Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Hiccup walks into his hut. Whilst old, raggedy and in need of repair, he can't bring himself to renovate or change any part of it, even though he probably needs to. There are multiple leaks dripping from his roof, painting the wooden floor a darker brown colour. It's just how he remembers it on Berk, so this is how he will have it here. It's simple, really. He's allowed to want to keep his memories of his childhood. 

Under the roof, Hiccup shivers. The wind and rain are pounding at the roof and walls, cutting over any other sounds that he might have heard otherwise, like the tapping of his metal leg, or his heavy breathing. The old hut creaks suspiciously in the onslaught of the storm leaving no room for talking. Not that he would anyway. On his small island, there isn't much to talk about, and only dragons to talk to. Or rather, only Toothless, because he's the only one who really understands.

A twinge of pain gleefully reminds Hiccup of the reason he is back in here; his leg. The prosthetic limb is rubbing against his stump, blistering the skin. The water and rain are causing unwanted friction beneath the metal. From halfway down his calf, the rest of his leg is metal. Although Hiccup tries his best to create prosthetic limbs that look similar to the original limb, it's not always practical.

As soon as the rider steps inside, the wind slams the door shut as if to say: In or out, but not both! It reminds him agonisingly of the things Gobber used to stay to him, back when their relationship was better than between Hiccup and his own father. Ideally, if Hiccup had to choose, Gobber would have been his father. Then entirety of his stay on Berk was miserable. He was Hiccup the Useless, 'talking fishbone' son of Stoick the Vast. The momentous expectations put on Hiccup's shoulders when he was just a boy forced him into habits that he still has today. 

Hiccup still remembers to lock every bolt on the door, and check for scratches on the pristine, polished wood. On the other hand, however expensive the door looks, the rest is anything but. Stoick didn't care much for decor or warmth inside a house- the intricately carved door and impressive walls were for show only, to display his wealth as chief.

Inside the rickety hut, a fire flickers weakly. Toothless, dark as the clouds surrounding the island, is curled up in a semicircle, tail tangled with another beautifully coloured blue nadder. Stormfly; one of his dragon's closest friends. 

Hiccup steps carefully over the venomous spines that protrude from the nadder's tail, blue, beautiful and sharp enough to cut his heart from his body. He winces as a sharp pain punches into his leg. He can feel, ever so slightly, the rough, scar-ridden edges that were burnt away by the explosion a couple of years ago. Phantom pains often haunt him, attacking when he least expects it. 

He sits with a sore thud on his stool, letting out a groan, and rubbing his drooping eyelids. Promptly, through bleary eyes, he removes his leg and inspects the blistered, red skin underneath. Toothless raises his head, spines raising. He meets his rider's eyes with an identical green glow. 

Hiccup-leg? Come. Heal.

The dragon rider replies in the same language, a mix of clicks, hisses, and growls amongst other things. 

Yes-ok. I come. 

Dragonese, Hiccup decides, would be a terrifying thing to witness as someone who doesn't know the language. 

Just returning to change his leg, Hiccup doesn't have time to rest. Between building new perches and accommodating others, he has a lot to do for his dragons on the island. 

No, not his dragons. They are not his dragons, they are dragons and not objects. He no longer refers to Toothless as his as he did back home because Hiccup has learned they can't be controlled. Dragons allow him to ride them, only if you gain their trust. If you bond with them. It only infuriates the dragons and himself when he catches wind of people referring to dragons as objects. they feel pain too, even have families. They're no different from humans. 

He laughs at the rumours people spread, that he can control them. The Dragon Master, as he as come to be referred to, is a foreboding character, dressed in all black, half-demon, half-dragon, who controls an army of ferocious beasts. Hiccup is anything but that.

He looks to the wall, deep in thought. His mask, black as the night, is a copy of Toothless' face. It's all angular lines, sharp corners and slanted eye holes. The space behind is shadowed by the mask, but Hiccup finds himself imagining bright green eyes in there, his own, and a shiver runs down his back. The spines on top are sharp enough to break skin, adding to the intensity. It's some of his best work. 

Turning back to his desk, he eyes the stacked papers ranging from drawings and sketches of working ideas to notes and crumpled pieces of paper that Toothless has burned and charred. They turn to dust and ash with a simple touch of his hand. 

His diary lies strewn open on the ood. Upon seeing it, Hiccup freezes. He doesn't remember keeping it out, yet many sleepless nights often lead to memory fogs. He's sick of having to hang onto anything he can but he has no choice. Every time he tries to let go, he is afraid he will fall into an endless abyss, unable to move. He's sick of having to relive his haunting childhood just to be able to function because, without it, he falls into a deep depression, unable to do anything but long for home. But Berk is no longer his home. 

"Fuck, Toothless." He whispers in Norse. "I'm so lonely. And pathetic." 

Sleep-forget-homenest. The dragon replies, with comforting sounds and a cocked head. He knows. He knows what Hiccup thinks about, day and night. Their bond is different; Hiccup can tell.

The ex-viking slumps onto the floor, and the table is just high enough so he can write properly. He opens the diary on a random page, watching the first half thump onto the desk. It releases a big cloud of dust, which Hiccup disperses before reading the entry. This one in particular is one he remembers vividly, in full colour. So vividly, that Hiccup can feel the spittle flying out of Stoick's mouth as he yells.

"Hiccup, stop!"

"But, dad- this is it-"

"This is enough! For all your plans and ideas, none of them have worked!"

"Dad, these are the best I've come up with. I swear they'll help."

"Hiccup, the last time you convinced me, the village didn't have enough food for weeks. We can't afford another mishap like that because of you! I can't afford to be embarrassed again, because of you!"

"This won't be like that!"

"Yes, it will, Hiccup. Your ideas won't work! Stop trying!"

"No, no, Dad, please! I worked hard on these ones!"

"Enough!"

"Please"

"I said enough, Hiccup! This has gone too far. Your 'ideas' will only end in disaster. Get rid of them."

"Dad, please. No! Please, just let me keep them!"

"If you don't get rid of them, I will."

Hiccup remembers how his father had ripped up his drawings and thrown them in the fire, turning his broad back on his son. Long, auburn braids fall down his father's back, shadowing his face.

While watching his ideas burn up, he had tried to be angry, but that rage had quickly fizzled out. In its place, shame and humiliation had risen, fast and inevitable, like a huge wave during a vicious storm. 

The scene is replaying over and over in his mind, and Hiccup's efforts to expel it are futile. If he's being honest with himself, he is not really trying. The discomfort stings and nips at him like frostbite on a cold day, but he doesn't want to forget- it's all he has left. So, even though it's painful, he remembers.

Hiccup slams the book shut, rattling the pages that flutter innocently to the ground. Tomorrow, he thinks. Tomorrow, he'll write. If he can bring himself to.

Hiccup-sleep-now. Toothless hisses, and gets up to drag him over to where he and Stormfly are sleeping. Or, he tries to, at least, because Hiccup resists. He couldn't bear to sleep right now. His rest will be plagued with nightmares and endless tossing and turning. 

The human (not exactly) replies in turn. Brother-sleep Then, I-Hunt. 

Toothless tilts his head at this, but Hiccup waves a slender hand in his general direction. He flings open the door, and storms out of the hut, cursing himself for even trying to write an entry. He can't keep existing purely on the idea that one day, one day, he might be able to go home. It's not logical. It's not good enough. Hiccup's roaming around the island like an undead zombie, completing his tasks, sleeping, and eating. His life is meaningless, reduced to nought but a servant to those who live on this island. He exists purely to remember.

The wind smacks him squarely in the face like a stray dragon wing on a rescue mission, sending Hiccup stumbling back. Although it's true that he's grown over the years from Berk, taller and broader, he's not much heavier. 

The uneasiness he was previously feeling evolves into something else, prickling at the base of his neck. Hiccup's senses go into overdrive, and he crouches low on the ground. When he looks around, however, he sees nothing. Not that he could anyway, the storm is raging so fiercely it's hard to see 5 feet in front of himself.

Hunting, Hiccup reminds himself, and keeps going, but keeps a wary eye on his back. 

Soon enough, Hiccup reaches a stream just northeast of his hut. The wind batters his body like a toy doll. Just as he kneels, he remembers he forgot his claws. That's OK, he thinks, he'll just make some.

He does, crudely and rushed. The storm calms slightly, but the sea is still violently crashing against the cliffs. With his makeshift wooden claws, he manages to catch a couple of fish. He isn't paying attention because Stoick's face is flashing constantly in his head. Fish swim by, and in the reflection of the water, he sees his 15-year-old self again. Then it flashes back to normal, and Hiccup is reminded of what he is now. A loner. A disappointment. Maybe he can even consider himself a dragon.

Eventually, after Odin knows how long, Hiccup is finished, he has only 6 fish. He has food at his hut, he reminds himself. He just needed an excuse to get out again. When he stands up, something catches his eye off the cliff ledge, on the beach. It's so high, he can only see the tip, but something is poking out of the sand. It was not there before the storm.

Hiccup rushes to get Toothless, who doesn't complain, but Stormfly comes along for the ride too. There is nothing he can do to stop her. Later, he will be glad for her help.

As they round the cliffs, the pebbled beach comes into view. On the rock lies a ship, or at least, the remains of one. Wooden boards lie strewn across the rocks, and a ripped-up piece of fabric which Hiccup assumes was once the flag waves pathetically from where it's caught on the cliff face.  Barrels and crates, open and empty, have tumbled out of the ship, enough storage for at least a month's worth of supplies. 

Hiccup's nerves flutter, and he raises a curious eyebrow as Toothless lands on the rocks. He jumps off, keeping a cautious hand on the dragon's neck. Don't go too far, he's telling him.

Then, Hiccup finds the bodies. He spots them in the distance, limp and still as stone. Dead, he thinks. The storm must have gotten the best of them. 

Suddenly, Toothless starts to growl. It's low and menacing, not sure if this is something bad happening. Hiccup doesn't scold him, instead sending a questioning glance the dragon's way. He must have heard or seen something.

Alive Toothless says, warbling low and deep. 

Hiccup looks down at the dragon. alive? not-dead?

Toothless tilts his head as if asking Hiccup if he questions him. Immediately, Stormfly lets out a few growls. See-human. She says, and hops forward. 

Crouching down, He nudges one of them with his hand. The simple, unforceful gesture causes the woman's whole body to roll over. Not faking it then, Hiccup thinks. He tilts his head to the side, and gently creeps around the body to see her face. 

When he does, he recoils so far backwards he falls with a loud thump on the ground. His heart is pounding and he can't breathe, because it's Astridwhot is dead, and it is Atrid's lifeless corpse lying on his beach. 

He stumbles backwards, and for a while, he just sits. Toothless and Stormfly are curious, but they protectively circle Hiccupr. With the most human-like gesture he has performed in years, he tucks his head into his hands and cries. 

Then Hiccup hears it. A faint rustling, coming from the shorter man, Snotlout, he realises. He is alive. The idea hits Hiccup in the chest like a hammer. If Snotlout was alive, how many of the others were? dread fills Hiccup's stomach like liquid because he'd rather them dead. He'd rather them dead, because then he wouldn't have to face his past. Then Hiccup realises how confusing that is. He builds a hut, the same as his old one at Berk, he reminds himself of his past every day, but he doesn't want to face it.

He doesn't want to face it, because it is more painful than he knows. 

Stormfly stalks towards Snotlout, and for a moment Hiccup is afraid she might do something to him. Then Snotloud stirs, and he barely manages to scream before Stormfly's tail is in his face, knocking him out. 

Straight away Hiccup jumps up. He runs over to Snotoud and tentatively puts an ear to his chest. A faint beating inside his chest is there, but it is very weak. Slowly, Hiccup makes his way around all of the people- Snotlout, Fishlegs, Tuffnut and Ruffnut, and finally, he gets to Astrid. He is relieved to find that she too, is alive.

Astrid is the first to be loaded up. Then, Hiccup picks Tuffnut and Ruffnut to lift onto Stormfly's back. Then, he whispers to her quietly. hut-recognise. old-house. And Stormfly doesn't complain. She takes off, and hopefully, she gets the message. 

Snotlout and Fishlegs lie on the back of Toothless, but he struggles with the extra weight. He manages to crash down beside the ragged hut. It's in a cove, beautiful even in this bitter winter. The walls are green and luscious, and the river runs straight through. Over this side of the island, the stream has a thin layer of ice on the top. the cove is very similar to the one in Berk. 

Once Hiccup is sure that the Berkians are alright, loaded with blankets and fire, he leaves Stormfly to guard them. Hiccup flies to his hut, where he sits, and contemplates what to do next.

Chapter Text

Astrid looks around at her starving people. As heir, it was her job to keep people safe when Stoick could not. Finally, she feared she couldn't keep them safe for much longer. The boat is unloading the rest of their designated supplies- Astrid is tempted to go up and steal when she hears something. 

"Why'd you think they haven't called the dragon master yet?" A man asks. The dragon master?

Another laughs heartily. "Have you seen these people, Fran? They despise dragons!" 

She makes a face. Of course, they did. They'd been attacking them for months, and now her village was starving. She rounds the corner with her arms crossed to see if she can hear more. 

"Yeah, but he controls the dragons!" The first man says. Astrid's eyes widen. Control?

"Maybe they don't even know about him!" 

"Nonsense, Fran. Everyone knows the man who can speak to dragons. He has a dragon army, for Odin's sake!" 

Immediately, Astrid sprints up the path to Stoick's house. Usually, this kind of idea would disgust her, but Astrid's people are in a very, very dangerous situation and she is willing to do what it takes. 

"Stoick! Stoick!" She yells, and a minute later the chief frantically rushes out of his hut. 

He looks at her with crazy eyes, holding an axe. He's been like that since Hiccup... went. "Astrid! What is it?" 

She looks Stoick right in the eyes, and says, "I need you to call the council."

Half an hour later, Astrid is sitting impatiently next to the Chief's chair, his.. throne? She's drumming her fingers on the table, because she knows the reaction that follows what she's about to say won't be good. 

Eventually, the hall fills up. Gobber and Spitelout sit to the right of Astrid and left of Stoick. 

"Silence!" Stoick shouts, and immediately everyone shuts up. "Astrid has something she'd like to discuss."

Astrid takes a deep breath. "As you all know, the dragon raids upon us have been becoming more and more frequent."

There's a mumble from someone in the room, something like obviously, we're starving. Astrid sends a glare that way and there's silence again. Her heart is beating in her chest, but she's not going to back down. 

"We need to do something about it." 

"But what? We've already tried to hunt down the nest, we've tried fighting them off and nothing works!" Someone in the crowd calls. 

"Yes, I know, but... earlier today, while we were offloading rations, I heard something." She says. 

Everyone in the room looks at her expectantly. "I heard something about.. someone who can speak to dragons." Stoick turns to her like she's crazy, but she holds up a hand and carries on. "He has a dragon army, and I'm willing to bet if can speak and has a dragon army, he can help us."

Gobber guffaws. "Lass, I'd encourage this but.. are you off yer fishhook?" 

Murmurs of agreement spread. "Why would he help us, Astrid? And how are you going to find him?" Spitelout asks skeptically. 

"I was thinking that some of us could sail and make peace with him." 

The effect is immediate. Shouts of alarm and gossip erupts from the table. Everyone's panicking, and the leaders of each house are talking to each other, eyeing Astrid and her father. 

Soon enough, Astrid is on a boat, sailing to find the dragon master. She doesn't know how it happened, it's all a blur. She's grateful to Stoick for letting her go, but the crew... not so much. 

Slowly, Astrid forces her eyes open. The immediate light makes her hiss in pain. She brings a hand to her face, and her muscles creak in protest of the movement. Her hands are dry and flaky due to the weeks of traveling at sea. 

Then, Astrid realizes she's not in her own bed. She tries to sit up, but it feels like her insides have been frozen and thawed, so she stays lying for a while. From her point of view, she isn't able to see much. She's in a hut, and the roof is broken with boards of wood hanging on by a thread. There's a fireplace to Astrid's right, and the heat doesn't greatly warm her body. She notices she's shivering. 

Next, as she wiggles her body, furs, and blankets fall to the floor from her body. Her body erupts in goosebumps. Looking around, Astrid thinks the hut looks slightly familiar. It has the shape and structure of a Berkian house. It's clearly been unused for a while. There is mold and holes in the wall everywhere.

Astrid looks for her axe but then realizes it's gone. Of course, it's gone, she thinks, the dragon master wouldn't leave me a weapon. The dragon master! 

She pushes herself up from the floor ignoring her screaming muscles, and she sees the rest of her friends. Snotlout is lying the closest, so she walks over of taps him on the shoulder. He too is covered in skins and furs, but doesn't wake up. She shakes him harder, watching in satisfaction as a disgruntled look appears on his scrunched face. 

"Whaddya want?" He mumbles. 

"Snotlout, we're on his island." She says, and his eyes shoot open. 

"Whose?" He asks, but then realization dawns on his face. "Oh." 

Astrid nods in his face. "Exactly, so get up. We're going to find him."

Snotloud shrieks, and Astrid covers his mouth hastily. "What?! Are you crazy?" 

She rolls her eyes, pulling her friend from the floor. He grunts and yanks his arm out of Astrid's hand when he's up. "A simple 'thank you, Astrid' would suffice."

He doesn't reply. Astrid tells him not to wake the others, but Ruff and Tuff would make a mess, and Fishlegs looks alarmingly pale. Together, they creak over to the door, which is barely a door anymore, and slowly open it. Outside, the sky is blue and clear, as if there was never a storm. But the fell branches say otherwise. 

"Where is he?" Snotloud says. 

"How am I supposed to know, Snotlout?" She asks. "We can search this whole island and I still wouldn't know."

Snotloud rolls his eyes, exactly what she did to him. They start walking, but immediately, a dragon emerges from the bushes. Snotlout panics. He screams and runs, but Astrid grabs him by his clothes and pulls him back. She rushes into the dragon's (a blue nadder) blind spot and stays there. She doesn't have a weapon; neither does Snoutlout, so they are unarmed against a very dangerous dragon. 

She's too busy wrapped up in the thought that she doesn't notice the Nadder moving. When she does, she pushes Snotlout behind her (because he is screaming and incapable) and bares her fists. She expects a fight, and she's certainly not going down without one. However, the dragon tilts its head and examines her head to toe. Then, to Astrid's surprise, it takes off.

"I knew that was going to happen," Snotloud says with a scoff. Astrid glares at him.

"Of course you did. Which is why you were screaming and hiding behind my back." Snotlout shuts up, and they continue in silence.

By now, they have reached a forest, the trees are losing their leaves, and light shines in through the canopy, illuminating everything in a golden glow. If they were anywhere but here, Astrid would have thought this was beautiful.

She notices dragons, a lot of them. Their size is varied, but all of them scamper when they see the pair. 

"Why are they flying away? Shouldn't they be attacking us?" Snotlout asks, voicing her concerns. Dragons always, always go for the kill.

Astrid doesn't reply, but she is as equally confused as him. 

She thinks she gets her reply when another dragon lands in front of them. A night fury. A night fury, like the one that killed Hiccup.

It landed directly in front of them, and Astrid stumbls back, pushing Snotlout on the ground. The Night Fury's teeth are bared in growl, and it's monstrous unlike anything she's ever seen before. Black scales make the dragon look like it has been plucked out of the night sky. It has green eyes, so, so green, and it's pupils are nothing but black slits.

Asrtid's mind is racing. She sees the gap in the trees to her right, and the small two-inch dagger in her skirt. She could make a run for it, she thinks, but then, what about Snotlout?

And to make matters worse, something, someone, jumps off the dragon's back. Astrid can't help it, she gasps. This must be the dragon master. He crouches low to the ground, a graceful, feline movement that reminds her eerily of a dragon. He tilts his head to the side, and Astrid is frozen in place. His eyes, just barely visible through the mask- The mask. A copy of the nightfury's face, but she can't breathe when she sees it. It's worse than the actual dragon.

The dragonmaster stands, straightening his shoulders as if trying something human again. Now she can see, he is lanky, thin, but tall. He has brown, tussled hair that's rough and choppy, and it flops slightly over the front of his mask. His clothes are made of cloth, but the cloth is battered and dirty. On his back, a black scaled cloak hangs from his shoulders. 

Astrid realises neither she or the dragonmaster has moved, because he's waiting for her to stand as well. He looks at her expectantly.

When she stands up, the Dragonmaster takes a couple steps away. They're not rally steps, persay, but, well, it's hard for Astrid to describe. He walks the way a cat, no, dragon, would, slowly and silently padding away. 

She pulls Snotlout up, not daring to turn her back on the Dragonmaster. Snotlout gulps loudly and stands behind her, but then she's running. She's pulling Snotloud along as she goes, and soon enough he gets the message and sprints beside her. 

As they reach a nearby rock formation, Astrid thinks she and Snotlout have lost him. However, a figure thumps down from the rocks and stops them in their tracks. Astrid is shocked. How did he get there that quickly, she thinks?

As they turn to run again, he shouts out in a gravelly voice, "Stop!"

At once, they do just that. His voice is so powerful it's like Astrid physically can't keep moving. It is hoarse and rough though, no doubt from years of misuse. His accent confuses Astrid because it sounds like a mix between Berkian, and something else she can't place. Berkian, again. It's scarily familiar to Astrid, though she can't quite place it. 

"Stop running. Follow me." The Dragonmaster commands. Snotlout follows as soon as he says this, but Astrid hesitates. He is who they are looking for, after all, and he has the opportunity to kill them, but Astrid still has a funny feeling inside her stomach. 

Against her own will, he body begins to move.

Chapter Text

Hiccup is panicking. He doesn't know what to do. So far, only Snotlout and Astrid are awake. Inside his chest, his heart lurches and constricts with pain every time he looks at them. Just thinking about it, seeing their footprints, hurts. Even his own hut, which he insistently preserved in his memories, hurts to look at. The book, in which he painstakingly wrote down everything he could remember in an attempt to keep part of the past close, is the worst.

Because why? Why is he keeping his painful memories so close if they're so gut-wrenching to remember? No, he thinks, not to remember, to face. To face his past is different. To face his past is a new kind of pain. 

It's not physical. It's not something that can be treated with medicine and bandage. It's not a bad pain, yet it's the worst pain he's ever felt. So bad he wants to scream. Hiccup wants to scream, and rip his hair out. Claw his face until he is unrecognisable. Maybe then, only then, will he be able to forget. 

Hiccup realises how tight his fists are. His nails have dug through the fabric of his gloves and he can now feel a few warm drops of blood run through his now unclenched hands. 

"Um.. sir?" Hiccup starts. Snotlout is in front of him, cowering, and calling him sir. He quickly whips his neck around, because where is Astrid, but thankfully she's still behind him. Unfortunately, she has a brooding expression, and her arms are crossed. If Hiccup remembers anything from his time at Berk, it's that when Astrid looks like this, something bad is about to happen. 

He remembers when she found him and Toothless for the first time. He had beaten her, again, in dragon training. He supposed he had Toothless to thank for that. Hiccup thought his dad might be pleased, but instead, all he said was 'well, finally, Odin has gifted you with being a competent viking!' and that was too much for him. When he ran to find Toothless, he found Astrid with her axe.

She had spotted Toothless, and now was creeping towards his sleeping body. By the time Astrid managed to get anywhere near, Toothless' eyes opened, and Hiccup watched as dragon and biking charged.

So suddenly was it that he found himself in between them, sandwiched by the crazed look on Astrid's face and the bloodthirsty growl on the dragon's face, that he felt like melting on the spot. 

However, he didn't, because he knew that the dragon and the girl would have a fearsome fight if he did not step in. Who knows, maybe Astrid would have killed Toothless. Even at 15, she was a formidable warrior. 

Astrid had looked at him like he was crazy, insane, out of his mind, and possibly he was. Because he was the first viking, in, well, history to befriend a dragon. The first to defend one and ride one. Not that Astrid knew that. She pushed him to one side, screamed at him to get out the way, but Hiccup dived on her axe and sent them sprawling to the ground. 

Then, Hiccup remembers how Toothless, already packed and ready to go (he had been planning to leave), picked him up the collar on his shirt, threw him on his back and flew away. Hiccup didn't have time to say goodbye, he just hoped that Astrid hadn't seen the saddle. 

Later that evening, Hiccup had refused to leave the island without seeing his father one last time. Instead of walking up to him, admitting it on the spot and going, Hiccup didn something different. Different might just have been his middle name. He watched his father stalk around the house, and he heard another voice. It was Astrid. 

"He was brainwashed chief. He defended a night fury!".

"A night fury? So where is he now?" 

There was no panic in Stoick's voice. He was calm and unpanicked. 

"He was taken. Killed. Eaten." 

Hiccup heard the stomp of his father's footsteps stop abruptly. 

"What?" 

Astrid said no more. A familiar thump came from the house, the dusty floorboards creaked. His father knelt on the floor in front of Hiccup's own bed. He cried and sobbed, and Hiccup could think of only one bitter thing. Stoick wasn't mourning Hiccup. Stoick was mourning the viking Hiccup had become. 

Hiccup snaps back to reality. He is standing outside the hut that Hiccup is housing them in. 

"So, you've brought us back here. Now, what do you want?" Astrid snaps, and Hiccup's anger flares. Once upon a time, he might have shrunk back into himself. But yearso of being amongst dragons has taught him not to back down.

He whirls around faster than a lightning bolt. "No," He says, voice croaky. "What do you want? No one finds my island by accident."

Astrid huffs, as if this is an inconvenience. "Well, I'll wake up the others and we can have that conversation."

She goes to open the door, but Hiccup sticks out an arm and she walks straight into him. As she looks into his eyes, he is immediately engulfed by the familiar blue. "No." He snaps again. "Let me."

Snotlout protests, and Astrids lips thin into a line as she nods.

"But- what?! Astrid, you're going to let him do it?" He screeches. 

She rolls her eyes. "Yes, Snotlout, because if he wanted to kill us, he would have done it by now."

Hiccup smiles at this. Yes, she was right. He could have, but he wouldn't.

So, he wakes them up, and their reactions are quite unexpected. Fishlegs screams so loud that Hiccup is sure the whole island is awake. Eventually, he calms after seeing Astrid and Snotlout unharmed. 

Ruffnut and Tuffnut are different. 

"It's like.. looking into a majestic, alive hole of black." Tuffnut says dreamily, when Toothless wakes him up. "Wait, alive?" And then, he yelps. Tuffnut jumps onto Ruff's stomach who coughs violently and whacks Tuffnut on the back. 

"Watch it, bro," She shouts. "I'm trying to sleep!"

Eventually, the whole 'gang' is awake, and they're more different than Hiccup could have expected. Fishlegs is big still, but his face has matured and his eyes twinkle with curiosity when looking at Toothless. Hiccuo thinks that given the chance, he would want to study them. 

Snotlout is as cowardly as ever, even hidden under the inflating ego. 

Ruffnut and Tuffnut... are the same. 

Astrid, on the other hand, has changed completely. Her blonde hair has lightened with the years, and falls down her back in a platinum braid that sparkles in the light. Her eyes hold the ocean in them, and they are as stormy as the thunder that stranded them here in the first place. Her face is completely humourless. When she walks towards him in the hut, Hiccup notices the way her shoulders long to sag. Probably under the weight of leadership. She's still as beautiful as ever. More so, in Hiccup's opinion. But, he doesn't like her anymore. 

Astrid holds herself in a way that says 'mess with me and I'll cut off your arms and eat them for dinner.' 

under his mask, Hiccup is sweating profusely. It's hot, and not to mention, he is in a room with his old classmates. His breath is warm against his face, and with every one he tales, his heart beats harder. 

He tries to sit up straight. Just to appear more human for them, so that they won't be freaked out. 

After a lot of hassle, they are sat around the fireplace with Hiccup in front. 

Immediately, Tuffnut speaks. "So you aren't, like, a freaky dragon-human hybrid or something?"

Ruffnut elbows her brother in the guts. "Don't be stupid!" And then, after a pause. "He's obviously a runaway human.." Hiccup's heart jolts. She couldn't know. "who joined a dragon gang, and became one with the dragons." 

"Oh yeah, your explanation makes way more sense, oh sister of mine."

"One could say it was... brotastic." Ruffnut finished. 

"Hel, even, sistacular." 

Hiccup is quite enjoying the narration, but Astrid interupts. 

"Do you two ever just shut up?" 

Ruffnut glances at her brother. "Yes, we do, Astrid."

"But, my flaxen haired friend, we save our annoying speeches for you!" Tuffnut says. 

Astrid joins in with the bickering, and it turns into a row. No longer enjoying it, Hiccup motions for Toothless to get involved. 

They are immediately startled into silence by the roar. 

Hiccup takes a deep breath. "Why are you here?"

Chapter Text

Astrid sits silently on the ground in the hut. It's uncomfortable. She's sure she has splinters in her thighs, but since it was her idea to sit here, she's not going to move. Especially in front of the Dragon Master. 

It only just processes in her mind she's sat with the Dragon Master. Not a big name on Berk. However, by the way those traders she heard were talking about him, he's got more than enough fame to make up for it. 

There's no doubt about it, Astrid is nervous. She's felt this maybe, twice, or three times in her entire life. For a woman so skilled in the art of combat, it is unusual she faces any challenge against her. 

The Dragon Master is different. 

It's as if he's run into her before. Faced her before. Maybe even known her before. He's just familiar.

Of course, there's nothing to base this upon. He's unlike anything Astrid's ever seen. The Dragon Master is literally a dragon master. He walks, acts, and even talks like a dragon, but Astrid still feels that sensation in the pit of her stomach. 

She's sure she knows him. 

In her mind, Astrid knows this is impossible. She slows her breathing, reassuring herself over and over again. There is no way she knows him, or he knows her. 

"If you are going to sit there, I will sit in the fire, shall I?" The Dragon Master says. 

He's not facing them anymore, but they've turned so that they're facing a window and the fireplace is to the side. 

"I'm kidding. Have you lost your sense of humour?" Then he freezes. 

Astrid is immediately suspicious. How would he know if she had 'lost' her sense of humour? Did he know her before this trip? 

It is the same thoughts that keep coming back to her. It's so infuriating, Astrid wants to scream. Why is he so familiar?! It's not a hard question, she should be able to tell. Astrid is sure that she would remember meeting this guy. Dragon. Guy. Whatever. 

"We need your help," Astrid replies, forcing down her thoughts.

The Dragon Master flinches. "What?" He asks, unbelieving. "You want my help?" 

"Yeah." Astrid sighs. 

"It's kind of annoying, actually," Ruffnut says. "Our island is in literal scraps. I'm not exaggerating; we build new houses every week." 

Snotlout and Tuffnut nod vigorously. 

"And this has... what to do with me?" asks the Dragon Master. He shuffles around a bit and the cloak on his back gleams in the firelight. It's almost ethereal, the way the light bounces off the scales. On the ceiling and walls, a reflection dances around with silver and gold dots. 

Astrid takes another deep breath. Lately, she's been taking a lot of deep breaths. She's used to being in control of situations, leading her team. Confusing the opposition. It shouldn't be the other way around.

Naturally, she's a born leader. Everyone knows that. Even Snotlout has calmed down and generally follows her orders. This man, however, makes her feel inferior. She's quite angry about it as well because she refuses to let herself kneel (metaphorically) to a man. 

However, she can't stop herself. Something about him makes her quiver. Her legs tingle, her arms tingle and her cheeks heat up when he looks at her. His green eyes pierce through the darkness of the mask, a blinding contrast. It's like watching the Aurora all over again.

"We were hoping you could solve our problem," Fishlegs says. He nudges Astrid gently because apparently she's been staring at him for a few seconds too long. Astrid nods in agreement. 

She swallows. "Yeah. We have a... situation. Involving dragons, a horde, and stealing. The lot." She doesn't mention the starving. 

As heir, it's her duty to protect her island. She's failed, and writhing guilt buries itself deep inside her heart. If she mentions it to the Dragon Master, who's to say he won't completely abandon them? If he knows that her island is basically dying, why would he even try?"

"Dude," Tuffnut says. "You know what we heard?" 

The Dragon Master tilts his head. 

"We heard that you control the dragons. You can speak to them! It's so mind-bogglingly mind-boggling, my mind was boggled." 

Ruffnut gives him a weird look. "Is boggled even a word? You made that up!" 

"I didn't!" He protests. "It's in a book I read!" 

"I find it hard to believe that you read a book, Tuffnut." Fishlegs points his finger at the other Viking. "I'm not sure you can even read." 

Tuffnut is about to protest, but Astrid reaches and elbows him hard in the chest. "What we're trying to say is that we'd like you to come to our island and get rid of them." She tries not to appear demanding, but it's hard when all her life she's been used to ordering others around. 

The Dragon Master raises his eyebrow, well, at least Astrid thinks he does, and gestures with glove-covered hands. "Them? Do you mean dragons? And why would I come to your island? You've done nothing for me." 

Astrid runs a hand through his hair. Why is he refusing? It's selfish, rude and arrogant of him. He's not any better than her! 

However, Asrtid knows this isn't true. "We'll... reward you."

"Mhm!" grumbles Snotlout. "Big, huge piles of gold and food and whatever supplies you need." 

Astrid bites her lip. Everyone knows Berk doesn't have any gold, food or supplies left. They've all been used up in the fight against dragons. Astrid also remembers that this man is literally half-dragon. If they tell him they've been killing the dragons...

"Berk doesn't have any gold left." Says the Dragon Master, simply calling them out. 

"Yes, it does," Tuffnut says, curling his lip up in an attempt to look offended. Thankfully, Tuff isn't unconvincing. If Astrid didn't know any better, she'd believe him. 

"Then you have the means to get rid of the dragons yourself." The Dragon Master says. It's like a question, but he's stating the obvious. "By killing them. You can buy yourself weapons, supplies, everything. Yet you choose to come to me?"

Fishlegs holds up a hand. "We didn't choose. Stoick made us."

The Dragon Master flinches. Next to him, the Night Fury growls, which makes Astrid jump. It's so quiet that she's forgotten it is there. It's like the dragon is part of the shadows, and when it blinks, she can't see it as it blends into the darkness of the room where the firelight doesn't reach.

"Stoick..." 

"Our chief," Snotlout says unhelpfully. 

"Yes, I know who he is!" The Dragon Master snaps. "Why would Stoick send you here? He hates dragons. He kills them!" Slowly, the scaled man unfolds his long limbs. He pushes up from the ground and walks to his dragon. A clicking sound echoes through the room with each step he takes.

Astrid realises he is missing a leg. Previously concealed by his cloak, there's a metal leg attached above his ankle, midway down his calf. It's very intricate, something only a practised blacksmith could make. Even better than Gobber's work. 

A few clicks and hisses come from the Dragon Master's mouth, and at first, Astrid can't tell what it is. Then, with a start, she realises he's talking to the dragon. The rumours are true!

Astrid holds a hand to her chest and steadies her breathing. Until now, she'd thought those were fake, spreading rumours. The whispers that have been misheard and passed on as a completely different story. But this? This was something so unheard of and unusual, those rumours spread with determination like wildfire, making a dent in the knowledge of Vikings all around the archipelago. 

Astrid is no different.

"OK," The Dragon Master says. "Toothless and I have come to an agreement."

Toothless? 

Astrid knows he's going to refuse. They have nothing to offer him. 

"I'll come." He says.

"Before you say anything, I promise-" She starts at the same time. "What?"

"I said I'll help you." He pauses for a moment. "On one condition."

Astrid licks her lips. "Yes, yes, anything."

"Promise me that you will do what I say. You will not harm the dragons on this island. You will not continue to kill any dragons, even ones you believe are pests." 

Offended, Astrid scoffs. "You know we can't-"

"Then I will not help you." The Dragon Master crosses his arms, and turns away from the group, starting to walk out. Astrid's eyes widen. He's going to leave them there, to die, to be eaten by dragons!"

"Fine! Fine!" She shouts hurriedly. "I'll see what I can do. 

The Dragon Master pauses for a moment. Seemingly content with her answer, he nods curtly and then literally walks out on them. Once she knows he's out of earshot, Asrtid turns to her Viking companions.

"That went well." Ruffnut comments. "I was expecting threats and fire." 

"Ruffnut!" Astrid scolds. "Be happy he's even agreed to help us."

Ruffnut rolls her eyes, picking at her nails. "Let's hope he doesn't double-cross us and brutally murder us!" 

Chapter Text

"I've got a plan!" Hiccup cries out. He holds up a piece of rolled paper in the air as if it is the answer to all his problems. Toothless tilts his head unknowingly at Hiccup. His eyes say 'What the Hel are you talking about'. "Come on, Bud. You know, for the gang?"

For a moment, Toothless's eyes light up. Then, he tilts his again, because Hiccup forgets not all dragons can speak Nordic. 'Gang' isn't a word that Toothless knows yet. 

Got-plan. Viking-meet. Off-island. He says in Dragonese. Toothless chirps, waddling from his resting place to nudge Hiccup's hand. Although he doesn't say anything, Hiccup knows what the dragon is thinking. Why should he help them off the island?

The answer is... well, so far, Hiccup doesn't exactly know. He's become immune to most types of pain- fire, broken bones, falling from heights, etc. He has his years on the island to thank for that. 

But the pain he feels knowing he is so close to Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs and the twins, even his father, indirectly, is a much different type of pain. If he wants to become immune to this feeling like the other things, he has to embrace it. He has to push through it, and when he comes out the other side, he can stop helping them, and he'll never become pressured into doing this type of thing again. 

Breathing out heavily, Hiccup shakes his head to rid his mind of the idea. All that matters now is to get the gang off the island, and back to Berk. Then he will solve their problem, and then he will come back no different. 

As he adds this up in his head, Hiccup realises that there are, in fact, a lot of factors that might affect this journey. One is the dragon hunters. How will he manage to get 5 large dragons past their fleets? Immediately, he starts strategising. 

At the same time, there will be the problem with his identity. Hiccup must make sure none of the gang will find out who he really is. He can't even think further than taking off his mask. The consequences are too dramatic. 

Finally, how will he cope with seeing his father? Hiccup daydreams, naturally, because it's boring, sometimes, being alone on the island. However, in these daydreams, he's often imagined seeing his father again. Hiccup thought that he would have been strong enough to face him, but in light of recent events, Hiccup is rethinking that decision. 

Toothless gently nudges his hand. Looking down at the dragon, Hiccup takes a steely breath and braces himself. "Alright, bud. Let's go." 

Hiccup grabs his scroll off the table, and walks outside. He's not flying today, arriving on Dragon back will not compel the gang to obey and accept his plan. it won't be easy tp convince them, especially Astrid, hiccup knows this. But they don't have a choice. 

Eventually, with his prosthetic aching and blistering, he and Toothless do finally reach the run-down hut. 

Someone was outside, though Hiccup could not see who it was from afar. He walks over, making sure to snap twigs beneath his feet so that they knew he was coming. At once, the figure turns around, and on Snotlou's face is a look of surprise.

The viking drops something on the ground and runs straight into the hut. The door slams with a bang, leaving hiccup alone and standing with a confused expression on his masked face. 

Looking down at the ground, Hiccup realises Snotlout dropped some rope. It is curled around a little stick in the ground, just bigger than Hiccup's forearm. He picks it up to examine it, eyes trailing along the attached rope. 

As soon as he picks it up, Hiccup feels the air change around him. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees something dart by him. He has just enough time to duck under it before it pierces his head. 

"Really?" Hiccup says. "A trap? I thought you wanted my help."

Immediately, Astrid emerges from the house. "Yeah, well, we were just testing you."

He raises his eyebrow at the blonde, not that she can see it. "Testing me?"

"Mhm. And clearly, you've passed our test." She says, nose high. However smart, Astrid's ego was still the same. 

Hiccup snarls, and Astrid jumps back in surprise. She looks uneasy, though leads him into the hut as if she owns the place. He supposes, for now, she does. Inside, the gang have managed to put together a small fire, it's smoking a lot because the wood is wet and green, so the hut is filled with smog. 

As the door swings shut, Toothless's tail immediately wipes out the fire.

"Hey!" Snotlout says. "We worked hard on that fire!" 

Hiccup does his best not to shout. "Clearly, not very hard. This wood is wet and green, the worst on the island. If you'd bother to actually have a look, there are trees covered by the cove down the hill. Lucky for you, I've brought you dry firewood. I don't want you to freeze to death."

"You don't? Huh. Here we were thinking our icy bodies would look great as statues wherever you live." Ruffnut says nonchalantly. She's standing back to back with her brother, who is picking his nose. She elbows him hard. 

"OW!" shouts Tuffnut. Then, he clears his throat. "Oh, yes. Where do you live? We'd love to come over and renovate. Oh, by the way. We already have plans to renovate this one."

He pulls out a huge scroll, covered in scribbles. "Where did you get that from?" Asks Fishlegs. 

"Oh, we had it this whole time."

"What?" Asks Astrid. "You've had paper this whole time? When did you even get the chance to do all this? We've been here for a day!" 

"Well, Astrid, the answer to that is this:" Tuffnut starts.

Ruffnut finishes his sentence. "When you have a selfish, fanatic boss who won't give us a chance, we tend to have a lot of spare time on our hands."

Astrid scoffs loudly and opens her mouth to argue back. "I do give you a chance! You just mess around, not even trying. The last time I let you help, you destroyed the entire boat. It's not fair!"

"No, what's not fair is you have no patience! It's your fault we had to travel months to get here!"

"I'm trying to help our island. Since I'm heir, it's my duty to save our people!" Astrid shouts. Heir? Suddenly, Hiccup is no longer listening. Stoick made Astrid heir? He's not surprised, Stoick always favoured Astrid. He knows that Stoick would rather Astrid be his only daughter than have a son like him. He's not even bitter, he knows why. 

Yet, Hiccup still can't help but feel a tinge of jealousy at the fact Astrid has her own parents and his dad. 

"-stupid Dragon Master, who isn't even helping!"

Hiccup has had enough of the shouting now. "ENOUGH! I am here with a plan. To help."

"Finally!" Snotlout shouts. "So, let's hear it-" And he stops, because Hiccup has grabbed his arm and yanked him to face him. As soon as this happens, Astrid is already jumping up with a knife in her hand. 

Hiccup signals Toothless with a short whistle, who jumps in front of the blonde and in front of the rest of the gang. Immediately, it all falls silent. 

"Sorry. I had to make a point. Anyway, listen up. I have a plan because I can't transport you all off this island on Toothless."

Snotlout tilts his head. It's quite courageous of him to say something even after the occurrence. "Why can't you just build a ship?"

"Because, Snotlout, this island is home to thousands of dragons. I'm just a visitor here." Hiccup states, slowing his words as if explaining things to a toddler. If viewed from the right direction, however, Snotlout might seem even less mature than an actual child. 

"Thousands?" Astrid gapes at Hiccup. "You mean to say... we're surrounded by thousands of death-bringing, lethal, deadly dragons this whole time? Why didn't you tell us! You imbecile, we could have been killed!"

Shaking his head, Hiccup snorts. The gang are no less ignorant than when he last saw them, 4 years ago. He did try to change their minds, and he thought, once upon a time, that their minds could be changed. How wrong he was. "But you haven't been killed, or even hurt, have you? Not one of the dragons on this island has bothered you."

"That's because you control them! You're telling them to stay away, and then pounce when we least expect it!" Shrieks Ruffnut. Her brother is nodding silently, egging his maniacal sister on. 

"I don't control the dragons. I can't make them do what I want. Besides," Hiccup starts, stroking Toothless's face gently. "I don't need to. I just speak to them, and they know me well enough to do me favours."

Suddenly, Fishlegs raises a fat arm. His mouth is gaping, and his brown eyes are wide with shock. "You can speak to dragons? There's a dragon language? Oh, how exciting! Imagine all the possibilities that could happen if we learnt their language! We could capture- erm, sorry. That was insensitive."

It's Astrid who speaks up next. "It was, Fishlegs. Don't you know that Mr Dragon Master is one and with the dragons?" Clearly, she's still angry with Hiccup about learning how many dragons they are surrounded by.

Although Hiccup is hidden behind a mask and a layer of fire-proof night fury scales, he can't help but feel very bare in front of Astrid. He finds himself wincing at the brooding, moody face she has on, at the tip of her mouth which curls down into her signature frown. One she always used to have on whenever she was angry. Even after all this time, some things have not changed.

Hiccup sighs. They aren't getting anywhere. "Listen! This is the plan; I find you dragons, we fly to Berk, and I solve your problem."

"Are you serious?" Astrid asks. 

He gives Asrtid an unknowing look. "Yes, I-"

"No, are you serious?" She asks again, through gritted teeth.

"I'm serious!" 

The blonde brings her hands to her hair in an attempt to rip it out. "I thought you were smart! Add it up, Dragon Master."

"Well, it's this or nothing, Astrid," Hiccups says. He sighs, again, they are still not getting anywhere.

"Our chief hates dragons." She starts, looking at him like he is a toddler. "He kills them, yes?"

Tuffnut scoffs "Well, of course-"

"So, why would you put 5 dragon-killing teenagers on the backs of dragons, just to have them killed on arrival?" Interrupts Astrid.

"It sounds like something you need to sort out, then." Hiccup says icily. "I suggest you get over yourselves."

It proves too much for the blonde. She yells in anger, and jumps up from her spot. For one terrifying moment, Hiccup is scared she's going to attack him. However, she kicked the wall, sending a rotten board flying out from beneath her foot. A stone crumbles under the force. 

She turns to Hiccup with a frown. Breathing heavily, Astrid says, "Fine. Have it your way, but don't expect us to be happy with it!" 

The rest of the dragon riders look shocked. Fishlegs unfolds his limbs, straining to get up. He puts a large hand on Astrid's tense shoulder, but his face is soft and kind. Just looking at them, Hiccup can tell Fishlegs will talk some sense into Astrid.

He stands to leave, signalling for Toothless to follow him. As he is walking out the door, he turns around, just for a second. His view is met with the icey blue of Astrid's eyes and they lock eyes. Even though temporarily, the moment sent a shiver down Hiccup's spine. He takes a deep breath, climbs on Toothless's back, and they are gone. 

He just can't get her eyes out of his mind.

Chapter Text

"Argh! What the Hel!" Snotlout shouts, picking up a large stick from the floor. It has a pointed end, sharp enough to stab something. Astrid quickly whacks him on the arm, causing him to drop it. 

Astrid herself, however, is itching to do the same thing. What they're doing now goes against everything they've been taught, ever. Every part of her body, skin, muscles, bones, are screaming at her to run, to get away. 

At the same time, she can't. She's never been this close to a dragon that has shown no aggression towards her. It makes her freeze up with fright, but she is also hesitant. If she were to have the opportunity to attack, would she take it?

As scared as she is, Astrid stays put. If it comes down to it, she can definitely defend herself.

"Shh..." The Dragon Master soothes the monstrous blue nadder in front of her. It's eyes are large and wide, a bright amber colour. As she looks closer, she can see a depth in them similar to her own. It has long, ivory spines protruding from its owl-like head. "Come, Stormfly." 

The dragon seems to listen to the dragon master, whose arm is outstretched. He doesn't have gloves on, so she can see a pale hand resting on the nadder's snout. He then lets out a series of growls and clicks, and the dragon's pupils dilate. The nadder's head turns towards her, it's eyes fixating on her.

As it is coming up to her, Astrid resists the temptation to run away, again. The dragon's eyes are wise and calculating, and they flick from her to Snotlout a few times.

Apparently, she doesn't seem like a threat to the dragon, which, personally, Astrid is slightly offended about. But as she looks up into the face of the nadder, she realises before something this big, intimidation won't work. Especially while it's looking down on her.

Astrid jumps and flinches, on edge, when something grabs firmly onto her arm. To her left, the Dragon Master holds firmly onto her wrist, pulling her gently towards the nadder. 

"What do you think you're doing?" She hisses, trying to yank herself from his grip. Turns out that the Dragon Master is a lot stronger than she thought. Underneath his grip, Astrid's arm is already starting to redden. "I don't want to be dragged around."

He gives her arm a small squeeze, and his slender fingers dig into her skin. His large scarred hands stand out against her paler arms, and she notices an abundance of scars running along his hand, up uis sleeve, disappearing in the darkness beneath the fabric. His large grip is surely going to leave a bruise by tomorrow. "Hush. This is your dragon." 

By now, Astrid is breathing heavily. She's strangely on edge, chatising herself. Pull yourself together, Astrid.

"My dragon?" she asks. Goosebumps are raised on her skin, and she shivers, even in the sun. It seems like everything is frozen as the dragon approaches even closer. "What do you mean?"

"Your dragon. She's called Stormfly." He says, calmly. Astrid doesn't understand how he is so unbothered being so close to a beast like this. It seems that the dragon master leaves more questions raised than answered.

At her probably bewildered expression, the dragon master sighs. "Like mine. You'll ride it to Berk."

Even though Astrid knows his plan, she has to remind herself to breathe before she can move again. 

"Oh. Right." She mutters, unemotionally. Next to her, Snotlout squeaks.

Meanwhile, the closer she gets to the nadder, the more details she can see. Scales the same blue as her own eyes, baby blue matching the clear sky. There are specks of golden yellow and rich brown decorating her scales, which reflect and shine brightly under the sunlight. 

Her, Astrid realises. She has been calling the dragon her. Already she's letting down her guard. 

Maybe it's time she did, completely. 

Astrid takes a deep breath, and allows herself to relax slightly. Her tense, stiff shoulders and posture slump a little, allowing her muscles to relax and sigh in relief. 

The Dragon Master sees it, and slowly, he moves Astrid closer, again, to Stormfly. This time, they're nearly touching. Maybe a breadth away from Astrid's own eyes in the very large snout of a very dangerous dragon. Unsurprisingly, Astrid starts to panic again. 

She looks over to the Dragon Master, not for help, of course, but she finds he's already looking at her. Through the eye holes of his terrifying mask the most startling green eyes she's ever seen connect with her own. Even greener and wilder than Hiccup's once were.

In that moment, she finds enough courage, and she pushes down her pride. This was for berk, and she could go back to hating dragons later. She could go back to killing them, later. For Hiccup, she thinks. 

Somehow, no matter how hard she has tried not to think about it, a thought still explodes in her mind.

What if she can't kill them, after this?

Astrid's hand meets the dragon's scales, which are rough like sandstone ,but warm. Instantly, it's as if her mind is cleared of any thoughts or feelings, and instead, she can feel Stormfly's. 

It's like they're one.

In Stormfly's eyes, Astrid sees a reflection of herself, eyes wide, hair windswept, expression baffled. It soon changes. In her dragon's black pupil, a fresh, blue sky emerges from the depths like a sea monster exploding from the deep ocean.

In it, Stormfly is flying. She's so graceful and smooth, so fast that clouds rush past and Astrid can almost feel the wind through her blonde hair. Astrid opens her arms, as if she has wings of her own. They leave the sky behind, flying so high Astrid is sure they're entering Valhalla. It is Valhalla. 

They glide high above the layer of clouds blanketing the earth. She admires the intricate patters of the clouds in a close, almost intimate way that Astrid has never had the chance to do so before.

Up here, Astrid knows the possibilities are limitless. Her potential is limitless. 

Suddenly, bright white lights flash violently behind her eyes, blinding her and robbing her of any vision she had. Instead, sharp pains stab through her mind, and a picture begins to form. Each pinching pain reminds her of the individual pokes of a stick and poke tattoo, multiplied tenfold. 

The new imagine is stoick, his frame larger and more intimidating than ever. He stands on top of Berk's mountains, glaring out into the endless sea. It sloshes and churns beneath his harsh gaze. Astrid can almost imagine dead fish floating up to the surface, killed by the sheer intensity of his burning eyes.

It appears he's donned his usual hammer, instead opting for the traditional Chief's axe. He lifts it high above his head, a sign of war.

In the wind, Stoick's large beard flutters, and his monumental frame blocks out the welcoming sun. His shadow seems to cover all of Berk behind him. In the darkness, Astrid can't help but shiver.l

From behind the mountains of Berk, fleets of viking boats appear and surge forwards. Huge wooden war ships armed to the teeth with weapons. Smaller, more agile boats manoeuvre through the larger ones, weaving a beautiful, yet terrifying pattern. 

Astrid pulls away, gasping for breath. Falling to the ground, she realised something. Although in the back of her mind she knows it's not real, for Berk's supply of ship, food and soldiers is depleted, the message is clear. She has betrayed her own, betrayed her tradition and belief. 

Fishlegs runs over. "Astrid! Are you okay?" 

To steady herself, she puts one hand on her knee, the other swatting Fishlegs's meaty hand from her shoulder. 

"I'm fine, Fishlegs." 

Astrid is torn. How can she betray her family like this? She is doing this for her people, yet she can't help but feel like everything inside her is being torn apart and stuck back together in the wrong places. The exposed pieces tear apart her heart. 

The dragon master approaches her slowly, holding out a hand. With one arm, he grabs onto her wrist, hand completely covering it. He pulls up like she is made of air, chin held high.

For one alarming moment, they lock eyes, and Astrid's body erupts with alarm bells. Yet, no matter how hard she thinks, Astrid can't make out why. She doesn't feel unsafe, with the dragon master, anymore. Instead, a burst of breathlessness overcomes her, and heat rushes to Astrid's face. From the lack of oxygen, obviously.

He stands a couple, maybe three inches taller than her and his green eyes are surrounded by full, dark lashes. They contain his eyes like a frame around an intricate painting. 

"You felt the bond, correct?" he inquires, eyes pinned on her own. "If you feel a bond, it means both the dragon and..." His gaze flicks onto the rest of the gang. "future rider have seen into you.. or into your mind. Take care of it, the bond is fragile.

"Break your dragon's trust, betray them in any way, and it will break. On the other hand, take care of it, and your bonded dragon will protect you. They will kill for you, and you will kill for them.

"I've spoken to every one of these here.", He states, ignoring the tense looks he gets from Snotlout. "They've agreed to this, but I'm warning you now; treat your dragon with respect or you will both end up dead. Do you understand?" 

Astrid wants to mention the vision, she really does. There's a strange atmosphere about the dragon master, as if he can sort out any problems she has. But he can't. and she can't tell him if they want him to continue to help Berk. Of course the Dragon Master wouldn't help if he knew there was an army waiting for him. 

"Uh... yes." Astrid struggles to get the response out, just realising he is still talking to her.

"Good, because getting to know a dragon is hard. You're going to be hurt, injured, especially if you let your pride and emotions get in the way."

Astrid scoffs, crossing her arms. "Like we don't already know dragons."

The Dragon Master turns sharply, green eyes piercing into her. It feels as if she is being stripped naked, assessed and then tossed aside. "You don't know dragons."

Of course Astrid knows dragons. She studied for hours and hours, desperate to be the one to kill thst dragon. Even after Hiccup was chosen, she continued to study on the off chance he would fail.

Then he ran away.

But Astrid still knows all of the different species, and where their hearts are. She still knows where abouts the major arteries and veins are. She knows how to cut down a dragon in mid-flight. 

She knows how to kill a dragon both in the least and most painful ways. She knows how to use every part of the body, like the skin for fabric and clothes, bones for building structures. She knows how to butcher and cut dragon flesh.

Astrid also knows she's wrong. She doesn't know dragons. She knows how to kill them. 

"If you're finished... questioning yourself," Astrid's cheeks flush; she's been silent for a while. "Then I suggest we carry on."

Next to get their dragon is Snotlout. Unsurprisingly, he panics and screams the entire time, leaving behind his air of arrogance and confidence.

The Dragon Master leads out a large monstrous nightmare, and up close its bigger than anything Astrid has ever seen before. Far more majestic and regal than she was expecting.

Its a deep red colour, and the spines along its back look like maroon blood trickling down the side of it's body. It's scales are shiny in the sun, but there isn't a reflection, rather the scales are absorbing the light. If Astrid saw something like that at night, she might think the world was crashing in on itself.

With eyes the colour of molten lava, it, he, rakes them over Snotlout with a burning intensity. Unlike Stormfly's wise, calculating gaze, this nightmare looks as Snotlout with a challenging glint in it's eye. 

Their bond is nothing like Astrid would have been expecting.

As soon as he touches the dragon, Snotlout's whole body stills. Even his tapping foot, his scrunched hands relax. For a few fleeting moments, Snotlout is silent.

Then he jerks back with a scream, brown eyes wide and mouth open in an O. He starts to blabber about something that sounds suspiciously like what Astrid herself saw, but she catches his eye, and, thankfully, he shuts up.

Eventually, Snotlout decides to call the monstrous nightmare 'Hookfang', which, in Astrid's opinion, could be worse. 

Next is the twins. In their unparalleled, indecipherable minds, somehow, the names Barf and Belch come to mind when naming their Hiddeous Zippleback.

Its a dark green dragon, able to blend in seamlessly with the trees and grass surrounding it. Venomous teeth protide gruesomely from it's mouth, dripping saliva and, probably, poison.

Its a perfect match, which, deep inside, makes Astrid suspicious. The Dragon Master tells them that each of their personalities match with a respective dragon, one for everybody in the world. Supposedly, vikings and dragons "share a soul". 

Her suspicions only deepen when the pale gronkle that he gives to Fishlegs has an identical curious glean in it's eye to Fishlegs. They both seem to view the world like a place there's a thousand things more to discover.

How does the Dragon Master match them perfectly with a dragon, as if he knows them inside out?

She'll have to ask her teammates later, out of earshot of the Dragon Master.

"So, when can we ride them?" Tuffnut asks, sly grin on his face. He rocks back on his heels, hands clasped behind his back.

Ruffnut laughs next to him, rubbing her hands together as if plotting to overthrow Stoick as chief. "I can't wait to do tricks. I'm gonna do it so much better than Snotlout."

"Uh, hello? We're on the same dragon, sis. Or is it two. Huh, I don't know." Tuffnut protests, flipping his hair.

"Oh, right. Well, we'll do it better than Snotlout." Ruffnut leans into her brother, pretending to whisper into his ear. "I bet his dragon will set on fire with him on it."

"No, sis, if that happens then they'll both burn up." Tuffnut answers. They both pause, and look slowly towards Snotlout. 

At this, Snotlout turns, squealing in a high pitched frequency. "Hey! At least my dragon can set on fire! Yours can't do anything. Neither can Fishlegs.",

"Meatlug" Fishlegs starts, brows furrowed. "can eat rocks! And spew lava."

"You do realise that all our dragons can do that, right?" drawls Snotlout, picking at his nails. 

Tuffnut scoffs. "We're still gonna set you on fire!"

They descend in an argument, throwing insults at eachother and their dragons. While Astrid looks around at her hopeless teammates, she catches the eye of the Dragon Master, who, after a second, quickly glances away.

If he's not going to intervene, Astrid will. They're wasting prescious time that could be spent working towards getting home.

"Enough!" She shouts, lips pressing into a line. She crossed her arms, hoping to sound more intimidating than usual while in front of the Dragon Master. "Save your arguments for later. Right now, we have bigger problems."

Astrid points a finger at the twins. They look at her with annoyance and a dismissive expression in their faces.

"You two! Stop messing around. I've told you this before. We need to get back to Berk, and soon. There's no time for silly pranks and tricks right now."

Ruffnut steps forward. "Well maybe, Astrid, if you let us have fun once in a while, we wouldn't be messing around!"

"Once in a while?" Astrid scoffs, throwing her hands in the air. "Please, if I let you have a break, you'd never come back!"

"Yeah, because you don't respect us!" Tuffnut butts in. 

She has to resist the urge to pull out chunks of blonde hair. "I do! I try! But you never listen. Right now, there could be another raid on Berk. Our families are in danger, and I'm trying to get us back! But you don't listen! For all you know, your own family might be being attacked right now, and you're wasting precious time that could be being used to save them!"

"Technically, if our families were attacked now-" Fishlegs says, again, but he doesn't get the chance to finish. Astrid cuts him off as soon as she realises what he's going to say.

"Save it, Fishlegs. Now get in line, face the Dragon Master, and stop messing around." With her monotonous tone, her raging expression, and her guarded posture, Astrid can tell her teammates will listen, for now. 

She can only hope it will last long enough to get them home.

Astrid spins around. The Dragon Master's unnaturally green eyes bore into her, as if he was digging apart her very soul. His head is tilted to the side, and he's kind of half in the defensive crouch she remembers.

"Ok..." He tests, nodding slowly to himself. Taken aback by Astrid's rant, he seems to have lost some the commanding anger he holds onto.

"Well, I guess the first thing is learning how to properly care for your dragon." 

Chapter Text

Astrid stomps her foot in frustration. She can't seem to find the right spot to tack up her dragon. Neither is she progressing as quickly as the others with her bond. It's as if her dragon training on Berk is happening all over again; getting bested by the least expected people.

For example, Fishlegs. He and his dragon, Meatlug, are having no trouble- in fact, they seem to be accustomed to each other after only a couple of days of training. Astrid watches as Fishlegs throw the wide, heavy saddle over his dragon's back, which doesn't flinch. Instead, Meatlug looks up at Fishleg's rather round face with admiration. 

Even Snotlout and the twins are doing better than her. She bows her head, feeling the vibrations of Barf and Belch trampling through the undergrowth in her feet and ankles.

Gently, Stormfly nudges her. Large nostrils twitch and huff in her face as if her dragon is smelling her feelings. Perhaps she is. If there's one thing Astrid's learned, it's that dragons are very intuitive. 

Speaking of intuition... 

"We have to use our twintuition, Ruffnut!" Shouts Tuffnut, who looks like he is performing some kind of ritual. "While I distract the dragon... dragons? Anyway, while I dsirtact it, you can put on the saddle! Perfect plan!"

His sister crosses her arms with a saddle in one hand. "No! I want to be the one who distracts!"

"Too late!"

"I have the right set of skills for distracting! You should be the one throwing, Tuffnut!" She says, waving her arms in the air like her brother. 

Tuffnut scoffs. "What is this? A job interview?"

In the midst of their argument, they don't notice their Hideous Zippleback rearing up behind them. It comes down with a thunderous crash, snapping a log beneath its feet. Its tail whips Ruffnut and Tuffnut's legs from beneath them, causing the former to fall.

"No!" Tuffnut screams in slow motion. "Throw it!" 

And as Ruffnut does, somehow, in a stroke of god-given luck, it lands right on the Zippleback's neck. Quickly, Tuffnut does the same, running up to his side of the dragon and placing the saddle on its neck before it regains its senses.

Astrid would laugh at the stupidity if only she was doing her task well.

As Astrid said, even the twins are doing better than her. 

Stormfly tilts her head, nostrils sniffing intuitively at her. She squawks a loud, high-pitched sound that Astrid has come to get used to. It doesn't mean it's not ear-splittingly horrible, though, and Astrid flinches away. 

"Come on, Astrid. The rest of us are done." Says Fishlegs, unhelpfully. Astrid gives him a sharp look, but the bigger man just ruffles his thin blonde hair without looking at her. 

She swallows. "Um, I- I don't think Stormfly wants me to put it on." She replies. Astrid nudges the saddle with her foot and watches the sunlight reflect off the smooth leather. It's large- clearly made by an experienced leather worker like Gobber. The material is a deep, dark brown and very smooth, with no creases or cracks at all. New, perfectly shaped. Whoever made this was an expert leather worker and blacksmith. 

Snotlout snorts. "Are you sure you're not just being a wimp? I mean- come on, me and Hookfang got ours on way earlier!" In response, Hookefang snorts a blast of fire onto the rider's rear. He lets out a high-pitched scream. 

"No, Snotlout. I'm sure." Mumbles Astrid. "You guys go ahead. I'll- I'll stay and try some more, I guess. Don't worry, I know the way to the cliff. I memorised it on the way there earlier. You know, just in case."

Fishlegs looks around nervously. For a man so large, he really is very timid. "Are you sure? What if something happens? We aren't exactly local to this area."

"Yeah, a screaming death might come and eat you." Says Ruffnut drunkenly, seeming recovered from her melodramatic fall. She swings her arm around Astrid's shoulders. "Or you might get disintegrated by your own dragon. I can tell. She's feisty." 

"OK- Ruff-

"What have you called her? Stabmonster? venombringer? Or, wait, stabbringer?" 

"Ruffnut, first of all, those are horrible names. I've called her Stormfly. Secondly, that's not helping."

Ruffnut scoffs and raises her arms in mock surrender. "ooh, sorry, I forgot you're Astrid Hofferson, who can't take a joke!"

"Whatever. Just go ahead, okay? You're all finished, and I'll catch up."

They all hesitate. Astrid swings her head back in frustration, her knotted hair hitting her back with a quiet thump. She'll have to re-braid it later. Look, as your leader, I'm telling you to go, now."

One by one, they turn away. Fishlegs is the last to leave and before he does, he gives Astrid an unusual look. "Well, bye then. See you later." 

She waves him off. Then, she turns back to her saddle and tries to figure out which intricately detailed side is the front. Eventually, she comes to the conclusion that the side with a larger hill on the underside goes on the back, as her dragon's spine thins into the tail. She decidedly gives the sharp spines an over-wide berth. they look sharp enough to cut her hair with the point, and probably gouge out some of her vital internal organs too.  

The leather saddle is heavier than she thought it would be. While being double Astrid's size, it looks small in comparison to the dragon who is still patiently waiting for her to do something. Taking a deep breath, she hauls it up and over her head, praying she doesn't drop it on her face. She heaves it over Stormfly's rough scales, but before she can fasten the two buckles, it slips off and ends up underneath her dragon.

She tries again. And again. And again. Each time she just can't reach the buckles in time before the saddle falls off. 

It must be another quarter of an hour before she hears a familiar click, click, click. A regular sound. 

"Do you want some help?" 

Astrid jumps. That familiar sound was the dragon master's prosthetic leg. As she listens closer while he approaches, she finds that it's easy to brush the sound off as a bird call or just not hear it altogether. 

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"You don't look very sure."

"Well, I am!" She snaps, vehemently. "I'm managing perfectly fine."

"No, you aren't. Let me help you."

Astrid is taken aback by the genuine tone of his voice. "...fine. But only because I'm letting you help."

The Dragon Master huffs a laugh, which has Astrid rolling her eyes. She catches herself twitching her lips into a smile and stops before it's too late, but he's not laughing at her, but with her. "Yes, yes, of course."

He inspects the way she's put it on, then his eyes flicker onto Astrid herself. 

"First of all, the saddle is on backwards. "It's higher at the back so you don't slip off." He strokes Stormfly's nose. "And, it's uncomfortable on their necks if the saddle goes this high up."

"Right."

Gently, he lifts the saddle from the ground and puts it back onto Stormfly, the right way round. It's like a puzzle piece fitting into place. It doesn't immediately fall off, and it seems to fit perfectly. "Secondly, you'll want to secure one of the buckles first. It stops the saddle from falling over and being sat on your dragon's belly."

"Okay."

"Don't worry, Astrid. Everyone else was like this too. Snotlout had to try 6 times before he even managed to lift up the saddle. For a first-timer, you're doing pretty well."

Astrid crosses her arms across her chest. In the slight breeze, goosebumps begin to form on her bare arms. Now she wishes she had brought her arm covers. "You helped the others?" She says, wincing at the bitterness of the question.

To his credit, he catches on pretty quickly to her flat tone. His exposed ears turn slightly rouge, and the dragon master starts to ramble and apologise. It's kind of cute, but only because it reminds her painfully of Hiccup. "I just mean that I thought you wouldn't want help."

"Why, do you think I'm an insufferable know-it-all?"

"No, no! You just reminded me of an old... friend. Strong and independent but really stubborn. She never wanted help."

"She sounds great."

The Dragon Master secures the first buckle, making sure that Astrid is watching before he does so. Then he goes underneath Stormfly's belly, dangerously close to her sharp talons. Astrid opts for the safer (ish) route and walks around her head until she can see him emerging from the other side. Astrid crouches down next to him.

"Yeah. she was, is great. I hadn't seen her until recently."

Astrid buckles up the remaining one with efficient hands. Her calluses rubbed roughly against the cold metal, and silently she thanked them. Otherwise, the metal would pinch her skin painfully. 

"Was, is she... not a Viking? Like you?"

The Dragon master slips a hand through the strap they just tightened. "No, she is."

"Then you are a Viking too, right?"

He stiffens, if just for one moment. "I'm... not. Rather, I was, but I'm not anymore." His hand makes a fist underneath the strap. Astrid can't quite understand what's he doing but he does it with confidence and efficiency that shows how many times he's done this before. 

"Oh. Did you leave your home?"

"Yeah. I had no choice. It was that or face my father again."

"You really hated your father, huh." Astrid prompts. She wants to know more.

He sighs. "No... I didn't hate him."

Then why... Astrid doesn't want to seem that she's being noisy, or rude. But she wants to know why. It's intriguing to learn something about the Dragon Master that doesn't involve her spying or secretly noting down. 

As if reading her mind, he continues. "It's more that he hated me. I just wasn't the son he wanted me to be, I guess."

"Is it because of... because of your dragons?" Astrid asks slowly. "Sorry, I'm prying-"

"No, it's okay. And yes. My father hated dragons. Still does, by what I've heard."

"He would be good friends with Stoick." 

Astrid's attempt at a joke falls flat. The dragon master doesn't react, except to flinch and rise from the position he wad previously in. The man stretches out his long limbs and motions for Astrid to follow him.

"Yeah. He would."

Astrid thinks she mishears. "What?"

"My father is very similar to Stoick the Vast. Very similar."

Astrid says, "By that, you mean that he slaughters dragons. And is about as tall as Stormfly, goes around shouting at people in this big bellowing voice that can travel more miles."

"Is this you wanting to make a connection or is it you confessing to me the troubles of having Stoick the Vast as your chief? And the fact that you're the heir wouldn't make it any better."

He shows Astrid a length of leather that ends in a sturdy, solid semicircle. Astrid takes it into her hands, admiring the details and sturdiness of the leather. She watches as he pulls out another one and connects it to a buckle on the side of Stormfly's saddle.

"I forget that I'm heir, here. Back on Berk, everything I do has to be with the good of Berk in mind."

"Yeah, I get it." The dragon master mumbles quietly. "It's hard. The expectations of it all just weigh you down, don't they?"

"You were an heir too?" Astrid asks in surprise. 

He nods, and the two of them lapse into silence. Not comfortable or intimate, but it is definitely less sharp and awkward than when Astrid first arrived on this island. 

Astrid goes around Stormly's front again, (she considers going underneath but decides that's for another time) and connects the other foot holder, or what she assumes is a foot holder, in the same way she saw the dragon master doing it a minute or two ago.

"You know," Astrid starts, from the opposite side of Stormfly to the dragon master. "You're much different than I thought you were going to be."

"I get that a lot." 

"Really?"

"Yes. They usually assume I'm part dragon, or at least, not fully human. Which could be considered correct." He shows off his metal leg, and Astrid barks out a loud laugh. She slaps her hand over her mouth in embarrassment, because it is loud. It is also the first time she's laughed in... thor knows how long. 

"I just thought you might order your dragon army to kill us. Or at the very least, you would have a small fleet of your very own dragon soldiers."

The dragon master guffaws and scoffs loudly. "Why does everyone think I have a dragon army? I don't!"

"I know right." Astrid jokes. "You talk to one or two dragons and suddenly everyone in the archipelago thinks you have a dragon army. Totally crazy!"

He rolls his eyes, but playfully this time. Not in a way that says to Astrid I want to gut you but I can't because I want to be paid like it did when they arrived. "We need to get back to the others. It will be dark in just a few hours."

"Ok, but um, wait. I need to be able to call you something," explains Astrid. 

He chuckles. "I don't see why Mr Dragon Master isn't appropriate."

"I'm not calling you that. It's ridiculous."

"It's perfect for striking fear into the hearts of my enemies. Not ridiculous."

Astrid begins to rebraid her hair. The breeze keeps blowing strands into her face, blocking her vision. Her blonde hair shines golden in the setting sun. A perfect time to fly for the first time, she thinks. By the time they manage to get in the air, the sky will be gorgeous. Especially this far North. 

"I'll ask the gang."

the dragon master comes up behind her, and they walk side by side. Stormfly follows in their lead, nibbling at trees that they pass. 

"Do not ask Ruffnut or Tuffnut. Or Snotlout, for that matter."

Astrid laughs and the sound travels melodically with the wind above and the calm seas below.

Chapter Text

It's no secret; something changes between him and Astrid. They tolerate each other now, if Hiccup could be so bold, they might even be friends. But it happened so fast that Hiccup has not yet had the chance to think about it, until now.

Lost in thought, he watches Astrid gliding through the air on Stormfly. Her blonde hair flies in the wind like a glittering flag, and in the orange light of the sunset, it glows brightly like molten metal. With bright, blue, narrowed eyes, Astrid urges Stormfly to go faster, and they cut through clouds like Hiccup's flaming sword through the ice. 

She whoops loudly, guiding Stormfly back down to the cliff. Her smile is contagious, and Hiccup grins himself behind the shadows of his mask. His cheeks stretch wider than they have in years, leaving him exhilarated (and breathless).

Hiccup's no longer on edge around her. It seems his blatant honesty and veracity let Astrid trust him, and he her. 

"Dýr!" She shouts from the skies.

"I thought you were joking about calling me that."

Snotlout snorts by Hiccup's side. "Ha, never. It's a great name."

"Whatever." He helps Hookfang untangle himself from a few leaves caught in his firey scales. "Are you going to do another lap or stand there picking your nose like before?"

Snotlout's cheeks turn as red as his dragon's scales. "I- I wasn't!" He splutters. The young Viking grabs onto the saddle and pulls himself up, muttering and mumbling to himself. He shoots a glare at Hiccup, who waits expectantly. "I'm going to burn down your hut."

"Sure," Sighs Hiccup. He hasn't yet shown them the real hut he usually stays in, probably damaged by now. It's been a few days since the roof needed repairing and with the arrival of his friends, Hiccup hasn't had a chance to fix it. Besides, it's not like he could show them. Hiccup winces at the thought of their reactions, standing in an exact copy of his father's old hut from Berk. They'd know immediately who he was.

Stormfly lands on the cliff with a loud thump and Astrid jumps off, running a hand through her loose braid. 

"Hey, Dýr. Now we can all ride... well, we can all ride, we should go.

Hiccup watches the twins throw each other off their dragon as he talks. "I know. I was thinking tomorrow, maybe."

She nods, absentmindedly. "Yeah, yeah. That would work. I just... Make sure it is tomorrow, okay? We've spent a lot of time travelling and being here and I'm..."

"Worried?"

"No, not worried," Astrid says, sounding offended. "I just think we need to hurry. Berk won't last much longer without us, especially now. Rations will be low, and I expect that Stoick will be panicking. He'll probably make some stupid decisions."

"Since when did Stoick the Vast panic?" Astrids sends him a side-long glance, raising a blonde eyebrow. Hiccup's cheeks burn. "Well, no, maybe he's changed. I just thought-"

"Ever since his son died, he's become more and more paranoid about dragons. So yeah, he has changed." Astrid sighs, rubbing her hands over her short, tasselled skirt. "Not in a good way. Sure, he was pretty against dragons in the first place, but.."

Hiccup resists the urge to scoff. Astrid is speaking of his father as if he isn't a cold-blooded killer. 'it's your fault' a voice in his head says, followed by 'What if he's ill?'. Some little part of him, deep in the back of his mind, is scared. He is scared that it is his fault. Many dragons have been slaughtered at the hand of his father, and the mass murder will have only gotten worse after Stoick thought the dragons had killed Hiccup.

"It's become worse. Great." breathes Hiccup. "Because I need more violent dragon-killing experiences from him. Obviously."

"Hey. I know you're upset but this is part of the reason we need your help. If we manage to stop these raids then Stoick won't have the opportunity to kill any more dragons." Says Astrid. She's always been the logical one in the group. Yeah, Hiccup's smart. But when it comes to battle, Astrid takes the prize. It was always her who had the best strategies during dragon training, only failing because of Hiccup's experience with actual dragons. Cheating, if he has to put a name to it. 

Turning to face her, Hiccup takes in her appearance. Windswept hair, piercing eyes and tense posture. He notes that it's become less guarded, less tight, but now there's something else that rings unfamiliar alarm bells in his head like he wants to hug and console her. "We leave tomorrow at dawn."

--------------------------

"Why do we have to get up this early again?" Snotlout groans. It seems the early time makes for a sluggish, slow Viking. "This is torture!"

Fishlegs stands to his side. "Well, if you hadn't stolen my bed covers you wouldn't be so tired."

Hiccup frowns, failing to see the context.

"You attacked me!" accuses Snotlout.

"You stole my bed cover. I was cold!"

Snotlout points a finger at Fishlegs' chest. "So you felt the need to take mine too, right?"

"I'm a big guy, Snotlout." Fishlegs gestures to his wide body. "I need two."

Hiccup decides to step in. As amusing as it is to watch them bicker, they need to set off soon. Surprisingly, both of the twins are still rousing themselves from sleep. He ushers them out of bed and then leads the gang to the cliff. He tells them to retrieve the dragons, Gods know where they put them for the night. Hopefully somewhere adequate, but Hiccup knows that the dragons will have found themselves somewhere decent to sleep for the night. 

The sun shines brightly as it emerges from the horizon, illuminating the calm sea like a strip of firey land alone in the ocean. The orangey-yellow light tints the world a nice, relaxing colour. Even the morning dew drops reflect the beautiful colours.

Astrid stands on the cliff edge with Stormfly, cutting an impressive silhouette in the light. She watches the sea lap tamely against the cliff, and the pale blue colour reminds Hiccup of her familiar, striking eyes. 

"You can get used to this place." She says, her statement the only acknowledgement of his presence beside her. Freshly braided hair shines the same colour as the sunrise. 

Hiccup sits on the edge, one leg dangling off the cliff face and the other tucked into his chest. The ledge below him sits quietly and gives him relief that if he were to fall, it would catch him. "Yeah."

Astrid turns to sit next to him, tucking both knees into her body. "It feels like years since I left Berk. I've gotten used to this island. I just want to stay here forever."

"I get it. But you'll get bored if you live on this island for the rest of your life. I was excited when you came here. You know, a bit of drama to spice up my life."

"What do you even do every day? I mean, before we got here."

Letting his tucked leg drop, he sighs. "I don't know, to be honest. Find a new dragon. Befriend it. Research it. Rescue it from hunters. That type of stuff."

Astrid pauses in her movements, lifting her head to look at him. Her eyes are narrowed and scalding. "Hunters? Like, dragon hunters?" 

"Uh, yes. I suppose."

"And you didn't think to tell us?"

Hiccup's eyes widen behind the mask. He mentally curses himself. How could he have forgotten? "shit, I-"

The Viking sighs. "Dýr, listen. I don't know who you are, or where you came from, but you seem like a decent person. And we're counting on you to save our entire island. If something could interfere with our plan, it could potentially cause our whole island to die. As the leader, I need to know."

Behind the mask, Hiccup raises an eyebrow, although he knows Astrid can't see it. "You're the leader?"

"Fine," she relents. "You're the leader when we're on our dragons, but anywhere else, it's me. Got it?"

"Yes, Astrid."

"Good, now, tell me!"

He does, wincing at every reaction. Hiccup recalls the time he had broken his ankle, and tells her that too. Before long, Astrid seems like an inflated Yak bladder ready to burst. But she doesn't. Instead, they lapse into a disappointing silence. 

"Are you going to tell others?" He asks meekly, embarrassed at the octave of his voice.

"No."

Minutes later, the silence was broken by the faint yelling of two people. It got louder and louder until it was clear that the twins were having yet another argument. From the vague insults being thrown at each other, Hiccup guesses that their dragon- Barf and Belch- isn't cooperating. 

He gets to his feet and lets out a loud whistle, earsplittingly piercing, and waits patiently for the Hideous Zippleback to come to him. Sure enough, the green dragon, half flying, half running, comes crashing out of the nearby forest. A flock of birds screech loudly and take to the multi-coloured sky. 

"Dýr!" Tuffnut calls from the edge of the forest. "Ugh, Ruffnut, why can't we do that?"

"Maybe if you listened to me, we would!" Replies his twin. 

Barf and Belch skid to a stop right in front of Hiccup, licking his hair and mask so they are dripping with Zippleback saliva. Hiccup groans internally; that will take days to come out. He's nearly pushed off the edge of the cliff, but Barf and Belch's tail curls protectively around his waist. 

"Eugh," Hiccup grunts as he tries to push off the dragon. "That's enough."

A low growl resounds through the air, deep and menacing. Behind Hiccup, Toothless rises. His dark, black scales glint protectively in the morning light and his green eyes are narrowed at the other dragon. Immediately, Barf and Belch back off. Hiccup secures his prosthetic leg into the ground for support, and watches as the Zippleback backs away from his night fury.

Hiccup is glad that Toothless can do things like that. It's saved him too many times to count, and Hiccup would be dead 100 times over if not for it. Besides, Barf and Belch would be fine. It's just a warning, nothing serious. 

But Astrid doesn't seem to share the same love for Toothless that Hiccup does. Eyes widening, she jumps back with a gasp. Her hand travels towards her leg, ready to grab something before her cheeks colour. Her blush is the same colour as Hookfang's deep red scales.

"I- sorry." 

For a moment, Hiccup is confused by the reaction, but then he remembers. He supposedly 'died' that day on Berk, when he had run away with Toothless, from Astrid's point of view. Horror pools in his gut. Did Astrid think Toothless had killed him?

"Hey." He says, catching her attention. "I promise, Toothless won't hurt you."

Breathing heavily, Astrid takes a tentative step forward. At the same time, Toothless pads towards her from behind Hiccup, tilting his head. The dragon sniffs at Astrid's feet, curious. He croons, rubbing his head against her legs. Toothless likes her. 

Laughter blooms in Hiccup's chest, but just a small chuckle escapes, not to stop them from doing anything more. 

Hiccup takes Astrid's hand and presses it up against Toothless' snout. "See, he's friendly."

"Okay. Fine." She squares her shoulders, just in time for the two blonde twins to come running up, followed by Fishlegs, riding unsteadily on Meatlug, and Snotlout, whose Viking helmet is steaming. "Let's go."

--------------------------

Hiccup's old teammates soon become tired and bored. They have been flying for less than 6 hours, but still, they groan and complain. Hiccup gets fed up, so he begins to ignore them. It only makes it worse. 

"How long is this journey again, Dýr?" asks Fishlegs nervously.

Hiccup groans, taking his hands out of the reins and burying his face in them. The mask is becoming tedious, and inside his face is warm. "2 or 3 days, Fishlegs. The same as every other time you asked."

"Maybe we should stop for a rest?" Astrid suggests, urging Stormfly to fly next to him and Toothless. Still, she keeps a wide berth. 

"Astrid, do you want to get back to Berk or not?" The limited vision is beginning to get to him. Hiccup itches to rip away his mask and breathe fresh air, but he can't. He can't risk them knowing who he is.

But why? Why can't you? A voice says in the back of his mind.

Don't you long for them to know? So you can finally be with them again? You're lonely. You're in pain. Showing them would make it better, Hiccup.

They hate him, though. They've hated him since he was born.

You're not Hiccup the Useless anymore. Show them.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Hiccup yells, clawing at his hair. He needs to get the voice out-

What is that?

"Shit." He says, not explaining his previous outburst because beneath them is a fleet of monster hunters. Hiccup can recognise that awful crest anywhere and the evil, horrible things that come with it. 

"What is it, Dýr? And what was that-" Astrid says, understandably wanting information.

"There's no time. Those are hunters." He replies, gesturing beneath them. "We need to get to an island. Or somewhere safe."

"Oh,"

Snotlout shouts, "Hold on. Hunters? And you knew about them?" directed at Astrid, she winces.

"Listen, we didn't want to tell you because you'd probably panic and refuse to fly."

Ruffnut, sombre for once in her life, narrows her eyes at Astrid. "Do you think we don't care about Berk, too?"

"No-"

"We might be stupid, we might not be serious enough for you, Astrid, but it's our home too!"

Hiccup tries to intervene. Another minute and they'll be spotted and shot down- but none of them will listen. He tries, desperately, to shout over the roar of the argument and the wind but it's useless. Then, he sees the first ship beginning to load its weapons. 

There's no cloud cover- it's a stupidly clear day- so nowhere for them to hide. There are a few nearby islands, perhaps a 5-minute ride but by then the fleet would have caught up with them and shot them down. By himself, Hiccup would be able to run, or fight. But Fishlegs, the twins, Snotlout, and even Astrid, aren't used to fighting on a dragon's back. They never have- Hiccup didn't think to teach them much back on the island.

Inwardly, he curses himself. They know the basics- how to fire, what their specific dragon can do. But it won't be enough, not against a fleet of this size. However, Hiccup thinks it might be their only chance to escape.

Swerving to avoid an arrow, he taps Toothless on the neck, a gentle request.

He roars, getting everyone's attention.

"Listen up, people. I have a plan."

"Does it look like we're in any shape to do anything, Dýr?" Snotlout screeches.

Hiccup gives him a once-over. "You're fine. Look, this is a big fleet. We have no chance of fighting them on our own, but you see those islands over there? We need to get to those. That's our only chance. If we can lure them onto land, that's where their weakness is. You can take them out, and then we can get back to Berk peacefully."

"Well, come on then!" Astrid yells over the loud wind. She goes to urge Stormfly, but Hiccup holds out a hand.

"Wait," He says, pointing to himself. "I'm the leader, remember?"

Astrid doesn't protest further. The only sign of displeasure is her thinning lips, but she turns her head away before Hiccup can see anything else. There's a few seconds of awkward silence before another arrow whizzes past Ruffnut's ear. Her eyes widen and she looks to her brother for help.

Hiccup snaps into motion. Because of his limited visibility, he'll need to be more careful during this attack. He'll also need to look out for the rest of the riders, because as good warriors they are on the ground, in the air, Hiccup is much more experienced. He clenches his fists at the thought of Astrid being shot down and captured. 

Personal feelings aside, Hiccup spurs Toothless into motion and gestures for the rest to follow. Immediately, the closest ship loads their bows and the hunters start rapidly firing at the dragons. The poison tipped arrows fly past him and Toothless does some intricate rolls and flips to avoid them. No one is screaming yet- except Snolout, but he's not screaming about anything in particular- so Hiccup assumes they aren't hit. 

The first ship goes down in record time- Toothless blasts the base and water immediately rushes in. It sinks quickly after Barf and Belch blow up the mast. Fishlegs and Meatlug fly over the unsubmerged part and spew lava over the top, forcing the hunters into the ocean. 

Hiccup yearns to destroy the rest of the fleet and explore because there has to be a reason a fleet of this size is randomly sailing across the achapelago, but he doesn't have the time nor resources. He makes a mental note- it doesn't match the hunters' usual schedule. 

Stormfly and Astrid fly over top of Hiccup using the dragon's spines to punch small but deadly holes into the sides of several ships. They start to take in water, and Hiccup urges Toothless to finish a couple off. Hookfang burns away any sails and flags that remain. 

Soon enough, a dozen or so ships have been sunk or are burning. Hiccup spots many men jumping into the water, trying to swim for safety, but the thick smoke covers a lot of his vision. He has to remind himself to not get carried away, but trepidation clouds his mind. If they escape... what could happen?

He pushes aside those thoughts. They need to use the smoke to cover them as they get away- maybe they won't be followed.

Hiccup glances behind him, checks everyone is there, and motions for them to follow him once again. Pointing in the general direction of the next island, they set off. Hiccup throws his head to the sky and prays, not discreetly, not quietly, for them to get to safety.

But not before a piercing scream fills the air. It's a horrible, earsplitting shriek that makes Hiccup want to scratch his ears off until the blood blocks his hearing. He turns around, expecting something terrible, but all he sees is Hookfang and Snotlout tumbling from the sky. The Dragon screeches, trying to flap his wings, but the dragonroot works quickly and efficiently. 

Swerving around, Hiccup dodges another volley of arrows and stoops down to catch Hookfang. Barf and Belch, close friends with Hookfang, dives too, and together they catch the dark red dragon. Already the latter's eyelids are drooping, and his bright yellow eyes are dimming. 

"Come on, let's do this, bud." Hiccup whispers to Toothless. And then, to the rest of the riders. "As fast as you can! To that island!" 

Chapter Text

She'd never admit it, but Astrid's heart beats harder then than it ever has before. They found a cave, perhaps an hour or two ago, and now Snotlout has his face buried in his hands while he cradles his helmet in his lap. Outside, she hears the faint grunt the Dragon Master makes as he drags bushes over the entrance of the cave to disguise it. 

The sneaking feeling she's now identified as fear, gods forbid, wraps around her insides and squeezes, strangling her from the inside out. Astrid refuses to admit she's terrified. Sure, she's scared and jumps at every little sound, but she isn't terrified. It's just a new situation they've never been in before. although Astrid prides herself on being able to work well under pressure, she's sure that she's bound to feel some fear every so often. 

Still, Astrid's unhappy with herself, but she can't help what she feels.

She startles as Stormfly squawks and ruffles her wings. Astrid had forgotten the Nadderwass ever there. Looking around dejectedly, Astrid realises her bond with her dragon is a lot less deep than the others and their dragons. She feels disconnected from Stormfly, and she doubts if she ever will seal their bond.

In front of her, Fishleg leans tensely on Meatlug. He rests one with meaty hand on the gronckle's side, perhaps to remind her he is still there, and the other rests clenched in his lap. Meatlug is curled as much as her thick body allows around Fishleg's body.

The position reminds her painfully of her siblings back home, how she would comfort them when they were scared during the dragon raids.

The twins are uncharacteristically quiet. Their breathing is heavy and they share the same scared, clueless look on their faces. Every once in a while, Astrid watches their eyes flick towards Barf and Belch, and occasionally the darkening entrance to the cave. 

Astrid's eye twitches. "Alright, enough lounging around." The words coming out of Astrid's mouth even surprise her, "Let's get up and fight, we can't stay in here and wait like injured dragons for those hunters to come and kill us."

"Yeah, Astrid, totally agree," Begins Snotlout, "but one problem. We have an injured dragon."

"Are you injured, Snotlout?"

The Viking snorts. "No, but the whole point was that we use the dragons to get away after we've taken out all the hunters. How are we supposed to do that with a useless dragon?"

Hookfang, in his weakened state, manages to blow a measly puff of smoke at Snotlout. "Oh, come on, Hookfang. You know I'm right."

"Well, we can't do nothing. Argh, you guys are... ugh! Stop lying about and get up to help!" Astrid snaps. "Look, you're all great warriors, and the Dragon Master can't fight all of the hunters off at once."

"He probably could," says Ruffnut. "We haven't seen him fight yet."

"Besides the point, Ruff."

Snotlout snorts and lies dejectedly on the floor next to Hookfang. "Just give up, Astrid. He told us to stay in here."

Astrid narrows her eyes. She feels a slow, rising anger bubble to the surface, overflowing. They had agreed, before they set off, that Astrid would be in charge on the ground. She's the warrior, not him. The blonde is sure he can't fight, and his slim frame certainly isn't helping his case. The Dragon Master has thin, wiry muscles that make sense with a job like his, while Astrid's body is built for fighting. All the more reason she should be in charge.

She's an expert strategist, a skilled warrior and a smart person overall. Maybe he's better in the air, obviously, but she's willing to bet she has more experience fighting on the ground. 

"No," says Astrid, standing up, "I'm not just going to sit here. Our entire island is on the line; I'm going to fight."

The warrior marches over to the entrance, only stopping to call for Stormfly to follow. Her voice must have been full of something because the dragon doesn't hesitate.

"Dýr!" she calls once she's outside. "Dýr, where-"

A rough hand covers her mouth. Instinct takes over and she twists out of the person's grip, grabbing their arm and pinning it behind their back. 

"Ow, Hel, Astrid," Dýr whispers, "be quiet." 

He points to somewhere around the bushes, and Astrid can faintly hear men shouting in the distance. 

"I came to help."

"How generous," Dýr replies, and if Astrid could see his face she's betting he's raising an eyebrow. "That wasn't the plan, Astrid."

"Yeah, well, change of plans, I guess. We can't just sit around and do nothing."

"That's exactly what we're gonna do." Says, Dýr, walking away.

Astrid grabs his arm in frustration. "What? Why?"

"Because at the moment, we've got one, sorry, two, people to fight and about 200 hunters coming for us." 

"True, but we have dragons!"

"And they have the cover of the forest. It would be impossible to hit them from above. And I haven't mentioned the poisoned arrows. You saw what one did to Hookfang," says the dragon master, his voice tight with anger. Astrid's not stupid, she can tell how much he cares for the dragons.

Astrid thins her lips in frustration, reaching a hand out to Stormfly. Dýr makes a strange hand gesture, and immediately the dragon stands next to him.

"I'm not willing to put yours and the dragon's lives on the line."

"Well, why not?" Asks Astrid, ignoring the dragon master's confused 'what?' "You don't care about us, right?"

"Well... I-I do care'" Dýr stammers, reaching a hand around to scratch the back of his head. Astrid is suddenly hit with a sudden wave of nostalgia and sadness. It's the same action Hiccup used to do when he was flustered or ashamed. 

"It's fine," Astrid says an urge to shut down the conversation, "but I'm going to fight whether you like it or not. I can't just sit there and watch as they find us. I'd rather die fighting."

"Astrid, you can't fight off 200 trained men on your own." 

"You haven't seen me fight yet," replies Astrid. She doesn't give Dýr enough time to respond before she walks off towards the sound of shouting with her axe swung over her shoulder. "And besides," she says, looking over her shoulder. "We agreed. I'm the leader on the ground."

Astrid knows she's being impulsive and childish, but the more she thinks about it the angrier she gets. 

But for now, Astrid pushes her anger aside. There are more important things than her personal feelings.

When the sound of yelling becomes closer, Astrid guesses she has maybe 5 minutes before they come streaming out of the forest and into the clearing she's crouching behind a bush in. She peeks through a couple of leaves, seeing the hunters run towards them.

Thankfully, Dýr managed to drop them off quite far inland, leaving the hunters with no choice but to try to catch her and her team on foot. On the downside, she's left with barely any time to strategise and plan.

In her head, Astrid quickly maps out what she had seen from Dragonback, a forest to the left with a large clearing in the middle. She pictures the hunters coming up the hill, figuring she has the advantage of high ground.

Great, she thinks, that makes a whole lot of a difference. 

Maybe Stormfly can help her take out the hunters. If Astrid can defend her from the poisoned arrows, the dragon can kill the hunters in the intervals it takes them to reload their bows.

She'd also have to fight against the ones holding axes and swords.

Doubt begins to creep into her mind, along with anxiety and hesitation. She's a great warrior, the best on Berk, but it would be nearly impossible to defend herself and a dragon against 200 men. The dragon master was right.

But then she hears the familiar click of the dragon master's leg, and her hands clench into fists. Astrid's heart beats faster, harder as she realises the fight is approaching. 4 against 200, she realises. It's her, Stormfly, Dýr, and his night fury. 

She just hopes it's enough.

Dýr crouches down beside her, coppery hair ruffled behind his mask. He looks at her with his startling green eyes, and he promises to fight by her side.

She's at a loss for words, when Dýr finishes, and her breath hitches, so instead of trying to make up a response, she just nods and tells him her plan.

She distracts a group, first, on the left, and Dýr takes the right. Stormfly will back up from behind, and Dýr, in a quiet voice, suggests that Toothless can help too. So Astrid adds it in.

By the time they're finished discussing her plan, Astrid hears the first hunters rush into the clearing. They aren't quiet, aren't even trying to be stealthy which Astrid thinks is very insulting to her abilities. She's the best tracker, back on Berk, but she has to remind herself that they aren't on her island anymore. This is new territory for her. 

She signals to Dýr to start the plan, and then she stalks forward, hiding behind another bush. She glances across the clearing, seeing Dýr and Toothless climb eerily up a tree, hanging upside down like a hibernating bat. Toothless' green eyes gleam sharply from the branch, waiting for the right moment to drop down. 

Her breath is quiet and calm, but the battle cry Astrid lets out is anything but. She jumps up from her cover, wildly swinging her axe in an attempt to startle the hunters. It does, and a few stumble back. She cuts them down immediately, trying not to focus on the warm spurts of blood covering her face and body. 

As soon as the first hunter hits the ground, Astrid hears screams to her right and knows that the dragon master and Toothless have joined the fight. She risks a quick look to her side and sees wave after wave of soldiers being wiped out with practised movements, and, wait- is that a flaming sword?

The handle of her axe sends shockwaves of pressure and pain down her wrist, causing her gaze to snap back to the hunter and grit her teeth. Straining, Astrid releases the grip of one hand on her weapon and draws out her knife in a millisecond, slashing at the hunter's neck. The blood almost blinds her, and he falls immediately. His body makes a dull thump as it hits the ground.

This is the first time she has ever killed someone, Astrid thinks, her thoughts quiet and distant. She has never, before this, killed another human being. Only dragons. 

It's not so different.

The sudden bursts of blood that spray from the dragons' necks are the same as a human's, and the life flickering out of the hunter's eyes as his heart stops beating is only too familiar. The muted moans and cries of pain that spill pathetically from their throats as they lay dying are the same as well. 

So it shouldn't be this difficult.

And yet, it is, and Astrid is having to force her limbs to move, but they do so uncooperatively, leaving her sides open and easy to attack. A hunter swings. His large sword glints in the sunlight, the edge sharp enough to slice cleanly through bone- she's going to die, this is it for her, surely-

A spine, blue and golden and beautiful, whistles past her face. It buries itself in the hunter's wrist, pinning his arm to the tree and he drops his weapon with a cry, which is cut short by another spine, which digs into his neck and cuts off his scream. He gargles disgustingly on blood, crimson liquid flying and dribbling down the sides of his mouth. 

He falls silent.

Astrid gasps, looking at the attacker. It is Stormfly, who looks regal and majestic, silhouetted in sunlight, who is her saviour. 

And then she realises with a jolt why she is so reluctant to kill. It is because she has been comparing it to the dragon raids, where Astrid has killed tens of dragons. She is comparing the hunters' deaths to dragons' deaths, when in reality she has come to care for dragons.

Gods above, she hates it. Stoick is going to kill her. 

But only if she actually gets back to Berk. If Astrid keeps shutting down like this, she knows she's going to be killed before her chief even has the chance to yell and scream his obscenities at her.

Besides, now, she has Stormfly fighting by her side. 

"Astrid!" Dýr suddenly yells. "Astrid, there are bowmen! Defend the dragons. I'll take them out." 

She knows better than to protest. Immediately, the dragon master runs around the crowd, too fast for them to follow. His flaming sword cuts through the crowd like butter, and damn, Astrid was wrong earlier. This guy can fight, and he can fight well.

As Dýr makes his way towards a spot in the battle, sure enough, Astrid sees a dozen or so hunters holding red bows, with taut strings and green-tipped arrows stacked in quivers on their backs. The ranks seem to be more organised and protected around the archers. It isn't just unorganised, frenzied soldiers screaming bloody murder, but rather nine or ten fighters who seem big enough to snap the dragon master's slim frame in two. 

But he relies on his speed, after all, and Astrid is pretty sure he's at least half-dragon, despite him denying the fact. He moves like one, crouched low to the ground, swiping out at ankles and behind knees, dropping the hunters like flies. He is ruthless and merciless, ignoring the screams of pain and- is that sizzling?

Toothless fires plasma blast after plasma blast, purple turning bright yellow and orange as it explodes at the floor beneath the hunter's feet. Anyone who manages to get past Stormfly's constant barrage of spines and white-hot fire is immediately cut down by Astrid, her axe familiarly heavy in her hands. 

She grins. This is what she is made for. She is a warrior at heart, and this is it. 

A couple of arrows fly through the air, spinning above her but Astrid swings her axe and the fall at her feet easily. The poisoned tips aren't any use if they can't reach the dragons in the first place. 

They're winning, Astrid knows they are, and the ranks are thinning out quickly. Dead bodies litter the ground, and the grass beneath is practically non-existent, drowned in oceans of blood, but she there's something nagging at her, tugging in her gut. 

She curses. Dread pools in her gut, dropping her stomach to the floor. Astrid turns, quick as a flash and sprints towards where she knows the cave is. The others- they wouldn't be expecting it. They don't know that the hunters are here already, and Astrid has been so busy defending two dragons that she had completely forgotten about her actual classmates. 

They're great fighters, sure, but being caught off guard is a death sentence for even the most elite warriors. 

And she's right. 

She feezes, almost falling at her abrupt stop.

Astrid wants to scream. 

They're surroundedby hunters, kneeling at their feet with heads hung low. Snotlout is unconscious, helmet knocked to the side somewhere with a large lump of his forehead trickling blood. The twins are restrained, hands tied tightly behind their backs, and Fishlegs is held down by three muscular hunters. 

"Freeze, Berkain," A hunter spits, approaching her with a serrated sword. He has a bald head and an ugly, dark moustache. "Drop your axe. Or I'll kill all of them."

With a murderous snarl on her face, Astrid does what she is told. She clenches her now empty fists, practically vibrating with rage.

And then she hears it, the distinct click of Dýr's fake leg, and the thump of two dragons. She turns, watching him stop suddenly, flaming sword dropping to hang limply by his sides. Immediately, there are two arrows fired at Toothless and Stormfly, both who freeze, eyes fluttering closed. They collapse simultaneously, making the ground shake and wobble. 

"Oh, shit."

Chapter Text

Hiccup watches in silent horror as both the twins are beaten into unconsciousness. Their helmets lie dented and broken on the floor, forming, in some sick irony, a shape that looks distinctly like a heart.

The gods have it out for him, surely. 

He is silent as he is manhandled into a cell. It looks like it is made for dragons, the gate is made of green, dragonproof metal and the walls are covered with dragonproof screws. The floor is wooden, though it provides little comfort.

Ruff and Tuff are being carried away from him, and Hiccup makes a noise of protest when he realises they won't be in the same cell. He's quickly silenced, kicked in the stomach by a tall guard and pushed violently into his cell. 

Hiccup falls with a thump, landing as gracefully as he can having no sense of balance on a ship floating in water. He tries to hurry out of the cell, do anything, but his body is sore and bruised and all he can think is toothless, toothless, toothless.

The image of his best friend, his brother, being punched and kicked and chained is seared into his eyelids. 

The ship lurches as it begins to move. Immediately, the delayed dread in his system sinks Hiccup's stomach like an anchor in the ocean. 

Shaking himself back to reality, the dragon master groans and moves to the side when Snotlout is thrown to the floor beside him. It looks like he's also unconscious. Apparently, it's only him and his cousin in this cell because a hunter slams the cell gate shut, the noise clanging painfully loud in Hiccup's ears. 

"Fuck," he stresses, "fuck, this isn't good."

Hiccup shuffles quietly towards Snotlout, gently taking the Viking's head in his hands and lying him flat at a more comfortable angle. He digs two fingers into Snotlout's neck, breathing a small sigh of relief when he feels a steady pulse. Slow, weak, but at least it's there. Removing Snotlout's helmet, Hiccup backs up against the wooden wall of the cell and lets his head hang back, sighing heavily. 

Guess there's not much to do but sit and think and hopefully, maybe he'll be able to get them all out. 

Fuck, this is his fault. This is Hiccup's fault. It was his idea to put them all on Dragon back in the first place- speed be damned, he should have allowed them to build a ship. For a moment, Hiccup removes his mask and rubs his rough hands over his face, threading his fingers through his matted auburn hair. 

Idly playing with the tangles, he runs a couple of scenarios through his head, but none of them seem to work. He busts out now- no, that he knows of, only he and Astrid are the ones away so far. He doesn't even know where the dragons are. Maybe he can wait, take his time learning about the guards and find a way to get himself out, but no, usually, that would be his strategy, however he's not on his own this time. There are others he has to take into account.

There's another plan, which might just work, but he's going to have to sacrifice his dignity and possibly his identity.

Dread fills Hiccup's stomach. If that is what it comes to, he thinks, so be it. 

He just hopes Astrid has a plan, too. 

It must have been a couple hours when Hiccup picks up on a slight sound inside his cell. He peeks open one eye and notices Snotlout's breathing begin to change. The steady rise and fall of his cousin's chest becomes faster and harsher, and Hiccup's body jolts into action.

He grabs his mask, hastily fitting it over his face before shuffling over to Snotlout's side. The boy's eyes open slowly, brown meeting green as Hiccup hovers over him. 

"Oh, hey," Snotlout says, voice high and reedy. Nervous, Hiccup thinks. 

"Snotlout. Are you okay?" He asks, placing a hand over the Viking's forehead. When Snotlout nods, he retracts his hand. "Do you want some water?"

The Viking considers the water skin that Hiccup pulled from his belt with contempt, eyeing the dirty leather and battered drinking hole. Hiccup can admit, it doesn't look like it would be very nice to drink from. "Did you poison it?" Snotlout attempts to joke.

"Very funny." Hiccup feigns laughter. "Drink."

"Where are we?" Hiccup's cousin asks after a moment. His face pales. "Oh, shit. Astrid, and, and the others, are they okay?"

The dragon master rocks back on his knees. He takes in Snotlout's pale form, green eyes roaming over his face. "I don't know. I think, well, they aren't dead. I know that for a fact."

"Are you sure?" Snotlout asks, feeling around for his helmet. Hiccup hands it to him.

"Pretty sure. They only kill dragons, after all." Hiccup spits, tone venomous. "They won't kill prisoners they've just captured. They don't know how valuable we are, yet." 

His cousin snorts, "Right, because five runaways from Berk are going to be valuable."

"I probably am. You might be."

"What would we even have? I mean, you know, Berk's literally on the brink of extinction. We've got no money, no food. We're in the middle of a bad famine, Dýr. I wouldn't be surprised if half the island is dead, already." Snotlout says, resigned.

It takes Hiccup by surprise. He knew that the living conditions weren't great, but back when he used to live on the island, it was pretty self-sustaining. The fields of Berk were fertile and produced bountiful crops. 

"You didn't know?" Snotlout asks, "Oh, man. I thought Astrid would have told you by now." 

Hiccup's about to say something in response, but in the hallway, there's a loud bang, and he flinches. He gets up and presses his hands against the bars of his cell, peering around the corridor. 

"Shit," Hiccup sighs. "Ugh, this is not going to be fun. Listen, Snotlout, I think they're probably coming to question us but it will probably be me first. Pretend you're still unconscious and it'll definitely be me, okay?" 

"What? What are you saying, Dýr?"

Hiccup weighs out his options, "Well, it'll probably involve a lot of pain and blood, but no matter what happens when I come back, don't do anything drastic." 

Snotlout screeches, but Hiccup slaps a hand over his mouth as he hears hulking footsteps round the corner. A huge man comes closer, covered with scaled pieces of clothing and sharp weapons that look roughly made, but lethal nonetheless. His shoulders are huge, at least double his own, and he has thick, muscular arms. 

The cell door is practically ripped from its hinges. Hiccup makes a move to stand up, but the hunter grabs his shoulder and lifts him from the ground with one arm, which, rude, he was standing up anyway, but he only glares at the man from behind his mask. He was originally going to be compliant, and actually walk, but Hiccup decides to be petty. He lets his feet drag along the ground, forcing his weight downwards and making it as hard as possible for the hunter to pull him along.

Eventually, they manage to get somewhere and Hiccup is hauled upright, face to face with the most elaborate door he's ever seen. Covered in gold plates, the intricate details spiral outwards in beautiful patterns. It's a shame that it's being used on such bad people because Hiccup is sure he's going to obliterate this ship. 

The hunter wrenches open the door and pushes Hiccup forcefully inside. He's thrown violently into a rickety wooden chair, and before he can even comprehend what's happening, two more men from either side of the room tie both his wrists down. Then, they exit, leaving Hiccup alone.

Except, there's one more person. 

Ryker. 

Gods, Hiccup hates him.

From behind his mask, the dragon master sneers at the powerful hunter. Two, serrated swords are lying on the desk, with papers strewn about. Hiccup catches sketches of dragons, and he feels sick to the bone.

"Well, well, what have we here, eh?" Ryker taunts, ugly moustache twitching with every word, "The dragon master!" 

Hiccup stays silent.

"You disgust me, Dragon Master." 

Still, Hiccup does not reply. If he opens his mouth, all that will come out is screams of pure rage and hatred and murder. 

"I don't understand you. How could you befriend those monsters?" asks Ryker, planting his hands firmly on his desk. He bares his teeth at Hiccup, showing sharp, elongated canines and multiple silver teeth. "You're betraying your own kind, Dreki. You're a traitor."

The hunter sneers, "I hate traitors." 

Hiccup refuses to retaliate. His wrists are beginning to burn, but it doesn't bother him over the deafening roar in his skull. He clenches his jaw tightly shut, looking skyward for the second time. 

Ryker fucking laughs, "Still not much of a talker, are we? I wonder if you can even understand me still, after staying with those dragon scum for so long."

Hiccup seethes. He is a talker, actually, but his words won't be wasted on someone as awful or disgusting as Ryker the dragon hunter. There is a hierarchy in Hiccup's mind, and there's a separate category at the very bottom of the pyramid, reserved especially for Ryker. 

"Ah, never mind. You'll be talking in no time," The hunter says, "Now, tell me, what do you know about the Red Death, Dragon Master?"

Hiccup shakes his head. Nothing, you god-awful creature. Leave me and my brothers alone. 

The hunter in front of him laughs, bald head embarrassingly sweaty and shiny. A knife appears in his hand, fast, but not fast enough so that Hiccup can't track it. Ryker buries it in the wooden table below with a thump. It was aiming for Hiccup's hand, but he moves it before the hunter can pierce his skin. 

Ryker growls. "You're annoying me, beast. I want to crush you beneath my heel like pest you are," He says, cracking his knuckles. "Let's see if a little pain will help loosen you up." 

His head snaps to the side. Pain blooms in his cheek, fast and hard, and Hiccup's teeth clank together with the force. 

Hiccup feels something fall from his face, and cold, stale air brushes against his bare skin. He watches his mask fall to the floor, cracked and broken, not useless, but his hands are tied and he can't retrieve it.

He feels oddly naked, bare-faced under the glare of the hunter.

"So this is the face of the Dragon Master. It's a pretty one, too. A shame I have to bloody it, isn't it? You'd sell for more than I could imagine at the market." Ryker says, retracting his fist. He massages the skin on his knuckles, already reddened and beaten. "Speak, scum."

"I will never lower myself to your standards, hunter." Hiccup spits, narrowing his eyes in hatred at Ryker. "I'll kill you, I swear. Touch my-" 

He cuts himself off. He shouldn't let the hunters know how much he cares for Toothless and the other dragons. He shouldn't even mention Astrid or Snotlout or the twins or Fishlegs because then they'll know and Hiccup will never forgive himself if his family is hurt.

Ryker purrs, "Oh? Do speak up, Dragon Master. Tell me about the Red Death, will you?"

"Never," Hiccup insists, stubbornly ignoring the fact that he genuinely knows nothing about it. "I'll never. You don't deserve it."

The hunter in front of him seems to have some kind of anger issues that have been seemingly well hidden until now. It comes slowly at first; the twitched of an eye, clenched fists. And then, like a tidal wave, he screams and yells and Hiccup is beaten half to death. 

The pain sends shockwaves through his system, knocking teeth out and forcing blood to come rushing from Hiccup's mouth. White, blinding hot pain blinds his vision when Ryker drags one of his serrated blades across his face, from his eyebrow across the bridge of his nose and down to his opposite cheek, filling his eye with blood that stings his pupils. 

Through the one open eye, Hiccup sees Ryker's lips move, but all he hears is ringing. His mouth is filled with blood anyway, so he isn't able to answer. 

Hiccup registers Ryker's fist-raising, but he slips into unconsciousness soon after. 

Chapter Text

Snotlout knows he's kind of obnoxious and unassuming from the outside, sometimes frail and fearful, but he has his moments. After all, he's one of the best warriors in Berk, and he is (was) a skilled dragon-killer. His feats are told as tales to children as bedtime stories of a hero protecting his people against the evils of dragonkind. 

It wasn't always that way, though. 

He's used to unfairness and injustice, because as a young boy, Snotlout had been constantly forced to watch from the sidelines. He had always come in second place because there was always someone better than him. 

In most cases, it was Astrid. She has always been the better fighter, the best in Berk, the better leader and the better warrior. She was popular and pretty, not that she ever acted on it, and even Chief Stoick seemed to favour her over his own son.

In some cases, Fishlegs would come first, and that annoyed Snotlout endlessly. The larger man was smarter and more knowledgeable than Snotlout, which led to moments of greatness he could not ever hope to achieve.

What was the most unfair was when Hiccup began to come first place, leaving Snotlout in the dust. 

Come on, Hiccup? Hiccup the useless?

Truthfully, before the dragon training exercises four years ago, Snotlout envied Hiccup. He was smart, handsome, (beautiful, even) the heir to Berk. He had everything that Snotlout ever wanted. The love of his father. (A/N- HA, IRONIC!!!)

And then he had met the boy for the first time, actually talked to him, and Snotlout had realised how wrong he was.

He started to see how the rumours of 'Hiccup the Useless' were true.

It changed though, like everything else did. Just when Snotlout got used to being in second place, he was bumped down to third. A little part of him was satisfied seeing Astrid get so frustrated when Hiccup overtook her. The rest of him, however, was burning with anger like a raging wildfire inside him. 

Snotlout still remembers the look on Hiccup's face when he was selected to kill the dragon. He never got to, of course, because he was taken, but the expression on the heir's face is seared into his memory.

He sees it a lot. 

When he lies in bed and glares up at the ceiling, he sees it.

When he closes his eyes and tries to relax, Snotlout sees it.

The point is, every inch of Hiccup's face had been etched perfectly into Snotlout's mind.

This is why, undoubtedly, Snotlout knows the face in front of him is the same one.

The Dragon Master gets thrown back into the cell with enough force to send him flying to hit the wall with a thud. His head lolls forward, long, auburn hair matted with blood and a hand by the side of his face hangs over his midriff that looks wet and sticky. He looks... dead.

Snotlout rushes over, ignoring the guard who scoffs and spits onto the ground before him. He grabs the Dragon Master by his arms, lying him down flat on the ground. Not bothering to be gentle, he presses his index and middle finger into Dýr's neck, feeling around desperately for a pulse. He breathes a sigh of relief when he finds one. It's weak, but at least it's there.

Sitting back onto folded legs, Snotlout rakes his eyes over the rest of the Dragon Master's body. His tall, slender frame seems limp and lifeless, slumped on the floor like a corpse after a battle, bloodied and bruised and broken. Although his chest rises and falls slowly, Snotlout's breaths are still deep and fast, tense and difficult, like someone's sitting on his chest. 

He swallows, allowing his eyes further up, and his breath catches. There, lying forgotten on the ground, is Dýr's mask. It is cracked down the middle, beautiful, intricately carved wood ruined by a cavern that runs along the eye of the mask, splintering across the nose and finally stopping on the opposite cheek. 

Which means that nothing is covering the Dragon Master's face. 

It shouldn't be such a big deal, really. It's not like Dýr made a huge deal of keeping his identity a secret, although he always kept his mask on when he was around Snotlout and his friends. But he never exactly... made a big deal out of it. 

However, for some reason, Snotlout feels as if revealing the Dragon Master's face would be the worst invasion of privacy he could commit. There's just something about him that seems so private, so important that seeing his face might be the worst mistake.

Licking his lips, he turns to sit down and puts his back against the uncomfortable wall. He doesn't take his eyes off Dýr, not even when the man comes to consciousness and shuffles around in his sleep. 

Snotlout doesn't mean to look. He doesn't, but it happens anyway. When the Dragon Master's head begins to turn with a groan, Snotlout just doesn't look away. And Snotlout sees.

The Dragon Master isn't some random, crazy stranger who decided to help a small island in the middle of nowhere. He isn't an old, seasoned warrior who's lived through decades of war and politics. 

Dýr is Hiccup. 

Undoubtedly, somehow the Dragon Master is Hiccup. Although the previous heir to Berk is supposed to be dead, there's no doubt in Snotlout's mind that this is not him. Which means that Toothless is the very same Night Fury Snotlout sees in his nightmares on certain nights. 

Snotlout has to do a double-take at first because there are obvious changes to his appearance. Dýr's, well, Hiccup's jaw is more defined than it was before, although swollen and bruised, as well as a straight nose, dotted with freckles, and downturned, full lips. Longer hair, too, tied tightly to Hiccup's head where it used to be short and uncaringly cut.

But then the Dragon Master coughs and opens his eyes, and Snotlout is sure. 

Sharp as ever, sharp enough to slice right through you, to slice right through someone's dreams. Sharp enough to be lethal if you have a weak exterior. The same bright cyan-green colour that haunts Snotlout's every moment; as green as a summer's forest yet simultaneously as bright a blue as the crystalline water in the lake that lies in the cove back at Berk. 

He can't breathe. 

"Snotlout?" Hiccup coughs, blinking weakly. Long eyelashes shadow his half-lidded eyes, which land on Snotlout's face. His skin is pale, too pale for someone like the Dragon Master, who spends all day out in the sun. His freckles stand out worryingly against paper-white cheeks. 

Snotlout silently reaches out for Dýr's mask, pushing it into the other man's hands without taking his eyes off his face. 

The Dragon Master lifts it to look at it. He pauses for a moment, eyes flicking from the mask to Snotlout, and then back down to the mask again. "Oh," he says, swallowing heavily, "Oops."

His heart thumps heavily in his chest. Snolout's mouth moves on its own, "Hiccup?" He whispers, voice quiet and cracking. 

"Haha, yeah!" Hiccup laughs awkwardly, sinking into himself. "Surprise, I guess?"

Snotlout's mouth feels dry. He licks his lips, gulping down saliva, "Is it... is it really you?" He asks, which is kind of a stupid question because Snotlout already knows it's Hiccup already. He's got the same thin scar on his chin. 

"Uh, I suppose it's too late to say no, so I'm not going to deny it," Hiccup says, coughing into his hand. Pulling it away, he sees blood dotted on his skin.

Snotlout stiffens. A rush of emotions suddenly flood into him, and his chest feels as tight as ever, each breath being pulled from the atmosphere with even greater effort than the one before. Then he clenches his jaw, and the mix of feelings gives way to anger. 

"You've been the Dragon Master this entire time and you didn't tell us?" Snotlout demands, sounding more like Astrid than he's ever done. "And... what? You just... ugh! I don't know what to do." 

Hiccup doesn't get the chance to speak before Snotlout keeps going. 

"How? I don't understand!" He shouts, the words not forming in his mouth fast enough. "You aren't dead? What are you even- I mean, where have you been? Everyone thought you were killed, Hic-" Cutting himself off before he shouts Hiccup's name, Snotlout sends a wary glance at the guards outside, and lowers his voice. "Do you know how hard we looked for you?"

"No, I-" 

"Why did you leave right before your fucking dragon-killing ceremony?" He hisses, digging his hands into his hair. "Gods above, I never understood you. Turns out things don't change."

Hiccup audibly swallows. "I'm sorry I... well, I'm sorry for everything."

Snotlout scoffs, nearly choking in his disbelief. His heart beats harder in his chest, but this time out of frustration. He wants to tear out his hair. "Three months, Dýr, that's how long we looked for your body. Three fucking months, and you were alive this whole time."

"Yeah, well, I got busy."

"Clearly." He sighs, sinking back down to the floor after subconsciously standing up, "Gods. I can't believe it's actually you. Odin's beard, Hiccup. I just... wow. I don't know what else to say."

Looking to his left, Snotlout sees Hiccup already looking at him with wide eyes. Then the Dragon Master's eyes sharpen, and he says, "Keep it that way, Snotlout. Please. I can't risk anyone else finding this out."

The dragon rider questions, "What? Why?"

Snotlout watches Hiccup reach up to the back of his head, removing the tie keeping half of his hair out of his face. He runs a scarred, slender hand through his knotted hair. "I don't want them finding out. I can't. I don't think I would be able to deal with it."

"How much more selfish can you get?" Snotlout asks, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I- what?"

He tilts his head at Hiccup. "Firat you run away, making sure everybody on Berk believed you were dead. You bring the entire island grief and pain and suffering, and now suddenly we find you and you still want to keep yourself hidden?"

Hiccup's gaze steels. "Don't... Don't call me selfish, Snotlout." He bites, "You don't know the whole story."

"Do tell, then. Tell me your excuse as to why you ran away like a coward with your tail between your legs. Maybe I'll understand and let you go back into hiding again. How does that sound?" Snotlout snarks back. He buries down the regret to feel later. 

The Dragon Master looks into Snotlout's eyes with a dark glare. The muscles in his jaw ripple as he clenches it. "Don't." Snaps Dýr, "Don't call me a coward, either. You have no right to comment on my life."

"I have every right, Hiccup," Snotlout hisses, throwing his hands up, "I might be the immature, arrogant character in your story but I'm still a Berkian. I felt the effects of your loss, too. You're the one who has no right to be selfish like this." 

"Yes, I do! I do, because I spent fifteen years on that gods-forsaken island being treated like crap. I spent my entire life allowing myself to be pushed around by everyone on the island, including my own damn father, and suddenly when I want to do something for myself I'm the villain? I'm allowed to be selfish for once in my life, Snotlout, and you finding out my identity doesn't change that." Hiccup shouts. 

Snotlout's breathing quickens, and he lips his licks for the second time in only a few minutes. "Sure, you're allowed to be selfish, but you went beyond that, Hiccup. Face it, you were a coward. You ran away from the final ceremony. You couldn't bear to kill a dragon, our mortal enemies, because you, all of sudden, became buddy-buddy with a night fury!" 

"They wouldn't be your enemies if you had listened to me four years ago." 

Your, Snotlout thinks. Hiccup doesn't see himself as a Viking anymore.

"When did you ever try to tell us?" 

"So many times, Snotlout! And no one listened to me!" Hiccup yells, exasperated. Suddenly, Snotlout reels back, hit by the memories of the past. He does remember Hiccup saying something, but they all brushed him off, because who would listen to Hiccup the Useless? "Yeah, see? You remember."

Snotlout nods, mutely.

"I can't..." Hiccup sighs, dropping his head into his hands. "I can't argue with you about this anymore, Snotlout. I'm in too much pain to shout. Just promise me, okay? Promise me you won't tell."

Swallowing, Snotlout nods his head once more. "I promise."

Chapter Text

Hiccup keeps seeing the small movements of Snotlout's eyes in his peripheral vision, and it's becoming more and more obvious. From short, flickering glances to long hard stares when he thinks Hiccup isn't watching, Snotlout's gaze is mostly on him. He tries his hardest not to swallow and glare back at the Viking, instead clenching his jaw and trying to take his mind elsewhere.

Eventually, he can't take it anymore.

"What? What is it?" Hiccup snaps, turning to Snotlout and licking his lips.

Snotlout flinches back, brown eyes moving rapidly over his face. He opens his mouth to say something, but apparently decides against it and closes it again. The Viking looks away, glaring at the cage-like gate trapping them in the cell. After a moment, Snotlout sighs, looking back.

"Your injuries look pretty bad, today."

Hiccup nods, surveying Snotlout. "He hit me pretty hard." 

"I-... um, I..." He swallows, fiddling with his hands, "I'm glad they're only taking you out."

Hiccup raises an eyebrow at his ex-teammate. Immediately, Snotlout's hands fly up to his face with a squeak, and his pale face colours quite loudly. 

"No, no, no, no! I didn't mean it like that." He says. The Viking cringes, watching for Hiccup's reaction gingerly through meek eyes. "I just meant that... you know, obviously I'm not glad they're hurting you, I'm just glad none of the others are being hurt, you know?"

Hiccup offers him a tired smile. It's the most he can manage with a bruised, bloody face. "I know. I'm glad, too. I'd probably have done something stupid already if they were."

"Like what?"

"Chew through the bars?" Hiccup suggests. "I don't know. I've never had to escape from one of the hunters' ships before."

Snotlout blows out his cheeks. "I'm sorry." He says, gravely. "I know that... I know it's probably my fault you got trapped in here. If only I had... ugh, flew better or something. Maybe you wouldn't be in this situation. Maybe we wouldn't be in this situation."

"Don't blame yourself, Snotlout. If anything, it's my fault. I didn't warn any of you that there would be hunters." Hiccup stays quiet for a few moments. "You know, it's actually my fault that the hunters started manufacturing this dragon-proof metal." He says, grabbing onto the cold, unforgiving bars with scarred hands.

"Really?" He hears Snotlout ask. "What did you do?"

Hiccup laughs. "Blew up enough of their fleet that they had to start plating the entire ship with it."

To his left, Snotlout laughs as well. Small and quiet, but at least he laughs. It's the most joy Hiccup's seen or heard from him in a while. "At least you know you're enough of an annoyance to them." 

As his smile fades from his face, Hiccup sighs. He doesn't just want to be an annoyance, he wants to take out the entire league of hunters. They just seem to keep coming back every time Hiccup thinks he's managed to get rid of them.

"They're like weeds, you know. You think you've plucked them all out but they suddenly start regrowing again. I just can't find the roots."

Snolout hums. "Well, things like that take time."

Hiccup studies Snotlout with furrowed eyebrows. He doesn't look so much different as he did four or five years ago. The same wide, muscular torso and rounded jaw that makes every Jorgenson recognisable, and his lips are still thin and pale. 

It isn't his appearance that has differed much, aside from the obvious maturity added to his face and body. 

Snotlout meets his eyes. "What?"

"Nothing." Hiccup shakes his head. "You've changed."

"I have?"

"Not in a bad way," He clarifies, "Just... you're different, now. More mature."

"Oh."

They're both silent for a few more moments. Hiccup lets his head fall limply against the damp wooden boards on the wall, wrinkling his nose at the smell wafting from it. He doesn't move even when Snotlout starts to speak again.

"You've changed, too."

The Dragon Master hums his acknowledgement. "How so?"

Another bout of silence. Perhaps Snotlout thinking over his reply. "Well, a lot of things. You look different; like, grown-up. Before you were... kind of small, and scrawny. No offence, of course."

Hiccup chuckles. "Hm, I know."

"I think you're the tallest of us, now, which is crazy to think about. And you've actually got some muscle on you." The Viking pauses. "How about this; when we get out of here, after you've helped on Berk, you can stay for a while and we'll all spar. We'll have, like, a tournament, and see who wins."

Hiccup's throat suddenly feels very dry and scratchy. The idea of Berk suddenly seemed so, so close, too close, and yet, Hiccup could stand up and take a look out of the window and be met with the view of endless, rolling waves, and Berk seems so far that Hiccup gets vertigo. When, if, they manage to escape, how long would it take them to get back to the island? If they took too long, there is no doubt in Hiccup's mind that by then too many lives would have been lost. Dragon and human. 

He swallows. "Sure, and then?"

"And then you can... leave, I guess. If you want."

Silence permeates the air like toxic gas some dragons excrete from their skin, leaving a bitter taste in Hiccup's mouth. He hasn't really thought about the after, yet. He's been tucking it away in the back of his mind to let a future version of himself deal with it; perhaps that version of him is the current one, stuck rotting away in a cell on Ryker's boat while the inhabitants of Berk kill more dragons and the dragons, in turn, kill more humans. 

His heart beats harder. He's stuck down here while other hunters are turning dragons into meat, hacking off their limbs and wings and leaving the rest of the body to rot and decay on some random island somewhere. He feels sick. 

"We really need to escape." Hiccup decides, running a hand down his face and then wincing at the pain that follows. "I need to stop getting the living shit beaten out of me, and then maybe I'll be lucid enough to come up with a decent plan. Oh, my Gods. Dear Odin, we don't even know where Astrid, Fishlegs and the twins are. There's so much to do."

Just then, Hiccup's hunger decides to make itself known, and the Dragon Master, despite already feeling enough despair for a lifetime, feels his stomach drop to his feet knowing they won't get fed for another few hours at least.

"I really, really hate it in here."

Eventually, it takes the sharp sting of a slap across his face to wake Hiccup up from his nightmare. He jerks awake, bolting upright with a loud gasp, then regretting it when pain lances sharply across his side. 

Ryker unsheathes his swords, smiling wider than any human should ever be able to. He shows off his jagged canines, pulling back his lips so that all of his teeth are on display in the moonlight.

"-up. Hiccup!" Snolout's voice gets louder as he floats back into consciousness, trying to crack open his weary, sensitive eyes. His whole body aches and aches and for a moment he can't remember why until his memories slam right back into him.

Hiccup tries to escape, but he's not a skilled fighter yet. He received no training on Berk. He's slim and fast, which is all he has going for him, so he can dodge a few of Ryker's swings until the inevitable happens. The sword glints, barely a flash in the corner of his eye before he can hear the whistling of it cutting cleanly through the air, and then it's buried in his leg. 

"Wake up, Hiccup!" Snotlout all but squeals, grabbing onto his shoulders and shaking him violently until Hiccup reaches up and plies his cellmate's hands off of him, hissing at the pain.

The blood. There's so much blood.

"I'm leaving you to bleed out, boy. Pray you die here, or I will not be so merciful next time."

Hiccup can only nod. 

He groans, rolling over to his side and only just stopping himself from throwing up last night's stale bread. He knows he'll need the energy. "Gods, I'm awake, Snotlout. You didn't have to shake me so hard."

He drags himself back to where Toothless is hiding, pushing the dragon's head away when he tries to lick his wound. On the flight back to his island, Hiccup faints 3 times, only caught by his dragon's flapping wings. 

Hiccup cuts off his leg by himself. He makes his prosthetic by himself. He learns to use his new leg by himself. 

He can only long for the company of someone, anyone. 

"Sorry. I didn't... I didn't know how to wake you up otherwise. I think you were having a nightmare." Snotlout mumbles, rocking back onto his heels. "It looked pretty bad, Hiccup. Are, are you... okay?"

Hiccup exhales, trying his best to sit up in a way that doesn't make his entire body throb with pain. "You know, Snotlout, that's a great question. I'll get back to you when the answer comes to me."

Silence, for a few moments. 

"Want to talk about it?" Snotlout offers. 

For a second, Hiccup has nothing to say. He's so surprised that when he opens his mouth, nothing comes out. Nobody's ever asked him that before. Nobody's ever bothered to check how he is.

Just in a fleeting second, the four years Hiccup spent off Berk play like a vision behind his eyelids, and he decides that he is very, very lonely. 

He also decides that he does, in fact, want to talk about it.

"Did I ever tell you how I lost my leg?" Hiccup asks, and waits for Snotlout to shake his head before he continues. "It's a long story." 

"I feel like we aren't going anywhere anytime soon."

Nodding, Hiccup carries on. "Ryker and I go a long way back. Years, in fact. It must have been, oh, I don't know, the month after I left when I first ran into him? Yeah, not the most enjoyable of times. Especially for a fifteen-year-old fresh from the pack." He says, sighing. Relaxing his arms behind his head, he settles into the corner of the cell as comfortably as possible. "Anyway, I was young and inexperienced and stupid, and Toothless and I were still figuring stuff out together. I didn't know what hunters were yet, and I needed supplies, so I landed on the closest ship there was."

Snotlout gives Hiccup a look. 

"Don't give me that look. I know now, but I was fifteen, Snotlout. I'd never been off the island and I was naive and hopeless. It wasn't even close to the beginning of the whole dragon-master thing. That was years later. Well, by any means, you can guess how it went."

It seems like the realisation dawns on Snotlout abruptly. "Oh!" He draws it out. "Oh, right. It was a hunter's ship."

Hiccup nods. "Well, luckily, Toothless was still somewhat wild then, and before they could do anything I guess his instincts caught up to him and he bolted right onto the cliff nearby. I was not as lucky. I suppose the hunters had never seen anybody ride a dragon before, so they tied me up and poked and prodded me just to make sure I was fully human. They didn't fully believe it even when they had finished completely searching me, I think. I must have been quite a sight though; an unwashed teenage boy covered in dirt and shit on a dragon's back, so you can't really blame them."

On his left, he sees Snotlout's head roll around so he's looking at Hiccup again. "You can't." He says, "Blame them, that is. You did look like a dragon when we first came to your island. The mask, and everything." He gestures to the broken piece of wood stuffed into the corner of the cell. 

With a little snort of laughter, Hiccup carries on with his story. "Ryker came out from his fancy office below decks. I'm willing to bet it looked exactly like the one in this ship- gold-plated while everything else on here is rotting away. It's one of the things I see most often in my dreams. Ryker emerging from the shadows like... I don't even know. And you of all people know how small I was when I was fifteen, so Ryker just seemed huge, to me, like a giant. It was terrifying. I was terrified."

Hiccup sighs again, thinking about how to carry on. 

"I guess... well, it's not every day you see someone riding on a Night Fury, so I guess word got around and Ryker knew who I was. He saw I was a human and decided that I was then a traitor to all humans, and Ryker just hates traitors." Hiccup says with a roll of his eyes. He crosses his arms across his chest and thinks he surely looks every bit the petulant young man he is. "And what do you decide to do with traitors? Duel them, apparently, even though I was quite literally half his size. I don't even know what goes on in his head. I think most of it is made of skull, not brains."

"I see what you mean," Snotlout says with a grimace on his face. 

"He left me tied up on the mast for hours until we finally started moving towards an island where we could duel. To tire me out, I suppose. Perhaps he wasn't quite convinced I was fully human either." Hiccup says, thinking back to the past. He recalls the way he had been left out for the cold nighttime air to freeze him and decay his strength. "But you probably know how that went. I barely even had a weapon. A small sword I had smuggled from Gobber the day I left. It's gone now, of course, Ryker disarmed me almost immediately. I had lost within, what, ten seconds?

He didn't stop there, though. He kept attacking me, and I've got the scars to remind me. And the missing leg. In the end, he nearly severed my shin all the way through, but he left just a little bit there, just enough so that I would have to cut it off myself. Do you wanna know what he said to me? He said, 'I'm leaving you to bleed out, boy. Pray you die here, or I will not be so merciful next time.'" Hiccup repeats the very words he had heard in his head not even a quarter of an hour ago. 

"Perhaps he really did think I was going to die there, because the way he said it was very regal and posh, like he'd been practising for days. I think he counted on the fact I'd never see him again to make a 'good' first impression. Anyway, as he said, he left me there, and I kind of dragged myself to the forest. I thank Odin every day that Toothless found me in time. He had my bag, where I ripped up the fabric to stop the bleeding. That's the only way I lived.

I think I might've passed out on the way back to where I was staying. It's good Toothless is smart because he knew the way and I most certainly did not. But we got there, somehow, and I cut my leg off the same night. I've kind of blanked it from my memory, but I think that's the first time I really regretted leaving. I was all alone on an unknown island with nothing except a semi-tame dragon and thousands of wild ones to keep me company."

"Gods, Hiccup. I don't... I don't even know what to say." Snotlout mutters, wringing his hands together.

Suddenly, Hiccup finds his throat is very raw. "You don't have to say anything." He rasps, swallowing heavily. 

The silence that follows is somehow both incredibly loud and incredibly quiet to Hiccup's ears. His stump aches with phantom pain, the non-existent part of his leg flaring up in agony. Hiccup reaches down to remove the metal device when Snotlout's voice once again cuts through the air.

"What's," he starts, "What's he like? Ryker, I mean."

Hiccup hasn't even begun to think of a reply when the unmistakable whining creak of the gate sounds from the corridor outside. Two guards march in, both tall, bulk men with axes strapped to their backs and clubs in hand. One has a cloak of dragon scales and metal spikes which glints evilly in the candlelight of the hallway, and his club is wooden, but rather dark and heavy-looking.

The other has a large scar running down the side of his face, cutting through his lips. "I reckon you're about to find out, Berkian." He sneers the title like a slur. "Get up, lazy Viking. He wants to see you."

Chapter Text

Astrid watches with impassive silence as they drag his unconscious body past her cell. Dýr's body is mangled and limp, his tall frame being dragged across the floor like a sack of potatoes. 

She watches in impassive silence because she's determined to convince herself that she doesn't care. It's going well, so far. (It isn't.)

The first three guards, one flanking while the other two drag the body, ignore her, sparing her none of their time. The last one, holding a thick, spiked club, kicks the gate of Astrid's cell so hard it rattles on its hinges. Fishlegs jumps awake. He sits up just in time to see the guard crouch in front of the cell, swinging his club over his muscular shoulders.

"It'll be your turn soon, missy, don't you worry." He leers, yellow teeth and disgusting breath making Astrid recoil. He laughs cruelly. "A pretty one, ain't ya? I heard your precious Dragon Master is too. I reckon Ryker couldn't decide whether to keep him to himself or sell him. Seeing you might make him change his mind."

"You're... disgusting!" Fishlegs spits, when Astrid is unable to find her voice to reply. 

The guard narrows his eyes at Fishlegs. Unlike the blonde, his size is made of muscle and bone. "Am I now? Well, if that's what you think, I suppose I'll have to change all my ways now, won't I?" 

Astrid eyes the guard with disgust. She itches to reach her hand through the bars and rip his ears off his face or gouge out one of his eyes, but all she does it fix him with a glare. He rolls his eyes and stands up, sneering at them. After far too long, he finally walks away.

She exhales, letting out a breath she didn't realise she'd been holding.

"We need to get out of here. Today, preferably." She says, turning away from the gate to her teammates inside. 

Ruffnut and Tuffnut are uncharacteristically quiet. Then Tuffnut speaks up.

"So... are we assuming that Dýr and Snotlout are in a cell together, or what? 'Cuz like, it'd be pretty inconvenient if we found one of their cells and not the other, you know? Just a mess all around."

Fishlegs shakes his head. "I think it's safe to assume they're being held in the same cell."

Astrid nods in agreement. She'd seen they didn't have many cells when they had been brought in. "Yes. It's not a big ship, but I expect whoever is in charge, that Ryker guy probably, will have designed it so it's hard to navigate."

"Better for trapping their victims, right?"

"Exactly."

"Jeez, you guys are so glum," Ruffnut groans, rolling her eyes and slumping against the wall. "I want to get out of here. Oh, guards," She singsongs, far too loudly. 

"Ruffnut, keep it down!" Astrid hisses, but a smile slowly but surely makes its way onto her face, even though she tries desperately to stop it. Astrid exaggerates her words, making them sound suspicious and worthy of paying attention to. 

Tuffnut puts his hands around his mouth. "Oh, guards!" He singsongs, upbeat. "My poor, poor sister needs some help over here!"

As expected, the guards, not the three from earlier, stomp over moodily. "What is it?" One of them spits.

"Can't you see how much distress my sister is in?" Tuffnut cries, wrapping an arm around his now wailing sister. Astrid is taken aback. She didn't even see Ruffnut start crying at all. "She needs help!"

"Oh, please," Ruffnut blabbers, clasping her hands together, "Please help me!"

"It'll make us ever so happy if you do!" Astrid coos, batting her eyelashes dopily. Mentally, she throws up and resolves never to do something like that ever again. Her voice sounds alien to her own ears.

The guards, about to walk off, hesitate. They share a glance with one another and Astrid suppresses her smirk, knowing they've got them on the hook. Who would've known the key to their escape would've been so easily claimed? 

One of them steps forward, unsure. "What do you need?"

"Please, let me see the ocean one last time before I die! Please! I'll do anything!" Ruffnut sobs, clambering up and rushing to the bars of the gate. She swings her long blonde braids gently.

The guards share another look, lick their lips. Astrid feels sick, but if it's working, it's working.

"Anything, you say?"

"Yes, anything!" Ruffnut puts her chin down and looks at them innocently. 

It works like a charm. Immediately, the guard nudges his friend and he begins to mess with his belt, at last pulling out a set of keys which he shoves into the lock and opens the gate. Ruffnut springs to her feet, tears still welling in her eyes. 

She looks innocent, but Astrid knows better. The change in her stance might look like relaxation to the untrained eye, but Astrid sees the way she digs her feet as much as she can into the unsteady wooden planks of the floor. Ruffnut slips under the rising gate, reaching out with her long, slender arms. The guards look eager, swinging open the gate so hard it would have smashed through the wall had the they not caught it. 

Ruffnut waits. 

They are three steps away.

Astrid sees Ruffnut's arms tense up.

Two, one step away.

Then she pounces. 

Astrid knows she doesn't need to help. The first guard is out within a second, and without wasting time, Ruffnut catches him and lowers him to the ground with no sound. The second guard has barely had time to compute what is happening before she's rushing at him too, with her fist outstretched. He's more prepared than the other and drops into a fighting stance. Ruffnut's first punch is blocked, but she quickly follows up with another that lands in his side. 

The guard wheezes, doubling over. But it is a ruse. He lunges forward and wraps his arms around Ruffnut's waist, and they both go flying to the side. They roll a couple times, fighting for dominance but the guard quickly pins her. He's heavier and bulkier, and has no problem using his weight to stop her from moving. 

But Ruffnut doesn't fight fair. She knees his groin and then kicks up into his legs, and he releases her on instinct to shield his crotch. Quickly, Ruffnut scampers out from underneath him and kicks his head, knocking his face back violently. His nose starts to bleed, and he snarls hatefully at Ruffnut who is standing above him with a fist raised.

She goes to punch him, but the guard catches her fist. He twists it so violently and sharply Ruffnut cries out in pain and rips his hand off her wrist with her spare hand. She's a lot stronger than she looks, and it takes the guard by surprise. He releases her, and this time her left fist flies towards his face. It hits, and he recoils once again. 

Now Ruffnut is at a disadvantage. Astrid can see her cradling her wrist in pain, and it looks red and swollen already. Broken, probably.

Looking back, Astrid signals to Fishlegs. His eyes widen in understanding, and for a big, pudgy guy, he gets up silently. Deadly. Astrid already knows he's going to end it. Within a second, just as Ruffnut and the guard begin to scuffle, he sneaks up behind them and with one powerful hit, knocks the guard out cold.

"Thanks," Ruffnut croaks, smirking that one-sided smile. 

"No problem," Fishlegs replies. 

Tuffnut jumps out of their cell and pokes the two bodies of the guards with his toe. "Seems like they're out cold, sis." He says, squatting down to poke at the first guard's face.

Astrid rouses them. "We need to go. No doubt someone heard that scuffle. Someone will be down here soon." She motions to the door, which is currently closed and locked, but definitely not soundproof. The slam of the metal cell gate had definitely alerted somebody. 

They follow her lead to the opposite end of the hallway, where Astrid creaks open the door and peers around it, reaching round her back and gripping at her knife at the same time. Luckily, she can't hear or see anyone, so she motions for the rest of her teammates to follow her. 

"Um, Astrid," Fishlegs whispers. Astrid nods in acknowledgement. "Do you know where we're going?"

Astrid considers this for a moment. Then she shakes her head. "No. But I'm sure we can figure it out. After all, all we need to do is follow the trail of blood on the floor."

It slips out of her mouth before she's even realised what she's said. Looking down at the ground, Astrid suddenly begins to feel slightly nauseous. The blood is fresh and crimson, and the dragon master's body flashes like a vision behind her eyelids. Her breathing hitches and her mouth goes dry. 

Calm down, she thinks to herself, it's not like he's dead or anything. 

She swallows and shakes herself right again, but she still can't quite decrease her pulse. Her heart pounds loudly in her ears.

Soon enough, they turn a corner and Astrid immediately stops. Ruffnut bumps into her back, and Astrid holds up a hand to tell them to stop. Silence falls. Around the corner, the sound of laughter echoes throughout the halls, and bottles slam on tables. The guards must be drunk.

"That's where they're keeping Dýr," Astrid tells her teammates, spinning to face them. "I don't think there are many. Five or six, maybe? We should be able to take them out. But I'm suspicious. I don't understand why this is so... easy." 

Fishlegs exhales. "Yeah, but we should just take it for granted and use it while we can."

"I suppose," Astrid replies. 

"So, how should we do this?" Tuffnut asks, "'Cuz in my experience, taking out five grown men doesn't come silently."

"We'll ambush them, just like we do best," Astrid says.

Everyone nods. Astrid motions for silence and then crouches down using the corners of the corridor to her advantage. The torches on the walls flicker and she hides herself in the shadows, trusting her teammates to do the same. Coming to a stop a few metres away from the guards' table, Astrid surveys the scene.

There are six guards in total, just like she had expected. The good news is: they're all very drunk.

The bad news? They're drunk, and drunk people are always loud. 

Astird reaches behind her and pulls out her knife, gripping it tightly in her fist. She looks behind her and nods at her teammates, who all have varying levels of confidence in their eyes. Both twins have a weapon in their hands. 

Everyone stills. She hears her heartbeat in her ears, so loud she's almost scared that others can hear it.

Then they attack. Too quickly for the man opposite to react, Astrid jumps up and drags the guard nearest to her off the bench with a grunt. She swings the pommel of her knife into his head, not guarded by the helmet discarded on the table, and he crumples to the ground instantly. Looking around for a moment, Astrid sees Fishlegs do the same with one guard and the twins have teamed up on another. He goes down just as quickly.

The other three on the table seem to have caught on by now. Their movements are sloppy and messy, and their reflexes are slow, but Astrid is still wary, and she shouts for the rest of them to be the same. 

She focuses her attention on the guard nearest the end. He is tall and muscular, but in a way that reminds her of Dýr; lithe, corded muscle made for speed rather than force. His eyes are sharp and he seems not to be as drunk as the other two. Standing up from the bench, the man fixes her with a sharp glare. His eyes, a deep brown colour, bore into her face like he's trying to dig a hole with just his glare. 

But Astrid is not intimidated. She squares her shoulders and draws herself up to her full height, bringing her arm up and baring the knife in front of her. She doesn't wait for her opponent to make the first move. Jumping forward, Astrid lashes out with her knife arm and catches his cheek, but he dodges before she can do any real damage. Quickly, he retaliates with a punch, which Astrid ducks under.

She spins and delivers a hard kick to his abdomen, relishing the way her leg feels after connecting solidly with his body. The guard stumbles back a couple of steps, but quickly recovers and rushes forward. However, his balance is off, and on his way to try and kick her back, he stumbles. Astrid catches his leg and rips it upwards, and he hits the ground with a thud.

Wasting no time, Astrid falls to the floor on top of him and pins his arms, but he fights back and tries to kick her off. She catches his flailing arms as he rolls around and pins them backwards to the point of pain.

"Let me go, bitch," He spits, craning his neck around from the floor to look at her.

Astrid narrows her eyes at him. Doesn't say anything, but lets her glare do all the work. Then she pulls his arm back more and more, until it breaks with a loud snap. Astrid wraps her free hand around his mouth with a grin, savouring the vibrations that travel up her arm as he screams.

Then she lets go of his broken arm, letting it fall to the ground limply. Instead, she buries her hand in his hair, rips his head up and slams it into the ground. Again and again, Astrid bangs his head on the floor until there's blood pooling on the wood. Only when she's completely sure he's unresponsive and satisfied with the amount of blood does she let him go.

Clambering up from the floor, Astrid sees that her teammates are all done, watching her finish up.

"Ooh!" Ruffnut whoops, "Didn't know you had it in ya, sister!" 

Astrid rolls her eyes. "Whatever. Let's just go and find them."

She stands up completely, dusting her clothes off and motioning for her teammates to follow her.

It's almost suspiciously easy to find their cell. While Astrid hadn't been exaggerating earlier and they were following a trail of blood, she would've thought the cell holding the dragon master would've been better protected. But it isn't, and they find it less than five minutes later. 

The first thing Astrid sees when she rounds the corner is Dýr's slim figure curling up the corner of the cell. His long, auburn hair sticks out from his mask, which seems to be cracked down the middle. His vibrant green eyes and pale skin are visible through it, so the shadows that used to be there have been dispelled. Some of his clothes are ripped, leaving one of his arms out in the open and the other bare up to his elbow. Some of his torso his exposed too, showing scarred skin and corded muscle. 

The next thing she notices is the blood.

There is so much blood. Astrid's never seen so much of it in one place. 

Some of it is crimson and shiny, new blood, perhaps drawn in the past hour or so. Where his body isn't covered by fabric, it's covered in blood. 

And some of it is cakey and dark too, old blood, which is shed all over the cell. The wooden floor seems to be stained a dark brown colour by it, and through the crack in his mask Astrid sees more. When he looks up and meets Astrid's eyes, her blood runs cold. 

There's a funny feeling in her stomach, a bit like she's nervous. Dýr's eyes, or eye, shine brightly, but one of them is closed and scrunched tightly shut. There's a deep wound gouged through it, and it looks red and inflamed. Astrid doesn't know the extent of the cut, but she can already tell he will never be able to use that eye again, and it'll leave a nasty scar. 

Although her teammates around her are already working on getting the gate open, Astrid feels paralysed.

"Are you okay?" She whispers, though she's unsure if any sound even comes out of her mouth.

He seems to hear her, looking deeply into her eyes. It's filled with a depth Astrid doesn't quite understand.

All of a sudden, she's broken out of her trance.

"Astrid!" Ruffnut shouts, "Help me open this gate!" 

Together, Ruffnut and Astrid work through the ring of keys until it unlocks, and Fishlegs pries the gate open. Astrid floods in, holding her arm out to stop the rest of her teammates coming in for just a second. She throws herself on the ground, sitting in front of Dýr until he looks up at her again.

Something is missing.

"They took him," Dýr whispers so quietly she has to lean in to hear him.

"What?"

"Snotlout," he clarifies. "You came at the wrong time. Ryker's got Snotlout."