Days had passed since Stoick's death and Hiccup had been made chief, but he was quick to name Astrid and Caverna as his consultants. No one had argued with their new chief since they knew that neither of the girls would allow the village to fall to ruin if they were left to run it when their chief was ill or away. However, right now their chief was going nowhere as he observed the cleanup operations that were happening after the attack of the Bewilderbeast. Though right now, Hiccup and Toothless were hovering over a house helping the Vikings who were rebuilding it by giving them more supplies to use, and Caverna was kneeling on Snowcap's back carving into the side of the mountain along with a few older Vikings, she wore no flight jacket, so her arms were bare and she looked sweaty in the sun, but she continued to work. Hiccup looked over at her and he smiled seeing what she had been working on, a stone carving of Stoick the Vast. Then he suddenly felt something brush his shoulder and he turned to find that Astrid had flown past him, dressed for the dragon race that was going on, and smiling he flew after her. Caverna ended up finishing the statue and she sat back on her hunches on Snowcap's back and she smiled to herself before she kissed her hand and she rested it on the statue, bowing her head to her Great Chief. At hearing Snowcap grumble a greeting to someone, she looked over and she saw Fishlegs ad Meatlug flying over to her.
"Hi." He smiled.
"Hey." She smiled back.
He held out a small flower to her and Caverna smiled at seeing it, taking it from him and she kissed his cheek, before she put it into her hair. Fishlegs smiled and he soon flew back to the race, he knew that he wasn't winning, but he didn't care, he had wanted to show his love to his girlfriend, who he hadn't really seen properly since they got back from Valka's island and she had lost her father and dragon.
He worried for her, since Caverna was the one to go up to the big house alone at night and spend the night alone, Hiccup and Astrid had moved out into a 'new couples' house not far from her, but still she was still alone. Valka didn't share the house with her, finding it too painful for her to live in the house that her husband held for so long, so she lived in her own hut not far from the sea and the dragon stables. He remembered the first two days after she had watched both Stoick and Sapphire die, and she shut herself away in her house, everyone knew that she wasn't eating and any visitors would be sliced by a flying dagger. Odin knows, not even Snowcap or Lightning went near the house. Finally, after two days of Hiccup, Astrid and Valka being worried for her, Fishlegs' own mother suddenly threw the front door open and found Caverna sat in front of the fire, she looked like she hadn't slept or even moved for two days as she started at the dying embers.
"Come now Child, have you moved at all?" Mrs Ingerman asked as she sat next to his son's girlfriend.
Caverna just shook her head, watching the fire eventually be snuffed out by the open door.
"Come on; let's get you something to eat." She told the brunette.
Caverna simply shook her head again, causing the older woman to sigh to herself.
"My dear, you need to eat." The woman told her, suddenly pulling Caverna to her feet and she brought her to the table as she went into the kitchen and found some simple ingredients to make a simple stew. As she cooked the stew, she didn't expect Caverna to suddenly start speaking again.
"It's my fault they're dead."
This caused the woman to look back at her and see how miserable and guilt ridden she looked as she stared at the wooden table before her.
"Caverna, sweetheart, none of this was your fault." She told her, moving to sit beside her.
"If I'd just ran that little bit faster, I could have stopped my dad, if I'd told Snowcap not to go to Sapphire's island, I could have saved my dragon, and this was my fault!" She suddenly shouted, though Mrs Ingerman never stopped her or scolded her.
"You couldn't have stopped what the gods wanted to happen."
"Damn the gods!" Caverna nearly screamed. "What else can they fuck up for me? Take away my brother, my boyfriend, or my friends?"
"Now dear, the Gods must have something wonderful planned for you if this is what they have dealt you so far." She told Caverna, soothingly placing a hand on her shoulder. "Just have faith."
"It's hard to have faith when you're a murderer." Caverna told her.
"Now stop this! Caverna Haddock, you are not a murderer!"
The outburst had started Caverna, but she still looked at the stew that was put in front of her moments later, and the woman kept talking, not knowing if it was sinking into Caverna or not. Later that night, Mrs Ingerman had managed to get Caverna outside and into the Great Hall where she had sat with her friends and ate some food and listened to conversations. During all of this, she was kept under the watchful eye of her brother, mother, sister-in-law and boyfriend's mother. Many villagers came to her and offered her their respects, and Caverna had gone home that night happy to be back in the village after spending two day alone, but with a heavy heart. Now here she was, finishing a creation that she and her brother thought up and she looked at it proudly. Fishlegs was happy for her, but he was also worried. She still held guilt of some form, and now Hiccup had also made her his council on all matters concerning war and battle and to know that his girlfriend would be sent ahead of her brother into battles worried Fishlegs to no end. Another thing that worried him was Eret. He'd been spending a lot of time with Caverna as she showed him how to properly handle Skullcrusher, and he could tell that Eret was trying to impress Caverna...repeatedly. Fishlegs wasn't naturally jealous, but after managed to get such an amazing girlfriend that was Caverna, he had been worried none stop about her and the affections of other men. He was still pondering the topic of his girlfriend and Eret when Snotlout suddenly flew into him, though it wasn't exactly on purpose, well it was since Fishlegs had unknowingly let Meatlug wander into the path of a sheep.
"Whoa, sorry Fishlegs, watch were you going though!" Snotlout shouted over to him as he caught the sheep and flew off with Eret and Astrid right on his tail.
Fishlegs watched him in a daze, before he saw Caverna land Snowcap onto the stand where Hiccup was also sat and he suddenly had an idea. He was going to make sure that Caverna saw him as better than Eret, and he was going to do this by winning this dragon race!
As he urged Meatlug on, he took a quick glance at his girlfriend and saw her talking to Hiccup, but it didn't matter to him if she didn't see him, she'd work it out soon enough. Before he knew it, Fishlegs had managed to capture another sheep and he steered Meatlug towards his net, he looked so determined as he done this, and when it was finally in his net, he heard a cheer and he looked to see his girlfriend cheering. However, before he knew it, his win had gotten higher and higher and before long it was time for the black sheep. As he caught it, he tried to make sure that Caverna was watching, but he didn't notice that Eret and Snotlout were flying towards him until it was too late. All three of them collided, with Fishlegs being knocked straight off of his saddle and Eret taking the black sheep, however everyone noticed Fishlegs falling and as he hit the floor, Caverna had Snowcap land beside Meatlug who had also landed when her rider hit the floor. After dismounting, Caverna ran over to Fishlegs and she fell to her knees beside him, resting a head on his chest and smiling in relief when she found a pulse.
"He's alive." She shouted to the frozen villagers gathered in the stands.
At hearing her, everyone breathed a sigh of relief before someone ran to get Gothi and Caverna walked to her dragon, pulling her sack of water from one of the saddlebags and she tipped some over Fishlegs' face, causing him to jolt awake.
"What happened?" He asked groggily.
"You were knocked off of Meatlug, hit the ground pretty hard." Caverna told her as she helped him to sit up. "You were out cold until the water hit you."
As Gothi found them, Caverna sat in the dirt beside her boyfriend as the older lady checked him over and told him to go home and rest, Caverna helped him onto her dragon and not long after she got on behind him did he fall back into unconsciousness.
She flew him back to the Ingerman house and as Snowcap and Meatlug landed on the ground, Caverna got off first and she brought him down too, before she carried him across her back. It was amazing how strong Caverna was, despite her size, but she managed to carry him into the house where Mrs Ingerman was making stew. The moment she turned around and saw them she gasped and there was a thud as the wooden spoon that she was using hit the floor.
"My dear boy, bring him upstairs Caverna." She rushed to where there was a pail of water and she got a bowl full and a rag as Caverna put Fishlegs on his bed. "What happened?" She asked.
Caverna sat on the edge of her boyfriend's bed as she took the rag from the bowl and rung out the excess water before she folded it and put it on Fishlegs' forehead, whilst she done this, she told his mother what she had seen.
"My poor boy, was it accidental?" She asked.
"I assume so; after all I don't think Snotlout and Eret meant to fly their dragons into him." She told the older woman. "And Gothi said that he would be fine, so I'll stay with him if you want to join the other Vikings."
As the night wore on, Mrs Ingerman did join the other Vikings in the Great Hall for some food, before she and Caverna swapped places and Caverna went to get some food, and she pushed one of the big doors open to walk inside.
Once inside, she noticed her friends first, Ruffnut was fawning over Eret, whilst Snotlout was boasting over something to Heather, obviously trying to get one up on Tuffnut and then she noticed her brother and Astrid sat with Valka and Gobber, talking and laughing. It made her happy to see her brother happy and taking to being chieftain easily, but she missed her father, he should be here with them, enjoying the mead, the laughter and the conversation. She was so deep in thought, she didn't notice that Lightning and Snowcap had seen her and come to comfort her, Snowcap sitting back on her hunches in front of her and Lightning lying beside her, both giving her worried looks.
"I'm fine." She told them, knowing that it wasn't fooling them. "Come on, let's go for a flight, just the three of us."
As she left, Hiccup had come to notice her and he watched her until the doors to the Great Hall had slammed shut once more, but before he could go after her, he was pulled from his thoughts by his mother.
"Go after her." Valka encouraged. "She obviously needs you."
"Why don't you go after her, she needs her mother just as much?" Hiccup told her.
"Because you know her better, I've not gotten to know her yet."
"Because you're not trying." Hiccup told her as he got up and left the table, following his sister with Toothless following him.
As he left, Astrid looked over at a now upset Valka and she raised an eyebrow since she hadn't noticed the conversation.
"Valka, what's the matter?" Astrid asked.
"I messed up." Valka told her as she sighed and sat back in her chair, causing Astrid to also sigh, hoping that her husband and sister-in-law were as okay as they made out.
Meanwhile, Caverna was soaring high above the clouds on Snowcap's back as Lightning flew alongside them. She had moved to keep her feet in the stirrups and she was lying on Snowcap's back, just watching the stars go by.
"It's nice to just fly, isn't it?" She asked and she ended up getting a warble in agreement from Snowcap and a squawk of agreement from Lightning.
"No need to get somewhere quickly, or to get ready to defend our home...It's just...soothing." She smiled to herself closing her eyes, as she closed her eyes, her mind started to wander and she soon found herself letting her mind fly to the past.
This day saw a ten year old Caverna, sitting outside of the family home on Crendor, with a young Snowcap and Lightning at her feet, and she was sharpening her swords with a rock as they slept. Before her, there was a fight of sorts occurring; it was against Eridor and a large man with shaggy black hair, and a black hair.
"Your stance is all wrong." The man as telling Eridor after he had forced him to his knees, his own sword pointing at his neck, ready to make a deadly cut. "You're meant to be the Son of Brock, soon-to-be chief of Crendor, yet you look like you can't even pick up your sword."
Eridor looked at him with a scowl, just as Brock spoke up, since he had been watching what was happening.
"He is still young Drago; he will be ready to take over." Brock told him as Eridor put his sword back in its holster and he looked sheepishly at his father and Drago, but this time Drago wasn't paying attention.
Instead of the boy he had been previously fighting, he was looking at Caverna who had finished sharpening her swords. "Impressive craftsmanship." He commented walking over, taking one from her belt as she stood. "And you use two?"
"Yes Sir." Caverna nodded.
Drago nodded and he handed the sword back to her, watching her holster it, before he took in her whole attire. Brunette hair, hazel eyes, pale skin, which was brought out by the black leather suit that she wore, for ten years old, she was more of a warrior than her brother, and Drago thought this to be unusual, but he wasn't going to comment, after all, he only had one arm.
"Well then, let's see if you can use them." He gestured for her to move ahead and after seeing that Brock wasn't even looking at her, he watched the young girl move forward.
When they were both ready, Caverna drew her swords and Drago picked up his own and the two started to fight, and despite still being a child, Caverna was brilliant. Eventually, they reached a stalemate, where Caverna had lost a sword, but she was holding Drago in a lock with their swords so neither of them could move without creating some form of injury, not just to their opponent but to themselves.
"You will go far, little Viking." Drago told her, and he glanced to her father and noticed that he still wasn't interested. "Why doesn't he pay attention to you?"
"I am barren, I am a lesser being." She told him, looking towards her brother and father, neither of them paid attention to the fact that she had just beat a man who was much older and bigger than her.
"All because you're barren, doesn't mean you are a lesser being, if anything you are the power behind this family, an someday they will realise that. So don't give up, and keep your head high, you are a warrior Viking, dressed in leather, people will tell stories about you for years to come." Drago told her when they had put their swords down and he patted her on the shoulder before he left with Brock and Eridor to survey the village.
Caverna remembered that day rather well, it was the first and last time that she had seen Drago Bloodvist until recently, because he had been sent away from Crendor after trying to get them into a fight against the dragons. As her memory ended, she pushed herself to sit up and she looked around, seeing a black shape flying towards her and she found her brother and Toothless joining her.
"There you are." Hiccup smiled.
"You should be at the Great Hall with your wife and our mother and villagers." She told him.
"I know, but I wanted to come and see you, you are more important to me right now." He promised her. "How are you feeling?"
"Not good." She told him. "I miss him Hiccup, I miss our father."
"I know, I miss him too." He told her. "But now we have our mother, the gods must want us to spend time with her."
"I have, but every time I'm around, she doesn't want to see me...But that's nothing new, people like me don't deserve to be around anyone in case we bring them misfortune." She told him.
"Now stop that, you know that isn't true, she just isn't sure of you, after all, she never even got to hold you when you were born, and she probably feels like you won't accept her."
"She won't know until she comes to me, she's always avoiding me and I don't like it, I mean yeah I'm used to it, but not from my own mother." Caverna sighed and she looked at her hands as one of Hiccup's covered hers.
"Let me talk to her, I'll make her see sense." He told her, the promise bringing authority to his voice that Caverna had no choice but to agree with him.
"Alright."
The siblings smiled at each other and they flew side by side for a while longer, before Hiccup escorted his sister home and when she was safe inside, he took the dragons to the stables before he saw that the light was on in his home and he realised that Astrid had gone home, so he went there too.