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❛ sᴛᴏʀᴍʙᴏʀɴ​​​​​​​​​​. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚ ▎❛ 𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 ❜ ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ ғɪɢʜᴛ ᴏʀ ғʟɪɢʜᴛ ꒱


❝ EACH TIME YOU CUT ME
DOWN, I WILL COME BACK
TWICE AS STRONG ❞

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Let's get one thing straight: Dany was not the kind of person who would abandon her friends in the face of danger.

She was no coward nor was she traitorous. Her words the previous night had been the truth: she was not an idiot who would willingly go into a dragon's nest. However, she would have followed Hiccup and Toothless (and, she supposed, Astrid— if the other girl just happened to be there) past the gates of Hel if necessary. But Drogon was a dragon, who, unlike Toothless, had grown up without a nest. He'd only ever had his brothers and he'd rarely interacted with other dragons except when they needed to be healed by the Targaryens. His antisocial behavior (and, to be honest, his size) had prevented them following their friends into the volcano. So, Dany had flown back to the cove, trusting that Toothless would keep Hiccup safe.

She tried to reassure herself of these facts as she paced in the cove the following morning. She'd arrived bright and early, but unlike usual, she did not take her spot by the lake. Even her boots stayed on as she began her pacing, worried about what the day would bring. Unsurprisingly, Drogon remained unbothered by her concerns and curled up nearby, his eyes half-open as he watched her. Toothless, however, seemed to pick up on her agitation and stayed alert. He sat on his haunches with his ears pricked and swiveling. His tail switched back and forth restlessly as he strained to hear the sounds from the far-away dragon training pit.

The reason for their edginess was obvious: today was the day Hiccup would be facing the Monstrous Nightmare. Dany wasn't convinced that it would go well, considering the Vikings had run her parents out of town due to their. . . different views. With Hiccup being the chief's son, it was bound to have an even greater disastrous outcome.

As the sun wheeled higher in the sky, the girl's feet began to ache with the many steps she'd retraced, but her worries wouldn't let her sit still. Around midday, Toothless bolted upright, the pupils in his emerald eyes widening as his ears twitched forward. Dany wished that the dragon could talk to her and tell her what was going on, but she guessed that the event had started. Then, the Night Fury jerked completely straight and raced towards the high walls of the clearing.

Foreboding filled the girl as she watched the dragon struggle, wanting to help him but she knew it wouldn't do any good to get in the way. She raced over to her dragon and climbed up on his back. "Quickly, Drogon! Hiccup's in trouble!"

The large dragon huffed and rested his head on his paws, causing her to fall forward slightly. By this time, Toothless had scrambled his way out of the cove and was now racing towards Berk. Dany felt her heart pick up speed as she knew that every second they delayed would put her friends in even greater danger. "We don't have time for this! Toothless will be hurt if we don't do anything!"

The mention of his friend was enough to make Drogon rise to his feet. In one smooth flap of his wings, they rose out of the cove and, for the first time ever, began to fly towards the village.

🏹🏹🏹

Although he'd been hoping for a different outcome, deep down, Hiccup knew that his plan wouldn't work. Things had gone horribly wrong the moment his father's mallet had slammed on the iron bars of the dragon training ring. The Monstrous Nightmare's calming attitude had taken a one-eighty as the dragon had lit up with fire-y rage. Then, even worse, Toothless had come to his aid and attacked the other dragon. His only consolation was that Dany hadn't come as well (but even that would be short lived.)

As the Night Fury subdued the Monstrous Nightmare, the Vikings began to drop into the caged area to swarm him. Hiccup cried out desperately to protect his friend, "no! No, dad! Dad, he won't hurt you!"

They ran at him with unbridled rage, their swords and hammers held high. Toothless swatted at them with his tail and wings to keep the Vikings at a distance, but there were too many. "No, don't! You're only making it worse!"

His father let out a battle cry and charged at the black dragon. Toothless reacted immediately by pouncing on him and pinning the chief to the ground. He opened his mouth and pulled back as a blast warmed up in his throat. Hiccup's shouts weren't loud enough to get the dragon's attention, so he took a deep breath and yelled with everything he had in him: "NOOOOO!"

Toothless immediately backed down and looked at the brunet with a kicked-puppy expression, his ears drooping. The stillness lasted for only a second as Spitelout shouted, "get him!"

The Viking pinned the Night Fury's head down, which allowed the other villagers to get to the rest of his body. The sudden screech of a dragon caused everyone to freeze as the telltale flapping of wings came closer. Stoick remained undeterred as he took a step forward to approach the trapped dragon, only to be brought to a stop when a shadow fell over the arena. As the Vikings looked up to see the cause of the sudden dimness, they gasped at the sight of the leathery wings that sailed over them. A flaming arrow illuminated the gloom and landed squarely in the chief's path. Hiccup's heart sank at the sight of the arrow— there was only one person he knew who wielded a bow.

"STOP!" a girl's voice called out into the silence. Drogon circled the pit once more before he landed at the edge. He roared his agreement, his great mouth opening to its fullest extent as the cry rumbled out of him. He arched his wings defiantly at the Vikings' wide-eyed stares, as if daring them to pin him down like they had his friend.

Balancing carefully as he descended into the ring, he extended one of his wings. Daenerys climbed down to his side, holding onto one of his spikey scales as he lowered himself to the ground. She stepped off of him gracefully and walked towards the Vikings, her bow still in one hand. Her quiver of arrows was strapped to her back, barely visible underneath her long, silvery-blonde hair. Her expression was impassive as her violet eyes scanned the silent arena, stopping as they found, well, him. Hiccup tried to send her a small smile of reassurance, but it was hard to feel anything positive when she was now also in danger.

The girl's eyes, however, showed no fear as she gave him the smallest of nods before she turned to Stoick, who she could recognize by Hiccup's description of his father. She held herself proudly, even in the face of the chief's apparent anger. "My name is Daenerys Stormborn of house Targaryen, and you will let that dragon go. He is under my protection."

Whispers immediately erupted around him, the Vikings apparently more curious about the supposedly mad family than fearful of the dragon who was currently staring them down. Hiccup watched his father's expression melt into a disgusted sneer. "The Targaryen name has no power here, lass. You'd be wise to follow your parent's path and leave while you still have your dragon."

Dany remained calm and collected. "Well, then perhaps I'm not wise— but I am mad, according to your village. And right now, I'm furious at how you're treating that dragon. Let him go."

Stoick drew himself up to his full and considerable height. "I am your chief, and I say put him with the others."

The Vikings began to move Toothless to a holding cell, but the blonde held out a hand and they stopped, looking between the two with apprehension. "You're no chief of mine," the girl replied evenly. "You cast out my parents because you couldn't stand to think— even for a second— that dragons may not be your enemy. A wise chief would have let his villagers speak their minds and listen to their council. I am here today to fulfill their mission. You did not listen to them then, but you will listen to me now.

Dragons are not the evil, monstrous creatures you have made them out to be. Yes, they can be vicious and deadly, but that is not all they are. They are also kind, loyal, caring and protective. I've raised Drogon—" Here, she gestured to her dragon. "—since he hatched from his egg, and he has never once hurt me. Even as a vulnerable baby, I was safer with him than I would be with any other pet. And today, Toothless— the Night Fury— ran all the way from the forest to save Hiccup, just because he knew that his friend was in danger. They are only violent because they are defending themselves— to survive. I'm sure that if you saw past their teeth and claws, you would be able to see their assets for yourselves."

When she finished speaking, some of the Vikings looked conflicted, as if her words had truly registered with them. They began to mutter amongst themselves as they debated her points, some of which they had proof of and others they didn't. Stoick, however, remained. . . well, stoic. His narrowed eyes never left the girl and, at the sound of the villagers even considering her argument, he raised his voice to speak above their low conversations: "she is a Targaryen. Have you forgotten how her parents aided the dragons as we fought against them? Their betrayal has remained a stain on our village. They would rather side with dragons than their own Viking brothers and sisters. Their entire family is mad— do not trust a word she says! Seize her dragon!"

The villagers, however, took one look at Drogon's great size and thought twice. The men holding Toothless down resumed their efforts to cage him. The captivated audience Dany had held moments earlier vanished as if they'd never existed in the first place. Stoick stepped close to the girl so that he was looking down at her. His furrowed, bushy brows and long, red beard brought a fierce look to his face that would make a lesser man quake in his boots— but Daenerys was no man.

"Leave this village, lass. You have no place here. Keep your dragon away from our people and we will leave you in peace."

The blonde lifted her chin to meet his eyes, steeling herself against the discomfort. "I will leave now, but you will never be rid of me," she promised. "Each time you cut me down, I will come back twice as strong."

With that, she turned on her heel and made her way back to Drogon, only pausing to send an apologetic look in Hiccup's direction. Although she had not won her fight today, her flight was not one of defeat— it was simply a respite to regroup and try again.

🏹🏹🏹

The door to the great hall swung open, allowing a strip of light to enter the dark space. Hiccup stumbled from the force of his father's push and barely caught himself before he fell. Stoick's large form cast a shadow on the floor as he stepped through the entrance, his face drawn in a deep scowl. The boy shrank as his father slammed the door shut so hard it bounced back open.

"I should have known," he growled out. "I should have seen the signs."

Truthfully, Hiccup had known that his secret would be found out some day, whether by Astrid accidentally telling someone or someone following him— like Astrid had— to the cove. He'd just hoped that it would be later rather than sooner. But, as usual, the Gods hadn't listened and now he was bearing the brunt of the blame. Even the statues of his ancestors that stood silhouetted against the wall seemed to be displeased by his actions, their wooden eyes glaring down at him.

Quietly, he attempted to calm his father's anger. "Dad?"

"We had a deal!" Stoick exploded.

"I-I know we did," the boy agreed. He chased after the chief in the hopes of getting him to listen. "But that-that was before. . ." He groaned as he tugged on his hair, unable to explain what was important. "It's all so messed up."

His father turned on him heatedly. "So everything in the ring— a trick? A lie?"

"I screwed up," Hiccup said helplessly. "I-I-I should have told you before now. I just. . .take this out on me, be mad at me, but please, just don't hurt Toothless."

Stoick froze as his rage intensified. "The dragon?" The larger man stepped closer to his son to tower over him. "That's what you're worried about? Not the people you almost killed?"

"He-he was protecting me! He's not dangerous," the brunet tried to explain.

"They've killed hundreds of us!"

For the first time, Hiccup truly understood Dany's indignation at the unjustness of it all. The statistic he'd heard and repeated an uncountable number of times seemed to pale in comparison to the damage that Vikings inflicted on dragons. Recalling one of his earliest conversations with the girl, the echo of her reply burst from his lips in a furious shout: "AND WE'VE KILLED THOUSANDS OF THEM! They defend themselves, that's all!"

Stoick whirled on his heel to glare at his son. "You sound like a blasted Targaryen."

This time, the insult didn't sting as much as it had before. Hiccup refused to be cowed under his father's furious expression. "Well, maybe they're not such bad people to sound like! They understand that dragons raid us because they have to."

His father resumed his agitated pacing front of his son, too angry to form words as the boy continued: "if they don't bring enough food back, they'll be eaten themselves. There's something else on their island. It's a dragon like. . ."

His words came to an abrupt halt when he realized what he almost said. It was too late to cover them up— his father was now giving him his full attention. "Their island?" He leaned even closer, a fervent gleam in his eyes as he asked, "so you've been to the nest?"

"Did. . . I say nest?"

"How did you find it?" the chief demanded.

"W-what? No! "I-I didn't," Hiccup tried to defend himself. "Toothless did. O-only a dragon can find the island."

Stoick's expression lit up and he straightened. Hiccup felt a wave of dread wash over him at the thought of his father trying to face that. . . thing so horribly, terribly unprepared. "No, no, no. No, Dad. No, please, it's not what you think. You don't know what you're up against. It's like nothing you've ever seen." His father pushed him out of the way despite his pleas. "No, Dad. No. For once in your life, would you please just listen to me?!"

When he tried to grab Stoick to stop him, the chief threw out his arm to catch the boy in the stomach, sending him to the ground at the impact. As he panted to catch his breath, the man paused before he left the great hall. "You've thrown your lot in with them. You're not a Viking. You're not my son."

🏹🏹🏹

Dany hadn't gone far after her confrontation with Stoick. She rode Drogon close to Berk as she knew things could only get worse from here. And, knowing Hiccup, he was bound to do something about it. She wasn't surprised by the Vikings' reception— or lack thereof— to her words. After all, that was the same tactic her parents had used and look where that had gotten them. She would just have to find another way— perhaps one so obvious that even the most stubborn Viking could see it— to prove her words.

Sometime later, she saw activity down at the docks and guided Drogon in that direction. Her stomach clenched at the sight of Toothless' bindings and the desire to free him made her curl her fingers into her palms. She was sorely tempted to have her dragon burn those damned ships to nothing more than ash, but she knew that Hiccup wouldn't like it. He was far more peaceful and diplomatic than she was, but her mother said that her passionate anger came from the dragon blood within her.

The Vikings looked up nervously from their preparations as Drogon's shadow fell over the docks. Their work slowed as they watched the dragon circle them high in the sky, leaving them feeling like prey for a hawk. Dany remained oblivious to the tensions her presence was creating. When it became clear that she wasn't there to attack them, their work resumed with renewed fervor; the sight of a Targaryen only fueled them to prove their sanity as dragon hunters.

As the ships began to set sail, the girl caught sight of Hiccup, standing alone on an overlook. She steered Drogon in that direction and landed him on the cliff. She climbed down quickly to join the boy on the wooden structure. Her gaze focused on the boats heading out to sea as her hands curled themselves into fists once again. "I'm sorry I couldn't do more, Hiccup. I'm supposed to be the mother of dragons and I can't even protect one."

"It's not your fault," the brunet reassured her quietly. "And you still have Drogon. I don't think anyone's changed a Viking's mind in a day."

Dany gave him a little smile. "I did with you."

He sighed. "I'm an exception, I guess. I'm sorry that my dad talked to you like that."

She shrugged in response. "Like you said, it's not your fault. We have bigger problems to worry about, anyway. I could fly after your father to try and stop his ships, but we both know how he feels about me. Besides, I don't think one person alone can do anything— I've already proven that much already."

Hiccup hung his head as he thought about the daunting task of trying to save his father, his tribe and his best friend as one person, alone. "Why couldn't I have killed that dragon when I found him in the woods?"

Dany looked at him sharply. "You can't think like that! It's always better to make the right choice over the easy one." Her expression became curious as her words sank in. "So. . . why didn't you kill him?"

He was quiet for a moment as he thought about her question. "I don't know. I couldn't."

The blonde scoffed. She was surprised by Hiccup's lack of reply; the boy she'd gotten to know in the cove was headstrong, intelligent and brave—he had never been this indecisive. . . this pathetic with her. "That's not an answer."

Hiccup turned away from her, unable to face the girl as he admitted, "I was a coward. I was weak. I wouldn't kill a dragon."

"Wouldn't?" she repeated with interest. "Why not?"

"I wouldn't kill him because he looked as frightened as I was. I looked at him and I saw myself," he finally told her.

"I don't think that's cowardly at all," Dany said. "Choosing to let something live when it's release could very well put you in danger? Hiccup, you're a lot braver than you give yourself credit for, and I think Toothless could really use some of that courage now. What are you going to do about it?"

He shrugged. "Eh. . . probably something stupid."

The blonde shook her head. "Not good enough. Think like a Targaryen!"

"Then something crazy!"

She grinned as he began to head back down the cliff, filled with renewed purpose. "That's more like it."

A/n: TBH I kind of feel like this chapter is a bit of a cringefest. I'm not super comfortable with writing my own dialogue and, idk, it seems like Dany's confrontation with Stoick maybe has 'pick me' energy? I really hope it doesn't since that's not what I was going for at all, but I also don't feel like it has the dramatic impact that I wanted. Anyway, I'm sorry if this wasn't good as the other chapters! (But I am looking forward to the next one when Dany meets the rest of the gang!)