I stood in front of a dragon, one unlike Toothless. She was breathtaking, her scales a brilliant, shimmering blue that seemed to glow, and her eyes reflected my very soul. It felt like she had carried a piece of me within her since the moment I was born. I couldn't look away, as if some invisible thread tied us together. The wind brushed against my face as I slowly stepped closer, but just as quickly as she had appeared—she was gone. I spun around, searching, but instead, I found Hiccup standing beside me. He was smiling, his gaze filled with something I had never truly seen before—love. The way he looked at me… like I was the only person in his entire world who mattered. And somehow, I felt the same. I had always been drawn to him, always felt something I couldn't explain. Like my father's stories had been quietly pointing me toward this man all along—like he had known this was who I would spend my life with.
I tossed and turned through the night, haunted by the same recurring dreams—a blue dragon, strikingly different from Toothless. This one had horns curling along its head, sharp and powerful. No matter how many times I had the dream, it always left me unsettled, clinging to the edges of my mind like a half-remembered memory. I slowly pushed myself up, sitting at the edge of my bed, trying to make sense of it all. Why these dreams? Why now? With a sigh, I got up and grabbed some water and Advil for the pounding headache that had settled behind my eyes. I put a pot of coffee on and took a long, hot shower, trying to clear the fog. But the dragon's image still lingered, stubborn and vivid.
Afterwards, I sat down with my coffee and a quick breakfast before heading out. Driving to work, I let the comfort of the mountains ease me. I could never grow tired of them. Even with Canada's freezing winters and unpredictable weather, I loved everything about this place. The sky often lit up with the northern lights in winter, and those moments always felt like magic brushing just within reach.
But somewhere, in the quiet corners of my mind, I couldn't shake the thoughts of Hiccup. I had been longing to know him more, to understand him, but lately… it was more than that. I kept thinking of him in ways I couldn't explain, like my heart had already decided something my head hadn't caught up to yet.
I stepped into work, scanning over the search plans for the day. My eyes drifted across the maps—valleys, mountains, winding trails, rivers stretching like silver threads across the land. I focused on where each led, plotting our course. When my team and I landed in a wide, open field sprinkled with wildflowers, I paused to take in the beauty surrounding us. Towering mountains, their peaks dusted in white, rose ahead of us. Dense forests hugged the valley's edges, the trees alive and thriving. Sunlight poured over the mountain tops, painting the whole scene in gold. "Astrid." A voice—soft, female—echoed inside my head. It wasn't around me, it wasn't anywhere near. It was inside. The sound sent a shiver down my spine, freezing me in place. I could barely move. It felt like something was pulling me, like my body wasn't mine anymore. I struggled to keep my feet planted.
"Astrid, are you okay?" Dagur asked, walking up to me with a concerned look. I forced a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine." I managed to turn away from the pull and rejoin the group, every step a fight against the invisible force dragging me in the opposite direction.
But then I heard it again. "Astrid."
This time, the pull was unbearable, like gravity had shifted and I was being drawn toward it. I couldn't resist it anymore. Without another word, I slipped away, weaving through the tall bushes while the others were distracted. I ran, ducking under low branches, pushing past thick undergrowth. No matter how much I tried to stop, my legs just kept moving, like they knew where they needed to go before I did. I stumbled over fallen trees, pushing deeper into the woods.
I had been walking for what felt like hours. My legs ached with every step, mud dried and cracked on my boots, and the sinking sun painted the sky in soft pinks and oranges. But I couldn't stop. The voice in my head only grew stronger, pulling me forward like an invisible thread I couldn't break.
The thick bushes finally started to thin, revealing a wide, open field with a breathtaking view of the mountains towering in the distance. As I pushed through the last of the brambles, my breath caught in my throat. She was there. The same dragon from my dreams—the brilliant blue scales, the curved horns on her head, the glowing yellow eyes. She took a slow step toward me, and I instinctively stepped back. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a black flash landing some distance away. Toothless. And riding him—Hiccup. He dismounted, pulling off his helmet, his gaze flicking between me, the blue dragon, and his own. I could tell he was saying something to Toothless, silently, in that unspoken way riders communicated. Then he looked back at me.
The blue dragon stepped closer, like she wanted something. I glanced at Hiccup. He gently patted Toothless's snout, his gestures slow and deliberate—like he was showing me what to do. He didn't need to say anything. I understood. I swallowed hard, forcing myself to steady my breathing, and walked toward her. Closing my eyes, I stretched out my hand, my fingers trembling.
Warm, rough scales brushed against my palm. I could feel her hot breath, and then—A spark. A tingling sensation shot up my arm and spread across my back, growing into a searing burn. I stumbled, gasping as pain flared across my skin. When I opened my eyes, Hiccup was already running toward me. "Astrid, sit down," he urged, catching me before I collapsed.
"What's happening to me?" I asked, panic rising in my chest. His expression flickered—confusion, surprise, something else I couldn't name. "You…you bonded to a dragon," he said quietly, as if still processing it himself.
"I what? Why? Why me?" I clutched at my chest, my heartbeat thundering. The blood in my veins felt…strange, like it was moving too quickly, like something powerful was racing through me. I didn't know if it was adrenaline or something else entirely. "Dragons choose for their own reasons," Hiccup said, steadying me. "Come on, can you walk? I need to get you to my place."
I tried to stand, but my legs wouldn't hold me. I swayed, and Hiccup slipped his arm around me, supporting my weight as we walked to Toothless. "Why do I feel like this?"
"The magic in your body is changing you. It's starting now." He helped me up onto Toothless and climbed up behind me, his arms wrapping around my waist to keep me steady. "The tattoo on your back—it's going to hurt for a while."
Before I could ask what tattoo he meant, my body began to sink into exhaustion. It felt like something was wrapping around me—not threatening, just…all-encompassing. Warm. Safe. My eyelids grew too heavy to fight, and I drifted into the darkness, unable to say another word.