Happy Friday, everybody! Thank you to those who are tuning in and who are reviewing their reaction to this story. Sorry for the delays; getting prepped for surgery on Tuesday and some other hiccups along the road is keeping me from writing as much as I would like.

Chapter Thirty: Cauli's First Flight

"Nope! No, no no no, and once again, nope!"

Hiccup's hands fell to his sides, a breath of air flying out of him with an agonizing groan.

Cauli stood across from him, her greatsword in her hands, her whole body ready to snap Hiccup in half with her blunt blade. Hiccup sighed and looked behind him to the Hangar full of wild dragons that wandered around, devoted to his cause since the battle. He motioned to them and frowned at Cauli hilariously.

"Are you serious?" he asked. "Fighting people, killing people, and yet you won't choose a dragon."

"Damn right I ain't choosing," Cauli spat. "I'm not touching a single one."

Hiccup rubbed his eyes. He had been working at this for hours, desperate to get her to at least touch one of them to see if it would change her mind. That, and it had been three weeks of asking her daily to at least try.

"You have to give them a chance. Who knows, you may fall in love with one."

"I don't fall in love as easy as you," she sneered. "I'll have one of my hands chomped off and swallowed and I'll start looking like your freak uncle!"

"Gobber is not my uncle," Hiccup mumbled. "Look, it'll put us at an advantage if we can get more people on more dragons."

"But why me?!" Cauli complained.

"Maybe because you're a leader – and you getting on one will encourage your soldiers to trust me – and I have a weird sense of keeping things consistent, I don't know. In the past week, I've gotten Netmug on a Typhoomerang. Barb has a Scauldron. And you…"

Cauli growled and sniggered. "So what if I don't want to ride one? You can't make me!"

"What is your problem with dragons?"

Cauli raised her sword and wrinkled her nose. Her ratted hair was coming out of its knot and her cheeks were growing redder and redder. "They are devilish creatures with sharp teeth that can spit fire out of their mouths that can swallow you in one piece and I think NO THANK YOU!"

Hiccup blinked at her and let his hands fall to his sides. "These dragons are our allies. They have sworn themselves to our cause! They won't hurt you, they won't bite you, they won't even nip at you."

Cauli's eyes flicked to Hiccup's leg. "So your leg just fell off, then?"

"Odin help me," Hiccup muttered.

"You think I don't know that your pet –"

"– Toothless –"

"– gnawed your leg off and swallowed it?!"

"He didn't!" Hiccup countered. "He saved me by catching my leg! Yes, he used his teeth, and yes it broke it, and yes it was irreparable, but none of that matters."

"None of it matters?!" Cauli shrieked. "Did you not just hear yourself?!"

"If any of it matters, it's that Toothless saved my life, and that day is the only reason why the dragons are crazy enough to stand by us. Can you at least put the sword down? That's the first step."

"I'm not taking any steps, fuck off."

Hiccup's shoulders sank. He turned and walked away from her, muttering under his breath and running his fingers through his hair. He looked across the Hangar and saw Barb's Scauldron take off to the ocean, while Changewings croaked to each other at the stormdoors. Stormfly bobbed her head at him, her damaged wing tied to her body. He looked away again and gave up.

"Fine… we won't do this... I won't make you ride a dragon."

Cauli frowned again, unsure. Her sword didn't waver, but she did relax. "Good."

"And I'm not going to let you teach me how to fight."

Cauli's eye twitched again and her body tensed up. "Hey, no, that's not fair. You need to learn how to wield a blade, it's foolish not to."

Hiccup shrugged. "Sword are tools. We use them to help us kill. Just like how I use dragons to help me. So if you won't learn how to fly, I won't learn how to fight."

Cauli pursed her lips and looked at the dragons behind her.

"Please, Cauli. If we get you onto a dragon, you'll get me to fight. We both humiliate the other and we both get what we want."

The other leader rolled her eyes and jabbed her sword closer to Hiccup's unwavering chest. "Now we're back to arguing! I'm not going to do it!"

"It's been two moons!" Hiccup yelled, his patience breaking. "No, wait – more than two moons of arguing and negotiating and rebuilding and sacrificing and yet we are nowhere closer to what we want!"

"It's not like it's easy for me!" Cauli cried back. "Way up there, anything could happen!"

Hiccup was about to say something back when he stopped. He closed his mouth and furrowed his brow. Then, a sudden realization dawned on him, the feeling of warmth running up his back as he figured it all out.

"You're afraid of heights," he said with a smile tugging at his lips.

Cauli paled and she stepped back, adjusting the grip on her sword. "I never said that."

"You just did."

"I did not!"

"It's okay to be afraid," Hiccup reassured, holding his hands out. "I was, too. It's not that bad, though."

Cauli dropped her sword down and snatched Hiccup by the collar, sneering in his face and giving him a shake. "I am not afraid of heights, you tiny little poor excuse of a person."

Hiccup pouted. "Now you've upset me."

"Good."

Hiccup shook his head. "No. Not good. Not good at all."

He had been waiting hours to do this. He knew it wouldn't be easy to get Cauli's arse on a dragon, and he knew he'd have to do something drastic to keep her still long enough to do it. But Astrid had taught the Dragonlings much before she was captured, and much of that was defense, attack, using your surroundings to protect yourself, and being patient.

He shot his hand out, clapping it over Cauli's ear as fast as Toothless' flight. She grunted and wobbled to the side as Hiccup stepped around her, wrapping his arms around hers from behind and pulling them back. She squealed and Hiccup held on for dear life, desperately wrapping a leather strap around Cauli's wrist.

"Now!"

A Changewing waiting in one of the dragonling rooms right next to the pair had been camouflaged the whole time with Hiccup's unspoken request, and it darted out and slithered to the pair. Hiccup released Cauli and gave her rump a kick, and she stumbled right into the dragon, her voice shrill and shrieking and cursing. Hiccup threw the strap over the Changewing's body, where it secured Cauli's wrist to the dragon.

"Hold on!" he called. Cauli bore her gaze into Hiccup's soul, and she was furious.

"I will kill you if you –"

The Changewing darted forward, running for the exit and launching itself into the air. Hiccup laughed and Toothless bounded over to him from the back of the building, scooping him up to chase the Changewing as it soared onward. They caught up quickly, and Hiccup looked over to see Cauli dangling off the side of the dragon. She was still screaming, and her legs kicked wildly. The Changewing grunted as her flight was bombarded by her rider's movement. Hiccup waved to her.

"Stop moving!" he said quickly.

"I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die! And then, I'm gonna kill you! Oh gods! I'm gonna –"

"Cauli! It's okay, I'm here, you're okay!"

"I'm DANGLING OVER THE OCEAN, I AM NOT OKAY!"

"Let me help you up and into the saddle."

"DON'T YOU FUCKING TOUCH ME."

Hiccup frowned and cursed under his breath. She was too distraught. "Get me closer, bud," he murmured. Toothless reluctantly obliged, gliding towards Cauli's kicking legs. Hiccup ducked as one of her steel-clad boots soared towards his face. He reached down and cranked Toothless' tail open for solo gliding and unclipped his leg. "Steady."

He crawled to his feet and reached up, grabbing the saddle from under the Changewing's belly. Cauli's face was red and covered in furious tears, and she clenched her teeth and hyperventilated through them like a kettle at boiling point.

"I am going to help you into the saddle," he repeated calmly. Cauli sniffled and sobbed, swallowing it down and replacing it with her usual anger once more. "It's okay to be scared."

"I shouldn't have trusted you," she cried. "This was mean, so unbelievably mean. And rude!"

Hiccup sighed and sucked on his lip for a second, feeing a small pang of guilt in his gut. She was scared, and she definitely didn't want to show it. "I'm sorry," he admitted. "But now you're in this. But I'm staying with you, okay?"

Cauli squeezed her eyes shut and she grunted. "Hiccup –"

"I know you're afraid of heights, and that's okay, too –"

Cauli's body sank a foot and she shrieked. Hiccup paled. "The strap!" she screamed.

"Don't struggle!" Hiccup ordered immediately. "Don't move!"

She wriggled around, trying to reach the saddle. Toothless groaned. The strap is stretching, move Hiccup!

Hiccup clambered up the other side of the Changewing, quickly reaching over to Cauli. She looked up at him, her eyes wide and red and spilling over onto her cheeks. He reached his hand down and grabbed her wrist, keeping his grip firm.

"Just keep looking at me," he said. "I'm not going to let you fall, I promise."

Cauli didn't say anything. She shut her mouth and bit her tongue and reached up to grab Hiccup's hand with her other arm. She tried twice before finally gaining a grip on him. He heaved up with all his might and Cauli's torso made it over the saddle. He began to climb down the other side to use his weight against Cauli's until she shakily sat in the saddle. Hiccup found his feet on Toothless' saddle once more, where he sank into it safely. He uncranked his tail and regained control, flying next to Cauli, who still had her eyes shut.

"…That wasn't so bad."

"I hate you!" Cauli cried, her voice strangled and riddled with squeaks. "I hate you!"

"You're doing great, trust me!"

"Never, I ain't ever trusting you again."

"You're lying and you know it," he scoffed. "You have to at least open your eyes. Then you can fly the Changewing back to the Hangar."

She didn't say anything; she sat in the saddle with her eyes squeezed shut tighter than a vice. Hiccup flew closer to her.

"The reins are right in front of you," he continued. "Reach forward slowly and you'll find them hooked around the saddlehorn."

Cauli cursed again and opened one of her eyes, snatching at the reins quickly. Hiccup reached out a hand to her to calm her again.

"Good. Now don't move too abruptly. You want to smoothly guide –"

Cauli heaved on them and the Changewing contorted and shrieked. It halted and Cauli froze. Hiccup slapped his forehead impatiently.

"Smoothly, Cauli!" he groaned. "It's okay – just – follow me."

He placed himself in front of the Changewing and called over the wind.

"You want to move with your dragon! Lean and follow me, and only use the reins to hold on for now."

He banked lightly, trying for a gentle circle. "Just follow me," he said quietly so only the Changewing could hear.

You owe me two baskets of fish AND a bundle of dragon-nip, Saviour.

"Fine," Hiccup sighed. "Let's just get her home."

Hiccup made sure to avoid landing Toothless after the Changewing landed back in the Hangar. Cauli slumped off her back and stumbled away from the dragon. Looking a terrified shade of green, she wobbled towards the nearest wall. She grabbed it and groaned.

"You alright down there?" Hiccup asked as he hovered above her.

She clapped a hand over her mouth. Hiccup frowned. Toothless landed and Hiccup unclipped himself. He cautiously approached her and he Changewing slinked next to him. Hiccup reached out and placed a caring hand on Cauli's shoulder. She was shaking, and uncontrollably. Hiccup urged her to sit down and eased her to the floor.

"Just feel the floor, ground yourself again."

Cauli took deeper breaths as she planted her palms on the ground. The Changewing crawled over to her and placed her head beneath Cauli's body as she shook. She held Cauli up off the ground and Cauli began to relax, draped over the dragon's head. She patted the dragon lightly as Hiccup rubbed her back soothingly.

"So… you don't seem ready to tear my head off just yet," he said quickly, stifling a relieved laugh.

Cauli cracked a smile as she sucked in more air into her lungs. "I am never doing that again, I hope you realize that."

"Yeah, I don't believe you."

She shook her head again and pushed back. She waved the Changewing away, who looked at her longingly before stepping back. Cauli furrowed her brow. Hiccup chuckled and looked between Cauli and the dragon, a grin splitting across his face.

"It's looking at me," she said.

"She likes you," he replied.

"But it's looking at me."

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Guess you've got a new friend."

"I don't want a new friend," Cauli spat. "Go away, shoo!"

The Changewing's eyes narrowed and she hung her head. She snuffed the floor and Cauli groaned.

"You hurt her feelings!" Hiccup gasped mockingly.

"Dragons aren't supposed to have feelings!"

"You are!" Hiccup countered. "You have an ally right in front of you, one who would risk her life and protect you to the ends of all things. You don't have to go through anything alone after this."

Cauli pursed her lips and sighed angrily. "I didn't ask for this! You're the one who strapped me to her like an animal, threw me over the ocean, I mean, the strap almost broke for Odin's sake, I could have died."

"I wouldn't have let you," Hiccup retorted simply. "That's what I'm trying to say. You have to put your faith in other people. You'll have to if we want any chance in avenging your father."

Cauli didn't respond. She merely stared at the dragon with a pained expression across her eyes. She growled again. "No more flying for me. I tried it and I know what I'm good at, and if you want me to have faith in you, you'll respect that."

Hiccup twisted his mouth and nodded slowly. "Alright. I can do that. But now you can at least tell Netmug he owes me some coin for proving him wrong."

Cauli's mouth fell open. "You had a bet?!" she hissed.

Hiccup shrugged as he tried to find the words. "I don't know if 'bet' is the proper term, but –"

"Ugh," Cauli grimaced.

"Hey, at least you proved him wrong," Hiccup offered. Cauli glared at him and Hiccup raised his hands carefully. He backed away slowly and shook his head after a quiet laugh. "I'm kidding about the bet."

"Hup!"

Hiccup tore away from Cauli and found Snowdrop hobbling towards him. One of her arms was outstretched towards him while the other was clasped in Rose's gentle grip. Snowdrop's splint kept her from walking alone, even though Juniper predicted she would not need the support soon. Hiccup smiled and met them in the middle, grabbing Snowdrop and lifting her to his hip.

"What are you doing away from Stoick, my little Terrible Terror?" he asked. Cauli watched them and she and Rose nodded to each other.

"Well, I was talking to Rose, and then she had an idea, and we wanted to tell you about it!" Snowdrop said with one big breath.

"Hey now, it wasn't me," Rose argued. "It was your little head that came up with this big plan, don't give me any credit!"

"Okay, well," Snowdrop continued without pause, "I was thinking that – you know Toofless?"

"Yes, I am very familiar with him," Hiccup replied. Rose snorted as she joined Cauli on the ground.

"Apparently your first flight was very interesting," she tittered.

Cauli gasped. "Who told you?! We just landed!"

"The Changewing that had the pleasure told me just now. She says she hopes to do it again, given the circumstances."

"Ugh, no, stop it."

"No, really! Even though I pegged you for a Rumblehorn type."

"Well, if you find one, let me know," Cauli growled with sarcasm dripping from her mouth.

"Guys, shush! I'm telling Hup my plan!" Snowdrop whined. Hiccup readjusted her weight on his hip.

"It's alright, Snow, go on."

Snowdrop puffed out her chest and gave a strong nod with a squeak. "Okay. So Toofless has a new tail, right? We were wondering if you could do something for Stormfly."

Hiccup paused and looked over to the Nadder, who also became very interested in the idea by the sight of her cocking her head and giving a croak.

"I don't understand…" Hiccup began. "You mean Stormfly's wing?"

"Snowdrop wants you to rebuild it," Rose added.

Hiccup's eyes widened. "What? Why?"

"Because Stormfly will find Astrid," Snowdrop said simply. Cauli looked to Rose, and the two of them shared a look.

"We've already tried to track them," Hiccup said sadly.

"Stormfly will hear Astrid, like you can hear Toofless," Snowdrop explained.

"If we can get the pair of them close enough, their bond will revive and we'd be able to find her," said Rose.

Hiccup bit his lip and gave it a thought. "I've already thought of it… but I don't know how well that idea would work. The pressure and weight of something like that would be painful for Stormfly."

Rose raised a finger as she looked to Stormfly. She listened alone, then nodded. "She says it would be worth all the pain in the world, so your argument is invalid."

"Looks like you're about to get roped into something you're not so sure about," Cauli laughed. "Oh, how I love that."

When Hiccup went to bed that night, he found himself staring at the ceiling of his treehouse. He tried to stay as warm as possible as Toothless perused a nearby river for some fish. He always wondered if he's

After closing the Hangar and putting Snowdrop to bed alongside Stoick, Hiccup left to the safety of the forest. The village had built him a home in a large evergreen tree, high for watching the horizon for oncoming threats. Toothless flew him to the deck, where Hiccup dismounted and entered. The house itself was too small for a dragon, but the deck and the roof were big enough, depending on Toothless' mood. Hiccup crawled into the camouflaged hut after bidding his Night Fury a good night, and he crawled straight into his furs.

After the initial shivers from the chill-ridden furs has dissipated, Hiccup thought about the plans he'd have to make, and always the possibility of finding Astrid again.

Thankfully, sleep was easier that night. He didn't notice his eyelids close and his breaths change; he suddenly stopped thinking about Rose and Snowdrop and thought of the tiny questions his head asked as he crept into sleep, into dreams. And it dragged him down into the dreamscape with a heavy force until he fell into a deep sleep.

When he opened his eyes, he was lying on the earth, blades of grass tickling the webbing between his fingers. He hummed and stared at the endless sky above, stretching out over the grass and rolling over, relishing in the feelings surrounding him. He sat up slowly and took in his surroundings.

He recognized the cove walls as soon as he lied eyes on them. The rough texture of the rocks covered in lush, green moss towered around him while a clear pond shimmered in front of him. He loved it here, and he was safe here. He crawled towards the shore of the pond and pulled himself into the cool water, submerging himself completely. He could breathe under the waves as he swam along the bottom, turning and floating. Tiny fish flittered around his face, and they darted away when he tried to grab them. Eventually, Hiccup returned to the surface and let himself float on his back, allowing the gentle ripples to carry him to the shore.

He felt the rocks slide against his back, but they didn't hurt. His body rested on the gravelly shore and he let his eyes fall shut to better take in the grass and the flowers through his nose. The smells of plants, the sounds of birds, everything was perfect, everything was peaceful.

He let his eyes fall open and he noticed a presence nearby. He sat up partially, propping himself up with his elbows, and found himself staring at Astrid as she sat under a nearby tree. She was humming to herself, braiding her hair and wrapping it around herself for fun. Hiccup smiled. The perfect dream.

Pushing himself to his feet, Hiccup brushed the excess water from himself and stumbled over the grass towards the tree. Astrid was still humming as he staggered over with a spring in his step. But by the time he had made it to her, she had stopped humming. Her fingers froze mid-braid and her eyes were fixed on Hiccup's feet.

"You know, never in my dreams did I think to find you preening," he said with a laugh.

Astrid didn't move. Hiccup frowned and crouched in front of her. He reached out and put his hand on her face, brushing his thumb over her lower lip.

"You're touching me," Astrid whispered, her eyes wider than the ocean. She looked up slowly, her eyes locking with Hiccup's. Her hand floated up to her face, and she wrapped her fingers around Hiccup's wrist. She squeezed it and Hiccup smiled at her softly.

"Hey, beautiful," he murmured. "You look terrified."

"You're touching me," she repeated, her face pale and trembling. "You're touching me."