"A constellation of tears on your lashes
Burn everything you love, then burn the ashes
In the end everything collides
My childhood spat back out the monster that you see"

-Fallout Boy, "My Songs Know What You Did In the Dark (Light 'Em Up)"

Author's Notes: S'up, peeps! Wild Cat 214 is in the house!

So, I went back and corrected some of the earlier chapters. Just a few minor details, mostly to keep things straight. And if you're reading this and thinking, 'What is she talking about? There's been no changes,' then that means you're reading this after I correct it. You're welcome.

I'm not sure if I've already mentioned this, but I've decided to put the second movie in Wings of the Future. It's mostly so I'm dealing with one version of Addie at a time, the 15-16 year old, the 18 year old, and the 20-21 year old versions. Which means, Firewolf2012, that Sunspirit and Flameheart will not be starting off the third segment, but will come in shortly after the second movie. And much will be revealed in Wings of the Future, mostly about Addie, Frostwave, and Simon. Much... MUAHAHAHAHAHA!

Adeline: Stop laughing and tell me what you have planned already!

Wild Cat 214: Never!

By the way, in case you couldn't tell earlier, I am completely shameless. I will make references to a lot of different things, and you can enjoy them if you want. Or shake your head slowly, disappointed in how shameless I am. Remember, people, I can't control you. Not unless I figure out how to implant little suggestions in your subconscious while you read this.

On to reviews!

darkness surrounds me – Thanks for bringing that up! You've helped me decide on what I'm gonna do, so here it is. Frozen Flames is the first of my Fire and Ice trilogy, covering from the end of the first movie to the last episode of Defenders. Part 1: Ice will cover the Blackstone section and the Boneknapper movie. Part 2: Fire will be Riders, and Part 3: Clash will be Defenders. Burnt Ice will be a separate story, with different parts. Same for Wings of the Future. Hope that cleared things up!

Spartan322 – Thanks for your praise!

MMM – Sadly, no. Addie can only talk to Frostwave, because Silver Horrors can speak a special language thanks to their narrow tongues. Also, they have another special ability related to that, but I'm not gonna reveal that just yet ;) But don't worry. Frostwave can talk to the dragons and translate if necessary.

And now, the favorites and followers!

Favorite: souleater6072; Spartan322

Follow: Retrokill; souleater6072

I keep forgetting to mention this, but I will continue to post the names of everyone who favorites or follows this story, simply because I want them to be recognized in public. They're kind enough to keep this poor author going with their silent support. All it takes is a click, or a press of your finger, if you're on your phone, tablet, etc., and voila! Food for thought, literally. So please, keep this author going. She needs your help to live!

By the way, I LOVE Fall Out Boy. They're not my only favorite group/artist, but they're right up there with Oingo Boingo, ADELE, Barenaked Ladies, They Might Be Giants, The Killers, and Nobuo Uematsu (the guy that does the music for the Final Fantasy series). If you've got any music you'd like to recommend, just review with the title and artist/band along with any comments you might have.

Now read! (tries to type a suggestion into the computer)

Disclaimer: When I become Cressida Cowell and actually own the HTTYD fanbase, I'll let you guys know. But unless someone invents a mind-switching device (like in Futurama), that ain't gonna happen anytime soon.

Key: Do I even need to explain this?

Bold: Translated Benydeyh

Italic: Frostwave's translated lines (when from Addie's POV); human language (when Frostwave's POV); emphasis during normal speech

Italic Bold:Translated Benydeyh (when Frostwave's POV)

Normal: normal language; emphasis during flashbacks or when Frostwave is speaking


Adeline's POV

Well, today was officially my second day on Berk. The prison here was definitely better than on Blackstone – at least it had more fresh air and an actual bench for me to sleep on – but I would have given nearly anything for my little Frostwave nest. Berk was cold, a lot colder than Blackstone. Which wasn't surprising. I mean, there were hot springs back there, which was one pro for that island, but there were too many cons to make it worth living on the island.

Gobber came early that morning, the key of my cell held out in front of him like a sword in his right hand.

"Alright, lass. Time to let you out," he grumbled kindly. I smiled at him warmly in return. Gobber's actions yesterday had reinforced the belief that he was a nice guy, if a bit eccentric.

He put the key in the lock, turned it, and with one final resounding clank, the lock of my cell door released its claim on my imprisonment, and I calmly walked out to temporary freedom.


3rd Person POV: Hiccup

Day broke and woke Hiccup up, though the light was a bit later than a week ago. His sketch was illuminated briefly, warm light washing over the sketch and striking the life in the picture of Addie and Frostwave. He got up, stretched, and looked at Toothless. The Night Fury yawned widely, his teeth coming out and just as quickly retracting, then flicked a lazy glance at his rider and partner, as if to say, "Oh, hello, Hiccup. Top of the morning to you." Okay, maybe not those exact words, but close enough.

"Hey, bud," he said sleepily. Hiccup got out of bed, and that's when it hit him. He wasn't in a cell on Blackstone anymore, or hiding in a cave nearby. He was really home, salty sea air and all.

"It's so weird, but I was almost expecting to wake up somewhere else, Toothless," he murmured in awe. Toothless crooned curiously and got up to look downstairs.

"Yeah, bud. Let's go see Addie," Hiccup said brightly.

They walked down to the ground floor to see Stoick fixing breakfast.

"Ah, Hiccup. I was wondering when you'd come down. I trust you're off to see that pirate girl?" he asked, stirring some of last night's stew left to sit over the dying fire. It had been stoked to a comfortable heat by now, and the pot was bubbling. Hiccup shrugged.

"Her name's Adeline, Dad, and yes, I am going to see her," he replied exasperatedly, but Stoick steamrolled on without waiting for his answer.

"After breakfast, tell her to see Gobber. I think he has something for her to do, once she's taken care of her chores," he ordered casually.

"Okay, okay. I'll tell her. Bye, Dad," Hiccup said, walking to the door. Toothless joined him, and the pair went outside to see if Addie had been let out yet. When they couldn't see any trace of her from the front porch, the pair went further into the village.

Half an hour later...

Well, the village had been a bust. Gobber hadn't seen her at all, none of the other kids knew where she was, and most of the villagers simply said that there had been no trace of them. The few that thought they might have seen her simply said that she was somewhere in the village, and even they didn't know exactly where. By the time he checked out the docks, the arena, even the catapults, it was past breakfast time.

"How can a big silver dragon be so hard to find?" he exclaimed exasperatedly. Hiccup returned to his house and was about to give up when he saw the silver tail hanging off of the roof. He blinked at it in mute shock, and turned this look to Toothless. Both of them raised their eyes to the roof, where they could see the absent ex-pirate and her dragon sitting quietly and staring at the ocean. Swearing mentally, Hiccup climbed onto Toothless's back and the pair of them jumped up onto the roof.

Adeline's POV

Frostwave and I had spent most of the morning simply watching Berk wake up. The sunrise had been one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen in my entire life, which wasn't saying much, and seeing how it livened up the whole village was incredible. It was hard to believe that this peaceful village belonged to Vikings, but as the day got older, my disbelief vanished.

First off, Vikings are some of the loudest people I've ever met, and I have a Silver Horror for a dragon. When I say something's loud, it's nearly deafening. I mean, do they really need to yell at each other to wake up? Can't they just have a bell or something, like on Blackstone? Sure, it went off at an ungodly hour just so all the pirates could sing the Faith song before breakfast, but at least they didn't need to threaten pouring a bucket of ice water on them!

Anyways, Gobber had hobbled out of his house over to the forge and immediately starting hammering away at something. A few of the other villagers had hung up clothes to dry or started washing them, while some others walked from house to house and socialized. A group of men and women started walking away from the village with buckets, baskets, and carts, and off in the distance I could see what must have been a farm.

"There are many wonderful sights in this world, but few may compare to this," Frostwave purred contentedly. I nodded and leaned against her side, the heat of her scales leaching through my blouse and into my back. Being like this almost helped me forget... no, nothing could make me forget what had happened on Blackstone. I couldn't tell Hiccup everything that had happened. Because, sympathetic as he was, a part of me whispered that he would never see me the same, not after I revealed that darkest secret to him. And I didn't want that. I wanted him to see me as I showed myself to the world, a bitter, sarcastic ex-pirate that loved sour foods and dragons and being as free as the wind.

"Addie! There you are!" I heard him say from a few feet away. Speak of the devil. My eyes focused out of their blank gaze to see he and Toothless had joined us on the roof. My face started to burn against my will, and my heart fluttered. Gods, would it always make me feel so weird when I saw him?

"Here I am. Should I be somewhere else?" I said as calmly as I could. He rolled his eyes.

"When I came to check on you this morning, you were gone. I thought... that maybe you had left," he worked out awkwardly. I shrugged and turned my head away. Maybe if I didn't look at him, it would be easier to talk to him like a normal person.

"Well, I didn't. I just came up here to watch the sun rise," I replied. That came out a lot colder than it should have, and inwardly I winced. So much for talking like a normal person.

"Oh. I see," he muttered, his voice a bit hurt. I glanced over and put my hand to his shoulder.

"Hey, sorry 'bout that. It just feels a little weird, being away from Blackstone for good." At this, he smiled back at me.

"Okay, then. You sure you should still be up here? What if you fall again?" he asked, worry spiking in at the end. I smirked and pointed behind me at Frostwave.

"If I do, she'll be the one to catch me. Right, Frostwave?" I said over my shoulder. She huffed yet more ice into my hair, and, while I was brushing it out, laughingly crooned, "I think I'll leave that to Hiccup. I trust him to keep you from hitting the ground. Besides, you two can get to know each other better that way."

My shocked expression must have bothered Hiccup, because he asked me, "What did she say?" My mouth tried forming the words, but no air would go through.

"...Nothing important. I'm hungry, how about you?" I choked out, sliding down the roof and walls with ease. Hey, I wasn't called Adeline the Agile for nothing.

"Addie!" Hiccup called after me reproachfully, but I ignored him and went straight to the door. My hand rose to knock on the thick wood, and after a few cautious raps, Stoick answered it.

"Ah, Adeline," he said, narrowing his eyes a bit. I waved nervously. Did I mention that the chief had the biggest muscles I've ever seen? Because he did.

"Uh, hi, Chief Stoick," I replied. He raised an eyebrow.

"Please, call me chief," he said smoothly. I nodded.

"Okay, um, chief. Can I have some breakfast, please?" I tried to say as politely as possible. On Blackstone, I was familiar with how to treat everyone. On Berk, well, I was stumbling around in the dark. So, I turned to the only option I had. Being polite.

Stoick looked at me and nodded.

"Of course. Come in, Adeline. I think Hiccup was looking for you," he said, allowing me inside. Frostwave sniffed the air about him warily, but didn't try anything stupidly aggressive, thank the gods.

"Um, yeah, I know. I just saw him," my voice came out quieter than I would have liked. What? He scared me! Especially since I had kissed... kissed... kiss... Oh, gods! Oh my gods, I had kissed the chief's son two days ago! Me! I hadn't known Hiccup was the heir to the leadership of a powerful tribe of Vikings, because if I had, you can bet every last piece of gold in the Jyimd that I would have gone through the proper rituals with Stoick before even touching him. Blackstone discipline had been very serious about that sort of thing, and the old fear of being caught in a situation like the one between me and Hiccup still urged me to never speak of what had happened in the Ynahy. What happened on Blackstone Island stayed on Blackstone Island.

We walked in to see breakfast, which smelled like yak stew with some fresh herbs. Mmmm... Stoick escorted me to a seat across from where Hiccup would sit and placed a bowl of the delicious food in front of me. Finally, people who really knew how to cook. It wasn't the cooks' fault that they had limited ingredients, or the farmers' fault that they had to grow small plots on islands other than Blackstone, but they could have at least tried to make things other than soup and stew. Blackstone's soil is good for growing things – some of the best dirt you'll find in the archipelago – but because of the Silver Horror bones in the ground, none of the plants are suitable for human consumption. Which makes gathering both medicinal herbs and culinary herbs a lot harder, especially on the healers (like me) and the farmers.

Hiccup and Toothless joined us quickly, though I could tell that he wanted to know something. It was all in his posture and the fact that he kept giving me funny looks.

"So, uh, Addie, how was your night?" Hiccup asked after swallowing a spoonful of stew. I shrugged. That wasn't it. He had something else on his mind.

"Cold, but otherwise okay. How 'bout you? Toothless give you any trouble?" I replied, trying to stay calm. I was probably making a big deal out of nothing, but I didn't know the normal Viking customs for dating. What if they took it even more seriously than on Blackstone?

"He was fine. A bit antsy, but otherwise calm," he replied, stirring his stew a little before eating some more. Okay, that was good. Maybe he wouldn't ask me about it.

"Well, if he gives you any trouble, just call. I'll give him some flowers," I promised, a lot more casual than I felt. What if they had a specific punishment for kissing the chief's son without checking with his father first?

"Thanks. So, for today, I was thinking about starting on different verbs and nouns," Hiccup said eagerly. Oh, yeah. He was teaching me how to read and write. I was actually looking forward to that, mostly because I wanted to know how to read something other than the curves of Benydeyh. Being taught on Blackstone was terrible. Not because I didn't like learning – no, I love learning new things – but because they forced me to learn. If I am to be a student, I would rather it be under my own terms. And the deal with Hiccup suited me just fine. Just fine, indeed...

I nodded and grinned at him.

"Yes, Trainer Hiccup," I said mischievously. He rolled his eyes at that, and we finished the meal quickly. Stoick hadn't said a word after letting me in, but now, his vow of silence was broken.

"Adeline, here is your list of chores for today. Try to finish them before dinner," he said gruffly, handing me a piece of paper. I could kind of read what they said, thanks to Hiccup teaching me the letters, but I'd still need his help to understand it. He stood up and walked outside without waiting for my answer. I got the message. This was nonnegotiable, and I had to do it, whether I liked it or not. Before he went through the door, however, he gave us one last searching look. Stoick was probably wondering just what was the relationship between me and Hiccup, and personally, I would have liked to know, too. I would ask Hiccup, but I was too scared to lose what we already had. I had lost so much already, I wasn't going to risk this just yet.

Together, Hiccup, Toothless, Frostwave, and I followed in his wake, leaving the house to cause (more) havoc.


We met up with the rest of Hiccup's friends near the village center. Fishlegs seemed interested in Frostwave, Snotlout seemed interested in me, Ruffnut and Tuffnut seemed interested in the sky, and Astrid seemed interested in how close I was standing to Hiccup. What? He was the veteran on Berk, not me, so I relied on him to teach me how to act.

"Hi, Hiccup. Hi, Addie," Fishlegs said cheerfully. I waved at him and smiled. Okay, based on what I had seen of them yesterday, he was a nice guy, Snotlout was a mean – but entertaining – guy, the twins weren't the sharpest swords in the armory, and Astrid was a tough girl I didn't want to tangle with right now. Not physically, anyways.

"Hey, there, Fishlegs. How's Meatlug doing?" I asked him. He smiled back.

"She's fine, thanks for asking. How are you, Frostwave?" he asked my dragon. She dipped her head and growled in reply.

"Frostwave says she's good," I translated, though I neglected to mention the part that was directed at Astrid. I don't think she would have taken a dragon telling her to back off of Hiccup very well, even though I keep telling her that it's his choice, not hers or mine, who he dates.

Frostwave smacked my head lightly with her tail and blew some ice at my hair.

"Amazing. You can actually understand her?" Fishlegs asked excitedly. I nodded and glanced at my silvery dragon.

"Yeah, but only when she's speaking a certain language. Otherwise, it just sounds like normal dragon noises," I explained, rapping my knuckles against the scales of her neck. She rolled her eyes and blew another cloud of ice, this time at everyone.

"These humans are so strange. It is nice meeting people that do not wish to harm you or me, though I wish they made more sense," she growled petulantly. I flicked her nose.

"Shush, you. If you can't understand them, that's your own problem," I retorted, and she huffed more ice into my hair. I brushed it out and saw them watching me.

"Um, yes? Is something wrong?" They all shared an awkward look, and the smarter of the two blonde girls sighed.

"Addie, why did you come here?" Astrid asked bluntly. I looked away, and Frostwave placed her head on top of mine, humming the Faith song soothingly.

"Because I wouldn't kill a dragon. This dragon, to be more specific," I replied softly, pointing my thumb at the Silver Horror lounging on my head. She hummed harder, then shot a glare at them (supposedly).

"Uh, okay, but what does she actually do? You never said a thing about Frostwave yesterday," she said, pointing at my dragon. I grinned at her.

"It'd be better if I showed you. Come, Frostwave. Let's show these guys exactly what you can do," I told her. She bared her teeth in anticipation.

"They will tremble before my might," she replied eagerly.


We went to a cliff a short distance away from the village, with the other dragons suddenly flocking to us. Toothless cocked his head to the side curiously, waiting for the show to begin.

"Well, girl? What are you waiting for? You've already got an audience," I said encouragingly. Frostwave rolled her eyes and huffed even more ice at me.

"I was waiting for the other dragons. They must see that I am a fully fledged Guardian, not some freshly hatched initiate," she snapped warmly (or as warmly as a Silver Horror can get). Taking a deep breath, Frostwave suddenly released a huge blast of ice at a nearby rock.

Ice exploded out from the stone in long spikes at least five feet long, making the rock crack and chip from the sheer expansion of frozen water. Frost spread across the ground in waves of crackling ice, and it wasn't hard to see how she got her name.

I could swear the air around Frostwave got colder, but that's just a side effect. Breathing ice makes her internal body temperature spike up after releasing the frozen water, so she had to be careful not to do it too fast. Otherwise she might overheat and get sick.

"Whoa, that was cool! Do it again!" Tuffnut said, sitting up straight at the sight of so much destruction. I turned to look at her, eyebrow raised in challenge.

"Oh, I will do more than that. Stand back and let me show them exactly what I can do," she said confidently, spreading her wings wide. I made everyone move back a few feet. When we were clear, Frostwave leaped into the air, hovered, and shot three more blasts within the span of a minute. The ice continued to grow, and when it stopped, I carefully ventured out into the slippery field. The spikes had formed pretty structures, like tiny houses, and the ground was blackened with frost. It would take a few years to get the grass in this place to grow back to its previous verdant splendor, but right now it was a winter wonderland.

"Watch out!" Frostwave screeched before coming down and skating treacherously over the ice on her claws, dragging her tail after her and making complicated swirls and loops in the frozen surface. I jumped back just as she made a pass near me, the ice coming up in tiny curls in her wake. When she had skidded to a stop, I went over to her carefully and smirked at her.

"That was pretty impressive. Didn't you do that about a month into our imprisonment?" I asked her. She blew a cloud of mist at me sheepishly.

"Yes, but this time I had more room, so I could have more fun without having to worry about injuring you," she retorted, "Besides, don't you have chores to do? Stop fooling around with these human hatchlings and get moving."

I grinned at her.

"Fine, fine. Hey, guys, I have to take care of a bunch of stuff, so I'll see you all later," I said cheerfully, running off toward the village.

Five hours later...

Okay, maybe this had been a bad idea after all.

First on my list was weeding every single garden on Berk. I'm okay with that – I don't mind getting dirty every so often – but still. Every. Single. Garden. I'm just lucky I didn't have to go out to the farms as well and take care of the animals as well.

After that came unloading fish from the dock to help out these two nice guys called Bucket and Mulch. I liked them, even if Bucket was a little slow and Mulch was a bit wary of me at first. Once I convinced them that I had no intention of stealing the fish and killing them, though, they were only too happy to have my help.

Finally, I had to deliver fixed weapons for Gobber. That wasn't too bad, but I had to ask people where each person lived, and that was a pain in the ycc in and of itself. See, the people of Berk aren't exactly sure I won't kill them in their sleep, and it was only after I showed them the note from Gobber explaining my job that one kind lady had given me directions to the four houses on my trip. And carrying a mace, two swords, and an battleaxe around for half an hour is not fun. Especially since I got lost not once, not twice, but a grand total of six times. You'd think it would be easy to find the Larson, Ingerman, Erickson, and Hofferson houses in a village like Berk, but noooo, I just had to have no sense of direction. If it weren't for Frostwave, I would never have delivered them all in time for the lesson with Hiccup.

But finally, my trials and tribulations were over, and I could have my reading and writing lesson with him. Sadly, only part of my brain was focused on learning the different meanings for the same rune (that one that looks like one long line and one short line connected at the top by a diagonal line). The other part... well, let's just say it was focused on my teacher.

I couldn't help it. Hiccup looked so cute when he was focusing on the writing, and as my left hand copied each letter, my right hand was itching to take his left. Oh, gods. I sound just like those girls on Blackstone, the ones that always talk about boys and the latest island gossip. What have I become? What has young love done to me, that I would give up the chance to better myself and take romance instead? So internally, I was at war over learning and loving. Isn't that always the case?

'Snap out of it, Addie! Get your head in the game!' the rational side of me screamed angrily. And again, the head was right, not the heart.

"So, uh, this one could mean a U or a Y?" I asked, pointing at it with my right (might as well remove temptation). Hiccup nodded and moved his left hand to show me how it could be applied. So much for that idea. Now it was within easy grasping distance.

"Yeah. Take the word fury. You use this letter for both the U and the Y."

"Why?"

"Yeah, because otherwise it won't make the "ee" sound... oh. You were asking why you use the same letter," he corrected himself, seeing my expression.

"Yeah. In Benydeyh, there's two different characters, to eliminate any confusion," I told him.

"Well, you'll have to show me later. First, write this down," he commanded, telling me a simply phrase.

I carefully wrote down "The Night Fury flies swiftly," then glanced at Hiccup. He was smiling at me encouragingly. That did it. I couldn't take this anymore.

"I... I need to go somewhere," I said, standing up abruptly and running out the door.

"Addie?" Hiccup called after me, surprise and worry in his words. I didn't listen and instead ran through the village to the woods.

I didn't really know where I was going, or how long I had been gone, but eventually Frostwave caught up to me at this cove I found by accident. Literally. I nearly fell in from high above. It was only because she grabbed the back of my blouse with her teeth that I didn't tumble to a painful end. Or at least, a very painful time.

"This place has many curious smells and sounds," she observed. I gave her a look, but didn't ask. Trust me, it's a bad idea to ask a Silver Horror what they're talking about when it comes to sounds and scents. Their senses are incredible in those regards, so good that I think they can actually smell or hear the past.

"Well, let's check it out," I said energetically. All I wanted was some place to relax, and this would do as well as any other.

We found a way through a few yards away from where we stood, and at first glance the cove was pretty and calm. The late afternoon sunlight made it very tranquil, though Frostwave did say something about a "familiar dragon having lived here" after seeing a few patches of thick grass. Maybe the dragon had burned the grass for its nest, like Toothless did a few times in our cell. Come to think of it, she also mentioned that a few people we knew had been here before. Maybe he was the "familiar dragon" she was talking about.

Now, this place would be my relaxation spot.

I had to get back my calmer state of mind, and I knew just how to do that. I undid my braid, took two locks out from beside my face, and let them hang in front of my ears while I redid the braid, slightly smaller than before. That was how I did my hair for a practice fight. That was how all Blackstone women did their hair before a combat session. My hands loosened the neck and cuffs of my blouse as well. Might as well give me more freedom of movement.

"Frostwave, it's been a while since we sparred. I think I'm out of practice," I said thoughtfully. She grunted out a laugh.

"Prepare to be beaten splendidly," she replied confidently. I grinned at her, and we started marking out the limits of our mock fight.

Frostwave's POV

It wasn't hard to guess that my bondmate's preferred method of relaxation was combat. Fighting didn't make her angry or stress her. If anything, a battle was the best way to get her mind to be cool and collected, to calm her down to a reasonable person. And if there was anything Addie was good at, it was fighting.

I knew she didn't like it being her best skill, because it made her seem more likely to have been a guard or a trainer, not a blacksmith and healer. When I had asked her about it, she had simply replied, "I like helping people, and it's a lot easier to help them when I'm not trying to kill them."

But in a way, fighting was helping. It was helping her state of mind by keeping it stable, helping her body by keeping it in shape, and helping her emotions by releasing them through her punches, kicks, and dodges. And it was helping me, because it made me have hope that Addie would pull through some of her periods of depression.

When she had finished sketching out a large ring with her foot, Addie came up to me and bowed slightly. I dipped my head in response, and together we backed up two steps. She shifted into her fighting stance, and I readied my tail above my back, lowering my head so that it was close to the ground.

On an unspoken cue, we lunged at each other.

Adeline's POV

Sparring with Frostwave had always kept me one step ahead of the other kids on Blackstone, all but the oldest, who had been fighting for far longer than I had. It was part of the reason why I was considered one of the best fighters. I was so used to someone attacking me almost as quickly as lightning that, compared to my dragon's strikes, most of the people I fought seemed as slow as snails. Right now, though, we were both out of practice. That stint on Blackstone hadn't been much of a fight – thanks to Simon's efforts and Frostwave's terrible "singing" – and all those times I had exercised in our cell couldn't bring back the feeling of a real life-or-death situation.

Her tail swiped near my head, and I had to stop thinking just to dodge and roll out of the way. I knew Frostwave would never intentionally hurt me, but accidents happen.

My right foot arced toward her chest, and she writhed out of reach so she could try to scratch the bottom of my foot. I pulled back quickly and sidestepped away from her tail again.

The blood was pumping through my veins, and the sound made me feel alive. It reminded me that I wasn't stuck on Blackstone anymore. I could have a real life on Berk, if I only reached out and grabbed it.

That was when I tripped, just before I could dodge her tail. Too late, I tried to get out of the way, only to feel it cut through my braid and the entire back of my blouse.

The pain was horrifyingly familiar, a phantom nightmare of my childhood that rose up with the smooth scratch Frostwave had inflicted on my back. The blast of cold air that hit my back with the tearing of my blouse made me shiver, and not just because of the chill.

"Addie! Are you okay?" she wailed in horror. I nodded and reached behind me. A trickle of warm blood met my searching fingers, and I grimaced. She scurried behind me and saw the wound.

"Oh, Addie, I am so sorry!" Frostwave cried out in despair. I rolled my eyes and managed to twist my head around to glare at her.

"Hey, instead of apologizing for an accident, can you lick the wound? I'd do it myself, but my tongue doesn't reach that far!" I shouted, annoyed. Every time. Every. Single. Damn. Time. Frostwave would start saying she was sorry and not actually help after she hurt me during a match. And maybe it was the pain from the injury talking, but I had had enough.

"Frostwave, I swear to all the Aesir and Vanir that if you don't lick it, I will personally lock you in a cage with a bucket of eels," I said sweetly. That got her moving. Frostwave would eat eels, but she would never like being near that many.

She opened her mouth and started licking the scratch. It stung a lot, and her breath made the wet spots even colder, but that was good. Silver Horror saliva is actually really beneficial for injuries like this, because it acts like salt water or alcohol and keeps the wound from being infected (don't ask me why. Maybe it's because they're such sticklers for being clean, even in their mouths). And that's why I mix some into the antidote for Gale's Poison, along with some powdered tansy to preserve it. I always kept a supply of that stuff on hand, for keeping my medicines, ointments, and unguents from spoiling or going bad. Salt water also worked, though it made the wound sting a lot more than her spit would.

When she hummed proudly, I knew she had gotten all of it. It still felt like a yak had kicked me all over my back, but at least I wouldn't have to worry about it for a while.

"Okay, girl. Let's go back to the village. I've had enough fighting for one day," I groaned, making sure to keep the back of my blouse closed. You know, I had kind of expected it to fall apart at one point. I've been wearing it for the past three years in a row, and her biting it earlier probably didn't help. Frostwave walked close beside me, covering my back with her left wing to help protect it, and slowly we made it back to the village.

Thankfully, I didn't meet anyone who would ask why I had my hands behind me or why Frostwave was shielding my back from the world. The few villagers that I passed by simply saw me and sighed, shaking their heads, then moved on. They probably thought I had found something in the woods or- wait. I hadn't put my hair back up in a braid, and so I had two long locks framing my face while a mass of shortened hair curled up in the back. No wonder they were giving me weird looks.

"Let's get back before someone asks what happened to us," I whispered to Frostwave. She hummed in agreement, and we managed to get inside Hiccup and Stoick's house without incident. Maybe my Norn was in a good mood today, you know, after seeing me get injured when I was trying to calm down.

Of course, that's when it got awkward.

3rd Person POV: Hiccup

Hiccup returned to see Stoick sitting by the fire, stoking it with a metal poker, and a large basket with some cloth peeking out the top. The chief looked up at their approach and nodded in greeting.

"Hiccup. Toothless. Where's that pirate girl and her dragon?" he asked curiously. Hiccup rolled his eyes and came further inside.

"If you mean Addie and Frostwave, then I don't know. They're not causing any trouble right now, though, and I think they'll be back later," he replied casually. Stoick grunted in reply. Well, at least he wasn't going full Viking on him. That was something. And it was enough to help his son muster the courage to ask about the one thing on his mind.

"Hey, Dad, you remember that conversation we had yesterday?" Hiccup said nervously. Stoick raised his eyes from the burning logs and raised an eyebrow.

"Yes... and if you want me to remove the sentence on Addie, then I'm not listening," he replied stubbornly. Hiccup sighed.

"It's not like that. Not entirely, anyway. How about you give her a place to stay that's warmer than the prison? She can't do any work if she's too sick to move," he reasoned. His father thought about it carefully.

"I have an idea. Tonight, Adeline stays in her cell. Afterwards, she can stay here, in the room on the right, unless someone else offers to take her in. Speaking of taking her in, I have something for her," he replied shrewdly, holding up the container.

"Here you go. Welcoming gifts from the villagers," his father said, handing him the basket. He struggled under its weight, but managed to carry it over to the ground floor room Addie had been given temporarily. Hiccup set it down in a recently dusted corner and surveyed the room. It was nice, if a bit dusty. So he had taken it upon himself to clean it up, move all her things (including the cloth bundle that she had rescued from the Silver Horror graveyard), and set them inside. Tomorrow, Addie could stay somewhere warm with Frostwave. Tonight was her last night in the cell.


Hiccup heard the door downstairs open and looked toward the sound hopefully. Was Addie back? Toothless did the same, and, with an enthusiastic growl at him, padded downstairs. The Viking boy set down his pencil on his current sketch, followed, his dragon and smiled at the sight of the ex-pirate girl and her dragon in the main room. Stoick had returned to the village to check up on her work, so he wasn't there to see her come back.

"Addie! You're back," he said cheerfully. Hiccup had hoped she would come back after that scene earlier, but a part of him had thought she would simply leave.

She looked up at him, and a flicker of hope flashed into being, and faded just as quickly, on her face.

"Oh, uh, hi, Hiccup," she mumbled, averting her gaze and keeping her hands behind her back. He tried to see what she was hiding, but Frostwave drew her wing closer to the girl and glared at him coldly.

"Is something wrong?" he asked carefully. Addie shook her head rapidly, wincing just a bit, and he could see that something had been done to her hair. The longest pieces were in front of her ears, while all the rest gradually decreased in length until it reached the back, where it was the shortest of all.

"You, uh, you cut your hair," he observed. Hiccup could have sworn the temperature of the room increased as both Frostwave and Addie shared a confusing look.

"You might say it's a recent development," she replied vaguely. Hiccup nodded distractedly, then looked down the hall.

"There's, uh, a room down the hall for you. My father and I set it up for you," he told her, gesturing toward a door in the middle, on the right from the entrance. She followed his hand to the door and nodded quietly in reply. Something behind him caught her eye, and she pointed.

"Hey, can you hand me that axe up there?" she asked, pointing at something up on the wall near the stairs. Hiccup turned, got it down, and placed it in her outstretched hand. Just before she took it and hefted it up with her left, he could have sworn he saw something red on her hand, but it was gone before he had a chance to ask her about it.

"Thanks. I'll, uh, be in my room for the rest of the day," Addie said, acting just a bit too calm to be normal. She and Frostwave hurried into the back of the house, leaving a bewildered Hiccup and Toothless to stare after them.

"Well, that was weird, right, bud?" he said to the Night Fury. Toothless growled in agreement, and together the two of them went back up, Hiccup to work on his sketch of Frostwave and Addie together, and Toothless to nap.

Adeline's POV

'That was too close for comfort,' I instantly thought as soon as the door to my temporary living arrangements swung shut. Frostwave sniffed at a basket near the door, the lid covering whatever was inside, and I warily walked over, axe in hand. What if it was some sort of crazy surprise?

Frostwave slipped the tip of her tail under the lid, ready to freeze whatever might attack, and flipped it.

All that was inside was a bunch of clothes, a few old weapons, and some books that had seen better days. I set the axe down and pulled out a knife in its sheath, the well-worn leather soft under my hands. Frostwave sniffed it curiously, then shrugged her wings.

"This blade has not tasted the blood of a dragon. I approve," she said calmly. I gave her a painfully amused look.

"Says the dragon that just a few minutes ago ran her tail down my back. I'm gonna ask Hiccup what this is all about," I replied dryly, leaving her to blow a cloud of mist at my open back. Fortunately, it had been a very shallow wound, and part of it had already healed over. Thank the gods for small blessings. When I opened the door, I was careful to only poke my head out as much as I needed to yell at Hiccup.

"Hey, Hiccup! Why's there a basket of stuff in here?" I shouted through the house. There was the sound of mismatched feet above me, and I saw him look at me from the stairs.

"They're welcoming gifts from the villagers," he replied loudly. I nodded and ducked back inside to tell her. Then I remembered her hearing was some of the best among dragonkind, and I mentally smacked my head.

"I heard. So the humans of this settlement wish to greet you properly," Frostwave stated coolly. I shrugged, then immediately regretted it. My back felt all prickly now, but at least I knew Frostwave had kept the wound clean.

"That's their problem, not mine. I guess Berk does have some perks Blackstone lacks," I mused, looking at the knife.

"Since they're giving these to me as gifts... does that mean I can do what I want with them now?" I asked her. Frostwave hummed while she thought, then shifted her wings in reply.

"Some help you are. I'm just gonna assume that's what they're going for, seeing as they didn't really try to find things in my size," I said, reaching in and pulling out a huge, dark red dress. Four Addies could easily have fit inside and still have room to move. I managed to pull out the books and set them on the bed, then dug out another knife, a short sword that was nearly a dagger, and a bow with a half-full quiver of arrows. Then I saw three more dresses exactly like the first. Jeez, had they basically given me all the stuff they didn't need? 'Cause that's what it was starting to look like.

Half an hour later...

With Frostwave's help, the catalog of the "welcome to Berk" gifts totaled to this:

-four dark red dresses, each exactly the same

-two knives, both a bit used, but pronounced "clean" by Frostwave

-a short sword/dagger that had already gone through its glory days, but could be fixed up, when I had the time

-three dark gray long skirts made of a soft fabric similar to the inside of leather

-a battered, plain, wooden bow with a beat up string and half an old quiver of arrows that were barely worthy of being called weapons

-several pairs of soft black leggings that actually fit me, instead of reaching down to mid-shin when the cuffs were dropped

-two pairs of boots similar to mine, though slightly bigger

-a net (Seriously, who gives a net?)

-several pairs of newly darned socks

-a few rolls of finely made wool, finer than I would have expected from the looms of Berk

-lots and lots of scrap fabric and leather, including strips, pieces, and parts of what must have been clothes or saddles at one point

-five books, titled Herbs of the Barbaric Archipelago, Fishing Practices of the Northern Tribes, A Genealogy of the Hairy Hooligans and Other Peoples of the Archipelago, The Tales of Baddle the Berserker, and a tiny manual with the word Knots stamped on its leather-bound cover in faded gold paint (it had been very hard to read them all, but thanks to the lessons I had gotten so far, I could at least recognize each letter and ask Frostwave what they spelled)

Okay, so was I now the recipient of all the hand-me-downs and castoffs that people were willing to part with? Their goodwill in giving me all this was obvious, but really? A net?! What in Thor's name was I supposed to do with a net?

I sighed, then realized there had been no mention of preserving the presents. An evil grin spread across my face, and Frostwave sighed a cloud of ice at my face.

"I'll just be over here," she growled, settling on a hard stone slab that must have taken a lot of work to get in here. I shot her a smirk and went over to the cloth bundle on top of my medicine kit. Just as I thought, it protected my dnaycina-buq, and I pulled out the wad of thread and a needle.

My skill at sewing was... passable. I was better at stitching wounds closed than at making clothes, but with the two knives it shouldn't be too hard to make me some clothes that actually fit me.

That evening...

My labors were finished. Laid out on my bed were seven identical sets of clothing. Why seven? One for each day of the week, so I could wear a clean version each day. After spending three years in the same clothes from when I was twelve, I was prepared to do whatever it took to wear different clothing every day, even if it meant more washing.

I now had: a sleeveless red shirt with leather pauldrons sewn to the armholes, with leather straps crisscrossing in front and back from each; a dark gray skirt that ended at about my knees, with slits in the side for easy maneuvering, and slits in the top for my belt to go through; comfy black leggings that were actually a bit longer than the legs they went on (hey, I could always roll up the bottom); the wool socks, which were either black or white, as it is, actually numbering six, but I could always make a pair from the scrap fabric left over from my efforts; and two pairs of boots that I could alternate. I had also sewn little leather bands on longer pieces to the inside of the front and back of my skirt, so I could hold it down when necessary and still leave my hands free.

In my opinion, it was some of the best work I've done in... oh, about four years.

Since my injury had healed, all I had to do was have Frostwave wrap a roll of bandages around me (which was helped by her long neck and strong jaws), slip back on my old clothes, tie my belt, and face the dilemma of my hair.

Normally, I'm not the sort of person that cares about her looks. I'll get dressed in something clean that isn't too outrageous, put my hair back in a braid, wash my mouth out, and I'm done. But this was scary.

The two locks I had taken out of my braid were the only things left of that hairstyle. The rest was weird. From my ears back, it started long and shrank until it was only a few inches long in the back. And I didn't like it. If it was going to be like that, I preferred to keep it all one length. Since I can't magically make my hair grow that fast, the only way to go was shorter.

I set the axe down where I could see my reflection in its highly polished surface, made a face at myself, and picked up the knife.

"Frostwave, I'm cutting my hair. Don't get too alarmed," I said calmly. She crooned uncomfortably, but didn't try to do anything. I think she was afraid that if she accidentally nudged me, I'd end up cutting off an ear. Hey, I could change my name to Half-deaf Adeline, and show off where the stupid thing should be to all the kids.

Frostwave helped by breathing mist into my hair, which got it damp. Once I was sure it was ready, I started slicing off hair.

A few minutes later...

Well, it would do.

I had managed to make my hair reach to about the same length all around my head, except for my two longer locks (I was saving those for something special), and now it was quite short. Not boyish short, but not particularly long, either. My bangs had been trimmed as well, so that now they only covered my forehead. Setting the knife down, I grabbed a piece of string and the two locks, pulled them behind my head, and tied them together close to my head. Now I had some sort of ponytail coming from the back of my head.

"That'll do," I murmured. I stood up and went over to the clothes on my bed, selected one of seven identical outfits, and undressed. I had made sure to get as much hair as I could in my hands and onto the small table, but there were still a few tiny pieces on my torn blouse. Man, I was glad to finally be free of that thing. It had seen so much suffering, and now I was casting it off like a snake with its old skin. Maybe that's what was happening. I was shedding the old and revealing the new.

When I had completely undressed, Frostwave gave me a quick bath with her tongue, I took a set of undergarments that I had made from the really fine wool (I almost didn't think it was wool at first – that's how soft and smooth it was – but Frostwave said it smelt of sheep, and who am I to argue with her nose?), pulled on the drawers and the band of cloth that I could tighten with a few large knots and loops in the back (hey, that little book had proven pretty useful), and pulled on my new clothes. She had been careful to avoid the bandages, and mostly focused on my upper body, where the most hair had gathered, so thanks for small blessings.

Now I was ready to face the world.

"Well, Berk. Ready or not, here comes the new Addie," I muttered, walking out the door with Frostwave. This was the true beginning of my life on Berk. Yesterday had been a dress rehearsal. And I was going to ace this performance, as much as is humanly possible.

3rd Person POV: Hiccup

Hiccup and Toothless were working quietly in their room when Stoick came back from making the village run smoothly, the boy on some sort of mysterious contraption, and the dragon on a nap. The chief seemed to be in a good mood that night, despite Hiccup's little burst of fear that he would be furious with Addie, but he didn't want to push his luck. The two of them went downstairs to see him starting to cook dinner – which they would reheat in the morning for breakfast – and he looked up at their approach.

"Ah, Hiccup, there you are. Have you seen Addie?" Stoick asked pleasantly. Hiccup smiled nervously.

"Uh, yeah, she came back a few hours ago. Why are you asking?" That was when his father started whistling a jaunty tune.

"Oh, well, apparently a few of the villagers wanted to thank her for helping with their gardens. Phlegma said it's the best work she's seen in years," he explained cheerfully. It was obvious his father had reconsidered his earlier impression of the girl. He had to tell Addie.

At that moment, she and Frostwave came out, and any thought of telling her the good news vanished.

Addie was standing uncertainly in the entrance to the hallway, wearing a different outfit than before. The dark colors complimented her skin, hair, and eyes, but that wasn't the only shocking thing about her new look. Her hair was shorter, yes, and tied back in a hairstyle he had never seen before, but that wasn't it either.

Addie's upper arms were lined with narrow scars.

Some were only an inch long. Some went all the way from her elbow to under the leather covering her shoulder. A few even went horizontal instead of vertical. The rest were in between these lengths. There were so many, it looked like the map of some incomprehensible city, showing the expanse of intersecting roads and streets. Hiccup and his father glanced at each other, as if trying to make sure this wasn't just some trick of the firelight. But the horrified expressions on both their faces said the same thing. Those shiny lines were real.

"Um, hi," she said, no more than a breath. It was obvious Addie was more than nervous. She seemed to be on the verge of going back to her room, or maybe running out the back door. And that would have been very bad.

"Uh... hi, Addie. Nice clothes," Hiccup said, trying to keep his voice calm. No animal or plant could have made those lines. They were too neat, too perfect, and they never got lower than her elbow. Whoever had made those, they were an expert with a knife. The thought terrified him. Someone had deliberately hurt Addie, leaving her with indelible marks of his efforts. How long had she had those? A year? Two? Three? Even longer?

Frostwave crooned something encouragingly to her rider, and the two of them walked further into the room. The girl sat at the table, the dragon just behind her, and a heavy silence settled on them all. Toothless went up to the scarred girl and put his head in her lap, crooning gently. Addie looked down at him and started petting his head, a small smile returning to her face. That seemed to break the silence, and Stoick began serving them all up.

"So, uh, Adeline, how was your day?" his father asked, looking only at her face. She shrugged with one shoulder, pulled a small book out of her skirt with her left hand, and started eating with her right once he had taken a bite.

"It was okay. I got this interesting book on knots from the villagers," she said, holding it up and showing him the old cover. Something about this bothered Hiccup, and it took him a few minutes to realize it.

"Addie, aren't you left-handed, like me?" he asked. From where he sat, she was using her right hand like she had always used it, even though earlier she had used her left hand to write. Addie looked down at her hands and shrugged.

"Nope. I'm ambidextrous. I can use both hands equally well. It's one of the few things Blackstone accepted about me, since it meant I could do twice as many things at the same time," she replied bitterly, holding up her spoon and book.

"See?" Without warning, she suddenly switched them in her hands and started eating and reading again, exactly as well as before. She swallowed a bite of the stew and grinned at him.

"I was just using my left 'cause that's what you were doing." Stoick chuckled at this.

"Looks like she's one-upped you, Hiccup," he said jovially. Addie smiled at him, and Hiccup rolled his eyes.

"Yes, yes, Addie beat me fair and square," he said sarcastically. Addie smirked and patted his back.

"Don't worry, Hiccup. I'm sure you're better than me at something," she said consolingly.


That was how dinner went, with the three of them joking around about what Hiccup and Addie were good at and the two dragons watching with curious amusement while they ate. All of them studiously avoided mentioning the scars. The ex-pirate had an aura about her that said: mention them and I will kill you.

Soon, it was time for Addie to return to her cell.

"A deal is a deal, Hiccup. Tomorrow she can sleep here, but tonight, Adeline must stay in her cell," Stoick said firmly. Hiccup bit back the argument he was going to make. When his father set his mind to something, it was almost impossible to change his mind. It took a life-threatening experience, like what had happened several weeks ago, to get him to change.

"Hey, it's fine, Hiccup," Addie said casually. "I don't like sleeping in beds anyways." The two Viking men gave her a confused look, but they didn't press the matter. Sometimes, it was better not to ask.

"Well, that settles it. Tomorrow, you can continue your lessons. AFTER Adeline does her chores," he said to his son. Hiccup frowned, but that was the end of it. Stoick escorted Adeline and Frostwave back to the jail, and he went back inside with Toothless.


Adeline's POV

Breaking out was easy. I wanted to talk to Hiccup some more. So I picked the lock, opened the squeaky door cautiously, and crept back through the village to the chief's house, Frostwave just behind me with her scales glinting in the moonlight like captive stars. She gave me a boost up to Hiccup's window, and I sat on the sill. He and Toothless were asleep already.

I could feel goosebumps race up my bare arms from the chill in the air. That's right. It was nearly winter. Maybe I would see real snow.

"Well, I tried," I muttered. Oh, well. I could talk to him later. I wanted to ask him about the total number of letters in the Viking language and compare them to the total in Benydeyh, see if there were any similarities. Languages were fun, but annoying, that way.

'Although... I might as well do one last thing,' I thought curiously. Sneaking a glance around me, mostly at the stairs and out the window, I crept inside, bent down near Hiccup, and lightly kissed his cheek. It was really more like a peck.

I giggled suddenly. Where had this girl come from, this me that kissed boys and actually thought of them in terms other than "family" and "foe"? Whoever she was, it brought a thrill to my chest, a new feeling for me. The only things I would be stealing from Berk were kisses.

Hiccup grumbled in his sleep, and I straightened, took a quick look at the stairs, and retreated back out the window. Frostwave helped me get to my cell, and I managed to sneak the keys from the forge so I could lock myself in, then my dragon rushed them back. I went to sleep that night happy, because I had done something I would never have done before. From that time on, I wouldn't try to hide as much behind Blackstone tradition. Those rules didn't apply anymore. Not to me, and certainly not to Berk. Though there were some good things that had come out of that strange island.

Overhead, the moon and stars stared down coldly, watching these events unfold.


3rd Person POV: No One In Particular

As the moonlight shone down on the cove where so many important events had happened, it struck the braid lying on the ground. The shadow of the heavy piece of Addie's hair grew, creating the twisted outline of a woman with hair that floated like it was underwater. But unlike the benign golden lady of her dream, this was the opposite. This was the beast beneath your bed, in your closet, in your head.

The dark woman rose from the ground, taking on three-dimensional form like a human cloaked in shadows, and disconnected from the braid's shadow. The tufts of grass around her withered away, repulsed by her very presence. Even the night birds stopped singing when she coalesced. Her aura radiated pure Darknesse, inky tendrils of the vile ooze waving lazily around her body.

She held out a hand, and a creature appeared, a wretched being formed from the shadows of the night. It looked like someone had taken a Terrible Terror, contorted its body until it was a mockery of its own kind, made a mold of it, and poured liquid Darknesse into it.

"Yesss... Mistress...?" it hissed, its voice like fallen leaves skittering over the ground in a breeze. The dark lady pointed at the braid of hair, glistening silver in the light of the moon.

"Bring that to the citadel. Have Stalwart start analyzing it for the final battle," she ordered icily. Unlike the raspy servant, her voice was like the night personified, all cool darkness and secrets unseen by the light of day.

The creature dipped its head in reply, then fluttered over to the locks of hair. It fastened its misshapen jaws around the brown hair, red eyes glowing dully, then vanished with the faintest smell of burning hair. Its mistress watched it go, then turned her head toward the village.

"That fool thinks she can defeat me with a broken soul like that? Well, two can play that game. Lucia isn't the only one with magic," she snarled maliciously. Wrapping her cloak of shadows around her, the dark lady disappeared, leaving an ominous feeling over that spot.

The only trace of her presence was the circle of dead grass where she had stood, two feet in diameter.

Author's Notes: Hey, where are those translations I ordered? Oh, wait. There they are. Sorry, Joe!

Jyimd – Vault

Ynahy – Arena

Benydeyh – Piratian, but I plan on keeping it in this form. It looks better like this, right?

ycc – Do I even need to translate this? You're all smart people, you can figure it out just from context.

dnaycina-buq – treasure-box

Oh, yes, I am evil. Am I the dark lady? Well, that depends. Do you really think I would have her be planning something with that braid? Don't answer that. She and the golden lady will be very important later on, making a few appearances in dreams and the like, but their real claim to fame will come far in the future.

Yeah, and I may be kind of cruel, not telling you how Addie got those scars. But I think you smart people can figure out how. You're all wonderful, brilliant people, and anyone who says otherwise is either stupid, jealous, or both. Or just a jerk who doesn't appreciate us. It's hard being as awesome as all of us in this world, am I right?

Originally, this was going to be two chapters, but I merged them because I wanted to get to the fun parts. So I keep writing and writing, and it ends up so long. I'm sorry for those that like a quick read. JK, I'm not :P Reading is good for you! It makes you smarter, and you can learn cool words! So read a book! Or this! Whichever you prefer! And now I'll stop typing exclamation points.

Or not. Please REVIEW! Your feedback helps me LIVE!

Wild Cat 214, out!

Okay, now I'll stop.