Snow Way Out

Part One – News of The Enemy

Dragon's Edge; several days later; evening,

"I really thought we had it this time!" Fishlegs said; sounding disappointed. They had spent the better part of that afternoon testing the newest versions of their Gronkle- iron dragon armor.

For reasons they had yet to discover, the suits never seemed to last through their testing: after a few impacts, or too much aerial- maneuvering, pieces of the armor would start to come loose.

"Hey, this batch of Gronkle- armor lasted longer then the last one," Hiccup pointed out.

"So… what do we try next?" Fishlegs asked.

"I think we have to go thinner," Hiccup said. "That should make it lighter, and more flexible."

"But it won't make it 'Snotlout- proof'!" Snotlout said, smugly. "Nothing can." – Snotlout had been the one firing the net- launcher, and arrows, when the suits of armor had failed. And he'd been gloating about it ever since; as though it was a personal- victory, and not a problem that they needed to resolve.
"It's a good thing for you guys that I'm on your side!"

Stormfly landed behind Snotlout as he spoke; and 'accidentally' bumped into him with her snout, knocking him over. "You are?" Astrid asked, from where she sat on Stormfly's back. "Oh… honestly, sometimes it's hard to tell."

"Astrid!" Hiccup grinned, and made his way over to join them. "You're back from Berk already?" Astrid and Stormfly had left, the previous afternoon; to check- in with her parents; and to make sure that all was well, back home.

"Never made it there," Astrid said. "I ran into Trader Johann, along the way, and he had some 'interesting' news… Hiccup: we need to talk."

A few minutes later,

Once they were all gathered, together, in the clubhouse, Astrid began to tell them what she'd learned. "Johann flagged me down, on the way to Berk, to tell me that he'd seen Ryker, Heather, and the Dragon- Hunters in the northern- markets; buying all the cold- weather gear they could get their hands on."

"Why would you buy winter gear in the summer?" Snotlout asked.

"Hello," Ruffnut turned to him, "that's when you get the best prices!"

Tuffnut nodded, "Ruff is an excellent shopper: she actually got both of our outfits; two for the price of one!"

Snotlout rolled his eyes, "No one's surprised about that."

Hiccup frowned, "Where would the Dragon- Hunters be going that would need heavy- weather gear, this time of year?" He turned back to Astrid, "Did Johann hear anything else?"

"They needed the gear right away," Astrid said. "And they were after something rare; a bone, or a claw."

"Or a tooth?" Hiccup suggested; the pieces coming together in his mind, along with a suspicion that he hoped would soon be proven wrong.

"The Snow- Wraith, of course!" Fishlegs said. "The Dragon- Hunters are after the Snow- Wraith to get one of its teeth!"

Tuffnut chuckled, "Yeah: good luck with that!"

Hiccup retrieved the Dragon- Eye from Toothless's saddlebag, and held it up for everyone to see. "The Dragon- Eye used to belong to The Hunters; they must know they need a Snow- Wraith tooth to make it work."

"Who cares?" Snotlout said, shrugging. "All it means it that they aren't coming our way."

"It means" Hiccup said, a little exasperatedly, "that if they do get their own key, they'll be coming for us next."

Astrid crossed her arms. "Please tell me you're not thinking what I think you're thinking." Astrid said, her eyes never leaving Hiccup's face, as he thought.

"Oh, he's thinking." Ruffnut said. Tuffnut nodded, "That is definitely his 'thinking face'."

"We can't let that happen." Hiccup's voice was firm, "Get a good nights sleep, gang: We leave for Glacier Island at first light."
Then Hiccup turned around, and left the clubhouse; Toothless close behind him.

Part Two – Glacier Island

The following morning,

After a little over an hours' flight, the outline of Glacier Island appeared on the horizon. "Hey, can I ask a stupid question?" Tuffnut asked.

"You sure can!" Ruffnut told him, "Better then anyone I know!"

"Thank you, sister." Tuffnut said, completely missing the jibe. "Hiccup: are we actually trying to protect a dragon that, the first time we saw it, tried to kill us; from Dragon- Hunters, who every time they see us, try to kill us?"

"And Heather and her dragon, don't forget them!" Ruffnut added, "They like to try and kill us too!"

"Heather won't be a problem," Astrid said.

"Why wouldn't Heather be a problem?" Fishlegs asked, uncertainly.

"Just that we…" Astrid hesitated. "We outnumber her, right."

Hiccup turned in his saddle, to face them. "Look… Heather or no- Heather; all we have to do is find the Snow- Wraith first, and relocate it to another island; where The Hunters won't find him. We'll start where Toothless and I found the Snow- Wraith last time."

Fifteen minutes later,

Moments after the dragons landed, and the riders dismounted and set foot on, Glacier Island; the wind picked up, and snow began to fall.
Toothless uttered his peculiar pitch of roar; then they waited, in silence.

When a reasonable amount of time had passed, Hiccup asked, "Anything out there, bud?"

Toothless shook his head, but said nothing.

"If this is summer on Glacier Island," Ruffnut said, her teeth chattering, "it's no wonder they don't get any tourists."

"What would their slogan be?" Tuffnut wondered, aloud. "'If the Snow- Wraith doesn't kill you, the weather will'?"

Ruffnut turned to her brother, "Hey, that's a good slogan."

"That's a terrible slogan." Hiccup said, as he slid his dragon- scale helmet into place, and lowered the faceplate. "The good news is: if we run into any hunters, they won't have much luck with those dragon- root arrows in this weather."

"And the bad news…" Snotlout added, without finishing his sentence.

Hiccup turned, and saw Ruff and Tuff; both of them shivering uncontrollably; clinging to Snotlout. Hiccup frowned, "What are you two doing?"

"It's called 'body- heat management'." Ruffnut said.

"Also known as 'the Thorstenton sandwich'," Tuffnut chimed in. "Served cold."

"That's… horrifying." Hiccup turned back to the matter at hand. "Ok, why don't you guys set up camp? Astrid and I will scout the island."

Twenty minutes later,

Once they'd been in the air for about twenty minutes, Hiccup called across to Astrid. "Can you see anything, down there?"

"I can barely see you, half the time!" Astrid called back. She hesitated for a moment, then added, "Maybe we should split- up; cover more ground?"

"No; stick together!" Even as Hiccup said the words, Astrid and Stormfly vanished behind a wave of falling snow. When the air cleared, they were gone.

Part Three – A Secret Rendezvous

Astrid;

Guilt gnawed at Astrid, as Stormfly shot away from Hiccup and Toothless. They flew through the wind and snow: hardly able to see in front of them, or below. Astrid hoped they were flying in the right direction, and that they'd arrive in time.

Fifteen minutes later,

"Any sign of them, Stormfly?" Astrid asked, as she and her dragon scanned the snowy and icy peaks, below them.

Stormfly scanned the ground, below them. 'Down there.'

Astrid turned; looked in the direction Stormfly had indicated, and let out a sigh of relief. "Good, we didn't miss them… Take us down, Stormfly."
A moment later; Stormfly landed, a short distance from the fire. Astrid slid down from Stormfly's back, drew her axe, and approached the dragon and rider next to the fire. "Well, well, well: Heather; fancy meeting you here. Surprised to see us?"

Heather got to her feet, unsheathing her battle- axe as she did. "Surprised? Not really." For a full five seconds, the two young Vikings and dragons stood there; ready for a fight.
Then both girls lowered their axes; Heather pulled down the cloth that covered the lower half of her face, and smiled. "What kept you?"

Heather and Astrid hugged. Then Astrid shrugged and said, "Hiccup isn't the easiest person to sneak away from."

Heather nodded, "Ryker thinks I'm out scouting." As she spoke, the four of them made their way back towards the fire Heather had started.

"How did you get him to come here, anyway?" Heather asked, as they sat, and held their hands out: warming them, over the flames.

"I just told him what you told me, but let him think it was coming from Trader Johann." Astrid explained. "Any problems on your end?"

"Well… Ryker doesn't trust anyone; and Dagur's paranoid, but so far I think I'm 'ok'." Heather said, shrugging.

Astrid raised an eyebrow, "You took care of Dagur?"

Heather grinned, "I sent him on a fool's errand: Looking for a second Dragon- Eye."

Astrid chuckled, "That should keep him busy for a while! Ok: so fill me in."

Heather unrolled a map, holding it so that Astrid could see. "We've been here for two days, searching pretty methodically. According to Ryker, the Snow- Wraith digs itself an ice- cave to hibernate in, during the summer months."

Astrid's eyes widened. "We didn't know that… That explains the rush to get out here: probably to get a tooth from a hibernating Snow- Wraith." Heather nodded. Astrid frowned, "Too bad we don't know where the cave is."

Heather smiled, "But I think I might: Windshear and I spotted a cave on a plateau, about halfway up that mountain. You find a way to get Hiccup up there, to check it out. Meanwhile, I'll tell Ryker I didn't find anything, and try to keep him as far away as possible."

Astrid's guilt returned in full force, and Heather saw the change in her expression. "Astrid… what is it?"

Astrid sighed, "We should… tell Hiccup what we're doing; this doesn't feel right."

"No, we agreed," Heather's voice had an almost- pleading note to it.

"I've never lied to him before…" Astrid said, miserably.

Heather put a hand on her shoulder, "I know, but this is the best way to take the Dragon- Hunters down: from the inside!"

"Hiccup could help us," Astrid insisted. "He's really good at this stuff!"

Heather sighed, "He also cares too much… Astrid; if we told Hiccup that I was spying on The Hunters, we both know he'd try to pull me out of there! I am this close, to getting to Viggo… I can't quit now!"

"I get that, but–" Astrid sighed, "I really hope you're right, Heather; because if any of the other riders got hurt, or you got hurt, because I held something back… I'd never forgive myself."

"Nothing will go wrong," Heather said. "Trust me."

A few minutes later,

Astrid and Heather said their goodbyes; clambered onto their dragons' backs, and rose into the sky. Heather and Windshear made to return to The Hunters' camp: Astrid and Stormfly to rejoin the other dragons and riders.
Several minutes passed in silence, then Stormfly sighed. 'Astrid…' Her voice drifted to silence, as though she weren't sure how to phrase what she was thinking.

"What is it, Stormfly?" Astrid asked; worried by the deep feeling of sadness she heard in Stormfly's voice.

'You lied to him, Astrid; you lied to Hiccup: both by omission, and to his face. After everything he's done for you; everything he's said about trust and openness, in relationships…' Stormfly sighed, and her voice softened. 'I don't know how else to say it: Astrid; your promise to Heather… it could cost you your relationship with Hiccup. I think he already suspects that you're holding something back; and, whether or not Heather's plan works; it'll eventually mean admitting to him that he's right.'

Astrid felt as though she'd been punched in the gut; she felt a tear slide down one cheek. "Oh, gods; you're right… I hadn't even thought of that!"

'What are you going to do?' Stormfly asked.

Astrid didn't need to think about it. "I'm going to tell him; all of it, as soon as we get back to The Edge, and… and I'll do whatever it takes to make it up to him."

Part Four – The Snow- Wraiths' Cavern

One hour later,

"… So, when I spotted the cave from the air, it got me thinking," Astrid was saying: as she led Hiccup, and the other dragons and riders, towards the ice- cave. "The last time we were all here, the Snow- Wraith was on us right away: Why not this time? Maybe because its hiding- out; or hibernating, or something; in that cave." Astrid had been 'directing' her words at Hiccup, who was riding on Toothless's back, next to her and Stormfly.

"That's not a bad theory," Fishlegs commented, from just behind them.

"I agree," Hiccup nodded, his attention fixed on Astrid. "I'm just wondering how it was that you came all the way out here, when you and I were scouting in the opposite direction."

"I must've… gotten lost." Astrid said; keeping her eyes fixed on Stormfly's saddle, as she spoke.

"'Gotten lost'?" Hiccup asked, incredulously.

"Fine: I got carried away, ok… you know how I am." Astrid said, meeting Hiccup's eyes for the briefest moment, and then looking away again.

"Yes, I do." Hiccup said, "But you can't just go off on your own like that, Astrid; I rely on you."

Astrid's eyes widened, as another wave of guilt washed over her. But all she could bring herself to say, just then, was, "Ok."

Fifteen minutes later,

It took another fifteen minutes for the dragons to reach the cave; they'd elected to travel on foot, to reduce the likelihood of an encounter with The Hunters.
Astrid was first to spot the cave entrance, and turned to point it out to Hiccup. "I'll go check it out," she offered.

"We'll all go check it out." Hiccup said; the look he gave her was sterner than usual, and there was an edge to his voice that she'd never heard before.

'He knows I'm holding something back.' Astrid realized, her heart sinking. 'I'll make it up to you, Hiccup; I promise.'
Hiccup and Toothless approached the cave, the others following close behind. A moment later, Hiccup had dismounted, and moved to examine some scratch marks on the wall.
Then he turned to them, and nodded. "Well: we've definitely found the right cave. Alright: lets take it slowly, and quietly."

Five minutes later,

They continued to make their way down the tunnel, until an unexpected sound reached their ears; coming from… Hiccup's eye's widened, "Behind us!"
Even as he spoke; Toothless, who had also heard the sound, shot a plasma- blast between his legs; towards the cave entrance. And just in- time: the blast met the first wave of dragon- root tipped arrows in midflight, disintegrating them on impact.
"Everybody down!" Hiccup ordered, and the other hurried to take cover.

"Spine- shot!" Astrid shouted; and Stormfly sent a wave of Nadder- spikes speeding towards the Dragon- Hunter archers, who scattered.

From the cave entrance, they heard a voice say, "Can't you control that beast? She gave us away!"

Then they heard Heather's voice, "She's a dragon covered in spikes, walking on ice; what do you expect?"

"You keep that thing quiet," the voice replied, "or I will." And then, a moment later, "Go!" Ryker's men charged into the cavern. About a minute later, the sounds of combat reached their ears, and several loud reverberations.
Then Ryker's men emerged, several of them being supported by their comrades.

Inside the cave,

Astrid turned to Hiccup, "What do you think their next move is going to be?"

"Surrender?" Ruffnut suggested.

"Or they could do that." Fishlegs said, nervously, pointing towards the entrance.

A man had entered the cave: tall and muscular, clad in what appeared to be a dragon- skin tunic. At his waist, he wore a thick leather belt, with a skull- shaped belt buckle. He held a sword in his left hand, and gestured with the blade as he shouted to them. "DRAGON RIDERS; SEND OUT YOUR LEADER, TO TALK!"

Astrid turned to Hiccup. "It's got to be a trap… I should go out; see what their game is." Silently, she added, 'So I can make- up, even if only a little bit, for not telling you about Heather's spying on The Hunters.'

Snotlout shrugged, "Yeah, let Astrid go."

"HICCUP HADDOC!" Ryker continued, "LETS TALK THIS OUT; LIKE MEN!" A moment later, they heard the sound of something crunching through ice. Hiccup peered around the icy columns they were using for cover; and saw that Ryker had plunged his sword into the cavern floor, about halfway up to the hilt.
It was the widely- accepted means to call for a meeting between leaders, on opposite sides of a conflict, to discuss their differences.

"Oh, I don't like the sound of that!" Fishlegs said, nervously.

"If there's one chance, to settle this without bloodshed," Hiccup told the others, I have to try." Toothless warbled something to Hiccup, but Hiccup shook his head. "No, bud; if it's a trap, I'll need you to get me out of there."
Hiccup lifted the visor on his dragon- scale helmet, and stepped around the pillar.

"Humph… I don't see what Dagur's so concerned about; you don't look like much." Ryker commented, when he saw Hiccup.

"Well, Astrid was right: you look like a psycho." Hiccup countered. "But believe me: Dagur has good reason to be afraid; and so will you, if you push your luck. But on to the matter at hand: what do you want?"

"The Dragon- Eye," Ryker replied. "Hand it over!"

"So you can use it to hunt, and kill, more dragons?" Hiccup shook his head, "Not a chance."

"It belongs to us; The Hunters!" Ryker announced. "You stole it from our ship, and I will have it back."

"We salvaged it from a wreck that had been left untouched for years," Hiccup countered. "If it really belonged to your tribe, and you wanted it so badly, you had more then enough time to retrieve it yourselves. You're not getting it; not today."

"Oh, no?" Ryker asked. "Look around: We're in front of you; and the Snow- Wraith, is behind … One time offer: hand over the Dragon- Eye, and you're free to go."

Hiccup chuckled, "Right… Tell me something, Ryker: even if I was willing to hand over the Dragon- Eye, which I'm not, why should I take you at your word… for anything?" Hiccup's voice hardened, "So, here's my one- time offer: walk away now, or I'll show you why Dagur's so 'concerned' about me."

"Don't say I didn't give you a chance," Ryker said, bending down to pick up his sword.

As he did, Astrid spotted the archers who'd slipped into the cave, behind Ryker; who now had drawn bows, ready to fire! "Hiccup; it's a trap!"
By the time she'd spoken, Hiccup had slid down the visor of his Night- Fury helmet. Three seconds later: the arrow had bounced off the faceplate, and dropped to the ground.

Ryker rose to his feet, and frowned at Hiccup. Hiccup's eyes now glowed the greenish- yellow of a Night- Fury. "Don't say I didn't give you a chance," Hiccup said, his tone mocking. He drew 'Fury', and took a step forward. Then another. And another.

When Ryker noticed the change, his own eyes widened, "Archers: focus your fire on the boy!" The cavern filled with 'clinking' sounds: as the archers launched wave after wave of arrows at Hiccup, and each of them bounced off.
Astrid, the other riders, and their dragons; peered around their icy- pillars, and watched in awe. Hiccup was advancing, slowly, his sword at his side, as volley after volley of arrows bounced off of his black armor.
Then Ryker gave his next order: "Fall back! Fall back; to the entrance!"

Hiccup chuckled, "Leaving so soon, Ryker? Ah, well… next time, then." He caught sight of Heather and Windshear, then, standing near the entrance; wide- eyed, neither moving; until they realized that he'd spotted them, and didn't look happy about it.
A moment, later the Dragon- Trappers, Heather, and Windshear vanished from view.

Once the last of the Dragon- Hunters were outside; Hiccup's eyes returned to their normal color, and he sagged against the nearest rocky outcropping. By the time Astrid, the other riders, and their dragons reached him; Hiccup was back on his feet.

Before any of them could speak, they heard Heather and Ryker's voices. A moment later, they caught a glimpse of Windshear breathing fire at the cavern entrance; then the entrance to the cave collapsed.

"Is everyone alright?" Hiccup asked, as he and Toothless hurried to check on the others.

"Define 'alright'," Fishlegs said; his voice shaky, as he and Meatlug got to their feet.

"Why would Ryker seal himself off from the key?" Snotlout asked.

"He wasn't sealing himself out," Astrid told him. "He was sealing us in."

"Astrid's right," Hiccup said. "Ryker figures we'll fight the Snow- Wraith for him; and then he'll come in, and deal with whoever survives. But I have no intention of fighting the Snow- Wraith: I'll explain the situation to him; that its not safe here, and we'll find somewhere else for him to hibernate."

They arrived at the end of the tunnel, and found themselves in a massive cavern. And, gathered together, in the middle of the cavern, lay three sleeping Snow- Wraith dragons. One of them was stirring. A moment later, it opened its eyes, got to its feet, and turned in their direction.
The dragon roared at them, and the noise woke the other two. Then all three of the Snow- Wraiths were edging towards them, growling. Hiccup moved forward, Toothless at his side, and began to growl words in their own language: the language of dragons.

For whatever reason, these three Snow- Wraiths were far more 'accommodating' then the ones they'd encountered on their first trip to the island; as a group, or the time it had been just Hiccup and Toothless.
Once they were satisfied that they were in no immediate danger, the Snow Wraiths agreed to hear Hiccup out. And, when he finished, they agreed to relocate to another cavern.

Hiccup nodded, and turned to face the others. "Ok: the Snow- Wraiths have agreed to relocate. Now we need a way to get them, and ourselves, out of this cavern without getting cornered by the hunters…"
As he spoke, a few chips of ice fell from the ceiling. When they looked up, Hiccup immediately realized why: "The Hunters are tunneling their way into the main cavern! They wanted us to startle the Snow- Wraiths, and send them out one of their tunnels so they could trap them… That means the main entrance won't be guarded! Come on: we've got to get out before they realize the Snow- Wraiths have already left!"

They burst through the cave entrance moments before the Ryker and two of his men came into view, around the corner. By then, however, the Snow- Wraiths were long- gone.

Hiccup smiled down at him, "Hello, Ryker; looks like you're in a bit of a tough spot!"

An instant later, Windshear dove into view, and Ryker clambered onto Windshear's back, behind Heather. "Sorry, Hiccup; but we've got to go!" Heather called, and then they were speeding away from them.

"Heather." Hiccup's eyes narrowed, and Toothless shot after the fleeing Razorwhip. Ryker shot several arrows at them, but they all bounced off of Toothless's scale- armor. Ryker reached for another arrow, but his quiver was empty.
Just as Toothless was about to launch a plasma- bolt, Astrid and Stormfly appeared directly in their path. "Astrid; look out!" Toothless dodged around, and sped ahead of, Stormfly; and prepared to launch the plasma- bolt.

"Hiccup, no!" Stormfly shot after them, getting as close as she could; then Astrid cried, "Heather's with us!"

Toothless came to a full stop; and, a moment later; Heather, Windshear, and Ryker vanished from view. Toothless turned to face Astrid and Stormfly.

Hiccup looked at her, incredulously. "What did you just say?" Astrid opened her mouth to speak, but Hiccup held up a hand, "You know what: never mind; don't say anything, right now, ok... We'll figure this out back on The Edge."

Part Five – The Truth

That evening, back on Dragon's Edge,

"Heather pretended to join Dagur, to get close to him, to avenge her family." Astrid explained. She was standing in front of the table in the clubhouse. Fishlegs, Meatlug, Ruff and Tuff stood in front of her; Hiccup and Toothless stood behind her, nearest to the door. Astrid couldn't bring herself to look at him; though she knew she would have to, soon. "When she found out about his alliance with the Dragon- Hunters, she decided to get closer to him, to find out more."

"But when you were on Ryker's boat, you and Heather were fighting," Ruffnut pointed out.

Astrid nodded, "That's what we wanted people to think."

"So… Heather's not evil?" Snotlout asked, "There goes that dream."

"Oh; I knew she was good at- heart!" Fishlegs said.

Astrid took a deep breath, and turned to face Hiccup. "Hiccup; would you say something… please?"

The room became very quiet, very still; no one moved; no one seemed to breathe. Hiccup simply stood there, silent: clenching and unclenching his fist. Finally, Toothless came forward, and gave him a light thump on the arm.
Finally, Hiccup sighed. In an almost- hollow voice, "We're supposed to be a team, Astrid."

Astrid felt tears start to form in her eyes. "I know… I should've told you; I wanted to, I really did."

"But you didn't." Hiccup said, quietly.

"I'm sorry." Astrid said, struggling to keep her voice steady. "But, without Heather; The Hunters would have a key to the Dragon- Eye right now; and those Snow- Wraiths wouldn't be safe in another cavern."

"That still doesn't explain why you wouldn't let Toothless and me take her and Ryker down," Hiccup said. "Astrid: we could've captured the head of the Dragon- Hunters!"

Astrid took a deep breath, "Hiccup; Ryker isn't the head of the Dragon- Hunters. According to Heather, their real leader is somebody named 'Viggo Grimborn'."

"Wow: awesome name!" Ruffnut said, "Scary, but awesome!"

"I don't know: Viggo Grimdeath would be cooler," Tuffnut commented. "Or maybe 'Grimskull' … 'Grimskull'!"

"He lives in the shadows," Astrid continued; looking Hiccup in the eye, now, desperate to make things right between them. "Everyone is afraid of him, including Ryker. Heather hasn't met him yet, but she's our best shot at drawing him out."

Hiccup turned away from her; and, without a word, or a backward glance; he turned, and walked to stand in the doorway. For almost a full minute, he simply stood there, silent and unmoving.
Finally, he turned back. "Well: I hope she knows what she's doing, for all of our sake… Do you still trust her, Astrid?"

Astrid hesitated, and then nodded. "She could've told them a lot of things about us, but she hasn't."

Hiccup inclined his head, "I suppose it's a good thing you trust her, then, because I don't." He ignored the others' gasps. "Not anymore. This time, she'll have to earn my trust; and I will give her a chance to do so. Until she does, however, she is neither a member of this team, nor are she or Windshear welcome on The Edge … Make sure to tell her that, Astrid, the next time you see her; so she understands the situation."

Astrid sighed, and nodded, "I'll tell her." She hesitated, for a moment, then asked "And Hiccup: what about…" her voice broke. "What about 'us'… are… are we…?" She couldn't bring herself to finish the question.

Hiccup turned to the others, "If the rest of you would give us a few minutes to ourselves." Fishlegs, Meatlug, Snotlout, Hookfang, Ruff and Tuff, and their dragons filed out of the room. Stormfly got to her feet, tilting her head towards the door, in a silent question. "I'd like you to stay, Stormfly; this involves all four of us."

They waited until the others had mounted their dragons, and vanished from view.

By the time they were gone, Astrid was struggling to maintain her composure. Before Hiccup could open his mouth, she said, "Hiccup: If you're mad at me, I won't blame you; if you need to pass down some punishment, I won't argue; but please, please, please; don't… don't end our relationship! I… I can't…"
The mere thought, the possibility, was too much; she fell to her knees, and started to sob.

Astrid couldn't see clearly; but, a moment later, she felt Hiccup put his arms around her; he was… hugging her. Then Hiccup said, "I'm not happy about this, Astrid; I won't pretend otherwise. But we've been together almost three years, now, and you've never lied to me before: I know you haven't … Astrid: We can get through this."

Tears continued to flow from her eyes, but Astrid managed to meet Hiccup's gaze. Hiccup's eyes were… the same as they'd been before he'd found out that she'd been lying. "You mean… you… you're forgiving me? Just… just like that?"

Hiccup nodded. "I am. You and I, we have something, we both know it; but if this is going to work, we need to be able to trust one another. If you know something I should, I need to know that you'll tell me; if it's supposed to be a surprise, and I'll find out when it's ready, that's fine." He brushed a strand of hair out of Astrid's face. "Just promise me one thing, Astrid: No more lies, or half- truths; from now on… Can you do that?"

It took Astrid a minute to form the words; but, when she spoke, she meant it with her heart and soul. "I will never lie to you again, Hiccup; I promise. I wish I hadn't lied at all."

Hiccup met her gaze for a long moment, and smiled. "I believe you… Now: what are we?"

Astrid almost frowned. "A couple."

Hiccup raised an eyebrow, "Well, yes: that too… but what else?"

The answer came to her, and she smiled, "A team within a team." Hiccup nodded, his smile widening. He got to his feet, and held out a hand, to help her up. Astrid smiled, wiped the last of the tears from her eyes, and took it.

To Be Continued…