Had to start and restart the writing of this chapter a few times before I got it right. Anyways, I know you guys were hoping for a Hofferson vs Hofferson battle this chapter, but were not quite there yet. I promise though, that it will be coming very, very soon. Anyways, hope you guys like the chapter!

For most men, it would have been an insurmountable task. After all, how did one capture a single dragon rider safely tucked away in a virtual fortress of ice. Add to the fact that the fortress was not guarded by humans, but dragons, including the titanic Bewilderbeast, and the whole idea of it seemed like an extreme form of suicide than a plausible task.

So the first thing Erik did when he arrived at the Sanctuary, sneaking in under the shroud of night, was to ask himself a simple question.

How to defeat the Valkyrie in her own home? The answer, he discovered, was just as simple.

Lured her out of her home.

With its army of inhabitants, the Dragon Sanctuary would easily withstand anything Erik and his thirty or so men could throw at it. They would be little more than an annoyance, to be crushed at will the moment they were discovered. No, this was not going to be a battle of brute force.

This was going to be a battle of cunning. Of wit. Of stealth.

Erik, one of the most dangerous fighters in the Archipelago, knew well how to play this game.

Astrid could not remember the last time she had ever eaten something that tasted so good. Mira had volunteered to make dinner for the night, and Astrid had silently thanked all the gods that were listening that she didn't have to stomach any of Valka's cooking. Of course, Astrid had long ago taught her taste buds to ignore the flavoring Valka's… concoctions, mostly for the sake of her own sanity. Valka herself was never one to brag about her cooking skills, but Astrid didn't want to risk hurting her feelings.

Still, she wondered how to indicate that the particular stew she had just eaten was infinitely better than any meal she had ever eaten in the sanctuary without appearing extremely rude. Finally, Astrid just decided that not saying anything at all was probably the safest option.

Now they all lounged lazily around the dying campfire, the six riders and their dragons, all of them content to share, at least for now, a moment of silence.

Across the fire, Astrid watched Valka and Hiccup sit together, the older dragon rider stroking her son's hair as he leaned his head against her shoulder, his eyes half closed. The pair looked so… content. Mother and son, as the world should be.

As it should be.

Astrid and Hiccup hadn't really talked since she had kissed him, Astrid caught him more than once stealing glances at her during dinner. She, in turn, felt her gaze drawn inexplicably drawn to him when it seemed like he wasn't looking .

Astrid felt redness begin to creep into her cheeks at the very thought of it. She hadn't meant to kiss him, at least not at first, but she can't say that she felt regret at the results. Even hours now, hours after, her stomach felt a little fluttery, her lips felt just a bit to warm, and her eyes kept shifting back to where he lay, hoping to catch him staring back at her with those beautiful green ey-

She felt her cheeks heat up until she thought they could boil water.

"I'm gonna go for a walk" Astrid said abruptly, standing up and stretching. A good walk might refresh her and help her get Hiccup out of her mind.

Mira and Balder turned their heads, but didn't acknowledge Astrid in any other way. As she turned to leave, Valka's voice reached out form behind her.

"Don't be staying out long."

Astrid sighed, then turned back to her adopted mother, giving the older woman a look. In response, Valka smiled.

"If I didn't say anything, you'd probably wander until daybreak. Besides, I'm a mother, and it my god given right to worry about you."

Astrid sighed.

"It's fine, Auntie. I'll be back in a bit." She paused long enough to give her Stormfly a scratch as she passed her by earning a little chirp of pleasure from of drowsy dragon.

In a bit.

For a teenager or young adult, there was not more obscure way to tell time. A bit could be anything from a a few minutes to a few hours (or even a few days, for some people). Nothing was more exasperating to a worrying parent that their children would be back 'in a bit'. Granted, there was no real danger here in that Astrid couldn't handle herself, and granted, Astrid wasn't exactly a child anymore, but Valka was annoyed all the same.

Still, Valka didn't oppose her as Astrid walked off, watching the girl as she faded from view, moving further and further away from the firelight.

Out in the cold, chill air, away from the press of bodies and the fire, Astrid was able to think. The events of the past couple of days had been a bit overwhelming, to say the least, and she wanted some time to be alone and analyze those events in a more… controlled manner. As well as the changes they meant.

But, come to think of it, there were still to many unknowns for her to come to any conclusions. The other riders had come to the sanctuary, but had they come to stay? Would they, too, join in the private war of trapper against rider, scouring the Archipelago in search of preying ships? Or if not, would Astrid go with them when they moved on? Astrid knew Valka would probably try to convince the other riders to stay, especially Hiccup, but they hardly seemed like they were… well, the vigilante type. Like Valka was.

Like Astrid was.

Yet…

Could she or Valka go back to the life they had been living? After meeting her son again that she had barely gotten to know before, Valka was certainly changed. There was more emotion in her when she talked, almost imperceptible, but there it was. Her laughter was stronger, her was smile was warmer, and she moved with an extra spring in her step.

In fact, she looked like a younger woman, almost.

Could she bear to leave her child again? Would she give up her precious dragon sanctuary, which she had watched over for two decades, just to follow her son? Or would he, knowing that, stay here, not wanting to be parted from his mother again, though his heart yearned for freedom?

Would he make that sacrifice for her?

Again it was to many unknowns.

The answer will come when they are ready, a small voice in Astrid's head whispered. Until then, worrying will not change them.

The answers would come in time. There were times that were simply for waiting for that answer to reveal themselves.

It was not her design to ma-.

Astrid was so lost in thought that she almost missed it.

A sound like a faint footstep crunching through the grass just barely reached her ears.

She never precisely remembered picking up her spear when she had left the fireplace, but she was glad that her subconscious had remembered the meaning of caution. Dropping into a low crouch, she turned to face the direction in which the sound had come from. Maybe it had been one of the many nocturnal dragons that prowled around only after the sun went down. One particularly mischievous Speed Stinger liked to cause no end of trouble, sneaking around and disturbing the sleep of other dragons.

It might have been a dragon. But years of experience told Astrid otherwise.

She crept over in the direction where she heard the sound, smooth as a serpent gliding across the ground. She couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, but that meant nothing in the almost pitch black sanctuary night, where the meager even the meager light of the moon was distorted and defused in making its way through the ice.

And so Astrid closed her eyes, taking in what she could only with what she could hear, smell and feel. To most people, it would have been impossible to make out anything other than the constant, rhythmic breathing of hundreds of sleeping dragons, but Astrid was so attuned to her surroundings that she had no trouble sorting out the various information her senses brought her.

There! There it was, lightly closer and to her right. The sound of a footstep. The footstep of someone who was trying to move quietly, but failing to evade Astrid's ears.

She opened her eyes and once more looked in that direction, noting that she had actually come far enough from fire to be right near the wall of the sanctuary, the place most covered in shadow. There could literally be someone standing only five feet from Astrid, and she wouldn't see them. Though, of course, they would be similarly blinded from her movements.

Then there was a flat, metallic twang and an arrow came shooting out of the darkness, launching straight towards Astrid.

Only Astrid's uncanny reflexes prevented her spouting a hole in her lung where the arrow would have hit. As soon as she heard it fire, she down to the side, such that the arrow only nicked her before burying itself in folds of her cloak.

Even as she came out of a quick roll, she legs snapped straight like they were loaded with spring coils, propelling her in the direction of a small bush cluster nestled right wall.

Two men, or rather shadowy shapes that looked like men, rose to meet her.

They almost lasted ten seconds

Astrid snapped her spear point at the right one, which turned out to be no more than a feint. While the first man tried to block an attack that wasn't coming, the butt of Astrid's spear swept neatly around the second man's guard and smashed into his temple.

The man dropped like a rock, unconscious.

Astrid skitter backwards to avoid the scything backhand the other man launch, which came nowhere close to hitting. She moved back just out of striking distance, then proceeded to brandish her spear towards him.

"Surrender" she said simply.

He didn't surrender. He charged.

The second one went down easier than the first.

But it was almost too easy. Astrid was sure that it couldn't possibly be only these two men. If they were here, then there were probably others. Turning back in the direction of the distant campfire, she ran to warn the others of the threat.

But what Astrid didn't know is that there were no others. That the men she knocked unconscious and planned to question were supposed to be captured.

And that throughout the encounter, she had been watched.

Perfect.

It was all going perfectly

Erik watched as the Valkyrie discovered the two men he had sent. He watched as she dispatched them so very easily. Both of them would live, though, with nothing more than a bruise and a headache to show for their encounter.

Perfect.

Even now, the Valkyrie running back to find the other riders, to tell them about the two men she had found, and to search the sanctuary for any more. When they found none, they would interrogate the two men they captured, and those men would tell the riders who sent them, and exactly where their boss was hiding.

And so the Valkyrie would walk right into Erik's trap.

So simple. So clever. The perfect trap.

He knew the Valkyrie. She would not miss the chance to strike with the information the two captured men would provide. For her, it would be an opportunity, one not to be missed.

Because the Valkyrie, he knew, was one who would exploit a weakness.

And so Erik was going to turn that against her.

Believe me when I say the suspense is killing me too. I promise though that there will be an end to it very soon. Just hold out a little bit longer.

Anyways, thanks for reading. Be sure to review, follow, and favorite, and as always, have a good one!

PS: Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there. (I know, it was a few days ago, but oh well, better late than never)