Disclaimer: Sadly, the How To Train Your Dragon universe does not belong to me. :(
Author's Note: Now that I have finally figured out how to do author's notes, (XD) I will start by saying that this is my first ever fanfic! Please let me know what you think.
Thank you to my awesome beta, Asian_Inkwell. Go check out her stories! :D
Chapter One
"Edda! Get down from there!"
A shrill voice startled her out of her daydream. Edda whipped her head round from the view out to sea and back down below to the rolling deck, where a tiny Hairy Hooligan woman stood, staring back at her with wide eyes.
Edda did not need to be told twice. Swiftly descending from the rigging, she landed, cat-like, on the wooden deck in front of her mother.
"Why do you do this to me?" Greta said faintly, pressing her hand to her undulating bosom, apparently somewhere in the vicinity of her beating heart.
"I'm very sorry, Mother," Edda said contritely, and she was. Sorry that her mother had not stayed below deck long enough to miss her antics. "How's Pa holding up?"
Greta sniffed pathetically in acknowledgement to her apology before answering. "His stomach is finally empty now, thank Thor. I told him he shouldn't eat before a sea voyage. Ohhh, how I wish we hadn't come!" she cried, hand now poised dramatically upon her brow.
It took a great deal of willpower for Edda to refrain from rolling her eyes. "It's only a few more hours, now, Mother. Then we'll be on dry land again, and Pa will be right as rain."
Greta gave another sniff. "I suppose so."
"Why don't I take another turn with Pa, now, and you stay up here and watch the waves? It's very relaxing." Edda didn't wait for a reply, taking a deep breath before descending into the bowels of the merchant ship.
She could smell her father before she saw him, her eyes taking time to adjust to the dim light. He sat huddled between two barrels of ale, with his head slumped back, exhausted, against the bulwark behind him, and a bucket clenched between his legs. Edda inspected the floor for spillages before sitting down next to him.
She put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "How're you doing?"
Einar gave a queasy half smile, still staring at the ceiling. "Better now, no thanks to your mother. If I hear another 'just swallow it down, dear' I'll jump off this cursed boat and swim to Berk. Whose idea was it to move there, again, anyway?"
Edda snorted. "Yours, I'm afraid, Pa."
Her father groaned. "We could at least have left your mother behind."
"Now, now, Pa. We couldn't possibly have kept Uncle Stoick separated from his beloved sister."
It was Einar's turn to snort. "Poor man. I wouldn't have wanted to have been around when he got that letter."
"Hiccup told me that Stoick locked himself in the house and wouldn't come out for the whole day."
"I can only imagine." Her father winced as the boat hit several huge waves, clutching at his bucket with white knuckles.
"It's getting choppy out there," Edda remarked, bemused. A clear view of the sky from the rigging moments earlier had revealed a blue sky, with fluffy, white clouds, without a sign of bad weather in sight.
It was the blood-curdling scream that assailed their ears from above, moments later, that alerted them to the fact that these were no ordinary waves. Sailors poured down from above-deck, shouting and clamouring for their weapons.
"Stay here," she ordered her father, leaping to her feet and appropriating a crossbow from an unsuspecting mariner.
She emerged onto a scene of chaos, ducking just in time to avoid a blast of boiling water from above. A glance from behind the shelter of a large barrel confirmed her suspicions. A Scauldron was attacking the ship, and her mother was right in the thick of it, frozen in fear. The dragon seemed to focus mainly on the attacking Vikings, and ignored her mother, but Edda wasn't about to take any chances.
Squinting in concentration, she aimed her crossbow at the snake-like neck and released, dealing it a glancing blow that drew its fire to her side of the ship. She didn't want to kill it if she could help it. Keeping hidden, she ducked and rolled behind any object that would give her cover, caught hold of her mother's arm and yanked, hard.
Greta might as well have been made of granite, for all the good it did. Shouting didn't do a thing, either.
"Move towards the aft!" Edda yelled, hoping that the men around her would listen. They didn't. She swallowed down a scream of frustration, still trying to yank her mother away from the frenzy. Stupid, stubborn Vikings!
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a brief flicker of shadow cross the sun and disappear behind the prow of the ship. A strange, building, high-pitched sound made her breathe a sigh of relief. A second later, a Night Fury and its rider wheeled round into sight. Firing a few warning shots at the Scauldron, they kept it distracted as the other dragon riders appeared and surrounded it from all sides. Realising he was outnumbered, the behemoth gave a great roar, and disappeared beneath the waves.
Toothless wheeled round once more at a leisurely pace, and landed lightly on the deck. Hiccup dismounted and ran over to them.
"Hey, are you guys okay?"
Edda poked her mother's arm experimentally before Hiccup enfolded her in hug. "We're both mercifully unscalded, but it seems Mother is still in shock. . ."
Hiccup waved a hand in front of his aunt's face. "You know," he said slowly, eyeing the barrel of fish beside them, "I have heard that eel helmet decorations are all the rage in the more fashionable parts of Berk."
Edda smiled through gritted teeth. "Don't tempt me."
"That bad, huh?"
"You have to ask?" Edda raised an eyebrow, turning as a Deadly Nadder and its rider landed on the deck behind him.
"Astrid!" Hiccup beckoned her over. "This is my cousin, Edda."
The strong, slender blonde dismounted and strode over to them, smiling brilliantly. Edda shrunk a little under her confidence, and forced a timid smile. Holding out a hand, she was taken aback when, instead of taking it, Astrid flung her arms around her and squeezed.
"It's so good to meet you, finally!" the older girl exclaimed, giving Edda time to recover her composure.
"So, you're the famous Astrid," she gave a sly sideways glance at her cousin, "Hiccup never stops talking about you."
"I-" Hiccup began, stopping as Astrid held up her hand.
"Oh, really?" she said, winking at Edda, "What has he told you?"
"Oh, only little things. . ." Edda trailed off deliberately, "Your astonishing beauty. . . rapier wit, incredible charm-"
"Ha ha, very funny, you two," Hiccup interrupted, drily. "Something tells me I'm gonna regret introducing you."
A gentle rumbling sound came from behind them. Edda started at the feel of cool, smooth scales pressed into her palm. Turning around, she greeted Toothless enthusiastically. "I'm sorry, boy, did we forget about you? What a good boy, chasing that big, scary Scauldron away!"
The sleek, black reptile rolled on his back, and rumbled away happily as Edda gave him a thorough belly scratch.
Hiccup laughed. "Someone's pleased to see you!"
A nudge at her shoulder caught her attention. Astrid's dragon stood at her side, clearly jealous of all the attention Toothless was getting. "Well, hello there, beautiful! You must be Stormfly."
Stormfly also received a good scratch for her troubles. Astrid laughed from behind them. "You'll just encourage her, you know."
"Oh well," said Edda, mostly to Stormfly. "We can live with that, can't we, girl?"
Stormfly made her strange gurgling noises in agreement.
Edda looked up as someone cleared their throat. A young Viking leered down at her from the back of a rather bored-looking Monstrous Nightmare. Hovering near him was a large blond boy riding a Gronckle.
"Ah, yes," said Hiccup, "Edda, meet the gang: Snotlout and Hookfang," - Snotlout leered even more - "Fishlegs and Meatlug," - Fishlegs gave a timid wave - "and the twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut, and Barf and Belch. Guys?" said Hiccup, as the twins failed to appear.
"Do you think she's blind?"
"Nah, your eyes turn red when you go blind."
"Oh. Really? That's so cool! I wanna go blind. . ."
The oblivious Ruffnut and Tuffnut were hanging upside down from their respective dragon heads, pulling hideous faces at Edda's mother. Greta, of course, had to choose that very moment to come out of her trance.
"Arrrrrrggghhhhhhhhhh!" said her mother, and promptly fainted. Toothless caught her with his great head before she hit the deck.
Edda covered her eyes with her hand. "Let's just hope she doesn't remember that when she wakes up."
Astrid winced. "That's enough to scar you for life."
"Aunt Greta, meet the twins," Hiccup remarked drily.
Edda turned as she heard her father's unsteady footsteps across the deck, and rushed over to hold him up. "Pa! I'm so sorry, I forgot to come get you."
Einar waved it off. He looked even more haggard in the sunlight.
"Uncle Einar!" Hiccup strode over to greet him, gently. "I'm afraid Aunt Greta's had a bit of a shock," he said, with an apologetic glance over to the unconscious form on Toothless' back.
Edda's father took a dispassionate glance at his wife. "Best thing for her."
The two cousins snorted.
"I just thank Odin you found us in time." Einar squeezed Hiccup's shoulder appreciatively.
"You can thank my Dad for that, too," Hiccup gave a one-sided smile. "He thought you would appreciate not having to travel the last few hours by boat."
Einar laughed. "I certainly would! My brother-in-law knows me well. Might I suggest we get going before my wife wakes up?"
"Of course!" Hiccup grinned. "Astrid, you take Edda. Snotlout, you can take Uncle Einar, if you wouldn't mind?" Snotlout and her father eyed each other and produced identical, unconvincing smiles.
Hiccup patted Einar's shoulder reassuringly. "Hookfang is the smoothest ride, other than Toothless, but, uh. . . Aunt Greta's already bagged him."
Einar shrugged, feigning indifference. "So long as we leave the ocean far below us, I'll be happy."
"So that's settled, then," said Hiccup. "Saddle up, guys!"
Astrid mounted Stormfly, and held out a hand for the considerably smaller Edda to clamber up. The leather saddle creaked as she got on behind her, settling into the comfortable black sheepskin.
"Good to go?" asked Astrid, giving her a sidelong grin.
"I think so. . ." said Edda, suddenly worried about what she'd got herself into.
"Great! Up we go, Stormfly!"
Edda held back a shriek as Stormfly launched herself into the air, grabbing hold of Astrid's waist and clinging to her for dear life. Astrid laughed in response. Stormfly flapped her wings harder and harder, pushing them up into the air until a sea breeze caught them and lifted them up into a gentle glide.
Gradually, Edda's vice-like grip on Astrid's waist relaxed, and she started to look around. Toothless wasn't far away, circling on the same breeze, and Hiccup gave them a cheery wave. Far below them, the enormous Hookfang had landed on the deck of the merchant ship, and Snotlout was ineptly attempting to help her father climb up into the saddle.
The ship's crew, recovered from the Scauldron attack, gathered on deck to cheer and wave them off. The dragon riders waved back, all except for Einar, who clung resolutely to the sides of Hookfang's saddle as he took to the air. They were off.
Stormfly picked up speed, following closely in Toothless' wake. Edda found herself laughing from the pure joy of it. A side-wind picked up strands of her long hair and tossed them over her face, till she was seeing the world through a red haze. She faced into the wind and braided her hair into a makeshift plait, stuffing it into the hood of her fur coat. Minutes passed that felt like hours. She could spend an eternity up here.
"Hey, Edda!" Astrid shouted over her shoulder above the rushing wind. "Fancy doing some real flying?"
This isn't real flying? "Better check if my mother is still unconscious, first," Edda replied. Astrid took them in closer to Hiccup, who had secured Greta's limp body to Toothless' back with ropes. He saw them looking and gave them a thumbs up.
"Fantastic!" yelled Astrid. "Let's go for it!"
"Hang on! I didn't say yes!" squeaked Edda, but Astrid didn't hear her. She squeezed Stormfly's side, and the dragon responded by pulsing her wings rapidly, propelling them into the sky like a slingshot. Suddenly, without warning, Stormfly stopped all movement and nosedived till they were almost vertical in the air.
The speed was so intense, Edda could feel the skin of her face pulled back by the sheer force of it. She yelled aloud, not from fear as much as exhilaration. Astrid joined in, whooping and yelling like a Berserker. As they neared a sea-stack, however, Edda's yells turned to shrieks.
She needn't have worried. Stormfly pulled up her wings till they caught the air, slowing them so she could make a sharp turn through the open arch beneath, which Edda had not seen.
They continued to dive, flying so close to the sea that she could feel the salt spray on her face, pulling up just before they hit the water. Astrid let out another whoop.
"Wasn't that fantastic?" she yelled.
"I will admit it, it's pretty amazing. But for Odin's sake, you could've warned me about that sea-stack!" Edda pinched Astrid's arm from behind.
"Where would be the fun in that?" she laughed, unfazed.
Toothless soon caught up, flying steadily as he had been to keep Greta safe. He lifted his head and fired off a plasma blast, which dispersed into the air like a firework. Stormfly and the other dragons joined in, setting the sky ablaze above them. Edda's skin broke out in goosepimples, and she was certain it was not from the cold.
Just at that moment, they rounded the corner of a great cliff, and Berk was revealed, laid out before them in all its glory. Flags and banners, perches and landing runs for the dragons, stables and houses and feeding stations, all were painted in every colour imaginable, no longer restricted by the frugality of years past. Berk was prospering.
More importantly, it was filled with people. Edda eyed the crowds of Vikings with wonder, suppressing a surge of hope that her lonely existence on a farm with only her parents for company was finally over. She knew her father intended to buy another farm further inland, and her mother would never let her have a dragon. Why, she would pass out all over again if she knew that Edda was on the back of one right now!
She pushed those thoughts aside, deciding to focus on the present. Who knew what the future held? Right now, it seemed more promising than ever.
The sun was setting over Berk as the dragons circled in to land on a long platform, attached to a large, green building on the eastern, lower cliff-face of Berk. A set of stairs carved into the cliff led back up to the village. The others dismounted, and Astrid and Edda followed suit.
"Fishlegs, would you take Stormfly in for me?" Astrid asked. "I'm joining Edda's family for dinner."
"Sure, no problem, Astrid. Have a good time." The lad gave Edda a shy smile before leading Stormfly away to the large building, presumably the stables. Edda groaned and stretched her legs. Thor, her hamstring was killing her!
Astrid barked a laugh. "Hurts, doesn't it? I remember the first time I rode Stormfly. I ached for weeks! You get used to it, though."
"I only hope I get the chance to get used to it. There's no way Mother is going to let me ride again."
Astrid gave her a sympathetic look. "Well," she joked, "She's still unconscious, so there's hope yet!"
Edda turned to Toothless, who saw her looking and crooned. Mother still lay on his back, mercifully still out of it, as Astrid had said. Einar walked up to them and eyed his wife's not inconsiderable form with a frown. Hiccup cocked a smile at them both. "Don't worry, Toothless will carry her up. There's a landing spot just outside our house."
"Thank Thor," Edda heard her father mutter under his breath, and suppressed a laugh. It wouldn't do to make fun of her mother in front of non-family members, no matter how few qualms her father had about doing so.
They made their way up the roughly-hewn steps, and took the road up to the Chief's house. Edda's legs were already shaking, and started to feel as if they were about to give way. Mercifully, as they crested the top of the hill, the house came into sight.
Toothless and Hiccup were waiting for them inside. They had untied Greta and rolled her onto the spare bed, just across the hallway from the hearth. A large pot bubbled away over the fire, and everyone huddled round it. Edda collapsed into the cushions, exhausted and hungry.
"I put the stew on earlier," said Hiccup, handing out bowls and spoons, "It should be done by now. No point waiting for Dad, he'll be out doing Chief stuff for a while yet."
Edda laughed as she held out her bowl. "'Chief stuff?' Is that what you call it? Watch it, Hiccup, you'll be doing all that 'Chief stuff' yourself one day."
Hiccup dolloped the stew into her bowl with a little more force than was necessary, splashing her a little in the process. "Thank you, Edda, I am all too aware of that."
"Seriously, though, don't sweat it, Hiccup," she said. "Us Haddocks tend to live to a ripe old age, and you know how stubborn Uncle Stoick is. It'll be years before he hands over the reins."
Hiccup grunted in response. As if summoned, the door swung open behind them, and Stoick's heavy footsteps thumped across the floor. The humongous man was not his usual self, trying in vain to compact his giant body into a smaller, more submissive stance. He glanced across the room furtively, looking for someone. Edda did not need to guess who.
"It's alright, Stoick," Einar reassured his brother-in-law. "She's in the spare room, dead to the world."
Stoick visibly relaxed, coming over to the fire and to warm his tired bones and greet the rest of his extended family. Edda found herself enveloped in an enormous bear hug, her face pressed into his fur coat so tightly that she couldn't breathe. Astrid saw her predicament, and dove in with a question.
"You're home early, Chief. What happened?"
Stoick, sufficiently distracted, released Edda from his grip. She sat down suddenly on the cushions, vaguely wondering when the spots dancing across her vision would go away. Astrid handed her back her bowl, and she took it automatically.
"One of Silent Sven's yaks had got caught in a stray dragon trap we must have missed. I went out to help, but by the time I got there, some of the other villagers had got their dragons to pull it open." Stoick sighed. "It's times like these I miss Thornado."
Hiccup patted his father's arm. "Don't worry, Dad. We'll find you another dragon."
Stoick had been trying to keep his voice down so as not to wake his sister, but all he managed was a slightly quieter boom than usual. His brief respite was cruelly ended, as roused by the sound of her brother's voice, Greta appeared in the doorway behind him. Edda braced herself.
"Stoick! You told me that dragons were safe now! One attacked us on the way here!"
Stoick winced, took a deep breath, and turned to face her.
"I said the tame ones were safe, sister dear. I never said anything about the wild ones."
"Well, you should have warned us," she sniffed.
"I didn't think that I needed to." Stoick said this with painstaking calm.
"Well, you were wrong," Greta said haughtily. Edda looked on as Stoick visibly held back a retort. After all these years, her uncle knew that reasoning with her mother was a waste of breath. Silently, he bent down and ladled his sister a bowl of stew.
Greta took it without acknowledgement. After a brief pause, she then proceeded to criticise her brother's appearance, that of his house, and, further, his 'neglectful parenting' in allowing Hiccup to ride a dragon.
"I would certainly never allow my daughter to continue to do something so dangerous after losing a limb to it," she pursed her lips.
Edda winced and mouthed an apology at Hiccup across the fireplace, but he simply smiled and shrugged it off. He was used to his aunt's insensitivity. It hit a nerve with Stoick, however. He leapt into defensive mode.
"Hiccup lost his leg saving our entire village. If it hadn't been for Toothless, he would have died!"
Greta, realising she had gone too far, sniffed and went back to her stew.
Astrid broke the silence. "Well, this has been lovely, but I'm afraid my mom will want me back now."
Edda thought she heard Hiccup mutter "Coward!" under his breath. Astrid smiled pleasantly and elbowed him in the ribs.
"But before I go, I made some of my special yaknog for you, earlier." She disappeared into the larder. Edda raised an eyebrow as her cousin turned an alarming shade of green.
Astrid reappeared with a tray containing several mugs, filled with an unidentifiable liquid. "I normally only make it for Snoggletog, but I figured this was a special occasion, too." Edda took the proffered mug with a wary smile. Cautiously, she took a sip.
It was vile. Possibly viler that anything she had ever tasted before. She fought the urge to gag.
"What do you think?" Astrid smiled broadly at her.
"Mmmm. Mmm-mm!" Edda managed, unable to swallow the disgusting concoction.
"I'm so glad you like it," Astrid said, happily. "Now, I really should go. Sleep well! See you all tomorrow!"
The door slammed shut behind her. With one accord, everyone spat their yaknog into the fire. The dwindling fire fizzled out with one last, worryingly green, flame.
"I don't even want to know what she puts in that," said Stoick, staring into his mug. Hiccup stood up and collected the mugs from them.
"Well, whatever it is, according to Phlegma, the plants love it!" he said, disappearing into the larder.
"At least something does. Even the dragons won't touch it." Stoick grimaced at one such dragon, curled up in the corner with his basket of salmon. "And believe me, I've tried."
Hiccup entered once again with clean mugs and a jug of water. Edda washed the taste from her mouth gratefully.
"I suppose we'd best be getting to bed," said Einar, mid-yawn.
"Of course. You and Greta are in the spare room," said Stoick, rubbing his eyes blearily, "And Hiccup has set up a cot for you on the landing, Edda. I'm off, now, myself."
"Thank you, Uncle Stoick." Edda kissed him goodnight, trying, and failing, to avoid his great, bushy beard.
One and all departed to bed. As usual, however, Edda could not sleep, despite her exhaustion. She crept downstairs once more, where Toothless still lay, and curled up next to him on the floor. The sleepy dragon laid his paw over her, and nuzzled affectionately into her hair. Edda smiled, content to simply lay there until sleep came.
She wanted to make the most of this. Tomorrow, her parents were going out to inspect a farm that was up for sale. If they liked it, she would be leaving the day afterward. She didn't want to go. She didn't want this to end. So she lay there and pretended it wouldn't. Sleep came quicker than usual, after that.