686Chapter 17: The Spark
Author's Note – This is a chapter that I think many of us have been waiting for. Just like Gandalf, we have questions that need answering. It is time for some answers and a glimpse behind the curtain into the world-building I have been doing.
The Spark
Toothless and Hiccup had slept well after dawn after going to sleep in the afternoon the previous day. That was how tired they had been after the escape from the Shire, long journey in the wild after leaving Bree, and the race to get Frodo to safety.
Toothless awoke first, padded outside to lay on the ledge, and stared out over this Rivendell nest-city. Listening to the constant crashing of the waterfalls in the distance was very peaceful.
But it was also different from the Shire.
The Shire was more filled with activity and life, Hobbits walking every direction while doing something, while Rivendell was almost graceful and calm. Both good places clearly had a fondness for growing things though.
There was not much growing in the Monster's nest or Hiccup's island.
Hiccup eventually woke up and joined him in silently staring out over the valley. Just as had been true yesterday on their arrival here, Hiccup was at a loss for words, which very rarely happened.
"Excuse me!" a strange voice called out.
A new and clearly nervous Elf was standing at the entrance to their den. The Elf had a couple baskets, one of which visibly had fish wrapped in leaves.
"My Lord Elrond wished for me to bring you some food, good dragon."
Toothless inclined his head while Hiccup went to meet the Elf and took the basket.
"Thank you, good Elf. What is your name?" Hiccup asked.
"I am Lindr, Masters Haddock and Toothless," Lindr bowed respectfully, "I was also to bring some bread and a set of our attire for you, Master Haddock."
Lindr gave Hiccup the other basket which was filled with fine clothing and a single loaf of bread.
"Thank you, Lindr."
"Master Haddock, Mithrandir wished for me to show you to the bath house after your long journey," the Elf added.
"Okay, that'd be good."
Hiccup brought the fish over to Toothless.
"Think you can stay here while I take a bath?"
Toothless smirked, leaned forward to sniff him, and then barked in apparent alarm.
"You need one!"
"Very funny, I suppose you think you're very clever?"
"Yes, I am," he huffed.
Hiccup dismissively waved a paw his direction and then left with the Elf. Left on his own, Toothless turned his attention to the basket of fish and carefully retrieved one of the fish, setting it on the ground. But there was a problem.
The fish was still wrapped in the big leaf.
He grumbled and pawed at it, carefully slicing through the leaf with a claw.
Why would they put the fish in a leaf? I do not eat green food.
He returned to the outside ledge once the final fish was disposed of. It had not been a large meal, but he would not complain about that. Then he lay down on his belly to rest in the peace of the morning's rising sun.
It felt very good to not be afraid of anything now. No hunters out for his hide, no not-dead living bones or shadows hunting for him, no tempting gold nearby, and no ring of fire to whisper twisted things to him.
He had found peace for now.
So why did it feel that something was still missing? What else could he need?
He huffed and closed his eyes.
I still need answers about what happened to me...
Hiccup eventually returned from the bathhouse and was now wearing the new green furs he had been given.
"How are the new furs?"
Hiccup spun in place, and the new furs flowed around him. He looked very much like an Elf because of what he was wearing.
"They are so soft that they feel like air. It still feels strange to wear them since they are so different, but I like them! How about you, bud, fish taken care of?"
"Am I a dragon?"
"Fair point. Why did I even ask?" Hiccup shrugged and came over to stand with him.
"You were not thinking. What should we do now?"
"Gandalf was going to come by to visit us later. How about we go on a flight first?" Hiccup proposed.
"Good idea. I need to relieve myself too."
Hiccup put all the riding equipment back on him. They were aloft in the cool morning air only a few wingbeats later.
Toothless closed his eyes in peace as he soared above the spray of the waterfalls. It felt very good and warming to fly for fun and peace instead of needing to do so to protect against a danger. But it was also a practical thing for him.
Finding a place to relieve himself was not a problem when he and Hiccup had been out in the wild. That was not so easy to do in a human, Elf, or Hobbit nest-city. He was not going to leave his waste sitting around like other animals would. He knew the importance of cleanliness and not fouling his own den or ranges.
But that meant that he had to ask Hiccup to fly him somewhere to answer this need. He did not like it at all, but it was a necessary part of life now and would always be so.
At least the winds are cool and peaceful.
Gandalf came by to visit them in the middle of the morning. The old man set aside his staff and took a free chair.
"How are you both doing this fine morning?"
"Very well. Thanks for having the fish, bread, and clothes sent to us earlier," Hiccup answered.
"Oh, it is nothing. The Elves have great courtesy for their guests. I do hope that neither of you need meat to eat. That is something that would be in very short supply."
"Fish is enough. How is Frodo?" Toothless asked.
"He is doing well, much better. By the grace of Lord Elrond's skill, he is beginning to mend. A few more hours of that poison in him and... it would not be so good for him now."
"That's a relief. I'm glad he will get better. He definitely didn't deserve what happened to him," Hiccup frowned.
"No. None do. That is one of the dangers of going on an adventure. There is no guarantee that one will come back unchanged or at all."
Gandalf then folded his wrinkled hands on his lap.
"I promised both of you that you would have answers to anything you wish to ask. If you would wait a few minutes more, Lord Elrond will join us. He especially wishes to meet you, Toothless."
"He is the Chief or King here?" Hiccup asked.
"Yes. He is the Lord of his house and of this ancient refuge. He is among the oldest of beings in Middle-earth."
"How old is he?"
"He is over six thousand years old."
Hiccup's jaw fell open as he was struck dumb.
"Yes. Elves do not naturally die of age, although they do fade..." Gandalf sighed.
"What... what does that mean?" Hiccup finally recovered his voice.
"They grow weary of the world, of seeing the change and fading of ages. This world is not their true home. That is why they leave for Aman, the Undying Lands West of the sun and East of the moon."
Hiccup tried to think about unending life such as the Elves apparently enjoyed. It was hard to think about.
"I can't imagine what that would be like to live forever. It must be amazing to never die."
Gandalf gave him a weary smile and leaned forward in his chair.
"Mortality was a gift to Men, to you humans, though none see it that way now. You Secondborn, once your work in the world was complete, could find rest and have your fea, your very souls, pass on to what awaits. Elves could not pass in that way. They grow sad and emptier the longer they stay here in Middle-earth. That fear of death that humans now have is the greatest victory the True Enemy ever achieved."
Hiccup frowned.
"I don't understand. What True Enemy? Is that Sauron?"
Gandalf frowned and considered whether to answer, eventually deciding to speak.
"Melkor, the greatest of the first created beings and also the shaper of many fell creatures including dragons. Sauron is only a servant to Melkor, now known as Morgoth."
Toothless blinked and lifted his head at that, now very interested since this concerned his kind.
"Melkor made dragons? How?" he asked.
Gandalf stroked his beard.
"That, I do not know. Evil cannot create; it can only twist and corrupt what already has life, the Flame Imperishable. Perhaps he took lesser creatures that already were and corrupted them or twisted them into what became dragons. Why they have always been more than mere beasts... well, that is another matter..."
Hiccup frowned, not liking that explanation of dragons' origins at all.
Dragons were corruptions of something? What?
"But they were all bad creatures, right? They only did what he wanted... evil things?" Hiccup asked.
Interestingly, Gandalf shook his head at that.
"They were great, clever, dangerous, cunning, greedy, and cruel, yes. But they were not perfect servants. The very first true dragon and the father of them all, Glaurung, disobeyed his master in battle, and he also claimed his master's treasures for his own hoard. The dragons were more like willing allies of the Enemy than they were true slaves. It was possible for them to not obey his every wish."
Then Gandalf grumbled, seeing their confusion.
"My apologies. You do not know the history of this world. I have had much time to think about you, Toothless, and how it is possible that you could be. I only mention that history because I believe that the dragons, despite everything else about them, had freedom of will all along. They could choose what they would be and whether they would act for good or ill. Every one of them that we know of: Glaurung, Ancalagon the Black, Scatha, the fire drake of Gondolin, Smaug, and the nameless ones of the First Age, chose darkness. Of course, that they had choice makes their deeds all the worse because they could have done differently but did not. If they were blind slaves who could not do otherwise, then they could not be faulted."
Gandalf paused and grinned while nodding.
"For some reason, I believe you will be different, Toothless."
"That is my hope also," a new voice greeted them.
Hiccup and Toothless stood to attention to meet the new Elf who had snuck up on them.
It was obvious who it must be.
Elrond's face was ageless, not old or young, and his eyes held the memory of many joys and sorrows. He bore a shining, gem-lined, and silver circlet on his brow. His colored robes flowed like a waterfall to his feet and behind him on the ground. His arms were crossed behind his back.
He looked Lordly, wise, strong, wary, and deeply solemn.
Hiccup stared at him in wonder.
And he is over six thousand years old? Gods...
Elrond fearlessly strode straight over to Toothless. The Elf bore no weapon and yet he carried power with him in his bearing.
"Tell me, dragon, what do you want?" Elrond respectfully asked.
"I want peace, somewhere I can live with my friend, and I would like to find my own kind, if they live."
"And you truly have no desire for gold or power?"
Toothless averted his eyes, clearly struggling with himself as he stared at his paws.
"I know that I should not. But I have been... forgetting myself more. Being around gold or the Ring feels dangerous and twisting to me. I want to know why."
Elrond stared at him and then went to retrieve a chair which he sat in next to Gandalf.
"I was alive in the First Age when the great dragons still lived. Never have I seen or heard of one like you. I know that you spoke truthfully now about that temptation you feel. Gandalf tells me that you are both not from our world."
"We flew southeast from my home before we came to the mainland. It was not safe for him where we are from," Hiccup explained.
"Over the Bay of Forochel is what I believe," Gandalf added.
Elrond looked very thoughtful and also uncertain about something.
"I can assure you that there are no lands in the waters you speak of. Not anymore. They were all lost in a cataclysm long ago," the Elf eventually said.
"But that is where we came from," Hiccup objected.
"Was there anything... strange about your passage here?" Elrond inquired.
Toothless nodded and ruffled his wings.
"Yes, there was. There was a place in the sky where I heard or felt something that I had to go to. Then it was as if I was flying into a... narrow sky... or a small path, if that holds wind for you."
Elrond and Gandalf immediately looked at each other in open and wary surprise.
"That cannot be coincidence," Gandalf muttered.
"Wait, you know something!" Hiccup exclaimed.
"Possibly. I do not understand how it might be, but what you said, Toothless, sounds very familiar," Gandalf answered.
"What is it?" Toothless asked, his tail twitching in anticipation.
Elrond stood up and paced, eventually leaning back against his chair. The Elf Lord's gaze was into a far distant world.
"When we Elves leave Middle-earth for Valinor, we do so by sailing a Straight Path that only we Elves know of and are allowed to sail. Valinor was once part of this world, but it was sundered, removed from Middle-earth in the Second Age. You could not fly to Valinor now even if you flew above one of our ships that was sailing there. Not unless you had permission to fly there."
That was all very confusing, so Hiccup decided to think about it later, not that it would likely make any more sense then.
"I do not believe that either of you are from any part of Middle-earth or even the Arda that we know," Elrond added.
"What does that mean for us?" Toothless grumbled with a glance to both of them.
"We do not know any more than that. You were likely summoned from a place removed from Middle-earth in the same way that Valinor is removed from Middle-earth. Without knowing how you were brought here I cannot know if you can ever return to where you came from," Elrond solemnly added.
Hiccup frowned at that apparent confirmation of something he suspected. The idea of going back home was still there deep inside, but he knew that it was a fantasy and very unlikely to happen.
"Well, I kind of did say that it would be a little vacation forever," Hiccup chuckled.
"Yes, you did," Toothless grinned.
Surprisingly, the calm, solemn, and wise Elrond almost cracked a smile.
"Is that from whence his name comes?" Elrond asked Hiccup with a nod to Toothless.
"Yes, he has retractable teeth. The name kind of stuck..."
Toothless just snorted and rolled his eyes.
"It could have been worse. I might have been named Hiccup," Toothless muttered.
Elrond looked to Hiccup with clear amusement.
"It is a tradition that my old tribe had to name kids something hideous. I was also smaller than the rest of them, so I got an even worse name. Mistake."
"That is a curious and cruel practice," Gandalf frowned.
"I agree. Hiccup is not a mistake," Toothless firmly declared.
Then he gave a soft hum and looked over to Elrond. His tail twitched as he thought about an idea. This probably has little lift, but...
"You are a healer, yes?"
"I am," Elrond answered.
"You healed Frodo with your power, with magic?"
"Call it magic, art, skill, or power, yes, I did all I could for him to draw the poison from his wound."
"Do you think you could heal my tail?"
Elrond blinked.
"Your tail?"
Toothless curled his tail around and fanned the one remaining fin.
"I lost the other fin in fighting against humans... before I knew Hiccup. I cannot fly well or at all now that I am missing a tailfin."
Elrond looked down at the injury and was clearly deep in thought.
"May I touch it?"
He held up the tail for the Elf to inspect and feel the old wound.
Hiccup, while calm on the outside, felt very unsure about this request. Toothless did not truly need a new tail, after all. There was nothing wrong with the one he had now. That he would ask for an entirely new tailfin, if such a thing could be given, was a little disturbing.
Does he not trust me? I will always be there to fly with him. He needs me, and I need him. That is how it should be.
"My apologies, but I do not think there is anything I can do to replace lost limbs. There is no power I know of that can do such a thing," Elrond finally answered after stepping away.
Toothless hung his head and closed his eyes, resigning himself to that answer.
"I did not think so, but I did hope..." he muttered.
Elrond took his seat again next to Gandalf as a soft breeze fluttered through the open balcony. Then the Elf spoke softly.
"Please ask anything else you wish. To meet and speak freely with a benevolent dragon, I will give you all the time you need."
Toothless grumbled in thought for a moment. Then he pinned the one question which most bothered him now.
"Do you know why the Ring or why gold does something bad to me? I never had those twisted thoughts before."
"It only started affecting you when you came to Middle-earth?" Elrond asked.
"Yes."
"Tell me about it and what has happened to you."
Toothless glanced at Gandalf.
"The first time was outside the ceremony for Bilbo. Hiccup and I were resting on a hill far outside the party. Then I wanted to go down into Hobbiton and find a... precious thing."
"Precious?" Gandalf warily asked.
"Yes. I did not know about the Ring then."
Gandalf frowned.
"How curious. Precious? When were the other occasions?"
"In Bree. At Weathertop. At the gold hoard in the Barrow-downs."
"You were in the Barrow-downs? Why?" Elrond asked.
"We went there to flame a wight and show the Hobbits that I am good. I killed the dead thing deader."
"It was Frodo's idea to help get us in the Shire peacefully," Hiccup explained.
Toothless's tail tapped on the ground as he softly growled.
"The worst time was when I first saw the Ring: when you, Gandalf, first learned what the Ring was and wanted to know if I could fly Frodo here with it. Frodo showed me the Ring on his paw and..."
"And what happened to you? What do you remember?" Elrond prodded.
Toothless hung his head and snarled softly to himself.
"I remember strange, twisted wants and a bad voice. It was almost like someone else was looking for me and hunting me."
Gandalf stirred and leaned forward.
"Back in the Shire when you did not know about the Ring but you heard its call, why did you not go to it?"
"Hiccup was with me, sleeping under my wing. That calling... almost wanted me to choose it or him. I stayed with him."
Gandalf smiled very widely, though he also looked like he was trying to hide that smile.
"The only power strong enough to resist the Ring's influence, even if only for a time. Anyway, I know what was happening to you, Toothless, and why you felt the Ring when you did."
"What?" he eagerly asked.
"Please, tell us!" Hiccup added.
"Bilbo used the Ring to magically disappear from his party. Putting on the Ring makes the wearer invisible. I also heard that there was an incident at the Prancing Pony in which a certain Hobbit patron vanished from sight."
Hiccup frowned and remembered a strange detail about that night.
Uh, Frodo might have. That did seem strange that he just disappeared. I thought nothing can fade from sight like that.
"The Ring makes the wearer vanish?"
"Yes, they exist more in the Wraith world, which is why the Ring-wraiths can see a Ring-wearer more easily. To our eyes, someone wearing the Ring would be unseen, maybe no more than a shadow in the sunlight."
Then Gandalf's expression became more grim.
"This is beyond any doubt to me, now that I have thought about it. You obviously felt the pull of the gold treasure in the Barrow-downs. Further, the Ring was being worn and used every time that you felt that other power, Toothless. That power was Sauron's will trying to tempt you to join him or else to control you and break your will."
Silence followed that statement. Hiccup reached out and rested a palm on Toothless's neck to reassure him.
"Why me? Why does it do that to me, but not to Hiccup?" Toothless warily asked.
"Do not be sure that it has no power over him. Maybe it has not tried to tempt him yet. Humans are the easiest of the races to corrupt," Elrond answered with a scowl.
Gandalf grumbled as he and the Elf calmly but coolly regarded each other.
"The hearts of Men are easily corrupted, but they have strength still. We cannot give up on them."
Elrond frowned.
"There is no great strength left in the world of Men. The blood of Numenor was spent and even that people fell into shadow. They are scattered, divided among themselves, and leaderless."
"There is one who could yet unite them and retake the throne of Gondor," Gandalf answered.
Elrond looked away, lost in recollection.
"He left that path long ago and prefers exile. We can speak of this later," Elrond then muttered.
Gandalf nodded in agreement and then turned back to Toothless.
"You said that you could not speak aloud before you came here to Middle-earth, correct?" Gandalf asked.
"Not with human words. I could talk a little to the other dragons where I am from, even if many of them spoke with their body only," Toothless answered.
Hiccup patted Toothless's shoulder.
"Do you know why he can talk now? His being able to talk helps a lot with getting people to trust him."
Gandalf frowned and leaned on his staff, possibly delaying giving an answer or maybe he was just being very thoughtful; the Wizard was frequently lost in his thoughts.
"Gandalf, we spoke of this. He deserves to know the truth," Elrond then broke the silence.
"The truth? Please tell us," Hiccup implored.
"I want to know. What is it?" Toothless added.
"Alright, fine. This part is all conjecture, but... I have an explanation for why you can feel the Ring's being used and why you gained our speech when you arrived here," Gandalf sighed.
Hiccup and Toothless glanced at each other and eagerly awaited the explanation to this most amazing thing that had happened to them, however crazy the explanation would be.
"You remember how I said that Sauron put his very spirit, his soul, into the Ring so that he could control all others? His master, Morgoth, did the same thing to all of Arda. This world itself is Morgoth's Ring, so to speak. I also believe that he put a spark of his spirit into the dragons once he shaped them. That may be why they were more than simple beasts and also why they shared some of his powers, such as control of other's thoughts. You now carry a small piece of his... evil influence... in you also simply from existing in this world. That spark of Udun knows when its master's will is present through the Ring."
A tense silence followed as Hiccup and Toothless thought about that, neither of them liking it at all. Toothless started pacing while staring at his paws.
"I... am... evil?" Toothless then sighed.
Gandalf immediately shook his head.
"No, you are not. You have the ability to be evil and you now feel some temptations that you did not have before, but you were also gifted the knowledge of how to speak once you returned to this world. Further, you know of the danger within you. That awareness makes you stronger than others who thought they were great and fell to temptation. From your own actions, we know that you can choose what you will be and how you will live. You remember what it was like to not have those wants."
"That is much to think about," Toothless muttered, his eyes downcast.
"Indeed. These are matters of conjecture usually reserved to the greybeards," Elrond softly added.
Hiccup stepped over to Toothless and rested a hand on his neck to reassure him. He also wanted to change the conversation to something possibly happier and which both he and Toothless wanted to learn about.
"Excuse me, Lord Elrond, you said that you have known of other dragons. Are there any others in Middle-earth now? I know that Smaug died about sixty years ago," he asked.
A moment of silence followed before the Elf answered. He did so warily, as though he was unsure of something.
"The great fire drakes are likely all gone now. I believe that Smaug was the last of them. Might there be some cold drakes still alive beyond Erebor or in the Grey Mountains, the Northern Waste, or the Withered Heath? Possibly."
Toothless immediately perked up and rose to his feet.
"The Northern Waste? Withered Heath? What are those?" he asked.
Elrond reluctantly answered.
"The Northern Waste is a frozen land empty of most life, as far as we know. Men once lived there long ago in a different Age, but no more. The Withered Heath is a large, burned, and barren valley in the Grey Mountains far in the northeast beyond Erebor. That valley is where the great dragons of the past lived and bred. There is nothing like them living there now."
"That doesn't sound appealing at all," Hiccup grumbled.
The Elf Lord gave Hiccup and Toothless a considerate and almost unsettling gaze as if he were staring through them.
"What happens next now that the Ring is safe here?" Hiccup asked, feeling a little uncomfortable under the Elf's intense stare.
Gandalf answered.
"That remains to be seen. Lord Elrond has summoned a council of some of the most important leaders of the races. They will decide in several weeks what will be done about the Ring. Have you both thought of what you will do afterwards?"
They glanced at each other.
"Toothless wants to find other dragons, and I would like to do that also. We both like the Shire too," Hiccup explained.
Elrond turned to Toothless.
"The dragons naturally of this world are not like you, Toothless, as I am sure you have likely guessed. Do let me know if you both plan to go on such a quest. I wonder... You both are welcome to remain here in Imladris as long as you wish."
"You have my thanks," Toothless answered.
Elrond gave a great sigh even though a spark of amusement danced in his eyes.
"Toothless, I would ask that you hunt away from here if possible. You can find deer on the slopes of the Misty Mountains. Provisioning for a dragon, even one as small as you, might become... problematic for us here."
Toothless chuckled.
"We can do that."
Then he turned with a questioning hum to Gandalf. There was a nibbling question he still had not gotten answered.
"Are you going to tell me what that fire is now?"
"What fire?"
"The fire on your finger."
Elrond flew to his feet at that comment. Gandalf also suddenly leaned forward. Hiccup thought that was strange, which it was.
"Did you show them?" Elrond hastily asked Gandalf.
"No, I did not. Toothless saw through its being hidden entirely on his own. How, I do not know. Perhaps some affinity with fire," Gandalf grumbled.
"This is most alarming that the concealment was broken," Elrond frowned and sat down.
Hiccup was completely confused by this exchange.
"I do not see the harm in telling these two the truth in my case though. Especially considering how appropriately it relates to his situation," Gandalf added.
Elrond leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, almost seeming to fall asleep. Hiccup glanced at Gandalf in confusion, and the Wizard held an open palm toward him in a gesture of patience.
What is going on?
"She does not object," the Elf then opened his eyes after an extended pause.
Huh? She?
"Do you both swear to tell none about what I will show you?" Gandalf then asked in a firm yet calm voice.
They both agreed.
Gandalf then held up a hand, and there was a ring upon a finger where before there had not been a ring. The ring held a bright red ruby that almost glowed or had flames swirling from within the gem.
"This is Narya. One of the three Elven rings of power. I am not an Elf, but I wield it against the forces of shadow."
"Why did I see fire on your finger?" Toothless wondered as he stared at the ring.
"Because Narya is a ring of fire. The three Elven rings each have their own unique powers. Narya's strength is in helping to inspire others to resist despair and control: the same as how fire can sustain life and burn away the dark and the cold."
Even as Toothless stared at the red ruby in the ring, he knew that there was truth in Gandalf's words. The lingering cold in his soul-fire from all that he had heard about his own origins faded. Now that he thought about it, that cold was especially absent whenever he was around Gandalf.
"It is a magic ring like Sauron's Ring?" Hiccup wondered.
"Yes, and no. It was never tainted by his malice, nor were the other two Elven rings, Vilya and Nenya, air and water, respectively. All of their powers are bound to the One Ring though, as it is the Master Ring."
The way Gandalf spoke felt ominous.
"Is there a problem with that?"
Elrond looked incredibly weary in that moment.
"That depends on the solution we come up with, though it is clear what must likely happen. That is a discussion for the council, if at all," Elrond answered.
Toothless got to his feet and then looked up at Gandalf and Elrond.
"You have given me much to think about. May I freely walk and fly around Rivendell?"
Elrond inclined his head to him.
"Yes, you may. I have spread the world among all who are here. You will meet no objection from any of my people. Many of us were awed by seeing your flight this morning."
"You have my thanks, again," Toothless dipped his head in acknowledgment.
Hiccup moved to join him when Gandalf started in surprise.
"Oh, one more thing! Mister Bilbo Baggins wanted to meet you, Toothless!"
"He is Frodo's kin, true?"
"Yes, he is also the Hobbit who had the distinctive pleasure of meeting with Smaug and living to tell the tale."
"I will meet with Bilbo then. I want to hear it all from him. When will we see him?"
"Later in the afternoon. Bilbo has taken to sleeping a lot more now," Gandalf answered.
Hiccup whispered in Toothless's ear, and they both nodded in agreement.
"We are going to take a walk and... think about everything you've told us."
"Certainly, good talk. You know where to find me. I will be... around," Gandalf smiled.
Elrond also inclined his head slightly and left with Gandalf without saying anything more.
Toothless and Hiccup then left the guest house and walked into a small grassy clearing on the edge of the cliff. Toothless stepped over to the edge and then sat down, silently staring out at a distant waterfall.
Hiccup wasn't sure what to say to him after hearing all that.
"So... that all... happened..."
Toothless sighed and closed his eyes.
"Hiccup, am I a monster?" he whispered.
"No."
"But you heard all that they said. I am different now because I have... a bad soul-fire in me."
"I don't know about that. They said that you can choose what you will be. So maybe you feel tempted by gold now. Just don't listen to that or to the Ring."
"What if I cannot? What if I am not strong enough?"
"You are. You are also a very stubborn dragon."
Toothless huffed and flicked his tail.
Hiccup continued.
"Plus, whatever it was that happened to you also let you talk to me. That is a good thing."
"True, some good hatched from it," Toothless admitted.
Hiccup then walked up to Toothless's side and gently took his muzzle in his hands. Some additional assurance was needed.
"Toothless, you listen to me. I am here for you if you ever need help."
"I know."
"Just promise me that you will ask for help if you need it."
"I will."
Toothless then grumbled and glanced up at the clouds.
"Can we go flying? I want to fly to help clear my thinking."
Hiccup laughed and turned back for their guest house where the riding gear was being kept. He had taken it all off after their arrival from their morning flight to keep Toothless from getting too uncomfortable.
"About time you asked!"
Up in the sky they again felt that peace that came from being in the sunlight with the wind whipping their hair and tickling frills and wings. Spins and loops followed as they danced above the clouds and then dove down waterfalls into the valley. Then they settled into a glide with the wind.
"This feels better," Toothless sighed.
"I know. Flying never gets old."
"Elrond was being tricky!" Toothless laughed and glanced back over his shoulder.
"What about?"
"He also had a ring on a finger."
"Did he? I didn't see one."
Toothless hummed.
"I did not want to say anything after they were surprised by my seeing Gandalf's ring."
"Maybe Elrond wants his ring to be secret too."
"Then we should not say anything about it," Toothless proposed.
"Good idea."
Neither of them said anything else as they soared above sparkling, crashing waterfalls while thinking about how they had been brought to Middle-earth and everything that had happened to them so far.