The familiar shape of Dragon's Edge rose up from the curvature of the horizon, silhouetted against the blazing orange of the setting sun. Astrid gripped Stormfly's saddle tighter as they drew nearer, noted the hazy purple clouds that scraped the island's highest peaks. Perhaps sensing Astrid's urgency, Stormfly flew faster, and their network of buildings came into view.
"Nothing actively on fire, at least," Astrid commented, lips pressed tightly together.
"Maybe it's good news," Fishlegs said tentatively. "Come back now," he repeated. "It might be anything. Maybe we're stressing over nothing. Maybe Hiccup's back."
Snotlout scoffed. "What, and they didn't think to put that in the letter? Come back now. Hiccup's here?"
"You saw the handwriting, Fishlegs." Astrid shook her head. "Ruff isn't the neatest person, but that scrawl was desperate. There's definitely something wrong." She glared at the sun, setting quickly behind the ocean, steadily pulling its light from the skies. "We wasted the day flying halfway to Defenders of the Wing Island and back again thanks to that message. If there's nothing catastrophic happening, I'm going to kill them."
They closed the distance to Dragon's Edge in tense silence. The Edge itself was silent, too, the buildings and gangways and paths deserted. Throk's ship was docked at the harbor, empty and still on the dark surface of the waves. They flew low over it, rattling the ship and fluttering its sails as they passed, then set down on the landing strip in front of the stables.
"Hello?" Astrid called, sliding off Stormfly and sprinting for the Clubhouse. Someone unlatched the stable doors behind her. "Ruff? Tuff?" Astrid called, veering around the corner of the Clubhouse and rushing through the open doorway. She stopped inside, panting.
Ruff, Tuff, and Throk were all there, sitting quietly around the crackling fire in the center. Throk was his usual solemn self, but the twins were equally serious, motionless in their places. Tuffnut didn't look at her. Ruffnut's hands were trembling in her lap. Noticing Astrid's stare, she clenched them into fists and stood, taking up a scroll from the table.
Astrid could hardly force out the air to speak, but her whisper seemed to carry across the room anyway. "What happened?"
Ruffnut held the scroll out towards her mutely, just as Fishlegs and Snotlout thundered into the room, nearly knocking into Astrid.
"What's going on?" Snotlout advanced on Astrid. "Lemme see," he said, grabbing the scroll from Astrid's hands. He unfurled it and began to read aloud. "You have Dragon Eye lenses, and are missing Hiccup." He gulped audibly, reading faster. "We have a Dragon Eye in need of lenses. And we have Hiccup."
Astrid gasped, clasping a hand over her mouth. Fishlegs mumbled incomprehensibly and sunk back against the wall.
"Let's make a deal," Snotlout read, a tremor in his low tone. "As a show of good faith, we'll trade Hiccup for just one lens. Choose wisely. Come at dawn." He lowered the scroll. "It's from Krogan," he said. A map showing the meeting place was etched carefully beneath his signature. He stumbled towards the center of the room, setting the scroll back on the table. He let out a breath. "Okay," he said. "What do we do now?"
Astrid and Fishlegs hurried to the table, too, and the twins stood beside them, huddling close. Astrid slid the scroll in front of herself and traced the map. "This is a rocky island," she said. "Lots of tunnels. I remember mapping this one with Hiccup."
"I say we bring all our dragons, round up all the wild ones we can, and blast away." Snotlout banged a fist on the table for emphasis.
Astrid shook her head slowly. "I don't like that they picked the meeting spot. They'll have the upper hand. They're probably there already, setting things up. If we make this a fight, you can be sure they'll be ready."
"But it's not like they're just going to hand Hiccup over to us," Fishlegs said. "Right?"
"Don't forget about the Dragon Eye lens," Ruffnut added. "If we really trade one, you know Hiccup's gonna be furious."
"I don't understand." Fishlegs rubbed at his forehead. "Why are they asking for a ransom now? How long have they had him?"
"What have they been doing to him?" Tuffnut asked darkly.
"Hey." Ruffnut elbowed her brother. "We don't need that kind of negativity, bro. If we just have a plan–"
"If we get enough dragons–"
"If we have a strategy–"
"Excuse me, Dragon Riders." Throk pressed himself into their huddle, his commanding voice cutting off the babble of confused debate. They all looked at him. "I believe I know the best course of action."
"You have a plan?" Astrid asked.
Throk shook his head. "It is not my plan," he said. "It is Hiccup Haddock's."
They stood in shocked silence.
Fishlegs shook his head. "What do you mean, it's Hiccup's?"
Throk turned to Snotlout. "Do you remember when you came upon my ship on my way here, and informed me that Hiccup was missing?"
Snotlout nodded.
"Do you also remember that I mentioned the contingency plan which Hiccup discussed with Queen Mala and myself?"
A flash of recognition shot across Snotlout's face. "Oh, yeah!" he said. "Mala mentioned it to me, too, but I didn't really care at the time."
"What plan is that?" Astrid asked. "How would it work for this?"
"Why didn't he tell us?" Tuffnut grumbled.
Fishlegs waved a dismissive hand at him. "You know Hiccup. He works on things by himself until he gets it ready, then he tells everyone. What's the plan?" he asked Throk. The rest of the riders pressed in eagerly.
"A few days ago, Hiccup Haddock came to Defenders of the Wing Island and asked to speak with Queen Mala. Of course, I was invited to join the discussion as well. Hiccup summarized our current problem," he said, "in that Krogan is in search of Dragon Eye lenses, and has been attacking all of us from many angles to get at them. Hiccup reasoned that eventually one of his attempts was bound to put us in a difficult position that would force our hand. Therefore, we would need a contingency plan in case we must give up a lens, or several. He had come up with an elegant solution, and had come to inform us of the plan and receive our feedback." Throk nodded to himself. "It is a clever idea," he said, "but its sole drawback is that it will only work once. We must use it only when forced into it. But it seems now is the time. I only hope he had it prepared in advance."
Ruffnut waved him on impatiently. "Well? What is it?"
"His plan was to offer fake Dragon Eye lenses."
"Fake?" Astrid asked, her brows knitting together. "Where do we get fake lenses?"
Throk shook his head. "We do not get them. Hiccup built them."
Astrid's features slackened in surprise for a moment, then something warm welled up within her. A rising sense of hope that started to ebb away at the edges of her anxiety. Hiccup had already thought of a way out of their situation. She smiled slightly, let herself recall the spark in his eyes when he thought up a scheme; his toothy half-smile as he scrawled incomprehensible notes across the nearest piece of parchment; the sure, steady, unfailing movements of his hands as he worked with metal and wood and string, as unerring as Gobber and as fluid as the rushing rivers of snowmelt on Berk. He made it seem as easy as breathing. She recalled the glowing light of the forge, catching the reddish hue in his hair as he bent over the work table.
Astrid pulled herself back into the present. Fishlegs was pelting Throk with questions about how the fake lenses were designed, how real they appeared.
"He studied the frames of the lenses and worked with bronze, meticulously crafting each detail to match. The lens itself he fashioned out of a kind of quartz, I believe. He did not bring one to show us, but given his attention to detail and his skill as a blacksmith, I am certain his work will easily pass as authentic." Throk glanced around at them all, gauging their responses, and Astrid nodded her agreement with the rest of them. "I suggest we use his contingency plan now," he said, "and trade a fake lens to see Hiccup Haddock safely returned."
"Yes!" Snotlout banged his fist on the table again.
"Very well," Throk said. "The only problem–"
"No!" Snotlout groaned and dragged a hand across his face.
"–is that I do not know where he might have kept his work," Throk finished.
"That's not a problem," Fishlegs said, the ghost of a smile quirking the corners of his lips. He drew himself up to his full height. "I know where Hiccup keeps things," he said. Then he turned, snagged a torch from the wall, and led the way to Hiccup's hut.
They walked along the rope bridges in the dusk, the dancing flame from Fishlegs' torch lighting the way, rippling its golden glow along the path. Fishlegs pulled open Hiccup's door and strode purposefully inside. The others followed at his heels, but Astrid strayed behind, her eyes caught on Hiccup's display of Toothless' tail fins, each arrayed in their own designs and patterns, colorful or simple, practical or flamboyant. She had studied these while he was packing, the night before he left.
Taking a spare? she had asked.
He had glanced up from Toothless' saddle bag, followed her gaze, and grinned. Of course!
And a spare for your spare?
He had laughed, softly, warmly. Usually, yes, but I'm packing light this time, he had said as he continued to pack and repack the bag, rearranging things with an eager intensity. Besides, we're going on a break, not to battle. He had stood back to gaze at his most recent packing job, nodding appreciatively, then his gaze had drifted up to meet hers. One last flight? He had nodded to his open door, to the star-streaked sky outside.
Gods, how Astrid longed to fly with him again. To see him safe and whole and happy, smiling unrestrainedly as his hair whipped in the rushing wind.
A loud metallic thunk made Astrid turn away from the tail fins and the memories of Hiccup in flight. The others were gathered in one corner of the room, where Fishlegs had wrenched open a large trunk. She crossed to them and wormed her way into the group. The bottom of the trunk was littered with what looked, at first glance, like junk. Bits of wood, metal, and stone. Crystalline pieces glinted in the firelight.
Fishlegs reached down and rummaged through the debris. His hand latched onto something. "Wow!" he breathed, pulling it up and holding it high for everyone to see. It was a completed Dragon Eye lens, indistinguishable from the real thing.
"Whoa!" Tuffnut snagged it out of Fishlegs' grip and examined it closely, Ruffnut pressing in, too. "Are you sure this isn't one of the real ones?" he asked, turning it over and squinting suspiciously.
Astrid took it from Tuffnut and ran her thumb over it, feeling the grooves that Hiccup had painstakingly copied. "It's amazing."
Fishlegs sighed in relief and sat down on a nearby barrel. "Well, now that we have that, we at least know what we're doing. Making the trade, as agreed. We won't start anything or make any fuss, because we don't want them to– well, we want Hiccup back without trouble."
"Agreed," Astrid, Snotlout, and the twins said simultaneously.
"But the Edge will still need to be guarded." Astrid shifted. "Someone will have to stay."
"I will stay," Throk said. "I will remain here as long as necessary to help your efforts. I am sure Queen Mala has already offered you my services."
"Thanks, Throk," Astrid said. "But we do also need someone who knows the Edge's defense systems."
Snotlout sighed. Everyone avoided each other's gaze.
"I'll stay," Fishlegs said.
Cool relief coursed through Astrid's veins. "Are you sure?" she asked.
He nodded. "Yeah. It'll suck," he said, "but I'll stay."
"Thanks, Fishlegs," Astrid said. Snotlout and the twins nodded their agreement.
Fishlegs nodded, then cleared his throat. "You need to be there at dawn, and that means we're all getting up insanely early, so I, for one, am going to get some sleep."
"And we," Ruffnut said, "for three." She and Tuffnut trailed after Fishlegs and disappeared out of the frame of Hiccup's doorway.
"Keep that safe." Snotlout pointed at the fake lens still clasped in Astrid's hands. He nodded to her and left.
"Good night, Astrid Hofferson." Throk smiled politely and headed for the door, too. He paused at the edge of the room and looked back, a sympathetic look softening his stocky features. "The gods be with you tomorrow."
Before Astrid could think of a response, he had gone. She stood there alone in Hiccup's hut, holding the lens he had built. "Tomorrow," she told herself aloud. Then she shut Hiccup's door, turned, and mounted the stairs to his bed.
…
Snotlout and Hookfang touched ground just after Astrid and Stormfly, Hookfang's talons gouging the island's pebbled shore. Beside him, Barf and Belch landed, Ruff and Tuff looking grim. Snotlout sighed and slid off Hookfang, following Astrid to the two Hunters stationed at the entrance to a tunnel. More Hunters tracked them from their positions along the beach and atop the cliffs, staring as they sat hunched in dinghies pulled ashore, or glowering down from sharp cliff edges, bows in hand, arrows knocked and held loosely.
"Krogan will meet you inside," said one of the Hunters.
Snotlout peered into the tunnel entrance. There was a flickering light somewhere within, throwing twisting shadows along the narrow walls.
"Where's Hiccup?" Astrid demanded.
The Hunter gestured shortly at the tunnel. "Inside," he said.
Astrid squared her shoulders and marched forward, the twins following in her footsteps. Snotlout spared one last glance at their dragons, waiting on the shore, tails twitching nervously, their fierce gazes alert and suspicious. Snotlout swallowed, mouthed a quick prayer to Odin, then hurried down the tunnel after his friends.
After a few twisting turns, the tunnel opened to a straightaway with a slightly larger diameter. They walked single-file to squeeze beside a tall wooden crate on a pallet. Once they passed it, they saw Krogan. He stood alone in the tunnel, holding a torch aloft for light. His lips twisted into a malevolent smirk when he saw them. "Hello." His deep voice carried through the tunnel, echoing off the walls and bouncing back at them from every angle.
"Where's Hiccup?"
"Do you have the Dragon Eye lens?"
"Yes. And you won't see it until we see Hiccup." Astrid folded her arms.
Krogan laughed, a deep rumble that reverberated through the earth. He walked towards them, and they edged away from him warily, automatically parting to let him through. "You've already seen him," he said. He stood beside the wooden crate and kicked it.
A muffled shout came from the crate. Thuds against the sides.
A shudder swept through Snotlout's entire body. Tuffnut stumbled backwards. Ruffnut gasped, the sound clear and sharp in the caves.
Snotlout clenched his fists, his voice coming in a growl as he advanced towards Krogan. "You let him out of there, you–"
"Here." Astrid interrupted him with a strong and steady pronouncement that rang through the hall. Snotlout gritted his teeth and looked back at her. She was pale, her chest heaving with labored breaths, but her hand was steady as it held up Hiccup's lens. She looked away from Krogan for a split second to give Snotlout a meaningful glance. No trouble. They had agreed.
Snotlout bit the inside of his cheek and retreated a few steps, turning his gaze back to Krogan.
Krogan's smirk grew. He extended his hand pointedly.
Astrid tossed it to him.
Krogan caught it, examined it in the firelight. "Beautiful," he said. "Exactly what we agreed."
"And now," Astrid said, "Hiccup."
"Yes." Krogan nodded. "Hiccup." He turned to the crate beside him and knelt down, even with the lock.
Then he shoved his flaming torch into the pallet and ran.
"Hey!" Snotlout screamed as the pallet ignited instantly. The flames grew high and burned hot, licking up the sides of the crate as the thumping and yelling from within became more frantic.
Snotlout, Astrid, and the twins rushed forward, vaguely registering Krogan's shouted orders to leave the island as he exited the tunnel. Tuffnut grabbed at the lock, producing a piece of metal from nowhere, but he pulled his hand away with a shout, his fingers and palm red. The edges of the box were beginning to blacken. Smoke filled the tunnel, obscuring their view and irritating their eyes and throats.
"Tip it over!" Astrid yelled between hacking coughs. "Now!" Together, the four of them rushed the crate, shoving hard. It tipped onto its back and crashed to the other side of the pallet, out of the fire.
They scrambled to the crate. Snotlout ripped off his vest and used it to put out the remaining flames. "Don't worry, cuz!" he yelled, swiping at his eyes, watery from the smoke. "We're getting you out!"
Ruffnut took the metal piece from Tuffnut and ducked around Snotlout. She grabbed his ashy vest and used it to hold the lock aloft. She picked it in an instant, then swung the lid open with an almighty tug; it slammed against the rocky earth in a cloud of dust. Ruff got on her hands and knees on the lid, reaching forward to pull Hiccup out, but she stopped with her arm halfway extended.
"Ah!" she cried, scrambling backwards.
"What? What is it?" Astrid asked, her voice cracking. "Is he–?"
Someone rolled out of the crate, landing heavily on the lid with gasping breaths and coughs.
It wasn't Hiccup.
The riders stared at the newly-freed Dragon Hunter, frozen in shock as the fire continued to crackle behind them. Some of the smoke began to drift away in the chilly draft.
Tuffnut clutched the horns of his helmet. "Who are you?"
The Hunter's name was lost between his gasps and coughs, but Snotlout didn't care. His name didn't matter. He knelt down in front of him, Astrid doing the same. "We just saved your life–"
"Not on purpose!" Ruff interjected.
"–so you owe us some answers. And if you don't feel like talking, I'm more than happy to make you." Snotlout cracked his knuckles, feeling wrath rising within him, blood rushing to his cheeks.
The Hunter spluttered and pushed himself away from them, backing up against the cave wall. "I'm talking, I'm talking!" he said.
"Where's Hiccup?" Astrid asked again. "For real, this time."
The Hunter shook his head. "Don't know. Never had him."
"You–what?"
The Hunter nodded quickly, swallowing. "Yeah, yeah," he said. He spoke frantically, the words stumbling from his mouth in quick succession. "We started tracking you lot. Didn't spot Hiccup for a while, noticed the rest of you flying around here and there. The boss figured Hiccup was missing, took a gamble on it. Set up this trade with a fake bargaining chip. If Hiccup wasn't really missing, you wouldn't have responded, but I guess his bluff worked this time."
Snotlout dropped back onto the cave floor and cursed.
"Tell me you're joking," Ruffnut pleaded.
The Hunter shook his head. "I'm telling you the truth; I swear my life on it."
"Well." The others turned to watch Astrid, who had her arms wound around herself so tightly it looked like she was trying to break her own ribs. Her jaw was clenched equally tightly, her words short and clipped. "Nothing here for us then. Let's go." She stomped around the Hunter and back towards the tunnel entrance and the now-deserted beach.
"Y-you're not gonna kill me?" The Hunter asked hopefully.
Snotlout huffed. "Nah," he said. "Look what just happened. Your boss'll do that for us." Then he turned and marched after Astrid, the twins bringing up the rear.
Astrid strode straight to Stormfly and mounted her without a word.
The twins exchanged glances. "Back to the Edge then?" Ruffnut asked.
"No," Astrid said. "We're not wasting time stopping at the Edge, not again. We'll send a message to Fishlegs, and we'll keep pushing on to Defenders of the Wing Island. We should have been there yesterday, looking–" Her voice broke off but she didn't need to finish.
Snotlout swung onto Hookfang's saddle and ran a hand across his dragon's scales, trying to focus on the comforting texture rather than the heaviness on his shoulders. They launched into the thick clouds that hid the morning sun, their dragons' wings swirling the misty atmosphere around them.
"If they really don't have Hiccup," Tuffnut said, "that means no one has seen him. Where is he? Why has he been gone so long? Why– why hasn't he come back yet?"
A metallic clunk rang through the air; Ruffnut had bludgeoned her brother's helmet. She nodded towards Astrid.
Snotlout followed her gaze, too. Astrid swiped at her eyes silently.
The others said nothing.
Snotlout closed his eyes and felt the wind rush past him, tugging at his clothes. In his mind, he called on all the gods he could name. Please, let him be alive.
[A/N: Finally, another chapter for you guys! Sorry to those of you who have been requesting more Hiccup in this story, but don't worry–the next chapter's all his! After that, the remaining chapters will go back to alternating between Hiccup and Toothless and the rest of the dragon riders. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! Leave a review below if you feel like it; they always make my day. Catch ya later. - who is sabrina.]