A/N – Again, sorry about the lengthy waits between updates. It's been busy. It's taken my literally about a week to edit this chapter. I've only been able to do it in spurts of ten minutes here, an hour over there before bed, and once I get home from work I'm exhausted. Then it's homework time. I should have more time come summer. Also, more advertising: my novel is out in ebook form now. There's more information on my profile.
Chapter 15: Where Only Dragons Tread
Astrid stayed in the warmth of the fur-lined bed as long as she could. She watched Hiccup twiddle with tools that looked like he'd scavenged from Gobber's trash. He probably had. How many times had Berk's mysterious witch in the woods tiptoed through the village? She had witnessed his light steps herself; he'd snuck in and out of her bedroom on the second floor without being caught.
Hunger pulled at her insides, drawing her out of the bed at last. She dressed quickly, closer to the fire to fight the lingering chill. Hiccup's eyes slid from whatever metal contraption he held; it fell to the desk with a clatter, despite his best attempt to catch it first. She pretended not to notice.
"Why is it still so cold?" Astrid asked, tugging on her last boot. Her freezing clothes did not help.
"It's because we're so close to the peak," Hiccup answered. He pointed upward, holding the contraption in his other hand.
"It doesn't feel that high," Astrid said, eyes on the rocky ceiling. "We could be underground."
Hiccup shrugged. "I mean, rock is ground so we're sort of underground."
Astrid smiled. Logic. She wished more Vikings had it.
She took long strides to his desk, and pointed down at the thing in his hands. "What is that?"
"This?" Hiccup held it up. It looked like some kind of tiny crossbow. He shrugged, and set it back down on the table with a pink tint to his freckled cheeks. "Oh, it's, uh, nothing special really."
"What does it do?"
"It's supposed to be a catapult, or part of a catapult." He shrugged again and his entire body bounced.
"It's so small."
"I-I had the idea to make a shield for myself, you know, to help during the dragon attacks. But I want more than a shield." Hiccup gestured to a piece of yellowed paper that he'd uncovered in his mess: a schematic of some kind, a shield with hundreds of working parts. It looked beyond ridiculous, but somehow Hiccup. "I could add this into the side of the shield, weld it into the metal itself, and instead of holding both a shield and a crossbow, I'd just have a shield."
"What would you shoot?" Astrid asked. Who would he be shooting at?
"I don't know," Hiccup said. "I-I haven't thought that far. Nets maybe, to distract people."
Astrid looked between him, his tiny catapult, and his drawn shield. No one else on Berk could have thought up something like that. It was too unlike traditional fighting, not the same, different, smarter. Hiccup had something else inside of him. Had it come from a life spent in observation? She didn't know for sure, but she knew that whatever it was came from him. If Snotlout had been raised in the woods, he'd still be a braggart and an idiot. Knowing him, he wouldn't have survived.
"You'll think of something," Astrid said. She rested her hand on the rough leather of his shoulder. His armor added to his shoulders; she could picture him without it, see his pale back, the freckles, the curve of his spine.
His hand rested on top of hers. "Thank you, Astrid."
Astrid closed the small space between them and rested her temple against his cheek. The warmth underneath his cooled skin melted into her, and she wouldn't mind staying like this for a while. The awful gnawing in her gut subsided, the one that had nothing to do with the hunger in her belly. She wanted to stay with him forever, out here and free, but she couldn't. She couldn't abandon her family. She would have to go back, even if just to say goodbye.
"Hungry?"
Astrid opened her eyes. "Yes."
Hiccup leaned away, twisting in her arm to face her. "I don't have much to eat up here. We'll have to go back down the mountain for something to eat."
"Does your mother cook? Astrid asked. At the word mother she felt a shiver. Hiccup Haddock's mother. Stoick the Vast's missing, supposedly dead, wife. A wild thought had occurred to her some minutes before, that the woman that raised Hiccup might not be his mother but the witch of myth. Her gut had shot those thoughts down, but the apprehension lingered.
"Yes," Hiccup said with a smirk. He shook his head. "But I wouldn't eat it."
He laughed, the warm laugh that she loved, but it didn't alleviate her anxieties for very long. Toothless came from the mouth of the cave and nudged Hiccup's arm. He pulled the dragon's head into a large hug.
"Isn't that right?" Hiccup laughed. "We've learned our lesson about Mom's cooking."
Toothless warbled, and seemed to make a face.
Astrid hadn't been around Toothless long, not near as long as Hiccup had, but his intelligence astounded her. It seemed that he understood Hiccup's speech and reacted to it. He was not the war-animal that she'd imagined at all, quite the opposite.
"It's still daylight," Hiccup said, attention back on Astrid. He scratched Toothless' chin and the dragon seemed to purr in his arms. "So we'll have to go the long way around the forest."
"How's that?"
"We'd fly south a bit and then come in low to the forest where the hunters won't see us in the air. We'd have to walk by foot from there."
Hunters. They still stalked the woods, maybe in force because of her disappearance. Unless her parents lied, saying she was in bed sick. No visitors. Astrid doubted that Spitelout would go for that game, but who knows.
"Are you okay?" Hiccup asked, hand on her arm.
She inhaled. "I don't know. Hiccup, I feel bad about leaving like I did. My parents might be worried."
"They sold you, Astrid, like a yak for slaughter." He reached around to hold her by the arms, not tightly, but in a secured grip. "I'm not saying they don't love you, or that you can't go home. But I love you. Stay here with me. Stay as long as you want. This can be your home, too."
Home. Berk had been his home, too.
Water puddled behind her eyes. Hiccup pulled her into an embrace and she wrapped her arms around him. She pulled her tears back and forced her sobs down her throat. She pushed those unhappy thoughts out and focused on the hunger; her last meal of boiled wild roots sounded far from appetizing, but better than starving. When the raw emotions had faded, she leaned away from him.
"So, about lunch," she said. Her smile felt forced on her lips. A frown felt better suited, more natural, but she refused to let it show.
Hiccup returned her smile, and leaned in to kiss her. He spoke against her lips, "Anything you'd like, M'Lady."
She stole another kiss before he leaned away. They wound back toward the mouth of the cave; the bitter mountain peak winds tore through her clothes. Toothless bounced along behind them, undisturbed by the fall in temperature. He looked over the edge, teetered on the ledge, and peered down at the rocky cliff that vanished beneath the thick clouds. He looked as afraid to fall as eager to fly.
Thunder rolled; the storm had approached and left the sky a terrible gray. By the peak, the sun lit the bubbling, gray storm clouds in a frightening shade of yellow. She'd never seen such a storm before.
A thought occurred; Astrid let go of Hiccup and spun back toward the cavern. "Where's the Deadly Nadder?"
He shrugged, unworried. "She flew off this morning."
"Why?"
"Don't worry, Astrid. She likes you. She'll be back."
Hiccup hoisted himself onto Toothless' saddle and held his hand out for her. Astrid reached for his hand, and gave the sky one final look to see if the Nadder came back. Toothless flexed his long wings, preparing for the push-off, and then she heard the thunder. It rattled in a strange way, distant, but close, like an earthquake. Astrid looked over Hiccup's shoulder; down below, lightning flashed between the low clouds.
"Are we above the storm?" Astrid asked in awe.
"The front of it, maybe," Hiccup said. "The rest of it will be here soon. Speaking of which, we shouldn't waste time unless you want to get caught in it."
"Can you not fly during a storm?"
"Oh, we can, it's just between the rain and the wind and the lightning it's difficult." Hiccup set his mask over his head and pulled it down with a snap.
Toothless took off and shot through the cold air. He flew straight out from the mountain's peak, away from the dark gray clouds, and bolted down through the white layer at full speed. Astrid clung to Hiccup and buried her face in his back. On the ground-side of the clouds she saw the storm. Thick gray clouds loomed over the forest, thick with rain and thunder. It spat lightning back and forth.
Between the thunder, Astrid heard a caw. She shot up from Hiccup; she knew that sound. She scanned the sky, and between the lightning strikes she saw the incoming dot. Another caw sounded. This time, Toothless responded.
"What is it, bud?" Hiccup said, voice muffled by the mask.
"It's her," Astrid said. "The Nadder."
"I told you she'd come back. She likes you." Hiccup laughed. "You've both got odd timing."
A terrible thunder shook the sky. The Nadder appeared beside them, scales shiny from rain. She looked at Astrid and squawked.
"Stormfly," Astrid said aloud.
Squawk.
"What?" Hiccup asked. They hovered over the forest.
"I named her. Stormfly."
Squawk.
"I think she likes it." Hiccup looked over at the dragon. "I told you she liked you."
They landed in a part of the forest that didn't look the least bit familiar to Astrid. She'd never been on this side of the mountain before. Stormfly landed beside them and trotted right over to Astrid. She nuzzled into Astrid's stomach.
"You came back for me, didn't you?" Astrid said to the dragon. She ran her hand along Stormfly's chin as she'd seen Hiccup do, and gave her a scratch. She cooed to the touch.
Hiccup stood a short distance away, mask resting on the top his head, broad smile on his face.
"What?" Astrid asked, head leaning against Stormfly.
"A Viking talking to a dragon," Hiccup said with a sigh. "I didn't think I'd see the day."
"If I can change, so can everyone else." Astrid looked at Stormfly. She had changed. She had changed a little bit each time she saw Hiccup.
"I'd like to think so." A darkness came over his face and his smile vanished.
"You don't think they can change?"
"Not all of them. They've been killing dragons for a long time. Habits that run generations deep are hard to break overnight."
"Then don't aim for overnight."
Hiccup sighed, and shrugged. "I don't know what to do about it other than just walk into the village and show them Toothless, but they'd fill me full of arrows before I got farther than the tree line."
Astrid felt her hope diminish. Hiccup had a point. Vikings often shot first and asked questions after, if they asked at all.
Stormfly went rigid in Astrid's touch, and she backed away in fear that she had offended the dragon in some way. Stormfly arched her tail, spikes ready to shoot, wings bent to take off. Astrid glanced at Hiccup for advice, but instead of watching her his eyes were on his own dragon. Toothless had the same tense stance, wings bent and eyes wide.
"What's happening?" Astrid asked quickly, backing away from Stormfly.
Hiccup looked between Toothless and Stormfly. Panic lit his face. "It's the alpha."
"What do we do?"
Hiccup looked between Stormfly and Toothless; his panic subsided with each moment. He balled his fists and narrowed his stern gaze at Toothless. In a swift moment, he swung his legs onto the saddle and plopped his mask back down over his face. Toothless looked neither aware or concerned about his rider.
"What are you doing?" Astrid asked, voice rising.
"I have an idea." Hiccup's determined glance met Astrid's. No changing his mind.
Astrid ran to him and jumped on the back of Toothless. Whatever his idea, she didn't want to be left alone in the woods. Hiccup opened his mouth, eyebrows set to argue, but before he could make words, Toothless shot into the air so violently that the both of them lurched backward. Astrid yelped, and clutched onto Hiccup's middle.
Wind rushed past them, whipping her cheeks and tossing her hair in a wild mess. When she dared to look, they were not alone in the sky. Dragons flocked on every side. They flew in the same direction. Gray clouds obstructed the view. Behind her she saw the outline of the mountain. Astrid held onto Hiccup. She was farther from home that she'd ever been. She couldn't see over Hiccup's shoulder, but she felt the tension in his chest. He didn't like it either.
Toothless shifted downward, and they plummeted. The air began to burn, not like the leaf fires or burning homes, but an odorous stench of smoke. It took away her breath and it took several moments to get it back. The dragons crammed together and what little daylight they had vanished. Astrid blinked, but the darkness thickened. Suddenly, firelight brightened the end of the tunnel.
Toothless and the other dragons flew into a massive lava den. The bright red, bubbling lava pooled at the bottom. Heat radiated up, and Astrid wished for the cool winds of the mountains. Toothless found a ledge on which to land, and Astrid took the moment to catch her breath. All around them, dragons landed on perches.
"What is this?" Astrid whispered into Hiccup's ear.
"The den," he said. "The dragon's den."
The lava rumbled, and the entire cavern quaked. Astrid held onto Hiccup as the lava began to wave. It crashed into the rock like water, splashing about in bright red and orange drops. Thunder echoed up from the ground. The lava belched, and with it came something. At first it looked like a rock, but it kept rising until a nose appeared, and two blinking eyes.
"What is that?" Astrid felt the words leave her mouth, heard them, but her spirit had left her body. Her trembling hands fell around Hiccup's waist. He, too, had fallen silence.
The massive dragon made a snorting sound that thundered within the cave. Dragons reacted, cawing and crackling back. Toothless warbled. The large dragon blinked its tiny eye, and Astrid felt a paralyzing fear she'd never felt before as that eye glanced in their direction. Its nostrils moved; it growled. A silence deafened the cavern.
"Come on, Toothless, you've got to get us out of here." Hiccup said quickly, panic riding his voice.
Toothless warbled, and Astrid fastened her hands around Hiccup. Toothless took off as the panic erupted; dragons took off in every direction. The large dragon from the lava lurched forward, and its heavy jaws shattered the rocky ledge where Toothless had just been. Toothless flew upward, almost vertically, and Astrid felt herself slipping off of the saddle. She held onto Hiccup tighter, but the feeling remained.
Light burst around them. Cloudy daylight. Toothless flew out and into the light, and rain pelted them. They stopped their sharp ascent, and Astrid readjusted herself on the saddle. The storm surrounded them. Lightning sizzled and thunder banged; her hair stood on end. Hiccup said nothing as he navigated Toothless through the storm, toward the mountain, a tiny spec in the distance. Had they gone that far?
They landed near the base, and Astrid reluctantly slid off. She still shook. She stepped over to a rocky overhang and out of the rain. "Hiccup, what was that?"
"The alpha."
Astrid asked no more. Hiccup looked different. Concerned. Worried. His brows came together; his eyes fell onto something she couldn't see. His fists were balled around the saddle. His shoulders hunched forward. The rain ran in rivets down his armor, saturated his hair, and soaked his clothes through. Still, he sat on the saddle.
"Are you okay?" Astrid asked. She took a careful step toward him, as close as she could to the edge of the rainfall's reach.
Hiccup shook his head, and deeply inhaled. "An underground volcano. That's why I could never find it."
"Hiccup?"
"It's fine," he said, looking at her. His wet hair hung in his face. "I just… I don't know what to do now. I thought that if I could find the alpha, I could reason with him or something, but I don't know. I don't know how negotiable that dragon would be.
Astrid held her tongue. What to tell him?
"Are you still hungry?"
She nodded.
He jumped down off the saddle, wet armor easing the way, and held out his hand. she took it, and he pulled her back into the rain. Toothless trotted behind them as they walked through the forest. The rain hit the leaves with tiny splats, filling the forest with millions of splats and tats, echoing from tree to tree.
"The alpha tells the other dragons to bring food," Hiccup explained as they walked. "Since he's the big dragon, their instincts command them to obey."
"That's why they raid the village. They have to." Astrid wiped the rainwater from her face, but it returned in less than a moment.
"That's right. It's the easier source of food."
"Then they fight back when the Vikings attack them."
Hiccup nodded. "Right. If we could stop the raids, we could stop the fighting."
"But how?"
"That's the golden question."
Hiccup's home came into view, and they tucked behind the waterfall and out of the rain. Back in the warm hearth room, Hiccup stirred the fire and set another pan of cool water over it. Roots again, it seemed.
Astrid pulled off all the wet clothes she could without being indecent; she didn't mind if he saw her naked, but his mother was different. Hiccup did the same, and sat with her in his underwear by the fire.
