Riders Unbroken

1

Dawn and I flew over the ocean, leaving a wake in our path. We were doing our regular flight beyond the waters of our island, we could see nothing but miles of ocean. Everyone on Berk still believed the earth was flat, even though once you flew above the clouds you could see them rolling in a slight arc and seem to get higher the further you looked. Everyone who had the joy of riding a dragon should know that the earth is round.
    I'd matured over the last three years, and now had a pointed chin, and my green eyes had gotten deeper. Light freckles now spread across my cheeks and a few were on my arms.

    I'd also gotten stronger, almost as strong as most the guys on Berk. I'd grown about two inches as well, which isn't saying much but I enjoyed being about 5'9''. I was the same height as Astrid, taller than my mom, and a couple inches shorter than my father and Hiccup.

    Dawn had also changed a bit over the years. Her face had become more defined, and she'd grown a couple of feet. Her blue eyes now had a bit of green in them, and her legs and wings had become more muscular. She was almost the perfect mix of her mother and father.

    She'd also earned the respect of all the dragons on Berk, so now she didn't have to control them to get them to listen. She'd also really rubbed off on the children of Berk, every time she lands she cant walk three feet without being mobbed by ten-year-olds. It reminds me of stories my father had told me about Cindy and Starfire back on Croise.

"Let's go Dawn!" I yelled and she spiraled upwards and we began to descend towards the clouds. As we disappeared into the pillow like blankets I smiled as the light substance tickled my bare arms and face. She spread her wings as we flew above the fluffy giants, and the rising sun came into view.

    It was like we'd entered a whole new world, a world of straight beauty and not grey nothingness. The rays of light reflected off the atmosphere making the sky look pink, and in some spaces purple. We flew straight over the clouds as if it was the ocean, and I stood as far up as I could in the saddle, my legs still strapped to Dawn's sides. I threw my hands in the air,

    "Wahooo!" I yelled, "This is amazing!"

    Dawn roared, following my excitement, and flew up more. She fell back into the clouds and I looked behind us. She spiraled down, and once we were able to see, she leveled herself out. She balanced her wings and I laid back in the saddle, looking up at the clouds. I let out a small breath, and thought of how my aunt and father were doing in the dragon racing tournament.

    You know he's just gonna try talking to you about it again, I heard Dawn's voice cut through my thoughts, and I sat up.

    "I know," I told her, "but the more he tries, the more I'll run away-"

    You can't keep running from the truth, Alia, she told me, one day it will catch up to you. You are the only child of James, which makes you rightful heir of Croise. The sooner you let him finish, the sooner you can let go. You have responsibilities Alia, just like I do.

    "At least you still get to be yourself," I whispered, and sat up. "Once I'm Chieftess we won't have any time together-"

    She snorted, cutting me off. She looked back at me, although it may never be like it used to be, we will always be together.

    "Yeah I guess," I told her, and patted her on the side. We'll land and rest, then we'll head back. Sound good?"

    She cooed, which gave me her approval, and we descended slowly towards the sea. We flew over the blue water, I looked down and saw a couple thunderdrums swimming below. They all surfaced to greet Dawn, trying their best not to be, well, thunderdrums. But they still could deafen someone with their quiet voice, eventually Dawn hummed to them and they disappeared into the depths.

    "What'd they tell you?" I asked Dawn, and she dipped her wingtip in the water.

    Just gave me a report of how everything looked beneath, she said, and smiled at me. They said it looks great, no humans could be seen down there for miles.

    I laughed, "So you have scouts?"

    Many, she answered simply.

    "I see an island, to our east," I told her, and she banked to the west. Or at least what I thought was west. I looked behind us, "Umm?"

    You meant west,  she said, and turned once more.

    "Yeah," I told her, "I did."

    She glided over the ocean toward the green landmass, only flapping when she almost hit the water. She was saving her energy, at full speed it would've taken us thirty minutes to get there...it took us almost two hours.

    We landed in the soft green grass of the meadow. It was set atop a cliff that overlooked almost the entire island. I climbed off of Dawn and walked towards the cliffside. As I neared it I felt as the morning breeze flowed through my hair. Trees could be seen below, they were orange in color because of the season. You could see some of their branches were completely bare of leaves.

    I looked at Star, and smiled. "We've never been on this island have we?"

    She shook her head, and I looked back out over the valley and at the mountaintops that looked to be miles away. I took in a breath of air, and got the faint taste and smell of maple. I closed my eyes, it was like dejavu, it was like somehow I belonged here.

    "Wherever we are," I said, opening my eyes, "this place is way bigger than Berk. And looks almost, placid."

    Looks can be deceiving, Dawn told me. It's probably crawling with dragons down there.

    "Yeah, probably timberjacks in the woods," I told her, "some Whispering Deaths in the rocks. Maybe even a Light Fury or two on the mountaintops."

    I walked back over to Dawn, and opened up the saddlebag on the side of her saddle. I reached inside, and scrounged around for the map that Hiccup had given me about two years ago. When I finally found it, I picked it up. I walked back over to the cliffside, Dawn followed close behind. I set the book on the ground, and sat on my knees. I opened it, and began unfolding the pages Hiccup had stuck together, and mapped years ago.

    When I finished, I was staring at a map of the Barbarian Archipelago that was as wide as I was tall...and also as tall as I was tall. I traced my finger over every island Hiccup and Toothless had ever come across, looking in the direction we'd flown. I looked for details in the drawings that matched what I saw in reality. My finger stopped on an island Hiccup had marked nearly twenty years ago.

    "Itchy Armpit," I said, and wondered what'd inspired that name. "That's where we are, we are way east of Berk and..." my finger crossed over something I didn't even know was on this map. I looked at the groups of islands of my ancestors homeland. "We're just west of Croise."

    Dawn's head perked up, and I felt her head come over my shoulder. She looked at the map, and hummed. I pushed her away slightly. She shook her head in annoyance, but backed off, not saying a word. Maybe that was why it felt like I belonged here, because I was close to the source of my power. I felt the urge to fold up my map, and keep flying east, but I knew I couldn't do that.

    Besides, we'd have to fly up Heaven's Gate on the way. I remembered the loud roar of the waterfall as I waited to finally meet my father for the first time three years ago. I sighed, and began to fold up my maps. I walked over to Dawn and stuffed them back in the saddlebags.

    "We'd better get home," I said, and she looked at me with her deep blue eyes. I looked back out over the island...that's when I noticed the trail of smoke rising from about a mile away. "What is that?"