Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD

Chapter Two

"Astrid?"

"Mmm…Hmm?"

"Aaastriiid…"

She felt a hand on her shoulder, and shrugged it off. Yes, she knew she needed to get up and be the Chief, but the bed was warm and she was comfortable, so go away, give her "five more minutes..."

"I would, but this is gonna go cold" Hiccup replied, making her realise she'd mumbled that last bit aloud. Astrid's nose decided to start working and she smelled, ooh, that smelled good. Her eyes joined the party, and she opened them at last. Hiccup was sitting on the bed, a tray on his lap, and on the tray was a plate of honey drenched flatbreads and two tankards of mead. There was also a pot of sweet violets, her favourite flower (1). He'd made breakfast in bed.

Hiccup smiled widely. "Happy sixth anniversary, milady" he murmured as she sat up, propping the pillow against the wooden headboard. "Mind if I join you?" he inquired, gesturing to the tray.

Astrid smiled in return. "By all means, good sir" she replied, teasing. They balanced the tray between them and had a sweet private feast. It dawned on Astrid that their bedroom – indeed, the whole house – was peculiarly silent. She couldn't even hear any Terrors 'serenading' them from the roof. "Where is everyone?" she wondered, seeing the dragons gone…what about Helena?

"Don't worry" Hiccup reassured her, "Helena and Ebony are sleeping over at my parents house, remember? Selena is helping my mom take care of them, Toothless is keeping an eye on the pack, and I've already asked Snotlout to cover for your chiefly duties today. That's right" he nodded, smirking at her expression, "I got you a day off. No need to thank me, really" he said with false modesty, hoping she'd take the bait.

The compliment-fishing backfired when Astrid merely shrugged and replied, "Okay, then, I won't." He pouted until she kissed him and said "Thank you, Hiccup. This is lovely; I really appreciate what you do for me. You know that, right?" she asked shyly.

"I know, but it's nice to hear. We've got the whole day to ourselves, love; what do you want to do?" he asked her. Astrid didn't hesitate to answer.

"I want to lie in!"


So lie in they did, kissing and snuggling and talking about nothing in particular. Then they did a bit more than just cuddling, and then they cuddled some more. Astrid was dreading the chaos she'd have to deal with tomorrow after Snotlout's brief stint as acting Chief, but Hiccup told her not to worry. "My dad's gonna give him some pointers, keep him steered straight. Believe it or not, he volunteered. Stoick, I mean. I don't think he wants to see Snotlout destroy the village anymore than you do." They both laughed.

"Really, though" Hiccup said once he'd caught his breath, "I don't think we need to worry. Snotlout can be really effective when he sets his mind to something. Besides, he'll never be chief – temporary or otherwise – material unless we give him the chance, right?"

Astrid had to concede the point. Eventually they grew bored of lounging in bed, not to mention hungry. They got up, dressed, and Hiccup led Astrid through the forest. She had a pretty good feeling about where they were going and what for, but she held her tongue so Hiccup's 'surprise' wouldn't be ruined. Sure enough, they soon arrived at the cove, as beautiful and peaceful as ever.

It was more overgrown these days; the grass reached up to their shins, with wildflowers scattered throughout, bobbing their colourful heads in the breeze. Hiccup dragged aside some bushes covering the small cave and pulled out a blanket and picnic basket. They sat down to eat together, Astrid resting her head on Hiccup's shoulder and sighing in contentment.

"This is nice" she smiled, "We should do this more often. Spend time together, just the two of us. More than just once a year."

"We do. We spend time together on your birthday and at Snoggletog, that's three times a year" Hiccup replied. She swatted him on the arm.

"You know what I mean. I know we have lunch together every day, but that's with the kids and dragons and parents…it's not the same as just you and me, y'know? I feel like I don't get to spend enough time with just you these days."

"Yeah, I guess we are both pretty busy."

"I'm probably busier than you are, no offence."

"None taken. Hey, if you ever need me, just send for me and I'll be there. I promise" Hiccup said earnestly, looking her in the eye.

Astrid smiled fondly. "I know" she murmured. They sat together in companionable silence for a while, until eventually Astrid remarked, "Y'know, I'm impressed. It's mid afternoon and you haven't pined after Toothless at all."

"What? I don't pine after" – Hiccup realised she was teasing him. "Very funny. Toothless and I don't have to spend every minute with each other; it only hurts if we're separated unwillingly. He was more than happy to let me spend some quality time with my wife, thank you very much."

"Really?"

"Well, his exact words were" – *I don't want to be around when you and Astrid start flirting and kissing and mating. There's only so much I can take.*

Astrid shook her head. "I still can't get over you doing that."

*Doing what?*

"You know what! Can you please talk normally? It's kind of creepy, when you're talking with your mouth closed like that."

"Sorry" he apologised. Then a thought occurred to him, and he had to ask, "Hey, Astrid? This isn't…you are just teasing, yeah? You don't really think that I'd rather be with Toothless right now than you…do you? Cos I don't. I want to be here, Astrid; you're my wife, and I love you. I love you as much as Toothless, just in a different way, and I" –

She pressed a finger to his lips as he rambled. "I know! Hiccup, I know. I love you too. It's just…I guess…okay, if I'm being honest? Sometimes I wonder, if Toothless is your soulmate, then…who's mine? I used to think it was you, but if you're not, then…" She trailed off, and Hiccup was surprised to hear how vulnerable she, Fearless Astrid Hofferson, sounded just then.

He felt a sudden urge to reassure her. "Well, I still could be. You can be my other other half" Hiccup suggested. He was being serious, but she rolled her eyes at him, assuming he was joking.

"Gee, thanks for the invite. You can't have more than one other half, Hiccup; that's not how it works" Astrid reminded him.

Hiccup chuckled. "What I mean is…being heart bound, it makes me part of two worlds, like I'm the bridge between them" he said solemnly, holding his hands palms up. "Toothless is my link to the dragons, but you", here he took her hand in his and laced their fingers together, "you are my link to humanity. If it weren't for you, I probably would've flown off with Toothless by now and become a crazy feral dragon-man."

In spite of herself, Astrid smiled. "Like mother, like son, huh?"

"Yeah, exactly. I'd cover myself in shed scales and eat raw fish."

Astrid pulled a face. "That's disgusting. Humans don'teat raw fish."

"Yeah, but I wouldn't be human. Besides, Skulder said he's heard of a place in the Far East where raw fish is a delicacy. They call it sashimi." (2)

"Well, as far as I'm concerned, it can stay in the Far East. Besides, unlike your mother, you can actually cook."

"Hey! Cut her some slack, she's still my mom" Hiccup protested, but he didn't really take much offence. Even Valka knew she was a terrible cook. "The point is, you're important to me, Astrid. I wouldn't be the man I am today without you" he told her honestly.

She smiled and replied, "The feeling's mutual." Then she kissed him.

When she pulled away, Hiccup couldn't resist asking, "So you're saying you're a man?" He got another thwack for that, but it was worth it.

Astrid asked curiously, "Hiccup? Do you…ever wish you were a dragon?"

He shrugged. "Sometimes, I suppose. Not all the time. If I were a dragon, I wouldn't be able to talk to humans, and persuade them that dragons aren't monsters…then again, I'm not doing a very good job of that as a human either."

"That's not true. Look at Berk! Look at Eret, at Ragnar and Ormar and Isak, at Klaus. You are making a difference, Hiccup. These things just take time" Astrid counselled. "What you're doing is amazing. I'm proud of you. You're fighting for a cause you believe in, a cause that's bigger than you or me or the whole archipelago. Just…don't forget, you might have the soul of a dragon, but it's your humanity that makes you want to reach out to others."

There was a pause as he took her words in. "Wow" he murmured at last, "That was deep. But seriously, thank you. I needed to hear that" Hiccup admitted. He wound an arm around her waist and she snuggled into his side. Presently he remarked, "Y'know, maybe your soulmate is out there somewhere. Maybe some tall, dark and handsome stranger will come along, sweep you off your feet, and you can divorce me and marry him instead."

Astrid gave him one more half-hearted smack on the arm. "Don't be stupid. The only tall, dark and handsome man I need in my life is you."

He grinned. "The feeling's mutual."

"Oh, don't start that again…"


After they'd cleared away the remains of their picnic, Astrid got to her feet and walked away a few steps. Then she turned to face Hiccup again and held her hand out, inviting him to "Dance with me."

Hiccup smiled and stood up, walking over to take her hand. "I'm surprised. I almost expected you to ask me to spar with you. Seeing as that's how this usually goes" he remarked half-teasingly as they began to dance.

"Well, somebody made me leave my axe at home. Besides, the footwork of dancing is good practice for battle" she replied.

"Aha! I knew it. I knew you couldn't have just wanted a dance with your husband" Hiccup declared with a triumphant smirk. "Oh, Astrid, never change."

Astrid gave him the Look. "I will flip you" she warned, before confessing, "I do want to dance; but you know, just because it's our anniversary doesn't mean we can let our guard down. We need to be vigilant and prepared."

Ever since word reached them of Adulfr's escape, Astrid had wasted no time. She'd ordered food and ammunition stocked up in every storehouse on and off Berk; asked the dragons to provide extra gel, gas, spikes, Gronckle Iron and whatever else they could safely give; pushed for the able-bodied warriors of the tribe to hone their skills in close combat, hand-to-hand, and aerial combat.

"Wherever Adulfr is, he'll surely be coming to Berk eventually" she'd declared when questioned, "and he isn't going to come alone. This time we will be ready for him. For all of them. The Hooligans will not go down without a fight!"

The memory of the proud cheers rang in Hiccup's mind. "Of course, but I don't think it will hurt to take things easy just this once. It's our anniversary, love. My impending doom isn't something I really want to think about, right now" he admitted. She gave him a slightly concerned look at that, before hiding it with a smile and leaning up to kiss him.

When they came apart, she gazed at him adoringly, and he at her. Astrid's soft smile faded a little, and she said "Listen, I'm…I'm sorry I've been so pushy, about preparing for Adulfr returning."

"You haven't been pushy…okay, you have, but it's for a good reason. You're right; we can't afford to let our guard down, even now." Hiccup sighed, looking tired. Sad. He'd shaved the reddish stubble of the beard he'd never properly grown out, and without it he looked younger. Truly, he looked more like the twenty year old he'd been when the heart bind was made, than the nearly thirty year old he was. It wasn't a hugely noticeable difference, but still.

There were moments though, like this, that she looked into Hiccup's eyes and saw someone older. Concern tightened her chest, and she tried to make light of it. "Could we ever?" she asked, half-jokingly. "It's just one thing after another, around here."

Hiccup snorted in amusement a bit, but he still looked sad. Astrid's brow furrowed a little, and she murmured, "Hiccup, none of what's been happening lately is your fault. You know that, right?"

He sighed. "I guess not."

"You guess?" Astrid repeated, incredulous. "Hiccup, you're not to blame! Adulfr is the one at fault here. Him and all these other dragon hunters who keep spreading rumours and lies just because they want to keep lining their pockets." She scowled briefly at the thought. Bastards, the lot of them. "What would possibly make you think you were in the wrong here?"

"No, I – I don't" he replied, trying to smile reassuringly. "I'm just…sick of this, Astrid. I didn't cause it but I'm still in the middle of it all, and it's putting our pack, our tribe, everyone in danger. I just want it to end."

"It will" Astrid declared firmly, "we're all here to fight alongside you, and we will stop Adulfr. You're not alone. When he comes back here, he's not going to know what's hit him. We defeated Drago, we can defeat him."

"Yeah…" Hiccup said slowly, not quite meeting her eyes.

Astrid frowned. "What? There's something else bothering you" she realised, squinting suspiciously at him.

Hiccup winced. "I know Adulfr needs to be stopped. Only…I think maybe we shouldn't, err…kill him. At least not straightaway" he replied.

Her eyebrows raised, disbelieving. "That might be the only way to stop him" she protested, "why would you…?" Then a thought occurred to her. "Wait. Hiccup, is this about what happened to Hauke? This isn't happening because Toothless killed him…well, it sort of is, but that doesn't mean it's his or your fault!"

"You know, for a second there I almost felt better" Hiccup said sarcastically. He explained what he'd told Toothless, that he felt he needed to at least try to talk Adulfr down, for his own peace of mind if nothing else. If push came to shove he would kill the man, but that was irreversible, and he was worried people wouldn't understand, that they'd fear and hate him even more.

"I'm not saying we should forgive him; after what he's done, he doesn't deserve it" Hiccup determined, thinking of all the pain Adulfr had put them through; his mother near death, Toothless being tortured, Spitelout dying. "All I'm saying is that if we capture him, not kill, nobody will be able to say that we're…that I'm…merciless and power-hungry. I know it sounds crazy, but sparing him might be the best way to protect Berk from future attacks.

"I just – I can't shake the feeling that history is repeating itself. First it was Drago, now Adulfr…if Toothless or I kill him, it'll just keep circling around and I'll be no closer to changing people's minds about me, or about dragons. Not to mention, Adulfr told me, he wanted to 'continue Drago's legacy' or something, and that – that can't just be about my dragon killing his father. There has to be something more going on" Hiccup insisted, brow furrowed.

Astrid supposed she couldn't fault his line of thinking, after all her talk about how 'your humanity is what makes you reach out to others'. Personally she had her doubts whether Adulfr was even capable of changing his ways. Then again, when she was younger she'd have said the same thing about Alvin the Not-So-Treacherous, and Dagur the Not-So-Deranged. Adulfr might have been a Drago Bludvist fanboy, but he wasn't nearly as threatening as the warlord had been.

"I get what you're saying" she acknowledged, "but Hiccup, if you do have to kill him…that doesn't make you the bad guy. It's no different to with Drago; you'd be doing it to protect the dragons, protect all of us. If anyone thinks you're a hypocrite for that then the problem is with them, not you."

He gave her a sad smile. "I know…but if there's even the slightest chance to end this madness for good…I have to try."

"Well, if and when he does come back, we'll take him prisoner, put him on trial, and you can interrogate him" Astrid said finally…privately adding before he's executed. She had no qualms whatsoever about keeping that in reserve. She gave Hiccup a kiss on the cheek and murmured, "Babe, c'mon. Let's enjoy ourselves, make the most of it; we only get one anniversary a year, after all."

Hiccup refrained from pointing out that she'd been the one to bring the topic up. Instead he merely smiled, and pulled her in for a hug. They stood like that for a while, just holding one another. "Today has been…beautiful. Just like you" he murmured into her hair.

Astrid pulled back a little to smile at him fondly, and he at her. "Day's not over yet" she reminded him. "What shall we do now?"

Hiccup suggested, "How about an afternoon flight?"

"Good idea. You can use that mental link with Toothless, ask him to fetch Stormfly and meet us in the cove" Astrid decided.

Her husband smirked a bit. "I am way ahead of you" he teased, not taking his eyes off her; wingbeats cut through the air, and there were two thumps behind them, the sound of dragons coming into land. Astrid turned to find Toothless and Stormfly standing there, heads cocked expectantly and amusement glinting in their eyes. They had, she realised, been waiting for this.


Astrid and Hiccup mounted up, and their dragons flew straight up into the air. They banked and soared out across the far side of the island, away from the village. Toothless and Stormfly weaved and rolled around each other, swooping to form hearts in the sky, spiralling and showing off. It wasn't long before their riders joined in the fun.

"Not bad!" Hiccup grinned as Astrid performed a backflip onto Stormfly's tail so the Nadder could flick her back into the saddle. He unclipped his safety lines, locked the tail-fin into position, crouched on Toothless' back and leapt – Toothless spun beneath him, and he landed on the saddle again. "Yes!"

"Impressive!" Astrid called across, as the dragons circled each other, "but we're gonna win the Dragon Day competition!"

"It's not a competition!" Hiccup cried in exasperation. He and Toothless began climbing; Stormfly followed them. They flew out to sea, racing Stormfly until they reached the sea stacks, closer to the clouds than the ocean. Hiccup took his feet out of the stirrups, crouched on his dragon's shoulders, winked at Astrid, and dived off.

He plunged straight down, shoving his wrists through leather loops and keeping his knees locked. Toothless folded his wings and dropped beside Hiccup; Stormfly flipped over and followed them down, Astrid shrieking in excitement as they plummeted. The Swift-Wing curved his wings and twisted so he was facing Hiccup. The wind stung at his eyes but he kept them open, giving Hiccup a gummy smile and nudging him with one paw, making him spin.

Hiccup grinned back. Deciding it was now or never, he undid two little clips on his thighs and quickly wrenched his arms outwards, fighting the air, which felt almost solid as it slammed into him, filling his wings. The leather membrane once stretched between his wrists and ankles, like a bat. Now, there were four thin flat spokes that flicked out, one on the end of each wingtip and one on each side of his hips. Between them stretched more leather, catching more wind.

Hiccup had wider wings, and a base-fin, and if he'd been wearing his helmet he would have looked even more like a Night Fury halfway to turning human, or vice versa. He briefly hunched his shoulders and heard a small click as the series of stabilising fins, thinner and longer than a real Swift-Wing to match his smaller frame, rose and stiffened along his back (3).

*Your wings!*

*Your fins!*

"You're crazy!"

He checked his position and realised he was slightly off course, he needed to be more to the right. No matter; he pushed his right wing down and let the wind shove his left wing up, neatly flipping him onto his back. Thanks to his new base-fins, he barely lost any altitude, and the dorsal spines along his back kept the air flow steady beneath him.

Lifting his head, he grinned at Toothless, Astrid and Stormfly, gliding just behind and to the side of him. Toothless' eyes and smile were wide; he was delighted. Stormfly's face was less expressive, but he'd heard the amazement in her surprised cry at the sight of his new-and-better wings. Astrid waved at him, and called "Watch where you're going!"

Oh, yes; now for the tricky part. Hiccup briefly pulled his wings in – he dropped and twisted, dorsal spines keeping him balanced as he flipped himself. In moments he was facing forwards and heading straight for the nearest sea stack, now much closer to it than he had been. This was the even trickier part – landing. He had to time this just right…

As the solid and unforgiving rock approached him, Hiccup counted to five, then pulled his knees in and swung his legs down, keeping his wings spread wide. The sudden change in angle meant he dropped, but the wind still pushed at his wings and base-fins, slowing his plummet enough for him to fall safely.

Except he hadn't considered the resistance from his new base-fins, which pushed him back just enough that when he dropped onto the sea stack he was right on the edge. His feet slipped and he grabbed frantically at the rock, only to slide down until his prosthetic wedged in a crack and he tightened his fingers on an extremely narrow ledge, little more than a ridge in the stone.

"Hiccup!" he heard Astrid cry above him, and Toothless' roar of *Hold on!*

He heard his dragon land on the sea stack, and then a broad black-and-red finned tail dropped into view. It smacked Hiccup on the back of the head. "Aw, come on. It was an accident" he protested as he gripped the tail and let Toothless haul him up. "I just misjudged the timing."


Once he was on the sea stack, Toothless looked him over and crooned approval. *This is the big secret you've been working on, isn't it?* he realised. For several months now, Hiccup had been doing something in the forge and his old workshop. Annoyingly he had refused to let Toothless know what it was, saying only that it would be a nice surprise and to just be patient.

Hiccup smiled broadly and spread his wings, letting Toothless get a better look at them. "Surprise! You like it, then?"

*Yes, I'm flattered you went to so much trouble to look like me. I am impressive, after all* Toothless preened, grooming himself like a smug, contented cat. Astrid and Stormfly were perched on the other side of the sea stack. Hiccup couldn't help asking, "So, uh, Astrid…what do you think?"

She looked him and down, and delivered her verdict. "Honestly? I think you look ridiculous" Astrid declared, nodding at his right side. Hiccup looked down at himself and realised the base-fin on that side hadn't collapsed properly, which looked rather lopsided. Blushing, he hastily fiddled with the mechanism and flattened the support rod against his thigh again.

"Okay, yeah, I still have a couple of things to smooth out. But it worked!"

Astrid dismounted and came over for a better look. "So how does it work?"

Hiccup showed her the support rods and explained, "I undo the clasps and then they flick out when I spread my wings, and there's this catch between my shoulders that keeps my dorsal spines raised. Cool, huh?"

"Wait, so how do you make sure it all works every time?" she asked.

"Um…"

Astrid shook her head at him. "Alright, I'll admit; making yourself fly like a Night Fury is a pretty neat trick. You're going to have to do something even more impressive if you want a chance of winning the Dragon Day Parade competition, though" she warned him playfully.

"It's not…does everything have to be a competition?" he asked, exasperated. "Well, if it is a competition, then Toothless and I are gonna win. So there."

"Uh-uh. Stormfly and I are winning it next time, for sure."

"We're the Alphas."

"I'm your wife."

"Uh, heh, heh…how about we change the subject?"

"Sure" Astrid shrugged, "why don't we talk about how your big surprise for our anniversary was to make yourself look more like Toothless?"

Hiccup blushed and stammered. "Uh, I – uh – i-it's not – I – I don't – just, y-y'know, c-caught up in – um – I just, aheh…" Astrid pressed a finger to his lips to shut him up, and he gulped nervously.

Stormfly leaned down and croaked quietly to Toothless, *This is awkward.*

*I agree* he snorted in reply.

Astrid sighed, exasperated and fond all at the same time. "Look, it's fine. I'm not really upset" she admitted, but Hiccup still felt bad.

"I wouldn't blame you if you were. I was just showing off, but I shouldn't have…today's supposed to be about us and I went and made it about me. I'm sorry, Astrid. I wasn't thinking."

"Well, you are a man" Astrid teased him, before saying "Look, I get it, okay? This is just, you – like you said, you're kinda half-dragon now. You can't help yourself. I knew when I married you that I'd have to accept all…this."

Hiccup raised an eyebrow and smirked slightly. "You just gestured to all of me" he noted, amused. "Still, I'm sorry. I promise I'll do better next time."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, really. I'll do something really wonderful for you. You'll never see it coming" he declared confidently.

Astrid smirked. "You have no idea what you're going to do for our next anniversary, do you?"

"Not yet" he insisted, "but I will. Trust me, next year is gonna be the best seventh anniversary you've ever had" he replied.

There was a short pause…and then Astrid snickered. Even the dragons were chortling. Hiccup sighed. "You know what I mean."

"Yeah" she chuckled, trying to catch her breath. "Well, whatever it is, I look forward to it." Hiccup smiled and pulled her closer for a kiss.

When they came apart, they realised Toothless and Stormfly had flown over to another rock, presumably to give the couple some privacy. Right now they were playing a game of tag across the tall stones, and their riders chuckled at the sight. "Hiccup, thank you. All of this; the breakfast, the day off, the picnic…it's all been wonderful. You're wonderful. I couldn't ask for a better husband."

"I couldn't ask for a better wife, so I guess we're even" Hiccup smiled. He wound an arm around her waist, she leaned against his side and they looked out over the ocean together, towards the west. The sun was just starting to set, colouring the sky vibrant orange and a little purple with the coming night. They stood and watched it slide down, chased into hiding by the moon and stars peeking out.

Suddenly Astrid gasped. "Hiccup! You're supposed to be in hiding, you can't be all the way out here; what if someone sees you?"

"Who will? Astrid, there's no one here but us and the dragons. Besides, nobody's coming after me; they all think I'm dead, remember?"

"Which is exactly why you're in hiding" Astrid retorted, checking all around for any sign of ships. How could they have been so foolish?

"Astrid, would you relax? Nobody's seen me. Even if people were around, so long as I keep my head down it's hard to tell Toothless has a rider from below. And the bottom of his tail-fin is black now, so the red fin can't give us away."

"What about when you jumped out of the saddle?"

"Toothless and I checked all over as we were flying out here to make sure the coast was clear. I wouldn't have done it if there had been anyone around."

She still looked worried. "Hiccup, if anyone sees you…"

"But they didn't! And what's the worst that could happen?" he asked.

"Word will get out you're not really dead and all those bounty hunters will be after you again, Adulfr will be after you."

"He's gonna be after me anyway, if he comes back. I won't exactly be able to stay hidden then. But let's say I did get caught out; I'd have no choice but to resort to plan B" Hiccup told her.

Astrid looked at him sceptically. "What's plan B?"

"Actually talking to the person and explaining all the misunderstandings" he replied, with an infuriating smirk on his face. "Shocking concept, I know."

Astrid glared at him. "Talking to them" she repeated incredulously, "after we've taken them prisoner, I assume. What if you don't even know they've seen you?"

"Well, if I don't know, then I can't do anything about it, can I?"

"And you're not the slightest bit worried about that?"

"What's the point of worrying if there's nothing I can do?"

Astrid grimaced. "Ugh. You are infuriating" she scowled at him.

Hiccup just smiled cheerfully at her, unfazed. "You love me" he insisted.

She sighed, her gaze softening. "Yeah. I guess I do."


Spring, 1064

The Tempest was finally sailing into the waters of the Archipelago, after several months at sea. Nicole and her crew had stocked up on furs and coverings; a good thing too, because the further north they went, the colder it became. The dragon trapping pirates had spent all their lives in the sunny, balmy med - this northern weather was disagreeable. One of them had cold, numb hands whilst up on the rigging one day and became convinced she'd gotten frostbite.

Nicole knew that their quarry would be elusive, and hard to obtain. "The Triple Stryke is ridden by the chief of the Berserker tribe; he calls himself Dagur the Defiant" Cateline told her. "I wouldn't recommend trying to capture the dragon on his island; my contact and his crew escaped from there, so they'll be wary, if they have any sense. Not that you can tell, with Vikings."

"So what do you suggest? I want solutions, Cateline, not problems."

"I have it on good authority that the Berserker Chief travels from his island around this time to the Isle of Berk, where these Night Furies are said to live. For a treaty signing, or something. If we get there on time, we have a chance to lure out and capture all three. After all, we have the bait" Cateline explained.

"Of course, and if we only capture one of the Night Furies, then our bait for them can be the back-up. A rare hybrid like that would be worth even more than a pure-bred" Nicole remarked, smirking in satisfaction.

Cateline spread a map of the islands out on the table in Nicole's cabin. "Two more days hard sailing, and we'll be in the northeastern current. That will take us right up to the heart of the archipelago" she declared, "and there, we'll lay our trap. We can get the last item we need for the trap from here", she tapped Outcast Island with the tip of her dagger.

"Why, what's so special about that island?" Nicole demanded, frowning at the sharp, ugly patch of grey on the map.

"Absolutely nothing. It's a God-forsaken wasteland with a barely legitimate tribe that somehow manages to eke out a living there" Cateline replied, "but also, the so-called Loki tree. The ash of its wood is black as tar, smells about as pleasant, and will make an excellent paint for the disguise. We want it to be realistic, after all" she pointed out.

Nicole nodded thoughtfully. "The only question is where to set the bait" she noted, examining the map carefully. She noticed a small island not too far from that of their target, little more than a brown and green splotch on the parchment. That meant there was vegetation there, which would make good cover. "We'll weigh anchor here, and lay the trap just on the other side of this small headland."

Cateline nodded and left to relay the orders to the crew. She had recently been 'promoted' to Nicole's first mate, after the last one made the mistake of trying to mutiny. That person was now having an extended holiday on a nice, quiet, empty little Greek island. Nicole pored over the map a few moments more, plotting their course. She was determined to capture the Triple Stryke and at least one, or better yet two, Night Furies.


(1) So how's this for a nice coincidence, it turns out that in the language of flowers, purple violets mean that the givers thoughts were occupied with love about the recipient. D'aww.

(2) Yes, sashimi, not sushi. They're often confused, but sushi is rice based.

(3) TBH, I don't know if his flight suit could actually work like this, but who needs technical accuracy in fanfics am I right? Btw 'base-fins' are the wide triangular fins at the base of a Night Fury's tail.