"We've decided that you, and Hiccup, are the best ones to solemnize our agreement… with a contract of marriage."

Hiccup heard the words, but he didn't quite process them. Marriage?

"You WHAT?" came Camicazi's outraged shout. She whirled on her mother like an angry boar. "You want us to get MARRIED?!"

Hiccup shook himself free of his paralysis. "No no no no Dad, wait! You can't do that!" he pleaded. Stoick's eyes looked a little regretful, but resolved.

"It's what's best for the tribe, son," he said firmly. "A contract of marriage is the strongest there is."

"No, Dad, you don't understand," Hiccup said desperately. He knew a marriage agreement was to be broken only in the halls of Valhalla. There had to be some way to turn this around. "We can't… I can't… I've got…" He swore at himself silently. Camicazi had said it only last night, and she'd been right, hadn't she? If only Hiccup had said something before now, he even hinted to his father that he had feelings for…

The distressed squawk of a Nadder came from off to his right. Hiccup whirled around just in time to see a blue-armored blur race off toward the forest. "Astrid!" he called desperately. He tried to run after her, only to have his way blocked by his father. "No! Dad, I have to-"

"Hiccup, you'll stay here and -"

Hiccup wasn't listening. He tried to dodge around his very large father, but only managed to get his head around. Astrid was almost at the trees, but he tried anyway. "Astrid! I'll fix this, Astrid, I promise!" She was gone.

A lump settled in Hiccup's throat as hot tears burned in his eyes. He rounded on his father. "You can't mean this, Dad," he nearly growled.

"He's jus' doin' wha's best, lad," Gobber began, but he froze in his tracks at a glare from Stoick. "Ah, I'll jus', er, see wha' I can do abou' tha' saddle, shall I?" He scuttled over to a very distressed Stormfly and calmed the now-riderless dragon. Not until Gobber started leading the Nadder away toward the forge did Stoick address Hiccup again.

"I can and I do," he said stonily, then tried to soften. "Look, Hiccup, our people won't trust the Bog-Burglars with our dragon knowledge unless we have one of our people there to show them that the dragons will be safe. And the Bog-Burglars won't trust us with their trade goods unless one of their people is in charge of their dispersal. Putting you and Camicazi together is the best way to prove to both sides that we are working in all of our best interests."

"And what about OUR best interest?" Camicazi spat, eyes blazing. "You didn't even ask us if we wanted to-"

"Cami!" her mother said sharply. "It's best for our people. The good of the many outweighs the good of the few."

"Couldn't have put it better myself, Bertha," Stoick said with a nod. Hiccup could barely believe what he was hearing.

"So you two think there's no other way we can re-forge this alliance? Like, not a single one?" He was so angry that he didn't notice that Toothless had begun to growl, low and menacing, at his father and Bertha. The large woman noticed, however, and didn't seem to take kindly to being threatened by a dragon. She narrowed her eyes in dislike as Hiccup continued in desperation. "You don't think our people would just, I don't know, listen to us?"

"That's enough, Hiccup!" Stoick said sharply, in full chief mode now. "It's done! The dowry was paid this morning. At the conclusion of our negotiations, you will seal the bond between our tribes."

Hiccup's mouth went dry. "You mean-"

"No way!" Camicazi yelled, indignantly. "We won't do it!" She stomped up to her mother with a look that would have peeled the skin off of any other Viking, but Chief Bertha was not a woman to be easily intimidated. She met her tiny daughter stare for stare.

"Your union ceremony will take place in five days." She turned to Hiccup, who was speechless with anger and shock. "I know you're a fine man, and you'll make a fine husband for my Cami." And with a last look at Toothless, whose teeth were now extended in a snarl, she turned to go. Apparently in her mind, she'd said all that needed saying.

"Mom, what are you.. where are you going?" Cami shouted, waving her arms at her mother in an effort to make her point heard. Bertha ignored her daughter, forcing Cami to run after her, shouting all the while. Hiccup could hear clearly, "A fine husband for me? I don't WANT a husband! You can't do this to us!"

Stoick's hand landed on Hiccup's shoulder, causing him to jump and turn to face his father. "Son," Stoick began softly, looking down with apology and kindness in his eyes. Hiccup jerked from his touch and turned away, staring out over the village square where people chattered and worked as if nothing had changed.

But everything had. His plans, his dreams, his secret hopes. His freedom at Dragon's Edge. His unfinished war with Viggo. The possibility of a future with Astrid. All gone, with a single stroke from someone else's pen. Betrothed. Hiccup felt like he'd just been tossed overboard into a savage sea, and he hadn't yet found out where he would land. Right now he was still drowning.

"Why, Dad?" he said brokenly, to the open air in front of him. He still didn't want to face his father.

"I know this is a shock, son," Stoick's voice came from behind him. He didn't try to touch Hiccup again, which inexplicably made Hiccup feel even more betrayed.

Yes, that was the word. He felt betrayed. Betrayed by his father, by Bertha, by the tribe, by the very gods who gave him so many hopes for his life and took them away.

Stoick wasn't done speaking. "I should have let you know what was coming," he said. Hiccup snorted at that but didn't reply. "But I don't think you know how badly we need this to work." Hiccup heard a heavy sigh, and finally turned to see his father, unbelievably, looking… defeated. Even Toothless seemed to sense the change in tone and stopped growling to listen. "Bertha's offer came just in time. It's been a slow year for trade goods. Johann's ship brings fewer and fewer supplies each time. And without our gold…" he trailed off, clearly trying to figure out how to navigate the subject without blaming Hiccup too much. Finally he just shook his head. "Without this treaty, our people would starve this winter."

Hiccup swallowed. He hadn't known things were that desperate back on Berk. Maybe he'd been too focused on his game of wits with Viggo to pay attention to the needs of his people. But still… "So we'll help find more food, more supplies. There has to be another way!"

But Stoick was shaking his head. "It's not just the food, Hiccup. Since word of the lost gold has spread throughout the archipelago, Berk is vulnerable. We spotted two Meathead ships last week, just inside our waters."

"Meatheads?" Hiccup exclaimed. He hadn't expected this. "They haven't attacked us in years!"

"But they smell an opportunity now." Stoick gestured for Hiccup to follow him, and Hiccup, slightly calmer now, obliged. Toothless trotted along behind, worried for his rider who was still so distressed. He nuzzled Hiccup's hand, coaxing a ghost of a smile from him. Hiccup was glad that there was still one person he could count on. Stoick continued, "And your dragon hunters are a very well-connected enemy, and not afraid to come after Berk."

That was true, but gave Hiccup another argument. "Which is why I have to stay out there and finish this! We can't let them keep hurting dragons, or our people."

"We won't. Once we have this treaty, you can train more dragon riders from the Bog-Burglars. With two fleets of ships and twice as many riders, we can easily defeat Viggo." His father smiled, trying to make Hiccup confident in the plan. He had to admit that the picture Stoick painted was an appealing one - it was just that the price was too high.

"But Dad, can't we have all that without-" he gestured to himself, unable to say the word "marriage" out loud. "Why can't we just sign a normal treaty?"

Stoick sighed and shook his head. "Because, Hiccup, this cannot fail. The Bog-Burglars stopped trusting us last time and left us on our own. We can't afford for that to happen again. With you on their Council, and Camicazi on ours, each tribe will have a voice to keep the other in check." Hiccup contemplated this version of his future life - a diplomat to a different tribe, stuck in meetings and trade details - and shuddered. "And this time," Stoick continued, "we've agreed to teach them to train their dragons. What would happen if, one day, our agreement failed and they started to use their dragons for harm?"

Or if they hurt the dragons, Hiccup realized. He knew would never let another tribe have trained dragons unless he, or one of his Riders, was there to ensure the dragons' well-being. It would be far too easy for the new Vikings to see their dragons only as a beast of burden, rather than the intelligent, complex creatures they were.

Stoick was looking at him closely, and relaxed after a moment, apparently satisfied that Hiccup was at least considering all the variables involved in this treaty. Very gently, he put his hand back on Hiccup's shoulder, and this time Hiccup did not pull away. "Think about it, son," Stoick said. "For the good of all our people." He nodded toward Toothless, in a gesture that encompassed all the dragons under Berk's protection. Then Stoick's demeanor changed slightly, as if a little puzzled. "I thought you liked the lass."

"Who, Camicazi?" Hiccup said, startled. "I mean, I do, I guess. As a friend. She's a friend."

Stoick nodded. "And quite loyal to you, it seems. You should have seen her when she heard you weren't here on Berk. Devastated the poor girl. She was the first to volunteer to go get you. Wouldn't take no for an answer, even though one of the A-team would have been faster," he laughed. Hiccup smiled at that, easily picturing Cami staring Stoick down, daring him to tell anyone else to go find them. "Loyalty and friendship are not easily won, son," the chief continued. For an unsettling moment, Hiccup was reminded of his doubts about the strength of his friendship with the other Riders. Now wasn't the time to deal with that, but it added another layer of unease to his already turbulent emotions. When Stoick paused to give him a chance to speak, he couldn't get out a word. After a moment, his father simply went on. "She may surprise you. Your mother certainly did me." That made Hiccup blink, taken aback. He hadn't known that his parents' marriage had been arranged. "I wouldn't ask this of you if I didn't think you would be happy, in the end."

Oh, Dad, if only you knew!

"So, think about it, please, Hiccup," Stoick finished. He made as if to touch Hiccup's cheek, seemed to change his mind, and simply turned to walk up the hill toward the house. Hiccup was left alone with Toothless, which was how Hiccup wanted it, right now. He felt a sticky dragon tongue lick his hand comfortingly, and he threw himself over Toothless's head in response, savoring his dragon warmth and just not having to look at people. Toothless always understood. Toothless would never betray him.

After staying like that for a few minutes, and drawing the looks of some passersby, Hiccup knew they had to move. He wanted nothing more than to hop back in the saddle and lose himself among the clouds, but Toothless had flown a very long way already that day, and Hiccup would never risk the health of his best friend. A second-best choice, then. "Come on, bud. Let's go to the forge and hit something."

Hours later, Hiccup sat on a dais in the Great Hall, playing with his untouched stew and wishing he could cut off his own ears to get away from all the noise. The feast had been excruciating. Hiccup really couldn't decide which had been the worst part. The speech his father gave about all his and Cami's accomplishments, and how thrilled they were to have such talented young people dedicate their lives to the tribe, was extremely uncomfortable. The tremendous applause and cheers from both tribes after Bertha announced the betrothal made him feel sick. The unveiling of the marriage contract, with his father's signature there in bold black ink, was a punch to the chest. And having to sit displayed in front of everyone with Camicazi, while all night Vikings came up to congratulate them, was a slow, methodical torture.

But no, the very worst part of the night was that Astrid had failed to turn up at all.

It was killing Hiccup not to know what she was thinking. He needed to talk to her, to see her face, to know how the events of today had changed things between them. They'd never put into words what Hiccup hoped might be there, and now it seemed they'd missed their chance. Where did that leave them? Could she still be his friend? Partner? His second-in-command, his sounding board?

Camicazi groaned as yet another Viking stood from his table to approach the "happy couple." Was that why Astrid wasn't here tonight? She didn't want to be expected to offer her congratulations to him and Camicazi? Surely she knew Hiccup knew (or hoped) that she wouldn't want to. But what if - oh, gods. A thought struck him horribly, making the rest of the world fade into insignificance, including the very confused Viking in front of their table. What if Astrid thought Hiccup had known about the betrothal? What if she even thought it might have been his idea?

He stood very suddenly, with only the briefest glance at the Viking well-wisher. "Yes, thanks very much," he said before the visitor could so much as open his mouth. "Cami, I've gotta go. Uh, nature calls." Cami's brow furrowed in return, but he avoided her eye as he pushed his chair away from the table and made for the back door. He knew he would draw the looks of some of the guests, but trying to sneak out was beyond his mental capacity just then. It was all he could do to not bolt in terror. Hopefully Cami would cover for him.

He barely noticed his surroundings as he flew down the dark and deserted village streets. Although it was quite late, no candles burned in any homes he passed; everyone was still enjoying the feast. He hadn't even realized where he was headed until found himself on the front steps of Astrid's parents' new house. It was only then that he stopped to take stock of what he was doing there. "Oh man," he said aloud to himself, running a hand through his hair. "What am I doing? Dad's going to kill me. She's going to kill me." He tried to pace on the doorstep, but immediately ran into something large, warm, and scaly which had been almost invisible in the dark.

"Toothless?" His dragon friend bumped his snout into Hiccup's hand, startling a chuckle from him. As his eyes adjusted, he could make out the profile of a Night Fury settled on his hind legs, head cocked questioningly. "What are you doing here?" Toothless rolled his large green eyes with a warble. While Hiccup couldn't necessarily understand dragon speech, it was never difficult for him to guess what his friend meant. What are you doing here?

"I...ughh!" he groaned in frustration. "I couldn't stay in there, okay? Not with all those people." A sympathetic coo, but closely followed by a questioning trill and a pat on Astrid's door. Toothless wanted to know what Hiccup was doing at Astrid's house. "She wasn't at the feast. I wanted to make sure… er, to check how she's…" He trailed off, embarrassed at having to put his worries into words. Toothless looked at the closed door, and then back to Hiccup with another curious warble. The question this time did nothing to help Hiccup's embarrassment. "I don't… she might be really mad at me, bud," he stammered. He shook his head with a sigh. "Thor knows I would be. And if Astrid's mad, I'd rather stay out here with all my fingers still attached." Disapproving huff. "Okay, fine, she wouldn't actually kill me," Hiccup admitted. "But she was probably hurt by everything that happened today and she doesn't deal well with emotions that she doesn't - TOOTHLESS WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

Toothless had nudged the door open and clambered into the house, not bothering to be quiet about it. There was no way Astrid could have failed to notice. With an internal scream, Hiccup flew into the house to throttle his infuriating dragon before Astrid could do her worst. But the sight inside the house brought him up short.

The house was completely dark and silent. Even the hearth fire, normally burning in any Viking home to stave off the ever-present chill, was dead and cold. No sound greeted his ears save from the Night Fury next to him. "Astrid?" No answer. He crept a few more cautious steps into the house. "It's, uh, me. Hiccup, I mean." He peaked around the corner into the room which served Astrid and her older sister as a bedroom. It seemed just as dark and untouched as the rest of the house. Toothless scooted into the tiny room and started snuffling under the bed. "I know you're mad, I just want to- AGH!"

Hiccup yelled as something rustled in the darkest corner of the room. Toothless immediately poked his snout into it. "Astrid?" Hiccup asked, half hopeful and half dreading. His hopes were dashed when a mouse streaked across the floor and out to the main room, pursued gleefully by a large black dragon. As he leapt from the room, Toothless's tail knocked something from a bedside table.

"Toothless!" Hiccup scolded. He stooped to pick up the fallen object - and froze. He recognized this particular weapon. It was the Gronkle iron dagger that he'd given Astrid for Snoggletog last year. He'd spent a week gathering the finest materials and crafting it to fit her hand, and etched her name in runes along the blade. It was probably one of the finest pieces he'd ever forged. Since the day he'd given it to her, he'd never seen Astrid without it.

Until now.

Tears burned in his eyes as he studied the dagger. That was it, then. She'd given up on him. She'd deliberately left this here and gone off without it, not wanting anything to do with him anymore. She couldn't even carry this tiny bit of him with her.

Hiccup hadn't noticed that Toothless had returned until the dragon pressed a warm snout into his side. Automatically, Hiccup reached up to rest his hand on his friend's head, but he couldn't take his usual comfort in the contact. Astrid didn't want him. No amount of dragon head scratches could fill that emptiness. He didn't look up as he whispered, brokenly, "She's gone, bud."

Toothless cooed softly, rubbing his head comfortingly against Hiccup. Then he stopped and trilled, prodding the dagger with a forepaw. Perhaps unfairly, that annoyed Hiccup. "I know, she left this here. On purpose. She never goes anywhere without it." Toothless huffed, and sniffed the dagger exaggeratedly. Then he fixed Hiccup with an expectant look.

A shadow of hope flickered in Hiccup's chest. Did Toothless mean what he thought he meant? "She never goes anywhere without it," he repeated, almost to himself. "Which means she had to have left it here today." His heart gave a leap and his breath quickened. "Which means her scent is still fresh. Toothless, could you track Astrid using the dagger?"

Toothless shook his head sadly, but Hiccup wasn't put off. Now that he had a problem he could solve, his keen mind immediately switched to a backup plan. He snatched up the dagger. "Then we go get someone who can. Let's find Stormfly."

Toothless bounced happily and warbled right in Hiccup's face, happy his rider had figured it out. Hiccup gagged.

"Ew, Toothless!" The smell was even more unbearable than usual. "You ate that mouse, didn't you?"

Toothless chortled.

Stormfly was all too happy to help find Astrid once Hiccup and Toothless explained things. Hiccup had helped Gobber repair the saddle that afternoon, and it had been apparent even then that the Nadder was concerned about her rider. Now that it was dark and Astrid still had yet to return, Hiccup had a hard time restraining her enough to talk before she took off.

"I know you're worried, girl," he told her, stroking the impatient Nadder. "But Astrid might not want to be found, at least by me." He pushed aside the fresh hurt that thought brought. "Be careful, and gentle, okay?" Stormfly squawked her agreement. Satisfied, Hiccup held out the dagger. "Then let's go find her." Stormfly sniffed the dagger's hilt carefully, and chirped. She had the scent. Hiccup sighed in relief, and was about to mount Toothless when-

"HICCUP!"

Hiccup's mouth went dry in terror, before he recognized the voice. It wasn't his father or Bertha, ready to drag him home. In fact, the female voice didn't sound angry so much as panicked. He turned. "Cami?"

Camicazi flew toward him, hair even more disheveled than usual, and something clutched tightly in her hand. She skidded to a stop in front of Toothless and Stormfly, glancing over her shoulder as if checking for pursuers. "Hiccup!" she said again, breathlessly but more quietly. "There you are!" He waited for her to ask where he'd been or why he'd ditched her at the feast, but her next words surprised him. "We've gotta go!"

"Go?" he exclaimed. He agreed, but he was pretty sure it wasn't for whatever reason she was thinking of. "What do you mean? What's going on?"

"We're not going through with this, is what's going on," she said. She approached Stormfly as if she meant to mount up, and the Nadder retreated with a squawk. Hiccup intervened before his friend could distress the dragon any further.

"Cami wait, don't do that," he guided Camicazi away from the wary Stormfly. "What do you mean, we're not going through with this?"

"Do you really want to just sit here and get sold off for some dumb treaty?" she demanded bluntly.

"Well, no, but," he stammered.

"Me either," she said firmly. "That's why I stole this." She held out the paper she'd had clutched in her fist. It took Hiccup a moment to recognize it in the dim moonlight, but once he did, his eyes widened.

"YOU STOLE THE MARRIAGE CONTRACT?" he exclaimed in disbelief. Camicazi nodded, looking a little apprehensive but defiant. Hiccup couldn't believe this. "You stole a binding legal document that would have taken weeks to draw up?" She nodded. "That your mom paid Thor knows how much for as a dowry?" She crossed her arms in defiance and nodded again. "From where it was on display to a room full of Vikings, including your mom?"

"You bet I did," she answered smugly. Hiccup thought she seemed rather pleased with herself.

"Without getting caught?" Even knowing Cami as he did, this was a whole other level of burglary skill.

"Of course," said Cami, but she glanced over her shoulder again. "But the distraction I used is probably not going to last a whole lot longer, so can you tell this nice fire-breathing lizard here to give me a ride and get us out of here?"

Hiccup ran his hands through his hair. "You do realize they're going to kill us, right? Stealing a contract… that's punishable by banishment. Or worse."

"I know," she said, the small waiver in her voice showing a crack in her bravado. She pushed on though. "But come on, I mean, this is wrong. You know it's wrong. And they're not going to listen to us in time. I thought if they have to draw up a new contract, that might give us time to wear them down."

"Except that they're going to KILL us," Hiccup repeated, as if Cami could have possibly overlooked that the first time. She scoffed with what Hiccup suspected was more confidence than she felt.

"They can't kill us, we're their only heirs," she reasoned. "Can't get their little marriage plan to work if we're dead."

Hiccup exhaled in something almost like amusement. But honestly, if he went along with this they could both be in some very serious trouble. And I don't have time to deal with this right now!

Stormfly ruffled her wings with an impatient squawk as if in agreement with his unspoken thought. She and he both knew that every minute they wasted was another minute Astrid's trail might go cold. But he couldn't just leave Cami in this mess. As if to emphasize the point, at that moment yells of surprise came from the direction of the Great Hall. They had a minute or two at most.

"Hiccup?" Cami asked anxiously. She looked back and saw the glow of torches exiting the hall. "I know I dragged you into this, but I could really use a quick exit!"

Hiccup made a split-second decision. He turned to Stormfly. "Hey girl," he said urgently. "I know you don't know her that well, but would you let Camicazi ride with you? She can help us." The Nadder eyed the Bog-Burglar skeptically. Hiccup petted her neck, and said even more coaxingly, "You know I'd never let someone ride you if I didn't trust them." Stormfly still seemed reluctant, but they were running out of time. The torches were almost in view. "Bud?" Hiccup asked desperately. Toothless vocalized a complex series of trills at Stormfly, who considered for an agonizing moment before giving one quick chirp and offering her back to Camicazi.

"Thank Thor," Hiccup said. "Hop up, Cami," he said, tension in his voice. He mounted Toothless in a second. As Camicazi was about a foot shorter than Astrid, her "hop" up to the saddle was a bit of a scramble, but she had both athleticism and panic on her side. In a moment, they'd both taken off into the night.

"Still got the scent, Stormfly?" Hiccup asked the dragon directly once they were out of sight of the village. Stormfly chirped in affirmation and banked left toward the woods. Camicazi had to grab the saddle's pommel to keep from falling off, and barely restrained herself from shrieking in terror.

Once she'd righted herself, she asked Hiccup, "Where are we going?"

Hiccup swallowed hard. Now that the urgency of the moment was over, it hit him again what he was planning to do. "To go find Astrid."

He expected Camicazi to argue their destination, but she simply shrugged. "If you say so," she said, settling more securely in Stormfly's saddle.

Hiccup frowned. That wasn't like Cami. "Really?" he asked.

"Hey, it wasn't like I was going to stay back there," she said, which was a fair point. "Besides, you're just going to mope with those puppy-dog eyes until you talk to her."

"I don't have," Hiccup began, but he was interrupted by Toothless, who trilled in agreement. Cami laughed from Stormfly's back in front of them. Hiccup decided it was probably best just to change the subject. "You know what, never mind," he said. Then he adopted a serious tone, so Cami would know to listen carefully. "Just, Cami, when we find her, I think it might be best if you just let her and me talk for a bit."

"You want a minute alone with your girlfriend?" Cami asked. Stormfly swooped down low, and Hiccup clicked the stirrup to let Toothless follow. They must be close.

"No, Cami, this is serious," he said, anxiously scanning the trees as if he could possibly see anything in the dark. "I think she might be, well, upset about what happened today." Cami scoffed loudly. "I mean it! I don't think she really wants to see me, and no offense, but I'm guessing she definitely doesn't want to see you. Just, give me a chance to see where we stand first."

Camicazi sighed. "Only for you, Hiccup," she agreed. Hiccup sighed himself in relief.

"Thanks Cami," he said gratefully. "When we get close, just hide somewhere until I tell you to come out. Or go bury that thing or whatever you planned to do with it," he added, pointing at the marriage contract in her hand, flapping in the wind.

"Oh I bet Stormfly would help me burn it, wouldn't you girl?" Camicazi said brightly. Stormfly seemed not to hear, her focus keenly on the trees beneath them. Suddenly she turned and dove, nearly displacing her unpracticed rider again. Hiccup's heart leapt as he and Toothless followed. This is it.

Stormfly guided them to land in a tiny clearing, just before the trees gave way to a small, rocky beach. Hiccup dismounted quickly, heart in his throat. Stormfly tried to follow him as he turned toward the beach, but he put a gentle hand on the Nadder's nose. "No girl," he said. "Go with Camicazi. I'll find her, I promise." Stormfly squawked sadly, but eventually did as he asked and walked deeper into the forest with Cami. Hiccup took a deep breath, and strode out of the treeline.

"Astrid?" he called with baited breath. No one answered. Nothing even moved on the pebbly beach except gently lapping waves. Hiccup was reminded strongly of his visit to Astrid's house earlier that night, where his search had come up empty. There was not a single sign that an axe-wielding shieldmaiden was or had ever been here. But Stormfly had to have led them here for a reason, right?

"What do you think, Toothless?" he asked his ever-faithful dragon. Toothless didn't get the chance to answer.

"HICCUP!" Cami's scream came from the forest, turning Hiccup's blood to ice. He tore back to the clearing, barely able to breathe. He couldn't even imagine what his usually dauntless friend had found to make her scream like that.

He didn't have to wait long. Camicazi was in the clearing, waving him over to something stuck in a large tree trunk. He ran over to get a better look - and his mouth went dry.

It was Astrid's axe. He'd never mistake Astrid's favorite weapon. But the parchment it pinned to the tree was what really caused Hiccup's stomach to clench so painfully he thought he might be sick.

To Hiccup Haddock III, greetings.

I found something very valuable to you here in the woods. If you wish to ensure her safe return, come alone to surrender yourself and the Night Fury to my brother's force no later than three days from now. I trust you know where to find us.

Come quickly, Hiccup. If you delay, or bring any other guards, your little friend will die at the third sundown.

Best regards,

Viggo Grimborn

A/N: And so we finally reach the main plot! To everyone who has reviewed, followed, or favorited this story, THANK YOU! I really love seeing all the love. Let's keep it coming! And of course, if anyone has a plot suggestion, let me know by review or PM!