Castiel was pretty sure she probably wasn't winning anyone over with the news that she and Eret had been in an arranged marriage at one point. The other girl standing next to Eret especially didn't seem to happy to hear that. Perhaps Eret and this girl were together? It was a possibility. If that were the case then she had a feeling this girl might just have it out for her. But then again, maybe Castiel was just being paranoid? Probably. After all, she and Eret in no way had feelings for each other, so if this girl was with Eret then what did this girl have to be worried about? Soon, the other teens were making there own separate ways off to go make preparations for the celebration and Hiccup had offered to show her around the village. At that suggestion, she nodded, a small smile on her face, "Okay."
The 'small village' of Berk was actually a little bit bigger than she thought. Still not as big as her home village, but still not tiny in size. They had a good bit of space with many places that benefited them, such as their stables for the dragons, the training arena used to teach people how to train certain dragons, the blacksmith where they now mostly made saddles, and finally the mess hall where they were decorating for the celebration. Castiel and Hiccup helped as well, though Castiel felt she wasn't really much help at that at all. She wasn't sure how they decorated for these sorts of things on Berk, so she would just take orders from the others of what needed to be done and would do them. Very soon, with everyone's help, the celebration was underway and it was such a strange sight for Castiel to see.
Back home, there weren't any real celebrations. Their people were known for being hostile and not really being a social type of community. Their people never held parties like this and surely never were this merry. And so, seeing people like this was a change for her. A good sort of change at that. It made her smile to see everyone so happy and lively. She could really get used to this.
When it came time to tell the story, there wasn't much to the story Castiel could add. The only thing she could tel that Hiccup hadn't was how her father had locked her up and kept her guarded all night and then how she stole back Hiccup's weapons from her father and rushed them over to him. So other than that, she was quiet and let Hiccup tell most of the story. Besides, he told the story with a lot more excitement than she could have even told.
After the story, the others went on to tell stories of how they would have done things differently if they had been in her and Hiccup's shoes. She listened to them and even barely noticeably laughed under her breath very lightly at some comments they made.
It was after a few comments were made that some of the older vikings began to play merry music for various instruments and the older adults began to swing around, most in a drunken way from all the ale they had drank, dancing about and such.
"Oh great, drunken music to listen to. Now all we need is one of the old ladies to screech one of the their songs and maybe I'll be able to pass out." Tuffnut commented sarcastically, to which Eret commented with a laugh.
"Well, I don't know about horrible singing, but Castiel here is quite the musician. Her singing would be better than hearing that screeching."
"Really?" Snotlout once again slipped into his sly sort of look, standing uncomfortable close to her, "I'd love to hear that."
Nervously holding her hands up and shaking her head, she took a step back, an embarrassed flush coming to her cheeks, "W-what? Wait a minute. I'm not really good at singing at all. Eret's over exaggerating. My mother was the one good at singing. He's probably confusing the two of us."
Eret shrugged, not pushing it any further, "Whatever you say Cass." With that he turned to Astrid and attempted to lead her playfully to dance with the others that were dancing about, wanting to enjoy the celebration while it lasted.
Astrid didn't seem to eager to go out on the dance floor, pulling against Eret's hold and looked ready to punch him. "Eret, you know I don't dance, you-wah!" She let out a surprised yelp as she was suddenly pushed up against Eret. She whirled around and gave Stormfly a glare, while the dragon simply chirped and tilted her head, giving off an innocent look. "Don't give me that look, I know it was you." She sighed. "Fine then, but I'm leading." She grabbed hold of Eret's wrist and lead him out to the dance floor.
Hiccup couldn't help but chuckle as he watched the two, matching each others' rhythm to match the music, which was upbeat and merry. Vikings never did the slow dance kind of thing or had their bodies pressed against each other. They practically danced circles around each other, hooking arms at times or perhaps the men giving their women a little twirl before dancing around again, full of laughter and joy. Astrid let Eret twirl her a few times, but like she had said, she lead the dance. She and Hiccup never danced together when they were a 'thing' once. Not just because Astrid didn't like to dance much, but also because Hiccup couldn't dance. At all. It wasn't that he danced horribly, he just couldn't get the steps with his leg, unable to quite keep in step or stay on his feet. He could do a few steps but then somewhere along the line, he'd stumble and nearly fall flat on his face, and he was a fan of his face. He didn't want it hurt. It was hard enough to get used to do all the things he did with this leg, but dancing was just asking for trouble.
So he never danced. He stayed on the sidelines, watching others enjoy-or make a fool of-themselves, leaning against a wall with his arms crossed over his chest. Toothless was watching the vikings curiously, tilting his head as they danced, his hind quarters doing a slight sway to match the music. Dragons apparently had some since of rhythm as well. The twins, of course, were fighting over food. The sister had apparently banged a huge chicken leg over her brother's head, and he responded by tackling her to the ground and the two wrestled, while Barf and Belch just watched their riders boredly. Obviously used to seeing them fight. Fishlegs was giving Meatlug a nice belly rub, the dragon laying on her side with her tongue rolled out and one leg in the air, loving the strokes he was giving her. Snotlout, finally seeing that Castiel had no interest, was trying to ask other girls to dance with him. Which resulted in getting something wet thrown in his face, or a punch. Hookfang was laying in a corner, obviously asleep, the noise around him not bothering him a bit.
"So...." Hiccup began to say, glancing at Castiel curiously. "You sing? I never knew that, and something tells me you're not being entirely honest with yourself. We all have talents deep down. Vikings, after all, aren't really made for singing..." He glanced around at the heavy set women all around them, some arm wrestling men while others are lifting heavy weights, or burying their faces into their food. "...Obviously." He let out a nervous laugh before looking back at Castiel. "If you can sing, that's something to be proud of."
Castiel smiled slightly as she watched Eret drag Astrid out to dance, the girl leading in the dance. It was quite funny actually. Eret had always been the type of guy that wanted to be in charge and be the one in the lead, so to see a girl able to push him around like that was amusing. She herself sat in one of the chairs against the wall, tapping her hand ever so lightly at the beat of the music, whens he heard Hiccup speak beside her. She looked over at him, a pink color rising to her cheeks again when he questioned her on her singing. She averted her gaze, shrugging sheepishly, "Well, I....I'm not that good, I don't think. My mother was really the one who was amazing at singing. She was pretty much amazing at anything she did." She smiled slightly at the thought of her mother, though it was a sad smile, "She probably would have loved it here on Berk. I think she hated staying in that village just as much as I did." She sighed and continued to look around, "This place really is amazing. Its a lot more....lively than Kalda(I figure I should give it a name since we hadn't come up with one for it yet XD) is. A lot more friendly too." She smiled another one of her small smiles, looking over at him, "You run a great village."
Standing up, she spoke again, "It's been a really long day, I think I'm going to head to bed." Castiel looked over to see Aurora running around, playing another game of tag with Toothless, the two chasing each other happily around, swatting at each other with their paws and making cooing noises and playful growls, as well as knocking a few things over in middle of their little game, "She looks like she's having fun. I'll leave her and let her play. She knows how to find me anyway." She looked back to Hiccup with her bright hazel eyes and gave a small wave, "Night." With that, she turned and headed back further into the village where the houses were and to the 'guest house' she had been shown earlier on when she had been given the tour of Berk, which was were she was to be staying.
Walking in and finding the bedroom she found that a few pairs of warmer clothes had been placed in there for her (possibly by Valka before going off to keep an eye on things), which she was grateful for. She was still wearing her non-layered clothes from her village, which with her village being much warmer, wasn't really enough to keep the nip of the cold away. She had been freezing ever since they had gotten back from the fight on her island, but had done her best to not really show it, not wanting to make a big deal out of it. But, now that she had the warm clothes, she was quick to change into them and warm up. She also thought about something else and went to braid her long pale hair back from her face, as when it had been down and she flew on Aurora, it had been getting in her face from the air blowing passed them. Now with it braided back it wouldn't do that.
After all that, she sighed and flopped down to sit on the bed, exhausted from all the had happened that day and all the change she had been put through. It was hard to really deal with all of it, but she knew she would get used to it all sooner or later. She thought of this as she lay down, hoping to get some rest before dawn came the next day.
It had been close to two weeks since Castiel had actually slept in a bed and so of course the moment she layed her head on the pillow she was out cold, curled up there, hoping she would be able to catch up on the sleep she had lost over that time. Unfortunately, her thoughts of possibly sleeping in were trampled by the dragoness stomping on the roof of the little cottage, trying to get her riders attention. At first Castiel thought she could just ignore it, after all, if she really wanted to Aurora could go off flying around on her own, but the dragoness was persistent on wanting her rider there with her to go exploring because soon on top of stamping on the roof she let out a few roars.
Hearing that, Castiel was very fast to hop out of the bed and go over to the door, stepping out and looking up to the roof as Aurora jumped down, "What are you doing, Aurora? Are you trying to wake up the whole village?" She asked in a hushed tone and the dragoness, of course playing innocent, cooed and purred, rubbing her head against Castiel's. How could she stay mad when the troublesome and sly Fury acted like that? She laughed lightly and patted her head, nuzzling her back before climbing onto her back, "Alright, alright, you managed to get me out here so we might as well go have a look around, huh?" Aurora gave a sound of agreement before crouching down and taking off into the sky.
The flight was slow, the two taking their time to really take in some of the sites around the area. There were some very beautiful places. Being locked up in a village all her life, unable to leave and really see sights like this, made her really savor and take in these kinds of things. And Aurora, having been locked up for so long and unable to really fly around, was enjoying these sights just as much as she was. The two of them explored the surrounding areas just outside of the island until they found a nice area on one of the cliff sides to stop and rest before heading back to Berk.
She slid off of Aurora and sighed in contentment, looking around, "You know Aurora, I could really get used to this. Exploring these places. Living in a village were people are so happy. It's nice." She yelped as the dragoness smacking her in the head with her tail and she looked over at her confused, "What?" She grinned at the dragoness's slightly annoyed gaze, "Oh, I forgot to mention having you with me in all that, didn't I? Didn't know you were so self centered." Aurora trying smacking her with her tail again, though Castiel ducked, "Ha! Didn't get me that ti--" She yelped again as the tail swung again, knocking her feet out from under her and making her fall face first in the snow. She sat up, huffing and wiping the cold powder off of her face, "Okay, you win this round. I'll just have to be more careful next time." Aurora let out a garbled sound Castiel assumed was a laugh, "Laugh all you want you big bully." She said, picking up a handful of snow and tossing it at her, the snowball hitting her on the snout. Aurora snorted and shook it off before walking over and with one paw, pushed at the tiny human girl, Castiel flailing and trying to stay up, but finally fell down, the dragoness sitting on her, looking down at her with big innocent eyes before running her tongue over Castiel's face, "Ewww! Aurora! No! Bad dragon! That is SOOOOOO gross!" Yet the dragoness, seeing how much it bothered Castiel, did it just a few more times for spite before stepping off of her, leaving the girl to attempt and wipe off the slobber.
Castiel went over to the river that flowed over the cliff side, most of which was frozen over due to the cold temperatures of the area, and finding a part of the river that still had water, went to washing it off the best she could and once that was done, stood up, spotting a thick piece of wood next to the river side. She picked it up, turning it over in her hands, a small smile coming to her face, "This would be perfect for carving something out of." She stated quietly to herself and then sat on the edge of the cliff, her feet dangling slightly as she relaxed. Taking out the small knife she had stolen from the man Aurora had thrown from her back during the battle in her village, she went to work, craving rather skillfully. After all, being stuck in that village all her life, she had to have somethings to keep her entertained and this was one of them. Her mother had taught her to do this. Back home she had carved bows and arrows, different instruments, and rarely little figures. This time it was flute. It was simple one. She could have made one much better if she took the time and such for it, but for now this would do her well until she did take the time to make a good one.
She spent quite a while just sitting there and working on it, and when it was finally finished, she smiled to herself and went to test it out. She blew a few lone notes into it, then when she was sure it was working fine, started to play a song as she sat there on the cliff side, at peace as she played the soft tune.
Hiccup couldn't help but smile at how shy she became when he mentioned her singing, and of course she was being modest, though he never actually heard her sing. Still, he was sure it was far better than she was leading it on to be, not really seeming to be the kind to brag. Like Snotlout. It was the modesty that made him believe that she really did have a talent for singing, but it didn't seem like he would be finding out, and he wasn't going to push the subject further. However, it was his turn to become a bit shy and surprised from her compliment about him running a great village, looking at her. He then averted her gaze, shifting from foot to foot, obviously nervous.
"Ah, well..." He began, lifting a hand to rub the back of his neck. "You know what they say: A Chief isn't without his people." He smiled a bit at her, lowering his arm, and said nothing further about it. Apparently he wasn't much of a braggy one either. It was getting a bit late by the time she wished to turn in, and he didn't stop her, knowing that they both had a really long day. His eyes drifted over to the two Furies who were playing another game of tag, and he smiled, thinking that it was best to leave them as well. They looked like they were having a lot of fun. He turned his gaze back to her. "Goodnight. See you tomorrow." He waved her off, remaining where he was.
Toothless was knocking all kinds of things around as he chased Aurora around the Great Hall, but everyone was in such good spirits, that they didn't mind at all. They were in awe of the new Fury in their midst, and were more than happy to let the two play while they continued on with whatever it was they were doing and would often watch the two of them play, laughing joyfully at them. In fact it had become a betting game, and vikings placed bets one which one would win the game of cat and mouse, or which one would knock the less stuff over. Toothless didn't seem to be paying attention too, only enjoying his time playing with Aurora, leaping over vikings and tables as he bounded around the Hall, bouncing off walls and poles to keep up and try to catch her. Whenever Toothless caught her, he quickly turned and would let her chase him, happy coo's and growls escaping him as they ran around.
Hiccup was quite enjoying the sight, laughing as he watched the two, never seeing Toothless so happy. By the end of the night, however, it was Aurora who managed to invade him the most and won the bet. But Toothless came to a close second. The Hall began to empty as vikings left to return to their homes, or some would just pass out where they stood and slept, but Hiccup didn't bother to wake them. They were vikings, it was how they functioned. It didn't matter where they slept. Hiccup's friends had already left long ago with their dragons, as did all the other dragons, returning to the stables or perches. Hiccup made his way over to Toothless, who had stopped playing and was laying down beside Aurora now while the party went on, releasing all the energy he needed. The two Furies were most likely exhausted as well after that whole ordeal.
"Hey Bud, come on." Hiccup said, placing a hand on Toothless's head as he smiled. "Lets head home."
Toothless lifted his head and parted his jaws wide in a yawn, before standing up on all fours and stretched his body like a large feline, flexing his claws and arching his back. He then gave Aurora a gentle nudge, waking her up, and waited for her to be ready before he followed his rider out of the Hall. Hiccup bid Aurora farewell and a good night, pointing to the direction where Castiel's guest home would be, though he knew the Fury could find her Rider just fine. Toothless said his goodbye as well before going with Hiccup back to their home. Hiccup was looking forward to the rest. There was no telling what tomorrow might bring, and after today, it didn't look too good.
Hiccup was sound asleep when the first rays of light began to appear, but an all too familiar sound reached his ears and began to make him stir, while something was nudging him. "Mmmph five more minutes." He grumbled, turning his head. The nudge only continued against his back, and there was a soft complaint of a growl. "I said five more minutes." Hiccup insisted, ducking his head under a blanket.
But there was never five more minutes. Toothless lifted his front legs up on the bed, then gave one hard nudge with his snout, and Hiccup went rolling off the other side of the bed. "Waaah!" He released a surprised shout, landing on the ground with a thud, rolled up in his blanket like a cocoon. "Toothless!" The Nightfury was peering down at him with an innocent expression, his eyes wide and head tilted, as if wondering why his rider was down there.
Hiccup struggled in his little trap, but it was very difficult with his artificial leg, only managing to get tangled up more. "Alright alright! Get me out of this thing and we can go!" Hiccup said in defeat, just wanting out of his little prison.
Toothless beamed at this and jumped off the bed and leapt over Hiccup, landing on the ground beside him before turning around. He lifted a claw, placing it gently on the bundle that contained Hiccup and began to roll him. Hiccup rolled and the blanket became undone, soon free from it's trap, and Toothless met him with a series of licks and nuzzles. Hiccup quickly waved him away, getting up on his feet and tried to wipe the dragon slobber off of him. "Ack, disgusting. I need to invent some kind of dragon proof slobber armor." He muttered. Toothless only stared at him expectantly, his tail wagging while shifting his back legs, ready to go.
"Alright, come on Bud." He said with a smile, heading towards the door. Toothless smiled a wide gaping smile and bounded right passed him, making Hiccup do a full spin before Toothless was out the door, and Hiccup caught himself before he could fall over. He shook his head and rolled his eyes, but he was smiling.
Hiccup took down Toothless's saddle he kept at the side of the house, and began hooking it around him, while Toothless did his best to hold still. The sooner his rider got it on him, the faster they could be in the air. Once Toothless's saddle was on, Hiccup pulled on his helmet and climbed right up on Toothless's back, hooking his metal leg into the stirrup and held on. Toothless crouched before leaping powerfully into the air, wings spread wide and already flapping, carrying them very high in a matter of seconds. They flew from the island of Berk, going higher and higher still, till they were able to touch the clouds. Then the real fun began.
Riding Toothless was like riding on a lightning bolt itself, just without the burning flesh and pain of course, but the speed... Wow the speed. The wind whipped passed them, which was why Hiccup had invented his helmet to keep the air from stinging his eyes and cheeks, so that he could see passed the cold air without letting it blind him. They covered ground quickly, enjoying the peaceful world in the sky, blocked off from everything else far below. Up here, there was nothing to worry about, all troubles just seeming to vanish. It was beautiful, something truly only a dragon can ever experience, and it was being shared with it's rider. They started of slow, gliding through the air and the clouds, watching the sun rise in the distance and light the clouds with many colors.
Then Toothless dove. They soared down like a speeding arrow, Toothless's wings folded close and eyes narrowed, his scales and Hiccup's clothes getting wet from the clouds that passed them. Then the ocean came to view, yet Toothless did not slow down, continuing his descent till the very last second. Then before they hit the water, Toothless reared up and spread his wings, catching the air currents beneath them and sailed right over the water like a hovering boat, his tail skimming the surface and creating a wave behind him. Then he flapped once more, flying higher into the air toward mountain peaks. He did a flip to the right to avoid impacting against the hard rock solid wall, flying sideways to sail through between a narrow space between the peaks, then righted himself before diving once more along the spire, then flew up to the next spire in sight and began to spiral upwards around it. If Hiccup reached out, he'd be able to touch the hard surface with his finger tips. They were in mid air once more, doing many more maneuvers and tricks, feeling the adrenaline coursing through their veins, Hiccup expertly managing Toothless's tail like it was nothing.
At last, they came to a slow stop, sailing through the air calmly and enjoying the view. Hiccup reached down, patting Toothless's neck. "Good job Bud, we did great." Toothless turned his head slightly to look at him, releasing a happy growl, before his eyes suddenly widened and he perked his ear frills, looking around.
"What is it Bud?" Hiccup asked as Toothless continued to turn his head, as if he was looking for something. He suddenly veered to the right, making Hiccup sway, and he quickly held onto his saddle. "Whoa! Toothless? What's the matter?"
Toothless ignored him, following the sound that he was hearing, never having heard anything like it before. Hiccup remained silent then, watching as he held on, wondering what it could be that Toothless was hearing. They flew closer to some peaks, flying slowly around them as Toothless followed the sound, and soon Hiccup could hear it as well. It was a soothing melody, the wind carrying the notes through the air, and it was the most beautiful sound Hiccup ever heard. He blinked, wanting to know what it was, so encouraged Toothless to find it. When they rounded one corner, there was no mistaking the white shape that sparked in raindbow colors, and Toothless smiled brightly. He let out a soft roar in greeting to his friend, flying towards the ledge that Aurora and Castiel were perched on. Hiccup was surprised to find them there, not having expected to see them at the end of their search.
Toothless landed carefully on the ledge, and Hiccup climbed off, sliding his helmet off before looking over at the two. "Castiel? What are you and Aurora doing here? Was that you?" He was walking over to her now. "Were you the one making that...that..." He gestured with his hand, trying to find the right word. "Melody?" He finally finished.
Castiel had always enjoyed playing music on different types of instruments, yet the flute had always been her absolute favorite. The way it trilled its high pitched notes was just something so magical. And, right now, where they were at, where the notes bounced off the cliff sides and rang in the air, it made the music come to life and fill the area around them with peace. She was so caught up in her music, moving her fingers gracefully along the flute, that she hadn't noticed the two males approaching until an excited bark like sound, making Castiel cut her song short to open her eyes and look to see just why her dragon was so thrilled. Seeing Hiccup and Toothless land, Castiel blinked in surprise before smiling shyly at them, Aurora rushing over happily, bouncing on her front paws and cooing in greeting to Toothless, glad that her friend was there and that she could play. She headbutted Toothless lightly playfully before dashing off, the game of chase starting up once again while their riders spoke.
Castiel watched the two dragons a moment, a small smile on her face at how close they seemed to be, then looked to Hiccup as he spoke to her, asking if she had been the one making the melody they had apparently hear. Oh, so that was how the two of them had found she and Aurora all the way out here. She looked at him shyly and nodded, "Ah, yes. That was me." She held up the wooden flute she had carved for him to see, continuing to speak, "Using this of course. My mother taught me how to carve and play these." She shrugged, looking down at it, "Though, playing it really isn't a big deal. Anyone can do it."
Walking back over to the cliff side where she sat before, she lowered herself to rest there once again, looking over at him and gesturing for him to come sit next to her, "Here, I'll show you how to play it." She waited for him to join her there and when she placed the flute in his hands, "When you cover the different holes and then blow into it, it makes different sounds. Go ahead, try it." She took her hands away and let him blow into it once and nodded, "Good, now, try to cover the first and the third hole and blow into it again." When he did it this time, it made a not so musical sound, causing both of them to wince, though Castiel laughed, a rare thing for her to do, "That was....close. Here." She moved to her hands to his own, gently going to position his hands right, "There. Now try it." And when he did, it made a beautiful sound that echoed over the cliff sides just as her song had, "That was good. Now here, try this." She moved his hands to another position and let him try it, then continued to show him a few more notes, smiling softly all the while, "You're doing great. Now, try putting all those notes together and repeat it a few times."
She listened as he did what she said, smiling as the notes sounded, ringing beautifully through the air and as he went on, repeating the tune over and over, the notes played a song. It was one of the first her mother had taught her and one of her favorites that she played often on the flute. She even found herself humming....and then singing, the words and notes coming from her own voice matching his playing on the flute perfectly in harmony,
"Someday, when we are wiser, When the worlds older, When we have learned.... I pray someday we may yet, Live to live and to let live.
Someday, life will be fairer, Need will be rarer, And greed will not pay. Godspeed this bright millennium, On its way, let it come someday.
Someday, our fight will be won and, We'll stand in the sun in, That bright afternoon.... 'Til then, on days when the sun, Is gone, we'll hang on, If we wish upon the moon.
There are some days, dark and bitter, Seems we haven't got a prayer, But a prayer for something better, Is the one thing we all share.
Someday, when we are wiser, When the whole world is older, When we have love, And I pray, someday we may yet, Live to live and oneday, someday... Someday, life will be fairer, Need will be rarer, And greed will not pay.
Godspeed, this bright millennium, Let it come, If we wish upon the moon...
Toothless was just as thrilled to see Aurora of course, the two of them already such good friends, and returned her head butt before chasing after her. Apparently the two loved the game of chase. It was challenging for them both to try to avoid the other, sometimes one outlasting longer than the other and sometimes it was the other way around, each trying new ways to try to catch the other. Hiccup glanced over at them with a small smile before he returned his gaze back to Castiel, seeing her lift the odd instrument of wood for him to see. He was surprised to see such a thing. He knew what a musical instrument looked like, but they were rare and very few, for vikings weren't musical. They made weapons, not music, and you couldn't fight with music. To see that Castiel was capable of such a thing was truly fascinating, and it was very well made, he could see it on a glance. The wood was smooth and clean, he was sure that if he ran his fingers over it, then he wouldn't get a splinter. She must've been a true craftsman to make something so amazing in such a short amount of time.
He watched her walk over to the cliff ledge to sit down, and saw her gesture for him to come sit by her. Curious, he wandered over and had to be careful when moving to sit down, for his ribs still hurt pretty badly, so be moved carefully till he sat perfectly on the ledge. His legs dangling over as he set his helmet down beside him. When she handed over the flute, he grew surprise, staring at it as if it was some sort of rare and unforeseen treasure meant only for those worthy enough to hold. Of course it was an exaggeration, but Hiccup wasn't musical, or at least he didn't think it was, so when she offered to teach him he was a little unsure. "Gee, I don't know..." He said, his hands still as he stared at the flute. "Dragons are usually my specialty, and last I checked, they weren't very musical."
But she was insistent, so after another moments hesitation, he took the flute from her. Holding it delicately, just like he did with any of his own works. He followed her instructions, blowing into the flute, and was very pleased by the note it played. It wasn't anywhere near as beautiful the way Castiel had made it sound, but he was just excited for the fact that he created a sound! He followed her next instructions in trying to make different notes, placing his fingers on the first and then third hole, but he hadn't covered the hole on the bottom of the flute. When he blew into the flute this time though, he had blown too hard, and it made a bit of a shrill sound. This caused Toothless to stop in his tracks and release an annoyed roar while quickly covering his head, then rubbed it against the ground, as if trying to dig the sound out of his ears.
Hiccup quickly stopped and pulled away, wincing from the horrid sound he made. "Eh, sorry, I told you music wasn't so much my specialty." But she only laughed, which made him blush a bit. She offered her help, taking his hands in her's, and lead his fingers. She taught him to blow a gentle stream of air into the instrument, and she led his fingers while he did, taking them to different holes and notes. She led them in a sequence, showing him which notes to play over and over, and a nice melody began to play. Hiccup was doing it, and he was starting to get it. Soon he was able to follow the rhythm and path she showed him, so she could take her hands away. Toothless lifted his head and turned it towards Hiccup, tilting it curiously as his ear frills perked, staring in wonder at the odd sound that was coming from his rider.
Odder still was the hum. Hiccup heard it, and at first he thought it was caused by the flute. It was so beautiful, so melodic, but instantly realized that it wasn't coming from the instrument from his hands. He moved his eyes over to Castiel, realizing it was coming from her, lifting his eyebrows in surprise. She was humming a really nice tune, matching the notes perfectly, if not better. He continued to watch her as he played, making sure he stayed in rhythm. Then she began to sing, and Hiccup was blown away by some invisible force that came from her, his eyes widening in shock. Had the force been physical, he would have been thrown right off this cliff, yet too dazed and entranced to care.
And he was entranced. Her words carried across the air like a gentle sail over a calm sea, holding so much meaning and emotion than the strength of Thor, as if she were bringing out something from deep down within herself and releasing it. He heard his mother sing before, and though she was such a wonderful singer, she had just been blown out of the water by Castiel. No offense to her. It actually brought tears to his eyes, and yet all he could do was play, not daring to make the magic that was happening right here stop. Toothless was amazed as well and wondered, his jaws slightly ajar and eyes wide, his game of tag with Aurora completely forgotten. He wondered over to the two riders, sitting down at a small distance, watching them both. And he listened. He felt utterly relaxed and at peace, his wings folded and low, eyes soon closing as he swayed to the melody. It almost appeared like he was dancing. His wings slowly began to unfurl, spreading wide and they lifted, while his body continued to sway to the music. His tail had began to move in rhythm as well, as if the dragon was lost in a hypnotic spell caused by the singer and flute player.
Hiccup not only heard the words, but he felt them, each one holding such deep meaning. When she was finally done, he let the notes continue, letting them carry out the last of the message the song was meant for all to hear. But slowly the notes began to quiet down, till Hiccup hit the very last note, letting it drag on for a bit. Then he was done. He lowered the flute, his eyes looking out to the ocean below, silent for a very long time. The song brought up many emotions that he had felt in the past: When he was the unwanted outcast and runt nobody wanted, all alone in the world, always fighting to prove himself. Then he met Toothless, feeling that first bond between viking and dragon, taking that next step in something never before heard of. Flying in the sky for the first time, becoming the greatest of friends, Toothless and him. Being denied as a son to his father, before proving himself at last by saving the people of Berk, and starting a new era with vikings and dragons. Then meeting his mother for the first time, but then lost his father, and becoming Chief after stopping Drago. It all passed in one huge sweep, leaving him breathless and in awe, as if he had just gone through a whole growing cycle in under five minutes.
Toothless had opened his eyes and blinked a few times, as if breaking out of a trance, his wings folding once more and he tilted his head at the two. Hiccup ran his thumb over the smooth surface of the flute, admiring it's work and the magic it created between them, just a simple background for the magic that Castiel created. At last, he lifted his head to look at her, breaking the silence. "Can't sing, huh?" He said sarcastically, a smile breaking out across his lips, his eyes a bit watery from the near tears that looked like they were about to fall out. He didn't even notice.
Castiel had always loved to sing, but had never really thought much of her ability to do so. Before, if anyone had happened to hear her sing it was because she hadn't realized they were there. That was how Eret had found out about her singing, having caught her singing one time when she had been by herself in the forests shooting her bow and arrows. Word had of course gotten around about her ability to do so, but whenever someone mentioned it, she had a habit of getting shy and saying she really couldn't. Yet, here she was, so relaxed around this young man that the peacefulness and warm feeling between the two of them had actually brought a song out of her. She continued to sing softly, the words and notes floating in the air around them, her eyes out on the ocean in front of them as the song continued on.
As her rider played, Aurora too stopped her game with Toothless to join him in sitting close to their riders, eyes closing and tail swishing back and forth as well as the tune continued on, swaying softly as well. She had never heard her rider sing before, but it was something amazing and unearthly, causing both dragons to stop and listen closely until the song slowly faded out and Aurora opened her rainbow eyes, cooing softly in curiosity as she watched their riders interact before she fondly nudged her head against Toothless's a few times so that she could gain his attention before laying down and motioning her head in the direction of their riders, her soft cooing sounds directed at him as though asking what he thought about the two riders and the situation between them at the moment.
The sound of their song faded off and it was silent for a long moment as the two of them sat there, emotions seeming to sweep between them. She herself found herself thinking back to her own life. Of how growing up she knew she was different. Shunned by the others in her village, only able to really connect with just her mother. How her mother had taught her everything she knew about music, about healing remedies, about crafting and shooting bows and arrows. But not just about the physical things. Her mother taught her to be fair. To be wise and patient. To understand how others felt. To have mercy and compassion. To not hate, but to love. To do what was right, even when what was right might not be what was easiest. It made her think back to a little over a year ago, when she had found out her mother had died. She had felt that pain and loss of the only person to ever understand her for so long after she had died. She still felt that pain and loss even. And then she thought of now, being so far away from the place she called home, betraying her father. But she also had to remember, that though those were some bad things, one good thing was where she was now. She was in Berk, where people were different. More understanding. Where she had a best friend and dragon. Where she could be happy, even if just for a little while. She just had to work past the bad parts and find the good.
She took a shaky breath and moved her gaze from the ocean as Hiccup spoke to her, that same shy look coming back to her face when he teased her lightly about how she had claimed to not be able to sing, silently noticing the tears in the corner of his eyes, though thought best to not mention them, not wanting to embarrass him or herself, averting her gaze, "Well....m-maybe I can sing. Just a little bit." She smiled slightly and looked back to him, "And, for a person who's specialty is only dragons, you played the flute very well."
Standing up, she looked back to where their dragons were resting and rose an eyebrow as the dragons seemed to be communicating with one another while at the same time watching she and Hiccup, "What do you suppose they're doing?"
It was Hiccup's turn to grow embarrassed, shrugging his shoulders as he looked away. "Ah, well, I had a good teacher." He said with a soft smile, turning the flute over in his hands. "I wouldn't even know how to play this darn thing if it wasn't for you."
When she stood he moved to join her, but his ribs had other ideas, causing him to wince and he sat back down. Looks like he was staying where he was for a little longer. He turned his head instead, peering over at the two dragons. "Well I don't exactly speak dragon... But I think they are just as fascinated with your voice and this flute as much as I was."
Toothless had looked over at Aurora when she got his attention, and upon her question, he pondered it for a while. He laid down beside her, looking over at the two riders, before cooing and growling softly to her. He thought that the two were becoming really good friends, like him and Aurora, and it was a really good thing. He was actually happy to see his rider make another friend, and that he had taken Castiel as someone who was deeply sad, that her smiles weren't always real. But the more she was around his rider, the more she seemed to smile real smiles, and she truly seemed happy. Something about Castiel brought something out of Hiccup as well, making Hiccup look more like his old self before becoming Chief, like he was finding that missing peace he had lost along the way. When they had taken their new roles, something just seemed a little different in Hiccup. Nothing bad or too big, but it was like he wasn't that same young boy who held the joy and happiness like when he helped others train their dragons, and did what he loved doing. But he was looking happier now, as did Castiel, and Toothless thought it was really good for them both. It made Toothless happy to see some of his old rider back.
Hiccup moved to stand once again, this time succeeding, his artificial leg making it a bit difficult. He stood straight, looking the flute over in his hands, before returning it to Castiel. "Here you go. You're not so bad with your hands." He said, smiling. "Who knows? Maybe you could help me out in my own inventions, and together we might be able to create something pretty terrific. Like this flute. I bet with a few tweaks, we could really make it into something unbelievable."
Castiel had just barely looked away from the two dragons playing in time to see Hiccup attempt to stand, only to wince and sat right back where he had been. It took her a moment to realize that maybe Hiccup wasn't exactly as well as he was letting himself on to be since they had come back from the battle at her village. But then again, should she have been surprised by that? After all, he had been tossed around rather harshly by that Skrill. She should have known he had been injured in some way during that time. And though he probably needed medical attention for it, he had been hiding it from them, trying not to worry any of them. She didn't get a chance to mention it at first because after a moment he was trying to stand up again, and succeeded moving to stand beside her and hand her flute back to her.
Reaching to where her bag was at her side, she placed the flute back in there, hesitating as she looked to him, "We probably could. Maybe the both of us working together could create something new one day that could make a sound never before heard." It was wishful thinking and though she could talk all day about making inventions and instruments, she moved from that topic, her mind going quickly back to her thoughts on his injuries from the day before, "You're hurt." She stated simply, closing her bag and straightening up, crossing her arms, "Why didn't you say anything to anybody? You shouldn't just go around in pain like that." Wow, it was strange, scolding someone like that. Even if the scolding wasn't a very harsh one. But, it was still new to her.
Brushing a strand of her pale blonde hair away from her face, she continued, "My mother was a healer in my village, so she taught me a lot. I can help with your injuries." Once again, she went to her bag, this time slipping the strap off from her shoulder and setting it on the ground to rummaged through it, "I made sure to bring some herbs with me when I first escaped with Aurora. Some of these should be able to help with the pain. Take that armor off so I can look and see what I need to use." She stated rather professionally. She had done this quite a lot with her mother, helping out with patients, and even after her mother died she had dealt with injuries of vikings a few times. This was normal to her and if she was going to be staying here on Berk for a little while, then why not put those skills she had learned in herbs and medicine to good use?
She looked up at him, and when he had done as she said, she looked over the cuts before picking out a few of her herbs, "Sit down, some of these might sting and some might make you feel numb, so just bare with me, okay?" She sat down next to him and applied the the different herbs to the different cuts and bruises on his skin, though at the same time, found herself a little shy and embarrassed at this, something she knew she shouldn't be. After all, this was just her being a good healer and helping with his wounds. And at the same time, she was so close to him that it made her nervous all the same.
Once she was done applying everything, she stood up, a pink tint to her pale cheeks as she averted her gaze and started putting the remaining herbs back into her bag, speaking once again, "There, that should hopefully make those wounds feel better. I might have to apply more later but it should all be okay for the time being." She looked back to their dragons and climbed onto Aurora's back, looking back to him now that the flush in her cheeks was fading a bit, "How about we go riding before heading back to Berk? Might be fun to see how differently or similarly these two fly."
Hiccup liked the idea of building something new and amazing with her. He loved to invent things, and though he would build with Gobber at times, he would like to build with someone who was his own age. Putting their ideas together to create something wonderful. However that conversation soon ended when she brought up his injuries, and he winced, but not in pain. He was a little taken aback by the 'scolding' she gave, not because he found it harsh, but he just didn't expect to hear something like that from her. "I'm sorry. I'm the chief of vikings, things like this are just occupational hazards, so I didn't want to say anything."
She was already looking through her bag at this point, and told him to remove his armor, which really took him aback. He hesitated at first, but seeing that she was quite serious, he began to unstrap his armor. He took off his gauntlets and shoulder pads, then got the rest of it off so that she could get to his wounds. When she told him to sit, he carefully sat down on the ground, and held still to let her treat his wounds. He was trying not to look at her as she worked, his own cheeks turning a bit pink, not used to having someone treat him like this. A few times she would hit a ticklish spot, and he would squirm a bit before making himself hold still, holding back a laugh. He couldn't help it. But there was something about her touch that was so gentle, so soothing, that after a while he began to relax. She really did have healing hands.
When she was done, he was feeling a lot better already, the bruises nothing but a dull ache now that they were numbed. Some of the cuts stung though, but it would soon fade away, so it was something he could deal with. He stood up and began to put his armor back on, and once he was fully dressed he moved over back to Toothless, smiling over at Aurora. "Thanks. That actually feels a lot better now." He climbed up onto Toothless's saddle, hooking his leg into the stirrup. "That sounds nice. I've been really curious to see what your Fury can do."
Just then, there was a challenging gleam in his eye, his lips peeling back in a grin. "Shall we test their abilities?" He challenged. "A race. we'll fly around the island, and the first one to Berk, wins. What do you think?" Toothless seemed to like the idea, snorting before giving Aurora a challenging look and swiped the ground a bit with his claws, eyes narrowed and lips peeled back.
At the challenging look on the two male's face's, Castiel found herself quite amused. Men. Always having to turn everything into a contest. Still, she shrugged her shoulders, "Okay, we can race. But, just a fair warning, Aurora and I have never really gone fast together before so I'm not sure if our flying will be up to par with yours and Toothless's." So far, when riding Aurora, the two usually took their time with nice gentle flights. Going at fast speeds with Castiel on her back wasn't something they had really tested out just yet. But, she supposed riding along with Hiccup and Toothless was the best way to test out and see just what the two of them could do so far. She leaned forward against Aurora and looked over to the side where Hiccup had mounted Toothless and readied himself for their little race as well, "When I say go, we take off."
Aurora looked over at Toothless excitedly, bouncing on her front paws, her wings pulling close against her sides as she prepared for when she would take off, "Ready," The dragoness huffed and bent down low, getting in position, "Set." She felt Castiel tense, preparing for the take off as Aurora growled softly, "Go!" The dragoness leaped forward with more grace than the power Toothless used in his take off, starting the girls out just a little bit behind Hiccup and Toothless, though when Aurora's wings snapped open and flapped, the Light Fury was quick to catch up with the males. Castiel looked over a grin on her face as she saw they had caught up to the other two and then laughed, smiling brightly as Aurora twisted and flew higher into the air, soaring so close to Toothless, going just over his head and going up into the clouds.
This was the most fun she had ever had in her entire life. It truly was amazing and it showed in how lively and bright her hazel eyes were as they dove about. The more Aurora sped up, the better it was. Loose strands of her blond hair that had fallen out of her braid whipped around her face and droplets from the clouds stuck to the blonde strands, as well as to her clothes, as they dashed along with such agility that it even surprised Castiel. She laughed again as Aurora dove once more and zipped around Toothless, flying a quick circle around him before evening out her flight to fly between multiple rocky pillars that stood in their way.
Between Aurora's agility and grace, and Toothless powerful flaps and movements, it was hard to tell who might win. There were times where Aurora could fly around Toothless and easily get ahead, yet there were times, especially in strong winds, that Toothless could do the same to them. Soon, they had flown all the way around the island, not a hard feat for two Furies, and the village before was in sight. Castiel laughed once more in excitement as Aurora sped up, nearly nose to nose with Toothless as they landed and the female Fury had managed to set foot on the ground just seconds before the male. Castiel slipped off of Aurora's back, still smiling brightly, something much different from her normal soft smiles she gave, and laughed, "That. was. amazing. I never thought Aurora could go so fast! And Toothless was really fast too!" As Castiel spoke, Aurora's tail flicking back and forth as she walked over to Toothless, cooing at him in a way that made it seem as though she were teasing him for loosing the race.
Hiccup had put his helmet on before the race started, leaning over Toothless once again and held onto his saddle, ready to go. Toothless was ready as well, practically bouncing on his feet, waiting to see just what this other Fury can do. Once the race started, Toothless was off, a blur in the air as he flapped his wings strongly. They were already in the lead, and Toothless planned to keep it that way, as did Hiccup. However, the females had other ideas, and before Hiccup knew it the Lightfury and Castiel were ahead of them. He blinked and Toothless looked surprised as well, watching them soar higher, completely free in their own element. They even dove back down and circled around Toothless and Hiccup before taking off once more. Hiccup smirked, leaning closer to Toothless and placed a hand on his neck.
'Alright Bud, we can't let these girls show us up." He said, and Toothless growled in agreement. "Alright, lets show them what you can do."
Toothless narrowed his eyes, and he rocketed forward, speeding to catch up with Castiel and Aurora. The two were neck and neck, their fins allowing sharp and quick turns, so getting around the mountain peaks was nothing. One moment Toothless was ahead, the next moment Aurora was ahead, but both seemed very quick. However Aurora had size and speed on her side, whereas it only seemed like Toothless's power of his wings was keeping him this fast. Even though they were racing, Hiccup was admiring Aurora, watching the way her body worked. Though she and Toothless were the same, this Fury seemed far more graceful, and flew just a bit differently than Toothless. Hiccup wanted to learn more....
Toothless roared sharply at him, and Hiccup snapped out of it, looking ahead to see an upcoming mountain peak. "Ah!" He flicked his foot, adjusting Toothless's tail fin, and they sharply turned just in time, but were heading right for another peak. Again Hiccup adjusted his foot, changing the tail fin, allowing Toothless to dodge. But he had to kick off with his legs to avoid collison, till at last he righted himself and they were back in the race. This had put them behind though. Toothless pinned back his ear frills and growled softly at Hiccup, turning his head slightly to glare at him. "I know, sorry Bud. Come on! We can still catch up!"
Toothless snorted and shook his head, and took off once more, trying to catch up. They had soared all around the island, and by the time Toothless and Hiccup caught up, they were neck and neck again. But Aurora kept ahead, and soon landed gracefully on the ground, and Toothless landed soon after. Hiccup took off his helmet, sliding off Toothless as he beamed at Castiel. "Looks like all Furies carry that amazing speed. Your's apparently is just a little faster." He chuckled, looking over at Toothless. The Nightfury sat down and huffed at Aurora's teasing, turning his head away, starting to pout. Hiccup shook his head. "Well now look who's being a sore baby loser." Toothless glared at him and growled, claiming it was his fault. "Come on Bud! It's not like you weren't looking either." Toothless narrowed his eyes and swept his tail at Hiccup's feet, making him fall back with a cry of surprise, and Toothless's chest hummed in laughter.
Hiccup pushed himself up, shaking his head as he dusted himself off. "Well, you two were really something." He said, ignoring Toothless as he smiled at Castiel. He was going to say more, but at that moment, a large shadow loomed over them. Hiccup glanced up, and was pleased to see Cloudjumper descending towards them. "Well, here's Mom."
Cloudjumper landed elegantly, wing lifted so that Valka took hold of his wing hook with her staff, and he gently lowered her onto the ground, before folding his wings close to himself. Valka took off her helmet, smiling at her son and Castiel as she walked over. "Me and Cloudjumper saw your little race while patroling. It's amazing... Two Furies, flying together. It's a sight rarely seen here on Berk."
Hiccup smiled. "It really is." He said, glancing back at the two Furies, before looking back at his mother. "By the way, how was patrol/"
Valka turned serious. "All was quiet, but we mustn't let down our gaurd. However, thanks to you two, Drago has lost nearly all his dragons. I do not believe he will plan an attack any time soon, till he has captured more. I would like to keep all dragons nearby safe and sound, to make sure that he doesn't capture any more. We should keep patrols out everywhere and keep the dragons safe."
Hiccup nodded. "That's a good idea. No doubt he'll try to capture more dragons, and come after our Furies as well." Toothless had walked up to Hiccup at this point, and Hiccup placed a hand gently on his snout. "If we keep Drago dragonless, then maybe we can keep him defenseless."
Castiel smiled and patted Aurora's side, speaking to the dragoness, "Be nice to your friend Aurora. You never know, they might win the race next time and you wouldn't want him acting like that to you now would you?" Aurora looked down at her rider, giving the girl a look that couldn't be anything other than annoyed.
Still, the dragoness huffed and walked back over to Toothless, then proceeded to get his attention by headbutting his side before pawing at him, growling playfully at him. If he was going to pout about loosing at something? Fine. Then she would just find a way to make him win at something. She had no doubt he was probably a more powerful fighter than she was, so he should be able to win their little play fighting, right? She pawed at him a few more times and then finally, crouched low, tail flicking back and forth, before she pounced at his side, front paws on his back, tugging at his ear flap, growling.
Castiel watched her dragon attempt to draw Toothless into another game and shook her head laughing lightly until a large shadow passed over them and she looked up curiously, the smile coming back to her face when she saw it was Hiccup's mother and her dragon. The two landed a little ways in front of them and she couldn't help but admire how close and bonded she and her dragon seemed to be. Almost like they were one being, rather than two separate. She could only hope that one day she and Aurora could be like that. She smiled more when Valka said she saw the race, saying how amazing it was to see two furies flying about together. It really was great. Looking over, she watched Aurora try to drag a play fight out of Toothless and smiled. Two Furies together in general was an amazing sight.
Back when Castiel had first agreed to come back to Berk with Hiccup, she hadn't been sure about staying here. In fact, she had been planning to only stay for just a few days, while she and Aurora rested. Then once they were all well, they would leave to go off on their own. Looking at her friend though, and how happy she seemed, especially to have someone of her own kind near her, Castiel found that she knew there was no way she could make Aurora leave. It wouldn't be fair to her. That....and....Castiel found herself liking it here. She hadn't thought she would, but she did. Everything in this village was just so lively. Everyone was so kind, and they actually seemed to be caring about one another. This was the kind of thing that Castiel had wanted out of her old home with her father, but of course had never got it in that place. Yet, she had it here. How could she possibly even think about leaving when this, despite the short amount of time she had been here, just felt like...like...home.
Her thoughts were brought back to the present as Hiccup asked about patrol. Nothing so far, but they just couldn't let their guard down. Her father would try to capture more dragons sooner or later and they just couldn't let that happen. She listened to them, watching as Aurora followed Toothless over when he walked over to Hiccup, and continued to pester the male dragon, flopping over so that she layed on her back, pawing up at him. She grinned and shook her head at the two before looking back to Valka and Hiccup, going back to their serious conversation, when something came to her mind, "What about the Dragon Sanctuary? My father, he's not dumb. He wouldn't try to come here to take dragons, but if my father knows about the Dragon Sanctuary, then that might be one of the places he would try to attack, right?" She asked, looking between the two, "We need to make sure it's safe from him just as much as Berk is."
Toothless was ignoring Aurora, continuing on with his pouting, till she had leapt on top of his back. He let out a roar of a surprise and stumbled, trying to keep his balance, and only then did he start to play. He let out a playful roar and tossed her off of him, but she should land on her feet just fine. As soon as she would, however, he pounced on her and they would go rolling. Toothless nipping at her as they went. He had lightened up now, playing happily with his friend, getting off of her and would chase her around. However when he felt the mood change with his rider, he had paused in their little game, going over to see what was wrong. But Aurora had continued to mess with him, getting on her back and pawing at his head. He had tried to move his head away, but she kept pawing at him, so he resumed their game of play and began nipping at her paws every time she pawed at him, before leaping over her and began their game of chase again.
Hiccup shook his head as he watched the two play, a small smile on his lips, before looking to Castiel. She was right... The Dragon Sanctuary wasn't safe now that the Alpha wasn't there. "He's done it before." He said. "He could do it again. The Dragon Sanctuary is the perfect place for getting dragons..." This was true. That place had all kinds of dragons there, all of different shapes and sizes, nearly every species was there.
"Yes." Valka said, looking a bit grave. "We must protect that place at all costs. We'll go with Castiel's idea and set up posts and keep guard at all times. It'll be difficult, but we must keep the dragons safe."
"I'm sure my friends won't mind in helping out." Hiccup said, and Valka nodded. "Yes. I will have first watch, since one of us has to stay at the village at all times as well. Then Fishlegs and Snotlout and Gobber can keep watch, then the twins and some of the villagers, you and Castiel, and at last Astrid and Eret." It was obvious why she didn't just have Fishlegs and Snotlout keep watch, and same with the twins. They weren't exactly the brightest and most focused.
Hiccup nodded. "That sounds like a plan." He looked to Castiel with a smile. "We'll be there tonight for sure."
Toothless soared around the Sanctuary, making sure that all dragons were sound asleep and comfortable, his dark shape hard to spot in the night. He soared higher above the nests, flying high above the Sanctuary, his green eyes gazing out over the ocean and sky. So far nothing. There was no sign of a possible attack or a viking ship, just darkness and the water, the sky holding only stars and the moon. Hiccup could see nothing either, peering through his helmet, as Toothless sailed smoothly through the air. Hiccup placed a hand on Toothless's neck, and he began to descend in the inner part of the Sanctuary, circling around the place. They came to the spot where Castiel was with Aurora, Toothless landing on the soft grass before Hiccup slid off, taking off his helmet.
"No sign of Drago." He said, walking over to Castiel. He sat down, obviously tired from the long day of leading the village and then doing night patrol. "Do you really think he'll try to attack the Sanctuary? With his numbers he might be unable to..."
He leaned back on his hands, looking up at the sky to watch the stars. It was a beautiful night tonight, and peaceful with all the dragons sleeping soundly. He hoped that Drago wouldn't come and attacked this place like last time... It was horrible. Just outside the Sanctuary, there was a large hill made of ice and stone, and that marked the grave of the Great Bewilderbeast. The former Alpha of the dragons. After it's death, all of the dragons had gathered stones and buried it, and it's ice power had encased the stones with ice, keeping it forever in an icey grave. It was beautiful, but also sad. Still the dragons visited all the time, placing flowers and such on the grave and keeping it nice and beautiful.
Castiel sat back against one of the trees within the sanctuary, stroking Aurora's head as the two males came back from the flight around the perimeter to make sure that everything was alright. She was relieved to hear that there were no signs of an attack on the sanctuary. Good. Then the dragons were all safe and sound for now. When asked if she thought her father might really attack the sanctuary, she looked over at him and sighed, bringing her legs to her chest as she sat there and resting her chin on her knees, "I don't know. That's the scary part. My father is unpredictable. We can't know what he's going to try and do. But, we have to be ready. Just in case."
Looking about the sanctuary at all the sleeping dragons, she smiled softly. This place was just as peaceful as she remembered it to be. Even more so now that she wasn't scared to death of the dragons and actually understood a bit about them. It was truly amazing and a part of her just wanted to stay in the peace that was this place. Of course, now that she had Aurora, she could come visit this place any time she wanted, so that would be possible. She smiled at that thought and was about to comment on that to Hiccup, then she suddenly felt Aurora nudging at her side, "Hey. What in the world are you doing--" She yelped as Aurora's nudging cause her to fall back.
The dragoness just grumbled and now she found that the dragoness was tugging at the bag she kept on her so that a lot of the things fell out onto the ground, then began to nudge one of the items, bringing Castiel's attention to it. Sitting up, she reached over and picked up the flute, "What? You want to hear the flute?" She said, holding it up and the dragoness cooed. She sighed but then grinned, looking over at Hiccup, "Oh, what was that Aurora? You want to hear Hiccup play the flute again?" She teased, standing up and walking over to Hiccup, holding it out to him, What do you say, Hiccup? Play for us?"
Hiccup sighed as well. He found that very troubling, that Drago could be so unpredictable, and he was. He knew that from past experiences. Well so long they kept Berk, the Dragon Sanctuary, and all the surrounding areas where dragons lurked safe then they'll be alright. It was horrible what Drago did to the dragons, keeping them locked up till they went mad or starved, still remembering the hauted looks the dragons had when he first saw them in cages. He hoped none of them had to go through that again... He hoped Toothless never had to go through that again. The Nightfury had settled down around Hiccup, so that he could lay back against his side, with his head resting just by Hiccup's leg. Hiccup smiled down at him, resting a hand on his head, and the Nightfury opened his eyes to gaze up at him warmly.
Both Toothless and Hiccup turned their heads at the slight commotion that Aurora was making, watching curiously as the dragoness nudged Castiel till she fell back. Hiccup chuckled softly while Toothless had his ear frills perked, watching curiously as to what Aurora might be looking for, till he saw it was the flute. Hiccup saw this as well, but he didn't expect the next thing that was about to happen, growing surprised when Castiel had brought the flute over to him. He knew very well that Aurora didn't tell her to let him play it, feeling very much on the spot and he blushed, looking at the flute as if it was some prized tool. He only played it that one time, he wasn't an expert at it, and he doubted he could learn any other tunes other than the one Castiel taught him.
"Me? No I couldn't, I doubt I still know the tune I learned this morning." He said, not taking the flute. Toothless cooed in disagreement, nudging his arm, urging his rider to take the flute and play. He wanted to listen to him too. Hiccup waved him off. "No Bud, I'm no flute player." Toothless roared lightly and nudged him harder, nearly knocking him over. "Ah! Ok ok! I'll play it already!" He said, though he was laughing lightly, taking the flute.
He looked it over, still feeling a little unsure, his thumbs gently caressing the wood. Then he brought it to his lips, and with a gentle blow, he started to play. The notes carried out soft and slow, getting the hang of it first, before they began to pick up a bit. It was the same notes from the song she taught him earlier that day, keeping in tune and let the music fly and echo. Toothless held still and listened, watching Hiccup play the flute. Some of the dragons stirred before relaxing completely, staying fast a sleep with a smile to their lips. It was like a gentle lullaby.
Castiel was really happy that Hiccup had, after some discomfort in being asked, agreed to play for them. Smiling she sat down next to Hiccup as he started to play the tune she had showed him this morning, the song carrying in the breeze around them and echoing off of the ice and rocks even more beautifully than they had this morning. If that was how the flute sounded, then how would her voice sound? Smiling softly, she hummed a few notes and giggled ever so softly. It did sound a lot better here. She continued on with her humming, happily enjoying the music, when she suddenly felt Aurora nudging her once again, only this time the dragoness was trying to get her onto her feet. She looked a little surprised at first, blinking at her with wide eyes.
Once she was forced to her feet, she was unsure what the dragoness wanted, until Aurora grasped her sleeve lightly to tug and make the girl twirl. She yelped once more and laughed, giving in to her friend's pushy attitude. She started humming once more, gracefully twirling and moving as she danced for a few moments, her cheeks slightly flushed when she remembered that both Hiccup and Toothless were watching. In the fun of it all, she had almost forgot about their presence. Though, as she stood there, another thought came to her mind and she smiled. Wasn't dancing always better when it was two people instead of one?
A smile still on her face, she stopped and turned to them, walking over to Hiccup, bending to offer her hand out to him, "Come on, Hiccup. It's no fun dancing by myself. Will you dance with me?" She asked, the soft smile still on her face. Was this a mistake to ask such a thing of him? Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. But, really, what was the harm of it. If he said no then she would just brush it off. She was pretty good at doing that with emotions now. And if he said yes, then she wouldn't have to dance alone. Either way, it wasn't that big of a deal right? After all, it was only a dance. Wasn't it?"
She looked down at him with her bright blue eyes, head tilted to the side in question as she waited for his answer.
Hiccup was enjoying the sound the flute made as it's notes bounced off the walls, echoing across the Sanctuary and creating a beautiful melody. It was really nice. Suddenly that beauty was increased when Castiel began to hum, tuning in perfectly with the flute, and together they sang in harmony. The musical tones carrying out all around the place. It was truly beautiful. He glanced over at her, listening to her hum, her very voice seeming to bring warmth through him. Toothless was listening as well, appearing relaxed and soothed, resting comfortably against Hiccup.
Hiccup watched curiously as Aurora began nudging her rider, getting her up on her feet, before tugging on her sleeve. Toothless tilted his head as he watched, and Hiccup was caught completely by surprise when Castiel began to dance. He smiled wide as he played the flute, keeping the tune still, watching her dance. It was pretty amazing... His music, her humming, and then her dancing. It all blended perfectly, his eyes bright, happy to keep playing the flute while she danced.
However, when she stopped and came over to him, his eyes widened and he stopped playing. "What? Me? Dance?" He grew flustered, a light pink crossing his cheeks as he shuffled uncomfortably. "I-I'm not much of a dancer..."
It was Toothless's turn this time to get his rider to join. He nudged him and cooed, getting up on his feet and kept nudging his rider till Hiccup was on his feet. "Wha! Toothless, what're you-" He gave one last nudge, practically knocking Hiccup into Castiel, but not enough to knock her over. Hiccup was blushing brightly. "S-sorry. I...I don't know how to dance..." He said sheepishly.
Castiel frowned softly when Hiccup at first looked as though he were going to refuse, saying he wasn't much of a dancer. She had thought to herself just a moment ago that if he declined her offer she wouldn't be to hurt by it. That she would just brush it off. But, then why did it sting a little at the thought she actually had been rejected? She wasn't sure, but it did indeed make her feel a little worse than she thought she would feel. Still, she hid it and nodded, giving a shrug as she stood up straight once more, only, it was when she did that she saw Toothless joining in on Aurora's shoving and hard headed games, pushing Hiccup onto his feet and right into her.
She gasped softly, her own blush coming to her cheeks as she looked at him, though, when he spoke why he didn't want to dance, a smile came back to her face and she laughed softly, "Don't know how to dance? Hiccup, anyone can dance. Even you. Here, I'll show you," He seemed hesitant and so she smiled reassuringly at him, "Just give it a try. I promise, I won't let you fall. It'll be alright." She took his hand in hers and then moved to place his hand on her waist before placing her own on his shoulder, "I'll lead, okay? And don't worry if you step on my feet. I don't mind."
With that, she started to move, humming a different tune from before, one that was a little more upbeat, a bright smile on her face as she looked up at him, enjoying this little dance they were having together.
Hiccup was still hesitant when she suggested that she could teach him. He wasn't sure that he was teachable, not with his metal leg. It was wobbly and too clumsy to dance accurately. It took him a while just to get used to walking and riding Toothless. But upon her words, he grew a little relaxed and confident. When she placed his hand on her waist, he blushed even more, but didn't move it away. Her words were a little soothing...
He began to follow her footsteps, and a few times he would slip and stumble, but her arms were always there to catch him and righted him back up. He would become embarrassed, but she would encourage him, and continue on with the dance. They moved slow, giving Hiccup a chance to get used to his footing, and he began to move in beat with her humming. Soon they could pick up their steps a bit as Hiccup grew used to it, smiling as he went, letting Castiel have the lead. He was learning to dance!
Toothless was smiling wide, wagging his tail excitedly before running over to Aurora and rubbed up against her, cooing softly. He wanted to dance too. He moved around her, letting their tails connect, before leaping gracefully over her and dancing around her. Hiccup let out a joyful laugh and even managed to give Castiel a little twirl. This was really fun!
It took a little bit of working to get him to the point that he actually could dance comfortably. It took a lot of stumbling and trying again after time that happened. Every time he stumbled, she was right there, helping him to right himself again so that they could continued. His metal leg really did give him trouble, but she knew he could do it. If he didn't believe in himself that he could, then she would show him he could and make him believe. It was strange how determined she was suddenly being. What had happened to the meek girl that she had been just days before? Strange how people can change so quickly when in the company of good people.
He seemed to be enjoying himself now and very soon, they were able to pick up the pace in their dancing, both of them smiling and moving about together. Suddenly Hiccup twirled her, and she gave a surprised and happy laugh, giggling as she started dancing with him again. She was happy she was able to help him with this. And she was happy that she was getting the chance to dance with him and laugh with him.
Aurora was entranced, watching as the two humans dance, tilting her head to the side. Though, in just a few moments she was brought back from watching them to Toothless rubbing against her and cooing at her. She tilted her head at him and cooed back, happily getting up as he connected their tails, dancing around her. She purred lightly and joined him him his movements, happily dancing with him, leaping about and cooing with him happily.
Castiel continued to laugh and giggle as they danced, twirling and moving with each other, though of course, all songs end, and as the one she was humming came to an end, their dancing slowed and she found herself being held close to Hiccup, looking up at him, a smile on her face as she caught her breath, her heart beating fast and cheeks bright pink. Why did she feel so...so....light hearted. Happy. So light on her feet. And this only happened around Hiccup. She wasn't used to this. But at the same time, she enjoyed this feeling and she didn't want it to go away. Her cheeks turning even more flushed, she averted her gaze, looking down, a shy smile on her face, "T-that was a lot of fun.....I told you that you could do it." Hiccup couldn't believe how much fun he was having. Castiel was true to her word, catching him whenever he stumbled and fell, getting him back on his feet to continue their dance slowly. Her voice echoed across the Sanctuary, creating s beautiful melody in itself, a perfect tune to dance to. It was like they were in their own little world, Hiccup becoming oblivious to everything except for them while their Furies danced in the background.
As they danced and twirled, their bodies were getting closer in their dance, not becoming aware of it. They were going much faster now, Hiccup's feet seeming to move on their own now, following the tune of Castiel's song. He felt so free and light, all his worries and troubles out of his mind, joy and happiness filling him instead.
As the song slowed, so did their bodies, and by the time it ended they were close. Very close. Their hands were linked while one of Hiccup's arms was wrapped around Castiel's waist. His chest rising and falling in heavy breaths from all the dancing. A light pink color filled his cheeks as well as he stared down at her. He felt strange, like something was pulling him to her, and he felt a little lost in her eyes. It was similar to how he used to feel about Astrid... But far different.
"Yeah..." He began feeling shy as well. "It was. Thank you. I couldn't have done it without-"
Just at that moment, there was a cry of a Deadly Nadder, and Hiccup looked up to see Astrid and Eret come in for a landing on their dragons. He quickly let go of Castiel and stepped back, running a hand over the back of his head. "Astrid! Uh hey guys, you're here a little early."
"Nope, actually, we're here just in time." Astrid said after her dragon gad landed, sliding off and crossed her arms, a knowing smirk on her lips. "And I'm never late."
Castiel looked up at Hiccup as he began to speak, the smile still on her face, though it wasn't long after that the sound of a dragon's cry and landing came to their ears and the two of them quickly separated, Castiel, stepping back as fast as she could from Hiccup, her delicate hands running nervously through her hair as she looked to see it was none other than the Astrid girl and Eret coming to take their shifts in the Sanctuary. There was a smirk on the girl's face, as well as on Eret's face, and their knowing looks made her blush all the more, averting her gaze once more so in hopes that not having to look at them would make her feel less embarrassed. It didn't really work.
"You both wish we were late." Eret commented, crossing his arms as he leaned against Skull Crusher. He seemed a little smug at catching Castiel, who had always been so skittish around men in their home village, all cuddled up to someone like she had just been moments ago. She grin still on his face, he waved his hand at them, "But, now you can continue your little moment back at the village. So go on. Shoo."
She was more than happy to take her leave and get out of this awkward situation. She nervously brushed her hair from her face and got onto Aurora's back, looking over at the two of them, "Thanks for taking over. Let us know if anything suspicious happens."
"Will do." Eret nodded at her, straightening up and moving to stand beside Astrid again.
Castiel leaned down to pat the side of Aurora's neck and the dragoness took the air, staying just a bit above the island, waiting for Toothless obviously, and as soon as they were in the air as well, Aurora happily started flying higher, heading back toward Berk while her rider tried to get her thoughts straight and stop acting so strange. What was that back there? What had made her act so...so unlike herself? She was never one for getting so close to people like that. And she surely wasn't one for being so forward. Pulling him into dancing with her like that? What had caused her to do that so boldly? At the thought of the fact she had pulled him into that, her cheeks grew even more red.
On top of those thoughts, just what did Hiccup think about all of this? He had seemed to enjoy dancing with her, but what had he really thought about being so close to her like that? Had she just ruined her friendship with him because of this? Had she just made things too strange between them? Would they even have a normal conversation ever again without both of them getting all nervous and running off a few seconds after? She raked a hand through her hair, brushing the strands from her face as the wind blew past them. Maybe she just needed to calm down. A dance wasn't anything big. She took a deep breath. Maybe it wasn't as bad as she thought. Surely this wouldn't affect anything. It was no big deal.
Thinking that, a small smile came back to her face, and soon Aurora was landing back into the village, Castiel hopping off of her back, turning to look at Hiccup, a smile on her face, "I'll see you in the morning. I have a feeling these two," She pointed a thumb in the direction of the two Furies, Aurora having walked over to Toothless to coo at him as if to say goodnight, "Will wake us both up pretty early so you better get some rest. Goodnight, Hiccup." She smiled and began walking off back to the guest cottage with Aurora, trying to continue to calm herself and get back into her right mind.
"Hey, look, nothing was really happening." Hiccup tried to explain while still hiding the fact that he was deeply embarrassed. "We were just-"
"Yeah yeah." Astrid said. "I've seen that look before Hiccup." At this, he blushed even more, but Astrid only grinned smugly at him. She and Eret really looked alike at this point. "I sure would have liked to see what would of happened had we not showed up. But like Eret said, it's our shift now and it's about time that you two get out of here. We don't need to be seeing all that lovey dovey stuff right now with Drago out there doing who knows what."
Hiccup watched as Castiel hurriedly got onto her dragon, and the two had taken off rather quickly, but he didn't blame them. He wanted to do the same. He didn't know why he should feel so embarrassed, but they had been caught being so close together, and Hiccup could only wonder if Astrid and Eret saw them dance. Judging by how they acted, he doubted they did, otherwise their torment would be a lot worse. And he knew how Astrid could be. She was relentless, always taking the opportunity to mess with or embarrass him, never letting him off the hook. So for now it seemed like the dancing was a complete secret between him and Castiel, which was just fine with him, and he didn't plan on sharing it with anyone. Even though it still left a light and warm feeling inside him, he felt it was too personal to share, and no one would really understand. They would just laugh at and make fun of him. Like Astrid and Eret were now. So with his cheeks still red and puffed out a bit, his lips still set in a firm line, he briskly walked passed Astrid and Eret to get over to Toothless. But as he did, Astrid suddenly punched his arm, just a bit too hard.
"Ow!" He cried out, holding his sore arm as he looked at her. "What? So it isn't bad enough that you have to hurt my feelings but now you want to hurt my body? Great, just great, thanks Astrid. There's just not catching a break with you is there?"
Astrid rolled her eyes. "Take it easy, we're just messing with you." She said. "No hard feelings, ok?" She gave him that kind smile that was rarely seen, her eyes matching as she lifted a hand and gently placed it on the spot she had punched his arm, her fingers lightly touching her's. Though they were no longer together, there was still a deep friendship there, a friendship that Astrid sometimes liked to tease Eret with to make him jealous as if she may still have feelings for Hiccup. But she never did anything drastic. Hiccup returned her smile, their eyes meeting in understanding, and he was about to say something when she suddenly slugged his arm again. "Ow!" Was all that came out instead.
"Tell anyone I was nice and there's more where that came from." Astrid said, giving him an amused look as she crossed her arms.
It was Hiccup's turn to roll his eyes as he rubbed his arm. "Gee, thanks for the warning. At this rate my arm is likely to fall off." Astrid only chuckled, and Hiccup finally made his way to Toothless, climbing up onto the saddle and hooked himself in.
Toothless was eager to join his friend who waited for them in the sky, crouching low before pushing fast and hard off the ground, flapping his wings before meeting up with Aurora and the two soared back to the village. Now away from the two rude interruptions, Hiccup glanced over at Castiel, but she didn't seem to be wanting to look over at him. It confused him. Had he done something wrong? Or was it something he said? Did he somehow make her regret ever showing him how to dance? That he had embarrassed her or made her feel like he never actually wanted to dance? That it was her fault that they got caught? It suddenly began to worry him. He didn't want to make her think that he didn't enjoy it or regretted it.
He let his mind wonder back. It was strange... The offer had surprised him enough, but when she began teaching him, it was like everything changed. Everything around and inside him. He felt younger again. Yes, it was an odd thing to say considering how young he already was, but since his father died it was like he had to grow about twenty more years older than he already was inside. He felt like when he did when it was just him and Toothless and his friends. When he was teaching the Dragon Academy and they all spent their days flying and just doing fun things even if it was helping around in the village. The dance reminded him how youthful he really was and how carefree he used to be. It wasn't like he had changed drastically, he was still very much Hiccup, but he had a lot more stress and worry. He still felt like he could never be a Chief like his father was, that he might make many mistakes and poor decisions, but his mother was there to always help him. All in all, when dancing with Castiel, he felt something else come to life. Burning inside him and igniting a new flare never before felt. It made his eyes shine and heart soar, making him forget all his troubles and the fact that he was chief, and he could just be himself.
Nevertheless, his worries seemed to be for naught, for as soon as they landed and he slid off Toothless, Castiel had faced him with that kind smile he was starting to like. Only now he was looking at it a bit differently than he had before. He couldn't quite pin how it was different. It just was. Just like how it was that Toothless was a dragon, and that one of Hiccup's legs was gone, or that the sky is blue in the day and black at night. Upon her remark of the two Furies, he let out a light hearted laugh, looking over at the two. Toothless was cooing softly to Aurora as well, saying his goodnight, and even lightly nudged her with his head.
"Yeah, Toothless has yet to ever let me sleep in." Hiccup said with a light grin towards her. "Goodnight Castiel." He watched her go, and was about to turn away to make his own way home, when something had caught his eye.
He stopped, squinting at the small object on the ground, making his way towards it. It was the same spot that Castiel and Aurora had landed. Kneeling, he picked up the object and stood up fully, examining the object in his hands. It looked to be some sort of book, but he felt wrong to open it and find out exactly what it was, for it was not his to be looking through. He glanced up quickly and called after Castiel. "Castiel! Wait!" He moved quickly to catch up to her, and when he did, he handed her the book. "Is this your's? I think you might have dropped it, it was on the ground where you landed. What is it?" The question was out before he could stop himself. He was very curious, for it wasn't like any book he had ever seen, and something about it interested him.
Castiel was so ready to get back to the guest cottage. She had faced him and spoke to him so calmly, but she could still feel her nervousness and her racing heart so clearly. She was hoping a good night's sleep would take care of that feeling so that tomorrow things would just be back to normal. But, when she had just gotten a little ways away from Hiccup, he started calling after her, telling her to wait. She stopped and turned in confusion, seeing him approach her with something in her hand. And of course, when she saw what it was, she was glad he had caught up with her to give it back to her, all worry from just a moment ago washing away with the relief of having her mother's journal safely with her.
SHe took the book as he held it out to her and nodded, "Yes, its's mine." She was quite surprised though, to hear him question what it was. It was surprising that he would be interested in such a little book like this. She looked down at it and shrugged slightly, as if it were no big deal, when in reality it was very important to her. Her last piece of her mother she had with her, "I found it when my father locked me up in our home. When he had taken you. I thought if I went through his room I might be able to find something to use against him to save you. But I didn't find anything that would. Instead, I found this. It...was written by my mother. It's her journal."
Holding it tightly in her hands, she looked up at him, "I...was planning on reading it but...I guess I...just..." She wanted to wait as long as she could. She wanted to take her time reading it. She was worried her father had messed it up somehow. There were a lot fo reasons she would say was the reason she didn't want to read it, but in reality, she knew they were just excuses. But, the real reason was, she was scared to. Scared that what she would read. She had a certain image of her mother. Her mother had been kind. Caring. Was the most perfect person in the world. What if what she read in here told her different? What if her mother was like her father? Evil. Villainous. Her mother had been everything she wanted to be. She would be destroyed if she found out her mother was not what she thought she was.
"I just haven't had a chance to read it yet." She finished, nodding to herself. That was convincing, right? It was clear Hiccup was very interested in this book. Maybe...maybe she could read it with him? Maybe that would make the blow less painful( if her mother really was like that) if she had someone with her. She bit her lip and looked down at the book before looking back to him, "Do you want to....I meant would you....read it...with me?"
Castiel was pretty sure she probably wasn't winning anyone over with the news that she and Eret had been in an arranged marriage at one point. The other girl standing next to Eret especially didn't seem to happy to hear that. Perhaps Eret and this girl were together? It was a possibility. If that were the case then she had a feeling this girl might just have it out for her. But then again, maybe Castiel was just being paranoid? Probably. After all, she and Eret in no way had feelings for each other, so if this girl was with Eret then what did this girl have to be worried about? Soon, the other teens were making there own separate ways off to go make preparations for the celebration and Hiccup had offered to show her around the village. At that suggestion, she nodded, a small smile on her face, "Okay."
