Heather would be staying at Hiccup's house until they managed to locate her island and take her home. Stoick had been very kind in welcoming Heather.
"And watch your step," Hiccup warned as he climbed the stairs. "And... we're here!"
"It was really nice of your dad to let me stay here," Heather said as she stepped closer and looked around the room.
"Until we can find a safe place for you, consider Berk your home," Hiccup said.
"Wow," Heather pointed at the drawings Hiccup had made. "What is this? It's really cool."
"Oh, it's a new saddle for Toothless. We want more speed so we don't get beaten by Astrid and Stormfly—she's really competitive. And there's also a draft for a new saddle for Lua, the last one... got lost," Hiccup said with a nervous little laugh.
"I don't understand any of that, but if it makes me the fastest dragon, I'm in," Toothless said as he stretched.
"Faster? Yeah right. You'll never beat me," Lua said proudly, puffing out her chest.
"That's what we'll see," Toothless replied, determination shining in his eyes.
Lua was convinced she would never be surpassed in speed—after all, she was the dragon who could ride lightning.
After a short, slightly awkward conversation, Hiccup began to step away.
"Alright then, time for us to head downstairs. Come on, Toothless, Lua—we'll sleep downstairs tonight," Hiccup called.
Toothless and Lua went ahead, one at a time, since they were very large.
"Hey, Hiccup," Heather called.
"Huh?" Hiccup turned his head toward her.
"Thanks. Really," Heather smiled.
"Good night, Heather," Hiccup said before heading down to sleep.
"I'm going to nap outside," Lua said.
"Why?" Toothless tilted his head.
"I want some fresh air," Lua replied.
Toothless watched her convince Hiccup to open the door and frowned. It was unusual for Lua to want to sleep outside. Still, he didn't say anything—after all, Lua chose where... and with whom she slept.
o0o0o
In reality, this was all part of an elaborate plan Lua had put together in her mind. She was going to draw Heather's attention so that she would be the one Heather chose to escape with, taking the Book of Dragons along.
Lua planned to make Heather grow attached to her—this way, Lua would get her own rider, and Heather would stay in Berk, becoming part of the team.
"Yes, it's going to work! I'll change this storyline once and for all!" Lua had to hold back an excited laugh.
Lua waited...
Waited...
Waited...
..
..
..
..
She waited so long that she eventually fell asleep without even realizing it. She didn't see Heather pass by or hear anything suspicious (aside from Thornado's snoring).
o0o0o
Lua woke up grumpy the next day. She had gone to sleep very late, and that left her stressed.
"Ugh, are those two ever going to show up?" Lua huffed, looking toward the entrance of the arena.
"Looks like someone woke up on the wrong claw today," Stormfly said, glancing at Lua. "Did you sleep badly?"
"Oh yes... you could say that," Lua replied without looking at her.
The Deadly Nadder tilted her head, trying to understand the Skrill.
Meatlug was relaxed while Fishlegs cleaned her ears.
Barf and Belch were sleeping—as always.
"Dude!" Hookfang growled while pacing back and forth. "Is this ever going to start?! I can't stand being stuck here all day!"
"Oh Hookfang, can you calm down?!" Snotlout complained.
"Try staying calm while standing still all day!" Hookfang blew smoke in Snotlout's face.
"Hm. Are we training or not?" Snotlout asked, turning to the others.
"Hey, where's Hiccup?" Fishlegs asked.
"Giving a private lesson," Astrid replied, looking upward.
Fishlegs gasped and smiled.
"I didn't know he gave private lessons! Can anyone sign up?" he asked hopefully.
"Apparently only she can," Astrid replied.
"Ohhh, looks like there's another kitty in the piece" Ruffnut said.
"Yeah. Looks like another piece of the kitty," Tuffnut added sleepily—then jumped up, confused. "Wait—what?!"
"Nothing. She thinks I'm jealous. Which is ridiculous," Astrid said as she turned to pet Stormfly.
"Oh sure, sure. Wait—of who? Me? Am I the kitty or the piece?" Tuffnut rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Trust me, the last thing I am in life is jealous!" Astrid said, frowning.
Hiccup finally arrived with Heather and Toothless. They dismounted, smiling.
"Morning everyone! How are things?" Hiccup asked, completely oblivious to what he had promised for today.
"Oh, how kind of you to show up," Astrid said, crossing her arms.
"What?" Hiccup suddenly remembered and covered his face. "OH! We were supposed to meet. Uh—wow... sorry."
Stormfly growled at his response.
Lua scowled, and Toothless carefully approached her, not wanting to irritate her further.
The twins leaned toward Snotlout.
"Tense~," Snotlout whispered loudly.
"So Astrid's jealous of the pretty girl, huh? Since you were talking about kitty and pieces?" Tuffnut asked.
"So, cutie. Sleep well?" Astrid asked Heather, hands on her hips.
"Very well! Thank you, Astrid," Heather replied.
Astrid's suspicious stare made Heather nervous, so she quickly changed the subject.
"So, this is your dragon training academy?" Heather asked, looking around.
"No! Our dragon training academy!" Tuffnut pointed at himself. "Remember? I called you cutie? Muhuhu."
Ruffnut stared at her brother in disbelief. Hiccup shot Tuffnut a look before changing the subject.
"So, we train dragons so they can be part of our lives," Hiccup explained.
"And everything is recorded here," Fishlegs said, holding up the Book of Dragons.
"Really? Everything?" Heather asked.
"Yep! I take care of the records. I'm the master of records, you know?" Fishlegs said, leaning in with what he thought was a seductive look.
"He writes down whatever Hiccup tells him," Snotlout interrupted.
"But from my own point of view!" Fishlegs shoved him aside.
"Why do all the Vikings suddenly seem interested in this Viking girl?" Toothless asked. "She looks like all the others."
"Honestly, I could make a joke about that, but you wouldn't understand," Lua muttered, then yawned. (I think that would count as breaking the fourth wall... Girl 'Heather'... Wait, what kind of joke was that again?)
Toothless tilted his head, completely confused, but didn't question it further.
The dragons watched the Viking argument unfold.
o0o0o
Over the following days, Heather spent time alone with each of the riders, learning about their dragons. The boys constantly tried to impress and flirt with her—but of course, Heather didn't care much about that.
While Hiccup was distracted with Toothless and Lua, Heather sneaked into Hiccup's room and searched for the Book of Dragons, eventually finding it.
She flipped through a few pages until stopping on the Deadly Nadder, then flipped again until she reached the Skrill.
"Skrill... metallic scales that can channel lightning, fast, loyal, powerful..." Heather murmured as she read.
"And add intelligent—and, of course, deadly," Astrid said, stepping up behind her. "What do you think you're doing?"
Heather tensed when she realized Astrid had caught her red-handed.
o0o0o
"What do you think they're talking about up there?" Lua asked, staring at the ceiling, where she could hear the muffled voices of Hiccup, Astrid, and Heather.
"Hm," Toothless' ears perked up. "Looks like she read the Book of Dragons... There's a bit of an argument, but it's nothing serious. Heather was just too curious."
The two dragons watched Astrid stomp away angrily. She opened the door, paused, and turned to glare straight at Lua before leaving. The door slammed shut.
"Why did she look at you like that?" Toothless asked.
Lua shrugged.
o0o0o
That night, Lua was once again sleeping outside Hiccup's house when a noise woke her up.
Lua's eyes snapped open, her pupils narrowing in alarm. She leapt to her feet, spreading her wings to scare off whatever it was, sparks of electricity crackling across her body.
"Easy!" Heather whispered, raising her hands in surrender.
"Heather?" Lua growled softly, then lowered her wings, calming down. "You nearly scared me to death, girl."
"Lightning..." Heather murmured, noticing the sparks. "Just like the book said. Maintain eye contact and submissive posture." She lowered her body slightly, making Lua relax further. "Here—I read that you like metal."
Heather pulled a piece of metal from her bag. Lua approached, sniffed it, then carefully took it and turned away to store it with the others.
Heather slowly extended her hand.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing with Lua?!" Astrid's voice rang out.
"Astrid? Hm, you really like snooping on people," Heather said, putting a hand on her hip.
"Yeah—only those who deserve it," Astrid replied, stepping closer. "And don't give me that innocent act!"
"I never thought that. You're too smart for that, Astrid," Heather said with a sideways smile.
Lua turned and pressed her face against Heather's back, purring softly. Heather froze for a moment, then turned and stroked Lua's face.
Heather smiled even more at Astrid, which only made Astrid angrier.
"Looks like Lua likes me," Heather said, patting Lua twice before stepping away. "See you later, Lua."
Heather quietly returned inside Hiccup's house. Lua walked over to Astrid, smiling and rumbling softly.
"Seriously? So she can buy you with a piece of metal?" Astrid asked.
"It was pretty," Lua muttered, looking away.
o0o0o
The next morning, Heather went straight to Lua. She looked tense and nervous, glancing around to make sure no one was watching.
"Hey, girl," Heather said softly, approaching with her hands out.
Lua stepped forward and placed her snout in Heather's palm.
"We need to go now. I hope you don't mind traveling a bit with me," Heather said, gripping her bag tightly.
"I've waited my whole life for this! Hehe," Lua rumbled quietly, lowering her neck.
Heather recognized the gesture as permission to mount. Lua was still saddled, so Heather grabbed onto the horns on her head.
"Easy, girl... I've never flown alone before," Heather said, patting Lua's neck.
Lua snorted and spread her wings.
"Enjoy the ride," Lua said as she launched into the sky.
Heather clung tightly, nearly losing her balance, but she was a natural rider and quickly adapted.
As the fastest dragon in Berk, it wouldn't take long for Lua to reach Outcast Island—where Heather wanted to go.
"That's it, good girl. I'll get you more metal later," Heather said, patting her.
"Oh yeah! I like that," Lua purred.
Astrid, who was on lookout atop Stormfly, spotted Lua flying. At first, she thought it was Hiccup taking her out—but then she noticed Lua was still saddled, and Heather was riding her.
"That girl...!" Astrid clenched Stormfly's saddle before heading straight for Hiccup.
o0o0o
Lua barely noticed when the other riders finally caught up. They were led by Toothless and Stormfly, the fastest dragons of the group—second only to Lua.
"Lua!" Hiccup shouted, whistling.
By instinct, Lua turned her head, about to slow down. Heather quickly pulled out an engraved metal spoon.
"I'll give you this if you keep going," Heather said.
Lua growled and burst forward in a dash of speed, ignoring Hiccup.
Back there, Hiccup stared in shock.
"I can't believe she let herself be bought with a piece of metal!" he exclaimed.
"I did the same thing," Astrid sighed, pulling out a chicken leg and handing it to Stormfly.
"What?! Th-that's chicken?! Is that what—" Hiccup stammered.
"Seriously? That's what you're worried about right now?!" Astrid urged Stormfly faster.
Lua glanced sideways, shocked to see Stormfly catching up. She had expected Toothless.
"You just ate chicken and got a sudden speed boost?!" Lua said in disbelief.
Stormfly just laughed.
Lua growled and dove downward, gaining distance.
For a moment, Lua didn't see Stormfly anymore and relaxed slightly—but suddenly she felt new weight land on her back, throwing her off balance.
"Where do you think you're going, kitty?" Astrid said to Heather.
Heather shoved Astrid, trying to make her fall, but Astrid grabbed Lua's tail.
"Hey! My tail isn't as strong as a Nadder's!" Lua growled.
"Lua, spin your tail!" Astrid ordered.
"My tail isn't like a Nadder's, geez!" Lua protested, but did her best.
Astrid and Heather began fighting again on Lua's back, making her flight unstable.
"We're going to crash like this," Lua said, discouraged.
Ahead lay Outcast Island—and as they entered its territory, a rain of fireballs was launched at the dragons.
"Oh no!" Lua swerved sharply to avoid one of the flaming rocks.
Heather was thrown off. Astrid tried to grab her but failed. Snotlout rushed to save Heather, while Hiccup went after the Book of Dragons.
Snotlout managed to save Heather—but Hiccup failed to save the Book of Dragons.