Chapter Nineteen. What No One Else Has.

"ASTRID!"

Hiccup's scream echoed through the Plaza, his emerald eyes staring up into the velvet, orange-tinged dark where she had been snatched by the Nadder. His hand was still outstretched, breaths shuddering through him and he felt as if his heart had been torn out.

Had this been how it was for his father, all those years ago, when Hiccup's mother had been stolen away?

"Oops."

The casual word dragged him back to the chaotic present, the roars and shrieks continuing, the crackle of flames and thud of battle penetrating his shock. Around him, he could smell burning and blood and cooked meat and sweat and leather. Slowly, he turned, seeing the recalcitrant and uncaring shape of Dagur, looking after Astrid with a 'oh well, that happened' look. And rage literally boiled in Hiccup's chest at seeing the man who had abused and tormented him for so many years and who had just screwed up his efforts to get her safely away stand there uncaring of what he had lost for Hiccup.

"Oops?" Hiccup growled through his teeth. "Oops? That's all you have to say?"

"Well, I'm waiting for your thanks for saving your life, brother," Dagur said smugly but Hiccup had turned to face him fully now, his shoulders rigid and fists clenched in fury.

"I didn't need saving!" Hiccup yelled in his face. "I wasn't in danger!"

"Of course you did!" Dagur scoffed. "That dragon..."

"Was calming!" Hiccup yelled at him. "I had it distracted...another few seconds and it would be calm enough for Astrid to get away. But no....Dagur the frickin' Deranged had to barge in to try to show off how 'glorious' he is-which he isn't!-and screw it up!"

"What do you mean distracted?" Dagur sneered.

"You never think!" Hiccup yelled. "Astrid was in danger and I was making sure she got away. And you ruined it! You caused that dragon to startle and she was taken as a result!"

"I don't like your attitude to our help..." Dagur sneered, his eyes flattening with anger. Hiccup closed to a few inches, glaring directly in the pale, mad eyes, angry almost beyond reason himself.

"Your 'help' has made things far worse!" Hiccup shouted in his face. "Let's not even start on your stupid idea to bombard the village into matchwood just to keep the dragons off it! No-this is the worst raid for months-because the dragons are far more aggressive because your people are actively seeking dragons and attacking them! We only fight them when they attack our stores our houses. If they are flying over, we leave them! We have found it causes less casualties and destroyed fewer homes that way! But you are costing our people their homes and food because you just want to kill a Night Fury for your own aggrandisement!" Dagur's lip curled back in a sneer.

"This is how we fight dragons in Berserk!" Dagur sneered.

"Where you have far fewer raids and about four times the population!" Hiccup yelled at him. "This is Berk! And we're going to pay for your hubris with our homes! And your arrogance has cost me...Astrid!" Dagur gave a scornful snort.

"She wasn't worth it if she was so easily taken!" he scoffed.

Instinct took over and Hiccup swung, putting every ounce of his frustration, rage and hatred of Dagur in that moment into a punch that floored the Berserker Chief. Staring up into the flashing green eyes, Dagur automatically raised a hand to his chin, his face almost in shock.

"She is worth EVERYTHING!" he shouted. "And worth more than a thousand Dagurs and your entire Tribe!" Slowly, Dagur rose to his feet, his face no longer pleasant or friendly but twisted in rage.

"You don't get to say that to me!" he threatened. "I think you forget your place!"

"Oh, I know my place!" Hiccup said sarcastically. "I couldn't know my place more. Everyone tells me where my place is and what I am worth! So believe me when I say to you-GET THE HEL OFF BERK!" Dagur's hand closed on his axe and he bared his teeth.

"You are not my brother!" he snarled.

"Gods, how long did that take to get through your thick skull?" Hiccup retorted. "Never was, never wanted to be! Now get out of my way! I still have a chance to save the woman I love!" He shoved past Dagur and began to run up the hill, heading for the forest. Eyes trailing after him, Dagur took a few heavy breaths.

"If that's how you want it, brother, then that's how it'll be!" he swore. "If you're not my friend, you're prey. And I will get my hands on you, Hic-cup! And you'll regret ever rejecting my friendship!" He waved to his men. "MOVE OUT! BACK TO THE SHIPS!"

oOo

Further up the village, Stoick saw the Berserkers pull out with a mixed feelings-but predominantly relief. He could see they were exacerbating things and causing the dragons to be far more vicious than they usually were. And though he was reluctant to admit it, Hiccup's fire control system had been a boon, for the houses protected all stood, mainly undamaged and the fire crew had been freed to concentrate on those without, reducing total losses. But the food stores had been raided badly and there were a lot of casualties from Hooligans were were exposed and pushed from their normal safe places by Berserkers barging in and fighting just for fun.

Breathing hard, he lowered his hammer and stared across his village, his people. The Jorgensen house was seriously damaged and Stoick knew he would have to offer his kin sanctuary-even though spending more time than was necessary with Spitelout was exceptionally trying. There were four homes uninhabitable and people were already taking stock, even as the last dragons were still attacking. But he frowned as Gobber lumbered up the Plaza, his axe prosthesis bloodstained and pants singed.

"STOICK!" the blacksmith yelled. The Chief strode down to meet him, absently smacking a Gronckle aside and hitting the poor beast so hard it flew off with a distressed shriek. Grey-green eyes narrowed in concern.

"Gobber? Are you alright?" he asked his friend and the blacksmith shook his head.

"Have yer seen Hiccup?" he asked directly and Stoick read something he didn't want to see in Gobber's grimy face: grief.

"Hiccup?" The Chief snapped his head round, his keen eyes noting the absence of the tall, lean shape at the hatch in the forge. Sense of foreboding growing, he desperately searched the village but there was no sign of his former son anywhere. "Gobber? Is he...?"

"He's alive," Gobber revealed, shaking his head. "But Astrid..." He paused. "She's gone. She was taken. Right in front o' him."

"Oh Odin," Stoick murmured, his throat thickening in sympathy. He could still see Valka, screaming his name as she was torn away from the village, clasped in the claws of that four-winged, owl-faced dragon, leaving Stoick holding his year old baby son in the inferno of their home. That his son should have to endure the same horrific vision and loss was the cruellest joke of the Gods and Stoick's heart shuddered in sympathy. "Where is he?" Gobber sighed.

"He ran intae the forest," he admitted. "I think...he may have built one of his dragon-killing contraptions there." He gestured aimlessly at the forge. "He cleared out the forge and found some of his previous...attempts. But he's not done anything here...though he's been going intae the forest a lot since...especially with Astrid." Stoick's bushy brows lifted and Gobber made a poo-pooing gesture. "I don't think for that! But he's been so much happier the last couple of weeks, so much more like the boy he was."

"Being in love will do that for you," Stoick said quietly, almost to himself.

"But he's been in love with Astrid fer years!" Gobber argued brashly though Stoick shook his head, a reflective look in his eyes.

"But it's only been requited for a few weeks," he replied. "And knowing that the person you love actually loves you back is an entire Realm of difference." Gobber stared at him for a long moment and then nodded, an unfamiliar look of introspection in his eyes.

"Hiccup needs tae be loved," he admitted. "He's not a buff, warlike man. There's something too kind and generous in there fer him tae ever be the Snotlout of a son yer wanted. But he flourishes like a flower in the sun when he's loved. The past three years since he was disowned, he's bin in the shadows and he's bin withering."

"Losing her will probably kill him," Stoick murmured. "He will give up."

"He was on the brink when Snotlout and the twins...yer know..." Gobber revealed. "I think the lass was the only reason he pulled through." Stoick nodded and looked down the village at the new house Hiccup had managed to get built for Astrid, at the fire control system he had invented to protect her, at the life he must have been hoping they could share together and he sighed.

"I just hope and pray to Thor and Odin that his machine-however crazy it is-works, just this once," he said clearly. "And if it doesn't and he loses her, then we will be there for him. I was wrong, Gobber. I hurt him more than I could ever realise. And though I can never truly make it up, I will find a way to make him my son again."

"That's a nice idea," Gobber murmured ironically, "but if he loses Astrid, d'ye think yer'll ever see him again?"

oOo

He couldn't remember the trip to the cove, only that he had run the entire way and his entire body was shaking with the effort, breath scorching through his tight chest as he scrambled down into the depression. His emerald eyes frantically searched the shadowy space, the cold blue moonlight casting ocean deep shadows under the rocks and overhang. He paused for a few second to just grasp the breath he needed to speak.

"Toothless?" he called. "TOOTHLESS!" He looked around: the cove was empty and he felt despair spear his heart. This was his only hope, his last chance to save Astrid. And it was crazy and insane and probably suicidal and would probably cause him to be executed even if he succeeded because there was no way he could ever explain how he rescued her...but he was happy to accept all that if he could just hold her in his arms, one more time... But there was no Toothless and without that there was no hope.

"Please, bud," he whispered. And then he heard the sound as the thump as the dragon landed, scurrying towards the young Viking, his eyes wide and concerned. A croon sounded and Hiccup flung himself forward to hug the dragon's neck fiercely. "Toothless," he gasped, still struggling to catch his breath but pulling back to look into the dragon's huge green eyes. "Bud, I really really need your help. Please! They've taken her!"

Toothless stared at him. Hiccup was grimy and dishevelled, the smells of fire and blood clinging to him, as evidence of the raid that was still happening. Toothless knew there was a raid because he could hear the orders, whispering in the back of his mind like the most annoying of itches that could never be scratched, though he had the strength now to resist. Somehow, when he was shot down, he had been freed from the influence and been far enough away to once again become master of his fate. But the others weren't and they had attacked the village. The boy's distress and the wild gesticulations could only mean one thing: someone had taken his mate as a Tribute to Her.

The dragon stared at the young Viking once more, meeting the despair and hopelessness that he had seen when he had first met the boy. And since, they had bonded, became friends and he had seen life fill the boy's eyes and face. But now...it was all gone. And though Toothless had no mate-yet-he had seen dragons lose their soulmates and the horrible aftermath of that bereavement: he never wanted that for his human friend. To help him, it would mean heading back to the nest and risking his freedom once more...but Hiccup was more than a friend: he was a brother. He had given Toothless back his flight with no conditions, no expectations...and Toothless had stayed with him because he wanted to. Because he loved his human friend.

Warbling gently, he nudged Hiccup once more and lowered his head, waggling his shoulders. There was a hitch in the breath and the young man rose to his feet, his face moving into a relieved smile. "Thanks, bud," he sighed. "You really are the best. You're her only hope!" Then he flung his leg over the dragon's neck and grasped the riding straps, tightening his grip. "Let's go, bud. Please..." And he leaned low over Toothless's neck as the dragon bounced forward and accelerated into the air, skimming the lip of the cove and arrowing low over the trees directly out to sea in the direction of the departed dragons.

For Hiccup, the rush of freezing air in his face and hair was so exhilarating it almost dulled the agonising pain and anxiety about Astrid's abduction. That image played over and over behind his eyes, seeing her azure eyes widen and her mouth move, screaming, moving in a familiar shape...

Hiccup.

She had screamed his name as she was taken.

He leaned even closer to Toothless's neck, eyes focussed up ahead. "You can go faster, bud," he murmured. "I can take it. Get us to Astrid in time!" Even as he spoke, he felt the change, the increased tension in the muscles moving under him, the rising rush of the freezing wind in his face, the shriek of the Night Fury in his ear...and he found his lips stretching into an instinctive smile. Nothing was faster than a Night Fury.

But the dragons had a good lead because it had taken Hiccup precious time he probably didn't have to fight with Dagur and run all the way from the village to the cove to get to Toothless. Yet Toothless was unerring, arrowing directly toward Helheim's gate, the thick bank of fogs swirling ahead, blanking all the way from sea to sky. Toothless's ears were twitching, faint little whirring noises coming from him as he arched up into the clammy grey fog before topping out and then diving down, making his way to a few feet above sea level and beginning to slalom through the ragged seastacks, seeing wrecks from previous failed expeditions that his father-and his predecessors-had led to try to find the nest. And it struck Hiccup then that of all the Vikings-all the Haddocks of Berk-he was going to be the one to locate the nest while he was the only one who didn't actually want to.

Then they broke through the fog and Toothless slowed, for ahead of them was a tall, conical mountain, the slightly flattened top pouring smoke into the sky, adding to the foul brew of air that swirled around them. The air was beginning to take on the scents of rotten eggs and Hiccup gave a cough, wrinkling his nose. But they had almost caught the dragons, for they were just flying into a huge entrance halfway up the mountain, a cave that glowed faintly orange. The young Viking leaned forward, all thoughts of the foul air forgotten.

"There they are, bud!" he said. "Go get 'em!"

Toothless's eyes narrowed and he raced forward, into the tunnel and towards the orange glow that warmed the yawning exit. The smell was much stronger ahead and there was heat shimmering in the air as they broke through into a huge cavern, the rocky walls laced with ledges that had dragons perched everywhere-but up ahead, the raiding party were swooping towards a fog-swathed chasm, each in turn dropping their offerings into the roiling smoke below.

"Oh, it is so gratifying to see all our food being dumped into a hole," Hiccup noted sarcastically, his emerald eyes scanning the dragons ahead-and finally finding the blue and gold Nadder with the kicking shape of Astrid still struggling in her grasp. "THERE! Toothless-you have to get her...!"

And he leaned into the bank before there was a bank and the dragon responded to the shift in weight, looping round and simultaneously firing at the Nadder. The impact slammed the pretty dragon sideways, the detonation echoing round the chamber. Every dragon cringed as far back as they could from the hole while the Nadder wailed, her flank bleeding from the impact. As she struggled to overcome the shock of the attack, her talons opened and screaming, Astrid fell, her legs pinwheeling as she dropped towards oblivion.

As one, Hiccup and Toothless leaned forward, screaming forward and closing on the falling girl. With a flip of the wings, the Night Fury spun underneath Astrid and grabbed her in his strong paws before continuing the roll and arching vertically upwards as there was a sudden roar that shuddered the very foundations of the volcano. There was a sense of movement as Toothless's wings pumped furiously and Astrid, who was still staring down in shock at the abyss she had almost vanished into, saw an enormous grey red-studded head with six tiny, mad eyes rise sudden from the fog. The mountain shook as huge jaws snapped at them, missing but bisecting a hapless Gronckle. Toothless raced higher and higher, joined by more dragons all of whom looked terrified by the monster. It lurched closer and snapped again, this time swallowing a Zippleback whole. But Toothless was faster than anything and he roared up, breaking through the tunnel and upwards into the freezing night sky as the dragons of the nest all flooded out, fleeing the ire of their Queen.

"Did you get her, bud?" Hiccup shouted from his seat and the dragon flipped her up, landing more or less behind him. Warm arms closed ferociously around his lean waist and one of his hands closed tightly around her hand.

"He got me, babe," Astrid managed in a shaky voice, her body shivering against his. Immediately, he sat up in his position and turned to wrap an arm backwards around her.

"I've got you," he murmured and looked around: up ahead there was a lone seastack. And though there was an enormous roar behind them, Toothless gave a triumphant warble and his ears pricked. "Land, Toothless. There!" The dragon responded as Hiccup leaned his weight and they glided effortlessly down to touch down. In a moment, he was off Toothless's neck and facing Astrid properly, seeing streaks on her cheeks from tears and her hair completely windblown. There were wounds on her shoulder from where she had been taken, talons curling cruelly round her shoulder guards and into her flesh and the slash to her side...but she was alive. And here with him.

Gently, he took her hands and pulled her off the dragon and towards him. And for a moment, she stood, trembling and almost looking lost-before her eyes locked on his and she flung herself against him, arms locking around his lean shape, face burying into his chest even as his arms wrapped around her to cocoon her from the horror that had almost claimed her. He buried his face in her hair, feeling the shivering get worse if anything.

"I am never letting you go," he mumbled into her hair. She gave a choked sob.

"You better not," she whispered against him and his heart soared. Somehow, he had managed the impossible and saved her from being fed to that monster, the huge dragon that had clearly been controlling the raids for hundreds of years. He gave a sigh.

"Are you alright?" he asked her, feeling her shake her head.

"I'll live though," she mumbled. "That-that was amazing..." He gave a smile and looked over at his friend.

"He's amazing," he admitted. "I owe Toothless everything..." And then she did lift her tear-streaked face, her azure eyes still shimmering with tears.

"No," she said more firmly, though her voice was roughened by tears. "This was Hiccup as well. You rebuilt his tail-Thor, I can't understand how, but you did! You learned how to fly. You were the idiot who thought to follow a raiding party of dragons to fight them for your girlfriend! You saved me!" He managed a small smile.

"Right about the idiot bit," he admitted, treacherous memory striking him. "I shouted at Dagur for getting you taken. I may actually have punched him...quite hard, if I say so myself!" And then he sighed. "So he's after my blood as well...if I haven't already caused us to be at war with the Berserkers..." Astrid rested a hand on his cheek and managed a wan smile.

"My mutton-headed boyfriend," she murmured. "We have a Treaty and I hope he'll abide by that...for the moment." She stared into his emerald eyes. "And if anything good came out of this, I guess it was that we found their Chief after all-and you were right. He's a Snotlout."

"Yeah...I can see the resemblance," he murmured sarcastically. She grinned a little more, her shivering beginning to subside, though she remained pressed hard against him.

"No-have you seen anyone try to get between Snotlout and a bowl of mutton?" she reminded him and his eyes widened and then his grin did as well.

"I see. No one makes that mistake twice, do they?" he recalled and leaned forward, lifting her chin and kissing her very tenderly on the mouth. "I thought I'd lost you-and I would have risked everything to get you back. And...I have. Because I have absolutely no idea how I can explain getting you back from that dragon..." She looked thoughtful and kissed him again, then smiled.

"Tell the truth," she suggested. "Because frankly, you're a hopeless liar. Say you shot the dragon down and it let me go. And then you had to rescue me from a seastack it had dropped me on...which took all this time." Hiccup grinned at her proudly.

"You see why I love you?" he asked her. "Smart and brave and very beautiful. What more could a man want?" She dipped her head, acutely aware she looked a complete sight, with her damaged and bloodstained vest, windblown hair and tear-streaked and grimy face. But as she blushed, she pulled away from the tall shape and walked to the black dragon, then hugged him hard around the neck.

"Thank you, Toothless," she said honestly. "I owe you my life. I really do." He warbled, pupils large and ears pricked, as if to say 'you're welcome'. "You are amazing!" And she tentatively scratched Toothless under the chin as she had seen Hiccup do before-and was rewarded by the dragon's eyes rolling back blissfully into his head and the Night Fury collapsing onto the ground bonelessly, one leg twitching with utter relaxation. Then she got to her feet and turned back to the amused auburn-haired Viking. "And you, dragon boy...you have done something no one else has done!"

He smiled and gave a small shrug. "Ridden a dragon?" he suggested. She nodded but walked back to take his hands, looking deep into his emerald gaze and almost getting lost in the luminous depths.

"Yes, but that's not what I was thinking about," she said thoughtfully. "You are the first person to ever rescue someone who has been taken by a dragon!"

He stilled then and quietly nodded, looking away.

"Something I know my father would give both arms and legs to have been able to do," he murmured and her grip tightened.

"I'm sorry," she murmured. "I know you lost your Mom like that. But you did what Stoick the Vast couldn't do-and could never have done..." His pensive gaze looked up, silently acknowledging the fact.

"I'm sure he could have..." he began but she wasn't letting the one go.

"Hiccup! Your father would have killed Toothless. He would never have had the imagination to consider riding a dragon, let alone use one to chase down an abducted Hooligan!"

"He couldn't have shot down a dragon," he admitted. "Well, not a Night Fury anyway. He would carry on doing things the Viking way until we finally lost Berk."

"You can say you have one of your dragon-fighting machines hidden up in the forest," she suggested gently and her eyes trailed to the black dragon, still lying blissfully on the ground, drooling gently.

"Yeah, he looks especially efficient at the moment," Hiccup commented sarcastically.

"Well, he is a dragon-fighting machine," she reminded him. "He's just a draconic dragon-fighting machine..." Hiccup gave a small smile.

"I'm not trying to explain that to Gobber!" he shot back with a smirk. "And you do realise that he's going to be chilled out for another quarter of an hour or so, Milady?" She gave him a small smile.

"I had hoped," she said quietly, "because I wanted to spend some time alone with you." His emerald eyes widened and he blushed furiously-to a giggle from the blonde girl. "Ha! You were completely calm when you were flying a dragon into a volcano to rescue me from being eaten by a giant monster...but the moment I suggest spending any time with you alone, you turn into a beetroot!"

"Oh Thor," he mumbled. "I...erm...you...oh Thor..."

"And I broke him," Astrid grinned, trailing a hand down his scorching cheek. "Babe? Are you in there?" He nodded wordlessly. "We're not going to be doing anything..." His eyes looked almost disappointed but also relieved. "Not that I don't want to with you...just not yet..."

"Oh thank Thor," he murmured, wrapping an arm around her and kissing her passionately. "Um...doesn't that mean you might want to...one day...?" She smiled.

"I think that's a definite," she smirked and he stared into her eyes, his own briefly devoid of confidence once more.

"Are you sure? I mean, I am Hiccup the Useless," he reminded her and her brows dipped into an angry scowl.

"Never use that name to me again!" she snapped.

"Hiccup?"

"Useless!" she growled. "Could someone useless shoot down a dragon? Befriend a Night Fury? Mend an injured dragon's tail? Ride a dragon? Rescue me from certain death in the dragons' nest?" He shook his head.

"I guess..."

"I know," she told him strongly. "Look, babe-you aren't a normal Viking-but the determination and courage you showed in rescuing me were worthy of the greatest hero in the most famous sagas! Being physically strong and bashing your head stupidly against a rock all day doesn't make you a hero. Going above and beyond everything that could be expected of you despite the odds is! Going against what is accepted to do what is right is! Saving the woman you love from certain death by the most miraculous means...is!" He managed a small smile.

"I would do anything to save you," he murmured. "And I know that what I am doing is treason. Just promise me...if something goes wrong, you'll say it was all me...and try to get him away." She punched his shoulder instantly, her eyes sparkling with annoyance.

"Mutton-head!" she snapped. "I'm in this with you. And if you stand trial for treason, I will be by your side." And then she sighed. "But I would rather neither of us had to face that. I want to stay with you and...get married and spend my life with you." His eyes snapped open and he stared at her in shock. She buried her face in his neck and hugged him tight. "As I was hauled away and expecting to die, as I saw you vanish in the distance, I felt such...loss. Like half of myself was missing. And I knew then...I needed to be with you. Not just for now but forever. There should always be a Hiccup and Astrid."

"But being a Shield Maiden..." he murmured and she lifted her head gently.

"I am a warrior," she said quietly. "I was raised to be a warrior. And I will always be a warrior. But I don't want to be alone to keep that. And I know the man I love would allow me to be myself so I can be the warrior I am, not some perfect little ideal of a wife..."

"You're perfect anyway, just as you are, Milady," he told her. "And...um...if I tried to stop you, you'd kill me anyway?" She nuzzled into his neck once more.

"Probably," she teased him gently, "though I'd prefer to just hold you-and have you hold me. I nearly died...and I'm here with the man I love. Thank Thor." Hiccup hugged her fiercely, never wanting to let her go and savouring her warmth and presence-but his eyes drifted to the relaxed dragon.

And thank you, Toothless.