In case you were under the delusion that this story was planned out (excuse me while I laugh myself senseless), I had to change what was said in chapter 6 about Hiccup and Merida's pasts. (I've gone back and changed the chapter, for people reading the story after this chapter is posted.) For Merida, I didn't want her to be princess of a whole planet, so I named her home after Ancient Scotland – Caledonia.

Hiccup's was a bit more complicated – and the reason I had to change about chapter 6. His backstory is summarized here, so you don't need to go back and reread chapter 6. But I realized I couldn't fit the dragons into the story I have in mind, so those got cut. I've heard that Alvin the Treacherous is a part of Riders of Berk, but I'm going off Alvin from the books (his mother really is a crazy witch – she would be hilarious if she wasn't so evil). Despite the lack of dragons, Hiccup has grown up having adventures that have brought him in contact with Alvin, who is still his nemesis. I don't have time (or interest) to go into it, but I think that's all you really need to know.

This chapter almost made me cry several times while I was working on it. So, please be warned. Especially if you like Astrid.

Among The Stars

Chapter 22

"I'm starting to think this isn't natural," Jack muttered, glaring out at the fog beyond the Stormfly II's viewport.

They were docked on a landing pad in DunBroch, the capital city of the Highlands territory on the planet Caledonia. The landscape was all rolling green hills, endless forests blazing with the colors of early autumn, and a shimmering, steel grey lake. The landing pad was in the shadow of an ancient stone fortress, on the cliff that rose from one side of the lake. It was no longer used as a fortress, but it was still home to the royal family. And, while a well-aimed ship's plasma cannon could easily have obliterated it, it was still impressive, so the symbolism remained.

Not that Jack or Hiccup could see either the fortress or the landscape at the moment. Just as they had prepared to take off after they delivered their cargo, the night mist had thickened until even the hull lights couldn't cut through. So they were stuck on the ground until it was safe to take off.

"It's condensation caused by an extremely moist atmosphere," Hiccup said was a shrug. "it rained earlier, and there's a lake right over there. What's unnatural about that?"

Jack grinned dryly as he shook his head. He had been the pilot of The Stormfly II for six months, and he had come to consider Hiccup a close friend. But he'd learned that Hiccup was, if nothing else, practical. If it didn't come down to an equation of scientific fact, he had trouble understanding it. He understood instinct only to a point, and had no idea how to let go and follow a hunch with no explanation or proof. And, Jack had learned, Hiccup didn't get that nagging sensation at the back of his mind that always seemed to land him right where he needed to be. (Though Jack was coming to conclusion that right where he needed to be was usually in the middle of trouble.)

Living on Warren, Jack had learned that not everything made sense, and to trust his gut when it told him something was wrong. And something about the fog was off. It didn't feel malicious. But it was covering something up.

"Look, your whole sixth sense thing might not make sense," Hiccup said. "But you've gotten us out of enough touch spots. If we need to take off blind—"

Jack shook his head. "No, I don't think we're in trouble. Not this time. Something's going on; we just have to wait it out."

"If you say so."

"Thanks for trusting me," Jack chuckled. He stood up from the pilot's chair just enough to spin it around and sit back down so he was straddling it. He looked out at the flat grey view outside the ship for a few minutes. "There's something I've been meaning to ask, though."

"Shoot."

Jack spun the chair to look at Hiccup, who sat in the navigator's seat.

"The Stormfly II. I would ask about the name itself. But the fact it's the second one make me really curious. I mean, you're twenty-one, and you said you've lived on Berk all your life. How many ships have you had?"

A shadow passed over Hiccup's face, his green eyes staring out the viewport, though it didn't look as though he was seeing the fog.

"Sorry," Jack sighed. "If it's personal you don't have to—"

"It's a girl."

Jack blinked, processing the information. "A girl named Stormfly? I knew Vikings had a thing for different names, but that one seems a little out there."

"They think a hideous name will scare away trolls, or something," Hiccup said, rolling his eyes. "As if our charming Viking demeanor wouldn't do that."

Jack smirked. Hiccup's dark sarcasm was growing on him. But his friend's glimmer of humor faded quickly, and he sighed.

" This is my second ship. My dad's best friend, Gobber, was the Hooligan tribe's chief engineer, and my dad apprenticed me to him when I was young, so he helped me repair my first ship when I was twelve. It was a Berk Common, and I called it The Hopeful Puffin."

"The—" Jack bit his tongue before he could finish that question, and gestured for Hiccup to continue his story.

"Thanks," Hiccup said, rolling his eyes. "Anyway. The fleet on Berk is called The Dragons, and everyone goes through the Dragon Training program when they're fourteen. The girl's name was Astrid, and we were in training together. I can pilot a ship from one place to another. But when it comes to complex maneuvers… just let me fix the engines after you strain them fighting G-forces. But Astrid. Astrid was brilliant. Beautiful strong, smart, one of the best pilots I've ever seen."

"Better than me?" Jack asked, quirking an eyebrow before he realized that that questions might seem insensitive.

Thankfully, Hiccup chuckled. "No. But close. Her style was more direct. The way you fly is like dancing. The way Astrid flew was light fighting.

"She was also completely insane, and irritating, and…" Hiccup sighed, shoulder deflating. "She was amazing. I fell in love with her when I was like five, and I didn't have a chance. She was top of the class, and I was the geeky kid who tinkered with dead engines, trying to do anything that might get his dad to notice him. And I worshiped the ground she walked on. I was ecstatic if she threw anything in my direction for me to fix. Every guy in class wanted her – my cousin Snotlout wouldn't stop hitting on her.

"Alvin started his takeover of Berk when I was fifteen, and by the time I was eighteen he had most of the tribes under his control. It was really just the Hooligans – my tribe – and the Bog Burglars – our closest ally – left. No one dared stand up to him – except me. And I wasn't even trying. It seemed like I just ended up in a place at a time, and it was always in opposition to him. Whether it was right or wrong, I still haven't figured out." Hiccup rubbed the tattoo on his right temple – the 'S' shaped dragon he was usually so careful to keep covered with his bangs. Jack knew what it represented, but hadn't yet dared to ask about. "Sometimes I think I have it figured out. Then something happens and I start wondering all over again.

"I was eighteen when Alvin made his move on us. We had no hope of beating him – a blind man could have seen that. We were outnumbered almost ten to one. But my father is a Viking through and through, and he might as well be blind sometimes.

"He beat us back and landed his flagship to gloat. I'd had enough run ins with him I didn't bother to wait around after the battle finished – he'd already made it clear he wouldn't be happy until I was dead. Maybe I was a coward, but I ran. My friends, Fishlegs and Camicazi helped me get to the hanger bay so I could use my fighter to get out of the city."

"And your fighter was The Stormfly I?"

Hiccup shook his head. "No. The Hopeful Puffin II."

Jack grimaced at the name, but decided to just be glad Hiccup hadn't chosen to call this ship The Hopeful Puffin III.

"Astrid was already in the hanger bay. And she had always been the perfect soldier, so I thought for sure she would turn me over to Alvin. For a minute we just stood there, ready to run if she called one of his men, and she just glared down at us from the wing of her fighter – The Stormfly. Then she told me I should head west – stay to the ocean, between the islands, and head for the country beyond the Archipelago.

"Within a week I was the most wanted fugitive on Berk, by order of His Most Excellent Majesty, Self-Proclaimed Monarch Alvin the Treacherous I, unifier of the tribes of Berk. I can't even say that without wanting to throw up. I'm pretty sure his mother – Excellinor – is the one who's really ruling, and that witch completely insane."

"Understandable," Jack muttered.

"He's a tyrant, and he knows it. He's proud of it." Hiccup's hands clenched until his knuckles were white. "Berk may not have the cleanest history. But what he's doing puts a lot of it to shame. He enslaves anyone who questions or displeases him – his mother is even worse. Execution is a better option.

"He sent the Dragons out looking for me. Astrid found me in the woods beyond the edge of the Archipelago a week later, and told me Alvin had enslaved Fishlegs and Camicazi in hopes I would come out of hiding to rescue them. It was an obvious trap. But they had stood by me for four years. Fishlegs was an orphan, and he was even weirder than I was – I was the closest thing he had to a family. After all we'd been through, I couldn't abandon either of them."

The part of Jack's mind that had absorbed the Imperial teachings almost shook his head in disbelief. But the larger part of him admired his friend's loyalty.

"So I went back. Fishlegs was missing by the time I got to the Slavelands. I managed to find him, but as soon as I did Alvin captured me. I was dragged in front of Alvin and his mother and the thrones they had set up in the eating hall. Excellinor was throwing some fit again, like she always is. The moment Alvin saw me he almost started dancing."

"What did you do?" Jack asked, leaning forward when Hiccup paused.

"Alvin and Excellinor are both insane – reasoning with them is impossible. So I tried to reason with the other Vikings. Which still isn't easy, since they're not the most logical group of people. But I knew I had a chance. I tried to appeal to their sense of honor. And it worked – especially with people like my father, who were uncomfortable with what Alvin was doing. And people my age, who I had met, or who just didn't like Alvin.

"But Excellinor." Hiccup's hands clenched again, until his knuckles were white. "It seems like she's always a step ahead of me. Ever since she tricked me into letting her out of that cell when I was sixteen. She started screeching that if they listened to me they would be turning their back on the Viking Code I claimed to be upholding. When someone asked when she mean, she pulled back my bangs to show everyone my Slavemark. I'd managed to hide it for three bloody years, from everyone. At least, I thought I had. But excellinor knew somehow."

He pulled back his hair to show Jack the tattoo. "I know you recognized it. You're the first person I've met who knew what it was and didn't think less of me for it. Thanks."

Jack just shrugged. "I've got a past, Hiccup."

"I figured," Hiccup said. "Still. On Berk you lose all your rights, your freedom… it doesn't matter how you got it. No one cares that I had to get it to make a deal with the slaves when I was kidnapped, and it was the only way Fishlegs and I survived. You're a slave once you're marked, and there's no going back. I wasn't a citizen, let along heir to a chief.

"I made one last appeal, reminding them Alvin had already enslaved some of their greatest heroes. Alvin knocked me aside, trying to shut me up. But Astrid left the other Dragons and helped me up. Once I had her on my side – the star Dragon – the others were willing to take a chance and join a rebellion against Alvin. We fought our way out, and that night I took one more shot and told her how I felt."

Hiccup grinned – a genuine grin – and Jack could guess what Astrid's response had been. And it had been a bright light in a very dark period of Hiccup's life. Jack found himself reflecting the expression as he rested his chin on the back of his chair.

"We were in the middle of a war that I was single handedly credited with starting. It felt like we were going through hell at times. But Astrid and I had three months together. This is me we're talking about, though. I don't get to be that happy." He looked down at the studded leather strap that was wrapped several times around his left wrist. "Maybe it was stupid – I mean, I was nineteen. The last time I saw her I asked her to marry me. Maybe I knew she wasn't coming back." He shook his head.

"We both knew Alvin would go after her to get to me." Hiccup laughed, but Jack could see the pain in his eyes. "But she didn't care about the danger. 'Occupational hazard', as my dad says. And I couldn't have stopped her if I wanted to. And I knew her well enough that I didn't really want to. I would have done anything for her, to protect her. But she wouldn't have been my Astrid if she didn't – Does that make any sense?"

Jack felt his lips quirk in a grin, trying to reassure his friends. "It does."

"Thanks."

Jack spun his chair to look out at the fog beyond the viewport, thinking about Hiccup's story. He had known a few of the details from things Hiccup had mentioned in the past six months, but this filled in most of the gaps.

He was about to turn back to Hiccup for the rest of the story (there had to be more, since he still didn't have the answer to his original question). But just before he did, the fog outside the window started to visibly thin. First the lights around the landing pas showed up, then the silhouette of the castle, until they could see the black lake shimmering under the night sky.

Quirking an eyebrow, he looked back at Hiccup. "Did that look natural to you?"

"Not really," Hiccup said. "Let's get out of here."

#

Once they were safely in hyperspace, they both left the cockpit, heading fo the their rooms for a few hours of sleep.

"So, how did you get over losing Astrid?" Jack asked, glancing over at his friend as he slid his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "I can't imagine losing someone I loved that much."

"I had to," Hiccup said quietly. "I had started a rebellion – I had to see it through. So I thought at the time. But after two years, we were losing. The only way any of us were going to survive was to surrender. My dad gave me this ship and told me to get off world. So I ended up running away – again. Part of me thinks I should go back, find a way to set things right. But I don't know how."

Hiccup sighed, running a hand over his face.

"I knew Astrid wouldn't want me naming my ship after her, but she wouldn't mind The Stormfly II. It's still not easy, but I realized I just have to keep going."

That's life, isn't it?" Jack asked, looking down at his bare feet as they continued down the hallway.

"Far as I can tell," Hiccup sighed.

"I feel too young for this," Jack muttered, running a hand through his hair.

"I said the same thing when I was nineteen," Hiccup said. "Gobber told me the truth is that you never feel old enough. But eventually you have to start taking responsibility."

"Wish someone had told me that."

Maybe if he had told someone why he was running away from his responsibilities, they would have told him. Maybe North or Toothiana had tried to tell him, but he'd been too young, too dumb, to realize what they were trying to say.

They rounded the corner to the hallway where their rooms were, and Jack was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of running footsteps. His head jerked up, and he glanced over at Hiccup to make sure it hadn't been his imagination. Their eyes met just long enough for him to know Hiccup had heard it as well, and they both took off running.

They reached the end of the hall and turned left, just in time to see a flash of red at the end of the next hall, turning left again.

"Stowaway," Hiccup muttered. He was several inches taller, so his longer legs let him pull ahead, and he rounded the corner three seconds ahead of Jack.

This time they caught sight of a female figure dressed in dark blue, with a mass of flaming red hair. She turned right.

Jack frowned, realizing she probably had no idea as to the ship's layout, because she was running herself straight to a hall that only ended in a turbolift. From there it would only be up to the fourth level where there were a few unused rooms and a viewing platform, or down to the belly of the ship, where the engine room took up most of the two lower levels. Other than that there was just the hold, which was currently empty since they had been on DunBroch to make a delivery.

"Keep going, I'll cut her off!" Jack called.

He swerved left, while Hiccup followed the stowaway to the right. Jack headed for another turbo lift, which was closer than the one she would end up having to take if Hiccup didn't catch up to her first. He decided to follow his haunch that she would choose to go down.

He went down one level and stepped out onto the bright green catwalk that was set up for the ease of maintaining the engine, heading toward the next turbolift. He rounded the power converter just as the lift doors slid open and the girl came out.

Her eyes widened when she saw him. And he braced himself just in time to dodge the fist she threw at his face. Jack swerved out of the way. He knocked her next blow aside.

At first he tried to hold back, sticking to defense – until her fist actually collided with his right cheekbone with bruising force. Jack stumbled backwards, recovering from the pain and the force of the blow. From there instinct took over. He didn't care who or what he was fighting – only that he was fighting.

She threw another punch, and this time Jack caught her wrist, slamming his own fist into her solar plexus.

His intent was to get her off her feet, out of the fight.

She stumbled back, gasping for breath as the force caused her diaphragm to spasm.

But she came back quickly. Obviously she'd had training. And she was aiming for the same thing he was – to end this fight quickly.

Jack side stepped the knee aimed at his groin just in time, grimacing. That was playing dirty.

He grabbed her arm, twisting it behind her back, her wrist up between her shoulder blades. She let out a cry of pain, which caused Jack's stomach to wring with guilt. Toothiana had driven it into him that he was supposed to respect women, and this didn't line up. But he didn't let go, in case she turned around and attacked him again.

The turbolift doors slid open again, Hiccup stepping out just as the young woman grunted in pain again.

"Let her go," Hiccup said, shaking his head.

Jack nodded, letting go of her wrist and taking a step back.

"I wasn't gonna hurt ya," she snapped, glowering at him with light teal eyes. Her accent, and lion's mane of curly red hair, confirmed his guess she was from Caledonia. Not a hard guess, but still.

"Right." Jack gingerly touched his throbbing right cheek. That's why you attacked me."

"Ya startled me," she said. "What's wrong with yer hair, anyway?"

"It's white – there's nothing wrong with it," Jack said. "And I could as you the same thing."

"Did ya see a ghost when ye were a babe?" she asked, smiling dangerously. "Or do ya dye it?"

"No, I'm the spirit of with," he said, balancing sarcasm and a threat in his tone.

"All right, enough," Hiccup said, holding up his hands to get their attention. "It's always the simple jobs."

Jack tried to smirk, but his bruised cheek made that difficult.

Hiccup looked back at the young woman, who was just pushing herself up off the catwalk. "Princess Merida, am I right?"

"Aye," she muttered.

"Wait." Jack frowned. "I thought the whole reason we were on DunBroch was to deliver supplies for her wedding."

"No, it's the competition to decide who they'll marry me off to," she said. "I ain't some prize to be won."

"Well, technically every woman is a prize," Hiccup said. Both jack and Merida stared at him. "Though you're the only one who has the right to decide who's worth, or whatever. That sounded a lot better in my head."

"Made sense to me," Jack said, leaning against the wall.

"I don't want to be married," Merida snapped. "Not now, and not ever. Especially if it's arranged!"

"So you stowed away on a random ship instead of talking to your parents." Jack rolled his eyes. "Yeah, that'll solve everything."

"Ma mum won't listen to me! She doesn't care what I want. She's too busy tryin' to turn me into some mini version of her, tellin' me what I can an' can't do!"

"At least you have a family," Jack said, shrugging in an attempt to keep his words casual. "Not all of us do."

"Jack," Hiccup cautioned quietly.

He nodded, understanding that he wasn't helping.

#

Hiccup managed to peacefully move all three of them to the ship's dining area. Merida took an apple from the counter as she sat across from Hiccup at the table, taking a large, loud bite. Jack leaned against a wall, watching both of them. He had a suspicion what was going to happen, and he wasn't sure he liked it.

"So you stowed away on a random ship?" Hiccup asked.

"How did you get on, anyway?" Jack asked.

Merida swallowed her bite, wiping juice from the corner of her mouth. "Yer boarding ramp was down."

"No it wasn't," Jack said, frowning.

She raised a red eyebrow.

Jack looked at Hiccup. "You were the last one onboard, right?"

"I know I shut the ramp," Hiccup said. "You were with me – you helped me carry the supplies to the galley."

"You shut it," Jack confirmed, and they both looked back at Merida, who had returned her attention to her apple.

"It was down when I walked by," Merida said. "And I didn't choose ya at random. Noticed the two of ya while ya were refuelin', and figured ya'd be ma best chance."

"You still got on a ship with two men you didn't know," Jack frowned.

"I can take care o' maself."

Jack bit his tongue, deciding not to burst that bubble. He had taken care of her easily – if Hiccup had been there it would have been overkill. She had skill, he would give her that. But he was getting the impression she overestimated her own abilities.

Hiccup glanced over at him, clearly expecting a comeback, but Jack just shrugged.

"And where exactly do you plan on going?" Hiccup asked, turning back to Merida. He was the practical one, after all.

Merida hesitated. It was only a fraction – but enough Jack could tell she hadn't given any thought to a destination.

"A-anywhere," she said.

"And once you get there?"

This time it wasn't a hesitation – it was a full on pause. Finally she looked down at the apple in her hand.

"I-I'll figure it out."

Jack and Hiccup exchanged glances. "Do you have any funds?"

She frowned.

"Did you bring anything?"

She reached into the collar of her dress, pulling out a gold necklace. Jack recognized the seal of the DunBrock kingdom – it had been on banners all over the city. "I have this."

Hiccup watched the arc of the necklace as it swayed from her hand, then looked back at the red head. "Give us a sec."

He stood up from the table, gesturing for Jack to follow him into the hallway, closing the door behind them.

"Any thoughts?" he asked.

Jack frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know." Hiccup shrugged. "What are we going to do with her?"

"What are our options?" Jack asked, though the question was rhetorical. He leaned back against the wall across from the door. "We can take her back to her parents – but considering we're both running from something that feels a little hypocritical."

"And there's no guarantee she won't try again," Hiccup said. "And you already pointed out: she got on a ship with two men she didn't know. At least we both know neither of us is going to touch her."

Jack nodded.

"And, stowaway or not, I can't see handing her over to the Empire."

"I wouldn't let you," Jack sighed. "And my conscience won't let me just leave her on a strange planet when she had no idea what she's getting herself into."

"Which doesn't leave us with much," Hiccup said. "Unless we have her stay with us."

Jack scowled. That didn't sound like the most enjoyable option, but it was the only one that would sit well with his conscience. "You're the captain."

"And you're currently my only friend, so advice is welcome," Hiccup reminded. "And I'd like to keep you as a pilot."

#

Merida was finishing her apple when they returned the dining room, and she watched them warily. Jack went over to the fridge unit, pulling out a container of leftovers as Hiccup resumed his seat at the table.

"Here's my offer," Hiccup said. "You can't stay on the ship as a stowaway. So you'll work to pay for your passage. Out next stop is on Atlantis. We'll be there for a few hours at least, so you can see if it's a place you want to stay, or if you want to get back on with us. Or you can start looking through the navcomputer and figure out where you would rather go."

She looked between them for a moment, down at her apple core, then back to Hiccup. "Do I have a choice?"

"Sure," Hiccup shrugged. "Whether we lock you in one of the rooms, or if we set it up for you and give you control of the lock."