Chapter Text
It had been almost two months since Hiccup decided to stay on Berk, accepting the invitation Stoick had given him the last time he was on the island, before he had been forced to flee once again.
During those two months, Stoick kept his eyes on him. Not out of fear, but because he was trying to understand the man who now stood in place of his son.
Even though he carried the same face, the same features, he was someone Stoick could no longer fully recognize.
One day, Stoick called Astrid to his house. She entered cautiously, standing straight as she stopped in front of him.
“You wanted to see me?” she asked, looking at him.
Stoick nodded. “Yes. I want you to do something for me.”
She nodded once in response, waiting for him to continue
“You said before that the others started liking the dragons,” he said. “After you trained them.”
She looked at him, surprised, but nodded.
“Then I want you to ask Hiccup to help train all of you.”
She looked even more surprised.
“Chief?”
“Everyone in the archipelago already knows about him, and the dragon,” he said as he looked straight at her. “If anyone would attack because of this, I want Berk to be able to defend itself.”
She looked at him. “I don’t think he would agree so easily.”
Stoick looked back at her.
“I know,” he said. “That’s why I want you to say it was your idea.”
She understood what he meant by this. He had seen how Hiccup reacted to her, how he listened to what she said. After all, because of her, he had come back.
“Alright.”
Before she walked out, she looked at Stoick once more.
“You know, you should try to talk with him.”
She knew that after what had happened, Hiccup hadn’t been the same, and it had only made the rift between him and his father even bigger.
“As if he would even want to speak with me,” Stoick said. “Unless it’s me speaking to him as his chief.”
She nodded once, knowing that was the truth.
“He doesn’t even listen to the chief,” she mumbled under her breath.
“Anyway, I will talk with him.”
Astrid stepped outside, the door closing behind her. The village was quieter than it used to be, people moving through their routines.
She slowed her steps as she walked. Hiccup was never where anyone expected him to be. Not anymore. He avoided the Great Hall, the training grounds, anywhere people gathered for too long. If someone wanted to find him, they usually had to think a little harder.
The cove crossed her mind. It was out of the way, far enough that no one would wander there without a reason.
Instead, she turned toward the edge of the village.
She found Fishlegs sitting near a group of kids, talking animatedly while a Terrible Terror clung to a nearby post, tilting its head as it listened. The kids watched both of them with wide eyes.
Astrid stopped beside him. “You busy?”
Fishlegs jumped slightly, then relaxed. “Oh—no. Well. Sort of.”
She nodded toward the kids. “You still like talking about dragons?”
His face brightened immediately. “Always.”
“Hiccup might be at the cove,” she said. “You could come with me. He wouldn’t mind you talking with him about them.”
Fishlegs hesitated, excitement warring with nerves. “You really think that’s a good idea?”
“I do,” she said. “And I think he’d like telling you about some he saw during his time away.”
Fishlegs rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s just… he doesn’t really look at people the same way anymore.”
Astrid raised an eyebrow. “Oh, come on. You’re scared of him now?”
He hesitated. “A little.”
She huffed softly. “Guess you’re not as interested in dragon stories as you used to be.”
She turned and started walking away.
“Wait,” Fishlegs said quickly.
He hurried after her, already talking. “What kind of dragons did he see?”
They hadn’t gone far when Snotlout’s voice cut in from behind them.
“Where are you going?”
Astrid stopped and turned. Snotlout was standing near one of the paths, arms crossed, clearly bored and clearly listening in.
“That’s none of your business,” she said.
Fishlegs shifted beside her. “We’re just—”
Astrid shot him a look.
Snotlout smirked. “Right. Because when you say that, it’s always something interesting.”
Before Astrid could answer, Ruffnut leaned out from behind a post. “Are we going somewhere?”
Tuffnut appeared on the other side. “We are, aren’t we.”
“No,” Astrid said flatly. “You’re not.”
They both ignored her.
Snotlout looked between them. “So? Where?”
Astrid exhaled slowly. “The cove.”
That got his attention.
“The cove?” he repeated. “Why?”
She started walking again. “Because I said so.”
Fishlegs followed immediately.
Snotlout hesitated for half a second, then scoffed. “Well, now I have to know.”
The twins were already moving.
“We called it,” Ruffnut said.
“Told you she couldn’t stop us,” Tuffnut added.
Astrid glanced back at all of them, clearly annoyed. “This is not a group thing.”
“Too late,” Snotlout said.
She muttered something under her breath and kept walking, the sound of footsteps following close behind her.
Astrid walked ahead of them, her pace steady, even as the voices behind her kept going.
Snotlout talked like he always did, filling the space with comments that didn’t really need answers. The twins jumped in whenever they could, arguing with each other more than anyone else. Fishlegs tried to add something useful now and then, but mostly just listened.
Astrid didn’t join in.
Halfway there, she already regretted stopping by Fishlegs. This was supposed to be simple and quiet. Now it had turned into a group thing, exactly what she hadn’t wanted. Hiccup hated group things. He hated being surrounded, watched, cornered.
She kept walking anyway.
The forest grew thicker as they moved away from the village. The noise slowly faded, until even Snotlout’s voice dropped lower without him realizing it. By the time the cove came into view, no one was really talking anymore.
They slowed to a stop at the edge.
Toothless was there, lying near the water, wings relaxed against the ground. Hiccup sat beside him, his back pressed to the dragon’s side.
For a moment, no one moved. They all looked at each other, uncertain, as if none of them were sure who was supposed to speak first. Even the twins stayed quiet.
Astrid didn’t wait. She stepped past them and walked down into the cove.
“You sure brought the whole group,” he said without looking at her as she walked into the cove.
She sighed. “I wanted to just grab Fishlegs, but the rest joined.”
She sat nearby. Toothless lazily opened his eyes, his ears perking up as he looked at her.
“Figured,” Hiccup replied.
He finally looked at her, then past her, noticing the others slowly coming in.
Astrid turned her head toward the rest of them.
“Oh, come on, guys. He’s not going to bite.”
Hiccup smiled lightly. It caught them off guard, it had been a long time since any of them had seen him do that.
The small smile seemed to ease something between them.
Fishlegs was the first to move. He sat down a short distance away, close enough to see, far enough not to crowd him. Snotlout followed a moment later, dropping down with less hesitation, though he kept glancing at Toothless.
The twins didn’t sit.
They paced instead, arguing in low voices about where to stand, which spot was better, and who had been there first. Astrid ignored them.
“So what brought you here?” Hiccup finally asked. He knew she wouldn’t just try to find him in the middle of the day when she had other important things to do.
“You know,” she started as she glanced at the others. “I had an idea.”
That made Hiccup raise an eyebrow. “An idea?”
“I thought that maybe you could help us,” she said, “and train us how to work with our dragons better.”
He looked at her, then at the rest of them, his gaze lingering on the twins as they fought with each other.
“So you want me to help you handle them better?”
Astrid leaned slightly forward.
“Yeah, like,” she started, “because the whole archipelago already knows about you, and your connection to us.”
She paused for a second. “We need a way to defend the island, even if you’re not here.”
“Was it really your idea?” Hiccup asked as he looked at her. It felt like he could see straight through her.
Astrid looked away for a moment. “Does it matter?”
Hiccup kept his eyes on her until she spoke again.
“Okay. It was… something the chief wanted,” she said. “But I agree with him.”
“And what do you think my answer will be?” Hiccup asked as he crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes still on her. He was playing a game he knew well.
The others around them felt the tension as they listened to the conversation.
She didn’t look away this time. “You’ll say you don’t want that responsibility,” she said quietly. “And you’ll say no.”
He looked at Toothless and tilted his head slightly. The dragon let out a soft growl and dipped his head in response. Hiccup then looked back at her.
“I like when people are wrong,” he said, a slight smile returning to his face.
Astrid’s surprise showed immediately. She hadn’t expected him to agree, not without more resistance.
The others exchanged looks, the meaning of his words settling in slowly.
Ruffnut was the first to react. “So… you’re going to teach us how to fight?” she asked.
Tuffnut nodded enthusiastically. “That’s actually useful.”
Fishlegs leaned forward, eyes already bright. “You mean, like, real combat? Working with the dragons, not just riding them?”
Hiccup shifted slightly, his back still against Toothless. “We’ll start with control,” he said. His gaze flicked briefly toward the twins. “You need to bond better with your dragons first.”
Ruffnut frowned. “That sounds boring.”
Astrid watched him quietly, a mix of surprise and something close to relief crossing her face.
Fishlegs straightened immediately. “Really? Because I’ve read a lot about dragon behavior and combat responses, and if we combine that with—”
Hiccup lifted a hand.
The excitement cut off at once.
“If I do this,” he said, his expression serious now, “there are rules.”
The group quieted.
“No one flies off on their own,” he continued. “No one provokes their dragon. And no one treats this like a game.”
His gaze moved over all of them, lingering on the twins for a moment longer than the rest.
“If you’re angry, distracted, or just want to show off,” he said, “you sit it out.”
Even Fishlegs nodded, enthusiasm still there, but tempered.
Astrid watched him, recognizing the shift. This wasn’t an offer anymore. It was a responsibility he was already carrying.
“You will listen,” he said, his gaze moving over them. “And you will do exactly what I say. I don’t want anyone to lose their life if something goes wrong. Understood?”
No one argued.
Snotlout nodded first, slow and deliberate. Fishlegs followed, more eagerly, but still silent.
The twins exchanged a look before nodding as well, for once on the same page.
Astrid was the last to respond. She gave a single nod.
“So,” he started, glancing at Fishlegs, then back at Astrid. “Why did you want Fishlegs to come here?”
Astrid let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. Some of the tension left her shoulders as she looked at Fishlegs.
“He’s wanted to talk to you about dragons for a long time,” she said.
Fishlegs adjusted his helmet. “I just… Astrid said you saw a lot of dragons while you were away,” he said. “I was wondering what kinds they were.”
Hiccup smiled lightly at him. “You know,” he said, “just come by my place at dawn, so I can show you something.”
Fishlegs blinked, then glanced briefly at Astrid.
She gave him a small nod.
Only then did he step a little closer to Toothless.
“Is it… okay?” he asked, lifting his hand slightly.
Hiccup glanced at Toothless.
The dragon shifted, lifting his head and nudging it forward, closing the distance himself.
Fishlegs let out a small breath and carefully rested his hand against the smooth scales.
“Wow,” he murmured.
“Next time, ask him,” Hiccup said. “It’s his choice, not mine.” Toothless huffed softly, clearly pleased with the attention.
Fishlegs stayed where he was, still watching Toothless. He stepped a little closer, slowly.
“There’s nothing about Night Furies in the books,” he said.
Toothless shifted slightly, watching him back.
“He doesn’t react the same way other dragons do.” He glanced at Hiccup. “I’ve never seen anything like him up close.”
He seemed to realize he was talking too much and stopped. “Sorry.”
Hiccup smiled lightly at him. “It’s nice to have someone who’s as geeked out about dragons as I am.”
Astrid walked up to Fishlegs. “See? I told you he’d like to talk about dragons.”
---
After some time spent together, talking, they decided to head back. Snotlout started walking first, saying something under his breath that Ruffnut immediately argued with. Tuffnut followed her, still talking as they went. Fishlegs hesitated for a moment, glanced back at Toothless once more, then nodded to Hiccup and went after them.
Astrid stayed where she was.
She waited until the sounds of their footsteps moved farther away. Only then did she turn back toward him.
“You really meant it?” she asked.
Hiccup didn’t look at her at first. He kept his hand resting against Toothless’s side, fingers lightly curled against the scales.
“Yes,” he said.
There was no hesitation in it.
Astrid nodded slowly, like she needed to hear it said out loud.
“Alright,” she said.
She walked away then, heading back the same path the others had taken.