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Chapter Text

               "Daddy stop!" The three year old yelled at his father. "No!” he shouted again, barely heard above the crowd. His father paid no attention. "Daddy, please, leave her alone!" The little boy tried to push his way through the mob. Someone unexpectedly stepped backward, knocking him into the water."Help!” he screamed uselessly. "Bella!” he pleaded before he sunk beneath the dark surface of the water. He kicked for all he was worth, then blackness.

                Hiccup sat bolt upright in bed, in a cold sweat. Running his fingers through his lengthening hair, he breathed a long sigh. Just a dream, he thought. There was no point in trying to fall back asleep. He gently set his feet on the ground, trying not to disturb anyone. Clunk. Drat, he inwardly moaned. He'd forgotten about his peg leg. It was actually more of a metal leg. He winced, knowing what was coming next. A groan came from the corner. His dragon Toothless had awakened. Hiccup motioned for Toothless to follow him. The two made their way down the stairs and outside, stopping only once to make sure that his mom and her dragon, Cloud-jumper, were still asleep.

                They walked through the streets of Berk, enjoying the quietness. Dragons slept everywhere. Most in the stables, but a few preferred the streets. It had been five years since the townspeople had stopped killing dragons. Hiccup passed the statue of Stoick the Vast, one of Berk's most famous chiefs. The beloved leader had died in battle, killed by a dragon. Toothless, to be exact. Toothless had been controlled by a trapper named Drago. Of course, Hiccup didn't hold a grudge, but sometimes worried whether the same thing might happen again.

            But one thing changed drastically after that. Because the chief had been his father, Hiccup was to be the next chief. It was weird getting used to the idea that the village looked up to him.

                He passed all of his friend's houses, and until he came to Astrid's there weren't any problems. Astrid was a very light sleeper. Hiccup could either go around the front and wake her up, or he could go around the back and wake up her dragon, Stormfly. He took the dragon. They tiptoed around her shed, surprised to find it empty. Once they were safely past it, Hiccup climbed on Toothless back and took off. They headed for their favorite cliff, far above the town. When they landed they realized they were not alone. Astrid and Stormfly were already there.

                "Hey Hiccup,” she called, not even turning around to see who it was.     

                "How'd you know it was me?” he asked, sitting down on the log beside her.

                "You are the only other person I know of that comes up here,” she pointed out. "You keep flying up here at night, how come?"

                "Bad dreams.”

                "Yeah, I've been having one too. It's called Snotlout,” she laughed.

                "Very funny," Hiccup scowled.

                "Seriously, what's going on," Astrid persisted.

                Hiccup began to explain his dream to her, and her concerned look became confusion.

           "Wait, so you were three, and screaming for somebody named 'Bella', then you were drowning,” she asked when he was finished.

                "Yep, and then I woke up.”

                "And you've been having this dream for three months? Maybe you should take some time off from being chief; that might help."

                "You know I can't do that,” he snapped.

                "Look, if you go for a pleasure flight now, no one will know. And seriously, you need a break. Anyone can see that.”

                It was inviting. Hiccup and Toothless hadn't gone flying just for the sake of it in forever. At least it felt like that. Astrid gave him her best sad puppy dog eyes.

                "Alright," Hiccup laughed, "You win!"

                "Yesssss!" Astrid yelled, pumping her fist in the air. "Go home Stormfly, I think I'll hitch a ride with them."

                Stormfly took off, headed for her shed. She was happy to go back to sleep.

                Hiccup climbed on Toothless' back and waited for Astrid to get on behind him. When she did, she asked, "So, where are we going?"

                "Ask Toothless," Hiccup replied, "He's choosing."

                At that Toothless took off, before either of them were ready. "Whoa bud," Hiccup laughed, "Let me know when your gonna do that, ok?"

                Toothless paid very little attention. Instead, he surged toward the north, flying as fast as Hiccup would let him.

                "What is his problem?" Astrid shouted, but still barely heard above the noise.

                "I have no idea," Hiccup yelled back, "He's never done anything like this before."

                At first it was wonderful, but that was before it started getting cold. The wind turned to snow and ice, and it howled at them like a pack of vicious wolves. It blew so hard from the south that they couldn't turn around. Toothless refused to go back and kept flying to some unknown place. Waves churned beneath them angrily, threatening to swallow them whole.

                "I can't see anything," Hiccup shouted. "Can you?"

                "No," Astrid replied," I'm so cold I can't feel anything."

                "Toothless, please turn around, we're going to freeze!" Hiccup pleaded. Toothless shook his head and pressed forward, giving a high whirring sound. It was a rolling noise off his tongue, one that Hiccup had never heard before.

                "Am I really going to have to force you," Hiccup asked, switching his tail to the turn around position. Nothing happened. Hiccup glanced back and moaned. "Oh great,” he sighed, "His tail's frozen shut. Astrid, climb back there and see if you can thaw it out."

             Astrid proceeded to work her way out on his back, then further on his tail.

                "I can't reach it,” she shouted.

                "Just get the tail open!”

                "Easier said than done!" Astrid grimaced as she yanked at the frozen leather.

                "Hold on,” he shouted back, "I think I see an island up ahead, I'm going to land there."

                "Hurry,” she yelled urgently, "I'm losing my grip."

                Hiccup didn't need to urge Toothless on. He was already flying at top speed. Apparently he was aiming for the island. Hiccup suddenly heard a scream from behind him. He turned just in time to see Astrid falling head over heels into the ocean.

                She hit the water with a splash, and the waves enveloped her instantly.

                "Astrid!" Hiccup shouted, trying to double back for her.

                Instead they crashed into the now snow covered beach of the island. Hiccup stood up and ran to the waters edge scanning the area for her. As soon as he caught sight of her head, he began to think of a rescue plan. There wasn't time to unthaw Toothless' tail, so he ran over one of the trees and began to pull off every vine he could, hoping to make a rope. His fingers were so cold he couldn't tear them quickly enough.

                "Toothless, get over here and help me!” he shouted frantically.

                But Toothless had other plans. He had clawed off his saddle, and was working on the frozen tail fin. When he got them off, he dashed into the water, and started swimming in Astrid's direction. She saw him, and headed towards him, but was already so exhausted she barely got anywhere. Hiccup could see her struggling to get on his back. If only he could actually go out there and do something. But he knew that if he got completely wet he would most likely freeze. Toothless dragged himself back to shore, Astrid clinging to his neck.

                Hiccup ran knee deep into the water to help. It was so cold it took his breath away. Astrid was so tired and cold, she could hardly stand on her own two feet. Coughing and shivering, she made her way back to shore.

                "Thanks, Toothless,” she whispered, hugging him around his neck.

                "I saw a cave up here," Hiccup told her softly. "If we can get in there at least you'll be out of the wind."

                She nodded, and made her way painfully up the beach, coughing. When they got there, Hiccup noticed that she had a thin layer of ice forming on her hair.

                "Toothless, light a fire for us, bud," Hiccup told him. Toothless tried, but only succeeded in coughing himself. It was then that Hiccup remembered if a dragon's head is wet, they can't breathe fire. Great, he thought, now I've got a girl who is freezing to death, a dragon that can't light a fire, and if I'm not careful, I might end up frozen too.

                The three huddled together for warmth, fearing the worst. Astrid was shaking so hard she could barely talk.

                "Wh-what a-are w-w-we g-g-going to d-do n-n-ow?” she finally stammered.

            Hiccup couldn't think of an answer. He just shrugged and mumbled, "I don't know."

They sat there in silence except for Astrid's coughing. He put his hand on her back, but she didn't seem to feel it. She's freezing to death, hethought. He poked her on her arm.

                "You didn't feel that?” he asked when she didn't respond.

                "Feel what?” she coughed.

                "Nothing. Can you feel your toes?"

                "No, but they hurt like crazy."

                Hiccup thought he heard her crying a little, but couldn't be sure. Not with all the wind. Anyway, there was no way she was crying. Hiccup had never, ever seen her cry. Even when she broke her leg after falling down a cliff and Hiccup's ogress of an aunt came to set it for her. She was only six when it happened, but she bit her lip and didn't say a word. She hadn't even come close to crying. Hiccup would have cried just thinking about it. But Astrid rarely let anyone know she was in pain, let alone cry about it in front of them.

          But when he heard it again, he asked her if she was alright.

          "I'm fine,” she answered, sniffling.

           She wasn't, and Hiccup knew it. He knew she'd be furious if he told her that, so he just said "OK," and turned over. It was then that she really started crying. Normally, Hiccup would have teased her first chance he got, but something held him back. Perhaps it was her cold, shaking form, or all the memories of being teased himself, but whatever it was told him he'd better keep his mouth shut. So he just turned back over and began to rub her arm.

                At first she didn't notice, but eventually she did and stopped crying for a moment. She turned and looked at him, and for half a second she seemed to get a hold of herself, until she burst into sobs and wailed: "I'm so cold, and everything hurts. Especially my fingers and toes. I know what they mean by frost bite. It really does fell like something's biting you."

                Boy, she must really be cold, I've never seen her act like this, Hiccup thought. He put his arms around her shoulders, hoping to keep her just a little warmer. She cried herself to sleep, but her cough persisted. Toothless put his wing over the two of them like a blanket. It was warm under there, but the heat was no match for the freezing cold. Hiccup finally fell into a fitful sleep; his last thoughts: if we can only make it through tonight...

Chapter Text

Hiccup woke up feeling cold, which was odd, seeing that he was buried beneath blankets. Even more strange, the blankets were...scaly? He tried to turn over, but some weight on his arm prevented him from doing so. Whatever it was must have been there for a while, because his arm was numb and tingly. Maybe I should find out what it is, he thought sleepily. But his eyelids felt heavy, and he was relatively comfortable where he was.

                Suddenly, there was a cough beside him, and it startled him awake. He would have sat up, but his blankets felt strangely heavy. When he finally opened his eyes, he realized the "weight" on his arm was Astrid, and the "heavy blankets" were actually Toothless' wing. Everything that had happened the night before hit him, and he struggled to push the wing off  himself.

                "Astrid!” he hissed, worried there would be no answer.                               

                "What?" Astrid grunted, still half asleep.

                "Wake up; we've got to get out of here,” he replied, attempting to pull his arm out from under her.

                She sat up stiffly, and glanced around the cave, as if trying to recall why she was there. Hiccup began to work at getting the circulation in his arm going again. As soon as Toothless lifted his wing off of them, they stood up and shuffled to the door of the cave. The sun was shining, making the water glisten. The rays of sunlight bounced off the snow, leaving the beach glowing. A few birds flew over head, calling to one another. It was no longer freezing cold; it was that early morning sort of cool, fragrant air that you can only feel at just the right time at sunrise. They stood there enjoying the beauty of it all, until Hiccup's stomach growled, interrupting the pleasant quiet.

                Astrid heard, and with a hint of teasing in her voice, asked "Was that you or me?"

                "Me," Hiccup laughed, glad Astrid was mostly back to her old self. Accept for a low energy level and cough, she was fine. She was sore, and moved gingerly, but that was expected. The two made their way down the beach, searching for Toothless’ saddle and tail fin. They couldn't get back to Berk if they didn't find it. It wasn't hard because most of the snow had already melted. They strapped it on him and were about to get on when Toothless shied away. If they tried to mount him, he ducked his head and backed up, preventing them from getting on his back.

                "What's wrong, bud?" Hiccup asked, confused.

                Toothless turned, a trotted over to where the wooded part of the island began. He motioned with his head to the well worn path leading up the mountain, and gave the strange whirring noise again.

                "Maybe he wants us to follow him," Astrid suggested.

                Toothless went crazy with excitement.

                "I guess he does," Hiccup said shaking his head at his dragon's strange behavior.

            They headed up the path, Toothless, apparently tracking something, sniffed everything in sight. He suddenly jerked his head up, gave the call again, and dashed off into the woods.

                "Uh, Hiccup... Is it just me or did your dragon just dump us?" Astrid asked, barely above a whisper.

                "Nope, not just you,” he replied, completely shocked. "My dragon just dumped us."

                They headed off in the direction Toothless ran, hoping to catch up with him eventually.

            They trekked through the trees, watching the melting snow slide off them. Pretty soon Hiccup began to feel grumpy--not at anyone in particular, just annoyed with the blister on his heel, and sore from sleeping on the ground, and, come to think of it, he was hot too. He was also beginning to realize that peg legs are NOT for long distance walking. They were now hiking through mud; all the melted snow was pooling on the ground.

           Piles of snow were now large clusters of fern. The vines now looked green and not gray. The whole island was beginning to look more like a jungle than an iceberg. The heat was beginning to be unbearable, and Hiccup had thought summers on Berk were bad.

                "Hiccup?" Astrid panted, fanning herself with a giant leaf she'd plucked, "Isn't it supposed to get colder the higher the altitude?"

                She had a point. They were headed up in elevation, and it doubled in humidity every foot they covered.

                "Yeah,” he replied, beginning to fan himself with his hand, "That's what is supposed to happen."

                "Then why,” she complained, "is it getting hotter?!"

                "I don't know!” he snapped back. "It's not like I can control the weather! What do you want me to do?"

                "Find a way off this stupid island!"

                "Well, guess what? Our ride out of here is somewhere running around on some invisible trail!"

                "That's not my fault!"

                "Oh really? Who couldn't get the tail open? You!"

                "Whose idea was it to let a DRAGON decide where we go? YOU!"

                "Whose idea was it to go night flying in the first place? YOU!"

                (By now the two were ready to start hitting one another.)

                "Oh, so it's my fault that you can't trust YOUR stupid dragon enough to listen to you?"

                "No! And you better be thankful that my 'stupid dragon' saved your life last night!"

                "Oh yeah?"

                "Yeah!"

                "Says who?"

                "Says me!"

                "Oh yeah?"

                "Yeah!"

                They glared at one another, as if in a challenge. Then, almost too indistinguishable to see, a smile began to creep across their faces. Before long, they burst into giggles, and nearly fell over with laughter.

                "I don't think we've ever fought about anything so stupid in our lives!" Astrid gasped.

                "I can't even remember what we were fighting about," Hiccup replied, laughing so hard he couldn't think.

                Once they finally got their giggles under control, they set off again to find Toothless. This time their spirits were higher, and it didn't seem quite so much like hiking through a bog anymore. In fact, beside the intense heat, it was actually very enjoyable.

                They continued on for hours. And more hours. And even MORE hours. It just got hotter. Even with lots of rests they were still hardly able to stand on their own feet. Hiccup was dizzy from heat and lack of water, and as for Astrid, well, that was a story in itself. The poor girl was in a robot-like state, just putting one foot in front of the other. She refused Hiccup's sympathy, and pushed on, but it was taking its toll, and fast. She nearly collapsed with pain and exhaustion at least twice, not to mention the times Hiccup had to steady her, and help her regain balance. They called and called for Toothless, but he was nowhere to be found.

Chapter Text

"Toothless," Hiccup called again, beginning to feel hoarse. "Where are you?"

                "Hiccup, has Toothless ever done anything like this before?" Astrid asked.

                "Nope," Hiccup answered, trying to talk as little as possible. It made his mouth even drier than it already was.

                The trail they were on led them to a small clearing in a grove of trees. Everything was quiet and peaceful, but still they kept their guard up.  A crack of a stick made them jump, and a growl followed. The leaves in front of them rustled, separated, and Toothless' head popped out.

                "Oh, there you are bud!" Hiccup reached out his hand to pet his dragon, but Toothless snarled even more. "Hey, cut it out," Hiccup scolded.

                Toothless proceeded to climb out from behind the tree, inching his way toward them.

                Hiccup reached out his hand again, only to have it almost eaten. Hiccup and Toothless circled around each other, the dragon ready to lunge at any second.

                "Uh, Hiccup?" Astrid hissed, "You got a sec?"

                “Can it wait?" Hiccup answered, his gaze never leaving his dragons face. "I'm a bit busy."

                "It could, it could, but I have a feeling you need to know."

                "What?"

                "That's not Toothless. Look at its tail."

                Hiccup glanced at the dragon's tail wing, and sure enough, both halves were there. Hiccup suddenly realized the danger they were in. This was a wild Night Fury, and it wasn't all that friendly.

                Oh, I wish I had a fish right now, Hiccup thought as he tossed his knife down. The dragon took no notice.

                "Hiccup, this is a female," Astrid commented, "Maybe she's protecting her eggs."

                "What eggs?" Hiccup asked as he extended his hand toward its face.

                "It was just a suggestion," Astrid said dodging its tail.

                Hiccup was almost touching the dragons face when it lunged at him, nearly eating his hand.

                "You don't trust me do you?" Hiccup asked her. In response she shot a plasma ball at him, and he ducked just in time. Hiccup suddenly had an idea.

                "Astrid, try and get her to blow plasma!” he shouted, "Once she reaches her shot limit we'll be safer trying to train her. Okay, big girl, show us what you've got."

                But the dragon had know intention of shooting anything, let alone plasma.

                "I'll try the old ax trick," Astrid muttered. She rushed at the dragon with her ax raised. Hiccup expected the dragon to shoot at least one blast, but instead she turned, and in one quick chomp, she ate the ax head whole.

                Astrid stood stunned for a minute. After the dragon had finished her little "snack,” she began to fight the way a wild dragon should, and finally blew a plasma blast.

                "One, two, three," Hiccup counted," Four, five... Six! You're out of plasma.” he stretched out his hand again.  

                He could have sworn the dragons eyes turned red, as another plasma ball formed at the back of its throat.

                "Seven?!" Hiccup gasped in shock. The dragon shot the ball past Hiccup, but the wall of energy that radiated off it knocked him over anyway. As he struggled to his feet, he watched the huge beast knock Astrid to the ground, and pin her down by her throat. Hiccup rushed to help her, grabbing his knife off the ground. An arrow suddenly whizzed past his face, stopping him in his tracks.

                Hiccup turned to face a girl, standing less than twenty feet away.

                "What are you doing to my dragon?” she snapped.

                Hiccup just stared. He didn't even try to come up with an answer. The girl glared at him. She had long golden hair that fell to her lower back, and eyes bluer than sapphire. There was a long bow in her one hand and an arrow in the other. Her clothes were torn and ratty, and she wore an even rattier cloth satchel bag at her side.

                Something inside Hiccup jumped the minute saw her, and not sure what it was, he assumed it was fear. He scolded himself for it, but he simply couldn't keep his eyes off her. He normally tried not to stare at girls, but now he simply stood like a stone statue, his eyes fixed in one spot. It wasn't just the fact that she was pretty, actually more like drop-dead gorgeous; no, that had nothing to do with it. It wasn't her looks, it was her. He kept trying to figure out what it was that was so fixating, but every time he almost seemed to piece it together; the thought vanished before he could.

             But perhaps it was not her beauty or vague familiarity. Perhaps it was her boldness and ferocity which held him captivated. 

                "I repeat, what are you doing to my dragon?” she demanded again.

                Hiccup said the first thing that popped into his head. "We're not doing anything to you dragon."

                "Oh really?” she replied smoothly, "Then why, pray tell, are you running at her with a knife in your hand!?"

                Hiccup glanced down. He did have a knife in his hand. The girl had a point.  "I was just trying to protect...” he began, then stopped.  The girl obviously didn't believe a word he was saying. He changed his approach. Maybe if he made them seem as helpless as possible... "We crash landed on the beach last night. My dragon ran off..."

                "Your dragon?” she interrupted. "It doesn't happen to be this dragon, does it?"

                With that Toothless walked out from behind her.

                "Toothless," Hiccup began, approaching his dragon, but Toothless jumped in front of her and began to snarl.

                As if on cue, the other dragon released Astrid and turned on Hiccup, backing him into a tree. Astrid dragged herself to her feet, a rushed at Toothless trying to calm him down. Toothless had no intention of listening to her. Hiccup could see plasma forming at the back of the female's throat.

                "Alright you two, knock it off." the girl commanded.

                The dragon swallowed her plasma, and Toothless stopped growling at Astrid.

                "Who are you?” she demanded.

                Hiccup didn't answer. He was now positive it wasn't safe to trust her. She turned to Toothless.

                "Who are they?” she asked him.

                Toothless began the rolling sound. She suddenly turned and looked Hiccup squarely in the face.

                "You're the one who shot him down?” her eyes seemed to pierce right through him.

                "Yep” he said, "I take full responsibility for the prosthetic tail." But in his head he was nearly screaming: How the heck does she know he got shot down?

                "Oh, well in that case,” she began, apparently changing her opinion of them, "Comet, round them up.” she hadn't.  The female dragon, Comet, moved around Hiccup and Astrid, herding them together.

                 They were lead up the mountain a ways before they saw any sign of human life, and even that wasn't all that cheerful. The girl led them towards a run down building, an old prison, to be exact. She motioned for them to enter one of the cells, and locked the door behind her. Hiccup and Astrid were left in the cold, damp cell, and the only source of light was a tiny window in the ceiling. The two sat, stunned on the cold, damp floor, wondering what would happen next. They didn't have to wait long.

                The door opened and an old woman stepped in. She had long gray hair, and a pleasant face.      She carried some bundle, and a few other items that included a torch.  "Good evening,” she said kindly, "My name is Belka. And who might you be?" The two shyly introduced themselves, not quite sure they could trust her.  "Well," Belka said, handing Astrid the bundle, "I'm very glad to meet you. But tell me, how did you find our island?"

                "We crash landed last night," Hiccup began, "My dragon has a false tail wing, and it froze shut.” he didn't tell her everything, but at least he didn't lie.

                "You were out in last night's storm?” she asked, concerned. Hiccup was about to say they were, and that it was no big deal, but Astrid beat him to it.

                "Yeah, and thanks to a certain someone, I nearly drowned,” she said giving Hiccup a look.

                The old woman's concern only grew. "You were in the ocean? And you didn't freeze?” she said, amazed. Astrid nodded.  "You poor thing, I'll bet you’re still cold." Belka stood and walked over to the end of the cell.  The light from the torch revealed a dilapidated fire place. She proceeded to pile wood into it, and then lit it with her torch.  "You'll want this fire tonight,” she said while she worked, "Another storm's coming. But then again, it snows here every night!” she added with a laugh.

                When she finished, she headed for the door and began, "Hopefully that with keep you warm enough. There's a good bit of wood, I don't think you'll run out. I'll try to bring you some dinner. Oh, and don't mind Lise, she's always been a feisty one."  Hiccup would have liked to leave it at that, but Astrid's curiosity got the better of her.

            "Who's Lise?” she asked.

                "Oh, she's the hotheaded lassie who threw you in this cell. Comes in the house bellowin' 'Belka, I found some trappers in the woods, what do you think we should do with 'em?'"  Hiccup and Astrid stared at one another.

                "Wait, that's Lise?" Astrid interrupted, trying to hide the fact that she was totally shocked.

                "Aye," the old woman said, "nothing comes between that girl and her dragons. And if it does, she's not one to let it stay there." With that Belka turned and left, locking the door behind her.  The two just sat there for a minute, letting every thing sink in. Astrid broke the silence with a coughing spell.

                "You okay?" Hiccup asked when she finally stopped.

                "I'm just cold,” she answered with a shiver.

                Hiccup remembered the bundle Belka had given them. He picked it up, and began to unroll the cloth around it, expecting food or something. But all he saw was more cloth. He then realized it was a blanket… wait, two blankets. By the time he finished unraveling it all there were three very thick blankets in his hands. He passed one to Astrid, who gratefully accepted it. They sat doing the only thing they could--wait.

Chapter Text

Hiccup sat passing the time thinking about that Night Fury. He'd always known Toothless wasn't the last one. Now, even though he'd spent the last five years of his life trying to find more, he wasn't half as excited as he'd expected himself to be. He couldn't help thinking how odd it was that Toothless had totally ditched him.  He hadn't even tried to protect Hiccup from the other dragon. He was the alpha! What had he been thinking? Hiccup shook his head. It didn't make sense. Nothing made sense--especially Toothless' crazy behavior.

                About a half hour later, the door opened again, and Belka stepped in. As soon as she did, a wonderful smell wafted past them. Up till now, Hiccup hadn't really noticed the hunger pains gnawing at his stomach all day, but now he found himself ravenously hungry.

                "Here," Belka said, setting down a large tray, "I doubt you've eaten all day, hopefully this will be enough. Enjoy!" With that she left as quickly as she had come.

                The two looked over the food longingly. There was a delicious looking soup, with potatoes, carrots, and lentils. The bread smelled better than anything either of them had smelled in their lives. Apples, cheese, cakes, and other foods gave off a mouth watering scent. Hiccup and Astrid were about to start stuffing their faces when a sudden thought hit them both at the same time.

                Astrid was reaching for a loaf of bread when the thought came to her. She quickly drew back her hand and said, "Do you think it's poisoned?"

                Hiccup shrugged, "It's possible."

                "Only one way to find out." Astrid grabbed a loaf of bread and took a bite.  “It tastes fine,” she reported, stuffing the rest in her mouth and reaching for a bowl of soup.

                Hiccup picked up the other bowl, and slowly put a tiny bite into his mouth. He waited for a moment, half-expecting himself to fall over dead. By the time he finally decided it was safe, Astrid had already devoured her entire bowl.  

                After she'd finished her dinner, she began acting a lot more like "Astrid" and not a sick five year old. She climbed up the side of the cell, apparently trying to reach the small window high above them. Hiccup shook his head. He could never understand how she managed to bounce back to normal so quickly. Had she not almost frozen to death the night before?

                After falling several times, she shuffled over and sat down next to Hiccup.  "See anything up there?” he said jokingly.

                "Yeah actually,” she replied, "I saw Toothless."

                That got Hiccup's attention. "Where? Was he okay? Were they feeding him? Was that girl there?" Hiccup shot questions faster than a catapult.

                "Whoa, whoa! Slow down! Yes, he looked fine, and he had big pile of fish in front of him."

                "No eels?” he interrupted.

                "No eels. But that girl was there. I'm not sure what she was doing though."

                "What else did you see?” he pressured.

                "Nothing. I was only up there for five seconds at a time." Astrid finished.

                The two settled down for the night, enjoying the satisfied feeling in their stomachs. The warmth from the fire rose to the ceiling, acting as a sleeping spell. The comfortable feeling that remained in the room made them drowsy. Astrid's head began to nod, and she rubbed her eyes tiredly. She leaned back against the cell wall, and gave a contented sigh.

                "I can't believe how different Belka and Lise are,” she began, thinking hard. "Lise tries to kill us, throws us in a cell, and takes your dragon. Then Belka shows up, feeds us like we're royalty, and tries to make us as comfortable as possible. It just doesn't add up."

                "It is a little weird," Hiccup agreed. "You'd think they'd be working together."

                They lay down in front off the crackling fire, wanting nothing more than for sleep to come. Hiccup could hear rain pounding on the roof of their cell. He knew that if it got cold enough, it would snow again. He yawned sleepily, his mind slowly calming. His eyes began to burn, and he realized he'd been staring. Tomorrow, he thought, What will happen tomorrow?

                Hiccup lay tossing and turning for hours, longing to fall asleep. His eyelids were heavy, and his muscles sore, but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't sleep. He knew the best way to fall asleep was to stop trying, so he opened his eyes and let his mind take him wherever it wanted. He tried to think of what was happening back on Berk. Perhaps the village was searching for them. If only he'd left a note, or told someone they were leaving. If his father were alive, he’d “get it” when he made it back--if he made back. His mom was probably frantic. He turned over again, hoping to get comfortable. He groaned.  How hard could it possibly be to fall asleep?

                Astrid had fallen asleep quickly, curled up in blankets. She coughed; the cold must have gotten to her lungs. It was odd how it had changed from hot and humid to cold and snowy so quickly. The wind howled outside their cell, and a few flurries made it through the window at the top. He shivered and drew his blanket closer around himself. Why would anyone want to live on this island, Hiccup wondered. It's hot during day, and it's freezing at night! Just that in itself is reason enough to leave. Why would Belka and Lise want to stay? They could leave if they wanted to, they have a dragon!

                He rolled over again, and was just about to drift off when he heard a scream. It startled him awake; he sat up and listened, straining his ears for every sound. He thought he heard talking and a few moans, but couldn't be sure. Some footsteps followed, then silence.

                "Hiccup?" Astrid whispered, "Did you hear that?"

                "Yes,” he answered, fear clutching his chest. "But it was probably nothing. Just go back to sleep. We'll be fine." Do I sound as fake as I feel? He asked himself. Astrid dosed off, but Hiccup couldn't stop thinking of awful conclusions to the scream they'd just heard. An agonized sob pierced the air before sleep overcame him.

Chapter Text

Lise lay in bed, staring at the ceiling high above her. Angry thoughts crashed through her like waves on the beach. Her eyes narrowed as the thought of the two people in her prison. How dare they intrude her island! She clenched her fist. They were after her treasure, she was sure of it. But they would never, ever find it. And even if they did, they would have to go through her first, every bit of her fiery temper and grit. She would guard it with her life. She would fight to the end. She'd done it once, and would gladly do it again.

                A scream from above her brought her back to the present. She sat up abruptly, jumped out of bed, and raced up the stairs and out the trap door. She grabbed a torch on the way out, lighting it with embers from the fire. She peered out into the darkness and squinted, hoping to make out any moving figure. She moved toward the prison, stepping so softly her bare feet made no noise on the snow. She stopped suddenly and stared at a motionless figure on the ground.  A groan filled the air, and Lise recognized the person immediately.

                "Belka!” she gasped, rushing towards the old woman.  Lise dropped to her knees beside her, and rolled her on to back.

                "Lise?" Belka whispered, her voice thin and raspy.

                "What happened?" Lise asked, helping the injured woman sit up.

                "I was headed up the hill, and I slipped on a lose rock. I couldn't stop-- I just fell down here."

                "Can you stand?" Lise asked softly, gently brushing the dirt off Belka's bruised cheeks.

                She nodded painfully, and with Lise's help managed to stand. Though she was only scratched in a few places, her face was more than pain-stricken. She couldn't seem to get enough air, and her chest appeared to be the main source of pain.

                Lise helped her into the house, and onto her bed. She began to clean Belka's wounds, and hoping ease her pain, Lise rubbed a balm made of Hetchley leaves on them. Belka winced as she did, and finally said, "Lise, stop."

                "Why?" Lise looked up in surprise.

                "Because I'm not going to make it."

                "What?!" Lise exclaimed, jerking her head up. "Why would you even think something like that?"

                Belka shook her head. "I just know it Lise. There's no sense causing me pain for no reason."

                Lise glared at her. "You are not going to die, not if I have anything to do with it." Lise said it more to convince herself than anything else. Belka's breathing was rapid and shallow. Even the slightest movement seemed to send pain circulating through her.

                "No, Lise." Belka whispered, "I won't make it, and stop trying to tell yourself otherwise."

                "But-"

                "No buts. Please Lise, listen to me. I wish I could tell you everything, but I promised your father I wouldn't. He made me swear I would never tell you who your parents are, but not who you are. I-"

                "Wait, what haven't you told me?” she interrupted, her voice rising slightly.

            "Your real name is Cabella.  I…"

                "What!"

                "Just listen, I don't have much time. As I said, your real name is Cabella. You are originally from the Island of Berk. You were banished as a baby for reasons I can't mention. The chief banished you to Outcast Island. Your father begged me to go and protect you, raise you, and never tell you who your parents are. I agreed and we were put in a ship and sent away. A storm blew us off course, and we were attack by enemy warships on their way to Berk. They took all the men, but they had no need for a woman and a baby. We washed up on the shores of our island, and..."

                Belka paused and drew in a shaky breath. "Cabella, you must go back to Berk...your parents are there...Your mother... was killed... As for...your father...” she stopped again, trying to catch her breath. "I love you, Cabella.” she whispered.

                "I love you too," the girl answered, closing her eyes in the hopes of keeping her tears concealed. A few slipped out anyway. This can't be happening, she inwardly cried. But it was. And what was worse, she had no way of stopping it.

                When Belka slipped away, Cabella didn't know. But when the old woman's hand began to grow cold and stiff in her own, she burst into tears.  There was no point in holding them back any longer. She didn't even try to stop them. It was over; Belka's life, her perfect, kind, loving spirit, was gone. Every memory Cabella had of her, came flooding back just as quickly as the tears had blurred her vision. She could hear Belka's sweet voice correcting her dance steps: "Lise, don't dance to the music, dance with it."

                She could see every kind smile Belka had ever given her. She relived the moments of Belka singing that ancient lullaby, every note perfect. She could remember everything, her angelic laugh, her light footsteps when dancing, her cooking--especially her cooking. Belka could turn the most disgusting ingredients into the most scrumptious meal ever. Everything Cabella knew, Belka had taught her. Belka, that beautiful name, she thought. It had never crossed Cabella's mind how much it meant to her. Belka had always been a mother to her, and now she had used her dying breath to tell Cabella how to find what she'd always longed for: her parents.

"You must go back to Berk." The words echoed in her mind. I will, Belka, she promised.

And she never broke a promise.

Chapter Text

                "Get up!"

                The harsh words pierced the silence, disturbing the sleep of the two prisoners. Hiccup tried to block out the noise, thinking it was his mother.  “Five more minutes, mom,” he muttered, more than half asleep.

                "I'm not your mother! GET UP!" The last two words were delivered along with a rough kick in his back. It was so hard it knocked the wind out of him for a second, and by the time he caught his breath, he was fully awake. He looked up at their captor, wondering what this was all about. He got up off the ground, and stretched, yawning as it was early in the morning.

                "I said, GET UP!" Hiccup turned just in time to see Lise jab Astrid in her back with the tip of her bow. "And that means NOW!"

                Astrid struggled to her feet, dazed and out of sorts. She glanced at Hiccup, trying to make sense of it all.

                "Now get moving," Lise commanded, pointing to the opened door.

                Astrid gave Hiccup a look and mouthed, "Should we run?" Hiccup shook his head just enough so she could see it. If there was anything he'd learned about being taken captive; it was that you should never, ever run unless you have back up.

                "Boy, you're dense," Lise shouted, "Do you not understand that 'MOVE' means to start walking?” she stabbed Hiccup just below his ribs, proving that the end of the bow was sharp. He arched his back trying to keep away from it, but to no avail.     

                When they walked outside, the sunlight hurt their eyes so much it was hard to see. Hiccup felt himself being forced back against something hard, then ropes tightening around him. They were drawn so tight it was difficult to breath, and his bruised back was throbbing from the pressure. His eyes were finally beginning to adjust, and he caught sight of Astrid tied to a wooden post next to him. He heard a door slam shut, and then silence. He could actually see where he was now, and it appeared that he was standing in a dragon killing arena. It probably couldn't keep a dragon contained now, but just the idea of being there was making Hiccup a little uncomfortable.

                Why did Lise bring us here? Is she planning on feeding us to some wild dragon? Is she going to kill us? Hiccup shuddered at the last thought. At least he'd have a chance with the dragon. He wasn't to sure about Lise. From what he'd already seen, she wasn't the kind of person that you mess with. If only Toothless were here, he could help us, he thought. But the events of the nights before had proven that his dragon's allegiance lay with Lise. His mind traveled back to the day his father had been killed. The Alpha had taken Toothless and made him do something against his will. Was Lise doing the same? He hadn't seemed hypnotized. Or did he? Hiccup couldn't remember. Everything was jumbled up in his brain.

                "Hiccup, what is your problem?" Astrid's voice brought him back to the present. "We had a chance to escape, and you passed it up! What were you thinking?"

                "Look, if we ran, she would catch us. We don't know what's on this island, she does. Besides, Toothless is our ticket outta here, and you saw him last night, he's useless right now."

                "Yeah, the Drago Effect.”

                "What?"

                "You know, Drago has this 'effect' on the dragons."

                "So you call it the Drago Effect?"

                "Everyone does. I can't believe you haven't heard it yet."

                Their conversation was interrupted when Lise came stomping through the door at the end of the arena. "Alright,” she said in a mockingly sweet tone, "your interrogation has begun."

                "Why are you telling us?" Hiccup asked. He had been interrogated once or twice in his life and he knew that the interrogator doesn't normally tell you what they're doing.

                "So that you know to answer me quickly and honestly. First question: What is your name?” she said matter-of-factly.

                Hiccup said nothing.

                "What happened to quickly?” she glared at him in the same way that she'd done the day before.

                "Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III.” he answered, avoiding eye contact.

                She stared at him for a minute, then turned and gave Astrid her death glare. "And you?” she demanded.

                "Astrid Hofferson."

                "Where are you from?"

                "Berk." Hiccup replied.

                "Who's the chief?"

                "I am."

                "Hilarious. What happened to honestly?"

                Astrid came to Hiccup's rescue. "Honestly, he's the chief."

                "How is that even possible? You're so puny!"

                "Oh, this is nothing compared to what he used to look like."

                Hiccup wanted to kick Astrid in the shin. "Oh yeah, look who's talking. Everybody knows you have anger issues,” he retorted. Astrid was opening her mouth to snap back at him, but Lise interrupted.

                "Okay, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, puny little chief of Berk and Astrid Hofferson with anger issues, I have a favor to ask of you. Oh wait, maybe it isn't a favor. It's more of an 'either you do this or else' scenario."

                "What?" Astrid asked nervously.

                "You're going to show me the way to Berk."

                "And if we don't?" Hiccup asked, wondering what the consequences were.

                Instead of answering right away, Lise walked over to a trap door across the area. She fiddled with the latch; then opened the double door dungeon. She reached down, and pulled up a rope. She gave it a hard tug and Hiccup held his breath as Toothless emerged, muzzled and with a bolas around his wings. An odd contraption was clamped around his neck. "I will kill your precious dragon.” she said in answer to Hiccup's question. She pulled the dagger from her waist and held it to Toothless' neck.

                Hiccup had never seen Toothless look so pathetic in his life. The dragon hung his head, his eyes were half closed, and there were several long cuts on Toothless' body and wings. A strange device had been put around his neck. He looked at Hiccup with sorrowful eyes, silently pleading for help.

                "And if that's not enough incentive,” she continued, dropping the rope. "I'll kill your precious girlfriend too." And with that she grabbed Astrid's braid, yanked her head back, and placed the tip of her knife to her throat.

                Astrid frantically looked at Hiccup, begging him to help her in some way. Hiccup swallowed hard. He was fighting a mental battle. He could save Astrid and Toothless, and put Berk in danger, or he could be the cause of their death, and possibly his own, but the people of Berk would be safe.

                "I'm not going to wait forever, and neither will your dragon." Lise said as she pressed the knife closer to Astrid. Hiccup glanced at Toothless, noticing the weak appearance of his friend.

                What would dad do? He racked his brain for the answer.

                "I'm waiting," Lise tightened her grip on the knife. "You have five seconds. One...” she began.

                "Hiccup, please!" Astrid pleaded.

                "Two..." Hiccup looked back at Toothless. He realized what was wrong with his dragon. The contraption around his neck was a device used for choking unwanted victims. Toothless gasped for air, and looked to Hiccup for help. He seemed to be saying "I've helped you so many times. Aren't you going to help me?"

                "Three..."

            Hiccup couldn't bear it any longer. "Fine! I'll take you to Berk! Let Astrid and Toothless go!"

                Lise pulled her knife away from Astrid's throat. "Oh good, I thought you weren't going to budge.” her eyes narrowed as she looked at Hiccup. "But one more thing you'd better tell me. What is your father's name?"

                Hiccup swallowed hard. "My father's name was Stoick the Vast."

                "Was?"

                "He died."

                "Isn't that a shame? Remind me to avenge him later. Or maybe it'll be you who needs avenging. I'm not sure yet."

                She sneered at him as she grabbed the rope attached to Toothless muzzle, gave it a good yank, and said "Come on, dragon.” she left the arena, just as quickly as she had come.

                "G'boy, Scoundrel! That was some..." The words Lise was saying became too far away to hear. Hiccup strained his ears for more, but couldn't catch anything.

                "Boy, she must have had her hair yanked on like that before! She certainly knew the way it hurts the most!" Hiccup stopped listening for more, and turned to Astrid.

                "Are you okay?” he asked sincerely.

                "Yeah, but what took so long? That girl would've killed me!"

                "I'm sorry Astrid, but I was thinking the way a chief does. I have to think about the safety of Berk.

                "Well, couldn't you have thought any faster? I mean, do you have any idea how nerve-racking it is for some lunatic to hold a knife to your throat and give someone else the option of saving your life? If you had said no, she would have stabbed me right then and there. She wasn't kidding, and I'll admit it Hiccup, I was scared."

                "I'm really sorry I didn't help you sooner. Look, if it makes you feel better, I'll let you kick me, punch me, whatever you want when we get outta here."

                Astrid seemed to think about it; he'd given her a very tempting offer. "Okay,” she said finally, "but remember, I get to pick."

                "Yeah, alright.” he answered, trying to appear as if he cared. He was really wondering what would happen to them next. What could be worse? They'd been captured, interrogated, threatened, what else could she do to them?

                Comet entered, looking as fierce as her rider, who stood beside her. Lise strode up to them, and in two quick movements, she cut the restraining cords that bound Hiccup and Astrid to the poles. She motioned for them to follow her, and led them out of the arena. They obeyed nervously; Comet watched them like a hawk. When she had led them a good way from the kill ring, Lise hoped on Comet's back, and the dragon hovered a few moments before snatching up the two by their wrists. She proceeded to gain altitude and speed as she headed south.

                "But what about Toothless? You said I'd get him back!" Hiccup shouted up to their captor.

                "First you have to show me how to get to Berk."

                It was horribly windy, and the strain on their arms and shoulders was awful. Hiccup wasn't sure which flight was worse, the one there or the one back. At least there wasn't any snow. His voice was hoarse from shouting directions to Lise. The wind was stinging his eyes and it left his upper lips and cheeks chapped. He'd forgotten what a long flight it was. The sun was setting when he caught sight of a familiar rock, and it was still thirty minutes before they would reach Berk.

                He survived that last half hour only by studying the aerodynamics of Comet's wings and head. She was truly built for speed. Even Toothless wasn't as fast as her. He was pretty sure she had a larger wingspan, and a slightly narrower head. She was certainly named appropriately. When flying at top speed, Comet would be as fast as, well, a comet.

            His arm was numb from dangling for four hours, and he was pretty sure he'd be stiff for a week. It was completely dark by the time they caught sight of the island.

                "That's Berk up ahead," Hiccup shouted, then coughed.  His throat was so dry he could hardly talk. Lise studied it for a moment; then urged Comet on faster.

                When they were over the waters just off the coast, Lise shouted to them, "Thanks for the directions. Since I don't need you anymore, I think I'll just let down here."

                "But what about my dragon?" Hiccup asked frantically. In response Lise waved, and Comet dropped the two into the water. The girl and dragon turned quickly allowing Hiccup to catch sight of a paper in her hand. He didn't have to think hard in order to figure out what it was. He had never felt like more of an idiot in his life when he realized she had been making a map the whole way there.

                He forgot to take a breath before hitting the water, and so as he went under he instinctively sucked in as much air as possible. It just so happened that he managed to suck in as much water as possible. He kicked his way to the surface, glad that the beach was only twenty feet away. When he reached it, he coughed up all the water in his lungs, thanking Thor there wasn't anything in his stomach that he could hack up all over the place.

                Astrid crawled up on the shore and rolled on her back then said "And once again, I've nearly drowned."

                "At least we get to sleep indoors tonight," Hiccup pointed out, helping her to her feet. They headed up the ramps to the village then split up walking towards their homes. Hiccup had never seen his house look so inviting. He opened the door, stepped inside, and vowed that once he had Toothless back, he would never leave again. Well, at least for a while.

Chapter Text

Hiccup slammed the door shut and stepped toward the staircase leading to his bedroom. He heard someone shout "Hello?" and froze. He didn't want to have to explain things to his mom just yet. He was hoping to look more presentable first. Valka appeared from the kitchen and stopped short, clearly surprised to see her son there.

"Hey, mom,” he said casually, hoping to prolong whatever scolding was coming.

"Hiccup! Where have you been? The village has been frantic!” she dropped the dish of whatever is was she was holding and rushed to her son, hugging him so tight he couldn't breath. Then she let go of him with a confused look. "And why are you soaking wet?'

"Uh, it's kind of a long story. Can I...um... go change first?” he said, hoping to buy some time.

"Certainly."

Hiccup wasted no time in running to his room.

"And bring that wet stuff down to me.” she called up the stairs after him. He shut and locked the door behind him, breathing a long sigh of relief. He knew how this routine worked. He came home after being gone, and his dad, after making sure Hiccup was okay, would give him the scolding of a life time. He wasn't as sure about his mother, though. He still didn't know her very well, and wasn't quite sure he trusted her very much. Of course he loved her, she was his mom, but he was still learning to confide in her. Even though his father could be harsh, Hiccup had learned to trust him over the past five years of his life. He'd only had a half a year with his mom.

He pulled off his sopping wet clothes and put on a fresh tunic and pants. He left off all the leather; it wasn't like he was going anywhere. He gathered up all the wet cloths, and wrapped them in a fur to keep them from dripping. Then he put a second fur around his shoulders, relishing the soft, warm feel. He took a deep breath before leaving the safety of his room, maybe he could fool his mom into thinking he and Toothless had gotten trapped in a cave earlier. Then it dawned on him they'd been gone for two days. There went that excuse.

His mom had gone outside to fetch more wood, so he left his stuff on a chair and raided the kitchen for something to eat. He heard mother come inside, muttering something to herself. She must not have seen his things, because she shouted up the stairs at the top of her lungs "Hiccup, what's taking so long?"

"Nothing,” he responded, walking out of the kitchen, "my stuff's right there.” he said pointing to the chair.

"Oh,” she said as she began to spread it out by the fire. "Where's the leather?” she asked nonchalantly.

"Ufsturs,” he said with a mouth full of food.

"What?"

"Upstairs."

"Go get it! Don't you know it will crack if you don't rub oil on it?"

That was one thing he wasn't sure he liked about his mom. His father always had the idea that you use something till it breaks, then you get a new one. His mother, on the other hand, took care of everything in order to make it last. Hiccup wasn't sure which way was better, but he'd been raised by his father so his mother's way of life took some getting used to. But one thing he had loved about her from the beginning was the she accepted him for who he was. She wasn't always telling him to be someone else. He knew she loved him, though he was having trouble loving her back equally as much.

He trudged up the stairs, grabbed the leather garments off his bed, and shuffled back down.

"Here,” he said, tossing them down on the floor next to the fire. He sat down on a chair, pulling his left leg into his lap, looking over his prosthetic. He realized why it had been hard to walk on the day before. Rust! The spring was covered in rust! Without the spring working properly, there would be no bounce when he put weight on it. Without that bounce, it would be like walking on a stiff rod, which required him to bend his knee in a very odd way in order to walk, and that left him sore.

He groaned audibly, knowing how long it would take to make a new one. His mom's habit of taking care of her stuff began to seem really worth it.

"What's wrong?” she asked, not looking up from what she was doing.

"My leg,” he complained, "it rusted so I'll have to make a new one."

"You have a spare, don't you?” she inquired, still working.

"This is the spare."

"I see. Now, while you're having your little pity party, will you go get some salt and a lime from the kitchen?"

"Why?"

"Just get them."

Hiccup got up with a sigh, and made his way to the kitchen. Another thing he couldn't understand about his mom, she had the craziest solutions to things. She was probably going to put it on his armor. Great, now I'm going to smell like salty lime juice for the next week and a half, he groused in his head. He grabbed the items, and took them to his mom before plopping back down on his chair.

"Now, give me that prosthetic.” she said after putting aside the leather. Confused, he pulled it off and handed it to her.

"Now then,” she began, "tell me where you were for the past two days."

Ohhh man, Hiccup thought. He had been hoping she'd forget.

"Uh, we got up really early, and took a lap around the island. When we crossed Mildew's cabbage field, a wild Smokebreath took Toothless’ tail so we couldn’t fly back home. Then we were walking and a Typhomerang cut us off, so we had to swim home. And then this Scaldron was swimming around the secluded beach so-"

"Hiccup."

"We had to-"

"Hiccup."

"Run down through the caves-"

"Hic-cup."

"Yes?"

"You're a really lousy liar."

Hiccup decided to play dumb.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"The truth. Out with it."

She wasn't going to believe him. Then again, he probably would believe himself either. Scaldrons and Typhomerangs? Where had he gotten that from? He leaned back hard in his chair, then groaned again-- he'd leaned right on the bruise.

"What now?" Valka questioned, this time looking at him.

"I bruised my back,” he said, trying to let the subject go.

"Here, let me take a look at it.” she got up and motioned for him to turn around. He rotated on his chair since he couldn't get up without the leg on.  She lifted his shirt and gasped: "Hiccup, what happened!? How on earth did you get a bruise like this!? The skin's even been broken!"

"I got kicked.” he said, wincing as she fingered the wound.

"Alright, Hiccup, I want to know exactly what happened. No lies.” she came around to face him, looking deeply into his eyes. He could tell she really cared whether he was alright or not.

"It's no big deal mom, we just got lost.” he wanted to kick himself-- why didn't he have the guts to tell her what actually happened? He felt like he was fighting a war, trying to keep secrets from his mother.

"Hiccup, tell me everything.  I'm not going to be mad. I just want to make sure you're okay.” she won.

"Fine. I couldn't sleep, so Toothless and I flew up to the cliffs. Astrid was there, and we decided to go night flying-"

"What in the name of Thor possessed you to go night flying?"

"Astrid."

"I should have known. Continue."

Hiccup took a breath before going on. "We went on Toothless 'cause Stormfly was half asleep, and I made the seriously stupid mistake of letting him decide where we were going. He flies north and heads straight for this weird island. His tail froze shut since it was snowing like crazy, so I had even more stupidity and sent Astrid back there to get it working again. She fell off and landed in the ocean, and we crashed on Toothless' mystery island. He swims out to save Astrid, and afterward we end up spending night in a cave. The next morning we try to leave, but Toothless runs off following some scent, and we spend the whole day looking for him. Then we find this Night Fury, presumably Toothless--turns out it wasn't."

"You found another Night Fury?!" Valka asked excitedly.

"Yeah, but it tried to kill me. Twice.” he answered, feeling very un-excited.

"Hiccup, how are you not ecstatic? You just found another Night Fury!"

"Let me finish and you'll know why. Anyway, it attacks us so we try to get it to blow plasma. You know, so it'll be easier to train. Well, we succeed in getting it mad and--lucky us-- it didn't have a six shot limit."

"How many?!"

"I have no clue. It was at eight when this weird girl showed up with Toothless. He actually listened to her, and she ended up throwing us in this old, dilapidated prison. We spent the night there, and this morning I got woken up with a good kick in the back; thus the bruise. She interrogates us into telling her who we are, where we're from, who's chief-- she got a laugh out of that-- and then managed to get us to show her where Berk is after threatening to kill Astrid and Toothless."

"I thought she liked him. Why'd she try to kill him?"

"Oh, she didn't just try to kill him, she tortured him. Muzzled him, gagged him, and bolased his wings. And thanks to me this dragon killing lunatic knows the way to Berk."

His mother sat thinking for a moment. He wondered whether she was trying to keep herself from getting mad at him. That's how his dad was. "Well, you certainly have had a very interesting time,” she said finally, "It's pity you got so beat up."

"It's not me I'm worried about, it's Berk. I feel like such an idiot. The chief is supposed to protect his village, not put it in danger.” he couldn't believe he'd actually just said what was going on inside his head to his mother.

Valka nodded thoughtfully.

"I wish dad were here right now. He always knew how to deal with stuff like this. I mean, oh, I don't know! I'm just a lousy chief! I tried! I really did! But I'm just not how I should be! Dad knew how to be a chief, and I have no clue! I'm awful compared to him! He was this ferocious guy who didn't back down from anything.  He was tough! I'm so-"

Valka cut him off, "Hiccup, stop telling yourself that. Your father was a coward."

"WHAT!"

"Your father, to put it simply, was afraid of showing weakness. To him, compassion, love, caring, showing emotion, was weak. It was how he was raised. Most likely anyone who seems to have no fear is afraid of fear itself. It takes more courage to admit fear than it does to ignore it. You are different, Hiccup, a good kind of different. Stop trying to change yourself; we have plenty of cowards. You are a very kind person, and that's what we need more of. I saw the way you took that little girl with the skinned knee back to her mother last week. I think Astrid did too. Your father would not have lifted a finger to help. Well, he might have mentioned it to the parents, but you didn't hesitate to help her personally. It's who you are Hiccup. You're a caring person; don't feel ashamed because of it."

Hiccup suddenly realized his mother had a point. It didn't matter if he wasn't like his father; in fact, it was a good thing he was not. He wasn't sure how to respond.  His father had never affirmed him like this before. He felt hot salty tears forming in his eyes at the thought of what his father "never did.” he tried to blink them away, but it only caused more to form.

"One more thing," Valka lifted his chin to look directly at her, "your father was afraid to cry. Don't be like him."

That was all it took. Tears spilled down his cheeks, but Valka seemed to know he was still holding them back. She wrapped her arms around him pulling him closer to her. He finally buried his face in his mother's shirt and sobbed. He cried for all the times he felt he couldn't. He cried for every bit of pain he'd ever felt. He cried because he missed his father. He cried because of the hole in his heart that would never be filled. And when he'd finished crying for all that, he cried just for the sake of it. His mother gently rocked him while gently rubbing his back, being careful to avoid the large contusion.

His sobs gradually changed to sniffles, and he moved his hand to wipe his eyes. Now he had a throbbing pain in his head which grew worse with every sob. His eyes were sore and puffy, not to mention the redness around them. He wanted to keep crying because it hurt so badly, but he did have the sense to know that would only make it worse. He leaned back, this time making sure he didn't put pressure on the wounded spot. He drew in a shaky breath, trying to calm himself. Valka placed a hand lightly on his shoulder.

"Feel any better?” she asked, her voice quiet and soothing.

"A little- hic- bit.” he said, trying to suppress his hiccups. Valka laughed. "Mom, w- would you- hic- get me s-some water?” he managed to say between the reflexes.

"Gladly,” she answered with a smile. She rose and left the room, soon returning with a cup in her hand.

"Here,” she said, passing it to him, "There's some sugar in it. That should cure your hiccups."

He took it gratefully, sipping it slowly, so as not to choke on it. He handed it back, wishing he'd asked for a block of ice instead. His head was pounding so badly it was hard to think straight.

"Go on up to bed. Otherwise you'll fall asleep here." Valka said comfortingly.  The thought bed was very enticing to him.  “Oh, I forgot. Here's you leg back."  He took it from her without a word, and not until he was putting it back on did he notice what she had done with it.

"Where'd the rust go?” he asked, surprised.

"That's what the salt and lime was for. Now, go to bed; it's late, and I don't want to have to carry you up the stairs!” she smiled, pointing up the staircase.

And for once in his life he didn't object.

Chapter Text

Hiccup awoke to loud banging on the door below and an aching in his head. He wondered why he'd been sleeping on his stomach, a most uncomfortable position. He rolled onto his back, and pain raced up and down his spine. Then he remembered. The events of the past two days rushed back to him, and he jumped out of bed. He pulled on the leather armor, and was in such a hurry that he put it on backwards so he had to pull it all off and start over. When he finally managed to get dressed, feeling somewhat embarrassed that he had struggled with it, he ran down the stairs so fast that he tripped over himself at the bottom. Whoever had been at the door had left so he made his way into the kitchen for his breakfast.

His mother was standing next to the fire, and whatever she was cooking smelled wonderful. He glanced at the pan and realized she was frying... fish? For breakfast? Maybe she was a worse cook than he thought she was. "'Afternoon, Hiccup. Want some lunch?” she said when she noticed him standing there. "It's breakfast, mom,” he corrected her. "Nope,” she said with a hint of teasing, "You slept through breakfast. But don't worry, Cloudjumper ate yours."

Hiccup groaned and smacked himself on the forehead. If there was one thing the chief never does, it's sleep in. "Oh, one more thing, Astrid was here a minute ago, and she wanted me to tell you as soon as you woke up that they needed you at the Academy for something urgent." Hiccup felt his cheeks burning.

"You told her I was still asleep?"

"Why not? You were asleep up there, right?” she turned and passed him a plate of food. "Before you're going anywhere, you need to eat.” he wolfed his food down. He couldn't afford to be any later than he already was. Not to mention, he had to walk to the Academy.

"Bye, mom,” he called to her as he rushed out the door. He jogged down the path, glancing at the sun to see just how late he was. "Hey! Hiccup!" someone called behind him. He turned to see Astrid on Stormfly. "Need a lift?” she called, gesturing to the space behind her saddle.

"Ya think?" Hiccup laughed, quickly taking her offer before she changed her mind. "What's going on?” he asked when Stormfly took off.

"Okay," Astrid began, "So you know that weird lunatic girl on the island? Well, Eret thinks he's seen her before. He may know something that could help us protect Berk."

When they reached the academy, everyone else was already there. Hiccup jumped of and headed in but was stopped by Snotlout. "Hey, Hiccup! How'd you sleep?” he shouted, cracking himself up. Oh, just what I needed right now, Hiccup inwardly groaned.

"Great! It felt so nice to be in my own bed again. Thank you very much for asking.” he replied, knowing how much Snotlout hated it when you took his teasing seriously. His cousin frowned; disappointed he didn't get a better reaction.

Eret came up behind them, apparently thinking hard. "So," Hiccup began, "You've seen our mystery girl?"

"Well, I think so," Eret answered, still deep in thought. "I remember someone who very accurately fits Astrid's description of her."

"I'm listening," Hiccup said, urging him to continue.

"It was about seven years ago, when I first started working for Drago..."

. . .

"Get those traps ready!" Drago shouted at his men. But try as they might, there was no way to work in the snow. They pulled snapper traps into place, only to find that they were frozen solid. Eret had never seen such horrible weather in his life. Ice and snow clung to his hair, and he tried to massage the feeling back into his hands. "You!" Drago roared, grabbing him by the collar of his tunic, "Why aren't you working!?" Eret couldn't breath, let alone manage an answer.

Drago was ready to start hitting the young man when someone came running into the camp shouting, "Night Furies! Hundreds of them! We've found their nest!" Drago dropped Eret, and gave his cruel, heartless laugh. "Well, tonight we have struck gold! I want every one of those creatures dead! Did you find their queen?" The man suddenly turned pale.

"N-no sir, there was no queen."

"WHAT!" Drago bellowed, "Of course there's a queen! Every nest has a queen! You idiot!” he picked up the man and thrust him at a rock. “Gather your weapons!  We leave at once!”

So the group of trappers set out to annihilate the dragons, for one reason:  their leader wanted them to. Someone shouted out behind them: "I've seen Sif!" Everyone stopped, and stared at the man, wondering how he could have seen a goddess.

"I don't care!" Drago thundered. "Keep moving!" And so they did. They followed the man who'd been to the nest, their eyes and ears straining for anything moving. They finally reached a valley crawling with the unholy offspring of lightning and death—Night Furies. Their dark bodies were easy to spot in the blanket of white, making them vulnerable targets.

"I want every one of them dead," Drago told his right hand man, Huegsa, who nodded and began giving out orders. As they charged into the valley, an ear piercing scream of "STOP!" filled the air. Every man stopped dead in his tracks, out of surprise, not obedience.

Eret looked up to see a young girl, no older than ten, glaring ferociously at the army of men. She was certainly bold! It wasn't every day a ten year old girl stands up to burly soldiers. "Sif,” he heard someone mutter behind him. He could see how she would be mistaken for Sif. With golden hair that fell just past her shoulders, and bright blue eyes that blazed like fire, it was an easy mistake.

She wasn't quite "dressed for the weather", seeing that she was wearing a ratty dress and only  a lightweight fur vest and  fur- lined boots for warmth.  Yet, she seemed not in the least bit cold. "Get her!" Drago roared, pointing frantically with his one good arm. She turned on her heals, and dashed off into the woods, dodging anything in her path. Three or four men chased after her, but compared to her speed and agility, they looked like big, fat oafs waddling through the trees. "Clip the dragon's wings so they don't get away," their leader bellowed, joining in the chase.

It took hours to catch her, and when the finally did, she didn't stop fighting. It took three men to hold her down, and even then she succeeded in biting all of them. They tied her to a tree and Drago began to question her.

"What is your name?"

"I'm not telling you."

"Oh, yes you are."

"Are you gonna make me?"

She was more audacious than he thought. Drago pulled out a knife, letting it catch the moonlight, making the sharp blade shimmer.

"Tell me, or else."

"I wouldn't be very much use to you dead, now would I?"

The ten year old girl had just managed to outwit Drago Bludvist, who had plenty of interrogation experience. The girl continued:

"And if you killed me, you'd get a lot more than you bargained for."

"Like what?"

"For instance, you came here to trap dragons, right? Well, if you kill me, they would become the fiercest creatures you ever saw. Nadders, Groncles, Zipplebacks, Nightmares, Night Furies, Scaldrons, Moon Monsters, Pyrafins, every single one would turn on you. And worst of all, it."

"It?"

"Yes, IT! A giant monster that creates such an immense amount of fire it could literally destroy the world if it felt like doing so. The fire power within its body radiates so much heat it could kill a man at two hundred feet. People say its soul is made of fire, and they’re right. It breathes a poisonous fire that eats away at whatever it touches. It melts the snow on this island every morning. People say that beast is the offspring of fire and death, and came from hell. The worst thing you can do is make it angry. They say volcanoes are its nesting ground, and human flesh its food.  They call him: The Death Breather."

Eret wanted nothing more than to leave the savage island he was on and trap dragons somewhere else. Even if “it” was imaginary, he didn't want to take the chance.

"Guard her," Drago commanded, motioning to the girl.  She would be useful later.  A few men stepped forward, taking a place on either side of her.

 That night a shout went up throughout the camp. "She's escaped!"

Every time they caught her and locked her up, she got away. They even tried chaining her to one of the guards, but the next morning, she was gone. And it was mere luck that they found her, for she left no trail. There were no footprints in the snow. There were no broken tree branches. The men started calling her "The Phantom Goddess" because she disappeared with inhuman timing. She only needed a few seconds to run. For days they tracked her, caught her, tried a new way of keeping her there, but only to find she had escaped. Finally Drago sent out a search party for her "Death Breather." They never returned, and he had no choice but to leave. Eret heard Drago vow that he would find that girl, and use her, for she was as Sif, full of deceit and beauty.

Chapter Text

"Wow," Astrid said after Eret had finished his story, "Could she really escape that fast? That's crazy! She was chained to somebody and she still got away?" Eret nodded. "We even tried drowning her in a salt water pond. It didn't work. The next day the hand cuffs were at the bottom and she was nowhere to be found. They don't call her a phantom for nothing."

Hiccup sat thinking. This was not good. Not only was she incredibly fast on her feet, and extremely gifted with dragons, but she was also an escape artist.

"Okay," Fishlegs said, somewhat excitedly, "I did the math, and if she was ten at the time, that would make her seventeen now. If she's lived on that island her whole life, and Drago came when she was ten, she would have seven years to recover the trauma of being, well, traumatized. Most likely she didn't, and that's probably why she's so crazy now, not that she wasn't crazy then. If we use reverse psychology on her, we will hopefully be able to untraumatize her and then get Toothless back. Plus, all those dragons she talked about aren't in the Book of Dragons! Which mean hundreds of newly discovered species, not to mention variations of species! I mean, this could be the discovery of a lifetime!"

Everyone stared at Fishlegs. "Wait, what did that have to do with math?" Tuffnut said, his usual look of basic stupidity on his face. "Yeah, and what's reverse spychology? Does it mean that we're gonna spy on her, and she'll think she's spying on us?" Ruffnut added, "'Cause if it does, I'm totally in." "It's reverse psychology, and we're not using it on anyone," Hiccup interrupted, annoyed with the twins and Fishlegs for taking the conversation on a detour. "Look, whether she's crazy or not, Drago wants to use her. If he gets what he wants, she'll be training his dragons so he can use them against us. We can't let that happen. But right now we have a bigger problem. She has Toothless, and besides the fact that he is my best friend, he's the Alpha! If Drago gets his hands on him, were dead. We have to get him out of there before it's too late."

"So, what's your plan?" Astrid asked, looking at him hard. "Yeah, about the plan," he began nervously, "It doesn't really...exist yet. But while I'm ingeniously coming up with one, I want Eret, Snotlout, and the twins patrolling the island. Astrid, after you give me a ride to the docks, I need you to get a sentry posted. Fishlegs, first go tell Gobber to start making weapons, then meet me at the great hall." Everyone burst into action, flying off in their separate directions.

Once at the docks, Hiccup made sure the warships were battle ready, and that a few were kept aside to search out Lise's island. The he ran up to the armory in order to get a count of their weapons and artillery. Then he checked the food supply, making sure they would have enough under siege. He finally headed up to the great hall, hoping Fishlegs hadn't waited to long for him. After devising a plan, He ran to find Eret. Hiccup found him by the cliffs, and after a few minutes of trying to get his attention, he frantically asked as many questions as possible.

"Do you know how far away Drago's island is from Lise's?"

"Half a days sailing, and a five minute flight."

"How long do you think it would take to sail from here to Drago's island?"

"A few days at the most."

"What are the chances of Drago not attacking?"

"Zero."

Hiccup worked feverishly all day, stopping only once to eat lunch, simply because his mom insisted on it. By sunset Hiccup was a hot, tired, sweaty mess. He stumbled home that evening, dreading the next day. As soon as he entered the house, his mother informed him he was to stay upstairs until he didn't smell like a yak. After bathing, he groggily ate his dinner, and headed to bed. He expected himself to fall straight asleep, but he suddenly found himself wide awake. He came back downstairs, hoping to get some work done, but couldn't concentrate.

He meandered into the kitchen, glad his mother was still awake. "Hiccup, I thought you went to bed." She remarked when he entered. "I did," he replied sitting down at the table. "But I couldn't fall asleep. Do you have any herbs that make you sleep?" Valka laughed. "As a matter of fact I do. I'll make you some tea." "Do you mind if if I get some fresh air while you do?" He asked, suddenly getting the impression to go outside. "Not at all. It will probably help you settle down." He rose to leave. "And Hiccup." He stopped and looked at his mother. "If you think you can manage it, try not wander off?" Laughing, he nodded, and returned his mother's smile. As he left the house, he heard his mom muttering to herself; "Now where did I put that Chamomile?"

Hiccup shut the door firmly behind him, and sat down on the steps. He watched Astrid and Stormfly soar overhead towards the academy, and a wave of loneliness swept over him. He knew why he couldn't sleep. It was a plain fact that he missed Toothless, and he felt solitude tearing at his heart. It made him feel so empty, so meaningless. He gazed up at the clouds, imagining how wonderful it would be to be flying in them. He could picture the view in his head. He could feel the rhythm of Toothless' wings, pulsating in the air. And suddenly each "pulse" seemed to be a word, forming in his mind. Go. Down. To. The. Docks. Go. Down. To. The. Docks.

He paid little attention to it at first, but soon each "pulse" was a "throb" screaming at him: GO. DOWN. TO. THE. DOCKS. GO. DOWN. TO. THE. DOCKS. He forgot all about his mother's rule of "No Wandering", and got up and headed for the docks, wondering what was going on. Once there he had the strangest feeling he was not alone. A prickling sensation worked it's way up his spine, giving him shivers. The moon cast eerie shadows on the ground, and gave everything a mysterious glow. Something cold and scaly brushed past him. He gasped and turned to face..."TOOTHLESS!" He shouted, overjoyed to see his friend.

"Where...what...I'm so glad to see you!" Hiccup was so happy he couldn't figure out what he was trying to say. He grabbed Toothless around his neck, hugging him as tight as he possibly could. He was never letting go. "C'mon,bud. Let's head home," he said, giving him a scratch behind his ear. Toothless suddenly jerked his head up, and pivoted around Hiccup, blocking his route home. "Toothless, what's the matter with you? I said, let's go home." He said in a stern voice. But Toothless would not let him pass.

"Toothless!" Hiccup snapped, rather annoyed, "Knock it off! I'm allowed to go into my own house!" Toothless pointed with his head towards the sky. Hiccup turned and saw the shape of a Night Fury flying into the clouds. "So that's how you got back," he whispered to Toothless. Toothless pointed to the sky again."Let's follow her," the dragon seemed to say. "Ha, ha. I don't think so," Hiccup scolded, "She is the last person we're flying after." But still Toothless would not let him in. He stood in Hiccup's way, and would not budge. Hiccup was furious by this point, and was shouting at Toothless to get out of the way when an ear piercing screech of a Night Fury rang out. Toothless immediately dropped his head and let Hiccup pass and enter his house, without one objection.

Valka rounded the corner and stopped short, then shouted "Toothless! How did you get here?" She began scratching him around his ears. He leaned into her, clearly enjoying the affection. "Now Hiccup," she said, "Why did you leave the back door open?"

"I didn't."

"Well of course you did! It's wide open!"

"No, I didn't. I went out the front."

"Then how did it get opened?"

"I don't know. Maybe the wind blew it open."

"The wind blew the door, that opens on the inside, open."

"Either I'm going crazy, or it opened by itself. But if it makes you feel better, I will go and shut it."

Hiccup put his hands up defensively as he headed for the door, sure that he'd gone out the front. He was about to close it when looked outside and his breath caught. "Uh, mom," he said in a worried tone, "Can you come here for a sec?" Valka walked up behind him, curious to know why he'd called her. "What in Odin's name is that?" Valka stepped outside and headed toward what appeared to be a human form, just flopped on the ground.

Hiccup followed his mother's example, and walked towards them at a different angle. He couldn't make out a face, but caught sight of a braid of golden hair. "Mom, stop!" He whispered urgently. She looked at him, confused. He put his finger to his lips while quietly saying "That's the girl who tried to kill us." Valka's eyes grew wide, and she turned back to the shape on the ground. "You sure?" She whispered back. Hiccup nodded, and took another step toward her.

When he was finally close enough, he touched the girl's back with his foot. Nothing. He tried again, this time with his hand. Still nothing. He nervously rolled her onto her back, surprised at how squishy her arm felt. When he stole a look at her face he realized what it was. It wasn't Lise, it was a scarecrow.

He examined the "hair" and realized it was strips of cloth, all braided together. He laughed at himself thoroughly, but an uneasy feeling grew in his stomach. "What?" Valka asked, even more confused. "It isn't her," he laughed harder, clutching his sides. "I can't believe I couldn't tell the difference between a human and a scarecrow!" His mother came up beside him, beginning to laugh herself. "I'll bet it was the twins!" She chuckled. "Or Astrid," Hiccup added, "it's like her to try and give me a scare!"

They left "Lise" outside, and returned to the house. Hiccup went to make sure then front was still closed, and was surprised to find Cloudjumper asleep by it. "Hey boy, wake up," Hiccup said patting him firmly. The dragon jumped up, and completely ignoring Hiccup, began sniffing around the room giving the strange rolling call. "Mom, your dragon is being weird," Hiccup shouted, annoyed with cloud jumper for being so irritating.

"Now what is Cloudjumper doing?" The dragon repeated himself, sniffing around the room. Valka stood confused, watching the Stormcutter climb around the house, trying to catch some scent. But he eventually gave up, trotted back over to them. The woman shook her head at the dragon's strange behavior. "Well, whatever Toothless had must be contagious," Hiccup said, with a smirk.

Hiccup headed for his workshop, where he kept all his tools and paperwork. He walked past his desk, at first not noticing the open book on it. When he caught sight of it out of the corner of his eye, he turned and looked at it. It was the Book of Records, all the people of Berk were recorded in it. He didn't think to much of it, an was about to close it and put it back on the shelf, when he saw what page it was open to.

He looked at it, confused, trying to think if he had been working in it. No, he hadn't. He looked more carefully at the name. "Cabella" he read aloud. The name sounded oddly familiar. He kept reading. "Father's name," he continued, then stopped, for whatever Cabella's father's name was had be scribbled out. So had the mother's name. Everything but the date of birth was covered in coal from a pencil. At the bottom of the page in Stoick's large handwriting the word "BANISHED" was written. Weird, he thought, why is everything crossed out?

"Mom!" He shouted, "You busy?" "No," Valka appeared in the door way, "What is it now?" "This," he said handing her the paper. "Do you know who Cabella is?" "Who?" his mother asked, looking at him hard, as if he wasn't supposed to have said the name to her. She finally began to read the record in her hands. "I don't know it is, and everything is scribbled out." He repeated. But Valka wasn't listening. "Stoick should have destroyed this," she muttered to herself. Hiccup was about to ask why, when she suddenly ripped the paper in half and threw it angrily into the fire. Then she turned on her heels, and stormed out of the room. The uneasy sensation in Hiccup's stomach doubled in size, and it left him feeling sick. He wasn't going get any work done, so he got his tea from the kitchen, and headed up to bed.

He lay on his side, nervous anxiety making him clammy. The nausea that clawed at his stomach was constantly growing, and by now it was so awful he wished he could just throw up and then possibly feel well enough to sleep. He thought back over the day, trying to think if he'd eaten anything that had gone bad. But it wasn't food that was making him feel the way he did. It was that scarecrow thing behind his house, and Toothless', and now Cloudjumper's, strange behavior, and his mom's reaction the record paper. He tried a few sips of tea, and was happy to find that it calmed his churning stomach as well as his mind. He finally drifted off into a fitful sleep, waking at the slightest sound.

Chapter Text

"Daddy stop!" The three year old yelled at his father. "No,” he shouted again, barely heard above the crowd. His father paid no attention. "Daddy please, leave her alone!" The little boy tried to push his way through the mob. Someone unexpectedly stepped backward, knocking him into the water."Help!” he screamed uselessly. "Bella!” he pleaded before he sunk beneath the dark surface of the water. The little boy screamed for his father, screamed for help. His lungs filled with water, and he felt himself blacking out.

The next thing he knew he was on an island, watching a young girl. Her hair was raven black, and her eyes yellow-green. Something about her seemed familiar to Hiccup. "Who are you?” he asked.

"I am no one."

"But I know you."

"I am nothing more than a dream."

"But-"

"It does not matter who I am. But I can show you who you are. Come."

Hiccup followed her into the trees warily. She led him towards a pool of crystal clear water. He looked in and expected to see his reflection staring back at him. But instead of seeing himself, he saw Lise. It appeared that she was in the water, for she moved on her own, and not with him. Startled, he jumped back and turned to follow the dark-haired girl again.

This time she led him into a room made completely of mirrors. Hundreds of panels lined the walls, so that hundreds of Hiccups stared back at him. And one at a time, it was not himself he saw, but Lise. No matter where he turned he could not see himself.

He looked to the strange girl for help, but she was no longer there. In her place was Toothless, and through his form she said: "This is who you are. You are followed. You are hunted. You are chased. You are lost. You are mine. Mine. Mine. Mine." Every one of the images in the mirrors began to chant along with her, mine, mine, mine. "You're mine. You're mine. Hiccup, you're mine. Mine. All mine. Hiccup, you're mine. Hiccup...you're mine!"

Hiccup tried to run from the chanting figures, but couldn't find a way out. The beating of death drums filled his ears, leaving him in a panic stricken frenzy. One of the Lises picked up her bow and aimed at him. "Toothless, help me!” he shouted, pleading with his dragon, but Toothless was in no way going to aid him. In fact, he turned Hiccup around and the arrow pierced him right between his shoulder blades. Hiccup screamed in agony, and then passed out from the pain.

Toothless woke with a start, and he heard a large amount of noise coming from his rider's bed. Wondering what was wrong Toothless got up and walked toward the bed, surprised to see Hiccup thrashing around among the blankets. The dragon placed a paw on Hiccup's shoulder, trying to figure out what he was upset about. Toothless rolled him onto his back hoping to wake him up. Hiccup screamed in his sleep, and after a few more convulsions went limp. Toothless put his head slowly down on Hiccup's chest hoping to calm him. The young chief's eyes fluttered open, and he tried to sit up.

Toothless removed his head, noticing Hiccup's sweaty appearance. The dragon cocked his head and cooed, staring into his rider's fearful eyes. He was breathing hard, and he glanced nervously around the room a few times. His hair clung to his sweaty forehead, and he shivered from fear, not cold. He pulled a fur closer around his shoulders, and drew in a shaky breath. "I'm...okay,” he whispered, looking at his dragon. "Thanks for waking me up. Just go back to sleep now."

But Toothless wasn't about to "just go back to sleep". He walked around the other side of the bed, and climbed on top of it, crowding Hiccup out. "Hey," Hiccup scolded. "Stop!" But he didn't.

When Hiccup was completely out his bed, Toothless walked back over to his corner, lay down, and lifted his wing, offering him a warm spot to sleep. Hiccup took it gratefully, and curled up next to his dragon, waiting for sleep to come. Toothless wrapped his wing around him carefully, trying to make him as comfortable as possible. He waited until Hiccup's steady breathing told the dragon he was asleep before the beast fell asleep himself, but was woken when the young man under his wings began to thrash again. Toothless shook him gently, trying to repeat what he had done last time.

"No, no! Please Toothless, don't hurt him!" Hiccup thrashed harder. Toothless stood up and nudged him with his nose. "Dad, no! No! Dad!" Toothless tried again to wake him. He gave a few quick, sharp barks. Toothless lay down next to him, and gathered him into his chest. He held Hiccup close to him, using his wings to keep him from thrashing. He finally quieted and began sleeping peacefully again, but Toothless stayed awake for the rest of the night, and watched over him carefully.

. . .

Hiccup woke to the chirping of birds, and feeling warm and comfortable, he didn't want to get up. He couldn't afford to sleep in again, so he opened his eyes and caught sight of the morning light streaming through his window. He shifted underneath his blankets, and then realized he wasn't actually under them. He was under Toothless' wing. Why wasn't he in his bed? Then he remembered the terrifying dreams he'd had the night before. He thought how he'd had to relive his father's death, and how Lise had been stalking him. He shuddered at the memory, and Toothless jerked his head up and looked at him, checking to see if he was dreaming again.

"I'm alright bud," Hiccup reassured the dragon. "Thanks to you, anyway. Can you let me up? I've got a lot of work to do." Toothless released him, and cooed while looking him over. He dressed and headed down for breakfast, but was surprised to find nothing prepared. His mother may be an awful cook, but she always had something ready for him. He walked toward his mother's room. The door was open so he stepped inside, and found himself in a rather awkward situation.

Valka sat on the edge of her bed, sobbing harder than Hiccup had ever seen. Cloudjumper sat on the floor next to her trying to comfort her. Hiccup didn't have the heart to leave her so he took a few more steps toward her. "Mom? Are you okay?” he asked in a concerned tone. She looked up slowly, her eyes swollen and red.

"I'm fine,” she answered, wiping her eyes.

"You don't look fine to me.” he sat down next to her.

"Really, I'm alright."

"Mom, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just... I need to be alone for a little."

"Okay," Hiccup said, not sure if he should leave her. If she wanted time alone, he wasn't going to be the one who denied it to her. He got up and left, grabbed some food, and headed out. He milled around here and there, talked to a few people, and stopped a few fights--a pretty normal day. No one had caught sight of a girl on a Night Fury, or enemy warships. Everyone one was surprised to see Toothless back and everyone wondered why Lise hadn't kept him. Morning turned to afternoon, and then afternoon to evening. No sign of Drago or his men was seen. When Hiccup returned home that night, he found his mom and Cloudjumper gone. He asked around the village, but no one had seen them. He finally managed to get some luck with Astrid.

"Astrid! Wait up!” he called after her. "Have you seen my mom?” he asked when he reached her.

 "Yeah,” she replied, "I saw her flying up to the cliffs not too long ago. Something wrong?"

 "No,” he answered, "I just need to talk with her. I found her crying this morning, and I just wanted to check on her."

 "Your mom was crying?” she queried.

"Yeah, weird right?"

He was about to leave when she grabbed his arm and said; "Hiccup, are you okay?” he stood there wondering what she meant.

"Do I really look that awful?” he said with a smile.

"No, I mean...emotionally."

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"No really, you've been under a lot of stress lately. You're not your normal self."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Yes, you do. I heard what was going on at your house the night we got back."

"You did?"

"Yes. Look I know how hard this whole chief thing is on you. I'm here if you need to talk."

Hiccup stared at her. She'd heard his breakdown? Ug, it didn't get much more embarrassing. He could feel his cheeks burning. "Astrid, don't breathe a word about what happened two nights ago. Please.” he begged. If the village knew, it would make him look terrible.

"Hey, I'm not telling anybody. I just thought I should tell you I knew... It's okay, Hiccup. Everybody has an emotional breakdown once in a while. Even me… Don't breath a word about that either, but out of anyone you have the right to have a good cry."

Hiccup smiled, knowing he could trust Astrid to keep his secret. "Thanks,” he said, I'm off to find my mom."

Chapter Text

The sun had set by the time he found Toothless, who was down at the fishing docks, begging for scraps. He set off to find his mother, and searched the cliffs thoroughly before moving on. He noticed light from inside his house and figured she must have gone home. He hopped off Toothless, and was about to go inside, when an arrow whizzed past his head. He whirled around, but there was no one there. The word "Phantom" popped into his head immediately. He picked up the arrow on the ground. It was definitely one of Lise's.

"Hello?” he said aloud. No answer. He heard a stick crack behind his neighbor's shed. He walked behind it expecting to find her there, but again, there was no one. He turned to leave, planning to alert the sentry. He suddenly felt a strip of cloth being crammed into his mouth then tied so tight he couldn't speak. Lise grabbed his arm and forced him onto Comet's back, climbed in front of him, and took off. He tried to call for help, but the gag prevented him from doing so. By the time he wrestled it off, they were too far away from village for them to hear him.

"What are you doing?!” he shouted at Lise.

"I'm kidnapping you,” she said casually, like it was something she did every day. "Oh wait,” she continued, "I'm not kidnapping you, I'm mannapping you."

Oh, that's comforting, he thought to himself. He then noticed what they were flying over. It was a small island full of under ground caves. There was his chance to escape! He could glide down there with his flight suit and hide in one of them, until Lise either gave up looking for him, or he could sneak back to Berk.

He jumped off Comet's back, and dove toward the rocks. He could just make it. But as the hope of escape had crossed his mind, it was snatched away when Comet grabbed hold of his foot. She pulled up and flew higher, destroying all chance of escape. "Let me go!" Hiccup shouted, expecting her to snap back with a cruel insult.

"Hiccup, you have to trust me.” she caught him by surprise.

"How do you expect me to do that? After all, you did try to kill me, Astrid, and Toothless."

"Look, I know it's hard, but if you will just trust me, I'll-"

"Would you just get to the point?"

"I can't, you wouldn't understand. You just have to trust me."

"Alright, but don't make me regret this."

Lise extended her hand and pulled him up on the dragon's back. He could have sworn she smiled kindly at him, but it was very unlike her to do that.

They reached her island sooner than he expected, and instead of heading for the prison, she turned and flew toward a cave. They flew into the entrance, and Lise jumped off, motioning for Hiccup to do the same. She led him deeper into the cave, with Comet following close behind, lighting the torches mounted on the wall. They came to a small room-like cavern, and Lise sat down on a rock. "Sit anywhere you want,” she said, gesturing to the other boulders.

"So, why exactly did you bring me here?” he asked, somewhat nervously.

"Firstly, to apologize.” she replied. Hiccup looked up in surprise. That was not what he was expecting. "The Lise you saw, that wasn't the real me. I don't know what got into me. I was acting. I would never kill another human being, well, an innocent one. As for killing dragons, I don't think I'm physiologically able. But secondly I brought you here to tell you who I really am."

"Um...you're Lise."

"No, I'm not. That's not even my name."

"Then...what is?"

"Cabella."

"You're Cabella?!" Hiccup was really intrigued now. "Would you mind explaining to me what my mother has against you?” she looked at him surprised.

"Haven’t you ever heard of me?"

He shook his head no. "Should I have?"

"Okay, I guess I'll have to give you the long version, or what I know of the long version. I was born on the the island of Berk. When I was just a few days old, I was banished, though I'm not really sure why. The chief at that time was Stoick the Vast. My father begged Belka to go with me, knowing how savage Outcast Island was. She agreed, and we were put on a ship and told that if we ever came back, they'd kill us. There were a few other men on board, so we weren't alone. Apparently my father convinced them to go too. Anyway, we were blown off course, and attacked by some enemy of Berk. They took all the men, but left me and Belka. We shipwrecked on our island, and I've never left until now."

"I still have no idea who you are." Hiccup was now more confused than ever.

"Urg!" Cabella was obviously irritated by him. "I was hoping you'd pick up on this. Apparently you have been told absolutely nothing about me. My mother was somehow killed, and my father...your father...” she seemed to be trying to figure out how to tell him something. It suddenly dawned on Hiccup.

"Oh,” he said, "My father killed your father?” she stared at him. Her eyes were killing him, they were so beautiful. They made something in the pit of his stomach stir, something in the back of his memory jump.

"No, Hiccup,” she said lowering her voice, "You're father didn't kill my father...he is my father."

Chapter Text

Hiccup stared at her stupidly. Had she actually just said what he heard? "But...” he stuttered, "…but my mom was carried off by dragons when I was a baby! It doesn't add up! You're younger than me! By three... four years! And we look nothing alike! I mean, that really has nothing to do with it, but...how is that even possible?” he was so confused and shocked that he wasn't even sure what he was saying made sense.

"I don't know how it works either, but I read the record paper. It said my father's name was Stoick the Vast and my mother's name was Valka."

"Wait!” he said, even more confused. "How did you read the record paper? Everything was scribbled out."

Cabella laughed. "Easy. I was the one who scribbled everything out."

"You were in my house?"

"Yep."

"How did you get in? Cloudjumper was right in front of the door!"

"Oh, Stormcutter's are big sweethearts. You just give them a few quick pats, and they'll be your friend for life."

"So you sneaked into my house, read the record paper... How did you leave?"

"I went out the back door."

The back door had been open. Hiccup knew she was a least telling the truth about that. But his sister? That didn't seem very likely. Wouldn't his father have mentioned her once or twice? Wouldn't the other Vikings talk about her? No, her being his sister was too farfetched. Then he remembered his mother's reaction to the record paper. Maybe there was some truth to Cabella's story. But why wouldn't Valka just tell him who she was?

Hiccup was confused, shocked, excited, and suspicious all the same time. He kept trying to see a piece of himself in Cabella, but he just didn't know her well enough. "I just don't get how it fits together." Hiccup shook his head, bewildered.

"Well, c'mon." Cabella said suddenly.

"Why?"

"You don't want to sleep in a cave all night, do you?"

"No, but-"

"So c'mon, already."

She led him back to the mouth of the cave, gestured for him to hop on Comet's back, and took off headed for the prison. Instead of dropping him off in a cell, she landed in front of a small shed-like house. He climbed off, and watched as she made her way to the door, and began fiddling with a large panel of moving squares. Hiccup watched intently, wondering what she was doing.

Suddenly a wolf came out of nowhere snarling viciously. It tackled Hiccup to the ground snapping at his neck.  "Help!” he shouted frantically.

Cabella whirled around, grabbed the wolf around its neck, and pulled it away from him. "Ahimra! How many times have I told you not to do that? Now you get in the house RIGHT NOW!" The wolf tucked its tail and cowered back before retreating in to the shack. "Sorry,” she said, turning to Hiccup, "She’s not used to strangers.” she extended her hand to help him up. He was still rather shaken from what had just happened.

"How did you do that?” he asked nervously.

 "Uh, you train dragons. Training wolves shouldn't be too much for you to get your head around.” she said as she walked toward the now open door. The space inside was small, and he wondered how they lived in such a tiny room. Cabella walked over to a book shelf, and pushed it to one side revealing a lever behind it. She proceeded to flip it down, and Hiccup watch amazed as the floor opened up and a staircase appeared. He stood gaping at it, and Cabella laughed. "Didn't see that one coming did you?"

He followed her down the stairs, and after a while he wondered just how far they went. Finally he saw light ahead of him, and the tunnel they were in opened up to a gigantic room. It was lit by troughs of oil, which burned brightly. He gazed down, seeing a floor beneath him, at least two hundred feet down. Weapons plastered the walls, Astrid would love this place. Ropes hung from the ceiling, attached by pulleys, which were apparently used for getting to the different balconies that were mounted on the wall. "Like it?" Cabella asked, grinning at him.

"Are you kidding?” he shouted. "This is awesome!"

She handed him a rope before swinging off the ledge with her own. She grabbed the next one working her way across the vast expanse of room. When she reached a balcony, she stepped on a large board which turned out to be a large elevator. She lowered herself down to the next level, and then looked back up at him. "Are you coming or not?” she hollered. He followed her example and swung across the room finding it much harder than he had expected.

"You make it look so easy," Hiccup told her when he finally reached her.

She laughed again. "You'll get the hang of it once you do it for thirteen years!"

Cabella motioned for him to follow her as she headed down another flight of stairs. He was finally on solid ground. She led him down a tunnel, and passed door after door after door.

"What's in all those rooms?” he asked.

 "Oh, lots of stuff,” she replied, "a couple of strange contraptions, a bunch of old clothes, a few dead bodies-"

"Dead bodies!?"

"Yeah, you got a problem with that?"

"You don't?"

"Nah, I kinda got used to the idea of living in a tomb."

"This is a tomb?"

"Yep, it's a mass grave. Whoever lived here before us buried their leaders here. It's a little creepy at times, but it's also kinda fun."

"Fun? How is it fun? It doesn't worry you one bit that you live in a graveyard?"

"Nope. And the fun is in all the booby traps in here. Death around every corner."

Hiccup had never felt more uncomfortable in his life. Yep, Cabella was a lunatic, and she lived in a tomb with ‘death around every corner.’ Sleeping in a cave was starting to sound good, but he did have to admit her tomb-house was pretty cool. Minus the dead people and the life-threatening booby traps, it might be kind of fun to live there.

Chapter Text

Hiccup noticed each door had a square with about eight sliding panels on it. When he asked what they were, Cabella walked over to one and began moving them around which caused the door to open. "They're basically the door handle,” she explained.

He then noticed there were no knobs on the doors. He was about to ask what the combination was, then realized what a stupid question that would be. Why on earth would she tell him?

She began to explain all the passages and hall that led throughout her home as she guided him through the maze of tunnels. "How do you not get lost?” he asked, astonished that she could remember where everything was. She laughed again. "Do you get lost in your house?” she said, turning the question around.

"No, of course not. I've lived there since I was a baby.” he suddenly realized he'd just answered his own question. She continued on her tour, and they eventually turned up in the large room they'd started in. Hiccup caught sight of the wolf and dragon lying next to the fire, apparently asleep. Much to his dismay, Cabella walked over and stroked Ahimra’s head to awaken her.

" 'Himra, girl…wake up,” she whispered. The wolf sat up, stretched and yawned before turning back to the girl, tail waging. "Ahimra, I want you to meet Hiccup, nicely. The wolf just wined, and pawed at Cabella's knee begging for attention. She placed her hand on the wolf's head and it moved along beside her obediently. Hiccup nervously watched them approach, wondering why the wolf hadn't charged at him yet. "Hiccup, put out your hand and let her sniff it.” he cautiously did so; silently praying she wouldn't bite his hand off. But Ahimra didn't seem to notice it. Only when Cabella guided her snout towards it did she perk up her ears and stretch out her neck to smell him.

Her tail waged slightly, and she took another step toward him. In response he stepped back, keeping himself a good distance from her.

 "She won't hurt you," Cabella said, noticing his uneasiness. "Not now, anyway.” she added, obviously referring to the earlier incident.

The wolf gently pressed her nose into Hiccup's palm. He rubbed his hand on her head a few times before moving to her back. Ahimra rolled over; exposing her underside for belly rubs. She really was sweet once you got to know her.

All of a sudden the wolf sneezed, and Cabella burst into giggles. "She always does that,” she laughed.

Ahimra jumped up and bowed down on her front paws, ready to play. She began tearing around the room, jumping on the furniture and crashing into everything. "Careful! 'Himra, careful!" Cabella shouted over all the noise. The wolf slowed her pace, though still trotting up and down the room seemingly disoriented. "Ahimra, careful. Stop." The wolf stopped, and listened closely. "Ahimra, slow-right, come.", continued Cabella.  The wolf slowly turned to the right and walked forward. "Left." Ahimra listened attentively to all of Cabella's commands, and finally reached them. Cabella began to stroke the wolf, checking her for injury.

"Why couldn't you just call her over?" Hiccup asked, wondering what the other commands were for.

 "See how her eyes look like marbles?" Cabella began, and he nodded. "That's because she's totally blind in one eye, and almost completely blind in the other. She can't survive on her own, so I take care of her."

No wonder she had needed so many commands. She couldn't tell where she was going. "Just how blind is she?” he asked, feeling sorry for the wolf.

"I'm not sure," Cabella answered, "Blind enough not to see the tree right in front of her. But that's okay, right 'Himra? As long as you listen you don't crash into stuff, do ya?” she wrestled the wolf with her hand, and Ahimra rolled around on the floor, growling playfully.

Hiccup watched her, noticing how lovingly she played with the animal. It didn't seem like her. He had always seen the fierce, terrifying, hostile side of her. She was so wild--so ferocious. Now she was sprawled on the ground with a wolf in her lap, stroking its head with the utmost care. Hiccup suddenly realized she had a gentle side, and was truly loving, caring, and kind. He saw in her the same spirit as his mother, willing to protect what she loved with her very life.

The corner of his mouth curled into a smile, and he knelt to pet the wolf. She turned and sniffed him, making sure she knew who he was. After doing so she jumped up and began to vigorously lick his face. "Aw, she likes you!" Cabella chuckled. At first it was cute, but after Hiccup's face was completely covered in slobber, it was not so adorable.

"Okay, Ahimra! I love you too, but that's enough!” he thought that wolf slobber was nasty enough, but Comet decided she was going to get in on the licking fest. She slurped her tongue up the back of Hiccup's head, leaving him literally dripping with saliva. "Gross,” he muttered, trying to work his way out of the situation. Comet must have thought he tasted good because she kept on slobbering his face. "Comet, get off me! That's disgusting!” he tried to push her away, but she was just as bad as Toothless. The dragon was obviously having fun covering him in the drippy, clear liquid.  "Would you-ow-stop! Comet that's so- ohhhhhhhhh!" Comet stepped down on his stomach, hard. "Li...Cabella, tell your dragon to knock it off!"

But try as she might, Cabella couldn't. She was laughing too hard. Comet finally ceased to lick him, and waited for him to get up. He stood up and tried to wipe himself off. "You got anything I can wash off with?” he asked Cabella, somewhat shyly.

She managed to get herself under control long enough to answer. "Yeah, but I think your gonna need more than just a little 'washing off'."

She led him to one of the rooms. "You can sleep here tonight,” she told him. "And, I'll wash your clothes if you want. Comet doesn't really grasp the concept of 'stop' yet.” she pulled a few extra furs down off a shelf, and placed them on the bed.

"I think my clothes are fine,” he answered. "I might end up smelling, though."

She returned his smile. "Let me get you some soap and water,” she offered. "At least you can clean up a little.” she left him alone in his room, and he took his time looking over the furniture. It was all intricately carved, every one different. He was examining the design on the headboard of his bed when Cabella returned.

"Here,” she said, setting everything down on the desk, "I brought water, soap, a few extra furs...oh, and some oil for that leather." Hiccup sat stunned. She was really being nice to him--almost too nice. He wondered if it was a big trap, and she was just luring him in.

"Thanks,” he said, trying to seem friendly. He had learned his lesson years ago about trusting strangers.

Cabella turned to leave then stopped.  "Did you have any dinner? I can make you something if you're hungry." Hiccup immediately shook his head no. He was very hungry, but was not about to eat anything Cabella made. He didn't trust her by any standards enough to do that. "Okay,” she said with a shrug, "Suit yourself. Sleep well." And with that she was gone.

Hiccup washed the dragon spit out off his hair, feeling oddly fastidious. He couldn't stand the sliminess on him. He rubbed the oil on his flight suit, trying to remember how his mother did it. He laid his things out to dry, and feel asleep quickly. And for the first time in months, he slept through the night without any bad dreams.

Chapter Text

Valka was worried when her son didn't come home at his usual time. Perhaps he's up at the Great Hall, she told herself, or out flying on Toothless. There's no need to worry. But she did worry, especially when Toothless came home without him. Of all the times she wished she spoke dragon, this was one of the most important. If only she could ask Toothless where he was. She tried to go to bed, but sleep would not come so she left to find Hiccup.

First she checked the Great Hall, but found only Gobber and Grump, who had fallen asleep. She then checked the cliffs, Hiccup's favorite spot, but he wasn't there either. In desperation she rushed to the Hofferson home, praying Hiccup was talking with Astrid. She knocked firmly on the door, and Astrid answered. "Oh, hello-"

 Valka cut her off. "Astrid, is Hiccup here?"

"Uh, no. He was looking for you, though."

"When did you last see him?"

"Before dinner. He asked me if I'd seen you, and I told him you'd flown up to the cliffs. He might be there."

"I was just there. If you see him, please tell me."

Astrid nodded, and closed the door, leaving Valka no closer than she had been before. She checked with everyone on the island, and no one had seen him since sunset. As word went around that the Chief was missing, people began to gather in the Great Hall. "What's going on?" someone yelled. "Where's the Chief?" shouted another. "What if he's been captured? Who's the acting Chief?"

"I am!" Snotlout yelled.

"Oh, I hope not." Gobber muttered.

"SILENCE!" Valka bellowed. "Everyone be quiet! Now, one at a time, tell me exactly when and where you last saw Hiccup."

A man stepped forward. "I was headed inside, and I saw him going home. It was about dusk." And that was how it went. Dusk, twilight, sunset, before supper, on his way home, headed in for the night... everyone said the same thing.

It was complete chaos and confusion until Astrid burst through the door shouting "Valka! I know what happened! He's been taken! By Lise!" Astrid stopped to catch her breath.

"Slow down!" Valka rushed to her. "How do you know?"

"I found...this.” she handed Valka an arrow with a razor sharp tip and fine white feathers. Intricate carvings covered the shaft, which had an odd green tint, and the leather strips that held the head in place were very colorful. Valka's confused look prodded her to continue.

"This arrow is one of Lise's. I'd recognize them anywhere. I found it on the ground behind the Hideson's shed."

Valka fingered the arrow before calling out, "We need to organize a search party. Eret, I'll need you to have Scullcrusher smell them out."

Eret stepped forward, Scullcrusher at his side. The dragon took a whiff of the arrow, and backed up sneezing. "You alright, boy?" Eret chuckled, patting his neck. The dragon shook its head a few times before smelling the arrow again.

This time he appeared to pick up a scent, and sniffed his way to the door. But instead of going out, he flopped down on the floor and began rolling around, rubbing his snout on the ground. "Scullcrusher?" Eret approached his dragon warily. The dragon bounded over to him, suddenly excited and hyper. He bowed down as if to play, then flew around the room, knocking into things.

Valka noticed all the other dragons in the room were trying to smell the arrow in her hand. A few of Gothi's Terrible Terrors sniffed it and went crazy, shooting flames everywhere. Someone managed to put them outside, but other dragons smelled the arrow as well.

"Whoa!" Tuffnut shouted, running over. "An arrow that makes dragons go crazy when they smell it? Let me try!” he grabbed it before Valka could object, and inhaled deeply. For a few seconds he stood there, and then burst out laughing. "You guys--you look like mushrooms!"

A few people cracked up, but Valka was worried. "Wait, why are there dragons in here?" Tuffnut asked. "We don't keep dragons; we keep octopi. And where's my pet yak? The one mom took to the butcher?" Now everyone was laughing. This was funnier than when he had Eel Pox, and that had been funny. (He had been convinced he was some genius and kept conducting weird experiments.)

Valka retrieved the arrow and set it down on a table, and noticed that a greenish powder had rubbed off on her fingers. "Fishlegs!” she called. "Is there any substance that makes dragons behave like this?"

Fishlegs waddled over with a book in hand. After a few minutes of searching, he shook his head. "Nope, nothing."

 Valka stood. "I don't know what's gotten into the dragons, but at this rate we'll have to search by boat. Gobber! Organize a search party ship! I'll need some recruits to come with me! Eret, you know your way around on a ship better than any of us, you're with Gobber! If you don't go with me or Gobber, you'll be searching the woods inland!" No one remembered Valka ever taking command like that before, but they didn't question her authority.

If their dragon was still mentally stable, they joined Valka in a search on nearby islands. The boats were loaded with provisions and set sail for Lise's island. Astrid led them on Stormfly, but a fierce storm buffeted the ship.  Eret insisted they turn around.  "I'll not risk this ship and everyone on it,” he shouted above the wind. "That island is cursed, and the girl must have some power. Why else do you think this storm has come up?"

Everyone met back in the Great Hall to regroup. No one had even come close to finding Hiccup. Astrid couldn't remember how to get to Lise's island, and none of the Rumblehorns could smell the arrow without going crazy. Valka was on the verge of hysteria, and the other Vikings were worried sick. As the wee hours of morning dawned, the only ones who were still awake were the sentry and Valka. Astrid had tried to stay up with them, but had fallen asleep at a table in the Great Hall. No one could figure out where Hiccup had been taken. The townspeople fearfully waited for an attack, sure that Lise worked for Drago.

Chapter Text

"Hiccup. Hey, sleepy head, wake up." Someone was gently shaking him awake, but he didn't want to get up. Sleep felt like a heavy, old blanket: warm and comfortable.  The shaking continued. He finally opened his eyes, and sat up quickly when he saw Cabella standing there. "C'mon, you can't sleep in all day. Breakfast in ten minutes, hurry up.” she left the room and closed the door behind her.

He reluctantly got out of bed, stretched and began putting on his armor. He wished he had a clean tunic to put on. The one he was wearing was dirty, and it made him feel grimy.

He wandered out into the hall, wondering what to do next. A delicious smell wafted through the air, and it made his stomach growl. He walked toward the large room following his nose. Cabella was working in a little alcove cooking something. She saw him and grabbed a plate of food then handed it to him. He didn't know what it was, but it smelled so good he couldn't help but put some in his mouth. He looked up in surprise. "Wow,” he said with his mouth full of food, "This is good! What is it?"

Cabella shrugged. "It doesn't really have a name, but it's made from bread fried in eggs, and some cinnamon sprinkled on top. Belka's recipe." Hiccup missed most of what she said; he was too busy stuffing his face with food.

"Comet…breakfast…" Cabella bellowed. "I made your favorite!" The dragon poked her head inside the kitchen. "Okay,” her rider began, "You can only have it if you get everything right. Ready?" Comet was so excited she could barely contain herself.

"Sit. Lay down. Roll over. Battle stance. Wing raise. Plasma blast." Cabella shot commands at the dragon so quickly it was hard for Hiccup to believe Comet could actually respond. "You're getting good! I'm gonna have to make this more complicated. Here, you earned it." Cabella tossed her a fish. "And since I feel especially generous today..." Cabella pulled an axe off the wall, broke off the handle, and tossed the axe head to Comet, who swallowed it in one gulp.

"You do know dragons aren't really supposed to eat metal, right?" Hiccup questioned, wondered why anyone would feed a dragon an axe.

"Yep, but you don't know Comet.” she quipped with a knowing glance.  "Alright, let's get moving," Cabella said, pulling on a coat and some gloves. "Here,” she handed him a pair and a coat. "Trust me, you're gonna want these.” he took them curiously, wondering  what they were for. He pulled them on and followed her out the door. She headed down a well worn path, Ahimra and Comet never straying far.

"So,” she began, "Seeing that we've never met one another before now, and we're, well...you know...siblings, maybe we should introduce ourselves properly." Hiccup nodded, but he still didn't quite believe her story yet. "You don't trust me, do you?" Cabella  inquired, suddenly stopping and looking at him hard.

 "Well...I...you did kind of, um, interrogate us and throws us in a dungeon and it's a little weird having someone I've never met tell me they're my sister." There. He'd said it. He didn't trust her. At least he had a good reason.

"I don't blame you. I wouldn't trust me either. I'll go first if it makes you feel better."

He shrugged. It probably wouldn't make much of a difference.

"Well,” she began, continuing to walk through the trees. "I'm seventeen, and I've lived on this island my whole life. I love archery. I kind of like to cook. And, I've been practicing the art of escaping since I was five. I love dragons; I trained my first one when I was three. Well, maybe trained isn't the best word usage. Befriended...that works. I've mapped this entire island and everything north of it."

"You chart maps?!"

"Yeah, sort of. It's really just something I do to pass the time.

"Cool. Me and Toothless have been charting what's north of us. I can't believe we didn't find you. I could have sworn we came this far."

"You probably did, but this is sort of a deserted fire pit that nobody wants to visit. Everyone thinks this island is volcanic, so they think nothing grows. Since they think there's no food, they avoid it. Get the picture?" Hiccup nodded. "Anyway," Cabella continued, "Belka was a dancer, so I kind of got stuck with learning that. I don't mind. It's fun, but so is riding dragons. That's a lot more fun! I feel so free, like nothing can stop me-- as if the world is mine to explore. The sky is so vast, and I can fly as far as I want. It's the most incredible feeling. The wind in my hair, the clouds at my fingertips...” she ran ahead a little, stuck her arms out wide, spun a few times, and then continued down the trail walking backward until Hiccup caught up.  Maybe we have something in common, Hiccup thought to himself. "So what about you?" Cabella asked.

"I'm pretty boring,” he replied, trying to think of anything interesting about himself.

"You're one of twenty six people I've properly met in my life. It doesn't matter what you say, I'll still think it's interesting."

"Well...” he began, wondering where to start. "I'm twenty; I'll be twenty one in a couple months, and I've lived on Berk my whole life. I'm technically a blacksmith, but I only make saddles now. I already told you I chart maps...um... I was the first Berkian to train a dragon, and for the longest time I was the worst Viking ever. I have a cousin named Snotlout, who--don't tell him I said this--is the most obnoxious relative I could ever dream of. I found my...our long lost mother a few months ago. Um... there's not that much else about me, other than the fact that I hate turnips." Cabella laughed at the last comment.  Hiccup laughed along with her. He was starting to warm up to her, but he couldn't let his guard down.

 "Well, that's not everything about you,” she said.

"What?"

"Your leg. I mean, the one that isn't there. That is, if you don't mind talking about it."

"Oh, that. No it's fine, I don't mind. Most of the time I forget it's not there."

He leaned against a tree, detached the prosthetic, and handed it to her. As soon he did, he realized it was a mistake. She could run off with it and leave him there, or break it, or hurt him and he'd have no way of escaping. But she didn't. She just looked it over, fiddled with it for a minute, and gave it back.

Hiccup was surprised. Oh chill out, he chided himself. You can trust her. But he didn't. He couldn't. He put the prosthetic back on, and started walking again.

"I lost my leg when we were still fighting dragons. Well, fighting the Red Death at least. My dad...” he stopped. His dad...it kind of hurt to mention him. Not because he was gone, but because he had never felt his dad was really “dad”. He was chief--nothing more, nothing less. Chief…not dad. Hiccup swallowed the lump in his throat and went on. "Stoick thought he could take the nest, but he had never seen what was there. That was the worst day of my life. I got disowned, lost my dragon, and almost lost my life."  Quit stalling, his brain prodded. Just tell her the stupid story already. "Why don't I just start at the beginning?"

"Maybe you should."

Chapter Text

Toothless shot the plasma blast down the monstrous dragon's throat. The Red Death swallowed it, and in a few short moments it had burst into flames. Hiccup glanced back at Toothless' tail. The leather had burnt off. It wasn't going to work. "Stay with me, buddy. We're good. Just a little bit longer," Hiccup encouraged.

They raced just ahead of the wall of fire, which was just inches behind them. They pressed steadily on. "Hold, Toothless." The dragon flapped its wings harder. Suddenly, the great ball like tail of the massive beast swung up, and the dragon and rider were hit with the impact of a thousand waterfalls.

It knocked Hiccup off, and Toothless, though unable to fly, doubled back for him. Hiccup knew this was his end. Toothless would never catch him. The heat was blistering his skin, and the flames tried to consume him. Suddenly, excruciating, torturous pain seared up and down his left leg. He felt Toothless' wings wrap around him, and knew no more.

The smoke began to clear, and Stoick scanned the area for his son. "Hiccup?” he called, "Hiccup!" There was no answer. "Son!” he caught sight of the beast Hiccup called "Toothless". Hiccup had loved that dragon. Stoick approached it slowly. There was no telling what the unholy offspring of lightning and death would do. He knelt in front of it; this was the only thing that was left of Hiccup.

"Oh, son,” he grieved, "I did this."

The beast opened its cat like eyes, and looked at the man before him; then remembering who he was, the dragon opened his wings, revealing Hiccup, who was clutched within his grasp.

"Hiccup!" Stoick cried, grabbing his son. He pulled off his helmet, and pressed his ear against the boy's chest. "He's alive!" the man exclaimed. "You brought him back alive!" Stoick placed a hand on the beast's head. "Thank you…for saving my son."

 Gobber came up behind them. "Well, you know, most of him,” he gestured to Hiccup's left leg. Stoick held Hiccup closer. "Stoick, you know what has to be done. That leg has got to come off." Stoick nodded, tears clouded his vision. He could see that when the beast had grabbed hold of Hiccup's leg, the teeth had punctured it severely. The limb now hung lifelessly, blood staining his boot.

"Find a healer." Stoick ordered.

 A few people bustled around, and soon a woman came forward.

"Let me see him.” she outstretched her arms for the boy. Stoick reluctantly passed him over and the healer immediately took hold of the leg and examined the wound. With a quick yank she pulled the boot off, tossing it to one side. "These bites are deep. The leg can't be saved." the healer finally stated flatly.

 "Isn't there something you can do?" Stoick pleaded.

"I'm doing it. He can't keep both his leg and his life,” she told him. "I'm going to need a place to operate. Preferably enclosed. This isn't going to be pretty."

Stoick pulled his son back into his lap. Hiccup was so small, so frail--he couldn't possibly survive such a procedure. Gobber, noticing Stoick's reaction, shouted at the top of his lungs: "Alright, you heard the woman, get busy! An enclosed space. NOW!" The blacksmith gave Stoick a comforting pat on his shoulder. "Stay with Hiccup,” he told the boy's father, "I can get everything ready for you." Stoick gave him a nod of thanks.

A tent was assembled in the center of the rubble, and the healer prepared her instruments. "Stoick," Gobber called, "They're ready. Bring him in." It was the hardest thing Stoick would ever do. Carrying his boy to a place filled with pain and torture, and yet, he had no choice.

 "Just don't wake up,” he whispered to his son, while laying him down on the table. You won't feel it if you stay unconscious. Please Hiccup, please don't wake up.

 The healer entered carrying a blindfold, and told Stoick to put it on his son. "Sometimes it helps them to not know what's causing the pain. Less traumatic that way,” she explained.

The noise of Gobber arguing with someone filled Stoick's ears, and he turned to see who it was. Astrid stood in the door way, demanding to be let in. "Oh, I can handle a little screaming,” she reasoned firmly.

"It's not just ‘a little screaming’," Gobber retorted."It's screaming and wailing and insane fighting. It takes guts to watch something like this."

"I don't want to watch. I want to be here for moral support."

"You kind of have to watch. Moral support includes watching Hiccup, and believe me, that will be enough to make you scream."

"If Hiccup can survive living it, than I can survive watching it."

"The image of what goes on in here will stay with you for the rest of your life."

"So I won't look. I'll keep my eyes closed if that's what you're worried about."

Stoick stood and walked over to them. "You sure you have a strong enough stomach Astrid?” he asked. She nodded, stealing a glance at Hiccup. "Fine," Stoick answered, "but don't be afraid to leave." The girl reminded him of someone vaguely, someone he would forever try to forget. The thought of her tore at his heart, he was the reason she was not here. He was the reason Hiccup lived his life alone. Maybe Astrid could take her place.

She strode over to Hiccup, took his limp hand in her own, and whispered in his ear: "I'm not going to leave. I promise. I'll be here the whole time."

Stoick and Gobber positioned themselves to where they were able to hold the boy down. Gobber held his legs, while Stoick pinned his arms and shoulders to the table. Hiccup hadn't woken yet. Please don't wake up, Stoick prayed silently. The healer raised the knife, and looked to Stoick for approval. The chief nodded, tears welling in his eyes.

In a short, swift movement the blade came down. Hiccup arched his back and screamed in agony, and Stoick's hope of his son not feeling the pain was dashed. The boy's grip tightened on Astrid's hand, and Gobber had all he could do to keep his legs from flailing. "Stop!" Hiccup screamed through tears. "It hurts!"

Astrid grabbed his face and put her mouth next to his ear. "It'll be alright Hiccup. I promise. It'll be over soon. I know it hurts. Just don't think about the pain.” she continued to speak in a soothing tone, almost more to calm herself than Hiccup. He recognized her voice. "Astrid, make it stop! It's hurting me!” he cried, writhing in pain.

"I can't. They have to take your leg off. It'll get infected if they don't and then you'll die."

"I'd rather die! Make them stop! Please!"

Astrid cupped his head in her hands. Every scream broke her heart, and she had all she could do not to tell the healer to stop. Maybe Gobber had been right. Maybe she didn't want to see it. But she couldn't leave. She'd promised Hiccup she wouldn't. She wasn't going back on her promise.

"Almost finished," the healer panted.

"It's almost over, Hiccup" Astrid reassured. "Just a little longer."

Hiccup screamed again, tears and sweat dripping down his cheeks. "PLEASE STOP!!!” he shrieked, trying to fight his way out.

The pure pleading in his voice brought Astrid to tears. The healer was bandaging up the stump. Hiccup's breathing was ragged, and he offered a few halfhearted cries before sinking back into unconsciousness.

"Done." The healer straightened, and carried a blood-soaked bundle out of the tent. Stoick immediately gathered the boy into his lap.

"I'm so sorry, Hiccup. It's over now. I promise, it's all over." The man's voice cracked with emotion.

Astrid left the tent, in a shock-like state. Why, oh why had she wanted to go in? It was horrible. Even now Hiccup's screams echoed in her ears. At least he would live. He would live a forever-changed life.

Chapter Text

"So your leg got amputated?" Cabella asked, looking at him, concerned.

"Yeah, it's okay though. I've got the best prosthesis there is.” he really wanted to get off the subject.

"You do mind talking about it, don't you?” she continued staring at him.

"Well...a little...but-” he stammered.

"It's permanent. I know what it's like--to an extent. I haven't lost a limb, but do have a scar that I absolutely hate."

She brushed her overgrown bangs behind her ear, revealing an old scar. It was only a half inch in length, across her temple; you couldn't even see it from the front. "I got it when I was little; I'm not really sure how, but I hate it."

"I have one on my chin. You're lucky; yours just looks like a scratch."

"A scratch that never goes away."

They continued walking, talking about themselves, and trying to get to know each other. It surprised Hiccup that Cabella was convinced Berk was the most interesting place she'd ever heard about, but then again, it was probably the only place she'd ever heard about. He kept trying to imagine what it would be like to live on an island with one other person. It didn't seem like much fun.

They walked for quite a distance, and Hiccup was glad he had extra layers on. It was freezing. They finally arrived at a beach, and Cabella approached the water's edge. She gave the rolling call, and at the very top of a wave, tiny ripples appeared, and then grew larger as a great white flat body rose up out of the waves. Hiccup gawked in amazement. "What is that thing?” he whispered.

"A Wave Racer. Pretty cool, huh?"

 He watched the stingray-like dragon flap its way onto the shore. It was pretty much a stingray, except it was covered in scales, and it was huge. "Okay, big boy. We're gonna need a nice load of fish today. Got it?" Cabella explained. The huge beast flapped its wing-fins in agreement. It slithered back down into the water, and disappeared without a sound.

Hiccup was busily sketching in his notebook. "Is that a Tidal class dragon?” he asked without looking up.

"Yep. Now c'mon, we've got a lot of land to cover." Cabella gestured towards the woods. "Ever seen a Squiggleburn?"

"I don't think so, but it sounds a lot like Fireworm."

"They're cousins of the Fireworm. At first I thought they were Fireworms. Turns out they're not.” she rounded a corner and walked toward a pit of bubbling lava. Around it tiny dragons, about a foot long, squirmed around. Cabella grabbed a metal rod propped up against a rock, and scooped up one of the Squiggleburns. It had two legs in the front, a snake like body, and a wing span of two or three inches. It glowed with heat like a Fireworm, but certainly didn't act like one.

"How do they fly?" Hiccup asked, looking at the lizard-like critter.

 "They don't. The wings act like a parachute. It slows them down when they're falling.” she tipped her stick and let the dragon fall. It flapped its tiny wings so fast Hiccup could hardly see them. It drifted slowly toward the ground. "Not the most interesting dragon,” she said, looking bored.

"Hey, it's a dragon. All dragons have something cool about them."

She gave him an odd look and left the pit, Hiccup trailing behind.

"What's the coolest dragon you've ever seen?” she asked.

"That's a tough one, but I'd have to say Toothless. He never ceases to amaze me."

"How does he amaze you?"

"Well, he defeated the Alpha. For me."

"I see. What do dragons mean to you in general?"

"Oh, everything. They're kind, amazing creatures that can bring people together. I can't imagine what life would be like without them."

"What would you do if someone was mistreating a dragon?"

"Let's just say they won't be doing it again. It made me sick to see what Alvin the Treacherous was doing to his dragons. I made sure they all got freed."

"Have you ever, I emphasize, EVER, killed a dragon?"

"Nope. I'm like you-- physiologically incapable."

Cabella turned and gave him a mysterious smile. "You passed your test."

"What test?"

"The test I just gave you. You passed; you get to see my treasure."

Treasure? Hiccup wondered. What treasure? I didn't know she had a treasure.  He followed the excited Cabella into the woods. "Where are we going?" Hiccup asked, practically chasing her.

 "The Valley of the Dark Things."

Oh, perfect. A spooky name. Spooky names most of the time mean spooky places. It wasn't easy going. There were logs blocking the trail, muddy bogs that were hidden beneath leaves and twigs, and several booby traps. Fortunately, Cabella knew where each of them was, and pointed them out. Unfortunately, she was about three milliseconds to late in doing so. She succeeded in warning Hiccup of the danger just as he was stepping in a bog, or walking into a trap. She finally stopped at the entrance of a cave, completely covered in hanging ivy.

Chapter Text

Cabella brushed them aside and gestured for him to enter a short passageway. Hiccup expected to see a mound of gold and jewels or some old artifact, but he didn't see anything except a peak that overlooked a large valley. He approached the edge and stood stunned for a moment.

"Night Furies!” he whispered, taking the scene in. He stood in shock. There were hundreds of them! And he had doubted there were Night Furies other than Toothless!

"But...” he stared at Cabella. "But I've only seen one Night Fury--Toothless! Why don't these leave?"

"They can't.” she muttered sadly.

"Why?"

"Their wings are clipped. They can't fly."

"Clipped wings? What does that mean?"

"Follow me, I'll show you."

She climbed down the rocky slope, and once at the bottom called "Blaze! C'mon boy!" A large Night Fury popped its head up and lopped toward her. "Hey, boy! What's up?” she gave him a scratch under his chin. She raised a hand above his head, and he pressed his nose into it. Cabella brought her hand down in an arch, and the dragon plopped down on the ground in front of her. Hand over hand; she motioned for him to roll over, kneeling in front of him.

Wow, Hiccup thought, she's pretty good with dragons. Maybe even better than mom. Whether she was better than his mom or not, she certainly understood Night Furies more than he did.

"Look at his wings," Cabella instructed. Hiccup bent to look at the wings, and at first could see nothing unusual. Then he noticed that Blaze's wings appeared to have grown together so that he could not stretch them out.

"Are his wings...?” he began.

"Grown together? Yep. Seven years ago, trappers came to my island. They clipped every Night Fury's wings. They would have killed them, but they were too busy chasing after me. Anyway, what they do is they slit the leading edge of the wing with a knife. What does a dragon do when its wings are hurt?"

"It holds them close to its body until they're completely healed."

"Exactly. How fast does dragon skin heal?"

"Really fast. Faster than most other animals."

"Right again. Because their wings heal so fast, and because they hold them close to their bodies, the wing literally heals so that they can't extend it. The dragon never flies again."

"They clipped every one of their wings?"

"Every one."

Cabella motioned for Blaze to get up. She didn't just use her hand to tell him what to do, she used her whole body. A sudden, ear-piercing screech spilt through the air. Hiccup covered his ears in surprise. "What was that?!” he shouted.

"Furylets. Baby Night Furies." Hiccup's face broke into a smile. He'd always wanted to see a baby Night Fury! He scanned the valley for them, and caught sight of little black balls sleeping next to larger Night Furies. Cabella rolled the call off her tongue and the little black balls popped their heads up and came running, tripping over their own paws. They crowded around Cabella and fought over who got to sit on her lap. They were absolutely adorable. Their heads looked too big for their bodies and their eyes too big for their head. Tiny tail fins matched their tiny wings. A few experimental plasma blasts were shot, but only managed to go a few inches.

"You guys are so cute!" Hiccup knelt to get a better look at them. Thirty sets of large yellow eyes stared at him unblinkingly. Then, in a sudden rush of Furylets, they charged at him excitedly. They tried to jump up and lick his face, fought over his lap, and mauled on his peg leg. One jumped up and chomped his baby teeth down on Hiccup's nose.

"Oh, be forewarned. They like to chew on your nose." Cabella said, without turning around, but once again too late.

"You know, you have a way of warning people a half a second too late."

"It's a gift."

Hiccup continued to pet the Furylets that crowded his lap, wondering what his mom's reaction would be. "So...” he asked casually, "do they have a queen?"

"No."

"So they only have to obey the Alpha?"

"No."

"So what controls them?"

"White Wings."

"What's a White Wings?"

"Not what. Who."

"Who?"

"Who."

Cabella motioned for Hiccup to follow her. She led him through the great patch of Night Furies, and stopped at a mound of snow. Then she gave her call. The mound of snow began to move, and it turned out it wasn't a mound of snow after all. It was a pure white Night Fury, with indigo eyes that glittered.

 Cabella went down on one knee to show respect, just as Valka had done for the Bewilderbeast. Hiccup watched in awe as the dragon pulled itself to its full height, it was larger than most Night Furies. The girl stood and placed her hand on the head of the dragon, then ran it down its neck and across its back. She knew how to maneuver it in such a way so that she could communicate with the beast wordlessly. Yes, she understood dragons more than he did.

"This...is White Wings." Cabella turned to face him. Hiccup couldn't reply. "The king of the Night Furies. Not even the Alpha has control over what White Wings calls his own." White Wings stepped forward and narrowed his eyes at Hiccup. "Kneel," Cabella whispered. Hiccup went down on one knee, avoiding eye contact. He extended his hand and felt the cool skin of the beast at his fingertips. Hiccup slowly stood, never meeting the dragon's stare. He finally glanced up, and was overwhelmed in amazement at the majesty of the creature. The Bewilderbeast was bewildering, but White Wings was breathtaking. He was king, and he knew it. Hiccup stepped back with a short gasp, purely awestruck.

"Wow." Hiccup didn't even have words to express what he was feeling. The sight of the Night Fury was almost unreal.

"It's hard to believe he even exists, isn't it?" Cabella said, reading his mind. Hiccup nodded, unable to tear his eyes away from White Wings. "I know your kind of enjoying Valhalla on earth right now, but there's some other stuff I want to show you.” she interrupted his train of thought.

"Does that mean were going to leave?"

"We can always come back."

"Alright. Fine." Hiccup groused disappointedly.

Cabella scurried back up the rocks as if they were pebbles. Hiccup didn't mention how hard it was; he probably seemed like enough of a wimp already. He was about to enter the short cave after her when he suddenly saw a huge flock of dragons flying toward the valley. They looked a little like Snafflefangs, but they had huge, webbed feet like a pelican's bill that bulged with something. They suddenly dropped a large load of fish into the valley, and the Night Furies gathered to feast.

 "Oh, the Wave Racers catch the fish, and the Waddlepaws bring them to the Valley of the Dark Things. The Night Furies have to eat somehow.” she said, noticing Hiccup's bewildered look.

Chapter Text

Hiccup followed her out of the Night Fury nest, wondering what else she could possibly show him.

"Can I say something that will probably sound weird?” she asked, walking up the path next to him.

"Sure,” he replied.

"When I first met you, I could have sworn I'd seen you before. The only reason I didn't trust you was because you had Scoundrel."

"Who's Scoundrel?"

"Your dragon."

"Um, his name is Toothless."

"That's what you call him. I always called him Scoundrel."

"What do you mean 'always called him'? How long have you known him?"

"Good grief, I've known that rascal since I was three! I trained him before you even knew he existed. He's been missing for six years. I figured you were a trapper and had stolen him. When he told me someone had shot him down, and that it was you, I got so mad I wanted to strangle you. I've spent my whole life trying to keep the Night Furies in the air, and Scoundrel was the only one left who could fly."

"But Comet can fly."

"She doesn't count."

"Why not?"

"She's not a Night Fury."

Hiccup stopped and stared at her. "What do mean she's not a Night Fury!? She looks like a Night Fury to me.” He was really confused now.

"Ah, you'd think that wouldn't you? The truth is she does have some Night Fury in her blood, but that’s not all. There's some Death Breather in her too. I guess she's what you'd call a crossbreed. I had no idea about it until she exceeded the Night Fury shot limit one day."

"I noticed Comet was shooting more than six. So, what is a Death Breather's shot limit?"

"They don't have one."

"They don't have a shot limit?! It's unlimited? That's ridiculous."

"It's true. Crazy, but true. I have seen Comet shoot plasma for three hours straight, and she still wasn't out of fire."

"Night Furies don't have fire."

"No, but Death Breathers do. And a lot of it."

Hiccup glanced at Comet, who looked rather proud of the fact that her rider was talking about her. He smirked; Toothless would be just the same. The thought of Toothless led to the thought of Berk. Before, the thought of Berk would have made him homesick, but right now he found he didn't actually want to leave. He knew everyone on Berk would worry that he'd disappeared again, but he knew he could get back if he needed to. It never crossed his mind that he wouldn't know if he needed to get back.

They presently came to a large rock wall, which Cabella proceeded to climb. Hiccup followed her; suddenly thankful for all the Thawfest races he'd been forced to endure. It was a much easier climb when Snotlout wasn't above him kicking rocks in his face. Yet, even Snotlout probably couldn't have beaten Cabella. She was at the top long before him, and she didn't look even the slightest bit tired. She extended her hand to help him up, and he took it gratefully. However, she yanked him up roughly, not on purpose, but she succeeded in nearly pulling his arm out of its socket. It popped audibly as he tried to push it back into place.

He sighed as Cabella took off down the muddy trail.  He had a hard time keeping up with her because his metal foot kept getting stuck in the muck. Cabella ran over to a tree, and literally swung herself into it. She shimmied up its branches, and shouted: "You comin'?"

"I think I'll stick to walking."

"Let me know how that works out for you."

Hiccup shrugged and kept walking. The ground suddenly fall away from him, and wet, sticky mud engulfed him in an instant. He managed to grab hold of a root just as he fell, and he used it to claw his way out. He tried to spit all the mud out of his mouth, and got most of it off his face.

"You sure you wanna walk?"

Hiccup glanced up to see Cabella dangling from a branch by her knees.

"No, on second thought I'll climb."

"I figured you would."

Hiccup pulled himself into a tree, and climbed after her, the mud on his clothes making it hard to maneuver. The trees grew so close together they could climb across the bog.

After a twenty minute hike up the side of a mountain, Cabella led him toward a river. "I thought you might want to wash off,” she said with a mischievous grin.

He followed her downstream, and the river turned down into a cave. Soon the sound of rushing water filled his ears. He looked at Cabella, confused. Ignoring him, she approached the edge of a cliff. He came up beside her, and found he was standing above a water fall.

"Have a nice bath!” she shouted, suddenly pushing him over the edge.

"AHHHHHHHH!!!!" Hiccup frantically twisted around in the air trying to stop himself. He hit the pond below, and was immersed in... warm water?

He popped his head out of the water just in time to see Cabella diving in after him. She had actually been right; it was warm enough to be bath water. In fact, he probably wouldn't mind swimming in it as long as he didn't have all his gadgets on. He headed for shore, and hoisted himself up onto it.

"You're getting out already?" Cabella called as she swam over to him.

"No. I'm just ditching the stuff that can't go swimming."

He dove back into the water, enjoying the refreshment of it. He came up for air and noticed Cabella climbing back up the cliff.

"What are you doing?” he called up to her.

 "I'm going again." And with that she jumped into the river and allowed herself to fall over the edge. It looked fun, but when she didn't surface, Hiccup got worried. He swam over to the spot where she'd gone under. Something suddenly jerked down on his foot, dragging him beneath the surface. He tried to kick it off, but it held fast. His lungs were screaming for air. He was finally released, and he kicked his way to the top.

After filling his lungs with much needed oxygen, he became aware of someone giggling. He rotated and saw Cabella treading water a few feet away, laughing her head off.

"What?” he asked, confused.

"The look on your face! It's priceless!"

"Who cares! There's something down there!"

"Yeah, me."

"You!? You did that?"

"Yep."

"Well, you asked for it..."

Hiccup ducked under the water for a moment before striking. He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her under, hovering over her to make escape impossible. But Cabella ended up being more of an escape artist than he thought. She poked him in the stomach, making sure he doubled over before swimming away. He found the only way to trap her was to swim underneath her, not over. She would dive down twenty to thirty feet, wait for him to surface, and shoot upward and grab him, thus giving herself a point.

The points weren't really a part of the game until Hiccup splashed her in the face and shouted "Two points!" The next time Cabella dunked him, she shouted "Four points!" so points were then added in.

By the time they had worn themselves out, Cabella had 146 points, and Hiccup had 122. And just too even it to 150; she dunked him one more time while he was hauling himself out. They collapsed on the bank, wet and tired. Once he'd caught his breath, Hiccup asked "So, what's next?"

"Lunch," Cabella answered, getting up and beginning to ring out her hair. "I'm headed back to get started on it. You don't have come with me though, you'll probably enjoy exploring."

Hiccup shook his head vigorously. "No way! The last time I did any form of ‘exploring’ I was beyond lost. Not to mention you have all sorts of weird stuff on your island."

Cabella shrugged. "Okay, c'mon. I'll show you the rest of the stuff after lunch."

Chapter Text

They talked all the way back to her house, and when the arrived they were eagerly greeted by Ahimra. (This time nicely.) While Cabella made lunch, Hiccup occupied himself by looking around her house. The ingenuity of it was mind boggling. Ropes, lever, pulleys, pedestals, trap doors-- who knew they could be used to build a house? Or a tomb, for that matter.

 She had shelves lined with books, most of which appeared to have not been used in the past three years. He opened one and found out why. They were in a totally different language and alphabet. No wonder...

He also noticed Belka was no where to be found. He looked around for her, trying not to appear to be snooping. Befuddled, he walked back to the kitchen, planning to ask Cabella.

"Hey,” he asked casually as he entered. "Where's Belka?"

Cabella stopped what she was doing and hung her head. "Gone.” she whispered.

"What do you mean?"

"She's...dead."

"Dead!"

"She died the night before I took you back."

Hiccup could see tears forming in Cabella’s eyes. He walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry.” he couldn't really think of anything else to say. But then again, there were times that it was best not to say anything.

Cabella brushed a tear off her cheek. "If it hadn't been for her, I never would've found you. Or Berk. I...I wouldn't even know they exist.” she was trying hard to keep it together.

 "Do you want a minute alone?" Hiccup asked awkwardly.

She nodded. "Just make sure the fish don't burn."

With that she ran out of the kitchen, leaving Hiccup with a pan full of fish. "That wasn't quite what I meant, but okay."

He flipped each fish several times before Cabella returned. She seemed to have gotten hold of herself, and continued cooking lunch. "Sorry,” she told him. "I guess I just lost it for a minute there."

"It's fine," Hiccup replied quickly. "I know what it's like. When dad passed, I felt like a piece of me went with him."

Cabella nodded. "My whole life, I've felt like a piece of me was just plain missing. I never felt that I knew who I was, because I didn't know who my family was. It's like I have a hole in my heart; I've always been so empty. Do you know what I mean?"

Hiccup nodded. He did know. He had felt the same way his whole life. But at least he knew who his family was. Well, most of it. Cabella had never known she even had a family. She didn't know her parents. It was safe to say she had never heard about him, either. He suddenly felt guilty for all the times he had pitied himself for not knowing his mother, or for being mad at his father for something. Cabella didn't even have a dad to get mad at. Even if his dad hadn't been the best father in the world, at least he had been there when Hiccup really needed him.

But on the other hand, he found that it helped him to know that someone else suffered from the same pain he did, that someone else understood the way it felt to be alone. Astrid had always shown sympathy on Hiccup's situation, but Cabella understood firsthand. This thought returned to him several times throughout lunch. He tried to pay attention to what Cabella was saying about how she and Belka had first found the tomb house, but his mind kept wandering off. He'd finally found a person that he could pour his heart out to, someone who would understand his pain; but no, he would never share it.  That inner suffering would be taken to his grave.

He was so deep in thought he almost forgot to thank her for lunch, which was beyond delicious. After cleaning up for a little, they set out again to see more of Cabella's "stuff."

Hiccup would've liked to go back to the Night Fury nest, but he wasn't about to get there by himself, so they walked along the path, passing the time by asking one another questions.

"When did you first train Comet?" Hiccup asked.

"I was three. But I didn't really train her then. I just made friends with her. When did you meet Scoundrel?"

"Eh, five years ago, give or take. Have you ever fallen off a dragon while flying?"

"As an accident, no. On purpose, yes."

"Why would you purposely fall off a dragon?"

"It's fun. I just let myself slip off and then after a while Comet catches me. What's the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to you?"

"Oh, that's a tough one. I've been embarrassed so many times... I think the worst time was when I went on a fishing trip with my dad, my cousin, and my uncle. We got stuck in a storm, and I officially became the first Viking to get sea sick."

Cabella cracked up laughing. "Sea sick? I'm sorry, I shouldn't laugh... But sea sick!” she tried to control her giggles, but couldn't.

 "No, it's fine!" Hiccup said, beginning to laugh himself. "It's funny now. When I was ten though, that would've been a different story."

The chatter continued as they walked, and the subject shifted to Cabella's Death Breather. She wouldn't tell Hiccup anything about it, claiming that you had to see it to believe it. They walked quite a distance uphill, and then the walk became a climb.

"This better be worth it!" Hiccup shouted up to Cabella who was forty feet above him.

"Oh, it will be; don't worry.” she called back.

The island seemed to be a volcano, a large mountain with a hollow center. The brush that grew across the "trail" was almost impossible to walk on. Hiccup's leg got tangled in it several times. He'd never been more annoyed with the prosthetic in his life. Well, maybe not never.

It seemed as if the top of the mountain just kept getting farther away. Will we ever get there? Hiccup wondered. His hands were raw from groping his way up the cliffs. He had blisters on his heel, and his knees were sore from slipping down the rock surface. He was also beginning to remember how hot it got on the island during the day. If fact, it was worse than the last time he'd been there-- much worse.

But finally, after three hours of walking, sliding, climbing, slipping, and falling, they made it to the top.  There, Hiccup found himself gazing down into a large, crater-like valley with a huge fire blazing in the middle. Other than that, it was empty. The heat was unbearably intense, and if it weren't for the massive pine trees, Hiccup would've thought he was staring down into a volcano.

"What do ya think?" Cabella asked him.

"Do you want an honest answer or a polite one?"

"Honest."

"I think that was a waste of time, and now we’re just standing here in sweltering heat. And there's nothing here!"

"Are you sure?"

"I'm pretty sure that valley is empty. Don't tell me you see something."

"Look again."

"Yeah, you're hallucinating..." Hiccup said after he'd stared his eyes sore. "It's empty."

"No, it's not. You're looking at it wrong."

"How can I look for something I can't see!?"

"By looking for it differently."

"What?"

"How do you find a Changwing?"

"By leading it to the sky where it can't blend in to its surroundings."

"Exactly. Do the same here."

"So the Death Breather is invisible?"

"I never said that."

"Okay, if you know how to find it, then by all means do so."

"I will." And with that Cabella stepped forward, giving an ear-piercing screech as she did so. It echoed down the valley, and suddenly the fire pit came alive.

Chapter Text

A large head appeared, and wings rose up out of the flames. Hiccup watched in awe as a monstrous dragon crawled onto a huge precipice. It returned the call, much louder, which echoed throughout the valley. The beast was incredible. The massive pine trees looked like twigs in comparison to it. It had a lean head, and impenetrable scales plated its neck and body. Its wings were gigantic, and a talon on each of them made it even more ferocious. Its color was a red and tan mixture. Its muscular limbs were built for speed.

"Now do you see it?" Cabella asked him.

 Hiccup nodded, his eyes never leaving the beast.

"His name is Dreki. I know, original. But there isn't anything that suites him. He's just so... Dreki."

 Hiccup nodded again. He could see why she would name him after the god of dragons.

"Why is he called a Death Breather?” he asked softly.

"Why don't I show you on a smaller scale?"

"O-okay."

Hiccup was having trouble making his mouth do what he told it to. He numbly followed her away from the beast. She gave her rolling call, and a miniature Dreki appeared. Cabella scratched its neck, and it leaned into her, clearly enjoying the affection.

"Is that a baby Death Breather?" Hiccup asked.

Cabella shook her head. "There are two different kinds of Death Breathers. Herbivores and carnivores. The ones who eat meat have red eyes and are Titan sized. The ones who eat plants have yellow eyes and are a little bigger than a Night Fury. But, because plant-eating Death Breathers are the same size as a baby meat-eating Death Breather, they can use their similarities for defense. Plant-eating Death Breathers can turn their eyes red. Most predators know better than attack a meat-eating baby Death Breather, and the only difference between the two is the eye color. If the eyes are red, the predator won't attack."

"Wow." Hiccup couldn't think of words to describe how incredible this dragon was. Fishlegs would go crazy when he found out about it.

"But the reason they're called Death Breathers is because of their poisonous fire." Cabella continued.

She picked up a large stick, drove one end into the ground, and told the dragon to fire at it. The beast only gave a small amount of fire, and when it hit the top of the stick, it died out. But as Hiccup watched more closely, he noticed that the stick was shrinking, as if an invisible mouth was eating away at it. The stick dissolved into thin air, and in a few minutes there was nothing but a pile of ashes on the ground.

"Now, imagine a huge blast of that stuff on your skin. Can you see why it would be called a Death Breather?"

Hiccup nodded, cringing. It sounded painful. Flesh...melting from his bones... He decided not to think about the rest. That would be awful.

The dragon Cabella had been showing him scampered off, blowing up a tree as it did so. He looked back over to Dreki. "So, have you ever trained him?” he asked, gesturing to the massive beast.

Cabella stared at him in a way that could only mean I-can-not-believe-that-just-came-out-of-your-mouth. "Are you nuts?! The only person crazy enough to train that thing would be me, and I'm not even that crazy."

"Why?"

"It radiates so much heat it could kill you from over four hundred feet away."

"Four hundred?"

"Four hundred. And their fire blast range is over eight hundred feet."

Hiccup turned his gaze back to the beast in the valley. He suddenly had a fear of the creature, not simply scared, but a feeling of awe. The Death Breather crawled back into the lava pit, disappearing in an instant.

"Wow." Hiccup breathed, trying to put his thoughts into words.

“Pretty incredible, huh?"

He nodded, dumbfounded.

"There aren't words that can describe him, are there?"

He nodded once more. "I've never seen anything like him." Hiccup finally found his voice.

 "Well, we should probably get going." Cabella turned to leave, and motioned for him to follow. Hiccup did so, steeling one last glance at the fire pit.

He groaned when he realized that they had to walk back down the mountain. "Please tell me there's a quicker way down.” he groused.

Cabella laughed. "Well it just so happens there is."

Hiccup looked up in surprise. "Really!?"

"Yep. But it's stupid, reckless, and downright crazy."

"What is it?"

"Jumping."

Hiccup groaned again, and his shoulders slumped. Cabella laughed again. "I meant jumping on this.” she pulled on a leather cord that ran down the cliff. It was tied to a tree, and Hiccup followed it down the slope with his eyes. It was to long for him to see where it ended, but it was certainly a long way. Cabella pulled down a wooden bar attached by ropes. A pulley caused it to slide easily on the cord. "Hop on." Cabella gestured to it. Hiccup nervously climbed on, and Cabella quickly gave him a push.

"YOU DID NOT TELL ME YOU WERE GOING TO DO THAT!!!” he shouted frantically, hanging on for dear life.

He noticed her jump on behind him on a separate bar. "WHOOHOO!” she hollered, sliding down to hang by her knees. "Oh, watch out for low branches! It helps to hang upside down!” she called up to him, just before he was smacked in the face by a leafy branch. Her ever so helpful "gift" again. Their pace slowed and Cabella hopped off, Hiccup copying her.

"You need to make one of those that goes up the mountain,” he told her, panting.

"I've been trying to figure out how to do that for ages."

"Why don't you just fly up there?"

"Dreki seems to be more aggressive if there’s a dragon with me. One time me and Comet were nearly killed because we flew across the valley."

They set off walking again, and somehow got into a heated debate about how far they'd traveled that day. The sun was low, and the air began to cool. Cabella glanced up at the sky, and a smile lit up her face. "If you poor, tired legs can take a little more walking, you're in for a treat."

Hiccup shrugged."It depends on how far we're talking about."

"Less than a mile."

"Fine."

Cabella seemed to be in a hurry, as if they might miss something. She practically dragged him through the trees.

But soon they stepped out onto a beach and Hiccup's breath caught. The sun was glowing orange, red, and yellow. The reflection on the water made the ocean glow. He was reminded of the question he'd asked himself a few days earlier, before he had seen all the incredible things on the island:  "Why would Belka and Lise want to stay?" Now he knew the answer even. The real question was "Why would Belka and Lise want to leave?" This island was full of secrets just waiting to be discovered.

Chapter Text

Hiccup glanced over to Cabella, and froze. She had made her way down to the water’s edge, and was gazing into the distance. A ray of sunlight caught in her golden hair, and it shone with an angelic glow. The wind tousled through her golden locks, and she stood erect and poised. There was something about her that was... free. She was wild. Wild in a way in which she would call no one "master.” She could go where she pleased. She could say what she wished. She knew what it was like to really be free.

And on top of all this, Hiccup found that he thought her beautiful, and in some ways, familiar.

But in that moment of pure majesty, he knew without a doubt who she was, and that she had told the truth. She was undoubtedly his sister. When she turned and looked at him, he saw in the most subtle way, his mother. Cabella's eyes were far bluer, and more beautiful at that. But he could see the same fierce, kind, steady gaze that Valka had, and her willingness to sacrifice anything-- it was then that he truly saw it all.

He suddenly realized he'd been holding his breath. As he drew in a deep lungful of air, he turned back to face the sunset. He watched as the sun dipped behind the horizon, still leaving a small glow on the water. It was...magical...glorious...there weren't really words to describe it. Magnificent? Too overused. Cool just didn't cut it. Phenomenal...that worked.

As the sky grew dark, the two wordlessly meandered back to the tomb-house. Cabella slipped into the kitchen to make dinner. Hiccup resumed exploration of the house, and played with Ahimra. Soon a delicious smell drew him to the kitchen. "What's cooking?” he asked. "It smells amazing!"

"Soup.” she said shortly, sounding as if she were concentrating on something. "Hiccup, hand me that spoon over there.” She pointed behind her absentmindedly.

He picked up the spoon on the counter and passed it to her. She used it to take a bite of the stew, and then shook her head. "Needs Cascabel,” she muttered, turning to a cabinet. She pulled out a dish and sprinkled some of its contents into the pot suspended over the fire. She stirred it in, and took another bite. "Perfect."

She dished up two bowls, handed one to Hiccup, and began to eat the other herself. Hiccup, by now having determined that her food was incredible, didn't hesitate in eating it. It was better than he'd anticipated. "What's in this?” he asked, taking another bite.

"Oh, you know potatoes, carrots, lentils, turnips."

"Turnips!? This has turnips in it?"

"Yep."

"How can anything with turnips in it possibly taste this good?!"

"First of all I made it, and second you've probably been fed mashed, unseasoned turnips. Am I right?"

"Yeah, but-"

"So I didn't mash them, and I did season them. I figured you liked turnips more than you thought you did."

"I guess you figured right."

"I know I did. Know how I know?"

"How?"

"Because I used to hate turnips too."

Hiccup laughed. "I ate my dad's turnips. He didn't cook very well, so if it was edible, he fed it to me."

Cabella puckered up her face. "Yuck.” she muttered, shuddering.

"Beyond yuck." Hiccup added.

"Okay, not to change the topic," Cabella began, "but you should probably be getting back."

"Back where?"

"Oh, I don't know, Berk maybe?"

Then it hit him. He'd been away for an entire day. The village would be panicking. His mother would be hysterical.

Can’t they survive just a little longer without me? he sighed. Being chief was hardly ever fun. Not that it was supposed to be fun, but it was nice to have a break once in a while.

"Yeah, I guess you’re right,” he said finally, "After all I am chief."

"That and the fact that we need to figure out the whole story."

"What whole story?"

"I'll give ya a hint. Record paper."

"Ohhhh."

"Yeah 'ohhhh' is right."

"Well, how do you think we're going to 'figure out' the whole story?"

"First of all, 'we're' not doing anything. You, on the other hand, are going to get your--possibly our-- mother to tell you the truth."

"Oh please, she wouldn't even tell me who Cabella was- is before I found out it was you."

"Well then, don't tell her about me. Just ask her for the truth. If you word it right, she won't be able to resist. Start it with something like: 'Mom, if I were to ask you a question, you would answer it honestly, right?'"

Hiccup thought for a minute. What Cabella was saying made sense, and it might get him out of trouble. But how would he really know if his mom was telling him the truth? And what if they had it all wrong? Then what would happen?

"So after I convince her to tell me, then what? If you’re right, that's great. If you're wrong, what happens?"

"It doesn't matter whether I'm right or not. If I'm wrong I'll just stay on my island and forget about it. But if I'm right, we have to be sure. Just find out the truth and get it to me."

"Fine. Tomorrow evening at sundown, meet me on the cliffs above Berk. I'll tell you then."

"You sure that's enough time?"

"It'll have to be. Let's go, it's a long flight back."

Chapter Text

They left the tomb-house and hopped on Comet's back. Cabella knew the way to Berk without help, and so they flew in silence. Hiccup felt it was a rather awkward quiet, but he couldn't think of anything to break it with. He did eventually because Cabella was sitting in front of him, and her hair was blowing in his face. He finally had to ask her to put it in a braid or something. So she took a few strands from the front and twisted them into a sloppy braid, leaving the rest the same.

"Not funny," Hiccup growled, pushing her shoulder.

"Maybe not for you, but I thought it was.” She appeared to be serious, but pulled the rest of her hair into a braid, literally tying the ends in a knot to keep it together. Even then, however, the braid itself bobbed up and down in the wind, slapping him in the face. Annoyed, he grabbed hold of it and gave it a good yank.

"Ow!" Cabella yelled, automatically elbowing him in the chest as she turned."What was that for?!"

"Your hair is hitting me!"

"Want do you want me to do?"

"Put it in a bun... or tie it up or... anything to keep it out of my face!"

Cabella scowled and wrapped the braid around itself, creating a bun. She stared at him angrily, and turned back around. Oh, thank Thor we were separated as kids, Hiccup thought viciously. We've only been around each other for one day and we're fighting.

Comet seemed to sense the tension, and being Cabella's dragon, she apparently decided Hiccup was the problem. She did everything possible to make his ride as miserable as she could. She arched her back in a very uncomfortable way, but of course, from her position, Cabella couldn't feel it. The dragon made sure Hiccup felt every bounce and bump.

Hiccup was ecstatic when he noticed Berk in the distance. Cabella, instead of heading for his house, flew around the island and back across the mainland. They arrived behind Hiccup's house, and he jumped off as quickly as he could, finding himself stiff as a board.

"Tomorrow on the cliffs?" Cabella clarified.

"Yeah,” he replied, wishing at the present that he could say no.

She flashed him a quick smile, the sort of smile that's simply out of politeness. He headed around the house toward the front door, and stopped short, with his hand on the door handle. How would he ask his mother? Perhaps words would come when they were needed.

He sighed and pushed the door open softly, shutting it behind him. "Mom?” he almost whispered. Immediately noise came from his mother's bedroom, and Valka appeared almost as quickly. She looked like she hadn't slept for days; the dark circles under eyes were unmistakable. Hollow cheeks indicated little food, and her hair was un-kept, but her face lit up with joy and relief when she saw her son standing there.

"Hiccup!” she exclaimed, running to him and pulling him into her arms. Then she stepped back with her hands on his shoulders. "Young man, you are in more trouble than you can even imagine! You really must stop disappearing! You can't leave your village without a word to anyone! When we saw that arrow behind the shed, we thought she'd taken you! How did you get away? Are you alright? What happened? Start talking, and I want the truth!"

Hiccup suddenly felt anger and hurt swelling in his chest. How could she ask the truth from him when she wouldn't tell him first? He clenched his jaw.

"Well, come on, spill it!" His mother prodded him, crossing her arms.

"No!” he suddenly snapped, surprising not only his mother, but also himself. "Why don't you spill it!? If anyone needs to tell the truth, you do!"

His mother's eyes widened, showing clearly she was hurt.

But Hiccup didn't stop. "If you want me to tell you were I've been, you tell me one thing first! Who. Is. Cabella!"

Valka dropped her gaze, tears filling her eyes. She gestured to the chairs near the fire. "Sit.” she commanded.

Hiccup obeyed, guilt rising. Now you've done it, his conscience scolded harshly. What a good son you are-- making your own mother cry. And for what? Just because you needed to vent? Just because you were mad?

"Mom, I'm sorry, I-"

"No Hiccup, I'm sorry. We should have told you about her."

"Her? What do you mean?"

"I mean Cabella. Your sister."

So she was right, Hiccup thought excitedly. Then remembered he was supposed to be shocked.

"WHAT!?"

"Just let me explain. I promise I'll tell you everything."

Hiccup waited for his mother to continue. She drew in a shaky breath and brushed a tear off her cheek.

"This story really starts when my great grandmother, your great, great grandmother was born. Her name was also Cabella; she was the daughter of the chief, Hamish the First. Her younger brother was Hamish the Second. She was the first child in the family to be born with rich, golden hair. With bright blue eyes and a happy personality, she was a favorite in the town, and was loved by everyone. By the time she was fifteen, she was given the nickname of Sif.

But as she grew, so did her boldness. It wasn't long before she had determined that dragons were friends, not enemies, and made her idea known to the whole town."

"As you can imagine, this was not a very popular opinion, and she was very soon despised. When her father Hamish the First died and her brother became chief, he honored her by making it illegal to kill a dragon. Attacks became more frequent, and the village was running out of food. They thought that Cabella was the reason the dragons kept coming. They believed she was cursed. It was really because the dragons weren't being fought, and so they found an easy source of food. Since they weren't trained, they tore the village to pieces. The village decided to put an end to their misery and kill Cabella. She was now married and had a family, but the villagers didn't care."

"They put her in the killing ring, and released a wild, unfed dragon. The beast tore her limb from limb, and ate her every bone. Hamish was so furious that he declared all dragons to be slain, and wrote in the book of dragons that each dragon should be killed on sight."

"Oh, so that's why that's written there so many times." Hiccup put in.

"Aye. Now that you know about your great, great grandmother, you should be able to understand what happened to your sister. You were three when Cabella, our Cabella, was born."

Chapter Text

Valka was jolted awake by Stoick crawling roughly out of bed. "Stoick, what is it?” she asked, propping herself up on her elbows.

"Dragons. Again.” he sighed heavily and kissed his wife on the top of her head as he left.

She rubbed her growing belly thoughtfully. "Sweet baby, I'm so sorry you have to grow up in such fighting. There could be peace. I know it.” she smiled as she felt a kick. Her baby was strong, no doubt.

"All hands on deck!" Someone shouted outside.

Valka groaned and rolled out of bed. At eight months pregnant, moving around was no easy job. She shuffled towards the door and noticed Hiccup running down the stairs.

"I wanna help!” he shouted, waving his toy dagger.

"No Hiccup,” she told him, "Stay inside."

"Please mommy! I'll be good! I wanna help!"

"I suppose you can help me. But don't be running off!"

"Okay!" Hiccup skipped out the door, and stayed relatively close to his mother. That is, until he saw his friends pumping water. It looked like fun, so forgetting about his mom, he ran over to help. He watched his daddy beat up a big Gronckle, and then he knew. He wanted to grow up and be just like his daddy.

Stoick slammed his fist down on the beasts nose then watched it fly away. "And don't come back,” he muttered. He turned to see a Nadder trying to sneak into a fish barrel. He gave it a good whack with his mace and the dragon took off, stunned.

"Stoick!” he suddenly heard his wife call, and edge in her voice.

He glanced around for her, but could only see men fighting dragons and flaming buildings.

"Val?” he hollered. He was sure that she'd called him. He finally caught sight of her clutching her belly and doubled over in pain. In an instant he knew what was wrong, and ran over as quickly as he could. He grabbed her just as she fell to her knees.

"The...baby,” she panted.

"I know,” he replied, "Let's get you inside.” he picked her up and carried her up to the house. He kicked the door open and headed for the bedroom. Valka moaned as he laid her down in the bed. Stoick rushed to the kitchen to get his wife some water, knowing she would need it.

"Who should I get?” he asked, handing the cup to her.

 "Belka. Who else?” she told him with a small smile. "And send Hiccup to Gobber."

 Stoick nodded, and kissed her before running to fetch the midwife. He ran to Belka's house, and knocked furiously on the door.

"Yes?" The middle aged woman answered. She smiled. "Judging by the look on your face, I'd say your baby's on the way."

Stoick nodded.

"Let me get my things. I'll be right over."

"Thank you." Stoick rushed to find Hiccup. The three year old was helping Astrid Hofferson pump water into buckets.

"Hiccup!" Stoick bellowed. "Come with me. You're going to help Gobber.” he picked up the dripping wet little boy and headed for the forge. "Gobber! Watch Hiccup for me! The baby's coming!"

"Now?"

"Yes, now! What did you think I meant? Five days from now?"

Stoick put his little boy down, and dashed back to the house. Belka was already there, busily preparing for their child's birth. Valka's face flooded with relief when she saw her husband. Sweat beaded her forehead, and Stoick could already see blood on the sheets. Everything seemed to be going ten times quicker than when Hiccup had been born. He sat down beside his wife and ran a finger through her hair. Her labored breathing softened a little and she glanced up at him and smiled slightly. Belka handed her a cup of an herb drink. She took it gratefully, but her hands were shaking so much Stoick had to help her sip it. Valka whimpered slightly and buried her face in his chest.

"Just a little longer," Belka encouraged. "We should... Oh wait! I can see its head!"

Valka tensed and gripped Stoick's hand tighter. Screams from outside could be heard through the thick walls of the house. "They need you out there, Stoick." Valka whispered.

 "You need me more,” he replied soothingly.

The sound of someone pounding on the door filled the air, and Stoick reluctantly got up to answer it.

 "Yes?” he asked, annoyed.

"Stoick, we have a wee bit of a problem!" Gobber hollered. "The dragons broke into the food supply-"

"So drive them off!"

"It's not that simple-"

"Stoick!" Gobber was interrupted by a scream.

"Not. Now."

Stoick hurried back to the bedroom, finding his wife writhing in pain. She grabbed his wrist, and after a few seemingly endless moments, a high pitched scream penetrated the night.

Valka's face relaxed, and Stoick could see their child had been born. Belka smiled as she passed Valka a screaming, squalling bundle.

"It's a girl!" The midwife said gently.

"Well, make her be quiet!" Stoick joked. He had thought she wouldn't take it seriously, but Belka popped the baby fist in her mouth, and the noise ceased.

"What should we call her?" Valka finally asked.

"How 'bout Noisemaker?" Stoick asked with a chuckle. His laughing startled the little girl, and her bright blue eyes snapped open.

Valka sucked in a tiny gasp. "I haven't seen such beautiful blue eyes since my great grandmother was alive,” she said, touching her baby's nose with her finger.

"Mm." Stoick mumbled, entranced by them himself.

"Stoick! We should name her Cabella! It's not like anything else could fit her," Valka said excitedly.

"Perfect. But she's my little girl too, you know."

"Of course I know. Why would you say that?"

"To remind you to let me hold her."

Valka smiled and passed the baby over. The little girl soon had her tiny fingers latched on to his beard. It was sweet until she started to pull, very hard.

 "No, no," Valka chided, trying to pry the baby's fingers off the hair. But Cabella wouldn’t let go. Valka was afraid she'd break the poor baby's fingers if she did anything too rough. Besides, Cabella had fallen asleep with her thumb in her mouth and a hand on her father's beard. Her fingers finally relaxed and her tiny hand dropped.

"Here,” he passed her back, "I have to go help."

He strode out the door, and noticed a little pink showing in the sky. He tromped down the forge, and entered finding Hiccup asleep on the floor, curled up next to Astrid, who had also fallen asleep, her toy ax in hand. Stoick was about to pick him up and take him home, but he figured he was fine sleeping where he was.

By sunrise the dragons had left, but the village was almost completely destroyed. Three families whose homes were burned gathered in the great hall, and finally he took Hiccup home and was able to get an hour or two of sleep.

He was awakened by crying, and suddenly remembered his little girl. He sat up quickly and saw his wife walk over to the cradle. She picked up the baby and to walk around the room, singing softly as she did so.

"On yonder mountainside a vine

Clings at the foot of a mother pine;

The tree bends over the trembling thing,

And only the vine can hear her sing:

Sleep, sleep, little one, sleep;

What shall you fear when I am here?

Sleep, little one, sleep.

The king may sing in his bitter flight,

The pine may croon to the vine tonight,

But the little snowflake at my breast

Like the song I sing the best,

--- Sleep, sleep, little one, sleep;

Weary you are, next to my heart;

Sleep, little one, sleep."

The crying soon subsided, and contented coos could only be heard. Stoick smiled, and waited for his wife to come back to bed. But instead setting Cabella back down in her cradle, Valka carried her towards her own bed. Sunlight streamed through the window, and the creaking of the floor told them Hiccup was awake. The door to their room eased open, and Hiccup's face peeped in.

 "Mommy?” he said, "I can't sleep anymore. I'm too hungwy."

Valka laughed. "Come here, sweetie."

Hiccup's face lit up a smile. He loved snuggling with his mommy and daddy.

He crawled up on the bed excitedly. But when he saw the bundle in his mother's arms, he stopped, and looked at it curiously.

"Mommy,” he whispered, "What's that?"

Stoick burst out laughing, and tried to hide it by forcing himself to cough. He knew his son hated being laughed at. Valka managed to keep a straight face.

"It's your new baby sister.” she told him, pulling the blankets away from the baby's face. Hiccup leaned over to see.

"But what is it?” he asked again, in a very grown up sounding voice.

Stoick had another "coughing" fit.

 "It's a little girl." Valka replied.

"Like Astrid?"

"Yes, but this little girl is much smaller."

"Oh."

He put out his arms for Cabella, expecting his mother to give him the baby. Valka hesitated for a moment. Hiccup was known for being rather rough with his toys. He'd built a contraption to shoot his toys at the wall. There were now burn marks in his room from when he tried to burn his toy dragons alive. One day he'd found a dagger somewhere and had stabbed one of his stuffed animals. He'd also managed to cut himself, and so a punishment wasn't really needed. The poor little boy had promised never to play with knives again.

But, if she stayed right there and supervised, perhaps it would be alright for Hiccup to hold Cabella for a little. So she placed the little girl in Hiccup's outstretched arms, and helped him support her head in the crook of his arm.

"Her name is Cabella." Valka told him softly.

 "Hi, Tabella.” he said quietly, his eyes wide with wonder. It seemed to boggle his mind that a human being could be so tiny. Valka relaxed ever so slightly, but suddenly Hiccup slid off the bed with Cabella and carried her out the door. Stoick jumped up and followed him, but it seemed as though Hiccup had vanished. The front door was open, and Stoick ran out to find his son and daughter.

 After about five minutes of searching, he noticed Hiccup toddling over to the Hofferson house.

"I don't think so," Stoick said, plucking the baby from Hiccup's grasp. "What in Loki's name are you doing?"

Hiccup's lower lip began to quiver."I wanted to show her to Astrid.” he admitted.

"Hiccup, you can't just walk out the door with...never mind. Come on."

Hiccup followed his father back to the house, his head hanging. He watched as Stoick passed Cabella back to his mother, who immediately began to look her over. The chief gave Hiccup the look that the little boy always got when he was going to be in big trouble, and walked out the door, grabbing his helmet on the way.

"I'm sorry mommy!” he shouted as soon as Stoick was out of sight. "I just wanted to show Tabella to Astrid. I didn't mean to do something bad. I didn't know I wasn't s'pposed to!"

"Oh, Hiccup. I know you didn't think it would be anything wrong. But Cabella is such a little baby, and if she gets too cold, she can get very sick. You don't want that, do you?"

"No. I don't want Bella to be sick. Because then I'll get sick, and I DON'T like to be sick."

"So I think we should keep Bella inside until she gets bigger, okay?"

Hiccup nodded vigorously.

"But you can hold her all you want inside. Astrid can even come here to see Bella. And she can hold her too. Why don't you bring her over?"

Hiccup excitedly ran out the door to find his friend. Valka laughed and kissed her baby before sitting down to feed her.

Thirty minutes later Hiccup and Astrid came barreling through the door. Hiccup lead the way into the bedroom, seated Astrid in a chair, picked Cabella up out of her cradle and passed her to Astrid.

"Remember,” he said very seriously, "She can't go outside yet. She's too little."

"She's cute!" Astrid giggled. "I want to keep her!"

"No way. She's my little sister. I'm the only one who gets to keep her."

"Well, I wish I had a little sister."

"Maybe I can share Bella. Sometimes."

Valka had been watching them from the door, and had to hold her breath to keep from laughing. The two were so funny; acting like Cabella was a toy. But, neither of them had seen a baby before now, so they probably just didn't understand yet. Still, it was amusing to watch.

That night, the warning of a dragon attack was heard. As the fighting intensified, Valka suddenly turned and noticed large dragon approaching their house. Yes, she was against the fighting, but she would not let anything hurt her children.

 In a split second the beast burst through the door, and Valka watched in horror as it sniffed its way to Cabella.

 "No!” she shouted, running after it. Stoick suddenly rushed past her, and brought his hammer down on its tail. It reeled back in surprise, and snapped at him viciously.

"Val!” he shouted. "Get Cabella! I'll distract this thing!"

Valka ran around behind the beast and grabbed her sleeping child. How she had not woken up,  Valka did not know. But she fled through the back door, and ran out into the open. She could see the attacking Stormcutter had flown away and other dragons with it. The beasts that did not flee were locked into pens.

"Val!" Stoick shouted as he ran toward her. "Are you alright?” she nodded nervously. "I think so. Cabella slept though the entire attack."

She pulled aside the blankets, and gasped when she saw a small burn mark on Cabella's left temple. She immediately checked her for other injuries, but could find none. They both breathed a sigh of relief, and stood amazed that this little child was so tough that she even slept through a dragon attack!

"Stoick!" Gobber called urgently, "They need you at the Great Hall! Quickly!"

Stoick sighed. "Oh, boy. This should be good.” he turned and stomped up to hear the complaint of the day.

Chapter Text

Stoick walked to the front of the Hall, and an old man approached him. "If I may,” he began. Stoick nodded.

The man turned to the people. "Some of you may not remember, but a man of my age would know. You may remember seventy years ago, a child was born to Hamish the first. That child cursed Berk with the worst dragon attacks we had ever known. But on the day she died, those attacks ceased. We lived in terror of those nights, when men lost their lives, families were destroyed...and now we see it starting again. Am I the only one who saw that beast trying to take the newest child on Berk? The daughter of Stoick the Vast? That child has brought back our troubles! And shall we stand by as we did before? I think not! We shall not stand for this! That child must be eliminated."

The people began to shout in agreement. Stoick's eyes grew wide. What was this man trying to say? That his daughter should be killed?

"This girl must be rid of!" The old man continued. He had won the people, and intended to use that to his advantage. "Stoick, either you kill that baby, or we will take matters into our own hands! Kill. That. Baby."

"Listen to me!" Stoick shouted. "This cannot be settled with bloodshed! What if it was your child? Should it be killed, when it has done nothing wrong? Can't you see? It has nothing to do with Cabella-"

"Why, she is even named after the woman who caused our fate!" A woman shouted.

"Kill her!" Another yelled.

"I cannot kill my own flesh and blood!" Stoick cried.

But the people didn't listen. "Kill her!" They shouted.

"I will banish her!" Stoick suddenly yelled. "And if these attacks stop then we will know if she is the reason for them. But if they do not, she will be brought back."

"Very well," the old man sneered, and left the Great Hall.

Stoick stumbled home, tears blurring his vision. He entered the room, and glanced at his sleeping wife. Then he softly approached the cradle, and picked up his resting baby.

 "My sweet little girl,” he whispered, "I tried. I tried to stop them. I pleaded with them. But no, they are too stubborn. And tomorrow they will come for you, to take you away forever. But at least you will live. At least you can live your life through. But in fear. How will you ever trust anyone? How can you ever know your father loves you when he is the one who sent you away? You might never see that you were loved. You will only see pain, and you will think of me as the source of that pain."

Cabella's blue eyes fluttered open; wise, infant eyes. She grabbed his little finger with her hand, and could hardly fit her own fingers around his. She gave a funny sort of cry, which had the resemblance of a giggle. She began to squeeze, tighter and tighter, until his finger popped audibly, and Valka sat up in bed and asked; "What was that?"

"My finger,” he replied trying to pull it out of her grasp. "This child has a death grip," Stoick muttered, beginning to pry her fingers off one by one.

With a kiss he laid her back down in the cradle, and got into bed. Tears streamed down his face, and he sniffed as quietly as he could. "Is something wrong?" Valka asked, rubbing his arm.

 "No,” he replied. Not yet, anyway.

The next morning Stoick left the house early, but he made his family breakfast.

When Valka woke the crying of her baby, she got up to quiet her, but no matter what she did, Cabella would not calm down. She tried singing, patting, walking, feeding her-- but Cabella cried all the more. Valka was beginning to get desperate.

Presently Hiccup toddled into the room, and when he saw the crying baby, he ran over to his mother and held his arms out for her. "Let me hold her mommy,” he asked, in his "grown up" voice. Valka was pretty sure he'd learned his lesson with taking her outside, so she stooped down and put Cabella in Hiccup's arms.

Immediately the crying stopped, and Valka's eyes grew wide. Cabella had wanted her brother! And if that wasn't sweet enough, her eyes popped open and she let out a quiet "ah-ah".

"Can I keep holding her mommy?" Hiccup asked, looking up at her with big green eyes.

"Of course! But I think you might get tired of standing, so I'll hold her while you find somewhere to sit. Oh, and I bet you're hungry."

Hiccup shook his head. "I had breakfast. Daddy made it."

Then he ran to the seats in front of the fireplace, and waited expectantly for Cabella. Valka set the little girl down in his lap and went to get her own breakfast. And sure enough, there was a meal set out on the table, half eaten. She ate her breakfast and they spent the morning enjoying one another's company. At lunchtime Valka fed Cabella and put her down for a nap. She and Hiccup and Hiccup had a light lunch together, and presently it was his turn for a nap. After checking on Cabella, she went out to work in her garden.

Stoick walked quietly into his house, and tiptoed into the bedroom. At the sight of his baby sleeping peacefully, tears began to flow. How could he do what he had come to do? He felt like he was kidnapping his own child.

But it was the only way to save her life, so he scooped her up and sneaked back out the door. He took her down to the docks, and passed her to Belka, who had agreed to watch over her. He could hardly hear the shouting mob behind him. A few stood off to the side, refusing to participate in the banishment of a newborn baby.

Hiccup was supposed to be napping, but he couldn't fall asleep, so he stood on his bed and looked out the window, counting the people who walked by. And suddenly he saw his daddy! He was about to wave and call to him, but remembered he should be asleep, so he kept quiet.

But he noticed that his daddy was carrying something...Cabella! Didn't he know she was too little to go outside? So without thinking twice the little boy jump off his bed and ran down the stairs, trying to catch up with his father.

Hiccup followed him down to the docks, and his eyes widened as he saw shouting people and others being forced onto a boat. Hiccup had seen this before, the people would be sent away, and they would never come back. And then he saw Bella being put on the ship. His daddy was sending Bella away!

"No!” he shouted, running forward. He plunged into the crowd, he had to save Bella.

"Daddy stop!" The three year old yelled at his father. "No!” he shouted again, barely heard above the crowd. His father paid no attention. Hiccup was too small to be noticed. "Daddy please, leave her alone!" The little boy tried to push his way through the mob. Someone unexpectedly stepped backward, knocking him into the water.

He tried to stay afloat but he kept sinking down into the water. "Help!” he screamed uselessly. "Bella!” he pleaded before he sunk beneath the dark surface of the water. He kicked for all he was worth, then blackness.

Stoick watched, defeated, as his daughter was put on the boat. He stole one last glance at his beautiful baby, and turned away, heartbroken.

"No!” he heard Valka suddenly shouting. "What are you doing!? Where is my baby!?"

A few men grabbed her arms and held her back.

"Let me go!” she screamed. "That's my child! Stoick! Do something!"

Stoick ran over and grabbed his wife's wrists. "What are you doing?!” she sobbed. "That's our baby you're putting on that ship!"

He sniffed as a tear ran down his own cheek. "Val,” he whispered, "It's the only way. They'd kill her otherwise. She'll come back, I promise. Just pray these attacks don't stop."

Valka glanced back up at the ship sailing out of the harbor. Then, sobbing, she fell forward in grief. "Why?” she cried. "Why did you do this? Why couldn't you save her? Why?"

"I had no choice, Val. I had to. They wouldn't listen to me. They wanted her dead. I had to banish her."

Valka looked up at him tearfully. "But she'll never come back,” she whispered.

"She will come back, I promise."

"What's that?" The two heard someone behind them say. They turned to see a small object floating limply in the water. From the way it was twisted, it was hard to tell what it was.

But Valka recognized the green tunic of her son and ran forward. Stoick saw it too, and beat his wife in diving in after the little boy. He grabbed his son and swam back to shore, and pulled himself up on the dock.

Valka was beside him instantly, and grabbed the little boy out of his arms. She laid him on his back, tilted his head back, and began quick abdominal thrusts to expel the water from his lungs. Time seemed to stand still as she fought for her child's life. It felt like ages before he finally coughed up the sludgy water. His eyes flickered open briefly, but closed again as he drew in a few raspy breaths. His ragged breathing stabilized, but his little body quaked with cold. Stoick quickly ripped off his cloak and wrapped it around the shivering little boy.

Having lost their daughter and nearly losing their son left Stoick and Valka in shock as they carried Hiccup up to the house. Stoick built a fire while Valka stripped Hiccup on his drenched clothes and wrapped him in a thick fur. She sat down in front of the crackling fire and held him tightly, gently rocking to sooth him.

He gave a few small cries and stirred a little, but quieted at Valka's touch. His breath would hitch from time to time, but he never woke from unconsciousness. She sat there for the rest of the day to upset to cry, and to afraid to panic.

That evening she laid her son down in his bed and sat down in a chair beside him. She tried to stay awake, but her eyelids were just too heavy to keep open any longer. She closed them for just a moment, but fell asleep before she could open them again.

"Mommy..." Valka heard Hiccup mumble. She was up in a flash, and knelt beside the little boy's bed.

"Mommy...” he said again, his eyes still closed. She gently touched his face and his eyes snapped open. Fear clouded his face, and he shrunk back into his furs. "I want my mommy!” he whimpered.

 "It's alright Hiccup," Valka soothed, "I'm here." But tears began to stream down the frightened little boy's face.

"Mommy,” he cried, "I want my mommy."

"It's me, Hiccup. Mommy's right here." Valka tried again to comfort her son, but he sobbed even harder. She reached for him, but in terror he shriveled back, flattening himself against the wall. The thought of her own child not knowing her had never crossed Valka's mind, but now as she gazed into the terrified eyes of her son, it struck her like a slap across her cheek. "Hiccup,” she whispered, tears pricking at her own eyes. "Please come back," Was all she could say before beginning to sob.

This was all too much. She had lost one child, almost lost the other... and now Hiccup did not know her? He had forgotten his own mother? She could hear Stoick tromping up the stairs, most likely to see what was wrong. She knew the large man would only frighten Hiccup more, so she met him at the door. "What..." Stoick began, but Valka interrupted.

 "He doesn't know me Stoick. He doesn't remember who I am."

"What?"

"He wants his mother, but he doesn't understand it's me." Stoick pushed past her, and approached the bed and the cowering little boy buried beneath furs.

"Hiccup,” he said rather harshly, in his deep, booming voice. "Stop playing these games. If you think it's funny it's not. Now stop." But Hiccup sobbed harder, and tried to back himself further against the wall.

"Now, Hiccup." Stoick warned, clearly losing his patience. Nothing changed. "Hiccup!" Stoick began to shout, and took a few steps closer. The little boy screamed.

"Stoick, stop! You're terrorizing the child!" Valka ran up and blocked his path. "He's not playing games!” she continued. "He really doesn't recognize us. Right now he thinks we're strangers. We have to let him trust us."

She turned toward the bed and sat down on the edge. Hiccup sank back for a moment. "It's alright," Valka comforted, in the softest voice she could manage. "I won't hurt you. I promise. And I won't let anything else hurt you either.” She smiled and tilted her head slightly to the side. Hiccup watched her for a second or two, and then slowly reached his arms out for her. Valka wasted no time in gathering him into her arms. He clung to her fearfully, but relaxed as she began to stroke his hair.

"We just have to let him warm up to us again," Valka said to Stoick, who sat in the chair next to her. He nodded, and Valka could tell that his own son not knowing him had hurt.

Valka managed to get Hiccup dressed, and also convinced him to eat some breakfast. With every passing moment she missed the old Hiccup more and it broke her heart all over again to see him sitting on his bed facing the wall, blankly staring at nothing.

 At around lunchtime Astrid came to see if Hiccup could play with her. Valka was about to tell her no, but thought perhaps it would do Hiccup some good. However, she carefully warned Astrid that Hiccup might not remember her. The little girl seemed to understand, and Valka led her up the stairs. When Astrid saw Hiccup sitting dejectedly on his bed she immediately crawled up next to him.

"Hiccup,” she began, "Come and play with me! My daddy is going to take us to the arena!"

 But Hiccup did not answer. He did not even look at her.

 "Hiccup,” she persisted, shaking him. "C'mon!"

Still he did not reply. He turned away a little, and appeared to be ignoring her. Astrid, having decided he didn't want to play, slid off the bed and headed for the door.

"I'm sorry he's not up to playing today," Valka told the little girl. "Maybe tomorrow." Astrid walked sadly down the path to her own house, hanging her head. Valka felt sorry for her. She didn't understand why Hiccup couldn't remember her, and so she must have thought he just didn't want to play.

For the next few days things remained the same. Wake up in the morning to Hiccup crying, breakfast, lunch, then Astrid would try to get Hiccup to play. The afternoon would be boring for everyone, and only at night when the attacks came would anything interesting happen. Stoick and Valka found themselves praying that those attacks continued, when normally they would have dreaded them.

One evening while Valka was cooking dinner, she heard the stairs creaking, and turned to see Hiccup standing at the bottom. He looked at her anxiously and dropped his gaze. "Mommy?” he whispered. "Can I have some bread?"

Valka set the spoon in her hand down next to the pot. "Yes,” she whispered back. "Of course you can!” she ran to the little boy and scooped him up. "You can even have honey on it!"

At that Hiccup excitedly ran into the kitchen, trying to reach the shelf with the honey jar on it.

"Honey bread!” he shouted as she cut a slice of the loaf and drizzled the honey over it. He contentedly ate it at the table, but when Stoick came marching though the front door, he jumped up and yelled; "Daddy's home!"

At first Stoick seemed a little surprised, but a smile crept across his face and he grabbed the little boy and swung him in the air. He tipped the little boy upside down by his ankles, and dangled him while swinging him from side to side. Hiccup laughed hysterically, squealing and clawing at his father, trying to get right side up.

"Someone's in a good mood!" Valka commented as Stoick flipped Hiccup onto his back.

"Why shouldn't I be?" Stoick asked, beginning to tickle his son. "Our baby's coming home!"

Valka stood motionless and stared at him."Cabella... is coming home?"

"I leave tomorrow to get her."

"Really?"

"Of course. I'm bringing her back. I promised didn't I?"

Valka began to laugh. She ran to her husband and son, throwing her arms around them. They would be a family again, and nothing would ever tear them apart.

Chapter Text

Stoick left early the next morning for the ships, creeping quietly out of the house. He and some of the other men set off for Outcast Island before the first rays of sunlight were breaking though the clouds. Valka woke early as well, finding a note from her husband on the table.

Val,

I'm leaving to get Cabella. I should be back before dark, but don't worry if I'm late. If you don't mind, would you let anyone who asks know I'm out for the day? It would help me out quite a bit. Have people wait for me of they have questions. And keep Hiccup away from the docks. I heard some of the fishermen were plotting to try drown him again. It might just be a rumor, but some think him falling in wasn't an accident. Just a precaution.

See you tonight,

Stoick

Valka smiled and set the note back down. She hummed as she prepared breakfast, and even sang a few bars of the song. She had never felt happier in her life. She would have her baby back! Hiccup seemed to be talking a while to wake up, so Valka tip-toed up the stairs to check on him.

However, he was not asleep. He was sitting at his desk, quietly drawing a picture. Valka had never seen Hiccup sit anywhere near this still, he was normally running around and shouting at the top of his lungs. She approached him softly, so as not to disturb his work. As she glanced at his artwork she sucked in a tiny gasp. Why, he was wonderful! Of course, it was a three year-old's drawing, but it was still exceptional.

"I didn't know you like to draw, Hiccup." Valka praised. Hiccup sighed, and continued working. "What's wrong?" The woman asked, knowing that silence in her son often meant something was wrong.

"Astrid doesn't like me anymore," the little boy huffed.

"What?"

"She said I was mean so she's not going to be my fwiend anymore."

"Well, were you mean to her?"

"I don't know! I don't think so. She said I was 'noring her. What does that mean?"

Valka thought a moment. 'Noring, now what could that mean? She wondered. Then it hit her. "Oh, IGnoring!"

"Yeah, ig-noring."

"It means that you weren’t to listen to her."

"But I always listen to Astrid-- she's my fwiend!"

"I know Hiccup, but after you fell in the water, you didn't remember her. She must have thought that you didn't like her anymore."

Hiccup hung his head and began to cry. Valka noticed immediately and lifted his chin to look at her. "Hiccup,” she began, "She's just upset. I'm sure she'll be over here later to play with you." At that Hiccup brightened, and he ran past his mother and down the stairs, excited that Astrid would still be his friend, and would come later to play with him.

But she never did.

The entire day went by, and Astrid never came. Hiccup even tried to find her so he could play, but she purposely avoided him. Discouraged, he shuffled home, and sadly ate his dinner. For once he went to bed without complaining, and Valka was a little worried he was getting sick. As she shut the door to his bed room, she could hear a few sniffles coming from the bed. She sighed, Hiccup had lost one and only friend. But, she knew that if she did not go back in to comfort him, he would fall asleep faster.

So, she sat down next to the fire place, and began mending clothes. A boring job, but it was necessary. She glanced out the window, noticing how dark it was. She hadn't expected Stoick to be this late. Poor Cabella, out on a ship in the wind and cold. She was most likely asleep, lulled by the rocking of the boat.

Her heart skipped a beat at the thought of her baby coming home. She was normally not a very impatient person, but now as she waited for her daughter and husband to arrive, time didn't seem to move fast enough. But after what seemed to be hours, the door hinges creaked as Stoick entered.

Valka jumped up to greet him. Immediately she could tell something was wrong.

 "Val,” he rasped, "Sit down.” He plopped down in a chair across from her.

"Stoick, what's wrong?" All of a sudden Valka noticed that he wasn't holding her baby. A deadly, cold hand of fear tightened in her chest. "Where is she!?” she blurted out, panicking.

"Val, the ship she was on... it never made it to Outcast Island. She wasn't there."

Valka sat in shock, grief, and just about any possible feeling for a moment before bursting into tears."She has to be!" Valka sobbed. "She has to be there!" But she knew Cabella was not. Nothing would change that.

"I scoured the entire island. She isn't there. The Outcast's haven't even seen the ship." Stoick said, a few tears slipping from his own eyes. He wrapped his arms around his sobbing wife, disappointed with himself for not bringing their child home.

"But you promised!" Valka cried. She knew it was not her husband's fault, but she couldn't stop herself. Stoick didn't answer. Valka could feel his hot tears on her shoulder.

He pulled back away from her suddenly, and wiping his eyes he said; "I swear to you Val, I will find her. I'll find her and bring her home if it costs me my life. I will sail to the edge of the world if I have to. But I will bring her back."

Valka knew that when Stoick made a promise like that he would keep it, till the very day he died. The two sat comforting each other, and sudden thought hit Valka. "What about Hiccup?” she asked.

"What about him?"

"He bonded so quickly with that little girl, how will tell him?"

"Tell him what?"

"Oh, don't play dumb, Stoick! You know what we have to tell him. We somehow have to tell him that Cabella didn't come back."

"No, we don't."

"What? Of course we do."

"Does he remember her?"

"Well, not as of yet..."

"So, unless he remembers her or we get her back, whichever happens first, we just won't talk about her in front of him."

"I suppose it would spare him the pain of losing her. But what if people in the village tell him?"

"I'll make sure they don't. People who are banished are counted as forgotten. I'll just forbid talk about her."

"But how will you find Cabella?"

"I'll send out search parties. But we can say that they're looking for the dragons’ nest."

"I guess it would be easier for all of us."

A firm decision was made that Hiccup was not to be told of Cabella, unless he remembered her, or she was found. They also decided that anything which happened before losing Cabella, they would tell Hiccup it happened before his birth. It was risky, but it would hide her better.

Three nights later no word of a lost baby had reached Berk, but this was not the worst of Stoick and Valka's problems. The dragon attacks were worse than ever, and five Vikings had been carried off. The fighting was so intense; Valka hardly noticed the Stormcutter sneaking through their newly patched roof. What caught her attention was a roof bursting into flames, and she turned to see the beast sneaking back into their house. She rushed to protect her one remaining child, but as she burst through the door, she stopped.

What she saw was proof of everything she believed in. There was Hiccup, who was terrified of dragons, sitting with his hand on the dragon’s talon, giggling. The beast turned approached Valka, fearless of the sword she carried. But as Valka gazed into the dragon's face, she realized that it was not a vicious beast, but an intelligent, gentle creature, whose soul reflected her own.

But the moment was destroyed as Stoick's ax slammed down in front of the dragon's face. In surprise, it shot a blast of fire around the room, surrounding Hiccup's bed. He began to cry and Stoick dove over the flames to grab him. He heard his wife scream "Stoick!" just as he took hold of his son.

 As he glanced up he saw his beautiful wife being carried off by the Stormcutter, the same one who had tried to take his daughter. "Valka!” he shouted after her, running a few steps forward.

She gave one last pleading "Stoick!" before she was flown out of sight.

"Valka." Stoick watched helplessly, clutching to his son far too tight, for fear someone should take him too. He had lost his daughter and wife in a matter of a few days. And so in that terrible, heartbreaking moment, he vowed that no harm would ever, ever come to Hiccup. He knew Valka would most likely not survive, but he would still keep his promise. He would find Cabella and bring her home. He would bring his family back together-- no matter what.

Chapter Text

"You lied to me?" Hiccup stared at his mother in disbelief. His brain couldn't think process fast enough. All of this was overwhelming. Particularly that his parents had told him so many things, so many lies, just to hide someone.

"Hiccup, we didn't mean to lie. We just thought it would be less painful for you. But I can see now that it was a total waste."

"But... What about this?” he pointed to the little white scar on his chin. "Dad said I got it when I was a baby."

"You did. But it wasn't from a dragon. You were learning to walk and fell down the stairs. You cut yourself on something and it scarred. I didn't expect it to stay this long. When Bella-"

"Did I actually call her Bella?"

"Yes! No matter how hard you tried you could never pronounce the 'Ca' in her name. It was quite amusing."

Hiccup sat lost in thought for a moment. He glanced back up at his mother, who was staring at the floor, ashamed. "Mom,” he began, "I'm glad you didn't tell me."

"You are?"

"Yeah, and I really mean that."

Valka stared at him in almost more unbelief than he had her. He had truly meant it, and it seemed to surprise her more than himself. Of course, he wasn't all that thrilled about his parents lying, but thinking about it, they really had saved him some pain. And, if they had told him, he probably wouldn't have believed Cabella.

"Mom,” he started, "I'm going to find Cabella."

Valka sighed. "If only it were possible."

"But... It is."

"How would you know that? She's dead Hiccup, there's no way a baby that small could have survived out there on her own. But what I wouldn't give to find out what really did happen to her and Belka."

"Belka d- who was she?"

"One of my closest friends. I'll never forget her. That woman could dance with the wind if she wanted to."

Valka turned away a little. Hurt was clouding her face, and she was obviously on the verge of tears. Hiccup instinctively put his arms around his mother, and after a minute she did the same.

"What would I do without you?" Valka whispered, beginning to stroke his messy hair. He found that he liked it, which was a little odd, seeing that he hated it when Astrid braided his hair. But all throughout his life he had somehow remembered his mother's touch; he had many memories of wishing for it again, particularly when he was sick or afraid. He now understood why he missed his mother so much. He often wondered how he remembered such a great deal about his mother, and now he knew.

His eyelids soon grew heavy, and he shifted around in his chair to lean against his mother. Sleep waited to curl its arms around them, and presently did, never letting go until the rays of sunlight were peaking through the windows.

. . .

Valka woke to the snoring of her son, which was not a very common thing. Firstly because she was never asleep in the same room as him, but more because Hiccup hardly ever snored. She sighed deeply, trying to move Hiccup's head in a way that would give him more air. It certainly wasn't easy, seeing that Hiccup had somehow managed to fall asleep with his back to her, and his head tipped forward. She began to comb her fingers through his hair, not quite sure whether she wanted to fully wake him up. He was slowly waking, and finally lifted his head, glancing around.

"Good morning," Valka said softly. Hiccup smiled, but soon it faded.

"Why am not in bed?” he asked, confused.

"We fell asleep out here. I don't know how, these chairs are so uncomfortable."

"I'm way too old for this,” he said, subconsciously snuggling closer to his mother.

"I don't care. I haven't gotten to hold you since you were three."

"I'm still too old."

Valka flicked him gently on the back of his head."You fell asleep first.” she teased.

"I did not!"

"Oh, yes you did!"

"How do you know?"

"I heard you snoring."

"Guess what, I don't snore."

"Guess what, you're wrong. You were snoring almost as bad as you father did."

Hiccup stood up, beaten. "Okay, you win!” he laughed, reaching a hand out to help his mother up. She gabbed it, pulled herself up, and before Hiccup was ready she let go. He reeled back, and smacked into the wall.

"Ah!” he hollered. "See if I ever help you again, you ungrateful woman!"

"You watch you language, young man!” she retorted playfully. "You may be chief, but I'm still your mother!"

Laughing, Valka went to the kitchen to make breakfast. Hiccup, along with his very sore neck, went to feed the dragons. The day went by quickly, and everyone was slightly suspicious at how casually Hiccup acted about having been missing. He managed to avoid questions about how he "survived" being kidnapped by Lise, which Astrid made the mistake of bringing up.

Everyone was surprised when Hiccup told her off by saying it was no big deal and to drop the subject. Gobber asked him if Lise had done something to him, but he only got an angry look in response.

Valka was convinced he was just mad about his parents not telling him about Cabella, and asked him to take it out on her and not everyone else. This made him more upset, and he stormed out of the house. He flew up to the cliffs and sat down against a tree with a huff. He would wait for Cabella and hopefully calm down before she arrived. He absolutely hated it when people nagged at him, but other than that, he couldn't think of why he was so angry. Toothless sat down beside him, knowing something was wrong with his rider.

"I'm okay, bud." Hiccup muttered. "Just mad. Everyone hates Cabella now; how on earth will she be able to live on Berk? Even if they didn't hate her, she was still banished. Maybe they won't want her to come back."

Toothless cooed thoughtfully, and then lit a pile of sticks on fire. He glanced at Hiccup, as if expecting him to move towards it. Hiccup smirked, and scooted closer, beginning to scratch the dragon's head. They watched the crimson sunset fade, and waited for Cabella and Comet to come.

"You idiot!" someone hissed behind him. Definitely Cabella; she was the only one, other than Astrid, who would start a conversation like that. Hiccup turned to see Cabella storming toward him and Toothless.

"I'm glad you decided to show up,” he teased as Toothless jumped up to play with Comet, who eagerly joined in the game.

"What were you thinking?!” she continued. "This was supposed to be a secret meeting! And you built a fire? Really? A fire? How discrete is that?"

"Oh, chill. I always come up here to be alone. Nobody follows me."

"Well, that better be the case. Because if anyone, and I mean ANYONE, shows up, they will know how sharp the tips of my arrows are.” she plopped down next to him.

Hiccup sighed. This must be what happened when people lived in almost complete solitude for their entire life. They become suspicious of everyone. That would explain his first encounter with her.

"So... Was I right?" Cabella asked, getting straight to the point.

"Yeah, you were right."

"Wow. I knew it was coming but... it's so weird."

"No kidding, right? I feel like a jerk for how I talked my mom into telling me."

"Oh boy... What did you do this time?"

"I got my mom to tell me the truth by...well...I got her waterworks going in the process."

"Ooh, smart move. So, ya gonna tell me or what?"

Hiccup was about to start when Cabella yanked a paper out of her bag. "Sign first.” she commanded, handing him a pencil.

"Sign what?"

"A fake peace treaty. If we get caught, we can say we were signing it."

Hiccup sighed again and signed his name on the paper. Talk about suspicious.

 He began to repeat the story his mother had told him the night before. In some cases he paraphrased, but Cabella made sure that he told every teeny tiny detail. By the time he finished, he'd run out of things to say, and they sat watching the dragons fight over a log. Cabella finally broke the silence.

"What now?” she asked, putting Hiccup's thoughts to words.

"I dunno. Tell mom, I guess."

"But everyone on Berk hates me."

"I don't hate you. Mom clearly doesn't hate you."

"Fine. Point made. I'd better go."

"Meet me tomorrow. Same place. We have to tell my...our mom."

"Yeah," Cabella said unenthusiastically.

"See ya.” she turned to leave.

"Wait!" Hiccup said suddenly. "Now that you...found your family...it would make sense for you to live on Berk."

"I'll think about it."

"Thanks.” he said genuinely.

"Night, Bella."

"What did you call me?"

Hiccup blushed. "Bella. It's what mom said I called you when we were little."

Cabella thought for a moment. "Bella. I like it. Not too long, not too girly...well, it's a little girly. It's pretty though."

"So...I can call you Bella?"

"Yeah, I guess."

Chapter Text

They each grabbed their dragons, and were about to put out the fire when Astrid came storming out of the trees. She didn't look very pleased to see Cabella standing next to her boyfriend.

"Would you mind telling me just what's going on here?” she demanded, glaring at Cabella.

"None of your business!" Cabella retorted. Hiccup was shocked at the sudden change in his sister.

"Oh, it's every bit of my business!" Astrid shouted back, stepping forward, ax in hand. "What are you doing on Berk!?"

"I SAID IT WAS NONE OF YOUR BEESWAX! THE REAL QUESTION IS HOW LONG YOU'RE GOING TO LIVE ON BERK!" Cabella pulled an arrow from her quiver and fitted it to the bow.

"WAS THAT SUPPOSED TO BE A THREAT? BECAUSE IF I WERE YOU, I WOULD NOT BE THREATENING ASTRID IONA HOFFERSON!" Astrid aimed her ax carefully at Cabella.

"YOU WANNA STRIKE FIRST? BAD IDEA SASSTRID!"

"DID YOU JUST CALL ME SASSTRID?! YOU WILL PAY FOR THAT!"

Hiccup grabbed the paper on the ground, holding it up. "Uh, Bell- Lise! Did we not just sign a peace treaty!?" Hiccup tried to draw attention to himself. "You know this is not very peaceful, right?” he took at glance at Cabella to make sure that the violence was fake.” she winked to let him know she was acting.

"Ah, but that is simply words on a page. But..." Cabella lowered her bow. "I do intend to honor my word."

With a snap of her fingers, Comet appeared, and Cabella hopped on her back. The two flew away without so much as a death glare. Hiccup breathed a sigh of relief. Cabella and Astrid were far too similar. Neither of them was willing to back down.

"Hiccup! I can't believe you!" Astrid stormed over to him. "You signed a peace treaty with that lunatic?! You allowed her to step foot on Berkian soil?!"

Hiccup smirked at the last comment. "Astrid, we may not like who were signing the peace treaty with, but at least it will get rid of her for awhile."

"But Hiccup, you heard her! She said that it was just words on a page! We can't trust her!"

"We may have to."

Astrid looked at him strangely, then turned and walked away. Hiccup could feel a sinking feeling settling in his stomach. Astrid was suspicious; she knew something was going on. Maybe Cabella was right. Maybe it would be hard to convince the people of Berk to let Cabella stay, Astrid in particular.

But as he and Toothless were flying home a plan began to form in the back of his mind. Perhaps there was a way to get the two as friends. They were so similar; they had to have common likes. If he set them up, or just plain told them to be nice to each other, maybe they would change their opinions. Ideas flashed through his brain. Team them up for a Dragon Race? No, Astrid would rather lose than work with Cabella. Have them train together? No, that would most likely ending severe injury or death. Let them argue till they had nothing left to fight about? No, Astrid never ran out of things to "debate" about. Let them spend the day together, without weapons? Now, that could work.

The worst they could do is hit each other, or have a dragon fire at the other. He would send them to the other side of the island and tell them that they had to deal with each other kindly. He could do that, right? He was chief. But would he? That was the question. Hiccup landed on front of the door, hopped off, and let himself in. The house was dark, so he climbed quietly up the stairs, and practically fell into bed, falling asleep almost immediately.

Chapter Text

Valka woke earlier than she usually did, and stretched as she crawled out of bed. She walked into the kitchen to get a drink of water, a glanced out the window. She noticed Astrid running down the path to the docks and told something to Eret who dashed off immediately. She then saw Gobber pass a few swords to Fishlegs.

What is everyone doing up so early? Valka wondered. Thinking Hiccup might know something about it, she tiptoed up the stairs to ask him.

Hiccup was fast asleep, with furs pulled up to his ears. He didn't move even when she sat down next to him. He never was an early riser. Valka gently pulled the fur away from his face. "Hiccup, love,” she said quietly. "Wake up for a minute."

"Go 'way,” he mumbled, swatting at her with his hand as if she were a fly.

"No, I need to talk to you."

"Wait till the sun's up."

"The sun is up. Now come on Hiccup, or I will take your furs and dump ice cold water on you."

Hiccup immediately pushed the blankets down and sat up, he'd had this happen before, and wasn't about to repeat it. "I'm awake. Don't take my furs. Or dump water on me."

Valka chuckled. "I take you've had the ice treatment before. But back to the original subject. Did something happen yesterday? Something that would put stress on the village?"

"Um, not that I know of."

"Are you sure? It's not everyday Gobber randomly makes weapons."

"Gobber's making weapons?"

"Yes. Go out there and see for yourself."

Hiccup sighed and threw his covers back. "I'll go figure out what’s wrong,” he muttered, beginning to pull on his armor.

Valka left shaking her head; Hiccup could be so grouchy at times.

Hiccup, however, was simply annoyed because he had been woken up before he wanted to, and then had to get up and be chief, which--to be fair--is not a fun job at times. As he stumbled out the door sleepily, Astrid ran past him without as much as a "Good morning." This struck him as odd, because Astrid never forgot to remind him of his bed head hair. Still, he didn't have time to worry about this, so he shuffled down to the forge to find Gobber. He found the blacksmith busily pounding out a sword, singing at the top of his lungs. It took a while for Hiccup to get his attention.

"Gobber, what are you doing?" Hiccup asked when he finally did.

"Making swords." The blacksmith replied shortly.

"Why?"

"Astrid told me to. She said-"

"Since when is Astrid Chief?!"

"I never said she was. But she told me signed a peace treaty with a dishonest, double crossing, murderous lunatic, who said herself it was just words on a page."

"Oh, for the love of Thor! Astrid is just being way to suspicious of her. You don't need all this! Just forget she ever said anything, I'm going to have a talk with her."

Hiccup marched out of the building to find Astrid. She just needed to settle down, and not ruin his day with exaggerations. He ran around looking for her, and finally found her giving out orders. "And just what do you think you're doing,” he asked, coming up behind her. She whirled around to face him.

"Exactly what you are not doing,” she replied smartly, "Getting ready for war."

Hiccup looked at her, confused. "War? What war, Astrid? There's no war."

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe the one that we'll be having shortly? You don't really expect Lise to keep her word, do you?"

Hiccup groaned. This was the last straw. Astrid would have to learn Lise's true identity before she stopped this nonsense war preparation. He grabbed Astrid's arm and pulled her behind a building. "Hey!” she complained. "Let me go!"

"Listen, Astrid. I'm tired of you not giving Bell- Lise another chance. You need to stop being so suspicious of her." Hiccup said as her subtlety motioned to Stormfly. The Deadly Nadder grabbed Astrid's shoulders and began to fly, Astrid shouting in protest. Hiccup jumped on Toothless and followed them leading the way north. Stormfly listened to nothing Astrid told her, and trailed Toothless like a puppy. When they were far enough away from the village, Hiccup decided to tell her the truth.

"Okay,” he began, taking a deep breath. "Astrid, it's time I told you the truth about why I'm siding so much with Bell...Lise."

Astrid glared at him. "I already know why."

"No, I'm pretty sure you don't."

"Yes, I do. She's won your heart, and now you're ditching me."

"What?! What gave you that idea?"

"Don't play stupid, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III! I can tell just by the way you look at her! You want her instead of me! Well, fine! You can have that hotheaded maniac for all I care! You'll probably have tons of stuff in common! But I swear by Odin's beard; you will be sorry! So leave now, if that's your plan! Because I don't want some long, drawn out farewell! Just go! Go be with her! Take care of her! You act like she's your own flesh and blood anyway!"

"Astrid, she is my own flesh and blood."

"Oh, that's a new one! You've never said that about me!"

"Because it's not true about you."

"And it's true about her?! Thanks, Hiccup! At least now I know how you really feel about me! Don't you ever touch me, kiss me, or call me 'Milady' again! I'm not yours anymore! In fact, I'll probably go be with Snotlout, just so you are lonely! I swear, you will hate yourself for this!"

"Astrid, non of that is true-"

"See, this is what I mean! You're defending her!"

"She's my sister, okay!?" Hiccup shouted at the top of his lungs. This was not going like he planed. Astrid's jaw dropped, and she stared at him the same way he had Cabella.

Chapter Text

"Your...sister?" Astrid whispered.

"Yes. Her real name is Cabella. The truth is we weren't really signing a peace treaty. I was talking to her about the two of us being siblings."

"Oh."

"Astrid, I'm not trading her for you. I don't like her in that way. That's reserved for you."

"But how is she your sister? You're mom was carried off when you were a baby. Wait... She's not your half sister is she?"

Hiccup blushed slightly. "No. We have the same parents."

"But it doesn't add up."

"It does actually. And I'll tell you how some other time. But right now.... I'm going to be the worst Chief ever and drop you off on her island so that you stop being so mean.” he finished quickly.

"What?!"

"Yep. You need to expand your friendships. You'll like her, I promise."

"But she tried to kill me!"

"Are we still seriously on this topic?"

"Yes."

"Fine. You're still going." Hiccup pulled back on Toothless' saddle as he inclined upwards to avoid a protruding rock. Stormfly squawked impatiently, obviously wanting to hurry up and get wherever they were going. Astrid refused to speak to Hiccup the entire way there, and scowled at him fiercely while dismounting.

Hiccup led her towards the shack and couldn't help but notice Astrid's confused face. She followed him through the door, and he was about to push aside the shelf, when Ahimra came snarling into the room. Astrid sucked in a small gasp as the wolf tackled her to the ground. Hiccup wasted no time in grabbing 'Himra's neck and yanking her back.

"Hey! Ahimra! Leave her alone!" Hiccup scolded. Ahimra's ears pricked up at the sound of his voice, and her wagging tail slapped Astrid in the face. Astrid glared at Hiccup once before standing, then took his outstretched hand, and pulled herself up. Hiccup smiled his goofy grin before pushing the shelf aside revealing the handle. He flipped it down, realizing it could use a good oiling.

As the floor opened up, and Astrid gawked at him stupidly. He motioned for her to follow him down the staircase, and Ahimra bounded down after them. When the tunnel opened up to the enormous room, Hiccup couldn't help but steal a glance at Astrid's face. It was priceless. A whispered "Wow" escaped her lips, and she gazed down from the ledge with wonder. Hiccup led the way on the ropes, and Astrid followed easily.

As soon as her feet were on solid ground, she ran up to the nearest wall and fingered the ax mounted on it. "Hiccup, look at this! The designs are amazing!” she shouted. He nodded, smiling. Yep, Astrid was right at home.

He stuck his head in the kitchen, in search of Cabella. Finding her absent, he headed down the hallway. "Bella?” he called out, his voice echoing down the tunnel. There was no reply, so he turned around and walked back to the large room. "I guess she left already,” he commented.

A battle cry suddenly split through the air, and Hiccup pitched forward as someone jumped on his back. A dagger was pressed briefly against his throat, but he managed to duck away from it.

He rolled onto his back, and was reaching for his own knife, when he realized who his attacker was.

"Bella?” he said, surprised. The two sat there for a moment in silence until Cabella realized she was practically sitting on her brother and stood up blushing.

"Hiccup? What are you doing here?” she asked. (Well, demanded.) But before she gave him a chance to answer, she shouted "But more importantly what is she doing here?!"

"Becoming your new best friend,” he replied, grinning like a fool. Astrid was clearly ready to swing her ax at any moment.

"Oh. Okay." Cabella said shrugging. Hiccup wished he could have drawn the look on Astrid's face. Her mouth dropped almost to the floor and her eyes bugged so large he thought they would pop out of her head.

"You mean you're not going to murder us?" Astrid gaped.

"’Course not. Want some breakfast? I just made it. And no it's not poisoned. I'll eat some first if it makes you feel better."

Astrid glanced quickly at Hiccup before following Cabella into the kitchen. Hiccup smiled to himself before turning to leave, when Cabella called after him. "Hey, fly around Itchy Armpit, it shaves off about two hours of time on the flight home." Hiccup nodded and smiled on his way out.

Behind him he could hear Astrid asking about some weapon. His smile grew; they would be friends in no time.

Everything that day went surprisingly well for Hiccup, and Astrid did not arrive on Berk until late that night. Hiccup was working in the forge when Astrid came barreling through the door practically tripping over herself to reach him.

"Hiccup! You gotta see this! Bella just gave this to me!” she handed him an ax, well kept and shinny. The handle itself was beautiful enough, but the head of the ax could take your breath away. It had been molded in such away that Hiccup couldn't even figure out how it was done. He passed the ax back to her.

"So,” he began, "Did you have a good time?"

"Good time?! Are you crazy?! It was the best day of my life! Maybe not the best...but it was still awesome! Did she show you Dreki? And The Valley of the Dark Things? And the Waddlepaws? And the Squigleburns? And-"

"Slow down," Hiccup laughed, "She showed me all that stuff. But, quick question first. How is she when you actually get to know her?"

Astrid glanced downward sheepishly. "She's really nice. I guess I shouldn't have judged her when I didn't really know her."

"So are you two friends now?"

"Yes! Best friends! Okay maybe not best, but really good friends!"

"Good." Hiccup felt rather pleased with himself. "One thing, though. You can't tell anyone in the village about her."

"But I already did. Well, bad stuff anyway."

"No, I mean don't tell that we're related. They may not be too happy about it. I want to break the news to my mom first."

"Alright. Just...don't do something stupid, 'Kay?"

Hiccup laughed and nodded. When Astrid turned to leave, Hiccup suddenly realized that her hair was different. Instead of her usual side braid, she had a braid that wound around her head. It seemed to be woven into itself so that it could fall out.

"Astrid,” he called after her, "What did you do to your hair? It looks nice."

"Oh, thanks! Bella did it for me. What did she call it... Oh yeah! A Spiral braid."

She turned so Hiccup could see it better. He smiled. "Cool. How'd she do that?"

"No clue. I want her to teach me how, though. She can do it on herself! Without a mirror!"

"That's-" Hiccup tried to reply but was interrupted by a yawn. "I better get to bed,” he muttered, giving Astrid a quick peck on the cheek. "Good night, Milady."

"Night, babe."

Hiccup stumbled up to his house, suddenly exhausted. As he crawled onto bed the thought hit him of telling his mother. He and Cabella had arranged to tell her the next night, but the question of how had not yet been answered.

Chapter Text

Morning seemed to come early, and the day sped by without Astrid saying one negative word about "Lise".

As the night grew cold and the moon cast its gentle rays down on Berk, Hiccup went home for the night. His mother was tending the fire, and she glanced up and smiled. "How was your day?” she asked kindly.

"Good."

"Good? That's all? Good?"

"Yeah."

"Well, you certainly are a man of few words tonight."

"So?"

"So is something on your mind?"

"Sort of."

"Well, spill it. You do realize that when you don't talk to people about certain things it doesn't help."

"Uh-huh. But... There's something I... uh...need to tell you."

"And that might be...?"

"Okay, it's more of an 'I need to show you' type thing."

Valka's face clouded with confusion, but she followed her son out the front door anyway. But what she saw took her breath away.

A girl stood at the edge of the small cliff just outside their house. The light of the moon had caught in her long golden hair, and as she turned toward them her sapphire eyes sparkled like the stars above them. She cocked her head slightly as she looked at the older woman.

Valka sucked a gasp as she approached the young girl. Could it possibly be true? That she was staring into the eyes of her beloved baby girl? Was she really here? Had all those horrible years of waiting finally come to an end? Was she dreaming?

But all idea of dreaming was eliminated when the girl took a small step toward her and whispered: "Mom?” her voice wavered slightly as she gazed at her mother. Valka drew in a shaky breath before wrapping her arms around her long lost daughter.

"Bella,” she whispered, tears beginning to flow. She had waited for this moment for seventeen years, and it was every bit as wonderful as she had imagined. More even.

She suddenly remembered Hiccup standing behind her. She turned and faced him, still not releasing Cabella. "Is this why you wanted to know?” she asked tearfully.

Hiccup nodded.

"Then get over here you rascal so I can give you a proper hug!"

. . .

The wonderful smell that wafted past his nose brought Hiccup out of his slumber. He smiled at the events of the past evening. Luckily, he'd been able to sleep in his own room.

His mother had surprised him by showing them what was in that "Storage Room" that was always kept locked. It had actually turned out to be Cabella's bedroom; however, it had never been used.

Cabella had promised to give Valka a few cooking lessons, thus the wonderful smell. He rolled over on his back to look at the ceiling. Today was going to be perfect. Cabella was on Berk, his mom was getting cooking lessons, and Astrid would be nice to Cabella...what could possibly go wrong?

He threw back the covers and climbed out bed, surprised to find Toothless' corner empty. Without thinking he flew down the stairs to find him and Comet begging for scraps. Cabella occasionally tossed them something, and they tried to push the others head out of the way to get it. Hiccup sighed, glad to find Toothless had not run off.

"Oh, there you are bud!" Hiccup sighed pleasantly. Cabella turned and smiled at him, but suddenly clapped her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. She looked away, giggling, and clutching her sides. Valka glanced over to see what was so funny. She covered her eyes slowly while trying to hold back laughter.

"What?" Hiccup demanded.

"Your... Your hair!" Cabella finally choked out.

"What about it?"

He turned and looked at his reflection in a shield mounted on the wall. He sucked in a gasp. He was hideous! He looked like he hadn't brushed his hair in a month! Or a year! It had proofed up around his face so that his already oversized hair was even more oversized. He groaned and tried to pat it down, which only made it worse. Still laughing, Cabella made her way forward to help him.

"Here,” she said, removing his hands from his head, "Don't pat or rub it, that only make it worse." Hiccup leaned his is head toward her; she seemed to know what she was doing. She began to brush her fingers through it, smoothing it as she went. She used the tips of her fingers to smooth out the kinks, leaving Hiccup in pure Valhalla.

 He'd always enjoyed it when people rubbed his hair (though he hated it when they braided it), but this was actually putting him to sleep. Cabella switched to rubbing his skin, noticing the look of pleasure on his face. He closed his eyes and let his head droop in effect.

She continued to massage his scalp, and he was enjoying it so much that he didn't even notice the sly smile creeping across her face. She suddenly moved her hand to the front of his face and pushed his bangs back.

However, there was something about it that gave Hiccup the feeling of fingernails on a chalkboard. He shivered and jumped away. Cabella burst out laughing. She grabbed at him as he bolted for the stairs.

"Hey, where are you going?” she pouted.

"To get my helmet,” he replied, "So you can't do that again."

She smiled.

"And put a shirt on while you at it!" Valka called from the kitchen.

Hiccup glanced down at his bare chest, blushing slightly. "Oops."

He hurried back down the stairs, fully dressed for the day. He wolfed his breakfast down, finding that his mother was a wonderful cook with a little coaching. He had promised to show Cabella around the village, so after breakfast, the two set off for the forge. They didn't really notice the whispers of people wondering who it was that the chief was walking with. As they entered the shop, Hiccup began explaining what everything was.

It wasn't until he asked her a question when he realized she wasn't right behind him. He turned to find her standing just outside the door. She was staring wide eyed at something in the distance. He looked in the same direction, wondering what she was staring at.

There was Eret, with the same shocked expression, staring back.

Then, without warning, Cabella grabbed her bow and fired at him, leaving the man no choice but to run. The arrow grazed his shoulder, tearing the fabric of his tunic. She bolted after him, and the two caused such a large commotion, people were drawn out of their homes. Hiccup stood there, having no idea why there would be any animosity between the two. He finally managed to but aside his confusion and began to chase after his sister.

Chapter Text

Cabella was far too quick for Hiccup, and was easily gaining on Eret, who was not at all slow. She cornered him against the side of a barn, dropped her bow, and pulled the dagger from her waist.

She thrust it at Eret, but he managed to grab her wrist before the weapon was plunged into him.

After attempting to free herself, she slammed her heel down on his mid foot. He groaned, and the knife gained a few inches in his direction.

"I should have killed you that day in the woods!” she hissed through her teeth. "Then you wouldn't be here now!"

"But I've changed! I don't trap dragons anymore!” he pleaded.

"I don't care. You clipped their wings! I watched you! And now you're going to pay for it!" The knife was now at his throat.

"But I'm not like that anymore!"

"I won't make the same mistake of letting you live! Now shut up or tell me your last words!"

"No I-” he stopped, for every word drove the knife further into his neck.

Neither of them had noticed the crowd of spectators gathered around them. No one wanted to get involved, but Gobber could tell the feisty little golden haired lass wasn't kidding.

He came up behind her and grabbed her wrist to pull her away, but only succeeded in getting himself a good punch in the face. However, Cabella's attention was taken off of Eret, giving him the chance to escape. His foot would not support his weight, and he only stumbled forward a little before giving up.

The rest of the crowd had come to Gobber's aid. Fists flying, Cabella fought her way out of the mob. Hiccup managed to grab hold of her arm, but she rotated it back to get free. "Comet!” she shouted. The dragon appeared in an instant, picking up her rider and soaring away.

"Bella!" Hiccup called after her. Gobber walked up behind him.

"Was that who I think it was?” he asked quietly.

Hiccup could only nod. He would go after her later, but first he had her mess to clean up. Now he knew how his dad felt. He ran over to Eret, trying to help him stand. "I am so sorry,” he apologized for his sister. "I don't know what happened."

Eret waved his hand dismissively. "She always does that. I saw it coming. At least I had a chance to run this time."

Hiccup wondered what he meant by "always" and "this time." There was something Eret had left out of his story. He and Cabella had a history, one more than just a brief sighting of the other. But Hiccup pushed this thought to the back of his head, and helped Eret up to the Great Hall. His mother had heard the noise and had come out to see what all the ruckus was about. When she caught sight of Hiccup assisting Eret in getting to the Great Hall, she was pretty sure she didn't even want to know what happened.

She ran to catch up with them, noticing Eret’s swollen foot and the thin trickle of blood down his neck.

"Are you alright?” she asked him.

"Yeah, I think.” he replied, stumbling a little. The two sat him down, and Valka set to work fixing him up. She handed him a small cloth to stop the bleeding on his neck, before moving on to his foot. He winced as she prodded at it gently. She left him with a chunk of ice resting on it and set off to find a healer, not able to determine if it was broken herself.

Hiccup, however, had a much less fun job to do. He had to go to an emergency meeting and defend his sister for physically harming a Berkian citizen.

The healer had informed Eret that Cabella had not succeeded in breaking his foot, but that he should keep from putting any weight on it.

Thankfully, Eret was able to convey to the council that he didn't want to press charges. All in all, Hiccup's very hectic day ended in his going to get Cabella.

This time every one knew where he was going and that he might be gone a few days. The flight to Cabella's island was shorter than usual, or maybe it was just because he wanted it to be longer. As the crest of her island came into view, he urged Toothless on faster.

As he landed beside the shack, he began to wonder how he would convince his sister to come back. He and Toothless made their way down into the tomb-house, hoping Cabella was still there.

"Hey Bella?” he called softly, quite nervous.

No reply.

"Bella..."

Still no reply.

"Bella?"

"Hiccup? What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you."

"Why?"

"So that I can bring you back home."

"Hiccup, I'm never going back."

"But you have to come back-"

"No, I don't! I can't. Not if he's there."

"Yeah, about Eret. What's the deal with him?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Yeah, but-"

"I SAID IT DOESNT MATTER! Look, I can't go back. Not after what I did. That piece of scum may have deserved it, but if they didn't hate me before, the sure do now."

"They don't hate you! They though you were great! They said you are just like dad! Gobber said you'd make a wonderful Shield Maiden."

"Who's Gobber?"

"The guy you punched in the face."

"I punched a lot of guys in the face."

"The first guy. Look, Eret's not pressing charges. The village does not hate you. And mom and I want you to come back. Please Bella, please come back."

Cabella walked down the hall. Hiccup sighed. She must have been serious about not coming back. "Hey! Lazy bones! Are you gonna help me pack or what?” she called impatiently.

Chapter Text

The two flew above the turquoise ocean, racing with each other and sometimes a gust of wind. Hiccup found it odd to be racing another Night Fury, mainly because this was the first time he'd lost a race. Hiccup decided to go the long way home, just to make sure Cabella had cooled off by the time they got there.

As they soared through the sky, they heard shouting up ahead. It became clear that the noise was coming from a ship, far off in the distance. Sharing a glance, they flew closer. They could soon make out a small boat, its sail hanging from the mast limply, and water covering the deck.

  "Hey!" One of the men on board called out. "Help us! We're sinking!" 

 "C'mon," Hiccup said, switching Toothless' tail to the landing position. "We have to help."

 "Hiccup, wait," Cabella urged, "Something tells me we shouldn't. We don't know them."  

"So what? They'll drown if we don't do something."   

"But-"  

"But nothing. It'll be fine. They need our help, let's go." With that he flew down toward them. "What happened?!" Hiccup shouted to the sailors.  

 "Our anchor is stuck! It's pulling the boat over!" The man called back.  

"Toothless! Plasma Blast!" Hiccup pointed to the anchor chain. Toothless shot the ball directly at it, and the boat leaned back to its natural position. Hiccup and Cabella landed on the deck.   

"Oh, how can we ever repay such mercy?" The man exclaimed. "Thank you! You've saved our lives!"  

Hiccup glanced smugly at Cabella. "Well, we couldn't have let you drown, could we?"  

"You could have,” he said, a hint of slyness in his voice. "And something tells me you're going to wish you did. Get 'em boys!"   

The other men grabbed at them, and, because the siblings had not been ready, they succeeded in catching hold of them. Cabella was forced against the main mast and tied her there, while a strong man held Hiccup's hands behind his back.   

Cabella wrestled to get out of rope that tied her to the post. "Who are you!?” she demanded.   

The man grabbed her chin and looked her in the eye. "I thought you would remember me; Sif."  

Cabella's eyes narrowed. "Huegsa."  

"Or is it Duafi? No one can ever tell."  

"Your stench gives away your identity before you’re even seen."  

"I know. That's what I love about it."  

"What do you want, you flea infested snake?"  

"Oh, it's not what I want; it's what Drago wants."  

"Well, what does he want?"  

"He wants you to train his dragons."  

"You know, I thought that maybe, just maybe, he'd have figured out I won't do that. Ever."  

"Are you sure?" Huegsa pulled out his knife.  

"I wouldn't be very much use to you dead, now would I?"  

"No, that's true, you wouldn't. But you see, killing isn't the only thing knives are good for. They're also lovely leverage makers. And I would love to demonstrate, with your permission of course."  

"Fine, can we just move on? I'm not training any dragons."  

"Oh, yes you are. Especially now that you've given me permission to get myself some leverage."  

He turned abruptly, and stabbed Hiccup just below the ribs. Hiccup's chest heaved, and he would've collapsed if it weren't for the men holding him up.   

"Hiccup!” she screamed, fighting against her ropes. "No!"  

"Yes! Now, I'll give you a choice. You train our dragons; I'll leave you brother alone. I'll even let you help him. But, if you don't, I will stab him three more times, and then through him into those shark infested waters. What do you say?"  

"I say if you so much as touch him one more time, you will have a Death Fury in your face, eating you alive."  

"Oh, yeah? Where is this Death Fury?"  

Cabella scanned the ship with her eyes, seeing Comet and Toothless laying side by side, each with a red feathered dart in their necks.  

"So," Huegsa said, "You have five seconds to choose. One..."  

Cabella glanced her dragons. "Two..."  

"Bella, don't!" Hiccup rasped urgently.  

"Three..." Huegsa raised his dagger to Hiccup's head.   

"Four..." The man drew his hand back so he could plunge the weapon into her brother's skull.

Chapter Text

"Fine! I'll train his dragons! Let them go!” she blurted out.

Huegsa dropped his knife and sneered at her. "Good choice, very good choice. I'm sure Drago will be pleased.” he pushed Hiccup down on the forecastle deck, who, moaning in pain, curled in on himself in a fetal position. He gazed at his sister pleadingly.

"Now, untie me!" 

"Ha! I don't think so. We wouldn't want you to accidentally fall over board, now would we?" 

  Cabella struggled against the ropes. Noise, she thought, I need to make some noise. We have to get out of here.  

"Help!” she screamed. "Somebody! Help us! Help!"   

"Would you shut up?" Huegsa hissed. "You're gonna get us caught."  

"Absolutely not," Cabella sniffed. "This is our only chance of getting out of here. I will make as much noise as I please."  

"Oh no, you won't," Huegsa scoffed, kicking Hiccup's stomach, making him gasp for air.   

Cabella pursed her lips in anger, and swallowed in order to keep from screaming all the more. She would get Hiccup out of there, whether Huegsa let them go or not.   

"So, why exactly do you want me?” she asked, trying to act as casual as possible.  

"Because you're the best dragon trainer we know of."  

"Oh sure, I'm the best dragon trainer. You clearly have not met my mom."  

"Oh yeah? Who's she?"  

"Only the greatest dragon master that has ever walked the face of this earth!"  

"Ha! Did you hear that lads? She says there another dragon master out there! One better than her!" The men laughed along with him. "Well, tell me, Lise-"  

"It's Cabella."  

"Fine. Whatever. Tell me, Cabella, can your mother understand what the dragons say?"

"Who said either of us could understand the dragons?!"  

"Well, I happen to know that you can talk to them."  

"H- Who- who told you that lie?"  

"No one. I've seen you. How do you do it? I'm waiting for an answer."  

"You told me all I had to do was train your dragons! You never said I had to tell you how to communicate with them!"  

"Oh? I must've left that part out. Forgive me, but that was supposed to be part of the deal."   

"You lying, cheating, low, despicable, vile, rotten, pungent pond scum! You. Will. Pay. For. This."  

Huegsa just shrugged and walked away, leaving the two heavily guarded.   

Oh, what will happen now? Cabella mused. She had to find a way out, and it needed to be quick. She could see Drago's Island in the distance, but worse, her brother was bleeding to death on the deck of a ship, while she was helplessly chained to the mast, not than six feet away. If that wasn't enough trouble a dark, ominous snow cloud gathered overhead, threatening to drop their contents on the tiny ship.  

. . .

"Move along!" Huegsa pushed Cabella down the hallway. "Drago doesn't like waiting."  

Cabella clenched her jaw. How dare Huegsa treat her like this?  

"You'll be making a right up ahead," Huegsa commanded.  

"Then a left, then another right, and it's the door at the end of the hall! I know my way around here better than you do!” she snapped.  

"And how, I might ask?" The man snarled back.  

"Remember how I always managed to get away from you? Well, it just so happens I've been practicing my stealth. On your island. I know every passage, window, door, cell, and room in the building. Just try to keep me here. I dare you to keep me here."  

"Oh, keeping you here won't be a problem. You're too loyal. We'll just use you...against you. You wouldn't leave your brother if your life depended on it."  

For this, Cabella had no reply. She had to get out of here. She had to get Hiccup out of here. But she could never fight her way out of this place, at least with Hiccup. She only had one chance.  

Belka's words echoed in her head. "Lise, if there is one thing you have and know how to use; it's your wits. Even if you aren't strong enough to out fight your enemy, you can always out wit them."

 Wits.That's the key to freedom, Cabella thought.  

Chapter Text

Soon the door at the end of the hall came into sight, and Cabella was forced through the entrance.

There stood Drago, facing a large map on the wall. X-ed out islands scattered the parchment.

"Sir," Huegsa began confidently. "We have brought you the Dragon Master."

'Who?" Drago questioned, still facing his map.

"The Dragon-"

"I can speak for myself!" Cabella burst in.

At this Drago turned.

"Ah yes,” he laughed, "My little golden-haired brat."

"Don't you dare speak to me like that."

Drago ignored her. "Have you finally decided to train my dragons?"

Cabella said nothing.

Drago smacked her face with the back of his hand. She didn't even flinch.

"I said, are you ready to train my dragons?!"

Again, she said nothing.

The man roared in frustration, and pulled out a knife.

"Sir! Wait!" Huegsa stopped him. "We have her brother."

Drago broke into cruel laughter. "Wonderful." Cabella rolled her eyes. Drago grabbed her chin, and forced her to look up at him. "If you don't train my dragons, I will take this knife and drive it through you brother's heart. I will let the blood drip out of him until his heart has no more reason to pump. And when he has suffered a bloody, agonizing death, I will feed his carcass to the dragons you are to train."

"Okay!" Cabella she shouted desperately.

"I expect those dragons train by morning." Drago informed as he left.

"Yes sir." Cabella mumbled in response. She suddenly found herself being pushed along through the hallways, and then shoved into a cell.

"Stay here," Huegsa was telling some men. "I'll be back with more guards. Don't take your eyes off her for a second. She's quick. If we lose her, we'll lose our heads."

The men muttered something in reply, but Cabella was too deep in her own thoughts to hear. She glanced up for just a moment, catching sight of Huegsa standing outside her cell. No, it wasn't Huegsa...It was Duafi! She couldn't believe her luck!

"Pst! Duafi!” she hissed.

The man turned. "What? What is it? What did I do?” he cried.

"Would you pip down? You didn't do anything. Where's my brother?"

"I think he's down on the beach."

"Where on the beach?"

"I think on the sand."

"Well, duh! Where as in, what place."

"What place?"

"The place where Hiccup is!"

"Uh, he's on the beach."

"I know that! Near what on the beach?"

"Near the water."

"And you are as helpful as ever,” she mumbled under her breath. "Thank you, Duafi!” she said in a totally fake sing-song voice. She left the cross bar door and sat down on the ground. How will I get out of here? She thought over and over again. Soon the other guards arrived, lowing her chance of escape even more.

Chapter Text

As the hours passed, the guards began to snore, though waking at the slightest sound. The only one left awake was the night watchman who passed her cell about every hour. That was her escape.

She quietly stood and tiptoed over to the cell door. She slipped one leg through the gap between the bars. Next her left arm. Then came the hard part. She rotated her head in to the space, pushed her left shoulder through, and began to slide her torso out. Never had her small waistline been this handy. She finally pulled her right leg out, without making a sound.

Taking a deep but silent breath, she wove her way around the sleeping guards. As she turned the corner, she broke into a run. Down the first corridor, past the door with the crest on it, she instructed herself. There at the end of the hall, was the door to Drago's own living space. She'd snuck in many times, but now she was on a time limit. She twisted the handle, surprised to find it locked. She turned and ran; she would have to go with plan B.

Cabella stopped in front of a wall. She pressed on the separate bricks gently. The wall cracked. She entered the secret room she'd used many times, running up the staircase within it. The hall she was now in ended; she pushed up on the ceiling and entered the most dangerous part of this escape. The only floor beneath her was a few rickety criss-crossing boards, sure to cave in at any time. The space between the boards and rock ceiling was only two feet, so she had to crawl. But she could maneuver this passage in her sleep, and her hands and knees were swift, so she crossed the area quickly.

She ended on a wooden floor, and she walked to the spot where she had loosened several of the planks years before. She lifted them softly, and then lowered herself into the room below. It was well lit, and knowing where the keys to the dungeon were kept, she was gone as quickly as she came.

She continued to climb on the rafters until she reached the door of the prison; she reached for her pile of rocks that were well hidden in the dark light. She dropped one on the head of the guard below her before dropping to let herself out.

She knew which key to use, having had to let herself out of this place many times. She raced to the boat docks, her feet light and soundless. She approached her tree softly, before silently climbing its branches. She grabbed the dagger hidden there, then boarded the ship closest. With a mischievous smile she cut the sail of the mast, making sure it had Drago's crest on it.

She nearly flew to the beach where Huegsa had docked, searching for her brother. Please, she begged, please don't be in the water. She knew that an open wound in water was an easy way to end a life. But, it was certainly no worse than the snow. She was used to unbearably cold climates, but Hiccup wouldn't be able to survive in this whether without being wounded.

Then she saw it. A dark spot in the snow. Could it be? No, as she approached she saw it was only a shadow.

But then the shadow coughed. It wasn't like a regular cough. It was a pain stricken cough, one that gasped for air. She rushed to it, dropping to her knees. "Hiccup?” she whispered.

"Bell-a?” he choked out.

"Shh, it's me."

"I- I ca-n't b-rea-the..." His raspy breathing intensified. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't take a proper breath. Cabella glanced at where he clutched his belly. Oh no, her eyes widened. Huegsa had driven the knife straight into his diaphragm. He couldn't breathe. Every time he tried to take a breath, it was too painful; so he exhaled to stop the agony, but without getting any air. His body tried to breathe quicker to get the air it desperately needed, but that only caused more pain and less air. He was suffocating himself.

She had to slow his breathing down. She covered his mouth with her palm and closed his nostrils with her thumb and index finger. He fought to breathe, but quieted when she ran a reassuring hand through his snowy hair. After about fifteen seconds, she let him take a breath. She repeated this until he was breathing almost normally.

"I'm gonna get you out of here,” she promised as she cut a strip of canvass from the sail. She gently wrapped it around his waist. "This will have to do for now,” she told him, "It'll keep you from bleeding until we get you a proper bandage."

"Tooth-less?” he whispered, the word cracking due to lack of air.

"Don't worry. He's alright. Wait here. I'll be right back.” she stood quietly, and then ran up the beach. She found Comet and Toothless chained together. She began to stroke Comet's head, rolling her tongue to tell them what she wanted. The dragons struggled to their feet, and followed her gingerly back to Hiccup. When they reached him, she tied the sail between them.

With great difficulty, she managed to half scoot, half roll Hiccup onto the fabric. She could tell he didn't have much time left.

"Hiccup,” she whispered, "Which position is the take off position for Toothless' tail?"

"Six."

Cabella swapped the tail, and locked its position. She was about to get on Comet's back, but a thought hit her. When the guard walked past her cell, he would she that she was gone. They would send out search parties, and track them down. Hiccup would never get to Berk. If he never got to Berk he would die.

So without thinking twice, she ordered the dragons to leave without her. She knew it was a dangerous trip; Hiccup could easily fall out of the makeshift hammock. She swallowed the lump in her throat, and ran back to her cell. She stepped around the sleeping guards, slipped through the bars, and lay down in the corner just as the watchman passed her cell.

Chapter Text

Astrid sat next to Stormfly, intently watching the sky. She sighed heavily, earning a nudge from her dragon. "I'm okay girl,” she reassured, "Just worried. Hiccup and Cabella should be back by now."

"Astrid..."                                                                                           

Astrid jerked her head up. Who was calling her?

"Astrid..."

Stormfly sniffed the air anxiously. She grunted slightly. "What is it girl? Do you hear it too?" Astrid asked, looking up at her dragon. Stormfly didn't respond. Instead she snuggled down Astrid, closing her eyes. Crack! Something snapped behind them.

Stormfly jumped up, spines standing up. Astrid grabbed her ax, leaping up beside her dragon. "C'mon girl,” she whispered. "Let's find out what that was." They silently crept into the trees; eyes peeled for anything. Stormfly suddenly shot spines into the bushes.

"Hey!" Someone yelled. "What was that for!?" Ruff and Tuff stood up, rubbing their helmets.

"Ruffnut? Tuffnut? What are you doing here?!" Astrid demanded.

"We were sneaking up on you," Tuffnut answered.

"Idiot!" Ruff shouted. "Now she knows! We can't surprise her anymore!” she began pounding her brother's head.

"Guys, stop!" Astrid pushed them away from each other. "Were you calling me?"

"No," Ruff said, tugging on her braids. "Then you would've found us."

"You were not calling my name."

"And you have the nerve to call us dumb... N-O."

Astrid turned and walked further into the woods. Something was out there, something had called her. She had to know what it was. "Hello?” she asked the darkness softly.

No answer.

But she persisted. Someone had called her, and if it wasn't the twins, she had to know who. "Is anyone there?"

As she worked her way towards the beach, the moon gave her just enough light to catch sight of something white. It was just inside the line of trees separating the woods from sand. As she approached it softly, fear crept its way into her chest. Why, she did not know, but her grip tightened on her ax.

"Hiccup?” she whispered, suddenly recognizing the form on the ground.

No answer.

Sucking in a gasp, she rushed forward. She dropped to her knees beside him, rolling him onto his back. His skin was pale and clammy, and Astrid couldn't tell if he was breathing. "Wake up,” she whispered, gently slapping his cheek. "C'mon, Babe. Please wake up."

She laid her head down on his chest. His heart was weak, but there. "Please, Hiccup. Please wake up. Please be okay."

"Just one breath, Hiccup. Just one."

He still did not move.

"Fine, I'll make you breath.” she tilted his head back, intertwined her fingers, and began to pump his chest. "Ruff! Tuff! Go get Valka and tell her son's on the beach half dead! Go! Now!" They took off running, mainly because they were afraid of what would happen if they didn't.

"You. Will. Breathe. No. Matter. What. You. Stubborn. Man." Astrid said determinedly with each pump. Crack! She snapped one of his ribs, but she didn't care. Getting him to breathe was all that mattered. It didn't seem to be working. His lips were turning blue, and if it was believable, his skin was white as paper.

Exhausted and desperate, she pinched his nose, covered his mouth with hers, and blew in. She saw his chest rise, and much to her delight, it lowered on its own accord.

She repeated this again and again, until she found herself dizzy, and had to stop. But there had to be more she could do. Heat! The thought hit her suddenly. I have to keep him warm! She ripped off her hood, and wrapped it around his shoulders. "Stormfly!” she called. "Light a fire!" The Nadder immediately obeyed.

"You'll be okay Hiccup,” she reassured breathlessly. "I promise, you'll be okay."

Chapter Text

Ruffnut and Tuffnut meandered up to the chief's home. Ruff knocked slowly.

"Yes?" Valka answered. She furrowed her eyebrows at the sight of the twins. "Can I help you?"

"I dunno," Ruff replied. "Astrid wanted us to tell you something."

"And what might that be?"

"I forgot."

"Well, come back when you remember."

"Wait!" Tuff jumped in. "I think I remember. It had something to do with Hiccup."

"Hiccup?"

"Yeah!" Ruff continued. "Astrid wanted us to tell you...that...oh yeah! Astrid wanted us to tell you that Hiccup is lying on the beach half dead. Why would she say that?"

Valka clapped a hand over her mouth, turning pale. "Ruffnut, Tuffnut! Go get some strong men from the village and meet me at the beach! Get moving! Go!” she pushed past them, bolting towards the beach.

Ruff and Tuff stared at each other. "Why would Valka want us to get strong men?" Ruff asked.

"I don't know." Tuff answered.

"Maybe we should think about this logically. Why would we want strong men?"

"Well, I would have a boxing fight."

"Yeah! That's it! Valka must want to have a boxing fight!"

"But...with who? Each other?"

"No, idiot! With Hiccup! As soon we talked about him, she told us to get strong men!"

"Right!"

The two ran into town, shouting at the top of their lungs; "Everybody go down to the beach! Valka wants to have you in a boxing fight with Hiccup!"

. . .

"Please let him be okay. Please let him be alive." Valka pleaded as she sprinted to the beach. She finally caught sight of Astrid sprawled on the ground next to her son.

"Oh, dear gods, what happened?!"

"Valka...I'm sorry...I...couldn't keep...going...I..."

"No, you did alright. Just tell me what happened."

"I found Hiccup...he wasn't breathing...I tried to help him breathe...I couldn't keep going...he...he’s dead isn't he?! It's all my fault! I-"

"Just get a hold of yourself! Calm down! He's not dead! You kept him alive for as long as it took for me to get here; that's all that matters!"

She pulled Hiccup into her lap, gave him a good slap, and his eyes snapped open. He coughed, and his hands flew to his neck, as though trying to tell his mother he was choking. She looked at him confused; he seemed to be getting air just fine.

"Hurts!” he rasped, grabbing her arm.

"What hurts?"

"Side..."

She ran her hand along his side, stopping abruptly when she felt something warm and sticky. Hiccup's labored breath caught, and his grip on her arm tightened. He gave a small cry, somewhat like that of a new baby. She knew what it was on her hand. It was blood. Hiccup's blood. And there was far too much of it.

"Valka! We brought everybody for the boxing fight!" Tuffnut broke her train of thought.

"Boxing fight? What boxing fight?” she snapped.

"You know, the boxing fight with Hiccup."

"YOU WANT TO HAVE A BOXING FIGHT WITH MY NEARLY DECEASED CHILD?! I DON’T THINK SO!! HE IS BLEEDING TO DEATH!!"

Tuffnut's shoulders sagged.

With a bit of effort, they created a stretcher, and carried Hiccup up to his house. As the entered, Valka pushed the dishes of the table. "Put him here!” she commanded. The men gently set him down.

"Astrid! Hot water! Now!” she shouted, pointing to the kitchen.

Astrid ran in, but suddenly could not remember where the pots were stored. Just when she needed her mind to go blank.

Valka immediately pulled off the blood soaked cloth around his waist. She ripped of his shoulder pads, and failing to remove the rest of his armor, she grabbed the closest knife and began to cut it off. She was careful to make sure that it would be repairable, but to be honest; that was the least of her concerns. When to leather was off, she cut through his tunic, not caring the in the slightest how it was torn.

His chest was covered in blood, making the large wound just below his ribs was hardly visible. She grabbed a spare cloth and began to wipe it off. Astrid stumbled out of the kitchen with a pot of heated water.

"I don't know why, but I forgot where the pots were kept.” she panted.

"It's called panic, dear," Valka told her, taking the pot.

"Oh."

The two sponged and bandaged Hiccup's large wound, though the process was made difficult due to his ragged breathing. As they finished, Gobber helped them get him up to his bed. He soon left, and Astrid would have stayed had Valka not insisted she go home and get some rest. The Haddocks were left alone, but certainly not in peace.

Chapter Text

Valka watched over her son, occasionally sponging his burning forehead with a wet rag. She brushed a few locks of sweaty auburn hair off his face. His glassy, fever bright eyes fluttered open, and he stared up at her, begging for comfort.

"Mom,” he choked out, suppressing a cough.

"Shh,” she whispered, placing a finger to his lips. "I'm here."

"My...side...hurts,” he rasped, on the brink of tears.

"I know,” she replied softly, gently rubbing two fingers up and down the side of his face. "Just try to rest."

He shivered, closing his eyes, and then huddled under his furs for warmth. The nonexistent heat all over his body seemed to leave him cold. Someone knocked at the door, and Valka left to answer it. She wasn't surprised to find Astrid there and quickly invited her in.

"How's Hiccup?" the young woman asked, getting straight to the point.

"Not well, I'm afraid." Valka answered, leading her up the stairs. "He's had a fever all night, and he can't keep anything down, not even water."

Astrid nodded thoughtfully.

"Astrid, if you don't mind, would you stay with him while I fetch Gothi? I hate to leave him, but I could use some fresh air. It would only be for a little bit." Valka asked her.

"Of course!” she replied immediately.

"Oh Astrid! You're a Valkyrie! Just try to break that fever, and if you can, get some water in him."

Astrid nodded, pleased that Valka had trusted her with caring for her son.

She sat down on the chair next to Hiccup's bead, looking over the sketches on his desk. His talent for art was certainly improving. There was a drawing of his mom, one of her, a few of Toothless. He had pretty much drawn what ever he could. She sponged his head a few times with the wet rag, noticing his chalky pallor.

There was a commotion below them, followed by footsteps tramping up the stairs. Valka entered, followed by Gothi and Gobber. The elder shuffled over to the bed, and Astrid stood to give her room. She looked Hiccup over, shook her head, and rubbed the end of her staff in some ashes from the fire before drawing something on the floor. Gobber, one of the few on Berk who could understand these drawings, stepped forward to translate.

"Gothi says,” he began, "that fever has got to come down, and if you don't get some fluid in 'im soon...Snotlout'll be chief before you know what's happened."

"Is it really that serious?" Valka asked, worry written on her face.

Gothi nodded.

"I'll take Gothi home for you," Astrid offered, not wanting separate mother and son.

"No, no, it's alright. You stay with him, Astrid." Valka said firmly.

"Are you sure?” she asked, knowing Valka would want a few last minutes with Hiccup.

Valka nodded, stealing one last glance her son before leaving.

Chapter Text

A door slamming jerked Hiccup from his slumber. He scanned the room for his mother, not wanting to be alone. He was relieved to see Astrid sitting next to his bed.

"'Strid..."He moaned. He'd meant to say "Astrid" but his mouth was so dry, he couldn't pronounce her name. She jumped off the chair and sat down on the edge of his bed.

"What's wrong?” she whispered, cupping his cheek with her hand.

"Water...” he slurred, fever making it hard to speak.

"Do you think you can keep it down?"

He shrugged. He didn't even care at this point. Astrid helped him into a semi upright position, picked up the cup from his desk, and held the cup to his lips. She allowed him one sip before taking the cup away. No sooner had he swallowed, than did he cough it back up all over the place. His sides jerked as he gasped for oxygen, but he couldn't stop his heaving. He continued to retch until he was nearly double.

"Breathe Hiccup, you've got to breath." Astrid rubbed her hand on his back, soothing his burning lungs, and calming his churning stomach. He whimpered quietly, curling into a ball, hoping to find a position that eased the pain in his side.

"Thirsty..." The word escaped his mouth, before he could stop it. He knew he couldn't have waster because he would simply throw it back up and lose more fluid than he already had.

"I know you are, but...do you want to try ice chips?" Astrid suddenly suggested.

"Ice?” he repeated, trying to understand through the haze of fever.

"Yes, ice chips. I'll crush some ice up and then you can suck on it.” she stood to leave, and then added, "I'll be right back."

Hiccup nodded slightly, and curled in on himself, trying to find warmth beneath his furs. He longed for some form of comfort, someone to stay with him. He wished Astrid would hurry up and come back; he didn't want to be by himself.

After what seemed like hours, Astrid finally returned. She was carrying something, but Hiccup was far too feverish to make out what it was. Everything was moving in slow motion, and it was blurry and dark.

Astrid sat down next to him, and then carefully spooned something into his mouth. It was cold and refreshing, and he moved the piece of whatever it was around in his mouth, trying to moisturize his gums. He wished it could have lasted forever, but it eventually dissolved.

"Do you want more?" Astrid's words sent relief flooding through him.

He nodded as vigorously as he could. She placed another piece in his mouth, and then set the bowl aside.

"That's enough for now,” she told him softly. "Try and sleep a little, it'll do you some good."

Hiccup closed his eyes, mainly because he didn't have the strength to keep them open any longer. He dosed fitfully for a few minutes, until Astrid shook him awake.

"Hiccup, I hate to wake you up, but I need to give you more ice."

Hiccup pried his eyelids open, trying to detect where the sound was coming from. Something cold was being pressed against his lips, and he opened his mouth just long enough for Astrid to spoon the piece of ice inside. This is how the routine went for quite sometime, until Astrid moved her foot and knocked over a box of nuts and bolts that Hiccup kept under his bed.

Holding the bowl of ice in one hand, she bent over and began to scoop up the metal parts with the other. She suddenly felt a hand on her lap, and looking back over her shoulder, she was surprised to find Hiccup reaching for the bowl of ice.

"Are you ready for more?” she asked, straitening.

He nodded with half-lidded eyes, and opened his mouth for another piece. Once it was in his mouth, he closed his eyes completely, and scooted slightly closer. She put the bowl aside, arranged a fur in her lap to create padding, and gently placed his head in her lap. He stirred only a little, but soon he was relaxed and asleep.

Astrid leaned back against the headboard, trying to keep herself awake.

"’Strid? Water."

She was just dosing off when Hiccup broke the silence. His words were still slurry, though much clearer than before. She reached for the bowl of ice, but was stopped.

"No, water."

She drew back her hand, grabbed the cup, and was about to help him sip it. Instead, he heaved himself up into a sitting position, grabbed the cup, and began gulping down as much water as he could.

"Hiccup stop!" Astrid gasped. "You're going to make yourself sick!"

She was too late. He had already chugged the entire glass. He thrust the cup into her hand before he fell back into her lap, exhausted. Astrid waited for him to empty his stomach, but it never happened.

"Why don't you get some sleep?” she asked after a few minutes.

He nodded, and she was about to help him lay back down on his bed, but he weakly maneuvered his way further into her lap. Astrid's heart melted. She felt a lump form in her throat at the sight of him lying helplessly in her lap. She pulled the fur closer around him, and she ran her fingers through his hair.

This whole time she'd been trying to act like a healer, when what he'd really needed was a friend. Someone to sit with him, comfort him, share his misery and pain. It broke her heart to think he'd been suffering, and she'd done almost all the wrong things to help. Sure, the ice was helping him physically, but it could never sooth all his pain.

"I'm sorry, Hiccup.” she whispered, "I'm not very good at this sort of thing am I?"

But he didn't hear. He had fallen asleep. The flush in his cheeks had lessened, and his forehead didn't feel so hot. His breathing was no longer labored, and it didn't seem to hurt so much anymore. The feverish chills that once left him shaking had long since subsided. She decided to make him some broth, that way she could get some nourishment in him when he woke up.

She gently scooted out from under him, and he stirred only slightly. She pulled his fur up around his chin.

"Sleep well,” she whispered, closing his door behind her.

Chapter Text

"Toothless!" Hiccup shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Someone, help him!” he tried to come to his dragon's aid, but an invisible hand held him back. Drago was dragging the Night Fury into the water with a long iron chain. Toothless held his ground, but the sand provided no traction. Toothless had not been fed, leaving him far weaker than usual. Drago jerked at the chain, pulling him into the stormy, deadly ocean.

"NO!" Hiccup screamed.                                                                                                    

The scream woke him from his nightmare. With a sudden rush of adrenaline, he dragged himself from his bed. He must help his friend. Head clanging like a gong, and ignoring the knife of pain in his stomach, he tried to stand. Hiccup collapsed on the floor, realizing his prosthetic was gone. He screamed in pure agony.

Astrid burst through the door, and she dropped the bowl of stew before rushing over to him. He noticed her in his panic stricken frenzy.

"Astrid! Get me my leg! I have to help Toothless!"

Astrid looked confused. "But you don't know where Toothless is. I don't know where Toothless is."

"He's down on the beach! We have to help him! Drago's coming!” he tried again to rise, but found himself too weak.

"Hiccup, Drago is not coming. You said so yourself. It's just fever dreams. Calm down." Astrid tried to relax him.

"No! Drago is coming! His men did this to me!” he gestured frantically to the wound beneath his ribs. "I'm not dreaming! Toothless is on the beach!"

Astrid shook her head. "No one did that to you, Hiccup. You probably just slipped and hurt yourself. Now calm down."

Hiccup sucked in a few deep breaths. Why wouldn't Astrid believe him? "But...” he tried to go on, but he had used up every ounce of energy he had. He was having trouble keeping his eyelids open, and felt dizzy and lightheaded. Even sitting down he could feel himself swaying. He felt himself pitching forward, and barely managed to moan "Toothless..." before blacking out.

Astrid reached out to grab him just as he went limp. What was wrong? Why had he passed out all of a sudden? She felt his forehead. It was warm, but not burning. Just to be sure she pressed her cheek against his. It was only a small fever now.

"Oh, please Valka, hurry!” she whispered urgently. She didn't dare leave Hiccup alone to get help, but had no idea of what to do. She sat on the floor next to him, running her finger through his hair, once vibrant and healthy, now lacking its natural glow.

"Just hang in there,” she whispered to him.

"Astrid?" Someone called.

"Valka? I'm upstairs! In Hiccup's room! Hurry!"

Footsteps clambered up the stairs. Valka rushed in and dropped to her knees beside her son.

"I- I don't know what happened!" Astrid stuttered. "He woke up from a fever dream, and he tried to get up! I was trying to figure out what was wrong, and he passed out cold!” she wasn't sure if Valka had heard her; the woman was intently examining her son.

"If anything happens, it'll be my fault!" Astrid was almost hysterical.

"Calm down, Astrid! He's fine!"

"He is?"

"Of course! He's only exhausted! He probably didn't even pass out. I'd say he just feel asleep sitting up."

"Oh."

"Did you get any water in him?"

"Yeah, actually!” she blurted out excitedly. "An entire glass! Plus a bowl full of ice!"

Valka look rather surprised. "But how...? Oh, never mind! You've already worked a miracle. It sounds as if he finally got a few minutes of peaceful sleep until that dream. Did he tell you what it was?"

"Sort of,” she began. "It had something to do with Drago, and he was convinced that Toothless was on the beach, and-"

"Well, I don't know anything about Drago, but I do know that Toothless is down on the beach."

"WHAT?!" Astrid yelled, and then suddenly realized just how loud she was and said in a much quieter voice, "How?"

Valka chuckled. "Calm down, we need to let Hiccup rest. I'll tell you everything in a little."

She turned her attention toward her son, combing her fingers through his hair. After a few minutes he open his eyes and turned his gaze toward his mother.

"Mom?” he coughed once or twice before continuing. "We h-have to hel-p Tooth-less.” he tried to sit up, but Valka placed a hand on his chest to stop him.

"Shh, it's alright. I know.” she spoke in a soothing way that only a mother can.

"You...do?"

"Gobber's down there right now working to get the chains off him."

"And Comet?"

"Why, of course!” she laughed slightly at Hiccup's relieved look. "Now, I wonder, could we get you back into bed? You can't possibly be comfortable on this floor."

He nodded, and managed to sit up with Astrid's help. After a few failed attempts, they were able to help him stand long enough to lie back down on his bed. He was exhausted by the time they did, but it was worth it. He coughed a few times before settling down, and Valka took the opportunity to ask what happened.

"So tell me,” she began. Just what happened last night? And no lies."

Hiccup thought for a minute.

"Well,” he started, "Me and Bella were flying back to Berk, and we saw this boat. And the people on it were waving and shouting for help, so we flew down to 'assist' them. It turned out they were trappers that worked for Drago and they were trying to get Bella to train his dragons. She blatantly refused, and so one of them stabbed me with his knife. I'm pretty sure he was saying something about throwing me over board, and then Bella was talking and somebody kicked me. After that all I remember is being really cold."

"How did you get back to Berk?" Valka asked, gently brushing hair out of Hiccup's face.

"I don't remember.” he admitted apologetically.

Valka sighed. "I guess you wouldn't. You were unconscious when we found you."

"But he was calling me!" Astrid pointed out. "I swear, Hiccup. You were calling me."

Hiccup thought rather intensely, trying to recall the night before. All he could remember was pain, a fuzzy image of his mother, and the feverish chills that still wanted to haunt him.

The sound of someone tramping up the stairs got everyone's attention. Gobber marched into the bedroom carrying a large, bloodstained canvass, and something small and glittery in his hand.

"Three things,” he began, "This (he held out the canvass) is one of Drago's sails, what should I do with it? Second, what should I do with Comet? And do you recognize...Oh, Hiccup! Feeling better I assume?"

Hiccup nodded with a weak smile. "Not better as I'd like to be, but still better.” he said, coughing a little.

"Well, since you're awake, I'll just ask you. What do you want done with this sail?"

"Just wash it and save it for scrap cloth."

"And Comet. Should we cage her at the academy?"

"Cage her? No! Just bring her up with Toothless."

"Okay...and Valka."

Valka looked up, puzzled.

"Do you recognize this?” he held up a small gold chain with a charm on it in the shape of a dragon holding a gem.

Valka gasped softly as she reached out her hand for it. "How could I not?” she whispered, begging in to trace its intricate design. "This is Cabella's baby charm. Where did you get this?"

Gobber held up the canvass. "There's a slit in the sail. It was tucked inside."

Astrid and Valka shared a glance. What was this supposed to mean? Had Drago done this to make them think Cabella was in danger? Was Cabella in danger? Valka thought hard for a moment.

"Gobber!" Valka shouted suddenly. "I need you to find Eret and Scullcrusher! We need both of them!"

Gobber nodded and left.

"Hiccup," Valka began, "This may feel like an interrogation, but I need to know a few things."

"Interrogate away."

"What did that ship look like?"

"I can't remember."

"Think Hiccup! You must've at least glanced at it!"

"It had...red sails, and there were two of them."

"What about the men? Had you seen them before?"

"No, but Bella said one of their names...oh, what was it? Um...Huegsa! That's it!" Hiccup seemed rather proud of himself for remembering.

"Who?" A voice asked from the hallway. Eret entered, still limping slightly, a confused look plastered on his face.

"A trapper named Huegsa," Hiccup replied. "Do you know him?"

"Know him?" Eret chortled. "Who doesn't know that dirty, cheating, thieving, conniving rat?"

Chapter Text

So...you know him?"

"Yes."

"Good, because he has my sister, and I need you and Scullcrusher to sniff her out."

"What."

"You know, we give the dragon something to track, and he sniffs it out."

"You want me to find your lunat- your sister?"

"That's the idea..."

"She tried to kill me."

"You said it was no big deal."

"Multiple. Times."

"Yeah, when have you met her before? I asked her and she wouldn't tell me."

"Who said we met before?" Eret asked, wringing his hands nervously.

"You did."

"I did?"

"Yeah, remember you said 'she always does that.' What did you mean?"

"I didn't say that..." Eret backed up uncomfortably.

Valka noticed something was wrong. "Eret,” she began, "Why don't you gather up some men to take with you?"

The man nodded quickly, and left without a word.

"What's up with him?" Astrid asked, as soon as she heard the door close. "I've never seen him act like that. It was almost like he was...sacred of her."

Hiccup shrugged. "Whatever it is, he sure doesn't want to talk about it. What do you think, mom?"

Both noticed Valka gazing down the steps, rather concerned. "I don't know, but don't bring it up to him. There are a lot of things that bother him. He's had a hard life."

"How do you know?" The two asked in unison.

However, Valka did not answer, she simply left the room and motioned for Astrid to follow. The young woman threw her boyfriend a sympathetic glance.

. . .

“No." Cabella said, rolling her eyes.

Smack.

"Still no."

Smack.

"You do realize you won't be getting anywhere with this, right?"

"I can try," Huegsa shrugged.

"You won't succeed."

"I will. Just you wait. Soon Drago will let me do more than slap you."

"You're dumber than a rock."

"Why thank you."

"Shut up."

"Watch it, missy. I may be under orders not to kill you, but I can beat you up as much as I want."

"Oh yeah? Prove it."

"Urg! You little- little... I'm going to get a whip!"

Huegsa stormed out of the cell, slamming the door behind him. Cabella chuckled as the flustered man stomped down the hall. If there was one the she could do well, it was get people angry. She sat back against the stone wall, breathing out a long sigh. What had it been--three days since she'd been locked up? No one had come for her.

She could escape any time she wanted to, but if Hiccup hadn't gotten back to Berk, then she could jeopardize everyone's lives. If he wasn't able to warn them, they would never know of the danger, lurking around the corner. What if Hiccup hadn't made it back to Berk? He could've died, or-

"Pst."

Cabella looked up abruptly. There was Eret, standing outside her cell.

"What the heck are you doing here?!” she hissed, jumping up.

"Rescuing you."

"I don't need rescuing."

"Oh, sure. That's why you're still locked in a cage."

"Shut up."

"Do you want me to get you out or not?"

Cabella grinned devilishly. "I can take care of that, thank you." With that she squeezed out of the bars, hardly even trying.

Eret stared at her dumbly. "Do you not have a spine?” he asked, scanning her up and down.

"Quite looking at me like I'm the only girl you've ever seen,” she snapped. "Let's just get out of here. And if you get us caught, I will kill you first chance I get."

"Well if I’m that much of a nuisance, why don't you just kill me now?” he teased, running after her.

"Because I'll be more likely to get out of here if I don't have a body to carry."

"You're too scared. You couldn't kill me if you tried."

Cabella whirled around, socked him in the stomach, and grabbed his knife. She pinned him against the wall, holding the Viking sword to his throat. "Do not think that just because I can't kill a dragon, doesn't mean I can't kill you. I would just love to see blood drip down your neck, and watch you eyes bulge in pain, or at least until I gouge them out of your head. I would laugh as you scream in agony, and then I'd cut your tongue off, and then your hands, and arms and legs. And so on and so forth, until you're dead. And when you’re dead, I'll cut off your head, put it on a spike, and use it as my banner. Now, get moving."

. . .

Hiccup grimaced as he stumbled down the stairs; but he had to get to the Great Hall.

"Toothless!” he called, knowing there was no way he could make the whole trip himself. The dragon bounded up to him, overjoyed to see his rider out of bed. He crouched a little so Hiccup could mount him easier and took off.

"Ow! Toothless! No flying! Painful!"

Confused, Toothless landed.

"Sorry bud,” he winced. "I can't take the jolting. Now I know what it feels like to get old!" So, Toothless walked to the Great Hall instead. As they entered, they were greeted by a universal gasp.

"What do you think you're doing out of bed?!" Valka exclaimed running up to him.

"Not now, mom." Hiccup muttered.

"Come on, you're not by any means well enough to be out.” she tried to pull him out the door.

"Poor kid," Gobber whispered to the Viking next to him.

"Mom!" Hiccup bellowed. "I'm fine!"

She looked at him with an expression that could only mean one thing. Seriously?

"I'm fine enough to rescue my sister and protect Berk. I just need back up. If Eret does his job right, we shouldn't have to worry about saving Cabella."

Valka shook her head. "I give up. You're just as stubborn as your father. What are the orders, chief?"

Chapter Text

Hiccup led the army of Vikings on Toothless. He was loopy from all the herbs his mother had drugged him with to help ease the pain. She had told him it was strong, and that healers used it in child birth. Valka had only given him a half dose, and all his pain was gone. He was starting to grasp just how painful in must be to have a baby, since the full dose only spared women part of the agony.

He could see Cabella's island in the distance, and breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe he could fall asleep now.

They attempted to dock the ships on the island, but found it harder than expected. In her tour of the island, Cabella had forgotten to mention that she had sunk logs, rocks, swords, and axes off the beaches so ships could not enter.

Luckily, Astrid remembered the beach the two had crashed on and that there was nothing in the water there. It seemed like it would all work out from then on, but neither Hiccup nor Astrid knew just how many caves there were along the beach. They tried to dock at each cave, and lost a small ship in the process.

Finally, they managed to get on shore. Gobber began setting up a make shift forge so he could fix weapons. The other Vikings set up the battle spikes, and Hiccup gathered the other riders to meet Eret and Cabella.

They flew towards Drago's Island, and soon caught sight of Night Fury and Rumblehorn flying to meet them. Hiccup would've laughed at the faces of the two riders had he not felt like he was stuck in a hangover. Cabella had a determined frown set on her face, whereas Eret looked thoroughly terrified, as though he'd seen a ghost or his own grave.

"What?" Astrid asked, mostly to Eret.

"They're after us," The man panted frantically.

"Yeah, thanks to a certain somebody!" Cabella groused. "Why, exactly, was that sword so important?!"

"My father gave to me!"

"Oh, and that's why you needed to run back into a flaming building, nearly kill both of us, AND get us caught?! Good job, Eret, son of an Idiot! What do you want sung at your funeral; 'cause clearly you're gonna need one!"

"I won't need a funeral!"

"Oh, yeah, you will! And when they announce you name this is what they'll say: 'And now, may we celebrate the life of Eret, Son of Eret, the dumbest guy in the world!'"

"Alright, break it up!" Hiccup finally intervened. "Let's just fly back inland."

They agreed, but the sight that greeted them was far from battle ready.

It was a chaotic mess of Vikings and dragons, all trying to figure out what they should be doing. Of, course, there were a few who were doing something useful, but the rest were running around like little children.

But as the got closer, they realized the aimless running was actually a chase; a chase to catch someone. A spy. Cabella sped up in order to reach the island faster. As she landed, a stampede of Vikings nearly flattened her.

The cloaked spy dodged them, and headed for the bushes. He was clearly used to the icy terrains. He scampered up a rock just before a man caught hold of his ankle.

"Cut him off!" Cabella shouted.

"How do you know it's a him?" Astrid hollered back.

"Look at the way he moves! He's too clunky to be a girl!"

"Hey!" Snotlout yelled, and then realized who said it. The look on his face was of clear regret.

The spy pulled out a long sword, and began to defend himself. In order to frighten his enemies, he flipped out of a few strikes. But no matter how well he fought, he was outnumbered, and the other Vikings pinned him against the ground. Gobber was about to deliver the stunning blow.

"Wait!"

Everyone turned to see Cabella striding up to the spy. "I only know one man who can fight like this. And I've been waiting to kill this man since I was ten. If you would allow me to do the honors, Gobber."

Gobber stepped aside and motioned for her to take over. Fitting an arrow to her bow, she drew the bowstring back.

"Release him.” she told the Vikings holding him down. "I want to do this myself." The men backed into the crowd.

"If I were feeling kind, I might release this arrow,” she began. "But I'm not feeling kind. Earlier today I told a man I would cut off his head, put it on a spike, and use it as my banner. I full well mean to do that to someone, but I don't think you deserve it. I think you deserve worse. I think you deserve to have your skin sliced open and pealed off. And your hair ripped off, and eyes burnt out. And then we'll send your carcass as a gift to Drago. Now, wouldn't you enjoy that Huegsa?"

"No, I- I wouldn't." Huegsa stuttered." Please just shoot me with the arrow! I don't want to be tortured! Please! No!"

"Why should I? You tried to drown me, you clipped my dragon's wings, you tried to kill my brother, you wanted to flog me, and you work for Drago, that right there is reason enough to kill you. Have I made my point?"

"Yes, but please just behead me! Don't tear my skin off!"

"I always knew you were a coward," Cabella said, kneeling beside him. "Now face a coward's death."

She slit his thigh open and pulled the layer of skin back. Huegsa threw back his head and screamed in agony, pleading for her to kill him quickly. She began to saw out a chunk of his flesh. Tossing the muscle away, she moved onto his lower leg.

"STOP!!" Huegsa shrieked.

Looking him straight in the eye, she slowly drove her knife into his knee. Gagging in pain, Huegsa made one last attempt to escape. He lunged at Cabella, only to plunge into her dagger.

Cabella stood, pulled the bloody weapon out of the man, and turned to leave.

As she walked back to the water's edge, Hiccup approached her.

"I thought you said that you were physiologically incapable of killing a man,” he said.

"I said I would never kill an innocent man. Huegsa was far from innocent."

"What are you going to do with his body?"

"I'm going to pay Drago Bludvist a visit."

Chapter Text

"This should do it," Cabella quipped as she pushed Huegsa's body onto the deck on the giant vessel. "Perhaps Drago will see we mean business." Comet shot a plasma blast at the Captain's quarters before flying away. As Cabella arrived back on her island, the same chaos that had met her before greeted her again.

"What's going on?” she yelled to her brother.

"There aren't enough weapons!” he shouted, panicking.

Glancing around for Toothless, she muttered under her breath: "Oh, yes there are."

. . .

"Where are we going?" Astrid pestered.

"To get supplies."

"But where?"

Cabella to the shack up ahead.

"Oh."

As they landed on the ground of the Tomb-house, Cabella ripped an ax off the wall. "Grab all the weapons you can!” she commanded. "This place is plastered with them! There is plenty to go 'round!"

They grabbed some baskets from the kitchen and filled them with axes, shields, swords, knives, spears, bows, arrow, maces, and clubs. They attached the ropes from the ceiling and hoisted them up to the tunnel. With great difficulty, they managed to load the baskets onto Comet, Toothless, and Stormfly. They took off for the beach, keeping their eyes pealed for spies.

When they landed and dumped out the baskets of weapons, Cabella shot Hiccup one of her looks. He didn't really notice, and stared blankly past her. She could see a small flush creeping back into his cheeks. She furrowed her eyebrows in concern. This couldn't be good.

But her attention was called elsewhere as the men boarded the ships. Days seemed to pass as they neared Drago's island. The sun shed its last rays on the water before they slowly dragged the boats onto the shore. A few men slipped into the mountainous ice to scout.

Suddenly, screams of fear and pain split the night. The Vikings nervously moved forward and stopped abruptly, staring in awe and terror at the blocks of ice before them. Nearly petrified, they turned there gaze on the enormous creature staring back at them.

Bewilderbeast.

Toothless rushed forward to challenge, but he had swam behind the boat, and his shots were frozen. The next few seconds were a blur of flying ice and hissing threats as the two battled for dominance.

Only Cabella understood what truly happened. All the others watching saw a fight between two dragons.

The Bewilderbeast hurled his threat at Toothless.

A moment of silence followed.

And slowly, imperceptibly, something happened between the two.

"Quick!" Cabella screamed, "Get all the dragons out of here! Hurry! Go! Go before it's too late! Go!"

No one understood why she had suddenly ordered an evacuation, but from her tone, they knew she had a serious reason. The dragons took off for Cabella's island, Comet leading them.                

"Get in the boats! Get off shore! Go!' Cabella ran to the water's edge and dove in, swimming for her island. Snotlout, not wanting to be outdone, jumped in as well. A few meters out, he clambered aboard a boat.            

"C-c-c-cold!” he shivered.                

"Suck it up; you're a Viking." Cabella retorted, swimming away from the boat.

As they neared Cabella's island, confused Vikings could be seen gathering on the shore. They were all wondering why the ships had returned.

"Blind-fold your dragons! Get them in the caves!" Cabella continued to frantically yell. No one could understand what the problem was, but they obeyed anyway. 

"What's going on?" Hiccup demanded as he ran up to her. 

"Toothless isn't the Alpha anymore,” she panted, herding dragons into the cave. "He gave it up. To protect you."

Hiccup stopped running and stared in shock. He didn't even know dragons could give up the Alpha power, let alone would give it up for their rider. But what was worse, Toothless couldn't challenge the new Alpha for the power without him, and he was in no way well enough for that. And if Toothless wasn't the Alpha, Drago could still use his dragons. And if Drago could still use his dragons, there was no hope of winning this battle. They were outnumberd by more than ten to one, and Drago had the upper hand.

They were lost. All they could do was give Drago's men a fight and die nobly. No matter what they did, they could never win this battle. Unless they had something Drago didn't, there wasn't even a chance.

He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to think of something, anything, they could use. But there was nothing. There was no hope. 

Despairing, Hiccup turned to ready the men for battle; no matter how short it might be. But as he walked back to the boats he noticed a clump of slushy snow slide off a tree branch.

"It. A giant monster that creates such an immense amount of fire it could literally destroy the world if it felt like doing it. The fire power within its body radiates so much heat it could kill a man at two hundred feet. People say its soul is made of fire, and their right. It breathes a poisonous fire that eats away at whatever it touches. It melts the snow on this island every morning. People say that beast is the offspring of fire and death, and came from hell. The worst thing you can do is make it angry. They say volcanoes are its nesting ground, and human flesh its food. It."

Hiccup stopped in his tracks. The words of Eret's story flashed through his head. Dreki! He was something they had and Drago didn't!

Perhaps they had a chance after all...

Chapter Text

"YOU WANT ME TO WHAT?!" Cabella shouted, staring at Hiccup in disbelief.

"Calm down, it's not like I asked you to be Snotlout's girlfriend. I just want you to tame Dreki. If he can challenge the Alpha for us, we might have a chance." Hiccup explained, though still shocked at his sister's reaction.

"Don't you get it? Taming him would be murder! He would kill me at first glance!"

"I thought you weren't afraid of dragons."

"I'm not afraid of them. I never have been, but I didn't mean murder for me. I meant Dreki. You can't tame him or any other dragon."

"What are you talking about...?"

"Dragon's can be trained, not tamed."

"But-"

"A dragon's soul is like a fire. It can be contained so that it is not destructive. So, for the time being that fire is safe. But as soon as that fire gets out of control, it becomes dangerous. And only when you put the flame out does it become safe again."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that your so-called ‘tamed’ dragons are truly wild, and the only reason they are not vicious is because you've contained that fire. But when they are angry or afraid, that fire will take over, and it will destroy anything and everything in its path."

"How can you stop it?"

"But putting the fire out. And I will never put a dragon's fire out. Never." Cabella turned and left, leaving Hiccup more confused than ever.

It will destroy anything and everything in its path.

A sudden realization darted through Hiccup's mind. The scene of a hypnotized Toothless shooting a fatal blast at his father flashed before his eyes. He suddenly knew what had happened. Drago had learned to control the Alpha's fire, and that fire was the flame that ignited every other dragon's.  Drago somehow knew that if he could control that fire, he could control the dragon. And if the dragon was especially strong-willed, he put its fire out. The dragons had no choice; that was the Alpha's power. The dragon with the biggest fire controlled them all.

It hit him like a load of bricks. It wouldn't have mattered what he had done, he couldn't have saved his father. The fire was too powerful. But somehow Cabella managed to get the dragons to do what she wanted. They were like docile lambs around her. He didn't know what it was that gave her that ability, but he intended to find out.

"Bella!” he shouted running after her. "How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Tame the dragons."

"You can always use the wind to make the fire go where you want it to."

"Explain."

"When you bond with a dragon, it begins to see you as an Alpha. The bond you have is a wind, it may not be a strong wind, but a small breeze can do wonders. That small breeze will smother the fire a little, and bring it back under control. But a huge gust will stoke the fire more. And if it is too strong, it will kill that fire. That small breeze is what keeps a dragon tame."

"Do you think you could use that breeze on Dreki?" Hiccup asked.

Cabella smiled. "Now you're speaking my language."

The two hurriedly grabbed their dragons, and took off for the peak. Hiccup had never seen Cabella scared to death, but her face was paper white and her hands shook. They both new this was suicide, but it was their only hope. And if anyone would be able to tame Dreki, it would be Cabella. However, if Dreki couldn't be trained, it could cost many people their lives. Cabella knew that every bit of the other's safety rested on her shoulders.

As they neared the top of the mountain, Cabella slowed and looked Hiccup straight in the face.

"If I don't make it out of there,” she whispered, "I just want you to know I'm just glad to have met you, and no matter what happens, I couldn't have hoped for a better big brother."

Hiccup smiled weakly, fighting back the shear terror of possibly losing his sister.

They flew into the bottom of the ravine, dismounted, and gazed at the pit of flaming lava in the middle of the vast basin. Stopping once to take in a deep breath, Cabella strode seemingly unafraid toward the beast that, in one blast, could destroy her and leave nothing but a memory of her. Even though she had not called, the enormous head of the beast rose from the pit.

He began to hiss savagely, and steam rose from his nostrils. Cabella caught sight of the glittering white daggers he had for teeth. They looked seven times more frightening up close. Dreki pulled himself from the pit, and glared down at her, clearly wondering who so much as dared enter his nest. He shot a stream of flaming poison into the air, just to show that there was no point in challenging him.

He stamped his foot next to her, nearly squashing her. She jumped out of the way just in time. But when all seemed to be going just as bad as it could, Dreki's tail began to glow a fiery red, and a flame worked its way up his tail. Dreki roared his horrible screech as he toward over Cabella, waiting to strike. When he was completely on fire, he shot a blast straight at her.

All that followed was smoke, and an eerie silence of nothingness.

Chapter Text

Hiccup flew rather shocked back to the Viking base on the beaches. Deep down he'd known that no one could tame Dreki, but he had clung to the hope of Cabella's experience with dragons to change the outcome. He didn't deserve for her to have survived more than anyone else. But he had hoped that maybe, just maybe, he could've been lucky.

That was the longest flight of his life. Though it was only five minutes, he found it seemed five hours. What would he tell his mother? What fight did have to give Drago now? If Cabella couldn't tame Dreki, who could? His fire was just too big, too strong, too wild.  How could he ever live with himself for failing his family and village? Even if it was the longest ride, he wished it could've lasted longer-- he couldn't face them.

As he approached the beach, he turned Toothless around suddenly and doubled back around the island. He needed more time to come up with a way to explain what happened to Cabella. He swallowed hard and landed at the Viking base, a crowd of people already gathering. Valka ran up to him.

“Hiccup!” she called. “Are you alright? You look worse now than you did last night!”

“I’m…I’m fine. I…just…What are these people looking at!?” he shouted, pointing at the villagers, staring, open-mouthed at something far above them.

Dreki’s high pitched scream filled the air, and Hiccup turned just in time to see the massive animal finish his roar. But although the dragon was petrifying, it was not Dreki they were staring at.

It was the person riding him.

On the back of his head someone was perched; guiding him over the mountainous island. All he could see of the person was a mass of beautiful golden hair. It couldn’t possibly be…

The rider slid down Dreki’s wing, and Hiccup was having trouble convincing himself that his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him. There was Cabella, perfectly unharmed. Her rosy cheeks were slightly stained with soot, and her blue eyes danced with excitement.

“You’re supposed to be dead,” Hiccup said flatly, utterly shocked.

“Well, thanks.” she said, looking at him with almost disgust.

"No...I mean...How are you still alive? I watched Dreki...you know...try to kill you."

"Well, it just so happens that the Death Breather does in fact have a weakness. A Death Breather’s fire is hollow.”

“Hallow?”

“Yeah, it’s like a hallow tub of fire. So, if you ever get attacked by a Death Breather, stay directly underneath its fire, and you won’t get hurt! And to think I never would’ve found that out if I didn’t nearly get killed!” she went on excitedly.

“Yeah, you and your death wish get a whole ‘lot done, don’t you?”

Cabella rolled her eyes and motioned to Dreki, who lowered his enormous head for her to mount. “Well?” she called down to him, “Are we gonna go kick Drago’s butt or what?”

“You bet we are!” Hiccup called back. “Ready the ships! We sail for Drago’s island!”

The Viking’s buzzed around, boarding ships and gathering weapons. Soon the ships had set sail, and were fast approaching the opposing island. Dreki flew above them, and it was beyond amazing to watch his streamline, muscular body soar. Cabella and Dreki flew silently around the back side of the island and Cabella left the dragon to wait for the perfect moment to strike.

When she arrived back to where the ships had landed, she was surprised to find that everyone was still there.

“What’s going on?” she asked her brother.

“Everyone’s scared,” he shrugged, “They don’t want to die.”

“I’ll handle this,” she replied, walking off.

Climbing up on a big rock, she looked down over the frightened villagers. “What are you still doing here?” she called.

“We don’t all have a death wish!” Someone called.

“But we all have a dream,” she called back. “We have a dream of peace. Peace between Vikings and Dragons. That is a dream that can come true. But all dreams come at a price. Our price is this war. We must not let this dream of peace die. We must pay the price, no matter what it is. We cannot let this idea go. We must fight for what we believe in. We know that this dream can come true, but we must prove that know. We must bring this dream into existence. The dream of peace is our cause. This is what we stand for. This, is who we are.” 

Everyone was suddenly whispering amongst themselves, wondering whether they should listen to Cabella's rather motivating speech, or if they should return to Berk and saves their skins. But no matter how dangerous their attack may be, no one could silence her words echoing in their heads. They had to fight for what they believed in, no matter what the cost. They could not let go of their dream.

Slowly the Vikings began to move inward, gradually beginning move with more passion.

As they charged inland, they were met by a cloud of flying arrows, though none of them were accurate. Cabella and the other archers fired back, much more directly. Approaching the wall between them and Drago's military base, they motioned the dragons forward. Cabella and Eret, much to Cabella's disliking, climbed over the wall. They knew the base better than any one else and would be able to open the gates.

"You Berkians are crazy," Eret muttered attempting to keep up with Cabella. "You'll never take this base. No trapper has ever gotten an army over that wall."

"That explains it then. Trappers are wimps. Drago never had an offense."

"You know, the whole 'Trappers are wimps' thing could be taken as an 'offense.'"

"Good."

As they peeked over the edge of the wall, they could see that their attack was succeeding. They crawled down the passageway, watching intently for Drago’s men. As they turned the corner, they saw Drago himself grabbing a spear to defend his base. Nervously glancing at each other, they sunk back into the shadows.

“I know we’re anything but allies,” Eret began.

“You can say that again.”

“I know we’re anything but allies, but we are fighting for the same people. If you can keep Drago busy, I’ll open the gate.”

“I’m in. How else will I prove I’m a better warrior than you?”

Cabella slipped out of their hiding spot, and followed Drago silently. She watched as he approached the large water inlet filled with warships. He gave a loud cry and a one tusked Bewilderbeast rose from the water. Drago laughed his cold laugh, and turned to leave.

“Why Drago, you look well.” she said slyly, leaving her shadowy shelter behind.

“I certainly didn’t expect to see you again.”

“Well, sorry, but you’re stuck with me.”

“What would you like, Princess?” Drago asked, bowing with a disrespectful grin.

“Your head on a platter.”

With that she pulled out a sword and in one quick slice she had cut the bands holding his metal arm. He reeled back, shocked and off-balanced. He blocked her next swing with his spear, and Cabella only managed to escape his weapon by dashing out of the way just before it was too late. She made good use of her feet, causing Drago to work far harder than he should have needed too. His Bewilderbeast roared angrily, wondering who dared attack his master.

The huge dragon glared at her. Drago laughed. “You should have brought a challenger.” he sneered.

“Oh, I don’t need a challenger,” she retorted boldly.

“And why’s that?”

“Because I brought a Champion.”

She turned and gave Dreki’s magnificent scream. There was a moment of silence before her cry was answered, ten times more powerful than before. Drago’s eyes widened and a look of defeat flashed across his face. He knew this creature was more powerful than all his dragons put together.

The ice spitter crouched back, not even willing to put up a fight. But Dreki was thirsty for blood, and protectively putting a giant foot in between Drago and Cabella, he launched his attack. Dreki shot his dissolving fire at Drago’s Bewilderbeast. The creature bellowed in pain, and Cabella saw for the first time the true power of the Death Breather.

Dreki slashed his dragger-like claws at his victim. The dragon’s skin was ripped back, and in one last attempt to escape, he stretched his wings and flapped until airborne.

Cabella had never seen a Bewilderbeast fly, and she could have never guessed how clunky he would look while doing so. Yes, it was powerful, but when Dreki flew after him he could never have measured up to the immense speed and agility with which Dreki took off.

Dreki tackled his opponent to the ground, and the Bewilderbeast, knowing his only chance was to fight back, thrashed his one tusk wildly. Finding this to be of no value, he began to hum, hoping that Dreki could not defeat the alpha power.

But the Death Breather was not even close to giving in, and with his scream, resembling that of an eagle’s cry, Dreki ended the Bewilderbeast’s life.

As Dreki let out the Alpha’s call, Cabella turned to Drago, finding he had run.

“What a coward,” she muttered under her breath, climbing on Dreki’s head as she prepared to leave. She and Dreki soared down to help Hiccup in his attack on the wall. As they flew, Drago’s dragons followed them, ready to do what the Alpha wished.

Eret had succeeded in opening the gate, and counting on the wall for protection, Drago’s men had fled their positions. The battle was over, and they had won.

As the other Viking’s headed back to Cabella’s island, Hiccup and Cabella began to search the base for Drago. All his ships were still docked, and he couldn’t have escaped by dragon, Dreki would have never allowed it.

But before they began their search, Cabella turned to Dreki and with tearful eyes, stroked his massive head. “You’re free Dreki,” she whispered. “I could never keep your fire contained. You’re free.”

Dreki threw up his head and screamed; then took off to capture the skies.

Comet nudged Cabella, wondering why her rider seemed so sad. Cabella draped her arm around her dragon’s neck.

“Hey,” Hiccup said, coming up behind her. “Are we gonna go kick Drago’s butt or what?”

Cabella laughed as her brother quoted her. “You bet we are.”

Chapter Text

The two mounted their Night Furies, and began to scout the island for Drago. Finding nothing from the air, they landed and began to search by foot. The dragons went off on their own to sniff Drago out. They couldn’t find Dago anywhere, and finally Cabella called out: “Okay, Drago. If you’re so sure you can win, come out and prove it!”

Still nothing happened. Sighing, they continued to search. Cabella decided to climb on the rocks above her brother hoping to see something interesting.

As Hiccup walked on the scraggly path, he tripped over a tree root. His peg-leg was knocked out of place, and groaning, he fiddled with it angrily. Just as he had fallen, Cabella had jumped off her ledge to see if she could help. She barely noticed the shadowy figure sneaking up behind her brother. She was still one hundred feet away when she caught sight of the glint of a sword in the moonlight.

“Hiccup! Look out!” Time seemed to stop as Cabella broke into run. Hiccup, now standing, glanced at her confused. Drago could now clearly be seen, ready to chop her brother in half. Cabella stretched out her arms to push her brother out of the way.

Hiccup suddenly felt himself knocked to the ground, and Drago’s sword hit his sister’s left arm. He turned to face Drago Bludvist.

Drago plunged his sword at Hiccup, but the young chief rolled out of the way just in time. Deciding Hiccup was too quick for a sword, Drago drove his fist into the gash on Hiccup’s abdomen. Screaming in pain, Hiccup grabbed his knife and drove it into Drago’s thigh, pulled himself up with it and stabbed his weapon into the man’s chest. Drago stumbled back, and tumbled down the cliffs to be killed on the rocks below.

Gasping in pain, Hiccup stumbled over to his sister, dropping to his knees beside her. She appeared to be lying on her arm, and Hiccup rolled her onto her back. As he glanced at her, his stomach leapt into his throat, and he had to look away to stop it from reaching his mouth. He realized that Cabella could not have been lying on her arm, for she had no arm to lie on. Drago’s sword had sliced her left arm clean off.

Hiccup noticed Drago’s cloak a few feet off. If he could reach it, he would have a way to keep Cabella warm from the dropping climate. As soon as the dragon skin touched her, Cabella’s blue eyes snapped open--eyes that had once been full of spunkiness and life, now dull and filled with pain.

“Hiccup?” she rasped.

“It’s Okay, Bella. Just stay quiet. You’ll be okay.” Hiccup knew he was practically lying to his sister’s face. She would probably not be okay.

“N-No Hiccup. I-I won’t… y-you have to l-leave…” she trailed off.

“I’m not leaving.” he grabbed her remaining hand and pressed it to his cheek.

“Y-you have t-to…”

“No. I will not leave, Bella. I can’t. One way or another I’m going to save you.” he knew he couldn’t, and now snow was beginning to snow.

“I-I want y-you to leave. T-take Comet and T-Toothless and g-go.”

“Bella, it’s not that I won’t. I can’t. I can’t leave you here to-… to die.”

“H-Hiccup, we’ve p-paid…for our d-dream. I’ve p-paid. W-we bought our p-peace. Go and use it.”

“Bella, I-”

“N-no, let me f-finish. You h-have a village. Y-you have to be t-their chief. I w-wouldn’t make it a-anyway… L-leave me here and g-go back to your village. Go, Hiccup. Go…”

Her grip loosened on his hand, and he let the tears he’d been holding back go. Bella was dead. He couldn’t save her. It was over. Bella was gone.

. . .

Valka watched the horizon anxiously, waiting for her children to arrive. Dreki had flown back, and was watching the Vikings intently. He would occasionally extend a clawed foot and somewhat bat at the people walking. He kept a close eye on Valka, as though expecting her to keep him from eating the men.

However, Valka only glanced at the dragon from time to time, for all her attention was focused on the distant island.

“Are they back yet?” Astrid asked quietly, coming up beside her.

“No,” Valka whispered. “Maybe I should go after them.”

“You can’t,” Gobber broke in. “Dreki will kill everyone here if you leave.”

“I’ll go,” Astrid offered. “And if don’t come back, send the rest of the riders after me.”

“If you see trouble, come right back.”

“I will. C’mon Stormfly!”

The two speed off toward Drago’s island. Astrid scanned her view for Hiccup and Cabella, but it was hard to see anything through the blinding snow. Finally, she noticed a dark spot on the ground below. She landed and approached it, finding Hiccup knelt on the ground next to his sister.

She dismounted and ran up to them, kneeling beside Hiccup. “What happened?” she asked, worry taking over her relief of finding them.

“Drago came up behind me with a sword. I didn’t see him. Bella did…” Hiccup trailed off.

“And she took the blade for you,” Astrid finished softly. Her gaze turned to Cabella’s body. She stared at her in disbelief. Her loyalty was more than strong. It was unfailing.

Astrid leaned over her friend’s body. She placed two fingers on her neck; perhaps there was chance she was still alive.

Hiccup grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back. “Just leave her Astrid. She’s gone. The sword went clean through her arm.”

Astrid stubbornly put her hand back. Nothing. Not even the flutter of a weakening heart. Tears clouded her vision. How could this have happened? Cabella was the strongest person she had ever met. No matter what you did, Cabella would never give in. It must run in the Haddock family.

Astrid glanced at Hiccup. His clothes were blood stained; the wound on his abdomen must have re-opened. Tears streaked his ashen cheeks.

As she looked at her boyfriend sympathetically, she could see his heart was being sawn in two. She slowly wrapped her arms around his shoulder. She leaned her head against his, and the hot tears of sorrow than ran down their cheeks mingled together.

“I’m sorry, Hiccup.” she whispered. “I’m so sorry.” There wasn’t much else she could think of to say.

Hiccup didn’t reply. Crying, he simply stared at his sister’s body. The look of pure shock and pain on his face made her cringe.

“Come on, Hiccup,” she said wiping her eyes. “We have to go. Your mom is worried about you.”

Hiccup shook his head. “I promised I wouldn’t leave. I- I told h-her I would never leave.” he managed to say between sobs.

“Hiccup, it doesn’t matter anymore. She’s dead. You have to leave. You’re freezing.” she began to rub his stiff fingers.

“I can’t. I- I said I w-wouldn’t. I-I’m n-not going to leave.”

“Hiccup-”

“No. I will not leave her.”

Astrid decided she would never get him to leave. Hiccup was a Haddock. Haddocks never give up, give in, or give out. It was in their blood.

“Hey! Astrid!” Someone called out behind her. It sounded like Fishlegs. She turned to see the other riders running up to them.

“When you totally failed to show up, Valka sent me…I mean us, to find you.” Snotlout shouted.

“You were taking a little long,” Eret added, attempting to be nice and critical at the same time.

Fishlegs reached them first. His eyes grew wide as he saw them. “Wait...” he began, “Is she…?”

“She’s gone,” Astrid finished.

Everyone, even Eret, was suddenly in tears. No one could have prepared themselves for the shocking fact that Cabella was dead. Eret was most likely crying tears of relief, but still, it looked sincere. But all of the others, had considered her their friend, and now their friend was killed.

They now shared one another’s grief, letting tears flow. Minutes passed like hours, and finally, when they were all so cold and stiff they could hardly think, they decided to fly back. Hiccup was in so much pain and shock he got up and left, not even capable of thinking on his own anymore. Eret and Snotlout attempted to put Cabella’s body on one of the dragons, but even though her rider was dead, Comet was still as protective as ever, and was determined to carry Cabella back herself.

They slowly and dejectedly flew back to what was Cabella’s island.

Chapter Text

Valka watched the sky, squinting, hoping to see the riders in return. But she could see nothing.

Finally, she could see a small spot in the clouds ahead. A smile spread across her face as she made out the familiar shape of a Night Fury. And yes, there were two! But her smile faded when she realized the second had no rider. Who was missing, she couldn’t tell, but one of her children had not returned.

Fear prickled up her spine as she noticed Comet’s lean features. Cabella was not with them.

The other riders appeared behind them, but Valka hardly noticed them. Where was her daughter?

Hiccup and Toothless landed first, and Valka rushed up to him. He slid off Toothless’ back and limped towards his mother; eyes wide with pain and disbelief. He stumbled into her arms, and began to sob.

“What happened?” she asked him, stroking his head.

“Bella- Bella’s gone…”

“What..!?” Valka caught sight of Comet lowering a body covered with a cloak to the ground.

“I- I tried to…to save her…I…”

Valka didn’t wait to hear the rest. She gently released her son and ran to Cabella. Dropping to her knees, she pulled the dragon skin back to look at her daughter. She drew in a shaky breath, as she caressed her baby’s face. Though she had died in pain, Cabella had never looked so peaceful. The moon cast its rays down on her, making her seem even more fragile. No one would have ever thought of her as fragile, but now, that was the first word that came to mind. Hiccup limped over to his mother, leaning on her shoulder as he cried.

“The little lassie with the golden hair,” Gobber mumbled, standing behind them.

“Aye,” Valka agreed, “That she was. She’ll never grow out of it either.”

“She loved her hair,” Hiccup put in, rubbing his eyes. “I pulled it once, and I sure got it.”

Everyone chuckled.

“Not as much as she loved dragons,” Astrid said, sitting down next to them. “She told me she’d shear it all off if it would save a dragon.”

 “I bet she would,” Hiccup replied, “She would give her life to save one.”

“She would take a life to save a dragon,” Eret chuckled, rubbing his neck. “I ought to know.”

“She gave her life to save mine,” Hiccup whispered, and only his mother heard. She squeezed his shoulders tenderly. “I just wish I had a chance to say thank you.” he finished tearfully.

. . .

                 Hiccup stood with a bow in hand and a fire on the ground beside him. He gazed for the last time at the ship in the harbor, before lighting his arrow. As he pulled the arrow string back to his cheek, a sob caught in his throat. He wished he could have known Cabella was right beside him, ready to tease him when he didn’t hit his mark and do it herself.

He closed his eyes, letting the arrow fly, and the tiny flame approached the funeral ship.

But then the unthinkable happened.

Two Death Breathers swept down from the sky, taking the arrows into their wings. Their plated scales kept them from hitting the ship. Comet flew over their heads screeching, and sped towards the boat.

She dove onto the ship’s deck. The Viking’s watched in amazement as she grabbed Cabella’s body and flew back to shore. She set her rider down on the ground gently. Gobber tried to shoo her off but, Comet stood over Cabella and hissed viciously.

Comet wouldn’t even let Valka near. When Hiccup approached, Toothless was the one to block him. 

Finally, Astrid was able to pass Toothless. She knelt in front of Comet, who was nudging her rider, grunting.

It’s almost as if they don’t understand she’s dead, Astrid thought sadly. Comet looked up at her with confused eyes.

But as Comet continued to paw at Cabella, Astrid’s eyes grew wide. What if Comet were thinking the same thing? What if Comet had been thinking this entire time: It’s almost as if they don’t understand she’s alive.

With a sudden realization, Astrid pressed her ear up against Cabella’s chest, and a smile lit up her face as she heard the faint beating of a heart.

She threw back he head and laughed in relief and joy.

“She’s alive!” Astrid shouted. “Cabella’s alive! The dragons knew it all along!”

Valka ran up behind her, and laid her head on her daughter’s chest. She burst into tears of happiness.

Hiccup slowly walked up, wondering if it could really be true. Had he not watched her die?

But all sadness was washed away when Cabella moaned and turned her head.

Cabella, the lassie with the golden hair, was alive.

. . .

Hiccup woke with a start, having snored himself awake. He rolled over and glanced at the sun, smiling. He leisurely pulled his clothes on and walked down the stairs, limping just a little.

“Morning, Mom,” he greeted, grabbing a freshly baked loaf of bread and biting into it. “How’s Bella doing?”

“Oh, she’s fine.”

“Good,” he said with a slight laugh. “Uh, w-where is she?”

“I don’t know. She went out early this morning.”

Hiccup stared at his mother in disbelief. “She left the house.”

“Yes.”

“You let her?”

“Yes.”

“Mom! She just had her arm sliced off! Don’t you think it would be a good idea not to let her go do something crazy?”

“Hiccup, she probably just wants to be alone.”

“I’m going to find her,” he said, grabbing a second loaf of bread.

“Hiccup, if she wants to be alone, leave her alone.”

“I won’t bug her too much.”

He and Toothless took off and scanned the island for her. She wasn’t too hard to spot; she was sitting leaned up against a tree with her feet dangling over the edge of the cliff. Comet was rolling on the ground a few feet away. Hiccup landed, walked over, and sat down next to her.

“What do you want.” she mumbled.

“I wanna know why you’re up here all by yourself.”

“I’m not by myself.”

“You know what I mean.”

“I just had my entire arm from my shoulder down chopped off; I would kind of like to be left alone.”

“The times people want to be left alone are the times they need someone most.”

“Since when did you become a poet?”

“You’re calling me a poet? You don’t call your whole ‘soul of fire’ thing poetry?”

“No, I call it common sense.”

“You know, dragons aren’t the only ones with a soul made of fire.”

“Who else has it?”

“You. You do. I figured it out last night. You’re fire down to your very core. Just like the dragons. They accept you because they see themselves in you. Nobody can tame you. I’m not sure anyone can train you either.”

“You really think so?”

“Oh, I know so.” There was a moment of silence before Hiccup continued. “Hey, Thanks.”

“For what?” Cabella asked, looking away.

“For saving my life,” he answered seriously. “If it hadn’t been for you, I would’ve been killed.”

“What’d you expect me to do?”

“I don’t know, I just want you to know what you did means a lot to me.”

“It better mean a lot to you!” she said with a grin.

“It does, goofball!”

“I just wished I’d waited half a second before pushing you out of the way.”

“Why?”

“Because then I could have just had my wrist chopped off and not my whole arm. Now I can’t even have a hook!”

“Is that seriously what you’re upset about? That you can’t have a hook?”

“No! Maybe…Yes.”

Hiccup laughed. “Bella, I can make you an arm with a hook! Why didn’t you say that’s why you were up here? I can have something like that done by lunch!”

“Oh.”

. . .

“No, I want it there!” Cabella shouted, pointing to the half finished prosthetic arm.

“I’m telling you, it won’t work if you put the cross there! The arm will be stiff as a board.” It was going to be hard getting used to having someone as boar-headed as he was around.

“No, it won’t!” she retorted.

“It will!”

“Prove it!”

“I don’t even need to!”

“You know you’re not right, so that’s why you won’t put it there!”

“I am right!”

“Are not!”

“Are too!”

“Both of you! SHUT UP!” Valka shouted. “Can you not stop arguing for just five seconds?”

“One, two, three, four, five, six,” Cabella counted. “Look mom, we can do it for six!”

She turned back to Hiccup. “It will work; you just have to think it through!”

Valka threw up her hands in exasperation before walking away.

“It won’t!” Hiccup argued back.

“It will!”

Yep, it was going to take some getting used to.

THE END