Guys, I really should have planned this story better. I feel like I'm just writing myself in a hole. I am going to finish this, but if something confuses you, let me know so I can answer it later in the story!

Like he promised, Hiccup was gone by the first thaw. The winter was pleasant, as the merman was kept warm by buildings and heated water from the forge. It was much nicer than having to claim your heat from nestling under the ice. Snoggletog was quite the experience, and he was sure to come back every year, if only to have some of the Yaknog that Astrid created. He didn't understand why everyone hated it so much.

When what seemed to be the last winter storm disappeared, Astrid accompanied Hiccup and Gobber to the cove to try out the new prototype. Toothless melted the lake.

It was an overwhelming success.

So, when the ice on shore receded far enough, Astrid wheeled her friend down to the dock and helped him ease into the frigid water, her hand clasping his. Toothless would follow his rider later in the evening, when the other dragons went to sleep. For now though, they had agreed that staying with the other dragons would help the village to adjust. They needed the stability of a trained dragon.

"Cold?" She asked, as Hiccup peered up at her.

"A bit, but I'm built to survive it." He smiled.

"I—I'm going to miss you," she admitted. "It was nice having you around."

"I'll miss you too Astrid," he agreed. "Don't cry for me."

She flushed pinked and scowled, "I wasn't going to cry!" She yelled.

He laughed. "I'm just kidding!" He pulled her a little closer. "I'll be back here tomorrow, same time. It's not like I'm leaving, just moving."

"So, you will return?"

"Of course! Why wouldn't I?"

"i figured, as soon as you got the chance, you'd hightail it out of this crazy place. No pun intended. We haven't exactly been the nicest to you."

Hesitantly, he nodded, agreeing to an extent. "But you also helped me. And Astrid, you're a dear friend."

"As are you."

"Tomorrow then?"

"I'll be here."

With a tug, he leaned up and placed a brief kiss on her cheek before slipping into the water and disappearing.

Astrid smiled broadly.

—

She heard it again. The soft singing that peeled her eyes open and bid her feet to move. She tried to resist, but the song pulled and pulled, bringing her into a new realm.

Drowning. Astrid's screams were silenced as bubbles escaped her lips and floated innocently away from her demise. She couldn't fight, the force was too strong to break as it physically pulled her deeper and deeper into the dark. She heard horrible shrieks as teeth filled her vision and tore her apart. Despite the icy depths, everything burned.

"ASTRID!"

The young woman finally jolted awake, Stoick's hands grasping her tightly. She panted as the vision still gripped her, her body shook of it's own accord.

"It was a nightmare, wasn't it?" The chief asked.

Her voice was gone, she only nodded.

"I've been having them too. Drowning?"

"Yes…" She panted, staring up at him. "How did you know?"

"You were calling out for Hiccup."

Had it really been so? It would make sense, she guessed, since he could save her if she was drowning, but something seemed wrong.

It was his voice she heard, wasn't it?

They aren't capable of love. Their looks are deceiving. They sing like song birds, and lure men into the water. Then, when the man can't escape, they show their true form. Eyes black like ink, and mouths that stretch far up into their cheeks. She remembered his words, and considered them with a true sense of fear. You'd do whatever she said, and even if you killed her, her voice would torment you until the day you die.

Hiccup was different though, wasn't he? He—…

"Stoick, what are your nightmares about?"

The chief sighed and sat on the bed. "The water. It keeps calling me."

"Ever sense Hiccup arrived?"

"Yes."

"Do you hear…singing?"

"Yes." He nodded again. "And I'm not the only one," he sighed. "My dear, I didn't want to frighten you, but those odd goings on I told you about? Well…Hoark heard singing and followed it right off the cliffs."

Astrid gasped in horror and covered her lips.

"Fortunately, it was the shorter side, and he's fine…but what if someone else isn't so lucky?"

Astrid peered up at her chief. "Do you really think Hiccup would do that?"

He folded his hands. "I don't think so. I have really come to like the boy, especially over the winter. He's clever, and very funny…but he's still a monster. You have got to be careful. There's no telling if what he told Dagur was the truth about mermaids."

"I don't want to believe it. He's my friend."

"Aye, lass." He tweaked her chin. "As a chief, it burdens me that there could be a threat…but as a father…" He stopped there, leaving Astrid with so many questions. "Goodnight, darlin'."

"Goodnight Stoick."

She wouldn't sleep though, no. Her thoughts kept leading back to the troubled depths, the waters of fury. Surely, if she got to close, she wouldn't be able to swim the deep divide.

Tomorrow, she would confront him. Tomorrow she would face the truth she had consistently denied.

—

After her morning duties, the blonde raced down to the dock, ready to interrogate the boy she had called her friend.

"Hiccup! Hiccup, come on out you…you guppy!"

There was no sign of the fish boy. Grumpy, the girl sat on the deck and waited. Either he lied and wasn't coming back, or she was just bad with her timing. Dangling her foot off the edge, she looked out to the horizon, organizing her words.

Many moments passed before a hand grabbed her foot. Astrid nearly screamed as she jolted.

Hiccup surfaced and combed his hair back. "Did I scare you?" He teased.

"You surprised me." She stated cooly, her heart still pounding in her chest.

He laughed, "Well, I brought you a present." And he reached up and handed it to her.

"Hey! His helmet! Er—my helmet, I guess."

"His?" The merman questioned.

"Hiccup's. Not you Hiccup, other Hiccup."

"Oh…" The merman said, looking at his reflection in the metal.

"Stoick gave it to me when I started Dragon Training last year. Said he wanted me to stay safe. I don't really like it though, because I know it's not rightfully mine." She set it on the deck.

"Well, I thought I'd give it back to you."

"Thanks, I know Stoick would be happier to know it's not at the bottom to the ocean."

He smiled.

Before she got lost in this deep green eyes, she had to get some answers. "Hey Hiccup, I have to talk to you about something."

"Okay." So he grabbed the edge of the dock and pulled himself up to sit next to her, weight leaning back on his arms. "It was nice being back in the water. Not that you didn't take care of me, but it's just so open and fresh…You know?"

She didn't. Not really, but she didn't say otherwise. "Yeah…so, here's the thing."

He looked at her with a pleasant half smile. With that look, she couldn't find the heart to convict him of anything. He looked like the epitome of innocence, he would never hurt anyone. Especially not her. How could she ask him?

"Do you…Do you hear singing?" The question came from her lips without much thought.

He frowned. "What kind of singing?"

"It's…not like anything I've ever heard before…so soothing…so pretty." She leaned forward.

"Astrid?" He grabbed her shoulder. "What are they saying?"

"I don't know…"

He looked down at her hands. "Where's the ring I gave you?"

She didn't answer.

"Astrid! Where's the ring?"

"Necklace…" She muttered as her eyes drooped and then closed.

Suddenly, two beings surfaced from the water. One brunette and one blonde.

"Stop!" called Hiccup, but the music pressed on.

Seeing no choice, Hiccup tackled Astrid to the dock, and pinned her, his face mere inches from her own. His mouth spit high into his cheek bones as razor sharp teeth lined his jaws. The beautiful green of his eyes were blotted out with black. He hissed and shrieked in her face, already cursing her with nightmares for many nights to come. She snapped out of her trance, but she was frozen in utter terror. He took the opportunity to fish out her necklace and rip off the ring and place it on her finger. He then leaned off.

Astrid scooted back on the dock, looking at the now three monsters that sat a few feet away. The music that had barricaded her over and over was silenced, and she could hear herself think.

The two new mermaids looked at her in interest. The brunette rested her head on the wood.

"What was that?" Asked Astrid, with good reason.

"That ring I gave you, I told you it protects you."

"…yes?"

"Mermaids communicate with song. It's just a part of what they do. That ring blocks out their spell. That's what I was trying to tell you."

"Then…why did you have to scare me?"

"To snap you out of it."

She breathed hard and looked over to the mermaids that still watched her carefully. "What are they doing here?"

"I don't know," he turned to them. "What are you doing here?"

They didn't answer the question. "Who is this?" Asked the blonde. "Did you use a seal on that ring?"

"Yes, she's my friend, her name is Astrid." He answered.

"She's weird looking!"

"I think she's beautiful," said the brunette. "I've never seen a live human this close before."

Astrid gulped at the term 'live'.

"Astrid, these are my sisters," He gestured to them. "Camicazi and Heather."

"I didn't know you had sisters!" Astrid smiled.

"Not blood sisters," Heather corrected, "we're from the same school."

"He's not blood related to anyone." Camicazi stated, blatantly, as she adjusted the many necklaces that laid upon her bare chest.

Heather nudged her. "Mind yourself."

Hiccup shook his head. "She knows."

Cami ducked under the deck and surfaced next to Astrid instead. "You like her, don't you? Have you bonded with her? Did you give her your breath?"

"No…" he blushed.

"Then why did you give her a seal already? Did she save you?"

"Actually…" Astrid interrupted. "I'm the one who…" She gestured at his tail.

The mermaids dove back into the water, before cautiously coming back out.

"It was an accident." Hiccup corrected.

Cami laid out on the deck and flicked Hiccup with her tail. "Elder told you that you'd get hurt playing with the humans."

"Yeah yeah." He shook his head.

"So, the seal is the ring, and that prevents me from hearing the mermaid's singing?" Astrid clarified.

"Yep!" Cami chirped. "We can seal anything for humans, if we grow attached." She looked pointedly to her brother, "which we aren't supposed to do!"

He pushed her off the dock and into the water.

"She says that, but I saw the way she looked at the young man from the Meatheads." Heather smirked.

Cami popped out of the water on the other side of the dock to defend herself. "I was just admiring his muscles! They must be tasty!"

Astrid grimaced before Hiccup laid a hand on her shoulder. "Oh, don't listen to her. She's obsessed with food."

"Is…human flesh all you eat?"

The merfolk cackled in laughter. Heather answered through mirthful tears. "Absolutely not. We'd starve if that was the case!"

It didn't really ease her mind though.

"Okay, well, if the seal prevents me from hearing the song, then how did I not hear anything during the first few days we caught you, Hiccup?"

"I don't sing." He said simply.

Her nostrils flared in confusion. She was so sure she heard singing. Stoick even said others heard it, unless there was someone else?

"Oh, he's just fibbing! He has a lovely song! He just never uses it!"

"I have no need to use it." He pouted. "You know I find no sport in drowning the humans. There would be no reason for me to, anyway."

"But I thought you said it how you communicate?" Astrid asked, frustrated.

"But it's not the only way." Heather smiled. "Brother seems to be the only one who can turn it on and off."

Astrid nodded in understanding, starting to get the picture. "Can other mermen do that too? Is it exclusive to males?"

"Don't know." Stated Cami. "Never seen another before."

Hiccup looked antsy, as they were bordering into uncomfortable territory for him. The girls obviously wouldn't know anything about his parents. She narrowed her eyes on the boy.

"Are you some sort of Alpha-mermaid?"

Hiccup's eyes widened in laughter. "What?! What gave you that idea?!"

"Well, only male, special abilities…"

She had a good point.

"No Astrid, I'm not an alpha. That doesn't exist in our world."

"Then do you have a chief or a ruler?"

"We have the water!" Cami smiled. "The water dictates our way of life."

Astrid opened her mouth and then shut it again. Taking a moment to digest that sentence, she replied, "I'm not even going to try to understand that."

"Are all humans this curious?" Asked Heather.

Hiccup replied. "No, just her."

"I like answering her questions!" sang Cami. "Next!"

"So, if I may…" Astrid eased into her question and braced herself for the answer. "Do you have the ability to love?"

Again, she was met with laughter. "Of course! We aren't mindless creatures!"

"We love each other very much!" Cami exclaimed before tackling Hiccup and crashing into the water.

"But, I mean—…"

Heather examined her critically. "The love between a mermaid and a human." Heather finished. Cami and Hiccup joined them again as the brunette continued. "It is not common. Because a human usually only finds us when under our trance."

"But," added Cami, "we have heard stories of sailors being rescued by mermaids. They are not under a trance, but then, the mermaid gives him her breath…and he cannot be entranced."

"So they can fall in love, if it so happens to be."

"So, then, what's the bonding?"

Hiccup blushed a bright red and interjected, "A conversation for another time!" Then he looked to his sisters. "But seriously, what caused you two to come so close to the shore? I checked in yesterday."

"Right," said Heather. "And you said you had befriended a human, so we figured if you weren't at your grotto, you'd be here."

Cami piped in, "Eira said she saw a fleet of ships heading this way from the north. They look dangerous, so don't try to pillage them."

Astrid was pulled into the conversation. "Did they have skulls on the front?"

"I think so." Said Heather.

Outcasts. Nodding in affirmation, she bid farewell with, "Thank you for the information, I must go tell our chief." Astrid stood, making the mermaids stare in awe. She smiled at them and then said to Hiccup. "I'm sorry to cut our visit short, but this is very important."

He nodded. "Alright. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodbye Astrid!" The mermaids waved before diving into the water.

Well, that had gone better than expected.

—

So she told Stoick what she had learned. The chief was ecstatic with the fact that they now had allies in the water. They theorized that the Outcasts would be coming from the north and plan on sneaking through the woods into the village. Not the easiest route, but definitely the least suspected.

Stoick called his council together to discuss a strategy. Of course, they all planned on the old viking way and taking an armanda out and meeting them before they got to Berk.

Astrid was the one who piped up and asked, "How about the dragons?"

"What about the dragons?" Spitelout questioned.

"Well, we have been training them to help us with building and fishing, why not defense? I mean, it's likely that the Outcast's will get to Berk before us, so why even bother with the ships if we're just going to damage them anyways? With the dragons, the battle will be quick and easy."

"How do we know the dragons would even fight?" Asked Gobber, making a good point.

"Hiccup said that they're territorial. So, if something comes to destroy their home, it should stand to reason that they'd protect it."

The villagers all nodded in agreement.

"Tonight, we can ride to the other side of the island and wait for them there. Ambush them before they can ambush us."

"Those without dragons can stay behind and protect the children and the elders."

"Should I go tell Hiccup the plan?" Asked the girl.

"What ever for?"

"Since Toothless is the Alpha—…"

"No, leave him out of this. If the Nightfury wants to accompany us, then he can. But the merman has helped enough."

She sighed a loud. "Fine, but you should tell Toothless what your doing."

Stoick looked insulted. "Talk to the dragon?!"

"Sure. He's smart. He understands us."

He rolled his eyes and huffed. "Alright, I'll try it. If only to help with our plan."

"Great! I'll saddle up Stormfly and—…"

"No, not this time."

Astrid exasperated. "You're going to have to let me fight some day."

"Yes, but until that day, I need you over on this side. They need a leader, and you rule in my stead. This will be good practice for you."

She groaned but didn't argue. He always had a good argument. "Fine, I'll watch the village."

He patted her back. "That's my girl!"

The blonde rolled her eyes.

—

Night fell on the unassuming village. The warriors departed into the woods, some on dragon back, and some being carried by talons, heavy laden with weapons. Astrid sat upon her Nadder, looking out onto the horizon, where the sun was setting. This would be a boring evening. Everyone was gathered at the great hall, along with other guards to help. Stormfly squawked insistently.

"No, girl. We can't go flying right now, we're on patrol." Still, she wished she could go out, sunset was the most beautiful time of the day. A part of her wanted to go down to the dock and see if Hiccup was around. Maybe he scoped out the fleet and he could give her another eye of the battle. But still, she would keep her eyes peeled for anything suspicious.

Nightfall, and still nothing, as she expected. The action would come later, when the men would return home with wounds to be treated. Stormfly crooned and fluttered.

"It's passed you're bedtime, huh girl?" Astrid slid off and scratched her side. "I'm a big girl, I can handle myself. Why don't you go to bed?"

Torn, the nadder nuzzled her rider with affection. She was exhausted, but didn't want to leave her human alone. Astrid took her axe from her saddle bag. "I was the best in dragon training, you remember. If I can take down I a dragon, I can take down an Outcast."

Placated, the dragon purred in content and then took to the sky to go to her roost outside the chief's house. Astrid continued her rounds as she passed the empty houses. Admittedly, it was creepy. No one was around and the homes were all dark. The axe on her back was a easy burden to carry, as her fingers ached to hold the handle.

Finally, she got some action when she saw a light down by the dock. Her first thought was 'Hiccup!' but that didn't make any sense. Since he was a merman and had no use for light. It had to be a decoy. An Outcast was an Outcast, and she would get the jump on them first. Quietly, she made her way down to the docks, hiding behind walls and rocks. Finally, the small ship was in sight and the light went out. She cursed the darkness as it made the head count hard to make. Onward she crept, careful to stay invisible.

Her blood ran cold when a voice spoke behind her.

"Hello, darling."

Body on autopilot, she whirled around and kicked the intruder in the knee, then yanked her axe from her shoulders. She raised her blade to his throat. "Don't move. Whatever you have planned isn't going to work."

A new voice spoke, "Oh, but I think it already has."

She swung her blade out in a new direction, aiming for the voice. She hit something solid and heard a grunt. Her victory was short lived however, as someone else grabbed her ponytail. She threw back her elbow and sought freedom. Every punch she threw landed on a new target, and she felt like more and more Outcasts were ganging up on her.

Suddenly, she was lifted off the ground and someone shoved a cloth in her mouth. She writhed in the man's grasp, but he held firm.

"Quite the fighter, isn't she?"

"She's Berk's heir after all."

"Well, she'll be worth every cent."

"Where's everyone else? The whole village looks empty."

"Doesn't matter, let's just go before anyone can tail us."

Astrid tried to scream, but it came out as muffled sighs. The brutes carried her down the dock and dropped her on the deck of a boat. A blindfold blocked her vision as her hands and feet were bound with heavy chains.

"You're not going nowhere!" Laughed a greasy voice.

"You think Alvin's going to be angry we didn't stick to the plan?"

"Nah, I think he'll be happier there was less work for him! Let's go!"

As the boat gave a horrendous lurch, Astrid was regretting on sending Stormfly home.