Thunder and Rain

 

She ran out of her house as soon as she heard shouts. Her braid was messy and her face was looking as if she had just woken up. Which was the truth. But she didn’t care the slightest. With a swipe, she tugged her braid apart, combing her now wavy hair with her fingers.

The gang were all present at the cliff yawning over the sea, so she joined them, in turn asking what was wrong.

“We’ve got visitors,” Snotlout said, pointing to the form of a small ship rocking back and fro on the frothy waves, coming closer by each second.

“Are all the dragons back at home, the stables, or at the academy?”

“Yes,” Hiccup answered before Snotlout could even make a squeak. “They’ll hopefully remain there.” It was a newly constituted rule to keep all the dragons hidden in sight whenever visitors they did not know or trust came to their island. A precaution just in case something went wrong, because besides Trader Johann and their neighbouring Viking tribes, no one outside of Berkian territory knew that Berk was a dragon-welcoming habitat.

A lone ship docked itself on the shores with a creak. Its sails were in poor condition, and several scorch marks decorated the wooden deck.

“Looks like a ghost lives there,” Tuffnut whispered.

“Odin’s ghost, you actually believe in ghosts?” Snotlout almost laughed out loud, then stopped himself when what he had just said caught up with his thinking processes.

“Well, you can’t know until you’ve seen them!”

With many of Berk’s residents overlooking the cliff, it seemed once again to be a celebration. So many queer events had occurred recently; it was no wonder that the villagers looked antsy.

The crowd fell silent as a young man stepped onto the dock, a scroll of paper in his hand. He had black hair and wore a vest adorned with beige fur. “Come on,” she gestured to the rest of the gang. “Let’s get a closer look.”

“Aren’t we not allowed to go onto the docks?” Tuffnut inquired. “Chief’s order.”

“We don’t have to go all the way. Just enough so we can hear and see better,” she reassured. Something in her mind told her that this guy was…she couldn’t even describe the feeling, more like something was plain wrong about this sudden uninvited guest.

Once they got within close range, she could pick up his voice clearly.

“...I, Eret, son of Eret, am hereby honoured to be here, on this fine isle called Berk, to announce the arrival of an-” he coughed suddenly, then continued, “-esteemed guest. Now, as you may as well know, this great master is none other than Drago Bludvist, the greatest dragon master of all time.”

“Dragon Bloodfist?” Hiccup snorted. “It’s like he changed his name to match his inflated ego, probably. And what does he mean by ‘dragon master’?”

Astrid gave him a sidelong glance before switching her view back.

Eret kept on going. “He is a man of little words, and would like to give you an offer, Chieftain of Berk. Should you refuse, there shall be massive consequences. There are two choices.” He paused for effect. “One, lock up all the dragons in your residence and bring them to me to take back. And two, let his Greatness be able to search each and every house on this puny island. There’s something he needs that is...rare to Berk.”

“The Dragon Master is awaiting for your answer, Chieftain of Berk. That is all.” Eret finished his speech and handed the scroll, if a bit roughly, into the waiting hands of one of his men. Then he hurriedly walked back to his ship, looking miffed.

"What's wrong with him?" Tuffnut gave a disapproving sniff.

"I don't think anything's wrong," Ruffnut sighed contently, eyes gazing dreamily at the tall, handsome stranger on deck.

"Whoever he is," Hiccup got up from his knee, "I have a few words to say."

Astrid grabbed at his arm. "You sure about this?" As much as she wanted to punch him in the shoulder for the overprotective fiasco, she didn't want him to get hurt.

"Yes." He ran down the incline, past a bewildered Stoick, and stopped where the water met structure. The gang scooted closer on the wooden plank. "Excuse me," Hiccup asked politely, "but would you mind telling me who this Dargo Bloodyfist is?"

Stoick came up to him sternly. "He's a madman, and his mind is wrapped around war."

"Drago Bludvist," Eret came in, with an unwillingness to it, "is the greatest of the greats, master of all dragons, defender of justice. I can't tell you any more than what he has told me."

"Then can you tell me what his purpose is to have all our dragons caged up? Or to scour our houses for inspection?"

Eret remained silent.

"Hiccup, enough," Stoick said gruffly, but Hiccup had not had enough.

"Take me to Drago, then!"

"Hiccup, don't," Astrid whispered to herself.

"Son, don't." Stoick was echoing her thoughts. "We need you here. And there is no point negotiating with the merciless."

Eret shook his head, flustered. "That wouldn't do. Can't allow that." He pointed a finger to Stoick. "Three days, Chieftain. Then, he attacks." Then, he stepped back into the ship and they sailed off, probably to spend a night or two at nearby islands.

Stoick sighed, watching the last bit of boat disappear. "Son?"

Hiccup eyed his father wearily. "I know, I know. Another talk at dinner."

"So?" Astrid questioned as he approached.

"Tomorrow. I set off, find this Drago, retaliate and set things straight."

"I? A one-man mission? Are you crazy?"

"Nope, just frustrated. Yes, I. I'm deciding to go alone. You guys are going to be needed here." Hiccup started walking away.

"So now you're just going to leave us here? Look, this is a group decision, and you shouldn't decide whether or not who stays and who goes. We're all coming with you," she finished defiantly.

"Wait, we are?" Tuffnut asked. Ruffnut jabbed her brother with her elbow.

"Hiccup, this isn't your decision to make." The rest of the gang parted ways then, knowing that a couple arguing wasn't their business. "And, on a related note, I think it's time I went back."

A transformation swept across his face, from deep in thought to confusion. "Back where?"

"My house, of course, where else?" It wasn't like him to be so in the dark about everything. Was he playing around, or was he genuinely flummoxed?

"Oh. Oh yeah. That." He rubbed the back of his neck, which was not a good sign. "I was going to ask you, to, you know, stay for just a while longer? It's for until we can sort things out here. There has been many strange events happening over the course of these days, weeks even, and I still think my brain hasn't quite processed them yet."

"I know it's nice of you and all, but I would prefer going back." Put on a subtle smile, maintain eye contact.

"Is there...anything wrong?"

"Don't raise your eyebrows like that! And no, there's nothing wrong at all. Maybe I'm not used to all this yet, and want to take a break." She felt her grasp on the situation slip away slowly.

"I'm doing this for the best, Astrid. Trust me, a few more days; it'll be over, I promise."

"Well, I think you're being too overprotective. A week? Sure, why not? But a fortnight? Are you serious?"

Hiccup took a step closer, and it was close enough to feel his breath towards her shoulder. "Overprotective?" he scoffed lightly. "Haven't you been overprotective before?"

"Yes, but mine was a onetime event, while yours come in intervals!"

"Really?" And there was the sarcasm. "That's really interesting. Tell me more."

"Are you trying to drive me berserk?" She bounced her shoulders up and down in a poor imitation. "Tell me more," she repeated in a nasally voice.

"Wha- I don't sound like that! Or act like that, either!"

"Sure. Tell that to the gang."

"Look, I don't know why you seem so upset, but- think of this as a safety precaution. So that I don't lose one of the only people that understands me."

If Hiccup had hoped that sentence would change the atmosphere, it certainly fell short of his desired effect. "I'm wholly capable of taking care of myself, thank you very much," she snapped. "Besides, Toothless understands you quite well."

"I know, but-"

Her eyes were steely. "But what?"

"Listen, I- I just- Astrid, Astrid," he stuttered, fingers outstretched and feet slowly backing away. A standard Hiccup apologetic gesture. "Astrid," he sighed, "I'm not accusing you of anything."

"Really?" She bit back a laugh. "Then what's the reason?" Her eyes squinted as a revelation dawned on her. "It's not because I'm a girl, is it?

If Astrid had thought it through at the time, she would've dismissed the idea and laughed it off. But her momentum kept her from a clear mind.

"No, no, of course not!" Hiccup looked shocked. "Why would I ever do that?"

"I don't know," Astrid flipped her axe expertly a full circle, "why don't you tell me?"

"Astrid, please. Right now, because of our - " Hiccup took the liberty for a rare blush, "- relationship status, especially because of it, we need to work as a team."

"And?" she prodded on.

"And because we're technically boyfriend and girlfriend, we need to protect each other."

"Mhmm. Anything else you have to say?" Even as she felt the heat diminishing, a part of her still wasn't quite satisfied with his response.

He was sweating, and he dragged his hand over his face like he just came out of sleep, absolutely bedraggled and half-awake. Must have had a rough night, too. "I'm just- I don't know how to say this - Gods, I'm stumbling again, " he said, biting his lip. "I just have this, this feeling that something terrible is going to happen to you if I'm not close to you."

The fire was rekindled. "So this is the only reason I've been pulled to your house every night? Because of your gut feeling?"

"Yes, but-"

"This has gone too far."

"Can I have a chance to talk?" Was he pleading now?

Her throat was becoming sore after all that yelling. "I thought you knew better. You're going to be a chief one day, for gods sake."

Hiccup's self-control seemed to melt away at that moment, making Astrid realize that maybe she had gone too far as well. "Know better? What is this, a " criticize Hiccup" day? Let me ask you, does anyone here know what they're doing? Is anyone the least bit sane?" He pointed at the twins currently playing "Leap Sheep", then at Bucket, who was complaining about his gradually tightening bucket over his head. " The only one keeping all these people in line is my father. It's not that easy doing the right thing every time."

Astrid's expression soured. "That's not what I meant- "

It was her turn to get cut off. "Of course. You always know what to do, so this doesn't apply to you in any way."

"That's not true!"

"I try to help you, to keep you safe, to show that I care, but I get this as a thank you." He spun around, letting her words bounce off his back, and walked to Toothless, who, deciding it was safe to come out, greeted him with a slobbery lick on the face. "Thanks a lot, Astrid."

She was left speechless, staring at empty space. Stormfly came by her and rubbed her head on her shoulder understandingly. A comeback came to her eventually, and she didn't care if he could hear it or not anymore.

"This is not called help. Just because you think I'm going to be in potential danger doesn't mean anything. I don't need help unless I ask for it. And I'm pretty sure I didn't." She was still yelling even as he climbed onto the saddle and launched off to the skies.

She watched the shadow of Toothless melt away into the gradually darkening sky, the roiling stormclouds reflecting the mayhem of the argument below. With a grunt of frustration, she whipped her axe into a nearby tree, the bark cracking underneath the sharp blade. Mouth set, Astrid tugged the stubborn axe head out of the trunk and stormed off to meet her Deadly Nadder. Gut feeling, huh? she thought with a hint of rebellious nature, as she and Stormfly headed the opposite direction. Well, my gut feeling tells me you're not going to like it when you discover I've disobeyed orders.

A Chance Meeting

 

The pair dodged a pack of Terrible Terrors warily, swooping underneath the chattering flock. Toothless spread his wings out as a sail would on a boat, making maximum coverage of air with his large wingspan.

"Looks like it's going to rain again, bud." Toothless crooned in acknowledgement, and dipped lower, towards the ground, to make flying easier in the rain.

Hiccup glanced at the clouds rumbling overhead. Breathing the cold air in deeply, he tried to clear his mind, and finding he couldn't, went into one of his usual habits: talking to himself.

"I know I've made some mistakes, but-" He let out a breath. "I want to keep her safe. Turns out it's not easy to persuade anything to Astrid Hofferson."

It took a lot for Hiccup's carefully put temper barrier to break. But somehow Astrid had done it. And he had snapped back without thinking it through.

Well, it's not just her feelings being hurt! a voice in his head argued.

It's understandable. After all, people shouldn't be forced into doing anything they dislike or feel uncomfortable with, another voice counteracted.

Why can't she understand that I was just protecting her? She's the one overreacting!

"Ugh." He put his hands to his face. Why must everything be so complicated?

Toothless cooed once, a sign of sympathy. Hiccup suppressed a frown and switched on a shaky smile. His best friend could always lift his spirits up. Then he noticed that they had arrived.

Toothless' paw touched the ground, and his hind legs followed suit. Hiccup opened his journal to one of the first pages: one with X's etched over the paper and a thick wavy line scribbled on top of the markings. The mere sight of it brought nostalgia.

"This way," he said, only to find that the Night Fury had already made it up the steep hill.

"Hey, wait up!" He watched the dragon's nose sniff the area. "Do you- do you know your way around here?"

Sometimes he wished he could actually communicate with his best friend through means of a language.

The dragon made another noise of accord, sprinting over the grass. Then, the form faltered at the edge, retreating slowly back.

"Oh. Yeah. We should stray away from there." Guilt started to build up in his chest. He looked away from the twisted bola ropes left there years ago hastily, leading the Night Fury around the shallow pit to avoid the area. He hoped it did not cast a bad omen on him.

More or less, he did not want to be reminded of his mistake again. He'd made enough today.

They were greeted by a clearing. Hiccup grabbed a ledge protruding out of the rock cliff and climbed down carefully, with Toothless leaping down in a few steps, claws skidding occasionally. Switching back to his normal walking prosthetic, he surveyed the vicinity. "You remember this place?" Recognition bloomed inside his mind as memories floated in close range. "This is where we became friends." He gave his dragon a neck rub, which Toothless enjoyed immensely. Then he let him go, he himself sitting on a boulder. Here, at Raven Point, he could now relax without distraction.

He promised himself he would return to Berk when the sun set. It wasn't like he was going to run away; he'd tried that once with no success, back when dragons were their worst enemies. Now matured, he didn't see the point. Hiccup was sure that he could settle his dispute with Astrid eventually; Astrid did not hold grudges for a long period of time.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice the rain start to fall, and for a shadow to cover him, head to toe, with a black blanket.

And then something caught hold of his shoulders.

—-

"Are you sure you're allowed to do this?" Fishlegs asked her for the upteempth time.

"Yes," she stressed. "Hiccup told me himself. He has other business to tend to." As much as she didn't like lying in front of her comrades, she wasn't in a state for clear thinking. "We're going to follow the Snaptrapper traps until it leads somewhere purposeful. Who knows, maybe we'll come by the elusive Drago Bludvist, or perhaps that messenger of his-"

"Eret?" Ruffnut squealed, and Tuffnut slouched his shoulders at the sound of the name.

"I'll bash his face in if we ever see him," he proclaimed.

"You wouldn't," Ruffnut threatened.

Snotlout scratched his stubble of a beard. "So what are we going to do when we get there?"

Astrid allowed a hint of a smile appear on her face. "Well, maybe we'll find out just who- or what - killed that Viking." And maybe, by then, Hiccup would realize just how over-the-top he'd been, after the hours of rest and thinking time he'd get from his little trip away from Berk.

—-

He yelped in surprise, the beating of wings surrounding his senses. Wings?

A large dragon was above him, its intelligent amber eyes fixed on his intently. He, or she, was of a species unlike any he'd ever witnessed. Before he could analyze the wyvern further, it had lifted him up and dragged him away.

"Toothless!" he cried out, calling for his best friend. But the Night Fury beside the lake could do nothing but howl in worry.

The silhouette of his best friend disappeared from his view, and he felt helpless once more. Would he ever see him again?

His kidnapper flew into the gentle mist, and Hiccup spit out countless water drops out of his mouth. He bent his elbows and wiped his face clean roughly. The four wings of the dragon sliced through the storm expertly with little effort at all, shielding him partially from the slick rain.

A swarm of multicolored dragons joined them then. Hiccup had to admit they were a beautiful sight, but his mind was on the state of his best friend and his current destination.

There was no rider present, so he couldn't just ask. With a sudden drop of air pressure, the dragon ducked down in beneath a blue-green arch composed entirely of ice.

Walls of the peculiar ice surrounded them, like a cave. He was wrenched leftwards and thrown rightwards. He must have landed then, because the dragon shrugged him off and flew away.

It was dark. Glowing eyes stared at him menacingly through the gloom. With an expert swipe, he drew Inferno, placing a finger on the switch. With his left hand he took a small vial of Monstrous Nightmare saliva, and with a click or sparks, lit it up.

The whole cavern was suddenly brightened up. Dragons revealed themselves, eyes widening at the mysterious contraption nestled in his hand. Although mildly ambidextrous, the fire sword shook in his sweaty hand, as if he weren't used to gripping it in his right hand. The cave darkened once more, but after a while Hiccup discovered his eyes had grown used to the dim lighting.

Seeing the pacified dragons before him, he raised his left hand in a sign of trust. If there were any rules to training a dragon, it was that trust had to be achieved.

"Wait." A quiet voice brang his hand down. He turned his head, only to find no one there. "Hello?" Only his echo replied, and his stomach was beginning to feel queasy. Maybe he shouldn't have eaten his lunch in such a hurry...

A figure was placed at the opening of the grotto by two unknown dragons, and Hiccup was both delighted and worried to find that it was Toothless. "Toothless!" He ran over, stumbling slightly towards his seemingly weakened friend. "You alright?"

"Step away." A man wearing a mask resembling a dragon's crown stepped out of the shadows. He crept towards him apprehensively, not unlike Hiccup's first encounter with Toothless, and whispered something under his breath, simultaneously tapping the end of his staff on the ground. The dragons in the background spewed fire, filling the cave with much needed light. Toothless looked at Hiccup apologetically, then went by the stranger's side shakily, slumping down with pleasure underneath the stranger's hand.

"What have you done to Toothless?" he demanded, a fist clenched behind him.

Instead of answering, the man advanced, craning his neck and observing the young man with interest. Hiccup cringed at the unexpected closeness but stayed put.

"So you're the one, eh?" His voice was a little high-pitched, accented and with a softness Hiccup couldn't describe. "A little scrawny," he remarked, lifting an arm up. "But mature," he said, pointing to his scruff of a beard he wasn't planning to grow soon.

"Who- who are you?"

But the man wasn't paying attention. Hiccup leaned back uncomfortably as the man's fingertips came towards his face. Then the stranger's breath caught, and he backed away.

"Hiccup?" The man's hands came to the mask, and he pried it off. Hiccup's eyes dilated as he noticed the man was in fact, a woman, with stunning green eyes, sharp cheekbones, and scraggly brown hair plaited into braids. "Could it be? Is it even possible?"

Hiccup's finger rubbed at the scar on his chin. "Do I know you?" He corrected himself. "Should I know you?"

She stared down at her feet, and he swore she actually looked guilty. "No." The woman pursed her lips sullenly. "You were only a babe, when I... when I left."

Hiccup stared at her, comprehension slowly seeping into the cracks of his thoughts.

"But a mother never forgets."