Disclaimer: I do not own "How to Train Your Dragon." The Original Characters belong to me.
A/N: Sorry for the wait, I've been busy with my other story. In the future I'll try to make these uploads more frequent.
"Has he had the revelation of the Stone yet?" The voice came thin and soft.
"Not yet, but it'll soon come." A deep voice replied.
"Dirty, Berkians, I hope this'll be the end of 'em all!"
"Patience, Vidar, that will come, but in time. Right now our prime target is the Chief and his Night Fury."
"This is a waste of time! So many have fallen to us before, we could just end it all here."
"By striking out now, we give them the upper hand. We cannot afford that."
"We can't afford anything! All we do is sit and wait, while the moment could not be more opportune."
"One day I'll have you strangled for your disrespect."
"I'm sure you will. I shame you too much!"
"...Let's return to the topic at hand, shall we?"
"Yes, back to it. What perils await us, or, me rather, from this boy?"
"For a youth, you are rather slow and foolish."
"And for and old man, you don't drool very prettily!"
"You are foolish enough to believe that you can actually escape killing this chief with your life. You may be able to defeat the boy, but the dragon will take you down."
"I sense jealousy in your voice. Could it be that you regret not being able to devise such a brilliant scheme by yourself, but required my intelligence?"
"The ice you tread on is very thin; any more weight to your head and you'll break through."
"You'd find pleasure in it, I know. But I'll be laughing at your frown when I return through the door."
"If you are so sure, then go."
"Oh, I will, and the last sane thought to enter your mind will be a question: How did Vidar's brilliant stealth tactic work so well, when my fat body only wished to wait?"
"You are wasting time, boy!"
"Don't tell me what I'm doing! I have a special plan for this "chief," and once it works, you'll finally see how useful I am."
"Go… Oh, and son. If you return with no proof that the Chief and his dragon are dead, you will be killed."
Hiccup lay smirking in his bed. He had been awake the entire time his mother had been watching him. He had sneaked to the rim of his door once she had left and listened to her conversation below.
"Dragon Stone…" he whispered. He looked at his companion in a smile, "Boy, bud it'd be great to find something that no one else has!"
The dragon perked up at his words, coming over and seating himself closer. He saw the boy's thoughts racing within his mind, the excitement growing in him.
Springing up from the pillow, he grabbed the Night Fury's head, a look of desperation in his eyes as he stared into the dragon's, "We gotta do it, bud! We gotta be the ones to find it!"
The Night Fury huffed in his face, finding his rider's odd display concerning.
He moved to stand on the edge of his bed in that moment, drawing in a deep breath, "My heart hungers for adventure, and it is long overdue."
He looked at the dragon that watched him, entertained, wagging his tail at the excitement radiating from his rider.
He then dropped back into his bed with a whoosh of the blankets. The concerned reptile checking his face to make sure he was all right. All he saw was the euphoric smile on his face, then, "We'll find it, bud. I promise."
Toothless was bewildered by the swift changes in his emotions, but did not push further when he saw the boy's eyes slide shut and drift into slumber. In a huff, he walked over to the stone plate of a bed, warmed it up with a breath of fire, then circled it, stomping out the embers.
He slouched on top the warmth looking at his friend once more before closing his eyes to sleep as well.
The next morning, just outside of his house by the racket of a crumbling tower of weaponry, her shoulders slumped with the weight of relentless responsibility. She was tired and exhausted, and desperately needed a break. It was in times like these where she began to question her decision of accepting this job. It was tiring, difficult and time consuming, but she was certain she could handle it.
She was caught by a delightful scent filled her nostrils, she looked to the source, saw the open door of Hiccup's home. "Maybe I could take a quick break."
The young Viking Chief was just coming down the stairs when he saw the sinuous figure in the doorway, his heart began to beat. She was there; beautiful, thin lips and deep blue eyes, standing in the doorway, searching for something.
She's actually here! He thought. He didn't know why, and he didn't care. She was here, finally here, and the smile on her face told him it was of her own free will and not of some task.
He rushed to her side, making sure to live the rare moment up.
"Astrid, Great to see ya! What brings you here?" he asked.
She inhaled, "That wonderful smell."
He turned his head and looked back to his mother, hastily preparing a dish. "You like my mother's cooking?"
She wrinkled her brow, "Why're you looking at me like I have two heads? Barf and Belch are with the twins."
He shook his head, "Nah, It's just… my mom's cooking."
"I can hear you, Hiccup!" His mother yelled from the kitchen.
He winced, "Sorry, mom."
Astrid wandered in and took a seat at the small wooden table they used for dining. It had become normal for her to have access to their home without needing to knock, since Hiccup's trust in her ran so deep.
She removed a layer of armor, wrapped it on the head of the seat, then eased into it. "Ah, it feels great to finally sit down. You don't know what it's like to have to be constantly on the run from sunrise to sundown."
Valka shook her head, "Your poor body needs a rest. You should take some time off and spend it with your dragon. I'm sure Hiccup wouldn't mind, would you, son?"
Hiccup took a seat as well, Toothless plopping beside him, "Oh, of course not! Yeah, you're more than welcome to take a vacation. Considering you work harder than all of us combined."
She smiled at the compliment, "Oh, no one works harder than you, you're the Chief!"
He shrugged, "It's more of a mental exhaustion, than anything else. But your job is the true test of physical endurance."
She huffed from her nostrils, considering his offer, "I don't know, resting is not really my thing."
"Please, Astrid, you can spend the day with me, we'll do something!"
She sighed, a smile working its way onto her face, "Fine. But we're not just gonna sit around! Just because I have off doesn't mean I'm gonna be lazy."
Hiccup slammed the table in happiness, "Yes! Thank you, Astrid."
Valka sent him a look, "Be careful with the furniture, Hiccup! This table was made by your great grandfather." She sat a platter of fish down in the middle of the table, each quickly grabbing one.
"Glad you came to your senses, Astrid. Believe me, I worked just as hard as you when I was your age, and my back's paying for it now." She said, taking a seat.
Hiccup ate quickly, despite the obvious distaste of the food, still having many things he wanted to discuss. The most pertinent of them was the Dragon Stone. It would be so amazing if I could convince her to come with me. He thought as he watched her eat, her thick blonde hair, encasing her perfect face. Such a strong and fierce being, and she can be so graceful at times.
She soon finished and his mother took care of the food then bid them a good night.
Hiccup twiddled his thumbs, waiting for his mother to leave. Once she had, he fixed his gaze on the blonde haired girl.
"So… are you still an adventurer?" He asked, trying to contain his nervousness.
She shrugged, "Haven't been on one in a long time." She immediately knew what was coming next.
"Well, how 'bout we go on one?"
She laughed, "Hiccup, we're not children anymore, we've got responsibilities."
"I know, I know, just hear me out—there is this stone out there, called the Dragon Stone. It's never been found before!"
"Then, how do you know it even exists?"
"Because—" he stopped, lowering his voice, "Because, I overheard my mother talking about it. She said that it has special abilities, like how the alpha controls the dragons."
He noticed his lowering of tone, but thought it only as a courtesy of his resting mother. "Wait, so you're telling me that there's a stone that can control dragons?" She asked incredulously.
"Yes. And I think we should find it and keep it safe, so that people like Drago, can't get their hands on it."
"What makes you think we can find it, if no one else ever has?"
"We've got dragons." He said, gesturing to Toothless.
She looked at the dragon, nodded, "Okay, you've got a point, but still, I can't just my home and neither can you, your people need you!"
"C'mon, it will be like old times; venturing into lands unknown. And we'll be potentially saving the world."
She pursed her lips, mulling it over. Then with another glance at Hiccup's pleading face, sighed and punched his arm, "That's two things today, you've convinced me to do, so you'd better be grateful!"
He nearly jumped from his chair in joyous celebration. "Excellent! We'll leave first thing in the morning."
She stood from her chair, "All right, but we're not searching more than two days for this thing, understand?"
He nodded.
"Okay," she headed for the door, "I'll prepare, Stormfly and meet ya in the morning, then."
"All right, see ya in the morning," He said, turning around as the door slammed shut.
Toothless looked at him in a turned head, confused as to his excitement.
He danced around the Night Fury, "Oh, bud, we're gonna go on a journey."
He stopped as his eyes fell on the chest his mother had presented to him the day prior. He walked toward it, opening the wooden box hesitantly. Reaching in he put his hands around the golden pendant, memories of his father striking him. He always wore the thing, day and night. Never once had he seen the man without it.
He smiled at it and slowly brought it to his head, slipping it on. The dragon crest fell just over the center of his chest. He gripped it, "And I'll remember you as I travel."
A/N: Well, there you have it, the second chapter. A little shorter than the first, I know, but now that the story is taking off, the chapters will become increasingly longer.