Author's Note: Happy New Years!


The day seemed to fly by after lunch, quite literally, with the next two dragon races going off. We had won the second match leaving it to a third, tie-breaker match. I think that Heather intentionally threw the second match like Fishlegs did the first, which made me smile to see how similar they were to Hiccup and I. While it reminded me of him, it also helped me seeing it. They've swooned over each other for years, since before Hiccup and I were a thing. Even though Heather made a point to call out how Hiccup and I were together when she first visited the Edge. When she left that time, it reminded me that I'd always have Hiccup, even when my friends had to leave. That was true even now, even with Hiccup hundreds of miles away on some island or flying, I had him. I knew he was mine, and I think subconsciously I knew it then. That was the first time I told Hiccup that I had him and while I don't think either of us understood what our subconsciouses did that day, it laid the groundwork to our relationship.

Like Heather and Fishlegs, it was built on respect, on friendship and communication, on Trust. I never had to worry, never had to fear. With Hiccup, even so far away, my heart, while stretched from the distance was safe. I knew I'd never have to contend with another or argue with anyone for his affection. He made that painlessly obvious, never making advances on anyone and always coming back to me. He was saving himself for when I was ready; I'm sad that it took me being temporarily blinded to open my eyes to what I could have with him. I largely ignored Heather's comments, or the side bars from the others, but having him by my side when my sight was lost made me realize that I never wanted him to leave.

These two were a tad different but relatively the same. Fishlegs had always liked and respected Heather for who she was, her mind and her heart more so than her body. Truly, Heather was arguably one of the more attractive Vikings in the Archipelago and could have nearly anyone she wanted. Yet she was resolved to not have anyone if she couldn't be with Fishlegs for whatever reason. Everyone else just saw a body, and while the physical touch was an important part of any relationship, especially mine with Hiccup, it certainly shouldn't be the basis.

By the end of the second match, I pulled both Heather and Fishlegs aside with a knowing smile as they shifted awkwardly. They totally had thrown each of those races, but the tie breaker couldn't be thrown.

"Alright, I've seen what you two did, now I want you to go all out. The twins, Snotlout, your Berserkers, they grab some points, but the race has largely been around you two." I state with a smile as Fishlegs sighs and Heather shifts her eyes.

"But I don't want to compete with Heather, Astrid." Fishlegs admits as Heather nods.

"I understand but think of it like this. Whomever loses must go to the other's island for a whole week with the victor. So, if our team wins, Fishlegs, Heather must stay here for a whole week. Heather, if you win, Fishlegs has to go with you to Berserker Island for a whole week." I offer as I see their eyes dart to each other.

"That's so not fair, Astrid." Heather says with a grin as I shrug.

"Yeah, I'm the not fair one in our hierarchy. So that's the deal. Either way, after the race, the loser goes with the winner for a week. And Fishlegs, do you really want to spend a week with Dagur?" I ask as his eyes widen, and he shakes his head as Heather moves to speak up and I quickly click my tongue and she smiles and shakes her head. We both knew Dagur would be at the Defenders Island for the week if not longer with Mala, but Fishlegs didn't. It'd make the contest even more interesting. They both agreed to my terms and returned to their respective teams as I reclaimed my spot on the stands. My eyes trail to Hiccup's empty chair and I frown slightly, sighing as the teams take positions. Closing my eyes, taking a deep breath and nodding slightly, I smile and glance to Stormfly. "Stormfly, Spine Shot." I say and she lobs a spine at the bell and the race kicks off again.

This race was certainly different. There was a newly refreshed vigor in the way Fishlegs and Heather both raced that seemed to dwarf the other riders. Snotlout and the twins each scored their fair share of points to be fair, the twins scored most as Snotlout kept giving his sheep to Ruffnut even though they were on the same team. Ruffnut was also visibly irritated that Fishlegs seemed to ignore her entirely, which makes some sense since they were technically, not really married for a day. Gods, that story was a funny one. It amazes me Fishlegs even thought he'd want to go through that with her again, over Heather, muttonhead.

The race wasn't predictable and was much closer than I thought it'd be. Meatlug was zipping faster than I've seen a Gronkle fly, making sharp turns and drops that a larger dragon like Windshear couldn't hope to match; though her speed well made up for it. As usual, it came down to the Black Sheep, the tie breaker. Heather's team was ahead by two points but Fishlegs had surprisingly good luck with the Black Sheep. Turns out, his luck would run out on this race as he dives towards the Black Sheep and Heather swoops in underneath him and steals it. The last bit is him trying desperately to take it back but the speed of the Razorwhip was almost akin to a Nightfury, and soon thereafter, Heather scored and took home the game. When she landed, she glanced up at me and winked a knowing smile as I grinned and nodded.

"Today's winner is the Berserkers!" I shout out as there is a uproar in the stands. No one really cared, it was all in good fun and it was awesome to watch.

"What were you doing out there, Fishface?" Snotlout demands.

"Uh, yeah, like where were you. I only had Snotlout following me around." Ruffnut complains as I laugh silently to myself.

"Well, Heather was the more important one to focus on and she was better than I was." Fishlegs admits as they all groan. Heather walks up, placing a hand on his shoulder and shrugging.

"That's not how I'd put it. Good race, you guys. We'll have to do it again. We're going back to Berserker Island tonight." Heather states, glancing back to me and nodding as I smile and nod.

"It was great seeing you, you guys should come back in a week and we can do the race again. With luck, Hiccup will be back." I add, the influx in my voice only noticeable to those like Heather as she reaches her hand out and embraces me in a hug.

"I'm sure he won't be gone any longer than he needs to be. And I'd love to come back, maybe rotate my riders to give them a chance of competitive racing. It's a good training regime." Heather admits and I nod.

"That's partially how we've used the races. Alright, we'll see you then. Snotlout, can you and the twins track down Gustov and round up the Aux riders back here?" I ask as the twins grin while Snotlout groans.

"Why can't Fishface go with them?" Snotlout asks as I furrow my brow.

"He'll be busy, now go." I state curtly and he sighs and nods, the twins and he then hoping on their dragons and taking off as I turn to Fishlegs and Heather. "Alright, don't get into too much trouble you two." I state with a sly smile.

"You got it." Fishlegs says, "No promises." Heather adds, almost at the same time as they both laugh, and I roll my eyes with a smile.

"So, you two better take off before those guys come back. I'll cover for your absence, Fishlegs" I say with a smile.

"Thanks, Astrid!" Fishlegs says, hugging me in his bear hug that can almost crack ribs. For his gentle nature, Fishlegs was stronger than people gave him credit for.

"Make sure you Terror Mail us when Hiccup gets back." Heather adds as I nod.

"It'll be one of the first things I do." I answer softly as I close my eyes briefly and sigh. For that moment, I forgot where I was and all I could think about was holding Hiccup. I can't believe how I am feeling, like a literal weakness. I don't feel physically weaker, but it feels like a weakness. I was a warrior, nothing could test me… well, was I? The Flightmare, Alvin and Dagur, Ryker. They had all found my weak points, my overconfidence or my caring. Attacking my home, capturing me, even then, I never felt this type of helplessness. It's not something I like feeling; like if something happened now, I'd never know.

"Astrid, are you okay?" Heather's voice rings through my ears. I break from my unhealthy thoughts; they weren't something I needed to focus on. I needed to focus on the here and now, the keeping everything safe for his return.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. Go." I say softly as Heather and Fishlegs glance at each other and Heather places her hand on my shoulder.

"You know, I just remembered, I need to stay here for a while. I'll send my riders back tonight." Heather says suddenly as I shake my head.

"What, why?" I ask and she shakes her head and smiles, looking me in the eyes and raising her eyebrow.

"You said the loser had to follow the winner for a week. Well, turns out the winner needs to stay here." She restates and I shake my head and smile.

"No talking you out of it, huh?" I mutter and she shakes her head.

"Nope. I think I might be needed here more than Berserker Island. Remember, I know what it's like to be alone, and I'm not leaving you alone." She says softly and I shake my head, looking away.

"Neither of us will. You're our friend too." Fishlegs adds as the other Riders fly back in with Snotlout and the twins leading them in.

"Alright, Chiefess. Your riders await." Heather says and tugs me along with her as we walk together to the Academy where they landed. The Gods had blessed me with a beautiful home, an amazing dragon, an irreplaceable lover and stalwart friends. I couldn't ask for anything more. This next week would go by faster than I could've hoped with Heather staying as personal support that I didn't know I needed.


My time with Audun was a bit enlightening. It was different to hear stories about my dad from people other than Alvin or the folks around the village. That's all Audun would talk about. Stoick was one of the few who would drink with him, fight with him, laugh with him. When Stoick came with a gift every year, Audun had one prepped for him as well. Apparently, they had something of a friendship not unlike how he and Gobber were. Of course, Gobber was his right hand around the island much like he is whenever Astrid and I are both gone. I wish Astrid could be here, could hear these stories with me.

I'll be honest, it was tough, I had to keep a cool head while he told me these stories and not let the child in me out. The part of me that wanted to mourn over my lost father; I had to celebrate him like Audun was doing. We were sharing mead and sitting around the fire pit. Audun had long ago agreed to the summit, with glee. He was glad to see me taking after my father and trying to tackle the problems of the Archipelago before they became too much to handle. Like Eret suggested, he was a lot of bark and little to no bite; he was like a Gronkle who pretended to be a Nightmare.

My mind drifted amid the stories and I glanced around the fires at those Vikings laughing besides me, Eret among them but one voice was noticeably absent from my mind, Astrid's. A laugh I had grown so accustomed too, one that made me smile, one that was missing even now. I understand the idea of being able to do things without your loved ones, being able to make memories without them and sharing those memories with them but that wasn't this. And after the close call with the Trappers, it was just more noticeable how I was feeling. I knew what I was doing was important, for the good of the clan, but it was a trial for me, Eret noticed it at the end of the night.

"Chief, we're almost done." He says confidently. "Three more stops. Two of them are merely formalities as I recall." Eret adds.

"Yeah, formalities. We still don't know much about the Mongrel Tribe beyond what we learned from them when they entered our waters, warriors through and through. Hopefully, that means they are quick to judge the trappers as enemies and us as allies." I say softly as the night was winding down.

"Not what I meant, Chief. Look, we've befriended them all, so far. The Mongrel Tribe will be no different. Then, we make haste for Berk. Honestly, we can skip the Edge on this trip if you want. No need to draw it out, we can visit it later as a group." Eret adds and I nod softly. He knew, of course he did, Eret was far more perceptive than he led others on. He had strength, skill and cunning; he was a great friend to have. Someone I wish I would've befriended years ago, for he might've made a significant difference in the war against Viggo or Johann and Krogan.

"A group trip to the Edge could do good for everyone I think." I say, still skirting the topic as Eret shakes his head.

"For the love of Thor, Hiccup, I know things like this aren't often spoken between men, and I don't know why. But if you don't think I haven't noticed your demeanor, your wrong. You miss Astrid, and rightly so. Did I ever tell you when she captured me and demanded I take her to Drago because that's where she thought you were? You were the only thing on her mind. I know it's weird hearing this from a man, but it shouldn't be. Expressing or sharing emotions is not a weakness; letting them control you is." Eret says in a soft but stern voice, like he was an older brother talking to a younger one; or that's maybe how I wanted to view it. My only experience with siblings was Viggo and Ryker and the Twins. Not a great comparison in either respect.

"You're not wrong." I admit. "This has challenged me in ways I didn't expect. We've been apart before, for a day here or there. Not with so much on the line. An enemy at sea, half a dozen tribes coming together for Solstice to meet, to unite. We have to handle them before they organize completely." I say, still not really touching the topic he mentioned. It was a subtle taboo for men to speak of their emotions to other men. I can't really explain why or justify it. We were growing as a culture; we shouldn't be afraid to express that side of ourselves. Either way, Eret knew he wouldn't get much more out of me that night and we resigned to sleep there.

The next morning, we opted to head straight for the Mongrel Tribe, the one that was the wild card. Get them out of the way and then invite the others formally. The trip from the Shivering Shores to the Mongrel Tribe was over half the day, and we arrived in midafternoon. The Mongrel Tribe had almost as many ships outfitted for battle as Berk and the Berserkers did combined. With them, our fleets would match, and possibly surpass the Trappers.

Nikora Stormheart of the Mongrel Tribe was one we had encountered before, and she had reclaimed an Island we dubbed Auction Island, where Viggo held his Dragon Auctions; the one that we crashed anyways. She and her sister, Eir, were cold hearted and ruthless. They weren't together originally but they seem to have mended their differences. They had tried to take advantage of dragons and others in recent years after Drago killed their parents. We have had no contact with them since they left our waters of the Archipelago and returned to the Great Beyond. They weren't hunters, but they were not good people. They had hearts of warriors and minds of hunters; it made for a dangerous combination. Johann had tricked us, like always, to attack them and they retaliated. This was before we knew hew as in league with Krogan, and after that brief adventure, they reclaimed Auction Island and holed up. We could only hope that they weren't aligned with the Trappers, and the warlords. We landed on the docks as usual, and found ourselves again, surrounded with both Nikora and Eri close in tow.

"The rumors of the Nightfury were true. You've some nerve, Hiccup, coming here. Are you forfeiting your life?" Nikora snarls and I sigh. Obviously, she had not yet forgiven or forgotten our past while we were at the Edge. I saw Eret tense up and I shook my head, raising my hand and patting Toothless with the other.

"Nikora, have you been watching these waters? The trappers that infest them?" I ask sternly as she narrows her eyes and purses her lips. That was answer enough. "They are the remnants of Drago Bludvist's army. Both he and Krogan are dead. Now, Three Warlords have taken command and are spreading through the archipelago like a plague. Align with us. I am setting up a summit of Chieftains a week after the beginning of the Winter Solstice. Join us." I ask as she scowls.

"What exactly are you purposing?" Nikora growls.

"I am the Chief of the Hooligan Tribe, my father fell, to Drago. I saw Drago's life ended thereafter." I state and for the briefest of moments, I see Nikora and Eri's face both soften. They had lost their parents to that madman, and now we had common ground even if it was through shared pain. "The Chiefs of the Berserkers, The Outcasts, the Hysterics and Hymir, the Defenders of the Wing and Wingmaidens have all been invited to join us at a Summit of Chiefs, unlike any held since Drago attacked the last summit. Here, we will unite and purge them from our waters, hopefully forming a truce between our peoples in the process." I state.

"Any enemy of Drago and his kind are friends of mine, though you are no friend, you attacked us first." Nikora states. "After we offered you peace."

"Johann had manipulated all of us; and you were dealing in dragons. We couldn't allow that. That makes you as bad as Drago." I state.

"Easy, Chief." Eret says softly as Nikora steps forward and levels a staff towards me.

"Watch your mouth. Nightfury or not, compare me to that murderer again and I'll feed you and your dragon to Scauldron." Nikora states.

"How did Krogan die." Eri says curtly as I glance to her and sigh.

"He was my prisoner and escaped; it was him or me and I killed him." I explain, omitting the graphic details. Eri seemingly widens her eyes and glances to Nikora.

"Maybe we had you figured wrong. We don't deal in dragons anymore. You've made that trade challenging. Those who oppose such are stronger, bolder. We've changed our methods and leave dragons be." Nikora explains.

"Then we can be allies." I state and she glances to her sister.

"Possibly. But don't count on it. You're just lucky I hate Drago more than I hate you." Nikora growls as I shrug.

"I'll take what victories I can. So, can we expect you at the Summit?" I ask and she returns to gaze to her sister and nods.

"Fine." She answers curtly as I then explain where the summit will be and when to arrive. She nods and then orders us to leave. We obviously wouldn't be staying on the island this night and we didn't have enough time to rest. We'd have to make a pit stop on the Edge anyways, as a central area in the Great Beyond, it only made sense. We never tore it down, so it should still be standing.

Leading Eret to the Edge, it was near dark when we arrived, and I could see the dark silhouettes of the buildings we had spent years on building. It was exactly as I remembered it, barren with nothing more than wooden furniture but that was enough. The stables still stood; the twins house was partially destroyed but I think that was from them when we left. Astrid's and my hut were fine. It was like I was back in my teenage years again and it just made me want to see Astrid even more. Eret did his part to take my mind off of it, complimenting what he could see, reminding me I wasn't alone, and he was there. Almost done, two more stops. I'd be home in a couple days, maybe three or four at most. And all I could think of was holding her in my arms and forgetting anything else about that day. It helped keep me warm even amid the cold, freezing wind on the Edge.