Chapter 6

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So, just wanted to announce I have a tumblr now! Tumblr name is crazy4dragons. Also, a guest reviewer asked why I don't reply to my reviews. I can't reply to guests, and I don't want to take up space responding before each chapter. If users are signed in and have a question, I try my best to respond.

...

"Where are we going?" Hiccup asked as he mounted Toothless.

"Just come," urged Valka. "And hurry." Climbing onto her dragon, she flew into the air.

Hiccup and Astrid exchanged bewildered glances before following Valka's lead. They both had loads of questions they were dying to ask, but managed to hold their tongues for the duration of the two hour flight.

"Here we are," Valka announced, signaling for the two younger Vikings to follow her in her descent onto an ice-covered island. "Welcome to my home."

Upon landing, the little group was surrounded by dragons of all ages and species - some species that Hiccup and Astrid only knew about because of the Book of Dragons, and some they'd never heard of at all.

"You...you live here?" Hiccup asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes." Valka let out a contented sigh. "I've lived here in this sanctuary for almost twenty years, taking care of dragons and training them to be the best that they can be. But enough about me. You two dears are probably starving." She took Hiccup and Astrid to a small hut, in which there was nothing except a shabby bed, a kitchen, and a poorly built chair. "I don't spend much time indoors. And I haven't cooked in a while, so forgive me if the food isn't what you're used to. I've been eating with the dragons lately."

Astrid glanced out the window beside her to see Stormfly and Toothless frolicking about with Valka's dragon. "So Valka, what kind of dragon do you ride?"

"A Stormcutter. His name is Cloudjumper," the older woman responded.

"I've heard of Stormcutters!" Hiccup exclaimed, joining Astrid at the window. "But I've never seen one before."

"Well, now you have." Valka smiled. "By the way, what are you darlings hungry for? Do meatballs sound alright?"

"Yeah, that sounds great, Mom," said Hiccup.

"Then meatballs it is."

"Do you need any help?" Astrid offered. "I can help if you want."

Valka shook her head. "I'll manage. But thank you, um...what's your name again, dear?"

"Astrid. Astrid Hofferson."

Turning around, Valka stared at Astrid with wide eyes. "You're Astrid Hofferson? I remember when you were a babe. Your mother had you just two months before Hiccup was born. She was only seventeen. She was really sick while she was pregnant, and died when you were a week old." Valka shook her head. "She was my best friend."

"I'm sorry," said Astrid, her voice full of sympathy.

"It's okay. She's probably better off in Valhalla than she was on Berk. The poor girl didn't have a good life at all." Valka sighed before turning back to her food. "But anyway, onto happier things. I'm assuming you and Hiccup are planning on getting married?"

The two young Vikings exchanged startled looks.

"Oh, no. We're not...we're not ready for that yet," answered Hiccup, rubbing his neck. "And besides, Dad is trying to marry me off to a girl from the Berserker tribe."

"I see, son. Have you met her yet?"

Hiccup told Valka the story of his situation, including everything from his informal proposal to Astrid, to his decision to run away. "And that's why you found us this far from home," he concluded. Although he'd just met Valka (or rather, re-met her), he felt strangely at ease. It was almost as if he'd lived with her his whole life.

"Oh, my," Valka said. "Well, you darlings are welcome to stay here as long as you want. But I do need to warn you that there's been dragon hunters around lately. They say they're looking for the Night Fury."

"More dragon hunters?" Astrid questioned.

"I thought after Viggo died -" Hiccup started.

"Viggo was never in control," Valka interrupted. "A man named Drago Bludvist is. He's cruel and merciless, and wounds dragons - tortures them - before putting them to death." She sighed. "A lot of my dragons are rescued from him. The poor things were all so scared at first, and some of them still don't like me to get too close to them."

"Wait just a second," said Hiccup. "Who exactly is this Drago Bludvist? And where does he live?"

"I don't know where he lives. He doesn't often show himself. But his hunters are all over. They come in ships, and try to take my dragons. But thanks to the Alpha, they've never been able to."

"The Alpha?" Astrid questioned.

"Yes, the great Bewilderbeast. The king of all dragons."

"Be-what?" Hiccup asked.

"The Bewilderbeast. He protects us. I'll introduce you to him later."

"So, tell me more about Drago," the auburn-haired Viking encouraged, changing the subject back to villains.

"I don't know much more about him," admitted Valka. "But I do know that he uses the skin of dragons he kills to make clothes. He himself wears a Night Fury cape." She shook her head. "By the way, what does your father think of your Night Fury friend? Does he know?"

Hiccup excitedly began to relate the story of how he met Toothless and introduced dragons to Berk.

"So all this time you took after me," Valka remarked. "And it sounds like you were more successful in making peace with the dragons than I was. I'm proud of you, son." By this time, she was placing her meatballs onto a plate. "Come dears, help yourselves."

Suddenly realizing how hungry they were, Hiccup and Astrid rushed over to the plate of food. However, upon taking their first bites, they found that the meatballs looked a lot better than they tasted.

"I'm sorry. I'm out of practice," Valka apologized, evidentially seeing the expressions on the younger Vikings' faces.

"It's okay, Mom. At least it's something," reassured Hiccup.

After they finished eating, Valka invited her son and Astrid to get settled into the hut. "And you can sleep in my bed if you want. It might be a little crowded for both of you to fit into, but it does get cold at night, so you dears might not mind being close."

Hiccup and Astrid exchanged shy glances.

"And if you ever want time to yourselves, just let me know so I don't walk in on you."

The two younger Vikings blushed deeper.

"Mom, we're not...we're not doing that," insisted Hiccup.

"Well, I never do know with you young ones. But I'm glad to hear you're putting it off for now. I'm too young for grandbabies."

...

Hiccup awoke the next morning to find his nose buried in Astrid's hair and one of his arms draped over her middle. His free hand was trapped between both of hers, and she was hugging it under her chin. For a moment, he was thrown into a state of confusion. Was this real? Or was he dreaming?

The auburn-haired Viking yawned and stretched as best he could, considering that he was cuddled close to Astrid. It was then that, glancing around the hut, everything came back to him: running away, discovering his mother (or rather, being discovered by her), learning about Drago Bludvist, and meeting the Bewilderbeast. He wondered if anyone had left yet to look for him and Astrid. Chances were, his friends on the Edge had. But whether or not anyone had told Stoick about his disappearance was up for debate.

Deciding to check if Toothless was awake, Hiccup carefully pulled his hand out of his friend's grasp. Kissing her head, he fastened his metal leg before venturing outside. Sure enough, his dragon was up, and was already being spoiled by Valka.

"Good morning, Mom," Hiccup greeted.

Valka turned from her task of feeding the dragons to look at her son. "Good morning, son. You're just in time for breakfast. Is Astrid awake yet?"

"No. She's not really a morning person." Hiccup joined his mother in throwing fish to the hungry dragons.

"Toothless is beautiful," Valka remarked, stroking the Night Fury's head. "And did you know that he's your age? It's no wonder you two are such a good pair."

Toothless let out a low purr.

Hiccup smiled. "You can tell a dragon's age?"

"Oh, yes. Dragons have many secrets. And I'll show them all to you." She took a fish and bit into it. "By the way, make sure you get some food before they eat it all."

Hiccup frowned. He didn't care for fish, much less raw fish. He was more of a mutton kind of Viking.

"You don't like fish?" Valka guessed. "That's okay. I have some bread in the hut. You're welcome to have some of that."

"Thanks, Mom." He breathed a sigh of relief. "I'll have some later. I'm going to take Toothless out for a morning flight first."

"By all means, dear. Just don't stray too far. If Drago's men are out there, I don't want them to catch you."

"I'll be careful," Hiccup promised as he climbed onto Toothless' back. Within seconds, he was in the midst of the clouds. It was there that he reclined, allowing the Night Fury to take control of where they went, and thought about his situation. As much as he loved his mother's place, he knew he couldn't hide there forever. Too many people would look for him. But then again, Valka had yet to be discovered, so maybe it was possible. And as the Chief's wife, she had the authority to wed him and Astrid, meaning that if the blonde decided she was ready for marriage, a wedding could easily be arranged, and they could live in peace.

But then there was Drago, and could the dragons - especially Toothless - really be safe there? Hiccup wasn't sure, and the last thing he wanted to do was endanger his best friend. And besides, if he knew anything about Astrid, it was that she wouldn't want to live in isolation forever. She was the kind of person who'd rather be somewhere like Berk, where she could train for battles and protect others. At Valka's home, the dragons did the majority of the protecting on their own. Apart from Cloudjumper, none of them were trained to work with a rider. There were just too many for Valka to ride them all.

"Good morning, Hiccup." A familiar voice broke into Hiccup's thoughts. Sitting up, he saw Astrid and Stornfly flying beside him.

"Well, look who finally decided to get up," the auburn-haired Viking grinned.

"You left me in bed," complained Astrid."

"Hey, just because you like to sleep all day -"

"I don't sleep all day, you muttonhead!" The blonde retorted. She then fell silent for a few minutes before saying, "But anyway, the reason I came to find you is that we need to talk. I mean, if that's okay with you."

"Of course," Hiccup answered. "What's on your mind?"

"How long are we planning to stay here?"

"I haven't really decided yet. I mean, forever would be nice, but I don't think that's an option."

"No, it's not. As great as this place is, and as nice as your mom is, you're the future Chief, and Berk needs you. And the Edge needs you. Not to mention, your dad is probably freaking out right now."

"We'll stay until he agrees not to make me marry Deirdre. Or at least, I'll stay. You don't have to if you don't want to."

"Are you kidding? I'm not leaving you."

Hiccup smiled.

"But just how long do you think it'll take Stoick to change his mind?"

"I don't know. But if I come back married -"

Astrid sighed. "I'm still not sure about the whole marriage thing."

"I'm sorry," apologized Hiccup. "I shouldn't have brought it up."

"No, it's okay." She paused. "I know you want to marry me. I just feel bad that I'm not ready."

"To be honest, I'm not really ready, either." He sighed. "I mean, it's a big commitment, and I don't know if now is the time to be making it."

"I agree. And part of me...part of me still feels like I should be a shieldmaiden. It's...it's all so confusing." Astrid shook her head. "By the way, are you gonna tell Stoick about Valka?"

"Oh, gods. I haven't even thought about that." Covering his face, Hiccup groaned. "You know what? Let's just hold onto that idea for now. We'll worry about it when the time comes."

"You know, Hiccup, you can't just keep running from your problems."

"I'm not running from my problems," the auburn-haired Viking insisted. "I'm flying from them."

Astrid rolled her eyes. "That's not much better."

"Well, what do you want me to do? Marry Deirdre?"

"Gods, no. But you could've stood up to your dad a little more instead of just taking off. When you're Chief -"

"Now you sound like him."

The two fell silent.

"I'm gonna go talk to Mom," Hiccup eventually said. Before Astrid could respond, he was already turning around. Once he reached the sanctuary, he dismounted Toothless and began searching for Valka. "Mom! Mom!"

"I'm over here," Valka called.

Hiccup turned a corner to see his mother sitting with a baby Scuttleclaw. "Can I talk to you?"

"Of course, dear. Come sit."

Accepting the invitation, he began with, "So, I was talking to Astrid, and she thinks I should go back to the Edge and Berk. But if I go back, Dad's gonna look at me with that disappointed scowl and tell me how I disobeyed him and ruined the alliance with the Berserkers by not going along with the wedding. And the worst part is, he's still gonna make me get married to Deirdre, and that's the last thing I want!"

"Shh. Settle, dear. It's okay." Valka rubbed her son's back and kissed his head, just as she used to do when he needed soothing as a baby.

"And everyone keeps bringing the whole Chief thing into this. Mom, I'm not ready to be Chief. I don't want to be Chief. I can't possibly control the entire island of Berk, especially while married to a wife that I don't even love. Why can't I just stay with you and we can go fight Drago and protect the dragons?"

"You can stay with me, son."

"But Astrid doesn't want to stay, and I can't...I can't do that to her. She already made it clear that she's not leaving until I do, and even if she were to leave on her own, well...I'd miss her too much. But at the same time, I don't know what the point is if we can't even get married."

"You really love her, don't you?"

Hiccup nodded shyly. "Do you...do you understand? Could you come with me and help me talk to Dad?"

She shook her head. "Your father doesn't listen to me. That's half the reason why I didn't go back. I wanted to go back for you, Hiccup, I wanted to bring you here...but I knew he'd never let me. I mean, I loved him, but he just...he was too stubborn. I figured I was better off alone."

"You know, he still misses you. He talks about you all the time."

Valka's eyes grew wide. "He does? He never thought about re-marrying?"

"No. Gobber has suggested it to him a few times, but he's always just laughed. He's been going on the hope that you're still alive, which you clearly are. He's even looked for you several times."

Valka was silent.

"Please, Mom. We can be a family, and maybe he'll remember what it's like to have a wife he loves and he won't make me marry Deirdre."

"I can't. Not after all these years." Valka paused. "You two dears should just stay with me for a few weeks, give him some time to think through the marriage more."

"Hiccup!" That was Astrid. "Hiccup!"

Hiccup and Valka both rushed in the direction of the blonde to see her collapsed on the ground, out of breath. Dirt was smeared all over her face, and Stormfly was standing over her.

"Astrid! What...what happened?"

"The dragon hunters. They...they tried to take Stormfly. They shot something at her that made her lose control of herself. We both fell. I...I managed to bring her back here, but I don't know if she's okay."

"Are you okay?"

"I don't care about myself. I just care about her." She clutched her middle.

"I'll take a look at Stormfly," Valka assured, placing a comforting hand on the Nadder's nose. "Hiccup, you take care of Astrid."

Hiccup held out a hand to help Astrid stand, but she insisted she could do it on her own. She half-walked, half-limped to the hut, all the way trying to tell her friend that she was fine. However, upon getting inside, she laid down on the bed and curled up into a ball, again clutching her middle.

"You're not fine, Astrid."

"Yes, I am." The blonde sat up and began removing her shoes and armor. Once that was done, she turned her back to Hiccup and took off her top, leaving her only in bindings and leggings.

"What's wrong?"

"My ribs are just a little bruised. It's nothing. Really."

The auburn-haired Viking gasped as he caught sight of dark bruises forming on Astrid's middle. "That's not nothing, Astrid," he corrected. "You need ointment. And your leg?"

"It's just a sprained ankle, I think."

Hiccup could tell by her swollen right foot that she was probably right. "We need to wrap it," he insisted.

Astrid nodded in agreement and rolled up her leggings. "Can you give me my extra bindings?" she asked. "They're in my bag."

"You sure you wanna use those? What if you need to change the ones you're wearing? I'll get you some wrappings from my emergency kit. I'll be right back." He went outside and retrieved Toothless' saddle bag, then hurried back to Astrid. "Now, I'll wrap your ankle and you put some of this ointment on your bruises." He handed her a small flask before settling onto the bed and propping her ankle up onto his leg. After putting on the wrappings, he ran his fingers across her foot, admiring the scars that rested there.

"I wanna go see Stormfly now," Astrid said, putting the ointment aside and replacing her shirt.

"I'll bring her to you. Just rest for now."

To Hiccup's surprise, the blonde didn't argue. Instead, she just mumbled a thank you and reclined against the pillow.

"Hey, Astrid, in...in case you doze off, I just wanna -"

"Yeah?"

"I just wanna say sorry for getting upset with you earlier. I just...I just have a lot on my mind. I...I do value what you have to say, even if it's not exactly what I want to hear, so please...don't stop giving me your opinion. Okay?" He covered her hand with his.

"I'm not mad, Hiccup. And if you know anything about me, you'd know that I'll never stop giving my opinion. I'm not exactly the quiet type."

The auburn-haired Viking grinned. "I know, Astrid. Now get some rest while I go check on Stormfly."