Doomsday.

We were up against the Gardania. The whole village had turned up to watch. The elder was there too, watching me closely. I hoped to high Valhalla that she would chose Astrid instead of me.

I ducked behind a short wooden wall, one of many others that were scattered around the ring. Astrid ducked down after me without even seeing me. She finally noticed me beside her and shot me a look of poison. "Stay out of my way," she said menacingly. "I'm winning this thing." She rolled over to hide behind another wall. "Oh yes, please, by all means…" I called weakly after her. I might as well get it over with now, then. I stood up to let the Gardania see me and caught sight of Stoick watching eagerly. He gave me a thumbs up. I weakly smiled back, and for one second I felt an urge to defeat the Gardania and make him proud. Make him feel proud of me, his son.

The feeling vanished when I thought of Terra and all the things she shown me. I felt like I was using her and lying to her.

Astrid, meanwhile, was still rolling from wall to wall. As she neared the Gardania, she became more determined to win. "This time," she whispered angrily to herself. "This time for sure!"

She leapt up from the wall and charged toward the Gardania, waving her axe around in the air and letting out a war cry.

It died on her lips as she saw the Gardania.

I looked at her in fear/helplessness as she stared at me in horror. When the Gardania had seen me, it had immediately collapsed in front of me, hoping to get scratched behind the ears. I was getting a very bad feeling that I had won.

"NO!" Astrid screamed, and began whirling her axe around at the air, yelling out curses and insults to me. Gobber arrived on the scene just then. "So, later," I said, trying to casually slip away. Gobber snagged the back of my vest and pulled me back. "Whup, not so fast."

I struggled against his grasp. "Uh…I'm kind of late for—"

"Late!" Astrid said, shoving the blade of her axe up to my face. "Late—for what—exactly?"

"Quiet down!" Stoick boomed over the noise of the crowd. "The elder has chosen!" Astrid contained herself and walked over to Gobber. Both of us looked up at the elder expectantly. Both of used hoped to pick Astrid. Gobber lifted his artificial hand (it was an axe today) and held it above Astrid's head.

The elder sadly shook her head.

I saw Gobber's eyes widen in shock as the crowd becan 'ooh'ing. He lowered his hand and pointed to me. I squeezed my eyes shut.

And then I heard cheering erupt all around me, and Gobber's elated voice yelling, "Hiccup, you've done it! You get to kill the fairy!" I slowly opened my eyes and dared a glance at Astrid.

If looks could kill, I would be dead.

The rest of the training class rushed into the ring, staring at me admiringly and cheering. Fishlegs hoisted me up onto his shoulders. The twins and Snotlout waved their arms at me, hoping for high-fives. "Great," I said, waving my fist in the air sadly. "Wonderful. I'm so—"

"—leaving."

I glanced around the cove, looking for Terra. Terra was washing fruits from the lake as she joyfully looked up and said, "Hello." I looked at her with a face of worry, Terra's grin left as she asked in concern and running to me, "Master." She bent down and cooed, "Hey, what's the matter?" "We're leaving. It looks like you and I are taking a little vacation." Forever," I sighed as Terra obeyed and began to run to the cave to get her things.

I sat down in the shade of a giant rock and opened the giant pack I had brought. I looked at the few contents and sighed sadly. Why did I have to win? Why me? Why? Why? The saddest thing was the look on Stoick's face when the elder had chosen me. It was pure delight. Pure joy. I hated to disappoint him, but it was official now. I didn't want to be like him anymore. Not if it means hurting Terra and the Faye kind.

The silence of the cove was suddenly broken by a long scraping noise of metal against rock. I looked up and nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw Astrid seated on the rock, running a stone along the blade of her axe.

I'm embarrassed to say, I screamed.

I leapt back and quickly gathered myself. "What the—what are you doing here?"

Astrid tossed the stone over her shoulder and planted the hilt of the axe firmly on the rock beside her. "I wanna know what's going on," she said simply. She jumped off the rock and advanced on me, holding her axe out beside her. "Nobody just gets as good as you. Especially you. Start talking."

I stepped back and tried to think of something quickly, hoping Terra would help me. "I, uh—"

"Are you training with someone?" Astrid asked. Thor, she was close. "It better not involve this!" She grabbed the front of my harness and almost lifted me off the ground. I tried not to smile at her hand actually coming into close contact with me. "Uh…I know this looks…really bad, but I…uh—" And then I heard Terra's humming from the cave.

Astrid heard him too.

Astrid let go of me and began to walk in the direction of the song. I leapt in front of her and blurted out the first thing that came into my mind, hoping Astrid would leave Terra alone.

"Alright, I'm through with the lies. I've been making…outfits! So there, you know—" I grabbed her hand and put it on the front of my harness to encourage her to grab me and drag me back to the village "—drag me back, take me home, it's time everybody knew...here we go—" Astrid grabbed my hand and twisted it backwards. "—and why would you do that?" I cried out in pain, falling over. Astrid kicked my feet out from under me as I tried to get up, and I fell heavily to the ground. "That's for the lies," said Astrid coldly. She dropped her axe on my stomach, hilt first. I cried out in pain again. "And that is for everything else," Astrid growled.

And then someone else growled.

I leapt up just as Terra came into view, growling at Astrid. "What are doing to him?" Was he trying to protect me?

Then he charged at us as she yelled, "Get away from him!"

Astrid gasped as he neared us. "Get down!" she cried, grabbing me and forcing me down. She picked up her axe and prepared to swing it at Terra.

Just before the axe made contact or Terra grabbed her and somebody got killed, I dove at Astrid and knocked her to the ground. "NO!"

I grabbed her axe and wrenched it out of her grasp. Her axe skidded across the ground and stopped about seven feet away.

I got up and stepped up between her and Terra. "It's okay, calm down," I soothed as Terra hunched down and growled at Astrid. "She's a friend." Terra said, "I don't trust her, why is she here?"

I turned to Astrid and felt Terra nudge me in the back, still growling. "You just scared him," I said, trying to hold Terra back as Astrid scrambled to her feet. She was just protecting me, I said in my head.

"I scared her?" Astrid screeched. Terra asked me, taking my arm, "Master, who is this? "She took a deep, ragged breath. "Who is she?"

I stepped back and Terra dropped his defensive stance but kept the anger on his face. "Astrid, this is Terra," I said. "Terra, this is Astrid. This one I was telling you about." Terra cared his teeth and hissed, "I don't like her."

Astrid shook her head in disbelief. Then she turned and bolted for the forest.

"Duh-duh-dah, we're dead!" I announced, raising my arms and then letting them drop.

Terra shook herself and then turned and dropping her stuff. Then she got an idea as her face turned sly as she looked at me. I turned and stared at her face. I suddenly got the idea. "Hey, you think what I am thinking?" I said, crossing my arms. Terra nodded as she said, "Hop on and I'll grab the little lady before you can say 'Valhalla and Asgard'."

Seconds later—and I mean seconds—we were flying above the trees, Astrid in Terra's grasp. "Oh great Odin's ghost!" she screamed when we snatched her off the ground on her way back to the village. "This is it!" Terra scoffed to herself, What a baby!

She screamed non-stop until we landed at the very top of a tall tree. Terra dropped her on one of the higher branches and then comfortably settled himself at the very top.

"Hiccup!" Astrid yelled at me, her face red, strands of hair escaping from her headband. She shifted her grip on the tree branch and tried to climb up onto the branch. It was proving difficult, as she was only holding on with her hands with her legs dangling below in the air. "Get me down from here!" Terra cried, "Oh, shut up!"

"You need to give me a chance to explain," I pleaded, gazing down at her struggling.

She looked at me with poison. "I am not listening to anything you say!"

"Then I won't speak," I said softly. I held out a hand to her. "Just let me show you. Please, Astrid."

Astrid stared at me for a long time, then grunted and finally heaved herself up. She blew hair out of her face and climbed up to where we sat. She took one look at my hand and knocked it away. Terra growled warningly as she said, "You better listen, if you know what's good for you." Terra showed Astrid the dagger on her thigh as a warning. Fear filled Astrid's eyes and she gingerly mounted Terra, settling herself behind me. I looked over my shoulder at her and she gave me an embarrassed look. "Now get me down," she pleaded. I secretly winked at Terra as she gave me a discreet wink.

"Right," I said. "Terra? Down. Gently this time."

Terra extended her wings to the sides.

"See?" I said cheerfully. "Nothing to worry about."

And Terra took off into the sky.

I didn't even know she could go this fast and this rough. Astrid was screaming behind me, and I could tell that she was bumping around quite a bit. I was afraid she was going to fall off if Terra didn't slow down. "Terra, what are you doing?" I cried. "Bad fairy!" Terra slowly righted herself and hovered in the air. Astrid scrambled upright and wrapped her arms around me, clinging on for dear life. Terra thought as she laughed, What a wimp! I giggled nervously as her arms encircled my middle. "Uh, she's not usually like this," I said. I felt Terra roll over underneath me. "Oh no…"

And we were off on the wildest ride of our lives.

Terra pulled out all the fanciest and fastest moves that she knew. She rolled, spun, twirled, dove under the waves of the ocean when we got low enough, and never slowed down.

"Terra, what are you doing?" I screamed. "We need her to like us! Did you forget our plan?" Terra whispered, "Trust me, I know what I am doing." Terra began her side of the plan by spinning rapidly through the air. "And now the spinning," I said helplessly. Astrid's arms tightened around my body as Terra suddenly let herself drop straight through the air. "Thank you for nothing, you useless female," I grumbled. Terra said, "Believe me, I think the plan is working."

Astrid pressed her head against my back. "Okay," she gasped. "I'm sorry." I saw Terra's head perk up. "I'm sorry," Astrid repeated, her voice shaking. "Just please get me off this thing." I was beginning to feel a slight dampness on my back, and I knew she was crying. Terra scoffed as she said, "What a wimp."

Just as we were about to slam into the ocean below, Terra spread her enormous, powerful wing and halted us from hitting the water as they were still flying. Terra began laughing as she said, "Wait, Hiccup…. This is the fearless Astrid Hofferson, you kept telling me about. Have you been lying to me, Hiccup Haddock?" Astrid's eyes opened to see me and Terra staring at her as she said, "Hiccup, you told her about me?" Terra nodded and said, "Yeah, he tells me that you are a fierce warrior and fighter. He did not say anything about you being a crybaby." Astrid looked like she was punched in the face as Terra said, "Now can it and enjoy the ride."

Terra gently brought us higher into the sky, gliding on the air currents, hardly moving his wings at all. Slowly, Astrid raised her head and blinked. "Oh…" I heard her gasp. I looked around us. We were in a forest of white, puffy clouds. I could see faint patches of night above us. Terra asked, "Cool, huh? I bet you Vikings never seen the sea so high, huh? Watch this."

Terra slowly angled downward, soaring through the clouds. Astrid raised a hand and ran it through the clouds, trying to grab at a puff of moisture. Then she let go of me, leaned back, and put both arms in the air like she was flying.

Terra angled up again and took us higher until we were above the clouds. The endless night sky stretched out above us, speckled with millions of stars. The view was amazing. I had never flown at night before. Terra took us for a small loop and then soared even higher, so we could see the Northern lights, green and blue and purple and amazing. I gazed up in wonder at all the colours and knew Astrid was doing the same. I felt her hands gently brush against my sides and got a bit distracted as I wondered if that was an accident or not.

Terra brought us lower and flew above Berk. The village looked so small and bright below us, and I saw Astrid's face as she took in the sights. She was completely in awe, I know. I was too. The sights were amazing. Riding on Terra was amazing.

I felt Astrid wrap her arms around me again and rest her chin on my shoulder. A slight electric shock went through me, and I nervously grinned. Astrid Hofferson was hugging me!

After a while, Astrid laughed. "Alright, I admit it. This is pretty cool," she said, smiling. Terra raised a brow and asked, "'Pretty cool?' Come on, Astrid, there must be a better word than that." Astrid admitted it, "It's…amazing." She glanced at Terra. "She's amazing." She slowly reached down and patted Terra's back.

She didn't mind as Terra said to Hiccup, "See, Hiccup? Works every time." I chuckled at Terra as she laughs back.