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Chapter 1

*10 years later*

Astrid swung her battle ax high above her head. She yelled as she charged at her opponent. Not on my watch, she said to herself with determination and anger written all over her face. A red Monstrous Nightmare was chasing after a small group of children. Ignoring the soreness in her muscles, Astrid managed to force her legs to work even faster. The dragon has already cornered its prey, growling menacingly. Its hide was burning with fire, illuminating everything around it. Astrid noticed the look of terror on children's faces.

She wasn't far away from her target. It was a matter of a few seconds before she reached the dragon and the terrified children. But a few seconds could prove to be too long. It seemed as if the world around her slowed down unnaturally. Astrid noticed that the Nightmare was already preparing itself to breathe fire, threatening to instantly kill the young children. It didn't take her long to realize that she wouldn't manage to reach the dragon. Without slowing down, Astrid gripped her ax with both hands and lifted it high above her head. Letting out another battle roar, the young shieldmaiden straightened her arms and released her weapon, aiming it at the Monstrous Nightmare.

Astrid thanked all the gods she knew when her ax found her target, literally in the last second stopping it from frying the small children. The strength behind the throw caused the Monstrous Nightmare's head to tilt in another direction, just as it released the deadly stream of fire. Astrid allowed herself to breathe a small sigh of relief when she noticed that the children were unharmed. Her small smile was quickly replaced with a look of dread when the Nightmare turned its attention towards her and she was left without any weapon.

Years of deadly training kicked in as the dragon breathed fire again, this time in her direction. Without wasting a split second on pointless thinking, Astrid rolled to the side, avoiding the deadly attack. She felt the heat of the fire on her skin as the flames passed her by mere millimeters. Once again she quickly thanked all the gods she knew. The young shieldmaiden quickly jumped back up on her feet, not risking to have her back turned towards the dragon even for a split second.

Astrid anticipated the attack even before she saw that the dragon actually moved in her direction. She leaped back, avoiding Nightmare's fangs. Risking a glance to the sides, Astrid panic searched for some kind of weapon; deep down she hoped for her ax to land somewhere near her. She cracked a smile when she noticed her beloved weapon lying on the ground, not more than ten meters away from her. Mentally pushing the muscles' soreness out of her mind, Astrid focused all of her efforts on reaching the blade. Knowing that it was then or never, she forced herself to run as fast as she could, right at the Monstrous Nightmare.

Astrid bowed down, once again wanting to avoid being impaled by the dragon's fangs. And once again she was mere millimeters from being hit. She ran between the creature's legs, feeling the enormous heat radiating from its body. Her eyes were focused only on the ax that was lying right next to the Nightmare's head.

If someone asked her after the battle how she managed to dodge another attack, Astrid wouldn't be able to give any coherent reply. Maybe it was her training or the heat of battle – she didn't know. All she knew was that in the last second possible she got down on her knees, avoiding being hit by the dragon's tail. She slid through the last few meters on the ground, feeling the small stones cutting the skin on her knees. Astrid reached her weapon and lifted it, immediately turning around to face the dragon.

The speed with which she turned around added strength to her attack. The dragon was also turning around, anticipating her moves. What it didn't anticipate, though was the side swing made by Astrid. The creature had no time to react as the blade made the contact with the skin on its neck. The Monstrous Nightmare let out a terrible roar of pain as the blade embedded itself in its thin neck.

Astrid tore away her weapon from the creature's neck. As a result, she was sprayed with the dragon's blood, though she seemed to not notice it. Taking another swing, Astrid brought her weapon down, striking the Nightmare in the exact same spot as previously, cutting off its head and silencing it forever. The young shieldmaiden allowed herself to make a small smile of victory. She looked around, taking in her surroundings.

Berk was burning, though for the past few years Astrid got used to this sight. Despite the raids becoming worse and worse with each time the dragons came, the Vikings of Berk were able to chase them away each time; this time proved to be no exception. Even though the death toll during each raid wasn't too high, the aftermath was much more tragic. With each raid, they were losing more and more of their livestock and the winter was almost upon them. And if the weather wasn't going to change, then they would have a harsh winter indeed.

Astrid shook her head to get rid of the thoughts of the not so certain future and ran up to the small group of children who were about to become the Nightmare's victims. She was relieved when she noticed that they were alright, although scared to death. She managed to smile at them when she kneeled right next to them. She wiped the dragon's blood from her face with the fur on her bracer.

"It's alright" she tried to reassure the small children. "They're leaving already" she added, gesturing at the dragons who already got what they wanted and were leaving behind the burning Berk. The sunrise was already approaching, brightening the sky in the east. None of the four kids dared to move, though. "Come on, I'll take you to the Great Hall" Astrid offered, trying to sound as friendly as possible. The children looked at one another as if judging if the young shieldmaiden was trustworthy. "Everything will be fine, you'll see" she tried to reassure them once again.

"Save it for yourself, Astrid." She heard a male voice behind her back. "Kids trust only the strongest of warriors."

"Snotlout" she acknowledged the man who was speaking to her. She turned around to face the young Viking. "It's good that you're here. All the Terrible Terrors are already killed?" she asked with sarcasm as clear as day in her voice. Her words had the desired effect as she noticed Snotlout's face turn red from anger and embarrassment. She knew that recalling the event from one of the past raids was a sensitive topic for the Stoick's heir.

Snotlout snorted. "I know you're burning with jealousy, Astrid" he replied, flexing himself as much as possible. "We both know that only the best warrior can be chosen to be an heir," he said proudly. Astrid rolled her eyes. "The best, the most courageous, the bravest and the most handsome" he added, checking out his bicep. Astrid sighed heavily. Just as she thanked all the gods during her combat with the Monstrous Nightmare, now she was cursing all of them for being forced to live at the same time as Snotlout.

Astrid wasn't stupid, she knew that Snotlout stood out from the other Vikings their age when it came to combat. Truth be told, it was never unequivocally settled who was a better warrior – Astrid or Snotlout which led to him to boast about his fighting skills. But physical prowess wasn't the main factor that made someone a good chief material. But she had nothing to say in that matter. Snotlout was most closely related to Stoick's son and no one had any doubts that he was going to be chosen as the next heir after Hiccup's sudden disappearance. Even before it happened, many people on Berk said that Hiccup should be replaced by his cousin.

Astrid felt her anger rising when she thought about the boy who's gone missing ten years earlier. Hiccup, I'm going to kill you if that dragon hadn't done it yet, she promised. Give me until tomorrow, she recalled his last words and snorted. She was angry with Hiccup and she had every right to be. She didn't realize it before, but Hiccup was actually a much better chief material. In opposite to his cousin, Hiccup's brain wasn't that of a yak's size. He might have not inherited his father's physics but Stoick didn't possess only brawn but also a brain. And she was more than sure that Hiccup inherited the second trait from his father. Besides, no matter how skinny he was, it wasn't impossible for him to gain some mass in the future.

But she guessed she would never find out if it was the truth.

"And the most arrogant, shortsighted and bigheaded" Astrid added in reply to Snotlout's words. This caused the Jorgenson's anger to rise again.

"I'd watch my mouth if I were you" Snotlout warned her. "As soon as we're married, I will teach you to show me respect" he threatened. Astrid shuddered, even though she tried not to show it. It was another reason why she was angry with Hiccup. His disappearance put Snotlout on the highest position in Berk, second only to Stoick, though that would change in a few years and she was well aware of it. The result was that Snotlout had the first pick when it came to choosing a wife and he chose Astrid without having second thoughts about it. She could have delayed it for as long as she did but she couldn't do it on and on. She didn't come from a wealthy family and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't repel Snotlout's proposal with no end. She was clever enough to know that marriage with Berk's future chief would give her family position and protection.

But that didn't mean she had to like it.

In fact, she tried to avoid marrying Snotlout to the point where she even asked Fishlegs, and even Tuffnut to propose to her but they both had refused. Snotlout has made it clear that if anyone dares to claim Astrid for himself, the consequences would be horrifying. He even threatened that whoever would be as reckless as to propose to his chosen one would be executed in the most painful way one could only imagine. The threat of being put under the Blood Eagle scared everyone off.

"I promise to you, as soon as we are married, you'll regret the day when you first saw me" Astrid warned in reply. She wouldn't enter the marriage with that man peacefully. "I'll make you regret that for the rest of your life" she added, clenching her teeth. Snotlout paled visibly and took a step backward.

"Stoick ordered everyone to gather in the Great Hall," he said, changing the topic. Snotlout wasn't the most clever person but he also wasn't the most stupid one. He knew that Astrid never made an idle threat.

"Of course he did" Astrid replied, rolling her eyes. "He always does after a raid" she added. Snotlout coughed a few times before heading in the direction of the Great Hall. He didn't say a word and Astrid was grateful for that. His mere presence caused her blood to boil and she knew that if their conversation continued, Snotlout would be entering the Great Hall with a new injury.

The young shieldmaiden sighed heavily. She turned around to face the children again. This time they were more willing to comply and followed her to the Great Hall without a word. She was panting heavily when they reached their destination. The all-night-long fight had its effect on her.

Astrid pushed the heavy doors just to find almost the entire village inside already. She chased away the children that she led, telling them to find their families and approached the center of the Hall. Stoick was already standing at the table that surrounded the hearth. Astrid could hear the chief's powerful voice, though she couldn't make out the words. The young shieldmaiden made her way to the center of the Hall, pushing aside other villagers who were standing between her and her target.

As soon as she reached the table, she noticed a large map of the area that surrounded Berk spread on it. Just as it always happened after the raid, Stoick tried to put the other villagers to find the dragons' nest. But as time passed and every search came to naught, people have begun losing hope and were more and more reluctant to go with their chief.

"We have no other way," Stoick said, looking around, trying to find those who would see a reason behind his words. "Their attacks have gotten worse than ever. We still have two weeks before the winter begins and we've already lost half of our livestock! If things won't change, this will be the last winter we will ever see. We have to find their nest and destroy it!"

I know where is the nest, Astrid thought, driven by guilt, though she never dared to say these words out loud. If she did, she'd have to explain how she knew it and she couldn't explain without mentioning Hiccup and the Night Fury. I promised it to him, she reminded herself, even though she already began to question the righteousness of her promise. After all, Hiccup also didn't keep his promise. He ran away instead of figuring something out. But this would never be a reason for Astrid to withdraw from her promise.

"We've been trying to find their nest for three hundred years already" someone from the Hall replied. "And every expedition was in vain. We'll only keep losing ships and men if we sail there again." Many of the villagers murmured their approval to these words. "We can't just keep sending our warriors into the unknown, knowing that we won't find that nest."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Stoick sighed, massaging his temples. Astrid noticed that Stoick was all covered in blood and dirt after the raid.

"Johann told us about the Dreki Tribe" the same person replied, earning another wave of whispers from everyone that was gathered in the Great Hall. Astrid noticed that Stoick clenched his teeth at the mere mention of the tribe that supposedly domesticated the dragons. Astrid had a feeling that she knew who might be hiding in there but she wasn't going to say it out loud. Over the past few years, it was commonly accepted as a fact that Hiccup was carried away by the dragon. It put him on some sort of a pedestal amongst the villagers and she wasn't going to destroy their belief. And she guessed that Stoick wouldn't take it lightly if he found out that his son befriended their greatest enemy.

"I will never go as low as to speak to any of them" Stoick replied and also received a wave of muttered approvals. "They are the traitors to every Viking in the Archipelago" he added and the whispers turned into yells of agreement.

"I'm not saying that we should make peace with them. But they have found a way to live with them. Perhaps they also know how to defeat them" the man from the crowd said. He also gathered a response in the form of the collective nods and whispers of agreement. "We can try to get them to cooperate and if they agree and our problem is solved, we can just get rid of them and pay them back for fraternizing with the enemy" he offered and the majority of the Vikings yelled in agreement. Even some of the Stoick's closest and most dedicated followers saw this as a good idea. The chief sighed heavily and rubbed his eyes. "If that doesn't work out, we can return to our old ways and continue searching for the nest" the same man added quickly. "But trying something new wouldn't hurt."

His words had the desired effect as almost every man and a woman gathered in the Great Hall expressed their agreement in the form of loud shouts. Stoick sighed heavily again, knowing that he had no other option but to agree.

"If we were to give this idea a shot, we must set out now. It won't be long before the ice binds the waters and we will be trapped here for the entirety of winter. But we also can't take a big group" Stoick said after a moment of thinking. "The raids won't stop and we can't leave the village undefended. Spitelout" he addressed Snotlout's father. "You will act as the chief in time of my absence." The man only nodded in agreement. "I will take a few of the younger warriors with me."

"I will gladly kill every single one of those traitors" Snotlout interjected, clenching his fist. Astrid only rolled her eyes and she saw Stoick do the same thing.

"Snotlout, Astrid, Fishlegs, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut will come with me" Stoick decided, agreeing to the Viking's plan. The warriors that he appointed nodded their heads collectively. "We'll set out tomorrow morning and find that Dreki Tribe. Go get some rest and meet me at the docks at dawn" he ordered and once again received a collective nod as a reply. "It's settled then" he announced. "Return to your homes and repair them. We must prepare for the winter no matter what" he ordered and the Vikings began to disperse, leaving the Great Hall one by one. Some of them remained inside, opting for an early breakfast. Astrid leaned against the table and sighed heavily. She couldn't wait to wash herself and hop into bed. She was sure that she deserved some rest after that night.

Her daydreaming was interrupted, though when she felt an arm around her shoulder. She didn't have to open her eyes to know who it was.

"Guess we'll be spending some time together," Snotlout said. Astrid only sighed heavily, not bothering to reply. "I know that you must be excited at the very thought of it." Astrid was too tired to even remove his hand from her shoulder. "I know that Stoick is doing what he thinks is right for the village but as soon as it is over, I will behead each and every one of those filthy traitors. Guess that it will serve as a nice decoration during our wedding, don't you think?" he asked and suddenly Astrid pictured Hiccup's head on a spike, right next to the Night Fury's head.

"Undoubtedly" she murmured and gathered strength she needed to twist Snotlout's arm in a very painful way. The Berk's heir let out a rather girly squeal. "But lay your hand on me again and I swear you'll become handicapped" she warned and stormed out of the Great Hall, heading straight towards her family home. She reached it quickly and ran up the stairs, heading straight for her room. She pushed the wooden doors open and threw herself on the bed, gladly accepting the comfort that it gave her. All thoughts of bath left her mind. It didn't take long before she fell asleep, though she didn't get much rest as her dreams were filled with the images of Hiccup's head on a spike during her wedding with Snotlout.