Dragon related problems popped up every day on the island of Berk. Some of them were easily solved, some less so, but a good majority of them required Hiccup's attention.
The matter he'd been called in for that morning turned out to be more of an issue for the chief with some dragon things for him to deal with for a bit. But it was crawling on towards lunch and there wasn't really much left for Hiccup to do. Yet there he stood, leaning against a building and watching his father. He'd taken to twirling his bear pendant around and around on its cord just for something to do. He was attempting to see how fast he could get it going before it slipped off his finger.
It wasn't very fast.
As Hiccup bent to retrieve the fallen necklace yet again, Toothless' nose bumped his hip, nearly toppling him over. He staggered back upright and turned to his dragon. Toothless was nodding his head off to the side, where Stormfly was standing. The Deadly Nadder was tense, and her unease seemed to be seeping into Toothless as well. Both dragons were tightly wound, their muscles tense under their scales.
"Hey, Stormfly," Hiccup said soothingly, stroking the dragon's horn. "What's the matter, girl? Where's Astrid?" He looked around for her, but Astrid was nowhere he could see.
Stormfly nudged Hiccup back towards his own dragon. Toothless tilted his back towards Hiccup and flicked his tail, the mechanical fin clacking. The dragons tag teamed, bumping and directing Hiccup until he climbed onto Toothless' back.
"Alright, alright," he grumbled as he clipped himself in. "Hey, Dad!" he shouted. Stoick turned to look at him. "I'll be right back, okay? I think these two want something."
The chief's bushy eyebrows pulled together when he saw rider-less Stormfly at his son's side. "Where's Astrid?"
Hiccup shrugged. "Dunno. Back in a bit!" He clicked the tailfin into position and Toothless took off like a shot, Stormfly hot on his tail.
The Night Fury let Stormfly overtake him, and the Nadder led them over the forest. They slowed and began to descend, and Toothless' nostrils and ears twitched. His muscles coiled even tighter. Something was very wrong.
The two dragons landed in a clearing and Snotlout leapt up from where he'd been bent over something. Hiccup slid off of Toothless' back, looking around him at two unconscious dragons. Tuffnut and Fishlegs were sprawled in the grass on opposite sides of the clearing. Ruffnut was behind Snotlout where he'd propped her against Barf's neck. Hookfang was gently nosing at Meatlug, trying to wake her.
"What happened?" Hiccup questioned. "Where's Astrid?"
"I don't know," Snotlout admitted. "I was looking for her and I found them like this. Stormfly was all tied up and I cut her loose to go get you. But, Hic-"
His sentence was cut off as Toothless whined loudly from behind Hiccup. The boy whirled to look at his dragon. Toothless looked at him with sad eyes and bent his head to nose at something on the ground.
"What is it, bud?" Hiccup asked, approaching.
Snotlout grabbed his arm to hold him back, "Hiccup, just let me-"
"Just a sec, Snotlout." Hiccup yanked his arm away. He stood at Toothless' side, running his hand over the dragon's shoulder. "What did you find, Toothless?"
The dragon's big black head lifted to reveal a mound of curly red hair.
Hiccup's mind ground to a halt as he stared at the hair. His hands clenched into fists and he dropped to his knees. Gingerly, he lifted a handful of the hair and as it slipped between his quivering fingers, there was no doubt in his mind. "Merida," he gasped. Toothless whined pitifully in agreement.
The world snapped back into action. "Where is she?" Hiccup roared, turning on Snotlout. "She was supposed to be with Gobber, what was she doing out here?"
Snotlout raised his hands to ward off his cousin's fury. "I'm telling you I don't know. Everything here was like this when I showed up, I only moved Ruffnut and freed Stormfly."
"Well obviously something happened!" Hiccup paced back towards the hair. "Someone took her! Who was it?"
There was no possible way to get that answer with the others still unconscious. For lack of a better idea, the cousins hauled Fighlegs and Tuffnut onto Stormfly's back and tied them on with was left of the net. Hiccup draped Ruffnut over Toothless' neck in front of the saddle and held on to her. Snotlout stayed in the clearing to look after Meatlug and Barf and Belch until they woke up. Toothless and Stormfly made for the village while Hiccup rode with his mind whirling in worried circles.
The second Stormfly touched down with the two unconscious teenagers secured to her back, they were swarmed by intrigued villagers. Someone untied the ropes and carried the two boys to get help. Hiccup jumped down and handed Ruffnut off to the first person who offered their arms. He spun wildly, still hoping to see Merida running through the crowd towards him. Maybe she'd escaped and made it back to town.
But she was nowhere to be found, and it didn't surprise Hiccup. She never would have abandoned three people to handle whatever had happened back there in the forest. Even unarmed and in an unfamiliar place, Merida would never back away from a fight. Something had happened to her.
Gobber came lumbering towards him. "Hiccup!" he called. "What's going on?"
"Snotlout-" Hiccup stuttered, stopped, and cleared his throat. "In the forest, he found them. Merida… Her – her hair. She's gone. Something – someone took her."
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
Gobber shouted for someone to go and get the chief and guided Hiccup off after the people who were carrying the boy's friends. Toothless and Stormfly followed dutifully behind.
Hiccup paced the floor as a healer looked over his friends. After inspecting the bruises on all of their foreheads, the woman walked up to Hiccup wringing her hands.
"All of them received violent blows to the head. They'll be fine when they wake up, they've all had worse." The healer rolled her eyes, the recomposed her serious expression. "But they might not wake up for a while."
"Well wake them up!" Hiccup pleaded. "They're the only ones who know what happened." He made to grab Fishlegs' shoulder and shake him.
The healer restrained Hiccup. "That won't do any good! If we wake them up before they're ready, they'll just be scrambled. And even then, they might not remember what happened."
Hiccup groaned. "They have to know!"
"Hiccup!" Stoick boomed. Thornado landed outside and he jumped off, grabbing his son by the shoulder. "Son, what's happened?"
"Some sort of attack," Hiccup said. "Snotlout found these three in the forest. Stormfly was tied up but he sent her after me. I went and saw. Whoever it was, they took Merida, Dad."
"Musta taken Astrid, too. Stormlfly's just wandering around all by herself," Gobber pointed out.
Stoick cursed and rubbed his hand over his eyes. "Son, I'm sorry. We'll find them."
Squaring his shoulders, Hiccup marched past his father. "Of course I will. I'm going to go search the forest now. Keep a look out for Snotlout and the other dragons, and send someone for me when one of these three wakes up."
"Son," Stoick said worriedly.
"I can't just stand here, Dad!" he shouted. "Someone took Merida. I don't know who, and I don't know where to, and I won't know because these are the only people who can tell me! But someone took her, and they might be somewhere on the island. I have to go, Dad. I have to look for Merida." Father and son stared each other done, Hiccup's chin raised defiantly in Stoick's pitying gaze. Finally, the chief nodded and the dragon trainer relaxed just a bit. "Alright then," Hiccup sighed, and with that he was gone, shouting, "Let's go, bud!" over his shoulder.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
Toothless flew low and slow over the trees of Berk. Some of the taller branches dragged along his belly, but he ignored them, instead concentrating on counterbalancing his precariously perched rider.
Hiccup was leaned out far over Toothless' left side. His right hand had a white knuckle grip on the opposite side of the saddle. He peered through the thick canopy, scouring the ground for any sign of his lost fiancé. Toothless was simply trying to keep the frantic boy from falling off.
"Merida!" Hiccup shouted over the treetops. "Merida!"
When he noticed that Hiccup's fingers starting to quiver, Toothless rolled slightly so that the boy was forced back into the saddle. Hiccup flopped forward onto the beast's neck and covered his head with his arms. "We've gotta find her, Toothless," he moaned miserably. Toothless whined sympathetically and tried to look up at his companion and offer some comfort. After a moment, Hiccup ruffled his hair and sat up. "Take me back where Snotlout found them. Maybe there's something else there." He patted Toothless' neck as they turned in the right direction.
Snotlout and the dragons were gone when they arrived. "That's a good sign, right, bud?" Hiccup sighed. "Maybe the others will wake up soon." He slid out of the saddle and stood in the center of the clearing, slowly turning to see if there were any hints as to who had taken Merida. He froze when his eyes fell on her hair, cringing at the sight of it. The wind had scattered the curly locks a bit. He made his slow, painful way over to where the biggest pile was and knelt next to it.
It felt wrong to leave it just laying there, disrespectful somehow. "But what am I going to do with it?" Hiccup whispered to himself. Toothless approached cautiously and bent his head. When Hiccup didn't object, he pressed his nose into the hair, taking in Merida's scent so he wouldn't forget it. He might have to track her later and he didn't want to fail his best friend. Besides, the dragon quite liked the Scottish princess. She was spunky.
Carefully, Hiccup picked a longish lock of hair from the mess. He twisted it around his ring finger for the moment and yanked his pendant from under his suit. Taking it off, he stretched the cord between two fingers to find the spot exact opposite from the knot and tied the lock of hair right there. The bear slid down the cord and bumped against the double knot of hair as Hiccup put the necklace back on and tucked it away again.
"Don't you worry, Mer. I'm trying."
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
Stoick the Vast, feared and respected chief of the island of Berk, stood quietly against the wall of the healer's hut, waiting on orders from his 17 year-old son. The three teenagers across the room from him remained unconscious as the healer draped cool rags over their bruises. Stoick would not move until one of those teenagers woke and told him what had become of his future daughter in law (and Astrid, he had to keep reminding himself), because no one would be telling Hiccup but him. He was the only one who stood a chance of making the boy stay long enough to come up with a plan once he knew. Whoever it was had overpowered four armed Vikings, a spitfire Scottish princess, and three dragons. They did not need Hiccup plunging in head-on and alone.
Gobber reentered the room and stood beside his friend. "No sign of him or Snotlout yet. Anything from these three?"
"No," Stoick sighed. "I hoped that this wouldn't happen to my boy, that he could have a happy life. Especially after things changed with the dragons! I had hope, Gobber, hope that he wouldn't lose his love, lose Merida, like I lost Valka."
"Well the girl wasn't taken by a dragon," Gobber countered. "Astrid would have been able to wrangle any beast. Whoever it was, we'll find 'em and get her back. You know Hiccup, he won't give up until he's got her."
With a groan, Stoick shook his head. "You're right," he agreed. "We just need to know who we're looking for." He folded his arms and glared at the unconscious teens as if he could wake them by sheer force of will.
"And in the meantime," Gobber chuckled, "She and Astrid are probably already working on an escape plan."
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
Merida returned to consciousness with a throbbing headache. "Okay, well that hurts," she grumbled. She lifted one hand to find that there was a shackle around her wrist. "Oh, lovely." She dragged the chain with her as she rubbed her head. There wasn't nearly as much hair to get through as usual. "Ah, yeah, I suppose that happened, too. Perfect."
Opening her eyes revealed a high ceilinged stone cell. It was dimly lit, and the sounds of chaos echoed from down the hall. Astrid was slumped in the corner, still out cold. The Viking girl was similarly shackled, her wrist attached to the other end of Merida's chain, which ran through a loop in the center of the back wall. The bars of the cell were wide metal posts with randomly placed slanting crosspieces. The right and left walls were open to cells on either side and barred in the same manner. Merida figured she could maybe fit through, though it would be a tight squeeze. That's probably why they were chained to the wall.
"Well, this is great," Merida said. "Dad's going to kill Hiccup, and then where'll I be? Not that I know where I am, anyway."
"Would you stop talking to yourself?" Astrid moaned, sitting up. "We don't want to let the Outcasts know we're awake. Alvin will just start a monologue."
"Outcasts?" Merida whispered.
"Vikings banished from their tribes for various reasons. Some wise guy decided to send all the worst criminals to the same place," Astrid explained. "They have more trouble with dragons than we ever did. They want to train them but can't figure it out, so they keep trying to get Hiccup, but we don't really need a bunch of conniving lowlifes to be airborne. We've had troubles with them before. Lots of times." Rising unsteadily, she moved out to the bars to look around, forcing Merida to go closer to the wall. Astrid's arm stretched as far as possible so she could lean out. "They've got us in a back hall. Only a few dragons around here."
"So they're using us for ransom, to get Hiccup to help them," Merida said.
"You're here for ransom," Astrid corrected. "They're probably hoping that I can train their dragons."
Neither girl said anything after that. Astrid gradually made her way over to where Merida stood against the wall and leaned next to her.
"You cut my hair off," Merida said quietly, not looking at the other girl.
"Freed you, didn't I."
"Momentarily," Merida shrugged. "Thanks, anyway."
"Whatever."
Astrid sank to the ground and stared at the empty cell across from them, while Merida took advantage of the extra chain and began pacing. Over the quiet rattling of the chain on the stone floor, there was the constant drone of noise from down the hall.
She tried to come up with a plan to get them out, truly she did, but Merida kept getting distracted by the lightness of her head. Her freshly shorn curls were cut so close to her head that it was a wonder Astrid hadn't killed her. The pieces right on the edges of her face that hadn't been in the Outcast's grip were still full length, but the great majority of it had been cut short. Her hair stuck out in all directions without its former weight to hold it down. It was something she hadn't experienced in longer than she could remember, and therefore was demanding her attention.
Suddenly the commotion in the distance increased in volume. Merida was drawn to the bars, trying to see what it was, but Astrid grabbed the chain and yanked, reeling the Scot to the shadows of the cell. "Get in the corner!" Astrid hissed. "And keep quiet!" The girls retreated to opposite sides of the cell, the chain stretched between them, as long shadows appeared on the corridor walls.
A crowd of Outcasts pushed and pulled an enormous cart towards the cell adjacent to Merida's corner. They were transporting a massive dragon with shimmering white scales. It was the shape of a Monstrous Nightmare, only much larger, its head and snout were narrower, and its horns weren't curled. It struggled against its restraints, but was bound too tightly to accomplish much of anything. Inside the cell, the Outcasts unstrapped one foot at a time before securing it to the floor. As soon as they were sure the dragon was secure they beat a hasty retreat, never once acknowledging the two girls in the next cell.
Merida's eyes widened as she watched the beast. "What sort of dragon is that?"
Astrid shook her head. "I have no idea."
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
"Don't you worry, Mer. I'm trying."
As Toothless bowed his head to make it easier for Hiccup to mount, a shadow fell over them. The dragon trainer looked up to see Thornado descending upon them. Immediately after landing, Stoick dismounted and stood before his son, eyes cast to the ground.
"Tuffnut was the first to wake up," the chief said in as quiet a voice as possible. "We didn't even have to ask him, he woke up shouting it." Stoick raised his gaze to meet his Hiccup's nervous eyes. He set his jaw and stood tall. "It was the Outcasts. They came from the forest, an ambush. Your friends, they were outnumbered, never stood a chance."
Hiccup's face hardened and he turned back towards Toothless, who also wore a determined look. "They're using her as ransom," Hiccup growled. "And Astrid is there as a stand-in until I give them what they want. Well, it won't work. I'm getting Meri – them – back and taking the Outcasts down." Leaping onto Toothless' back, he looked at his father. "I'm going, Dad. The longer I wait, the longer Alvin has to prepare to fight me."
Stoick's enormous hand wrapped around his boy's leg. "Come back to the village son, just to get some help. Your friends'll want to come along, and you stand a better chance with back up."
The man had a point, however reluctant Hiccup was to admit it. He sighed in defeat and said, "Fine, but let's move quickly."
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
"We're coming."
This was what Snotlout declared the when Hiccup approached them in the village. Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Fishlegs were lined up with him, their dragons recovered and standing behind.
"You know you don't have to," Hiccup said as a formality.
"But we want to," Ruffnut countered. "We've been dying for some action around her. Now's the time!"
"Yeah, man," Tuffnut concurred. "You couldn't stop us if you tried."
Hiccup nodded, said, "Great," and turned to face his father. "Someone needs to tell Merida's family. We need to send a messenger."
"I'll go," Gobber volunteered.
"Great, thank you," Hiccup said. "Take Stormfly, though. She's fast and without Astrid, she needs a rider anyway. You should get going right away, it's a long flight."
Gobber saluted and ran off.
"What else, Hiccup?" Stoick asked. "Tell us what you need."
"I need to get going," Hiccup insisted. "Come on."
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
The dragon kept its enormous, muzzled head turned away from the girls next door. Merida and Astrid had both made their way over to that side of their own cell. They watched the beast silently, standing side by side with their arms stretched behind them.
"No idea, then?" Merida whispered, not wanting to attract the dragon's attention. "Really?"
"I'm sorry that I haven't memorized every single type of dragon!"
Merida rolled her eyes and muttered, "Maybe you're not as much use as these Outcasts seem to think."
Astrid whirled and slammed Merida against the cell wall, her forearm pressed across the princess' shoulders. "Let's get one thing straight," she hissed. "You don't have the right to talk about me, got it? So just shut up." She released the other girl and stomped over to sit next to the chain ring.
Rubbing her shoulders, Merida scowled at the Viking girl. Then, she grabbed the chain in her bound hand and dragged it with her as she walked to stand before the bars of the dragon's cell.
The chain clanking on the ground drew Astrid's eyes to look at the redhead. She watched in shock as Merida stood facing the creature next to them, and it turned its head just a bit to peer at her. "What are you doing?" Astrid sighed.
"Just looking," Merida snapped. "Now hush." She crossed her arms over her chest despite the cumbersome chain and waited for the dragon to do something.
And do something it did. The massive white head lifted on its serpentine neck and swiveled to face Merida head on. A dragon's typical yellow eyes were unsettling set among pure white scales, and they were focused solely on Merida. The dragon stretched its head toward her to get a closer look, never once blinking. Once it had found an acceptable view point, it held perfectly still, and the two of them watched each other closely.
Merida's fingers twitched on her arm. Tentatively, she lifted her free hand. The dragon's sharp eyes picked up on the slight movement and narrowed into slits.
Astrid voice raised above a whisper. "Don't!"
Undeterred, Merida continued to reach out. She stepped right up to the bars and reached through. Her hand hovered just on the other side and the dragon pulled back. They both held completely still for a few long minutes, each waiting for the other to make a move. Finally, Merida leaned farther into the other cell. The mysterious beast let out a low growl that sent her stumbling backwards. Once Merida was all the way back in her own cell, it turned away from her once more, settling its head on the other side of its body.
As Merida continued to stare at the dragon, Astrid snickered and said, "You're lucky that thing is muzzled. You would've just gotten fried if it was free."
"If it was free, I wouldn't have done, that," Merida insisted. "I'm not stupid. Just curious."
Astrid shrugged. "I beg to differ. Either way, curiosity killed that cat."
"If Hiccup hadn't been curious, you never would have learned how to train dragons."
"Hiccup's missing a leg."
"He's got nine lives."
"If he hadn't tamed a dragon, I wouldn't be stuck here with you."
Merida sighed and plopped down right next to the dragon's bars. "I'm not much happier about it than you are. Trust me."
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
Martin did not sign up for this kind of torture. He was hoping for an easy job guarding the gates of the castle. Honestly, who would ever be dumb enough to attack clan Dun'Broch? He did a lot of sleeping on the job, but nothing bad had ever happened. Unfortunately, that made him an extremely easy target for the boy princes and their trouble making. He barely had a mustache left to speak of. He'd learned to sleep with one eye open.
He wasn't very good at it. Poor Martin was drawn from his slumber by a gruff voice saying, "I need to speak to the king or queen."
With a yawn, Martin managed to force his eyes open and was greeted by the horned nose of a scaly blue dragon. He shrieked in a very unmanly way and tumbled off his stool, nearly decapitating himself with his own ax.
"Message from Berk," the burly man riding the dragon said. "Kind of important, really. It's about the princess."
