The Return of the Dragons

Part 8 Poor Zephyr - Hiccup POV

Hey guys! Just for your information this is gonna be mostly back and forth between Hiccup and Zephyr as they play the predominant parts in the story.

E.C.J.

I close my eyes as I breath in the morning air. The sun is not up and only a little pink glare crests the horizon. My body is tired but my eyes are wide open and that awful feeling in the pit of my stomach won't go away.

My heart aches for my daughter. I wish I knew how to make her feel better. I'm her parent and I want to fix everything but I know I can't. I have to go today... for her. For her safety, for her mother's safety, for her brother and for all of New Berk. I love her and I want her protected. I can't imagine if anything ever happened to my little girl.

My breath is shaky and I put my head in my hands. I feel a hand slowly run across my back. "Can't sleep?" I hear the voice of my wife say softly as she sits down next to me on the rock.

"No." I sigh. "Can't you?"

"I was asleep until Zephyr woke me up." My aching heart jumps at this.

"Is she alright!?" I ask Al ost jumping out if my seat.

"Hiccup!" Cries Astrid jumping up also and putting gentle hands on my shoulders to calm me down. "It's okay, she just had a nightmare."

"Astrid, she's almost thirteen! Since when did she wake us up for nightmares?" I ask

"She didn't." Astrid replies. "It was her crying that woke me up."

I try to hold back the tears. "Poor Zeph! Did she tell you what her nightmare was?" I ask in a shaky voice.

"Yes." Says Astrid looking at me strangely. "Hiccup are you all right?" She asks concernedly.

"I'm fine." I insist, but my Astrid is smarter than that.

"Hiccup, be honest with me." She says ruffling a hand through my hair. "Something is up. Tell me what it is." She looks into eyes with her sparkling blue ones. In those eyes are a thousand memories; memories of days with dragons, and memories without them; memories of adventures abroad with our dragons and at home with our children. She's been there for me for twenty years and she knows me better than anyone else on this earth.

"Oh Astrid. What was I thinking? There's no fooling you." I take a deep breath. "I'm just worried about Zephyr."

Astrid casts an understanding glance at me as if she knows what I'm talking about. "Her nightmare was that you went away, you were hurt and never came home."

I almost choke. My poor baby! "Is she still awake?" I manage. Astrid nods squeezing my hand.

No more words need be said. I get up and hurry to console my daughter once and for all. I sprint to the house and leap up the stairs two at a time trying to blink back tears as by now I can hear my little girl sniffling and quietly crying. As I come to the door I can see her with her face burried in Toothless. I don't stop but rush to her. As I come to her she sees me and reaches her arms out towards me.

"Zephyr! Oh Zephyr baby! My sweet girl it's all right!" I say as she sobs into my chest where I hug her tight. I can barely hold my own tears and eventually I am sobbing over my precious child. After a while I gain myself and gently sooth my weeping daughter. "Shhhh. It's okay Zephyr. It's okay sweet girl. Once she has mostly calmed down I gently release her and look her in the eye. "Sweet Zephyr, nothing is going to happen to me. It's all right. I'm going to be okay. And even if something ever does happen, you will always have me in your heart. And you will always be in mine, because I love you!"

"I love you too Daddy!" She says giving me a squeeze.

We hold onto each other for some time and to my great relief she calms down and no longer sobs. I rock slightly back and forth as I hold her to my chest and kiss her head. After a while I say, "Zeph," and a sleepy Zephyr looks up at me. "Why don't you come with me. You will be perfectly safe. It will be just you and me. What do you think of that?"

"Oh yes, Daddy, yes!" She cries hugging me tighter.

My heart leaps. It gives me the shivers how much I love this girl. "Alright then." I say. "Why don't you get a little more sleep." And I tuck her close in the covers and put her Toothless up by her head. She clutches onto him and snuggles up comfortably. "Now dream sweetly my precious girl." I whisper as I give her a kiss on her soft cheek. With a smile I shut her door.