I'm baaaaack. Sorry it took so long for me to update. End of the semester just come up and things have been crazy. Just needed to make it through those 2 weeks and I'll be back to my regular updates. Anyways, where did we leave off? Hiccup meets Astrid for the second time and finally gets her to say something, even if it is just one sentence. Now we skip ahead 5 days into the future. Astrid has been able to observe what life on Berk is like. Also, we will see what the gang thought when Hiccup told them about his meeting with the Valkyrie. Will the two cross paths once again? Find out right now. By the way, sorry about the misprint in the previous chapter. It was Heather's mother that was waiting for them, not Astrid's. Just to clear that up, Gunnar is not married to Helga Hofferson.

Chapter 4: Finding the Valkyrie

It had been two long weeks since Hiccup had last seen the Valkyrie. He had searched everywhere for her but had found no trace of her. This had led to a bit of a strain in the group of his. He was so busy trying to find her he often times had no time for anyone or anything else. Heather had taken over of the duties of leader for the most part.

Things had been uneasy between the two of them ever since that night when he had learned of their engagement. He believed her when she said that she had argued against it. That did not change the fact that he was going to be marrying her. To be honest, there wasn't really any problem to be seen with Hiccup marrying Heather. They were obviously crazy about each other, not to mention that Heather could definitely help him run the village when Hiccup takes over as chief. The only problem with it was the fact that Hiccup did not want to get married. The thought of being tied down to one place was like throwing him in a dungeon. He needed to be free. No one seemed to understand this.

All this was going through Hiccup's head as he and the other dragon riders were taking their weekly trip around the island. He still could not forget their faces when he had told them what he had found out about the mysterious rider.

(Flashback)

"I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you correctly", Fishlegs said.

"The Valkyrie can speak to dragons. She seems to be able to understand and communicate with them. She made these strange noises with her throat that sounded like growling. The craziest thing was that Toothless was responding. Answering her growls with his own."

"So, what did she say to you? You must have at least talked to her." Snotlout says.

"Believe me, I tried. But she only seemed interested in talking to Toothless. She didn't answer any of the questions that I asked. The only thing she said to me was 'don't follow me'.

(End Flashback)

Since that day they had been at an impasse as to what they would do about it. The twins didn't seem to care at all. Snotlout seemed desperate to find her, probably so he could have another girl top flirt with. Fishlegs wanted to find her in order to ask her about talking to dragons. Hiccup wanted to find her because he was a mystery and the only rider that was as good as he was. Then Heather wanted to find her simply because Hiccup wanted to find her.

It was on this fateful day that their luck would change. On their circling of the island they noticed something strange at the Cove. The Cove had become a special place for the entire group of riders. It was the birthplace of dragon riding. Whenever any of them wanted to be alone with just their dragons they would go to the Cove. It was quiet and peaceful, the perfect serene location.

"Hey Hiccup. There's a dragon in the Cove", shouted Fishlegs.

Hiccup quickly looked down at it and saw that he was right. Not only was there a dragon in the Cove, but it was a dragon that Hiccup recognized.

"Hey, that's the dragon that the Valkyrie was riding the two times I saw her. Settle down, we may be able to find her." Hiccup replied.

The group settled down in the Cove, spooking the Nadder and causing it to get back to its feet. It became agitated and squawked multiple warnings as the riders walked towards it. One more step and it unleashed its spikes, scattering the ground directly in front of the group. The teens all stopped and hung back. This was a regular occurrence with them whenever they discovered a new dragon. So now it was up to Hiccup to do his role, calming the dragon down.

Hiccup slowly approached the dragon, disregarding the spikes that had just been fired at him. Reaching into his pocket he retrieved his flame sword. Unleashing the gas he then lit it, attempting to show the dragon that he was one of them. After this the dragon seemed to calm down, giving Hiccup the signal to stretch out his hand. Then something happened that the group was not used to.

The dragon suddenly sprang forward ramming its head into Hiccup and sending him flying back toward the group. It did no serious harm though it did not the breath out of Hiccup. As Heather moved to help him get to his feet they heard and unfamiliar voice say "I have to admit that wasn't bad. Show the dragon that you are one of them before attempting to set yourself up as a friend by making contact. It almost worked. The only problem is the dragon you were attempting it on. My sister remains loyal to me alone, just as I am loyal to her as well."

Turning to the source of the voice the group of riders came face to face with someone that could only be described as the Valkyrie. She was just as Hiccup had described her to them. She was tall with flowing blond hair that reached halfway down her back. And covering her eyes was a blue clothe, not allowing anyone to see the eyes that lay beneath them. There were several words that could describe her. Beautiful, mysterious, dangerous, wild.

The looks on the faces of the gang would have been amusing under other circumstances. The twins along with Heather were looking at her in astonishment. Fishlegs was staring at her with excitement and interest. Snotlout was busy giving her flirty looks while Hiccup stared at her in excitement. After a few minutes with no one speaking Astrid decided to end this. "I may have been raised by dragons but I even know it's rude to stare."

This seemed to snap everyone out of their stunned states. It was Snotlout that decided to step forward first. "Hey there baby, why don't you tell me your name. Then you can go flying with the best looking Viking there is."

The Valkyrie looked like she was angry at first. Then they watched as her expression transformed into a smile that to Snotlout looked genuine but everyone else saw it was more devious. She then made a rumbling noise with her throat that at first sounded like a growl. The effect is immediate as her dragon fired a spike right above Snotlout's head. He could feel the air move as the spike passed by. He then preceded to fall on his butt and scramble back behind Hiccup. The twins were busy laughing while Hiccup, Heather, and Fishlegs were looking on in interest. They had noticed how the dragon had seemed to respond to the growling noise the Valkyrie had made. She could definitely talk to dragons, there was no doubt of that left in Hiccup's mind. He decided it was time he talked to her. He hoped that she would actually talk to him this time.

"Hello again" he said to her. She just gave him a small nod in reply. "So, I know my cousin is an ass but can you please answer his question? What is your name?"

She seemed to be considering this question. For a moment Hiccup was afraid that she would fly away again. Then she smiled and spoke one word, "Astrid".

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(Astrid's POV)

"Astrid"

I don't know what I was thinking when I told him my name but I had learned to trust my instincts. Well, most of the time. Still, I felt like I could trust him. I was not so sure on the others. I had spent a week studying all of them before I reported back to my mothers and father. From that time period I had gathered a good deal of information on almost every person on Berk.

The two people that looked and acted like brother and sister were harmless. Stupid and immature, but harmless. They didn't like to take anything serious and were always causing trouble for the village. They rode a Zippleback that they called Barf and Belch. The dragon seemed to be very fond of the two and looked at them almost like they were their own two little hatchlings. Always fighting with each other.

The idiot that had tried to flirt with me was just that. He spent all his time training and flirting with everything that moved. I had seen his type many times before. I figure that Stormfly's shot will get him to back off. He had a Nightmare that he called Hookfang. The dragon was always setting him on fire, however I could tell that the dragon did care for his rider. Their relationship was like a big brother showing the little brother who is boss.

Then there was the big one. At first she thought he might be a problem but as she had studied him she had learned that he was the most harmless of them all. He seemed to prefer reading and learning to fighting, a very un-Viking like trait. He had a Gronkle that he called Meatlug and their relationship was very hard to pin down. The best that she could see it was an older brother watching out for his little sister.

Then there was the other girl, the one that rode Windshear. I could definitely pick up something between her and Hiccup. They were… what was the human word… dating but there appeared to be some issues there. They clearly cared for each other but there was a sense of strain between them. I had yet to pin down exactly what it was. Her relationship with Windshear was easy to pinpoint. It was a sister relationship.

Then there was Hiccup, the one some people called the 'Dragon Master'. His relationship with the dragon he rode was by far the strongest. In fact it was strong enough to rival Astrid's with Stormfly. He was the strongest flyer of the group by far. He and his partner were faster than her and Stormfly, no dragon on earth was faster than a Nightfury. However, me and Stormfly could take them in distance and agility.

It took me a few seconds to realize that he had asked another question. Looking back up into his eyes he asked again, "where are you from?"

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(Hiccup's POV)

"Where are you from?"

I could see her eyes snap back into focus. This question was obviously a difficult one for her to answer. Again, I did not think she would answer the question. To my surprise she did. But what came as an even bigger surprise was the answer that she gave.

"If you mean where I am living then that is not a question that I will be answering with all these people around." She said giving a slight glare to all those that surround her. "However, if you want to know where I was born, I must warn you, you will not believe if I tell you."

"At this point, I think I would believe anything."

"Alright. I was born right here on this island. My birth name is Astrid Hofferson, and I am from Berk."

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(No one's POV)

All the riders stared at her in shock. They never expected for her to say that. She came from Berk? Surely they would have remembered her if she had. Everyone was thinking it however it was Snotlout that voiced his opinion. "Yeah right. If you were from Berk we would have remembered you."

"Believe or don't, it is of no concern to me. It is the truth and it will remain the truth whether you accept it or not."

Hiccup was silent for a few moments. No doubt there was a very interesting story behind this. He knew of only four people that could verify if this story was true or not. He needed to get her to his father. Together with Gobber and the Hofferson's they could determine if she really was telling the truth. That led him to ask his boldest question yet, "Will you come back to town with us? I would like for my father, the Chief to hear your story. He will be able to tell us if what you say is true."

This infuriated Astrid. They dared to think that she would lie to them. Not only do they question her honor but also her life. What would she possibly have to gain for lying to them? She was quickly able to get control of her emotions. One thing she had learned from Fairbreeze was that emotions such as anger and hatred were useless. They only served to make a dragon or person do things they would later regret. She slowly calmed herself just as her mother had taught her. After all, this was one of the reasons she had come back. It was time for her human mother and her to see exactly what Berk had become. She looked right into the eyes of Hiccup and said one simple word, "Yes".

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(Valka's POV)

Meanwhile, in the forest one hundred yards away five sets of eyes watched the entire thing. Fairbreeze, Stormbreeze, Sharpclaw, Valka and Cloudjumper stood watch as they saw their daughter climb back on to Stormfly's back and leave with the rest of the riders. There was no need to follow them, they knew where to go.

Valka just could not believe what her son had grown in to. He was a tall handsome young man and from what Astrid had told her he even had a girlfriend. It just made her sad to think of all that she had missed out on. However, she did not regret her decision. For while she had lost her old family, she had gained a new one. She had a sister in Fairbreeze and a brother in Cloudjumper. She had also gained two beautiful daughters in Astrid and Stormfly along with two handsome sons in Stormbreeze and Sharpclaw.

She was still wondering if it had been a good idea to tell Astrid. When Astrid had come back last week and told her that she had been on Berk, Valka knew it was time Astrid learned the whole truth. Valka was not afraid of Astrid leaving her, she knew that Astrid loved her adopted family more than she would ever love another family. However, Valka was still concerned. If Astrid's parents did not accept her and what she was, Valka did not know how Astrid would react.

Slowly taking a breath she climbed back on to Cloudjumper and together the five set off to the meeting place. If all went well Valka would be seeing her husband and son again. If things went poorly, Astrid's adoptive family would be raining fire upon the island of Berk. And Valka meant the entire nest. They were all Astrid's family and every single one of them would die for her, just as she would die for any of them.

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(No One's POV)

Stoick and Gobber were sitting in the Great Hall, waiting for Hiccup and his friends to return and eat. There were still several families that were still eating and drinking. Suddenly, the doors to the Hall opened and in walked the young group of riders. However, just as Stoick was about to call out a greeting he noticed something odd. Following them in to the hall was a girl he had never seen before. She appeared to be about their age and she was followed in to the Hall by a Deadly Nadder, one that was growling at every Viking that it walked by.

Stoick then addressed his son, "Hiccup, who is this" How do you know her and how did she tame a dragon?"

Hiccup opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Astrid, "Tame! Dragons aren't tamed. They are either befriended or enslaved, never tamed. And as for your other question, my name is Astrid. Astrid Hofferson and I have returned to Berk."

This brought on many different reactions from those left in the Hall. Most of them were confused, she had disappeared a long time ago and not many even remembered that she had existed in the first place. However, it was met with outrage from Helga and Harvid Hofferson.

"Our daughter is dead. She was taken by a dragon before she was even a day old. How dare you even pretend to be our daughter."

Astrid just stared back at them from underneath her bandana. "You're right, I was taken when I was small. But the dragon never harmed me. She would never harm me."

Astrid's mother then spoke up, "Alright, no one knows about this except for myself and my husband. When Astrid were born, there was a small birthmark on the back of her neck. Prove that you are truly our daughter."

Astrid turned around and lifted up her long hair to reveal a small crescent shaped birthmark on the back of her neck, garnering a gasp from all those in the Hall. Then came the cry of "My Baby", from Helga Hofferson before she was running at Astrid and crushing her in a hug. Harvid then walked up to them and gave them both a hug as well. This was the first time he ever saw his daughter, he finally gets to hold her in his arms. However, they were soon to be disappointed as Astrid gently pries herself away from their embrace.

She then looks at Hiccup before finally saying, "Alright, I know you have questions. Start asking and I will answer them all truthfully."

Hiccup thinks for a second before finally asking his question. "What really happened the night you were taken?"

"I learned all of this from the woman and dragons that raised me. Apparently I was not born a healthy child. I was silent and very close to death before I was taken. My mother, Fairbreeze took me away because she sensed something special in me and knew that only one thing could save me. She took me back to the nest, where she pleaded with the alpha to save my life. He agreed, in order to save me, he needed to give me a piece of himself. And so he gave me some of his blood. Apparently it should never have worked but my mother was right, there was something special about me. The blood saved my life and from that day on, I became part dragon. That is how I am able to talk and understand them."

This is met by silence until Helga breaks it, "what do you mean by mother. I am your mother, not this Fairbreeze."

"I am sorry, but no. You may have given birth to me but as my mother would say, family is defined by bond not blood. Fairbreeze became my mother and Cloudjumper became my father. The alpha became my grandfather just as Stormfly, the Nadder you see before you became my sister. And then, the human mother that nursed me became my mother as well."

This was a devastating blow to the Hofferson's. Apparently, there daughter had not only lived, she had found another family. She did not even consider them to be her true family. Hiccup however, had already come up with his next question.

"You say that you became part dragon, but you look like any other Viking to me. How are you different?"

Astrid took a deep breath. She knew this question was coming. She had no choice but to answer truthfully for she had promised to do so. "Aside from the fact that I could speak to and understand dragons, I was also gifted with another feature. One that made it impossible for me to return home. You would have had me killed or left me out to die."

The Hofferson's began to deny it until they stopped talking and simply stared wide-eyed at their daughter, as did everyone else there. None were more transfixed than Hiccup was. Astrid had, for the first time, removed the clothe that had been covering her eyes and the entire village got a look at what she had spent all these years concealing. Instead of the blue eyes she was born with they all saw the slitted golden eyes that she had gained. The gold in them seemed to shine, however, what they were most surprised with was the shape. They were slitted like that of a dragon.

"When the alpha gave me his blood, my eyes became this. I was given the sight and hearing of a dragon. That is how I could see even though the cloth was covering my eyes."

Though no one wanted to admit it, she was right. With eyes like that they would have left her to die thinking that she was a demon. It was at this time that Stoick spoke for the first time. "So, you have lived amongst dragons for all these years?"

Astrid gave a nod in response.

"You said that there was a human woman that raised you. Who was it? There are not many humans that would be willing to live with dragons for twenty years in order to raise a child that was not even theirs."

Astrid took another breath. Her mother had already said that she wanted Astrid to tell them the truth. However, she knew that this was a big deal. After all, her wife and son could hate her for leaving them. "You are right. There were not many women that would have been willing to do this. Even less that already had a baby to take care of. I was young and I needed a woman that was nursing so I could eat. The dragons would have been more than willing to look after me by themselves. However, human baby needing milk needs a human woman that could provide it. So, my father Cloudjumper returned to the island the next day and collected someone that could do so. She left her family to help take care of me and for that I will never be able to repay her. Along the way, she too discovered a family. A sister in my other mother, a brother in my father, two sons in my brothers and a daughter in my sister. She also gained hundreds of cousins in the dragons of the nest. She became a part of the nest and so the nest became a part of her."

Something about this statement struck Stoick. She had said the day after she had been taken, a nursing woman had been taken from this island. His eyes widened as he realize why. He jumped to his feet and stormed down to Astrid where he grabbed her and yelled "where is she?"

Hiccup tried to get in between the two of them but his father's grip was too strong. "Dad, what are you doing? Where is who? Astrid what is going on?"

Astrid gave him an apologetic look before responding. "HER Hiccup. The woman that was taken, the one that raised. She was your mother, Valka Haddock."

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Again I sincerely apologize for how late this chapter is. Finals week was crazy and I needed to finish the semester so I really had no time to update. But I'm back and should be able to get back to regular updates. I made this chapter a little bit longer and juicier to help make up for it. As usual let me know what you guys think. Did you like the meeting and the confrontation with Astrid? Next chapter Stoick and Hiccup find Valka. How will they react when they find her? Also, how will the Hofferson's react when they confront her about her keeping their daughter away from them? Yes this makes Hiccup and Astrid 'sibling' by adoption but I did promise a Hiccstrid story. Not telling how it will end though. See you all next time. Review. Follow. Favorite. Read.