Chapter Ten: For Better or Worse


The sun was barely peeking out of the ocean, not warming the cool air. Though it was summer, it rarely got hot enough to not wear a jacket or coat in the morning. Honestly, Matt wished it was cooler, as he'd have an excuse to wear his snowboard gear. Unfortunately, because it was still summer, he left most of his gifted gear in the duffle bag, while only wearing his new goggles and coat.

Having spent the early part of the morning talking to Stoick about his choice, the two then began to prepare for the trip back, which Heather ended up taking more stuff than what she originally brought.

"Urrgh! Heather!" Matt grunted, hefting her saddle bag onto Windshear "What're you packing back to the Edge? Rocks for Meatlug?"

"Jars, vials, any kind of container Gothi could find to put this paste in." Heather answered, standing on the opposite side of Windshear and helping tie the bag. Ensuring it was secured, she then smiled at Matt, saying "Thanks, it was pretty heavy to haul it down here from the Great Hall."

"Should've let me carry it down for ya'. When are you going to let me start treatin' you right?" Matt asked, tugging on the bag to make sure it wouldn't come undone.

Heather looked across from Windshear, smiling at Matt as she said "Don't know. I've never had that kind of treatment before. Guess I don't know how to accept it."

"Let's start practicing then, alright?" Matt teased, smirking at her. Walking around Windshear and lightly throwing his arm around her, he then added "I mean, you're just like Astrid. Maybe a little more hard headed than her."

"What do you mean I'm a little more hard headed?" She cried out, pushing him away.

"Let's see…Ok, to start, when you first met Hiccup and the gang, you thought you could handle Alvin by yourself and lied to them to get the dragon book; second, when you met with everyone a second time, you charged Dagur's fleet and was almost captured. Until Hiccup and Toothless saved you." Matt began to list "Third, you left me and the gang in hopes of splitting Dagur's attention, which we all saw how well that worked out."

"Matt!" Heather growled, narrowing her eyes "Do I need to go back to treating you when we first met?"

"Nope, you can't even pretend to do that." Matt teased while grinning at her "Windshear wouldn't do anything to hurt me!"

"Oh really?" Heather replied, suddenly sounding smug "Windshear. Grab him."

Windshear instantly wrapped her tail around Matt, hefting him up in the air.

"Agh! Put me down you overgrown razorblade of a lizard!" He shouted, dangling in the air and kicking his legs "Watch the coat! Watch the coat! It's brand new!"

Windshear just smiled at him, not doing anything to appeal to him.

"Good girl!" Heather laughed, petting the Razorwhip. Looking up at the struggling Matt, she placed her hands on her hips. "Well? What do you say now?" She teased.

"Alright, maybe you can get away with how we first met, but I don't take anything back! You're still hard headed!" He huffed, looking down at Heather in annoyance "Mind putting me down now?"

"Hhhhmmmm…after you admit I'm stronger, smarter, and just better than you." She continued to taunt, letting her smirk grow on her face.

"Ugh, really?" Matt growled, staring down at Heather "Gonna gloat like that?"

"Matt? Heather? What're you two still doing here?" Stoick called out, walking towards the two.

"Oh you know. Just hanging around." Matt huffed sarcastically, not doing anything to hide his anger and embarrassment.

"Just teaching him a thing or two." Heather laughed, smiling at Stoick.

"Did you not get the news?" Stoick asked, looking at them urgently.

"What news?" Matt asked, a little alarmed and still being held by Windshear.

"We received a Terrible Terror from the Edge." Stoick announced, grabbing a scroll tucked in his belt "I asked Gustav of the auxiliary to tell you about it, but here's the letter."

Heather grabbed the scroll, unfurling it. She let out a small gasp as she read aloud "It's Astrid, and the Edge is under attack!"

"Windshear! Put me down!" Matt roared, feeling a flood of emotions rush through, mainly anger. Of course the Edge would be attacked when he was gone. Again!

"That's not all, it's only Astrid and Tuffnut defending! Ruff's been captured!" She cried out, looking up at Matt with anxiety.

"Wait, where's Hiccup and the others?" Matt asked, stopping struggling and staring at her in confusion. Then it hit him "They're helping Trader Johann! He sent a distress letter when we were leaving!" Before Heather could reply, Windshear dropped Matt, who wasn't expecting it. "Gah!" He shouted, falling onto his knee.

"Are you alright?" Heather asked, jogging to him and helping him stand.

"Just landed wrong on the leg." Matt huffed, letting the sharp, lingering pain slowly die away. Looking at Stoick, he then said "We're leaving right now. We'll make sure we turn the battle around!"

"Are you going to be ok?" Stoick asked, looking at him with concern.

"Look, I'm walking on it!" He huffed, walking towards him, knowing that Stoick was concerned about it. "I just landed on it wrong!"

"Matt, you're going to be the death of me…" Stoick groaned, rubbing his head wearily "Get going. The sooner the better."

"Right, let's go Wasatch!" Matt shouted, running to his dragon. Making a conscious effort to mask his limp, he leaped onto Wasatch and strapped himself in. Slinging his new duffle bag over him, he wore the strap across his chest and positioned it like a backpack.

"Ready?" Heather asked, already on Windshear and walking next to Wasatch.

"Ready. Let's go save the Edge." Matt said aloud, pulling up his snowboard goggles.

Wasatch and Windshear launched into the air, pumped by the sudden tension and urgency. Matt was busy shifting his bag to make it more comfortable, having shifted after launching into the air.

"Matt, slow down a little." Heather called out, flying closer to him.

"Why? What's going on? Forget something?" Matt asked, looking at her with concern.

"No, I need to tell you something. About Astrid's letter." Heather replied, looking at him with a concerned look. Seeing him stare at her with confusion, she explained "This isn't Astrid's handwriting. And the letter isn't paper."

"What do you mean it's not Astrid's handwriting? And does it matter if it's paper or not?" He asked, even more confused.

"Look at it. Does it look familiar?" She asked, holding the message in the open.

Staring at it, he gasped. It was a cloth with a pale blue line running through it, this time horizontally. It was charcoal writing, the exact same as the las two messages he found.

"I didn't say anything earlier because I didn't want Stoick to worry." Heather replied, flying close enough for Matt to take the cloth "On the back is a message that I think is for you."

"What does it say?" He asked, flipping the cloth over to see more writing.

"Your family adopted me too. I am a brother." Heather quoted, looking at him with concern "Matt, we could be flying into a trap. Whoever this guy is, he sent this message to get us to fly back to Dragon's Edge."

Matt just nodded, staring at the cloth "Could be. Likely it is. But if Astrid and Tuffnut are in trouble, with Ruffnut captured, we have to make sure. We'll just keep our eyes open for anything out of the ordinary. Plus we'll fly high in case there are any Hunter ships that are waiting for us."

Heather nodded, guiding Windshear to climb higher in the sky. Matt followed, lifting his foot up and flying next to Heather.

"What I don't get is how this…stalker is able to get you his messages." She began to quiz, puzzling it over in her head "I mean, you also claim you saw something. A dragon?"

Matt nodded, adding "On separate occasions. Granted, I never actually saw it, just hints. A flash of a silhouette, eyes in a bush, or ripples in the water."

"Is this person a dragon rider?" Heather asked "I mean, he's referring to your family and friends. Do you think he knows Hiccup? Or if Hiccup knows anything about him?"

"I don't know. If so, it's been a secret from me." Matt replied, looking at her with concern "But to be fair, I was gone for three years. A lots happened between then and now. Honestly, I'm actually more confused as to why it's been a secret from me."

"Do you think it's that guy that Astrid refused to tell us about?" She followed up with, looking at him with concern.

"Let me talk to Hiccup first, then we'll try to figure it out." He replied, flashing his usual smile at her "Right now, let's hurry and get to the Edge. If Astrid and Tuffnut are the only one's holding down the defenses, who knows how long they'll last."

"Sometime soon Matt, we're going to have to worry about this." Heather called out, shaking her head at his decision.

"I'll talk to Hiccup the first chance I get. He's not going to be happy to know I've been keeping it a secret from him this long." He replied back, focusing on what was ahead. Letting Wasatch speed up, he then shouted "C'mon, let's get going."

Shaking her head, she ushered Windshear to speed up, catching up to Wasatch; unaware of the two pair of eyes looking below from the ocean and watching the two dragons fly away.

"Good job friend, they'll make it in time to help out Astrid…I hope." The rider whispered, letting his dragon swim slowly with the waves.

A growl of acknowledgement came from his friend, speeding up his pace in the water.

"Alright, take me away…Arrow." He whispered, lying flat on the saddle.

At that, the dragon dove under the water; making both rider and dragon disappear.


"Hey, so you sent them retreating?" Tuffnut asked, seeing Astrid and Stormfly land in the clubhouse.

"No! They just keep on coming!" Astrid replied angrily, walking Stormfly in.

"Oh. So…what do we do now?" He asked.

"I don't know! There's just too many of them!" She growled, sliding off of Stormfly and walking to a water bucket. Dipping a mug in it, she took a long swallow, quenching her thirst from fighting and flying all day.

"Huh, well, I found the Dragon Eye!" Tuff announced, smiling as he showed Astrid.

"Ugh, Tuff! I buried it to hide it!" She snapped angrily, grabbing it out of his hand and walking to the center of the club house. Leaning against the central fire place, she expressed "I don't know what to do, we're out of any kind of defenses and they just keep on coming!"

"So, you guys really are under attack." A voice called out from outside, making Astrid and Tuffnut gape. At that, Matt and Heather walked in, with Wasatch and Windshear behind them.

Stormfly let out a joyful squawk, bolting between the two riders and greeting both dragons.

"Matt! Heather!" Astrid cried out, running and grabbing the two in a hug. Letting them go, she then said "You can't believe how happy I am to see you guys! What made you come back sooner?"

Matt and Heather glanced at each other, confirming their suspicions. Someone else warned them about the attack. "We got this Terror message." Matt then explained, pulling out the cloth "Said you guys were under attack and Ruffnut was captured. We left as soon as we heard. Honestly, we were here for a couple of hours. We just had slip in from the north since we didn't want the Hunters to see us."

Astrid gaped at Matt, seeing the message. Turning to Tuffnut, she asked "Did you send them a Terrible Terror?"

"Astrid, Astrid, Astrid…" Tuffnut replied, shaking his head with a smile "I never bothered to learn how to write. Just to show my mom that I wouldn't need it!"

"We think its Matt's mystery stalker." Heather cut in, making Astrid look at her with shock "It's on the same kind of cloth we've found on the last two."

"So…this stranger is helping us?" Astrid asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He. The stranger is a guy." Matt answered, making Astrid take it.

Astrid unrolled the cloth. Reading it, she then commented "Well, the message is accurate. It's only me and Tuffnut defending. And Ruffnut is captured. But how do you know it's a guy?"

"Turn it over." Heather instructed "Do you know who this could be referring to?"

Flipping the cloth over, she read the few lines and let out an audible gasp. Her face paled as she finished reading.

"Astrid? What's wrong?" Matt asked, rushing to her to make sure she wasn't going to pass out.

"Its…you have to talk to Hiccup about this…" Astrid whispered, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Let me see this." Tuffnut announced, swiping the message "Hmm…yes…very interesting."

"You know who it is?" Heather asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Shh…" He whispered, putting a finger over her lips, making her recoil back in disgust "I've decided that this was written…by somebody."

"Oh for the love of…" Matt groaned angrily, stealing the cloth away from Tuffnut "We know it was written by somebody! We're trying to figure out who that somebody is!"

"Heh, that's easy! Adopted by your family? Technically your brother? It's none other tha-" Tuffnut began to say, only to be interrupted by Astrid

"Tuff! Not now! We all agreed that we only talk about him when Hiccup's here!" She shouted, glaring at him

"Who? The person you refused to tell us about?" Heather asked, looking at her with concern.

"Listen, show Hiccup this, and he'll explain it all." Astrid growled, her eyes narrowing "Right now, let's focus on defending Dragon's Edge!"

"Sure, I guess a secret that's been kept from me this long can wait a little longer." Matt growled angrily, tucking the cloth away. He couldn't believe it! Hiccup and the others kept a secret from him that seemed to even shake Astrid. Shaking his head, he then looked up at her and asked "So, what's happened so far? Bring us up to speed."

"Well, at first they tried a frontal assault." Astrid explained "But the two ships they sent are sitting at the bottom of the bay."

"That was awesome! My favorite part was using the catapult loaded with Monstrous Nightmare gel!" Tuffnut interrupted with a wide smile. Folding his arms, he then smirked "Heh, they never knew what hit them."

"After that, they've been sending multiple parties from all directions. We've been able to hold them back, but now we have no more defenses and traps." She continued to explain, folding her arms and contemplating what to do "We couldn't defend all sides, but with you and Heather here, we have a chance!"

"Great! Where should we put ourselves?" Heather asked, stepping up next to Astrid.

"Well, let's see." Astrid replied, walking over to a map of the Edge that was hanging on the wall. "Stormfly and I can fly through these forests on the east side. That'd be our best spot. Heather, why don't you and Windshear take the cliffs on the west side? We all know how well Windshear can navigate through canyons and gullies." Looking at Tuffnut, she then said "We'll leave you defending the front lines. Since you like the catapult and ballista launcher so much."

"Awesome!" Tuffnut smiled, nodding in agreement.

"Matt, focus on the direct rear of Dragon's Edge. Wasatch has a lot longer of a shot than our dragons do, and can help Tuffnut if he gets in a bind." Astrid finished, smiling at him.

Nodding in agreement, he then said "Sounds like a plan. But what about Ruffnut?"

"We'll worry about that when Hiccup and the others return." Astrid answered, frowning at the thought "Right now, let's just try and keep our heads above water."

"I have an idea." Heather spoke up, walking to the map "The Hunters have no idea Matt and I are here. They think it's only you and Tuffnut."

"Right, established that a bit ago." Astrid huffed sarcastically.

"Windshear and I can go and sneak into their camp. If they're focused on Dragon's Edge, then they'll never see or expect me coming from behind." She began to say, which instantly was critiqued.

"No! They still expect dragons!" Astrid replied, glaring at Heather "Behind or in front of them!"

"Remember last time you thought you'd be fine?" Matt followed up with, giving her an annoyed look "We really got to remind you how long you were held prisoner?"

"I can do it!" Heather cried out, seeing they weren't going to let her.

"No! That's final Heather! No more solo missions! Not unless we have a guaranteed way to get you back." Matt shot out, walking to and grabbing her arm to reinforce that he wasn't going to let her "This isn't just involving you. It involves Windshear too. Are you going to risk putting her in the same position we found her a few weeks ago?"

Heather just glared at Matt, hating the fact he brought Windshear up.

"But…you did give me an idea." Astrid began to say, looking back at the map.

"What would that be then?" Heather growled, angry they weren't letting her try her idea.

"You can go find Hiccup, Fishlegs, and Snotlout!" She replied with a smile "Then, when you come back with all of them, you can really do some damage from behind! Even save Ruffnut!"

"But what about defending the Edge!" Heather cried out, staring at Astrid in confusion.

"We can hold them off a little bit longer while you get Hiccup." Astrid explained, turning to Matt with a smile "Think Wasatch can help cover the west side?"

"I was honestly bummed that we were only covering the north. This will be cake walk for Wasatch." Matt affirmed, smiling at her.

"Wow. That easy to replace, huh?" Heather huffed, folding her arms in anger.

"Not replaced, just re-assigned." Astrid corrected, smiling at Heather's scowling face. Then with a serious look, she explained "Listen, even if you stayed here, we can't defend this place forever. The sooner you bring them back, the sooner we can end this battle."

"Fine. I'll leave right now then." She growled, obviously still angry with the assignment. Turning to Matt, she then huffed "So help me if something happens while I'm gone!"

"Nothing will. I can hit them farther than a catapult can reach." Matt assured, walking with her to Windshear "We'll be fine. It's you that I'll be worried about."

"Matt, you know how you asked when I'd let you start treating me right?" Heather asked, glaring at him.

"Yeah, going to start letting me do that?" He asked with a wry smile.

"Not if it means you're going to keep me from fighting and living with some risks." She replied coldly "You don't need to worry about me all the time. Just treat me like you treated me before."

"Before…what?" Astrid asked, a mischievous grin growing on her face.

Flushing with a bright red, Heather realized what she just said. Lost for words, Matt quickly covered her by saying "Before she came back here with us. I let her do what she felt like she could do." Looking at Heather, he added with a smirk "She's just a little hard headed, but she's right. I need to let loose on her a little." Eyes, narrowing, he then added "Except solo missions. Not letting up on that."

Relieved that he didn't announce they were a couple yet, though it was pretty obvious, Heather then said "Thank you Matt. I don't want special treatment. I want to be equal."

"Which is why you need to get going to find Hiccup!" Astrid pressed, still smiling at Heather "Even the best of us have to do something they don't want to."

"Alright, fine. I'll get out of here." Heather replied, climbing on Windshear. Pulling up her hood and mask, she turned to see Matt strapping himself in "Your leg going to be ok? I mean after the trip today?"

"I'll be fine Heather. Worry about yourself." He teased, winking at her. Pushing on Windshear, he then said "Get going. See you in a bit."

"He went south-west. I don't know how far." Astrid explained, walking up next to Matt "Just head in that direction until you find him."

"Great, with those amazing instructions, I should be back sometime next year." She huffed, shaking her head. Then, looking at Matt, whispered "Just be careful, K?" At that, she turned Windshear and launched into the air. Weaving in and out of the trees, she snuck through the forest on the east, cloaking her presence.

"Alright, guess we better get going to our stations." Matt announced, walking towards Wasatch. Sliding his duffle bag off, he set it near the door.

That's when Astrid noticed his change in apparel "Matt? Where'd you get that coat? Are those the same goggles?"

Turning around with a smile, he shook his head "They're new. My dad gave them to me. I…I uh…went to my world for a minute to make my choice. He left the bag full of this stuff in the cave; and a message to me." Seeing her anxious face, he added "I'm staying, Astrid. This is my home. And I'm going to live like it's the only one I know."

Astrid smiled, happy to have him at peace; and more importantly, staying. Walking up to him, she then lightly hit him in the shoulder, saying "Glad to hear that. Don't need to give you a lifetime amount of punches in less than a few days."

"Ugh, just kill me if we had to do that!" Matt laughed, shaking his head. Climbing on Wasatch, he then said "Come on, let's make sure we're not getting overrun while we were gabbing away."

Both their attention was grabbed by Tuffnut, as he then said loudly with a smile from ear to ear "Astrid! Let's start using some of my ideas!"

"Uh…" She began to say, appearing hesitant.

"What ideas?" Matt asked, looking at him skeptically.

"Only the greatest ideas of all time!" Tuffnut laughed loudly, putting his hand on his hips, as if to sell the claim "They'll send those Hunters scurrying back to where they came from! Er, the island that they came from! Not just the sea!

Looking at Astrid, he shrugged, saying "Why not?"

"You're seriously saying that. After they've almost killed you a few times." Astrid asked, gaping at him.

Smiling, he then said "He said 'Astrid'. Not Matt. You're the one helping him."

"Matt!" She shouted, reaching to grab him.

"Go for it Tuff!" Matt laughed, leaping onto Wasatch. The Skrill then took off, with Matt clinging to his head and Astrid shaking her fist at him.

"I'm going to send you back where you came from, with all your arms and legs broken!" She threatened, watching them fly westward. Sighing, she turned to see Tuffnut still standing there with a smile. Rolling her eyes, she growled as she walked away "Fine, what do we have to lose?"

"Uh, our dragons. The Edge. The Dragon Eye. Our lives." Tuffnut began to list, following Astrid around the corner "Unless, wait. Was that a rhetorical question?"


Hey, I know this is a shorter chapter than the usual. I had to split this section of the story because if I combined it with the next chapter, it would have been way to long for what I would have liked. So, I'm posting both chapters. Since I reviewed the grammar of two chapters in the time that it normally takes me to do one, I'm willing to bet there's going to be a few issues in regards to that. Any who, hope you enjoyed it!