The dragon riders

Chapt 20

Astrid's pov
Day 1:

We set off around noon, aiming to reach a midway island before nightfall. Tomorrow, we'll continue our journey and arrive by mid-afternoon. I really like this group; they're hilarious! We spent the entire time cracking jokes and laughing together. At one point, we played a game of hot potato with Erik acting as the potato, passing him from dragon to dragon. Despite witnessing him disrespect my mother, I find Erik to be a nice and polite kid.
Speaking of my mother, I've been so happy on this trip that I forgot about our earlier incident. I know she'll be furious when I get back home, but there's nothing I can do about it now. Then, the offer they made me started creeping back into my mind. Should I really leave everything behind to live with them? I do love my father, mother, and Berk, but lately, they've been quite demanding. These guys, whom I've only known for a short while, treat me with utmost respect.
But should I trust Hiccup as much as I do? He kinda scares me sometimes. I've seen glimpses of him being a cold-blooded killer without any remorse, and that frightened me. However, there's another side to him that doesn't scare me at all. When it was just the two of us training, I realized he was still his sweet and sarcastic self, always a gentleman. He immediately turns into a caring figure around the children, showing them affection and acting as their protector. He's starting to remind me of his father—a person you wouldn't want to mess with, yet compassionate and fiercely protective of his people.
We eventually landed on the midway island and set up camp. My task was to fish, and Rapunzel showed me how to do it with my dragon. When we returned, the fire was already burning, and we had plenty of firewood. Some of the others gathered herbs, and we cooked the fish while singing shanties. Soon, it was time for bed.
"Get some rest now, so we can leave in the morning and be on time," Hiccup said, collapsing onto Toothless. Erik, full of energy, jumped on Hiccup's stomach, ready for bed. We lay down beside our dragons under the clear night sky. Surprisingly, it was quite comfortable, and I quickly drifted off to sleep, eagerly anticipating tomorrow's adventure.
.
.
.
Day: 2

The next morning, we woke up ridiculously early. Erik was still fast asleep, snuggled in Hiccup's arms. It's adorable how great Hiccup is with kids, but I guess it makes sense since he has a daughter of his own. Ever since I heard about her, I've been eager to meet the girl he found in the woods as a baby. I think eret said she's around 3 years old.
We spent the entire day flying, just like the day before, joking and laughing nonstop. Along the way, we spotted an enemy ship. Hiccup, seemingly eager to teach me how to take down an enemy ship, decided to seize the opportunity. I suspect he was just in the mood for some recklessness, and the ship happened to be there, so why not? He called out not it and we left Dagger in charge of babysitting Erik. Swiftly, we swooped down and effortlessly took control of the ship.
Turns out, it was a cargo ship carrying members of a tribe captured by Drago's army. Grateful for their rescue, they kneeled before Hiccup, proclaiming him the savior of all saviors and forever indebted to him. Hiccup looked slightly uncomfortable but tried to brush it off. "Well, I appreciate that, but please, just call me Hiccup," he replied. "Savior Hiccup," the tribe's Chief insisted. "Not exactly what I had in mind, but okay," he sarcastically muttered.
After our little detour, as the sun began to set, we arrived at the island of the barbarians, with the ship carrying the rescued tribe following behind our dragons. As soon as we landed and the ships were docked, we were treated with immense respect. The barbarians bowed before us, and Hiccup returned the gesture to their Chief. "Chief Ulf, great to see you again!" Hiccup exclaimed, brimming with happiness. "It's been far too long," the Chief responded. "Bring it in, old pal." They shared a brief embrace.
"Ah, yes, I've brought some guests who will be needing some assistance," Hiccup explained, gesturing toward the rescued tribe. "Always happy to help," Chief Ulf replied. They immediately tended to the tribe's needs, providing them with food, clothing, and medical care. We compiled a list of able-bodied individuals who were old enough to fight. The ships would be departing for Hiccup's island, carrying those deemed unfit for battle tomorrow.
Once we were done tending to the captured tribe, we prepared dinner. Before we went to bed, Hiccup informed us, "Ulf mentioned that his men were ambushed by Drago's army about a month ago. He has only a few fighters left, but there's an island, maybe two days away by dragon, that might have more men to spare." "When do we leave tomorrow?" I asked. "Probably in the late afternoon. We still need to gather supplies and weapons for the attack. They also need to load the others onto the boats before they set off," he replied. "Now, get some rest. We need to be ready for tomorrow." We all nodded and settled down for some much-needed sleep.
.
.
.