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❛ sᴛᴏʀᴍʙᴏʀɴ​​​​​​​​​​. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚   ▎❛ 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑 ❜   ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ ᴀ ʙᴜʀɢᴇᴏɴɪɴɢ
ғʀɪᴇɴᴅsʜɪᴘ ꒱


❝ NOW, HOW DO YOU
FEEL ABOUT FLYING? ❞

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Dany couldn't contain her happiness as she made her way home that night, her brisk walk was filled with spontaneous twirls as she thought back to the last few hours. She'd actually made a friend! Aside from her dream of flying, she'd always wanted to know someone— human— her own age, and it seemed as if the Gods had answered her prayers in the form of Hiccup: the perfect friend.

Once he'd begun to learn about dragons, he seemed to love them as much as she did and he didn't seem to mind all of her 'dragon-talk.' Her parents had always told her that the villagers were close-minded, ignorant Vikings, but she hadn't quite believed them— and Hiccup was proof that they were wrong. He'd been willing to accept that the Vikings' views weren't the most correct and he'd even wanted to get close to the Night Fury— close enough to touch, which she thought was very brave for someone who'd never interacted with dragons before.

The sun was setting below the horizon when Dany had finally tired herself out with 'dragon-talk'— for the time being. She'd sat on the ground while Hiccup had chosen to sit above her on a rock and she watched as he drew a pretty good replica of the dragon in the dirt. (She made a mental note to talk to him about drawing later.) The Night Fury had gotten interested in what he was doing, so he came to watch the boy's motions over their shoulders.

Much like a cat, dragons liked to copy others in their surroundings, so the Night Fury had broken off a trunk of a tree and had drawn his own picture in the dirt. Together, they'd stepped amongst the lines— careful not to step on them— in a strange sort of dance until the dragon was standing right above them.

Noticing their position, Dany had spoken quietly to Hiccup so as to not startle the dragon: "I can show you how to touch him, if you'd like."

The boy had given an almost an imperceptible nod, so she took his hand and straightened it out until his palm and fingers were flat. Oblivious to the pink that dusted the boy's face and his awkward, darting glances in her direction, she lifted his hand until it was nose-height to the Night Fury, her own hand still grasping his. There was a moment of stillness between the trio before the dragon leaned forward and gently bumped his snout against their hands.

Now, she couldn't help her own blush that rose to her face at how bold she'd been with him. Dany had had a hard time meeting his eyes throughout the afternoon partly because that's just who she was, but it wasn't made any easier by their bright shade of emerald green. She could see the intelligence in his gaze and had felt his attentiveness as she'd talked, which had made him a great listener. She truly thought that he had very pretty eyes and she wished that it was easier to meet his gaze, just so she could look at them more.

She swung through the gate of her cottage, her excitement carrying her into the house. Her parents were sitting in the main room of the home at the two-person table where they were playing cards by firelight. Her mother looked up from the game first with a warm smile. "You've been gone all day. Have you been with the Night Fury?"

Dany had told her parents about the injured dragon the day she'd found him and they'd both been eager to meet him, having never had the chance to see a Night Fury up close. They'd gone the day before, but Drogon and Viserion's presence had made the Night Fury anxious to fly rather than comforted by the sight of other dragons, so their visit had been cut short.

"Yeah, he's doing much better today. He even let me and my new friend close enough to touch him," she announced happily.

Her mother gave her an interested look. "A new friend? Did you find another dragon?"

The blonde shook her head. "Nope! He's actually human. His name is Hiccup and he lives in the village."

Her parents had very different reactions to that. Her father appeared to be amused as he leaned forward to whisper to his wife, "Hiccup? That sounds like a made-up name."

Ingrid, on the other hand, furrowed her brows as concern took over her features. "From the village, did you say?"

"Yes," the girl said, not catching her mother's worry. "He lives in Berk. And," she added pointedly for her father, "I happen to like the name Hiccup very much."

"Dany," the older woman began carefully, "do you really think it's a good idea to have a Berkian Viking know about a Night Fury?"

"Yes," she replied without hesitation, an edge to her tone. "Hiccup isn't like the other Vikings, mom. He promised not to tell anyone about him. I know he's going to keep him a secret."

Randolf raised an interested eyebrow, though his voice betrayed how entertained he was by this new story. "Oh? And how do you know that?"

"I trust him," Dany said simply.

Her parents exchanged an uneasy look, clearly uncertain of what to make of this new development. Ingrid was concerned about this 'Hiccup' spilling the secret and the whole of Berk coming into the cove to kill the Night Fury. Randolf, on the other hand, thought that this was another one of his daughter's tales and that, perhaps, 'Hiccup' was an imaginary friend she'd come up with— it wouldn't be so unbelievable since, as far as he knew, Dany had only talked to dragons.

Oblivious to her parent's lack of belief in her story, Dany went to the pantry and began to gather ingredients to help make dinner, humming cheerfully to herself.

🏹🏹🏹

The next morning, Dany's stomach was tied up in knots as she took her usual place by the lake side. She'd kicked off her shoes once again, her weapon by her side as she sat down. The Night Fury came down from his perch to join her, a low purr emitting from him as if he sensed her nervous thoughts. Her unease came from her fear that perhaps Hiccup wouldn't show up like he'd promised. Maybe she'd finally become so desperate for a friend that she'd imagined one in her head and given into the Targaryen madness that he'd described. To keep herself from fixating on the open place between the boulders where, surely, Hiccup would appear any second, she first made herself a new flower crown, this time out of buttercups and bluebells.

Then she turned to her fourth attempt at carving a Night Fury from the block of walnut she'd procured from her father. This time, she was working from the drawing that she'd made previously, her notebook lying open to the page in front of her. She'd picked up her knife from where it had fallen yesterday and with a steady, confident hand, she began to peel away the layers of wood.

Just as the basic shape of a dragon was beginning to form, the Night Fury perked up at the sound of footsteps entering the cove. Dany turned at the dragon's movement and smiled with relief when she saw that it was the brunet boy. He took a seat next to her, leaving a few inches of space between them as he nodded in greeting.

"So, come here often?" he asked jokingly.

Dany always had trouble detecting people's tone, especially if it was in jest or if they were being sarcastic, so she answered honestly, "every day so far."

Her attention turned back to her carving so she didn't notice Hiccup's amused eye roll. He took an interest in the notebook displayed before her. "You like to draw?"

"Sort of," she answered absentmindedly, her hands continuing to work. "My father's a carpenter, so I like to carve. Drawing helps me get the proportions right— sometimes, anyway."

The boy nodded with understanding. "I draw too— for measuring purposes. I'm. . . well, I'm kind of an inventor."

That caught her attention and she looked over at him curiously. "You are?" she asked, sounding breathlessly excited. "What have you made so far?"

Hiccup shifted under her bright-eyed interest and he ducked his head, a light blush appearing on his cheeks. "Well, I haven't really made anything, but I did add some improvements to Gobber's—"

"Gobber?" the blonde interrupted before she could stop herself.

"He's the village blacksmith and close friends with my dad," he explained. "He's lost a hand and a leg, so I just tried to make it easier for him to do his job. Anyway, I have some ideas for things written down, but you know Vikings— not much going on upstairs."

Yesterday they'd mostly just talked about dragons, so Dany was very fascinated to learn about what Hiccup's life in the village was like. "Could I see your notebook sometime? I'll. . . I'll let you look through mine! There's mostly just dragons in it, though."

"Sure," he agreed, pleased that someone would want to learn about something that he liked.

As she finished her project, Dany asked Hiccup about village life, so he regaled her with stories about the very colorful Vikings that lived there. He even told her about dragon training, which she frowned at but didn't blame him for participating since he hadn't had a choice. By the time the Night Fury statue was fully formed, the sun was high in the sky. The blonde held up the figurine in her palm and eyed it critically.

"I still can't get the wing proportions right," she grumbled. "The Night Fury hasn't opened them in my presence so I can only guess. Besides, it still feels like something's missing even if I did do everything correctly. Oh well."

Like the previous days, she reached her arm back to chuck it in the lake, but Hiccup jumped up and caught her wrist before she could let go of it. "Wait! What are you doing?"

She gave him a confused look. "Tossing it."

"But it's still really good," he said, taking it carefully from her fingers. "You don't have to throw it out."

Dany frowned. "No it isn't. Besides, if I kept every attempt I've ever made, I'd run out of storage space."

"I'll keep it then," Hiccup decided. The inventor within him felt as if it were wrong to get rid of a prototype, something that could be used to improve upon later.

The blonde shook her head. "If you really want one, I can make it better for you."

"I like this one," the boy insisted stubbornly and, before she could argue further, he stored it in the pocket of his vest. Then, to change the subject, he asked, "what's next?"

Dany was still a bit grumpy that he'd taken her art from her, especially since it seemed like a terrible first gift to give to a friend. She had wanted to give him a present, but not something that imperfect. Feeling a bit vindictive, she suggested, "want to meet Drogon?"

If Hiccup had been uncomfortable with meeting the Night Fury, he'd be very anxious about meeting Drogon, even if she'd prepped him in advance. As it was, he only had a vague idea about her dragon's size and temperament, so it was a bit like feeding him to the wolves— but that would teach him not to mess with her projects. Oblivious to the situation he was about to put himself in, the brunet agreed easily— almost excitedly.

"We can't meet Drogon here," she explained, scooping up her bow and arrows, slinging them around her shoulders before she led him out of the cove. "His presence distresses the Night Fury, since it makes him want to fly."

"Where are we going, then?"

"Where I landed yesterday."

It took about ten minutes to get to the clearing Drogon had made the day before. Hiccup's eyes widened at the sight of the crushed trees. "How big is he?" To his credit, the boy only sounded curious rather than afraid.

"You'll see," was her only response. From her vest pocket, she took out a carved dragon whistle that her father had given her on her last birthday. It was specifically tuned to Drogon so he could hear her from wherever he was on Berk. After bringing it to her lips and blowing on it, the brunet looked over at her with confusion.

"Did it work?"

"Oh yes," Dany replied. "It's only at a pitch that Drogon can hear, though. We'll have to wait a bit depending on where he is."

She watched as Hiccup looked around the clearing, as if he expected a dragon to appear out of nowhere. The first sign of her dragon was the darkening of the sky, causing both of them to look up. Drogon's long, muscled body sailed many feet above them, his great wings stretched to full span— the cause of the now shadowed clearing. In steady, measured flaps, the large dragon lowered himself carefully to the ground.

The boy's eyes were very wide at the sheer size of the dragon in front of him; Drogon's head alone was bigger than Hiccup himself, not to mention the rest of his body. Dany considered her dragon from a newcomer's perspective: his massive, spiny head, fire-orange eyes and cruel teeth were enough to put anyone off. When Hiccup didn't make any movements, she began to feel a little guilty about not preparing him beforehand. Quietly, she reassured him, "it's okay, you don't have to be afraid. Drogon's never hurt me and I've known him my entire life."

"I'm not afraid," the brunet responded, his voice breathless with awe. "He's incredible."

Dany wasn't as surprised by his reply as she probably should have been. Instead, she felt her face warm as if he'd complimented her. "Oh. Thanks. Do you want to greet him?"

Although he nodded, the boy still remained rooted on the spot. Since he'd given his consent, the blonde helped him into the position by taking his hand and flattening it out. She raised their arms together, stopping inches from Drogon's snout. The large dragon watched Hiccup through his sharp-eyed gaze, assessing the boy to see if he was worthy of being his mother's friend. Then, after a moment of suspended anticipation, she felt Drogon's spikey nose press against their hands. The dragon let out a hot gust of air that fluttered Hiccup's bangs and ruffled his clothes.

She let out a relieved laugh. "He likes you."

His expression brightened hopefully. "Really?"

"Yeah," Dany said happily. "Now, how do you feel about flying?"

He took in the great size of the dragon before him. ". . . How?"

With a grin, the blonde moved towards her dragon, who lowered himself to the ground, spreading out a wing to help her climb up. "Just watch me!"

Using his spikes and scales as notches, she easily made her way up onto his back. After a moment of hesitation, Hiccup followed the girl's path until he was sitting behind her. Dany called back to him, "you might want to hold on!"

"To what?" he asked, feeling very out of place.

"Me," she said, as if it were obvious.

Although she couldn't see his reaction, Hiccup's face burned bright red. He hardly had any experience with girls and the only time he did interact with them was when Astrid was ignoring him or Ruffnut was making fun of him. No girl— or anyone for that matter— wanted him close by. His confidence faltered under her instructions, which Dany sensed when he still didn't put his arms around her. He was grateful, at least, that her bow and arrows across her back allowed him to keep some distance between them.

Rolling her eyes— because how could he be brave enough to mount a dragon but not touch her? — she reached behind her and guided his arms so that they were wrapped around her waist. He held himself stiffly on the dragon, very much out of his element, but the girl paid his discomfort no mind as she patted Drogon between his shoulder blades, calling out to him: "up, Drogon!"

In one sweep of his wings, they were lifted above the trees. The sudden change in their position made Hiccup's arms tighten around her despite his embarrassment. The blue and yellow flowers on Dany's crown fluttered dangerously with the gust of wind from the liftoff but miraculously stayed on her head. Soon the ground gave way completely beneath them, leaving just the sky and clouds on either side. The girl let out a whoop of excitement, feeling the adrenaline rush through her as it always did when she flew her dragon. Laughter bubbled up in her chest, escaping past her lips as she raised her voice above the wind: "relax, Hiccup! This is fun!"

It took some time for the boy to get used to his new surroundings but his arms eventually loosened their death grip on her waist. Drogon sailed so smoothly through the air that Dany sometimes forgot that she was flying, so she hoped it would ease Hiccup into the idea.

"How are you holding up?" she asked sometime later.

"You're right!" the brunet said happily. "This is great— amazing, even!"

Dany smiled with the victory of converting her new friend to the joys of flying. "Okay! Since you're comfortable now, I'm going to turn around."

"What?"

She ignored is outburst and detached his arms from her before she swung her legs around on Drogon's back. Once she was facing Hiccup, she grinned at him. "There. Now we can talk."

He looked a little uneasy at her lack of ability to steer her dragon, but she trusted that Drogon would fly them safely around Berk. "I told you this was great. It's way better than walking, anyway. I'd do it all the time if I could."

Her offer of conversation distracted him enough to relax again. "Why can't you?"

She shrugged. "As much as a love him, Drogon's a little big to be an everyday-use dragon. He's built for endurance, you see. He could probably fly across the entire world and never get tired. The Night Fury, on the other hand. . ." She trailed off, picturing what it would be like to fly such a dragon and sighed wistfully. "He's made for speed and agility. I'd love to try a route amongst the sea stacks with him."

"How did Drogon get so big?" Hiccup asked. "I mean, he's at least three times the size of any dragon we know— except maybe a Monstrous Nightmare."

"Well, my mother's family believes that the more space you give a dragon to roam, the larger they will become. It's also why I don't use a saddle— it constricts the dragon's freedom. I think that Drogon would just keep growing and growing if I let him."

The boy looked behind him to take in his entire size. "How do you feed this much dragon?"

Dany grimaced. "We let him fly as much as he wants to satisfy his hunger and we don't ask questions— not that he could answer if we did."

Deciding it would be safer to move on from this topic, Hiccup thought about what it would be like to fly a dragon of his own. "Do you really think that someone could fly a Night Fury?"

"Sure," she said easily. "Almost any dragon can be flown." She glanced at him mischievously. "Why? Are you thinking about flying him?"

He shook his head, his expression dropping guiltily. "I don't know if he can fly. I watched him try to escape a few days ago and he couldn't get past the rocks."

The girl's features softened sympathetically. "He could fly at one point. I healed him as much as I could, but I can't heal what's been lost."

The brunet gave her a confused look. "What do you mean?"

She met his gaze with surprise. "You haven't noticed? His tail wing is missing. He can't steer or get enough height with it being off balance like that."

"I did see that he was missing a wing," Hiccup admitted, recalling how he'd scratched out one side of the tail on his drawing. "I just didn't know what it implied." He let out a sigh of defeat as his shoulders slumped. "I guess I couldn't fly him even if he'd let me."

Dany's violet eyes studied him, almost critically. "You're an inventor, aren't you?"

He frowned, not sure what she was getting at. "Well, I'd like to think so."

"You made adjustments to Gobber's hand," the girl pointed out. "Why don't you just make a prosthetic tail for him?"

When she put it like that— so simply, so obviously— Hiccup couldn't believe he'd never thought of it himself.