AN: Hello friends! I think this is gonna be another hype one... Anyways, I'm glad last chapter was apparently more enjoyable than I thought it was gonna be! Hope this one is even better for you guys! Best wishes to all of you! :)
Music: "Romantic Flight" from How to train your Dragon soundtrack
NOTES: "Maybe this is Wishful Thinking, probably Mindless Dreaming."
Chapter 15: Castle on the Hill
"So," Stoick rumbled in his deep baritone. His arms were crossed over his chest and the light from the fire sent mysterious shadows across his frowning face. His chin was high as he looked down at his opponent. "You think you can outsmart me, huh? You think you can stop the wrath of the mighty Gronkle?"
His serious tone took a playful edge as he lifted the Gronkle figure in his hand and placed it down on the board across from his opponents Chief figure.
"HAHAHAHAHAha!" Stoick bellowed, almost cackling, as Hiccup stared up at him. Stoick placed both hands on the edge of the board and beamed at him with twinkling eyes. "Your move!"
Hiccup grinned and leaned forward, nearly falling out of his chair as he moved his Chief to the Gronkle. "Ha! I got your Gronkle, Daddy!" He lifted the piece triumphantly to show his dad, who sat quietly with his fingers laced together. Hiccup swung the Gronkle around to make it fly. "Rawrrrrr!"
"Ahhhh, ah, ah, ah!" Stoick tutted, raising one finger before he lifted another piece. He moved his Nadder to Hiccup's Chief. "But you left your leader exposed! So my Nadder gets your Chief." He gently tapped the Chief piece, knocking it over. "Rawr."
"But," Hiccup pouted as Stoick took the piece from the board. "But I love my Chief." Hiccup looked down at the Gronkle in his lap, and then held it out and dropped it onto the floor in sour defeat.
Stoick's gaze softened, watching the little boy sniffle over his lost Chief, and he chuckled.
"Aww, that's alright. You can have it back, son." Stoick smiled, holding the piece out to him in his palm. Hiccup peeked up at him, then down at the piece, and then he grinned as he reached out to grab it, but Stoick quickly closed his fist and raised his pointer finger again. Hiccup pouted again, but looked up at his father as he spoke. "But remember! Always use the mind," Stoick said, poking Hiccup's temple gently. "Before the sword."
He held up the Chief as he finished, and Hiccup took the little game piece with a new sort of reverance. Stoick smiled again and ruffled Hiccup's hair...
The teens from Berk had definitely surprised Hiccup during the few days they'd been traveling together. Over the course of three days, each of his old peers had actually shown progress in learning to bond with their dragons. Of course, Hiccup was trying to help them along everywhere he could, but they seemed to be learning just as much on their own. It was a surprise that, after he explained Gronkles only ate rocks, Fishlegs started giving different stones to Meatlug to eat and taking notes on which ones she liked best. It was a shock to see Ruff and Tuff wake up Barf-Belch one morning by giving them a belly rub, and how Snotlout had apparently grown comfortable enough with Hookfang to wrestle together. It was almost unbelievable when he saw Astrid cautiously reach out and give Stormfly a gentle rub on her snout.
But what was most startling of all, was how much he found himself enjoying it.
Somewhere between the long conversations about different types of dragons with Fishlegs, and the twins trying to sneak up behind him or prank him, Hiccup found himself actually enjoying their company. He worried sometimes that maybe he was sharing just a little too much, or playing along with games just a little too easily. A voice in the back of his head kept whispering caution.
"Five thousand pounds of flaming muscle coming through!" Snotlout's shouting snapped Hiccup from his thoughts, and he looked over his shoulder just in time to see Hookfang shoot passed him, fully flamed up and with Snotlout cheering on his back.
Ruff and Tuff were right on their tails with Barf and Belch, cackling excitedly at whatever game they had just tricked Snotlout into. The humans and their dragons were giving off feelings of Play and Fun, and Hiccup smiled at the warmth it brought. He watched on as Hookfang performed loops and swirls while Barf-Belch weaved around clouds and dived after the other.
"What are they doing now?" Astrid wanted to know, peering over Stormfly's head to try and see where they were tumbling through the clouds.
"I think it's a game of chase." Fishlegs leaned over slightly as the two dragons flew beneath them before straightening quickly when Meatlug started drifting to that side.
"NO TAG BACKS!" Tuffnut's shout came from somewhere behind them, and Hiccup and Toothless shared a look before chuckling together. The twins flew back to the group and rejoined them, winded and wide-eyed.
"Flying on a dragon is so cool!" Ruffnut cried for probably the seventh time in the past few days, lifting her arms above her head before falling back on Barf's neck.
"You know it!" Tuffnut grinned in agreement, and then he turned a sly look towards Hiccup and leaned over closer, his elbow rested on Belch's horn. "I think we're getting pretty good at this, don't you think Cat? You better be careful or we just might steal that awesome Dragon Rider title from you."
"Oh, really?" Hiccup raised one eyebrow behind his helmet, feeling the stretch of his mouth pulling into a grin.
"Totally." Ruffnut drawled as she pulled herself back up, and Hiccup didn't miss the challenge in her eye.
"Hm. Well, bud, I think these guys need a little demonstration." Hiccup patted Toothless's side as his heart started pounding a little faster. Toothless warbled eagerly and, despite himself, Hiccup clicked Toothless's tail into place and unlatched his safety harness. Then he let himself fall sideways out of his saddle.
"What the hell?!" Hiccup could hear Tuffnut screaming along with the others as he dove towards the ocean below. Toothless swooped up next to him, and Hiccup snapped his head forward to meet his dragon's eyes. Toothless grinned, his tongue flopping in the wind, and then they straightened again, Hiccup angling himself to be alined with Toothless as the fell through the sky. Hiccup reached down, wrapping the leather loops on his legs around his wrists. With a mental nod, Toothless and Hiccup snapped open at the same time.
"Whoa!" Hiccup whooped as the air caught under his makeshift wings and allowed him to glide along the clouds. He could feel Toothless following close behind and looked back at his Twin-Flame excitedly. Toothless lifted one ear and tilted his head a bit, giving Hiccup a strange, far-off kind of look.
"Woohoo!" Hiccup crowed as he turned forward again. When he started losing his momentum, Toothless shot a plasma blast out in front of him, the hot air pushing him up and keeping him going.
"This is amazing!" Hiccup called back to his dragon after the third plasma blast faded and they drifted towards a cloud. Suddenly a looming shadow appeared through the haze, and Hiccup wobbled a little with the initial panic. "No longer amazing! Toothless!"
"Hold on!" Toothless screeched, fighting against a loss in altitude with his locked up tail. Seeing Hiccup heading straight for the seastack, Toothless shot another plasma blast into the rock just before he managed to catch his boy. Toothless pulled Hiccup close, wrapping his wings around them both, as they crashed through smoke and falling rocks.
Some trees caught them and slowed their fall just before they hit the ground and rolled to the bottom of a small hill. They landed with a hard bump and Toothless slumped against the ground before slowly opening his wing for Hiccup to roll out and onto his back.
"We really need to work on the ending part." Hiccup groaned.
"Maybe we need to work on keeping you in the saddle." Toothless grumbled.
"Maybe we need to work on you actually wearing your solo-flying tail." Hiccup shot back with a pointed look. Toothless whacked him with his tail. "Ow!"
The pair scrambled to their feet and shook themselves off. Hiccup was tucking his gliding suit back into place as the rest of the pack broke through the clouds and circled around before landing near them.
"That was so cool!" Tuffnut was shouting, and Fishlegs was squealing eagerly as he hopped down from his saddle.
"What happened? We lost track of you when you went into the cloud." Astrid told him.
"Nothing!" Hiccup responded possibly a little too quickly and then, almost as if on cue, the seastack behind him and Toothless gave a loud groan and rumble. The pair turned and winced as the pillar collapsed under it's own weight. Hiccup looked back at the vikings, and pressed on. "Yeah! Look how low the sun is getting! We should start looking for a place to camp! Toothless and I decided to set down as soon as we saw this place!"
Toothless snorted.
"Yeah, alright. Good idea." Astrid nodded, seemingly not picking up on anything, and the others were all too happy to hop down from their dragons and start looking for potential camp grounds.
Hiccup turned his back to them, rubbing the back of his neck as he blew out a breath of relief.
Something about him was weird.
Well, no, a lot of things about him were weird, but Snotlout was certain there was something beyond the obvious. Watching Cat wince as that seastack crumbled brought up very familiar feelings, but no one else seemed to notice it. No one seemed to note how stiff the Dragon Rider was upon their arrival, his nervous babbling, or the way he seemed to huff in relief when the others turned their backs.
But, then again, maybe Snotlout was just imagining it all. Cat had been nothing but nice to them, and the dragons were cool too. Snotlout couldn't deny he was quickly growing fond of the Monstrous Nightmare who had a personality as big as his own. But there was still something... Off.
"It's probably just the eyes. Yeah. That's it. The creepy, green, and maybe just a little familiar eyes." Snotlout thought to himself as he trekked along towards the back of the group. He lifted his gaze from the ground to Cat, who was currently being bombarded with requests from the twins that he show them how to use his flight suit.
He shook his head and dropped his eyes again. None of it mattered anyway. As soon as they got back to the Allied Kingdoms, Cat and his dragons would disappear again. And that was probably what was best for all of them... Right?
Snotlout was pulled out of his thoughts when they came to a clearing at the edge of the island, overlooking the ocean. Plenty of space to camp, and the dragons would have the room to take off straight from camp in the morning. Astrid made the call to set up camp, and no one argued. It didn't take much time to sort out their campsite as they didn't have any gear. They mostly just had to set up a fire and try to find something to eat. Both were made surprisingly easy with dragons involved. Food came in the form of fish when all the dragons except the Gronkle took off over the ocean and started diving down into the water, apparently once they'd had their fill, they brought back some fish for them. Cat watched that with a slight tilt in his head, Snotlout noted. Then the fire had taken all of two seconds when they'd stacked the kindling and wood.
They were all sitting around the fire, roasting their fish on sticks, when a small screech brought their attention upward.
A green Terrible Terror dropped from the sky and then scurried across the dirt to Cat. It crawled into his lap and up to his shoulder, lifting it's chin as Cat reached up to give it some scratches. Snotlout stopped just before biting into his hot fish, staring at the little green creature.
"Sharpshot! Wasn't expecting you. Got a note for me?" Cat greeted the little dragon pleasantly.
"This one belongs to you too?" Astrid quirked an eyebrow, her tone laced with amusement, but Snotlout was fixated on the answer.
"He's part of the pack." Cat replied. "He's been around just as long as the rest of us. He's small and can travel long distances, so he acts as our messenger."
As he explained, Cat reached to the little harness on the Terrible Terror's back and opened it to reveal a small roll of parchment. Relieved of his package, the terror purred and slid down to Cat's lap, curling up and making himself comfortable. Cat absently stroked the Terror's back as he read the note sent to him from... Whoever.
But Snotlout's brain was stuck on 'just as long as the rest of us'.
"What's the note about?" Astrid inclined her head questioningly.
"Just a reply to my message." Cat offered it to her, and as Astrid slowly took it and opened it, Snotlout lunged forward with all of the others to look over her shoulder. The only thing written on the note was "All is well. Be safe."
"Believe it or not, I do have friends." Cat told them dryly, crossing his arms over his chest and looking at them pointedly.
"Fair enough." Astrid agreed, handing the note back to him. The twins whistled as they eased back to where they'd been sitting, and Fishlegs giggled nervously. Snotlout just shrugged. "So who's telling you not to get yourself killed?" Astrid continued.
"Curious if I have a lover?" Cat was teasing, and his eyes glittered with mischief through his helmet.
"No." Astrid said at the same time Ruffnut said, "Yes."
Cat just chuckled, but didn't answer the original question.
Snotlout lost track of the conversation at that point. He glanced just to his right where Hookfang was dozing right next to him, and then to the left where Meatlug was laying calmly on the other side of Fishlegs. His eyes went further to Barf-Belch, then over to the new Terrible Terror, and finally to Stormfly. He stared.
A Gronkle, a Zippleback, a Terrible Terror, a Deadly Nadder, and a Monstrous Nightmare. All the right colors. But it just had to be a coincidence... Right?!
"...when we get back to Hogwarts!" Fishlegs excited chatter cut through Snotlout's thoughts, and he snapped back into the conversation just in time to notice Cat give a very small flinch at the mention of Hogwarts.
"Uhh..." Cat trailed off, shifting awkwardly. As if he really wanted to move, but also didn't want to disturb the Terror in his lap.
"Fishlegs." Astrid's voice was quiet, but firm. "I think it'd be best if we... omitted a few things from our report to the Royal Council."
Cat looked at her and stared.
"Oh... Oh." Fishlegs was surprised by her suggestion first, but then his tone lowered in realization. The mood seemed to dampen at that, to the point where Tuffnut frowned and Ruffnut slumped as her hand drifted up to pat Belch's head.
Snotlout decided to try a different approach. "So!" He started, arms spread wide. No reason he couldn't lift the mood a bit at the same time. "You ever been to Hogwarts, Cat? You know; big magical castle full of wizards and witches?"
Cat froze. He didn't look at any of them, keeping his eyes on the ground for a moment, but when he finally did look up there wasn't any trace of his hesitation. "The Allied Kingdoms isn't a great place for someone like me, let alone one of their most treasured meeting grounds."
"Yeah, but have you ever been there? Ever see it for yourself? Ever been inside?" Snotlout questioned as conversationally as possible.
"...No." Cat said wryly, and then heaved a little as he got to his feet. "Don't you worry. Cat the Dragon Rider has never been to Hogwarts." He gave a small, mock bow to them and then stretched casually as Toothless yawned behind him.
"We should all be getting some rest." Fishlegs pointed out, setting aside his stick now that he'd finished his fish.
"Right. We've still got a long way to go." Astrid nodded.
"I'll take first watch." Cat told them with a small wave over his shoulder as he walked to the nearby cliff that overlooked the ocean.
Everyone shifted around to find comfortable sleeping spots, drawing closer to their dragons. Another factor in their growing trust with the dragons was the warmth they offered at night. Despite the snow all around them, Snotlout didn't fear freezing or losing toes because Hookfang would curl around him and protect him from the cold.
Tonight, however, as Snotlout laid his head down, he couldn't sleep. His mind was spinning and replaying everything Cat had said and done since they'd met. He didn't know how to explain it, but he knew. He knew with a certainty he'd only felt a few times in his life.
"Cat the Dragon Rider has never been to Hogwarts." Cat's voice echoed most prominently in his mind. Maybe Snotlout wasn't the smartest of his generation, maybe he was just overthinking things and he was totally wrong about all of this... But the way Cat chose to word his response was not lost on him.
"Maybe not Cat." Snotlout thought. "But Hiccup definitely has."
Hiccup sighed, his legs dangling over the edge of the cliff as he looked up at the half-moon hanging in the night sky. A painting of dark blues and purples with thousands of glittering stars was hidden behind big billowy clouds that looked ominous from below where there was no light. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, letting the cool of the night calm the restlessness in his heart.
He was getting distracted. He was taking too many risks. Most of all, he was putting too much hope into this.
As much as he wanted to believe the blossoming friendships between the young Berkians and his dragons was a fantastic sign, there were just too many risks. Especially right now when he had so many responsibilities. He wasn't the only one, either. He was well aware of what was happening at Hogwarts, most of the time, thanks to Emma.
Rapunzel, Merida, and Jack had their own paths to follow. Destinies that Hiccup couldn't be a part of, and he was okay with that, but the hazy memories brought up dangerous feelings. Even more dangerous were the thoughts that followed. Thoughts that made him feel like he'd jumped off of Toothless's back into a free-fall.
He had to get his head on right. As surprisingly pleasant as the past few days had been, he couldn't afford to keep taking risks like this. As soon as they reached the Allied Kingdoms, he would leave, and that would be the end of it.
"You're thinking very loudly." Toothless remarked without lifting his head from Hiccup's lap.
"Currently yelling at myself in my head, so yeah." Hiccup smirked back, and Toothless gave a little rumble of a laugh.
"Perhaps you shouldn't be so hard on yourself." Toothless hummed sleepily, not even bothering to open his eyes, but then he shifted and did end up lifting his head. "You have a visitor." He shot Hiccup a smug look before getting up and lumbering off to the side.
Hiccup looked at him in confusion and then twisted to look over his shoulder. Astrid was walking over to him, and his heart stuttered in his chest.
"Mind if I join you?" Astrid asked quietly so as not to wake the others. She sat down with a respectable distance between them, but chose to keep her legs tucked against her rather than let them hang off the edge.
"Not at all." Hiccup nodded to her. "Can't sleep?"
"Yeah. I've just got a lot on my mind." Astrid admitted. "Plus my dad would always tell me whenever we went camping that I had to stay vigilant at night. That's the most dangerous time to be out in the wild. Got used to sleeping in shifts." She shrugged.
"Still not used to the strange dragon guy who swooped in a few days ago?" Hiccup tilted his head at her with the guess.
"Something like that, yeah." She replied with a smirk.
"I don't take offense." Hiccup told her honestly. "I know that I make people nervous."
Astrid's eyes widened a little bit at that, but then Hiccup looked out at the ocean again. He could feel her still looking at him for a long moment, and then she finally cleared her throat and looked out at the sea with him.
"So..." Astrid began slowly, fidgeting a little. "What are you looking at out there?"
Hiccup chuckled and nodded upward. "Night sky. I find it calming."
"Really?" Astrid asked, looking at him and then furrowing her brow up at the sky. "But there's so many clouds tonight, it just looks dark... I guess I can kinda see the moon, but if I'm being honest the light from it just makes the clouds look more creepy."
"I suppose the clouds are getting a little thick, but trust me, they're just as fluffy and inviting as they are during the day." Hiccup told her, his cheeks starting to hurt a bit from smiling. "It's a matter of perspective."
"Are you sure about that?" Her tone was dry and her eyes were skeptical.
"Here," Hiccup said, hopping to his feet and motioning Toothless over when his dragon looked over. "You up for a ride?"
"Oh, no. I don't think so." Astrid shook her head after standing. She planted one fist on her hip, leaning onto that side as she regarded him with both humor and caution. "You want me to go flying with you? Not gonna happen."
"What's the matter? Scared?" He challenged as he swung into the saddle.
"No!" She crossed her arms defensively, and then froze when she realized he'd riled her. She dropped her arms and threw him a scowl.
"Please, Astrid." He said softly, holding his hand out to her as she calmed a little. "Let me show you."
The tension seemed to come from nowhere, but Hiccup was holding his breath as he watched Astrid's eyes flick through several emotions before eventually landing on the familiar determination that Hiccup associated with her. She reached out and took his hand. He pulled her up and waited for her to settle in behind him on the saddle. There was some awkward hesitation before her hands landed on his shoulders, and then Hiccup leaned down and patted Toothless's shoulder.
"Hold on!" Hiccup called back to her as Toothless jumped off the edge of the cliff. Astrid yelped and hunched closer to his back as they allowed themselves to fall for a few moments, and then Toothless snapped open his wings and shot up, climbing upward with powerful down-strokes.
They'd stayed fairly low with the young vikings the past few days to allow them to get used to thinner air and the feel of flying in general, so Hiccup knew shooting up above the cloud bank might be a bit startling for her. As they entered one of those big, ominous-looking clouds, Astrid's fingers dug into his shoulders even through his armor. The wind was getting sharper the higher they went, and Toothless's movements were a bit jerking, having to carry two people up so high. Astrid didn't seem satisfied with the wobbly hold because she gave up and wrapped her arms around his middle suddenly, and Hiccup stiffened at the contact, having to remind himself to breathe and relax.
When they finally broke through the fog, Toothless quickly leveled out and glided along the tops of the clouds making gentle tilts and turns. Hiccup glanced over his shoulder as best he could to see Astrid was only just beginning to open her eyes and loosen her grip.
He couldn't fight the smile that came to his face when he heard her gasp.
Up here it was as bright as the day. The moon glowed magnificently above with all of the stars twinkling alongside it. The sky was blue and purple and even a little pink in some places, and the clouds below them were washed in a pale light, making them look bright and soft.
As they flew between two clouds, Toothless arching upwards in a lazy loop, Astrid reached her arms above her head to feel the refreshing coolness of the clouds. While her eyes were closed, Hiccup reached inside himself to tug gently on his magic. He flicked his left hand out in a small gesture as they slowly straightened out of their loop underneath the cloud.
When they came out from under the cloud, Astrid gasped again. He looked back to see her gaping, wide-eyed, at the sight before her. The whole sky was lit up with color; waves of light blazing across the night sky.
"This is amazing." Astrid breathed, still staring at the bright, painted sky before her.
"This is what I wanted to show you." Hiccup told her, looking back at her face. She turned to him and their eyes locked together. "The night isn't as scary as you think. You just have to look up."
Astrid gave him a small smile and he turned forward again. Toothless glided around a little more, but Hiccup knew they couldn't stay much longer. As he and Toothless circled downward, easing themselves back towards the earth, Hiccup pulled back his magic and the colors faded from the sky. He'd probably end up paying for that little stunt in more ways than one later on, but it was worth it to see the awe in Astrid's eyes.
Toothless landed easily next to the river near their camp. Astrid hopped off first and Hiccup followed as Toothless gave him a nudge and then wandered over to get a drink from the river. Hiccup and Astrid stood about a foot apart, and Hiccup didn't have a clue what to say. Astrid seemed to be in the same boat, but proved to be the braver one out of them.
She punched his arm.
"That's for kidnapping me." She said it with such a straight and serious face that Hiccup gaped at her in confusion as he rubbed his arm, but then he saw her eyes were laughing.
He looked back to Toothless for some kind of guidance, but the Night Fury just snort and shook out his head. He turned back and then, before he could process what was happening, Astrid darted forward and kissed where his cheek would have been if he hadn't been wearing his stupid helmet.
"That's for... Everything else." She murmured, pushing a loose lock of hair behind her ear. She turned and started walking back toward camp. She looked back at him once, but he was frozen in place and his tongue was refusing to work at all. She smiled, though, and hurried off towards camp.
Hiccup just stared after her, even after she was gone, processing what exactly had just happened. His heart was fluttering and that really dangerous feeling was back with those really really dangerous thoughts.
Toothless moved in right next to him, also looking at where Astrid had been, and then he turned his head to look at Hiccup.
"Oh, Wh-what are you looking at?" Hiccup demanded hotly, and Toothless warbled as he turned his eyes back to where Astrid had been.
"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all. I just find these human mating rituals amusing. Especially since you seem to be so hopeless at them." Toothless's expression went from totally innocent to smug in the blink of an eye.
Hiccup's jaw dropped open as he tried to form a retort against his companion, but the Night Fury was already lumbering his way up the hill and back towards camp. Hiccup finally huffed and hurried after his twin-flame.
"Thank you for nothing, you useless reptile!" Hiccup snapped.
Toothless laughed.