Chapter Text
The flight to the island took less than ten minutes. Astrid's hands were white-knuckled on Stormfly's saddle handles, her eyes fixed on the plume of smoke growing larger with every passing second. Around her, the other riders flew in tight formation, Hiccup and Toothless in the lead, Heather and Windshear on the left, Eret and Skullcrusher on the right. Dagur brought up the rear on Sleuther, his expression unusually serious, eyes fixed on the spooling smoke rising from the isle he resided on.
As they drew closer, the details became clearer. The island was small, maybe half the size of Dragon's Edge, with a single village nestled amongst the mountain. Or what was left of a village.
Buildings were burning, their roofs collapsed and their walls blackened. People, dressed in a dark armour like Astrid had never seen, were running through the streets, some carrying buckets of water, others dragging injured villagers to safety.
Stood just offshore, three sleek dark vessels with men and weapons mounted on their decks stood. Their sail plainly visible, sword piercing through the heart of a dragon adorned on it.
Dragon Hunters.
“There!” Hiccup shouted, pointing toward the harbour, “Those are the ships. We need to drive them off before they do any more damage.”
“What about the villagers?” Astrid called back.
“Heather, Eret, you’re on rescue,” Hiccup said, “Get the villagers to safety. Dagur, Astrid, you're with me. We're going after the ships.”
Astrid's stomach tightened, but she nodded. Stormfly banked sharply, following Toothless as they dove toward the harbour.
The hunters saw them coming. Shouts rang out from the ships, and a moment later, arrows and spears began flying through the air. Astrid ducked instinctively, her heart pounding, as Stormfly twisted and dodged.
“Stay high!” Hiccup shouted, “Don't give them an easy target!”
Toothless unleashed a plasma blast, the purple fire streaking through the air and slamming into the deck of one of the ships. The wood exploded in a shower of splinters, but the hunters stood firm.
Sleuther followed up with a barrage of sparks, the fire smashing into the sails and rigging. One of the masts cracked and toppled, crashing into the water with a massive splash.
Astrid's hands were shaking, but she forced herself to focus, “Stormfly, spine shot!”
The Deadly Nadder responded immediately, her tail whipping forward and launching a volley of spines toward the nearest ship. The spines embedded themselves in the hull of the ship, and a moment later, there was a gaping hole where the spines had just hit.
“Excellent!” Hiccup called, “Keep the pressure on!”
They made another pass, and then another, the dragons working in perfect coordination. The hunters tried to fight back, but they were no match for the speed and firepower of the dragons. Within minutes, two of the ships were sinking, and the third was retreating, its crew scrambling to raise the torn sails.
“Let them go!” Hiccup shouted, “We need to help the villagers!”
They pulled up and circled back toward the village, where Heather and Eret were already on the ground, helping people put out fires and tend to the wounded. Astrid landed beside them, sliding off Stormfly's back and running toward the nearest building.
A woman was trapped inside, her leg pinned under a fallen beam. Astrid grabbed the beam and heaved, her muscles screaming, but it wouldn't budge.
“Stormfly!” she shouted.
The dragon trotted over and gripped the beam in her jaws, lifting it effortlessly. The woman scrambled free, sobbing with relief, and Astrid helped her to her feet.
“Thank you,” the woman gasped, “Thank you…”
“Get to safety,” Astrid said, her voice firm, “We'll handle the rest.”
The woman nodded and limped away, and Astrid turned back to the burning buildings. There were more people trapped, more fires to put out and much more work to do.
✿
By the time the fires were out and the villagers were safe, the sun was setting.
Astrid sat on the edge of the dock, her clothes singed and her face streaked with soot. Her arms ached, her lungs burned from the smoke, and she was pretty sure she'd pulled something in her back.
Hiccup dropped down beside her, looking just as exhausted. Toothless curled up at his feet, his eyes half-closed.
“You did really well today.” Hiccup said quietly.
Astrid glanced at him, then back at the village, “…We didn't stop them. They got away.”
“But lives were saved,” Hiccup pointed out, “That's what matters, right?”
Astrid nodded slowly, her gaze drifting to Stormfly, who was resting nearby. The dragon's eyes were fixed on her, warm and steady, and Astrid felt something settle in her chest.
“…Yeah,” she said finally, “I guess it is.”
“Come on, lets go and get something to eat. I think Queen Mala is up in their grand hall, I will introduce you to her.”
✿
They stayed on the island overnight, helping the villagers rebuild and making sure there were no more threats. By the time they flew back to Dragon's Edge the next morning, Astrid was so exhausted she could barely stay upright in the saddle.
She'd faced danger, and she hadn't run. She'd helped people, and she'd made a difference. And for the first time since leaving Berk, she felt like she truly belonged.
As soon as they arrived back on The Edge, their flock of Terrible Terrors was gathered so they could send word to their other allied islands, warning them about the Hunter group and offering Dragon's Edge's support. Some responded with gratitude, and a few didn't respond at all.
Astrid spent the majority of her days training, pushing herself harder than ever despite her own exhaustion. She flew with Stormfly every moment she had spare, practicing until they became second nature. She sparred with Heather in the training Arena, learning new techniques and refining her instincts. She even started helping the blacksmiths in the forge, learning how to repair dragon saddles and craft new equipment.
She was busy. Constantly busy. And that was exactly how she wanted it. Because when she stopped, when she let herself think, the doubts crept back in.
She thought of Berk, but now she thought about Hiccup.
That was the most confusing part.
She'd spent so much time with him over the past few months, training, talking, working side by side, and she'd started to notice things. The way he smiled when he was proud of something. The way he listened, really listened, when she spoke. The way he looked at her sometimes, like he saw something in her that she didn't see in herself.
It was… unsettling. And thrilling. And terrifying.
Whatever it was, she didn't know what to do with it.
✿
One evening, about a week after the attack on the Defenders of the Wing, Astrid found herself sitting on the railing overlooking the training ring again. It had become her spot, the place she went when she needed to think. Stormfly was beside her, the dragon's head resting on her lap, and Astrid was absently scratching behind her horns.
“You're going to wear a groove in that railing if you keep sitting there.”
Astrid looked up to find Heather approaching, a wry smile on her face. The other woman leaned against the railing beside her, her arms crossed.
“I was just thinking.” Astrid said.
“About?”
Astrid hesitated, then shrugged, “…Everything, really.”
Heather nodded, her gaze drifting to the horizon, “It's a lot to process. I get it.”
They sat in silence for a moment, and then Heather spoke again.
“You know, when I first came here, I didn't think I'd stay.”
Astrid glanced at her, surprised, “Really?”
“Really,” Heather said, “I was running from everything, my past, my old home, all of it. I thought Dragon's Edge would just be a place to hide for a while. But then…” She paused, a small smile tugging at her lips, “Eret had arrived a few months before me, and it didn’t take him and Hiccup long to change my perception on all of this. It’s not about hiding after all, I just needed to find something better than what I knew before.”
Astrid looked down at Stormfly, her fingers still tracing patterns along the dragon's scales, “…And you don't regret it?”
“Not for a second,” Heather said. She turned to Astrid, her expression serious, “You're allowed to miss what you left behind, Astrid. But don't let that stop you from embracing what you've found.”
Astrid nodded slowly, the words settling into her chest.
“…Thanks.” she said quietly.
Heather smiled and pushed off the railing, “Anytime. Now come on, Dagur’s visiting with Mala and he’s trying to teach some of the villagers how to wrestle a Gronckle, and I need someone to help me stop him before someone gets hurt.”
Astrid laughed despite herself and followed Heather back toward the central plaza.
✿
That night, not for the first time, Astrid couldn't sleep.
She lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, her mind racing. She kept thinking about what Heather had said, about embracing what she'd found. About not letting the past hold her back.
But how was she supposed to do that when the past still felt so present?
Finally, she gave up on sleep and got out of bed. She pulled on a cloak and stepped outside, the cool night air washing over her.
The plaza was quiet, the fires burned down to embers. Most of the dragons were asleep, curled up in their homes or perched on the rooftops. The only sound was the distant crash of waves against the shore. Astrid walked toward the edge of the island, where the cliffs dropped away into the sea. She stood there for a long time, looking out at the water, and let herself feel everything she'd been pushing down.
The grief. The guilt. The fear. But also the hope. The joy. The sense of purpose. It was all tangled together, impossible to separate, and she didn't know how to make sense of it.
“Couldn't sleep either?”
Astrid turned to find Hiccup standing a few feet away, Toothless at his side as usual. He looked tired, his hair mussed and his eyes shadowed, but he was smiling faintly.
“How do you keep finding me when I can’t sleep?” Astrid asked.
Hiccup walked over and stood beside her, his gaze drifting to the horizon, “Lucky guess. It’s a good spot for thinking.”
“Yeah.” Astrid said quietly.
They stood in silence for a while, the only sound the wind and the waves. Finally, Hiccup spoke.
“…You know, when I first left Berk, I used to come out here every night. I'd stand on the cliffs and look back toward the island, and I'd wonder if I'd made the right choice.”
Astrid glanced at him, “And?”
“And eventually, it all started to fade,” Hiccup said, “Not because I stopped caring, but because I realised that the life I was building here mattered more than the life I'd left behind.”
Astrid's chest tightened, “…How long did it take? To stop looking back?”
Hiccup smiled faintly, “…I'll let you know when it happens.”
Astrid laughed, the sound soft and surprised, and Hiccup's smile widened.
“You're doing great, Astrid,” he said quietly, “Better than you think.”
Astrid looked at him, her heart pounding. He was standing so close, close enough that she could see the flecks of green in his eyes, the faint scar on his chin, the way his expression softened when he looked at her.
And for a moment, she wanted to close the distance. To reach out and touch him, to see if the connection she felt was real.
This time, she didn't pull away.
Instead, she stepped closer, her hand lifting to rest against his chest. She could feel his heartbeat beneath her palm, rapid, unsteady, matching her own.
“Hiccup.” she whispered.
He looked down at her, his breath catching, “Astrid…”
She didn't let him finish. She closed the distance between them, rising onto her toes and pressing her lips to his. For a heartbeat, neither of them moved. The kiss was tentative, uncertain, like they were both afraid of breaking something fragile.
And then Hiccup's hand came up to cup her cheek, his fingers threading into her braid, and the kiss deepened. Astrid's other hand found his shoulder, gripping the fabric of his tunic as if anchoring herself to him. She could taste the salt air on his lips, feel the warmth of his breath mingling with hers, the way his body trembled slightly beneath her touch.
It was desperate and tender all at once, weeks of unspoken tension, of stolen glances and almost-moments, finally breaking free.
When they finally pulled apart, both of them were breathing hard, their foreheads pressed together. Astrid's eyes were still closed, her fingers still tangled in his tunic.
“I've wanted to do that,” she whispered, her voice shaking, “for…”
Hiccup's thumb brushed her cheek, and when she opened her eyes, she found him looking at her with an expression so raw it made her chest ache.
“Me too,” he said, his voice barely audible, “Since the day you arrived. Maybe even before that.”
Astrid laughed softly, the sound breathless and disbelieving, “That's impossible."
“Is it?” Hiccup asked, his lips curving into a faint smile, “I find it hard to find that people didn’t know I had a huge crush on you when we were growing up. Then I saw you up on that cliff, eyes blazing like you weren’t afraid of anything at all. How could I not…”
He trailed off, but Astrid understood. She leaned in and kissed him again, softer this time, slower. His arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer, and she melted into him, letting herself feel safe in a way she hadn't in weeks. They stood there together as the sky began to lighten, the stars fading one by one as dawn crept over the horizon. The wind tugged at their hair, the waves crashed against the rocks below, and for the first time since she'd left Berk, Astrid felt like she was exactly where she was supposed to be.
When they finally pulled apart again, Hiccup rested his forehead against hers, his hands still cradling her face.
“Stay,” he whispered, “Please. Stay here. With me.”
Astrid's throat tightened, tears pricking her eyes, “I'm not going anywhere,” she said. “I promise.”
Hiccup smiled, and it was the most genuine, unguarded expression she'd ever seen on his face. He kissed her forehead, then pulled her into his arms, holding her close as the first rays of sunlight broke over the sea.
And as they stayed there together, wrapped in each other's warmth, Astrid knew with absolute certainty that this was what belonging felt like.