Ch. 22- The Best Day Ever

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Dad reminded me of his warning in the morning at breakfast. Emerald ate next to Toothless, who was slightly uneasy about the other dragon. They were still getting use to each other, but anyone could tell they were already friends, which was good.

"Oh, and Star," dad smiled, finishing the last bite of his breakfast as I put on my boots, ready to go flying with Emerald.

"Yes, Daddy?"

"I'm taking the day off today. To spend time with you and Emerald."

"Yay!" I jumped up and down in excitement.

Bard laughed, "Are gonna do the same thing with her as you did with me?"

Dad laughed back, "Maybe. Maybe not. You'll have to ask her afterwards."

"Do what?" I asked.

"Nothing," dad said, giving Bard an expression telling him not to tell. "Come on, Star."

He picked me up and set me over his shoulder as he walked out the door. "Emerald! Toothless!" I was barely able to say with all my laughing. I waved bye to everyone as dad carried me outside.

We got the dragons' gear on and took off to the sky, Dad and Toothless easily passing us. If it was a race he wanted, it would be a race that I gave him.

"Come on, Em, you can do this," I encouraged, leaning forward. She quickly picked up speed, soon passing Toothless and Dad.

"Hey!" Dad called out, laughing.

I laughed, turning so I faced Dad. "Catch me if you can!" I faced forward again and leaned against Emerald so there'd be less wind resistance. "Go, Em. Go!"

Emerald went up to the clouds, and we hid in them. Dad and Toothless zoomed past us, and I thought they would spot us and stop, but they just kept going.

"Star? Starfire, where'd you go?" I heard him ask.

"Now, Emerald," I whispered.

She zoomed straight up again, and I reached out to tag his arm as we flew past. Emerald leveled herself out, and I did a flip off of her and free fell, head towards the ground. Emerald moved so she was doing the same thing as me. I smiled at her and she returned it with a gummy smile. Dad and Toothless did the same thing and joined our little circle.

"Don't you love this, Daddy?" I yelled over the wind.

He smiled and nodded, "Yes, baby girl. But please be careful, I don't want you getting hurt."

"I won't get hurt. I've done this thousands of times before. I never get tired of it."

As we neared the ocean Emerald turned her back to me, Toothless did the same to dad. He waited for me to get on Emerald before reaching across the now broken circle and getting on Toothless.

Toothless opened his wings sooner than Emerald, and we calmly kept falling.

"STAR!" Dad apparently didn't like us waiting so long.

Emerald opened her wings at the last possible safe second and we flew just centimeters over the blue water.

"Yeah! That was awesome!" I shouted, punching my arm up in the air. "Perfect timing, Emmy." She grumbled a thanks in her dragonese before dad flew up beside us.

"Your mom was right: you're going to go on a lot of adventures like us."

"Yay!" I shouted.

"Astrid won't be to happy," he said so quietly that I barely heard him.

"Why not?"

"Because, she loves you. She doesn't want to see anyone in the family get hurt."

"Just because I go on adventures doesn't mean I'm going to get hurt."

"True, but it means there's a higher possibility of you getting injured."

"While that is correct, I wanna have some excitement. Make memories. Be free."

"I understand, baby girl. I was just like you when I was fifteen- and twenty. I was a bit older, but I still felt the same way," he admitted. "Your mom was always worried about me. I'm pretty sure I nearly scared her to death a few times."

I laughed along with him. "Don't worry, I'll try my best not to worry you and Mommy."

He nodded once, "Thank you, sweetheart."

We flew around and Dad and Toothless did some tricks- and not the small ones like a loop- before Emerald and I either imitated them or tried our best to do the stunt they managed to pull.

"Careful, Star!" Dad would sometimes warn. And while I listened, I still would do the trick.

After many hours of fun, dad suggested we start to head home since the sun was staring to set.

"Now, Star, don't you go telling your mother half the tricks I showed you today. She'd kill me if she knew I was "encouraging dangerous habits"" he quoted. Who, I didn't exactly know, but I was sure it was Mom.

"I won't," I promised.

"Thanks. I was worried there for a second," he joked.

"Odd. The only thing you should be worried about is losing a dragon race against me. Speaking of which, RACE YOU HOME!" I sped off.

I barely heard Dad laugh and shout, "Not fair!" before he even started speeding up.

That was all the day was: Dad and I flying around on our dragons, something I had longed for since I met Emerald.

And it was the best day ever.

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