Chapter 9

Just a heads up this chapter was modified due to some confusion I caused. Sorry for any frustrations guys!


"How is she?" All the teens were gathered around the living area of the chief's house, their dragons patienty waiting outside. They had raced to the house and immediately Jack had taken Ursa, whose breathing was ragged at that point, into another room, only to return after a moment to say Eydis, the chief and Ursa's mother, was tending to her injuries. The seven teens had been anxiously waiting ever since. Well, Fishlegs, Astrid, Hiccup, and Jack had been anxiously waiting. Snotlout was admiring the various weapons hanging from the wall and the Tuffnut had found one of Brutus's scales he had shed and was using it as a back scratcher. It didn't last long because Tuffnut wanted to use it and they began fighting over it.

Eydis walked in after quite some time, making Jack and Hiccup jump to their feet and everyone else to freeze and look at her. The twins were in the middle of wrestling on the ground for the scale and looked a bit odd frozen in place. Eydis eyed the pair, which made them quickly sit up and for Tuffnut to quickly snatch the scale from his sister, before wiping her hands against her robes. "She will be alright. Just a fever and a few scratches and bruises. It was not as bad as we feared. A little rest and she will be back to normal." Everyone gave a sigh of relief and Jack began to speak, but she raised a hand. "No visitors. Let her rest, child." He nodded and sat back down. Hiccup heard him muttering his relief and wasn't sure why it gave him an odd twinge inside. He tried to ignore it, but quickly failed.

In an attempt to distract himself, the Berk boy turned to the chief. She was a large woman, not fat, simply large. The woman was probably around six feet and filled out her flowing red robes. They had small tassles, beads, and scales that dangled off them and made light tinkling noises as she moved. Her hair was jet black with two thick streaks of grey, one on each side, that met in the back and was pulled into a neat bun. On her head was a traditional Viking helmet, but the horns wound counterclockwise around the helmet, which was rather unusual. "Ma'am, can I have a moment?" She regarded him silently before giving him a curt nod. "We came here because I wanted Toothless, my night fury, to be able to meet other night furies. We never intended to cause trouble or harm to your daughter." Hiccup heard his voice crack a smidge on the word 'daughter' and hoped the others hadn't noticed. Jack looked at the back of Hiccup's head, eyes widened slightly. He had heard it. Eydis had too, but she didn't show it.

The elder woman nodded and gazed at him with piercing gray eyes. "I know, child. She is an adventurous girl, a spirit that can not be tamed. When she realized little Sliversky was missing, she put all of her efforts into finding her. That is one of the reasons I said she needed rest. She hardly ate or slept the whole time she was searching."

The blonde teen heartthrob nodded and chimed in quietly. "That's right. I was very worried about her... She was stretching herself so thin..." His voice held all his pain from that time and both Berk girls patted his shoulders comfortingly.

The elder woman glanced at the crowd of kids. "My daughter approved of your visit so as long as you behave yourselves you may stay. She is a quiet child, as gentle as a breeze as wild as a whirlwind and as reckless as the wind. There are many unusual things about her, traits that do not come naturally to Vikings." Her eyes rested on Hiccup for a moment. "But being different is not the same as being bad. My daughter has good judge of character. If she says you are acceptable visitors, it is not my place to disagree. It is wonderful timing as well, due to the Fury Festival we will be holding in a few days."

"Fury Festival?" Tuffnut grinned. "Is that were a bunch of angry people party and break stuff? Cause that'd be pretty awesome..."

Astrid rolled her eyes and looked to Ursa's mother. "So what is really the Fury Festival?"

"The Fury Festival is where the night fury young are bonded with the children." She took in the confused faces and elaborated. "The festival has music, food, and dancing. It is a glorious time. At the end of the festival, the children line up and the eggs are placed before them. It is simple to bond. The night fury will stare into the child's eyes, assessing their worth as a person and will roar at them if they approve, among other unique things." She chuckled as if lost in some long past memory. "The dragon is but a babe, however, and usually won't live with the child for some time. They are bonded for life, however."

"Bonded for life?" Fishlegs's eyes grew wide as he took in this new information.

"Yeah." Jack's arms were resting on his knees as he spoke. "It doesn't matter where they are. There's a bond there that no one can break. When you're bonded with a night fury you understand. It's not just friendship, like with other dragons. It's more...permanent." He gave an apologetic smile to the teens. "There can be very strong bonds and the best of Frieda can form with people and dragons and night furies as well. It's just...different."

Astrid was the first to respond to this news. "So how was Hiccup and Toothless able to bond then? Wouldn't he have bonded with someone as a baby?"

"My guess, child, is that he didn't bond as a babe. Not all of the young ones bond." Eydis picked up a wooden staff that had a nadder head at the top. Her fingers easily slipped between the head spikes and she walked over to a chair to sit.

"I never realized there was such a strong relationship for it..." The brunette Viking was quiet as he reflected on this.

"Yeah, well, of course you wouldn't. You probably thought you were just special" Jack sneered at Hiccup as he passed him, headed for the door. He paused and turned to Eydis. "I'll go spread the word about these kids visiting, so the village knows." For a moment, his face softened and his voice was kinder. "Let me know as soon as there's any news on Ursa?" Eydis nodded and his relief was clear. Then the determined, fierce look was back and he headed outside.

"Oh, that boy..." Ursa's mother smiled fondly and sighed, rising. "Come. I will show you to where our guests stay and a place for your dragons."

The group filed out the door, but Astrid saw Hiccup hanging back. "You coming?"

"Yeah. I just want to check on Ursa really quick."

The blonde regarded him a moment before punching his arm. "Owwwww...whyyyyy would you do that?"

She smiled at him. "That's for taking care of your curiousity. And..." She darted in and kissed him. "That's for reminding you how I feel." Astrid stepped back and looked at him levelly. "We've never discussed what we are, so while we're on this island it's a free for all. Do whatever you want, Hiccup, but by the time we leave here you have to decide what you're going to do." She jabbed a finger at his chest. "Take this time to work out what you're feeling and decide. Oh, and I won't even get mad." He looked at her skeptically, his throbbing arm keeping him from voicing his doubts. "Okay, fine. I won't take it out on you or her at least. Just choose..." Before either could say more, she was out the door, after the others.

He smiled after her. Astrid not taking charge? There really was a first time for everything, but he was grateful she was giving him this time. He desperately needed it.

With a sigh he walked down the short hall, opening the door to Ursa's room to find it...empty? Hiccup's eyes flew from the messy bed to where the window was opened slightly. He groaned. "The gods hate me..." Hiccup darted through the room and out the window. He cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled for his night fury. In seconds, Toothless bounded up and in the same amount of time Hiccup had jumped into the saddle and snapped his leg in place. They were in the air and off before someone could blink. Hiccup clutched Toothless's saddle tight. Toothless glanced over and whined in sympathy. The dragon could sense his rider's anxiety after all. "Come on, bud. Let's find her." With a roar, they were off.


Ursa winced as Swift made a steep dive. He hissed his worry, but she reassured him with a pat. Yeah, curling up in a warm and cozy bed was fun, but nothing helped more than a good flight. Besides, she couldn't be stiff for the celebration, especially with such a major role... "I'm fine. Let's take a rest, though, hun." The dragon leveled out and coasted to one of Ursa's favorite meadows. Her smile could have lit up any room with ease. She placed a loving kiss on his head. "You know me so well, Swift..."

"And I'm starting to know you pretty well too." The pair turned to see Hiccup glaring at them from Toothless's saddle behind them.

"Uh-oh...I think we're busted..." Ursa slipped a leg over Swift and stood in the grass, standing to face Hiccup. He was slightly taken aback by her clothes. She had on her tan pants and boots, but her torso was completely wrapped in bandages with slivers of leaves sticking out here and there. A slab of metal in front had two straps on each side connected it across her back with just one shoulder strap, but it hung fairly loosely on her as if designed for someone bigger, like her mother. She had a thin cloak thrown over her shoulders that seemed to serve little more purpose than to be a fashion statement. Ursa rested a hand on her hip and regarded the boys. "Did you need something, Hiccup?"

His jaw nearly hit Toothless in the back. "Do I...whattt? You're supposed to be in bed!" He hopped down and strode over to her. "You need to rest, so you can get better? Any of this sound familiar?" He threw his hands up in exasperation as she giggled.

"You're cute when you're mad." She gave an innocent smile.

Wait. What...? Hiccup stared at her as if she had just said Thor was standing behind him. "Wait. What...?"

She offerd another giggle and smile. "I said you're cute when you're mad. Has Toothless been roaring too loudly? Has it damaged your hearing? Toothless! Stop roaring so loudly." The night fury looked up with an expression that said 'who? Me?' This simply made Ursa laugh again.

Hiccup was still gaping at her. "There's no way you just said what I think you just said." He watched as she wandered over to scratch Toothless's chin and laughed as he collapsed into the soft grass. Swift seemed to laugh at the sight too.

"And I'm sure there was a time you would have said there's no way you'd ever ride a dragon, yet here we are." Her eyes raised to his seriously. "Hiccup? Can I tell you something?"

The skinny Viking swallowed nervously and backed up as she approached until his back was pressed against a tree. Ursa stopped right in front of him. "Can I?" All Hiccup could manage was a weak nod. "I have to be married before another week passes..."

This sent the poor boy's mind reeling. "What...?"

She held his gaze. "I'm the chief's daughter. It was in place long before I was even born, but you see I'm not ready, not yet. How can I commit myself to one boy for the rest of my life when I have this wildfire burning inside me? My mom said everyone has reservations and the chief's child is allowed to...I need to...what's the phrase my mom used?" Her face took on a frustrated look as she searched for the words to explain and her gaze dropped to the ground. "Oh, yeah! I need to sow my wild oats first. That's what she said."

Hiccup swallowed again. "A...and what does this have to do with me...?"

Her gaze returned to his, her voice a soft whisper. "I thought you were the smartest Viking on Berk, Hiccup?" She smiled wryly, but then the smile dropped off her face. "You're my oat, Hiccup..." Just like that, Ursa leaned up and softly pressed her lips to Hiccup's. His eyes widened, even though hers stayed closed. One small hand barely touched his shoulded for balance, but as soon as it had started, it ended. She pulled back, taking a step back. Shyly, she tucked some hair behind her ear as she stared at the ground. "I'm sorry, Hiccup. I'm sure that wasn't on your list of things to do, but I..."

"Who says it wasn't?"

Both of them looked at each other in disbelief. Neither could really believe those words had really passed his lips. It was so...confident, which wasn't really Hiccup's area of expertise.

He stepped forward and stared at her, heart pounding. She stared up at him, not knowing her racing heart matched his. "Really...?"

Hiccup nodded only slightly shyly. "Really..." Then, before his confidence ran out, Hiccup grabbed her waist, leaned down, and kissed her.

It was nothing like kissing Astrid, that much he was positive of. Instead of a punch beforehand or the girl dominating the kiss, he felt her hands press against his chest and a small noise of surprise escape her lips against his. He wondered if she could feel his racing heart beneath her hands, but then her hands slipped up further and connected behind his neck and the curiousity disappeared. Meanwhile, his hands had a mind of their own. They skimmed up her back, feeling the warmth of her skin beneath the thin bandages, and slipped over the thick straps.

Suddenly, his arms wrapped around her, crushing her to him at the same moment he deepened the kiss, somehow not just content with feeling her lips on his anymore. It was like a dam had broken. He was alwys shy and hesitant, unsure and worried he'd mess up. Yet this one burst of confidence had sent him free-falling over the edge. All it took was for him to start one kiss... She made a squeak, startled at his taking charge, but then he felt her let him lead. Where had his sudden confidence come from? He didn't have a clue. At the back of his mind, he hoped he was good at this. The only times Astrid had kissed him had been quick and only lips, no...tongue. He felt his face redden at the thought and focused on the girl before him and the soft noises of happiness she was making against his lips.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, before pulling back to catch their breath, though Ursa's hands returned to rest on his chest and Hiccup's hands stayed on her waist. Both their breathing was ragged as they stared at each other. Her eyes were wide and she quickly looked down, shy after their out of character make-out session. It had only been kissing. That's all! So, why was her heart racing? Ursa couldn't figure it out. And where had that confidence come from?! Just when she thought she knew him...but she really doubted he brought this side out often. The look on his face said even he was shocked he had this side.

Before the pair could comment on what had just happened, they heard roaring and turned to see their dragons happily jumpjng up and down, roaring in delight. Ursa glanced up at Hiccup out of the corner of her eye. "Guess we have a couple of supporters?"

He laughed as he watched the dragons. "Guess we do." The girl couldn't help, but notice the way the sun danced off his chestnut locks and the breeze playfully ruffled his hair.

Ursa didn't want the moment to ever end. She wrapped her arms around his middle. Why couldn't she just keep this moment forever? No scars from long ago escapes. No grisly voices haunting her dreams. No expectations she was supposed to live up to. She just wanted to stay here, with Hiccup's arms around her and their dragons celebrating their approval. In her heart, however, she knew it couldn't last. Just because Hiccup had kissed her, it didnt mean he had chosen her. Well, she'd have an answer soon enough. "Guess you should take me home, huh?"

He laughed. "Yeah, I should. Got a little...distracted." Both teens laughed and just like that the romantic spell was broken.

Ursa grinned. "Oh? So I distract you? Good to know." The girl hurried to her dragon and the pair were in the air in an instant.

Hiccup looked at Toothless. "Wow, bud...wow..." Toothless stared in response. The skinny Viking climbed on his back.

Kissing Ursa had been incredible. There was no doubt he loved the feeling of holding her close like that, but if it came down to it, which it would, who would he choose? He had had a crush on Astrid for forever, but with Ursa there was an immediate connection. Who should he choose? Who?

"Come on, slowpoke!" Swift flew in close and roared. "Let's go! I'm sure everyone is waiting." Ursa grinned at him. None of the confliction Hiccup was going through was on her face, but that didn't mean she didn't have any.

Hiccup smiled back at her. Well, whatever he chose, he was going to enjoy this island and moments like this, where he could race another rider, no strings attached. "Come on, Toothless! Let's show them who's the real slowpoke!" Toothless roared happily and together, the dragons and humans headed back to town.


Alright so after this chapter I feel like I'm going to have a lot of angry readers... but who knows? I wanted to at least have one moment of Hiccup and Ursa for comparison to Hiccup and Astrid. Well, let me know what you think! (Though if you hate the pairing or chapter please be nice) Till next time!