This is Infernal Island. It's located on the outskirts of the Barbaric Archipelago.
You'd have to be nuts if you're to challenge us in combat.
Our Lord, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, leads with an iron fist worthy of Thor's respect.
Our comrades are both Fire Defender and Dragon.
But there is one dragon the other's look up to.
It is known as the Holy Offspring of Fire and Hell.
The Inferno King.
Powerful, strong and deadly.
This dragon could wipe you out in seconds in combat.
But I, I'm the General of Infernal Island.
I lead my warriors into combat without fear, without question for the future.
For we are backed by our dragons.
My name, is Astrid 'Fearless' Haddock. Formally Astrid 'Fearless' Hofferson.
I'm the mother of two children and the wife to Hiccup.
But my story didn't start here.
My story started back at our home island and village. In Berk.
This is how me and Hiccup faced the many challenges that we came across.
How we conquer all who stood in our way, to defend the dragons and secure peace.
How we became a large family.

Nightmare

"Hiccup, he was the chiefs son. He was our heir, our future chief. And we treated him as shit. We treated him as dirt, as if he never existed in the first place."

Silence, that was all the people of Berk could here. It was already gloomy enough. They didn't need to add more misery to the already miserably tense atmosphere.

"He was artistic, lyrical, ponderous, sensitive, but above all else, he was also calm during the raids, even the most ferocious of them."

Five weeks, that's all it had been since Hiccup was killed. He died to an Inferno King, the same dragon that took his mother, Valka Haddock. The same dragon that took Astrid's brother, Sven Hofferson and the same dragon that took her uncle, 'Fearless' Finn Hofferson.

'Five weeks. Five fucking weeks that he was out of MY life' Astrid told herself mentally. 'AND it was all because of these fuck heads that he was gone.'

"Hiccup, he was the better Viking among us. He never gave up hope that he could help others. Instead he found other ways to fight against the dragons." Gobber paused.

"Instead of brute force and weapons, he used brains and his inventions to give him the edge." Gobber took a moment to wipe a few tears from his face.

"It was his brain that allowed us all to beat back the dragons time and time again." Tears had started to flow form Gobber's eyes and down to his cheeks.

"He was the most talented apprentice I could've ever had. If it weren't for his passing, we wouldn't be here today, to celebrate the great things this young Viking and man has done for us. The deeds he did to the village to improve our lives, to help defend against dragon raids."

Gobber wiped away a few more tears. "To celebrate this young mans passing." Gobber attempted to fight back the tears threatening to explode from his eyes. Stoick had already gave up fighting back. SO much that the villagers refused to even look at the great man...'The way in which he had treated his son had finally gotten to him.' It was the single thought that many told themselves.

"Farewell Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third. May the gods welcome you with open arms and allow you to take your rightful place at the table of kings." It was difficult, but Gobber did it.

As the father figure to Hiccup for his whole life, Gobber had grown attached to. As he stepped down from the podium, he gave a small nod towards Astrid. Standing up, she walked up to the podium.

Astrid began her speech strong, her mother and father giving a small reassuring nod, confirming their support and love for her choice.

"Hiccup was a friend. He was my best friend. He was there when 'Fearless' Finn, my uncle, was killed. And there again when my brother, Sven, was killed. And in turn, I was there when his mother was killed. And now, my parents are there for me when he was killed."

Astrid forced back a few tears before she continued. "He was a wonderful Viking. A warrior unlike any Viking we'd ever seen. He was genuinely unconcerned about his inventions. He was always convinced they would work, regardless of what others said."

Astrid moved her hand to wipe away a few tears she hadn't even known had managed to let themselves be free of their prison. She hated being weak, but right now, she couldn't help it.

"Hiccup often told me. That he had often had thoughts about running away, to kill himself. That he never felt welcome, that he would always be a disappointment, that he would be the one who got the village the killed. By dragons or by other Vikings."

Astrid choked as she held back more tears. "He...he wouldn't want us to mourn over him. He would want us to remember him in our hearts. To remember him for the impact he had on the village, to remember him as a Viking unlike any other. As a beacon of hope that one day."

Astrid wiped away a several tears. She knew she was lying just then. Hiccup wouldn't want them to mourn him. Because to him, they never cared. But Astrid was determined. And when she was determined, nothing stopped her. "That one day this war with dragons could end."

She fought hard in an internal battler to hold back the tears threatening to escape her eyes while she started feeling lightheaded. The constant pressure of fighting more then one battle at once was starting to take a toll on her health and body.

"Hiccup once told me. 'That no matter how we look at things. There is often another view. A view that we never see till it's too late.' And that is a lesson and quote that we should all take to heart."

Astrid paused, wiping more tears from her face. Ensuring that the other Vikings were listening, she took a deep breath. "And I...I would've never seen things form a different point of view had I not heard Hiccup's final words."
Many started to look up. It was well known that Astrid was the only one who heard his final words. She choked back several tears. Her face was starting to express her depressed state clear.

Her shoulders were sagging down and her normal, often determined and serious expression was all but replaced by depression and sadness.

"Hiccup's final words were not present. He had given up all hope. The years of constant bullying and neglect left him with a wound. A wound that couldn't be healed by any kind of love. A wound that caused him to submit himself to the Inferno King's grasp."

Astrid paused. Letting her words sink in for a few seconds. "A wound caused by all of you. Including his own father."

Astrid allowed the new words to sink in. She had cast shame upon the entire tribe with a few single words. "And I shall repeat what he said to me today." Many looked up fast. The air was tense with longing to know what he had said as his final words.

"'I was but a simple Viking looking for a place to belong. But this, this was not the feeling I wanted. The feeling that I searched for. No, instead, the feeling I got, was that of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for. I felt as if no one ever appreciated me for what I was capable of or what I had done to help them. As if I had never existed. But my life, it wouldn't have to end like this had many of you just noticed my skills and abilities. Given me acknowledgement for the many vast things I did for your defence, for this tribe. Had you all given me hope, I wouldn't have come to this decision, to go out like this. I feel as if this is the only way to go out. In the view of the village, as a weak and little boy who couldn't do anything right. Like a coward, dying at the hands of the enemy without so much as a fight. I regret nothing I've done in my life. But what I do know, is that no one will give a dam when I'm gone. So goodbye Astrid Hofferson, I loved you with all my heart. But this is it, my life's journey...is over.' Those were Hiccup's last words. Words that still affect me to this day."

Astrid watched the many gasps and as many Vikings fought desperately to hold back tears, tears threatening to spill from their eyes without mercy. She stood with a sense of pride for casting this shame, making the feel somewhat useless, making them feel weak and unloved. Uncared for.

They had never known this. Astrid choked on her next set of words as she herself, could not believe what she was about to do.

"And I now understand what I was feeling when I spent so much time with Hiccup, when helping him in the forge, walking with him in the forest or helping him with chores." Astrid watched as many saw what she was going to say next. And she, she was afraid. 'Fearless' Astrid Hofferson was afraid of what they might think of her. She was fearful for the first time in her life since she saw Hiccup walking towards the Inferno King.

"He was more then just my best friend, more then a blacksmith's apprentice. He...He...He was my destined soul mate, a lover to never let go of. But now, now he's gone. He's gone because of you all, because of you Stoick." She almost spat out the chiefs name like poison. Like a disease that harms all it touches.

Astrid paused, allowing her emotions to express the anger that she held towards them. The anger that she had bottled up for the past few weeks. All but her parents were spared this angry glare. And she relished in the fear that she created, the power that she held within those few split seconds.

"And so, I swear to the gods, that from this day fourth. I will never marry anyone. Never love another like the way I did Hiccup. I vow upon this with my honour. I will honour his memory. I will not let his death go in vain. I will see to it, that what he started, is finished. I will not rest, I will not sleep, I will not stop, I will not give up till every single one of Hiccup's places have been filled. Till we have someone who could one day become chief. Because without Hiccup, the Haddock blood line is finished. A legacy of legendary chiefs for Berk, will come to an end with Stoick. Stoick is the last Haddock. And I vow, that if any other clan attempts to claim chiefdom after he dies. They will die trying."

Astrid finished on a strong note as she stood down. Many were shocked at her vow. But no one could blame her.

They had clearly never heard Astrid speak like that. And to prove it, Snoutlout, Hiccup's cousin, walked over and spoke to her in a flirty tone.

"Come on Babe, you don't mean that..." Snoutlout never got to finish.

For in seconds, he had been punched twice and found an axe aimed at his throat. He saw the anger and rage within her eyes. And in that moment, Snoutlout knew that he had fucked up. That she was no longer the same person she was before.

In an act of what many thought could be called mercy and shame. His father, Spitelout, dragged him away.

Many saw the deadly glare aimed towards them as they left. Whatever they saw in Astrid. They knew it would be the end of them.

But they, they were fearful of her, they were afraid of her and what she might do to them if they ever crossed the wrong line or hit a nerve.

Present

Tears, her face was full of them. They were flowing down her cheek Slowly. She was sweating and extremely hot, the key factors of identifying a nightmare.

Blinking to remove any remaining tears, she glanced around the Haddock household. She had taken Hiccup's old room as her own. And she, she had never had a nightmare as bad as that. Not since her brother and uncle were killed.

That was the moment that she truly knew Hiccup was gone. The moment she finally let him go as being alive. The moment she died was the moment Hiccup died. Astrid Hofferson had died that night with Hiccup. But she had truly died at his funeral.

Gasping while breathing slowly. Astrid swung her legs out from under the covers and over the edge of the bed. On a nearby rack was the axe that Hiccup had given for her thirteenth birthday. It was also the same night he died.

Her birthday was the night that Hiccup had died. And thus it was the night that she had died with him.

Grabbing the nearby shirt, she wiped her face, clearing the tears that remined within her eyes. Glancing at the wall, she noticed a feeling that had become common placed on her birthday. She felt anxious.

'It was today that Hiccup and I died' Astrid thought to herself. 'The day that I truly never felt the same.'

She was hoping to make today as joyous as possible. But after the nightmare. She was no longer convinced that it would be possible.

She was already depressed upon waking up, and now she felt wasted. She wanted to be isolated, to be alone, to think and reflect over her life with Hiccup and what the future would bring for her now.

Getting changed, Astrid quickly changed into something comfortable, her shoulder pads, light blue top with arms bare and her spiked skirt. It was Made by a joint effort of her mother and Hiccup for her tenth birthday, the spikes were a soft metal, strong enough to remain in a solid positioned, but soft enough to so that weren't harmful, much to her dismay.

She was eighteen today. She couldn't believe it was five years ago that she had watched Hiccup get taken by the Sharp Class dragon.

She remembered what she felt like at his funeral. Sad, depressed, lonely, isolated. But above all those, she felt different. She had changed then and there.

She was easier to anger, her emotions were now a mess, she was fragile. One wrong move or topic and those emotions were washed away with anger. One word about how useless and weak Hiccup was, and she would dive into a rage that could only be imagined.

A rage that if she wasn't held back, she would kill. Snoutlout had found that out the hard way, coming close to nearly loosing his head several times over the past five years.

Shaking her head, she moved those thoughts to the side. Making her way down stairs. She found Stoick, the chief and current mentor sitting down. 'He seemed depressed as well' Astrid told herself. 'But he would never let that stop him from doing his job'. Gobber was here also. Why, she had idea.

She knew that Gobber and Stoick had been good friends for the vast majority of their lives. 'So he must be here to help him out with something' Astrid thought

"Astrid, did you want to do some work in the forge or help me as chief in training?" Stoick asked his question, his tone full of hurt. He knew full well that Astrid would refuse. But to him, it was worth a try. Worth it to try and break back into the old Astrid.

He had been doing it for the past three years since she accepted to become heir, as it was the last spot that Hiccup had left to be filled in.

Astrid grabbed something small to eat and made her way back to the stairs. Stopping at the foot of the stairs, she sighed. "Quite frankly, I think I just want to be alone today."

Gobber and Stoick opened their mouths to protest but before they could say a single word, Astrid had already made her way back upstairs. She wanted to be left alone today and Gobber knew that well.

"You remember what day it is? right Stoick?" Stoick made a small glance towards Gobber as he asked his questions. Looking back at the stairs. He sighed "Tuesday, yes?"

Gobber shook his head in disappointed. "Stoick, it's the day that the lad died. It's her birthday." Gobber Explained. "I think we should let her be."

Stoick glanced at Gobber. "She still hasn't gotten over it."

"Oh for Thor's sake Stoick. I know what it's like to loose someone. But she loved him. And she was his only friend, and he was her best friend." Gobber paused.

"and what's worse, is that the lad died on her birthday. she will never be happy on a day that should dedicated to a glorious celebration of adulthood. No, to her It's a painful reminder of the day her old self died. The reminder of the failure she made, the failure to defend and protect her love, to protect the heir, to protect her best friend."

Stoick shook his head, grumbling something below his breath.

Gobber slowly sat up as he glanced around. Convinced that his little pep talk had done the job. "Well, I better be off. Don't want the ol gang to think I ditched them today. Lot of good it's dragon trainings done them, with the raids getting worse every week and becoming more frequent, I think we need to start training younger ones to be ready to defend themselves and their homes while we're off fighting the dragons." Stoick nodded before he placed his cup on the table.

"Just don't do what you do with the teens, we don't need to have more deaths caused by dragons." Gobber nodded as he headed out the door.

Stoick slowly stood up and headed towards the stairs. His thoughts trailing off towards Astrid. 'Astrid needed help, she can't overcome this by herself.' Stoick thought.

Stoick came to a stop outside Astrid's door. With a deep breath, he spoke. "Astrid, can I come in?"
After a few minutes of pain killing silence. A mumble that sounded very much like a yes could be heard from the other side.

Opening the door. Stoick found Astrid staring at her axe. She seemed to be analysing it, seeing how Hiccup had made such a delicate and fine weapon.

Slowly making he way over, Stoick remembered the day Hiccup gave it to her, the same day that he died. He had been over the top with how perfect he had made it.

Flashback

Stoick heard a pair of feet running fast towards him. Glancing back, he saw a very tied yet extremely proud Hiccup.

"Dad, I finished Astrid's gift, do you think she'll like it." Exclaimed Hiccup, his pride and excitement clear in his tone.

It was a finely designed axe. The handle was made from a carefully carved wood. The details were clearly marked. His initials were carved close to the bottom the axe, like every weapon he made. H.H. was clearly marked.

The designs carved in could be made out clearly. He knew Astrid loved to fight Sharp Class dragons, and her favourite to fight was the Deadly Nadder, he had made sure he put in carvings of her holding Nadder heads, the beheaded dragons on the ground behind her in piles.

The axe head was finely cut and sharpened. The metal seemed to be a combined effort of him and Gobber. It appeared that it'd be lightweight, and easy to wield in combat with effect accuracy.

Stoick though, looked away and spoke. "I've got to head to a meeting." Hiccup's good mood immediately deflated. He was once again rejected by his father.

Present

"I remember the day I saw Hiccup with that axe. He was so excited to give it to you." Astrid barely acknowledged his presence in the room. She just made a sound that sounded like a whatever.

Astrid sighed as she leaned back against her bed. Her expression was clearly showing what she felt at that moment. "And it'll be the last gift I ever received from him. It's the only physical memory I have left of him."

Stoick nodded, he knew this well. The only physical memory he had left of Hiccup was the letter he wrote to him. Attempting to get him to understand what he was doing. What he did was the best choice for him and the village.

Stoick didn't know it at first, but that was the worst mistake he had ever made, he ignored Hiccup, causing him to loose his joy and excitement. And thus, Stoick knew that he was the one who caused Hiccup to commit suicide.

As he walked forward. His eyes glanced around quickly. His face never moving from staring out the window He longed for his son to return to him. To say sorry for his action. To renew their relationship, to start their lives anew.

"I felt bad that day, I ignored him when I shouldn't have. If I had know it was his last day. I would've made some notion to forgive him for the mistakes I made. To spend time with him. Perhaps then, he might not have died. And now, now I feel as if I was the one who finally caused him to die. I failed him. And Valka would've never let this happen, she would've chewed me out day in and day out till death."

Astrid kept staring at her axe. She knew it still wouldn't have changed Hiccup's choice. He already felt worthless from the years of neglect he had received. She though, she was still anxious, but was also miserable.

"I just don't know how I've managed to keep going Stoick... I just don't know." Astrid paused. Biting her lower lip as she thought, she thought about her massive failure.

"All I've become is a failed warrior, someone who can't leave the past behind them. Someone who can't help protect the one they love. And you know what it's doing to me."

Astrid waited for Stoick to acknowledge her. "It's killing me."

Stoick was quick to turn. "There are somethings we can never truly let go off. And let me tell you something. I can never let go off the day that my dear Valka left my caring and protective arms the night she was taken. I could never let go of that final hug and kiss."

Stoick wiped away a few tears. "The final amount of love I would ever receive from her. I buried it deep within. And now, now all those emotions are starting to show."

Stoick sighed "Don't do what I did Astrid, it will never help you in the long run. Allow them to flow, allow them to fuel you into becoming who you were always meant to be."

Astrid nodded in understanding. But Stoick was not done yet. "'Fearless' Finn would be proud to see you overcome your fears and past by accepting them. By knowing the past, we teach ourselves more about the future. It is what fuels us."
Astrid gave a small nod, she wasn't exactly sure how to take this in. But she knew it would be useful advice to take.

"Thanks Stoick. I think I'm going to go and find someplace quiet and hopefully isolated to spend the rest of the day though. I can't handle being around others right now."

Stoick nodded. He knew Astrid still needed time. She was strong, but also far more stubborn then a Haddock. Hofferson's, they were a stubborn lot.

Far more stubborn then he was. But also far more aggressive when honour was brought up. He just had to hope he had made the right choice for his heir in Astrid.