Lira's leather book was stuffed with dragon information from over the last weeks. Blue's wing had been healing perfectly and he was ready to meet the sky once again, but this time with Lira on his back. The butterflies in Lira's stomach settled for nothing, there was always an off chance that his cut would become infected; if it did there wasn't much anyone could do to save him. Hiccup had felt the same struggle with his leg. An open wound, or even a poorly treated healing one, can become infected. Hiccup told Lira to watch for fever, rapid breathing or disorientation and to come to him if he developed symptoms. If infection starts they wouldn't have much time to re-treat the wounds. His bandages had to be changed regularly.

When she wasn't looking after Blue, Lira was either training or swimming with Hiccup and the rest of the Viking teenagers.

"Lira, come over here look at this!" Hiccup called her over, from the other side of the cove. Lira waded clumsily through the water to where he was bent over an entanglement of roots. She pulled herself out of the crystal clear water.

"What is it?"

Hiccup pointed to a medium-sized hole dug out between the roots, "I wonder if a dragon lives in there."

"Do you think it's a den?"

"Maybe," Hiccup looked at her proudly. Lira looked back at him and nudged him gently. She started walking back to the water, Hiccup continued to look into the hole.

"You should really leave it alone," Lira called teased over her shoulder, "you don't want Mama thinking you're hovering around her baby, dragon or not."

"Wait this is weird," Hiccup responded. Lira slipped into the water and looked back at him, her head resting on crossed arms keeping her close to the shore. Hiccup reached into the hole.

"Hiccup!" Lira exclaimed, her head popping back up.

"No- No- I know what I'm doing," He reassured. Lira nervously bit her lip. Hiccup pushed some dirt around with his free hand and freed a good sized crossbow from between the roots.

"Woah," Lira gasped, "Whose is that?"

"And why did they bury it?" Hiccup added. Hiccup examined the crossbow; It was mostly made of wood but it had metal plating, runes had been pressed into the silver metal. Lira had left the water to come to look at the bow, "What do they say?"

"These aren't sayings, they're just words," He touched one, "This one means 'Discipline' see." Lira touched it. His fingers ran over another, "and this one means 'Chaos'. Strife, Sacrifice, Dishonour, Loss, Madness."

Hiccups brows were crossed. Lira outlined them with her finger, "Are they all horrible things?"

"Yes, and they weren't added after it was made. These are purposeful."

"Why would someone want all that instead of protective spells?" Lira looked to Hiccup for answers.

"I don't know. But I want to know who this belongs to."

"We can bring it to the hall tonight and ask around."

Hiccup looked at Lira, "Who would want to claim it, they buried it here. Like they didn't want it found."

"Maybe it brought them bad luck and they wanted to rid of it," Lira ran her hand down the engraved stock.

"But why would they bury it so horribly? Why bury it at all? Why not burn it? They kept it from the village, or my dad would've said something about it to me."

Sometimes Hiccups brain worked to fast for Lira, "Slow down," Her hand rested on his arm, "Are you saying they wanted someone to find it?"

"I'm thinking maybe they wanted to come back for it."

"Are you going to tell your father?" Lira questioned.

"I don't know."

"Do you want to go back to the village? Or keep swimming?" Her hands were both on his upper arm, she swayed back and looked at him inquisitively. Hiccup looked at Lira, "I- I don't know."

Hiccup flushed.

"What do you know?" She raised an eyebrow. Hiccup thought of a lot of things at that moment, but instead of saying any of them he put the crossbow down and let Lira lead him to the clear water. He got to the edge and Lira stopped. Her hands moved from his bicep to the bottom hem of his shirt; she lifted it over his head. He followed her into the water.

"Honestly, Hiccup, you think too much."

"Oh yeah?" His hand wrapped around her waist and he spun her close to his chest, "I can't help it."

"Try it. Don't think at all." Lira smiled and put her arms around his neck.

Hiccup's first not-thinking-thought was kissing her. He looked into her expected eyes. I can't. Not yet. Something else. His mind settled on an idea that involved a bit of teasing and a bit of stupidity. A perfect not-thinking-thought.

Hiccup set his hands on Lira's waist. Her skin was smooth and cold under the water. She shivered at his touch. Slowly he dragged his hands up her back. Hiccup held onto her tightly enough to feel her breathing accelerate in her chest.

"Hold your breath."

"What?" Lira said, breathless. In a singular quick motion, Hiccup pulled them out of the shallows and flipped Lira under him so they would sink together. Lira, realizing all too late his plan, wiggled to get out of his arms. He made no attempt to keep her underwater with him and she quickly resurfaced. Hiccup resurfaced, laughing.

Lira treaded water about two feet away from him.

"How was that?" Hiccup asked.

"Terrible. I don't know what was worse the fact that you failed to not think or that I fell for it."

"You didn't like how I distracted you?"

"I didn't say that," Lira said quietly. Hiccup blushed, "We should get back."

Lira swam to the edge of the water and hoisted herself onto the soft cove grasses. Hiccup followed her out. Lira struggled with her shirt, as it kept sticking to her wet wrap, eventually, she gave up and looked at Hiccup whose shirt was also sticking to him. She got the crossbow, strung it over her back, and started climbing the rocks out of the cove. Hiccup came shortly after she reached the top; once he got to the top himself he ran to catch up with her.

"What's the plan Hiccup?"

"I'm gonna bring it to dinner in the hall tonight and ask people if it's theirs or if they know who it could belong to."

"Good plan." She smiled and grabbed his hand.

While Lira and Hiccup had gone down to the cove, Fishlegs was seeing to Blue's wound.

"So..." Lira smiled and Hiccup, "I'll see you later."

"Yeah." He smiled back. Lira nodded and stretched her arm out to keep holding his hand. Lira bit her lip, her smile cemented across her face. With her free hand, she slipped the crossbow off her back. Hiccup handed Lira her shield.

"Okay bye, Hiccup," Lira said not letting go of his hand.

"I should really go." Hiccup said taking a step towards Lira. She nodded and let her fingers slip from his.

"Bye, Lira." Hiccup walked towards Gobber's shop.

Lira made her way to the Ingerman house. Fishlegs greeted her at the front door, "I have good news for you, Lira."

"Really?" Fishlegs lead her to the back of the house where both Meatlug and Blue were laying down. Blue perked up when she entered the room.

"Hey baby," Lira cooed, "I heard there's some good news."

"There is!" Fishlegs said excitedly, "His wing is completely healed, It's good enough to fly on."

"He can fly?" Lira looked at Blue who looked back and wagged his tail.

"Yeah, he might need a little practice time, but I think he'll remember. After all, it is his natural instinct to fly."

"This is great, let's get him up there."

Blue seemed a bit uneasy at first, a little scared that his wing wasn't ready. Lira helped to stretch his wing and soon he was moving it well and fluidly. In a quick movement, he caught the air under them and lifted himself off the ground.

"Yes, Blue! Yes! Yes!" Lira jumped off the ground in celebration, "Amazing!" Fear suddenly struck in her heart, watching him fly high above her head, nothing tied him to the ground and without his injury, he was free to leave her anytime he wanted. The only reason for him to come back would be love, and she was scared he wouldn't come down. Fishlegs noticed the worry in Lira's face, "He'll come down, he loves you."

Lira nodded at Fishlegs but Blue was out of sight at this point. A few minutes passed and Fishlegs was called home to help in preparing a dish for the Great Hall dinner.

"No, it's okay, go on. I'll wait for him." Fishlegs smiled at Lira but she knew it wasn't a genuine smile, it was a pity smile. She sat in the grass and stared up at the oh-so-very-blue sky and waited for a dragon that might never come back. Maybe he had a different family, maybe he had kids and a female that he had to tend to. Maybe Lira was only the strange creature that fed him while he was injured. Time passed and Lira laid and waited for Blue to return. The sky started to color when Hiccup showed up, "Lira? What are you doing?"

"I'm waiting for Blue."

Hiccup was confused but he laid next to her and stared up into the sky with her. Toothless set himself above the both of them and cooed at Lira, who had started to cry. Hiccup turned his head to face her, "Oh- Lira. He'll be back."

"That's what Fishlegs said hours ago," She cried quietly. Hiccup moved over so he could put his arm around her. She pushed herself into him, "I don't know why I fooled myself into thinking he loved me too."

Hiccup stroked her back, "He's gonna come back, He does love you. I saw the two of you interact. It was an instant connection. He's just excited to be able to fly again, he's remembering what it is to be free and fly."

Hiccup and Lira looked at each other but the moment was cut short by a screech in the sky. They both sat up and stared into the sky at a large blue dragon diving down into the water only to reappear over the cliff with a gentle landing. Lira was struck dumb.

"Blue." He squawked back at her. Lira ran to him and hugged his bird-like face, "I really thought you wouldn't come back." He nuzzled into her.

"Are you ready to fly?" Hiccup and Toothless were standing behind her.

"Absolutely." Lira jumped up onto Blue's lowered neck. Hiccup climbed up onto Toothless and his foot clicked into place. As if it were the cue Toothless shot out into open air. Lira patted Blue's neck twice to assure him she was ready to experience complete freedom.

Lira felt the air across her face as Blue let himself fall off the cliff's edge. Seconds later her stomach jumped and Blue's wings lifted them both into the sunset. Lira's eyes watered from the cold air pushing on her face, she closed her eyes and the last tears clumped her eyelashes together. Her cheeks lifted in a genuine smile, she was free. Blue's flying was smooth and straight. She could hear the air passing over them and the flapping of Toothless' wings next to her.

"Is it everything you wanted?" A voice yelled over the wind.

"Better." She responded too quietly but turned to look at Hiccup and Toothless. Hiccup's hair was ruffling over his forehead and ears. Lira's short hair made waves in the wind.

They flew till the sun had completely disappeared over the ocean then, with the stars above them, landed in front of the Great Hall. Hiccup jumped down and started walking in, crossbow over his back. Lira was slower she thanked Blue and kissed his nose, then ran to catch up with Hiccup. His brows were crossed and his face was angry.

"Hiccup," Lira struggled to keep up with him, "Hiccup!"

A group of Vikings was playing instruments in one corner, each family had brought some food to share with the Islanders. Hiccup turned to look at her catching up to him, "Slow down please."

Her hand ran from the hair over his forehead down his cheek, "You're thinking too fast. We'll get to the bottom of this."

Hiccup raised his own hand to hold her dainty one to his cheek. He sighed and let their hands tangle as they dropped to their waists. Together they found Stoick and showed them what they found.

"That is strange." He looked over the runes, "ask around, see who it belongs to."

Hiccup nodded at his father and took the crossbow back.

For the rest of the night, Lira walked with Hiccup, hand in hand, asking every Viking in the hall if they were the owner of the crossbow or if they knew who was. Some gave them helpful information like they had seen it in the village but didn't know who owned it. Some people said they had seen a boy carrying it, some said it was a girl. Though there was a conclusive notion that whoever owned it had dark hair, which narrowed it down quite a lot. But it also became clear that whoever owned it either wouldn't claim it or didn't come to the Great Hall.

"Who doesn't come to the Great Hall?" Lira asked when they sat down for the first time the whole night. Hiccup shrugged, "What I want to know is how no one has a name of this person... this is an island village. Everyone knows everyone."

"Well if they never leave the house, or at least not with the crossbow. I mean how long was it buried?"

"The woods not rotting. They either take it out enough for it to get air on a regular basis or it wasn't there very long at all."

Lira laid her head on Hiccups shoulder, he ran his fingers over the runes again.

A tall awkward looking girl with long dark hair covering most of her face spoke in front of them: "Why do you have that?"