Astrid was starting to get antsy.
Only a few short days remained until the chief was expected to make his return to Berk, and she hadn't seen any sign of Hiccup. While she could respect his desire to take advantage of the full opportunity, she also wished he wouldn't cut things so close.
Granted, it could take Stoick longer than planned to return…but it could easily go the opposite way. If the chief returned to Berk's shores to find Hiccup missing, she did not want to be the one cornered about it. Considering their friendship, she doubted he'd pick anyone else to interrogate.
A bit of fear gnawed at her gut, reminding her that she didn't have any real answers. She didn't know if he'd made it to the fortress or if he'd had any success learning about the dragons. She didn't even know if he was safe.
If only there were some way she could get a message to him and check in with him, but it wasn't as if she could follow him.
Wait.
Astrid pursed her lips, turning the wild idea of her mind. It could work, but it was also a reckless long shot…which somehow made it all the more enticing. Some part of her just wanted to know if it was possible .
Oh, gods. Hiccup was rubbing off on her. Her lips twitched up into an involuntary smile, unexpectedly warmed by the thought.
"What would he do?" She muttered to herself, squinting at her reflection in her axe's blade as if she'd find the answers hidden there. She was meant to be training, but it wasn't going well. Her swirling thoughts had made her aim embarrassingly unsteady and her swings clumsily unbalanced. She was grateful that no one was around to witness the mess of it all.
It wasn't a hard puzzle to figure out. Hiccup would easily take the risk if he thought it could help her – of that, she was confident. The real question was: was she willing to do the same?
She closed her eyes, shaking her head. A year ago, the answer would have been no. But now? For him?
Of course she was. It was Hiccup.
With a groan, Astrid holstered her weapon. She set off at a quick pace, determined to reach the cove as soon as possible. If she was going to go through with this plan, she needed to get moving before she lost her nerve.
"Are you sure that I cannot change your mind?" Valka asked, tightening the straps on her armor. "It's not too late."
Hiccup shook his head hard, refusing the offer to back out with ease. He did not want to be left behind again.
Valka's expression made it clear she didn't approve of his choice, but she nodded her acknowledgement of it anyways. She'd already agreed, so she couldn't forbid him from coming along. "Very well, but I need to know that you'll listen to my instructions to the letter while we're out there. If I tell you to flee, you flee. There will be no unplanned heroics – is that understood?"
He nodded, flexing his wings in anticipation.
"I counted fourteen men on my last mission," she said, picking up her helmet and bracing it against her side. "With the speed at which their operation is growing, it would not surprise me if there are even more now. We cannot afford to underestimate them or their numbers."
She drew her fingers to her lips, whistling loudly. In a matter of seconds, Cloudjumper had swooped down and taken his place beside her.
"We'll try to save as many dragons as we can," continued Valka, determination in her voice as she slid her helmet into place, "by any means necessary. It's a grim business, my son, but holding back can get you killed. These men are beyond help, beyond reason. They have no honor or code. If it comes down to it, you must choose to protect yourself at any cost."
Hiccup felt his stomach flip at the implication. While he wanted to rescue the dragons and cripple the poaching operation, he had no desire to take a life if it could be avoided. Even if those same men wished him harm.
He didn't answer. It wasn't a promise he felt he could make. If his mother noticed his discomfort, she gave no sign.
Valka took her place atop Cloudjumper's back, beckoning towards him. "We'll stay above the cloud cover until we reach the base. Once we arrive, I want you to maintain that altitude until I say so. Cloudjumper will drop me a ways behind the base, and I'll go in the rest of the way on foot to scope things out. I don't want any dragons to be seen until I know exactly what we're dealing with, so it's safest to do it this way. Do not engage until I say, alright?"
He grunted his agreement.
Astrid's heart was pounding as Berk faded into the distance behind her.
Her knees were pressed tightly to Stormfly's neck, hands clutching tightly to the dragon's spikes. She was glad she'd had the foresight to tie a rope between her waist and Stormfly's neck, granting her a little bit of a safety net.
It wasn't like riding a horse – balancing against the slick scales took constant effort. Idly she wondered if a saddle might make the experience more pleasant, but she was quick to dismiss it. Who would ever make such a thing for a dragon?
The islands below were familiar shapes, matching up precisely with Hiccup's map. It was strange to be able to recognize them so easily, since she'd never seen them from this angle herself. She could tell he'd done an impressive job capturing their likenesses – not that she was surprised. He'd always been the most artistic one in the village.
Once Astrid had finally passed over the last of the islands from the map, she felt her earlier burst of confidence begin to waver. This was madness. She had no idea where she was headed, and she was officially reaching uncharted territory. All she knew was that she was looking for ice …somewhere in the archipelago.
Great, she thought with irritation, that just narrows it down to pretty much everywhere.
Astrid had one clue to go off of – she knew the general direction that he'd flow off in. It was a start, but it failed to account for the distance he traveled or if he'd deviated off to either side during his journey. He could fly there in under a day, but he was a Night Fury and speed was relative . It was hard to calculate just how long that would take a slower species.
The realization was feeding into her doubts, highlighting just how out of her expertise she was going. She was a warrior, not a tracker, and she'd been cocky in assuming she could take on this task with no experience.
Worse, the open sea and sky were starting to look the same in all directions. Had they turned at some point? Where exactly were they now?
If she was lost, she was no good to Hiccup. She was no good to anyone if she failed.
I have to succeed.
"Maybe we should land for a bit?" Astrid suggested after another chilly hour in the air, muscles burning. A thick fog had amassed in the air below, making it difficult to see the passing world in any real clarity. She doubted she'd be able to recognize the fortress through it and she didn't want to risk passing it by.
The wind snatched her words away, but to her relief Stormfly seemed to catch them. The Nadder began to make her decent, veering towards a small sea stack below.
When they reached solid ground, Astrid all but fell from the dragon's back. It was a relief to feel the soft grass beneath her boots, to steady herself on the earth.
Flying was exhilarating, but it was also exhausting. She could finally relax her muscles, taking joy in rolling her shoulders and cracking her wrists. Her palms were scraped and sore from clutching the spikes, and her knees felt like jelly.
Surely there had to be a better way to ride a dragon? Now that she'd had a taste for it, she didn't want to give it up. However, she'd prefer to do so without needing to cling on for dear life.
Though she'd previously dismissed the idea as crazy, now a part of her wondered if a saddle had promise after all. She did know a smith with an interest in dragons.
At that thought, she stilled. What would Hiccup think of such a suggestion? Dragons were far more intelligent than any other creature vikings had come across so perhaps it would be wrong to treat them that way. Not to mention…to someone who was a dragon, would it be insulting to even ask?
She bit her lip, resolving to bury the idea in her mind. For now, she would keep it to herself.
Astrid arched her back, stretching her arms overhead to address the soreness in her shoulders. Once satisfied, she let herself slip to the ground, shifting her attention to stretching out her legs.
She just needed a little break, and then she'd be back on her way.
"They must have transferred the dragons somewhere else," Valka informed Hiccup when she returned, expression grim. "I searched everywhere but I can't find so much as an egg."
Hiccup tilted his head to the side, mindful not to lose altitude as they hovered above the clouds. His wings were starting to burn from the effort of staying in place, and he hoped they'd be making a move soon.
"I don't like this," she admitted, tapping her fingers against her helmet, "they're changing their patterns – evolving. These operations are always simple, they don't change. I don't know what it means…"
Hiccup didn't like to see her shaken about the discovery. On the flight over, she'd seemed confident and completely self-assured.
He didn't like to consider why the change had her so rattled.
"They've gotten smarter," she continued, a bit of steel entering her voice as she donned her helmet, "but we can still damage their operation. Hiccup, I want you to blast their defenses. Take out any catapults, crossbows or other long range weapons. Do not get close enough to let the short range ones near you. Cloudjumper and I will take out the supports for their fortress. They can't operate here if the camp is underwater."
He warbled his agreement.
Hiccup was glad that he'd had more practice with the plasma blasts in recent months – it made him more confident in his ability to aim now. Though the average viking believed a Night Fury couldn't miss, he knew with an embarrassing level of certainty that it was definitely possible.
Cloudjumper dove down. When Hiccup followed, he got his first good look at the infamous base. The wooden fortress was perched half on and half off a sea stack, wooden beams running down into the ocean below. It was a patchwork construction, silhouette uneven and clearly constructed with haste.
A long dock spanned one side of the structure, with a ramp leading up from the water towards a group of empty metal cages. Thick layers of soot and scratches coated the cells, evidence of the previous residents and their attempts to escape.
It painted a grim picture.
Any hope they'd had of catching the poachers unawares dimmed in seconds. A man was stationed as a lookout, and he caught sight of the approaching dragons rocketing through the clouds. A yell rang out, followed by the jarring toll of an alarm bell.
It was all very precise, as if they'd been expecting the attack. Hiccup supposed it was fair for them to be on guard after Valka's other visits, but he hoped they didn't have any tricks up their sleeves.
He tried not to dwell on it, reminding himself of his task. Valka was counting on him to take out the long-range threats. He scanned the deck of the base carefully, looking for catapults. If his father's lessons were any indication, they were likely to be at the corners and along the perimeter…
A-ha!
The catapult exploded with a satisfying boom, flinging bits of splintered debris high up into the air. Nearby poachers threw their hands defensively above their heads, shielding their faces from the onslaught.
Satisfied, Hiccup swooped away, angling himself back up to a safer vantage point as he sought out his next target.
There!
Soon, he lost himself in the rhythm of it: find a target, fire a plasma blast and then escape to higher ground. Repeat. It was kind of fun, having a chance to practice his aim in this way. His throat burned with the ashy taste of his plasma blasts, but for once the sensation didn't bother him. It was a good kind of burn. It felt right.
A few of the men had tried to hit him with their blades whenever he drew too near, but his quick reflexes and Night Fury speed were enough to spare him any injury.
He could hear other explosions in the distance from time to time – undoubtedly the sound of dragon fire. He hoped Valka was holding her own against their enemies, but he knew she would not appreciate him losing sight of his task to check up on her.
It turned out, he had no reason to worry.
When the base began to shake and the men's yells shifted from anger to genuine fear, Hiccup knew that his mother had been successful. The fortress started to tip dangerously to one side, wood support beams groaning loudly under the effort.
"It's going down!"
"To the boats!"
"Move, you idiots – now!"
It was satisfying to watch the poachers abandon their weapons and scatter, pushing each other out of the way in their rush to escape the collapsing fortress.
One man was caught in the path of a sliding cage, unable to get around it as it came crashing towards him. Hiccup winced as the man was dragged under the waves, unsettled when he didn't reappear. With his keen hearing, he could hear the moment the screaming cut off into a strange gurgling noise...and then petered out. Though he hadn't dealt the blow, he felt responsible for the man's death.
At any cost. Hiccup snarled, once more upset with the methods his mother employed. Were they really doing good if it came at the cost of lives? Wasn't there a less aggressive way to help the dragons?
To his relief, there didn't appear to be any other noticeable casualties, though it seemed that wherever the poachers had taken the dragons had left them at a disadvantage: they now had only one ship docked at the base. As such, they were forced to crowd tightly together on its deck.
The fortress gave one last horrible groan before finally giving out, splintering and crashing towards the waves. The momentum pulled the bit anchored to the sea stack free, dragging it into the depths of the waves. The water rippled and churned with the impact, sending a massive wave rolling out. It rocked up against the ship, nearly tipping it on its side.
Men cried out in alarm, rushing to steady the sails and right the ship until the sea calmed once more.
In minutes, evidence of the base had been reduced to a stray pieces of wood that broken off the structure in the collapse. They bobbled loosely at the surface of the water, an echo of what had stood tall in its place. It was jarring to see the total destruction of something, but Hiccup knew it was for the best. Without a base, the poachers would be forced to slow their efforts and regroup.
Still…despite the cause, it didn't sit right with him. Hiccup wanted to be a builder, a creator – not a destroyer. It left a strange pit in his stomach.
A sharp gust of air drew Hiccup's attention. He turned, watching as Valka and Cloudjumper swept up towards the clouds at a dizzying speed.
I guess that means it's time to go.
He pumped his wings, preparing to follow them.
"What are you fools waiting for? There's a at least one longbow below deck, I expect you to shoot that blasted beast down now before he gets away!"
Hiccup's attention returned to the ship, realizing they must be talking about him. He let another plasma blast build in his mouth, racing past them and firing a single warning shot near their sails. It didn't do any damage, but it was close enough for the men to feel the heat of it. He noted with pleasure that it was enough to startle the poachers out of action. No one dared make any further move to go below deck.
Good.
As his eyes swept over the deck, they caught on one man. Unlike the others, he did not seem cowed by the warning shot. Instead, he was scrutinizing Hiccup with an uncomfortable level of interest. Like he knew the miss was intentional.
Perturbed by the attention, Hiccup launched himself up after his mother.
Astrid had decided that she would wait out the fog, giving herself and Stormfly some well-earned time to rest and recuperate.
She dug a few strips of dried meat from her bag, knowing she needed to eat to keep her strength up, and offered a few pieces to the Nadder. To her surprise, Stormfly turned her nose up at the meat. The dragon took off, returning minutes later with a mouthful of fish. The duo ate in silence, both drained from the journey.
By the time the sun hung long on the horizon, Astrid was relieved to learn that the decision to stop had worked out in her favor.
Standing on the edge of the sea stack, she squinted at the glittering structure in the distance. From what she could tell, it did fit Hiccup's description well enough, though she wished she had a spyglass to know for certain before they wasted any time. At this point, she wouldn't be surprised if the whole thing was a mirage brought on by her wishful thinking.
"What do you think?" She asked Stormfly, "Is that really it?"
The Nadder only chirped happily, nuzzling her face against Astrid's shoulder. Her breath was hot on Astrid's neck, a welcome reprieve from the evening breeze.
"Yeah. Only one way to know for sure," she decided, rolling her wrists and reaching out for Stormfly's back. The dragon stilled, allowing her to pull herself up with ease. "Let's go, girl."
Mercifully, it wasn't a long flight. Soon they were passing over the spires of ice, circling the towering nest. Just as Hiccup had said, the place gave off the distinct aura of something unnatural. She shivered, pulling herself tighter against Stormfly's warm scales.
"So how do we get in–ah!"
Stormfly suddenly banked towards the ice, and Astrid squeezed her eyes shut in terror. Was the dragon really going to risk impaling them on the sharp wall of ice?
But the impact never came.
Stormfly stopped, muscles fully relaxing. That had to mean they were no longer be flying…right? Astrid cautiously cracked open an eye, taking note of the strange surroundings. They were in some sort of tunnel, made entirely of ice. The fading day's light streamed in from behind her, illuminating the beginning of the maze ahead.
Stormfly hadn't tried to crash them, she'd found an opening .
Astrid relaxed, taking in her surroundings more calmly. Hiccup had told her about the network of tunnels surrounding the nest. If there'd been any lingering doubt that she'd found the right place, it had just been put to rest. She slid off Stormfly's back with renewed confidence, beckoning for the dragon to follow her deeper into the tunnel.
The ground was slick and she had to move more slowly than she liked in order to maintain her balance, feeling her boots start to skid on parts of the ice. Idly, she wondered if she'd have been better off staying on Stormfly's back, as the dragon did not appear to be having the same issues. Then again, Stormfly had carried her this far…it was only fair that she pull her own weight now.
She supposed the only way to get through a maze was to take the turns as they came and see where they led. Astrid beelined for the first gap she saw, hurrying around the bend.
"Oh gods!"
She skidded to a stop, finding herself face to face with a small green Gronckle. It blinked at her, looking as startled to see her as she had been to see it. The dragon cocked its head to the side, assessing her. It sniffed the air, noise echoing loudly in the cramped space, before narrowing its eyes and beginning to advance towards her.
She suddenly felt like she was back in the arena, being held under the predatory gaze of an unfamiliar dragon. It took all of her concentration to not draw on those years of training and unshealth her weapon.
It's probably just curious, she reminded herself, though her heart was slamming away in her chest. There's no need to panic.
"SQUACK!"
Stormfly's cry rang through the space as she moved to wedge herself between the Gronckle and viking. The Nadder raised her wings high, posture threatening as she let loose a loud string of clicks and snarls. Astrid clamped her hands over her ears, gritting her teeth at the noise.
Whatever message Stormfly was trying to communicate to the foreign dragon, it appeared to be received quickly by the Gronckle. The dragon lowered its head in a display of submission, turning tail and making a hasty retreat.
"Thank you," said Astrid, grateful for the Nadder's unexpected protection. Though she still wasn't sure the Gronckle had actually meant them any harm, it was nice to know that someone was looking out for her in this strange dragon nest.
Stormfly leaned into her touch, cooing at the praise.
Astrid eyes the tunnel ahead, skeptical about the wisdom of continuing on the same path. She'd rather not run into that particular Gronckle again, if it could be avoided. Instead, she decided that she'd take the next offshoot that she came across in order to put some distance between them. It was better to be on the safe side, in this unfamiliar place.
She'd only taken a few steps down the new path when she noticed the sharp, echoing click of dragon claws coming from somewhere up ahead. The sound was growing louder by the second, telling her that the creature was heading towards her – likely drawn in by the commotion that Stormfly had drummed up.
She edged closer to her dragon, hoping the Nadder's protective streak would continue and the dragon would keep her safe through this next encounter. If not, she supposed she could try to use that technique Hiccup had shown her for taming dragons, but it felt risky. She'd only ever tried it with Stormfly, in a time when she knew Hiccup was there to back her up if needed.
What if she didn't remember everything now? What if she made a mistake when it mattered?
It wasn't worth the risk. She'd have to put her trust in her dragon.
The shadows ahead started to knit together, growing darker and darker as a large shape filled the path. Soon, she could make out the gleam of a large set of green eyes that narrowed when they caught sight of her. The approaching dragon's maw dropped open, revealing that it was…toothless?
Astrid squinted against the shadows of the cave, trying to pick out the silhouette. "Hiccup?"
A happy warble answered her, and at last her eyes had adjusted enough that she could make out the distinct outline of a Night Fury. With a laugh of pure relief, she took off down the tunnel, throwing her arms around him.
"Oh my gods, it's so good to see you," she whispered against his neck, before leaning back and punching his ear. " That's for creeping over here like that, you muttonhead! A little warning would have been nice. Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"
He rolled his eyes, resting his chin on her shoulder for a moment and humming low. An apology.
"Yeah, yeah," she shoved his head off her shoulder, unable to keep the fondness from her tone. "Just don't do it again."