Chapter 1 – Back Home

It was very early morning by the time I arrived back on Berk. I made my way to Long Beach and softly landed on the sand. I looked at the village and was reminded of that night. The night scared little six year old me ran away from the village. I shook the memory from my head and just looked at the village that I had missed out on life in for so many years. I felt a bit emotional. But I forced myself not to cry – I didn't want everyone to think I'd turned into a sentimental softie.

Then I saw someone approaching the beach. I quickly told Ninja to fly and hide so I could surprise everyone with my Night Fury. The person approaching the beach was Astrid. My little sister. And Gods, she had changed. She just looked more mature, she was very pretty. She spotted me and rubbed her eyes. "No. It can't be. You're dead."

I held my arms out, "Oh thanks very much! Nope. I'm very much alive, little sis."

She looked shocked, then ran at me and hugged me, sobbing with happiness and shock. With the feeling of someone who had missed someone they were close to for so long. "Oh my Gods, Ingrid, I genuinely thought you were dead...I thought you were dead...it hasn't been the same..." her words were muffled with tears and the fact her head was buried in my hair.

Silent tears ran down my face too, I had missed my sister terribly, and her reaction made me feel guilty for leaving her. I hugged her back tightly, and said, "I'm so sorry, Astrid."

She lifted her head and suddenly her mood changed completely. "You should be! Why did you not wait for us that day?" all her tears cumulated into her anger and she pinned me against the nearest cliff, strangling me. There was the Astrid I knew.

"I...would...tell...you...if...you...weren't...strangling...me..." I just managed to say and she pulled her arm back quickly and resentfully. I then explained, "You remember the travellers that were on Berk that day?"

"The Hermansens?"

"Yes. Well, I was hiding in a bay somewhere at the back of the island, and their ship just rounded the corner..."

"Are you saying you went with them?"

"Yes...but I can explain..."

"Yes, okay then, let's hear it! Why did you go with two complete strangers and not wait for your own family?!"

"I was scared. I was lost. They saw this and knew I was a child in need of some care. I didn't even know if you guys were still alive! If you were all dead I couldn't have lived with the memory of seeing you all dead. Also they didn't know who I was! Until I told them after I got on the ship..."

"I can't believe I'm hearing this..." my sister was just about to go on but I stopped her.

"Look, Astrid, don't blame them. It was my choice. I couldn't have faced going back at that time. I just couldn't face seeing what the Flightmare had destroyed. I know that sounds weak to you, but it's the honest truth. But if you don't want me I can just go..." I started to walk away.

Her mood changed AGAIN. "Hey, no come back here."

I turned around and she said, "Ingrid, don't leave. Look I'm sorry. I overreacted because I've missed you so much and we searched for days on end but when we didn't find you we took you for dead. We even held a ceremony and everything."

I was choked. "I...I didn't know..." I stammered, my throat clogged.

She pulled me into a hug again. "I'm sorry for overreacting." she said.

I pulled myself together, stood back and said, "No, you didn't overreact. It was totally what I was expecting. When you hugged me first I thought, 'Hey, there's something wrong here.' And then when you strangled me I thought 'There's my little sis.'." She smiled. I carried on, "Look I totally understand if you're angry, but can we just move on from this? Again I'm so sorry for everything..." She put her hand on my shoulder, "Hey, it's okay. It's all water under the bridge now. And I've got my big sis back! Oh it really is amazing to see you, despite what I just did!" she hugged me AGAIN.

I hugged her back. "It's good to see you too. So I'm forgiven?"

"Hmmm, let me think about that. Yes." she said smiling.

I smiled back. "The good thing was, while I was travelling with the Hermansens, I got to study dragons." I said and then took it back; I thought she would hate me for that. But I got the shock of my life when she said, "Awesome! We've got an entire Dragon Training Academy."

"Say what now?" I was in shock and slightly confused. How had Berk suddenly become a dragon training facility?

She laughed, "Come on, I'll take you to it."

So she led me into the village, and on the edge of the village was the arena that used to be used to kill dragons, but is now used to train them. I was amazed by the whole thing. All my childhood friends obviously had dragons now; it was like the stuff of dreams.

When I walked in with Astrid they all stared at me like they'd seen a ghost (which kind of makes sense when you think about it) and I opened my arms and said, "Guess who's back and very much NOT DEAD?" the first thing I saw about them was that they had all grown up so much, and all looked very mature. Obviously, looks can be deceiving. With some people (i.e. the twins).

They all stared. Fishlegs fainted, but that's normal, so I wasn't too shocked by that. The twins temporarily forgot who I was (typical) but soon remembered that I had always been the strongest and they came and high-fived me. Snotlout had always had a bit of a crush on both me and my sister (as had someone else, who I'll mention in a second) and so he came and kissed my hand and said he always knew I was still alive as I was so beautiful and smart and all the rest of it. I was flattered but I never liked him in that way so I kind of just laughed it off. I also noticed that he didn't say the same sort of thing to Astrid, and then realised why. The once scrawny and insignificant son of the Chief had gained height (he was about six foot tall!), a totally awesome fashion sense, and looks. He had one of those chiselled jawlines that I'd always liked in a guy, and his hair was longer and sort of a floppy fringe and I could see braids in the back of it, and I don't know why but I had the feeling he didn't do them himself. I also noticed a metal foot, but I'd soon find out the story behind that.

"So who came up with the dragon idea?" I asked, but I kind of already knew the answer.

Nobody said anything, they just all turned to look at Hiccup. He noticed them all staring at him and said, "Well, if I hadn't, where would we all be?"

I laughed, "I thought as much. You were always a bit different."

"You made that quite clear."

"Look, I'm sorry for anything I said to you, I was a judgemental kid, as were the rest of us." I moved forward to shake hands and he took it.

"So, now that that's out of the way, let's see your dragons!"

"Hang on a moment, Ingrid, I think we'd all like to know where you've been all this time? We all thought you were dead." Fishlegs cut in, having come to.

I laughed again, "How many times have I heard that today?" I turned to Astrid, who shrugged and said, "What? We did! We had a ceremony and everything. Didn't we guys?" They all nodded.

"I'll tell you this – my life story since that fateful night is one for the campfire. So I think we should all have a campfire meal and storytelling tonight, how does that sound?" I said.

They all nodded again and the words "Okay" and "Yeah" went around the group. Then I asked, "And what is with the metal foot?"

They all laughed. Hiccup lifted said metal foot and said, "Long story. One for the campfire too. So, dragons?"

"Yes please!" I was so excited. And when all the dragons came out, I was stunned into silence. The twins had a shared green Hideous Zippleback called Barf and Belch, which was to be expected, because one head sprays gas and the other one ignites it, so they get to blow stuff up. Fishlegs had a light brown Gronckle called Meatlug, and she is so adorable. She's such a motherly sort of dragon; she's very caring, much like her owner. Snotlout has a bright red Monstrous Nightmare (of course) called Hookfang, who doesn't tend to obey his owner, I was told. And he also has a tendency to flame up. Astrid has a beautiful blue Deadly Nadder named Stormfly; who like her owner, is quite quick with reflexes to say the least. When I got to her and walked over to her, she sniffed me and upturned me with her head. Astrid was shocked; "Stormfly! That's my sister!" suddenly I knew why she had done that. It was the very same dragon that given me my scar. I turned my leg around to look at the now white crescent running up my leg, with a large blotch at the base where the spine had first lodged. "It was you..." I muttered, and put my hand on Stormfly's nose. "I'm sorry girl; I never meant any harm to you."

"What are you on about?" Astrid was confused, as were the others.

"One for the campfire." I repeated.

"No, tell us now and stop being so mysterious." my little sister was very commanding as she spoke.

"Fine." I said and got out the Nadder spine from my bag, still stained dark red with my blood. Then turned to Stormfly. "Recognise this, girl?" I asked her and held out the spine. The dragon sniffed it and took it between its teeth, threw it up in the air and then put it back in front of me. I smiled. "I'll take that as a yes."

I stared around, they were all dumbstruck. "Let me explain." I said, I told them the true story, just left the Hermansens out. I'd explain that at the campfire. "Basically, I came across a Deadly Nadder when I was eleven, I fed it chicken and then when it realised I didn't have any more, it lashed out with its spines." I got up to demonstrate. "I couldn't get away quick enough, so the spine lodged in the back of my leg at high speed," I placed the point of the spine gently onto the base of my scar. I heard an "Oooooooo" of recognised pain go around. I carried on. They were all listening intently, like they were five again. "So I tried to run but ended up limping back and holding the spine at the same time and as I did so it got caught in my skirt and it dragged up my leg like this," I half-ran across the arena, pulling the spine gently along my scar but not to draw any blood. They all looked slightly repulsed. "And the blood was pouring out like a waterfall." again gritted teeth, another "Oooooooo" and repulsed faces, "When I did manage to get it out I passed out due to blood loss not long after. I woke up the next day to find my leg stitched up and a red line going up my leg. And this spine," as I walked back to the group I held it up, "next to me on the floor." I passed said spine around the group and one by one they looked at it carefully and in awe. None of them asked who stitched my leg up, luckily. And Astrid knew better than to mention it.

Astrid was first to speak. "So that Nadder was Stormfly?"

"Yep. But it's okay, I was never mad at her. She was defending herself. It was my fault for not getting away quick enough." As I said this I put my hand back on Stormfly's nose and she moved her head against me as if she was accepting my apology.

"Where did you find her?" Fishlegs finally managed to ask.

"Dragon Island." I said and smiled because I knew what the reaction would be.

"How in the name of Thor did you find it without a dragon?" for once in his life Hiccup was actually confused.

"I'll explain that later. So where's your dragon, O Great Leader?"

"Please don't call me that. And you're gonna love this!" he said and then performed a Night Fury call. I heard Snotlout mutter, "Show-off."

I was speechless. In the next few seconds a Night Fury swooped down from the cliffs and landed next to Hiccup. "Ingrid, this is Toothless. Toothless, Ingrid." he said and invited me to meet Toothless. "Wow... So she's not the only one left..." I muttered as I put my hand out to pet Toothless and he didn't snarl or anything, he just stayed still. I knelt by him and held his head in my hands, feeling the cold scaly skin with which I was so familiar. I also noticed as I glanced around him that he only had half a tail. The other half was made of a red artificial tail with a skull design on it. I made a mental note to ask about that later. Then Hiccup asked me, "What are you on about now? Toothless is the last of his kind."

I got up and smiled. "I wouldn't be so sure." I performed my own Night Fury call and Ninja swooped down from her hiding place and landed next to me. "Meet Ninja." I said.

Hiccup was speechless for a second (as was everyone else. Fishlegs fainted again) then said. "No way! Another Night Fury! May I?"

I laughed and nodded and so he walked up to Ninja and did the same as I had with Toothless, but walked around her, staring in utter disbelief. As he was running his hand across the top of her head he asked, "What's with the name?"

"Oh, well basically when I was away," I was quick to leave the Hermansens out of this again, "I learned that that there are very faraway lands where the community have stealthy, powerful protectors called ninjas, and so for a stealthy, powerful dragon I thought Ninja was an awesome name."

"It certainly is. She's beautiful."

"She is, isn't she? As is Toothless, of course." I said; then asked, "What's with the half-tail?"

"I'll explain over the campfire, shall I?"

I smiled. "Yeah, why not?" then I laughed because the two Night Furies had begun circling each other and sort of introducing themselves.

When Fishlegs came to again during this he was so excited as he had only just comprehended what was going on and what it meant. "You guys! Do you know what this means?" I shook my head. "We could start a Night Fury breeding programme! They don't have to be so rare anymore!"

"Oh my Gods, yes! We have to do that, this way, they won't be so endangered! What do you think?" I turned to Hiccup.

"What do you think I'm going to say? Of course we should, I've always wanted to find if not create a family for Toothless, right bud?" he said, walking over to Toothless and patting his head.

"Yes! We'll start tomorrow. Oh wow this is so exciting!" I simply could not contain my excitement and I hugged Fishlegs, "Thank you for telling me this! You are amazing!" I think he blushed.

"And where do the rest of us come into this?" Astrid was clearly annoyed, or jealous of me.

I looked from Hiccup to Astrid and back again. I knew what she was on about. She was jealous of course. "Oh, I see, you two are together aren't you? Why else would my sister be so clearly jealous of me?"

Astrid blushed ever so slightly and Snotlout jumped into the conversation. "Of course they're together, why do you think I'm not trying to impress Astrid?" he walked over to me and said, "I could help with the breeding programme..." in a voice that was kind of like he was trying to be smooth. I also got the impression he was jealous too. I ignored him.

"Oh, let me guess!" Tuffnut called out and drummed his fingers on his helmet to aid his thinking. But it was his sister who got the answer. "I know! Because nobody wants to mess with the Pride of Berk and his love life!"

"I said let ME guess!" Tuffnut shouted at his sister and then started beating her up.

I laughed and then noticed that it wasn't just Astrid blushing. I'd always loved winding people up, which is why while Astrid was my sister, I had also gotten along very well with the twins. "Then we will leave you two to it. Astrid clearly needs some persuasion..." I said with a smile and motioned for the others to leave the arena. They all got the gist and followed me out, while Astrid blushed hard and yelled after me, "I'll get you for this, o sister of mine!"

"Ooooh, I'm shaking in my boots!" I shouted back.

"You'd better be!" was the last I heard from her.

After we left:

"Ooooh, she's going to regret that..." Astrid was seething; I'd obviously succeeded in winding her up and embarrassing her.

"Hey, just ignore her..." Hiccup said softly and put his arms round Astrid and hugged her.

Astrid looked up at him, "Bit hard when she's constantly winding you up..."

"Ssssh..." was the next thing she heard and the next thing she felt was his lips on hers, they held the kiss for a few seconds. Astrid loved their relationship, obviously, but she couldn't get her head around why he was so scared of public displays of affection. She wasn't, obviously, but he only kissed her when they were alone, it was very strange to her. It was very rare that they kissed in front of their friends. But then again he is the son of the Chief and the last thing he wants is to be embarrassed by his dad in front of the whole village. She contemplated this for a moment then dismissed the thought and vowed to talk to him later about it.

When they pulled out of the kiss he asked her, "Are you really, seriously jealous of your sister?"

"Well how could I not be? She's going to get to spend a whole lot more time with you than I am."

"Well you know that's not true."

"It is, and you know it is. I know you had a crush on my sister as well as me."

"Since when?"

"You told me."

"When did I tell you?"

"Oh, it doesn't matter now. It's true though isn't it?"

Hiccup was slightly embarrassed, "Possibly. Okay, yes. I always had a crush on both the Hofferson sisters."

"Ha ha! I knew I'd get it out of you!"

"Look, Astrid. I'm not gonna lie, your sister is extremely pretty. But I have you now."

"So you're not going to fall for her when you're doing the Night Fury breeding programme?"

"Of course not."

"You don't sound so sure. She's crushing on you I can see. She's my sister; I can practically read her mind."

"Well, it's her loss then isn't it? If she hadn't left, things may be different."

Astrid laughed. She wasn't going to question his loyalty any further. If anything did happen, however, she would deal with it then. She also felt smug, she had something her sister didn't – the most gorgeous boyfriend and not only that but the son of the Chief and the heir to the throne of Berk as well.

"I love your laugh." he said softly and leaned to kiss her again.

"Ingrid always said it was annoying."

"Well Ingrid is a bit of an idiot then, isn't she?" his voice was even softer and then he kissed her again.

And that's the first chapter! Tell me what you think in the reviews!