"What?!"
"I know it sounds insane to a girl who grew up in a village of murderers, but I did grow up in a dragon's nest. So did Dusk."
"What about Skull?"
"I pulled him out of the ocean when I was eight. We brought him back to our nest and he's been with us ever since."
"I'm… I'm sorry. I'm just trying to wrap my head around this."
"I know it's a lot to take in."
"Show me." Thorn stared. "Show me how this works. Show me how gentle dragons are if it's true."
"Okay. Tomorrow. The sun will be rising in a few hours, and I'm not the best to teach you. Dusk is more patient, and his turn is in two days. It's Skull's turn tomorrow."
"Fine."
"Back in, guys," Thorn clucked. The dragons went back inside and the Nadder—Bramble, right?—gave Thorn what must've been a Nadder kiss. "Good girl, Bramble. Good night!"
Astrid walked with Thorn back to her house, a smile on the redhead's face. They were definitely starting to open up a bit more to each other. Astrid didn't notice Thorn had stopped for a few moments, then noticed her staring at the Chief's house.
"Who lives there?" Thorn asked.
"Chief Stoick."
"And his wife?"
"No. His wife was taken in a dragon raid eighteen years ago, and he never remarried. He also lost both his children—a son named Hiccup and a daughter named Signy. That's why there's a hole in the side of his house—so he never forgets."
" 'Those we've lost never truly die, as long as we keep them in our memory.' My mom told me that when I was ten. A Titanwing Gronckle passed away, one that had kept me and Dusk out of trouble for as long as we could remember, and I was refusing to come out of my cave or eat. Mom was worried and told me that little number, hoping to assuage my grief. It worked, but I never forgot Stoneheart."
"The Chief's situation is a little different—"
"Because he lost his human family and not a dragon?" Thorn sighed and shook her head. "Astrid, dragons and humans aren't that different. We both love, laugh, play pranks, mourn, hold grudges, and raise families. We protect. We give loyalty to our leaders, which is Berk's problem."
"Because we're loyal to Stoick?!"
"No, because the dragons that attack are under the influence of an evil Alpha."
"Alpha?"
"Shush!" Thorn pulled Astrid over to the side, then watched as Gobber locked the door to his home and headed to the forge. Once he was gone, she released the blonde.
"What's the Alpha?"
"The Alpha is the king or queen of a nest. Think of it as like a giant beehive—the dragons that attack are the workers, serving the queen." She balled her fists. "It's not like it is here, not normally. An Alpha protects its nest, and the dragons inside. It provides. The one here is lazy and selfish and gluttonous. She wants nothing more than to be fed by the dragons under her. That's why they raid—because otherwise, they're the food."
Suddenly, it all made sense.
"You're going to kill the Alpha." Thorn nodded.
"She's the problem, Astrid, and once she's gone, the raids will stop. I promise you."
"So what's stopping you?"
"Right now? We have the firepower but no way to get close without our dragons being taken by her." Thorn sat down on a rock. "I can't lose my dragon, Astrid. Neither can Dusk or Skull."
"Shhh… it's fine. Let's get home before my parents wake up."
Hiccup was going to murder his sister tomorrow.
When he'd arrived at the arena to care for the dragons, he'd found his sister and Astrid already there. Signy had given him a smile and a quick explanation that Astrid wanted to learn, then left. He knew she'd done it on purpose; she knew how he felt about Astrid. Still, Astrid was watching him expectantly, and he couldn't just disappoint her.
"Where do we start?" she asked.
"We'll start by getting you used to dragons and helping you earn their trust. Once you earn a dragon's loyalty, there is nothing they won't do for you." He extended his hand. "Let's start with Toothless."
Toothless bounded out of his cage and tackled Hiccup to the ground, licking his face.
"Toothless! You know that doesn't wash out!" Hiccup was laughing. Astrid tilted her head.
"You two seem really close."
"We are. I rescued him from an iron trap when I was ten and helped him heal, and we've been inseparable ever since." He extended his hand and Astrid took it reluctantly. Gently, he led Astrid's hand towards Toothless's face and had her press her palm to the black dragon's nose.
"Wow…" Astrid murmured, feeling a wave of emotion go through her.
"See? Not dangerous."
Astrid looked up to see the blue Nadder standing next to her, sniffing her with interest before beginning to preen her.
"Uhh… what's it doing?"
"Nadders like to make things look nice, and humans are no exception. She's grooming you."
"Okay…" Astrid made a move to put her hand on the Nadder's nose. The Nadder bowed her head and allowed it to happen.
Both Viking and dragon felt the bond forming.
"It was amazing," Astrid told Thorn the following morning while they were training in the woods.
"I bet it was. I bonded with Bramble when I was a toddler, and we've been inseparable. We've purposely put ourselves in danger to save each other before." She loosened the high collar she constantly wore to reveal a jagged scar on her throat. "I got this when I was captured by a gang of Dragon Hunters. Their leader, Ryker, cut my throat to send a warning to my family."
"How did you escape?"
"Bramble. She pinned him to the deck and carried me back to Dusk, Skull, and Mom."
"What happened after that?"
"We managed to patch me up."
"No, I meant with Ryker."
"Oh. Well, he's still out there. We couldn't find him again. He's not the big boss, anyway."
"I would've slit his throat."
"I wanted to. I still want to. He was… ruthless, but he still doesn't scare me as much as Drago Bludvist."
"Who?"
"The Dragon Murderer. He's evil. He's been capturing dragons for almost two decades and forcing them to fight for him."
"No way."
"Yes. That's why Mom can't help down here, even though she's the most experienced rider out of all of us. She has to protect the Nest."
"She sounds brave."
"Of course she's brave! She was taken, with her twin babies, away from the only home she'd ever known to a place where she could've easily died of exposure. She raised two energetic and rambunctious kids in a place where just running around could lead to them falling off a cliff."
"Well, that's true on Berk, too."
"That's what Mom said—that Viking islands can be even more dangerous." Thorn stared at the ground.
"It's great to know that you'll stay, even for a little while. Not many people are cut out for this life."
"Not many people are cut out for the life I live, either. It's bad around here, even worse than what my mother told me."
"Your mom's from Berk?"
"She's from the Archipelago. That's all she's told us—not her tribe, not her island. None of that."
Liar.
"I'd like to meet her."
"Yeah. You would love her."
And some more character interaction.
Next time, a more fun chapter. I call it…
'The Berk Twin Competition'.
AKA Thorstons VS Haddocks.
So long and thanks for all the fish!
