A/N: Yes, this chapter does mirror the events of Season 5 RTTE.

TWO: Staying on the Edge

It had been a brief lull because the volcano had fought back, surging again and again with small eruptions that had plagued but not directly threatened the Edge and Hiccup had led the riders with enormous determination to save the base. Snotlout was whinging more and more as they kept fighting small lava flows with Gronckle iron and rebuilding the base until another massive eruption, three months after they had celebrated victory over the volcano. And in the aftermath, as half the Edge was burning and Snotlout's precious hut was destroyed, the riders had turned on Hiccup.

"This is a disaster," Astrid commented, staring at the aftermath. Surprisingly, Tuffnut had been philosophical.

"I've seen worse," he said. Fishlegs had agreed with the dry observation:

"You mean-you've caused worse!" Tuff had been unrepentant and admiring.

"I wish! This is Odin's handiwork-and I am just a mere mortal..." he had explained with remarkable clarity. But as he had recovered from being knocked out during the eruption, Snotlout had immediately attacked their leader, his eyes narrowed.

"Well-are you happy now, Hiccup?" There was a pause and Hiccup had looked shocked.

"Happy? Wha-what did I do?' he protested but Snotlout hadn't backed down an inch, his tone sarcastic.

"We should have left this pile of rocks months ago...but no....you want to keep exploring. Hiccup the explorer! We'll all end up killed just to indulge your vanity!" There was a wounded expression in his emerald eyes that made Astrid want to take his hand and comfort him but the pragmatic warrior within her made her sigh and speak honestly, as she had always promised to.

"Hiccup-you know I would rather plant dragon root under my fingernails that agree with Snotlout-but I think it may be time to head back to Berk," she said calmly, her gaze sweeping over the other riders. "Viggo and Ryker have been killed, the Dragon Eye has been destroyed and even Mother Nature is telling us to go!" She stared at Hiccup as Tuff and Snotlout rambled about who Mother Nature was the the male twin demonstrated his amazing and completely unexpected knowledge about foreign deities and saw him turn away, looking around the base they had created, the base they sustained and protected at the risk of their lives for so long.

"Hiccup-we won," she said gently. "We can go home." But when he turned back to her, there was no joy in his eyes because home meant training as a Chief, duty and restrictions... Wordlessly, he had turned away, his shoulders slumped as he had turned back to helping repair the Edge. Busy during the day, Astrid had battled on against exhaustion, a heavy weariness in her bones that had plagued her more and more over the last few weeks. She had slept like a corpse, occasionally skipped breakfast because she was too weary or feeling nauseated due to her exhaustion and felt her head muzzy throughout the days. So she had seen him peripherally that evening as she had trudged to her hut but she had been turning in as he had headed off on his evening flight with Toothless, staring down at the lava flows on the island, seeing more and more of their home vanishing under the fires.

"Okay," he had said the next morning, the deep shadows under his eyes showing he had barely slept as he had wrestled with the problem and finally come to the inevitable conclusion.

"Finally," Snotlout had snapped, his blue eyes narrowed. "When are we getting out of here?" Hiccup gestured aimlessly with his arms.

"When we've stabilised the volcano and found new homes for all the dragons we've relocated here," he explained calmly as Snotlout huffed and muttered under his breath.

"Stupid Hiccup," he had growled and stomped away as the one-legged Viking had flinched. He looked at the others. "You understand?" he had asked but the twins had shrugged.

"We have our sale to complete-and then we're good to go, H," Tuff commented and walked after his sister. Quietly, Astrid walked up to take his hand, her fingers sliding between his and he looked up with a pained smile.

"I know you're right," he murmured. "It's just...I know when I get back, Dad will have me training to be the Chief. I'll barely get to spend any time with you or Toothless and I'll be stuck in meetings and planning and...and it will be absolute torment! Gods, if here was a better way to kill me off, I can't think of it. I would much rather be chased by a dozen bounty hunters or Changewings or Speed Stingers or even the Submaripper rather than try to argue through who owes who what in a disagreement over sheep grazing rights!" Gently, she leaned over and ghosted a small kiss onto his cheek.

"Whatever you do, babe-I'm there with you," she promised. "I'm not letting you face that all on your own." He smiled a little more genuinely.

"There's no one else I want at my side," he assured her and kissed her gently. "I need to speak to Fishlegs to see if we can come up with something better than Gronckle iron to seal over the cracks and stop the eruptions..."

"My brilliant dragon boy," she murmured as he walked away, his stride still confident and positive. Since they had come to the Edge and he had effectively become their Chief, he had grown in confidence and his body language had mirrored that. As he walked, his shoulders were back, he was more upright and his strides more purposeful: to Astrid, it was actually pretty hot...along with the other changes that time had wrought on the skinny one-legged Viking. There were still moments when he echoed the boy who had been consistently bullied by the village, outcast and finally redeemed at the cost of his leg but most of the time, he was more confident, stronger and more decisive. And honestly, she was proud of how he had developed and knew whatever happened, he would continue to become stronger. But the base was his command and she knew leaving it would be a wrench. And then she sighed again. She would have loved Heather to talk to-but she was back with Dagur, living on Berserk and searching for their lost father, Oswald. They exchanged Terror Mails but Astrid wasn't a great writer and she ached for her friend to talk to and joke with: Ruff was't even half a substitute.

Maybe there would be a positive in going back to Berk...

oOo

Hiccup and Fishlegs had come up with a plan to mix Deathsong amber with Gronckle iron to create and even stronger and more heat-stable mixture that could seal the volcano and Hiccup had volunteered to take Astrid to Deathsong Island to fetch the amber. Since their relationship ceased to be a secret, there had been less moaning about Hiccup usually pairing himself with Astrid in missions...though Snotlout had complained vociferously about having to accompany the twins to Dark Deep to fetch some Gronckles and she could see that Hiccup had almost relented...but not quite. Spending an entire mission with Snotlout would be intolerable.

Hiccup had been thoughtful and hadn't talked much during the flight but Astrid had been lost in thought as well. Back on Berk, she had joined the Berk Guard and if they returned, would she resume her service? That would be the most logical thing-but it would take her away from the village more and more and restricted the chances to be with Hiccup even more. And he was right about being put into training, making his free time limited and very precious. Would going back to Berk ruin their relationship...or would it force them to make it official?

She smiled. They had already taken the most definitive step in their relationship, broken the Hooligan taboo and she knew that though they hadn't repeated the transgression, they had indulged in some pretty hot making out and she knew that the others were talking among themselves about what they had imagined they had overheard. She made a mental note to tell them to shut up when they returned home-because it could be a disaster for them both if Stoick-and her father-found out from anyone other than the two young people themselves.

Ahead, the rocky outline of Deathsong Island arose from the sea and they swooped down, seeing chunks of amber lying over the ground, as if one of the native dragons had been blasting the hot liquid at someone-or something. And the place was eerily silent, devoid of the dissonant cries of the lethal dragons.

Until a terribly wounded subadult had reared up from behind a pile of rocks, giving what amounted to little more than a final hopeless cry of defiance. Gaping, Astrid had watched Hiccup fearlessly walk forward and train him, his hand gentle on the bloody snout, the cuts livid all across his neck, head, body and wings. Pathetically, the dragon had whimpered and made a familiar sound: it was Garff.

Sickened, the two young riders had seen hunter arrows sticking out of his body and even Astrid had gasped. But while Hiccup was gathering amber with Toothless, Astrid had been assessing the wounds and her experience and instincts had told her the terrible truth: Garff would probably die of his injuries. Whoever had injured the dragon had been cruel and vicious in the extreme: it was like nothing they had seen previously. The larger, older Deathsong had been taken and she wondered briefly if the youngster had been trying to protect her-and had paid for his bravery with his life. She gentled his snout and sighed.

"I'm here, Garff," she murmured as the dragon had wearily opened his eyes. Quietly, he had nuzzled into her midriff, giving feeble little chirrups. "I won't leave you," she promised as Hiccup returned, Toothless's saddlebags bulging with amber. "You go," she told him without hesitation, seeing his eyes slide over the dying dragon. "I'll stay with him until...you know..." He had realised the truth as well but to Hiccup, accepting Garff was dying was a terrible blow.

"Why would they do this, Astrid?" he asked softly and then nodded. "Will you be okay?" Stormfly screeched indignantly and ran forward, hovering protectively behind her rider and nuzzling the dying Deathsong. She nodded.

"I'll be fine," she reassured her, nausea rising in her throat at the smell of dragon blood. She smiled. "She's with me, Hiccup. We'll be fine." He had accepted it, his eyes sliding longingly over her and then he had leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.

"Take care," he whispered. "They may come back. And if they do-you have to take Stormfly away. Be safe, Astrid-even if it means leaving him. I mean it." There was anxiety in his eyes and she realised Garff's wounded state had hit him hard. She smiled.

"I won't risk her," she promised as he pulled away, swung into the saddle and then flew away. Turning back to Garff, she sat at his side and unfamiliar tears prickled her eyes as the dragon rested his head against her body, nudging her middle once more. "I'm here, boy," she reassured him as Stormfly sat at the Deathsong's other side. "We both are. To the end."

oOo

It had been long night, for Garff had weakened and then rallied, whimpering and curling around her. She had fed him water and bound his wounds, stopping them bleeding further. Hiccup had given her a small flask of Night Fury saliva he had collected and she sparingly rubbed it into the deepest wounds, knowing it had amazing healing properties. Finally, around midnight, she had fallen asleep, curled by the dragon with Stormfly at her back, feeling the rise and fall of the Deathsong's chest against her and wondering if it would be gone when she woke.

But morning dawned and as her eyes opened, she felt Garff stir against her. The dragon was humming in his sleep, a lullaby that she had sung to him when he had been a new hatchling on the Edge-and that she had mumbled through again during the night when she had wondered if she would lose him. And as she had laid there, her eyes staring at the stars with the warmth of Stormfly to one side and Garff the other, she had wondered how she could possibly tell Hiccup that the dragon had died. He had been very fond of the little Deathsong and had made the difficult but correct decision to put him back on Deathsong Island with the adult, to ensure he was raised with his kind. The expression in his eyes had flashed through her memory as she stared at the dark sky and she had sighed. Hiccup took so many things to heart, especially things to do with dragons. Every loss hurt him because he cared so much-which was one of the things she loved so much about him.

"Garff?" she asked gently, stroking the wounded muzzle of the Deathsong and he had opened his eyes and given a dissonant roar, nudging against her middle happily. "Garff! You're alive!" She had hugged him then, delighted that the wounded Deathsong was still with them. Shakily, he scrambled to his feet and Stormfly instantly got up, leaning against him and helping him regain his balance. The younger dragon was healing rapidly and his determination to survive had overcome the most awful wounds. She was able to lead him to the stream and watch him drink and then she and Stormfly had both helped the dragon catch and eat some fish before she stared at him.

"Do you feel well enough to come home, to the Edge?" she had asked him and the dragon gave an eager roar, flapping his wings and bobbing his head in his enthusiasm. Laughing at his excitement, she had leapt onto Stormfly's back and leaned forward. "Come on, girl-let's go home," she said as they flapped up into the sky.

They had made good time, though she had made Garff rest once to regain his strength and feed him some more fish but when they approached, she had been shocked that the lava flows had settled and there were only the black scars of steaming hot rock, calling on the flanks of the Edge. But the base seemed to be safe and secure so she swooped round and landed-right by Hiccup and Toothless. Garff gave a happy roar that had Toothless and the other dragons responding eagerly. Her boyfriend had suddenly smiled at the sight of the injured Deathsong, for he had feared the worst as well.

"Garff?"

"I think he's going to be alright," Astrid had confirmed, smiling gently. "That dragon has a lot of fight in him." Proudly, the auburn-haired Viking had rested a hand on her shoulder.

"He's not the only one," he had said to her and had been rewarded by her beautiful face tilt into a brief smile before a more serious expression had overtaken it.

"Hiccup-we can't let what happened to Garff happen to any other dragon," she had told him seriously and he had nodded, his own expression growing more determined. Deliberately, he had turned back to the others, standing confidently by their dragons.

"Okay, gang," he began, his emerald gaze sweeping over his friends. "There are hunters still out there. What happened to Garff shows us how dangerous they are. And I know you all wanna go home but..." Fishlegs frowned.

"Er-who said we wanted to go home?" he asked Hiccup, confusing the one-legged Viking immediately. Had they not been paying attention when they had moaned and complained at him when the Edge was erupting? He cast a quick look at Astrid, who shrugged in confusion. "I don't wanna go home!"

"Me neither," Ruff grinned, folding her arms. "I Shirley don't wanna go!"

"And I Kevinly would never give up the chance to live on a place that blows up all the time!" Tuff confirmed with a grin, folding his arms to mirror his twin. They both shared a grin at some in-joke that Hiccup had no clue about....and then they all turned their eyes on Snotlout, who was standing, looking annoyed with his arms folded and a scowl tilting his face. He glanced at the others and huffed.

"Fine. I'll stay!" he conceded will ill grace. "But keep me away from those two!" He advanced quickly towards Hiccup and leaned close, speaking in a low voice so the twins couldn't hear. "They put me in front of the Quakens but I'm fine now..." He gestured to the twins, clearly asking Hiccup to discipline them but he just smiled and patted Snotlout on the shoulder.

"Just be careful next time," he advised his cousin. "You know they're a little wild..."

"Next time-I'm going with you and Astrid," Snotlout said firmly. "Especially Astrid. Looking good, Ast. Especially..." He grinned cheesily. "Hmm...you look like you've been working out. Your chest is definitely more..." He made a grasping gesture and her eyes widened in shock before her fists balled.

"You've been leering at my chest and you dared to make that gesture to me?" she roared. "Snotlout-when I get my hands on you, you're gonna wish those Quakens had squashed you to a pulp because I am going to axe you into tiny little pieces!" Snotlout yelped as Hiccup lunged forward, grabbing her round the middle and holding on tight.

"I think you should run for it now," he advised his cousin, grunting as Astrid fought to get her hands on the stocky Viking. "I don't know...how much longer...I can hold her!" Screaming like a girl, Snotlout raced off, calling urgently for Hookfang as Hiccup wrestled Astrid to face him, holding her close.

"Let me go, Hiccup!" she snapped. "I am going to teach that creep and huge lesson in..."

"Shhh," he whispered, kissing her tenderly. "Let him go. He'll be so scared of you he won't come back tonight and he'll have to sleep in the stables when he does, because his precious 'S' has been destroyed." Breathing hard, she nodded, allowing him to squeeze her close. And then she winced, pulling back.

"Problems?" he asked her in a concerned voice, his eyes filled with worry and she automatically shook her head.

"I'm just a bit...tender," she admitted, gesturing vaguely at her chest. Eyes popping wide, he pulled away but her hand closed around his. "It's okay, Hiccup. It's just been a few weeks..."

"But I must have hurt you when we hugged and..." His voice was stricken and she shook her head with a sigh.

"It's okay," she repeated. "And you never hurt me, babe. You're the kindest, most gentle person I know." She shrugged. "Not that I would want to talk to Gothi about this... Maybe I'll ask Heather if she knows any remedies? She's on Berserk so their healer may have something they can suggest." Hiccup gently stroked his hand up and down her back, the contact comforting.

"Let me know if there's anything that I can do," he murmured and she smiled.

"Oh, I can think of a lot of things that you can do, dragon boy," she smirked. "Maybe...you can come over this evening and we can enjoy a quiet night in for once." Hiccup smiled.

"Try to keep me away," he promised.