OK last chapter before the migrate, also posted on fanfic net (And please note that I got the word draclings from a book called Dragon's Milk, by author Susan Fletcher)
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Chapter 9:
Things had gone smoothly at first. Everyone was introduced to each other, and they all headed to the Great Room (which, as I'm sure you guessed, is the equivalent to a Great Hall, just maybe a bit smaller), after getting the extra dragons situated in the stables. But of course, that was before Hunter started to flirt with Astrid. Before Snotlout got Layla mad, and before one of the eggs started to hatch.
"Which one is it?" Kira asked, "Thornridge. Do you think..." The red-head rolled her eye's and took the egg, "I'll handle it." Ocean gave her a gracious smile, it wasn't that the girl didn't love taking care of draclings, but she had some other things on her mind.
"Okay, I know that everybody is tired, so who want's to bunk with who?"
"I'll take Hiccup" Xzander said stepping forward, "My hut is closest to Ocean's, so..."
"OK, Snotlout?"
Xzander looked to Landom, "Landon, I know you're gonna want to help Kira," he then turned to the black haired young-man next to him "so Hunter?"
"Yeah, yeah, Snotlout can bunk with me."
"Good." Ocean smiled at the group, " Then Astrid can stay at my place. Layla, do you think you can take her and my dragons there?"
"And what will you be doing."
Ocean glanced at Xzander. "Uh, I need to take care of a few things." The other girl caught on, as did Landon. "Come on Hiccup, I'll take you over to Xzander's."
"Uh, okay..."
Within minutes the pair was alone. "So," Xzander crossed his arms and turned to Ocean. "Are you ready to tell me why you left?"
No a little voice inside of her whispered, contradicting the "yes" she uttered.
She took a deep breath, and turned away from him. Not because she was scared or anything...OK she was. "I left because you would all be safer with me out of the way."
There, she said it. She didn't think that she felt any better, but at least she said it.
"Ocean Rose. What do you mean, 'we'd all be safer without you?'"
"Xzander, the battle before this previous one...It was horrible! Kira got hurt! Moonlight got hurt! You--" Her voice cracked. "You almost died. You were unconscious for a week. That scar will always be there..."
Xzander walked over a few steps. "Ocean, the battle had nothing to do with you."
"It had everything to do with me."
"And how do you figure that?"
She turned and looked him in the eye. "I know that, because both of us know that the Dragon Hunters, the Grimbornes, have wanted me dead for years. And if they can't get close enough to kill me. Then they'll go for the next best thing..."
"Kill the people you're closest to." Xzander finished for her. He started to hold out his hand. "Ocean--"
Ocean took a step back and swiped at her eye's. "I uh, I need to get to my hut. Astrid's there, and..."
"Ocean..."
She shook her head. "Not now 'Zander. We can talk in the morning."
With that she exited the Meeting Hall, leaving behind a slightly concerned, and a pinch angry, dragon rider. He wasn't angry at her. He was angry at himself. At the dragon hunters. And mostly, at the Grimbornes.
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Ocean opened the door to her hut with a long sigh. "What happened?" Astrid asked her.
Ocean jumped a bit, on her walk to her hut she had forgotten that the older girl was there. "Oh, n-nothing."
"Yeah, sure."
"Really Astrid. It's nothing."
Astrid looked at the younger girl curiously, but dropped it. "So, where will I be sleeping?"
Ocean nodded her head to the back of the hut, "The guest room's back there."
Astrid laughed as she opened the door. "By guest room you mean very very small cave that hardly has enough room for a bed."
"Details."
Astrid laughed again, and walked over to Ocean, who was grabbing a folded blanket from a chest.
"You know, you're more like your brother than you realize."
"Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?"
Astrid shrugged as she took the blanket.
"It depends. Hiccup can be...stubborn. It's gotten him in trouble."
Ocean gave an irritated sigh and walked over to her desk. "Are you trying to tell me something?"
"Ocean, I know that we only met a couple of days ago, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out that you and Xzander are in the middle of an argument."
"It's fine, Astrid."
"Mmm, by the way you're getting defensive, I have a feeling that it's not."
Ocean looked at Astrid out of the corner of her eye. Why do I feel safe with a person I JUST MET?! "Xzander and I aren't in a fight, per say. It's more of a disagreement."
Astrid lifted her eyebrow. " A, disagreement."
"Yeah. He wanted to know why I ran off. I told him. He wanted to talk about it. I didn't. End of story."
"Was there a lot of yelling?" Astrid asked softly. In return she got a small laugh.
"No. Xzander and I can both lose our cool pretty quickly, but it hardly seems to ever be around each other. The few times we've argued have been...really quiet ones. Like..." She broke off and shook her head.
"Like you know the words might hurt the other person and you don't want to make it even worse." Astrid suggested slowly.
"What do you do, read minds?"
The older girl laughed. "No...I have a temper. When I was younger, I would snap at everybody...and then I started to get close to Hiccup. I mean, I always liked him," Ocean raised her eyebrows,
"AS A FRIEND." Astrid quickly finished, holding her hands up, "The closer I got to him, the more my temper cooled. Sure, I'd still blow my top, but by the time we headed for the Edge, the last fight Hiccup and I had that included actual yelling, was when we were fifteen, maybe sixteen."
"Wow," Ocean whispered, "Is that why you're not telling Hiccup about Heather. Because you're scared that you guys will have you're first yelling-argument in years?"
"That's part of the reason. But don't change the subject! You care about Xzander. You're betrothed to Xzander. If he thinks that you two should talk this out, maybe you should."
Ocean narrowed her eyes. "I don't like that you're making sense. Fiiinnneee. I'll talk to him. In the morning...Now," She put her hands on her hips. "we're going to talk, about Heather."
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Hiccup paced the floor of the hut Landon brought him too. The place was... nice. Built on a rocky cliff, for obvious reasons. Quite a bit of the hut was also stone, which, once again, made quite a bit of sense.
"Should have had Snotlout build his hut like this." Hiccup muttered, looking around. "Only without all of the weapons." The weapons. Xzander had to have as many as Astrid, maybe even more. It was crazy! bludgeons, knives, daggers, swords, hammers, maces, and so much more.
A squeaking sound made Hiccup turn to the doors. Yes, doors. It seemed that every Nigh Rider had double doors to make sure that their dragons could get inside. Smart.
"So?" Hiccup asked as Xzander closed the door. "What's up?"
Xzander scowled, "You're sister is one of the most stubborn people I know."
Hiccup, being, well, Hiccup, tried to lighten the mood. "I'll take that as a compliment. Wait till you meet my father, then you'll know stubborn."
Xzander crossed his arms, "If your father is more stubborn than Ocean, then..." He gave a low whistle.
"So, what has Ocean done to be labeled 'incredibly stubborn'?"
Xzander shook his head as he walked towards the back of his hut, "Nothing for you to worry about." He muttered as he grabbed a blanket and tossed it to Hiccup.
"She is my sister."
"And she's my betrothed." Xzander looked away, "Hopefully" he whispered under his breath. He nodded to the back of the hut while clearing his throat. "Guest bedroom is back there." He headed up the stairs, "See you in the morning."
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Snotlout looked around the hut. The walls were covered in furs, and weapons, like a normal hut. Really, that was all there was. Of course, the only rooms he had been in were the living room and guest room, but...
"So, what's the stories with the girl's?"
Hunter glared at Snotlout, his dark eye's flashing, "Stay away from them."
"Why? You can't have all three."
"No. I want you to stay away from them because you remind me of me."
"That doesn't-"
"Ugh. Layla and I once dated, but it didn't work out. Kira is special. She's like my sister. You hurt her, you get me."
That scared Snotlout. Hunter was taller and more muscular. "A-and Ocean?"
A sly smile appeared on the dark-brown haired boy's face. "She's betrothed to Xzander."
"Yep! I'm leaving her alone. I'll leave them all alone."
Snotlout cautiously backed up into the guest room. "Ya know, I'm going to bed. Have a good night."
With that, the conversation was over.
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Fishlegs nervously paced the small space in Gothi's hut. She and Gobber had been going over Valka's letter for hours, and it was making Fishlegs extremely nervous.
"Well?!" Fishlegs yelled, "Oh, I-I'm sorry, I just..."
"It's OK Fishlegs. I think we have our answer. Gothi?" The Healer nodded her head, "Well Fishlegs. Do you want to tell the Chief or should we wait for Hiccup?"
Fishlegs eye's widened. He shouldn't have been so shocked, Ocean did resemble Hiccup and Stoick. But still, Hiccup had a sibling. The chief had a daughter!
"W-we should wait for Hiccup and Ocean."
Gobber smiled softly. "What's she like?"
"She seems nice. She rides a Night Fury. She has dark auburn hair and deep dark blue eyes. She--"
"Hold it! Hold it! Did you say that she ride's a Night Fury?!"
"Yesss."
Gobber clamped his hand on Fishlegs shoulder and Gothi prodded him in the back with her stick. "Come on boy. We have some talking to do.