There were two things that were constantly on my mind, but had been rising to the surface and bugging me more than usual. One that had become more relevant recently was Amethyst, the little purple Hobblegrunt who had brought me to Berk. Her life tragically cut short, I had to sit and wonder how different things would be if she had been alive. Riding her had been a freeing feeling, one that you can come close to while riding on the back of someone else's dragon, but there's a piece of it that's just... missing.

So as Hiccup and I landed on the foggy docs on the back of Toothless, a sense of discomfort washed over me. Chief Stoick and some of his men were pulling an abandoned ship onto the shore with ropes.

"It's that rogue dragon again," Gobber grumbled. "That's the second boat this week he's destroyed."

"Well, we've lost another whole catch. We could've saved it if we'd gotten there sooner."

"I know how you could have gotten there sooner," Hiccup piped up, gesturing to Toothless. Chief Stoick turned away, agitation written all over his face.

"Here we go again," he sighed, rolling his eyes.

"If you'd flown there on a dragon, you could have been there in five minutes instead of two hours." Hiccup followed closely behind his father, trying his best to convince him of the benefit of dragons. "And you might have been able to chase that rogue dragon away for good." His father pulled off a piece of wood that was barely hanging on, staring at it for a moment before casting it aside.

"As the chief of Berk, I do things the Viking way, not the dragon way," he insisted.

"Well, the 'Viking way' is costing us a lot of fish, and almost as many boats."

"The boy's got a point. If you were on a dragon, you could protect this island from a lot of things. Even Alvin." I leaned against Toothless and stared at the blanketed sky. Normally, it was a vibrant, intense blue, but around this time of year, fog and rain overtook the freedom above.

"Right! You-You could use a dragon to-"

"You're right, Gobber. Alvin knows we have dragons. He'll be back."

"You saw what those dragons did. They had Alvin on the run. Imagine if you were the one commanding them."

"I'm listening."

"Clearly not to me..." Hiccup muttered, not trying to be subtle.

"I can see it now. A proud chief ruling his domain aboard the fearsome, fire-breathing reptile." Gobber shuddered. "Gives me goosebumps."

"That's what I've been trying to-"

"Gobber's right." He turned to face Hiccup. "I need to learn how to fly. When do we start the lessons?" Hiccup crossed his arms in defiance.

"I don't know. Shouldn't we ask Gobber?" he sassed.

"I don't really have a preference," the Viking shrugged, "but sooner is always better, don't you think?"

Hiccup's shoulders slumped and he turned around, trudging his way back to me and slumping down beside. Gently, his head leaned against my shoulder, and I patted his hand.

"He's listening to you, Hiccup. It just might not feel like it at the moment." His father came over to us, and Hiccup and I quickly jumped apart, blushing a deep red. "We, uh, we should get going, right? Can't waste time!" I quickly hopped up, waiting for Hiccup to lead us where we needed to go. We walked side-by-side as I followed his steps. "So one of those things I've been thinking about--"

"Yes?" Hiccup's voice was made of eagerness, and I found myself laughing.

"I've been thinking about dragons." A look I couldn't pick apart fell over his forest eyes.

"What about them?" I took a deep breath.

"As much as I enjoy riding with you and Toothless, I miss riding my own dragon. There's this... undefinable freedom that you just don't get when you're not the one flying." I was bouncing on my toes now, my words becoming more passionate. "I know I can't have that same connection with another dragon that I had with Amethyst, but... I'm ready to get back in the sky, as a Dragon Rider!"

I was glad that Hiccup laughed, as opposed to a negative reaction.

"Maybe, in time, you'll be able to find a dragon that you'll want to ride."

"Are you saying that you'll finally help me?" I asked eagerly.

"Once we deal with my dad... absolutely." I reached out and hugged him.

"Thank you!" We stopped in front of his house, and he began to go up the steps.

"Wait here for a minute. I have to get something." Chief Stoick and I stood there in an awkward silence for a while, waiting for Hiccup to come back out with whatever he needed to grab.

"I've never thanked you, Reign," the chief suddenly spoke up. I looked at him with confusion.

"For... for what?"

"For how happy you make Hiccup, and how much you help him. You're a natural warrior and a leader, Reign, and because of that, Berk is just a little bit safer."

This felt like it was coming out of nowhere. Truthfully, in the grand scheme of Berk, I really didn't do that much. It certainly wasn't enough to warrant that sort of response, at least. Either Chief Stoick was riding the high of deciding he wanted a dragon, or he'd overheard something that motivated him to give me such sudden importance.

"Maybe I was being trained to fight back where I came from. I still..." I gently touched my forehead and shook my head back and forth. "I'm still trying to remember things, though at this rate, I doubt most of them will ever come back. Only the traumatic things linger with me. I can't even remember the faces of my own father and mother." Though I chuckled, I was trying to keep my voice from breaking.

"If you ever remember where your home was, we'll help you find it." The chief's offer warmed my heart.

"I doubt it's still there. That night I was taken, dragons were attacking us. I'm sure the entire place burnt to the ground."

At that moment, Hiccup emerged from his house with a stirrup he had made to adjust to our students' feet.

"Let's get going."

We made our way out to a small, flat-topped rock tower that was connected to Berk by a wooden bridge, conveniently situated right in front of the academy. It was where we taught our students how to fly dragons... though those students were typically children. Hiccup removed the stirrup meant for his metal foot and secured the new one to Toothless' saddle.

"Okay, I've made a new stirrup, so you'll be able to control Toothless." The midnight dragon purred in curiosity.

"You hear that? It's me that's supposed to be controlling you." I shook my head at the chief's words.

Out of nowhere, the chief attempted to climb up onto Toothless without a warning or any real training, causing Hiccup to jump forward and get control of the situation.

"Oh, whoa, whoa, Dad. Before you get on a dragon, you've got to show him he can trust you," Hiccup explained.

"He already trusts me. I'm his chief!" Hiccup's shoulders dropped for what seemed like the millionth time today.

"Uh, it's-it's very simple. Just give me your hand." Hiccup tentatively extended his hand to his brazen father, who scoffed.

"I'm not here to hold hands, Hiccup."

The boy's eyes bounced between his father's and my jade ones before reaching out and grabbing my hand. My cheeks flushed a bright red as he gently held it out to Toothless and just barely touched it against Toothless' smooth scales. The dragon nuzzled against my fingertips, causing me to giggle. As soon as the moment was over, Hiccup quickly let go of my hand and reached for his father's, holding it completely still just in front of Toothless' nose.

"It's okay, bud." He curiously sniffed it for a few seconds before nuzzling into his calloused palm. "Feel that?" Chief Stoick yanked his hand away.

"Yeah. Still dry and scaly." Hiccup and I sighed.

"That's not what I meant."

"Can I get on him now?" he whined.

Gods, he's worse than the five-year-olds, I thought.

Hiccup faked a smile and gestured to his dragon, allowing him to mount closer to the front, while Hiccup got on where I would normally sit, to help his father if he needed it.

"We'll start nice and slow. Just give him a little nudge, and-"

Chief Stoick kicked Toothless in the side, causing the dragon to growl angrily, and they shot into the air. I grunted and rolled my eyes, sitting down and waiting for them to come back down. They were both stubborn, so stubborn that Hiccup and I would get into arguments on how to train the students, sometimes in the middle of lessons. But Hiccup knew how to set his own ambitions aside and compromise fairly quickly, whereas it took his father much longer to pull it together and feel willing to listen to and agree with others.

At first, I wasn't concerned. Toothless just straight-shot them into the air, not unlike what he had done the first time I rode him. I could still vividly remember the gripping fear and exhilaration that overtook me, causing me to grip so tightly to Hiccup that I'm sure I had bruised something. Chief Stoick, however, looked completely unafraid. Rather, he was leaning forward on Toothless, trying his best to steer him in the right directions. It wouldn't have been concerning, if not for the fact that Toothless' climb resulted in a sudden drop toward another rock tower. Luckily, the chief fanned out the dragon's tail and they soared right over it before swooping down behind it, out of my line of sight. I shook my head for what felt like the billionth time that day, looking around at the grey clouds. There was still mild fog, but it had mostly lifted by this point, allowing for ease of sight when close to the ground.

"Reign!"

I turned around to see a blonde with a big smile land next to me, jumping down from her Deadly Nadder.

"Hey, Astrid. What have you been up to?"

"You know, this and that," she shrugged. "I'm curious as to where you've been all day. Everyone's been wondering."

"Essentially, standing here and thinking."

"Are you waiting for someone, or...?"

"Well, I was here with Hiccup and his dad, but they took off to teach him how to fly Toothless, so something tells me I'll be here for a while if I decide to stay and wait."

I took a glance at Stormfly and sighed. The thought of flying dragons hadn't really gotten to me until recently, though I really couldn't explain why.

"There's something else on your mind." I nodded and moved to sit on the ledge. After a bit of hesitation, Astrid sat down next to me and offered a supportive gaze. "Do you want to talk about it?" My hand flew to the necklace as I looked out over the cloudy horizon.

"I know I only had it for a short time, but... I miss that feeling of being able to fly my own dragon. As much as I love Toothless, there's just this alluring sense of freedom that comes with having your own. And I know I'll never be able to have the same bond with another dragon that I had with Amethyst, but I can at least have one of my own." I was finally able to look at Astrid. Her blue eyes were filled to the brim with understanding and support. "Hiccup said that once we were done dealing with his dad, he would help me find my own dragon, but I know that other things will come up, and my want for a dragon will get lost in oblivion. Soon, it'll just be one of those little dreams I hold onto." She smiled at me.

"I know I'm not Hiccup, but if you want help... I may be able to get you to flying a dragon. I mean, with what you know about training dragons and our combined fighting abilities, we'll be able to get you one. It's just a matter of finding them." Astrid's offer was incredibly sweet, but other complications clouded the sentiment.

"Exactly, that's the issue. Finding a dragon could take days, weeks... maybe even months, depending on how far we have to go. And I'm not sure I completely trust Hiccup's ability to hold things together while I'm gone." We both laughed.

"So maybe this is the sort of thing the two of you do together. After all, flying for days, searching for a dragon... it all sounds romantic." She lilted her voice teasingly on that last word, causing me to laugh and shove her.

"Don't give me any of that, Astrid, jeez. It's not."

"Okay, don't give me any of that. We both know that's not true. You and Hiccup are really important to each other." She stood up and offered me her hand, allowing me to have help getting up.

"Maybe one day I'll understand what it all means."

The sun was setting for the day after when I found him next. He watched his dad land with sad eyes, feeling pity for his drooping dragon.

"Same time tomorrow, Toothless?" His father chuckled as he hopped off the Night Fury. Hiccup glanced back at me for a moment before gesturing to his best friend.

"You see that? That's what it looks like to be ridden all day by a four-hundred-pound man."

"At least you got your dad on a dragon," I shrugged, trying to find the optimism in the situation.

"Yeah, now I just need to figure out how to get him off one."

"Why don't you just give him the old honey and the hatchet?" We started to make our way down the stone stairs. He raised an eyebrow at me, confused at what I meant, and for a second, I thought maybe that was only an expression from where I had come from. "You know; you tell him what he wants to hear- that's the honey part- before you hit him in the head with something he doesn't. You know, the hatchet." He smiled at me.

"Why does your advice always involve weapons?"

"Hey, I may not remember much of where I came from, but I know they were a-violent people." Once I'd said that out loud, I felt a sinking feeling in my chest. "Guess it's just built into my blood."

"Well then, I suppose I'm grateful to your people."

Leave it to Hiccup to find the positive in something bothering me.

"Hey, Reign!" I looked up to see Astrid dashing down the stairs.

"Hey, Astrid." I turned to Hiccup. "I'll see you around. Good luck with your dad." I followed her back to where we lived.

"Did you talk to him about your dragon at all?"

"No," I dismissed, waving my hand toward her. "He was busy dealing with the fact that his father won't leave his own alone."

"Yeah, Fishlegs and I saw him fly over us earlier today. It was really weird..." We both laughed.

"Suppose we're just all getting used to the chief flying on a dragon."

"I suppose so."

"The finest dragon species on the island. They're all represented right here, at this academy."

The five Dragon Riders stood by their species, waiting to introduce what was so special about theirs to the chief. Snotout stepped forward.

"But the Monstrous Nightmare is the only one with the brawn and prestige for men of our stature. Hop on board. Feel the Monstrous Nightmare difference." I sighed as Snotlout led the chief over to his temperamental dragon. "And on those cold winter nights, its whole body heats up just enough to keep you cozy." Chief Stoick mounted the large reptile. "Let me warm him up for you."

"Uh, Snotlout-" The Viking flicked Hookfang between the nostrils, causing him to glow just a little bit. There was a horrid burning smell, and as soon as the chief realized what had happened, he shot up and jumped into the water trough.

"Now, should I put you down for one? They come in an assortment of colors." The chief growled and moved onto Astrid and Stormfly.

The blonde girl shot a brief glance at me before launching into her description of the Deadly Nadder.

"Just because she's beautiful, people think she's not tough. But you should never underestimate me." My eyes widened. That was a serious revelation that had just slipped out. "I mean her... um, uh... us."

"Well, she is a beauty." Chief Stoick stepped forward to rest his hand between her nostrils, like he did with Toothless, and she gasped.

"Be careful with-" Stormfly roared and whipped her tail around, shooting out spines that forced Chief Stoick to cower against the wall as the sharp spines pinned into the wall around him. I grunted and looked at Hiccup through my hand. This was not going well.

"Monstrous Nightmare's looking a little better now, huh, Chief?"

"Next!"

It was the twins' turn, but they just ended up fighting with each other, which caused Barf and Belch to start fighting. As the Zippleback gas mixed with the sparks, there was a loud explosion, and so before the twins could make their point, the chief moved on. Fishlegs and Meatlug seemed like a safe bet.

"Let me tell you, what you're really looking for is loyalty. A dragon who will be there for you, no matter what. The last face you see at night, and the first face you see in the morning. Warm in your bed when it's cold outside..." Chief Stoick, Hiccup, and I exchanged glances, not sure what to think of what was going on. "A shoulder to cry on when the world has turned its back on you. How could you not love a Gronkle?" Cautiously, Chief Stoick leaned closer to Fishlegs.

"Sorry, son, but I'm looking for a dragon, not a mother." He turned to his actual son. "I haven't seen anything that can hold a candle to a Night Fury." Toothless approached his owner and nuzzled his side.

"I haven't either. But Toothless is the only Night Fury on Berk, and he's mine." Hiccup suddenly wasn't pulling punches with his father.

"Stoick! Another boat is being attacked!" We all turned to see a flushed and out of breath Gobber racing into the academy. "It's the rogue dragon again."

"Let's go!" The chief and Hiccup put their feet down on Toothless' stirrup at the same time, before Hiccup looked up at his large father.

"Oh. What was I thinking?"

He moved out of the way and reluctantly allowed his father to climb up onto his dragon first before getting on behind him. Hiccup muttered something under his breath before the two of them took off to deal with the dragon. As soon as I was sure they were gone and weren't going to circle back around, I approached Astrid.

"That's the other thing." I gestured up to the sky, as though they were right where I was looking. "There's not enough room for three people on Toothless, so if anyone ever needs rescuing or just a ride... I'm cast out." Astrid looked at her feet for a moment before smiling at me.

"Come on. I'll get you there. Maybe that rogue dragon could be yours." I snorted and shook my head.

"Those ideas of yours... Besides, it should be Chief Stoick's, above anything else."

"You need to fight for what you want once in a while, Reign." She hoisted me up onto Stormfly and we flew off to where the boat with the rogue dragon was just in time to see Chief Stoick pulled under by a-

"That's a Thunderdrum!" Astrid looked back at me. "Get me down there. Now!" She nodded and swooped down close enough so that I could get onto the boat and I leaned over the side with the others, trying to see the chief under the suddenly still surface. The Thunderdrum shot out of the water with Chief Stoick on its nuzzle, crashing onto the deck as we all jumped out of the way.

"Oh, he's a fighter!" The chief punched the Thunderdrum between its eyes, sending it tumbling back. It roared and turned around, angrier than before. "It's got spikes!" Hiccup turned to me as it lunged at his father again.

"So how would you feel about a Thunderdrum?" I lowered my eyes at him.

"This is what you're thinking about when your father's getting attacked?" He began to stutter. "Also, a Thunderdrum would be awesome." His dad threw a net over the Thunderdrum and held him down. Hiccup and I exchanged a glance, but before I could get closer, his father spoke up.

"This is the one, Hiccup! I've found my dragon! Now all you have to do is train him for me." Everyone looked at him in shock, Bucket and Mulch dropping their paddles.

"Let's, uh... let's talk about this at home, Dad."

The two of them hopped onto Toothless and flew away, carrying the Thunderdrum as Bucket and Mulch steered the ship back to the dock. As soon as we reached the shore, I jumped off the boat and ran to the Dragon Academy, arriving just as Hiccup and Chief Stoick closed the gates to detain the Thunderdrum. It growled and bore its teeth through the muzzle. I was about to approach them, when they started to have an interesting conversation.

"All right, let's get me on his back. Time's a-wasting." Hiccup stared at the Thunderdrum for a moment before turning to his dad.

"Dad, I think maybe... Reign should have the Thunderdrum."

"What? I wrangled this thing," the chief argued.

"I just think it would be better for her to have a dragon. After all, she's technically a Dragon Rider, and she's a teacher at the academy without her own dragon."

I could feel a slight tint overcoming my cheeks, but instead of staying for the rest of the conversation, I turned and crossed the wooden bridge, sitting down on that same rock tower that made me feel trapped the day before. I could hear footsteps behind me, but I just stared out at the endless blue, barely shifting when a figure sat down beside me. I knew who it was without looking.

"Hey, so... there's a Thunderdrum sitting in there waiting for you." I perked my head up and turned to him.

"What? Seriously?" He nodded and I smiled, almost immediately shooting up. "Let's go." We raced into the academy and stopped in front of the large gates containing the long dragon. Ever so cautiously, Hiccup opened the gates to allow the dragon out. It cowered for a few seconds as I extended my hand out, then gently began to creep forward. "That's it... come here. I won't hurt you." It got mere inches away from my hand, when out of nowhere it flinched and tried to bite off my fingertips. I screamed, startling the Thunderdrum, and jumped toward Hiccup, grabbing onto him as it flew close to the wire ceiling and took off.

"Are you okay?" He asked, looking down at me with worry.

"Yeah, I'm just... rattled, is all." After taking a few second to calm myself, I pushed away from Hiccup and looked out the doors. "Let's go after that dragon." Hiccup whistled for Toothless and the two of us climbed on, flying around every corner of Berk to try and find that poor Thunderdrum. We got the others to help us, and by the time the sun was setting, we still hadn't found it. "All right, we have to fan out and cover every part of the island."

"Ruffnut and Tuffnut, you take-"

"You take the West side."

"Got it."

"Snotlout, to the North side."

"Come on, Fishlegs, we'll take the East side," Astrid suggested.

"But-But it's allergy season."

"Fishlegs..."

"Not me. It's her." He gestured down to Meatlug, who already looked pretty tired." The two of them flew away and I leaned closer to Hiccup.

"We have to find that poor Thunderdrum. It must be so scared. And what was with that muzzle?"

"Well, it was supposed to be to keep you from getting anything bit off, but-"

"Nothing actually came off, Hiccup. It could've been worse if that muzzle hadn't been there. I just feel bad the poor thing has to wear it."

"Just remember to be careful when you approach him. I don't want some sort of accident actually happening." I saw a flash of blue near a cave just as he disappeared down into it.

"There he is." Hiccup gently steered Toothless down, staring the Thunderdrum straight in the face. Cautiously, Hiccup and I climbed off the Night Fury, who was poised and ready to protect us if necessary. It scurried forward and Toothless roared.

"Settle down, bud." He got closer to stand with his shoulder touching mine from behind. "If you want, I-"

"Let me do this, Hiccup." I looked back at him before taking nearly silent steps toward the bright blue dragon. It leered and growled as though trying to fend me off. I managed to get a glimpse over its flat form to see another, purple Thunderdrum, a hole seared into its wing. "There's another Thunderdrum in there." Hiccup followed my gaze.

"It's hurt." Everything suddenly dawned on me.

"He's protecting his friend. That's why he's been taking all those fish." I turned to Hiccup. "Go get the others, and tell your father and Gobber to get ready."

"Reign, I can't just leave you here," Hiccup insisted.

"Go!" I felt bad for snapping at him, but I needed to handle this on my own. Before he got onto Toothless and flew away, he reached out and squeezed my hand, shocking me a little bit.

"You can do this." As soon as they were gone, I turned back to the leering Thunderdrum.

"All right... just you and me, big fella." I tossed the sword from my belt to make me seem less intimidating, and held my trembling hand out as I crept over to get close to the dragon. It snapped its jaws shut at first, and after I took a deep breath, I felt a little braver. "I want to help you. Trust me."

The Thunderdrum almost seemed to understand, and it backed up a little bit, defenses falling. Just as I was about to touch it, it roared again, looking at something behind me. My heart rose into my head as I slowly turned around to see red eyes coming through the fog that had settled. A small group of hungry boars was coming straight for us.

"They smell the blood of your wounded friend."

I reached down to grab my sword, and just as one of them jumped at me, I swung and knocked it back. Three more ran at me from the front, but one managed to get me from my back, momentarily disorienting me until I managed to get it off. The Thunderdrum hit two that got close to the injured dragon with its tail, and the final one jumped on me, knocking me down. I struggled as I tried to pry the heavy boar off of me, while it was putting in its best effort to take a bite out of my face. Just as one of my hands slipped, the Thunderdrum hit the creature off of me, allowing me to get up and keep them away. However, more were coming in from all around us, their eyes removing all subtlety from their approach.

I glanced down at the dragon, and this time, it gave me a different look, one that appeared determined to help. My fear replaced by adrenaline, I reached my hand out to it, and this time, it nuzzled into my palm, finally trusting me. It was a surprisingly soft and sweet moment, and as much as I would have loved to stand there and soak in it, the boars were getting even closer now. Quickly, I loosened the screws on the muzzle and somehow managed to get it off, despite it being extremely heavy. I climbed onto the dragon, who hovered in the air before shooting a loud, sonic blast that sent the boars flying backward.

"Look at us. We're bonding!"

There was relief as Hiccup and the others landed. As soon as he saw what was going on, a sense of pride washed over his face, beaming at me before astonishment and confusion took over.

"What... happened?" I shrugged casually.

"Eh, battled a few boars, did a little bonding." That smile came back over his face. "I know he's no Amethyst, but... we're already getting pretty close to each other. Now, come on. We have to get that injured Thunderdrum to safety."

Hiccup and I managed to coax it out of the cave and get it onto a tarp, with Toothless and the Thunderdrum gripped as we flew back, dropping it off with Chief Stoick and Gobber.

"Take good care of him. She's..." I looked down at Chief Stoick, seeing some sort of longing as he looked up at the blue Thunderdrum. "She'll be my dragon." Gently, I landed the blue Thunderdrum and approached the chief. "So long as you promise to be patient and gentle with him, I think this Thunderdrum has your name on it." He smiled at me.

"I'll take good care of him, Reign," the chief assured me.

I nodded and knelt down beside the purple Thunderdrum, who looked at me with big, trusting eyes. Gently, I reached out to touch between her nostrils, and she nuzzled without hesitation.

"As for you, we'll start training once you're fully healed..." I struggled for a name for a moment, then managed to come up with something. "...Shriek."