Disclaimer: No way! Owning How to Train Your Dragon would be way too awesome!

Author's Note: For the few of you who have been writing faithful reviews to this story, I urge you to continue. Others who have favorited or subscribed, I implore you to do the same. Reviews for this story are something I have been wishing for. Please urge me along! I have so much invested in this story and I want to see if those investments are worthwhile. Please excuse the horrendous amount of time between this chapter and the previous. The lack of reviews was what had me down. My story This Is My Idea was becoming more popular and I decided to give in to the demands of the public. Enjoy! Please read and review!

It took Hiccup a while to recuperate from the encounter with his father. All was empty from him now and he felt like a black hole. The only thing that drove him to step out into the sunlight was what had happened with Astrid in the ring. What had she been doing? It looked as if she was…

But that's impossible… Right now I have bigger problems on my mind.

All the grown Vikings were leaving for the dragon's nest. He found Astrid on a cliff that overlooked the docks, watching in despair, and holding his trusty fiddle. He joined her and watched them set sail. The one thing that wrenched his heart was seeing Toothless trapped. He was completely helpless and Hiccup knew it was all his fault! He had no words as he watched the ships disappear onto the horizon. What else could he do?

"It's a mess," Astrid spoke first, handing him his violin, "You've lost everything. Your father, your tribe…your best friend-"

Bitterness rose like a monster in him. He didn't need Astrid to tell him that he had screwed up possibly everything in the Inner Isles. He interrupted, "Thank you for summing that up." He wished there was some way to stop all the trouble he had caused. He was so scared for Toothless that he couldn't even think correctly and spouted off random sentences that he didn't mean. "If only I'd killed that dragon when I found him in the woods. It would've been better... for everyone." He mumbled.

"You're right," Astrid sighed, "Everyone else would have done it. So why didn't you?" The tone was a touch accusatory. That was certainly something he didn't need at the moment. She paused then repeated herself. This time her tone was then inquisitive. "Why didn't you?"

Hiccup struggled for an answer. "I don't know. I-" he blundered, "I couldn't." His cheeks started to redden. "Look, why does it matter?"

She turned to face him but he just couldn't look her in those eyes. He had already looked like a fool in front of her so many times. And he was tired of it. It wasn't supposed to happen like this. Hiccup thought. Astrid said with steadfastness, "Because I want to remember what you say right now."

Frustration took over. "Oh for the love of- I was weak! I was a coward! I wouldn't kill a dragon!" He lashed out at her.

She took being lashed out at by a twig of a Viking surprisingly well. "You said wouldn't that time."

What? What did a stupid little word like that matter? "Well, whatever! I wouldn't! I'm the first Viking in 300 years who wouldn't kill a dragon."

There was an awkward silence in which Hiccup lazily fingered a scale. His fingers were even too tired to perform vibrato.

Astrid pointed out, "First one to ride one though. So…"

Hiccup sighed and thought back to when it all began. "I wouldn't kill him, because he looked as frightened as I was. I looked at him…and I saw myself."

That answer seemed to satisfy her. "I bet he's really frightened right now. What are you gonna do?"

He said the first thing that came to mind. "Eh, probably something stupid."

"Good, but you've already done that."

His eyes lit up and the cogs in his brain started turning. "Then… something crazy!"

She smiled. "That's more like it."

Hiccup headed back to the arena, hoping to catch Fishlegs, Snotlout, and the twins. He had the absurd idea that they could all come to the Vikings' aid on dragon-back! He could teach the Vikings-in-training all he knew about dragons. Finally, Hiccup could take all he had learned in training from Gobber and put it to good use. They could save all the Vikings and dragons if they just tried to defeat that huge queen.

They had all agreed to Hiccup's plan and picked out their dragons, Fishlegs on a Gronkle, Snotlout on a Monstrous Nightmare, the twins on the Hideous Zippelback, which left him and Astrid to share the Deadly Nadder until they could rescue Toothless. Astrid pulled him aside. "What?" Hiccup wondered aloud.

"Come with me." She pulled him along out of the arena and into the square, and then to her house!

Hiccup grew uneasy. "Astrid, we don't have much time! Hold on, you have to learn how to charm your dragon! And that really takes some practice. Can't whatever this is wait until later?"

She shut the door and locked it. She peered out each of the windows. Hiccup wondered what all the secrecy was about. Astrid inhaled steadily. "Because, I don't think there will be a next time. There's something we have to do right now. Together."

Hiccup could see where she was going with this and he knew that he had made a mistake in letting her take him here. Oh, Loki, he thought in horror as she pulled out the hair-tie in her braid and let it fall into its gorgeous waves, We only had one date! We're not even really together! I haven't even asked her out yet! I'm not ready for sex… He fumbled to unlock the doorknob. There was a time and place for everything, but that particular time was not the time for sex!

But her next move was not taking anything off… it was pulling something out.

Hiccup's jaw dropped. This was a shock. What she had done in the ring made sense now. It must have been she he had heard all those weeks ago

Hiccup began to feel light-headed as he stared into the lovely azure eyes of Astrid Hofferson… Everything began to melt. The time was indeed ripe for this. What a coincidence… he thought. It was all too much to take in. He decided to react the way she had.

"So, you're a violist." He said calmly.