"Was Dad always like that around you?"

"Well, not always. He'd gotten a little bolder with Toothless around, but he still acted like a twelve-year-old when we were alone."

"Especially when you give him that smile he talks about all the time." Freya said, picking at the boards beside her. Astrid gave her a bewildered look.

"Smile?"

"He says it melts him all the way through," Freya frowned, "But every time I do anything remotely like it, he starts worrying for the safety of the village."

"Imagine that…." Astrid said under her breath, making Freya's frown deepen.

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," Astrid blew a ring from the steam in her breath, followed by another, "Nothing at all."

"How do you do that?" Freya blew out a breath, gaining only a stream of white cloud.

"Years of practice."

"I'm sure."

The two were silent for the longest of times before Freya's patience broke and she pulled her whistle from her belt and picked up her melody where she'd left off. Knowing the tune from years of hearing it, Astrid hummed along, eyes closed in contentment.

Before long, Freya's song came to a sharp halt and the girl scrambled to her feet. Astrid looked up, following her daughter's gaze to see what she was squinting at in the distance.

"Is that Toothless?"

"Hard to tell at night."

"Look for the red on the tail."

"Ah. Yeah, that's Dad."

"What's Toothless carrying?" Astrid asked, trying to make out the thing bundled between Toothless' powerful legs.

"It looks like…."

Freya never finished her sentence as the dragon glided to the guard tower and landed roughly on the top platform. Astrid scrambled to her feet and hit the ramp running, Freya on her heels.

"Hiccup?" She reached the top platform and stopped so fast that Freya ran straight into her back.

"Mom? What's- Odin's eye, what is that?"

"More like 'who'?" Hiccup said quietly, unhooking his artificial foot from Toothless' saddle and sliding to the ground, "We've been carrying him for about a league. Found him half drowned, ruins of a ship around him."

"Dragon boat?" Astrid asked, eyes narrowing.

"If it was, it was not one of ours," Hiccup sighed and grabbed a handle Toothless' saddle, pulling himself to his feet, "Had a boar's head on the sails."

"He looks…. different." Freya said quietly, toying with a strand of auburn hair and staring from behind her mother.

"Well, not many of us have black hair," Hiccup admitted, holding out an arm for Freya to be embraced with, "We get close, but not black."

"What color are his eyes?"

"Don't ask me. He was hardly conscious when we picked him up," Hiccup hugged his daughter tightly, Toothless nudging against his back, "Yes, yes, here you go…." He pushed Freya lightly towards the great black beast and watched as it nosed her and rubbed against her side like an over-sized cat.

"Why were you out so far?" Astrid asked suddenly, making Hiccup jump.

"Ah…. Snotlout said he saw some light farther out, but his dragon was done for the day. It couldn't make the distance."

"You may have the fastest dragon, Hiccup, but not the strongest." Astrid said fiercely, ignoring Toothless' defensive growl.

"I- Ah…." Hiccup took an involuntary step back as Astrid jabbed a finger into his chest.

"So, you think it's funny to risk yourselves on something that isn't our business? You could have died out there. Look at Toothless! He's completely finished! You wouldn't have made another mile! Don't you give me that!" Astrid snarled, rounding on the dragon after he had made an indignant snort. Toothless hid his large head the best he could behind Freya's small frame and whimpered, ears drooping.

"Mom…. Calm down," Freya said quietly, "You'll wake up the other dragons…."

"I-," Astrid hesitated, eyes fixed on her daughter, who had placed a shaking hand on Toothless' head, and sighed, "Sorry, Freya. I was just-"

"Worried." Freya finished for her, winking at her father, who was letting out a sigh of relief. He gave her a crooked smile back before giving Toothless' ear an affectionate tweak.

"Let's take this one down to get looked at. Freya, can you wake Gobber up? We'll need his worktable. Astrid, the Elder?"

"We'll discuss this later," Astrid hissed, "Don't think we won't." And she turned on her heel, stalking down the ramp.

"What's got her axe twisted?" Hiccup mumbled as he slung the boy over Toothless' back.

"You brought someone home for dinner without a warning in advance."

"We only need one of me in this village, missy. You're going to make Grandpa cry if you end up like his abnormal son."

"Oh, he got over it." Freya sighed, tossing her hair and leading their little group down the ramp.

"He's still getting over it," Hiccup said, rolling his eyes, "You're not making it any easier."

"I'm a girl," Freya stopped on the lower level to gather up Astrid's axe before continuing down the ramp, "It's my job to make things complicated."

"The only reason I'm glad I don't have a son is because I'd have even more difficulty raising a boy…" Hiccup grumbled, mussing up Freya's hair.

"Obviously I'm not working hard enough."

"Oh, no you don't." Hiccup grabbed her by the back of her belt and tugged her behind him.

"I don't what?"

"Don't worry about it," Hiccup said as Stoick came stomping out from the dark, "Hi, Dad."

"I hear you brought a new pet home."

"Not quite," Hiccup showed him the boy, "I found him in a shipwreck about a league out. He was the only one still alive."

"He's not from this far North," Stoick observed, "His skin isn't fair enough. He comes from a place with more sun," Stoick's eyes narrowed and he looked up into Hiccup's, "What were you doing out so far?"

"Oh, for the love of-! Can we talk this over later? Right now, I'm thinking about keeping a kid from freezing to death? Does that sound the slightest bit humane?"

"I'll get some blankets," Stoick turned, stopped, then locked eyes with his son, "We will talk about this."

"Good grief, alright, alright! Can we get moving along with this now?"

"I'll be back." And Stoick returned to the dark. Freya glanced between her father and the shadows into which her grandfather had vanished, then made her exit by trotting off towards Gobber's house.

When she reached the door, she picked up a nearby rock and pounded it on the door.

"Gobber?"

"What?" Came the muffled reply from inside; the sounds of a cranky Viking.

"We need your help."

"Is tha sun up yet?"

"No."

"Go away."

"Gobber, Hiccup asked for you specifically."

"Beard of Thor, why does he always- Alright, alright. Wha' does he want?"

"We need to get into the forge."

"It's no' that hard."

"And we need someone who knows how to work all the equipment. And can understand what the Elder says." Freya sighed. The was a long silence, then the door opened to show Gobber, fully dressed.

"Wha' limb did he lose this time?"

"What?"

"Your father."

"He didn't lose any," Freya said tartly, "And you sound like you want him to. Feeling lonely being the only one with interchangeable hands?"

"Most certainly not, Miss Sassy. Now, wha' do yeh want?"

"Dad brought home a shipwreck survivor and needs your work table." Freya said, leading the smith to the forge next door, "Not to mention, no fire gets hotter than the forge fire, and the waters are cold around here."

"Wouldn't he have said somethin' if a ship was so close by?"

"The wreck was a league out-"

"What was he doin' out that far?"

"Okay, seriously?" Hiccup said from the door to the forge, "Are we all done with this now?"

"Ah, there yeh are!" Gobber said enthusiastically, "Alright plunk 'em down on the table then. You," Gobber pointed at Toothless, then the forge fireplace, "Make yourself useful."

Toothless responded with an indignant snort, but trotted over to the forge anyways, waiting patiently for Freya to finish piling it high with wood. Once she had, he shot one well-aimed fireball into the center of the pile and nodded in satisfaction as it lept into an enthusiastic blaze.

Freya edged over towards the table where Gobber and Hiccup had finished laying the boy on his back.

He had dark hair, and his skin was a sun-kissed brown, like Stoick had said. His face was slightly slimmer than most of the population of Berk, but rounder than Hiccup's thin face. He wasn't quite as lightly built as her father either, but was at the age where he was still likely to bulk out a bit more. His lips and the tips of his fingers were blue from the cold ocean's waters, and possibly colder ride back to Berk, and he was shivering violently.

"He'd be warmer if we got him out of those clothes," Hiccup said, "They're retaining water and it's only getting colder at this hour."

"Right. Le's drag the table closer to the fire an' strip him off," Gobber said, before giving Freya a sharp glance, "Girls out. Now."

Freya didn't need told twice. She shot out the door and waited for Astrid to arrive with the Elder.

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Okay, I can't say enough how flattered I am at how many of you there are. I was not expecting this kind of welcome back to the fanfic community at all. But in less than a week I've had over 265 hits from 18 countries and I am thrilled. I've also received both helpful messages and flattering feedback, which really helps me as a writer. So, I spent the day trying to get out another chapter for all of you to read. So, here it is, earlier than I thought it would be, and enjoy! All reviews are good reviews!