Chapter Text
The sun was rising just above the horizon when Astrid noticed the dragon was getting closer to an island not much bigger than her village. At first she thought the exhaustion of the past few days was making her see things. She couldn’t remember that last time she slept. The ache in her shoulders from being chained to the ceiling was still prominent and throbbed with every movement.
When the sound of the wind receded and she could hear the waves she knew the riders was planning something.
She pulled back from the rider, her muscles feeling numb as a wave of embarrassment washed over her. She had been resting her head on his shoulder for most of the flight. She was sure to have a scale imprint on her cheek.
They were no where near Berk.
She let out a yawn as she looked around, trying to figure out where they were. “What’s going on? why are we landing?”
He stiffened at the sudden movement, as if he had forgotten she was there. He cleared his throat before sitting up straighter, “It’s a few more hours to Berk and you are exhausted. It will be a lot easier to eat on solid ground. Plus it will be good for Toothless to be rested up just in case.”
With that the dragon touched down on the small grassy island. The rider helped her off the saddle, grabbing and unhooking a saddle bag. And quickly as they landed, the dragon bounded off to a small stream near by and drank deeply.
The rider kept his hand on her arm and lead her to a circle of tree stumps. Once she was seated he pulled out a water skin and an apple and handed them to her. “Eat up and once you aren’t as shaky. You are going to tell me everything you know about Drago.”
She weighed the provisions in her hand before tossing them back at him. “How do I know you aren’t trying to poison me.”
He made an indignant sound as he caught them. “Oh for the love of Thor.” He raised his hand under his helmet and tugged down a strip of scale coated wool that had been coving his chin and throat.
Tilting up his helmet slightly, he brought apple to his lips and took a bite before tossing it back to her. Before uncorking the skin and taking a drink and tossing the water back. A drop of water trailed down his chin. Astrid spied a small scar in his chin and a tufted of brown hair before he readjusted his helmet.
“Satisfied that it’s safe?”
“Yes and I’m also satisfied that I can get a rise out of you.” And without any more protest she took a bite. The food instantly made her feel better and she hadn’t realized how thirsty she was until the skin always drained and she had to stop herself from asking for more.
He quietly sat down on a stump near hers and handed her the rest of the pack. He must have noticed that she was still hungry.
Once everything in the bag was gone he spoke up again. “So, why is it that a Berkian warrior such as yourself ended up in the brig of one of those psychopaths ships?”
Astrid wiped the juice off her chin before averting her eyes from him. Why did he have to bring up her complete failure? She rubbed her raw wrists feeling the pain of scabs and sores. She was prideful, all Vikings were. And admitting that her home was facing the threat of total destruction would be a direct blow to hers. One more painful than the torn skin on her wrists, or to the green and purple bruises running up her torso.
But she knew that if she wanted to get the rider to help her she would have to swallow he own ego.
Her mouth felt dry again and she braced herself to admit her own shortcomings.
“Drago Bludvist is coming to Berk.” The rider stiffened as she began to speak, not taking his attention away from her. “A few months ago he sent us a message. A threat that if we don’t join in his crusade that he would burn us to the ground. That he take his dragon army and rip, tear, and burn his way through us.”
“Most of the older members of our chiefs council laughed at the threat, but Stoick took it seriously. He locked down the island, shored up our defenses. We thought that nothing could touch us. Berk had been in an era of prosperity for years. Ever since the dragons stopped raiding we have been able to secure trade deals, we’ve double our food supplies, and increase ships back to the numbers he had before we started looking for the nest. That was all before the attacks started. Is only been a few months but we are already running out of ideas to stop him. And I don’t know how long we will last.”
Astrid went in to explain how they guessed the location of the ships, about how her friends went out to search the other locations, and about how she went in alone. When she was done she met his gaze.
He hadn’t moved for her entire story. Not for the first time did she wish that he would take off his mask. Just to gauge what his emotions might be.
“You don’t know how much it hurts me to say this, but Berk needs help. It needs your help Rider. I would have never been able to get out of that cell without your help. And even if I could, there was too many for me to take on my own.”
The rider got up from his stump. Beginning to pace around the clearing. It almost looked like he was arguing with himself.
“You were able to outsmart all of Drago’s men. You were able to over power them and take not just one ship but two. And it only took you a few hours.”
Astrid got up from her perch and approached him. He was muttering to himself quietly and fidgeting with his gloves. She could have sworn he was saying, “my fault.” But he had walked too far way and too quickly for her to make out what he was saying. Especially with his helmet muffling his voice.
“If Berk had someone with even half the wit of yours we might stand a chance, but we haven’t had someone as clever as you in years. It kills me to say this but we need your help.”
She grabbed his arm then to stop him in his tracks and he lowered his head to avoid her gaze. But Astrid would not be ignored. She bent her knees and got closer to him while keeping a firm grip on his arm. Forcing him to look at her. “Rider please. I don’t want to beg, but Berk needs you.”
From under his mask she could multiple emotions flashing in his eyes. “Your chief would never allow me to help. From what I know of Stoick, he had more pride than you. And he hates dragons. There is no way he would allow me to free the ones that Drago has captured. He would never allow Toothless on his island.”
“What if I could convince him. Would you help us if he swore to not touch your dragon? Would you help if Drago’s dragons could be set free?”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep Astrid.” There was an unsteadiness to his voice as he gave his none answer.
“It’s not a promise, I know I can get him to cave. Stoick is not as prideful as you might think. The loss of a child will make anyone reevaluate their priorities.”
He took a step back at that, acting almost as if she had hit him. “What do you mean his son is dead?”
“I nerve said Hiccup was dead, but the chances are high that he is. How did you know he had a son?”
He broke away from her then taking a few steps back. She could tell that he was beginning to breathe heavy. He wasn’t telling her something. Berk was definitely a sore spot for him. “Everyone on the archipelago knows about Stoick the Vast. How is the greatest Viking ever born. And especially how his son was his biggest disappointment.”
She was enraged enough to punch him now. How dare he say something like that about her chief. About Hiccup.
She began to reach for her axe. And just her hand wrapped around the handle the rider moved. A knife that she hadn’t known he had was out and she had to yank her hand back to avoid it slicing her hand as it bounced off her blade and back into the dirt in between them.
“Enough talking. I don’t want to fight you and if we continue I know we will come to blows.” He stepped back again putting his hand to his face before letting out loud breath. And then he called his dragon.
The black dragon bounded back to his master as her reached down to retrieve his knife. It stared at Astrid with a mixed of malice and curiosity in its gaze.
“I promised I would take you back and I keep my word,” the rider was climbing back on beast now. Hooking himself into the saddle before holding his hand out to her.
She didn’t move.
He let out a grunt of frustration. Before speaking again, “look I will help in any way I can but without your chief meeting my demands I can’t do much. At the very least I can give you the notes I’ve gathered on him over the past year.”
Astrid stared at him for a moment before relaxing her muscles. “You were digging through papers on the ship. Collecting information.”
“Yes. Because I’ve been trying to stop Drago for years.” His hand was still outstretched to her. And finally she reached up took it in hers.
They were back in the air in a matter of moments. They spent the rest of the ride back to Berk in a tense silence.
By the time it was midday she could see the outline of her home on the horizon. The rider brought his dragon low to the water. If she reached down she could have felt the water rushing through her fingers.
She had to admit it to herself, it was amazing to ride on the back of a dragon.
He landed on an island a mile from Berks shore. One that Astrid had vivid memories of swimming to every summer when the weather was at its hottest. And racing too when the first frost hit as a part of the annual Berk swimming race. Unlike a normal race; the person who could stay in the water the longest was the winner.
From the shadow of the trees the rider let her off his mount.
“This is where I leave you. It shouldn’t be too hard for you to swim the rest of the way. I hope you understand that we would be shot on sight if we got caught. Even if we were doing a good thing like brining back one of there own.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to try. I promise that Berk is not what you know.”
“Like I said, I will do what I can. Give me a week and I will bring back copies of all the notes and maps I’ve gathered from my raids. But beyond that.” He shook his head almost as if he was arguing with himself. “I can’t help unless I get the guarantee Toothless’s safety.”
And with that he launched back into the sky and disappeared into the clouds. Leaving Astrid to swim the rest of the way home.