The Forgotten Friend (How To Train Your Dragon)

Chapter Six:

I've never realized how beautiful Berk's sunrise is. The vibrant colors of red, orange, and yellow collide with the deep blue as a new day is set forth. On the ground, it is easy to take the sunrise as an advantage, signalling that you have survived another day on our mountainous wet heap of rock that is situated just north of hopeless and few degrees south of freezing to death; but soaring high above Berk as another day begins is a new and exhilarating experience. The calm morning wind pushes my hair out of my face while an updraft allows Seze to glide amongst the clouds.

"There's nothing that I would trade for this," I claim, resting on Seze's back.

The chains of my ancestors are broken... gone. Seze releases a roar of glee, and I cheer. Our freedom is in sight, inching closer as we climb higher.

I pat Seze's side, "So this is what being a dragon feels like..."

Seze purrs in response.

"I don't want to fight this war anymore. I want to save both dragons and Vikings from this, but with whatever is going on in that fog bank, I doubt the war will cease anytime soon."

A sigh escapes my lips. I wish to stay up here forever, no chains tying me to the ground, but alas, my time with Seze is limited. Much to my dismay, we return to the edge of the forest, where my gaze falls on the stirring village. Taking a seat on a fallen log, I close my eyes while Seze stands behind me, his head casting a shadow over me. My hand reaches upward, and I gently scratch the dragon's chin. He tilts his head toward me, as if he enjoys it, and as soon as my fingers brush against his lower jaw, he falls limp, pinning me in the process.

"I gotta go, Seze," I laugh, only to receive a huff. "I don't wanna be late for training. My brother's helping Gobber out more and more. I don't want to raise any suspicion. I mean, I've been avoiding him for the past three days, so it's only an amount of time before he decides to corner me."

Seze reluctantly lifts his head but remains crouching on all fours.

"I'll bring you some fish later if I can sneak away."

I stand and brush the dirt off my gray pants and brown, leather skirt. I jog out of the forest while keeping my eyes on the village. Vikings, who are still present on the island, are slowly making their way to the training arena; my guess is to watch Hiccup, as rumors have been spreading like wildfire. I, on the other hand, hope to stay out of the way. Upon entering, I find Fishlegs standing by a few pallets.

"Fishlegs? What are you doing here?" I inquire, glancing around in search of the other recruits.

"Oh, Eira, was it?" Fishlegs greets, having me nod, "I'm just eager to get this session over with. I heard that Gobber is bringing out the Deadly Nadder."

I groan, "Great. Another survival day."

"I'm sorry about the last session we had."

"Sorry about what?"

"Running into you and nearly causing us to be burnt to a crisp."

I wave him off, "Don't worry about it. Really. Trust me, I don't want to be here."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I'm better at forging and healing than I am at fighting. That, and I know a good bit about the Dragon Manual."

I peer over at the gates, spotting Snotlout, Astrid, and the twins trudging in with Hiccup following from a distance. As he approaches me, I notice my bow and quiver are in his grasp.

"Here. You left this at the forge last night," Hiccup whispers, handing over my weapon of choice.

I send him an appreciative smile before turning my focus to the cages in front of us. Gobber is behind the safety of the metal dome over the arena alongside the growing crowd. My brother, however, catches our attention by slamming the inner gate shut, locking both himself and us inside with the dragons. He signals for Gobber to unlock the doors to the Deadly Nadder, and similar to the Gronckle, the dragon bursts open the doors. It squawks, fluttering its wings and raising its tail spines. Snotlout, wanting to show off for Astrid, charges the dragon with his trusty hammer, only for the Nadder to ram into him. The twins laugh at his misfortune, but the dragon proceeds to discharge its blazing hot fire toward them.