A/N: Here's the chapter a lot of you have been waiting for, with a certain dragon many of you keep asking about. I hope you enjoy the new chapter! It's been a while, so remember that flashbacks are in italics!
—
The Night Fury: Part One
The world around him was chaos. Intense flames licked at the ground around him, smoke blinding him, as he frantically bounded through the tall grass. There were voices, human voices, shouting and calling out. He couldn't tell where they were, it was as if they were everywhere, on all sides.
He was lost. He had been with his family... hadn't he? They had been just right there a moment ago, he was sure of it. The adolescent Night Fury turned his head so he could look all around him for what he knew was missing, but couldn't quite remember— his family.
"Over there!" An aggressive voice called out, pointing at the lone dragon.
With a start, the Night Fury took off, diving through the flames in order to make his escape. He was still so confused and his head was pounding as if he had taken a hard hit. He was disoriented and longing to call out for someone... a warm, comforting someone he could barely recall. He couldn't fly away yet, or else he might not ever find them.
The Night Fury ran through the grass, zig-zagged through trees, ducked under low branches, jumped over rocks. He was frantic to escape and desperate for the pain to go away. It wasn't just a physical pain either, there was an ache in his heart. He knew something bad had just happened and part of him didn't want his memory to return, but the only way to find what he had lost, was to remember.
Suddenly the world was spinning around him and the ground dropped out from below him. Startled, he tumbled down a rocky hillside and skidded to a halt once he reached the bottom.
With a groan, the Night Fury pulled himself to his feet and shook his head. He was panting and didn't now how much longer he could do this. At this point, he didn't even think he had the strength to fly. His ears twitched as he heard the sounds of something approaching. He looked around frantically, eyes landing on his saving grace.
The black dragon dived into a small space beneath a wall of rocks. It was like a small cave and he barely fit inside as he curled in on himself, just in time.
"I heard something over here, sir."
"Did you?" A menacing voice answered and the Night Fury remembered seeing the man. Tall, slender, and formidable. "I don't think you understand the gravity of the situation."
"I do... sir, I remember how important this is. Every last Night Fury, you said-"
"I said that it is my job to hunt down every last Night Fury in existence!" The man's voice crescendoed in anger and the Night Fury could hear the sound of a scuffle.
"Only one got away..." The other man sounded like he was pleading.
"Do you know what that means? That only one is left standing in the way of my goal! There is only one Night Fury."
The lone Night Fury closed his eyes in despair at the man's words. When he heard a strangled cry and a thump as a body hit the ground, he flinched. This hunter was evil.
He didn't want to believe it— he couldn't be the only one left. He had a family out there, he had to get back to them before this hunter found them.
With a renewed determination, the Night Fury decided that the formidable man had been correct. The Night Fury was the Only One, the only one standing between the hunter and his goal to wipe out his kind. Only-One would not allow this man to succeed.
—
Hopelessness, despair, loneliness... those were the feelings that had been dominating him for so long. He allowed his mind to drift, just like he did while flying during a strong wind— wherever it wanted to take him. It didn't matter where he ended up, not anymore. He had tried for years, but he would never find them... he was the only one. He was Only-One.
As he flew through the skies on instinct, no destination in mind, no motivation, nothing but him and his depressed feelings, he felt a pull. Like someone was tugging on his mind, luring him in, taking advantage...
'You don't have to be Only-One...' She knew how to entice him.
And he had completely given in. There was no more fight in him, not right now. The Night Fury allowed the Queen to draw him into her nest, and he became a slave to her.
He wasn't sure if this was better than being alone. There were so many dragons here, but none of them were his kind... of course they weren't. He had spent so long looking for them, trying to reunite with them, to find nothing.
The most puzzling thing for him was that he couldn't remember how exactly they had been separated. His hatchling days were a blur of happiness and togetherness, then... just nothing. Nothing but a longing for that sense of family and love. But he had never found it.
So he did the Queen's bidding. It was easier, to let his mind go numb and just go through the motions mechanically as opposed to thinking and feeling. He didn't even know how long he had been her captive.
Then one night as they raided a village of people for their food— which was a better alternative to taking the people themselves or, letting the Queen go hungry and seeing what destruction she would cause in her fury and to appease her insatiable appetite— the Night Fury barely managed to dodge some kind of a flying contraption. He had avoided being shot out of the sky, yes, but it had startled him and he had landed in the woods, in case there happened to be more flying contraptions out there.
The tug on his mind became stronger as he did something he had not been directed to do. He needed to be airborne again, he needed to help the others gather food for the Queen. Only-One shook his head and stumbled as he walked between the trees. He was confused and he felt like he was doing something wrong and he had the desire to stop fighting it and give in again. However, the feeling was startled from his mind when he suddenly found himself tangled up in some rope. The more he struggled, the more tangled he became.
Something unexpected happened after that. A small boy appeared, and although he had initially come off as a threat, he had lowered his weapon and he had talked to the Night Fury. The more he talked, the weaker the connection between the black dragon and the Queen became. This boy acknowledged him in a way he had never experienced. He was nothing to the Queen but a tool, he was nothing to his fellow nest-mates because they were mindless drones. No one he had ever met had treated him as anything but a prize. But this boy... he talked to him. He acknowledged that he was intelligent and that he had feelings. And he had shown him mercy.
Once he had been released he had disarmed the little Viking, just in case, and then he had looked him directly in the eye. The human's eyes were green, like his own, and filled with sorrow and sadness— like his. The boy's eyes reflected his own feelings. The Night Fury had felt that sorrow and sadness before, and he immediately felt a connection with this boy. That connection disrupted the Queen's hold on him and it gave him hope.
Unfortunately, he had been unable to stay and the boy had told him not to return because he didn't want the dragon to get hurt. He obeyed, at first, but he worried for the little human and he wanted to reconnect.
This undeniable, new pull that he felt was a good one. It filled him with hope that he wouldn't be alone forever. That things could be better. The Queen could no longer control him or manipulate him or take advantage of his loneliness, because he was no longer in the dark.
—
He was disappointed as he watched the boy who had saved him, now a man, and his little one, retreat. Only-One hadn't been able to help his reaction as a sudden pain in his tail had flared up. Glancing back, the Night Fury saw the damage done to his tail and felt a pang of despair. Could that heal? It didn't look good. His left tail fin was bent at an odd angle, a rip running down the webbed membrane.
He had to know if he could fly, though it seemed doubtful. He leapt into the air and started flapping his wings.
The Night Fury, after having spent a short amount of time back on the island where he had first met the Viking who was different than everyone else, had heard a commotion in the woods. At first, he had been alert and defensive, but then... he had caught a familiar scent, had felt a feeling of familiarity. He had to go investigate.
Instead of flying above the trees, which would have been faster but also would have been more dangerous for him, Only-One had run through the trees in the direction of the commotion. In the back of his mind, he could sense that there was a raid going on and found himself incredibly grateful that he was no longer under the Queen's influence. He ran faster.
As he neared his destination he became sure of it, the boy who had saved him was in trouble. He could see the crazed Monstrous Nightmare ahead and shot a plasma blast before pouncing out of the trees and tackling the dragon.
He wasn't able to get a good look while he focused on the fight, putting himself between the offending dragon and the one who had saved him, but he was vaguely aware that the boy who was now a man, was protecting a human child.
After the Monstrous Nightmare had retreated, the Night Fury had finally been able to face the boy who had saved him, for the first time in years. It was the same person, he was sure. He remembered his scent, remembered the color of his hair, remembered... those emotional, green eyes— very much like his own. It was him. The man was protecting his youngling, a girl who seemed to have taken after her father in looks, other than the blue eyes. The Night Fury was curious, but stayed back, not wanting to appear as a threat to the man's offspring. He knew how one could become protective of their young.
Only-One had thought that would be the moment when they finally reconnected, finally, properly connected. He had felt a longing to see the boy again, every since flying away from the island and to his newfound freedom. The boy had given him a second chance at life, but the Night Fury had felt like it had been wrong to fly away in that moment, like something else should have happened during that encounter.
The Night Fury fell back down to the earth, his tail refusing to work properly as he tried to fly. With a grunt, the black dragon shook himself and, determined, tried again. If he wasn't going to be reconnecting with the boy in that moment, then he really needed to get back to the cove where he had been staying. He had left in a hurry.
Once more, the Night Fury crash landed, though this time he had made it a little further. He managed to land in the cove, where he had been trying to get back to, but knew that now... he was stuck. That was a problem. If his tail didn't heal properly, or at all, then he wouldn't be able to get back out... then, his reason for returning to this island, would have been for naught.
—
It was dark and hard to see as Hiccup walked through his dad's house, that his family now shared, as quietly as he could, trying not to make a sound or wake anyone. It was late at night, almost early, and Hiccup had hope that he could slip away and return without anyone noticing.
It had been a couple days since the incident with the Monstrous Nightmare. The people of Berk had been hard at work making necessary repairs. However, the priority had been given to their food stores. Harvest was fast approaching but Stoick had given the order that everything was to be harvested before their supposed next dragon raid. They had a week, maybe two.
Fishing, hunting, and preserving food were also given priority. As such, the rebuilding of Hiccup and Astrid's home was very low on the list of priorities. It seemed like they would be living in his old loft for at least the next several months. After the harvest, winter would come quickly. Building homes when there were mounds of snow on the ground was not the most ideal.
Hiccup and Astrid were okay with that. They had come to accept their losses and chose to focus on the positive— they were all alive and together. Besides, Stoick wanted a chance at getting to know his son better and now they were living in very close quarters. Zephyr was excited. Her whole family were staying in the same room, she didn't have to go and sleep by herself in her own room where she sometimes was afraid. And she got to see her grandpa all the time.
The problem however, was that Hiccup couldn't get that Night Fury out of his head. He had given the creature a lot of thought over the years. Meeting that dragon had changed so much for him. Letting that dragon go, saving his life, and looking deep into his eyes had confirmed something he hadn't been able to accept before— he was no dragon killer. He would never be a dragon killer. He longed to reconnect with the magnificent dragon, even though he knew he shouldn't want that.
However, since moving in with his dad, Hiccup rarely got a moment to himself. He was sharing his loft with Astrid and Zephyr, and his dad was downstairs. Sigrid and Arne visited often, along with Gobber. Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Fishlegs sought him out when he went outside. Even Snotlout had said a couple words to him here and there, and they weren't even rude!
Hiccup wasn't sure what had changed, he was pretty sure that either his dad, Gobber, or maybe even Astrid had told everyone to tone it down, but he hadn't been overwhelmed with social interaction since the last time he had collapsed from his anxiety. But still, he felt like he was always with somebody, always being looked after.
All he wanted, was to slip away so he could check on that Night Fury. Though, it had been two days, would he even still be out there? Now seemed like his best chance to find out.
Hiccup successfully made it to the door, unheard, and he slowly slipped out and into the chilly, night air. It was dark, but Hiccup knew the woods by heart and the light of the moon would be enough for him.
He retraced the path he and Zephyr had taken to escape the Monstrous Nightmare, to where he had last seen the Night Fury. It was pretty easy to remember. They had been headed for the heavily wooded area of the forest. Then, they had turned right because of the fire blast. They had been forced to run right out into the open where...
Hiccup paused. He shuddered, staring at the open space, the memory of his daughter almost being killed playing through his head. The memory had been plaguing him, drawing him into a melancholy mood that he couldn't even confide in his wife about, not without revealing the secret of the Night Fury.
Hiccup swallowed hard, pushing back the strong emotions that threatened to overwhelm him and refocused on finding the Night Fury. He wasn't here. Of course he wasn't. But... maybe he had left some tracks. Unless he decided to fly out of the open space and into the sky. That was very likely.
Taking a step further into the open space he saw the glint of metal up ahead. Automatically, Hiccup set his hand on his waist where the sheath to his sword was hanging. He had almost forgotten that he had also intended on retrieving his weapon— having spent days working on it in the forge, customizing it to his liking and preference. It was valuable to him and he had wanted to retrieve it.
The blade was still intact though it had sustained some obvious damage, it needed a decent amount of maintenance after the battle with the Monstrous Nightmare. Hiccup realized that the sheath itself was in need of some cleaning as well. He gave the sword a quick look over before sheathing it with some force— the blade didn't fit quite right after being damaged— and moving on to look for the other thing he had come out here for.
After over an hour of circling the area in search of some clue as to where the dragon could have possibly gone, Hiccup saw it— something had crash landed and broken a tree. He ran over to examine the area more thoroughly, excited to have found something.
There was a divot in the ground, where it had landed and slid. Then, claw marks. It had gotten up, ran a few paces and... flew off again.
Hiccup deflated. There were no more traces after that. Not here. He supposed it could have been any dragon that crash landed, but Hiccup had hope it was the Night Fury. Although... he was concerned about why it had been unable to fly.
Looking around at the ground, he noticed the moon glinting off of a small object in the grass. Hiccup smiled as he picked it up and examined it. It was a black scale. It was from the Night Fury, he was on the right track, at least. Hiccup was good at tracking. It was the only part of hunting that he had excelled in when his father had taught him as a kid. Tracking involved observation, logic, and deduction— Hiccup could do that. Unfortunately, his father had wanted him to be good at the actual act of taking down prey. Hiccup did not excel in that area.
Hiccup stared at the shiny, black scale for a few minutes, lost in thought. He couldn't believe that the Night Fury had returned— returned and saved Zephyr. The dragon had looked at him with such familiarity in his eyes. Did the dragon really remember him? After seven years?
Hiccup remembered seeing the intense intelligence in the mighty beast's bright, green eyes. Those eyes that Hiccup saw every time he saw his own eyes in a reflection. That one encounter with that Night Fury had stayed with him, so why shouldn't it have stayed with the dragon?
Hiccup was out here now because he had made plans to sneak away unnoticed, because he was curious about the Night Fury, and concerned that it might have been hurt. He had to see the dragon again, assuming it was still out there somewhere, but... he had also planned to be back before Astrid and everyone else woke up. He supposed he still had a couple more hours...
After longing to be out here and not being able to be, Hiccup was not ready to give up. He stood there, looking forward and further into the darkened woods of Berk, a gentle breeze displacing his hair. He liked it out here, he sometimes missed the days where he would find peace and pleasant solitude out in nature. His life in the village had been terrible, but he had found solace in the peaceful sounds of nature and the welcoming beauty of the plant life. Now that he was out here, it was hard to convince himself to go back home where the people were everywhere, even if they were nicer, he was still more used to being alone, besides, he had come out here on a mission.
The woods called to him and as he looked down at the black scale in his hand, making the decision to keep going. The Night Fury had taken off in the direction of Raven Point. He would head that way and maybe find evidence of it landing somewhere.
—
It was a completely different experience, flying amongst the Queen's flock of dragons while not under her control. The other dragons carried livestock and fish that they didn't even consider eating for themselves. No, that would be suicide. They all flew straight for Dragon Island, to bring the Queen her meal as soon as they could.
However, Only-One was free. He didn't feel her overwhelming presence on his mind anymore, dampening his thoughts and taking away his agency. It felt... good. He felt good. He didn't know the last time he felt anything resembling happiness and freedom. Either he was weighed down by his sadness, his objectives, or the Queen. Not anymore.
The Night Fury broke off from the flock, deeming himself a safe enough distance away from the Viking-inhabited island to go off on his own, and flew straight up into the clouds. He twirled, reaching the peak of his flight, before letting himself fall back down toward the ocean's surface in a controlled dive. He hadn't flown like this since... he didn't know. Probably since before his memory became all fuzzy with a complicated past he couldn't remember.
That little Viking had set him free, had shown him kindness and mercy, had given him another chance. Only-One wouldn't waste it. The boy had warned him not to come back and the dragon would obey that request for now, since the order had come from the one who gave him back his life. However, Only-One couldn't help the thought that he would see that boy again someday. The Night Fury had felt a connection between himself and the sad boy.
That boy had helped fix something in Only-One, and the dragon would help fix that same thing in the boy, someday.
—
The ship creaked as it swayed in the ocean's currents, the ones on board had long since become used to the unsteadiness as they stood or walked along the wooden floors, guarding the locked cages. There was someone out there who liked to free dragons, and the trappers did not take kindly to that. If one dragon was lost, their boss would make sure they never made a another mistake.
One dragon in particular was of the utmost value. She was one of a kind and rare beyond belief. No one had thought that her kind even existed anymore. She sat, curled up in the far corner of her cage, hiding her face and lashing out if anyone dared come near. Though that only made the men laugh and they poked and prodded at her just to see a reaction.
"Leave her alone." One of the trappers in particular didn't quite agree with the treatment of the majestic beasts, this one in particular.
"What's it to you?" A large, gruff looking man answered.
"The boss will want her in good health, she's valuable." The trapper responded, though that wasn't his main reasoning. He agreed to trap, he didn't agree to abuse, even if he was just standing by and watching it happen rather than participating. It still felt wrong. He'd started questioning his life choices lately, and the company in which he kept. What was he doing with is life? How far had he fallen? His father would be disappointed in him.
"He's just sore." A slimmer, more scruffy man commented. "Because he was passed up for promotion."
"I'm still of a higher rank than you two." The trapper glared.
"You sure?" The gruff man mocked, using a finger to poke at a freshly branded mark on the trapper's shoulder. To his credit, the trapper didn't wince or react, other than standing straighter and leaning into the touch despite the pain, in order to make a point.
"I wrestle dragons— tough creatures of pure muscle, claws, and sharp teeth— to the ground with my bare hands. Do you really think you can keep me down?" The trapper threatened with a steady and firm voice.
"Okay, okay, calm down." The scruffy man pushed between the two, hoping to appease them. "You're tough and you're a trapper, we're just the ones who assist and man the ship."
"Without us, the trappers couldn't do anything!" The gruff one was not about to let the trapper have the last word. "You had your chance to captain your own ship and were passed up by the likes of Krogan. He's no trapper and he's certainly no leader. It's your fault that we're stuck under his cruel reign!"
"Shh!" The scruffy one was getting panicky. "Not so loud."
"You're right, we don't want to get branded like Eret over here." The gruff one gestured to the trapper.
"Yes, I screwed up. I know." Eret lost all his anger and indignation, remembering what had happened. "Don't pretend like you wish I was the captain, you don't listen to me as it is."
"That's because I used to respect you. Now look at you." The gruff one looked down on Eret. "You care so much about the Fury? You can take our watch."
The gruff one marched away, indicating that his scruffy friend should follow. After a moment of hesitation and indecision, he scrambled away after his friend, leaving Eret standing in front of the most important, caged dragon on the entire ship.
"Why do I feel no more free than you?" Eret looked into the cage at the white Fury, hiding in the corner, glaring back at him.
—
As night approached, the guards took their places, pacing up and down the ship and keeping an eye out for trouble. The vigilante had last been seen a distance from there and had taken on one of their bigger ships, so surely the traitor to humankind wouldn't be striking again tonight. Although, it didn't matter how unlikely it was, everyone was on high alert because their boss demanded it.
The guards were told to be on the lookout for a four-winged dragon and a masked person. They would fly in from above and ice would rain down on the ship. The whole idea of such an attack was beyond terrifying and completely otherworldly. As ready as they thought they were for such an attack, it was not the one they should have been keeping an eye out for, because the vigilante was not the only one out there freeing dragons.
As night fell, the Night Fury was allowed the perfect cover. He had set his sights on the ship a couple days ago and was finally taking action. The little Viking who had freed him had also inspired him. If Only-One couldn't save his own species, than he would do the next best thing. He would save dragon kind. He would still be fighting against that formidable hunter whose face he would never forget, and those like the despicable man, in the only way left that the lone dragon could.
So far, Only-One had stuck to freeing dragons from land-traps. He flew from island to island, searching for dragons stuck in traps or being hauled to ships. So far, he had seen nothing but success. However, this ship was loaded with dragons and Only-One couldn't just stand by and let them be taken to an unknown fate. Raiding a ship wasn't something he had ever done before, and the thought of doing so alone was intimidating. But for all of his adventures since being freed by the boy, Only-One was still... alone.
This far out, dragons weren't controlled by the evil Queen, but they were wild and accustomed to avoiding humans. They were jumpy and driven by instinct. The Queen's influence reached far, and not just by controlling dragons, but by giving dragons a reputation. Vikings didn't trust dragons and dragons didn't trust Vikings. Therefore, the Night Fury remained the only one in his crusade.
The black dragon continued to tail the ship, invisible against the twilight sky. Once he was close enough, he dived down to fly over the blackened waters, still just as invisible. He planned to approach the ship from the side since most people looked to the skies when they expected to see a dragon.
Only-One soared level with the ship, seeing the perfect place to land, just behind an isolated cage. Seeing his chance, the Night Fury leapt aboard and landed softly enough not to gain the attention of the guards, but suddenly enough that he disturbed the cage's inhabitant.
A pair of bright, blue eyes opened wide and stared at the newcomer in shock. The Night Fury winced and made an apologetic face, he didn't want to scare any of the dragons, they were probably already scared enough as it was.
The caged dragon unfurled herself from the curled up and defensive position she had been in and turned so she could completely face the dragon on the other side of her cage. He looked like... but wasn't she the only one left?
The Night Fury watched as the caged dragon came closer to him and he felt his heart skip a beat in shock, his eyes widening. She wasn't quite what he had expected of one of his own species. She was pure white, her scales glimmering in the moonlight. Her eyes were blue and intelligent. She looked like him, but smaller and more smooth with less spikes and frills.
The white dragon tilted her head in question at him and Only-One knew what she was asking. 'What are you doing here?'
Snapping out of his thoughts and tearing his gaze away from her, he gestured to the cage and the ship, hoping his message would get across to her. He was there to free the dragons, as many as he could.
'That's a suicide mission.' Her intense gaze bore into him and he suddenly doubted his plan.
'I have to try.' He couldn't give up on the dragons. He had to save them, he had to stop the formidable hunter— all the dragon hunters— he had to find others like himself. But... he had just found a Fury. Not a Night Fury, but she was his kind nevertheless.
'That's noble. But you would die... or end up like me.' Her eyes looked sad. 'I thought I was the only one left... but there are two of us.'
'There could be more somewhere.' The Night Fury had never held out so much hope that his kind weren't all gone. There was one right in front of him, so there could be others. His family could still be out there. She looked doubtful.
Glancing around, the Night Fury spotted a single guard. He were standing at the top of the stairs that led to the platform that they were on, and he didn't seem to be the most attentive guard.
Hers was the only cage up there. In hindsight, this hadn't been the most strategic place to land when his goal had been to free as many dragons as he could. Only-One was new to this, so he reasoned that he had an excuse.
Part of him, however, felt like he had been meant to land up here and meet the female Fury. He had longed for a connection with one of his kind for as long as he could remember... and there she was. If he went down there he would risk his life and his species, and maybe manage to free a dozen or so dragons. If he stayed... maybe he could make a connection with the female Fury. Maybe she would stay by his side and he wouldn't be alone anymore. Maybe... maybe they could bring back their kind.
Only-One looked back at the cage to see her looking at him expectantly. He looked back at the guard and the cages below them. Was he being selfish? Would it be wrong to leave the others? He felt a pang of guilt, but he knew he had already made up his mind.
Turning back, he quietly walked around the cage to the front. He could tell that the metal was dragon-proof, like so many other cages he had come across. It was a good thing then, that he had figured out how humans opened these things. With a warning look at the female, one that told her they would have to be quick once he opened it, he nosed the bolt out of place and the door started to swing open.
The door opened with a clang and a resounding creak, alerting the guard. Before the trapper could charge them, the two Furies took to the skies, leaving the ship far behind them.
—
The sky was beginning to grow lighter as dawn approached. It wouldn't be long before everyone woke up for the day. Hiccup had hoped to slip back into his dad's home before then, making the excuse that he had gotten up early to stretch his legs and retrieve his sword. It was an acceptable excuse, as he was allowing Astrid and Zephyr to share his relatively small, childhood bed while he slept on the floor. They all kind of fit and had cuddled together, holding onto each other, that first night. Astrid had not wanted to let them go. However, since then, Hiccup decided it would be more comfortable for everyone if he slept on the floor.
Astrid had been... different, since they had all been reunited as a family. She didn't take to losses very well if the way she had handled her Uncle Fin's death said anything. She liked keeping him and Zephyr within her sights and she held them to her as often as she could. Having thought that she had lost her family that night, really took a toll on her.
Hiccup felt kind of guilty as he continued walking and hiking through the woods, further and further away from the village of Berk. Astrid would wake up, wonder where he was, and not find him anywhere in the house. She would probably assume that he went to the forge and when she didn't find him there either... she would be so worried. But Hiccup needed to do this.
Something up ahead caught his eye again and he sped up. There were some broken branches. As he examined the trees above his head, he could see a trail of broken branches that went through the trees at an angle. He followed the trail, looking up as he walked.
Hiccup gasped as his foot landed on the edge of a drop and slipped as the dirt crumbled away. He put all his weight on his other leg and dropped back onto the ground, his other leg dangling below him. He let out a breath of relief, his heart racing at the close call.
"Oh gods... if Astrid could see me now." Hiccup said under his breath. He pulled his leg back up and tucked it under him as he leaned forward to look down into the cove where he would sometimes bring his daughter. They liked it here, it was a good spot for getting away from the village for a day. They liked to have picnics and play in the water together. The thought of Zephyr brought a slight smile to his lips.
The sun was up in the sky now, and the morning light allowed him to see into the cove below him. The angle of the damage to the trees indicated that whatever crashed through them should have landed below... but it appeared empty.
—
The Furies landed on the first spot of land they had seen, having flown away from the ship in a panic. They had flown together, looking for safety, and hardly sparing a thought for what they planned to do next
Upon landing, the pair took a moment to calm down and breathe. It was then, as the adrenaline wore off and awareness returned, that the dragons stepped away from each other and realized that a decision had to be made.
Only-One stared at the female Fury with hopeful eyes. He didn't want to separate from her when he had finally succeeded in uniting with one of his own, even if she wasn't the family he had originally been looking for. He took a cautious step forward and the pure white Fury growled a warning. She wasn't used to being around other dragons and she didn't trust easily.
'I wouldn't hurt you.' Only-One assured her, but all she did was swish her tail in agitation. 'We should stick together.'
The female Fury's face softened slightly as she gave the Night Fury a considering look. The dragon had just saved her life, but it was hard for her to trust. Kindness wasn't something she was accustomed to. Though... she was thinking that she could probably trust him. She didn't want to be alone anymore either.
With a tilt of her head, she cooed at the Night Fury, seeking permission to know him better. He dipped his head in approval of her request and she tentatively stepped closer, sniffing as she circled him. Only-One followed her with his gaze, then, as she stood in front of him once more, he moved in closer to her, their noses almost touching, and familiarized himself with her scent as well.
'I don't want to be alone anymore either...' The white dragon admitted. She would give the Night Fury a chance. He had been willing to risk himself for others, back on the ship, he had risked a lot just to free her. He seemed lonely too. She wondered what exactly the poor Night Fury had suffered, she wondered if his story was similar to hers.
The female Fury had been alone most of her life, having been chased farther and farther away from the place she had once called home, when the evil, murderous, and formidable hunter had slaughtered her kind. She had thought a few others had escaped as well, but had never seen them again. She had thought that she was the last one left, flying away and looking for safety until the day the a different hunter had caught up with her. These dragon hunters had taken a look at her and then caged her, as some kind of a prize. She had almost wished that the hunter who had taken her kind had found her, death often seemed the better alternative to that small cage as humans gawked and poked at her.
Thinking on her own past, she couldn't help as she began to see the Night Fury in a new light. Surely, he had been through a lot too, and yet he had still risked himself to save her.
"I'll stay by your side." She decided. They would be stronger, together.
The Night Fury's face lit up at her words. He had been longing for the day he would no longer be alone. He was grateful for the chance to get to know this Fury better, to have a chance at becoming her friend.
—
That feeling of happiness and togetherness, warmth and love, had all been associated with distant memories of a family long forgotten. The Night Fury had almost been willing to give up on ever feeling those things again.
When he had imagined being with family again, it hadn't been in this way. He had always been hung up on the idea of finding the family he had lost, he had never imagined having a family of his own.
Here he was, looking down at his mate— the dazzling, white Fury that he had saved from that ship— curled up with three beautiful, little hatchlings. It had been a difficult road to get here, she had been stubborn and difficult at first, but eventually they had started to get along better and managed to form a bond. Once they had started to get along and become friendly, they had started to love each other.
His heart was full of warmth and love, a foreign feeling for him. He had been lost for so long, only ever finding a direction when he had been freed by the boy, and then coming across a new direction when he had found his mate.
The Night Fury didn't go out and try to free dragons anymore, she didn't like it when he risked himself. She was more acquainted with the cruelty of humans than he was. She didn't like them at all, but he knew there was at least one good one out there.
He was happy to agree however, to not going out on missions to free dragons anymore. As much as he felt for those poor, trapped dragons, he knew he couldn't risk his family. His kind were a dying breed. He and his mate, and now, their hatchlings, may be the only Furies left at this point. He had an obligation to his kind, to his family— he loved them so much. His purpose was no longer in freeing the dragons, it was in taking care of his family and raising his new hatchlings. It was a purpose he knew he would love and enjoy.
The Night Fury would not be careless with his life anymore, risking it in his obsessive quest to do as much damage to the likes of the dragon hunters as possible. No, he would care about his own life and value it, so that he could be there for his growing family.
—
He had given in to the temptation— Hiccup was curious, he wouldn't be satisfied going back home until he had done what he set out to do. He wanted to know what happened to the Night Fury, he wanted... he wasn't entirely sure. A part of him had felt a connection with the Night Fury, longed to make that connection again.
As Hiccup slowly and carefully climbed down, into the cove, he paused as he stepped onto a small landing, about half way down. What exactly was his plan upon finding the Night Fury? Assuming it hadn't already flown away... Hiccup wasn't sure, he hadn't planned things out that far, just felt a need to find the dragon that had saved his daughter's life. What was he doing? Risking his life to say thank you to a dangerous beast? He was being an idiot.
Hiccup looked back up the way he had come with a sigh. Climbing the walls of the cove wasn't his preferred route in and out, but had seemed like the best idea a few minutes ago. He had simply wanted to get down, a little closer, so that he could observe the area more closely and maybe find a clue as to what had happened to the Night Fury. Now he felt like he was in a precarious position. He wasn't the fastest climber and he was still a distance up and didn't think a fall would be that pleasant, even if it wouldn't be fatal. Hiccup could have kicked himself, he'd really put himself into a vulnerable position, hadn't he?
Peering down at the bottom of the cove, Hiccup did a quick glance around, still not seeing anything. The dragon had probably flown off long ago. This had all been pointless. Hiccup made a face, disappointed and annoyed. He would just climb back out and head back to the village where he would have to try and calm his upset wife who was being very protective of her family, ever since thinking that she'd lost them. Hiccup loved his wife dearly and felt bad about causing her undue stress, just to try and satisfy his curiosity and feel that connection to a beast he hadn't seen in about seven years. This whole outing had been a stupid idea and a waste of time.
Hiccup reached for a hand hold and moved to start climbing back up, but when he saw something dark whiz past him at the corner of his eye, he froze. Still in position to start climbing, Hiccup looked around him the best he could, but didn't see anything. Dismissing it as having been a bird, he focused back on his task.
Hiccup startled and slipped back down to the landing he had been standing on, eyes wide. This time, he had seen something white streak past. What was going on? Frantically, Hiccup looked around himself, feeling vulnerable on the small ledge and not knowing what was out there. He heard a fluttering sound and and nearly lost his footing as something white landed next to him on the ledge he was standing on.
Staring down with wide eyes, Hiccup almost wanted to be afraid, but at the same time... the creature looked so harmless and young. Hiccup tilted his head to the side. It looked like... a baby Night Fury, but white. It was looking up at him with wide, green eyes, sniffing the air curiously. Hiccup let out a breath of air as he calmed down. It didn't seem to be a threat, just curious, like himself.
He briefly wondered where the little dragon had come from when he remembered that he had also seen something black flying through the air. Was it the Night Fury? Was it the father of this... white... White Fury? That didn't sound right.
Hiccup turned his head to look back in the direction he had first seen movement. With a gasp, Hiccup stepped back onto nothing, as another baby Night Fury flew up into his face.
Before Hiccup could even realize what had happened, he hit the ground with a grunt of pain. He coughed and fought for breath as his blurry vision picked up on the movement of something big and black. Bright green eyes, like his own, staring down at him. As much as Hiccup wanted to get back up and defend himself, to fight so that Astrid wouldn't end up without her husband after all, his body wouldn't listen. The last thing he felt was a rising sense of panic and fear... and a lingering sense of wonder as he realized that he actually cared about his own life.
—
This couldn't be happening, not again. He had thought that they were safe, that he and his family were hidden well in their new home. However, it seemed that the dragon hunters would never stop, and one hunter in particular would always manage to find them.
"Don't let them get away this time!" A familiar voice shouted from behind the retreating family of Furies. There was a scrambling of sound and movement as the people under the command of the formidable hunter raced to action.
"Yes, Grimmel!"
"We won't let them get away."
The Night Fury nudged his hatchlings along, taking one up in his mouth because she wasn't moving fast enough. His mate picked up another one, leaving their only white hatchling to run on his own, as fast as he could. They didn't want to take flight yet, not until they were far enough away from the dragon hunters. With the hatchlings still so awkward at flight, they would be shot out of the sky easily.
They weren't moving fast enough and the Night Fury knew that the hunters were gaining. If they didn't get away, his whole family would be slaughtered by the hunter so obsessed with eliminating his kind— Grimmel, he now had a name to go with the face. The dragon didn't understand it, what had they done to this man, to deserve this?
With renewed determination, the Night Fury stopped briefly, ducking his head so that his white hatchling could climb aboard. They could move faster if the hatchling wasn't running on his own.
However, as the Night Fury ducked, that one movement managed to save him and the two hatchlings he was carrying as a net swooshed overhead— managing to tangle up his mate and third hatchling. The Night Fury made a sound of distress in the back of his throat, unable to open his mouth as he still carried his daughter in his mouth.
In a panic, the Night Fury raced to his struggling mate's side. He clawed at the rope, but wasn't able to get his claws in the right position to cut through it. The net was made of an odd material he had encountered before, one that was difficult for dragons to penetrate. It would take time, time that they didn't have. His ears twitched as he heard the people gaining on them. He could feel as his daughter trembled and one of his sons gripped onto his back, in fear. He looked behind him frantically, then looked back at his mate, his other son nuzzling into her side out of fear. The sight broke his heart.
The female Fury looked back into her mate's eyes, having stopped struggling, and accepting the situation for what it was, and gestured with her head. The Night Fury snorted in protest. He would not leave them.
'It's the only way...' She was oddly accepting, though he could sense the fear radiating off of her. If the Night Fury stayed, then he would risk the two hatchlings he was protecting as well. If he left... at least two of their hatchlings would be safe, but his third one and his mate wouldn't be. It was an impossible situation and the hardest decision he would ever make. He knew, she would do everything she could to keep their third hatchling safe. They had kept her in a cage last time, maybe they would do so again and he could save them someday. They could be reunited...
With a sad moan, the Night Fury nudged his mate with his nose, giving her one last affectionate nuzzle and looking down at his third hatchling with love, before running off, just in time. He felt like his heart was breaking, like he was betraying his family, but he had to think of the two hatchlings that he could save. He had to...
The dragon hunters came to a stop in front of the white Fury and the one, black and white hatchling. Grimmel had managed to net them from afar, he had expected them to capture the other ones, with the nets that they had. But they had not managed it.
"Why is it that I'm the only competent one here?" Grimmel glared down his team of dragon hunters. "Have I not taught you how to hunt dragons? Are you not supposed to be my best people?"
"The Night Fury ducked... he ran away before we got here." One of the trappers tried to explain. He was the only one brave enough to speak up. If not for Grimmel, his last boss would have killed him for messing up, a second time.
"Why does that matter? He was standing there, making himself vulnerable. Just how close do you have to be, to be accurate with your aim?" Grimmel questioned. No one spoke up this time and Grimmel turned his attention to the white Fury.
"This is the one that escaped Drago's cargo ship of captured dragons?" Grimmel inquired.
"Yes..." Eret answered. "She was under my care when it happened."
Grimmel turned to give his new dragon hunter a scrutinizing gaze. Eret had been a member of Drago's crew, guarding a rare Fury that Grimmel had not known was out there. Drago had promised the Fury to him, in exchange for his services in tracking down a rare and powerful dragon that he had been after for some time.
When Eret had failed in his duties, Drago had been about to kill him, but Grimmel had requested that since the trapper was responsible for his prize getting away, that he should be able to take him for his own crew and put him to work.
So here Eret stood, still bruised and beaten from Drago's rage, but doing his job in tracking down the remaining Furies that eluded him.
"Long ago, a Night Fury escaped me." Grimmel decided to educate his new crew member. "He continued to elude me, for years, and still does to this day. He is the last of his kind, as far as I know. Then, Drago informed me that a rare, white Fury still existed and promised her to me. And you let her go." Eret flinched. "Then do you know what happened?"
Eret shook his head, not sure what Grimmel expected of him, but not wanting another beating for his past failures. Part of him had been in awe as he watched the last Night Fury free the last white Fury, and fly off together— free. Eret longed to be free.
"The two ended up together, and now look!" Grimmel grabbed Eret's face and forced him to look down at the female Fury and... a little baby Fury. Eret's heart clenched as he realized what he had just participated in— in tearing a family apart. "There are more of them now. I am further from my goal than before!"
Eret swallowed hard, Grimmel blamed him for this. As he met the frightened, blue eyes of the elegant dragon, Eret couldn't help but empathize. He would let those two dragons go, in a heartbeat, if he could. He had decided long ago, that he no longer wanted to be a dragon trapper, he no longer prided himself in his occupation.
That had been his first strike with Drago, the first mistake he had made. He had refused to kill a dragon, arguing that he was a trapper not a killer, he tracked down dragons and came up with ways to trap them, after that, he was no longer involved in the process. Drago had disagreed, Eret was to do whatever he commanded him to do. Eret was under his control. Now, he was under Grimmel's control.
"This is your last chance, Eret." Grimmel forced Eret to look back at him, to meet his intense gaze. "You use these two to lure out the other ones, you get me the rest of those Furies. If you fail, you'll die along with them."
With that said, Grimmel used his grip on Eret's face to shove him backwards. "Bring them to the ship, and don't let them escape."
Eret watched Grimmel saunter off, a feeling of pure hatred coursing through him. He hated this man, he hated Drago, he hated the life he lived. With a sigh, he directed the other dragon hunters to help him bring the female Fury and the hatchling back to the ship. He didn't know if he had it in him to use the female in the way Grimmel intended. Eret had seen what the Deathgripper's poison did to dragons. It seemed so cruel, to use the female against her mate in that way. There was no way that he would ever do that to the hatchling either.
At least— Eret had hope— he had a friend out there. She freed the dragons, she fought against Drago's tyranny and Grimmel's hunt. He had met her when he had been sent on his own to rig some traps. They had come to an agreement, they were allies. There was still hope for his future, and for the dragons.
—
Once he had reached the far reaches of the island, the Night Fury had taken flight. Both of his hatchlings now rode on his back, safe. He was so grateful that they were safe, but so distraught that the other two members of his family weren't. He felt lost again, he didn't know what to do. He had never thought he would be the lone parent to some of his hatchlings. They would be looking to him for guidance, for protection, for everything— and he felt like a failure.
Only-One shook his head, trying to clear his mind so that he could focus on his two hatchlings. He could sense their fear and sadness. He needed to get them somewhere safe, assure them that they would be reunited with their mother and sibling one day, he needed to come up with a plan so that those words would be true.
A thought suddenly entered his mind. He didn't necessarily have to do all of this alone. Maybe there was someone out there who could help him, like he had helped him last time. The Night Fury thought fondly on the Viking boy, so unlike everyone else, and whose soul had reflected his own. He still felt a longing for a connection with that boy and wondered if he did as well.
Now was the time to return to that island and reunite with the boy who had saved him. Now was the time for them to come together and make a difference. They could stop the hunters and maybe, they could even stop the Queen.
—
A/N: I do apologize for the three month long hiatus. Writing about Toothless before he has been named, and when he is alone or interacting with other dragons, is hard! I've been working on the parts of the Night Fury chapter for a long time, editing, adding to it, taking parts out— all until I was finally satisfied with it. I'm glad I took my time, so I could get it right. I hope you all liked reading about Toothless and his past!
While I was struggling with that, I did make a lot of progress on my other story, "Deviation," an AU where Stoick survives the second movie— I'd love for any of you to go check it out, if you haven't already! I will update "Deviation" next, probably a week from now, then "What Lies Beneath" again, the week after that.
Also, a special thanks to WikiSorcerer for creating a TV Tropes webpage for this story! I can't put a link on here, but you can find it by searching "What Lies Beneath TV Tropes OrangeCat64". I enjoyed reading the breakdown of my fan fiction and the tropes it contains.
Thanks for reading, favoriting, following, and reviewing! I do love reading all of the reviews and seeing everyone's thoughts on this emotional AU. Everyone's reviews for the last chapter were so fun to read, and there were a lot of them! I know my responses to my reviewers is getting pretty lengthy, but I like promoting the discussion and analysis of each chapter and thanking each of you for taking the time to give me feedback!
Silver Sentinel: I'm glad you liked the last chapter! A lot did happen in it. Hiccup didn't used to be in a good place and the arranged marriage did a lot to make Hiccup think he didn't have much to offer Berk. Yes, Toothless, saving the day! Hiccup does have a lot of past issues that could come up and living with Stoick just might bring them to light.
ShadowSpirit020: Toothless! He came just in time to help Hiccup and Zephyr. Thanks for reviewing!
AmethystWriterx: I'm glad you like the story so far and enjoy all the updates! Thanks for the compliments. Ruff, Tuff, Fishlegs, and Snotlout will appear in the story more, later on. I'm glad you like all the Hicstrid moments, haha. There will definitely be more of that to come. I'm glad you like reading my stories and I hope you like the new chapter!
grecefar: Haha, that made me so happy, that you "screamed like a fangirl" two times during the last chapter. The last chapter was kind of a turning point in the story, like the end of the first half of the story, in a way. There is still a lot more to come, though it may have a slightly different feel than the first half. Berk is already changing, and Hiccup is progressing. I did take my time with the Night Fury chapters, haha, and I hope the wait was still worth it for you.
DrCyrusBortel: Thank you! I'm glad to hear that you are interested in the story. I hope you liked the new chapter!
htvhtgjtdhzr: Goodness, it has been a while since I had to type out your pen name, haha. I had it memorized at one point, but it almost tripped me up this time around. Thanks for being a consistent reviewer for this story! Toothless is on Berk now and I hope you like his chapters! I'll be updating more consistently on this one now.
Guest: "The twist on this story is so well done!" Thank you! I hope you continue to enjoy the story!
Guest: "Can we talk about a certain line?" Yes, Hiccup was planning on taking his life. The only thing Berk seemed to value him for was his ability to produce the next heir. He didn't think there would be a point in going on after completing the only task Berk ever wanted him for. More Hiccup flashbacks to come in later chapters!
Silvolde: Hiccup can see the changes the people are making, but I think he may be a bit hesitant still. They did hurt him for so long. Jerrik isn't from cannon, he's an original character. So you wouldn't recognize him from anything. Toothless does seem to be more bold than Hiccup in this version of the story, doesn't he? I hope you liked the new chapter!
CajunBear73: Astrid is trying her best to get through to Hiccup, and Hiccup is being receptive to it. If only they had had the courage to admit their love for each other sooner. Not everyone agrees that they are to blame, rather than Hiccup. Though, since things happened differently than canon, Mildew never had the chance to betray them to Alvin. He's had a lot of time to see that Hiccup and Zephyr are the only ones on Berk who display any kindness to him. From what I remember, Hiccup did manage to come to an understanding with Mildew in the TV show, in the end. His persistent kindness tends to soften a lot of his enemies, and they become his friends or allies.
Ataruss: No worries about the late review, haha, this chapter is a bit late! I like your analysis of Hiccup's character in this story as opposed to how he is in canon. This Hiccup has been beat down for longer, he has continually watched as dragons destroy his home without knowing why— even if he can't bring himself to kill them,— and he has a daughter he would do anything to protect. And I do see what you mean about him becoming a protector. Thanks, I'm glad to hear that the fight scene was good in the last chapter. I hope you enjoyed reading Toothless' backstory as he becomes a part of this story. As for Jerrik, haha, I'm sure Astrid would approve of his murder. Thanks again for the great review, I hope you continue to enjoy the story!
Wodenfang: Thank you so much! I'm sure Stoick did want to take a few swings at Jerrik, haha, but he is the chief. He did let Astrid get a few, good swings in before he stopped her, though.
KN Hudson: Zephyr is cute, isn't she? I do have you to thank for helping me get her character right— as a precocious three-year-old. It would have been great if Stoick had taken Hiccup around Berk too, like he did with Zephyr. Then people would have seen their chief supporting his son and Hiccup getting an early start at learning the ways of a chief. Arne hasn't had the biggest role yet, but I could see him becoming close with Hiccup eventually. Haha, I don't think it is a bad thing that you felt bad for the Nightmare. He was rather beat up and responding to triggers that agitated him and caused him to lash out.
Eikntt: Thanks for telling me, it would have taken me a while to notice.
CHSHiccstrid: Thank you! This story is kind of centered around everyone's emotions. Sorry I almost made you cry, haha, but also it gives me confidence in my writing to have gotten such an emotional response from you. I'm glad you like Hiccup and Zephyr's relationship. They are so cute, aren't they? I'm also glad you like my take on Astrid. I see her portrayed as bitter and angry a lot, with a grudge against Hiccup— especially in arranged marriage AUs— and I thought that there would be more to her than that, especially since she has grown up a bit. Thanks for the many compliments, they mean a lot to me!
soulofhorror: I have read a lot of arranged marriage AUs, there are a lot out there for sure! I'm glad you like mine so much! Thank you!
mybxdyisatemple: Wow, thanks! I'm glad you are liking the story enough to read it multiple times! I like Hiccup and Zephyr's bond too! Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Gandalf nho: (The site doesn't like me typing your pen name!) Thank you, I'm happy to hear that you are enjoying the story so far. Thanks for reviewing, I hope you like the new chapter with Toothless!
MissBrunetteBarbie: Thanks! I'm glad you like the different direction that I took my arranged marriage AU. I do enjoy writing Hiccup, Astrid, and Zephyr as a family. How did you like Toothless' history?
Marcus S. Lazarus: Thanks for the great review, and for the compliment. I'm glad you like it so far and the way I wrote Hiccup and Astrid. It's been fun to get into Hiccup's head and explore how he would feel in an AU where he continued to be beat down by others. Astrid is a passionate person and has redirected that passion from her obsessive training, to her family. There are two more parts to Toothless' chapters, after this one, so a lot more to come! Thanks for reading, I hope you continue to read and enjoy!