Disclaimer: Dearest darlingest DreamWorks owns dragons. I own nothing. Dang!

Author's Note: Thanks so much for the reviews, guys! I'll try to update as often as I can! Since the summer's coming to a close the updates may become less frequent. Deal with it. Enjoy!

He almost wished he had left her behind. She was making things very difficult with all the kicking and screaming. Toothless was certainly not enjoying himself.

"Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the third, if you stop this thing and get me off, I'll jump off throw myself into the sea!" Astrid screeched.

Hiccup sighed. "You would get thrown into the sea on suspicion of treachery if I'd left you behind." He had intended to save her, anyway.

Toothless groaned. Hiccup took that for a 'why can't we let her jump?'

"She's my friend, Toothless," said Hiccup, "If she jumped, I'd move your tail in the positions for us to fly after her."

If Toothless could speak Norse, Hiccup would sure Toothless would have said 'whatever.'

"I'd fight them off!" said Astrid stubbornly.

"With what? No one around you had a weapon of any kind. They'd catch you before you could run to find one." Hiccup said.

Toothless would have considered him patient for not yet losing it. But Hiccup was too exasperated to lose it.

This was all a complete disaster. He had meant to save her from being unprotected and out on her own, and now she could think of nothing better. They were supposed to be friends! Only the other day she had given him a huge hug, which kept him up all night, questioning everything in which he believed. He thought she would have been pleased that a friend was willing to help her out.

Leave it to Astrid to be unpredictable, he thought.

"Are you saying I don't know how to fight with my own bare hands?" screamed Astrid.

"Of course not. I was just trying to save you."

Astrid snorted. "Save me? You're the one who needs some saving! I don't think they were going to be very nice to you."

"Whatever you say." sighed Hiccup.

"Where in Valhalla are you taking me, anyway?" Astrid demanded.

"Hopefully we won't be taking trips there any time soon. I'm just heading as far south as possible."

"South? But that's- we have no idea what's down there! Gods, Hiccup, this is suicidal! You're trying to kill me!" she accused.

He sighed for the fifty-seventh time that trip. He calmly explained "If I had wanted you dead I wouldn't have taken you with me."

Astrid's demeanor changed for the first time on their crazy trip. "But what if the Bog-Burglars are still there?" Her voice was curious and almost fearful.

The Bog-Burglars once lived on the Isle of Berk many many years ago. They had been fierce fighters and, as their name suggested, superb burglars. They hadn't lived together for very long when someone got crazy ideas and the great-great-great-grandparents of those on Berk banished them to the south. The Vikings wondered if they had died out or if they were still there. No one dared venture that far south for fear of falling off the side of the earth.

"Maybe they are. I've always wondered what plans they had that made our ancestors shun them. Maybe they had ideas like mine." Hiccup suggested.

"Probably. They were said to be just as nutty as you." muttered Astrid, "If they actually are there they'll kill us on sight."

"You don't know that." Hiccup pointed out.

"They'll try to." His fiancée argued.

"Don't be so sure. Nothing's really certain."

"You don't know that either."

Surprised, Hiccup turned to stare at Astrid. That's the most logical thing she's said all day! He thought, mildly impressed with her. She smiled sarcastically at him. The awe died away as she launched herself off the Night Fury and plunged off the Night Fury into the sea.

"Come on, Toothless," sighed Hiccup, adjusting his dragon's fake tail accordingly. The dragon and his rider flew to her rescue. Hiccup wasn't really sure why he was doing it. In the past two weeks this girl had caused a tree to fall on him, to throw up, get a black eye, used his invention to bring down a Night Fury and refused to give him credit, get chased by a Monstrous Nightmare, made him want to kill Toothless, tried with every particle of energy to beat him in dragon training, accused him of sexually harassing her, and kicked and screamed during his one moment of triumph. Maybe he would carry the feeling her hug gave him to the grave.

Astrid's wedding dress was causing her to fall more slowly than she would have liked. Toothless easily caught up with her and Hiccup snatched her out of the air.

"It's okay, Astrid, I've got you," he said as if that would make her feel as happy as it made him.

"You hooligan! Let me go!" She ordered, her arms and legs flailing. One of the billowing sleeves on her dress momentarily covered Hiccup's face. Toothless let out a bellow of fear. In that one precious moment, Hiccup had failed to see the only enormous imposing sea-cliff around for miles that they were about to run into. He didn't have enough time to steer clear of it.

"Look out!"

Toothless and Hiccup braced themselves for the impact and were unharmed. But Astrid had spent her time yelling, "NO ONE TELLS ASTRID HOFFERSON WHAT TO- ACGH!"

One of her flailing legs fell limp. Astrid had obviously had a very trying day and could no longer hold in her pain. She cried out in anguish. Hiccup could see a speck of land in the distance.

"Toothless, step on it!" pleaded Hiccup over Astrid's howls, pointing to the island.

Toothless kicked it up to top speed. Hiccup tried to concentrate on what positions would be correct for which maneuvers but it was easier said than done when Astrid was screaming her head off.

The island was getting closer now. It was about twice as big as Berk.

"We'll get help soon, Astrid. There's land up ahead." Hiccup said to her.

Toothless pulled to a screeching halt on the island. Hiccup dismounted, carrying Astrid. He paused to take a look at her left leg. It was bleeding profusely. He wished he knew how to care for wounds like she did but she was in no fit state to help herself, still flailing her uninjured limbs. The only solution would be to find a village quickly.

Hiccup headed inland, Toothless following behind on foot. He hoped the Bog-Burglars were on this island. He hoped they were as unconventional as he was. He hoped they weren't as fierce as Astrid said they were. He hoped one of them was a much better healer than he was.

"Don't worry, love," he whispered in an attempt to calm her, "I'll find help."