Riders Unbroken

3

 "What's wrong?" Elva asked me, and I froze on the log I sat on.

"Oh, nothing," I said, and looked at Dawn. She was also curious of my reaction. "I just, It went down the wrong way," I held up my small strip of meat.

"Uh, huh," Elva nodded, and looked at Darman, who looked at Arven, who was looking at Elva. They were probably talking to each other through their minds, talking about me. They were all flashing me looks, which definitely meant they were talking about me.

Do you know what's going on? I asked Dawn. She shook her head, and cooed. Suddenly, all of their eyes were on me. Arven cleared his throat,

"You, young lady..." he began, and pointed at me. "Are very, weird."

"Thanks, I guess," I said, and watched as Dawn gave me her little smirk, and hummed. "Oh shut it."

"You and you're dragon seem to have a good relationship," Elva said, and I turned my attention back to her.

"It comes and goes," I said, and recieved a pebble to the head that Dawn shot at me. It bounced off, and left a little sting. "Anyway, what are you guys doing in the Nine Islands?"

"You heard us while you were spying," Arven told me.

"Oh Yeah," I rolled my eyes. "Well I didn't really get the full reason."

Darman stood, and stirred the coals of the fire. "We're here to go visit Hope, our old leader's sister. We haven't seen her in a while, and thought we might go and tell her how its going back at our home-"

"Yes," Elva said, "and I will not be joining them beyond this point."

"Why is that?" I asked.

"You're pretty nosy, aren't you," she said, and leaned back on the blue dragon.

"Only when I need to be," I said, and took another bite of whatever the orc had cooked for me. It was pretty good, actually it was really good. When you bit into it, the flavor would just burst in your mouth. The flavor of smoked lamb, or deer, or something with four legs. It had a sweetness to it too, that matched just perfectly with the spice.

"I see," Elva scoffed, "what brings you here then?"

"Just out on an adventure," I said simply, "trying to get away from my father. He's kinda, trying to get me ready to do something I dont want to do yet."

"And what is that?" she asked.

"Lead," I whispered, and she looked at the other two riders, she looked kind of curious.

"What is your name?" she asked me, and I looked at Dawn. I looked at all of them, and took a deep breath, preparing for the reaction I knew I'd get from them.

"Alia," I told them, "Alia Stevenson."

"Oh, okay," Arven said, "Nice to meet you, Alia Stevenson."

Shalkar-drag was the only one who gave me the reaction I'd expected from them. His eyes widened, and he looked at the other three. Elva also suspected something odd, and stood. She glared at me, and put her hand around something on her waist. Shalkar-drag watched her do it, and so did Dawn. The Night Light Fury growled softly, and she caught Arven and Darman's attention.

"What was that for?" Darman asked.

"I don't think she's as friendly as I thought," Elva said, and before she could draw whatever was on her waist, Shalkar-drag put his tail between us.

"She is," the dragon told her. "I could smell his scent on her."

Elva relaxed, and put her hands in her lap.

Prove it, I heard her voice flash in my head.

I waited a few seconds, giving Elva my dramatic side. I will, I said back. Her eyes widened, and I thought she might try to do something to me.

I stood, and walked towards Dawn. "I'm from Berk," I told them, and I opened the saddlebag. I reached inside, and searched for a little pouch I was pretty sure was in there. Sure enough, I wrapped my hands around it, and pulled it out. On the front was a symbol that my father hadn't told me the meaning of.

I threw it to Elva, "my father's old runepouch," I told her.

"That looks exactly like the one you gave to James before you found us," Arven said, and Elva still looked at the small leather bag. She was probably thinking of the memory her and my father had shared as kids, and I could tell she was fighting the urge to shed tears. She rolled the bag in her hands, and Shalkar-drag smelled it, his nostrils almost doubling in size.

"That's because it is," she told Arven, she stood up and walked towards me. She was suddenly angry. "How did you get this?"

"I already told you," I said, "my father gave it to me a year ago."

"That's impossible!" she yelled, "he died almost nineteen years ago, fighting some person Berk was to weak to fight."
"You're wrong," I said, "he's still alive, my father is still alive. I saw him only a few hours ago."

"I can't believe that," she told me, "after thinking he's been dead for so long-"

"Aren't you supposed to be dead?" I asked, and she stopped. She looked at me, then her face hardened.

Get ready to go Dawn! I yelled, the woman threw back her arms, and thrust them forward. Blades were fired at me, and time seemed to slow as I dodged the first one. I watched as an icicle flew past me, and I looked back at her. As she fired more, I sent a blast of electricity to shield myself.

As the dust cleared, I saw her staring at me. She had a look of confusion on her face, and I looked at Dawn who was ready to attack. She looked at me,

"Lets go!" I yelled, and Dawn ran. I caught up with her, and jumped on her back. She lifted off into the afternoon sky, and I looked back at the three riders and the dragon. Suddenly Dawn banked to the left, almost throwing me off of her.

A roar sounded as a giant golden dragon tried plucking us out of the sky. It had two long tusks that extended from its lower jaw, and a long horn on its snout. It had four long muscular legs, and a set of huge wings. Its eyes were the color of the setting sun.

Tall spines ran down the length of its back and down to the tip of its tail. And it had a row of jagged teeth, and a pair of long fangs that extended to the bottom of its lower jaw. Before it could turn around to try and catch us, we had dove towards the ground and it lost sight of us.

We'll see you on Berk Alia, I heard Elva say, and I looked back. Then we'll see if you're really my brother's daughter.

You have to listen to me, I tried to tell her.

After spending a lifetime in Arsham, she told me, its hard to trust anyone you don't know.

Dawn stopped, and we hovered in the air looking back at where they were camped. I looked down at her, and she looked up at me. I pulled out the pennent from inside my shirt, and looked at it. I clamped my fingers around it, and I looked out over he horizon.

"We have to warn my father," I said, and patted her on the side. "About them, and whatever caused that fire," Dawn cooed, "I guess we'll tell Hiccup to."