Chapter Text
It was dark, wherever it was where the dragons had taken him. The shovelhelm carrying him threw him mostly upright onto the floor of the cavern, in the middle of a gathering of dragons. Different kinds of dragons, too, although that was to be expected, hives were often multi-species. At a first glance he identified hobblegrunts, other shovelhelms, some monstrous nightmares...
Really? Hiccup thought. THIS is what I'm thinking about right now? "Hey!" he called, hoping that the other rider was somewhere around here. "We have to head back for my dragon!"
Speaking of dragons, Hiccup drew his sword and lit it, slowly waving it around his head. The gathered dragons, who'd begun to get too close for comfort, steadied, pupils dilating. Hearing a growl from behind him, Hiccup turned and reloaded his sword for the "zippleback" setting. Thankfully, the circle of fire that let him create was enough to keep the dragons back. Feeling a little safer, he began to approach the shovelhelm as he sheathed his sword, hand outstretched.
Then a noise caught his attention, as the other rider jumped delicately off of a rock and approached, shield held in front of them as they began to circle him.
"Who are you?" Hiccup asked. No response. "The dragon thief? Uh- Drago Bludvist? Do you even understand what I'm saying-?!" Hiccup was cut off as they swung their staff around their head, bringing it down on the ground as beads set into the hook rattled. Distant roars echoed through the cavern as yet another dragon swooped overhead, depositing-
"Toothless!" Hiccup cried, running up to him. Aside from being wet and colder to the touch than normal, he seemed unhurt. "It's okay, it's okay." Hiccup murmured, half to himself. "I'm glad to see you too, bud. You really had me worried there." Out the corner of his eye, he saw the other rider tilt their head to one side and lower their shield a little. They gently shook their staff, which must have been some sort of command that the dragons recognised, because they all opened their mouths and held their fire, orange light finally cast over the cave. Toothless pressed against Hiccup protectively, growling.
The other rider dropped their staff and shield as they crouched even lower, practically on all fours as they approached slowly, reaching a hand towards Toothless. He hissed, then they made some sort of hand motion. The effect was almost like the sweet spot most dragons had; Toothless flopped to the ground on his back, as the other rider got closer, gently running a hand over his side. As Hiccup backed away, he collided with one of the dragons circling him. As it lowered its head and tucked its tail around him, he recognised it- the four winged dragon. He didn't know the species- he'd have to ask Fishlegs about it later (If whoever this is lets me go.).
But somehow, it was familiar. The gentle growl thrumming behind his head, the hooks on its wings, the finned tail and the warm yellow eyes...
I know this dragon. Hiccup realised.
The rider was now barely inches away from Hiccup. The helmet especially was unnerving this close- there were tiny slits in the "eyes" that presumably was how they could see, but Hiccup could barely get a glimpse of this person's face. Their dragon growled gently as its breath ruffled his hair, and the other rider suddenly gasped and fell back.
"... Hic... cup?"
Their voice was a rough, almost inaudible whisper, muffled even more by the helmet. Frankly, it was a miracle Hiccup heard them at all. "... Yes?" he replied. It felt strange to be talking above a whisper himself.
"Oh... oh..." they murmured. They reached back to grasp their staff.
"Who are you?" Hiccup asked again.
It was a long moment until they replied. "One of them." they said, gesturing to the dragons. The thought of a humanoid dragon appeared in Hiccup's mind- with how rough their voice was he could call it a growl, and the armour was definitely dragon-like.
"One of the dragons?"
They nodded, then beckoned. Not seeing many other options, Hiccup climbed onto Toothless's back.
"You know that doesn't answer any of my questions!" Hiccup called after them as they used their staff to climb onto the side of their dragon's head and directed it deeper into the cave. "I mean... Where am I? Are you the dragon thief? How do you know my name? Are you listening to a word I'm saying-?"
Then suddenly the cavern opened out, stretching down and upwards further than Hiccup could even see and full of hundreds, no, thousands of dragons, from the lush stones to the icy ceiling. This put the Red Death's hive to shame. It was beautiful.
Toothless growled, directing Hiccup to a stalactite. The rider and their dragon hung off of it, observing him.
"You aren't stealing them..." Hiccup realised. "You're rescuing them."
The rider nodded, then hooked the end of their staff onto their dragon's wing and was lowered gently to the ground. They began to pace around Hiccup again, but this time he got the impression they wanted a look at him in the better light, so he did his best to not follow them. They seemed to get distracted by Toothless pretty quickly though. "Him." they said. "He's...?"
"Toothless, yeah. Or, I mean, he's not- well- you can see for yourself on that front." Toothless obligingly showed them his retractable teeth, to a little gasp. "But, yeah, he's mine. And he's a night fury. Whichever one you were asking."
The other rider's attention shifted to his tail. They ran their hand over the prosthetic- hidden under the clawed gloves was a slender, human hand. Reassuring- they're probably human. "Trappers?" they asked.
"Uh. Sort of. Heh." Explaining that he shot down a night fury probably wouldn't go over too well with this person. "...We're from Berk. Not trappers exactly, but. He was shot down and I- I guess I saved him. And I built him that."
The rider made a disgusted noise. "Berk. Both better off away."
"Both-? Is that... me and Toothless or are you saying you're from Berk?" They nodded, then reached up to run their hand over their dragon's face. "I.. never knew there were other riders on Berk." Hiccup said. "And- that one, that one's yours?"
The other rider cocked their head. It was a very dragon-like movement, like the large, sweeping steps they took, and it didn't help any of Hiccup's confusion. "So... they aren't yours? Or are all of these yours?"
"Like I say. One of them. You make?" they asked, changing the subject and gesturing first to Toothless's tail and then to Hiccup's suit.
"Oh, yeah." he said. "It's a flight suit. See-" He unzipped the side to reveal the wings, which he'd admit was a much less impressive maneuver on the ground. The other rider seemed plenty impressed though, gasping again, then coming closer to examine the suit. "It's pretty simple actually, I could even make you one if you wanted. It wouldn't be that hard to retrofit it to your armour." Even with the helmet, he could tell the idea delighted them. "I mean, the design isn't perfect, steering is kind of lackluster, although you'd probably have an easier time with rescue maneuvers- I have to lock Toothless's tail when we're both solo-flying and that really reduces his agility..." Hiccup trailed off, realising that the other rider was staring at him. "Sorry. Uh- Is there something I should... Call you? Do you have a name?" They shook their head after a pause. "I feel kind of bad just calling you 'the other rider' in my head." Hiccup insisted. "And 'the dragon thief' just seems. Rude?"
"...Don't need name." they said. "Normally. Will think. Come."
"What is it?" Hiccup asked, moving back over to Toothless. They gestured over the edge of the cliff, and as Hiccup approached, he saw what they were talking about. A collossal dragon, one of the biggest he'd ever seen, resting in a pool at the bottom of the cave. "It's... Incredible." he murmured.
The rider waved their staff around, gesturing to the dragons. "His." they said, pointing down at it.
"... He's the hive's queen?"
"All-queen."
"... All dragons?" They nodded. "Incredible..." One of the dragon's eyes blinked open, revealing bright ice blue, as it lifted its head to look at Hiccup and the other rider, who bowed. Hiccup followed suit a moment later, feeling the dragon's breath against his skin. It was freezing, and smelt like a winter day- a far sight from the smoke on most dragons' breath. "He's the ice spitter!" Hiccup realised. "Wait, so- Did he build this?" The other rider nodded. "That's incredible..." Hiccup came to his senses. "But- Look, this place is amazing, and don't think I'm never coming back, but- I have things I need to do, and people- my friends, my dad- they're probably looking for me."
The other rider flinched when Hiccup mentioned his father. "You... know him?"
They looked away, then rested a hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "Safe." they said, gesturing to him, then Toothless and lingering on his prosthetic fin.
"I mean, aside from anything else, he will probably find me. He has a Rumblehorn- a tracker dragon-"
"Dragon?" That sounded like it surprised them more than any other revelation.
"Yeah, I was surprised too! Even Gobber has one, Berk's unrecognisable-"
The other rider straightened almost to their full height. "Let him come." they said, voice cold. "Where?"
"... Where is Stoick? I don't know. He can't be too far, though-" The other rider was already swinging their staff, this time to get the dragons' attention. "Hey, wait!" Hiccup ran after them, stumbling alongside them. "I don't know what you know about him but he really has changed!"
"Couldn't change."
"I didn't think so either! But he did! It took him a little while, but- would you just stop!" The other rider turned as they took their shield from one of the dragons. "We have the same enemy." Hiccup said. "You, me, my dad- we should all be working together! I was going to find Drago when you found me-"
He got the feeling that if they could have spat on the ground through their helmet, they would have. "Stoick bad. Drago worse. But here safe. If I see- I kill. But they will not find us."
"If I could change my dad's mind, and the mind of all of Berk, I can change Drago's!" Hiccup cried after them.
They swivelled around again. "You. Stay." they said firmly. "With him." they pointed to Toothless.
"No!" Hiccup said, running after them. "I'm not just going to let you kill my dad!"
They softened a little- as much as it seemed like they could soften. "You owe nothing." they said. "Berk- him- they cannot change. Will not. If they have dragons- it's bad."
"What do you mean, it's bad?" Hiccup asked. "Surely it's a good thing." They shook their head, before swinging themself onto a passing dragon's back and directing them into the tunnels Hiccup had come from. "Stop!" Hiccup called, leaping onto Toothless and giving chase.
Hiccup slowed Toothless to a stop, then silently directed him onto a ledge. The other rider hadn't noticed them, instead focused on the dragon they were "speaking" to. They directed it into the main cave, then crouched further down and backed into the shadows. Soon, booming voices reached Hiccup's ears.
"- one way tunnel, Gobber." Stoick was saying.
"He could've gone back the way we came." Gobber replied. "Or fit into one of those cracks."
"He's not that small."
"Or been eaten, for that matter." continued Gobber. "Did you see the amount of dragons circling?"
"This is Hiccup we're talking about." Stoick said, though not without an edge of uncertainty. Hiccup desperately wanted to call out to him, but didn't trust the dragon person (for lack of any better name) to not take that as a threat. There were far more dragons than Hiccup thought he could escape, and the space was far too enclosed to run.
The dragon person shook their staff as they crept towards the voices. "Did you hear that?" Stoick asked.
"Yeah, I heard it." Gobber replied. "Sounds like when I loose my tooth in a mug- Odin's beard!"
The two vikings came running out of the tunnel, followed by the four winged dragon. Stoick turned back, and Hiccup saw recognition in his face. Grim recognition. "So this is where you've been hiding." he growled. But before he could react further, the dragon person reached out and caught his leg in their staff, dragging him off of Skullcrusher and catching his chin on their shield on the way down.
"Stop!" Hiccup called, spurring Toothless forward but grabbed by the shoulders and lifted to the cave ceiling before he could get closer.
"Hiccup!" Stoick yelled, drawing his axe. Gobber was quickly encircled by dragons, but it was clear the dragon person's focus was on Stoick. "Who are you, then?" Stoick asked, back to a low growl. "One of Drago's men?" The dragon person hissed inhumanly, then swung their staff at Stoick's head. He dodged, but on the way back around they pointed the staff upwards and were caught by the four winged dragon and carried overhead. "So that thing wasn't a wild beast," Stoick continued, eying the dragon. "It was one of his!" And with that, he brought his axe down on the dragon person. It took a chunk out of the shield, and the dragon person hissed again, this time sweeping their staff along the ground.
"Stop! Please!" Hiccup called again. "Dad, they're not with Drago!" He suddenly had an idea. Managing to get one arm down, he gave the winch for his dorsal fin a smack. It unfurled, and the dragon holding him dropped him with a surprised roar. Free, Hiccup raced over, grabbing Stoick's arm and raising a hand in front of the dragon person. "This is all a misunderstanding!"
"Get back, Hiccup!" Stoick bellowed, shoving him away and raising his axe again. The dragon person reached their staff out and was dragged away by a dragon once more, sailing deftly through the air. This time, though, Stoick knew what to expect, and hurled his axe at the staff, knocking it out of the dragon's grip. The other rider fell to the ground with a grunt, staff skittering away into the cave and helmet knocked askew. They scrambled back as Stoick backed them into a corner, catching themself on their cape and desperately trying to right their helmet. Hiccup ran between them again.
"If you'd just let me explain-" he said, directed to both of them.
The four winged dragon scooped him up this time. "Hiccup!" Stoick yelled again, before turning back to the dragon person and kicking their helmet off. Then he froze.
Beneath the helmet was a woman with greying auburn hair in a very messy, matted set of braids. Her face was thin, and she glared almost fearfully at Stoick as his axe fell to one side. "Valka?" Stoick murmured.
The dragon person- lady? took his distraction as opportunity, hooking her staff with her foot and clubbing him across the face with it. "Valka- it's me!" Stoick protested, stumbling back as she rose to her feet.
"I know." she growled, her voice no less rough without the helmet. She grabbed it with one hand and with the other let the four winged dragon lift her up again. This time, though, she climbed onto its shoulder, hunched over as she replaced her helmet.
Hiccup knew the name Valka. He doubted there was anyone on Berk who didn't. She was the subject of one of the more popular stories to tell to kids to terrorize them (at least, before the peace with dragons); about how she'd been abducted, or in some tellings, eaten then and there, by a dragon.
He'd heard the full story once from Stoick. Valka hadn't been just anyone, Stoick had said. Valka was-
"... My mother?" Hiccup whispered, still cradled by the four-winged dragon. Valka didn't look at him. "You- You're-"
"Safe here." she repeated softly, before standing.
"Valka, what is all this?!" Stoick asked. "What- You're alive!"
Valka pointed her staff at him, then at the door. They waited for a dragon to respond, but nothing happened.
Valka sighed, then repeated the motion, but this time said "You. Leave. Now." she added.
"That's fine!" Hiccup said. "They're here to get me, right? So I'll just-"
"No!" Valka said. "They leave."
"Look... Mother..." It felt weird to say. "I can't stay here. You know that- with Drago around-"
Valka pointed her staff at him. "Stay." She swung it down to point at Stoick and Gobber, who had been able to rejoin him. "Go."
"I think I'm owed an explanation!" Stoick called up.
"Owed nothing." Valka hissed.
"You don't need to- come back." Stoick said, his voice cracking a little. "I just want to talk."
"At least explain to me." Hiccup added.
Valka hesitated, then finally let her dragon lower her to the ground.
"Dragons?" she asked, gesturing to Stoick and Gobber.
"Grump's right here!" Gobber said, enthusiastically patting Grump's side.
"And Skullcrusher is wherever your dragons took him." Stoick added, not without a touch of resentment. Valka swung her staff again in much a similar manner as when she returned Toothless to Hiccup. Skullcrusher being so much larger than Toothless, he wasn't carried in so much as shoved. Stoick patted his side reassuringly before Valka shoved her staff in the way and began to pace around him. She ran a hand down the saddle with a scoff, then turned her attention to Grump and gave him the same examination.
"Berk has changed, Valka." Stoick said as she did so. "... I've changed."
Valka turned to him. "Why?" she asked coolly.
Stoick gestured to Hiccup, still held by Valka's dragon. "He tamed that night fury. No one would have thought it was possible, least of all me, but... he did it. And gods know I gave him a hard time, but even I can admit he was right."
Valka looked down, almost guiltily. "... Took you long enough."
"That may be, that may be." Stoick agreed with a chuckle. "But you-" Valka flinched as he took a step forward. "How did you survive?"
Valka pointed her staff to the four-winged dragon. "Cloudjumper." she said as it lowered itself down, gently depositing Hiccup as it went to Valka's side. "Took me here."
"Then why... Why didn't you come back?" Hiccup asked. Valka looked away again.
"The dragons are home. To me. To us." she said. "I was... Happy here."
"What do you mean, 'to us'?" Hiccup asked.
"We are like." she said, but Hiccup interrupted before she could continue.
"You don't know that! I don't want to stay here! I mean, don't get me wrong, this island is... amazing, but it's not my home. Berk is my home. And I definitely wouldn't just vanish-"
"That's enough." Stoick said. "Valka-"
"Not my name." she said. "Not Valka. Just... me."
"- I won't make you come back." Stoick repeated. Hiccup could tell he wasn't happy about it. "But... You're welcome in Berk whenever you feel like it."
Valka stood straighter. "You have changed." she said, almost awed by it. "I will... think about it."