Chapter 1: Freedom
Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third breathed out loud sigh as Bucket and Mulch waddled away to distribute orders to the other fishing crews. Sometimes it simply astounded him how much micromanaging a chief needed to do with a group of people who had performed the same jobs their whole lives. He immediately winced at the title. It still felt wrong. Stoic was the chief…should be the chief. But Drago Bludvist had changed that. And Stoic had always wanted Hiccup to be chief one day. But –
Hiccup took in a quick breath, pushing down the sharp emotion needling his subconscious. His tribe needed him.
A triangular black head nosed his hand, an inquisitive coo encouraging Hiccup to smile in spite of himself. He instinctively scratched Toothless across his broad, flat skull, hand reaching behind the frill of plates to scratch behind his ear. The Nightfury trilled lowly, rubbing his muzzle against Hiccup's leg. Hiccup smiled down at his first friend.
"Thanks Bud." Toothless hummed almost musically, his plates rising slightly. Mollified, Hiccup walked back to his house, his gait slightly uneven as he compensated for the difference in pressure applied to his prosthetic. He had long ago accepted the metal appendage and adapted his walking style. But no matter how well-crafted, all his prosthetics felt slightly off when he was on the ground, slowing his pace and making Hiccup hyper aware of the shifts in his initial step – just one more reason why he preferred to fly, where the prosthetic felt more natural than his real leg.
Hiccup paused briefly but frequently to congratulate or instruct a passerby working in the village. Though they had recently finished repairing the village from Drago's attack, much work remained to be done. The defeat of Drago and the Bewilderbeast had come with a number of changes for Berk. Now that Toothless was the Archipelago's alpha, it seemed every dragon for hundreds of miles around wanted to come and pay their respects at some point or another. Unfortunately, Berk couldn't support that many dragons, so a risky arrangement was made. With the help of his friends and mother, Hiccup had relocated the Bewilderbeast slumbering under Berserker Island to the ice cave where Valka had been living. During a two-minute exchange that made Hiccup more nervous than any of the number of times he had almost been stabbed, the elderly, dormant giant accepted Toothless as its alpha and followed him to the cave, recreating the safe haven for the survivors of Valka and Drago's armies.
What the Dragon Riders hadn't expected was that without the Bewilderbeast subconsciously driving other dragons off Berserker Island – not to mention decimating the local fish stocks – a large portion of the dragons that had come to seek refuge on Berk over the past years suddenly departed for the fresh nearby territory. While this freed a lot more resources for the Berkians, it also left a number of structures scattered around the village that had been necessary when they were up to their eyeballs in dragons but now ranged from superfluous to an unnecessary stress on roofs and houses. All extra perches, roosts, and fire suppression systems needed to be taken down and dismantled, either for storage or reuse in other building projects.
The latest Scottish attack had also prompted Astrid to launch a building plan of her own. The catapults and ballista that were normally left in storage until an invasion had been refitted to withstand the elements and mounted on swiveling pedestal of different heights. Removable walls and barriers lay neatly stacked at intervals along the cliffs by the docks, all of which saved the tribe more than half an hour in preparing the island for an incursion. Fortunately, the people of Berk were no strangers to hard work.
Hiccup held the door open for Toothless, trying to ignore how quiet the house was once the wood thumped closed behind him. It felt darker, more spacious than ever without Stoic's vast figure dominating the room.
"Hiccup," a voice called from just outside. Hiccup's mood lightened immediately.
"Astrid," Hiccup flung the door open again, shining white teeth flashing in a smile immediately. Astrid's lips curved up in response, her hand reaching up to dust a scrap of leaf out of his hair that had probably been there for most of the day without his notice.
"Wow, it looks like you've hardly been here," Astrid commented, entering the house without further preamble. Her Deadly Nadder Stormfly squawked outside, flapping her wings in an invitation for Toothless to play, which he promptly accepted.
"It's hard to think of it as my house now. Just me." Hiccup admitted, a little bit of his previous heaviness returning.
"It's not just you," Astrid immediately but gently corrected him. "It's you and Toothless and Stormfly and me." Hiccup's face flared red.
"Of course, I mean, if, you know, you still want to," he stuttered. Astrid frowned.
"Why wouldn't I still want to?" She asked slowly. Hiccup instinctively went on defensive mode. That was Astrid's warning voice. He had learned to respect the warning.
"Well, I mean, you asked for the delay," he started rambling. "And I know that we've both been really busy since I became chief and I don't know if maybe you wanttokeepyouroptionsopen – oooooo, ooow." The rest of the sentence trailed off with a hard punch to the gut, and he doubled over. Hiccup should have expected that. Nothing good ever came out of him rambling. Astrid was scowling now. Nothing good ever came out of Astrid scowling.
"Hiccup, I delayed the wedding because your dad died," she reminded him, voice sharp. "Then the Scotts attacked, and now we have to go to this negotiation meeting to work out how much they owe us. We have waited over a year and a half since you first proposed; I can wait two more weeks. You have ALWAYS been busy, and we still have time for each other. Being chief won't change that. And if you think I have eyes for anyone but you, then you're denser than Snotlout." Hiccup looked up at her, trying to look offended at the comparison but only managing to look constipated.
"That is always a low blow," he squeezed out. Toothless popped up in his peripheral vision with a saurian trill and an inquisitive head tilt. He never stopped Astrid from punching Hiccup. No one was allowed to hurt his boy except her. She could hurt him as much as she wanted. Traitor. Astrid huffed, fully aware of the dragons' support.
"Well you are if you ever have even the slightest doubt that there is anyone else in the Archipelago that I want to be with," she growled down at him, her tone not nearly as comforting as the words were.
"I know," Hiccup said, standing straight and rubbing his gut. "I'm sorry, I know. I don't really think that you do, it's just the thought of us moving in together, getting married, it's-it's just so big. And I have all this chief stuff to do and I'm still thinking about my dad and Toothless is the alpha now and sometimes when I take a deep breath it hits me that I'm going to be Astrid Hofferson's husband and you're going to be my wife and it's great but it's so big and I just get nervous and you know when I get nervous I start rambling especially if Ihaven'tbeengettingalot ofsleep -" Astrid put her hands on his shoulders, and at once the word vomit ceased. Her expression had softened at the smile that flickered onto his face when he said it's great.
"Hiccup, I get it, everything's changing, and it's all new and scary," she said softly. Astrid was never soft, except with him. "But you never have to worry about me. I'll always be there for you."
"And I'll always be there for you too," Hiccup replied, daring to wrap his arms around her waist. "Astrid, you have me, no matter what. Okay, whatever that means, whatever you want it to mean. I am with you. There will always be a Hiccup and Astrid. Always." Astrid smiled. He had said those exact words to her the day she was blinded. Every once in a while they repeated it to each other as a reminder that nothing could ever come between them.
"Well," Astrid said, smiling up at him, "I want it to mean that once we get back from this negotiation, I can stop sleeping at my parents' house." Hiccup smiled nervously until she smirked and kissed him. At once the slight innuendo melted away with his concerns about the future. There was just Astrid, and it felt right in a way only flying with Toothless could compare to. After a long moment that could have happily been longer Astrid pulled away. "Weekly existential crisis averted?" Hiccup snorted a laugh.
"It's not weekly," he protested.
"I'm generous," Astrid admitted cheekily, breaking away. "So, in these little panic fantasies that you don't really think, who else has my eye, hm?" Hiccup tensed a little. He knew that smirk. Someone, probably not him, but maybe him, was getting the ax.
"Er, well, again, I don't really think it, I know it's just panic and lack of sleep, but, uh, Eret." Hiccup admitted weakly.
"Hmm, Eret," Astrid repeated thoughtfully. "I'll have to do something about that. But for now, everyone is ready to go."
"Already?" Hiccup asked. "Snotlout and the Twins, on time?"
"With the right incentive, yes," Astrid nearly purred. Stormfly reared behind her, revealing the double-bladed ax stored across the back of the saddle. Hiccup knew exactly what his fiancé meant by incentive. Another term to avoid association with Astrid at all costs. Sure enough, Snotlout, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut were shifting in their saddles on the cliffs over the docks, grumbling amongst themselves until Astrid and Hiccup alighted.
"Oooooh, it's so good to get the group back together," Fishlegs exclaimed, his massive fur-clothed bulk bouncing on the back of his sausage-shaped Gronkle Meatlug, whose raspy yaps and drooling lava affirmed the sentiment.
"It is nice to fly with you guys again," Heather admitted as she joined the crowd. Her Razorwhip Windshear lowing in greeting to Toothless and Stormfly, sparking a brief flurry of greeting among the dragons.
"I know! Isn't it just wonderful. The friendship, the history – minus the part where I tried to kill you all. Hoo-ooo-oo-hahaha!" Dagur laughed with the usual manic grin, his orange stubble and unnaturally wide eyes reinforcing his title the Deranged.
"You're so much sweeter these days," Mala agreed from her place behind him, arms around her husband's waist. "My sweet Berserker King." The two brushed noses together, a display that never failed to amaze. As clean and composed as Dagur was weathered and sporadic, Mala clashed with the Berserker chief in every regard save their attitude toward each other. Atop Dagur's Triple Strike Sleuther, Mala's gold embossed katana and Dagur's well-worn battle ax completed the picture of barbaric beauty. It gave Hiccup hope for other unlikely bonds: dragon and Viking, Hiccup and Astrid.
"I hate to break up the display, but we really should get going." Atali, Chieftain of the Wingmaidens, spoke up, alighting with her second-in-command, Minden. The baby Razorwhips on their backs chirped to Windshear, who rumbled a gentle greeting, her long neck snaking around the muscular women to nuzzle the fledglings.
"The lass is right," a voice growled behind Hiccup. Alvin the Treacherous, Berk's longest standing enemy and hero of the Berserker War, strolled over. Hiccup and Alvin had made peace years ago, but it was hard not to gulp when he bared those uneven teeth in a truly frightening approximation of a smile. The only man Hiccup had ever met to rival his father in size until King Fergus, Alvin's wild black beard and armor of plate mail and dragon bone gave no illusion of gentleness. Still, Alvin was a hero of the Scottish invasion, volunteering to delay the Scots long enough for the other refuges to make it safely to Berk and mount a final defense.
"You should get going and get the coin we deserve from those damn Celts," Alvin growled. "But be careful. You could always be flying into a trap."
"When aren't we?" Snotlout offered, leaning between the horns of his Monstrous Nightmare Hookfang and trying not to stare at Minden.
"Are you sure you don't want to come with us, Alvin?" Hiccup asked. "You know these people better than any of us."
"If this turns out to be a trap, you'll need me here to launch a counter attack and fortify the island," Alvin reminded him. "And besides, I trust that you'll represent the Outcasts' interests fairly. 'Ere, this is a list of all the damaged property those Celts owe us for." Alvin thrust a slightly mangled scroll into Hiccups hand.
"I'll be sure you get what you need," Hiccup promised.
"Of course you will," Alvin exclaimed, dropping a hand like a dragon's foot on Hiccup's shoulder, nearly knocking him over. "You're an honest boy! And besides, it wouldn't do for the new chief to turn his allies into enemies so soon. Not at all, not at all." Alvin chuckled as he walked away, calling out orders to the other Outcasts to make for their ships.
"I am so glad we don't have to fight that guy anymore," Snotlout admitted.
"Me too," Hiccup agreed, storing the scroll in his travel satchel. Hiccup had been immediately nominated by the Viking tribes to represent their interests at the negotiations, but the thought of being responsible for five tribes was a little much for him. Instead, the leader of each tribe would come to stake their claim with Hiccup acting as the lead negotiator and primary representative. Heather insisted on coming with Dagur to protect her last relative and Berk friends. Atali had wanted to leave Minden behind but decided that she could use the diplomatic experience. And Hiccup couldn't have left the old gang behind if he wanted to. Mala's second Throk would stay behind with Alvin to organize rebuilding efforts, and Astrid's team of riders volunteered to take on multi-island patrol duty until the negotiations were finalized.
Hiccup had just mounted Toothless when someone called out for him.
"Wait," Eret shouted, running up the hill to catch them.
"Eret," Hiccup greeted. Despite what he told Astrid, Hiccup had no beef with the admittedly handsome new friend. The only one of Drago's men to join the Berkians, Eret had taken over responsibility for Stoic's dragon Skullcrusher.
"I wanted to say goodbye and goodluck," Eret said. "I know the Celts from my…uh, past. They are a headstrong and clever lot."
"Why don't you come with us!" Ruffnut practically yelled, leaning over Barf's head with a grin. "I'm sure you'll be a much better negotiator than Hiccup." Both Fishlegs and Snotlout turned red and looked away. Although the two boys had put aside their flirtations in favor of old flames, they remembered all too clearly how much Ruffnut preferred Eret and how hard they fought to impress her.
"No, I'm sorry, but I really think I should stay here and help with the construction." Eret glanced behind him when he said this, and Hiccup understood why Eret really wanted to stay. Some of the village still didn't fully trust that he had defected from Drago, and Eret was desperate to prove himself. Helping to reinforce the island against another attack would go a long way toward that. "I also wanted to thank Astrid for yesterday's lesson. I think I'm really making progress now." Astrid, who had been working to train Eret how to ride dragons when few else would, smiled and dismounted.
"You're a good student," she assured him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Remember what I taught you and practice while we're away. You'll be a proper dragon rider before you know it. Oh, and sorry about this, but…" Astrid kicked Eret in the shin. Hard. A truly nauseating snapping sound resounded, and Eret doubled over. Astrid grabbed Eret's arm and used his downward motion to fling him over her shoulder and off the cliff edge. The assembled riders simply stared, frozen, until they heard the THUMP of Eret hitting the wooden ramp below. Hiccup started and ran over to the cliff's edge. Astrid strolled over to stand beside him. Gobber stood on the ramp below, holding Eret's wrist in his meaty hand. Hiccup's mother, Valka, was running up from the docks, her dragon Cloudjumper close behind.
"Well, ya' didn't kill him," Gobber called up. "But why in blazes did you push him over, Hiccup?"
"I didn't do anything," Hiccup responded, slightly offended that Gobber picked him as the culprit over…well, any of the others really.
"Sorry about that," Astrid said conversationally. "Hiccup was being stupid earlier, and I had to prove a point." Eret made a weak noise of acknowledgment.
"Hiccup, whatever you said to her, please, never say it again…" his voice trailed off into a groan. Hiccup winced and glanced at a completely unrepentant Astrid and an outraged Ruffnut. Everyone else seemed too busy laughing to address how much leeway the chief's future wife would clearly have.
"Don't worry Hiccup," Gobber called up. "I'm sure the lad will be fine. I'll bring him to Gothi. Spitelout and I will take care of the village while you're gone." The blacksmith assured when Hiccup opened his mouth.
"And I'll help out with the dragons," Valka offered, stepping onto Cloudjumper's outstretched wing. The dragon reared up the cliff face so that Valka could step up to the ledge. Valka smiled and brushed his bangs aside before planting a kiss on his forehead. Hiccup blushed but couldn't find it in himself to be embarrassed. Two decades of wondering what it would be like to have a mother had made him immune.
"Your father would be so proud son," Valka promised softly. "Just as I am. Now go. Berk will be waiting for you when you return."
"Thanks mom," Hiccup said, voice a little thick. He remounted Toothless, and the dragon shivered with excitement. "Alright gang, let's get going!"
RiseoftheBraveTangledFrozenDragonsRiseoftheBraveTangledFrozenDragons
Never before had Merida seen her father at a greater loss. Until the actual negotiations with the Vikings in two days, they couldn't know how much they were expected to pay, but the numbers didn't really matter. The Scots were already living on the edge. After the fourth meeting with the clan chieftains there was still no resolution. Once the other lords left King Fergus collapsed into his throne, instinctively raising his right hand to pinch the bridge on his nose before he stopped, remembering the metal hook he now bore in its place. Merida's heart squeezed at the sight. Elinor put an arm around her husband's shoulders.
"What are we going to do?" The question was rhetorical. "We don't have the food to properly feed our people, let alone pay tribute to the Vikings. If we ignore the Arendelle tax, that Ice Witch will return and destroy our fields for good. If we pay the Vikings with the crops meant for our people, the four clans will starve before winter. If we ignore the Vikings' demands, they'll bring that blasted dragon army to our homelands. And the last time we tried killing a Viking chief, we had Stoic the Vast mowing down our fleets. Even if we slaughtered the whole negotiation party, it would only delay their assault." Fergus ran a hand down his face. "We can try to fight the Vikings or Arendelle, but we don't have the manpower. Nearly every warrior in the four clans is wounded, and we're all exhausted. Any more time spent away from home, and the crops won't be harvested in time to feed anyone." Fergus looked up at his wife, who glanced to the four children seated in front of her, wide-eyed and uncertain. "Elinor, I've never seen the clans this desperate."
Queen Elinor chewed her lip, and with a start Merida realized that her mom was staring at her.
"Well," Elinor began hesitantly. "There is…no, no, we're not goin' down tha' trail again." Fergus sat straight in his throne, eyes bright with hope.
"What is it Elinor," Fergus asked. "You thought of something, haven't you? Tell me."
"No," Elinor said more firmly. "We went down this road years ago, and it nearly destroyed our family. I won't have that disaster brought up again."
"What are you…oh," Fergus glanced at Merida. "Oh. Yes, I see what you mean."
"What the hell are ya' talkin' about," Merida exploded. She hated when people talked about her like she wasn't there. "Is there something I can do ta' help?"
"Merida," her mother began.
"Because Ah'll do it," she insisted fiercely, eyes hard as her arrowheads. "Ah want ta' help. Tell me what Ah can do."
"The last time we tried this you cut mah leg off," Fergus exclaimed.
"Ah don' know what-" Merida stopped mid rant, eyes finding the mounted head of Mordu over the throne. Oh. That was what they meant. Merida looked back down at her parents. Her father had his head in his left hand. Her mother met her gaze squarely.
"Ah learned mah lesson the first time. An' ah won' make you go through that again." She promised. Merida nodded, choked by an upswing of emotion, and swept from the room, the hem of her tunic swirling about her as she rushed off to Angus. She couldn't bring herself to stare at her parents' defeated expressions any longer, and she couldn't begin to express to them the thoughts swirling through her head. Because, as Merida rode through the nighttime forest, wind ripping at her face and fraying her hair ever further, she had never felt more trapped in her life.
Mordu's death marked the day she had won her freedom: freedom to be herself, to make her own path, to marry whomever she wished and refuse those she did not. Freedom that had seemed an impossible dream was now hers. But freedom was not free.
Her whole life she had been defined by her rebellion, her determination to be her own woman and not what tradition had told her to be. But she never thought further than the rebellion. She loved to ride with Angus, swimming the rivers and lakes, climbing the highlands, and hunting the forests, wild and free as an eagle. But now she craved something all of Scotland had failed to provide: someone to share her freedom with. None of the lords' children held her interest or even her general affection. None of the young men who came to the castle or spoke with her as she passed through their town had ever done more than pleasantly killed a few minutes of her time. God forbid her parents find out, but Merida had even considered the young women that drifted in and out of her life. But they were soft, their wills too weak. They could not understand her and made little effort to try. No one in all of Scotland could match her spirit or even win her friendship.
Merida gasped at the word, feeling it sink into her ribs like a blade. She didn't have a proper friend her age. She had her parents, her brothers, Angus, and no one else. And she had no plan or direction.
Merida's breathing turned ragged as she urged Angus ever faster, as if the wind could whip fast enough to tear the thoughts from her head and keep the tears from falling.
She had no friends. Her freedom had isolated her, and the loneliness was slowly killing her.
Finally, Merida brought Angus to a stop, filling the forest with the sound of their tattered breathing. Merida felt the damp streaks on her cheeks and roughly brushed a calloused palm across her face. She was horribly alone, and the ultimate display of her hard-won freedom had brought that to the surface in a way she could never have imagined. Merida took a deep, unsteady breath, burying her face in Angus's mane, trying to steal the horse's warmth against the chill, losing herself in his heartbeat. She lost track of how long she lay there, absently petting the creature who represented home to her more than the castle.
Merida closed her eyes. She wanted direction. She had never felt more alive than when she rode into battle against Arendelle and the English. But now that she saw the price of war she knew she couldn't just lead troops into endless battle. And the thought of ruling the clans left a bad taste in her mouth. She didn't want to be the one everyone turned to for a solution. That wasn't how she wanted to live her life, but she didn't know what she did want. Except…
Merida shivered, her sweat soaked tunic chilling in the breeze. She couldn't hide from the cold anymore. Or the truth. Merida wanted a companion. She didn't know about a husband, but she needed someone who would stay with her.
Yet as she turned back to the castle, Merida also knew that, if she ever did have someone special, he – or she – could never be some dirty Viking in a political marriage. She would have to find something unique for her.
RiseoftheBraveTangledFrozenDragonsRiseoftheBraveTangledFrozenDragons
"Ladies, gentlemen, dragons-"
"And Snotlout."
"Hey!"
"May I present to you, Dragon's Edge!" Hiccup finished, ignoring Tuffnut's jab at Snotlout. The Riders shared a collective flurry of appreciative noises. They had flown well into the night on the first day of the trip and had to rest on a bare rock jutting out of the sea. They were supposed to make it to Dragon's Edge by sunset today, but Astrid had insisted on stopping to visit Garf. The young Death Song had been overjoyed to see the Riders again, especially Astrid and Stormfly. Of course, Astrid demanded they let Garf come with them as far as the Edge, and Hiccup had wasted time to argue against it. All in all, the Riders were eager to get out of the saddles and refamiliarize themselves with the outpost that had been their home for years during the war against the dragon hunters, even if it was just for the night before they continued the journey to Scotland tomorrow.
"Alright gang, we don't know if any wild dragons have taken up residence here since we left, so let's-" Hiccup broke off and looked around in a circle to see that chaos had already descended on the Riders.
"Smidvarg!" Tuffnut yelled, embracing the white alpha Night Terror while hundreds of the small black beta dragons swarmed the gang, chirping and squealing with glee as they fought for belly rubs and head scratches. Astrid and Hiccup had their work cut out for them trying to pacify the Night Terrors and keep Garf from eating them at the same time. Once all the Night Terrors, who had apparently remained in the stables the Riders had built for them years ago, had been satisfied, the Riders had completely lost focus.
"Hey, Ruff, our boar pit is still here!" Tuffnut shouted.
"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Ruffnut asked.
"I'll go get some boars," Tuffnut yelled, running into the woods with Ruffnut close behind. Before Hiccup could go after them a spear nearly twenty feet long with a metal tip that could punch through both hulls of a dragon hunter warship slid into the ground just in front of him.
"Sorry brother," Dagur yelled from behind him. "I was just showing Mala darling the ballista you had here. Isn't it just as deadly as I told you, dear?"
"Most impressive craftsmanship, Astrid," Mala called out. Hiccup put a hand to his thumping heart and decided that he should make sure none of the other anti-siege weaponry they had installed was still functional. As he walked around the Edge he stumbled across the rest of the group outside Snotlout's hut.
"It's just not the same without the S," Snotlout was lamenting, studying his old hut. Like most of the huts on the Edge, it was nearly twice the size of the family houses on Berk in order to accommodate dragons the size of Hookfang.
"Snotlout, you brought the S home with you," Astrid reminded him.
"Yes, and that was a good call, but I should have made a spare so that my hut would keep its majesty."
"I think it's marvelous," Minden commented, coming to stand between Snotlout and a face-palming Astrid. "I would love to see inside." Minden smiled with suggestion, and Snotlout gulped nervously.
"Minden has the right idea," Heather chimed in, dismounting Windshear and walking over to Fishlegs. "There aren't enough huts for everyone to have their own, so let's buddy up for the night. Astrid, you're ok if I stay with Fishlegs, aren't you?"
"Of course," Astrid replied with a smirk.
"But Sis," Dagur began, looking after his sister with sudden alarm.
"Perfect," Heather continued on as if she didn't hear her brother. "Come on, Fishlegs. It'll be nice to be back in your hut again." With a strength her lithe form belied Heather dragged a gaping and sweaty Fishlegs toward his hut. Fishlegs desperately looked back over his shoulder before they rounded a corner out of sight and managed to catch one of Dagur's insane warning glares before he was whisked away. Meatlug and Windshear grumbled to each other and flew off toward the stables, resolved to let their riders work things out on their own.
"Heather will be fine," Mala assured her husband. "She is a capable young woman, and Fishlegs is a very proper young Viking. But she does raise an excellent point about sleeping arrangements." Mala turned to Hiccup. "Hiccup Haddock, would you mind if my husband and I slept in your common room?"
"As a matter of fact, I would, Mala," Hiccup asserted with a smile. "We may have left Dragon's Edge, but I am still its leader. And as long as I am in charge here, no guest goes without a bed." Hiccup put a hand on the Mala and Dagur's shoulders. "The two of you can have my hut for the night. And I won't have any discussion on the matter." Dagur sniffed and swept Hiccup into a hug that drew unnatural crackling noises from his skeleton.
"Thank you, brother," Dagur said, eyes brimming with tears that could come and go like mist.
"You're welcome, brother," Hiccup choked out. He rarely returned the term of endearment, mainly because Hiccup and Dagur were not brothers and Dagur had initially used it to taunt Hiccup when they were enemies. But once in a blue moon, during an especially emotional moment or when he wanted to be hundred percent sure Dagur would go along with a plan, Hiccup returned the sentiment. Dagur grinned like the madman he was and turned toward Hiccup's hut, sniffling openly. Mala followed, sparing Hiccup a knowing smile that he couldn't quite interpret.
"Atali, you, Minden, and your dragons are more than welcome to stay in my hut," Astrid spoke up to fill the quiet.
"Thank you, Astrid, but I believe Minden convinced Snotlout to share his hut while the rest of us were distracted." Sure enough the two brunettes were nowhere to be seen. Astrid snorted.
"Guess Minden and Heather realized what they threw away," Astrid chuckled. "Minden could do better though."
"Better her than Ruffnut," Hiccup said with feeling. Astrid made a noise halfway between disgust and assent. During the war with the dragon hunters Minden and Heather had maintained flirtatious off and on relationships with Snotlout and Fishlegs respectively. Once the war ended and the Riders returned to Berk, the girls broke up with their boyfriends, claiming that the greater distance between islands made a relationship impractical. The boys had been briefly devastated, and during a mead fueled night of mutual comfort realized that they both thought one Ruffnut Thorston was cute. This sparked several months of the two boys flirting with the Loki-devotee, which really no one found charming. Fortunately, once they saw that Ruffnut was head over heels for Eret and almost completely ignorant of anyone else's existence, the boys slacked off some. When the Riders were reunited with their allies during the Scottish invasion, Minden and Heather had seemed surprised and disturbed to find their old flames nursing a soft spot for someone else. As Astrid reminded Hiccup, Viking women fought for what they saw as theirs; it wasn't long before the old couples had tentatively rekindled. It looked like being on the Edge had reminded the girls of the good old days before what everyone called 'the Ruffnut phase'.
"Minden's…choices aside," Atali cut into Hiccup's reminiscence, wrinkling her nose slightly. "Are you sure you want to give up your room? I would be happy to bed down with the dragons for the night."
"No, Atali, I insist," Astrid said. "It's like Hiccup said, all guests get a bed at Dragon's Edge." Atali thanked them and leapt up, the baby Razorwhip on her back instinctively flying as Atali directed.
"Don't you want to sleep in your old hut?" Hiccup asked as they walked down to the combat dome, sleeping rolls in hand and dragons scampering happily around their feet.
"You gave Dagur and Mala your place."
"Yes, but I was kind of hoping to spend the night…" Hiccup realized he had said more than he meant to. Astrid cocked an eyebrow. "With you, like in the old days." Hiccup finished with a sheepish grin. Astrid smirked.
"Those were fun times," Astrid agreed. "But I think a night under the stars with you is equally fun." Astrid plopped down and spread out her roll of furs. Hiccup smiled and spread out next to her. As they lay back and watched the stars, listening to Toothless and Stormfly jostle with Garf for a comfy position to curl up in, something so simple it seemed profound struck Hiccup.
"Hey, I know that look," Astrid murmured, rolling over to prop her head up on one arm and look at him. "What's going on in that Hiccupy brain of yours?" Hiccup smiled and reached over to take her hand in his.
"Astrid, this is what it means to be free," he whispered. "We aren't out here just to relive the glory days. We're out here because our people and our dragons need us to be, but it's not just some chore we have to do to keep living. We're out here because we love the people we live with, and we'll do anything to help them. We choose to take on the big jobs or the scary missions not as an obligation but because we want to see the people we care about safe and happy. Freedom isn't about doing whatever you want. It's about finding your place in the world and doing what you have to because you love the ones you share your life with." Hiccup leaned up and began gesturing toward the spread of huts over to their left.
"This is the place where we founded the Edge. Over there is where we first kissed, and that's where I proposed to you. And we never would have come here if we hadn't volunteered to track down Dagur when he threatened Berk. And I would've died on that island way over there if Dagur hadn't saved me, and he only saved me because his love for Heather helped him reform. And if Heather hadn't forgiven Dagur and learned to love him in return, we wouldn't have been able to reinstate him as Berserker chief and Savage would probably have taken over. And if Viggo hadn't learned to love dragons, Johann and Krogan would have won the war. All of this, Astrid, we did because we cared about the people around us. And I don't think we ever felt more alive or more free."
The wind tussled his hair, and Hiccup took a deep breath of loam and sea spray and dragon musk, relishing the feeling for a moment. He glanced over to see Astrid staring up at him with a soft smile.
"You probably think I'm crazy, don't you?" Astrid placed a hand over his heart and effortlessly pushed him down, rolling on top of him and pulling her furs over them in one smooth movement.
"I think it's easy to see why I fell in love with you," she whispered, tangling her fingers in his hair and kissing him long and slow and sweet. Hiccup's world was reduced to Astrid's lips, her warmth, her soft grip on his head, the tickle of her hair on his forehead, her scent – and her skirt of leather and iron spikes.
"Sorry," she laughed as she shifted off to cuddle against his side instead.
"Do you ever consider taking that thing off," Hiccup wheezed, sucking in through his teeth as he tightened a length of scrap cloth around the shallow puncture. Astrid leaned up to brush her lips over his cheek and lingered there a moment.
"Make Snotlout play host for Dagur and Mala on the way back, and I will." Hiccup turned toward her, eyes the size of coins; and Astrid laughed, burying her face in his shoulder as she shifted to get comfortable. Hiccup looked behind him to where Garf had curled around Toothless and Stormfly. All three dragons were staring at the riders but put their heads down on their paws and pretended to go to sleep the moment Hiccup looked their way. Toothless ruined the image by cracking one eye open. Stifling a laugh, Hiccup put an arm around Astrid's shoulder and waist and snuggled closer.
They were truly free.