak (RTTE Fanfic)

Twenty seven

??? POV

Groaning, I dragged myself out of one of the emergency submarines and onto the damp sand. Cold water oozed from where I stepped, but I was too tired to care. I fell to a crawl, struggling to move my limbs further up the beach. My hands ached, muscles straining.

Just a little further...

Finally giving way, my arms collapsed from under me. Laying on the soft shore, I twisted, facing the stars. Fresh, salty air stroked my skin and ruffled through my dirty clothes. The only sounds were the tumbling of waves and the quiet hum of crickets. It was so calm.

But the after effects of the hypnosis were taking their toll on me: I was exhausted and a strong migraine was making it hard to relax. The constant pain in my head ruined the atmopshere. Rubbing my temples, I sat up, watching the waves glow in the moonlight.

Time whizzed passed as I gazed upon the picturesque scene. Slowly, my eyes drooped shut. As I fell asleep, I realised I had no plan for what to do when the sun rose. I was alone, seperate from the Dragon Hunters, from Boss.

My eyes snapped open and a massive grin was plastered on my face.

I was finally free.

**

Freya's POV

Warm light shone on my eyes. Yawning, I stirred awake, slowly processing my surroundings. There was a faint snoring from beside me. I glanced across, seeing Gustav sleeping on his back. Surprised, I sat up, trying to remember where I was.

The rescue, the fight, Ryker...

Wait - we were in the arena on Berk, not on Ryker's ship. So we... we won?

Relief flooded me as if it were a lake I fell into. Smiling from ear to ear, I leapt up.

We escaped! We were free! We won!

Hopping from foot to foot in excitement, I ran through the gate. I checked for Swiftstrike, searching the open space around me.

"Swiftstrike?" I called, a playful smirk pulling on my lips.

There was a pause before a loud changewing roar echoed my call. To my surprise, it came from the training arena. Hurrying back, I found Swiftstrike stretching in the gateway of one of the paddocks.

I grinned. "Well hello there, sleepy."

Her eyes locked onto mine. Before I could speak again, she darted forwards, pinning me onto the floor.

"Hey!"

Eyes shining, she cooed, nuzzling my neck. I stroked the soft scales by her ear horns, earning a slight purr. Twisting like a cat, she lay on her back and covered me with one of her wings. Not paying attention, she swiveled her tail, hitting Gustav on the chest.

I resisted the urge to laugh as he groaned and sat up. As he moved, Swiftstrike altered her position until she was sitting beside me.

"I- what?" Gustav croaked, voice hoarse.

I rolled my eyes. "No 'good morning'? Not even a 'hello'?"

"Ugh. It's too early."

"Well, actually it's -" I glanced up at the mid-morning sun - "a perfectly reasonable time to get up."

He sighed. "Yeah, yeah whatever. You do you - I have no intentions to do anything until tomorrow." For emphasis, he yawned and stretched out before settling back down again.

Snorting, Swiftstrike walked towards Gustav. At the sound of her footsteps, he opened an eye. She approached steadily, before stopping directly next to him. I raised an eyebrow but Swiftstrike took no notice.