Greetings, lovely readers! And so we arrive at chapter 7, where Gobber solves a riddle, Toothless finds another one, more OC's, more dragons, and a somewhat inevitable revelation.
Many thanks again to my loyal reviewers, Backlash 42, madeline . kallis, GwuncanGirl0203, Remedy's Melody 109, CherryPika91 and Aniwolfgirl.
Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: Amongst the many things I do not own, the HTTYD franchise does not belong to me, and instead belongs to Cressida Cowell and Dreamworks Animations.
The Next Generation
When Hiccup woke up the next morning, he kissed Astrid on the forehead, earning him a happy murmur and a smile, and the first thing he noticed (or didn't notice, to be precise) was the conspicuous absence of Toothless from his fire ring. Then he remembered the conversation they had had yesterday, and smiled, knowing exactly where he'd be, and with who, and what it was they were likely doing.
He then got out of bed, attached his prosthetic leg, and ambled downstairs to make breakfast for him and Astrid, totally unaware that by the end of the day, his entire life would have been turned upside down.
Meanwhile, across town, Gobber had finally, with the help of Traask's chief engineer, Li Chiang, a young Oriental woman who had joined his crew when they had docked at Singapore two years ago, discovered what the mysterious metal in Drago's dragon armour was. Engineer Chiang had walked in, taken one look at the stuff, and realised immediately what it was.
"This, Mr. Gobber, is charcoal steel." She had informed him, her demeanour somewhat aloof, almost arrogant. "It's made by blending iron and other metals, usually tungsten or copper, into an alloy. When the steel that forms is set, it's melted down and mixed with ground charcoal. This makes it so strong that it can resist the shock of a battering ram launched at full speed without so much as a scratch. It's also incredibly fireproof; it would take a Nadder a whole five minutes to melt through it, and even corrosive materials, such as Changewing acid, have trouble burning through it." She placed the metal back on the workbench. "Now, if you don't mind, I have an entire engine to rebuild after your hotshot pilots burnt out the portside aft turbine again, Captain. I don't have the time to give lectures on basic metallurgy." And with that, she practically marched out of Gobber's forge, leaving Traask to apologise to his friend.
"I'm sorry about her, old friend," Traask said, with the air of a man who had repeated those words often. "She's a bit… prickly at times."
"Ah, don't worry yerself." Gobber reassured him. "I've been rebuked by many a woman in my time, as you well know." They both laughed at that. "And I daresay, not many of them could have held a candle to that beauty." He winked surreptitiously, before chuckling under his breath.
"I suppose that's the core of her problem," Traask sighed, concern etched into his features. He was always concerned for the wellbeing of his crew, especially his senior staff. "Most men that meet her, and a fair few women as well, tend not to see much further than her looks. She thinks that stops people from taking her seriously. I also think that's why she joined my crew." He saw Gobber place a bent sword into the forge, and automatically moved to start pumping the bellows for him. "We were in a city called Singapore, well to the south-east of here. We had stopped off to get supplies, and my then chief engineer, a man called Jenkins, was looking for someone who had the knowledge to fix a bust engine component. He'd looked all over the city, but couldn't find a single person who knew anything about mechanical engineering." The sword now red hot, Gobber moved it over to an anvil, where Traask held it steady as Gobber hammered it back into shape. "Just as we had given up hope, this young girl, no older than sixteen at the time, walks up and claims she could fix it. Most of the local men laughed when they heard this. It seems that not everyone in the world is as liberal as we are when it comes to gender equality." Gobber grunted his blatant disapproval. He had never understood the idea of men being superior to women, not when women like Valka and Astrid walked the earth. "Truth be told, she didn't look much like any mechanic we had ever seen, either. But Jenkins was desperate at that point. The main engine was bust without the component, so he let her look at it. She took it over to a small toolbox, being guarded by her younger brother, and had the damned thing fixed inside of a minute. Needless to say, we were amazed at her. And when we asked what she wanted as payment, she asked if she could go with us, and her brother too. Well, before I could decide, Jenkins grabbed me by the shoulder and said, 'Traask, we need her.' And that was that. A week later, Jenkins was killed during an explosion, and I promoted Chiang to take his place."
"Well, if that's not the damnedest story I ever heard!" Gobber laughed. "Well, you never know who you might meet in this world, eh?"
"No, indeed." Agreed Traask, plunging the sword into a nearby water bucket, eliciting a hissing cloud of steam from it with the hot sword blade. "Oh, I meant to ask, have you seen Astragard today? I haven't seen her since yesterday afternoon."
"Oh, she'll be around." Gobber reassured him. "It's not like you need to worry about her. I mean, she is a Night Fury!" Traask nodded his agreement, but still gave a hopeful glance at the sky, wondering if what Hiccup had told him was true. Hoping it was true.
Somewhere to the east of Berk, Toothless was woken up by the sound of birdsong in the glade where they had landed. He lifted his head and blearily opened his eyes. Then he felt Astragard shift beneath him, still asleep, and smiled, the memories of last night slowly resurfacing. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this happy. No, actually, he could – it was when Hiccup had finally woken up out of that coma.
As he slowly unfurled his wings, he stirred Astragard from her sleep. She yawned loudly, before looking at him through equally bleary eyes, a beatific expression adorning her face.
Hey, she said.
Hey, he nudged her nose softly. Did you enjoy last night?
Did I ever! She laughed gently. Well, what you lack in experience, you certainly made up for with talent and enthusiasm. Toothless smiled, the compliment and sexual banter generating a warm, fuzzy feeling in his chest, amongst other things.
My only regret is that I can't be annoyed at Hiccup and Astrid mating now. She laughed at that. Especially not after what we did to that poor tree. He nuzzled her neck, causing her to growl sultrily in her throat, before rolling over and standing on all fours. Once she had followed suit, they prepared to take off in search of breakfast, but something glinting in the snow caught Toothless' eye. He padded over, and saw the arrow left by the strange figure.
What's that? Astragard asked him, having followed him over.
It's an arrow, but not like one I've ever seen before. He considered the arrow for a moment, seemingly deliberating some action or another. We'll take it back with us. One of the humans should know something more about it. And with that, Toothless picked up the arrow in his mouth and they flew back towards Berk.
Today was a special day for Hiccup, for several reasons. There was also one very particular reason that would make today incredibly special, but he wasn't to know that yet. The reasons for specialness that he did know about were these: firstly, he was about to accept the next generation of dragon riders into the academy; secondly, he was going to show off the academy to his mother for the first time; and thirdly, he largely suspected that Toothless would turn up a very happy dragon today.
With those thoughts foremost in his mind, he strolled down to the arena, wearing his chief's outfit. As he entered the arena, he saw Valka and Cloudjumper already there, Cloudjumper sat to the side in his usual calm demeanour, lifting his head only to acknowledge Hiccup's arrival, and Valka looking around the arena, lost in wonder at all that had changed since she had left Berk all those years ago. Hiccup smiled to himself; he hadn't seen her this happy since his father had died.
"So," he called out, slightly startling her. "What do you think of the Berk Dragon Academy?"
"This is amazing!" She laughed. "To think, that were we used to slaughter dragons, now we learn to become one with them." She turned to hug her son, who responded just as warmly. "And all thanks to you. My son." She looked at him with tears of pride forming in her eyes, stroking his cheek gently with her hand. "I don't think I'll ever be able to tell you how proud I am of you, Hiccup. You are, undoubtedly, the greatest chief Berk has ever had." Hiccup smiled, a mixture of pride and emotion forming on his face, before hugging her tightly again.
"Thanks mom," He whispered, his voice taught with emotion. "That means a lot to me."
"I know, Hiccup," Valka said softly, before noticing the arrival of the new students and smiling. "Anyway, I think you have something else that demands your attention." Hiccup turned to see the new arrivals, and immediately he was all business, his face set with his most commanding expression. He had rather hoped that Toothless would have turned up to help, but fortunately he didn't need him today. Today he wouldn't be teaching them anything, per se, but rather he would be helping the new students choose their dragons.
As he approached, he noticed that the students, most of them about 14-15 years old, seemed somewhat nervous in his presence, almost awed. Although he had rather expected this reaction, and had specifically worn his new ceremonial dress to enforce the idea, it was still something he wasn't used to – the idea that he was chief, that others looked up to him, even aspired towards him, was totally alien to Hiccup. He still remembered a time when he was called Hiccup the Useless (and quite a few less polite names when he wasn't in earshot). And even when he had ended the Dragon War, founded the academy and become Berk's 'Dragon Master' as Astrid sometimes liked to call him (although sometimes not in the same context, as it were), he still considered himself to be the son of Stoick the Vast. All of his life, there was always someone that he could rely on, someone above him in the chain of command that he could seek advice and counsel from. Now, he had no one. No one but himself, and any advisors he might have. It was a truly fundamental shift, and he wasn't quite sure that he had caught up with it yet.
As he went to greet the class, he saw his mother head to the arena sidelines to sit with Cloudjumper. Hiccup smiled, knowing that she intended to watch the proceedings. As he turned to the group of young Vikings, he got his first good look at them. There were five of them altogether, two boys and three girls, and he recognised all of them; the oldest there was Magnus Hofferson, who at the age of sixteen was Astrid's younger brother. It then hit him that this would technically make Magnus his future brother-in-law, but from what he knew of the lad, it wouldn't be an issue; he was the shrewdest member of the Hofferson family. They shared the same blonde hair and blue eyes inherent to the Hoffersons, but he kept his hair cropped short, and he had the signs of an emerging beard. Whilst Astrid had most definitely taken after her father, not called Fearless Finn Hofferson for nothing, Magnus was a more reasonable individual. Hiccup had seen him break up many a family argument with nothing more than sharp logic and a calm demeanour. He would make an excellent academy instructor one day. Hiccup mentally noted, and was not surprised to see that Magnus already had the group gravitating around him. When he spoke, the others would listen to him, as though they sought his counsel for their every problem, which some of them might do. Hiccup had sometimes heard the boy referred to as Magnus, Best of Men, and found that the title suited him. Magnus would be a great help with training the group, he was sure.
The youngest there was a thirteen year old girl named Hilda Sigurdman. Her parents had died when she was very young of the pox, and she had been raised by Fishlegs' parents, with help from, of all people, Gobber, who was her paternal uncle. Standing at 5' 1'', she was the smallest of the group, and it was obvious that she was very shy. Her ginger hair had been pulled into a pair of pigtails, and beneath the smattering of freckles that she shared with Hiccup, he recognised something of himself at that age in her. I'll have to pay special attention to her, make sure the rest of the group includes her.
The other girl was called Frigga the Ferocious, Hilda's complete opposite and, unsurprisingly, the youngest Jorgenson sibling. She and Snotlout had had a vicious, but at the same time affectionate, rivalry ever since she could hold a battleaxe. When she walked into the arena, her jet black hair tied back into a short ponytail, her expression harsh and her gaze seemingly capable of igniting a wooden post at fifty yards, she did so with a demeanour of unwavering confidence, her back held dead straight. The two short swords she had strapped to her back, and the black armour she wore over her tunic and leggings only added to the overall effect. But to Hiccup, having grown up with Snotlout, it almost seemed, forced somehow, as if she was making the extra effort. The old Jorgenson rivalry, he reasoned. She's not just trying to live up to her brother, she means to outdo him. Tread with care, Haddock.
The other two were Harald Hiltaman and Greta Orldeson, and whilst they were totally unrelated to each other, they could have been mistaken for twins. Ever since they were toddlers, they had been virtually inseparable. They trained together, worked together, played together, went everywhere together, and now it seemed they would become dragon riders together. They had become the perfect shieldmates, and Hiccup knew that that would be very important when it came to choosing their dragons. Hmm. It seems that a Zippleback would be the way to go with those two, or perhaps even a Snaptrapper. Or, maybe… Then he smiled, knowing the perfect choice for them.
Having surveyed his pupils, he stepped forward and cleared his throat, gathering their attention and talking to them for the first time.
"Welcome," He started in his most confident voice. Or, at least, his least wavery one. "To the Berk Dragon Academy. Before yourselves, it was my generation that learned to ride dragons here, and we, for the most part, had to make it up as we went along. Most of the time, we didn't know what we were doing, but after five years, we eventually figured it out." He could hear Valka chuckling in the corner. "And so, the honour of being the first official class to enter the academy falls to you." He had judged that that would have a positive effect on the group. Hilda's confidence almost visibly shot up, Frigga's ego had been satisfactorily stroked, and Harald and Greta were obviously more excited. Only Magnus was unaffected by the statement, and very likely saw right through it. But then he wasn't going to be a problem. "Now, usually the first session of this kind of training regimen would be a couple of hours being lectured to about the basics of the subject, outlining the course, a few safety announcements, that sort of thing…" He paused for effect whilst he watched the group visibly deflate, sharing a conspiratorial wink with his mother, who was trying not to laugh. "… But we, being Vikings, do things slightly differently. As my old teacher, Gobber once put it, we believe in learning on the job. So today, you, the first students of Berk Dragon Academy, are going to spend it picking out your dragons." There was a cheer from the group, and at Hiccup's direction, they all moved to the centre of the arena, where he instructed them to wait and talk amongst themselves. Whilst they were distracted, Gobber hobbled into the arena, much to Hiccup's relief, as he had asked Gobber to help with the dragon choosing today.
"Nice of you to show up." He mock chastised his old friend. "I thought that Grump might have finally lost her temper and made off with you."
"Grump? Make off wi' me? Are you mad? Old Grumpie wouldn't be able ter to lift a hammer, even if she wanted ter." He hobbled over to Hiccup, and placed his hands, or hand, to be precise, on his shoulders. "Well, now there's a sight I'd never thought I'd live to see."
"And what might that be, exactly?" Hiccup asked.
"Hiccup being the leader of the pack," He said softly. "I've watched you grow up, Hiccup, through the best, and worst, of times, and I can honestly say that today… today, Hiccup, you have finally become the man we all hoped you'd be."
"Thanks, Gobber." Hiccup embraced his old friend. "Now, are those dragons ready?"
"Ready as they'll ever be, Hiccup." Gobber turned around, and behind him were a group of dragons and their attendant handlers.
"Excellent." Hiccup said. "Excellent. Let's get this show on the road then, shall we?" At that, he went up to the handlers and took the dragons from them, letting them get back to their other duties. Whilst Hiccup led the dragons to their prospective new riders, Gobber sat on a crate next to Cloudjumper.
"Aye, who would've thought it, eh?" He said to Valka. "Hiccup finally taking the lead." Valka could only smile proudly.
Once the dragons were in place, he turned to his students, and cleared his throat to get their attention.
"So, these are the dragons we have available for you to try," He gestured to the dragons in turn. "We have a couple of Deadly Nadders, two Monstrous Nightmares, a Hideous Zippleback, a Whispering Death and, a relatively new resident of Berk, this handsome Stormcutter. Now, who'd like to go first?" He could have bet money on it, for of course, Frigga immediately shot to her feet.
"Stand back, kiddies." She leered at the others. "Let me show you how the Jorgensons do things!" She walked to the front and stood next to Hiccup, waiting for his instruction to begin.
"Now, the most important thing that any dragon rider has to have is trust." Hiccup explained. "Without that bond between you and your dragon, you'll never develop the deep connection you need to be able to work together. When you fly with your dragon, you should be aiming not just to fly on him, but to fly with him. And the initial bond you make with him or her is the most important of all." He positioned her ahead of him, facing the assembled dragons. "When you approach your dragon for the first time, you must do so with absolute confidence. If they can sense even the slightest anxiety, they will shirk away from you. And one last thing." She looked at him impatiently. "Remember, this isn't just you choosing your dragon; your dragon is also choosing you. Never force a dragon to submit to you. You must let them come to you. I have absolute faith in you, Frigga. In all of you. Choose well." And with that, he stepped back and sat next to the other students, studying Frigga, wondering what she would do.
When Hiccup had explained the process, Frigga turned to look at the dragons. She walked up and down the line, almost swaggering as she did so, exerting her authority, testing their resolve. Most of the dragons sensed her overbearing persona; the Nadders instinctively stepped back, whilst the Zippleback sparked at her. The Whispering Death actually cowered behind the Stormcutter, who treated her with cool indifference. She went down the line of candidates three times, until she stopped before one of the Nightmares. Unlike her brother's, this one had a purple body, with blue and red flecks across his wings. He wasn't perturbed by this girl like the others, and confidently stepped forward.
Hiccup could see Gobber tense slightly, ready to spring into action should things go wrong. But his fear was in vain, for the dragon simply looked her square in the eye, their gazes locked on each other. Frigga slowly raised her hand, and placed her palm at arm's length. The dragon sniffed it once, twice, and then, after a seconds pause, placed his snout in her palm, purring softly in his throat.
The assembled crowd applauded them, and Frigga smiled victoriously.
"Well done, Frigga." Hiccup said encouragingly. "It seems that the Jorgensons have a way with Monstrous Nightmares."
"Oh, please." She snorted. "My brother wouldn't know what a bond with a dragon was if it reared up and bit him in the - "
"Yes, well done, Frigga!" Hiccup announced just a little too loudly than was necessary. "So, a male Nightmare, quite young, no more than a year or so older than you. Feisty nature. This one's a warrior for sure, fit for a warrior rider." Frigga smirked at the compliment. "He answers to the name of ThunderClaw."
"ThunderClaw." Frigga murmured, trying the name out. "A strong name, for a strong dragon. I think you and I are going to be best of friends, ThunderClaw." He growled his agreement, nuzzling into her body affectionately as they walked off to the side of the arena together, where Gobber was waiting to size them up for saddles.
"Well, here's to our first successful pairing today." Hiccup became more confident with the roaring (A/N: Oh, I'm punny!) success so far. He looked around the remaining four, wondering who to choose next.
"Next up, why don't we have… Hilda!" The little girl jumped in surprise at her name being called, clearly nervous at the prospect of being singled out by the chief, but Magnus reached over and whispered something in her ear. She nodded, and stood up, slowly walking towards Hiccup. Hiccup gave Magnus an appreciative nod, glad that he had judged him so well. Hilda stood by Hiccup timidly, so he knelt down, forcing himself to talk up to her.
"Hey, there," He said softly, holding her hands whilst he did. "There's no need to be afraid. These guys won't do anything to hurt you. They just want to be your friend." She nodded unconvincingly, as if she might start to cry if she tried to speak. "I'm going to be with you every step of the way, ok?" He squeezed her hands encouragingly, and pushed her gently towards the dragons. As she timidly walked up to them, the Nadders stalked over towards her, sniffing her gently, but soon realised that she wasn't for either of them. The Zippleback ignored her completely, more interested in sparring with the remaining Nightmare. One look at the Stormcutter and Hilda knew immediately not to even bother, which left her with the Whispering Death.
Now, even the most jaded Vikings will instinctively give these tunnel borers a wide berth, what with their six circular rows of rotating teeth, and the ability to spout fire rings as easily as some people blow smoke rings, but for some strange reason, when Hilda looked at the timid dragon, she didn't feel afraid, or nervous. In fact, she almost felt pity for the poor thing – it was obviously more terrified than she was. She cautiously stepped towards it, only for the dragon to shrink back. She thought for a moment, then put her hand out timidly towards the dragon. The Whispering Death looked at the hand, and slowly snaked towards her, as if she might lash out at any second. He sniffed at her hand, then he gently rubbed his nose against her hand. Emboldened by the reaction, she rubbed his snout, smiling when he purred deep in his throat, and when he nudged against her body, she hugged the dragon as best she could, her short arms barely reaching halfway across his bulbous head.
Hiccup was amazed. The first time he had encountered a Whispering Death, his dragon had had a vendetta against it. He would never have imagined that this shy young girl would befriend such a formidable looking creature.
"Well done, Hilda!" He applauded her encouragingly, but she had eyes only for her new friend. "He only came to us a few days ago." Hiccup explained, now standing next to them, scratching the equally timid dragon behind the ears. "He doesn't even have a name yet. What are you going to call him?" Hilda looked at her dragon, thinking of a good name.
"Oh, I know!" She suddenly piped up. "Varmthjerte."
"Varmthjerte?" Hiccup couldn't even pronounce the word properly, but the Whispering Death wriggled its body excitedly, obviously liking the name. "Well, I think someone likes it. Varmthjerte it is." Hiccup stood aside as they made their way over to where Gobber and Frigga were discussing the saddle design, making gestures that indicated sharp edges were a major point of interest. When Frigga saw Hilda come over, she looked at the girl, then at her new dragon, then back at the girl with astonishment, before nodding appreciatively. She was clearly impressed, and Hiccup knew that she had made an unlikely friend in that little girl.
He looked back at the group expectantly. Harald and Greta both looked at Magnus, but he gestured for them to go ahead. They both stood up and walked towards Hiccup.
"So, you guys have any questions?" They shook their heads simultaneously. "Ok, then. Good luck." He stood aside and let them approach the remaining dragons. They looked up and down the group, pointing out features on one dragon, then another, but without saying barely a word, as if they had their own secret code that was less verbal than physical. The Zippleback, having squarely beaten the Nightmare, took notice of the pair, and seeing two of them together, immediately stalked towards them. The pair looked at the Zippleback, who was clearly showing off, before looking at each other and nodding an affirmative. The Zippleback stepped towards them hopefully, but before it could so much as chirp at them, Harald and Greta walked straight past it and towards the two Nadders. Hiccup giggled quietly into his hand – his instincts had been right all along.
The Nadders immediately stalked up to the young Vikings, and after they had sniffed them carefully, they immediately bonded with them. Hiccup clapped at their success, before gesturing to the group behind them. As they passed, he caught a snippet of their conversation.
"I think you should be called Donner." Harald was talking to his Nadder, a deep red female with flecks of green and orange on her tail and wings.
"And you should be Blitzen." Greta told her dragon, a slightly spindly male, who was deep blue almost everywhere on his body.
Finally, Hiccup turned to Magnus. They shared a familiar look, one that they had developed over the years that Hiccup and Astrid had dated. It was a look that they shared every time the rest of the Hoffersons, and Stoick included when he was present, descended into either an argument or a traditional Viking drinking song. It was a look that said, For the sake of our collective sanity, we would make very good friends. Magnus stood up and walked over to Hiccup.
"So." He said simply.
"So." Hiccup answered. "Today's the day, huh?"
"Yep."
"You ready?"
"As I'll ever be."
"Well, I'd say good luck, but you never seem to need it." Hiccup smiled at the young adolescent, who smiled back. As he walked off towards the dragons, excitement tainting his usually calm features, Hiccup wondered how good he was at public speaking. Magnus approached the dragons in a stoic manner. He studied the three remaining candidates calmly. On his left was the Nightmare, who was nursing a cut he had taken from the Zippleback. A Nightmare was a fine dragon, he reasoned, but it required a rider who was fierce by nature, almost violent. Magnus was far from it.
And then there were two.
He gazed at the Zippleback, who was now bickering with itself. Whilst he had heard that Zipplebacks were good all-rounders, as it were, he wasn't sure that he wanted to deal with the dragon's split personality. He didn't want to spend every five minutes resolving some dispute or another. He knew that he had to be one with his dragon.
And then there was one.
Hiccup stood up as Magnus' gaze moved towards the Stormcutter. Magnus considered the relatively stoic creature, but found that he couldn't read it like he could most people. It was as if the dragon was actively concealing it's personality from him. The Stormcutter noticed the attention it was being given, and for the first time that morning, he stood up and paid attention to the Viking boy before him. He tilted his head to one side, fanning his frills, as he considered the boy before him.
As if on some divine instinct, Magnus lifted his hand towards the dragon, who responded by walking towards the boy. And for a moment, they did nothing but stare at each other, watching, assessing, weighing the risk. Then the Stormcutter closed its eyes, and nuzzled Magnus' palm for a moment, before reaching forward and nuzzling Magnus' nose with his. Magnus reached his arms around the Stormcutters head, and they gently leaned their foreheads together, eyes closed, simply acknowledging the presence of the other, as if nothing else in the world mattered.
Hiccup felt something tug on his heart when he saw it – here was a bond so strong that Hiccup had only seen it once before: that moment in the cove when he had finally, inevitably, inexorably bonded with Toothless. Although everyone had managed to form a bond with the dragons he had brought here today, this was undoubtedly the most successful.
"Well done, Magnus." He placed a hand on his young friend's shoulder. "Now there is a fine dragon." He looked over to see Valka and Cloudjumper walking towards them. "He was never given a name, either." Magnus looked into the deep blue eyes of his dragon, and it seemed as if they knew what the other was thinking. A name slowly formed in his head, as if put there by a god.
"Heimdall." Magnus said, softly, but with such authority that no one would dare to argue with him. "The sentinel at the gates of Asgard. He will watch over me, as I will watch over him."
"Now that is a good name." Hiccup agreed. Both men turned to see Valka and Cloudjumper behind them. Whilst Hiccup and Valka shared a smile, Magnus placed his arms behind his back, standing rather formally next to these titans of their society, and Heimdall adopted the same passive stance. Valka appraised the boy in front of her, as Cloudjumper appraised his dragon.
"What is your name?" Valka asked softly.
"Magnus. Magnus Hofferson."
"No." She replied. "You, my boy, are Magnus, Best of Men." Magnus shuffled uncomfortably at the title he had picked up somewhere along the line. "And the best of men you have proven to be." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Not everyone can bond with a Stormcutter. Cloudjumper here took a long time to truly accept me. It may take you time as well, but trust me, when you have that trust with your dragon, there is nothing else on this earth that can replace it." She gently lifted his head with her free hand, so she could look straight at him. "Heimdall will defend you with his life if he has to, and be glad to do so. Now you must show him that you are equally as willing."
"I will." Magnus said confidently. Valka smiled at the boy, before embracing Hiccup and turning back to Cloudjumper. As Magnus and Heimdall walked over to join the others, Hiccup looked on with a sense of pride. When the old gang had gotten their dragons, it was with a mixture of guesswork, luck and the ever pressing need to stop his dad from doing something insanely stupid. They had worked together because they needed to. Now, for the first time, Hiccup had managed to do something properly. He had finally become Berk's legendary Dragon Master. His heart was almost bursting with pride.
Back at their house, Astrid was taking the day off from anything involving physical exercise. For some reason, she had felt rather drained when she woke up this morning. Perhaps it was the mind-blowing sex that she and Hiccup had had the night before. After eating a breakfast of smoked haddock (which was unusual, since she normally preferred fresh cod), she had decided to do a little work around the house. Spruce things up a bit, in case an unexpected visitor came around.
It was just as well, for Mildew, of all people, had come calling. After the whole hoo-hah with Alvin the Treacherous and Dagur the Deranged, Mildew had returned to Berk, this time with a dragon of his own, a Deadly Nadder he had named Typhoon. (A/N: Yes, the one and only Typhoon belongs to Mildew. Go figure.) He often came around to ask Astrid for advice about caring for Typhoon, especially now he had grown close to Stormfly. Despite everything that had happened, Astrid could sense that he had been changed by the events. Mildew had softened into quite an amiable old man, compared to the cranky, miserable cretin he had been before, and Astrid actually enjoyed his visits. In return for the advice she gave him, he would tell her stories about the things he had seen in her life, his experiences with his dragon, and his surprisingly exotic adventures in his youth.
After he had left, thanking her for the advice and the tea she had made for them, she went about cleaning up some loose clothing that was lying about. She picked up one of Hiccup's tunics, and lying underneath them were some small garments that she recognised as being the ones she used when her monthly cycle came around. It was as she placed them into the basket that she realised that she couldn't remember the last time she had used them.
Thinking she must be due soon, she recounted the days in her head, accounting for the variability she always had, and then froze, dropping the basket. She had counted six weeks since the last time she had used them, and while it always varied a bit, it never varied that much. Astrid looked down at her stomach, a look of wonder and incredulity on her face, and realised that her exhaustion was nothing to do with her fiancé. Well, it actually had an awful lot to do with him, but not from last night. Likely not from last night anyway.
Despite her instincts, though, she had to know for sure. She ran out of the house, hopped onto Stormfly and flew up to Gothi's hut, as she was the village medicine woman.
A few minutes later, she was sat on a bench in Gothi's hut, the elderly woman bustling about gathering various herbs, teas and tinctures for Astrid. She had just been given the news of a lifetime, news which might send any other girl into a panic, but only one thought filled Astrid's mind:
I can only dream what Hiccup's reaction will be!
After a hard day of training the new recruits, and with still no sign of Toothless, or Astragard for that matter, Hiccup had ambled slowly back to his house, tired, cold and ready for a hot meal and bed. He opened the front door and saw Astrid sitting on the old rocking chair that his dad had sometimes used, rocking back and forth gently. Hiccup smiled, and saw on her face an expression that he had never seen before: it was as if Astrid was almost glowing. She had a small beatific smile on her face, and he could tell that she had some big news for him.
"Hey there, beautiful." He announced himself, causing Astrid to beam at him. "There room for two on there?" She giggled, patting the seat next to her. Hiccup sat down, and Astrid cuddled into him. Hiccup knew something was up.
"How was your day?" She asked.
"Oh, it was pretty good, actually. I inducted some new recruits into the academy, and paired them off with their dragons."
"That's good. Who was there?"
"Well, there was Snotlouts sister, Frigga. She found herself a Nightmare, ThunderClaw. Seemed fitting really." She murmured her agreement. "Then there was Harald and Greta. They both took the Nadder twins we found. Named them Donner and Blitzen. Little Hilda was there too. Would you believe she befriended a Whispering Death?"
"No way!" Astrid stared at him incredulously. "A Whispering Death? For Hilda?"
"I know, I could hardly believe my eyes. It was the really timid one that Fishlegs and the twins found two days ago. She named him Varmthjerte."
"Awww." Astrid cooed. "That's adorable. Anyone else."
"Just one." Hiccup smiled. "Magnus."
"Wait," Astrid looked at him. "Magnus?" Hiccup nodded.
"Magnus got his dragon?" Astrid hugged him tightly. "Oh, that's great! What did he choose?"
"The Stormcutter that we rescued from that trap the other day." Hiccup started to stroke her hair. "Named him Heimdall."
"That's wonderful."
"It is." Hiccup realised that he was going to have to ask. "And what of you, my dearest? What have you done today?"
"Oh, nothing much." She said. "Cleaned around the house a bit. Mildew came around earlier, so we shared some tea, advice and stories, as usual."
"Astrid, I know you're avoiding something. What is it that has you so beautifully happy?" She beamed at him, her face barely containing the smile.
"Well, I have some news."
"Good news, I see."
"Very good." She kissed him gently on the lips, before looking straight at him, her eyes betraying her excitement.
"Hiccup, my amazing, wonderful fiancé, you're going to be a father."
