Astrid didn't often have nightmares, but when she did, they tended to pack a punch. Seconds before she was to be consumed in a fiery inferno, she awoke, lurching upwards and gasping for air. The dream had felt too real.
She glanced outside, finding it was still dark. Likely early morning.
She rubbed her eyes, trying to wipe away the mental picture her mind had conjured. It wasn't unusual in Berk to dream of fire. With the frequency of the raids, fire had become a part of life. A danger, a devourer of homes and a common fear that united the tribe.
Astrid didn't like to be afraid.
Now irritated, she knew she wasn't going to be able to sleep. She pushed her blankets aside, climbing softly to her feet. With care to not wake her parents, she dressed quickly and grabbed her favorite battle axe before slipping out into the predawn chill.
The cool wind whipped through her unbound hair, helping ground her in the present. She was alive. She was safe. She was unburned .
She was still keyed up from the dream.
Astrid clenched her fists, striding through the streets with no real destination in mind. She was only mildly surprised to find that habit had brought her to the storehouse, and without pause she pushed her way inside. She headed to where several wooden barrels of fish had been set aside, depositing a few into one of the metal buckets on the ground.
Might as well feed the Night Fury now. Then, she'd be free to spend her whole morning blowing off steam before she was expected to make an official appearance at the ring.
She trudged over to the arena, realizing she'd never taken the path in darkness. It was well-trod enough that she had an easy time navigating, but it was strange to make the journey without the sun beating down on her neck.
Astrid slipped into the arena quietly, not wanting to wake the dragons. She'd just slip the fish through the slats and be gone – no use riling up the rest of the residents who wouldn't be fed for hours. They weren't her responsibility.
When she slid back the window panel, her breath caught.
The Night Fury was nowhere to be seen.
Astrid dropped the bucket in alarm, fumbling to open the door. How had it escaped?
The door swung open, a low squeak ringing out from the old hinges. As it opened, a distinctly human figure fell at her feet, grunting in surprise. It was a young man, she quickly assessed, judging by his build.
How did he get in the cell? Had this boy…freed the Night Fury and somehow managed to trap himself in the process?
No , her mind supplied, the arena gate was shut.
No dragon would have stopped to close the gate on its way out. It may be smart, but there were limits to what the creatures could do.
"Who are you?" She asked, anger biting into her voice, "and what did you do with the Night Fury?"
At those words, the boy rolled over to face her, eyes wide with unbridled fear. He sat up, hastily shuffling back to put some distance between them.
Good, she thought. If the boy was afraid, he might be more cooperative.
His green eyes shot upwards, darting around the sky as if the night stars had the answer. He then looked down at himself, pulling at his sleeves so that they covered his hands.
Nervous habit? She wondered.
The more she stared at him, the more she noticed that there was something…oddly familiar about him, but she couldn't place what that might be. Freckles, messy auburn hair and thin gangly limbs made for an unlikely dragon thief.
Astrid kicked at his legs, "Answer me."
The boy yelped, once more moving out of her range. " Why would you do that?"
That phrasing, in that particular tone of voice…there was something off about it that she couldn't place. It felt like a conversation that she'd already had many times before, but now couldn't quite recall.
Just who was he?
She crouched to her knees, bringing herself to eye level with the intruder. His eyes kept darting away from her and then back, unwilling to meet her own for an extended period of time. She mentally traced his features, taking in the shape of the slightly too-big nose, squared jaw and thin lips.
The truth hit her like a cannonball.
"HICCUP!?" She exclaimed, grabbing him roughly by the arm and dragging him to his feet.
He swayed, unsteady on his feet for a minute. Once he found his balance, he clasped his hands behind his back, meeting her gaze with nervous eyes.
"Uh, hi, Astrid."
"Really? Five years and you're really gonna lead with 'Hi, Astrid?'" she asked in disbelief. "The whole village thinks you're dead!"
"Uh, yeah," he drawled, tipping his head to the side. He gestured towards himself, "as you can see though…totally not dead!"
She pinched a finger on the bridge of her nose, reminded once more of the boy's awkwardness. Somehow he'd defied the odds and lived through whatever had caused his mysterious disappearance, but still hadn't figured out how to hold a conversation?
If she'd had any doubts about his identity, they were gone now.
Her eyes flickered back to the empty cell, and she raised an eyebrow. "Well, you're gonna be if you don't tell me what you did with that dragon."
"What? You think I had something to do with it?"
"You were in the cage," she reminded him, stalking closer and jabbing a finger at his chest. "The dragon wasn't. Start talking."
"Oh gods," he whispered to himself, squeezing his eyes shut.
If that wasn't a sign of guilt, she didn't know what was. Still, his appearance had rattled her. The village had long since given up on finding the heir, assuming he'd been eaten by dragons in one of the raids. To see him standing before her, alive and whole, made her wonder if she might still be dreaming.
Dreaming of Hiccup Haddock? She quickly dismissed the thought.
A rooster crowed nearby, interrupting her thoughts. Dawn had come.
At the sound, Hiccup jerked back like he'd been punched.
"Oh no, no, no…please not now," he muttered, a pained desperation leaking into his voice. He continued backing away from her, stumbling a bit in his haste. His eyes roamed the sky, no longer paying her any mind.
"Hiccup?" She asked, a spike of worry in her gut. She'd never seen him act like this before – Hel, she'd never seen anyone act like this.
What was he so scared of? Surely her catching him had to be more intimidating than whatever he was looking for outside the ring? Unless…was he running from something or someone? His disappearance had always been a mystery, perhaps he was in some kind of danger.
Hiccup had been the heir of Berk, her mind supplied. A kidnapping was not outside the realm of possibilities for someone in that position. If he'd been taken by an enemy of the village and then managed to escape, his captors could still be trailing him.
"What is it?" She asked, tensing. If there was a fight to be had, she wanted to be prepared.
His attention snapped back to her and his already pale skin went bone white. "Astrid," he said, voice laced with fear. "I – there's no time. You need to leave right now."
"Like Hel I do."
"Of course, you're Astrid , why would you ever listen," he muttered quietly, but she still heard. His next words were louder, laced with deep resignation, "Y-You're going to see something that I can't explain right now, and it's probably going to freak you out. No, it's definitely going to freak you out. I need you to try to stay calm even though I know–"
"Excuse me?" What was he babbling about now?
"You're going to have a lot of questions," he was speaking faster now, almost frantically "and I promise I'll answer every one of them if you come back at sunset. Just…you can't tell anyone."
"Hiccup, you're not making any sense."
He grimaced. "I'm sorry, I wish–"
The first rays of sunlight broke through the sky, streaming into the arena and bathing the two in a warm glow.
Hiccup suddenly convulsed, his slim body quickly swallowed up in a strange wave of purple fire.
Astrid cried out in surprise, jumping back.
The strange fire burned across his skin with an intense brightness that had Astrid shielding her eyes. Before she could process what was happening, it had fully devoured the chief's son. Seconds later the purple fire faded out, but the boy was nowhere to be seen. Instead, the bizarre inferno left the Night Fury in its wake.
Astrid gaped, taking in the sight of the dragon. It stared back at her, wearing the same look of unbridled terror she'd just seen from Hiccup.
"Oh my gods," she whispered, mind coming to what should have been an impossible conclusion. It was completely insane to even consider, but she'd just seen it with her own eyes – hadn't she? "Is it…it's…you…what?"
Hiccup is the Night Fury.
The dragon slumped, looking defeated as she made the connection. The scaled head bobbed up and down into a defined nod, a mannerism she'd definitely never seen from a dragon.
Her mind reeled at the knowledge, while her eyes swept over the Night Fury with a new perspective. "...I mean, how is this even possible?"
The dragon – no, Hiccup – moaned, shaking his head. Right. He probably couldn't communicate in this form.
"Can you…change back?" She asked, uncertain how to phrase it. "So we can talk about this?"
Once more, the Night Fury shook his head. He tilted his head at the sun before looking back at her, insistently repeating the motion a few times.
Great. Charades with a dragon.
She considered the gestures he was making. Wait…hadn't he asked her to come back at sundown? Was this all somehow linked to the sun?
When she voiced the possible connection, he bobbed his head up and down with vigor. It was so strange to see, and even stranger to process the fact that she was having a conversation with a dragon .
Well, at least a viking-turned-dragon, but she figured the wings and scales were enough to make it count either way.
At least now the intelligence in his eyes made sense – there was a human mind behind them. And Hiccup had always been clever.
The Night Fury crept around her, leaving a wide berth between them as he circled back towards the cell. Astrid wasn't sure if that was for his benefit or her own.
He let out a huff that almost sounded like the equivalent of a dragon sigh before trudging into the confinement once more. With clear effort, he was able to turn around and face her in the small alcove, leveling those intense eyes on her own.
I'm trusting you. They seemed to say.
Astrid paused, considering. Should she tell anyone what she'd learned? Would anyone even believe her? A part of her was still having trouble believing it, and she'd seen it herself.
Hiccup was a dragon . A fire breathing beast, just like the creatures that had terrorized her home for seven generations. That could not be dismissed.
Though, he'd still seemed so much like the boy who'd vanished all those years ago. The awkwardness, the snark…they were trademark Hiccup qualities. She couldn't deny the human aspect any more than the dragon one.
The dragon that had made no move to harm her in the ring, she acknowledged. She'd thought it was odd before, the way he seemed to favor defensive moves, but Hiccup had always been the same way. Where exactly did Hiccup end and the Night Fury begin.
Her head hurt just thinking about it. She needed answers.
"I'll give you today," she promised reluctantly, hoping it wasn't a mistake. "Anything after that will depend on what you have to say tonight."
He dipped his head, accepting the terms.
Hiccup really wished the Night Fury had just struck him dead on the spot, all those years ago. At least then, it would have been over quickly and his misery would have been short-lived.
Now, listening to the familiar sounds of dragon training through the metal door, Hiccup felt the anticipation clawing away at his chest. Each hour brought him closer to the inevitable confrontation, the slow stretch of time fraying his already tight nerves. This was it – something he'd worked so hard to avoid over the years.
Astrid knew .
If he'd thought he was doomed before, now he was certain he was in for a new level of damnation. The most battle-happy young warrior in Berk knew his secret, and would be waiting for him come nightfall when he was at his most defenseless.
At this point, he wondered if the gods were using his pain for entertainment. Surely they were having a good laugh at the absurdity of his life. He hoped someone was enjoying it at least, since he sure wasn't.
The stress triggered a plasma buildup in his throat, pressure building around it and threatening to release. In these cramped quarters, it was more likely to hurt him than help anything, so he forced himself to relax. Once his tension drained, the blast faded away leaving behind an unfortunate dryness in his mouth.
There was a small tub of water, shoved in one corner. He grudgingly got to his feet, lapping up enough water to sate him. It was warm from sitting out in the cell, but it was better than nothing.
Hiccup was almost relieved when the door screeched open, signaling his daily session with Astrid. Sitting in one spot, stewing in his thoughts, had only served to amplify his fears. He needed to get moving, to focus on something else for the time being.
Taking a few steps out into the ring, he glanced up at the higher level. He wasn't sure if he was relieved or disappointed to find his father absent.
"Since it doesn' seem keen to fight ya," called Gobber from above. "Let's try somethin' new. See if ya can touch it today. Migh' have a weak spot on th' neck. A pressure point ya can use to sedate it. Fishlegs found one on the Gronckle last week, remember?"
Hiccup snorted, not liking the comparison or the implication. If he did have a pressure point that could be exploited at his expense, he wasn't about to let Berk find out.
"You want me…to try and touch…the Night Fury…" Astrid was clearly having a hard time getting the words out, staring at Gobber like he'd grown a second head.
"Aye!" The blacksmith agreed, waving his hook in the air. "It migh' no' let ya get close enough, but jus' try. If it moves to blast ya, just get out of there – don' wanna explain tha' one to Stoick."
Hiccup tilted his head to the side, fixing Astrid with an appraising look.
She raised an eyebrow at him, frowning as she realized that he'd not only heard but also understood the entire exchange. He was well aware of Gobber's request, and knew exactly how to end the exercise if he wanted.
He watched her curiously, as she turned her back to Gobber. She whispered, so soft it was almost silent, "Can you hear me?"
He dipped his head once, not committing to a full nod in front of their current audience. One viking knowing was bad enough.
Astrid's eyes widened with surprise, as if she'd doubted he'd be able to pick up her soft words. She swung her axe up onto her back, securing it in its sheath. "You've got to let me get close," she warned, raising her hands slowly as she inched towards him. "If Gobber doesn't think I'm making any progress, he's going to try this with someone else…and I'm pretty sure you don't want that."
Hiccup growled.
The menacing sound startled Astrid, who stopped her approach. "Hiccup?" She asked quietly, looking wary.
He bit off the noise, hoping that would reassure her. She held out one hand, tentatively, now just a few steps away from him.
Hiccup eyed her outstretched limb, unsure of how to proceed. He didn't want to scare her off – especially before he got a chance to properly explain everything – but he also wasn't about to suffer the indignity of letting her grope his face, looking for weak points.
He huffed, leaning in to tap her hand gently with his nose. After giving her a moment to process the contact, he drew back quickly, retreating across the arena as fast as his feet would carry him.
"Good effort, lass! Let's try tha' again."
"Thanks, Gobber," replied Astrid, hand focused on her own palm thoughtfully. She clenched it a few times before looking back over at Hiccup.
He narrowed his eyes as she started towards him again, moving his head to one side. He hoped the slight movement did enough to convey that he was not going to keep indulging her request.
She frowned, but didn't stop. He supposed it would be hard to explain to Gobber if she did.
Hiccup summoned a plasma blast in his throat, opening his jaw to make the distinct purple glow visible to the vikings. He had no intention of firing, but at least Gobber didn't know that. The look on Astrid's face made him suspect that she wasn't buying his threat, but she took a few steps back to placate him.
"Enough!" Called Gobber, a frantic edge to his voice as he slipped into the ring, banging his hook against a metal shield. "Back into yer pen, ya big ugly lizard."
Hiccup rolled his eyes at Astrid when he was sure the blacksmith wouldn't see, before padding back over to his cage once more. He could have sworn he heard a stifled giggle as he passed, but it was gone as quickly as it had started.