It was early morning.
Leandra was sitting on a cliffside. Her legs dangling from it, under her the ocean. She swung her legs, watching the ocean under her.
She really should eat something. She would need the energy for the hours-long flight she would take with Starchaser.
If they were lucky, they would only need one to two weeks before they reached the village in Spain where Leandra's Abuela lived.
So why did she just stare at the ocean and didn't do anything?
The black-haired girl closed her eyes, tears flowing down her cheeks.
And she thought she had already cried enough.
Leandra just didn't get how Hiccup could betray their friendship like this! All just for stupid Astrid, who suddenly liked him?
That was fishy.
Either Astrid always liked Hiccup and hide it because it was more important to her to be the perfect Viking girl or she wanted something from him.
Like becoming chieftess.
Else couldn't Leandra explain Astrid's change of mind. You don't go from hating someone else guts to liking them just because they took you on a magical dragon ride.
Anyway, both reasons were so…wrong.
She never cared what others thought of her friendship with Hiccup, he was the only one who was friendly and wanted to get to know her when she and her father were stranded on Berk. Of course, she started to like him too and accept him with her whole heart.
Hiccup was a good person.
She didn't stay friends with Hiccup because she wanted to become chieftess one day, she stayed his friend because she just liked him.
It was simpel like that.
A loud sign leaves her mouth and she wipes her tears away.
God, it sounds like she is in love with Hiccup…but she isn't!
She…she just wanted to stay by his side!
Nothing more.
Yet, he preferred Astrid over herself.
Maybe Leandra put always more into the friendship than Hiccup? He choose Astrid and Berk over her and a life they could live in peace with their dragons.
So deep down he really was a Viking, like he always wished.
Dear lord, she really sounds like a heartbroken lover.
New tears sprung from her eyes. Her head and heart hurt.
Was she maybe a bit too strict with this?
With him?
As a best friend, she should be happy that his crush showed interest in him.
And yet, it didn't sit right with her.
It was all wrong.
But was it wrong because of the reason she thought or because…it was not her on Hiccup's side?
The black-haired girl opens her eyes and stands carefully up.
The wind whips around her, making her long black hair fly and the skirt of her dress ballow.
Under her crash waves against the cliff.
Her sight is directed where Berk is.
"I'm really…a fool.", she mumbles to herself. "Starchaser, girl, let's go!"
She turns and runs to the little forest where her dragon is taking a break.
Hiccup day was just crazy.
He couldn't convince his father that dragons were good beings, no, he gave him with Toothless a way to find the Dragon Nest.
And with it the giant of an evil dragon who waited for her next meal.
Then when he lost hope, Astrid motivated him again and he teached the other teens to ride the dragons from the Kill Ring.
He already had wondered where Leandra and Starchase were. Was she so angry that she didn't show up at all?
As they flew to the Dragon Nest and still no Leandra in sight, he got worried.
His best friend wouldn't just leave without a word?
She wouldn't separate Toothless and Starchaser like this?
She wouldn't…leave him?
But as he was facing now the dubbed Red Death dragon he had to admit to himself…maybe Leandra really left last night.
And he just let her.
Damn, he couldn't think about this now, he had to take down the Red Death.
As Toothless got ready to Plasma Blast again the giant dragon the familiar sound of a Night Furry approached reached their ears.
"Night Furry, get down!", yelled Gobber.
Hiccup's heart nearly leaped out of his chest from relief as he saw who came riding on a Night Furry to help him.
It was Leandra with Starchaser!
He could hear the amazed voices from the other Vikings on the ground, but he just had eyes for his best friend who made her dragon attack the Red Death.
"Lee!", he yelled and felt a happy tear fall down his cheek.
She came back!
"Hic, I'm sorry!", she yelled to him. "I was stupid."
"No, I was stupid, I should have talked with you and not just let it go, believe you just needed to calm down.", he yelled back.
"Let's agree that we both were idiots.", she called grinning and he nodded.
For now, this would be enough.
They had to take care of a giant dragon.
Toothless and Starchaser fly now side by side and you could hear how they cooed happily at each other.
"That thing has wings!", tells Hiccup them. "Okay, let's see if it can use them!"
"On it, Hic!"
Hiccup and Leandra pull their dragons into a turn.
They plummet, gaining tremendous speed. The wind buffets them as they target the Red Death at supersonic speed.
Together Toothless and Starchaser unload plasma blasts against the Red Death's head.
It goes down with a rumble as they climb anew.
The Vikings shield themselves from the dust of the fallen monster as its wings unfold and extend.
The Night Furry riders look back as they put distance between them.
"Do you think that did it?", wonders Hiccup.
Suddenly, the enraged behemoth rises into the frame flapping its wings furiously. A daunting sight.
"Dios mio! It can really fly!", say's Leandra astonished.
Our quartet dives into the tangled sea stacks, they weave through the rock like rabbits through a briar.
The Red Death snaps at them, but cannot reach them. The dragon riders pull ahead, while Red Death smashes through the canopy of rock and pull in behind Toothless and Starchaser.
It burst through fifty-foot formations like they were saplings.
Stoick, Gobber, and the Teens watch as Hiccup, Toothless, Leandra, and Starchaser streak past, weaving through sea stacks. A moment later the Red Death smashes the sea stacks to dust in hot pursuit. The Vikings' mood is quenched.
The best friends and their dragons can't slow the monster down. Hiccup eyes the clouds above. An idea hits him.
"Lee, do as I do, all right!"
"Okay, I trust you have a plan!"
"Don't I always…don't answer that! Okay Toothless, Starchaser time to disappear."
Toothless and Starchaser pull into a steep climb, heading toward the clouds.
"Come on bud!"
"Go, girl, go!"
The Red Death follows, closing in fast.
"Here it comes!", warns Hiccup, hearing the gas. Leandra just nods, she is ready.
They narrowly dodge a column of flame and smoke. They reach the low-hanging clouds and pierce them.
The monster follows, immediately losing them in the hampered visibility.
It roars irritably.
From out of nowhere, Toothless dives from the right side, and Starchaser from the left at the huge dragon, blasting and puncturing a hole in each wing.
They are gone again before the dragon can get a shot at them.
Again and again, they dive in, using the clouds to hide and surprise as they puncture the monster's wings.
It bellows in frustration and whirls around, unleashing fire blindly, in all directions.
Hiccup sees the glow of fire cutting toward them.
"Watch out!", screams Hiccup.
Leandra and Starchaser can dodge it, but the random blast clips Toothless' tail.
It's heavily damaged.
"Oh no!", shouts Leandra.
"Okay, time's up.", declares Hiccup. "Let's see if this works."
He pulls Toothless into a turn. Leandra and Starchaser follow. They fly directly into the Red Death's face, taunting it.
"Come on! Is that the best you can do!?", calls Hiccup.
"My Abuelo is way fitter than you and he is dead since 10 years!", joins Leandra.
Toothless and Starchaser utter insults too, and they jackknife into a steep dive. The Red Death pursues.
The Night Furries beat their wings, racing faster than they have ever gone before. Our quartet stays just ahead of the Red Death no longer trying to evade it.
Hiccup glances back to check the tail, it's disintegrating.
"Stay with me, buddy. We're good. Just a little bit longer.", he whispers to Toothless, so he doesn't alarm the girls.
The Red Death closes the gap. Hiccup tucks in and hold Toothless steady, Leandra following his example, allowing the monster to set its sights on them.
It narrows its eyes.
"Hold, Toothless."
"Starchaser, get ready."
The Red Death opens his mouth. The familiar gas hiss emanates from his throat ignition is coming.
"NOW!", yells Hiccup and Leandra together.
Hiccup hits the pedals hard as Toothless extends one wing. Starchaser mimics her mate.
They pivot in place, hurtling directly into the Red Death's mouth.
Toothless and Starchaser fire point blank down the monster's throat. Its amassing gas is ignited, backfiring into the monster, erupting in a chain of blasts throughout its body.
Our four burst from the clouds, the Red Death hot on their tail, exploding from within. It glances forward and sees the ground rushing up. It throws open its wings attempting to put on the brakes, but the punctured, damaged wings can't stop its momentum.
As the Red Death chokes on the expanding fireball, he sees Toothless and Starchaser suddenly pull out of the dive, streaking up, past its head.
The Red Death hits the ground, head-first. In the biggest explosion, Leandra ever saw.
Leandra and Starchaser weave through the monster's massive backplates, wings, and flailing legs, the boys behind them. The expanding fireball races toward them, about to swallow them. They manage to clear the obstacles. Leandra sees the monster's massive club tail careening toward them.
Starchaser dodges it with elegance, they are safe!
That's when Leandra looks behind her for Hiccup and Toothless.
The giant club tail clips Toothless, tearing Hiccup from the harness and sending him tumbling against the backdrop of the fast-approaching fireball. Toothless struggles with all his might to reach the unconscious Hiccup.
But the fireball swallows them both!
"HICCUP!", scream Leandra with all her might and tries to get Starchaser to fly after the boys. "Star, Star! What's wrong?! We need to help him!"
But her Night Furry stays stationary in the air, closing her eyes and cooing apologetically to her girl. She won't risk her life.
"STAR COME ON!"
The dragon just turns her head away. She knows her mate can survive the blast, she just hopes he got Hiccup in time.
Leandra can't help but cry.
She didn't makeup with Hiccup and now…now…
Ashes rain down on them. Leandra is flying Starchaser over the island in search of Hiccup and Toothless.
She finds Toothless on the ground his saddle vacant of Hiccup!
"No!", she shouts and makes Starchaser land.
She runs up to Toothless, looking for Hiccup, while Starchaser nuzzles her knocked-out mate.
"Hiccup!"
"Mister Stoick!", calls Leandra for Hiccup's father.
The chief reaches them and puts a hand on her shoulder.
"Lass, are you all right? Where is Hiccup?"
Tears fall down her cheeks.
"I'm fine, but Hiccup…"
Leandra can't speak anymore. She buries her head in her hands and wails in earnest for her best friend.
Stoick own heart hurts, but he embraced the girl, who had been for years the best friend Hiccup could ask for, and looks defeated at the two Night Furries. Leandra hugs him back with all her might, crying into his shoulder.
The chief might be not her father, but both feel the same pain right now.
"Oh, son...I did this...", signs Stoick sorrowfully, his own tears falling down his cheeks.
Astrid pushes through the crowd, her eyes welling up. Followed by Gobber. They flank Stoick as he holds the crying Leandra in his arm.
Behind them, a ring of Vikings forms, keeping a respectful distance. As the dust and smoke clear, a ring of wild dragons can also be seen, gathering just behind and between the Vikings.
Toothless stirs and groggily rolls his head toward Stoick. Starchaser lieks her mate's head, cooing at him.
Their eyes meet.
"I'm so sorry...", apologizes Stoick to the dragon.
The dragon seems to understand him and unfolds his wings, revealing Hiccup, unconscious, clutched safely against his chest. Stoick's eyes widen.
"Hiccup."
Stoick lets go of Leandra, who is looking hopeful at his son.
He scoops Hiccup into his arms. Listens to his heart and bursts into relieved laughter.
"He's alive!", he cries happily. "You brought him back alive!"
The crowd roars. Followed by the dragons. The Vikings look around to find themselves surrounded. Leandra throws her arms around Starchaser who is giving her a big dragon smooch.
Stoick leans close to Toothless, meeting him eye to eye.
"Thank you... for saving my son."
Gobber looks Hiccup up and down: "Well, you know... most of him."
Stoick glances back at him. Gobber shrugs, redirecting his eyes toward...
"Dios mio!", shouts Leandra as she sees it too. She gets her pouch from Starchaser saddle and kneels down beside Hiccup. "I will see what I can do, Mister Stoick!"
Two weeks later Leandra opens the door to her house, her back to the village, and letting Starchaser out.
"Be mindful of his head!", calls Sigrùn from inside the house.
"I will!"
Leandra turns around. She is wearing a cloth criss-crossed on her body with a tiny bundle on her chest. Softly Starchaser nuzzles the bundle and a tiny tanned hand grabs after her.
"Ah, ah, ah, Ulf. You are way too tiny for a dragon.", she cooed at the little baby.
Her newborn brother looks at her with big blue eyes, from Sigrùn, and his little tuft of black her, like her papi and her, sways in the calm breeze.
After the battle of the Red Death, a lot happened.
As Leandra with Ulf and Starchaser make their way toward Hiccup's house, like any day these past weeks to see if he is alright and ready to wake up, she can't help feeling happy to see the transformed Berk.
Dragons and Vikings get along and live in harmony.
It was crazy.
Even crazier that her neighbors now wanted to hear her opinion on things, mostly dragon related since she is the second first dragon rider in the history of Berk.
And also helping to defeat the Red Death made her now an honorary Viking.
Not that she cared that much about it. Still, it was nice to not be anymore the weird foreigner but the dragon rider Leandra.
But the best thing at the moment was her little brother. Leandra never thought she could have loved her sibling as she did now, but after Sigrùn gave birth to him a week ago, she was armored with Ulf.
Maybe because she helped Gothi bring him to this world and was the one to hold him first, it didn't matter in the end.
She felt a bit better about her decision to return to Berk.
Oh, she wouldn't give up on her dream to return one day back to her Abuela, but for now, Berk was okay.
Maybe after Ulf was older, like five, she would go and see the world.
Leandra would make things evolve naturally.
She would know when it was time to go, for real this time.
Hiccup still couldn't believe what a new world he woke up to as Astrid came up to him to jab him in the arm. He recoils with a grumble.
"That's for scaring me.", the girl says matter of fact.
"What, is it always going to be this way?", he grumbles. "Cause I..."
She grabs him aggressively and then kisses him. Hoots and hollers follow.
"... could get used to it.", he says dreamily with a beating heart.
His dream girl kissed him, wow!
Maybe he was indeed dead.
That's when a familiar voice calls up: "Hey, get a room you two!"
The other Vikings laugh at this.
Frantically Hiccup searches the crowd for…
"Lee!", he yells happy, seeing his best friend all right with Starchaser on her side…and a baby strapped on her chest….
Erm, what?
His best friend gives him a soft smile.
It is bittersweet and tears seem to twinkle in her eyes, but as fast it was there, it is like Leandra switched gears and has a teasing smirk on her lips.
"Next time you two should kiss in private, my little brother is too young to see such things."
"Little brother.", say Hiccup excitedly and walks over to her. A little tanned baby with blue eyes and a tuft a black hair looks at him. "Aww, he is so cute, Lee."
"His name is Ulf. Say Hi to your uncle Hiccup."
She makes the baby wave at him, which makes the whole crowd coo at them.
Hiccup laughs and carefully embraces Leandra, mindful of the baby between them.
"I'm so glad you came back.", he whispers to her.
He doesn't see how Leandra fights with her emotions, closing her eyes, a single tear, escaping.
This was the way it was supposed to be. They are best friends and he is with Astrid more.
She could handle her feelings. They would go away one day. Leandra was sure.
"And I'm happy for you, sorry that I was so angry for nothing."
They let go of each other and Ulf babbles cutely.
That's when Gobber presents Hiccup with a rebuilt saddle, rigging, and tail.
"Welcome home.", he simply says to him.
Suddenly, Toothless pounces on the crowd, crushing several unsuspecting Vikings under his weight. Starchaser seems to laugh.
"Night Fury, get down!"
Toothless eyes the new tail excitedly, tongue wagging. Amidst the groans and grumbles, Hiccup, Leandra, and Astrid exchange sheepish grins, while little Ulf waves his tiny hand around.
Leandra sits on Starchaser's back, Ulf secure on her chest, and looks at Hiccup as he tries out the new tailfin and paddle. Astrid is with her dragon Stormfly between them.
This…is Berk.
Leandra watches how Hiccup and Toothless fly up into the sky, Astrid giving chase after them.
She looks with a resigned smile after them. Starchaser cooes at her in understanding and Leandra wipes a tear away.
With one arm she holds Ulf close to her chest and pets Starchaser's side to give her the signal to fly.
Vikings and dragons who fought against each other made this little rock now their home. It doesn't look like much, but I have a feeling it will become something spectacular.
Hiccup and Astrid race their dragons through the village under eaves, over rooftops, down cliff-sides, and between ship masts. It's a high-energy, romantic dance of sorts. Leandra follows them, still looking defeated at them, hugging her baby brother closer to her.
I don't know how long or how much I'm going to see of this. I know my place is elsewhere. Up here in the sky, I'm truly happy and my unwelcome emotions for my best friend don't get in anybody's way.
Hiccup and Astrid's fellow recruits join them as they take to the open sky, rocketing far above the village. The Northern sky swirls with blazing, multicolored dragons.
Hiccup and Toothless break from the pack, spinning into the blinding sun.
Leandra, Ulf, and Starchaser also break from the pack, but don't follow Hiccup and Toothless.
They go in the opposite direction, away from them, away from Berk.
Just flying over the ocean.
The black-haired girl cuddles her brother closer and looks determined before her.
At the endless ocean and where it would lead her.
One day, I will leave. I will spread my wings and fly. I will return to my grandma and then…see the whole world. Then the world just got bigger when you ride on a dragon's back! Endless possibility, endless decision. Only one thing is clear, I can never act on my feelings for Hiccup. Not only would it destroy our friendship, but I can't be chained even more to Berk. It will be already hard to leave my little brother behind and keep Starchaser from Toothless, I don't need a partner. I want to be free. More than anything.
With a sign, Leandra turns Starchaser back to Berk. Ulf babbles at her and she kisses his tiny forehead.
For now, my place is here…but I will truly find where I belong.
Where Starchaser and I belong.
One day, in the future.
And the first movie is done :D
How much do you hate me right now?
It broke my heart to not make Hiccup and Leandra canon, but I can assure you.
I don't read HiccupXOC stories for nothing, I was never a fan of Hiccstrid, so that ship will sink.
Just Leandra and Hiccup aren't ready for each other.
For a lot of reasons, mostly because Leandra doesn't want to be chainend to somebody she wants to explore and meet new people and not settle down with the first person she loves.
She thinks it is not healthy, since she doesn't have many choices in Berk for a partner.
She thinks she likes only Hiccup because he is the only one who is her friend.
The same you can say for Hiccup in canon I totally believe that Hiccstrid only works cause both don't have better choices in a partner. That's why I stay away from FFs where Hiccup runs away and still gets with Astrid.
Erm no sir, ma'am, person, Hiccup totally would fall in love with someone else cause he would meet people who actually like him for him and don't need a magical dragon ride to change her mind.
Also, can we talk about how Astrid is clearly a trophy wife for Hiccup? The boy gets at the end of the movie all he wants, the village loves him, his dad too, the girl he likes shows interest and he has friends.
All he ever wanted.
Just like that, cause he showed them dragons were awesome.
Yeah!
Astrid needed even less to suddenly like him.
I hate the Trophy Wife trope with all my being and Astrid who was the whole movie this proud Viking warrior girl deserves better.
So Hiccstrid will sink in the next book and Leandra and Hiccup after they both did a lot of growing and changing will get together.
I want also to add that Hiccup was also a way to forgiven to anybody, the teens bullied him and then they are in the end the best of friends.
Village treated him like shit, it's okay now, they like me.
Hiccup has to work through all of this before he is ready for Leandra.
He needs to understand that this all isn't actually healthy to forgive and forget like that and only like someone because she is the only VIKING choice the others would accept and you can stomach.
I hope I could explain myself.
We will have Gift of the Night Furries, see what I did there, and then maybe one or two original chapters to touch these points.
To set for the next book which will take in Race to Edge, since Leandra and Starchaser will leave at the end of this book and travel the world and do the growing they need.
Also, 3 years in the future when they are all 18.
Now that I wrote my first smuts I will probably write for Hiccup and Leandra too. ./.
For everybody who wants to know Hiccandra is their shipname :D
So see you next chapter and I hope I could explain myself and my decisions.
Have a nice day/night, my loves