THIRTY-FOUR: Riders of the Edge

It was getting dark when they arrived back at the little settlement, even though Toothless and Stormfly really pushed the pace-because Hiccup knew his daughter needed feeding and Astrid was still very tender and sore and needed rest. And it was with no small sensation of relief that he saw Dagur waiting outside the Hall, leaning against Sleuther and sipping from a large earthenware mug of ale. The Berserker Chief glanced up at the roar Toothless gave and flipped a salute at the dragons and their riders as they swooped in to land, seeing Hiccup and Astrid together again.

"Dagur? Is there something wrong?" Hiccup asked with concern and the Berserker shrugged.

"You know that I am going to be a useless father if Mala and I ever..." he said conversationally. "I mean...Heather and that village woman...Hjordis?..and the insane girl-twin have been cooing over the baby ever since you left while I just think she looks like she wants to sleep...what do I know?"

"Hmm...probably more than they do," Astrid commented, achingly clambering off Toothless. "She's going to be all fretty and fractious because she's tired. And they don't have to deal with her." She sighed. "I knew I should have left Fishlegs in charge..." Dagur rolled his eyes.

"He's the worst of the lot!" he complained. "Is gooey a word? Because he's it. Between the baby and his Gronckle...though of course, Gronckles are completely awesome..."

"Oh Thor," Astrid grumbled and stalked stiffly into the Hall...while Hiccup remained sitting on Toothless, his eyes trailing after her with an unreadable expression. Dagur watched the blonde vanish-and then turned to his friend.

"Are you two good?" he asked cheerily and Hiccup shrugged.

"For some reason best known only to Freya, Astrid loves me and won't leave me," he said quietly. "And I love her with everything I have and everything I am...but I fear I'm not the person she thought I was...not any more..." Dagur raised an eyebrow.

"And who would that be?" he asked directly and Hiccup slowly clambered off Toothless, petting the dragon automatically.

"I did attack Hunter ships looking for her," he admitted as Dagur wrapped a powerful arm around his shoulders.

"And you know we don't care?" he reminded Hiccup. Shamed emerald eyes flicked up.

"You should..."

"Hello? Deranged?" he reminded the auburn-haired Viking, steering him into the Hall and into the warmth. Immediately, all eyes fell on his self-conscious form and he stopped even as the Night Fury's black head rounded the door. Hiccup's friends all smiled but the rest of the villagers appeared hostile, their sympathies swayed by the men who lived in their midst. Instantly, Tor, Elof and Jorgen were on their feet, advancing towards the weary shape.

"Chief-you can't allow him to remain here!" Jorge protested, his face twisted in anger. "He's a murderer..."

"So are you!" Snotlout snapped, his fists clenching as the men squared up to the stocky Rider. Elof appealed to the villagers.

"We are your neighbours-you accepted us into your number, accepted we had pasts we wanted to change and welcomed us!" he said. "But it is an insult to us to allow this man to stay here when he has killed our friends..."

"And you killed dragons," Hiccup said coolly. "Your fellow hunters raided this village and enslaved them without hesitation. I chased my pregnant girlfriend all the way over the Archipelago and when I finally lose the trail, I find dead dragons and Hunter arrows and Stormily's spines. The only conclusion was that the people who hunted and killed dragons, the same people who had captured and tortured me for weeks, had my girlfriend and our unborn child in their hands. And I would do anything...kill anyone...to rescue her before they killed her..."

There were gasps and Hjordis rested a hand on Astrid's arm. Looking up from her child where Valkana was hungrily feeding, Astrid nodded.

"Chief-it is offensive!" Tor pleaded. "He has to go!"

"No," Kjetil said firmly. "He is Astrid's guest..."

"And what is she?" Jorgen sneered.

"She saved the village from the raiders!" Hjordis yelled.

"And stopped them enslaving us!" Miken called. She was a small woman with dark hair who had been among those captured in the caves by the raiders-and liberated by Astrid. "She was here before you were-and for longer! She is due all hospitality-her and her travelling companions..." There was a pause and Elof glared at the Chief-then turned to Hiccup.

"If no one will act-then I will!" he shouted, advancing on Hiccup and landing a punch on his face before he could react. Shocked, he staggered back to the shattering roar of Toothless. The villagers retreated but the Night Fury advanced, his back arched and teeth snapped down. Immediately, the Riders reacted in defence of their leader, lunging forward with axes, maces, swords and knives.

"Back off!" Snotlout growled. "You attack one you attack all!"

"You want it, it's on!" Tor sneered.

"ENOUGH!" Kjetil shouted, seeing half the men of the village willing to go to the aid of the three former-hunters-against Astrid's friends and he felt a species of despair. He and the whole village owed the woman an enormous debt but they had sided with men who worked and lived at their side, rather than the reserved dragon-riding female warrior who had saved them all. Shaking his head and curling with inner shame, he knew there was no way he could honour all his obligations because someone would be short-changed. "LOWER THOSE WEAPONS!"

"I challenge this murderer to combat!" Elof announced furiously. "He will answer with his life!"

"No!" Astrid said suddenly but the Hunters turned to her with a sneer.

"Your man too cowardly to face us and answer for his crimes?" Jorgen taunted her. "Did you not realise your child was sired by a disgrace, a murderer and a coward!" Her child still clasped in her arms, Astrid spun and rose, her hand snatching her axe and swinging it round, the edge biting into the man's neck. He froze, feeling the sticky trail of blood trickling down from where the keen edge had nicked the soft flesh under his chin.

"You want to repeat that?" she breathed, her eyes blazing as Hiccup walked forward. He quietly rested his hand on her, gently pushing the weapon away from the sweating Jorgen's throat.

"Easy, Milady," he said gently. "He's entitled to an opinion. Though saying it to you is probably a form of suicide." Then he looked up. "Our presence here has caused a lot of division and strife and I don't want to be responsible. I'll go..."

"Then I go with you," she said immediately. "Hiccup-you were lost to me for six months. I feared I would never see you again...and you suffered appallingly at the hands of Hunters during that time. That these...monsters have the nerve to call you a murderer when they have slaughtered intelligent gentle creatures without a second thought makes me sick! I should kill them all..."

"I think that may have been what got us in this trouble in the first place," he reminded her with a smile. "But you need somewhere warm and safe to rest, Milady. And here is the best option. So if we want to stay...I have to fight?" He looked up at Chief Kjetil and the man gave a grave nod.

"The challenge has been made..." he said as Dagur scowled.

"This is complete yak dung!" he commented. "We can just fly on..." But Heather's expression told him that wasn't an option with an exhausted new mother and a few days old infant in their group. Hiccup looked over to him and shook his head.

"Astrid can't-and shouldn't have to," he commented. "She's the Chief of Granite Isle and should be treated as such, not insulted by these...boar droppings..." There was a silence as he stared into Elof's face. "Here. Now. If you have the guts." The man grew puce, chuckling as he assumed his buff and powerful build was an advantage over the lean and skilled Dragon Rider. He backed away, nodding as people moved the tables back and Hiccup looked into Astrid's eyes. Quietly, he pressed his hand to her cheek and kissed her thoroughly, then led her back to sit by Hjordis.

"Watch my back, Milady," he murmured. "I don't trust anyone here but our friends." She grabbed his tunic and hauled him back for a more passionate kiss.

"Be careful, Dragon Boy," she murmured. "And remember-he's the murderer, not you." He rested his head against hers.

"All a matter of perspective," he sighed and walked to Toothless. "Watch them, bud," he murmured. "I don't trust them!" And then he draw his sword from Toothless's pack and turned to face Elof, who was holding a two-headed axe. "And that's just perfect as well..."

"I'm going to kill you if you remind me of this," Snotlout said, "but you can do this, Hiccup. He isn't as good as Astrid and you can match her!" There was a pause and Kjetil glared at the others, daring them to intervene.

"You fight to submission," he ordered and stepped back. "Begin..."

Hiccup crouched low, his eyes locked on the other man's face, the sword clamped in his left hand. he tried to clear his mind of all worries, all anxiety, all his fear and shame...but as he was thinking, Elof lunged forward with a roar, his axe swinging rapidly at Hiccup's head. And then the younger Viking twisted, bringing his sword up and batting the axe away as he danced back, circling the opponent.

"Coward," the former hunter hissed. "There were friends among those you killed..." Trying to keep focussed, Hiccup tried to recall everything he had done and as he searched his frantic memories, he knew he hadn't directly killed many men, merely sinking the vessels-as the Riders had done in their war with Viggo, eventually making Hiccup such a menace that the man had put a bounty on him. But he had relied largely on fear to make the Hunters surrender-or run...

The axe almost took his hand off and he dragged his attention back to the present, trading blows and spinning under the opponent, restricting himself to blocking the man's attacks when his training with Astrid had meant that he could have killed the man several times over already. But the woman he loved was watching and he hoped she understood-no matter what the outcome...

"Why isn't he ending it?" Heather asked, exasperated. She could see the openings as well as Astrid could.

"HIC-CUP, HIC-CUP OY! OY! OY!" Snotlout yelled.

"OOOH-what's happening?" Fishlegs whimpered, his hands over his face-though his fingers were splayed so he could peep between them. Astrid burped Valkana and swaddled her tight, wrapping the blanket over her head like a hood to muffle the yells and shout of the villagers.

"He's just defending...because he doesn't want to prove them right..." she realised, her eyes narrowing as she saw the other two. "But what are they doing?" She tried to get the twins' attentions but they were whooping and cheering so she grabbed her axe and handed Valkana to Heather.

The foot that tripped Hiccup wasn't even on his radar but he had spent much of his life clumsy and though he was good on his prosthetic, he had learned to fall, so he rolled under the deadly swipe of the axe and this time, he allowed his sword to slice the man's wrist, making him scream and loosen his grasp on the axe. Hiccup spun to his feet and slammed the sword on the haft of the axe, knocking it from numbed fingers. Then he jabbed the point of the sword into the man's neck, not breaking the skin but demonstrating his victory.

"Yield!" he demanded. Elof stared into his face.

"Never!" he hissed. "I'll have them execute you yet." And he threw himself forward.

But Hiccup had seen the insane desire for vengeance in his eyes and had already snatched the sword away and was back-pedalling, demonstrating for all to see that the man was not abiding by the rules-and that he would not be tricked into killing him.

"YIELD!" Kjetil demanded but Tor and Jorgen surged forward, their weapons raised to ambush the one-legged Viking, Frantically, he blocked their attack and scrabbled backwards as Dagur, Tuffnut, Ruffnut and Snotlout all leapt forward, carrying the men to the floor. There was brawling and rolling on the floor as several of the villagers-mainly friends of the late an not-very lamented Lars, led by Morten and Ragnar-joined in to support the former hunters. Astrid saw Jorgen shove Hiccup back and trap him against the wall, fending off blows at his head from him and Elof and she saw red, leaping forward and slamming her axe across the back of Morten's head, stunning him. Jorgen had punched Hiccup and she saw him go down, parrying a ferocious blow from Elof that crashed his hand back against the wall, the sword falling from his numbed hand.

"HICCUP!" she yelled, her eyes narrowing as she saw the axe clang down-fortunately where he had been, for the young Viking had rolled away, his arm stretching for the sword as Jorgen raised his axe again. Without even hesitating, Astrid drew back her arm and threw, putting all her weight behind a ferocious throw. Kjetil froze, his eyes wide in shock as the axe buried deep in Jorgen's back-at the same moment that Hiccup's sword buried in the man's heart.

Jorgen looked down in utter shock, blinking as a trickle of blood dripped from his mouth. He tried to choke a last incredulous word but all the emerged was a dying hiss before he collapsed across the auburn-haired Viking. Hiccup shoved him off and tugged his blood sword free, seeing Ragnar rise behind Astrid. Time slowed and every last nightmare blurred his vision as he flung himself forward under Elof's wide swipe, a hand brushing Astrid's tunic and curling round the fabric to haul her forward. Her eyes widened as she felt herself torn forward and saw the sword slicing round, noticing the furious expression in Hiccup's normally clear and kind emerald eyes. And her head was still snapping round to see her attacker as the sword buried in Ragnar's neck, the impact halting the man's attack and ending him at once. For a long moment, Astrid felt herself pulled into Hiccup's body, his arm protective around her as the sword remained in Ragnar's neck.

"Don't touch my family!" her lover ground out through his teeth and ripped the sword free, blood pouring down the dying man's front.

"Dragons...are the...enemy..." he gasped and folded as Hiccup took a furious breath.

"Toothless!" he shouted and the Night Fury roared, the sound cutting through the chaos and stilling all the battles. Dagur took the opportunity to punch out Tor and Snotlout head-butted Elof and then cringed at the impact as the other man collapsed backwards, limp. "ENOUGH!" Staring at the carnage, Kjetil stared at the auburn-haired one-legged young man who had been trying very hard to avoid bloodshed: to Kjetil's eye, Hiccup had a killing advantage over Elof six times which he had rejected in favour of defence...until he had been ambushed and had no choice. The dragon's eyes were narrowed and Kjetil felt a shiver of fear run through him at seeing the furious dragon. The creature's long tail flicked round and stunned Elof who was trying to recover and then he walked forward, pointedly curling his tail around the young couple.

"BE STILL!" the Chief roared. "Everyone-resume your seats! Hiccup has proven his case-for he avoided killing until he had no other option. He had a killing advantage over Elof and I declare him the winner. And I will hear no more of this!"

Breathing hard, Hiccup lowered his sword and looked around the room, reassuring himself that the others and Val were safe. And then he nodded.

"I don't trust these people to stay among them," he said coldly, feeling Astrid shaking. "We came here in good faith because Astrid wanted to show our daughter to our friends...but all we have met is suspicion and accusations. I know what I have done-and I will talk with my friends when we are together. But that won't be here." He leaned closer to her. "Are you alright, Milady?" he murmured as she looked up into his eyes.

"I'm okay," she said in a shaky voice.

"Of course," he said in a gentler voice. "You're Astrid. You had to join in...and you saved me." She blinked, her eyes swimming.

"I can't lose you-not after all so long..." she whispered. "And you did save me..." He caught her face between his hands and stared into her eyes.

"I love you-and I would do anything...give anything...to save you..." he murmured, then kissed her tenderly. "We can't stay..."

"Use the caves," Kjetil suggested and Astrid nodded, recalling where she stayed after the men had tried to kill Stormfly and her.

"Stormfly can lead us," she murmured and pulled away from Hiccup, reaching out for her daughter from Heather. The raven-haired Berserker rolled her eyes.

"She was good as gold," she reported. "But I didn't like that I had to stand by and watch while you went to fight..." Sighing, Astrid hugged her daughter to her tenderly.

"Someone needed to look after Val and there is no one I would trust more with her-while I needed to help my Hiccup," she explained apologetically. "I-I'll have to work out what to do...but first...we're leaving..." And she gathered up her things and headed for the door, with Hiccup walking alongside, holding her axe and his sword. Toothless followed with the others close behind. But it was only after they had soared the short distance through the bitter night to the caves and settled in with a warm fire and their bedrolls out that she and Hiccup could relax. The dragons had taken up station by the entrance, on the lookout for anyone contemplating attacking the guests.

"Well, that could have gone better," the one-legged Viking said as he slumped by the fire, resting back against Toothless. Astrid slid to rest by him, staring at the flames.

"Well, it couldn't have gone much worse," she admitted. "And I am sorry I didn't get to spend more time with Hjordis. She was very kind to me when I was here-almost like an aunt or kinswoman. I hated leaving her. I-I just wanted to thank her for everything..." Then Hiccup's stomach growled embarrassingly. "And you need to eat Mister Skinny...before I can't see you sideways on! And of course, I'm starving as well..."

"We could be able to help with this..." Tuff announced and brandished a shank of mutton he had stolen from the hall-while Ruff grinned and brought out a leg of boar. Snotlout winked and produced a small barrel of mead while Dagur and Heather brought out fresh bread, yak butter and cheese.

"While everyone was shouting, we thought someone should be paying attention to the important stuff," Ruff added cheerfully as the Riders all huddled round and shared out the food. Suddenly, they were back in the Clubhouse, eating a meal together and the familiar banter flew between the Riders. Chewing happily at the familiarity, Hiccup snuggled closer to Astrid after she had changed their daughter and laid her down in the crib that Snotlout had reluctantly-and very carefully-transported from Valkana's Island.

"I hope you notice that I carried that piece of junk safely all the way here, babe," the stocky boy pointed out.

"And what did I threaten to do to you if you damaged it?" she asked pointedly.

"Chop me into little pieces?" Snotlout said sulkily. "Shut up, Astrid." Ignoring him was a habit so Astrid tuned out his whinging and curled into Hiccup's warm shape. Humming in pleasure, Astrid stared into his eyes and kissed him. After being apart for so long, she found herself keeping wanting to prove to herself that he was real and there and not a dream...

"I'm sorry," he murmured. "I should have gone." But she wrapped her arms around him and rested her head against his chest.

"You fought like a Viking and proved you are who you have always been-my Hiccup," she told him. His eyes widened before a lopsided smile tilted his lips.

"Your Hiccup?"

"Hiccup-you saved my life so many times and fought for me," she reminded him. "You were willing to give up dragons and do anything for me. You saved me back there. And I would rather be here-with you, our dragons and our friends." She sighed. "All we are is Dragon Riders...the Riders of the Edge." He wrapped his arms around him and closed his eyes.

"It's my only place, the only home I have left," he sighed as Astrid fidgeted into the most comfortable position. "Whatever Johann and Krogan have left of it."