Night Rider

The Real Deal

-Astrid Pov-

I awoke with a throbbing pain in my right arms and a banging head ache. My back and legs were stiff and they cracked when I stretched them, and then I realised where I was - the floor was wooden and moving slightly, there was only a tiny flame in the corner of the low-roofed cabin which illuminated the whole area in an orange glow and the ladder up to the trap door me had been removed. To my right, a pair of un-used shackles were hanging limp from the walls, and I started to wonder - where was I?

"Ah, your awake, sweetie." Said a rough voice from above me. I tilted my head upwards just to be met with a blinding light, and when my eyes adjusted, I saw a man standing up there, smiling down below at me. He had shortish brown-black hair and warming brown eyes. He wore baggy clothes, large brown boots and had a sword slung around his back, and I could tell he was the captain of this vessel. I suddenly remembered everything: He was my master along with Drago and I was given the great task of capturing the Dragon Master, and a great honour it was.

"Yes, my master." I replied, standing and bowing my head low.

"Please, call me Eret. And you don't need to bow to me. Come on up." He said calmly as a ladder was clumsily shoved down the hole for me to climb up. I quickly climbed up, not wanting to keep my master waiting and soon I stood on the sun-lit deck with him. I took in my surroundings. I was on a smallish boat, with a crew of 5 and Eret. We were sailing straight towards a large island, a little crumbled in places with ships docked in the masses at its many ports. The boat itself had 3 dragons on it - 2 locked up and Stormfly who was climbing the rigging playfully, snapping at the ankles of one of the crew.

"Stormfly, stop that." I told her sternly. She obeyed nicely, and came to rub her scaley head against my side. Her presence seemed comforting and I melted into her embrace as best I could, a small smile forming across my face as I did so.

"I presume you remember your task?" Eret asked me.

"Yes. And an honour it is that you chose me. Only the very best can capture the Dragon Master." I replied, keeping my head high to look like I was a good and obedient soldier. However, out of the corner if my eye, I noticed the greedy looks from some of the crew towards me. In a way, it made me want to push them over board; but in other ways it made me feel special.

"Excellent." Eret answered. "You will be needing this, Astrid." He handed me my axe and I gracefully excepted it, so I could feel its powerful structure in my hands again, and that sense of security and immortality that came with it.

"Thank you, Eret." I told him, my voice steady, "By what day must my task be finished by?"

"You have 2 weeks starting today." He answered me, "But before you set off, there is someone who wants to meet you."

"Under what circumstances am I being called to their presence?" I asked him.

"About the task. He wants to hear all about it, and all about you." He told me. "You are the only one who can stop the Dragon Master, Astrid. You are our secret weapon."

XxXxXxXxXxXx

The room was cold and guarded heavily at all exits and entrances. Eret stood proudly before me, his hair and hands washed thoughily and I had bathed and washed my clothes. We walked forwards towards a large, beefy man in a wooden chair at the other side of the room. His desk was littered with maps and papers, as well as a wall full of weapons and armour behind him. He had a huge, bushy, black beard and cold, menacing eyes which bore into anyone's and everyone's soul. Next to him, stood a slimmer figure - almost woman-like. The figure wore thickly padded clothes with a tap of fur in some places. They also wore a blue-green menacing mask over their face with huge black eye-holes and spikes on the top. I bowed to them, making sure that I was looking directly at my feet to show respect.

"Rise, Astrid. You do not need to bow before me." Said the scarred man in the chair.

"Yes, sir." I answered, standing to attention.

"Rise, Eret." He said as Eret rose too. "You probably know who I am. I am Drago Bludvist, the greatest Dragon Conquorer in the world! And you have a special task for me."

"Yes, I do, sir. And I will not fail you." I answered loudly.

"Good. Let's hear your plan to take down the Dragon Master then." He answered as he sat on the chair. "Valhallarama, bring a chair for our young guest."

(A/n - I was going to leave it here, but then I realised how short the chapter was, so here we go again! The part just above this would have been more of a cliff-hanger if you have read the books.)

Chapter 30.5

I told him every aspect of my plan, from head to toe. I added a few phases and took some away, as well as Eret and Drago and 'Valhallarama' adding and taking away scenes. I now realise that the person behind the mask was a woman, probably in her late 40s to mid 50s and she also had a special connection with the dragons. I have heard of her great achievements and how she got the name: 'The Trainer'. She isn't as famous as the Dragon Master, but there are definatly rumors going around about her existance across the archipelago and Berk. I was to set off at first light tomorrow morning towards Berk on Stormfly 'alone', and you will find out the rest when the time is right. I had the full tour of Drago's complex. He had training arenas, fighting arenas, stables, washrooms, dungeons, a gym, offices, housing, a huge dock and many, many dragon caging areas where hundreds upon hundreds of trained dragons (trained by Valhallarama) were being kept. There was a separate area for untrained dragons. Drago kept going on about how he was going to add another 'king' of all the dragons to his collection soon, and that got my curiousity buzzing.

The evening meal was relaxing and noisy. I sat by Eret at Drago's table, where I was getting a lot of attention. Cat calls and whistles sounded through the hall as I ate quickly, but I refused to meet anyone's gaze except Eret's and Drago's - they were practically the only males in the room who were treating me like a warrior, not like a little bit of fun.

I slept in peace in a guest hut. It was quite small, with a tiny wooden bed and blanket, a wooden table and chair and a little fire in which I could cook if I wanted, but I didn't use it. I dreamt a funny dream that night. I was on Berk with the Dragon Master and we were hanging out like old pals. He took me on a flight on his dragon and showed me around the village pointing out his friends and all the buildings. At one point, he gripped my hand and pulled me to a cove, where we talked and laughed like true friends should, but then... he did the unexpected... he kissed my cheek. That's when I awoke from this crazed dream. Why the Hel did I dream about that?

I was looking out of the window, gazing upon the docks and the sun as it slowly rolled into view. When it was almost fully up, I grabbed a peice of bread from the table and walked to the docks - my axe and bag swung across my back. Eret was already there when I arrived, checking the boat to make sure it was secure. I was to sail towards Berk by boat, then just before Berk came into view, I would hop on Stormfly and fly the rest of the way, so Stormfly wouldn't look tired when we returned. Stormfly was loaded onto the boat, with just a muzzle over her mouth to stop her from burning the boat to a crisp accidentally. I walked over to her and patted her side.

"I hope Berk's ready." I told Stormfly.

Eret finished my sentence. "Cause they ain't gonna know what hit 'em."