The next day was equally as aching, for some reason I had a feeling of absolute dread beating inside of me. Something that told me to abandon Berk and go fly to Hiccup; something that told me everything was not okay. But everything had to be, I trusted him, I had to be able to trust his ability to lead, his ability to solve problems and survive without me. I wouldn't always be there to protect him, just like when he told me I couldn't always be there for my parents or the people of Berk when Dagur attacked those years ago. Maybe that was a way for the Gods to prepare me to have to deal with this now, because this was harder for me to cope with than that was.
Now I could only protect Berk and no him which doesn't seem like a bad thing at face value, but I do not know what I would do if something happened to him now. I don't think I would be able to cope; it would be akin to, and possibly worse than losing Stormfly. She was my best friend, my dragon; but he was my love and my entire future. I'd have children with him someday, I already sort of co-lead a tribe with him. I couldn't imagine losing him.
I remember when Snotlout and he investigated a Hunter port and he got captured and shipped to a Dragon Fighting circuit. I was so angry, afraid; Heather having just joined us, knowing their routes kept me grounded. I remember Fishlegs commenting on my urge to kill Snotlout if we hadn't found Hiccup; it was so much worse than I dared to admit. I was ready to level all my anger at that poor muttonhead. For all of his idiocy, he means well most of the time. But in those dark moments, I was ready to send him to Valhalla. Heather noticed it, even Fishlegs noticed it. And we had only been apart for less than a day, but I knew he was in danger. This was different.
This time, he was traveling to unknown tribes, wildcards who could turn on us or befriend us. I know worrying does nothing but eat away at the mind and distract the body while making the heart heavy. It was my duty, my responsibility, my drive to protect Berk in his absence, to trust that he would return and keep the Village in high spirits in the meantime. I had his pendant, the medallion he made me; and the daggers I had for us. The dagger stays forever on my ankle unless I am in bed with him. With those in hand, and my faith in him I could only move forward. With the village supplied and guarded, the next step was morale, and with that in mind, the next step was Dragon Races. I'd start by tracking down the Riders; starting with Fishlegs; he was usually at the Academy or his home. As Thor willed it, he was at his house when I arrived, which made it easier.
"Fishlegs! Open up!" I call out, banging on the door with Stormfly behind me. I hear a lot of shuffling as he opens the door.
"Oh, hey, Astrid! What's up?" Fishlegs answers, I can see the shadows of his parents moving behind him as they must've just finished mid-morning breakfast.
"Going to start organizing Dragon Races, I want you to help me gather the riders. I was thinking of inviting Heather and some of her riders maybe, make it a team race. Just for some competition, keep morale going while Hiccup is gone." I state and I see him shift as he nods.
"Oh, yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Could I be a judge?" He asks awkwardly as I cock an eyebrow.
"Why?" I simply ask as he mumbles.
"I, uh, well, I don't really want to go against Heather. I mean, since she's gone to Berserker Island, we hardly talk with her responsibilities and all. I just don't want a rivalry." He stutters and I can tell the topic is uncomfortable, so I knowingly make it worse.
"Oh, and why's that? I mean, you two were pretty serious back on the Edge, then it just died, then your sudden infatuation with Ruffnut, now you can't race against Heather? You don't want her to see you trying to make points for Ruffnut?" I tauntingly tease as he groans.
"No! Besides, you and Hiccup do that!" He counters and I laugh
"Hiccup and I are actually together, and we make it a game. We each try to outscore the other for each other. What you and Snotlout do is sort of pathetic, to be honest." I retort as his shoulders sag.
"That's kind of harsh." He mutters as I shrug.
"Call it like I see it, what ever happened between you two that you don't want to even race with her?" I ask and he shakes his head.
"I mean, nothing happened. She just went off to rebuild the Berserkers, we stopped using Terror Mails one day and it just sort of, stopped. I was already kind of married to Ruffnut for a day and what you and Hiccup have makes me want something too." Fishlegs admits and I chuckle.
"You know she misses you, right? Hard fact, I tried pairing her up with Eret and she said no. Eret denied Ruffnut's advances." I state, crossing my arms. "Don't be a muttonhead. In fact, by order of the acting Chiefess of Berk, I want you to send the Terror Mail inviting Heather and her riders. Maybe even send her a private one." I finish as he looks at me wide-eyed.
"She misses me? I figured she was too busy... but what about Ruffnut..." He stumbles and I roll my eyes. Was this really a hard decision, I am this close to telling Fishlegs I'm going to share Hiccup with Heather if he doesn't move. Not that I would, but it might make the muttonhead actually move.
"Yes. Better act on it before someone else does and wins her over. Now, send that Terror Mail, then meet me at the Academy. I'll round up everyone else. And you will be racing." I finish, and without waiting turn on my heels and mount Stormfly, taking off. I can briefly hear his protests, but they evaporate quickly as I climb. Next was the twins, Snotlout and Gustov. I'll have Gustov round up the rest of the A team. I've no idea how many riders Heather will bring but having close to our full complement would give us flexibility.
Luckily, rounding up the others was far less of a hassle, Snotlout was eating and the twins happened to crash into a tree as I flew on the way to Gustov's. That poor Zippleback has been through so much with those dolts it is insane the four of them haven't died yet. Gustov was rounding up the others and I made my way to the Academy with the others. It took another half an hour for everyone to get there, with Fishlegs being the last person to arrive. It must've taken him awhile to write it all because when he landed, he glared at me in his nonthreatening glare.
"There, I did it." He mutters.
"Did what?" Snotlout asks as he rolls his eyes and I laugh.
"We are inviting Heather and the Berserker Riders to race against our Riders." I state as literally all of them jaw drop, and I laugh. "Yep, that means you, our own defenders of Berk will be racing against Heather's team of riders. From what Hiccup and I saw, they were well trained too. I'll be officiating, not racing, so we'll pick our team based on how many they bring. But Fishlegs, the Twins and Snotlout will be racing; possibly Gustov and Spitelout. A nadder would really help with the speed." I explain.
"Okay, Astrid, question, question, question. Why?" Snotlout asks as I groan.
"Uh, obviously A here is organizing this race to take her mind off our fearless leader's absence and by getting Heather involved, she gets to have another friend nearby and by making us all race, she gets to become distracted." Tuffnut explains rather observantly and annoyingly as Ruffnut chimes in.
"It could also couple in keeping with the morale staying high in Hiccup's absence. High spirits, you know. Multifaceted Distraction method." Ruffnut adds as Tuffnut nods.
"Multifaceted, lots of facets." Tuffnut adds, and my hand officially meets my forehead.
"Just use Spitester and Gustov, we got this in the bag." Gustov chimes in as Spitelout growls.
"Oi, I keep telling you not to call me that!" He snaps as many others laugh, and I shake my head, smiling. If anything, during this time with Hiccup gone, this showed me that I would be better off hanging out with the other riders. They may remind me of Hiccup, but they do so in fun and their constant bickering and jokes, while annoying, can be a good distraction.
"Okay, okay, time to plan the race." I state as the others move in closer to the board I have been preparing. It was a good thing they were all on board, or mostly on board at least.
"Can we make it super hard for them, maybe not allow Heather to use her Razorwhip?" Tuffnut asks mischievously as I shake my head.
"We are absolutely not making it harder for Heather. We already have the home field advantage." Fishlegs snaps.
"Woah, cool it, Fishface." Snotlout retorts and I glance at Fishlegs and his protective nature. Maybe he had decided within himself to try recommitting to Heather, he was certainly protective enough of her, just like on the Edge. The thought made me smile, and made me think of Hiccup once again.
The people of the Hymir tribe were certainly an odd collection, somewhere between Berserkers and us. The Chiefess showed us to their table while their entertainment had returned. It was a collection of Vikings performing all sorts of acrobatics while wielding weapons. One limber viking woman was up forty feet with a pair of swords, using them to swing between trees and land on another Viking's shoulders while juggling the swords. Another used a large rope to swing down and lift the woman up into the air while the one she had been standing on catches and continues juggling the swords. She gets thrown dozens of feet above before plummeting down into another vine and swinging to a roll.
"Quite the entertainment." Eret comments as I glance to our hostess.
"Yes, our aerialists are most skilled. These are also some of our finest warriors, we have turned fighting into an artform." She adds, not taking her eyes off the performance.
"You never gave us your name, Chiefess." I state as she turns to look at me.
"Kari Solveig. This is Jary Halvar, my second and uncle." She states as I turn to nod at the one who had been gazing distastefully at both of us since we arrived.
"So, Chiefess Solveig, would you be willing to join our summit. As I said, we wish to rid the Archipelago of the Dragon Trappers that plague it. They have befouled it for too long, and we fear it is only a matter of time before they turn their attention to our shores, and yours. United, we would be able to aid each other and show them they are not welcome." I restate as she drinks a cup of tea.
"And how do you know they are not our allies." Jary asks in a low growl as my stomach drops. I honestly didn't know that, and while I had thought about that possibility, we were far to much in a weak position to react if that was the case. Even with Toothless and Skullcrusher so near, they'd be cut down before we could escape. I stumble on my words as Eret speaks up.
"Because you have not told us such; if they are, then so be it. Let us leave in peace now, and later we will be enemies. Challenge us, take us, or kill us while we are on a mission of peace would only serve to bring the full force of Berk and our Allies down upon you. Your aerialists wouldn't matter, none of this posturing would matter." Eret says rather coldly as he is clearly unamused by Jary's implication as Kira simply laughs and shakes her head.
"Forgive Jary, he is a bit of a pessimist. Helps keep me grounded. We are no friend of the Trappers, but we are no friends of anyone, truly, save our trading partners. We've yet to align with any outside clan officially, though we have hosted the Berserkers when they were led by Oswald the Antagonistic." She explains, glancing at me as I shift.
"Then it comes back to my question." I restate.
"I would not be opposed to a union between our tribes, so far, I have liked what I have seen from your tribe. You both have shown to be polite yet steadfast." She states and I nod, glancing back to Eret who seems to narrow his eyes.
"Then?" I ask and she nods.
"Walk with me. Jary, would you show Eret our training area; he would be most interested, I think and could better inform his Chief as to our ways." She says as Eret glances at me. His eyes mimic mine, a sense of brief worry in that they are trying to separate us. I didn't particularly feel uneasy here, so I nodded and Eret sighed and nodded, leaving with Jary as Kira lead me on a walk.
We walked the outskirts of their tribe and she showed me various areas, like the trading docks and where they harbored, they few but very fit vessels. They also head scaffolding in the trees, dozens of feet above the ground and she showed me up there, walking above the village until her demeanor changed and threw me off completely.
"Tell me, Chief Haddock, would you be amenable to marriage? It would be a prime way to unify our peoples. Especially if you and I were to wed." She asks rather bluntly, and I cough, shaking my head and nearly tripping.
"Uh, ah, no. I am betrothed to one I love and would not even think to ever leave her. I am sure there are others who would, perhaps Eret. Not to speak for him, but he is able and single." I explain, shakily as I had stopped walking.
"He is not who I would seek. What your betrothed doesn't know won't hurt them, no? It's just us up here." She adds, stepping closer and I step back, turning.
"I'm sorry; no. If this is how it must be, then I will rescind my offer and we will move on." I state, confidently, turning my back fully to her and beginning to walk away. I was not about to deal with such people; Astrid meant more to me than some tribe of acrobats. I was surprised when I heard her laugh.
"Relax, Chief. Call that a test; many vikings forgo their senses when offered such things. You passed. I'd be honored to call you an ally." She states and I glance back with narrowed eyes.
"Really." I state, not hiding my irritation.
"Yes. Sorry if that was blunter than you are accustomed too, but it is how I judge character. Look up." She states and I glance up to see several of her aerialists looking down upon us with arrows drawn. "They were ready to detain you had you attempted to take me. It's happened before, I've found it effective at weeding out those who are honorable and those who are not. I am in no danger, after all. We stopped a dangerous trader by doing it this way; apparently, he had traveled to other villages and attempted rather untold things." She states as my unease returns. She really was just testing me, that was annoying, and not something I was eager to tell Astrid about.
"Do me a favor, and never do that again." I state simply as she nods.
"Understood, chief. Jary and I will be at your summit, and hopefully you are not too offput by my test." She states and I shrug.
"While I understand your reasoning, I do not appreciate your methods. Let's not speak of it again." I state and she nods.
"Stay the night, we have comfortable areas you, Eret and your dragons can stay. You can leave in the morning with no contest; but it is nightfall. Better to rest." She states and I nod.
"Fine." I answer and I can tell she is now uncomfortable by my relative annoyance at her test. It honestly made me angry, we had customs, traditions and while Astrid and I broke our share, that was one we dare not tread. I would no sooner leave nor betray her than I would kill Toothless by my own hands.
The rest of the night went off rather smoothly after that uncomfortable interaction, Eret told me of the training area and I told him about what happened. He was equally displeased with their methods but seemed genuinely happy with me and my reactions. I thought I was maybe more irritated than I should be but Eret helped me justify my annoyance.
The next morning rolled around and we took off without another word, flying off into the distance. I was still annoyed, even that morning, and knew that when I told Astrid, she would be equally perturbed by their leader. I can only hope that she doesn't react rashly at the summit when she meets her.
This event made me just miss her more and want her in my arms more. It was barely the second day and I already felt like it had been a week. I know it was pathetic to think about, but all I wanted was to drop what I was doing and return home to her, to hold her. I absolutely hated being away from her like this, even if it was for a good cause.
Hours passed and there was a storm on the Horizon as we flew norward, our next stop being the Defenders of the Wing Island, then the Mongrel Tribe, then finally Wingmaiden Island. I was going to try to make it to the Edge today from this far South, but it was looking like that wouldn't be possible. The rain was just starting to fall on us as Eret's sudden shout caught me off guard.
"HICCUP! LOOK OUT!" I hear him shout as I glance down and hear Toothless roar as a net captures us both and drops us down below. I hear a crack of lightning before both Toothless and I hit the water, falling deep under the weight of the heavy metal net. It had a chain and was dragging us under the water towards the underside of a ship. I can see the silhouettes of half a dozen ships around the one the chain is bringing us too. And that's… that's when I started to lose consciousness.
I felt a quick lash of the chains as I struggle to look up and see Skullcrusher hoisting us up and out of the water. When we surface, I see the lead ship aflame and the wrench that held the chain demolished and wrapped around Skullcrusher's tail as I cough out water. Eret shakes the net and Toothless and I fall free as we hear roaring down below. I glance at Eret who simply smiles.
"Astrid would've killed me if anything happened to you, I'm not about to face that woman's wrath. Let's go nail this sods." Eret remarks and I smile and nod.
"Yes, let's. They're making this personal, almost like they are hunting me specifically." I state and Eret shrugs.
"They hunt the Chief, they get the tribe." He states and I laugh, thinking back to what my father said all those years ago when Krogan nearly took me to Ryker and Viggo.
"No, if they hunt any of us, they get all of us." I clarify as Eret smiles and nods before we both dive together. These trappers were in for a rough morning.
