The Rise of Light (Book 3: Together Forever)

Reunited

Ash's POV

I watched as Astrid stared off into the sunrise. A soft breeze blowing her unbound hair back.

"Ash?" She must have heard me wake up. Then I realized that her voice had been soft and- She'd spoken the human-tongue.

Honestly, I hadn't thought she could speak the human-tongue. I had kind of assumed she'd been raised by dragons. Her entire nature seemed to point to that conclusion.

"Ya?"

"What if she's gone? It would all be my fault."

"Astrid. It's not your fault. That monster would've gotten his claws on her one way or another. We'll get her back."

She looked at me now. The sorrow in them was heartbreaking as if she knew the pain of loss and grief and hopelessness. I had known those things my whole life. Had known them the minute I hatched and my parents flew off with their flock and my siblings.

Then as I grew my friends started realizing what my scales marked me as and left. I hadn't fought for them. And I would regret that decision for the rest of my life, for it had marked me as, not only a traitor but also a coward.

Astrid's POV

I was staring off the cliff when I heard a voice. A voice I had forgotten. 

I stilled. Before shouting, "I'm a muttonhead! How could I be so completely OBLIVIOUS!"

'Astrid! Where the heck are you! We just ransacked the entire fort looking for you!'

"I don't know where I am!" 

'What do you mean you don't know! You have to know!'

"Well, I don't! We escaped in the middle of the night!"

'Did you say we? Who's 'we'?'

"Yes! I said we. We as in me and Ash!"

'Who?'

"She's a Changewing! Who else would she be?" I rolled my eyes.

'You just rolled your eyes at me, didn't you?'

"Yes. Yes, I did. What are you gonna do about it?" Suddenly my tone changed as I remembered Stormfly. "Hiccup?"

'What?' He asked worriedly.

"I lost Stormfly. She's gone. Wait... How did you know she wasn't with us?"

'Astrid. Don't worry.'

I was about to shout at him when I realized how that had ended up last time.

'She's here. We'll wait for you at the fort.'

I cried out in relief. And vaguely heard Ash ask, "What is it?"

"At sunhigh?"

'Sunhigh.' With that, I cut off our connection.

Ash was just gaping at me, "You have a soulmate?"

"What do you mean?"

"The person you were talking to, they are your soulmate, are they not?"

 "I don't know what you mean. That was my soon-to-be-mate. We've been able to talk like that for as long as I can remember."

"Only soulmates can talk like that. Through the bond. You can hear each other's thoughts and you know the exact moment when they die. And you will do anything for them."