I hung out with Toothless until the late hours of the afternoon. Most of that time had been spent doodling in the sand and trying to teach my dragon companion to do the same. He could only manage rudimentary sketches of squiggly shapes but it was a work in progress.

It was shortly after I'd realized that I was trapped in a circle of doodles, Toothless' huge lines with my smaller Night Fury depictions squeezed in-between, that I'd gotten an idea. In the end some of my drawings had to be sacrificed so that I could get out and head back home. To my surprise Toothless had seemed almost mournful of their loss but not as hostile as he'd been when I first stepped on his art.

Now I'm holed up in the forge, avoiding the Mead Hall in an effort to delay the siege of questions that my fellow trainees and mentor probably want to hurl at me. Maybe if I'm lucky they'll write the whole thing off as a hoax.

I hummed absently as I worked, feeling cheerful while reworking the leather that I'd bought from the tanner using money from my perfume sales. I'd been pondering a way to make flying easier on both me and Toothless following that last fiasco, it wasn't quite a solution but a saddle was the best I could come up with for now. The rest would come in time.

I bent over to grab my wooden mallet from under the table, groping for the familiar smooth handle while my mind wandered. Maybe I could attach some kind of trigger to the tailfin? I could pull on a string to release it while we're in the air. Huh, that actually isn't half bad, I think as my hand finally finds the mallet.

"Hiccup?"

I shoot up reflexively, banging my head on the underside of the worktable and sending loose papers scattering. Groaning I allow myself to slide to the floor, clutching the forming goose egg at my hairline. Footsteps from the next room get louder and I hear the door open. Of all the people I expected to walk in Aster Hofferson was definitely not one of them.

"Hiccup? Are you okay?" he asks.

Part of me is grateful when he hesitates at the door, almost like he's unsure if it's alright for him to come in, before finally taking a step over the threshold. The few precious seconds that his pause brought me were used to snap my gaping mouth closed and attempt to control the flush that had formed on my cheeks.

I manage a nod and grip the corner of the worktable, rubbing the sore spot on my head while pulling myself to stand. "I'm fine, just got a little…startled, is all" I laugh awkwardly, inwardly cringing at how pathetic that had sounded. What Viking girl gets startled by someone calling her name? Anyone else would have probably just called back, maybe heaved an axe at the wall in some kind of bizarre reflex. Either of those is a lot better than almost giving yourself a concussion on your own worktable!

"D-did you need something?" I asked.

He unholstered his axe and held it out in front of me, "I'm due for a sharpening."

Nodding I motioned for him to follow before heading back into the forge. I lit the hearth and started stoking the coals, "This will probably take a while to light, you can leave it on that table and I'll hand it back to you tomorrow at dragon training."

I waved a hand in the direction of metal plated table situated off to the side. Aster didn't reply and I looked up from the bellow to see him staring at the overflowing pile of weapons already resting there. "Oh, sorry about that" I said, briefly leaving the fire and sliding past him. I gathered two armfuls and hefted them into the space just under the table, pushing whatever was left off to the side to make room for his axe.

"Are you sure you aren't too busy? I mean all of those need to be fixed too right?"

I brushed passed him and started pumping the bellow again, practically having to throw all my body weight onto it for it to be effective. "Not really, those don't really take that long and the owners didn't specify a time for pickup. Gobber and I usually just split the work when we're both here, a stack that size doesn't even take half a day."

I gave the bellow one more hard shove before checking the coals. They seemed to be simmering nicely so I leaned back to wait. "Can I take a look at your axe for a second?" I asked.

Aster shrugged and handed it over. It was heavy but a lot better than most of the stuff Gobber made me move. I propped it up against a nearby table and held it by the head, examining the blades more closely. There was a patchwork of nicks that needed to be smoothed out, which was hardly uncommon among Viking weapons. Flipping it over I winced upon seeing the huge gouge cutting a vertical line down one side of the blade.

"Where did this come from?" I asked, pointing to the mark.

"I think it was from that day we were training with the Nadder."

I couldn't suppress a wince. Of course, one of the nails from the shield must've nicked the blade. Placing the weapon on the closest surface, which just happened to be a currently vacant anvil, I went back to the fire and pretended to check the embers.

Awkward silence stretched between us before I finally huffed a breath and turned to face him, "Okay…repairs are on the house since it's technically me who's responsible for breaking it in the first place."

Aster cocked a brow, "Are you trying to suck up to me or something?"

I blinked, thrown off by the assessment, "What? No I was just trying to take responsibility for messing up your axe. It's because of that mark that you brought it here right?"

Aster didn't reply, just stood there and stared at me. His blue eyes were searching, almost like he was studying me. It was unnerving. I had just started to fidget under his intense gaze when he shrugged his shoulders and said: "Have it your way," before making his way back to the door.

I watched him go, feeling very small after the whole exchange. He paused in the door and angled himself back toward me, "Hiccup, I uh…y'know what never mind," he said quickly before crossing the threshold and disappearing into the night.

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I pulled an all-nighter fixing Asters axe and completing Toothless' saddle along with the rigging for the tailfin. It would probably be pathetic to admit that I'd spent a lot more time on the axe then had been strictly necessary but I had, which will only reinforce his already stellar opinion of me I'm sure.

Aster has no shortage of secret admirers in the village anyway, not like I could match up against them no matter how high in standing my family is. Hiccup the Useless will never make any man a fitting wife as the saying goes.

Oh thank the Gods I'd found time to go see Toothless this morning. Granted that it had been a trying visit with him not wanting to try on the saddle, the tailfin rigging failing, and us crashing into a field of grass that apparently smells incredible to Night Furies, but it took my mind off everything else for a while.

Now I'm sprinting to the training arena praying that class hasn't started as I try to keep ahold of Aster's axe in my rush. Predictably I'm the last to make it and barely manage to keep from killing myself as I skid to a stop in the middle of the arena.

"Ah Hiccup was wonderin' when ye were gonna' show up" Gobber said.

Both my hands were braced on my knees as I attempted to catch my breath, "S-sorry" I wheezed, "overslept."

"Try not ta let it happen again" Gobber replied before shouting for everyone to fall in line.

I manage to grab Aster just as he made his way over and press the axe into his hands before rushing to take my place next to Fishlegs. The encyclopedia lover gave me an inquisitive look out of the corner of his eye but doesn't say anything as Gobber begins talking.

"T'day ye'll be taken on an old friend" the smith said, already pulling a lever on one of the cages. Snotlout and the twins groaned at the familiar display while Fishlegs still looks like he's severely contemplating Gobber's teaching methods.

The door wasn't even fully open before the Gronkle burst through and we all scattered. "Remember yer trainin' and try ta last as long as ye can with the beast!" their instructor calls from the sidelines.

I stumbled toward the far wall while the dragon went after Fishlegs, who was running around wildly in what can only be described as panic. Spotting a few shields propped up against the wall a couple dozen feet away I made a mad dash for them, but Snotlout and Tuffnut got there first, the former sneering at me as he strapped the shield to his arm.

"Too bad, so sad, little Hiccup, looks like you're going to have to find your own shield" he said mockingly.

I glanced down at the pattern painted on the wooden surface and have to bite down on my lip to keep from smiling, "Yea your right Snotlout, that shield suits you way more than it would me" I said, sticking around just long enough to catch Lout's bewildered expression before taking off.

Somewhere behind me I heard Tuffnut crack up laughing, doubtlessly noticing the bright pink and purple flowers embroidering my cousin's shield. Ruffnut had apparently witnessed the entire thing because she high-fived me with a demented laugh as she passed. I smiled and easily returned it.

Now that all the shields were taken there was only one place to seek cover in the arena, a single wooden stand, probably about three feet thick, in the back of the room. I ran for it, vaguely hearing Gobber pronounce Fishlegs and Tuffnut done somewhere behind me. I made it to the shelter, pressing my back to it and turning to survey what was happening.

Ruffnut had taken up her spear along with a half fried shield and was banging them together to create noise. Unfortunately the creature still had enough coherency to shoot a semi-straight shot. Hot magma splattered at the female Thorston's feet, making her cry out as some got on her leg and ate through the legging.

The break in the noise gave it room to fire another shot, which decimated what was left of her shield and sent her flying backwards. "Ruffnut out!" Gobber called.

Aster charged from across the arena, axe held high. The Gronkle noticed his approached and went after him, ducking down to head butt him in the gut. Aster tried to drop and dodge but wasn't quick enough, allowing one of the dragons rocky bumps to slam into his shoulder. The axe went skidding across the ground while Aster dropped, allowing the Gronkle to breeze past him to a higher altitude.

"Aster out"

The dragon spotted me from the air and made a dive my way. Yanking a handful of the grass Toothless liked out of my pocket I clutched it in my fist and averted my face as the Gronkle got closer, thrusting my hand out in front of me when it was about three feet away.

The creature dropped, pupils dilating while its nostrils flared against my closed fist. I smiled, rubbing up and down its nose before releasing the clippings and allowing the dragon to snort them up. With that I walked back toward the arena doors where everyone else was waiting, looking just as flabbergasted as they had yesterday.

I smiled sheepishly, "So…uh, did I pass?"

Gobber came back to himself first and gave me a hardy pat on the shoulder, "Great show Hiccup, ye did well lass." Keeping his flesh arm wrapped firmly around me the smith turned to face the rest of the class, "Trainin' over for t'day, yer all dismissed."

One more firm pat from my mentor, coupled with a toothy smile, and Gobber stumbled back into the arena to shove the Gronkle back into its cage.

Ruffnut suddenly had her arm around me, jostling me into a one-armed hug. "Didn't know you had it in you Hiccup!" she complemented.

"Yea I mean how did you do that?" Snotlout continued, seeming to completely forget that he hated me only minutes ago.

Tuffnut shoved him aside and leaned in closer than I was comfortable with, "You just threw out your hand and it just fell over, like BAM!"

Ruffnut's fist connected with her brother's jaw, "Back off moron can't you tell she doesn't want your ugly mug in her face?"

"What did you say you butt elf?"

While the Thorston twins dissolved into their usual bickering Fishlegs sidled up next to me, "So did you really punch it?" he asked.

"Didn't you see? Of course she did!" Snotlout answered for me, slapping a hand on my back hard enough to make me cringe, "she's not my cousin for nothing after all!"

"Uh…sorry guys but I think I forgot my axe in the arena so I'm just gonna'…" without further explanation I turned and ran back to the training center.

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After hiding behind a barrel conveniently placed on the other side of the bridge for what seems like an hour the teens finally decide not to wait for me and scurried off to do their own things. Breathing a sigh of relief I ditch my hiding place and head straight for the cove. Luckily Toothless was wide awake and gives me a huge, gummy smile when he spots me.

My friend bounds over as I scale the cliff face, licking me excitedly when I'm finally in range. "Toothless!" I cry, laughing, "stop! You know that your breath smells like fish right?"

I eventually manage to shove him away and stand with him following beside me as we walk. "Sorry bud but I can't stay long, Gobber's expecting me at the forge later. I'll come back tomorrow so we can work more on our flight training though, how's that sound?"

Toothless seemed to think over the suggestion before letting out a short whuff, accompanied by a nod. "Great so what should we-"

The Nigh Fury suddenly halted, dropping to the ground and bringing his front paw up in an attempt to scratch behind his ear flaps. "Here I've got it" I said, stepping forward to drag my fingernails against the top of his skull. Toothless leaned into my touch, practically curling around me while I scratched. Before long I was using both hands and he was nearly on top of me. One hand continued to work the obviously irritating spot just under his left ear flap while the other strayed under his chin.

Toothless went rigid then collapsed in a dead faint, jaws quirking up in a half smile of contentment. I stared at my palm in wonder. "Well who'd have thought…?"

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"Remember ta stay light on yer feet!" Gobber called.

The Nadder we were facing finished trying to roast the twins before making a beeline for me. I dropped my mace, making the creature pull up short directly in front of me, obviously confused. There was a war cry off to the left and the Nadder turned, giving me enough room to slip in and give it a good scratch under the chin. The dragon dropped just in time to avoid being nailed by Aster and his axe.

The Viking boy gave me a confused look, dropping the weapon he'd had poised over his head. I attempted a smile, though it felt definitely forced, before shouting to Gobber that I was heading to the smithy to work on some of the dull blades and bolting for the exit.

Later on that night I showed up at the mead hall the way I usually did, speed walking past the table housing all the other kids my age and taking a seat at the next table over, which was always vacant. Not two seconds after I sat down everyone from the surrounding tables was all over me, chattering at the same time in an attempt to talk and be heard over one another. All those earnest expressions of genuine admiration and acceptance surrounding me on all sides.

Is this what it's like not to be Hiccup the Useless?

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I bring Toothless his breakfast the next morning and watch him eat while I tinker with the saddle. A few of the metal fasteners have been acting up as of late, so I brought my hammer to sort it out. With my eyes trained firmly on the sticky bolt that refuses to fit back in its proper place I don't notice at first, that is until a sharp movement out of the corner of my eye catches my attention.

Temporarily abandoning the bolt I glance up just in time to see Toothless dart across the clearing. His pupils are wide, eyes big. I've only ever seen him look like that when he's chasing mice or other small game in the woods. All of a sudden he jerks forward again, both paws coming down on nothing before one shoots out to his left.

I manage to catch a glimpse of a speck of light just before it disappears under Toothless' paw before furrowing my brow and glancing down at my hammer. It rested against the boulder I'm using as a makeshift worktable, the sunlight glinting off its metal head. A smile takes over my features as I crouch down and carefully aim the beam, giving him something to chase.

I bite my tongue to keep from laughing, Toothless is smart enough to figure out that I'm teasing him if I do. Though with how focused he is I wonder if he would even hear me…

I shine the light over to the left and giggle behind my hand as Toothless springs for it, immediately deciding that it's one of the cutest things I've ever seen.

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"This is the Terrible Terror" Gobber announces.

We all watch as, rather than the big door swinging open, the foot high one situated at the bottom of the cage released our opponent instead. Honestly I hadn't even noticed that the smaller door was there.

"Ha!" Tuffnut cries, "it's like the size of my-"

The tiny creature launched itself forward and latches onto Tuffnut's nose, completely disregarding the spear and shield he's carrying in favor of skipping straight to the mauling. Understandably, the male Thorston twin cries out in pain and surprise at the sneak attack while everyone else scatters.

"Ow get it off!" he yells.

Using my shield I reflect the sun to catch the tiny creature's attention, making it follow the light just as Toothless had, straight back into its pen. After shutting the door with my foot I walk over to Tuffnut, who's still rolling around in apparent agony.

"You okay?" I ask.

"He's fine" Ruffnut answers, crouching down next to him, "he's just being a huge whine baby."

Tuff shoots to a sitting position, clutching his enflamed nose, "Who're you calling a whine baby!?"

"Did the dragon manage to gnaw off your ears too?" the female Thorston drawled, "who else would I be calling a whine baby?"

"Uh…Tuff you should probably go get some kinda' cream put on that, Terrors are supposed to be venomous" Fishlegs broke in.

"Venom? Cool will I, like, sprout extra limbs or turn green or something?"

"No…but if you leave the bite to get infected there's a chance your nose could eventually rot off."

"Sounds cool to me" Tuff said.

Ruff rolled her eyes while everyone else just looked at the male Thorston twin like he'd finally lost whatever marble's he had left.

"I'll go get Goethi" Aster volunteered, making his way toward the arena entrance.

I watched him go, breathing a disappointed sigh before turning back to Ruff and Tuff. The former was giving me a strange look that made me fidget uncomfortably and bite my bottom lip. In an effort to ignore her stare I returned my attention to her brother, who had taken up talking to Snotlout from where he was still lying on the ground.

"S-so Tuffnut does it feel any better?" I asked.

Both boys turned to look at me, the injured party reaching up a hand to rub the reddened appendage. "Uh yea, it's not as bad as the time Ruff jabbed me in the side with her spear" he replied.

I raised an eyebrow while Ruff cackled somewhere off to the side. "Sweet moves out there by the way" the male Thorston twin said in a rare moment of sincerity, smiling toothily, "you beat it without hardly lifting a finger!"

Heat rose to my cheeks at the flattery, something that I still wasn't used to no matter how many times the villagers complimented me. "N-no it wasn't-" I started, only to be interrupted when Aster returned, planting his foot in the center of Tuffnut's back and sending the boy sprawling into his own lap.

"Got her" Aster said simply, gesturing to the small gray-haired woman at his side.

The Goethi knelt down next to Tuff as he rose to a sitting position, grabbing a jar of salve from her pocket and spreading it none too gently across his nose. With everyone distracted by Tuffnut's wailing and the crowd that had come to watch dragon training slowly trickling back to their routine I slipped away, briefly swinging by my house to grab my supplies before heading off to Toothless' cove.

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"-then I snuck away and came here" I finished, adjusting the straps on the saddle while I finished recounting my day to Toothless.

It had been days since we last attempted flying and I'd finally worked out most of the bugs, fixing the string rigging so that it attached to a pedal on the stirrup, making it much easier to manipulate in the air. But it never hurt to double check.

"Okay, that should do it bud" I said, patting him on the neck and pulling the roll of rope I'd purchased out of my satchel.

We'd relocated to a windy cliff-face for our first test fly and I tied one end off on Toothless' harness before wrapping the other on a thick post I'd hammered into the ground. My dragon companion already knew my plan and knelt down so that I could hop on the saddle, standing to fan his wings while I attached the safety harness.

"Let's go" I said, clipping a piece of paper at the crest of the leather.

Toothless gave a short huff of confirmation before lifting himself into the air, letting the wind open his wings while I pressed down on the pedal. We jerked right and I instinctively clung to the saddle more tightly, only relaxing when we evened out. "Okay" I said, flipping the pedal back to its original position while Toothless dropped his wings, letting us land gently back on the cliff edge.

Pulling out a charcoal pencil I hastily drew the position on my cheat sheet before sliding the writing utensil back into the folds of my vest. "Okay" I said again, taking hold of the leather as Toothless lifted us back into the air. This time we swung left and I scribbled that down.

This went on for a while before the rope snapped, making us both cry out as we flew backwards and landed in a heap past the tree line, thankfully not hitting any trees. I groaned while Toothless stood, dragging me with him via the harness.

"Oh man…" I moaned, tugging ineffectively at the leather, "this…could be a problem."

I grabbed my satchel and started rifling through the contents, wincing when I saw that I only had a pair of small scissors with me. Those were only good for collecting wild flowers and not much else, it would take hours to saw through metal and probably ruin them if I even attempted it.

I groaned and leaned back against my dragon companion before glancing at the sky. It was already getting dark out and the village would be vacant within an hour or two, meaning that we could probably manage getting to the forge and back if we were really careful.

I chewed on my lip, glancing at Toothless, who was staring at me with those big, green, questioning eyes, patiently waiting for me to come up with a solution. With a sigh I stood, my dragon standing with me, and started leading him in the direction of the village.

It was dark by the time we made it there, keeping to the side streets and nearly being spotted by one of the night watchmen before finally managing to slip into the empty forge. I'd barely managed to snag a saw and start cutting through the links chaining me to the saddle when someone called, from just outside the door, "Hiccup?"

Panicked, I grabbed my apron and sprang out the window, slamming the shutters behind me while tying the apron haphazardly around my waist. "Oh Aster! Aster, hi Aster! How nice to see you!"

He raised a wary eyebrow and crossed his arms, "I normally don't care what people do but you're acting really weird."

There was a tug on the harness and I winced. 'Toothless!'

"Well…weirder" Aster corrected.

"Oh…uh, haha" I stammered as there was a stronger tug, this one pulling me off my feet and nearly through the window. By some force of will I managed to keep from being yanked back into the forge, holding tight to the edge of the window and praying that it only looked like I'd hoisted myself up to have a seat on the sill.

Unfortunately Toothless didn't seem to get the hint and pulled even harder, this time sending me flying backwards through the shudders. Thinking quickly I hopped on Toothless with the sawblade still clutched in my left hand and urged him toward the back entrance. I heard the shutters bang open an instant after we were out the door and told Toothless to take us back to the cove, which he did.

It was only when we got there and I'd spent many minutes using the saw to cut myself free and reshape the hook on the saddle that I realized my wild flower scissors could have cut through the leather of the harness strap. I groaned aloud when I thought of that, putting my head in my hands and letting the saddle flop in my lap. Toothless was oblivious to my mood as he chased a butterfly across the cove.

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The next day was a free day, Gobber had announced that we would be having our final test tomorrow and he wanted us to rest up. That was just fine with me considering that I'd get an entire day alone with Toothless, sneaking out the back door with a wicker basket full of fish at the crack of dawn to make sure that no one noticed.

Once I got there Toothless inhaled his fish and we journeyed back to the same cliff we'd been practicing on the previous day. I hopped onto the saddle, snapping my safety harness in place and taking in a lungful of air.

"Ready bud?"

Toothless glanced at me over his shoulder and huffed, his way of saying yes.

"Okay, let's do this."

My dragon companion obliged, opening his wings and giving a few hard flaps to take us up into the air. I breathed an awed gasp as the breeze blew my hair back, ground getting smaller and smaller below us while the clouds got even bigger.

"Okay bud. We're gonna' take this nice and slow" I said, glancing down at my cheat sheet, "alright…so, position three, no four."

I gripped the handles I'd installed on the crest of the saddle and flipped the pedal, sending us into a short circle. I whipped my head around to observe the tailfin, which held up against the winds as we completed the turn.

It went off perfectly and we leveled out again.

"Okay, okay, it's go time" I said with barely concealed relief, urging Toothless into a downward arc toward the ocean.

"C'mon Toothless, c'mon bud" I said encouragingly as we hovered over the waves, urging him toward the naturally formed stone arch just off shore. One of his wings tilted and a spray of salt water went up to my left but I barely noticed the flecks of water soaking the front of my shirt, eyes focusing on our target.

I eyed the arch as we flew through, just as determined as my dragon if not a lot more nervous. A breath of relief whistled between my teeth as we made it and I patted Toothless' neck, calling out "Good job bud!" over the wind. The Night Fury rumbled back, obviously preening from the compliment.

Unfortunately in my celebration of our small victory I accidentally flew us into a sea stack, "Sorry!" I called out. We flew into another one after I failed to jerk us in the right direction and Toothless pushed off the stone surface, shaking his head roughly, "My fault!"

One of his ear flaps came up to smack me in the face and I yelped indignantly, "Okay, okay I've got it!"

"Position four…no three" I said, flipping the pedal again and urging Toothless into an upward ascent.

"C'mon bud!" I shouted as my dragon flapped madly, "you've got it Toothless!"

He cried out joyfully, obviously loving the exertion as we climbed higher and higher. "Oh this is amazing!" I cried out, Toothless' tongue lolling to one side in his happiness, "the feel of the wind in my-" The cheat sheet slipped from where I'd placed it on the saddle and I cried out, letting go of the handles to try and make a grab for it.

"Stop!" I shouted, my fingers catching the corner of the paper.

Unfortunately Toothless took my cry to mean stop flapping, which is what he did, leaving us dead in the air. Gravity pulled him back down and my harness became unhooked. We freefell, Toothless crying out as he struggled to right himself while I screamed, flaring out my arms and legs in panic.

"Okay! Okay hold on…stay with me bud!" I shouted, trying to remain calm as the obviously distressed dragon wasn't going to, "we-we need to- I need you to angle yourself-"

In his struggles his tail whipped out and smacked me in the face, sending me into a small spiral that left me temporarily dazed. It was only a graze though, which left me with just enough coherency to make a grab for the harness and reattach myself to the saddle. Somehow I'd kept ahold of the cheat sheet and shoved it in my mouth as I hooked my harness back into place and grabbed the handles.

The paper smacked me in the face as I jerked on the saddle, managing to angle Toothless so that he could spread his wings and try to slow our descent. It kept us from crashing but nothing we did would allow us to miss the misty maze of sea stacks we were heading for.

Toothless shrieked and I yanked the cheat sheet out of my mouth, barely able to make out the images on the paper while the mine field got closer. I made a split second decision and chucked the cheat sheet, lowering myself close to Toothless and clutching the handle bars tight.

We entered the mist and I used my body to guide Toothless, making him swerve left and right as we weaved through the obstacles, making split-second turns, swerves, and loops. I bit my bottom lip in concentration, my determination evidently carrying over to Toothless as he stopped screaming and moved with me in perfect synchronization.

Soon enough we made it to the other side and I smiled widely at a choppy horizon of foggy ocean free of sea stacks. "Yes!" I shouted, pumping both arms up in the air. Toothless echoed my exhilaration, puffing a small ball of blue fire. I felt myself slump, "Oh c'mon…" I said as his flames washed over us, charring the ends of my hair and leaving me covered in smoke.

"How about we find somewhere to have lunch bud?" I asked, taking ahold of the handles again.

Toothless vibrated in what I now recognized to be dragon laughter and I snorted, "Yes, yes it's very funny. You got me back for the sea stack thing."

After a few passes of dragon fishing, which basically consisted of Toothless gliding back and forth across the water's surface snapping up unsuspecting prey in his jaws, we finally settled down on a flat rock not too far from where we'd been flying.

There was plenty of washed up driftwood from the island mainland and I gathered up a generous amount before having Toothless light it. We settled down and I carded a hand through my hair, sighing as I brought one of the burnt locks forward for examination.

My hair used to be long and I'd always kept it in a pair of loose pigtails when I was younger. Several months ago Snotlout and Tuffnut had taken to making fun of the 'babyish' hairstyle and I'd changed it to a single braid out of self-consciousness. Unfortunately not long after that I'd gotten it caught in the gears of one of my inventions and Gobber had been forced to cut it, leaving my once long locks barely brushing my shoulders.

My mentor isn't much of a stylist and I walked around the village for almost three days as the butt of much worse heckling from my peers before Mrs. Ingerman, Fishlegs mother, had finally taken pity and evened it out. Since then I'd picked up some new styling techniques from some of the village women and kept it out of my face by braiding the hair close to my skull and off to the side.

Now it barely reached halfway down my neck but it was much easier to manage and, surprisingly, easier to keep out of my way. Hopefully I wouldn't have to cut another few inches off to hide the singed tips.

I felt Toothless shift from where I was leaning against him as he made that familiar huffing sound and spat a regurgitated fish head next to me. "Uh…" I said, meeting the questioning tilt of his head by dropping the lock I'd been fingering and holding up the stick I was using to cook my meal, "no thanks, I'm good."

He didn't press me, turning back to the huge stack sitting in front of him and inhaling a few more cod.

There was a collection of chirps and shrill roars as a pack of Terrible Terrors spotted us and came swooping down for a landing. Toothless growled and I glanced over to see him tucking a pile of fish close to him, hovering over his food defensively as the multicolored creatures scuttled closer.

One went for the fish head that Toothless had regurgitated, dragging it away and tearing a bit off to nibble on. Another Terror tried to grab a bite, only to receive an irritated growl from the first one, who let out a burst of flames in an attempt to defend his meal.

Toothless watched the exchange with drooped eyelids, obviously considering them annoying and not worth the effort so long as they weren't coming after any of the stack in front of him. Almost on cue the pile shifted, a salmon edging away from the rest. My dragon made a grab for it, revealing a green Terrible Terror on the other end. It hissed and Toothless effortlessly managed to yank the salmon back, swallowing it whole and vibrating with dragon laughter.

The Terror, obviously affronted, pulled itself to its feet and scratched the ground in what was probably meant to be a threat. It reared its head back, taking in a great gulp of air- Toothless shot a ball of fire directly into the little dragon's mouth, making it collapse into a pathetic, boneless heap on the ground before pulling itself to its feet and staggering away.

"Not so fire proof on the inside are you?" I questioned, tossing one of my fish to the injured creature, "here ya go."

The Terror perked up and rushed to the food, swallowing it whole before blinking its wide bug eyes at me. Then it walked over, brushing my arm over its scaly hide and curling up next to me for a nap. My hand stroked against the spines on its back before running down its flank, a little ball of warmth against my fingertips. "Everything we know about you guys…is wrong" I said, heart melting for the adorable little thing under my palm.

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Toothless and I got in a few more hours of flying before returning to the cove. I gathered the empty fish basket and our riding gear before heading back to the village.

While I walked I thought about the Terror and Toothless, recalling my earliest childhood memories and thinking about every time I'd witnessed one of the villagers bring their weapon down on a Nightmares head, shoot an arrow through a Nadders wing, or smash a Gronkles nose with a hammer.

I stopped moving, the edge of the forest already in sight, and suddenly decided that I didn't want to head back to the village just yet. Without conscious decision my feet changed direction, taking me down a familiar path that eventually dumped out into a field brimming with flowers. I dropped my basket and Toothless' saddle at the edge of the woods along with my satchel, stopping only to bring out my scissors before heading into the sea of color.

I'd discovered this place while wandering through the woods when I was seven. The only people who know are Elder Goethi and Gobber. The former promised to keep a secret if I promised to gather herbs for her whenever I came up here, apparently there are some good ones growing near the mountainous cliffs that make up the far side of the field and she doesn't have the strength to make the trek there and back in a day. She's needed in the village at all times anyway so I happily agreed.

Besides, she passes on my perfumes to Mrs. Hofferson, who happily takes over the task of selling them in town and returning with the funds. Some of the money goes to Mrs. Hofferson for her troubles and another portion to the Goethi for her assistance. The rest I keep. It's actually a pretty substantial amount, from what I've heard even some of the men have started buying to keep from having to bathe as often.

I hummed as I cut away at a few poppies, carefully handling the buds to preserve the seeds. The Goethi's running low on those. Moving on to grab a few buttercups and finally, some roses. Mindful of the thorns, I cut away three perfect flowers and added them to the stack before making my way back to my things. From my satchel I pulled a piece of cloth and wrapped it around the buds, tying it off around the stems with a piece of thin rope.

That done, I placed the bundle in my satchel and plopped down on the ground, inhaling the floral scent with a deep sigh.

"I need to remember to come back later…winters coming and I need to get stocked up" I said aloud.

People tended to but a lot more perfume in the colder months. It's always cold, but especially so when it's snowing and hailing and you're jammed inside with all your family for days on end trying to get warm in front of the fire. Not everyone has as big a hall as me and dad, not everyone has so little people in their home either.

Whenever we start to reek we just head to the adjoining room that dad made years ago, sticking a few logs under the suspended iron tub to heat up the snow we shovel into it. Dad always makes me go first, insisting that he'll go after despite being head of the family and thus the one who is supposed to go first. Those that had the means copied our method while those that didn't buy copious amounts of perfume before the first snow and clean up the first moderately warm day they get.

It's good for business so I can't really complain, even though the process of making perfume on such a large scale takes up a lot of time and often leads to me coming several times a week to get enough flowers.

I sigh and lay back on the ground, not minding if I get dirt on my clothes or in my hair. I'm already covered in soot anyway. It's a surprisingly clear day, I notice, despite having already noticed this while Toothless and I were flying.

In thinking of Toothless I'm indirectly reminded of the Terror and frown. My perfume hobby had gotten my mind off the dragon issue for a little while and now it'd managed to worm its way back in. I sat up with a grumble, grabbing my scissors and cutting two more bunches that were so big I could barely close my satchel before hefting the rest of my things and heading back.

It was getting dark by the time I slipped in my back door and dropped Toothless' saddle and the basket. Dad's bag was on the floor in front of his chair. That, along with the remains of a fire still smoking in the fireplace, told me that he was back from his trip.

He was probably at the mead hall with everyone else, which left me free to head over to the forge.

I made it there with hardly a distraction, only a few quick hellos and waves from whoever remained wandering the streets. Gobber wasn't there so I stoked the fire before slipping into the back room and unbundling the flowers. They had already started to droop and I separated the poppies from the rest before running back into the forge to grab the pot I'd left cooking over the embers, being careful to don my working gloves before picking it up.

I carried it back into my workshop and pulled off the lid before tossing the flowers in and stirring for a good ten minutes with a clean metal rod. Once I was satisfied that the petals had floated down to the very bottom I placed the pot down next to the dozen others that lined the walls.

I heated and stirred the rest of the jars, lining them up from youngest to oldest until I'd gone through all of them. The one with the most aged contents had been sitting there for almost a week and rotated multiple times, making it ready for the next step of the process. Taking the jug of mead that I kept separate from the rest I poured it into the jar and stirred, eventually deeming it complete and setting it off to the side.

"Hiccup?"

I jerked and whirled around to find my father trying to squeeze his way through the door.

"Dad uh…" I walked over to my desk and started shoving the papers together, trying to keep the scattered drawings of Toothless and his prosthetic out of my father's sight, "Gobber's not here so um…"

"I know" he said, "I came lookin' for ye."

"Oh-oh! Y-you did?" I asked, hardly able to keep the touch of incredulity out of my voice.

"Ye've been keepin' secrets."

"I have?" I asked, closing my notebook and leaning my elbow against the table before straightening again, fingers toying with the corner of a page in what I'm sure was the picture of perfect nervousness.

"Just how long do ye think ye can hide from me?" he asked with narrowed eyes.

"I-I don't know what you're-"

"Nothin' happens on this island without me hearin' bout' it" he interrupted, "so let's talk…about that dragon."

I felt my breath hitch in my throat as I stumbled back, wide eyes staring up at my father, who was bearing down on me in a way that was much different from his normal disappointed bearing.

"Oh Gods" I inhaled, almost collapsing against my worktable, "dad I am so sorry I was going to tell you I just didn't know how to, uh-"

To my eternal surprise my father started…laughing?

Much different from the angry shouting I'd expected. Still nervous I laughed back, though considerably more subdued compared to my father's huge guffaws.

"You-you're-you're not upset?" I asked.

"What?" he asked, smiling big enough for me to count all his teeth even through the obscurity of his ginger beard, "I was hopin' for this!"

"You were?" I asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

"Believe me lass it only gets better! Wait until ye spill a Nadders guts the first time, oh and mount yer first Gronkle head on a spear! What a feelin'!"

Any hope of understanding from my father evaporated with that statement and I had to make a conscious effort not to let the disappointment show on my face as he put an arm around me, going into a long winded description of what it'd felt like when he was a boy first coming into the village occupation.

"Ah ye really had me goin' there girl" he said with a deep breath, "all those years of the worst Vikin' the village has ever seen! Odin it was rough, I almost gave up on ye and all the while ye were holdin' out on me oh Thor almighty!"

I laughed nervously, trying to smile despite the red hot pokers that his words were jabbing into my heart. I'd always known that my dad thought this way about me and it's one thing to have it verbalized by other people, called names by your neighbors and peers, but quite another when it's your father telling you how much of a screw up you've always been.

The burning behind my eyes was back again.

"Ah, with ye doin' so well in the ring we finally have somethin' ta talk about" he said, releasing me so that he could sit back on a stool, eager face staring at me expectantly.

I pursed my lips and averted my eyes, trying to find something, anything, to say and barely managed to open my mouth before closing it again. The words just wouldn't come. He scooted closer, still looking eager for the tips on dragon killing I'm sure he expected me to ask about, before seeming to realize that I was uncomfortable and scooting back.

"Oh. Um…I…Uh" he said, reaching for something strapped to his belt.

It was a small Viking helmet and he tweaked one of the horns before turning back to me.

"I brought ye somethin' ta keep ye safe."

He handed it to me and I couldn't keep the openmouthed smile of wonder and light happiness from my face. Dad had always opposed me getting a helmet, always said that I wouldn't need it so long as I worked in the smith and never went out during the raids. He hadn't been happy when I'd finally gotten tired of waiting for him to okay it and used a portion of my own money to buy one for myself. That helmet had been taken and locked up in the sailor's chest he kept at the foot of his bed, inaccessible by anything but the key he kept around his throat.

Now he was giving me one himself, making it instantly more special than the one I'd purchased. It was well-made too and looked to be just my size.

"Wow, thanks" I said.

"Yer mother would've wanted ye ta have it, it's half of her breast plate" he said, tapping on his own helmet, "matchin' set, keeps her close ye'know?"

I nodded, carefully retracting my hand from where it had been smoothing over the metal surface.

"Wear it proudly, ye deserve it, ye've held up yer end of the deal."

A pang of guilt prickled and I quickly placed the helmet on my worktable, feigning a yawn, "Gosh, y'know I guess I should really get to bed."

"Yes well" Stoick cleared his throat as he stood, "good talk."

"I'll see you back at the house" I said.

"Course, right, good."

"Thanks for stopping by dad."

"Yea well I hope ye like the…the hat."

"T-thanks."

He hit his head on the ceiling as he stumbled backwards to the door, standing tall for a silent moment before clearing his throat, "I'll uh…yep g'night."

"Oh and Hiccup?" he said, stopping halfway out.

"Y-yea dad?"

His eyes went soft, just like they had a moment ago when he'd given me the breast helmet.

"I'm proud of ye girl."

Something melted inside me and the burning behind my eyes flared back up with a fierce vengeance as I met his gaze. "T-thanks dad" I whisper, barely able to get the words past the lump forming in my throat.

He gave a curt nod before ducking out and shutting the door, leaving me alone.

I exhaled and placed both hands on the table before reaching into the stack of papers I'd shoved to the side and pulling out a sketch of Toothless. My vision blurred and I rested my elbows against the wood, forehead coming down to meet the paper.

"What am I gonna' do…"

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The next morning I snuck out before dawn, grabbing a basket full of fish and hiking my way up to Raven's Point. I'd hardly gotten any sleep the night before and ended up burning through a full candle trying to sketch out my frustrations, which didn't work and actually managed to make me feel worse.

Sighing deeply I trudged along with the saddle in tow. I would have to find a place near the cove to hide this thing before long, it's just too conspicuous to be carrying around. But then Toothless might get ahold of it and either destroy it on purpose or through some bizarre accident. Probably the latter now that he knows that we need it to fly.

"Maybe under that uprooted tree…" I thought aloud, "then at least it'll be safe in case it rains…"

Thinking about Toothless is a good distraction. It keeps me from thinking about the guilt of lying to my father. His return home was an unpleasant reminder that I'm doing something very much against the Viking way, something that would probably bring a lot of shame to him and the rest of the village if anyone were to find out, something that is allowing me to sorta' cheat in the kill ring…

Damn it all to Hel I'm thinking about it again.

Out of nowhere an axe imbeds itself in a tree directly in front of me, snapping me out of my daze and startling me enough to let out a loud shriek. I stumbled backward but didn't fall, to my credit I even managed to keep ahold of my load.

"Hiccup?"

Aster – why him? Of all people! – walked up and grabbed the handle of the weapon, tearing it away from the trunk. He hefted it over one shoulder, staring at me with drawn brows. "You need to be more careful, I could have cleaved your head in two" he admonished, almost looking genuinely concerned, "what are you doing here anyway?"

"I um…uh…well…" I stuttered.

"And what's that strange thing you've got there?" he asked, pointing to the saddle.

I quickly hid it behind my back, which unfortunately brought his attention to the basket.

"Are those fish?"

"Uh…just going for a morning hike, trying to get the blood flowing before training you know" I lied, avoiding his eyes and shouldering the pack for illustration, "I went shopping this morning and decided that it would be quicker to just head out for a quick walk instead of dropping it home, y'know don't want to be late for dragon training today."

I laughed nervously, inwardly cringing at my bad acting skills and praying that Aster doesn't notice. Judging from the skeptical look on his face he does, great.

"What about that?" he asks, gesturing to the saddle.

"Oh this!" I say, jostling it in my arms, "one of my inventions! I've been trying to make improvements on it and thought that I'd scout out a place to test it while I was here."

Not entirely a lie.

"Another invention? Don't you not need those anymore with how well you're doing in dragon training?" he asked. Did I detect a note of jealousy in his tone? Probably imagined it.

"Ah well, I still like to tinker and you never know it might prove useful someday."

Aster scoffed and I felt some of my nerves give way to indignation.

"Something wrong with that?" I asked.

"Well…" he said, holstering his axe and running his hand through his messy braid. Only Aster Hofferson could make a messy braid look that good, "It's just after your last invention…"

Okay, feeling more offended than indignant now.

"After my last invention what?" I challenged, forgetting about everything else as I narrowed my eyes on the boy in front of me. To my surprise he looked flustered now, tugging at his braid and averting his eyes – two things I never would have associated with Aster Hofferson.

"Nothing, look I just figured that you would be more focused on training than building your contraptions now is all" he said finally, regaining a bit of his old persona now that he was backed into a corner.

"Well I like my 'contraptions' as you call them and really it isn't any of your business whether I continue to tinker with them or not" I said, turning on my heel and walking further into the forest, "see you at dragon training!" I called over my shoulder. It was an obvious dismissal and luckily he didn't follow.

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An hour later I'd fed Toothless, stashed the saddle under a tree root, and sprinted home with enough time to change out of my riding harness before heading to the arena. Gobber had set up two dozen of those wooden obstacles, perfect for hiding behind and waiting for the moment to attack.

I almost question whether or not the Gods hate me as I adjust my helmet and enter the ring with Aster right behind me. Apparently we're the top two students so we'll have to face off against each other to see who gets the honor of killing the Nightmare.

After I'd made it to Toothless' cove, having tromped nearly the entire way there, I replayed my conversation with Aster in my head and groaned. Gods I'd basically talked down to Aster Hofferson. The boy I'd had a crush on for years. The boy who only started talking to me when he thought I'd given up my 'contraptions' and gotten good at dragon training.

I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. He'd chosen to enter with only his axe and stared straight ahead, jaw set. I repressed the urge to groan.

'Well look on the bright side Hiccup' I thought, 'if he only paid you mind for your fake prowess in the ring then he probably wasn't worth it anyway right.'

Yea, I'll keep telling myself that.

I take a deep breath as the gate opens and the Gronkle flies in, circling the ring while I take shelter behind one of the obstacles. Aster appears beside me, making less than a second of eye contact before I turn away. By the time I glance back he's gone and I rise to my feet, lifting my gaze up into the stands where dad's watching. His smile could split his face in two and I lift my axe hand to wave awkwardly, a very fake smile plastered on my face.

It doesn't take long for the Gronkle to spot me after I stand and it flies right over. I duck out of the crowd's sight and ditch my shield, axe, and helmet. The dragon must remember me because it skids to a stop right in front of me, a bit hesitant as it flares its nostrils and inches closer. All that distrust goes right out the window when I reach under its chin and give it a firm scratch. Yellow eyes go wide as it flops onto its side, tongue lolling out. I smile and rise so that I'm leaning against the obstacle.

When I glance up Aster is standing there with his axe held high and an astonished look on his face. My eyes go wide and I stand straighter, looking from the Gronkle, to Aster, then back. To my surprise Asters eyes narrow and he curses, swinging his axe at empty air in clear frustration.

There's a round of subdued applause from the audience and I begin to make my way to the exit, "Alright so…later" I say.

"Now hold on there lassie" Gobber says, placing his hooked hand in my path.

"Well I'm kinda' late for-"

"What?" Aster asks, stepping up beside me, "late for what?"

His look is challenging, muscled arms crossed in front of his chest though his axe is still clutched noticeably in one hand.

"Okay quiet down!" my father shouts, "The elder has decided.

Gobber steps between us, hovering one hand over Aster. The Goethi shakes her head, making the crowd gasp. My mentor drops his arm and lifts the other over my head. This time she smiles, pointing at me with a single crooked finger and nodding. Everyone cheers.

I cringe and meet Aster's eyes for the barest of seconds. Oh Thor he does not look happy.

"Ye did it Hiccup!" Gobber cries, pulling me into a brief one-armed hug and forcing me to dance in a happy circle with him, "ye get ta kill the dragon!"

He lets me go just in time for the other teens to rush over, swarming around and lifting me in the air. I force a smile, "Oh yea! Great I am so…"

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"…leaving. That's it bud it's time to go, we're outta' here" I say, dropping the bag that I'd packed and making my way over to where I'd hidden the saddle.

It had taken me hours to slip away from the village. My dad had hugged – yes hugged - me after I came out of the ring. It was the first real show of public affection he'd given me in years, which had quickly been followed by countless pats on the back and complements. I didn't even hear half of them with so many people talking all at once. Before I knew it I'd been whisked away to the mead hall with the rest of the teens – excluding Aster, who had disappeared – and only managed to slip away after claiming that I wanted to get in a little rest before the big event tomorrow.

Dad was out taking care of his chiefly duties so I snagged a bag and shoved everything I thought I would need into it. Some clothes, a few days food, my dagger, everything I'd earned through my perfume making, my smithing tools, and a few other essentials. That, along with my battered satchel, are what I grabbed before writing a quick note to my dad and leaving it on my bed. Hopefully he would find it, eventually.

"You're leaving?"

I froze halfway to the mass of gnarled tree roots, slowly turning to find Aster holding the bag I'd packed. Oh Loki's hairy balls.

"I…uh…well"

I couldn't think of anything, my brain had completely short circuited on me. Maybe it was the pure shock of seeing someone else in the cove. I mean I hadn't been caught before so why now right? But of course, of course the moment I decide to leave this has to happen.

"Hiccup are you leaving?" Aster asks again, less surprised and more…angry?

When I don't answer he drops my bag and storms toward me. I stumble back but he's much faster, grabbing me by the shoulders and giving me a rough shake. "Answer me Hiccup!" he shouts. His fingers are digging into my arms with a surprising amount of force but even though I know that there will probably be bruises later I don't even flinch.

"Why do you care anyway?" I shout back, trying to jerk away from him. An act in futility if I've ever attempted one.

His face scrunches up and I'm surprised when he releases me, making me stumble back into a boulder. Aster opens his mouth, face blazing red in rage, then seems to check himself before opening it again, "You've got to kill that Nightmare tomorrow, you're finally doing something right and now you want to run away?"

I feel something inside me shatter. Who does this boy think he is? What gives him the right to stand there and tell me that I'm a screw-up? Not explicitly, but close enough.

Tears spring to my eyes and I push myself off the rock, fists clenched at my sides. "Yes I'm running away!" I shout, "Are you happy now? I'm a screw up, a moron that can't even stomach killing a dragon. I don't need you to tell me that, I know perfectly well how useless I am, that I'm not a Viking. I know that already and I don't need to hear any confirmation from you!"

Aster looks thrown by my outburst, the red leaving his cheeks as he stares at me in what I can only call disbelief. "What are you-"

"Like you don't know" I interrupt, "it's like you said earlier about me and my 'contraptions' all I can do is tinker, make perfume, and mess things up. That's nowhere near enough to be a Viking and everyone knows it. Someone like you could never understand how it feels so you don't get to tell me that running away is a bad idea, you don't have any right to tell me anything."

I almost whisper the last part, tears streaming down my cheeks even as I try like Hel to suppress them. Tilting my head down I wipe at them with my sleeve, letting my bangs drape forward to cover my face. I hate it when people see me cry, it's a sign of weakness, that's what I was taught. Back when I was little dad would always say: "Now dry those tears you're a Vikin' and Vikin's don't cry!"

Needless to say that I got good at repressing them.

But now I'm tired, I'm stressed, I'm guilty, I'm panicking because I just don't know what to do. All that I know is that I won't be able to kill that Nightmare tomorrow, not after getting to know Toothless and seeing the Terrors. I just won't be able to do it.

I feel a pair of arms wrap around me and start, looking up through my hair to see Aster's shoulder pressing into my cheek. One hand rests on my lower back while the other moves up to stroke my choppy hair.

"You're right" he said and I can't suppress a shutter as his breath ghosts over the shell of my ear, "I don't have any idea what it must feel like. But you're wrong about not being good at anything, I mean just look at how well you've done in dragon training-"

I shove my balled fists against his chest but his arms constrict around me, keeping me from escaping.

"Let me go!" I shout.

"Will you just calm down and listen!?" he hollers, a note of aggravation in his tone.

"No now Let. Me. Go!"

A roar disrupts our argument and Aster has me pushed behind him, axe clutched tightly in his fist, before I can blink. Toothless appears around a rock, eyes big and earflaps raised. He'd probably been napping and finally woken when I'd shouted.

"Run back to the village for help!" Aster yells.

Toothless' pupils narrow, his lip curling back to reveal rows of sharp teeth. He roars and dashes toward us. I barely manage to slide myself under Aster's arm and knock him back, making the axe fly off to the side. My dragon skids to a halt right in front of me, still snarling even as I put both arms out to try and calm him.

After a long moment of him attempting to dodge around me and get to Aster he drops his flared wings.

"You scared him" I say, keeping Toothless back with both hands pressed to his skull.

"I scared him!?" Aster shouts out, stumbling back to his feet. He narrows his eyes, "Who…is him?"

"Uh…"

Toothless picks that moment to curl himself around me, still growling at Aster as he nudges me back so that he's between me and the blonde boy. Aster for his part has already started inching toward his axe, not taking his eyes off the dragon.

"Toothless…wait, no Aster!" I say, huffing indignantly when neither of them listen to me.

"Will both of you just stop it!"

"Hiccup it's a dragon!" Aster shouts.

"I can see that thank you" I reply dryly, placing my hands on my hips and stumbling when Toothless nudges me again, obviously trying to push me back to the uprooted tree, "but he isn't dangerous."

"Not dangerous? It's a dragon!"

"Yet he hasn't killed me, so what do you have to say about that?"

Aster hesitated. He's already backed up enough so that he's practically right on top of his axe. His blue eyes briefly flick to the weapon and Toothless reacts instantly, stopping our slow procession backwards to growl menacingly and flare his wings. Aster freezes, not daring to take his eyes off the dragon. I can almost see the cogs turning in his head, debating whether or not Toothless will tackle him before he can grab it.

Making my decision I put a hand on Toothless' back and vault over, landing on the other side. Toothless hisses in displeasure and tries to wrap himself around me again. I dance out of the way. My dragon huffs in frustration, not daring to take his eyes off Aster, although he manages a pretty good glower from the corner of his eye.

I snort, "Oh please he would have killed me a long time ago if he was going to hurt me."

Turning to Aster, who's lost just a touch of his determination in favor of disbelief, I frown. "See, he's overprotective and a little whiney but not deadly."

A low growl.

"Yes, yes, adorable, strong, and smart too we know."

A whuff of agreement.

By now Aster is staring at me like I'm some kind of nutter, which I probably am in his eyes.

"So this…this is…what?" he asks.

"As I was saying before I was interrupted" I glare pointedly at Toothless, who huffs in response clearly not at all apologetic, "Aster this is Toothless, Toothless, Aster."

My dragon hisses, showing rows of sharp, pointed teeth.

"Is this how you've-"

"How I've gotten so good in the ring? Yes" I lose some of my annoyance at the admission, a bit of guilt leaking in.

"So all this time whenever you've disappeared from the village-"

"I'm usually here" I agree, what was left of my bravado leaving with those words.

Aster's face sets like a flint, the anger and betrayal clear in his features. "You've been cheating" he spits the word like its poison, "and lying, and coming here to be with that-that thing instead of your own kind!"

"Toothless isn't a thing" I defend, "besides it isn't like anyone ever asked where I was going-"

"I did" he shot back and I winced when I realized that he was right. It might've been only a casual meeting this morning but I'd still lied.

"No wonder you don't think you can kill a Nightmare in the ring, you really can't" he continued, "and here I was actually worried about you!"

"You were worried about me?" I asked.

His mouth snapped shut, something flickering across his face too quickly to decipher before it was gone, "Does it matter?"

To me it did but I wasn't about to say so.

He had stopped trying to inch toward his weapon and was now inching toward the exit. With one last glance at Toothless and a head shake at me he turned and bolted, vaulting over the shield and disappearing from sight.

"Dun, dun, dun we're dead."

Toothless paid my comment no mind, turning and making his way back toward the uprooted tree. "Whoa, whoa, whoa where do you think you're going?" I ask, turning to follow as my dragon trots right up to the saddle and nudges it with his nose.

I roll my eyes and set to work getting it on, a process that takes less time than usual. "Well it looks like we're really gonna' have to get out of here now bud" I say as I finish adjusting the final strap. Toothless seems overjoyed with the idea, lolling his tongue out in a happy grin.

We walk out of the nest of gnarled roots together and I spot my stuff still sitting across the cove. Almost against my will my eyes stray to Aster's discarded axe. Guilt spears my insides and all of a sudden I realize that I can't just leave things like this. I vault onto Toothless' back and attach the harness.

"Sorry bud but we have to go after him."

My dragon lets out a sound somewhere between a groan and a sigh. "Yea I know after some of the stuff he said to me I'm not too crazy about it either but I can't just leave without settling this" I place my hand on Toothless' temple and he glances over his shoulder, making eye contact, "please bud?"

He stares at me for a long moment before huffing and spreading his wings. I smile, "Thank you."

Then we're in the air, zooming through the trees and eventually spotting Aster. He hasn't stopped running since he first took off and was only about a quarter of a mile from the forest's end. We swooped down and picked him up without preamble, making him shout out a curse.

Toothless chose a high pine and dropped Aster on one of the tallest branches while we landed beside him, forcing the tree to tilt to accommodate our weight.

"Just listen to what I have to say!" I shout.

"Why the Hel should I listen to anything that you have to say!?" he calls back.

"Because you aren't getting down until you do."

That makes him pause.

"I know that this goes against everything that we've ever been taught and is probably the most insane thing you've ever heard in your entire life-"

He snorts.

"-but I'm asking you to let me show you. Please Aster."

I reach out my hand and he stares at it, sliding a glance at Toothless before accepting. My dragon growls when I grip his forearm and help him up but doesn't try anything, it was more of a light warning really. Aster releases my hand the second he's settled on the saddle, scooting back as far as he can without falling off.

"Now get me down from here."

"Toothless" I say sweetly, "down, gently."

Of course my dragon decides not to listen and shoots up in a near vertical takeoff. I can hear Aster screaming while his hands grab for me, one wrapping around my waist while the other ends up higher. My cheeks flame and I let out a squeak. Somewhere in the back of my mind I think, with only mild sarcasm, how very similar this is to that day in the ring.

Though this time he's too preoccupied screaming and clinging to me like an octopus to notice, whereas last time he was trying not to get killed by a Nadder.

"T-Toothless!" I shriek, still flustered, as my dragon companion makes a sharp dive for the ocean's surface. He dips twice, spraying us with water though Aster hardly seems to notice. To his credit he's stopped screaming. "We need him to like us!" I shout.

I am once again ignored and Toothless shoots up high, curling his wings and sending us into a twirl. "And now the spinning" I say, ignoring the sharp curse Aster spews, "thank you for nothing, you useless reptile."

He switches it up, going into an uncontrolled tumble that leaves me not knowing which way is up or down. "Alright!" Aster cries, burying his face between my shoulder blades in obvious terror, "I'm sorry alright! I apologize so just get me off this thing."

I'm almost surprised when Toothless evens out, letting us glide easily over the clouds in perfect view of Berk. Aster lifts his head and I hear his sharp intake of breath, then feel the tightening of his hands. I yelp and instinctively fold my elbows in, catching one of his wrists. For the first time he seems to realize where his hands are and jerks them both back with a squeaky, "Sorry!"

I take a few deep breaths, "It's…okay, just…keep them a little lower alright?"

He doesn't give any verbal response, just his hesitant hands coming to rest against my waist. It's awkward but not wholly uncomfortable so I don't say anything, not even when his arms wrap fully around me to keep himself from falling as Toothless makes a slow circle above the clouds, then below them again. The contrast is the difference between day and night, literally.

Swooping back down darkness had descended on Berk, all the individual lights burning brightly against the inky darkness. Toothless purposely swerves around the guardians, careful not to get too close to the village, before swinging around back toward Raven's Point.

"Okay" Aster breathes, "I have to admit that this is pretty amazing….he's amazing."

"Right?" I say cheerfully, patting my dragon affectionately. Toothless practically purrs at the complement.

"But Hiccup your final exam is tomorrow you do realize you're going to have to-" Aster pauses, then whispers, "kill a dragon."

My face scrunches, "Don't remind me."

Toothless suddenly goes rigid and dives, "Wha- Toothless?"

He doesn't answer, carrying us out toward the ocean, leaving Berk back in the distance. I squint and barely manage to make out the frantic twitching of Toothless' ear flaps in the darkness. "Bud? What's wrong?"

A roar sounds off to the left and I feel Aster tense along with me. In the darkness it's only a shadow but as it gets closer it takes shape and my eyes widen. A Monstrous Nightmare. Upon closer inspection I see that it's carrying a carcass, probably a poor farm animal that didn't get inside quick enough.

There's another sound on the other side and I whip around to see a Zippleback flying alarmingly close. One of the heads turn toward me, I don't dare move as it gives me a once over before facing front again. "Get down!" I hiss over my shoulder, pressing myself as close as I can get to Toothless' saddle.

Aster's arms wrap around me as he leans into my back, his much bigger form almost eclipsing mine, though I barely register that as more dragons start to surround us.

"Looks like their hauling in their kill" Aster whispers in my ear.

I squint and discover that he's right, every single one is carrying some kind of food. "But what does that make us?" he says, traces of doubt lacing his tone.

I can't help but scoff. Toothless would never do such a thing.

Conversation stops after that and for a while it's just open ocean until we approach a thick coat of fog. I instantly recognize it from my dad's stories. Helheim Gate. It's supposed to be where the dragons nest is located and Vikings have been trying to breach it for the last seven generations. I suddenly feel like slapping myself of course a dragon would be able to get there, it wouldn't make much sense if they couldn't.

We enter the fog and I adjust the pedal to accommodate the flight pattern, swerving around sea stacks and taking a curved dive that leads indirectly into a hole in the side of a mountain. The first thing I'm aware of is the sweltering heat, obviously generated by the magma that lights the center. It's only after I take note of this that I realize the mountain is hollow.

"What my dad wouldn't give to find this…" I whisper.

Toothless breaks off from the rest and slides behind a pillar on one of the higher perches, allowing us to tilt our heads so that we can watch as the dragons dump their catch into the giant pit in the center of the cavern.

"Well it's satisfying to know that all our food is being dumped down a hole" I say.

"They aren't eating any of it" Aster replies.

A Nightmare drops a huge fish carcass and quickly followed by a Gronkle. The dragon flies jerkily, almost looking drunk as it struggles to remain airborne. When it gets to the center of the cavern it opens its mouth and coughs up a chunk of fish, barely one third the size of its tongue and probably the same relative perimeter as my forearm, meaning that it isn't very big.

The chunk falls out of sight and the Gronkle stays hovering to scratch itself behind the ear. There's a rumble from somewhere down below, making the dragon freeze. It drops its leg and starts to make its way to one of the shelves lining the walls. Unfortunately it doesn't fly fast enough.

Something rises up from the pit, a huge head that seems barely big enough to fit in the cavern, opening its unbelievable maw to swallow the Gronkle whole. There's a collective grumble of fear as all the dragons slither back into their caves, trying to make themselves seem as small as possible while the gargantuan thing disappears back under the layer of smoke.

"What…was that" Aster breaths.

The giant head reappears a second later, nostrils flaring.

"It's time to go Toothless" I say, patting my dragon's head, unable to take my eyes of the rows of huge, sharp-

Its eyes snap over to us and I shout "Now!" just as it lunges, snapping its jaws closed on air as Toothless takes flight. All the other dragons do too, an endless stream of swirling, scaled bodies. I'm not sure if I'm relieved or horrified when those deadly teeth snap closed on a Zippleback, missing us by inches as we explode out the top of the mountain and fly as fast as we can back to Berk.

"No it totally makes sense" Aster says as we glide in for a landing, "it's like a bee hive, they're the workers and that's they're queen."

He hops off Toothless, holding a hand out to help me down. I take it, absentmindedly allowing him to lower me to the ground.

"We need to go find your dad."

My hand tightens around his, "No."

"No? Hiccup we just found the nest, the thing that we've been after since Vikings first sailed here, why shouldn't we tell him?"

I bit my lip, "Because he'll kill Toothless."

"Your pet dragon?" Aster scoffs.

I let go of his hand, backing away a few steps before raising my eyes to meet his. Blue glinted orbs in the moonlight, framed by that damned messy blonde braid. He looks irritated but some of that melts away when he sees the look on my face.

"He's more than just a pet" I say with conviction. I don't think I've ever spoken about something this strongly before, "It-it's hard to describe but he's way more than that."

There's a long pause and for a second I think that Aster is going to run off and tell my father anyway. Instead he exhales a breath and says: "Okay, so what should we do?"

I smile, relieved, "I don't know yet, but I'll think of something."

Aster laughs, actually laughs, I'd never seen him do that before, at least not with me, not since we were kids. One hand raises up to his messy braid, playing with a loose strand while the other rests on his hip. "Well not to rush you or anything but you might want to think of it by tomorrow, after seeing your little display I don't think I'd be able to watch…you know if…" he trails off meaningfully.

Silence reigns.

Aster takes a step forward, his stride worth two of mine, putting him directly in front of me. My breath catches as he raises a hand to my cheek. Instead of touching it, like I thought he would, he pinches me.

"Ow!" I shout, jerking away to rub the abused skin just below my cheek bone.

He grins and damned if it isn't the most attractive thing I'd ever seen in my life. "That, was for kidnapping me" he said simply.

I pouted and opened my mouth to reply when he leaned in, lips ghosting across mine. Whatever I'd been about to say died on my tongue. He pulled back and I could almost swear I saw color on his cheeks as he said: "That was for…everything else," before turning, snatching his axe up from the ground, and exiting the cove.

I watched long after he'd gone, the hand that had been clutching my cheek drifting to brush across my lips. Gods I could still feel the warmth from the kiss. Toothless huffed next to me and I started, not even realizing that he had walked up.

His green eyes sparkled, mouth pulled up in what I can only describe as a smirk.

"What are you looking at!?" I cried, feeling the heat on my cheeks burn hotter.

He whuffed as if to say nothing before turning and heading back to the uprooted tree.