[Friend alpha, your voice got funny.]
Hiccup blinked. He turned to the young princess and found her sitting up. She stared at him. The twin extension every Changewing had on either side of their jaws stood out from their normal folded, resting and relaxed, position. Hiccup could not help but remember Fishlegs' reaction to that fact when they learned of it during their first visit to the Changewing nest. The young Viking chitter, sounding a lot like an excitable Terror that did not know the Common Tongue, and recorded the information in his journal.
The youngling tilting her head and then curling her neck so she could see Astrid pulled Hiccup from those memories.
[Friend queen, you hear that?]
"Yes," Astrid answered. "His voice does that sometimes when he gets protective."
Hiccup noted Astrid cut her eyes towards the pile of fish when she finished speaking. He turned and his shoulders slumped. Toothless, Meatlug, Shadowfire, and Stormfly stood straight and their eyes bore into him. The Changewings glanced once at the four and immediately froze, though their gazes searched the forest and the air instead of looking at Hiccup.
[Why everyone act like bad thing hap…hap.. come?]
[Young alpha,] the queen said before anyone could answer the princess. [Release your honor guard. The Acid-fantail acted upon my orders as it was part of the lesson I was giving your future queen.]
Hiccup grimaced at the tone of the queen's voice. He could imagine she was not pleased at all about this. He looked to the dragons.
"It's okay, guys. Go back to eating."
All four immediately relaxed. They shook themselves and turned back to the pile of fishes. The Changewings standing with them looked from them to Hiccup then to their king and queen.
[Stand down,] the king said.
The Changewings also relaxed and resumed eating. To Hiccup's relief they began talking with Toothless and the other in the Old Tongue again. Hiccup turned back to the king and the queen and bowed his head.
"Sorry."
[Don't be,] the king said. [You acted as expected.]
Hiccup frowned and tilted his head. The king smiled.
[A king, an alpha, is protective of nest and nest-mates. You were surprised by the treatment one of your own received. It's natural for you to get defensive.] The king laughed. [You acted calmer than I would have, given the one who received this treatment was your intended. Had it been my mate, the Acid-fantail would not fare as well before I found out it was a lesson and not him actually being rude and aggressive to my love.]
[Forgive me, young alpha of the nest we are allied to,] the male sea foam colored Tide Glider said bowing his head. [I would never be aggressive or rude to any in your nest, especially your intended if it was not asked of me.]
Hiccup took a deep breath but before he could reply the princess laid her head in his lap, the extensions folded once more.
[I sorry, too, Friend alpha,] she whispered. [I not know Mama not tell you. I just want you know how good he did and how good Friend queen did.]
Hiccup placed his hand upon the top of the princess' head and began scratching. She cooed. He looked to the Tide Glider.
"It's okay," he said. "I was just surprised." He stared at Astrid. "She means everything to me and I don't know what I would do if something happened to her."
[Young alpha,] the head elder said in the silence that fell after Hiccup stopped speaking. [My king requested I look into the power that gives strength to your voice.] She sighed. [I have only learned of one tale that may give insight to what it is. None who would tell me this tale believe it to be true though, so I am unsure if it will answer our questions.]
Hiccup turned to her but frowned when Toothless left the pile of fishes and padded over to sit beside him.
[With respect, Head elder,] he said bowing his head, [I believe I know the tale you are about to give.] Toothless looked to Hiccup. [It was the same tale the Fire-spiraler spoke of.]
[Is the tale true?] the head elder asked.
[My father believed it to be true,] Toothless said. [Most in my hatch nest did not, not even my mother.]
Hiccup frowned. "Wait," he began, "is that what your brother was speaking of after we told him about Gyda?"
[Partially,] Toothless said. [The part he spoke of came as a result of this tale but the tale itself is about something different.]
[May we hear this tale?] the queen asked.
Toothless took a deep breath. [My blood flock have ruled my hatch nest far longer than any can really remember. In amongst the wars between those massive alphas and their nests, a hatchling of my ancestor's was lost and feared dead. The hatchling's father, the alpha of the nest at the time, sent many to search for his son. The hatchling was found. One of the nearby alphas who wanted my ancestor to bow to him had sent some of his followers to take the hatchling. A human mage intervened. My ancestor's search flocks found the human defending the hatchling against a flock of seven other dragons. The searchers joined in the defense and upon proving victorious, brought the mage and the hatchling back to the nest. The mage had been injured in the fight. He was allowed to rest and recover due to his actions. Once the mage was healed and before he left, he said the hatchling would play a role in ending the wars happening amongst the dragons.]
[Did the hatchling?] the young princess asked, leaning against Hiccup but staring up at Toothless in awe.
Toothless chuckled. [According to the tales, yes. Many seasons later that hatchling grew into an adult. One day while on patrol he came across a human. The human was trying to free a Tiny-fang that got caught in the rope the humans was using to get some fish. This intrigued my ancestor. Humans, except for that mage, avoided dragons due to the fighting between nests and alphas. Some humans even took to fighting back and hunting down dragons when a fight got too close to their territory. Yet there was this small human male gently removing a Tiny-fang's wing out of the rope. The human was also speaking, though my ancestor did not know what the human was saying, it did sound calming. Before the human could fully free the Tiny-fang a Spike-thrower came upon the scene. The Spike-thrower began attacking. My ancestor noted the human tried to protect the Tiny-fang. My ancestor intervened, both because he felt the attack was dishonorable and because he knew without a human he would not be alive.]
[What next, Friend Toothless?]
[My ancestor drove the Spike-thrower off but the small human was injured. My ancestor took him and the Tiny-fang back to the nest. The human recovered but something odd began to happen to my ancestor.]
[Odd? Bad odd?]
[No, good actually. My ancestor found he did not want the human to leave when the human recovered. It had been strange as even my ancestors believed dragons were far superior to humans, but this small human had become everything to my ancestor.]
Gyda hummed. "The rider bond," she whispered. "We never really knew how it came to be, only that binds the human rider and the dragon together. When it first beings to form and before it settles into the souls of both the human and the dragon, neither wish the other to leave for extended periods of time. Both become the world to the other. It lessens in intensity over time and other are allowed in, but for a bit there, one better not come between a rider and their dragon."
"That's why I didn't want to leave the cove and return to the village at times," Hiccup whispered. "I just thought it was because I finally found someone who accepted me."
He caught Astrid's flinch.
"No, Astrid," he said. "The alpha forgives you."
She snorted. Fishlegs blinked and stared at both of them then sighed.
"She finally spoke of the guilt that weighed upon her shoulders?" he asked.
Dark: Hehe, well, it shall be interesting….
Kirika: Hehe, expect chaos, my friend. And well, I hope this satisfied.