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.*･｡CHAPTER NINETEEN.*･｡

——

    "Years ago, there was a great gathering of chieftains to discuss the dragon scourge we all faced..."

Vega patted Atlas' head absentmindedly as the dragon nudged her in the side, the brunette having being engrossed in the story from the very first word. Stoick didn't tend to talk all too much about the past as he believed a Chief lived in the moment, too busy looking after his people to truly talk. But now, it was different.

"Into our midst came a stranger from a strange land, covered in scars and draped in a cloak of dragon skin. He carried no weapon and spoke softly," Stoick informed them, "Saying that he, Drago Bludvist, was a man of the people."

At the mention of the man they had been trying to hunt down, Vega and Hiccup shared a look. His father knew Drago Bludvist personally. That was why he was so against all of this. She suddenly felt guilty for not trusting his better judgment as he told them the story, biting down on her lower lip and wishing they hadn't been so hasty. This made Hiccup nudge her gently and bring her into his side, though the expression upon his face was still as stone. He evidently wasn't regretting anything, not just yet.

Stoick proceeded, "He said he was devoted to freeing mankind from the tyranny of dragons. He claimed that he alone could control the dragons, and that he alone could keep us safe."

"If we..." The chief seemed to hesitate for a second, "-but only if we chose to bow down and follow him."

The tense atmosphere was broken as Tuffnut laughed mockingly, his sister in tow, holding his stomach as he leaned back. The twin wiped his eye from tears of humour and snickered once more at the mere thought of the man saying such a thing. "Stupid."

"Good one." Snotlout laughed and elbowed Ruffnut, who elbowed him back so hard it sent had him flying across the deck. "Babe-"

"Aye, we laughed, too." Hiccup's father chuckled, no true humour in the sound, and shook his head. "Until he wrapped himself in his cloak and cried out, 'then see how well you do without me!' The rooftop suddenly burst into flames and from it, armoured dragons descended, burning the hall to the ground."

The story seemed vaguely familiar to Vega. Perhaps it was because her father had always told similar ones to her when she was young, or because that was a story he had told her when she was young, though she had always just assumed it was fiction. Her father had never mentioned that their chief had also known the same story, let alone that he was apart of him. Vega frowned and looked down at the ground, face statuesque as she tried to separate fond and fictional childhood memories from the cold reality of right now. She recalled laughing with her father about the idea of man controlling dragons, it had been profound. Had it not been a story, after all?

Astrid noticed how her friend had found herself in a world of her own, but chose not to say anything.

She knew better than to interrupt.

"I..." Stoick seemed to lose track of thought as he stared into the open air. He remembered that night so perfectly, it was so raw in his mind. The man glanced at Vega warily and continued, "I was the only one to escape, alongside Lachlan Storm."

At the sound of her father's name, Vega's head snapped up. She suddenly felt an odd feeling inside, as though it all made sense but made none at all, at the very same time.

"Your father was my right hand at the time, Vega, lass." Stoick explained softly, watching closely as the strong girl began to look weaker. He hesitated to go on, but the harsh look upon Hiccup's face convinced him, "He was the only other one to see that man up close. We both swore to never speak of it again, not a word about that night."

A small ounce of guilt washed over Vega, again. Her father had spoken of that night. He had told her stories of it, pretending none of it had been real and that it had all been a fabricated pigment of his imagination.

Her father had even drawn pictures of the man. At the time, of course, Vega had thought that they were made up also. It had all been a story to her. Nothing but a story. She found herself thinking about the pieces of paper pinned upon her walls, some even etched right into the wood, the ones she could so clearly remember her father sketching as he recited the same tale, over and over. She wondered if Drago looked exactly how she had imagined him to, if he resembled the pictures on those walls.

Perhaps stories were a way of her father dealing with his grief of that night, never specially staying whether they were real or fake. Then again, it wasn't as though Vega would ever know why he had lied. Her father was dead. He had told her a million stories and then died. Right alongside her mother. Thor— he hadn't even told her that he had been their chief's right hand once upon a time, and she wasn't sure that she ever would have known if Stoick hadn't been telling the tale that he was. Vega was confused, why hadn't he told her?

It made Vega wonder what else her parents could have been keeping from her.

"Men who kill without reason cannot be reasoned with." Stoick eventually finished with one last look of remorse directed at Vega. She shook it off and stepped closer to Atlas, leaning her head upon the dragons neck.

"Maybe." Hiccup bolted into action and bounded towards Toothless, only for his father to knock him down angrily.

"Hiccup!" He spat, "I told you no."

It was Vega's turn grow angry. Drago Bludvist had tried to kill her father, and she hadn't even known. This man had tried to murder her father and their chief, yet Stoick was still telling them not to go after him? It baffled Vega right down to her core. She gritted her teeth and held her tongue, knowing that she wouldn't be able to change his mind.

    "I'm still going to try." Hiccup shrugged as though he hadn't been told otherwise and climbed onto Toothless' back. "This is what I'm good at, and-and if I could change your mind then I can change his, too."

   Vega watched her boyfriend nod at his dragon and launch into the air, gone before anyone could stop him. It hit her with a sense of pride. That was the Hiccup she loved and knew oh-so well. Maybe it was only her imagination, but she was positive that everyday she loved him more and more.

   With determination in her features, Vega pushed herself onto Atlas' back and smirked, "Let's go, girl."

"No!" Stoick snapped and stopped Atlas from moving, patting the dragons head with a heavy sigh. Vega frowned down at him, "Lead the others back to Berk, Vega."

"But, Stoick-" she tried to reason, "He listens to me-"

"I said no, Valka!"

Vega stared at the man in shock. He had never really shouted at her before, merely a scold when she misbehaved and followed Hiccup into every mess he ever made. Other than that, he adored the girl. He saw her as a daughter already, and he was positive that he always would. It had shaken her, the tone of his voice. Never before had the man seemed genuinely angered by anything she had done or said, because to him she could do no wrong. But he had shouted at her, this time. Perhaps she had irritated him so much that he had no choice but to lose it, especially after losing the fight with his son yet again.

Though, what had shaken her most had been the name he had used. She almost hadn't heard it over how loud his voice had been, nor the echo of it across the icy walls. It had been the factor that had caused each of them to grow silent, confused and worried. Stoick had called her Valka. He never spoke of his wife.

Frankly, Vega wasn't all too sure of what to say to him after that. She hadn't known what had happened to Hiccup's mother exactly, no one really did, but they knew that she had a tendency to differ in opinions with her husband, just like her son. It was a topic that the Haddock family chose to not breath a word of for the most part; Hiccup hardly knew anything about his mother, and he had never remembered meeting her for he had been too little.

All that they really knew was that Valka had passed twenty years ago, so why was he using her name now?

She wondered if it had something to do with Hiccup defying him once again, Vega alongside him. Vega had always heard stories of Valka going against orders, not wanting to do what her husband believed in. Perhaps his son not listening to him brought an essence of grief to the man, or maybe Vega's heart and personality reminded him of her; she would probably never know.

It could have simply been a slip of the tongue, or possibly due to his fear of losing his son in the same way he had lost his wife, and he hadn't needed Vega to go down with him. It could have been, who really knew?

But, for the sake of the man and his grief, and the confusion she felt deep inside, Vega nodded. She let out a shallow breath and nodded. "Okay."

It remained silent aboard the trappers ship until he soon reciprocated the action.

"I've had enough mutiny for one day." Stoick muttered under his breath, marching over to Gobber and keeping his head lower than usual. "I'm going to find my son. When I get back, you all best be in Berk."

With that, Stoick and Gobber were off into the sky. Vega watched after them for a couple of minutes, then shook her head and looked back at the group before her. They all seemed to be equally as confused as she was, if not more so, well— all apart from Ruffnut. She was too busy touching Eret's arms to notice.

"Ooh- I like that." She whispered, placing a kiss on her hand and pressing it to his cheek. Eret cringed from where he laid under Meatlug, the dragon having taken over for Grump.

Rolling her eyes, Astrid climbed onto Stormfly and snapped at the girl, "Ruffnut!"

"Fine!"

The twin whined a few times but gave in, whispering one more sweet nothing and then making her way towards Barf. What she hadn't noticed, however, was the way that Eret's eyes were glued to Astrid as she flew away.

But Vega had.

• • •

   Had Vega Storm actually been planning on taking the group of dragon riding misfits back to Berk? No, she hadn't. But that was Vega for you.

"I don't like it." The brunette spoke more to herself and Astrid than to anyone as she looked into the empty sky around them. She pursed her lips and squinted again, "They should've been back with Hiccup, by now."

It hadn't been long into the ride before she had called them to a stop on an ice-plane, each of the humans and their dragons having been sat for almost an hour. The sun was still in the sky, but not as high as it had been when they originally took a pit-stop. Vega had originally figured that Hiccup couldn't have gone far, and that his father and his right hand would have caught up to him in no time, thus meeting back with them long before anyone had grown close to Berk. That was the most logical method of events, how it should have worked, but it hadn't.

How far could Hiccup have gotten?

"I don't like it, either." Ruffnut sighed sadly, gaining Vega's attention for a mere minute. "Eret, Son of Eret, was the man of my dreams. My everything!"

The girl proceeded to dramatically fall back, arms sprawled out around her and her eyes shut. Her face was scrunched up in a manner that made her look as though she were in genuine pain, when she was only exaggerating as she always did. Ruffnut tended to fall in love with every guy and girl that she saw, and the group were used to it by now. She fell in love with everyone — well, except the two men fighting for her affection.

"But, baby-" Snotlout gasped and held a hand to his face, stroking the stubble. "I grew facial hair for you."

Fishlegs whined, "Me, too."

Astrid rolled her icy blue eyes and turned back to Vega, nodding her head in agreement with the original statement. They had been gone a long time, and that was worrying.

"I'm with you." She spoke confidently, positive that Hiccup couldn't have just disappeared into thin air. He had to be somewhere, and they should have been able to find him an awful long time ago. "I don't like it, not one bit. Somethings up."

Appreciating the support, Vega sent her friend a smile. She could always rely on Astrid to have a brain, even if the rest of the group couldn't. It was probable why they had been the closest out of them all.

Atlas whined at the words, nuzzling her head into Vega as some form of reassurance. Vega sighed and stroked her friend's neck, trying to reassure them both that Hiccup and Toothless would be okay. Though, she couldn't have said it for a fact. She had no idea what was going on out there, only that it seemed suspicious, and there was a feeling deep in her gut that she didn't like. Hiccup was a wild card on the best of days, always unpredictable with a new motive to explore, but he had never ran off without her following. She was usually always there to keep him grounded and help him out if he was in trouble. But now, it was different.

He had always insisted on protecting her, when really Vega was always the one protecting him. And she would do it a thousand times.

"You don't like it, Astrid? Neither do I!" Snotlout fumed, now sat in the corner and away from everyone else. "I can't get Ruffnut to fall in love with me, not even over Fishlegs, you punched me in the face when I tried to swoon you, and Vega is still all over that loser! She'll never love me! What did I do to deserve this, huh?"

   In lack of response, the group stayed quiet and simply stared at him. Taking on for the team, Hookfang huffed and nudged Snotlout off of the ice, sending him into the cold waters below. The dragon snorted happily before pulling him back up.

    "Even Hooky hates me!"

   Vega ignored him and turned back to Astrid with determination blazing in her constellation eyes, "What if Drago shot them down? What if they need our help? We have to find them."

    "Wait, wait- what?" Fishlegs questioned. He was uncertain if Vega had the best idea there, especially when it would only wind them up in trouble. "No, but Stoick said-"

"It doesn't matter what he said if they've all been captured!" The brunette retorted, dismissing his suggestion as soon as it had come out of his mouth. Vega did have a point, she always did. She also had a small plan forming in her mind, and considering that Hiccup wasn't around, it meant that she could actually use it. With a sly grin, Vega re-saddled on Atlas and patted her side gently. She barely looked over her shoulder to see if everyone else was ready to follow, "Come on!"

Astrid snickered and was next in the air. She loved when a plan went Vega - it was much more fun.

    "Hey! Wait for me!" Snotlout called out as the rest of the riders shot into the air and after to the two leading females, still allowing Hookfang to blow hot air at him to dry him off from the freezing water that soaked him. "Vega!"

   With Snotlout eventually having caught up, still moaning and groaning about being cold and unappreciated, the group had found themselves close to the dragon trapper's ship for the second time that day — or the third for Vega. It hadn't taken too long to find it, for the crew really hadn't sailed very far since they had left, which was perfect for the plan Vega had in mind. She grinned.

   The group swooped in low when they reached the boat, the twins lingering above it as lookouts, hardly registering the conversation Eric was having with his crew. Vega only caught the last line, but that was enough for her.

    "If we don't turn up with dragons and fast-"

   Eret cut himself off with a yell as he was snatched from the deck, screaming as he swung through the air in the class of a Grim Gnasher. He looked around in fear, helpless and searching for a way down to the ground that suddenly seemed so far away. He'd never been so high in the air, nor had he ever been kidnapped by a dragon, and that made it all the more amusing for the dragon rider that has taken him. He looked like quite the fool as he cried.

   Vega snickered and looked down at the man, almost singing her words as she chimed, "Careful what you wish for!"

    "Do something!" He shouted to his crew, desperately.

    "Eret, Son of Eret!"

    "We'll miss you, Eret!"

   The responses were hardly helpful.

    "What is this?" Eret demanded, trying to seem as intimidating as usual, but only failing miserably when he shrieked like a baby and held onto Atlas tighter when she pretended to drop him. The dragon squawked with laughter and Vega patted her head proudly.

    "A kidnapping." Astrid answered simply, catching Eret's attention and making him frown.

    "Yay!" Ruffnut squealed happily and clapped her hands together. The response seemed to annoy Snotlout and Fishlegs, but it seemed to annoy Eret more, "Can he ride with me? Can he? Can he-"

    "You're going to show us the way to Drago." Vega informed the trapper, a serious expression upon her face. It was the look that showed when Vega meant business, even if it was laced with an ounce of smugness. She was very happy that her plan seemed to be working out the way that she wanted it — she would have to rub it in Hiccup's face when they found him. "Is that clear?"

    "And help Dragon Riders sneak into Drago's camp?" He scoffed in response, "Just kill me now."

   Vega pretended to think for a few moments, a hand to her chin in mock contemplation, "That could be arranged..." she drawled, looking at her dragon and pointing a finger down, "Atlas, drop."

   Before Eret had the chance question it, he was hurtling through the sky and towards the watery depths, and crying out for any help he could get.

   "Good girl!" The brunette scratched her dragon's ear happily. She listened to Ruffnut and Tuffnut laugh for a moment or two, counted to three seconds of Eret's screams, and then decided it had been enough time for him to make up his mind and do as they said. "Atlas, fetch!"

   With a snort, Atlas looped in the air and shot downwards, heading for the toy she had previously dropped. He had continued to yell but managed to balanced himself out against the wind, in a similar fashion to how Hiccup used his wings. Vega was impressed until the concept has passed when he began batting at the air helplessly, clawing at an object to drop him from descending that wasn't even there. He groaned.

   It seemed like she had been right.

    "All right! Okay!" Eret called up to her still in panic, "I'll take you to Drago!"

   As the words left his lips, Atlas grabbed him in her claw and flew them back up into the sky. Eret breathed a sigh of relief when the cold hadn't hit him, then huffed.

    "Why am I doing this?" He muttered sneakily, to which Vega rose a brow.

    "Still not convinced?" She hummed to herself rather dramatically, turning to look at the blonde with a sly smile. Astrid snickered at her friend's actions, "Astrid, fancy a game of catch?"

    "No! No-"

   Vega laughed mercilessly at Eret's blind panic. It was cruel, but she found it hilarious, the fact that she could control him like a puppet. Hiccup would be fuming when he discovered that they had used the man as a dragon's play-toy in order to hunt down Drago, but she didn't really care. It was too much fun.

   She cracked her knuckles, "Works every time."

——