I sat in my cell, a frustrated scowl on my face. I was stupid. I was sloppy. I was an idiot. I don't know how many other words I could use to describe how ridiculously stupid I was to allow someone to follow me. Unfortunately, even if I used them all, it wouldn't undo what has been done. I broke the law, I got caught, and I got thrown into a cell. For something so mundane at that.

Well, mundane or otherwise, my sister has no choice but to follow the laws of our people. Given my social standing in this world, I might get off lighter than others, but by how much, I don't know. It's been clearly stated for centuries that our people are not to confine a dragon in anyway, and I was caught on the back of a dragon, who was trying to throw me off. And I was just playing for God's sake! The dragon was well aware of this and was making sure I didn't get hurt, and vice versa.

She and I had been friends for months.

I'd found her with a spear in her shoulder a few months ago, and did my best to help her. I pulled the spear out, stopped the bleeding, and used any nearby herbs that had healing properties that I knew of. It took hours of constant checking, worrying, and reapplying bandages. Eventually, she'd managed to regain consciousness, and we slowly bonded. I left and returned the next day with food and some water. And a little something extra that I would use to make sure she didn't attack me.

The dragon was weary of me at first. I suspected that she didn't like humans very much, but I did help her. I'm guessing that made her question what she knew of humans. She was rather young. Just barely into her adolescence I think, given her size and build. Everyday, around noon, I would sneak out of the village and go see the dragon. I eventually decided that she needed a name. Given her colouration, mostly black with milky white patterns across her wings and spikes, I tried to give her a name that relates to go with that theme.

She didn't like the simple ones, like Shadow, or Moony, or Luna. So, I decided to try something else. Namely, the same word in different languages. She hated Layl, Nychta, and Noctis, all of which are the word 'night' in different languages; Arabic, Greek, and Latin, respectively. She seemed to have a panic attack at the mention of Latin, but it ended within a few minutes. Unfortunately, I didn't come out unscathed. I now have a dragon-maw-shaped bite scar on my left shoulder, and a large burn scar on my right bicep. Nothing huge, I've been through worse, but the marks will stay.

Anywho, after that little incident, I made sure not to mention anything relating to Latin or the Latinos again. At least until could find out what happened to the dragon. After I managed to recover from that incident, thankfully I didn't need any serious medical attention from the village doctor, I continued to bring the dragon food and water until she regained the strength to hunt for herself. I struggled to find a good name for her until another strange incident occurred.

For some reason, the dragon thought she could forage for herself, despite still having a wounded shoulder and damaged wing. She came across a bush that had a particular species of berries growing. She'd gathered a good number of them before bringing them to the cave she'd been sleeping in and dug in. She was halfway through when I arrived. As I walked into said cave, I was just barely fortunate enough to avoid being covered in a large mass of purple goop that the dragon had hurled up. After shaking off my confusion, I looked at what the dragon was eating, and burst into laughter; she was eating Nightshade Berries. Fatal to humans, sickening to dragons.

And that is how my draconic friend came to have the name Nightshade.

She was reluctant at first, as she didn't want to named after any kind of fruit, but she began to consider it when I explained to her why it fit so well. For one, it would be an amusing tale of how she acquired the name. Two, Nightshade Berries are very dangerous, just like her. Three, it stuck with my night time/darkness theme I want for her name. And finally, it just sounded cool. Plus, it allowed for the cute nickname Nights. After that, it was downhill. She loved it, despite how the thought came about. And our bond grew ever closer.

Eventually she was able to fly short distances. Her wing was still damaged, but usable, so I didn't see the problem with her flying a little every now and again. It's not like I had any right to stop her. Of course, this caused the next incident. I was following her as she flew, in awe of how graceful she was in the sky. Unfortunately, the caused me to not watch where I was going, and stumbled right into a wolf's den, where I found a pack of around 12 wolves. And, in a moment of absolute idiocy and stupidity, I'd not collected my weapons before going out, so I was completely defenceless, and I don't fancy using my fists against a group of feral, snarling, angry wolves, so I went with the best possible solution; I ran. Without even looking where I was going.

Where did I end up running to?

A cliff, that's where.

The good part of that was that I was no longer in danger of being mauled by the wolves. The bad bit, I was falling to my death at an alarming rate. Say what you will about gravity having a steady acceleration, it felt like I was getting a little too fast a little too quickly, although that may have been the fear, adrenaline, prospect of death, etc. Of course, what would happen but a big, black, blur swooping in and saving me. It was Nightshade.

And that's how I started my 'hobby,' if you will, of Dragon Riding. After building a saddle, and finally getting it onto her, I started flying with Nightshade, after her wing healed fully of course. She was at 100% health, but didn't leave. I didn't fathom why until one day I fell asleep just outside the cave she inhabited. When I woke up, I found Nightshade resting her head in my lap, with one of her wings draped over me for warmth. It was then that I felt the bond that had been struck between us. She cared for me, just as much as I cared for her. After waking up and having breakfast together, that was when we began playing. I was clinging to her neck, laughing hysterically, whilst she playfully tried to throw me off.

That's where it all went downhill.

My sister had gotten worried and sent a few of the village's warriors out to find me. When they found me playing with Nightshade, well, they didn't have much of a choice but to arrest me for disobeying our tribe's most sacred laws. They also went into the cave, and I have little doubt they found the saddle I built for Nightshade, and the other thing I used to tame her, the 'something extra' I mentioned earlier.

And that's how I ended up in my current situation. After being dragged from my cell, I now stand before my sister, who was sitting on her stone throne, an expression of sadness mixed with anger and betrayal on her face. She was a proud woman, standing, er, sitting up straight, her black armour contrasting with her pale skin and blonde hair, traits that I shared with her. Her green eyes held a sadness that only I could see.

I wore the usual uniform of our tribe's warriors, minus the cowl and mask, which were forcefully removed. And, as the Queen's younger brother, I had some armour plating that made me stand out from the rest of the warriors. My weapons, of course, were confiscated. To my right, behind several guards, was Nightshade. A small dragon, for her kind, due to her age. She had a long snout, with a small, curved horn in between her nostrils. Her eyes were a bright shade of teal, and her scales, black as the midnight sky, with a few milky white patterns across her wings and back. She walked on two legs, her wings being her only other limbs, which she still used to walk, and she had long white spikes running down her spine.

Meet Nightshade, the black and white Skrill.

"Harkon, Prince Defender of the Wing, you stand accused of crimes against our people, and the oppression of a dragon. How do you plead?" My sister, Mala, Queen Defender of the Wing, asked of me, keeping all emotion out of her voice.

"Not guilty." I responded in kind, my English accent matching hers perfectly.

"Do you have anyone to defend that claim?" She asked, calm as ever.

"I'll defend myself." I told her. With narrowed eyes, she sat back in her throne and crossed her arms.

"Very well." She said simply. Throk, my sister's Right-Hand man, and second in command, above everyone but my sister and I in rank, stood beside the throne. He was a tall, bulky, muscular man, with red hair and brown eyes. He was glaring at me calculatively, as if not knowing whether to kill me, or defend me.

"I met Nightshade, the Skrill I was found with, some months ago. She was injured, with a spear in her shoulder. I removed the spear and tended to her wound." I started.

"And why did you not go straight to the Dragon Healer?" Mala asked, still lacking any visible emotion.

"Nightshade's wounds were too great to move her. I feared she would succumb before I returned, or before I got her to the healer. I did what I felt was best; tend to her myself." I answered before continuing my story. "Over time, her wounds got better, and she got used to my presence, allowing me to pet her, and offering less resistance when I changed her bandages." I went on.

"And what did you do when she did resist?" My sister asked, again.

"As you know, Skrills find the presence of conductive metals soothing, it calms them down more than the Sage Fruit. I used my silver dagger to capture her attention, and kept the wound clean and sterile." I told her. She seemed to accept that answer and nodded. The silver dagger I had was the 'something extra' from before, if you didn't get that.

"Explain the situation from just before you were arrested." She ordered me.

"We were playing, that's it." I said simply. "Nightshade and I have been friends for months. She got mischievous, thought it was funny to steal my food." I sent a deadpanned glance to the young Skrill, who let out a laugh despite the situation, something Mala didn't miss. "In response, I pounced, whilst she tried to, playfully, throw me off. I was not in danger from her, and she was in danger from me." I stated firmly, hoping my sister would believe me. It was a few moments before she spoke again.

"One last question." She said, standing up. One of the guards brought the saddle I made. Crap. "How do you explain this?" She demanded calmly, glaring angrily. Yeah, she was upset.

"It… It was about a month ago." I sighed, bowing my head. "I had made a stupid mistake and fell off of the cliff, on the edge of the forest." Several people in the crowd muttered amongst themselves, and Mala even looked disturbed and worried by the revelation. "Nightshade came in at the last minute. She saved my life, and flew me across the entire island before landing." I sighed. "The exhilaration was something I wanted to feel again, under safer circumstances, so I build that saddle." I pointed to the piece of leather equipment she held. I was simple enough. It rested on the space on Nightshade's back that had no spikes, and had straps that circled around her neck and stomach, all of which came together and fit securely to a metal ring that rested on her chest. "I did not force her to fly me, nor did I force her to wear the saddle." I said quickly, yet firmly. "I never did anything that she didn't want me to do." I finalised.

"And what of the new scars?" She asked, making me wince at the memory. "The fang marks on your shoulder and the burn mark on your arm are consistent with a Skrill's fangs and electricity. Why did she attack you if you did not threaten her?" She narrowed her eyes again. Geez, I hate it when she does that.

"Whilst I tried to figure out a name for her, I suggested a few things in another language that she didn't like. One particular language seemed to remind her of something quite… unpleasant." I grimaced. "She had a panic attack, and bit me when I tried to calm her down. The burn scar on my arm is just more... collateral damage, as it were." I sighed when I heard a sorrowful coo from Nightshade to the side. He teal eyes were visibly conveying her regret from the incident. Mala didn't miss that either.

My sister gave the saddle back to the guard before sitting back down on her throne. She sat there in silence, listening to the whispers of Throk, and one of the guards who had arrested me for their input. When they stopped whispering, they stepped back as Mala closed her eyes resting her chin on her entwined hands, considering everything she had been told. For several painstaking moments, she sat like that, completely still. My hands were shaking slightly behind my back, and continued to do so until Mala finally opened her eyes. That's when every muscle in my body stood still.

"I've reached a decision." She said, standing up and walking a little closer. "Brother, I believe you when you say that you had no ill intentions with this dragon." She told me, making me calm down slightly. "However, you still broke one of our people's most sacred laws, and that cannot go unpunished." She said grimmly. Everyone was quiet, barely making a sound, or a move. "As such, I have no choice but to banish you from our island." She announced, making my eyes widen. "You will be given time to gather your possessions, and will be provided with provisions, and a boat. Beyond that, you are on your own." With that, she turned away, leaving me to be escorted to our house by Throk.

"I'm sorry, my Prince. The Queen has spoken." He remorsefully as he placed a hand on my shoulder, gently taking me to the house that Mala and I live in together. I just followed numbly.

Here I am, packing only essentials and my most precious items; my sword(a katana almost identical to Mala's), my bow, a quiver of arrows, and some gold. Should be enough to last me until I find a town or village to buy food in. And of course, I have some food. This is going to be a trying time for me, but I'm confident I can get through it. A banishment sentence is a seven year period where one is forbidden to return home or have any interaction with Defenders Island. I can take care of myself for seven years. And, if I run into Mala in the Northern Markets for example, that's not a problem, as I'm not on the Island, but I digress. I need to keep packing.

"Harkon." A voice called out. I turned and saw my sister, standing at my room's door, a saddened look on her face. "Harkon, I…" She trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"Don't say anything Mala." I sighed, slinging my now packed satchel over my shoulder. "I had this coming. I couldn't keep Nights hidden forever." I shook my head. "I committed a crime, and I will pay my dues. I'm the Prince after all." I smiled wryly. "Nothing less is expected."

"You're also my brother." She reminded me. "And I… I have to banish you from our home." She looked down, sounding ashamed. "I hope you know that I don't want this." She said to me softly.

"Of course I do." I assured. "You may be my sister, but you're also the Queen. You have a duty to our people, and our ways." I reminded her this time. "Besides, I'm 18. I can handle myself out there." I promised her. With a sad smile, she came up to me and wrapped her arms around my shoulders, hugging me tightly. Feeling tears welling up in my eyes, I returned the hug. As we separated, she looked at me with a mix of regret, sorrow, and affection that only a big sister could have.

"I have something for you." She told me, walking out of my room. Intrigued, I followed her. She led me to the armoury, where we stored all our weapons and armour. In the corner of the room, I saw something that I didn't remember being there; an armour mannequin covered in a white sheet. "I had this made for your birthday, but I think now is a better time." She said with a wry smile, pulling the sheet off. I gasped at what I saw. The mannequin, now uncovered, was clad in a set of armour almost identical to my sister's, only it was more masculine, as Mala's was made, quite literally, for a Queen. It also had bright silver accents to replace the gold, making it less shiny, but no less beautiful. And the black steel was exactly the same as Mala's.

"By the Ancients…" I muttered, awed by the sight. That armour was truly a sight to behold. And… it was mine.

"As I said, it was supposed to be a birthday present, but your birthday is three months away, and…" She trailed off with a sad smile.

"Mala." I smiled at her, gaining her attention as I hugged her once more. "This is amazing, thank you." I said to her, tightening my hold on her. Once more, she hugged me again before letting me go.

"I'll let you change here, but then…" She trailed off.

"I have to go." I finished for her, nodding in understanding. "I understand Mala. Thank you." i smiled at her. She returned the smile softly and left the armoury, leaving me to change into the armour she made for me.

OK, this armour is fantastic. It fits perfectly, it's light, durable, and looks awesome. Adding on the fact that it comes with a hood, not a cowl, and a black upper half face mask, not unlike the Green Arrow, made of the same black steel as the rest of the armour. Couple that with my sword and bow, I looked badass. Shame it took me being banished to get this armour though…

Oh well, nothing I can do about it now.

Anyways, I was working on ensuring that the sails and mast of my little ship were in working order. It was a small vessel, but good enough for me to get around. As I dropped back down to the deck, I heard footsteps approaching. Turning, I saw it was Mala and Throk coming to see me off.

"My Prince." Throk gave a small bow. It warms my heart how he still sees me as his Prince despite everything that has happened.

"Harkon, we wanted to say a proper goodbye before you left." Mala told me sadly. Yeah, I can tell she really didn't want to banish me, but our tribe has customs, rules, and I broke them. This is my cross to bear. Seven years away from my home. I'll probably seek refuge in another village, or maybe a deserted island where I can live by myself. "I really wish I didn't have to do this." She sighed.

"This is my cross to bear Sister." I reminded her. "I have no ill feelings to you, or the village, for what has transpired. I do not blame you." I told her firmly. She nodded in acceptance, but it was clear that she was still unhappy.

"Prince Harkon, I am sad to see you go, but I wish you the best in the coming days. I fear you'll need it." Throk said regretfully.

"You have that little faith in me Throk?" I asked a smirk, holding out my hand. Returning my smirk, he gripped my hand in a firm handshake.

"Of course not." He looked right in my eye. Before anything else could be said, a loud roar echoed in the distance. A very familiar roar at that. Turning our attention, my sister, Throk, and I saw a certain black and white dragon flying towards us.

"I thought you set her free?" I asked my sister.

"I did…" She replied in awe as Nightshade landed in front of me. I could see she was holding something in her mouth, but I couldn't tell what.

"Hey Girl." I said, approaching her, hugging her snout. She purred happily at the gesture, nuzzling my chest affectionately. "I thought you were going home?" I told her as we separated. A large, reptilian smile spread across her face as she dropped whatever she was holding. It hit the dock with a loud clank, but before I could see what it was, Nightshade used her long, slimy tongue and gave me a massive kiss across my chest. "Nightshade!" I cried out as she persisted. "You know that doesn't wash out!" I glared at her as best I could, but that face, I just couldn't. And the laugh he released wasn't helping. All I could do in response was fling the saliva hanging off of my hands at her face, thoroughly surprising her. She grumbled at the uncomfortable feeling, using her wing-claw to wipe her face, not unlike a cat.

"Well, that is certainly something." Mala said in a strange mix of surprise and amusement. She never has seen me interact with a dragon like this before. "You have some kind of bond with her, Harkon." She said, placing a hand on Nightshade's head. The Skrill purred at the contact, though she still seemed weary in the presence of other humans, besides myself.

"And she is a magnificent specimen of Skrill." Throk said admiring her beauty. "Never in our records have we seen a Skrill with such coloration. Very unique." He said with a wide smile.

"That's not all that's unique about her." I said with a fond smile. "She also has the ability to create balls of blue flame." I said, shocking them.

"Harkon, Skrills shoot bursts or streams of white fire, not blue orbs." Mala reminded me, sounding hesitant. Smirking at her, I pointed upwards.

"Nights, Plasma Bolt." I told her. Hearing the familiar words, Nightshade shot a blast of strange, but beautiful blue flames into the sky, shocking my sister and Throk. "The glands in her throat create a gaseous compound of acetylene and oxygen." I explained, crossing my arms as the blue fireball exploded in the sky. "When you ignite this compound, it burns blue." I finished, looking at the Skrill, who seemed proud to display her abilities. "And when she puts a lot of work into it, she can even make it burn white." I remembered.

"Fascinating…" Mala mumbled in shock and awe. I can understand that. As she said, Skrills don't usually shoot fire, only lightning. Nightshade still creates lightning just as easily as any other Skrill though, and she can attract lightning to her body in a storm too, just like every other Skrill.

"What did she bring?" Throk asked. Oh yeah, she bright something with her. Turning my attention to her feet, I was shocked to see what was laying before her. Picking it up, I showed it to Mala and Throk.

"The saddle…" My sister muttered in confusion.

"Nights." I said, getting the dragon's attention. "You don't need this anymore. You're free. You can go home." I told her, tossing the saddle aside. She let out a rumbling coo and waddled over to where the saddle landed and picked it up, before bringing it back. Her saliva just slid right off of it, thanks to the beeswax coating I applied. "Nights, no." I shook my head, kicking it to the side. She warbled in confusion, seeing my sad look, and pressed her snout to my chest. Smiling sadly, I placed my hand on her head, petting her softly.

"I don't think she wants to separate." Mala told me. I looked at her, and then back at Nightshade. "I suppose, what you do whilst you are banished is not really any of our concern, is it Throk?" My sister asked of her right hand man as she turned and walked away.

"No, I don't suppose it is, my Queen." Throk smirked, turning and walking after Mala. Wait, are they say what I think they're saying?

The question answered itself when Nightshade nudged me once more, holding the saddle again. Looking into her eyes, the shy hopefulness of a child shining in them, I couldn't help smiling. Giving her a single nod, I grabbed the saddle, and within record time, had it strapped to her back, secured tightly to the metal ring on her chest, to which she gave a happy growl. Grinning happily, I grabbed my satchel and leaped right up onto her back.

Without even a prompt from me, she shot straight up, and it was off we went.

The wind in my face, the speed at which Nightshade flew, the sight of the open sea, and the sense of absolute freedom I felt in the air with Nights was absolutely amazing. And it could only improve from here. The armour I wore was quenched in the saliva of the Great Protector, which is what gave it it's black coloration. It also had the added unintentional benefit of completely insulating the steel, meaning any electricity hitting me would not harm me, so Nights could recharge her lightning shots without worrying about hurting me, but I'm more interested in the fact that I might be able to 'ride the lightning' with her.

Under normal circumstances, I would never even think of it. To ride the lightning, a Skrill has to get struck by a bolt of lightning, which supercharges their muscles and reflexes, allowing them to reach borderline unnatural speeds. But, if I can protect myself from the lightning, I just might be willing to give it a shot.

"I suppose all we can do now is wait and see what the future holds, eh Nights?" I asked with a wide grin, my eyes no doubt shining behind the mask I now wore. Nightshade warbled in response as we flew off into the sunset.

OK, I've been wanting to write a RTTE fanfiction for some time now. I've just been unsure of how to go about it. My initial idea was for Harkon to be shipwrecked on the Edge, or Berk, but that seemed too simple to me. Then I thought of having Harkon being Astrid's twin brother, as another Haddock has been used before. And I thought having two sets of blond twins could be material for some intense humor, but I do not have the patience to write from the very beginning of the franchise. So, I went with making him Mala's little brother; Harkon, Prince Defender of the Wing.

And, since Fishlegs and Heather never actually happened, I'll probably make this an OCxHeather pairing. I'm still debating in my mind on how the Riders and Harkon will meet, but I'll figure something out. I also need to deal with my overabundance of story ideas. I facepalmed when I realised that I had just started another story.

Anywho, I'm almost done with a new chapter for Truth, Honor, Vision. Look forward to that!