Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Welcome to Demon Training!” The large mustached amputee exclaimed. 

The small, skinny boy with an auburn mop rolled his eyes at the jovial man. He knew Gobber most of his life, the man practically raised him after his father practically abandoned him as a lost cause. He stood at the back of the line fidgeting with the extremely uncomfortable armor adorned on his lanky body. The armor was sized for a much larger recruit and the boy nearly crumpled under the weight alone. He tried to persuade his father to let him wear something that would fit his form and allow movement of his joints. Like leather or hide armor.

His father merely chuckled before throwing the cuirass and vambraces into his arms. "A Knight of the Holy Order must look the part, Hiccup," his father had claimed. Hiccup scoffed. A knight? He was barely even recruit material. I mean, how could a walking, talking fishbone ever– 

“Are you sure about this Hiccup? You would probably make a better support engineer like me.” His thoughts were interrupted by the large man looking down on his apprentice. 

“You know how my father is Gobber.” Hiccup sighed, “his son must become the world's fiercest knight.” The rest of the group laughed at that claim.

“Nice one Useless, but you don’t have a chance while I’m still around.” The stocky, raven haired boy said with a smirk lining the side of his face. The blonde boy with braided hair next to him elbowed the boy.

“I think you mean while Astrid is still around Snot.” He laughed as Snotlout’s face contorted.

“I am well aware that Astrid is going to be the best of us here.” Hiccup said as his eyes glanced over to the lithe shape casually leaning against the nearest wall. Her arms were crossed and she huffed, flicking her blonde braid over her shoulder and blowing the bangs off her beautiful face and revealing stunning azure eyes. Hiccup’s breath hitched as it usually did when he saw the blonde valkyrie.

“That’s enough lolly gaggin’” Gobber claimed and dragged the band of students further into the training arena. It was a rather small room that contained oval walls made of concrete. The top of the room was iron chains covering it in a dome. Looking up and off in the distance you could see the headquarters of the knights order. It was a giant building with two large towers ending in a butterfly roof framed with parapets flanking the sides of the building. It felt like an old church that was repurposed hundreds of years ago at the start of the demon’s invasion of the mainland.

“Astrid, lass. Can you show us how to summon your divine weapon?” Gobber asked, looking at the warrior expectantly.

She nodded and walked to the center of the training arena and closed her eyes. She slowly inhaled and exhaled, focusing on her surroundings. She did her best to direct the natural flow to herself. Over the span of a few minutes of constant meditation, she was able to gather enough energy to summon her weapon. She held out her hand and the energy collapsed and gathered into the form of a large double-headed battle axe. The blonde smiled at her feat and opened her eyes.

The audience clapped and were amazed by how quickly she was able to summon the weapon. It only took a few minutes and she wasn’t even officially a knight! Gobber was off to the side pointing a device at Astrid. He was nodding and seemed pleased with the result.

“Well done Astrid. As expected,” Gobber smiled. “Now the rest of you. Show me how it's done.”

“Wait, aren’t you going to train us?” A blonde female with twin braids, nearly identical to her brother.

“I believe in learning on the job Ruffnut.” 

The rest of the trainees spread out from one another and began their best to summon their divine weapons. The twins would get close before one would crack a joke and they would both lose concentration. Soon enough Snotlout was able to summon his divine weapon, an ordinary looking mace. Still, it took him nearly thrice the time of Astrid. The twins also summoned their weapons after they finished goofing around. Well mostly. Fishlegs was an exception and was not required to summon a divine weapon as he was not testing to become a knight.

The only one left now was Hiccup. Who tried his best to summon something. Anything really. The sad reality that he had hidden from everyone was that he had yet to obtain his divine weapon. Most people would be given them as children by their parents and trusted to protect the family from the invading demons. Hiccup was never given one as his father feared he would impale himself or cut off one of Stoick’s toes. Hiccup knew it was fruitless to try and summon a weapon that never existed, but he still gave it his best shot even amid the scornful looks from the twins and the mocking shouts from his cousin Snotlout.

“Any day now Useless.” Snotlout faked a yawn, “I’m about to collapse from boredom.” 

Hiccup threw his hands in frustration and gave up. He knew it wasn’t going to work, but he would give it his best shot even if it was impossible. He may be mocked and weak, but he is stubborn beyond anything else. He will never give up or slack on his work to make up for his shortcomings. Hiccup trudged off to the side and sat by Fishlegs who just gave him a pitying glance before returning his gaze  to the rest of the recruits. 

Fishlegs was writing notes and observations at a lightning pace trying to keep up with the session. He was trying to become a scholar. One that would support the knights from behind the scenes in knowledge of the demons and the strategies to defeat them. He was already assigning different statistics to different types of demons. Some with speed eight or differing jaw strengths. The rest of the recruits sans Hiccup were continuing with their training. One thing was for certain, if Hiccup was unable to summon a divine weapon. He would never become a knight.

And so the other lessons continued. Day after day of the same routine. All would summon their weapons in preparation for the training regime, but Hiccup would give it his best. After the usual berating from Snotlout he would return to the sidelines with Fish. This continued for months as training continued. Still with no weapon Hiccup was losing hope of ever graduating. His father just wouldn’t see reason and allow him to become an engineer. 

And before he knew it graduation came. With this he would receive the news of his failure and be removed from the order. Needless to say, Hiccup was not happy about it. He walked into the large room in the center of the Knight Order. It was a large rectangular room with scare furniture and a few ornaments and tapestries on the wall. In the center was a makeshift stage where each knight would be given their rank and inducted into the Order.

“First, I would like to call up the recruit with the highest marks in the recruitment and bootcamp process.” Gobber smiled at his students, “Astrid Hofferson.”

Everyone clapped and gave a few small whoops as she climbed onto the stage and received her title. She was inducted into the Order as a D-rank knight and with the highest marks earned the honor of being the captain of her cohort, meaning she would lead the future engagement of her fellow knights. Soon after her the rest of the knights were called up and also inducted as D-ranks.

“Now that is all for the knights in this class.” Hiccup's shoulders deflated. He knew this was coming but was still slightly in denial. “Next up I would like to invite Fishlegs onto the stage.”

The husky boy squeaked then climbed up next to Gobber nearly bursting from the seams. He was inducted as a D-rank scholar. He would act as support for Astrid’s cohort and do his best to give them the best strategies and keep an ear out for any possible invasions that they could defend against. 

“Lastly, come on up lad.” Gobber said softly his gaze locked on the slumped shape in the back. Hiccup stood slowly and walked up and next to Gobber. Hiccup was doing his best to keep his eyes anywhere but on the larger man. “I would like to award you Hiccup as an E-rank support engineer.”

Hiccup’s head shot up, eyes wide in disbelief. Snotlout mocked something from the stands, but Hiccup tuned him out. He could not believe what he was hearing. That he was actually getting a chance. A chance to be in the Order. His smile stretched from ear to ear as he accepted the uniform from Gobber. With the ceremony done, and in a much more exciting ending than he had anticipated, he allowed himself to look around the room finally. Looking at the audience that included each recruit's family members. Everyone looked overjoyed for their children and some, the Ingermans, were even tearing up. Hiccup glanced at the empty seat on the far right. It was reserved for his father. He let out a low sigh and realized he had never shown, probably too busy to even attend Hiccup’s graduation. Hiccup knew his father loved him in his own unique way, but he loved serving the Order more and trying to rid the world of the demons.

Hiccup smiled despite himself. He knew that even this wouldn’t get him down. He was finally a part of the Order that he had dreamed about since his father first told him the stories. The recruits were gathered and forced to take a picture of all of them together. Astrid was in the center next to Gobber and the rest flanked them on the sides huddling close. Hiccup stood off to the side just barely getting into photograph range. For the first time in a long time, Hiccup’s smile was genuine and shining.

Even 5 years later looking back at the photograph and running his hand over the textured image in a small picture frame on his desk. He still smiled remembering the day. He was locked in his office trying his best to support the E-rank knights. Although his fellow cohort had moved on to the C-rank, leaving him further in the dust. Hiccup was still happy finally being allowed to do his part. To rid the world of demons, like his father.

Chapter Text

There was a loud banging of metal that reverberated through the forge. Hiccup wiped the sweat from his brow in the sweltering heat of the furnace that seeped out into the enclosed space. He quickly lifted the small device to gather a closer inspection. He returned the device to the anvil before he began banging away. Shortly thereafter, the device was finished. He let out a slow breath and relaxed backwards, cracking his sore back in the process.

His newest invention was a device capable of capturing the demons. Simply slide the small cube under a demon and after a delay it will deploy a net that will enclose and capture it. Captured demons are worth much more than dead demons as it allows the knight order to train new recruits and study their erratic behaviors. The only issue was getting the cube under the demons. He would need to create a device able to slow or immobilize the demons before throwing the cube catcher (The name he gave the device. A cube that catches). 

He gazed over into the corner to see a large block that had wires splayed out in every direction and a large subwoofer attached to the right side. Once complete it would be his best chance to slow them down. The demons were elusive and hard to catch. They may seem mindless or unstrategic, but their instincts allow them to be far more formidable than expected. Hiccup picked up the cube and placed it onto a cart filled with more of these cube catchers. He stood up and pushed the cart out into the adjacent room where the E-rank knights were training. One of the knights caught a glimpse of Hiccup rolling his cart over to them.

“Great. . . here comes our support engineer.” A 15 year old boy with dark and messy hair whined, rolling his eyes. “I wonder what he’s going to break this time.”

“Not sure Gustav.” Another female blonde knight strolled up next to the smaller boy joining his side with a wicked grin. “But it’ll be awesome I bet!”

“You are just like your crazy cousins aren’t you Lupnut?” The blonde nodded enthusiastically.

Hiccup set up a fake training dummy with a large target on its chest in the corner. What he didn’t see, but should have expected, was the mischievous Lupnut going behind his back and stealthily pocket one of the cubes on the cart. Hiccup finished with the dummy and grabbed one of the cubes and summoned the E-rank knights.

“This is very simple.” He said holding the cube in his left hand. “Simply push this button here.” He pressed the button and the device began beeping. “Then throw it under the demon.” The cube slid over directly under the training dummy before the beeping increased rapidly into a constant tone before a net shot out the top of the cube and wrapped around the training dummy. The momentum of the net caused the dummy to fall over and crash onto the floor. He turned to find a sea of shocked faces. They clearly didn’t expect his invention to not cause destruction much less actually work.

“Well this makes our lives easier. Now we can tangle the demons up then execute them while they are defenseless.” Gustav mused and Hiccup pinched the bridge of his nose.

“No Gustav, we need to capture them for training recruits and studying.” The E-rank scholar of the group, Lire, was nodding profusely.

“He’s right. We can gather a lot of information from a captured demon,” She said.

“Boring.” Gustav waved her off. “We are knights. We are here to kill demons, not keep them alive. A good demon is only a dead demon.” He waved the group away. “Come on guys we don’t need this ,” he gestured to Hiccup,  “we can kill demons all on our own.”

Lire opened her mouth to disagree, but Gustav glared at her. She closed her mouth and followed the rest. 

However, Lupnut spoke up, “Come on Gustav I’m sure it’s useful for something.” Before anyone could react, Lupnt pushed the button on the hidden cube in her pocket. Hiccup’s eyes widened at the sound and sprung into action. Lupnut threw the device towards Lire and it slowly slid to a halt near the frightened teen. She was frozen with eyes bulging and staring at the intrusive device. The beeping started to quicken and Hiccup reached her and pushed her out of the way. No sooner than she hit the ground did the beep reach a constant cadence and fired its net capturing the tall, lanky support engineer.

Hiccup flew onto the floor trapped in his own device. Gustav and Lupnut both broke out laughing at the young adult’s struggle in the net. Lire tried her best to free their engineer, but to no avail. The door on the far side of the room slammed open and a grumpy man with graying dark brown hair trudged into the room. His cerulean eyes fell on the helpless shape struggling to free himself. He sighed as he walked over and stood above Hiccup with his arms crossed. Lire backed away timidly and hid behind the now silent Gustav and Lupnut.

Hiccup flopped around a few more times before he was able to free his hands and started cutting the net around him. As he was halfway through the first rope he noticed two large boots in front of him. He glanced up and saw the disapproving scowl of Spitelout Jorgenson, a B-rank knight. 

“Care to explain what’s going on here boy-o?” 

“U-uncle Spitelout,” Hiccup quickly cut the rest of the net and freed himself to stand a few inches above his Uncle. “Good to see you, have you gotten taller?”

“I don’t need flattery Hiccup.” The man sighed, “can you explain what you were doing flopping around on the floor in a net, like a fish caught for supper?”

Hiccup gave a wan smile, “You mean like a haddock?” His uncle’s raised brow signified he did not understand or care for the joke. “Erm-I was,” his eyes quickly searched the premises trying to come up with an explanation, “testing my newest device to capture demons.”

Spitelout peered at the cut net below Hiccup's feet, “And you caught yourself instead?”

“No, no,” he quickly claimed, “it was a major success. I had one of the E-ranks try the device on me to test capturing a moving opponent and it seems–”

Spitelout raised a hand to silence the boy. “Boy-o, I don’t think capturing an E-rank support engineer can compare to even an F-rank demon.”

A flash of hurt played across Hiccup’s face before he tried again, “Well, either way, the test shows that we can capture demons.”

“That’s great and all Hiccup. But how does that help us kill the demons?”

“That’s what I’m saying!” Gustav piped in from the peanut gallery.

Hiccup shot a quick glare at the boy trying to silence him. “It helps us gain information about the demon’s capabilities and gives the scholars–”

Interrupting again, Spitelout sighed, “Look Hiccup. I don’t hate you, I disdain you.” Hiccup gave a hurt look as he then placed both of his hands on the auburn’s shoulders. “You’ve been an E-rank support engineer for a long while now. What, 5 years?” The young adult nodded in confirmation. “Thought so, now I don’t care about studying the demons. You are a support engineer. Meant to support the knights. And all I’m seeing is this. ” He gestured around the room. 

Spitelout began to walk away and stopped turning back to Hiccup, “You don’t belong here. Become a D-rank engineer and prove me wrong or I will submit a request for your dismissal from the Order.” He then left the room muttering things under his breath.

Hiccup sat there defeated. He always tried his best, but it never seemed possible to please anyone. He picked up the used cube and slowly inspected it. It executed perfectly and worked to his exact standards but it still wasn't good enough. Not good enough to be noticed by his Uncle. Not good enough to be noticed by Gobber. And definitely not good enough to be noticed by his father. It worked perfectly but was still not good enough for the Order. 

He threw the cube across the room in a fit of rage as Lupnut walked up to him, “Hey Hiccup. I thought the device worked really well. We were just messing around, you know.”

Hiccup looked at the teenager, his eyes filled with sorrow. “It doesn’t matter now, Lupnut. I need to become a D-rank support engineer or I won’t have a job. That means one of you will need to take the test with me so I can support someone for the test.”

Lupnut looked down at her feet, “Well, Hiccup you know how busy we are and we aren’t the best suited for helping you with the test.”

“You are my cohort. I’ve worked with you all for nearly a year. If you aren’t suited then who is?” Lupnut opened her mouth to reply, but closed it when she found nothing coming to mind. “Yea, thought so,” Hiccup turned and began to leave. Lupnut reached forward to try and stop him, but he just shrugged her off. “Don’t even bother. I know what you all truly think of me. You could have at least made it a little less obvious.” Hiccup left the room in search of someone who could help him pass the D-rank test.

He stood before the door. He took a deep breath in and out trying to calm his nerves. He never knew he would be here. He wished that one day it might come true, but not for this reason. His wildest dreams would be to walk through these doors one day. But now it just felt like a chore. A necessary evil to stop himself from losing everything. A tall gate between him and his last chance at salvation. He shut his eyes and said a silent prayer that one person would be willing to help him. He pushed the door open.

The room was a large banquet hall. Many tables strewn throughout the space filled with people. The slow murmur of voices filled the air and the smell of a well cooked meal. He knew this wasn’t his place, but he was out of options. He looked around the room and saw many faces. A few of them are familiar. Like always it seemed that no one paid any attention to the man. He knew exactly who he had to talk to. The problem was that he had to talk to them with clear and rational sentences. That was the tricky part. His eyes perused the crowd before he caught a glimpse of his target. He tried his best to walk with confidence across the hall. He stopped at the table. 

The rest of the occupants of the table looked up. Some confused, some curious and one looked furious at the intrusion. As expected. He mustered up the courage to try and say a few words to express the dire straits that he was in.

“H-hey A–a-astrid,” Great already stuttering. Nice. He thought. “I-I was wondering if you would, um. . .” He scrunched his face trying to find the right words. “If you would be able, no, willing to–” She stopped eating her food and with a defeated sigh she looked up at the stumbling man. All words that he tried to formulate immediately died on creation. He knew she was pretty and assumed that she would get even more attractive over time and these 5 years. What he did not expect were the azure eyes of a goddess to stare back at him.

“Listen, you seem,” she looked him up and down, “nice?” More of a question than a statement. “But I just got out of a relationship and I am really not looking for another one right now.”

“W-what?” Hiccup blinked, not entirely sure she was talking to him.

Astrid huffed, now getting frustrated slamming her spoon down on the table. “I tried being nice for once but it appears men don’t get that!” She stood up, poking him in the chest. “Go away. I don’t want another boy trying to get into my pants a few days after I just broke it off with another one.”

Hiccup slowly grabbed her hand and tried to gently push it down away from him. She slapped his hand then continued poking him roughly trying to get the point across.

“I don’t think you understand, Astrid, I'm not trying to ask you out.”

She sank back into herself, “Wait, you’re not?”

He shook his head. “Do I look like I have a chance with you?” 

“T-then what are you here for?” She crossed her arms and glared at him.

“I’m a support engineer and I need a partner for the test.” He noticed her cheeks were slightly pink. Hiccup never realized it was possible for the Astrid Hofferson to get embarrassed. “None of my cohort wanted to help out. . .  or anyone else for that matter. You are kind of my last hope.”

“Alright. I’ll help you.” She said trying not to make eye contact with Hiccup.

“It’s alright I understa–” his eyes widened, “wait what did you say?”

“I said yes. Sorry about the misunderstanding.” Astrid said, still refusing to make eye contact.

He stared at her incredulously. She actually said yes! Maybe there was hope for him after all. “Great!” he exclaimed. “I’ll see you tomorrow around noon in the testing hall?” Astrid nodded and then returned to her food. Hiccup left the hall on cloud nine. Not only did he manage to talk to Astrid without making a fool of himself. Mostly. She actually said yes! Maybe; just maybe things are going to work out.

Chapter Text

He won’t lie. He may be a tad nervous. Hiccup was currently pacing across the room, fidgeting with his hands. He would run his hands through his tangled hair before gazing at the clock. Only five minutes until the test, yet Astrid is not here. His eyes trailed over the grumpy test masters waiting impatiently for Hiccup to get started. Although he has had a large stint in the Knights Order so far, he hasn’t entered the testing hall yet. 

It was an extremely simple room. A long hallway opened into a circular room. Large marble half-pillars line the walls and retain the mosaic dome. There were various test dummies that were remote-controlled scattered about the floor. To pass the test was simple. Eliminate all test dummies and do not let them touch the knight or the support engineer. The large doors to the hall opened and a blonde head peeked in. When she realized that she was in the right room, she entered fully and rendezvoused with Hiccup.

Hiccup deflated, “Thank Thor you are here! I was getting worried.”

Astrid arched her brow, “Worried that I was in danger?” Astrid shifted her weight onto one foot and placed her hand on her hip glaring at her companion.

“Worried you wouldn’t show!”

“I promised, didn't I?”

Hiccup sighed, “Yes you promised, but not everyone in my life has always kept their promises.” At these words Astrid slowly let her guard down. He didn’t seem threatening to her, just lacking self-confidence. She was not used to interacting with people like this man, Snotlout had confidence in spades!

“Let’s hurry and get started.” Astrid glanced over at the test masters currently checking their watches. The most senior of the masters was complaining loudly to his pet sheep. “They seem to be in a rush.” Hiccup nodded in affirmation and they started preparing.

Hiccup was counting his various tools, making sure they were all in the right place as Astrid began her meditation to summon her axe. As a C-rank knight, she was now able to summon the axe in under a minute, an impressive ability that few had at her level. Hiccup placed a few of his devices on his belt and grabbed a small earpiece. He handed it to Astrid and she put it in her ear testing the two-way communication. Real-time communication in the heat of battle always benefited the warriors.

Astrid stood at the ready and held her axe aloft over her shoulder. Hiccup stood a few paces behind her observing the targets and developing a strategy. Although Astrid was a talented knight, she was to contribute as little as possible to the strategies in the test to give Hiccup a fair trial. Soon, the sound of the starting horn reverberated throughout the large chamber.

Fog rolled in from the floor and obscured Astrid’s view. She was completely reliant on Hiccup’s eyes as she slowly paced further into the room. A creaking sound and rumble were heard to her right, still unable to see the targets as they rolled around the fair-haired maiden. Hiccup’s voice tuned in her right ear.

“On my mark slash at your three O’clock.” He waited a few moments before saying, “Mark!”

Astrid slashed in the designated direction and decapitated one of the targets. A small smile grew on her face when another target suddenly appeared behind her. Astrid was out of position and unable to attack the assailant. She rolled to her side dodging the dummy as the engineer threw a device that exploded in a bright flash behind her, disorienting the dummy’s controller momentarily. But this was enough time for Astrid to slam her axe down onto the lost target, nearly splitting it in two.

“Great work Astrid! Only two left, but it’s not looking easy.” Astrid huffed. This was a far harder challenge than she expected. All of the other times she helped support engineers it was child’s play. This was a completely different caliber, but her support engineer seemed to be three steps ahead of everyone. Including herself. She was pulled from her thoughts when she heard a scream coming from her left. It was the voice of a woman begging for help, the tone fearful for her life. Astrid nearly ran to her left trying to save the troubled woman when she heard another voice in her ear.
“That’s my decoy to draw the demons. When I say, throw your axe directly at the sound.”

“What!” She yelled, skidding to a halt. “That will leave me defenseless!”

“Just trust me! Now!” Astrid hesitated for a split second before hurling her axe end over end in the direction of the scream. A thunk and a groan was heard as the axe embedded itself in the makeshift demon. Astrid ran towards her beloved axe and tried to retrieve her weapon, but she was cut off by the last demon. She would have to try and find a way to grab the axe without getting touched by the target. This is exactly what she predicted, defenseless and cut off from her weapon. When she gets a chance, she’s going to chew out this support engineer. She and the target eyed each other, neither making the first move. Trying to fake the other one out, holding her breath in anticipation. Before she tried to lunge for the axe a beeping sound broke the silence as a small cube slid between Astrid’s feet and rested under the target. A few breaths later and a net erupted from under the target, tangling in a trap and throwing the demon backward violently onto the ground. Maybe this engineer wasn’t completely crazy.

It was over. They had dispatched the demons. Astrid waited for the fog to settle before she sauntered over and removed her axe from the corpse of the dummy. She inspected her weapon for damage and realized it could use a good sharpening. When she went looking for the engineer she found him receiving his paperwork from the crotchety Mildew. He was clearly upset in passing the engineer and was begrudgingly signing the paperwork. Astrid waited for the man by the door back to the banquet hall. He was walking over with a beaming smile.

“Nice work back there.” She commented and he started with a squeak. It seemed he didn’t even notice her as his eyes were glued to the paper. 

“Hi- uh wow! Thanks!” He said mentally facepalming.

She arched an eyebrow, “are you always this awkward?”

He mumbled rubbing the back of his neck, “only around stunning valkyries.” She crossed her arms and glared at him when his words finally registered. “NO! I mean, not that you aren’t stunning, it's just that–” He actually facepalmed now. “Just kill me now.”

She gave a light laugh, “I’m not going to kill you.” She punched his shoulder and he gave a confused look. “Thanks for the compliment.”

“Thor, if that’s what you do when given a compliment I’m worried to find out what you do when insulted,” he questioned while rubbing his shoulder.

At this, she actually smiled, “same thing, just with an axe instead of my fist.” She finished with a noncommittal shrug. “Why don’t you come and sit with us in the banquet hall? I could use someone actually interesting to talk to, unlike the other muttonheads in my cohort.”

“Thanks for the offer, but I can’t sit with you as my rank doesn’t let me join your banquet hall.” He gave a sad smile.

“Ah, so are you moving up to an A-rank engineer?”

Hiccup scoffed, “no, just barely made it to D-rank rank after five years!” Astrid laughed thinking he was joking. She froze when she noticed his hurt expression. He showed her his paperwork that had a giant letter D on the top with Mildew’s sheep scratch signature on the bottom.

“What the Hel?” She said, grabbing the paper for closer inspection. “You were only an E-rank engineer?”

“Sorry Astrid, I probably should have told you. I thought you knew.” She was still giving him an incredulous expression.

“That test was far too hard for an E-rank engineer! And you are far too capable for an E-rank much less a D-rank engineer. I thought this was an A-rank test based on the difficulty!” She was practically yelling at this point. Hiccup snatched his paper back from her as she was flailing it about wildly, trying to save his precious paper from being ruined or ripped.

“I think it was the A-rank test. My test was not exactly designed for success.”

“Who’d you piss off to get this kind of treatment?” She inquired.

“Spitelout.” Astrid gave an understanding nod.

“What did you do?”

“I was born,” Hiccup deadpanned. Astrid’s eyes softened at this. It was clear to her that this man was not treated fairly. She didn’t even know him, but that much was obvious. He was infinitely sarcastic, but sometimes she could catch a glimpse of the real hurt in his eyes. Sure, she could understand this type of treatment for someone who barely put in any effort, never paid attention, or had zero self-awareness. Snotlout basically. But this seemed discriminatory and targeted.

Astrid looked at his slumped shape. She was never very good at helping people with their . . . emotional issues. But she could try. “I just realized I never caught your name.” It was a statement,  but the intent was clear.

Hiccup arched a brow, “what do you mean?”

“You never introduced yourself.” She held out her hand looking for a handshake. “I know you already know mine, but I’m Astrid.”

He gave her another questioning look as he slowly reached for her hand. Before he was able to grab it, a large man with prosthetic limbs barreled into him.

“Hiccup! Laddie!” Gobber grabbed the boy and nearly spun him in a circle. “I just heard that you passed!” 

Hiccup was scratching at his arms trying to pry himself off of the big man, “Gobber! Air!” he choked out. Gobber quickly put him down with an apology. Before he could respond, Gobber turned and faced the gaping blonde next to him. Her jaw was hanging low in astonishment.

“Lass, thanks for helping Hiccup.” Gobber grabbed her extended hand and started shaking it in gratitude. “Thor knows he needs a break.” Astrid numbly nodded.

A large smile plastered the man's face, “just wait until your father hears! He is going to be so proud.” Gobber began trotting to the main door. 

Hiccup reached for him, “Gobber please, he doesn’t need to–” before he could finish his sentence, as quickly as he had arrived, Gobber disappeared on the other side of the door, closing it with a loud thunk . Hiccup glanced over at Astrid who was still staring at him wide-eyed. It seems she managed to regain her speech.

“H-hiccup?” she stammered, still unsure if this was all real. He nodded. “Wow. I don’t believe it,” her eyes inspected his whole body causing Hiccup’s cheeks to flare up in embarrassment. “When did you get so ho–” she froze, “tall.”

Hiccup shrugged, “I guess I am just a late bloomer. Better late than never I guess.” Astrid nodded along still inspecting the man. Hiccup was unsure of how he felt about her analyzing gaze. Should he be excited that someone is actually checking him out instead of just looking at him like a stain on the wall? Wait . This is Astrid! She’s not checking him out. Immediately he felt completely exposed like she could find every fault that existed, every crack in his mask, everything wrong and out of sorts. “Thanks again Astrid for your help. I really appreciate it.”

She smiled, “No problem Hiccup. I’m always happy to help.” With that, he returned the smile and waved as he left. As he exited the door he quickly looked down at the paper in his hands. It was official, he was a D-rank engineer! Astrid didn’t run away screaming and he was pleasantly surprised that she approved of his work, unlike the rest of the Knights Order. Something in his heart spurned. Inspiration . Knowing now that he is worth far more than he gave himself credit for, his inventions might not be as useless and destructive as first thought. A smile graced his lips. It was time to get to work.

He raced into the cold night. The freezing temperature bit at his face; his breath formed small clouds. It was the middle of the night at least 3 or 4 in the morning. Hiccup had lost track of time. He had slaved all night trying to finish his latest project that was just collecting dust in the corner of his forge and office. The large device was strapped onto his back along with a small portable power supply. This was the most energetic he had felt about his job since he last started. He was going to ride this high until he actually collapsed.

There was a small cove that he had found in the forest behind the Berk village. It was nearly the only place untouched by humans. It was nature in its purest form, with a small lake in the center. Walls of rocks enveloped the sides of the cove, isolating it from the forest and making it harder to spot. Making it the perfect area for Hiccup to lie down and just think. Sometimes he would bring his more . . . questionable inventions here to test them away from prying and judgemental eyes. This was one of those times. 

Although it wasn’t dangerous or questionable, it was extremely loud. So secluded forest spot it was to try and test this bad boy. Hiccup was still thinking of a name for it. Admittingly, he was pretty terrible at names which was no surprise considering his middle name was literally Horrendous. So far all he had for the device was the Sonicator! It could produce a sonic wave discharge that in theory could disable a demon. They have far enhanced senses compared to humans which was a blessing but in this case, a weakness that Hiccup could exploit.

Once he reached the cove, he found the tree on the farthest side and tried to lift and secure the device as high in the tree as he could. It was just slightly over his head and should be an adequate height for its purpose. He placed a few lasers around the cove that would act as a motion-sensing barrier around the Sonicator. If something breaks one of the beams, it would set it off. Once finished, he plugged in the power supply. He quickly placed some headphones over his ears that would cut out any damaging sounds before he flipped on the battery. He stepped back and smiled at his work. A snap of a branch snapped him out of his admiration. Hiccup’s head flicked around toward the sound and his breath caught in his throat.

Two acid-green eyes were staring at him. The pupils were slitted and a low guttural growl ruptured the otherwise tranquil forest. The demon behind him slowly rose until it was at eye level with Hiccup. Involuntarily, Hiccup stumbled back towards the tree and the demons slowly approached him ready to strike. Until it stepped on one of the lasers. As soon as it did all Hel broke loose. The Sonicator boomed causing Hiccup to fall to the floor as the dirt and leaves were thrown violently away from the device. Although his hearing had now cut out he could still feel it. The demon was not so lucky.

It was bent over covering its ears and writhing in agony. It looked around in a panic trying to find a way to escape this torment but seemed almost delirious from the loud sounds. Every boom of the device flattened the demon onto the ground, no matter how many times it tried to stand. Hiccup recovered much quicker and was able to stand without problem. He then walked carefully over and stood above the panicked shape. Hiccup drew a small knife from its sheath and stared down at the demon he was about to slay. To become a demon hunter and bring back its head to obtain the admiration of his father. The demon caught sight of Hiccup and stared at him with wide eyes. Hiccup looked back and realized that the demon had been following him the entire time. It could have killed him at any point, but instead just watched. He saw the tracks of the demon nearly step in step with Hiccup since he first entered the cove.

That was when Hiccup noticed the emotion in its eyes. Fear. He had never encountered a demon before, but he knew of their bloodthirsty reputation. This demon was the opposite of everything he knew about demons as his own words came back to him. Captured demons are worth more than dead demons . He knew this was true, yet here he was trying to kill it. For what? Honor? There is no honor in killing a defenseless beast. He made up his mind and ran over to the Sonicator and flipped it off. Hiccup then slowly looked over to the dark shape slowly catching its breath. Its luminous eyes flickered and stared at him. Pupils dilated with a hint of . . . confusion? The demon recovered and shook its head before standing tall and straightening its back into a regal posture. His dark skin hid behind nearly black armor that was adorned and decorated in a beautiful fashion that even Hiccup was jealous of. 

Its brows furrowed before it then surprised Hiccup by speaking, “What in the gods’ names was that horrid device?”

“Y-y-y-you can speak?” Hiccup forced out stammering from both the cold and dread.

He huffed, “I have a perfectly good tongue and mouth. Of course, I can speak! Do I look like some lesser demon to you?” The demon approached Hiccup slowly and the growl returned.

“Of course not! How would I know what a lesser demon looks like when I’ve never even seen a demon?”

The demon pushed Hiccup back against the tree and pinned his throat with a blade that was summoned from nothing, instantaneously . “Answer my question. What is that. . . Thing? ” he emphasized pointing at the large box tied to the tree. 

“It’s a device I made to subdue demons!” He yelled.

The sword pressed to Hiccup's throat suddenly lit on fire and began scorching his skin.  “To just murder them while they are helpless and defenseless?”  

“NO!” he protested as the sword was pressed closer, drawing blood. “To study them! To capture and study!” The flame on the sword went out. The demon slowly lowered his weapon but he was still glaring. 

“You knights kill every demon that comes in your sight. Why should I believe you?”

“Because I am not a knight.” Hiccup said without hesitation.

A large toothless smile slowly grew on the demon's face, leaving a black maw that seemed to peer into a dark and empty abyss. “I think you and I are going to get along. Hiccup Haddock.”

Chapter Text

Hiccup’s jaw dropped, “how do you know my name?”

The demon warbled, which Hiccup assumed was a laugh. “I have my sources,” the demon replied rather unhelpfully. “If it would make you feel any better my name is T’louk Ferou-llismal” The odd name sounded more like a series of grunts, growls and warbles.

“I don’t think my body can make any of those noises,” Hiccup complained.

The demon reached up and removed the dark helmet that was protecting his head. His face shocked Hiccup. This demon looked mostly human with a few bits here and there that seemed different. The dark scales that replaced his skin and his large ears folded behind his head stuck out the most. The part that shook Hiccup to his core was his terrifying smile. Instead of crooked and sharp teeth as he would expect from a demon, it was just a deep pit that was majorly unsettling to Hiccup as the demon’s smile only seemed to grow as he talked with him. Something again, he had never expected.

“You can call me what your fellow humans have called me,” he scrunched his face. “What was it again? Ah, yes. Night Fury.” Hiccup’s pale face only made the demon’s smile broaden. This was by far the scariest moment in Hiccup’s life. He should have been halfway across the island by now, yet here he was, talking with a demon. A night fury no less! No matter how horrified Hiccup was, his gaze was mesmerized by his smile.

“How could I call such a nice demon that intimidating of a name? How about Toothless?” The demon’s smile disappeared and he pressed his mouth into a thin line. Clearly unamused. Hiccup mentally facepalmed. Being sarcastic was his defense mechanism, yet he doubted it would help against demons.

The demon sighed, “I have teeth!” To prove a point, sharp teeth shot out of his gums. “They just tend to hide when I’m in a good mood.”

Hiccup stared at him incredulously, “So you are not going to try and kill me? This is a good mood?” Toothless shrank back, letting his guard down fully. His feline-like eyes dilated and widened looking significantly less threatening. Turns out that maybe sarcasm did help with demons after all. 

“No Hiccup. I am not trying to kill you. We may be able to help each other.” He said scratching behind one of his ears.

“How can we help each other? I-I’m useless. I’m of no help!” Toothless just shook his head at his confession.

“No, you are the only person that can stop this war. You are the only human capable of standing a chance against the Queen.”

“I have no idea who that is!” Hiccup rambled, flailing his arms about. “How can I stop this war if I have no idea what is going on?”

“Before the world was split into two, demons and humans worked together to create the world we know today. Humans and demons have not worked together since, and that was thousands of years ago. But repeating what history has taught us is the only way to stop this war. We have to work together.”

Hiccup laughed, “That won’t work! Every knight hates and I mean hates demons. With a passion that I never understood. My father will never allow it!”

Toothless nodded, “Yes, that is why you are the only one who can stop this war. I’ve been searching for a suitable candidate to pitch this idea to and so far you are my best bet.” Toothless then summoned his sword. It was a dark onyx shortsword with a beautifully crafted handguard. The demon then flipped it around and offered it to Hiccup. “Take this weapon, my weapon , as a sign of trust. If my thoughts are right, we can stop this war.”

Hiccup stared at the demon. His acid-green eyes were pleading, almost begging. He saw no dishonesty in this gaze, nor would he expect him to offer his sword if he wanted to hurt Hiccup. He was not sure what the weapon would do, but at least it would make him feel more comfortable. So he grabbed the weapon and gave it a few test swings. It was remarkably light and well-balanced, quite different from his own swords that he made. Toothless seemed pleased that Hiccup was enjoying the weapon.

“Hiccup, now try to summon divine energy into the sword,” Toothless asked

Hiccup arched a brow, “So this is a divine weapon? I thought only humans had divine weapons.”

Toothless laughed, “No, we invented them! So of course we have divine weapons.”

Hiccup gaped. It was information he did not know. In fact, he was sure no other human knew that either. So he trusted the demon and tried summoning divine energy into the weapon. After half a minute of trying Hiccup was starting to get discouraged. He was never able to summon any divine energy before, why would now be any dif– 

Hiccup’s thoughts were cut off when the sword in his hand exploded. He flew back and slammed into the tree behind him, while the sword shot across the cove and fell into the pond. As Hiccup’s hearing came back to him, all he could hear was the unsettling warbling noise coming from the demon. He must be laughing. At him. Like everyone else, he should have expected nothing less from a demon. Hiccup pushed himself off the floor and furiously wiped the dirt off his body.

“Is this some kind of cruel joke?” Hiccup glared daggers at the being. “Are you just playing with your food? Taunting me to get some sort of sick satisfaction before killing me?”

Toothless stopped laughing. “I apologize Hiccup. I meant no offense. I just found the current situation rather amusing and do not wish any ill will against me.” He bowed to show his sincerity.

Hiccup relaxed. This was the first time someone honestly apologized and showed some humanity. Ironic.

“Then why did the sword explode? Was it a trick sword?”

Toothless shook his head, “That was the excess divine energy that you summoned. It appears that you are unable to fully utilize all of the energy you created because of your weak body and poor training.”

“No one ever trained me.” Hiccup huffed.
“Well, that is going to change. I will train you personally. Once you are strong enough you will be able to not only handle the extra energy but turn it into something useful. Try summoning the sword again.”

Hiccup nodded then held out his hand trying to recreate what he had done earlier. After a few minutes of hard concentration, he started to feel the energy collecting at his fingertips, almost like a sneeze waiting to be released. Hiccup braced himself and managed to catch his footing and the sword appeared in his hand in a similar explosion from before. The demon across from him was nodding sagely.

“Good Hiccup.” Toothless rubbed his finger down the sword and tasted it. His nose crinkled, “The energy is a little burnt, almost forced. Next time try to let it happen more naturally instead of forcing it so much. Here, take this.” Toothless then removed a ring from his finger and handed it to Hiccup. After close inspection, it was a black zirconium ring about the same size as his own finger, with purple almost living tendrils of power flowing through it. On one end of the ring, there was a small black stone set into it that barely protruded from the top.

“Is it a normal ring?” Hiccup asked, confused.

The demon laughed, “Of course not! That is both a catalyst and our beacon.” Hiccup nodded along. “You have no idea what that is do you?”

“Not a clue.”

Toothless sighed, “Well I guess I can’t teach you everything. Some things you will have to learn on your own. Meet here tomorrow at the same time; we will begin our training then.”

Toothless waved goodbye and simply vanished. No puff of smoke or theatrics, just there one second and gone the next. Hiccup let out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding. The forest was now eerily calm, with nothing but the wind blowing through the trees. Hiccup looked at the sword still in his hand. He inspected it further. It was a beautiful sword that clearly was created by a master smith. The blade was a dark-colored metal that was extremely light. Hiccup was itching to get his hands on the recipe. The handle was almost as intricate, with beautiful purple flourishes and designs strewn from pommel to hand guard. It just felt right  in his hand. With a flick of the wrist, the sword disappeared in a small blast of the same energy that it appeared in. 

After a long trudge home, he climbed the stairs up his shabby apartment complex and threw the door open. He expertly removed his boots and glanced at the clock. 4 A.M. He collapsed on the bed with a groan and passed out almost instantly. It felt like he was able to peacefully close his eyes for a millisecond before he wrenched them open at the sound of something falling to the floor. He slowly lifted himself from the comfort of his bed and looked toward the affronting noise that awoke him.

After blinking a few times and getting his vision back he saw none other than the demon from before staring at him like a deer caught in the headlights. He had a cookie in his mouth and was slowly chewing trying to remove the evidence. The cause of the noise was Toothless accidentally dropping the cookie container onto the ground where it had shattered. Not caring enough Hiccup just fell backward onto his bed and tried to fall back asleep.

Sure enough, like every morning. At the complete crack of dawn, his neighbor above him began making the world’s most intrusive noise. It sounded like a weed whacker caught in a woodchipper. He had no idea what on Midgard made that noise, but without fail it started as soon as light broke through the horizon. He threw his legs over the side of the bed and groggily went to the kitchen to get a glass of water to cleanse his scratchy throat. As he was chugging the glass, he glanced down at the broken ceramic pieces of his once-intact cookie jar on the floor.

It was like a rude reminder that what happened last night was in fact, not a dream but reality. And that reality was slowly starting to dawn on him. He met with a demon! He is colluding with a demon. The sworn enemies of humanity. Of course, the worst knight to ever exist in the hundreds of years since the Order’s founding, was now a demon sympathizer. Hiccup grabbed onto the wall trying to catch his breath. He stumbled into the bathroom and ran to the sink. He splashed cold water onto his face and gripped the edges of the sink trying to calm down.

He sighed and looked into the mirror. When he did so, he noticed that someone was standing directly behind him, curiously watching him. He screamed then flung around facing the intruder. Toothless was standing there with a curious look on his face almost startled by his antics.

“Toothless!” Hiccup placed a hand over his rapidly beating heart. “What are you doing in my bathroom!”

The demon just shrugged, “I was curious about what you were doing so I decided to follow you. I think that the water basin is a little small to cleanse your entire body, however.”

Hiccup was almost yelling at this point, “Not that! Why are you here?!”

“Where else would I be?”

Hiccup threw his hands in the air, “I don’t know! Anywhere else?! Your home maybe.”

Toothless’ eyes grew dark. “I don’t have a home. Not anymore.”

“Well, you can’t stay here. This is a studio apartment and is barely big enough for me.” Hiccup reached over and was trying to dry off the water he splashed on himself.

“I can’t go anywhere else Hiccup. We are linked. I go where the beacon goes.”

Hiccup glanced down at his ring. Toothless called that the beacon last night. Whatever the beacon is.

“So am I stuck with you forever now?”

The demon shook his head, “No, just until the war is settled. Then we can un-possess the ring, but until then this is the best option.”

“I am just going to pretend that I understand what is happening.”

“Good.”

Hiccup glared at the demon. “Alright. I want to get this over with so that I can go back to sleeping in peace without a nosy demon raiding my cookies in the middle of the night.” Toothless reddened and looked away from Hiccup. “What do we have to do?”

“Simple. Train you to fully harness the power of your new divine weapon. Then kill the queen.”

Hiccup was walking around his apartment and trying to find a suitable set of clothes to wear. “That seems easier said than done.”

“There may be a few more steps in between those two, but that’s the current plan, Brother.”

Hiccup nearly tripped trying to put on pants. “Brother?”

“We are bonded. We are practically family now.” Toothless stated matter of factly.

“Whatever, I’m too tired for this. I have the weekend off, let's go train so we can get the first step of your master plan done.”

Toothless grinned, that same unsettling black maw showing, “I thought you would never ask.”

Chapter Text

The demon’s acid green eyes peered down, looking at the human sprawled out on the floor. “You only did 10 pushups before collapsing?”

“Shut up.” Hiccup sat upwards groaning. “I’m not used to this. . .  running and stuff.”

“It’s called exercising.”

“I know what it’s called! You useless reptile.” Hiccup spat as he stood up with wobbly legs. They were still sore and burning from the multiple-mile run through the thicketed forest. He swears that this demon is trying to kill him. Toothless for his part was just sitting there with an unsettling smirk and warbling occasionally. He was finding this too amusing.

The cove was now transformed into a pseudo-training arena. There are practice dummies and various weighted objects to increase Hiccup’s strength and endurance. Although the demon was sarcastic 300% of the time, to his credit, he was a fantastic instructor.

“Maybe soon you will be able to summon the sword without it throwing you backwards.” Hiccup shot a glare at the demon, who then threw his hands up in surrender. “No shame, but you need to be at a certain fitness level to wield the sword.”

Hiccup sighed, “I’ve never had a divine weapon, there was never a need to train like this.” Hiccup stretched his back and heard a loud pop.
Toothless tilted his head, “I thought all humans had a divine weapon?”

“No, you are either attuned as a baby or never at all.”
“Why not just make a divine weapon for those not attuned?”

Hiccup stared at the demon incredulously, “You can’t make divine weapons, everyone knows that.”

Toothless scoffed, “Well obviously not, I made the weapon you are currently attuned to.”

Hiccup summoned the weapon. The drastic release of energy made him stumble, but he was able to stay standing. He inspected the weapon closely, the intricate handle, the dark onyx blade. It was perfectly balanced and felt extremely powerful, as if it was overflowing with energy. It was so sharp it felt like it could cut the air itself. It was well and truly a work of art, from who Hiccup thought was a master smith.

He held the weapon up, “You made this?” Toothless nodded. “It’s amazing. Quite possibly the most beautiful weapon I’ve ever seen. Can you teach me how to make divine weapons?”

Toothless shrugged, “Yea? I don’t see why not; it’s not that difficult.”

Hiccup was staring at the demon. Humans have been unable to make divine weapons for hundreds of years. And here was a demon, nonchalantly throwing around the idea that making divine weapons was  a possibility; an easy endeavour. Hiccup may have had his reservations about working with a demon before, but all of that flew out the proverbial window the second that he realized that he could learn to make divine weapons.
“What are we waiting for Toothless, let’s go!” Hiccup ran over and grabbed the demon, nearly picking him off the ground, and began marching back to his workshop.

It turns out that creating divine weapons is a lot easier in theory than in practice. Toothless described the process: collect a coagulation of divine energy into a singularity, superheat the collection of energy, then rapidly cool. This should create a divine crystal that is used as the base for the weapon. The smaller the crystal can be formed, the more versatile it is in weapon making. This crystal acts as a catalyst of divine energy that is able to passively collect divine energy on its own, turning a normal weapon into a divine one. Easy, right?

After Hiccup’s fifth try, he was able to make a gray, slightly opaque crystal the size of a baseball. Still far too large to fashion into a weapon. He threw himself back into his chair.

“This is never going to work.” Hiccup said defeated.

“To be fair, this is quite an astonishing size for a first-timer. Most demons take their entire lifetime to just get a crystal of this quality.” Toothless stated while inspecting the crystal that Hiccup had made. “It may be rather large, but the purity is on another level.”

Hiccup began cleaning his workspace, “Doesn’t matter how pure it is, if I cannot turn it into a weapon.”

“That’s not necessarily true, the more pure the crystal the easier it is to attune.”

Hiccup stopped and picked up the baseball crystal, “What is attunement exactly? I know it means that you essentially become the owner, but how does that work if it is just crystals.”

“Think of the crystal as an empty cup.” Toothless grabbed a crystal and lifted it for demonstration. “It is completely fresh and new once it is made. But if I try to pour divine energy into it–” 

The crystal he was holding began to glow. It was dark and ominous. The grey crystal developed a dark, shadowy and gloomy appearance. It felt like it could suck the energy out of you just by looking at it. The energy had a faint purple tinge, that was dancing in the ebony pool. Toothless shook the crystal and all the energy dissolved, releasing a faint pop. When he returned the crystal to Hiccup, he noticed the appearance had changed. Although the energy was gone, the crystal itself was not the same, grey and opaque look, but it was now dark, cracked and purple.

Toothless broke the silence, “My energy has a unique identity. My connection with divine energy is also unique. As is each and every other living thing. By pouring divine energy into the crystal I also embedded a small part of my own energy into it as well. That caused the whole crystal to change structure until it matched my energy. It is now attuned to me. No one else should be able to use this crystal.”

Hiccup nodded, “So the crystal is like a battery for divine energy and since you were the first to use the crystal then it is attuned to you. Forever now is your crystal.”

“That is correct Hiccup. However, it is far more complicated than that. Although my connection to divine energy is unique, as is yours, there are still some people that have compatible energies; family members, sometimes spouses, and the bonded.”

Hiccup took the crystal and began trying to pour divine energy into the crystal. To his surprise, it slowly started to fill with the same black, and ominous energy. However, this time instead of a purple thread it was a bright green.

“You said we are bonded?” Hiccup asked the demon. Toothless nodded. “So that is why I can use a crystal you are attuned to?”

“It’s much more complicated, but in simple terms yes.”

Hiccup looked at the other large crystals he made. They had this intense feeling. Almost a draining feeling, waiting to receive divine energy. Hiccup smiled. Although they may not be useful for making divine weapons, they still might be extremely useful to him. And this will allow him to keep his promise to the demon, who seems to be much more useful than Hiccup had imagined. Hiccup ran over to the tools on the wall and grabbed the hammer he uses for straightening molten metal. He ran back to the large crystals on his desk and promptly began smashing each of them.

Toothless grabbed Hiccup and pulled him away from destroying their hard work, “What has come over you! I know they aren’t perfect, but you don't have to destroy them!’

Hiccup shrugged him off, “Relax Toothless. They are perfect, just not for making weapons.” Hiccup then grabbed one of his old devices, the cube catcher and popped open one of the canisters. He shot out the net that was contained inside and placed a small fragment of the divine crystal into the cube. He flipped it over and began tweaking with the release mechanism and the sound system.

“What are you doing? Are you trying to turn the cube into a divine weapon? The crystals need to be whole.”

Hiccup shook his head, “No, im adding a fragment of the crystal into the cube and modifying the speaker into a frequency modulator. This will make a frequency search for the resonant frequency of the demon causing a forced attunement. Similar to what we do with human kids when attuning them at a young age. Since the cube will not turn off, it will capture not just the divine energy, but a unique energy ID as well. Forcing the demons to possess the crystal as if it were a beacon.”

Toothless was staring slack jaw at his companion, “That’s brilliant Brother! That can capture demons without killing them! It's brilliant! It–” Toothless closely inspected one of the fragments,  “–won’t work.”

Hiccup spun around to face the demon, “What do you mean it won’t work.”

“Well, any demon in their right mind can cancel a possession, especially a forced possession.”

“Didn’t you say that all the demons are not in their right mind ? So it should work.”

Toothless paused, thinking it over once again, “It’s brilliant!”

Hiccup laughed, “Glad that you like my idea.”

“It just needs one more thing Brother,” Hiccup raised a brow, “A field test.”

Hiccup and Toothless began their search of the city. Waiting for a demon to appear. Usually, most members of the Order would just wait for a concerned citizen to make a call regarding a demon attack, but they wanted to be the first to find the demon. Better not have prying eyes during their first field test. Normally it would be difficult to find demons, but having a demon with you was very handy to find other demons. Sure enough, they met their first victim. It looked humanoid, with brown scales down the side of its face. The snout at the front was flat rather like a slobbery pug. Gronkle class, small D-rank demon. Perfect for their first test.

Hiccup took the cube out of his backpack, trying to make as little noise and not disturb the demon. They were out in the forest hunting the demon and watching it as it drank water. Hiccup stumbled, nearly dropping the cube and alerting the demon. It looked up from its perch forcing Hiccup and Toothless to duck down behind cover. After a few bated breaths they looked back to see the demon once again drinking. Hiccup pressed the button on the side of the cube and threw it at the demon. Once it was in range, close to the demon, it began beeping and unleashed a piercing screech, the sound was modulated and changed through every frequency sounding much like a very powerful slide whistle. When it hit the proper frequency the demon began convulsing, and the tone changed to a constant noise. After a few seconds the demon twitched and got sucked into the cube, letting out a loud roar as its body dissolved into the cube. It beeped a few more times before becoming still on the floor, the demon nowhere to be seen.

Hiccup jumped into the air cheering, Toothless doing the same. They hugged each other in celebration before coming to their senses and separating. Hiccup ran over and picked up the cube. Inside the cube was a demon. He captured his first demon! Hiccup felt like screaming to the heavens. He was so excited. With fumbling hands he hit the release button and the cube opened. Inside was a now glowing brown divine crystal. Hiccup laughed and grabbed the crystal and thrusted it in the air to show Toothless.

“Toothless look! We caught the – OW!” The crystal was burning hot and singed Hiccup’s hand. He accidentally dropped the crystal and it exploded the second that it hit the ground. A puff of smoke appeared and the gronckle from before was now laying on the ground next to Hiccup. It sat up quickly, looked at the human, hissed then ran away in fear of what just happened. Toothless doubled over in laughter while Hiccup glared at him.

Hiccup sighed, “I guess we need to fix the heat problem.” Hiccup looked down at his hand and saw a red mark beginning to form where he was burned. Hiccup smithed long enough to know that the burn was going to blister as well. There were already a million thoughts running through Hiccup’s head. He had already solved the heat issue, he just needed a way to remove the shards carefully and recharge them. Maybe a shard capsule and ejection system? Easier said than done.

“-ICCUP!” Toothless shouted.

“What?”

“Were you listening to anything that I just said?” Toothless placed his hands on his hips trying to look stern. It just looked like an awkward position for the demon.

“Sorry, it was in my own head.”

Toothless huffed, “I said that was very well done. At least we know now that it doesn’t hurt the demons, so all around a major victory.”

Hiccup smiled, not many people complimented his work. He finally felt like there was someone who appreciated what he was doing. “Thanks, Toothless.”

The demon opened his mouth to object to the nickname, but threw his head to the right growling at whatever was there. Hiccup followed his gaze but didn’t see anything. “What is it Toothless?” The demon didn’t respond. He just vanished into thin air. Hiccup felt his purple energy flow into his ring, whatever was coming it spooked Toothless and he didn’t want to stay and meet whatever it was. He quickly grabbed the used cube catcher and tried to stuff it back into his backpack, ripping open his bag. When he did so more of the cubes that were in there flew out onto the ground. The rustling in the leaves behind him grew louder and he sped up to throw the remaining cubes into his bag, scooping up dirt as he went. He heard a thunk directly next to his head and cold steel on his ear. A trickle of blood slowly ran down his cheek. He carefully turned his head to the right to see a double-headed battle axe embedded into the tree next to him a mere millimeter away. Hiccup slowly raised his hands in the air and rose. Turning around to face the assailant.

Standing across the opening was a blonde valkyrie, with blue eyes that reminded him of a clear summer’s day. But right now they looked pissed. She stormed over and stood at her full height in front of him. Normally, Hiccup would be taller than her, but as he cowered he felt much smaller. She grabbed her axe and violently ripped it out of the tree, throwing splinters in every direction. “Hiccup! What on Midgard are you doing out here in the forest!” She yelled, fuming.

Hiccup held up the cube catcher that was in his hand, “Testing out some new equipment.”

“You couldn’t do that, oh I don’t know,” she threw her hands around exasperated, “anywhere else!”

“It’s field equipment, it has to be tested in the field.” He stated, matter of factly.

Astrid rubbed the bridge of her nose, “We got reports of demon activity in the forest. I am here to kill the demon.” The purple energy in his ring flared slightly.

Hiccup gave her a fake smile and a thumbs up. “And I am sure you will!” He pointed over his shoulder, “I just have to – you know – very busy – testing – gotta go!” With a quick spin on his heels, he flipped around and began trying to escape. Before he got even a few steps a strong arm grabbed onto his collar and yanked him back.

“You aren’t going anywhere, Haddock.” Astrid stood there with her arms crossed and standing with her back straight before sighing. “At least not alone. You aren’t cleared for field duty. Let’s go, I have to escort you back.”

“N-n-no. Please A-astrid. Don’t bother with me,” Hiccup stuttered, “I’ll just get in the w-way and the demon will escape.”

Astrid started moving and dragged Hiccup behind her. “I know that! But orders are orders. You need an escort unless you want to be gutted by a demon. Maybe next time you will do what you are told and the demon won’t get away.” She glared at Hiccup which felt like daggers piercing his skin. Everyone always thought the worst of Hiccup, well almost everyone.

The rest of the walk was rather quiet. Astrid wasn’t in the mood for chatting and she frequently glanced over at Hiccup to make sure he wasn’t going to make a run for it. She seemed even more confused when he turned to the Sector 8 district. That was where his current apartment was located, as far away as possible from the other knights, nearly the other side of Berk. Hiccup trudged up the stairs and fumbled with his keys. He unlocked his apartment door and entered. He flicked on the lights, well, flicked on the light switch and waited half a minute for them to finally blink alive. He then threw his bag onto his chair then slumped down onto his bed. This was when he finally noticed his blonde bodyguard still standing at the precipice before stepping into his room.

“Please don’t stand outside. Welcome to Hiccup’s luxury resort!” He quipped and gestured around the room. Astrid slowly took a few steps inside and looked around the apartment, failing miserably at hiding her disgust of the building.

“Why are you living here and not at the Dragon’s Edge?” She asked while inspecting parts of the small apartment.

Hiccup shrugged, “This is all that I can afford.”

Astrid’s brows furrowed, “Do you not get accommodations working for the Knight’s Order?” Hiccup scoffed.

“No, my father believes that it would be unfair to the other knights if he showed favoritism.”

“It’s not favoritism if he gives you what everyone else gets.”

Hiccup chuckled, “Any accommodation whatsoever from my father is favoritism in his eyes. I must be able to handle myself.”

Astrid picked up a duffle bag and absently inspected the contents, “But we don’t get paid.”

“Exactly. No money and no accommodations.” He gestured to the room, “That’s why I live here.” Astrid turned and looked at Hiccup. For the first time Hiccup could remember, she looked at him with sympathy. Most gazed at him with scorn, disgust or aversion, but never sympathy. It felt weird.

She threw the duffle bag that was in her hands at Hiccup. Reflexively he caught the empty duffle bag and brought up a defensive posture expecting her to attack. When no blow came he opened his eyes. Astrid was rummaging through his apartment and grabbing items. 

“What are you doing?” He asked.

“Grab your things. You are coming with me.” She stated, while throwing the items she collected into his backpack with the cube catchers. Still not his best gadget name.

“Where are we going?” He questioned while packing his clothes, which were almost all his personal effects. 

“I am not going to let you stay here in this rat-hole–”

“Hey!”

“–Sorry, Luxury Resort.” Hiccup nodded. “You are gonna be staying with me.”

Hiccup froze. He just stared at her blankly. Did Astrid Hofferson just invite him to stay with her? Does that mean they will be living together? What does this mean? Isn’t this like the fourth step in a relationship? Hiccup had no idea what was going on but his heart was racing a million miles an hour. Astrid started snapping her fingers to try and bring him back to reality.

“You’re slacking off. Hurry up and finish packing. It's getting late. You are gonna love my apartment.” A slow smile crept onto her face, making Hiccup even more nervous than before.

Chapter Text

Astrid opened the door and Hiccup meekly followed behind. He was expecting a much nicer apartment, but not this nice. It was a giant 3 bedroom penthouse suite on the top of one of the Dragon’s Edge buildings. Mostly grey decor with a few brighter accents. It felt like he was walking into a 5 star resort. There was very minimal furniture and not a speck of dust in sight. Pretty much just the essentials, small table, couch, giant television. Everything was ordered and tidy, the polar opposite of his apartment which he likes to call: organized chaos. Astrid gave him a small tour and finished it in one of the bedrooms.

“This is where you will be staying.” Astrid showed him the bedroom, which was not only larger than his whole apartment, but even has a personal bathroom and walk-in closet.

“Speaking of,” He began, “How long will this arrangement be for?”

Astrid just shrugged him off, “Don’t worry about it Hiccup. Stay here as long as you need, I have two extra bedrooms and rarely even use the one I sleep in.” She walked in and placed one of his bags on the bed. “Please make yourself at home. If you need anything, my room is on the other side.” She gave him a quick smile and started walking back to her room.

Hiccup stopped her, “Astrid.” She stopped in the doorway and looked back, “Thanks. This really means a lot. No one has ever done this kind of thing for me.”

Astrid just smiled brighter, “No problem Hiccup. You deserve to be treated like everyone else.” With that she finally walked off to her room.

Hiccup started putting his clothes away in the dresser. It almost amazed him that there was more furniture and appliances in this room than what felt like the entire building he lived in. He was finishing up packing away his underwear when a voice next to him made him jump out of his skin.
“I like her,” Toothless said while leaning against the other side of the dresser. “Might be a little aggressive towards demons, but she seems nice.”

Hiccup threw a sock at the demon, which just passed straight through him. “I don’t think Astrid has ever been classified as seems nice. Hardcore, extreme, intense, stunning, and beautiful, yes. Nice, ehhh not so much.” Hiccup looked around the room. “Well, at least not until today.”
Hiccup opened his eyes to an unusually bright morning. His apartment was in a grim and dark part of Berk, whereas this new apartment was on the top floor of a skyscraper and had light flooding in from every direction. When Hiccup turned his head to glare at the affronting sun, he noticed a certain demon staring forlornly outside the window. Hiccup slowly approached him and when he got closer, Toothless spoke.

“It’s beautiful.” He said as he looked over the city. People go about their business as if there was not a single worry in the world. Tall buildings that are full of businesses, firms, and retailers. At the far end is the beach with cliffs adorning on one side. To the right is the lower income neighborhood where Hiccup lives. And just beyond that is the forest next to the large cathedral of the Knight’s Order.
“Berk is a very beautiful city. We are lucky to have such a nice landscape for a small island.” Hiccup responded.

“I never got to see the city like this during the day. Humans might not be very strong, but their capacity to create astounds me.”

“You never got to see the city like this because you are usually sulking at night.” Hiccup jokes.

The demon glared at his human companion, “I don’t sulk brother. It’s a tactical advantage.”

Hiccup shrugged off the demon and left the room. He still felt like he could get lost in the apartment considering how humongous it is. It was eerily quiet, such a large apartment and barely anyone in it. He made his way towards the kitchen and looked for the fridge. After spending far too much time, he realized that the appliance was made to look similar to the cabinetry and when he tugged on one of the drawers, it was not a drawer but the freezer. The fridge and freezer were empty aside from a few sports drinks. The rest of the cabinets were almost empty except for a single plate and some plastic cutlery. Hiccup heard steps from behind and looked at the newcomer.

Astrid was standing in her kitchen staring at Hiccup with her mouth slightly open and her brows furrowed. She seemed angry at first, then slowly began to cool down and relax.

“I forgot that you were here.” She sighed, “I ran out here thinking someone was robbing my kitchen throwing all of the drawers open. Not like there’s anything to steal.” She gestured towards the empty kitchen. 

“I was looking for the fridge.” Hiccup said meekly. Feeling stupid.

Astrid just laughed. It sounded like sweet honeysuckle to his ears. “Yeah, I couldn’t find it at first either. I lived here for about a week before I realized that I even had one!”

“Why are there only sports drinks in your fridge?”

Astrid’s cheeks turned slightly red, “That’s all I need, I usually eat in the mess hall with my friends.” Hiccup didn’t press any further as his stomach rumbled. He usually ate breakfast pretty early since he needs to stoke the fires early in the morning. “Sorry about that Hiccup, I’m not used to having guests. We can go eat in the mess hall.”

Hiccup was going to protest, but the look she gave him seemed more like an order than a request. “Sure, I-I’ll meet you there.”

“I’m not letting you weasel out of this.” She grabbed him and practically threw him out the door, ignoring all his protests. Hiccup hated the mess hall. It was always a permanent reminder that he was an outcast from practically everyone in the Order. When he first joined, he had friends. They ate together, bonded, and sang merry songs. Okay maybe not the last part, but they did eat together. Soon once everyone realized  Hiccup was, well, Hiccup . The people who sat with him slowly dwindled until there was none left. It was always much easier to just ignore this and eat by himself in the forge. Why do it in the mess hall where everyone would just laugh and point in his direction, gossiping about his latest invention that accidentally set something on fire.

Soon enough he was standing in front of the doors he so very much hated. Last time he was here he had no choice but to ask Astrid to help him with his Examination. That did go well, but it was a quick in and out job. A smash and grab. Hit and run. Now he has to stay and sit and eat and converse. This never goes well. He just trudged along behind Astrid, doing his best to hang his head low and hide from the general population.

Much to his surprise most people were too busy minding their own business to pay any attention to him. In hindsight, this might have been a blessing. Hiccup had acted like an outcast and a ghost for so long, he may have very well been forgotten. This makes his job easier. He grabbed some eggs and bread, then scouted for a nice, solitary table far from anyone else that he can just eat in peace without interruption.

“Where do you think you are going?” Hiccup was snapped back into reality when he noticed the angry blonde in front of him. “Our table is over here. Come.” Hiccup watched her go and his feet just wouldn’t move. His vision was starting to close in and his anxiety flared. Acting invisible seems impossible now that The Astrid Hofferson was making sure he followed her around like a shadow. She plopped down at a table and motioned for Hiccup to sit next to her.

The energy in his ring started to glow hot. Toothless was doing something. Sure enough he heard the familiar demon’s voice in his head. “I don’t know what you did brother, but there are now multiple people aggressively staring at you.”

Hiccup whispered, “I’m sitting next to Astrid, they are probably all just jealous.” 

“I don’t understand your human mating rituals. Do we need to fight them? I can blind them with a quick plasma–”

“NO!” Hiccup yelled. Making everyone look at him confused. Hiccup kept slapping the ring trying to dissolve the power that Toothless was conjuring up.

“Are you alright Hiccup?” Astrid asked, looking rather concerned.

“What? Oh. Y-yea. Just, P-peachy.” He stuttered, noticing that Toothless was calming down.

Astrid was about to say something else before she got interrupted by another blonde female sliding into the seat next to her, practically knocking Astrid over.

“Girl! Did I see you coming into the mess hall,” she leaned in close to Astrid and failed at whispering, “with a guy!” She leaned over Astrid and looked Hiccup up and down before purring. “Me likey. Details. Now.”

Astrid flicked the blonde on the forehead, “Get your mind out of the gutter. It’s not like that. I’m just letting him crash at my place until he can afford a new apartment.”

Ruffnut nodded, clearly not believing a word that was said. Soon after, a few other compatriots joined the table. Tuffnut and Fishlegs sat on the other side and gave Hiccup a quick glance before eating as if his presence was a completely normal occurrence. The last knight was not as kind.

Snotlout was glaring daggers at Hiccup the entire time. He slowly leaned in and whispered to Hiccup, “What do you think you are doing?”

Hiccup raised a brow, “Eating breakfast?” he said in between stuffing his face with slices of french toast.

Snotlout huffed, “I can see that genius, I mean, what do you think you are doing sitting in my spot, next to my girlfriend.”

Astrid slammed her knife down on the table, “Everyone in the Order knows that we are and never will be dating Snot.”

He threw his hands up in the air, “Yeah, well, it could happen.” He pointed aggressively at Hiccup, “Especially if this guy gets out of my seat.”

“If you try to sit next to me, Snotlout, I will break your wrist again.” The knight just grumbled before sitting opposite of Hiccup and muttering under his breath as he ate his food.

Hiccup quickly shoved down his food and clapped his hands together, “Well if this wasn’t just,” He glanced over at Snotlout, “ Lovely , I am going to get to work.”

Tuffnut just moaned, “This early? Dude, the sun isn’t even up yet.” 

“It’s been up for over an hour?” Fishlegs affirmed. 

“It’s still too early.”

Astrid just gave Hiccup an apologetic look before he left. He worked his way down to the bottom of the Cathedral where his workshop was located. When he had a more central location, he may have accidentally blown up a wall and nearly collapsed the east wing. Since then his workshop was banished to the farthest corner in the wing. Before, he hated being so far from everyone else and having to walk miles every day. But now that he has certain outdoor activities, being able to sneak out of the order is a blessing he never knew he had. Hiccup may not believe he’s good at many things, but being invisible was always a strong suit.

The previous issue with his cube catcher was an easy fix. All he needed to do was add some liquid nitrogen into a dewar and place the ejected crystals with demons inside of the cold dewar to cool them down. It was a simple solution and after a few hours, he had already made the adjustments and built a cabinet in his workshop to accommodate the captured demons. Now all that was left was to test it. The only issue is that it is noon. Not exactly the best time for sneaking around Berk hunting for demons. Luckily, Toothless and Hiccup have been working on a solution.

Out in the cove, Hiccup had installed a few defensive upgrades to try and keep this location as hidden as possible. That way no one would accidentally sneak up on Hiccup and Toothless training. Or there might be another situation like the run in with Astrid. 

While Toothless coached, Hiccup summoned his divine sword. Previously the excess energy would explode out and cause Hiccup to lose control. The goal wasn’t to protect against this extra energy, but to control it. So with Toothless’ guidance, Hiccup successfully controlled this energy and formed it into a sort of divine armor. Now Hiccup had both his divine sword and divine armor. 

It was completely jet black, much like the color of the energy that is released. From head to toe, he was covered in this armor that took on a scaly appearance. While trying to think of a good design for the armor, Hiccup was looking at Toothless’ scales and used that as inspiration. He felt like some sort of dragon knight, straight out of a fantasy novel. Now that he was both protected and his identity hidden, they felt comfortable going looking for demons during the day.

“I have to say Hiccup, that armor is very impressive. Your progress with controlling the divine energy is also astounding.” 

Hiccup was adjusting one of the shoulderpads, “I think we make a pretty good team brother.” Hiccup replied. They continued searching through the forest and eventually made it to the edge of the forest. Toothless has more sensitive hearing and smell than Hiccup making him better at tracking demons, and sure enough in the town they approached, there was a small demon running amuck. 

It was a Terrible Terror class demon. Smaller than other demons, but quicker and harder to catch. It had bright green scales and was running around growling at humans scaring them off. Soon the Order’s knights are going to be here and kill this demon. They had to capture it quickly.

Hiccup jumped out from the treeline and ran towards the demon. He gave a short whistle before throwing one of his cube catchers towards it. One of its eyes turned on its own and looked at Hiccup. Upon noticing him, it jumped and turned to run off. Before it got a couple of steps away, the cube catcher he threw, finished beeping and released a high pitched noise. The terror screamed as its body began to vibrate and it was then subsequently sucked into the cube.

Hiccup ran over the cube, ejected the crystal and quickly before it burned him, placed it in the slot of the dewar to drop it into the freezing liquid nitrogen. After a breath, he jumped cheering. He turned and gave Toothless a high-five as he materialized next to him. They finally did it!

“Now that we can capture demons without harming them.” Toothless poked the liquid nitrogen device, “We can finally move onto step 2.”

Hiccup stopped dead in his tracks, “What! That was only step 1!”

Toothless nodded, “We have a lot more to do, to finally end the Queen’s tyranny.”

Hiccup was running through the city. He was in a creepy part of town. To be completely honest he never felt comfortable coming within a thirty meter radius of this place. But with Toothless by his side, he felt much more comfortable. In the short amount of time that they spent running around in this part of the city, they had captured seven other demons. Most were weak, but it was still an impressive number for a solo knight. If you could even call Hiccup that, he was probably the least knightly knight there was! If that even makes sense.

“1 o’clock. Behind the apartment complex.” Toothless spoke, draggin Hiccup out of his thoughts. Hiccup slid and turned in the direction Toothless pointed out. And sure enough, when he popped around the corner, a Hideous Zippleback class demon stood there, digging through the trash can. This demon was easy to identify as they usually had two heads.

One of the heads spotted Hiccup and alerted the other one that was digging through the garbage looking for food. It immediately started spraying a green noxious gas, trying to impede Hiccup’s sight. Unfortunately for the demon, Hiccup didn’t need to see it to capture it. With practiced ease, he drew a capture cube (The new name Hiccup was playing with) and threw it into the gas cloud. After a few seconds, a loud shrill broke through the air and the cloud exploded in a giant fireball. Hiccup was thrown backwards and slammed into a car on the side of the road.

Hiccup picked himself up and realized that part of his armor had dissipated. His right leg was no longer armored. Quickly he summoned more divine energy and the gap in his armor was effortlessly replaced. Looking around for the demon, he saw no sign of it. So he slowly made his way towards the explosion and noticed that his capture cube was there in the center, slightly charred but otherwise intact. He then noticed the blinking green light on the cube. Relaxing, Hiccup picked it up and ejected the crystal that contained the Zippleback. He was relieved that it still captured the demon, even with the explosion.

Toothless suddenly started growling, alerting Hiccup. He quickly stowed the crystal and the cube, before entering a defensive stance. Three knights from the order came running around the corner and a fourth one fell from the rooftop into the burning garbage.

“AH!” The knight that fell cried out, “I’m hurt, very much hurt!”

The knight closest to him grabbed his arm and pulled him upwards, “Shut up, Butt-elf. It wasn’t even that bad of a fall.” 

Hiccup was very familiar with the knights that were approaching him. Unfortunately, he was most familiar with the one leading the charge. She slid to a stop, glaring daggers at Hiccup. Astrid seemed to have this uncanny ability to find him when he doesn’t want to be found.

The last knight began charging towards Hiccup, but was stopped by Astrid’s arm.

“Take the twins and go find the demon that caused the explosion. I’ll handle this guy.” She said pointing at Hiccup.

Hiccup slowly raised his hands in the air, “Please don’t. I don’t really want to fight anybody.” His voice came out a little distorted. Probably Toothless’ doing.

The four knights froze. Even the twins that were bickering. They just stared at him dumbfounded. Astrid then slapped Snotlout’s shoulder trying to knock sense back into him.
“Protocol Alpha! Organize it with the twins!” Astrid then turned and faced Hiccup, lowering her axe into a striking position.

Snotlout saluted, “Roger!” He then ran towards the twins before stopping, “Uh, what was Protocol Alpha again?”

Astrid yelled, “TAKE THE TWINS AND GET HELP! I’LL HOLD HIM OFF!” Snotlout yelped and dragged the twins off.

Hiccup, still playing the peacemaker, “Seriously I don’t wan-” He ducked in time to dodge her swing. He quickly drew Inferno and blocked the next strike. She followed with a side kick and he went flying backwards, grabbing his stomach. Hiccup always knew Astrid was strong when they sparred in training, but this was beyond that. She was trying to actually kill him. His usual awkwardness is only going to be his downfall here. He had no choice but to fight back.

By the time he recovered, Astrid was already on top of him bringing a powerful strike from overhead. Hiccup spun on the ground and tripped her, throwing her onto her back. As agile as ever, she did a reverse somersault and was back on her feet charging. Hiccup had barely finished standing back up. He crouched down to absorb the blow and put as much of his divine energy into the swing aiming to block her axe. When his sword connected with her handle, the two weapons clashed, stopping just before slicing him in two. He saw the anger and perseverance in her gaze. A brief millisecond after, the weapons exploded throwing Hiccup and Astrid backwards.

Hiccup coughed, noticing some red splatter onto his hand. He slowly pulled himself upwards and realized that his armor and sword were gone. He must have run out of divine energy. He looked over at Astrid fearing that she would finish him off, but to his surprise she was knocked out across the street. Panicking, he ran to her. He checked her pulse and breathing. She was fine, aside from a few bumps. The same could not be said about her axe. It was laying next to her split in two. He was about to pick her up to take her to the infirmary, when Toothless alerted him to more knights approaching. Probably Snotlout with the reinforcements. Astrid would be fine, they’ll take care of her. His hide was on the line now.

Hiccup stood up and ran, grabbing the nitrogen dewar that had fallen, and took off in the other direction. He ran straight for his workshop in case someone would come looking for him only to find him absent. He also needed to secure the crystals now, before they released all of the demons he captured. Hiccup took a deep breath before running faster.

He threw open the door to his workshop and nearly collapsed onto the floor. He slid into the corner that had a bathroom door. He dragged himself inside and went over to the mirror. He was badly cut and probably had a broken rib. Taking the brunt force of two explosions and one Astrid was more than he could handle for a day. He bandaged up what he could and disinfected anything that broke skin.

After patching himself up, he quickly grabbed all of the demon crystals and secured them in a permanent cooling bin. Basically a glorified crystal refrigerator. He hid as much of his equipment as possible and tried to return his workshop to look as haphazardly normal as possible. Just as he was throwing some papers into a drawer, his workshop door exploded. Gobber charged into his workshop.

“Lad! Let’s go! Emergency meeting called by–,” Gobber blinked, “What on Midgard happened to you?”

“Uh,” Hiccup laughed nervously, “lost a fight to another one of my inventions.” He rolled his shoulders, “You know how dangerous those can be.”

Gober raised an eyebrow, clearly many more questions on his mind. “Aye I do. But no time! Emergency meetin’ called by the Chief let’s go now!” Gobber grabbed Hiccup and dragged him out of the room and up to the Great Hall. It was a large cathedral room, within the order where all major meetings happened. All official business too.

They rushed into the hall and everyone was already there. Murmuring and whispering throughout. Clearly everyone was confused as to why the meeting was called and they were all speculating at what the possibilities could be. Stoick the Vast stood up and raised one of his large hands, immediately silencing the crowd of knights.

“Thank you all for coming on such short notice. I bet you are all wondering as to why I called you here.”

Many of the knights nodded in assent, “One of our best up and coming knights was injured today. Astrid Hofferson. She is fine physically, but the report from Gothi is that she may never wield her divine axe again. She may never fight as a knight again.”
Hiccup's heart sank. He did this. He was starting to hyperventilate. Some of the knights started yelling now. It was common for a knight to fall or get injured, but to lose the ability to fight without losing a limb was unheard of. The crowd was getting wild and Stoick had to clear his throat to silence the crowd a second time.

“This is not enough to call an emergency meeting. It is a tragedy, but what comes next is much worse. Before she was knocked unconscious, she ordered one of her knights under her command, Protocol Alpha.”

This time the crowd erupted in panic. Screaming in both fear and revenge. Stoick tried to take control of the crowd again, but they were all riled up. He had to scream to finally get their attention.
“Snotlout confirmed this as well. The demon that did this to Astrid, talked to them before attacking. Taunting them in Norse before brutally attacking her. He gave a very detailed description of the demon as well. This can only mean one thing.”

The crowd stood silent, idly waiting for Stoick to say what was on everyone’s mind. The tip of their tongues. What they were all afraid to say, fearing that if they speak of it, it will come true. The unholy offspring of lightning and death itself.
“This means we have a Night Fury class demon on our hands. And it attacked one of our own.”

Chapter Text

Hiccup was trapped. He sat in his workshop tinkering with some crystals. The entire order was on high alert. Patrols, guards, everything imaginable that made it impossible to sneak out. He had to clock in and clock out. Every movement was tracked, to make sure that no knight was captured or attacked while the Night Fury was on the loose. Little did they know that the Night Fury was in the order. Stoick even issued a Kill-on-Sight order. Although every encounter with a demon was already Kill-on-Sight. . .

“Beating yourself up over this is going to be the death of you.” Toothless said while standing in the corner of the room, nonchalantly leaning against the wall and checking his fingernails.

Hiccup threw down the materials he was tinkering with. “How can I not? This is all my fault.”

“To be fair you didn’t know this would happen. You even tried to get her not to fight.”

Hiccup scoffed, “Yea, like Astrid would surrender. What I can’t figure out is how her weapon broke.” Toothless chuckled, earning a glare from Hiccup.

“That’s simple, your sword is made from demon iron.” Toothless stated as if that was the obvious answer. To prove his point Toothless walked over to the weapon rack and inspected the weapons. He found the sturdiest looking one and brought it over to Hiccup. He placed the sword in a vice and backed away from it.

“Ok, Hiccup. Summon your sword and strike this one.” Hiccup shrugged and pushed his chair. He quickly summoned his sword and took a quick practice swing at the other weapon. Much to his surprise, without putting any force into it, his divine sword cleanly sliced through the other one like a hot knife through butter. The metal fragment clanking onto the stone floor. Toothless just hummed in approval.

“See brother, it wasn’t your fault. Your sword is just much higher quality.” Hiccup was still in shock, looking down at his own sword in amazement.

Hiccup rolled his shoulder, finally standing up straight for the first time today. “I guess you are right, Toothless.”

Toothless clapped him on the back, “Of course I’m right. I’m always right.” This earned an eye roll from Hiccup. “Come on, let’s go visit the pretty lady. It’s the least you could do.” Hiccup flicked his hand causing his sword to disappear, and Toothless followed suit by disappearing as Hiccup opened the door to his workshop heading for the infirmary.

Hiccup shuffled his hands nervously. They were clasped tightly around a vase with a small bouquet of flowers in it. He awkwardly approached the front desk which had a nurse frantically scribbling something on a piece of paper. He cleared his throat to get her attention.

“Oh!” She exclaimed, jumping at the sudden noise.. “How can I help you?”

“Hello there. I’m looking for Astrid Hofferson.” The nurse's eyes widened slightly at the name and quickly typed something in her computer. It beeped and she spun her chair to the side and pulled a sticky note and wrote something on it.

“Are you a family member? Her room is currently only available to members of her family.”

“Ah, uh n-n-no I’m not family. I’m uh, uh–” Hiccup was running out of ideas. Friends? Acquaintances? Roommates? He had no idea what they were. But none of those would allow him to see her. He felt horrible for being the cause of all this. He had to at least visit her. So he mustered up his courage and said something he always dreamed to say. 

“Not even her boyfriend? I heard she was attacked by a Night Fury class demon, I’m worried sick about her and I really need to see if she’s okay. Please.” Truth be told, only the boyfriend part was a lie, everything else was the truth. He surprised himself with his courage.

The nurse at the desk bit her lip, clearly debating with herself. She eventually passed the sticky note in her hand. “She’s in 14B.” Hiccup graciously took the sticky note and awkwardly bowed giving his thanks. Soon enough, he stood in front of room 14B. He hesitated to open the door. What if she was awake? Then she would know he lied about being her boyfriend. She would kill him. This was a bad idea.

Hiccup turned to go back to his workshop. He looked down at the plant in his hands. After another moment of thought, he threw his head back and sighed. She was probably still asleep. Just a quick in, drop off the plant, and get out before she wakes up. He slowly opened the door and peeked into the room. The lights were dimmed and he could hear the beeping of her pulse machine. His nose was immediately assaulted by the smell of some sort of cleaning alcohol. He saw Astrid, unconscious, laying on the hospital bed in the middle of the room. He stepped inside and slowly walked over to the side of her bed and placed down the potted plant. He then inspected the sleeping valkyrie.

She didn’t seem too injured, at least on the outside. It looked more like she had a few bumps and bruises, but nothing too major. Thankfully, it seemed that he didn’t injure her as badly as he thought. He almost expected a huge open wound or maybe a missing limb. Although this was probably the worst condition she has even been in, she still seemed as beautiful as ever.

“Oh, hello.” Said a voice from behind Hiccup, causing him to yelp and nearly fall over onto Astrid, tripping over himself. He quickly turned and saw another set of blonde hair and blue eyes sitting in a lounging chair in the corner of the room. Considering her room was closed to only family, Hiccup should have expected a family member in her room, but that never seemed to cross his mind.

“Uh, h-hello! Great to see you. Mrs. Hofferson?” He supplied, earning a nod from Astrid’s mother. “I was just stopping by to . . . you know I just wanted to . . . was making sure–She–her–” Hiccup just slapped his hand on his face. “I was just checking in on Astrid making sure she is okay.”

Mrs. Hofferson smiled, “That’s very sweet of you dear. But I thought that I asked the nurse to keep her room closed to only family.”

Hiccup’s blood ran cold. How was he going to explain this? “Well, you see.” Quick! Think of an easy explanation that makes total sense. “I’m Astrid’s boyfriend.” As soon as the words left his mouth, his mind  yelled NO!

But it was too late. She already picked up on what he said. Her brows furrowed looking clearly upset. “Astrid never told me that she had a boyfriend. You think that she would at least tell her mother this.”

Somehow he managed to get Astrid in trouble with her mother. “No! It’s not Astrid’s fault. It’s–uh–the truth is I’m not actually Astrid’s boyfriend.” He was wringing his hands and awkwardly shuffling.

“But you just said–” Hiccup interrupted her.

“I know I lied. I lied to the nurse saying I was Astrid’s boyfriend so that I would be able to visit her. I was worried and just wanted to make sure she was alright.”

Hiccup expected that he would be kicked out. Maybe attacked on the spot. He imagined Astrid’s battle cry and charging with her axe and implanting it directly on his sternum. What he didn’t expect, happened. Astrid’s mother smiled.

“That is very sweet of you.” She stood up and grabbed one of his hands, giving him a sweet smile. Astrid was a spitting image of her mother. The same long blonde hair in a complicated braid, bright blue eyes and tough exterior. So far Astrid’s mother seems to be a lot more relaxed than her daughter's usual hardcore. 

“W-what?”

“I said that it’s very sweet of you to take the blame for Astrid.” She turned to look at her daughter and glared . Hiccup was very familiar with this look and realized it must have been hereditary. “She really should have shared this with me.”

“I-I’m not taking the blame for Astrid, I really did lie.” Hiccup persisted.

“Sure you did.” She gave him a knowing wink. “Whatever you say.” Hiccup quickly pulled his hand away from her and raced towards the door. “Going so soon?”

Hiccup nodded profusely, “Just came by to check on her. I have a ton of work to get to.” He waved to Mrs. Hofferson and bolted out the door before she could respond. Hiccup was alive so that wasn’t the worst case scenario, but it was pretty darn close.

“ Hiccup, I don’t mean to alarm you. ” Toothless said in Hiccup’s head. Causing him to jump and startle a passing nurse. “ But your heart rate is at an extreme high. I think you are having a heart attack. ”

Hiccup chuckled despite his circumstances, “No Toothless, that’s normal. That was a horrifying situation.”

“Astrid’s dam holding your hand is horrifying?” Toothless inquired.
Hiccup flipped around a corner and headed for the exit of the infirmary. “No, Toothless. The fact that I lied to get into her room. I was not supposed to be there. I’m not her boyfriend.”

“ I don’t understand. What is a boyfriend and why are you worrying so much? ”

Hiccup realized he was talking to a demon in his head. Of course he doesn’t know what human things are.

“A boyfriend is a male who wishes to. . . mate. With another human.” Somehow just saying that made him embarrassed even though Toothless probably had no idea what this even was.

“So you claimed to be her mate, yet you are clearly not her mate. Hiccup! How could you! ” Guess not.

“Toothless it was the only way to see Astrid.”

Toothless growled, “ That’s beside the point. You can’t go around claiming females as your mate unless they choose you. Even hatchlings know this! ”

Hiccup rolled his eyes, “Like I said, it was necessary .” 

“ And here I thought that I was gonna share with you the secret of demon iron. ” Toothless huffed. “ Think again .”

Hiccup slid to a stop, “Wait, wait wait. No Toothless! You have to teach me that! It is very important to our research.”

“ Fine. I’m not happy about this. And only if you apologize to Astrid. ” Hiccup shivered. Thinking about that gave him dread.

“Sure. I’ll apologize to Astrid when she wakes up. In the meantime, teach me.”

He could feel Toothless’ thoughtful gaze. He couldn’t see him at all, but just sensed his emotions.

“ Fine, turn right. ” Without thinking, Hiccup made the next right into a hallway. Now leading away from his workshop. 

“Uh, Toothless, I don’t mean to question your expertise, but this is not the right direction.”

“ Trust me brother, this is the right direction. ”

After walking a bit further, Hiccup realized that this part of the Order was very familiar. He remembered all the paintings and the staircase with a missing stone that he always tripped on. He wanted to never return to that area after his promotion, but apparently Toothless had other ideas. Hiccup walked into the large training room for the E-rank knights. His presence was noticed immediately.

“Well, well, well.” Mini-Snotlout started. “Look who finally showed up. I know you slack off quite a bit. Useless, but you haven’t shown up for weeks!” Lupnut laughed at his jab and just stuck their tongue out at Hiccup.

“Again Gustav, I got promoted and won’t be coming back.”

“Oh yeah! Then why are you here, genius? Looks like you are back to me.” He held his arms out to his sides motioning for the rest of the junior knights to join in. Only Lupnut joined in the taunting. Hiccup opened his mouth to respond, then closed it. He didn’t know why he was here.

“ Toothless. Why are we here again?” Hiccup thought.

“ Obviously, summon the short one.” He stated matter of factly.

Hiccup looked around and noticed Lire, the scholar and only knight that doesn’t taunt him. Doing her best to slink away and hide in the back. Hiccup lifted his hand and pointed to her. She squeaked then looked around, before realizing he was in fact pointing at her.

“Lire, come with me.” She walked on over, earning glares and comments from Gustav and Lupnut. They immediately left the training room.

“W-what can I do for you Hiccup?” His eyes flicked to her before returning to the direction they were walking.

Hiccup started, “Don’t worry Lire. I’ll tell you everything when we get to my workshop.” Truth be told. Hiccup had no idea why he was grabbing Lire. Maybe it needed more hands to make the demon iron? Soon, they returned to the workshop. Lire stood in the corner fidgeting awkwardly. 

“ Okay Hiccup, do exactly as I say and you will make demon iron .” Hiccup nodded to Toothless’ commands. Toothless directed him to the materials of his workshop and ordered that he place certain materials in a burlap bag. The recipe was three chunks of limestone and two chunks of sandstone. He placed an iron ingot into the crucible and began heating, before Toothless cut him off. Apparently his forge won’t get hot enough to create the demon iron, and it needs another source? Hiccup was writing all of the directions down, but had no idea how to accomplish this.

“ Okay, now that most of the materials are in place, we now need to bond the iron and superheat it. My plasma can take care of the heating, but not the bonding. Give the bag to the girl in the corner of your workshop. ” 

Hiccup scratched his head, “ Toothless how is this– ”

“ Just give her the bag Hiccup .” He interrupted. Hiccup approached Lire and handed her the burlap bag. She accepted it and raised an eyebrow, clearly confused. “ Good. ”

Hiccup and Lire just awkwardly stood there staring at each other. Both were waiting for the other to do something. Still confused, Lire peeked into the sack. She pulled out one of the rocks, inspected it then put it back in.

Lire looked up at Hiccup, “You called me down here, to give me a bag of rocks?”

“Not quite, I need your help.” He pointed to the crucible. Hiccup still wasn’t sure.

Lire walked over to the furnace and saw the iron inside. “Hiccup I don’t follow. What exactly do you want me to do with–” She grabbed the rock from the bag and stopped talking. She looked at the forge, then back at the rock in her hand. She quickly returned it to the bag and grabbed another, inspecting it closely. She turned slowly to face Hiccup, her eyes dark and angry. “Who told you this recipe?”

Her sudden change in personality shocked hiccup. She was always sweet and shy. “No one told me the recipe!” He lied poorly. “Honest.”

She rolled her eyes, “Hiccup you are a brilliant support engineer. But this is too complex even for you. So don’t lie and tell me who the rat is.”

Hiccup was about to respond when he felt. . . strange . His body slowly felt numb and he started to lose focus. He wobbled trying to keep his balance. Before he realized it, he had no control of his body. He tried to command his body to move, but it acted as if it had a mind of its own. Hiccup immediately started to panic. Then, without his permission, his body spoke.

“Meatlug! Did you just call me a rat! When I tell you to eat rocks and make demon iron, you eat the damn rocks!” Hiccup? Yelled.

Lire proceeded to drop the bag of rocks onto the ground and fell onto all fours giving a deep bow. “My Prince! I never meant disrespect, I was just questioning the human for–”

Hiccup’s body raised its hand, shutting her up. “I don’t want you questioning Hiccup ever again. He is my bonded. Anything Hiccup orders you to do has my blessing and will be carried out in haste.”

Lire, Meatlug. Whoever. Looked up in fear, mouth hanging open. Gaping.

“That means now!” He yelled, causing the girl to jump up, swiftly grab the bag off the ground and shovel the rocks into her mouth. If Hiccup was confused before, he's definitely lost now. The girl ate five large rocks in a surprisingly short time. She sat there for a brief moment before placing her hand on her stomach looking as if she had a bad stomach ache. Which, she promptly vomited. Except instead of the usual bile, it was a bright orange lava directly into the crucible.

Meatlug stood up straight and gave a salute. Hiccup, whoever was controlling him, bent down and held out his hand. Hiccup felt an energy breeze through his body. He was quite familiar with this energy and knew it was Toothless’. A small purple orb formed in his hand, then it slowly drifted towards the forge. Once it made contact with the crucible, it exploded in a bright violet flash. Hiccup stood up, inspected the molten metal then gave Meatlug a nod. Meatlug then hopped, turned about-face and ran out of the workshop. The numb feeling slowly subsided and Hiccup regained control of his body.

“ Sorry about that Hiccup, Meatlug was frustrating me and I had to take over. ” Toothless apologized.

“What do you mean take over? Can you just possess me at any time?”

Toothless hummed in affirmation. “ Yes, although it drains quite a lot from me. Only dire circumstances. ”

Hiccup chuckled, “So a little girl not following your commands?”

Toothless appeared next to Hiccup then playfully smacked him. “She called me a rat!”

Hiccup just smiled, “Whatever you say Toothless.” Hiccup expected a response, but realized that Toothless had disappeared and fallen asleep. It seems that possession really did take a toll on him. Although it was scary at first, Hiccup knew that he trusted Toothless. He trusted Toothless more than he trusted anyone else for that matter. If it was a dire circumstance as he had claimed, then he would be willing to give him permission to take over his body. When the demon finally awoke, he needed to have a conversation about Lire apparently being a demon named Meatlug. For now, he’ll trust Toothless.

Hiccup looked at the molten metal. Thankfully, due to his years of experience he knew that he could handle it from here. He also assumed Toothless thought the same. Hiccup placed his foot on the bellow and began pumping air into the forge. He needed to keep this as hot as possible to allow everything to mix properly. This was already the hottest metal he has ever seen and it was making him nervous. The constant supply of oxygen and some divine energy kept the inferno blazing.

Hiccup had a habit of getting deeply engrossed into his work for hours. That was good for getting complicated tasks done in a timely manner, even if that meant starving for a day or two. But it also had his downsides. He would be so focused that his surroundings would just blend away into nothingness. Which is not good if you wanted to notice other people. For example the person standing directly behind Hiccup.

“Hey, Boyfriend .” For the third time that day, Hiccup screamed. What was it and people scaring him today. When he fell, he almost hit the crucible and burned himself. He looked up and noticed Astrid glaring down at him.

“Astrid!”

“That’s my name.” She said, leaning back and crossing her arms.

“W-w-w-w-what are you doing here?”

“Visiting my boyfriend .” Her glare deepened.

“How. . .who. . .why–”

“My mother lectured me on not telling her about my secret boyfriend. I asked who this mystery man was, and she described a tall, lanky boy with green eyes and freckles. I only know one of those.”

“Astrid, I didn’t mean to –  I wasn’t trying to –” Astrid just started laughing and Hiccup was now gaping at her like a fish.

“Relax Hiccup, I’m just teasing you. The nurse explained everything and considering we aren’t dating, I’m assuming you lied to visit me.” She looked away and tucked a strand of hair behind her right ear. “You were the only one to visit, other than Mom. Thanks for the flowers. By the way.”

“Of-of course.” Astrid helped him up. “I just needed to make sure you were okay.”

“As you can see, I am just fine.” Her face darkened. “But the same cannot be said for this.”

Astrid held out something wrapped in a bundle of cloth. Hiccup took it gingerly and inspected it. Inside the cloth were the shattered remnants of Astrid’s beloved divine weapon; her signature dual-headed battle axe. Hiccup was curious as to the cause of the explosion when they traded blows, but now it all made sense. To his trained eye, he was able to spot the problem immediately.

“I already took this to my support engineers. They all said the same thing: irreparable. None of them know how to fully repair a divine weapon.” She shuffled nervously. “I was hoping to get a second opinion and better news.”

Hiccup sighed and put down the weapon. “Unfortunately Astrid, we still don’t know how to repair divine weapons. Maintaining is possible, but repair is out of the question. Look here.” Hiccup picked small shards out of the cloth and gave them to Astrid. It was the destroyed fragments of a grey divine crystal.

“What is this?” She asked.

“That is the core of the weapon. Basically that’s what makes it the divine weapon. With that destroyed, even if we repaired the head or handle, without the core it would just be an ordinary axe.” Hiccup explained.

Astrid looked at him and completely deflated. “So, this means I’ll never fight again.”

Hiccup shook his head. “You can just get another divine weapon, a better one.”

“Right.” She scoffed. “They are extremely rare, where can I find or even afford another divine weapon. It’s impossible.” 

She threw a punch at the concrete wall, drawing blood but showing no pain. Hiccup sat there pondering. He had been wondering about this possibility. If this works, he could apologize to Astrid and help with this situation. He was the cause of it, so it was his job to fix it. Although the Order already has scars from his previous attempts to fix the demon problem. Hiccup scrambled and rummaged through one of his drawers until he found the divine crystal he was looking for. It was the best purity, size and density of any crystal he has made thus far.

Astrid peered over his shoulder, “What are you doing?”

“Something crazy.” His smile widened and he turned to face her. “Something insane even. I can solve all of your problems, if this works.”

She stood taller, suddenly very interested in what he was proposing. “How?”

“Do you trust me?” He asked, looking hopeful.

The truth was no. Astrid did not trust Hiccup at all. He always seemed shady, like he was hiding something. Any time he tried to help it was always screwed up and destroyed more than he helped. That’s why he was shunned by most of the Order and never given the time of day. To most it seemed like we would be better off if Hiccup finally just quit. But he never did quit.

He works harder than any knight she knows. He slaves away, to make sure that everything they do is safer and more effective. He might not be right all the time, but when he is. It’s impressive. She thought back to his evaluation. His promotion to the next rank as a support engineer. Hiccup was always treated poorly by the Order and even herself. But she didn’t even recognize him when he approached her. He has changed, grown up and matured. He is nothing like the old Hiccup the Useless she knew. For years he’s been the hardest working, most stubborn and dedicated person in the Order. Just like his father. Why was she even mean to him in the past? It all felt childish now. This hard work paid off, he was able to instantly determine the problem with her weapon that no other higher ranking support engineer did. If anyone could pull this off, it was Hiccup.

“To be honest. No, not really.” A small smile played at her lips, until it fell back into her usual stoic manner. “But, I’ll do anything to fight again.”

“Anything?” He raised a brow.

“Anything.” She affirmed with determination.

After a simple nod of his head, he placed the crystal in her hand and instructed her to summon her divine energy into the crystal much like how she summons her weapon. Much to her surprise, summoning the energy was much easier than before. To a trained warrior like Astrid, this was trivial. Hiccup gleefully took the crystal from her and inspected it thoroughly. It began glowing with an electric feeling. It has shades of gold and a faint blue matching her golden braid and azure eyes. It was an energy that just felt . . . Astrid . Every part of his plan was falling into place.

He beamed, “Give me three days.”

Chapter Text

The forge was sweltering. Heat emanating from the furnace, much hotter than he is used to, completely filled the small workshop. His clothes were sticking to his body, covered in sweat. But it was all worth it. He was constantly hammering, grinding, polishing, carving, and leatherworking. So far this was his greatest creation. His Magnum Opus. 

He placed the divine crystal, filled with Astrid’s energy carefully on the mold. He covered it with this demon iron that Toothless taught him to make. The crystal was carefully covered in the tie between the axe heads. He also made a demon iron reinforced handle with a hand crafted hilt. After sharpening and polishing this new axe, he etched in a few runes into the handle. Most were courage, strength and luck. And after two straight days of non-stop hard work. It was finished. Before him was a newly crafted divine double headed battle axe, made just for a certain knight. Hiccup smiled. Now all that was left was to test it out, he was ahead of schedule. He carefully bundled it up into a cloth and with the warmth of the forge, his tired eyelids closed and he promptly fell asleep.

Hiccup felt like he had about five minutes of rest before the door to his forge exploded. He shot up standing on wobbly feet, wiping the large pool of drool that accumulated on the side of his face. His back and neck were extremely stiff.

“Hiccup!” Astrid yelled excitedly. “It’s been three days!”

Hiccup stared at her. He rubbed his eyes trying to remove the blurry vision. “Wha – but it’s only Thursday?”

“Nope.” Astrid said, popping the P. “It’s none other than Friday. Exactly three days.”

Hiccup looked down at his desk. Observing the evident puddle. He had been asleep for almost 16 hours. Astrid seemed to notice his sluggish and unenthusiastic behavior.
“Hey, Hiccup?” He looked up at her, his eyes red and bags under his eyes. “Did you get any sleep? You never came back to the apartment.”

He shook his head and yawned. “I’ve been up for two days. It just seems my body finally caught up with me.”

“Oh.” Her enthusiasm died down. “Well if you need more time, I can always come back later.” 

“No need. I already finished everything.” Hearing this Astrid perked up. “I’m just a little out of it, but we need to test if this actually worked.” He bent over and grabbed the cloth bundle.

“What are you waiting for, let's go!” Astrid yelled, clearly excited again. Hiccup just chuckled at her antics.

He led her out the back entrance. It was the few areas that did not have a large guard presence and they were able to slip out unseen. They entered the forest that Hiccup and Toothless had been training in and he was leading her towards the cove. Hiccup didn’t want anyone prying into what they were doing today. This was a close secret, a shame that the Knight’s Order didn’t trust him. Eventually they came across a tall rock that had a small opening in the bottom, twisted sideways and slipped through allowing him access into the cove.

Astrid looked around quite surprised by what she saw. There were practice dummies, some covered in a net while others were completely charred.

“What is this place?” She asked while inspecting some of the debris on the ground.

“This is where I come to train.” Astrid gave him a confused look. “I’m not a knight, but a support engineer. I’m not allowed to train in the Order.”

Astrid pondered on that and eventually frowned. Clearly not liking the idea of what he said. Hiccup led her to the center of the cove and handed her the bundle. 

“I’m curious as to what this is.” She said while lifting the bundle trying to gauge its weight.

“I’m sure you are, but it’s going to solve all of your problems. Open it.” Hiccup was trying and failing to hide the smile on his face. The walk out to the forest woke him up completely.

Astrid carefully undid the string and the cloth fell open. When her eyes gazed on what was inside she gasped. She quickly threw off the rest of the cloth covering the weapon and raised it proudly. Her eyes were sparkling as she gave it a few test swings.

“It’s absolutely perfect.” She gave it a few more swings then raised it above her head and with a yell, threw the axe with perfect accuracy into a nearby practice dummy. She stood there with her jaw hanging. “It’s lighter than any axe I have ever lifted, perfectly balanced.” 

“I’m glad you like it.” Hiccup said, his smile only growing wider.

“Like it?” She ran over and yanked it out of the dummy. “I. Love. It.” She practically caressed the axe, feeling all its curves and ridges. Closely inspecting the runes on the handles and the point of its sharp edge.

“I told you the answer to your problem is just to get another axe.” 

“So this is a divine weapon?” Hiccup nodded. “I can’t believe you found a divine weapon in only three days. That’s amazing.” Her shoulder slumped. “How much does it cost?”

“Oh, well it doesn’t cost anything. Not for you.” Hiccup's smile was wiped off his face when he noticed her glare. He had been on the receiving end too many times.

“Hiccup, I make a ton more money than you do. And I still cannot afford a divine weapon. Especially one like this, that was crafted by a master blacksmith or something. Please let me pay you back somehow.”

Hiccup blushed at her compliment, although it wasn’t directly meant for him. “Well, Astrid the axe was free. So you don’t have to pay me back at all.” What Hiccup couldn’t tell her was that this was an apology for accidentally destroying her first axe.

She placed her hands on her hips, and her glare deepened. “Hiccup, I seriously doubt that a divine weapon like this would be free.”

Hiccup just rolled his shoulders and shrugged. “Well it was free. Just a lot of work.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well I, sorta, kinda,” He stammered. “Made this axe.” Her eyes widened and just stared at him. She looked at him, then at the axe, then back at him. She opened her mouth and tried to say something but nothing came out. She stood there for a few more minutes just looking back and forth between Hiccup and the axe.

“You made this?” After all that time thinking, that was all she managed to say.

“Yea, Astrid. I made that axe.” Things were starting to get awkward now that she was silent. He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.

“And it’s a divine weapon?” She said, blinking in disbelief, eyes still wide.

“Yes.”

“ You made a divine weapon.” She repeated.

“Indeed.”

“ You made a divine weapon. Something no one has ever done before.”

“I guess? Someone must have made the ones we currently use.”

“You made a divine weapon. For me .”

“Yes Astrid, I made a divine weapon, something that apparently no other support engineer knows how to do. And I made this axe for you.” She just stared at him in complete disbelief.

“Like I said Astrid. Something crazy.”

“Oh, this is definitely beyond just crazy!” She exclaimed.

“Okay, insane then.”

She nodded profusely. “That’s right. You are insane! Absolutely Insane. Look at this.” She walked over to Hiccup and started pointing to things on the axe. Hiccup humored her and played along. She would point to the runes, open her mouth to say something then just throw her hand up in frustration. She repeated this a few more times.

“I think you are having trouble believing that this is actually a divine weapon.” He said, chuckling. “Why don’t you try summoning some divine energy to test it out before you thank me.”

Her eyes widened at his remark. She thought carefully for a second then assumed a fighting stance, about to summon divine energy.

Toothless’ voice popped up in his head. “ Hiccup, I wouldn’t recommend that. You remember what happened the first time you summoned divine energy? ”

Hiccup was about to respond when a bolt of lightning shot by his head. Astrid has finished summoning her divine energy and the excess energy exploded outwards in a blast of electricity. She was staring gobsmacked at her axe that was now crackling with energy and bolts of electricity. 

Toothless was chuckling in his head. “ Nevermind, I see that she is not a weakling like you were. ”

Astrid began swinging her axe and with every swing it would launch a column of lightning in the path of her swing. She heaved her axe and threw it at a practice dummy which promptly exploded in a blast of electricity when it made contact, further charring the target. She waved her hand and the axe dissipated from the dummy’s chest. She snapped her fingers and it immediately appeared in her right hand. She stood there breathing heavily, just staring at the power she was wielding in her hands.

She swiveled around to face Hiccup. “What on Midgard did you do!?”

“I didn’t do anything.”

“Right, and trolls stole my socks. Hiccup this is not normal, or even close to a normal divine weapon.”

He shook his head, “I didn’t do anything, I just made this axe specifically for you. I used your divine energy to craft it, so it’s more attuned to you. It can easily access your divine energy because it is your divine energy.”

“How much do I owe you?”

Hiccup sighed. “Astrid you don’t owe me –” She put her hand up to silence him, glaring.

“I don’t want an excuse. I want to pay you back, even if it's not money.”

Hiccup thought back to her conversation, “Well you did say you would do anything right?”

She gave him a concerned look, “Yes, but what did you have in mind.”

Hiccup smirked. “First, if you want this axe. You can’t tell anyone about how it was made.”

Astrid started protesting, “But this would completely change the Order, we could kill more demons than ever before. We could win this war!”

“That’s the other thing. You can’t kill any demons with it.”

“WHAT!”

“You hear me. You said you would do anything. This whole thing stays between us and no killing any demons.”

She threw her arms out, “What do you mean I can’t kill any demons! That’s the whole point of a weapon!”

Hiccup pinched the bridge of his nose, “Do you not hear how bloodthirsty you sound? Just kill, kill, kill. I want you to help me capture the demons. To study them.”

“Hiccup, a demon. A Night Fury . Caused this whole thing to happen. I want to get revenge on the son of a mulch eating rat bucket that did this.”

Toothless piped up. “ If the demon can talk. She may kill it.”

Hiccup gasped, “ What? Kill demons if they can talk? ”

“ Yes, that means that they are following the queen’s orders of their own volition. I’ll kill them myself if I get to them first. They are the true enemy. ”

Hiccup had never heard him speak so dark. Something bad must have happened between Toothless and another demon. He still had many other questions. But those would have to wait. Hiccup focused on the blonde who was currently pouting in front of him.

“Fine. Concession. You may kill the demon if they can speak. You may have your revenge, but must help me capture the ones that cannot speak.”

Astrid smiled brightly and fist pumped. “Yes! I can do that! Seriously, Hiccup. This axe is amazing. Much better than the garbage I had before.”

“Wasn’t that a family heirloom?” He asked curiously.

“Yea,” she waved it off. “But compared to what you made. It felt like garbage. You’re amazing Hiccup.”

Hiccup blushed, “Thanks that really mean–” She interrupted him by pressing her lips against his. It was a quick, smash and grab. Kiss the dork and retreat. He just stood there eyes wide and in shock.

She sat back on her heels and pursed her lips, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “That was to say thanks. I realized that I never did thank you for all the work you did.” She gave him a warm smile that nearly melted him.

“Lot.” That was all that he got out. She definitely fried his brain.

She chuckled. “Sorry, I’m just making things awkward.” She crossed one of her arms and grabbed her other elbow. She looked uncomfortable, it seemed unnatural for Astrid.
“No, No. Not at all. I’m the awkward one.” He just fumbled with his hands, not quite sure what to do. “Great way to pay me back. No complaints here. No siree.”

Astrid smirked. “Men are all the same.”

“Hey! It was your idea.” Hiccup huffed.

“No idea what you are talking about.” She quickly turned on her heels and started to run off. “I’ve uh - gotta go.” She gave a quick wave and ran back to the order. Leaving Hiccup behind to just stare blankly.

Toothless appeared next to Hiccup. “She seems like a good ally for our cause, she was incredibly strong for a human. But what was all that stuff about at the end?”

Hiccup just rubbed his ears trying to escape the embarrassing situation he just had. “If I knew what that was about I would tell you.”

“You are acting weird.” Toothless said simply.

“Of course I’m acting weird!” Hiccup was yelling at the trees at this point. “Astrid, the Astrid Hofferson, just gave me a thank you kiss. I don’t know what that means, does she want a relationship? Does she thank all her friends like that? No, wait this is Astrid we are talking about, she doesn’t touch anyone. Ugh, I feel like I'm sixteen.”

“I’m not following.”

“I can’t tell if she wants to be my girlfriend or not, you useless demon.”

“Well clearly she wouldn’t want someone like you to be her mate.” Toothless said pointing to Hiccup.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He asked, hurt.

Toothless threw his hands in the air. “Why would she? You never even attempted to court her. If you want to mate with her, where was your dance!? How are you going to find a mate, if you don’t dance for them!”

Hiccup wasn't sure how to respond. There was clearly a difference in how humans and demons mated. Even that word left a sour taste in his mouth. But something Toothless said did strike a chord. I never even attempted to court her. Astrid’s not the type to just kiss anyone. But 

then again it was just because she was grateful for what I did. I was only able to do this because I had a demon working alongside me. If she ever found out she would kill me. In fact she already does, I’m the Night Fury demon that broke her axe. Crap. Why do women have to be so complicated?

Chapter Text

Hiccup struggled to keep pace with Gobber, his hands fidgeting in his pockets. Gobber had barged into his modern forge, grunted ‘Follow me’ then left without another word. Hiccup scrambled after him, and now, questions gnawed at him. Why was Gobber bringing him here? Did he know about the axe? Did he want Hiccup to see this?

"Is something the matter, Gobber?" He asked cautiously. 

"Aye lad, somethings the matter." Gobber wiped his face with his hook. "No matter what you do, you somehow manage to cause chaos. I thought you were getting over this - this phase." 

"I didn't do anything this time Gobber." In response the mustached man just gave Hiccup a disbelieving glance. "Honest." 

"So, you are trying to convince me that you did nothing to Astrid?" They turned the corner abruptly causing Hiccup to slip trying to keep pace with his old mentor. 

"Nothing is coming to mind." Surely, she couldn't have found out about the Night Fury incident? As they got closer to the large double doors up ahead, Hiccup heard a loud commotion. Someone was yelling at the top of their lungs, along with a few slams and crashes. The faint scent of ozone prickled his nose. 

"So this has nothing to do with you lad?" Gobber slowly opened the door, and Hiccup carefully peeked inside. 

He saw Astrid wielding her new axe, its head a polished gold that shimmered even in the dim light, the crackling energy tracing lines of sapphire blue along the haft. It hummed with power as she screamed at the top of their lungs. Four knights in tactical gear struggled to restrain her, their efforts barely containing her fury as she directed it towards the cowering receptionist. The reception desk lay split in two, and axe marks marred the wall at neck level, a chilling testament to the receptionist's near-fatal encounter with the ferocious Valkyrie. Hiccup's blood went cold. 

"YOU RAT-EATING SKRILL-WIT!" She elbowed one of the knights in the face, loosening his grip and allowing her to gain a few feet towards the receptionist before getting grabbed by the other knights. "I ASK FOR HICCUP, THE BEST DAMN ENGINEER WE HAVE, AND YOU DARE LAUGH? YOU DARE TELL ME HE'S 'USELESS' AND SUGGEST BORIS ? I'LL SHOW YOU USELESS!" 

Gobber clamped a hand on Hiccup's wrist and hauled him towards the commotion. His feet slid on the polished floor as he protested weakly. The angry blonde's tirade was interrupted by Gobber as he hobbled over with Hiccup in tow. "Astrid! Calm down! You just made S-Rank, lass. Don't get yourself demoted before the ink is dry." 

Her head snapped towards the new enemy, her eyes glowing red with rage, as Hiccup watched in terror. "CALM DOWN! WHY WOULD I-" Her gaze met Hiccup's, and her fury vanished instantly. Her divine weapon disappeared, the sapphire energy fading like a dying ember. Shrugging off the knights who were restraining her, she dusted off her clothes, nonchalant as if it were just another Tuesday. "Oh, hey Hiccup. Glad you're here," she said casually, as if nothing had happened.

 Hiccup looked around, perplexed, seeing the sweat and fear on the knight’s faces. She asked for me? As her personal engineer? He said half-heartedly, "Yea, me too." 

She swirled on her heels and grabbed Hiccup by the wrist. He was tired of getting dragged around but made an exception to not trigger her wrath. "Let’s go." Not waiting for his response, she started dragging him away from the crime scene. 

Once they were out of earshot, Astrid muttered, "Boris? Seriously? That grease-monkey couldn't forge a horseshoe, let alone divine weaponry." 

"Uhhh, Is everything okay?" Hiccup asked, shuffling his feet nervously. 

She glanced at him briefly and sighed. "Not really," she admitted, "but it's nothing for you to worry about." She huffed and blew a stray hair from her face. 

"If you want to talk about it, I'm here." Hiccup raised his hand as if to touch her shoulder, his heart pounding with a mixture of worry and longing. He hesitated. What if she flinched away? What if she shrugged me off, like the knights? After all, she just asked for me... He lowered it.

Astrid gave a short, humorless laugh. "It's just... the Order. They never listen." She shook her head, her braid swaying. He watched the light catch the golden strands. For a moment, he forgot about the receptionist, about Stoick , about everything but the way she looked, standing there in the dim hallway, her anger fading into a weary frustration. "They see a support engineer, especially you ," she continued, her voice softening slightly, "and they just assume... useless." She spat the last word out like it tasted foul. A snippet of memory flashed through his mind - the receptionist's sneering face, the dismissive flick of their wrist, the words "...that useless, clumsy oaf...shouldn't be allowed near a forge..." echoing in his ears. "It's like they don't even see the work you do."

Hiccup blinked, surprised by her vehemence. He'd expected anger at him, perhaps, for the broken axe, or for whatever the receptionist had assumed, fueled by Gobber dragging him to the scene. He hadn't expected her to be defending him. He was used to the casual insults, the dismissive glances, the way people talked around him, as if he were invisible, or worse, an inconvenience. Astrid's words, her indignation , were like a jolt of unexpected warmth. "Well," he said, trying for a light tone, and failing miserably, his voice cracking slightly, "I have been known to blow things up occasionally."

"Accidentally," Astrid corrected, her voice firm, her blue eyes unwavering. The intensity of her gaze made his stomach flip. "And it's not like the others are perfect." Snotlout nearly set the mess hall on fire last week trying to 'improve' the stew with... I don't even know what." She rolled her eyes, a flicker of amusement crossing her face, momentarily softening the sharp angles of her cheekbones. He noticed a small smudge of soot on her forehead, probably from the earlier chaos. He had the almost overwhelming urge to reach out and brush it away.

Hiccup chuckled, a nervous, breathy sound, relieved that the tension had eased slightly. "See? Everyone makes mistakes." Except mine. . ., a small, bitter voice whispered in the back of his mind. My mistakes get people promoted.

Astrid's expression sobered again. The amusement vanished, replaced by that same weary frustration. "It's more than that, Hiccup. It's... they don't respect you. And after seeing what you did with that axe..." She trailed off, shaking her head, her fingers unconsciously tracing the smooth wood of the haft, now tucked securely into her belt. "It's not right." She looked up at him, and for the first time since he'd known her, Hiccup saw something other than steely determination in her eyes. He saw... understanding? Maybe even a flicker of admiration? It was gone so quickly he almost thought he'd imagined it.

A sudden commotion from down the hall – shouts and running footsteps – broke the moment. A knight, one of the ones who had been restraining Astrid earlier, his armor slightly askew, came running towards them, his face pale and streaked with sweat. "Astrid! Chief Stoick wants to see you. Immediately . He said... he said it's about the... disturbance in the hall." He swallowed hard, clearly intimidated by both Astrid and the situation, and terrified of Stoick's reaction.

Astrid's shoulders slumped. The fight seemed to drain out of her, leaving her looking suddenly smaller, younger. The fire in her eyes dimmed, replaced by a resigned weariness. "Of course he does," she muttered, the words barely audible. She looked at Hiccup, a flicker of apology in her eyes, a silent acknowledgment of the unspoken conversation they'd just had. "I have to go. But... thanks. For listening."

Hiccup gave a small, awkward nod, his throat suddenly tight. He wanted to say something, anything, to reassure her, to offer his support, but the words wouldn't come. "Anytime," he finally managed, the word sounding pathetically inadequate.

She turned to leave, her steps heavy, then paused, her back to him. For a moment, he thought she might say something else, might turn around, might... he didn't even know what he hoped for. "And Hiccup?"

He straightened, his heart skipping a beat. "Yeah?"

"Don't let them get to you. You're... you're not useless." With that, she turned and followed the knight back towards the main hall, her blonde braid swaying with each determined stride, leaving Hiccup standing alone in the corridor, a whirlwind of conflicting emotions swirling inside him. The knight's arrival, and the summons from Stoick , cast a long, ominous shadow, a clear threat of the trouble to come. But beneath the anxiety, beneath the fear of his father's wrath, a tiny spark of hope flickered. Astrid's words, her unexpected defense, her belief in him, echoed in his mind. He was still reeling from it, and he knew it was a feeling he wouldn't soon forget. He knew this was far from over. He had a feeling Stoick wouldn't be nearly as understanding. He took off in the opposite direction.

He took a deep breath, steeling himself. He was tired of running. Tired of hiding. Tired of being the "useless" Hiccup. Astrid's words, and the weight of his secrets, had lit a fire in him. He might not know what the future held, but he knew one thing: he wasn't going to back down. Not anymore.

Chapter Text

The door to Stoick the Vast's office slammed shut with a resounding thud that echoed through the nearly empty halls of the Knight's Order headquarters. Hiccup, who had been pacing nervously outside Gobber's workshop – the furthest point he could reasonably be from Stoick's office without leaving the building entirely – winced. He hadn't intended to eavesdrop, not exactly. But the summons had been so abrupt, so ominous , that he couldn't bring himself to go back to his own work. He'd told himself he was just getting a drink of water, then that he needed to sharpen a pencil, then that he'd forgotten a crucial tool… all flimsy excuses to linger within earshot.

He knew he should leave. He knew that getting caught lurking near Stoick's office after the… incident … in the evaluation hall would only make things worse. But he couldn't shake the image of Astrid's face, that fleeting moment of understanding and… was it respect ?… before the knight had arrived with the summons. He owed her. At least he owed her an explanation. And he owed it to himself to find out what was going to happen to her.

He jumped as another, muffled shout came from behind the thick oak door. It was Stoick's voice, unmistakable even through the wood. Hiccup couldn't make out the words, but the tone was enough. Anger. Disappointment. The same tone he'd heard directed at himself countless times. He flinched, a familiar knot of dread tightening in his stomach.

He imagined Astrid standing before Stoick, her shoulders squared, her chin lifted, defying his authority. Or maybe she was contrite, apologizing for her outburst, promising to do better. He hoped it was the former. He hoped she wouldn't let Stoick, or anyone, diminish the fire he'd glimpsed in her.

Another shout, louder this time, followed by a crash. Hiccup startled, nearly dropping the wrench he hadn't realized he was clutching. He stepped toward the door, then hesitated. What could he do? Barge in? Defend Astrid? To Stoick ? The thought was terrifying and absurd. He was Hiccup the Useless, the screw-up, the disappointment. He wasn't a knight. He wasn't a hero.

But Astrid had called him "not useless."

The memory of her words, the feel of her gaze, the brief, almost-touch, sent a shiver down his spine. It was a feeling he hadn't experienced before, a strange mixture of warmth and… hope. He gripped the wrench tighter, his knuckles white. He couldn't just stand here.

He took another step towards the door, his heart hammering against his ribs. He raised his hand to knock, then hesitated again. What would he say? What could he say?

Suddenly, the door swung open, nearly colliding with him. Astrid stood in the doorway, her expression unreadable. Her cheeks were flushed, and a strand of blonde hair had escaped her braid, falling across her forehead. Her blue eyes, usually so bright and fierce, were clouded with… something Hiccup couldn't quite decipher. Frustration? Resignation?

Behind her, Stoick the Vast stood silhouetted in the doorway, his massive frame filling the space. His face was like thunder, his eyes narrowed, his mouth a grim line. He looked from Astrid to Hiccup, his gaze lingering on Hiccup with a mixture of suspicion and something that felt chillingly like… contempt.

"Hiccup," Stoick's voice rumbled, low and dangerous. "What are you doing here?"

Hiccup swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He felt like a scrawny, awkward boy again, caught doing something he shouldn't. He glanced at Astrid, hoping for some kind of cue, some kind of help, but she remained silent, her gaze fixed on the floor.

Silence stretched, thick and heavy. The air crackled with unspoken tension. Finally, Stoick spoke again, his voice laced with a weary disapproval that cut Hiccup deeper than any shout. "Go back to your workshop, Hiccup. This doesn't concern you."

Hiccup wanted to do just that. Turn on his heels and flee back to his workshop. His safe space and familiarity. Where he knows he is accomplished. But that was the old Hiccup, not the new Hiccup. A Hiccup that did not have Toothless working with him, training him. To become something much more than any support engineer or knight. Something revolutionary. He looked at the woman beside him. Her face was muddled in self conflict. She looked like she was at war with herself, debating on whether to speak or not. She kept opening her mouth, only to promptly shut it. A Hiccup who was called “not Useless.”

“ This does concern me. ” Hiccup said in a small voice. Barely muttering the phrase.

Stoick grunted, “Speak up Son! I’ve always told you about the muttering. If you are to be a Chief you have to command authority.”

Hiccup rolled his eyes, and he could feel Toothless huff in his mind. He stood up straight, locked his shoulders back and looked his father square in the eye. He seems shorter than I remember . Or maybe I’m just standing taller. “Dad, this does concern me.”

Stoick raised a bushy brow. “Really? How does this concern you lad?” The look on Stoick's face gave Hiccup the impression that he either didn’t believe him or thought he was the root of destruction. Quite frankly, Hiccup received this look very often.

Hiccup might not have been the strongest or most talented person in the Order. But what he lacked in brawn, he made up for in dedication. He has read nearly every rule and by-law since the Order’s founding. Originally, his father forced this onto him as his Chief-in-training duties. But even after Stoick gave up on him. Hiccup still enjoyed reading all of the ancient texts.

“I’m her support engineer. Therefore any punishment or reprimand is our dual, shared responsibility.” Hiccup kept eye contact with his father, and tried to keep his wobbly knees straight.

Stoick recoiled in shock. “You? Since when are you a personal engineer like Gobber?”

Hiccup chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, about 15 minutes ago. When Astrid received her promotion.”

 Stoick looked between Hiccup and the blonde knight. His eyes widened in disbelief. He stared at them silently as if waiting for one of them to shout out that this was an elaborate joke. “Lass, is what he is saying true?” He asked Astrid.

She bolted upright, maintaining a strong and formal posture. “That is correct sir. I requested that Hiccup should be registered as my support engineer.” The former sense of her internal conflict washed away, replaced with a battle-hardened veteran addressing her commanding officer.

Stoick’s eyes quickly flicked between Hiccup and Astrid. Judging their reactions and trying to make sense of the situation. Hiccup might still be sleep deprived, either that or he could have sworn that there was a small knowing smile tugging at his father’s lips. It faded as quickly as it appeared.

“So the . . . disturbance. And what we talked about previously, was about Hiccup?” He asked.

Astrid’s steely posture cracked slightly. “Uh, no Chief. It was about the receptionist’s attitude.”

Stoick nodded sagely, “Right, the receptionist’s attitude. Towards Hiccup .”

Astrid hesitated, “Yes sir.”

“I think I understand the situation now.” Stoick cleared his throat and groomed his beard. “Although what you did was understandable, the receptionist will receive a punishment. I cannot overlook your actions.” His head then turned to Hiccup. “And as you are her support engineer, you will share her responsibility in this punishment. Am I clear?”

Both Hiccup and Astrid nodded vigorously.

Stoick crossed his massive arms, his gaze sweeping between them. "Good. Your punishment," he paused for dramatic effect, "is to assist Gobber with the E-rank knight training for the next two weeks. You will demonstrate proper technique, teamwork, and, perhaps," he added, with a pointed look at Hiccup, "a bit of restraint."

Astrid's eyes widened slightly. "Training the E-ranks? But sir, with all due respect, that's hardly a punishment."

Stoick's lips twitched, the closest he ever came to a smile. "Don't be so sure, lass. Those E-ranks can be a handful. And," he added, his gaze shifting to Hiccup, "I expect you both to set a good example. No… incidents ."

Hiccup swallowed hard, the image of the shattered training hall, courtesy of his earlier inventions, flashing in his mind. "Yes, sir. No incidents."

Astrid, however, looked less than thrilled. "Two weeks? With the E-ranks? That's… that's…"

"An opportunity," Stoick finished for her, his voice firm. "An opportunity to prove that you can work together, that you can control your temper, Astrid, and that you, Hiccup, can be a responsible member of this Order. Dismissed."

With that, Stoick turned and retreated back into his office, leaving Hiccup and Astrid standing in the hallway, a mixture of relief and apprehension swirling between them.

Astrid let out a long, slow breath. "Well," she said, turning to Hiccup, "that could have been worse."

Hiccup nodded, still slightly stunned by the turn of events. "Much worse," he agreed. He looked at Astrid, a genuine smile finally breaking through his nervousness. "Thanks, Astrid. For… you know. Standing up for me. To him ."

Astrid shrugged, but a faint blush colored her cheeks. "You did the same for me. Besides," she added, with a smirk, "it'll be good practice. For both of us."

Hiccup chuckled, the tension finally easing from his shoulders. "Right. Practice. Because teaching a bunch of overeager, under-trained E-ranks how to not blow things up is exactly what I need right now."

Astrid laughed, a genuine, bright sound that made Hiccup's heart skip a beat. "Don't worry," she said, punching him lightly on the arm, "I'll make sure you don't get into too much trouble."

"I appreciate that," Hiccup said, rubbing his arm, a playful grin spreading across his face. "So, uh… tomorrow morning? Bright and early?"

"Don't be late, engineer ," Astrid said, emphasizing the last word with a teasing smile. She turned to leave, then paused, looking back at him. "And Hiccup?"

"Yeah?"

"It's good to have you on my team."

With that, she walked away, leaving Hiccup staring after her, a warmth spreading through his chest that had nothing to do with Stoick's office or the lingering threat of demon attacks. He had a feeling the next two weeks were going to be… interesting. He couldn't wait. He turned on his heels, and started sprinting towards his workshop.

Chapter Text

The air in the E-rank training yard was thick with the smell of sweat, sawdust, and simmering resentment. Hiccup coughed, waving a hand in front of his face as another cloud of dust billowed up from the impact of a poorly aimed axe against a wooden training dummy. He'd arrived early, hoping to get a head start on preparing for the day's session, but it seemed the E-ranks were already hard at work – or, at least, hard at something .

"Try to keep your elbow tucked in, Gustav," Hiccup said, trying to keep his voice encouraging despite the growing knot of apprehension in his stomach. "You're losing power on your swing."

Gustav, the same stocky, raven-haired knight who had mocked Hiccup relentlessly in the mess hall and year during their E-Rank training, glared at him. "I know how to swing an axe, engineer ," he sneered, emphasizing the last word with a disdainful curl of his lip. "I don't need advice from someone who spent five years as an E-rank."

Hiccup sighed inwardly. This was going to be even harder than he'd thought. He'd hoped that his new status as Astrid's personal support engineer, and his (admittedly accidental) role in her promotion, might have earned him a little respect. Clearly, old habits die hard. Especially when those habits were fueled by years of ingrained prejudice and a healthy dose of Snotlout-inspired arrogance.

He glanced around the training yard. It was a large, open space, similar to the one he and Astrid had used for her test, but far less grand. The walls were made of rough-hewn stone, the floor was packed with dirt, and the training dummies were battered and worn, showing the scars of countless clumsy blows. A few other E-ranks were scattered around the room, engaged in various forms of (mostly ineffective) practice. He recognized Lupnut, who was attempting to juggle three daggers with a distinct lack of success, and Lire, who was thankfully, not eating rocks, but meticulously studying a scroll, her brow furrowed in concentration.

He spotted a few new faces, young and eager. Too eager, judging by the way one of them nearly took off his own foot with a wild swing of a mace. Hiccup winced. This was going to be a long two weeks.

A sudden commotion at the entrance to the training yard drew his attention. The double doors swung open, and Astrid strode in, her presence immediately filling the space. She was wearing her usual training leathers, but her new S-rank insignia, a gleaming golden dragon, was prominently displayed on her shoulder. Even without the formal armor, she radiated an aura of authority and competence that made the E-ranks – especially Gustav – straighten up and pay attention.

Hiccup felt a familiar warmth spread through his chest as he watched her. She caught his eye and gave him a small, almost imperceptible nod, a silent acknowledgment of their… partnership. He returned the nod, a surge of determination coursing through him. He might not be a knight, but he wasn't useless. And he wasn't going to let Astrid down.

"Alright, listen up!" Astrid's voice rang out, clear and commanding. The E-ranks scrambled to attention, forming a ragged line in front of her. "I'm Astrid Hofferson, and this," she gestured to Hiccup, who gave a slightly awkward wave, "is Hiccup, my personal support engineer."

A murmur rippled through the assembled recruits. Hiccup could practically hear the unspoken questions, the doubts, the whispers of "Useless" that still clung to him like a persistent shadow.

Astrid, however, seemed unfazed. "We're here to help you improve your skills," she continued, her gaze sweeping across their faces. "And trust me," she added, with a hint of steel in her voice, "you need improvement."

She paused, letting her words sink in. "We'll be focusing on teamwork, strategy, and, most importantly," she glanced at Hiccup, a flicker of amusement in her eyes, "not blowing things up."

Hiccup winced, and a few of the E-ranks snickered. He knew that reputation would follow him forever.

"Now," Astrid said, clapping her hands together, "let's get started. I want to see what you can do. Form up into pairs and start sparring with each other. Hiccup and I will observe.”

The knights, except for Lire, paired up and began sparring. And, right on cue, Gustav checked his reflection in his battle-axe. Licking his palm and running it through his hair slicking it back before sauntering over to Astrid. Hiccup knew exactly what was about to happen. The preening, the flirting, the inevitable rejection... He'd seen this routine a hundred times before.

He propped the axe and leaned against it, trying to appear relaxed and casual. He flexed his bicep and kissed it playfully.

“Hey babe,” Gustav purred. “Of all the training grounds, in all the towns, in all the world, you walk into mine. And brighten it considerably.”

Astrid whipped her head around, scowling. “ Excuse me ?”

Gustav continued, seemingly oblivious to the dragon he was about to unleash, “Someone's got a little fire in them. Don't worry, I like my meal a little spicy.”

Astrid flicked her hand out immediately summoning her divine weapon. Blue bolts of lightning shot out in every direction. One bolt hit Gustav’s axe, throwing it across the room causing him to tumble backwards onto his rear. The angered Valkyrie strode forward and raised her weapon aloft. The boy on the floor tried to scurry away, but quickly ran into a wall, cornering himself.

She stood above him, her eyes shooting daggers at his trembling form. “I think I may have misheard what you just said.” She said through clenched teeth. “Can you repeat it one more time?”

He held his hands up to his face in vain, trying to protect himself from the impending fall of the axe. “I - I - I was just m-messing around. I didn’t mean anything by it babe.”

At the sound of the word ‘babe’ Astrid raised her axe higher, causing Gustav to recoil and shut his eyes waiting to be struck down. But it never came. He slowly opened one eye to peek at what was happening, only to see Hiccup standing there with a hand holding back Astrid.

“Astrid,” He said in a slow soothing voice, “As much as I would love to see you slice him in two. Remember what my dad said.”

Astrid slowly lowered her axe. Not letting her eyes leave the trembling mass before her. She huffed and blew a strand of hair out of her face. Clearly still upset. “He’s still getting punished. What he said was not acceptable.”

Hiccup snorted, “I think what you did was punishment enough. Look,” he motioned towards the kid with a jerk of his head, “He already soiled himself.”

Astrid then noticed the spreading stain beneath the boy. Gustav also seemed shocked by this revelation if his face had any inclination. Astrid let out a low chuckle, “Alright, Gustav get out of here and . . . get changed. I want you back for our next lesson.”

He quickly nodded and scurried out of the room, slamming the door in his retreat. Astrid then turned to Hiccup. “You had to put up with these kids for how long? How did you not go crazy?”

“That’s the thing, I am crazy.”

She playfully wacked his shoulder. “Shut up.”  Hiccup rubbed his shoulder, hurting far more than he expected from a playful punch. 

Gustav eventually reappeared back into the training hall. Hiccup and Astrid walked around giving various tips and pointers on form and technique. All of them would listen to Astrid, but most of them would dismiss the advice from the support engineer. Hiccup wasn’t going to admit it, but he was getting frustrated that every time he gave them solid advice, they would just shrug him off and continue making a mockery of sword fighting.

Astrid seemed to notice this as well and after just a few minutes, called the attention of the class back to her. “I thought to myself. The students I am working with have been knights for over a year. Surely , they can’t be that bad. I’m surprised you are still E-ranks.”

Lupnut chimed in, “We’re much better than average, huh? Surprised we haven’t already been promoted to A-ranks?”

“I’m surprised you haven’t been fired ! Seriously. I bet a support engineer is a better sword fighter than you lot.” Hearing this, Hiccup flinched. “In fact, I am going to demonstrate just that.”

All the students looked at Hiccup in confusion. He just shrugged having no idea where Astrid was heading with this, until she threw a sword at him. Caught off guard, he fumbled trying to catch the sword, dropping it on the floor in a loud clang, causing the class to snicker. He cleared his throat and picked up the sword, letting it rest comfortably in his left hand. 

It was a plain training sword, one of his first creations. The once-gleaming blade was now dulled by countless practice swings and bore the marks of neglect - shallow nicks and scratches marred its surface. The hilt, once tightly wrapped in leather, was now frayed and worn, a testament to its age and use. It was clearly in need of maintenance, a fact that did not escape his notice. What was their current support engineer even doing?

Astrid casually resummoned her divine weapon, causing more bolts of electricity to explode out from around her. Toothless’ voice hummed in Hiccup’s head. She still doesn’t have full control of the excess energy. She is still much better than you were when you first started. Hiccup rolled his eyes, earning a huff from the demon in his head. Hiccup’s grip tightened on his sword. After practicing with Inferno for so long, other swords just didn’t feel the same anymore.

“Hiccup and I are going to spar. We are going to show you how it’s supposed to be done.” She announced to the class, pointing her axe in Hiccup’s direction. Hiccup gulped, while the demon in his head just cheered.

This is great Hiccup! Toothless practically shouted. All of your worries have finally come to an end.

Hiccup was now more confused than ever. What are you even talking about Toothless?

Your mate! He exclaimed as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. You want to be her mate, now is the perfect time to show her that you are the superior Alpha.

Hiccup nodded along pretending to understand. I never said I wanted to mate with her, we’ve been over this numerous times!

Toothless just warbled. Hiccup realized by now that this was him laughing. Oh, silly Hiccup. You can try to lie to me, and maybe even yourself. But your heart rate accelerates every time you are near this blonde one. That means you want to be her mate.

Hiccup wanted to scream at this point, but this might draw too much attention to himself. Or that means that I am terrified of her!

All the more reason to be her mate! Besides, I already told you that I approve.

I don’t need your approval!

“-iccup?” Astrid dragged him out of his thoughts. Er, well his conversation with Toothless in his thoughts.

“Sorry?” He asked meekly. The young knights just continued to snigger.

“I asked if you were ready Hiccup?”

“Um, well. . .” Hiccup was about to finish his sentence, when Toothless cut him off.

Toothless’ rumbling voice appeared in his mind. Perfect. Allow me to teach you how to do this properly. Step 1 for getting a mate: You dance.

As if his body moved on his own, Hiccup launched himself forward charging at the Valkyrie. She seemed surprised at his sudden attack, but quickly drew back into a defensive position, effortlessly blocking and redirecting his swing into the ground behind her. Hiccup used this momentum to spin on his heel and plant a kick into her midsection, driving her backwards.

Astrid looked shocked and took a second to recover. It seemed like she was taking more time to recover from his competent fighting rather than the actual power of the kick. Being as seasoned as she is in battle, she was already moving onto the offensive. She let out her signature battle-cry and charged Hiccup. He deftly moved to the side, and barely missed going to the afterlife by an inch.

He had no time to recover, because she was already moving onto her next attack, followed by another flurry of blows. Toothless gave control back to Hiccup now that the damage was done, and all he was doing now was just laughing maniacally in his head. Hiccup was purely on the defensive, he received multiple small cuts, but nothing major. Having already fought with Astrid, he knew that if she wasn’t holding back, he would have lost his right arm by now. He needed to step up his game.

The problem was the weapon he was using. A traditional sword and a support engineer against an S-Rank wielding a divine weapon was not a fair fight. If he had access to Inferno and his divine energy, he might stand a chance. Albeit a slim one. So there was only one option. He would have to fight unfairly. Use her own strengths against her.

After nearly five minutes of constant blocks and dodges pushing his back against a wall, her form slipped, ever so slightly. Just enough for him to exploit it.The blunt edge of her axe head was pointing away from him. She needed to swap her hands to turn the axe back towards him. So he threw an uppercut, directly to her ribs. She caught his fist with her hand, protecting her ribs, but exposing the other side of her body. He threw a quick knee to her abs. The blow landed with a sickening thud, forcing the air from her lungs. She stumbled backward, momentarily off-balance.

It was just enough of a reprieve for him to go on the attack. Each of his blows were immediately deflected. But he was starting to gain the upperhand. He knew that when pressured, Astrid tends to overextend. He had seen it last time, exploited it last time. So he continued pressuring her, until she threw a wide swing of her axe in a large crescent motion. If he didn’t dodge this, he would be decapitated. Luckily for Hiccup, this was exactly what he wanted her to do. So he dropped onto his right knee, spun on the floor and tripped her by swinging his leg around.

He stood up triumphant, jubilated that he managed to land a hit in this fight! His smile was wiped off his face as a sharp pain exploded on the side of his head. He dropped back, his hand immediately coming up to his head, feeling the blood pour out from a wound on his ear. He looked to his left, seeing Astrid’s beautifully crafted axe, embedded deep in the wall next to him. Still glowing faintly with divine energy. Hiccup realized, with a jolt, that Astrid hadn't used any divine energy in the fight so far. It had all been pure strength, pure skill, pure Astrid .

He looked over to her, to see her panting heavily, seething with rage and something else he couldn’t quite put his finger on. After a few beats, her eyes widened and she gasped. The axe next to him disappeared and she ran over.

“Hiccup!” She exclaimed, “Hiccup, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I don’t know what came over me.” She rushed over and grabbed him, pulling him down to her eye level and inspected the wound. “Damn.” She cursed.

“Astrid, it’s alright.” He placated.

“No, it’s not alright, I nearly killed you! I let my anger get the better of me.”

“Astrid, it’s just a scratch, it's fine.”

“How can it be fine when you are bleeding everywhere!”

He shrugged, “It’s an occupational hazard.” He didn’t want to worry her more, but it did hurt like Hel.

“Yes, from demons not other knights!” She exclaimed. She pulled out a first aid kit and started trying to stanch the bleeding. It was at this moment that she realized there were other people in the room.

She coughed, “A-as you can see. Uh, that’s how you are supposed to fight. Except for the whole, bleeding thing.” Hiccup yelped as she tried to disinfect the wound. She turned to the students while trying to heal Hiccup at the same time. “So take what you learned and get back to sparring while I heal Hiccup.”

The E-ranks, who had been watching the entire exchange with a mixture of shock, awe, and amusement, quickly dispersed, returning to their practice with renewed (if somewhat misguided) enthusiasm. The whispers, however, followed them. Hiccup could hear snippets of conversation: "...didn't know the engineer could fight like that..." "...almost took her head off..." "...maybe he's not so useless after all..."

Astrid, meanwhile, was focused intently on cleaning Hiccup's wound. Her touch was surprisingly gentle, her brow furrowed with concentration. "This is going to need stitches," she muttered, more to herself than to him. "Hold still."

Hiccup winced as she applied a stinging antiseptic. "It's not that bad," he protested, though he knew it was a lie. The cut was deep, and the blood was still flowing freely.

"You're lucky it was just your ear," Astrid said, her voice tight with a mixture of anger and relief. Anger at herself . "If I'd been a few inches to the left…" She didn't finish the sentence, but the implication was clear.

Hiccup looked at her, his gaze searching. "Astrid," he began, wanting to ask about the Night Fury, about the flicker of recognition he'd seen in her eyes. But he couldn't. Not now. Not yet. Instead, he said, "Thanks. For… patching me up."

Astrid avoided his eyes, focusing on applying a bandage to his ear. "It's my fault you're hurt," she said quietly. "I lost control. That shouldn't have happened."

"It was a sparring match, Astrid," Hiccup said, trying to reassure her. "Things happen."

"But… that move… the leg sweep…" Astrid started, then stopped herself. She shook her head, as if trying to clear her thoughts. It did look familiar , she thought, Too familiar. A shiver ran down her spine, a fleeting image of a dark, shadowy figure moving with impossible speed flashing through her mind. She pushed the thought away, forcefully. No. It couldn't be. It was just a coincidence. "It was just a… a good move," she finished, lamely.

Hiccup gave her a small, grateful smile. "Thanks," he said. "I've been practicing."

Astrid finished applying the bandage, her fingers brushing against his cheek as she secured it. The touch sent a jolt of electricity through Hiccup, a sensation that had nothing to do with the sparring match. He looked at her, his green eyes meeting her blue, and for a moment, the world seemed to fade away.

"We should get you to the infirmary," Astrid said, breaking the spell, her voice slightly breathless. She stood up, pulling him gently to his feet. "And then," she added, with a determined glint in her eyes, "we have a lot of work to do with those E-ranks. Starting tomorrow."

Hiccup nodded, feeling a strange mixture of relief and anticipation. Relief that she wasn't pressing him about the fight, about the Night Fury. And anticipation… Well, that was a bit more complicated. He was looking forward to working with Astrid, to proving himself, to maybe, just maybe, earning her respect. And, if he was honest with himself, he was looking forward to spending more time with her.

"Sounds like a plan," he said, a genuine smile finally reaching his lips.

As they walked out of the training yard together, Hiccup couldn't shake the feeling that something had shifted between them. The fight, the injury. . . it had all changed things. He didn't know what the future held, but for the first time in a long time, he felt a flicker of hope. A hope that maybe, just maybe, he wasn't so useless after all. And that, he added to himself, walking next to the most beautiful and capable knight in the order, was a reason all in itself.

Chapter Text

The next morning, sunlight streamed through the gaps in the training yard's makeshift roof, illuminating swirling dust motes and the determined faces of the E-rank knights. Hiccup, his ear throbbing faintly beneath its bandage, watched as Astrid demonstrated a parry-and-riposte maneuver, her movements precise and graceful. Even after only a few days of this joint training assignment, he had to admit – she was a natural teacher. Stern, yes, but also patient and surprisingly encouraging, even with the most hopeless cases (Gustav, he was looking at you).

He, on the other hand, felt like a fish out of water. He was used to working with his hands, with tools and materials, not with… people. Especially not young , eager , and mostly incompetent people. He'd tried to offer suggestions, drawing on his own (secret) training with Toothless, but his advice was often met with blank stares or outright dismissal.

"Remember," Astrid was saying, her voice carrying across the yard, "a good defense is just as important as a strong attack. You need to be able to anticipate your opponent's moves, to react quickly, to turn their strength against them."

Hiccup winced internally. He knew exactly what she meant. He'd learned that lesson the hard way, more than once. He glanced at Astrid, a flicker of memory – the flash of her axe, the searing pain in his ear – crossing his mind. He quickly pushed the thought away. He couldn't afford to dwell on that. He had to focus.

Astrid finished her demonstration, then turned to the assembled E-ranks. "Alright, pair up again. Practice what I just showed you. And this time," she added, with a pointed look at Gustav, "try not to maim each other."

A few nervous chuckles rippled through the group. As the knights began to spar, Astrid walked over to Hiccup, her expression thoughtful.

"How's the ear?" she asked, her voice softer than it had been during the demonstration.

"It's fine," Hiccup said, touching the bandage self-consciously. "Barely a scratch."

Astrid raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. "Gerta said it needed stitches."

"Gerta exaggerates," Hiccup said, waving his hand dismissively. He didn't want to talk about the injury. He didn't want to think about the way Astrid had lost control, the way her eyes had flashed with… something he couldn't quite name.

"Maybe," Astrid said, but she didn't sound like she believed him. She paused, then added, "Look, Hiccup, about yesterday…"

Hiccup tensed, bracing himself for another round of questioning.

"I… I overreacted," Astrid continued, her gaze fixed on the ground. "I shouldn't have thrown the axe. It was… unprofessional. And dangerous."

Hiccup was taken aback. He hadn't expected an apology. "It's okay, Astrid," he said quickly. "I know you didn't mean to—"

"But I did lose control," Astrid interrupted, her voice firm. "And that's not acceptable. Not for an S-rank knight. Not for anyone." She finally looked up at him, her blue eyes filled with a genuine remorse that made Hiccup's heart ache. "I'm sorry, Hiccup. I really am."

Hiccup found himself speechless for a moment. He'd never seen Astrid like this – vulnerable, apologetic, almost… fragile. It was a side of her he hadn't known existed.

"It's okay," he repeated, his voice softer this time. "Really. I understand." He paused, then added, a bit hesitant, "We all have… moments. Where we lose control."

Astrid nodded, a small, almost imperceptible movement. A shared understanding passed between them, a silent acknowledgment of their own flaws and vulnerabilities.

The moment was immediately ruined. A dispatcher ran into the room, the sound of their hurried footsteps filled the room. He ran over to them, “Captain Hofferson! There is a demon sighting in the 13th district, registered as B-Rank and above. You and your team are being dispatched to handle it. No reinforcements unless requested.”

Astrid nodded, “Understood.” She turned to look at Hiccup, “Grab your things partner. We are heading out! I’ll go grab my armor, you get. . . whatever it is you need.” She waved vaguely in his direction then without waiting for a response, she ran out of the room.

Hiccup looked at the worried expressions of the E-rank students, “As you were. Continue practicing your sparring. We have a job to do.” Hiccup ran in the other direction towards his workshop. He just needed to grab his capture cubes. The second he made it into his workshop and closed the door, Toothless appeared. Hiccup was shuffling around in the various drawers, collecting as many of his cubes as possible.

“B-Rank demon. I wonder who it is?” Toothless said, more to himself than anyone else.

“Do you think you might recognize them,” Hiccup asked, shoving the last few into his field satchel.

Toothless shrugged, “Probably, I know most of the demons in our army. The higher ranked ones I tend to be more familiar with.”

This caused Hiccup to pause. This was always on his mind, and he gathered that he had an idea considering the Order’s reaction to what happened to Astrid. “I’ve been meaning to ask you for a while brother, but what is your rank?”

Toothless just grinned, what was previously an unsettling black maw, now is a familiar smile. “That would ruin the fun now wouldn’t it.”

“No, that would keep me from getting shell shocked when I eventually find out.”

Toothless gave a noncommittal grunt, “Let’s just say it’s higher than B-rank.”

“That doesn’t leave many options.”

He shook his head, “No, but at least I’m stronger than you.”

Hiccup just waved his hand dismissively at Toothless, causing his apparition to dissipate as his alien laughter also faded into the workshop. Hiccup threw open the door and ran towards the front of the Order. Astrid was already there waiting with her arms crossed. She eyed his satchel, one eyebrow raising in confusion.

"You took all that time for a purse?" She asked, incredulous.

Hiccup scoffed, "It’s not a purse! It’s a satchel."

She rolled her eyes, "Whatever, I hope your war purse has more to it than just some crackers and a first aid kit."

"Ow," Hiccup raised a hand to his chest in feign offense, "I’m wounded m’lady. What do you take me for? A regular support engineer."

This got her to smile. Her bright and endearing smile that reached her eyes. The few times Hiccup saw it, it made his stomach do flips. Their playful banter aside, they were already running towards the 13th district.

It was on the complete other side of Berk from Helheim’s gate, so this was an unusual area of a demon sighting. The weird feelings in his stomach continued, although Hiccup probably couldn’t contribute this one to butterflies. He could feel Toothless’ presence. Usually he hid in the background, like a passenger, but this time Toothless was on high alert. If it was concerning him, (and he is a demon), then it should be concerning Hiccup.

As they got closer, Astrid made a couple weird hand gestures. A closed fist raised in the air, then she opened her palm face up and twirled it in a circle. She looked back to check on him and he just gave her a blank stare. For the umpteenth time that day, she rolled her eyes at Hiccup.

In a hushed tone, “Hold position, possible contact.” She held her fist up in the air just like before. “Regroup then flank from an alternate direction.” This time she opened her hand and twirled it, repeating the gestures.

Hiccup understood and immediately followed the order and began flanking to the right when Astrid went left. He slunk between the corners of houses and apartment buildings. The 13th district was not one of the richest districts. Thankfully it wasn’t as bad as where his current apartment was located, in Sector 8. The air here, while still carrying the faint metallic tang of the nearby forges, was thick with the smell of spices and something vaguely floral, perhaps from a nearby apothecary. Most of these buildings were actually structurally sound, and didn’t moan and groan at the faintest wind. Buildings were three stories of stacked stone. Their once-bright paint was faded and peeling, and laundry lines crisscrossed between windows, strung with colorful fabrics drying in the afternoon sun. The narrow streets, paved with uneven cobblestones, were mostly empty, giving the area a slightly desolate feel, a stark contrast to the bustling marketplaces closer to the city center. A lone, rusted sign creaked in the breeze above a boarded-up shop, its lettering barely legible: "Finnegan's Fine Fabrics." These buildings could actually provide some semblance of cover during a fight.

As he turned a corner, he heard the demon before he saw it. It was a low, guttural chittering and hissing sound as it moved around. Hiccup looked towards where the sound was coming from, but couldn’t find the demon. He could hear it, but it was nowhere to be found. Toothless piped up. Changewing class demon, 2 o’clock, roughly 15 meters. Get any closer and it will spot us.

Changewings, nasty buggers. As per all Order policies, kill on sight. Well, sight is the hardest part for this class of demons considering that they are almost always perfectly camouflaged to their surroundings, but thanks to Toothless he knew exactly where to find it. Hiccup took a quick scan of his surroundings and when he did not see any other demons, he drew a capture cube from his perfectly manly satchel.

He pressed the button on the cube and it began beeping. This drew the attention of the changewing, causing Hiccup to see a ripple in the space before him. That must be where the demon is hiding. Hiccup got low to the ground and slid the cube with practiced ease right under the demon. The second it arrived below the demon, the cube beeped one last time and sucked the demon into the crystal stashed within. The camouflage failed and a bright red demon appeared out of thin air, only to immediately dissipate into the cube.

Without wasting a second, he ran over to the cube, ejected the crystal and stashed it in his cooled container. Just then, Astrid jumped out from around the corner, screaming at the top of her lungs charging in Hiccup's direction. As she got closer and saw Hiccup, her charge and battlecry “ YAaaaaAAaaa! ” slowly died down until she was standing in front of Hiccup, confused.

“There was a demon here,” She said pointing at the location where the changewing used to be.

“Yes. I took care of it.” Hiccup said matter of factly.

“But, you didn’t even attack it. How did you take care of it?”

Hiccup stood up, stashing away his used cube catcher and nitrogen dewar. “Did you already forget our deal?” He gave Astrid a pointed look and she quickly averted her gaze. “If the demon talks, it’s yours. If they don't, it's mine.”

Astrid threw her hands in the air, “How was I supposed to know if it could talk, we never even gave it a chance!”

“So you want to give demons a chance now?”

She sputtered, “Yes! NO! I just – I wanted to – UGH. Whatever, let’s just look for the next demon.” She turned on her heels and stomped off. Hiccup quickly jogged to catch up to her.

“You just wanted to fight the demon. I told you I can handle the easy ones.”

Her eyes flicked over to Hiccup. Lingering on him for a brief second before returning straight ahead. “I doubt anyone in the Order will call handling a changewing easy.” Her brows furrowed. “How did you do that anyway?”

Hiccup smiled, “That’s a trade secret. Support engineer magic.”

This only caused her to frown, “Hiccup, we’re a team. We need to share our strategies with each other if we want to work well together.”

“You are right,” Hiccup deflated, he might have been acting a little too pompous. “It’s a special item I have been developing for a while. I advanced my net thrower to act more like a vacuum to suck demons in.”

Astrid hummed, “So that’s why you were out and about looking for demons even though you were just a D-rank engineer.”

“I’m still a D-rank engineer.” He rubbed the back of his neck, “But yea, I was testing out my new system.”

“How many demons have you caught so far?” Her gaze was curious.

He shrugged, “Not sure.” That’s a lie. I know how many I have captured, but it’s not like she will know that.

“Hiccup. . .”

Or maybe not. “About 53. Well, 54 now.” Astrid stopped abruptly. Her jaw hanging open.

“54! That’s insane. I was expecting like two or three, not 54!”

“It’s not that big of a deal.”

She shook her head, “That’s a lie. You wouldn’t be going through all of this extra effort if it was not a big deal. You wouldn’t have made that rule with me. You wouldn’t have kept it a secret. Hiccup, why are you lying to me?” Hiccup looked at her eyes, it had signs of pain and hurt. Astrid rarely used to ever show her emotions like this. He was used to angry Astrid, but this side of her he felt uncomfortable around. Even more so when he was the cause.

“I’m sorry Astrid, I’m just not used to people actually listening to my ideas, or expecting them to work, or . . . anything really.” He sat there playing with his hands.

Astrid reached over and grabbed one of his hands, causing him to look over at her. “Hiccup, you are brilliant. Probably the single smartest person I know. I thought you were weak, and made up for it with your brilliant mind and crazy inventions, but after sparring with you, I realized that I have severely misjudged you. I have been trying to make up for all the years I have done that, but even now I am still misjudging you.” She blushed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Astrid, it's okay. I never blamed you for thinking that way. Everyone else did.”

“That doesn’t make it okay! I treated you like a fly on the wall, and I never really recognized how . . . talented and caring you are. I’m trying to make up for it. Recognizing your talent. I made you my support engineer, wouldn’t have anyone else! I invited you into my apartment. I –”

Hiccup placed a hand on her cheek, forcing her to look at him. His touch on her skin burned, a pleasant, tingling warmth that spread through her like wildfire. "Astrid," he said, his voice low and earnest, "you are the only person who treats me like I actually matter. As far as I am concerned, you have nothing to make up for. I'm not perfect, I've done plenty of stupid things." Astrid snorted at that, and muttered a 'definitely' under her breath, earning a small smile from Hiccup. "But you have done enough, more than enough! I’m happy just being able to work with you."

She smiled, a genuine, radiant smile that made his heart do a strange flutter-kick against his ribs. And, it might have been Hiccup’s imagination, fueled by wishful thinking and the lingering effects of adrenaline, but Astrid seemed to lean into his touch, her cheek pressing ever-so-slightly against his palm. "I’m happy to be able to work with you too," she said, her voice softer now, almost a whisper. “You’re amazing.” She looked up at him, her blue eyes, usually so fierce and intense, now seemed… vulnerable. Hopeful.

Hiccup’s eyes flicked to her lips, a rosy pink against the pale canvas of her skin. His mouth suddenly became dry. His heart was racing, a frantic drumbeat against his ribs, threatening to break free. He could feel the heat radiating from her skin, smell the faint scent of pine and woodsmoke that always clung to her. He squeaked out, "So are you." Wait what . She leaned in a little closer, her eyes also fluttering slightly shut, captivated. Hiccup sat there trembling. He knew what he had to do. What he wanted to do. He just had to take the leap of faith. This is it, he thought, his mind a chaotic jumble of fear and exhilaration. This is actually happening. Finally steeling his nerves, Hiccup took a deep breath and leaned–

"Someone's watching us." Toothless's voice, a low growl in his mind, shattered the moment like a dropped glass.

That snapped Hiccup out of his reverie. His posture went rigid, his head on a swivel, scanning the surrounding buildings, rooftops, and alleyways. Astrid, startled by his sudden change, pulled back, her hand let go of his. A flicker of hurt, of confusion, crossed her face, quickly replaced by concern. "What’s wrong?" She asked, her tone concerned, self-conscious as if she was the cause of his sudden change. It didn’t suit her. It wasn’t Astrid.

"Someone’s watching us," he said, his voice tight with a tension that had nothing to do with their almost-kiss. His eyes scanned the perimeter, searching for any sign of movement, any hint of a hidden observer. As soon as he said that, a low, rumbling noise emanated from a nearby building. Hiccup spent enough time with Toothless to recognize this as demonic laughter. It was similar to Toothless’ but more gravelly and less of a warble.

A figure stepped out from the doorway of a dilapidated building across the street, emerging from the shadows into the dappled sunlight. It was a demon, undoubtedly. He was clad in an elegant, dark purple robe that flowed around him like liquid night, the fabric shimmering with an unnatural sheen. Underneath the robe, Hiccup could see the glint of chainmail, suggesting a warrior beneath the refined exterior. The demon's skin was covered in scales, not the sleek, black scales of Toothless, but a mosaic of deep reds and vibrant purples, like a living gemstone. Two large, curved horns, the color of polished obsidian, swept back from his forehead, framing a face that was both striking and unsettling. Gold rings, intricately etched with swirling patterns, adorned the horns, catching the light with every slight movement. And then there were the teeth. Sharp, pointed fangs protruded from his mouth, even when he wasn't smiling, giving him a perpetually predatory look.

The demon flashed an unsettling smirk, revealing even more of those menacing teeth. "Don't let me interrupt," he said, his voice a smooth, velvety baritone that sent a shiver down Hiccup's spine. "I was enjoying the show."

Chapter Text

Astrid stiffened beside Hiccup, her hand instinctively summoning her axe, which still had uncontrollable energy emanating from it. Her eyes, narrowed and focused, were fixed on the demon, assessing the threat. Hiccup could feel the tension radiating from her, a coiled spring ready to unleash. He knew that look. It was the look of a warrior preparing for battle.

"Who are you?" Astrid demanded, her voice cold and sharp, devoid of any trace of the vulnerability she'd shown moments before.

The demon chuckled, a low, rumbling sound that seemed to vibrate in the air. "My name is of little consequence," he said, his gaze sweeping over them, lingering on Hiccup for a fraction of a second longer than necessary. "Let's just say… I'm a fan of your work, engineer."

Hiccup's stomach dropped. The demon knew him. Or, at least, knew of him. That couldn't be good. He felt Toothless stir within his mind, a low growl rumbling in the back of his consciousness. Danger, Toothless warned. This one is strong.

"What do you want?" Hiccup asked, trying to keep his voice steady, despite the tremor in his hands. He subtly shifted his position, placing himself slightly in front of Astrid, a protective instinct kicking in.

The demon's smile widened, revealing even more of his needle-sharp teeth. "Oh, I want many things," he said, his voice dripping with sinister amusement. "But for now… let's just say I want to see if the rumors are true. I want to see if the great Astrid Hofferson, S-rank knight, is truly as formidable as they say. And," he added, his gaze flicking to Hiccup again, "I'm particularly interested in seeing how her… pet … performs under pressure."

With that, the demon's eyes flashed, a sudden, blinding burst of crimson light. Hiccup barely had time to react before the world exploded in a cacophony of sound and fury.

By the time Hiccup’s vision came back to him, war had broken out. Astrid was fighting toe to toe with the demon. Her axe unleashing power blasts of electric energy every time she swung the axe. The red demon expertly dodging both her swings and the energy bolts with his inhuman grace.

Rather than sitting around gawking, Hiccup drew his sword. The dull, poorly maintained, training sword he had with him since they left the order. Hiccup glanced at his satchel, at the remaining cube catchers. He doubted they'd be much use against a demon this powerful. The demon pulled his arm close to his body, a pool of red energy collected on his arm, then his punch exploded out, hitting Astrid square in the center of her body.

Thankfully, she managed to bring her axe up just in time, the force of the blow reverberating through her arms.The punch was so powerful, it pushed her back, her feet skidding and sliding backwards from the shockwave. She eventually came to a stop near Hiccup. “Hey, Hiccup? Just have a clarification. This demon can talk. That means I can kill him right?”

“Astrid, is now really the time to be asking this?”

“Just answer the question.” She demanded.

He sighed, “Yes, Astrid. He can talk so let loose, but be careful he’s obviously very strong.”

A wicked grin spread across her face. "I can go all out," she said. Hiccup gulped. She reached back over her head and threw her axe with a grunt. The blue and gold streak of light, emanating off of the axe, charring and striking the ground as it flew. The demon saw it coming and simply stepped to the side as the axe flew past him.

He roared in laughter, “Seriously, that’s the best you got? You missed!”

“Did I?” Astrid crossed her arms and flipped her braid over her shoulder. She stuck her finger in the air and gave a simple circle motion.

The demon just stared at her blankly, “I would get your eyes checked because that weapon flew pas–” He lurched forward, stumbling, blood splattering his robes and spilling slightly from his mouth. He looked over his shoulder and saw Astrid’s axe embedded deep into his back.

As the demon reached for her axe, Astrid flicked her wrist and resummoned the axe. It immediately disappeared from behind the demon and reappeared in her grasp again. A triumphant smirk on her face. “Seriously Hiccup, this axe is a work of art. You really know what a girl wants.”

The demon wiped the blood from his face as the wound on his back slowly began to close. “That trick won't work on me a second time. I was going to go easy on you , but I’ll take pleasure in wiping that grin off of your face.” Before they could blink, the demon was already on top of them, a swift kick, fueled with his red demonic energy landing precisely on Astrid’s side, throwing her off of her feet and into one of the buildings, crashing through the poorly constructed wall.

“Astrid!” Hiccup yelled, trying to see if she was ok.

Duck .

On instinct, Hiccup listened. Ducking as claws swiped over his head. “Keep your eyes on me boy, your fight is with me.” Hiccup pushed forward, throwing his shoulder into the demon trying to push him back. But he was too strong, standing firm and not moving an inch. The demon just glared down at Hiccup. “Pathetic.” He grabbed Hiccup by the neck and threw him to the other side, away from Astrid.

Hiccup was on his back, rolling and blocking, trying to keep the demon’s claws from piercing his skin as the demon constantly assaulted him. Hiccup’s kicks were in vain as every blow he landed seemed to have no effect. The demon also appeared to have healed fully from Astrid’s attack. Hiccup has never felt more useless. By himself, he is weak and pathetic. Just like everyone else in the Order rightfully thought of him.

He needed Toothless. He needed to use his divine power. The demon above him roared, Astrid managed to land another hit successfully driving the demon off of him. She helped him to his feet, then slashed the demon once more to push him back onto the defensive.

“Hiccup. Listen carefully.” She pushed Hiccup back out of the way of the demon’s attack. She narrowly dodged it. “Protocol Alpha.”

Astrid swung, missing the demon as he sidestepped her and was about to attack her from the side. Hiccup stepped in and pulled her out of the way, only letting her get scratched by the demon’s claws. “Not happening Astrid, I am not leaving you.”

“Well we are not going to win this fight if we don’t get reinforcements! That’s an order!” She failed to dodge another attack, this one landing on her jaw, making her stumble backwards. Hiccup grabbed her shoulders to try and keep her steady.

“And by the time we get back with reinforcements, you’ll be dead and the demon will be long gone!” He kicked at the demon, still having zero effect. “Either we are winning this fight together, or losing it together. We’re a team now.”

Hiccup is useless. Without Toothless he is not going to win this fight or come out alive. However, if he does use Toothless’ help and they win this fight. Astrid will kill him. It’s a lose-lose scenario. How can he be of any use without revealing his pact with Toothless?

Sensing his turmoil, Toothless suggested. I have an idea, but you will have to trust me. Without needing to respond, Hiccup slowly gave over control to Toothless. They are starting to become more and more in sync with one another. This time when the demon threw a punch, powered up with his demonic energy. Hiccup was able to aptly dodge it and counter it with a punch of his own. Right at the last second, before his punch made contact. Toothless flowed a burst of energy towards his fist. His punch made explosive contact, knocking the demon back a few feet.

Toothless quickly relinquished control back to Hiccup. Hiccup now knew what to do. The demon wiped the dust off his clothes and squared his shoulders. Hiccup stepped in front of Astrid and put his arm out in front of her in a protective manner. Astrid just raised an eyebrow at Hiccup’s antics. So far he has not been able to do much against the demon, why is he trying to protect her? She thought.

Hiccup reached into his satchel, and removed a small ball. “Astrid, cover your ears.”

“Wha–” Was all she got out before he threw it at the demon. When it made contact it burst into a painfully loud screeching noise. Hiccup had managed to condense the sonicator into a small ball form. Now he can do the same thing he did when he met Toothless to any demon.

The red demon while writhing in pain managed to stomp forward and crush the sonicator, halting the ear-piercing screech. But Hiccup was already on top of him, a powerful punch aimed at center mass. Right before making contact he poured as much of his divine energy as possible to the tip of his fist, erupting in power and pushing the demon back. It wasn’t as strong as Toothless’ but it was better than he was doing before.

The red demon was not disoriented for long, he was already returning the favor and back on the offensive, trading blow for blow with Hiccup. Astrid stood there in awe, watching Hiccup’s massive improvement. Just in the middle of this fight he managed to adapt and is overcoming his weaknesses. Her grip on her axe tightened. She can’t let anything happen to Hiccup.

With another powerful yell, “YAaaaaAA.” She threw her axe. At the last moment, Hiccup dropped to one knee spinning on his leg. Astrid’s axe flew over his head and embedded into the demon’s chest and at the same time Hiccup swept his legs out from underneath him. Causing the demon to come crashing down, throwing dust and red scales in every direction. 

Leaving him no time to recover, Hiccup swung his sword, applying as much energy into this sword swing as he could. The demon managed to roll out of the way, but not in time to dodge Hiccup’s swing. With a loud thud, the right horn and all of its intricate jewelry and bedazzled adornments, crashed onto the dirt below.

The demon was on his feet and reached up feeling his horn. Fuming and seething, he shot Hiccup a look. And if looks could kill, Hiccup would be a puddle on the floor. Not wanting to waste this opportunity. Hiccup grabbed one of his cube catchers and threw it at the demon. It impacted his chest with a thud, and plopped onto the floor below.

“Really?” The demon growled. “Is that it? So much for the famous supp–” The cube catcher stopped beeping, and the red demon dissipated, being sucked into the cube catcher.

A voice rang in Hiccup’s ear. That won’t hold him for long.

“We did it!” Astrid cheered, running over to Hiccup. He shook his head.

“That won’t hold him for long.”

Astrid’s face fell. “What do you mean? It worked for the other demons.”

“Yea,” Hiccup nodded. “But this guy was unlike any other demon we have fought. He will break out soon. We only have maybe a minute.”

“Realistically speaking. What are our chances?”

“For winning this fight or coming out alive?”

“Both?”

Hiccup pondered, “I’d say 30:70. As things are right now I don’t like our chances. This demon has already healed all of the damage we have done and I’m almost exhausted.”

Astrid walked up next to him, “Me too. I hate to admit it, but I agree with your math.”

“Hey,” Hiccup let out a mirthless laugh. “At least we got to work as a team. Our first fight going up against an S-Rank demon!”

Astrid stifled her laughter trying not to laugh in the absurdity of this situation, “How can you be so sure?”

“Well, you are an S-Rank, and we are losing. So he has to be stronger.”

“You know, if he’s this much stronger. There’s one thing we have to do before he comes back.” She said as she placed her axe on her back and walked to face Hiccup.

“Oh, really? And what might tha–” Hiccup was interrupted by Astrid crashing her lips on his. It was desperate, needy. But also, uncertain . Hiccup at first stood stiffly. Unsure what to do. But knowing that this might be his last moments. Could care less about caution. So he kissed her back. He did his best to try and mirror her passion. Grabbing her by her slim waist and pulling her as close as possible. To hold Astrid at least once before he crosses over into Valhalla.

After what felt like both an eternity and a nanosecond, Astrid pulled away. “To finish what he interrupted.” Her lips curved into a slight smile. 

Once again, their perfect moment was interrupted. The cube catcher started shaking violently. It started glowing with a bright amber hue, before exploding and sending shards of metal and crystals in every direction. The red demon from before appeared where the old cube catcher once was.

His head flicked over to the two knights. Well, one knight and one engineer. “Forced possession. You crossed the line. I’m going to enjoy killing you now.” His eyes glowed red again. Hiccup tried to shield his eyes, but it was too late. A bright flash emitted from the demon temporarily blinded Hiccup.

Hiccup put his hands up to try and protect his head, and as soon as he did, a searing pain exploded from his lower abdomen. As his sight slowly came back to him, he saw the demon's arm, planted directly in Hiccup's stomach. When the demon pulled his arm back, a torrent of blood rushed from the gaping hole. Causing Hiccup to fall to his knees. His hearing slowly faded into muffled tones. He could only hear his heartbeat, as his vision started to fade. He could hear someone yelling.

The demon picked him up by the neck and held him up. Hiccup tried to use as much of his leftover strength to claw at his vice grip. It was futile. A searing burn emanated from the massive wound in his stomach. He tried to withstand it, but he screamed trying to relieve any of the pain. His hearing still not full working as his own voice and yelling was muffled, incomprehensible.

Somehow, by some miracle. He stayed alive. The demon is just dangling Hiccup by the neck. As his hearing slowly returned. “STAY BACK!” The demon yelled. “ONE STEP AND I’LL KILL HIM!” He shook Hiccup vigorously, as if he were a set of keys. Just to prove a point.

“HICCUP!” Astrid yelled. His head lolled to the side so he could catch a glimpse of Astrid. She was standing off to the side. Debating if attacking was the correct move or not. Fear etched in her features. She has blood stains and cuts all over her body. At least she was mostly okay.

“Ah, the boy is awake.” The demon brought Hiccup close to his face. “I wanted you to stay alive, so that you can watch me kill your mate. Before I finish with you.” He showed his needle-like teeth in a sickening smile. He held his hand up and began summoning his demonic energy, pointing it towards Astrid. Hiccup summoned as much energy he had left, trying to stop him, but his weak amount of energy fizzled out, useless.

“That’s enough brother.” A familiar voice spoke up from behind Hiccup. A familiar voice, smooth but laced with steel , spoke up from behind Hiccup. 

The red demon froze, his eyes widening slightly. He slowly turned his head, a flicker of… was it fear ?… crossing his features.

Standing there, seemingly having appeared from nowhere, was Toothless. But not the subdued Toothless that Hiccup usually sees. This was Toothless in his full, demonic glory. His usually dark eyes glowed with an intense purple light, the pupils narrowed to slits. The black scales that covered parts of his skin seemed to shimmer and shift, like liquid shadows. Even his voice was different – deeper, richer, with an undercurrent of raw power that made the air vibrate. He wasn't roaring or transforming , but the sheer presence of his unleashed power was terrifying.

He heard Astrid gasp.

“Put down the boy,” Toothless continued, his voice calm but laced with an undeniable threat, “and maybe we can settle this like civilized demons.”

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t my younger brother. Deciding to show his ugly face.” He threw Hiccup off to the side, discarding him as a bored toddler would with a toy. “I thought you were stationed on the other side of Berk. What are you doing in my jurisdiction?”

Astrid ran over to Hiccup, and slowly dragged him off as far as she could. Unfortunately for her, they couldn’t go very far. She knelt in front of him and began inspecting his wounds as the two demons continued to have a conversation. “Hiccup, we need to get you on your feet and get out of here while he is distracted.”

Hiccup shook his head, “I’m not. . . able to move. You . . . g-go.” That seemed to only make Astrid mad. 

“You said it yourself, either we both live or we both die. I’m not leaving you either.” She turned around and looked at the two demons. “Especially not when he’s here.”

“The red one?” Hiccup tried to sit up, to catch a glimpse of the demons.

She shook her head, eyes still fixated on the demons. “No, the Night Fury.”

Hiccup's eyes nearly popped out of his head. “The Night Fury? You can see him too?”

Astrid nodded, “Yea, but he looks a little different than I remember. But those black scales are unmistakable .”

Hiccup began laughing. Astrid tried to stop him, since he was only hurting himself, but that only made him laugh harder. “Thank the gods. We are saved.”

Astrid was about to comment, when the demon’s conversation continued louder. 

“You may be her favorite, but you have yet to complete anything for our mission!” The red demon was yelling at this point. The Night Fury was looking at Hiccup and Astrid. He was inspecting them. This only made Astrid’s blood boil.

“Your mission brother. Not mine.” The word "brother" was spoken with venom.The way he said the word brother was so unfamiliar. Toothless always called him brother, but not with this much hatred .

“What are you saying? Have you betrayed us? Betrayed the demons?”

This was followed by a familiar warble. “No, you have betrayed the demons, me and my bonded are here to stop you.”

Astrid nodded, slowly , her gaze still locked on Toothless. “He… just said 'bonded'," she whispered, the word sounding foreign and dangerous on her tongue. “What does that mean , Hiccup?”

Hiccup began laughing. Astrid tried to stop him, since he was only hurting himself, but that only made him laugh harder. “Oh gods. This is. . . bad." Hiccup listed. Slowly falling unconscious.

“Bonded?” His eyes flicked over to the two humans taking cover in the corner. “That’s why he was so irritating, I should have killed that little sh–” The sound of flesh tearing cut him off. He saw his “brother” holding an onyx sword, pushing it further and further into his chest.

“You will not speak of my bonded that way. Unacceptable.”

“Bonding with humans? You are pathetic! An excuse to demons everywhere!” The red demon reached down trying and failing to remove the onyx sword from his chest.

“This is the way it used to be. During peaceful times. Before her .” The night fury spat out the last word.

“Don’t speak of mother that way!”
“You know it's true. She’s the cause of all this suffering! Demon and Human!”

“There’s nothing you can do about it. You might be powerful, but you know just a sword can’t kill me. I’ll heal. Then I’ll tell mother about your treachery.”

Toothless laughed, a loud resonating warble. “I know swords can’t kill you.” Toothless turned and started walking towards the humans, his back to the red demon. The demon stumbled forward, trying to keep his balance. A loud, ear piercing whine began building. Slowly and slowly it started to grow louder and louder. The blood drained from the red demon’s face.

“Stop! You can’t!”

Toothless turned and looked at the other demon, as the sound grew to its climax. “Oh, I absolutely can.” With a snap of his fingers, the onyx sword exploded into a brilliant, giant, purple plasma ball. It violently shook the entire district, pieces of building, earth and debris went flying in every direction. The purple flames flickered in the distance, lingering for nearly a minute before the plume died out.

He turned towards the humans. Astrid stood on unsteady feet. The Night Fury showed its true power. It must have been toying with her before. She held her axe up in a last ditch sign of defiance. “Stop," she yelled. “Don’t get any closer!”

Toothless, ignoring Astrid's threat, approached Hiccup, kneeling beside him. He gently placed a hand on Hiccup's shoulder, his touch surprisingly careful. "I’ll make sure you are alright brother." he said, his voice now soft, devoid of the earlier menace. The way he said ‘brother’ now was vastly different from how he addressed the red demon.

Astrid stared, her axe lowering slightly, her mind struggling to reconcile the image before her. The demon – Night Fury , Hiccup's brother – was speaking to Hiccup with… concern? Affection? It didn't make sense. Nothing made sense anymore.

"Hiccup," she whispered, her voice trembling. "What… who is he?" She couldn't bring herself to say "demon" or "Night Fury." The words felt inadequate, wrong. This creature, this being , was clearly more than just a monster. And he was connected to Hiccup. Intimately connected.

She took a step back, her eyes wide with a mixture of fear, confusion, and… betrayal. The pieces were starting to fall into place, and the picture they formed was terrifying. The improved fighting skills, the secret meetings, the strange axe, the "trade secrets"… It all pointed to one, impossible conclusion.

Chapter Text

The infirmary was silent save for the steady drip of an IV and the shallow, ragged breathing of the only two occupants. Hiccup lay on a narrow cot, his chest and abdomen swathed in bandages, his face pale and drawn. He hadn't spoken a word since they'd arrived, his gaze fixed on the ceiling, lost in a world of pain and… what? Guilt? Fear? Astrid couldn't tell.

She sat beside him, stiff and unyielding, her arms crossed, her axe leaning against the wall within easy reach. She hadn't summoned it away. A part of her, the part that had been trained since childhood to kill demons , still couldn't quite accept what she'd seen. What she knew .

The silence stretched, thick and suffocating. Astrid had sent Gerta away, insisting she could handle Hiccup's care. The healer had looked skeptical, but had complied, leaving them alone with the weight of unspoken accusations and unanswered questions.

Finally, Astrid broke the silence, her voice low and rough, raw with suppressed emotion. "A Night Fury," she said, the words tasting like ash in her mouth. "You're… bonded … to a Night Fury." It wasn't a question, but a statement of fact. A condemnation.

Hiccup didn't answer, didn't even look at her. He just continued to stare at the ceiling, his jaw clenched.

Astrid stood up, pacing the small room, her frustration growing with each silent step. "I saw it, Hiccup. I saw him. Saving you. Calling you 'brother'." She stopped pacing, turning to face him, her blue eyes blazing with a mixture of anger and hurt. "How long?"

Hiccup finally met her gaze, his green eyes filled with a weariness that seemed to go beyond his physical injuries. "Since… before the attack in the forest," he whispered, the words barely audible. "The one that… broke your axe."

Astrid staggered back a step, as if struck by a physical blow. The pieces clicked into place with sickening clarity, a horrifying puzzle forming in her mind. The speed, the agility, the move … It wasn't just familiar; it was identical . The memory of the Night Fury in the forest, the crushing force, the shattered axe… it all made sense now. Too much sense. "You…" she whispered, her voice choked with disbelief, with the raw, burning pain of betrayal. "He was the one… who attacked me?" Her hand instinctively went to her side, to the place where her new axe is, lying against the wall.

Hiccup flinched, closing his eyes for a moment, as if in pain. " You attacked us," he said, his voice strained. "We didn’t want to fight. We didn't want to hurt you, Astrid. I swear. Toothless’ sword was just too strong."

"Toothless," Astrid repeated, the name a foreign sound on her tongue, a mockery of the trust she'd placed in him. She shook her head, her braid whipping around her, a physical manifestation of the turmoil within. "And the new axe… you made it with… with his help? With demon magic?" The words were laced with disgust, with a revulsion that cut Hiccup deeper than any blade.

Hiccup nodded, his gaze downcast, unable to meet her accusing stare. "It's not magic, Astrid. It's… energy. Divine energy. Demons and humans… we used to work together, to create things. He showed me how." He looked up at her again, his eyes filled with a desperate hope. "He showed me, Astrid. He showed me the truth."

Astrid laughed, a harsh, bitter sound, devoid of any humor, a laugh that echoed the shattering of her world. "Showed you how? How to betray your own kind? How to lie to everyone you know? To me ?" She shook her head again, her voice rising in pitch, fueled by a pain that was almost unbearable. "You've been deceived , Hiccup. Used. He's manipulating you."

"No," Hiccup insisted, struggling to sit up, wincing as pain shot through his abdomen, a sharp reminder of the battle, of the truth . "He's telling the truth. He wants to stop the war. He showed me…" He trailed off, realizing that mere words wouldn't be enough, that no amount of explanation could bridge the chasm that had opened between them. He needed to show her, to make her see what he had seen. He reached out, his hand trembling, and, with a hesitant bravery, took Astrid's.

Her first instinct was to pull away, to recoil from his touch, to scream at him, to strike him. But she didn't. She stood there, frozen, her gaze locked on his, a storm of conflicting emotions raging within her.

"Astrid," Hiccup said, his voice urgent, his grip tightening on her hand. "I can show you. His memories. What she did. What she's still doing." He squeezed her hand, a silent plea.

He closed his eyes, focusing, drawing on the bond he shared with Toothless, a bond that felt both terrifying and exhilarating. He felt a familiar warmth spread through his hand, a tingling sensation that flowed up his arm and, he hoped, into Astrid's.

Astrid gasped, her eyes widening, not with fear, but with a sudden, overwhelming shock. She felt a jolt, a sudden rush of… something … and then, she was no longer in the infirmary, surrounded by the sterile scent of antiseptic and the quiet hum of machines.

She was standing in a beautiful palace. Towering basalt pillars supported a vaulted ceiling, partially obscured by rich tapestries of deep purple and shimmering gold. The hall was illuminated by enormous windows. They were composed of intricate stained glass that depicted various scenes. It appeared she was viewing a memory as she was unable to identify any of the scenes. A massive interior adorned with shimmering chandeliers and polished marble floors stretched out before her, reflecting the light in a dazzling display. Outside the windows she could make out, was a massive expanse with luminescent flowers and glowing minerals. It was as if this palace was placed deep in a cave. The air hummed with a low, almost imperceptible thrum of power, a palpable sense of ancient magic. She was in a war council meeting. She realized that she was no longer in her body, but one that had black scales covering her hands. She tried to move, but found herself rooted to the spot, a mere observer in this strange, dreamlike world.

A tall and powerful demon woman stood next to her, whilst she tried to maintain her posture as formal and regal as possible. The details she could make out were deep crimson scales covering her exposed appendages. She wore a royal military suit, impeccably tailored in a deep, rich black color. The high collar framed a stern, angular face, and gold epaulets adorned her broad shoulders. The suit exuded authority and power, fit for a high-ranking military officer or a member of royalty. Her crimson scaled hands were constantly clenched into tight fists.

Her booming and rasping voice echoed in the chamber. “I don’t care! Start sending the thralls through the Rift!” She slammed her fist on the heavy, obsidian table, causing a few delicate, crystal items to topple over, spilling their contents in a glittering cascade.

“My Queen,” one of the generals spoke up. Astrid recognized this demon as the one they fought and were nearly killed by. His head bowed in a sign of respect. His voice, though deferential, held a hint of weary defiance. “The Rift is still closed, we can only send a few thralls through at a time.”

“Then have them find the damn keystone! I won’t hear of your incapability any longer, this war has been going on for decades without any results!” She waved her hand, summoning a dark, oily black energy that swirled around her like a living shadow. The butler’s eyes rolled into the back of his head before he drew a dagger, its blade wickedly curved and gleaming with an unnatural sheen, and plunged it deep into the general’s back. “I know this poison won’t kill you, but let it be a lesson. I don’t care if you are my son. I want this stone found NOW!” The queen threw her empty glass at the general, shattering it on his horn with a sharp, brittle sound.

Without her consent, Astrid’s borrowed head turned to look at the demon on the other side of her. A beautiful, tall demon towered over her. Her face, and presumably her hands, were adorned with a mix of cerulean and gold scales, intricate patterns swirling across their surface like liquid starlight. Light, amber eyes, marred with terror and fear, stared unseeing at her; her mouth slightly open in an unspoken agreement, a silent scream trapped within. Astrid's thoughts were rudely interrupted when a hand grabbed her scaled arm and forced her to look the other way. Her head whipped around to see slitted, blood-red eyes staring directly into her soul.

The memory ended, leaving Astrid breathless and shaken, back in the cold reality of the infirmary. She pulled her hand away from Hiccup's, her fingers tingling as if burned , her mind reeling, a chaotic vortex of images and emotions. She stared at him, her expression a mixture of horror, disbelief, and… a dawning, terrifying understanding.

"That… that was…" she stammered, unable to find the words to encompass the sheer scale of cruelty and power she had just witnessed.

"That was before ," Hiccup said, his voice hoarse, his eyes filled with a desperate plea for her to believe him. "Before the Queen twisted everything. Before she enslaved his mind, and the minds of countless others. That's what he's fighting against, Astrid. That's what we should be fighting against." He looked at her, his gaze intense. “He showed me that to prove he wasn’t lying. He wanted to prove that he could be trusted.”

Astrid stared at him, her chest heaving, trying to reconcile the monstrous figure in the memory with the gentle, intelligent boy before her. A flicker of doubt – a tiny, insistent spark – ignited within her. Could it be true? Could everything she'd been taught be a lie? But then, the image of the Night Fury, of Toothless, of Hiccup's fighting style , rose unbidden in her mind, a chilling counterpoint to his words. She felt a cold knot of despair tighten in her chest, a sickening realization twisting her gut. She'd been a fool. A naive, trusting fool. She'd let herself be charmed by a liar, a… a traitor . She’d kissed a traitor, shared a moment of intimacy with someone who consorted with demons . The thought made her stomach churn, a wave of nausea washing over her.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she whispered, the question a plea, a demand, an accusation, all wrapped into one. The words were barely audible, a fragile thread in the heavy silence.

Hiccup finally looked up at her, his eyes filled with a pain that mirrored her own, a pain that cut her to the core. "I was afraid," he said, his voice raw, the words a confession of weakness, of fear, of a vulnerability that she had never seen in him before. "Afraid of what you'd do. What the Order would do. To him. To… me." He looked so small, so lost, lying there on the cot, his unusual bravado stripped away, leaving only the raw, exposed truth.

Astrid closed her eyes, taking a deep, shuddering breath, trying to regain control, to force down the rising tide of emotion, to cling to the familiar structure of her duty, of her training. She was a knight of the Order. She had a duty. A duty to protect Berk, to destroy demons, to uphold the law. But… which law? The law of the Order, built on centuries of hatred and fear? Or the law of her own conscience, whispering doubts, urging her to question, to see ?

When she opened her eyes again, her gaze was hard, resolute, the mask of the warrior firmly back in place. But beneath the surface, something had broken, irrevocably shattered. The certainty, the unwavering faith, was gone. "I should report you," she said, the words cold and formal, each syllable a deliberate act of separation, a wall being built between them, brick by painful brick. "I should turn you over to Stoick. To the Council." The words felt hollow, even to her own ears.

Hiccup nodded, his expression resigned, his shoulders slumping. He'd expected nothing less. He'd known this moment would come, had braced himself for it, but the reality still hit him with the force of a physical blow.

Astrid paused, her gaze searching for him, a flicker of something – doubt? Hesitation? Regret? – crossing her face. It was a fleeting glimpse of the woman he thought he was starting to know, the woman he'd… kissed . "But I won't," she said, the words barely a whisper, a secret promise, a fragile thread of hope in the gathering darkness. "Not yet."

Hiccup's eyes widened, a flicker of hope, fragile as a newborn bird, sparking in their depths. He opened his mouth to speak, to thank her, to promise her… something .

But Astrid cut him off, her voice gaining strength, but laced with a cold finality, a distance that chilled him to the bone, a distance that felt wider than the ocean. "But I can't… I can't trust you, Hiccup. Not anymore. Not after this." She gestured around the room, a sweeping motion that encompassed the lies, the deception, the demon , the shattered remnants of their fragile connection, the irreparable damage that had been done. "We're done. You're no longer my support engineer. And… and you need to leave. Leave my apartment. I need time… alone." The last word was a whisper, a plea, a sign of the vulnerability she was desperately trying to conceal, a crack in the armor she'd so carefully constructed. She needed time to think, to process, to understand . To decide what to do with the shattered remnants of her world.

Hiccup was about to respond, to argue, to plead, to do something , when the door to the infirmary burst open, banging against the wall with a loud crash. Astrid huffed in annoyance and looked at the interloper, ready to unleash her fury on whoever dared to interrupt.

“I thought I asked that we not be disturbed.” Astrid expressed, her voice tight with controlled anger.

A familiar voice chuckled in response, a deep, rumbling sound that sent a shiver of a different kind of fear down Hiccup's spine. “Wanting to spend some alone time with my son?”

Astrid’s face burned red, a furious blush spreading across her cheeks, and she sputtered out a few unintelligible noises, a mixture of embarrassment and indignation. Hiccup shot straight up in his bed, his eyes widening in alarm, his injuries momentarily forgotten. “Dad! What are you doing here?”

Stoick the Vast pulled the curtain aside and strode up next to his son. His large frame casting a massive shadow over the injured boy, a shadow that felt both protective and suffocating. “Can’t a father visit his son in the infirmary?” Hiccup made a groaning noise as he tried to continue sitting up. Stoick placed his hand on him, a surprisingly gentle gesture, and laid him back down. “You’re injured, don’t sit up too quickly, you need rest.”

Hiccup inspected his father, closely , trying to decipher what alien or demon had taken over his body. “Uh, you have never been… touchy-feely. I wouldn’t expect you to visit.” Especially not with concern in your eyes.

Stoick nodded, his expression softening slightly, a rare glimpse of the father Hiccup longed for. “Aye, but I also came for answers.” Hiccup’s blood ran cold, his heart hammering against his ribs. He and Astrid shared a worried glance, a fleeting moment of shared understanding, of shared fear. Astrid promised not to turn him in. Hopefully she keeps that promise.

She cleared her throat, gaining the Chief’s attention, her voice carefully neutral, betraying none of the turmoil raging beneath the surface. “What would you like to know sir?”

Stoick's amused expression faded, replaced with his usual stern and stoic demeanor, the mask of the Chief firmly back in place. “I want to know how my son was so badly injured under the protection of an S-Rank knight.” He stated, his voice a low rumble. 

Hiccup grabbed him by the shoulder. “Dad, it’s not her fault.”

The large man stood up and scoffed, his voice booming, “Not her fault? She’s a higher rank than me. And I’m the Chief! She should have been able to protect you. I knew you weren’t ready to go on a field mission. You are still an E-rank!”

Hiccup groaned, and it turned out he was not possessed or controlled. This is his usual father. “I’m a D-rank!” He corrected, his voice rising in frustration.

“Since when?” Stoick looked surprised, caught off guard by that revelation. Imagine if I told him about my training. He would combust in flames. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Hiccup threw his hands in the air, exasperated. “You never asked! You never ask, not even a ‘Hey Hiccup, how are you doing today?’” He said in his best mock impression of Stoick’s deep bass accent. Probably not the best time for impersonations. “Nothing.”

For the first time in Hiccup’s life, he saw something in his father’s eyes that he never expected. Guilt and shame. The proud Stoick the Vast doesn’t have these emotions. Or so I thought. “Then what happened," He asked, softly, his voice lacking its usual booming authority.

Astrid tried to blend into the background during their father-son argument, but this time she chimed in, her voice carefully neutral, “Our intel was off. Waaay off.”

His brows furrowed, his gaze shifting to Astrid. “We had our best scout confirm that, how off could it be.”

Astrid’s eyes flicked over to Hiccup, a fleeting, almost imperceptible glance. A thought pondering in her mind, a decision made. She wasn't going to reveal his secret. Not yet. “It was a trap," she stated, matter-of-factly, her voice firm. "Because that wasn’t a B-Class demon, it was an S-Class. Maybe something stronger.”

Stoick’s frown deepened, his bushy eyebrows drawing together. “It could have been a mistake.” He said, dismissively.

“You can’t mistake a demon that talks. Walks with a pompous air. A demon with intelligence.” Astrid insisted, her voice unwavering.

“Was it the Night Fury?” Stoick asked quickly, his eyes narrowed, his gaze intense.

Hiccup sucked in a breath, sharply , screaming on the inside and patiently waiting for Astrid’s reply. “No Sir,” Hiccup exhaled in relief, silently thanking Astrid. “A different demon, we barely managed to make it out alive.”

Stoick nodded solemnly, his expression grim. “I’m sorry I sent you to fight against that monster without support. And I apologize for accusing you of letting Hiccup get hurt. I know he isn’t ready for fieldwork yet.”

Astrid sighed, a weary sound. “Actually sir. It was Hiccup that saved me.” She stated, calmly.

Stoick laughed, a booming, disbelieving sound. “You’re joking.”

“Not at all sir,” Astrid stood straighter, as if to emphasize her point, her voice gaining strength. “One of his crazy inventions actually worked. Without him, we would both be dead.”

The Chief stared at Astrid for a few silent moments, his gaze searching, assessing. His gaze then lingered on Hiccup, a flicker of… something… crossing his face. Pride? Surprise? Disbelief? Hiccup couldn't tell. “I seem to be making a fool of myself today.” Hiccup chuckled, nervously, he then clenched his stomach in pain, regretting his decision immediately. Stoick sat on a chair next to Hiccup, looking at him with an expectant gaze. He scooted the chair a little closer, too close. “My son killed his first demon.” Stoick’s eyes filled with admiration, while Hiccup's stomach filled with dread. Oh, gods. Here it comes. “Finally! Something to talk about. Give me all of the details. All of them.”

Hiccup shook his head, “Dad,” He had to look away from his father. The look he was giving him made him feel uncomfortable, exposed. “As much as I want to share all of the. . . juicy details. I am in a lot of pain and was almost killed.”

This shock seemed to knock sense back into Stoick. He stood up abruptly, screeching the chair as he did. “Right!” He slightly deflated. “Sorry, son. I just get a little overly ambitious sometimes.”

“I know dad.” You think?

“It’s just that you killed your first demon.”

“Dad.” Hiccup warned, his voice strained.

“This is big news! You were the worst knight. But look at you now.”

“Dad!” Hiccup pleaded, his voice rising in desperation.

“I have to tell everyone, Gobber first! The whole Order should know.”

“DAD!” Stoick finally heard his son’s pleas.

“Right, again. Overly ambitious. Sorry.” He cleared his throat and uncomfortably fidgeted with his beard, similar to what Hiccup does with his hands. Like father, like son, I guess. “I’ll just let you. . I’ve got . . you know. . Chief stuff.” He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it, turned on his heels and fled, leaving the room as quickly as he'd entered, the heavy door swinging shut behind him.

Astrid whistled, a low, impressed sound. “That was–”

“Weird,” Hiccup finished, his voice flat. He let out a shaky breath, the adrenaline finally fading, leaving him feeling drained and exhausted.

“It’s not that bad Hiccup. He cares. He just can’t show it.” Astrid said, trying to reassure him.

“He hasn’t been able to show it all my life.” He looked at Astrid, expecting her playful banter he had been getting used to, the easy camaraderie that had been developing between them. But all he saw was her withdrawn stance and frown, the guarded expression that had become so familiar in the past few hours. Hiccup had forgotten what they talked about before his dad strode in. His face fell, the brief moment of connection shattered. “I’ll be out of your hair as soon as I am out of the hospital.”

Astrid nodded. He couldn’t tell what she was thinking anymore. She just retreated back to the old Astrid. “I didn’t turn you in like promised. But with this we’re even.” Without waiting for a response, she left the room, the door clicking shut behind her.

Chapter Text

The forest was silent, the only sounds were the rustling of leaves in the night breeze and the soft crackle of the dying embers of Hiccup's hastily built campfire. He sat hunched on a fallen log, his bandaged abdomen aching, his mind a whirlwind of confusion and despair. He was alone. Truly alone, for the first time in… well, for the first time he could remember.

He'd left the infirmary quickly, before Astrid could change her mind, before Stoick could return, before the weight of his betrayal crushed him completely. He'd gathered his few belongings from Astrid's apartment – his satchel, his tools, a handful of clothes – and slipped out into the night, a fugitive in his own home.

He hadn't gone back to his old apartment. He couldn't face the thought of that cramped, dingy room, the constant reminders of his failure, the mocking whispers of the neighbors. Instead, he'd come here, to the cove, the one place where he'd felt truly safe, truly himself.

But even the cove felt different now. Tainted. The memory of Toothless's battle with the crimson demon, the shattered earth, the lingering scent of ozone and blood… it was a constant reminder of the chaos he'd unleashed, of the life he'd destroyed.

"She hates me," Hiccup whispered, the words a raw, painful confession to the empty night.

"She does not hate you, brother," Toothless said, his voice a low rumble beside him. The demon – his brother – was standing nearby, a tall, imposing figure shrouded in shadows, his black scales gleaming faintly in the firelight, his presence both comforting and terrifying. "She is… confused. Frightened. She has been taught to fear my kind all her life."

Hiccup sighed, running a hand through his tangled hair. "I know, I know. But… I saw her face, Toothless. The way she looked at me… at you . It was like… like I was the monster."

Toothless shifted, his clawed hands clenching slightly. "You are not a monster, Hiccup. You are the bravest, most compassionate human I have ever known. And," he added, with a hint of pride, "you are a surprisingly good fighter, for a… fragile human."

Hiccup managed a weak smile. "Thanks, I think." He looked up at the sky, at the countless stars glittering in the inky blackness. "What do we do now?"

Toothless was silent for a moment, his gaze fixed on the same stars. "We continue," he said finally, his voice firm. "We have a mission, remember? To stop the Queen. To free my people. To… to make things right."

Hiccup nodded, but his heart wasn't in it. He couldn't shake the image of Astrid's face, the pain and betrayal in her eyes. He'd lost her. He'd lost everything.

"She will come around," Toothless said, as if reading his thoughts. "She is strong. And… she cares for you. I saw it. In the way she fought for you. In the way she looked at you."

Hiccup wanted to believe him. He desperately wanted to believe him. But the doubt, the fear, gnawed at him. "What if she doesn't?" he whispered. "What if she turns me in? What if…"

Toothless placed a hand on his shoulder, a surprisingly gentle gesture for such a powerful being. "Then we face it. Together. As we always have." He paused, then added, with a hint of mischief, "Besides, I have a feeling she won't be able to stay away from you for long. You did kiss her, after all."

Hiccup groaned, burying his face in his hands. "Don't remind me," he mumbled. The memory of the kiss, so brief, so desperate, so charged , only added to his pain. It was a moment of pure connection, a spark of hope, immediately extinguished by the brutal reality of his deception.

A sudden rustling in the undergrowth startled him. He jumped to his feet, his hand instinctively summoned inferno. The onyx blade manifesting itself in the palm of his left hand..

Toothless growled, low in his throat, his eyes narrowing, the purple light within them intensifying. He stepped forward, placing himself between Hiccup and the sound, his body tensed, ready to defend.

But it wasn't an enemy. It wasn't a knight.

It was another demon.

A tall, slender demon, with scales the color of the sky at dawn, a blend of cerulean and shimmering gold, emerged from the shadows, her gaze fixed on Toothless with an unnerving intensity. Her features were sharp and angular, but there was a certain… elegance to her movements, a regal bearing that set her apart.

"Stormfly," Toothless said, his voice a mixture of surprise and… something else. Recognition . Relief . A deep, abiding affection .

Hiccup started, his mind reeling. This was the demon from the memory. The one who stood beside Toothless. But… What was she doing here ?

Stormfly took another step forward, her head held high, her clawed hands open, palms up, in a gesture of peace. She didn't seem aggressive, but… purposeful. And… sad? She stopped a few feet away, her golden eyes, so different from Toothless's yet so strikingly similar in their intensity, flicking between Hiccup and the dark-scaled demon.

Then, she did something that made Hiccup's heart stop. She spoke, her gaze shifting to encompass both him and Toothless.

"The… bond…" she said, her voice a low, melodic hum, the words strangely accented, but clear. "Broken… pain… echoes. I… follow." She paused, her gaze settling on Toothless, a silent communication passing between them, a language older and deeper than words. Then, her golden eyes returned to Hiccup, filled with an intensity that made him shiver. She wasn't just seeing him ; she was seeing through him, to the fractured connection with Astrid, to the turmoil and pain that radiated from it. She was seeing Astrid .

“I’m sorry. What?” Hiccup asked, dumbfounded, looking between Stormfly, who was now examining her claws with an air of detached curiosity, and Toothless, who was pointedly avoiding his gaze.

Stormfly, without looking up, sauntered over to him. She towered over him, nearly a foot taller, her cerulean and gold scales shimmering in the faint light filtering through the trees. She brought her clawed hands up, and Hiccup flinched, bracing himself for… something. But instead of attacking, she started poking and prodding at his face, pulling his skin in every direction, knotting his hair, and yanking his ear. Her touch, while firm, was surprisingly gentle, almost… clinical . “I . . . can sense. . . strife," she said, her voice a low, melodic hum, each word carefully enunciated. "Heart. . . broken.”

Hiccup, thoroughly bewildered and increasingly uncomfortable, tried to swat her hands away. He tried to push her back, but she remained stationary, much harder to move than he thought. She was like a mountain, solid and unyielding. Toothless was off to the side, trying (and failing) to suppress a series of snickers. Something was definitely up.

“Can I help you?” Hiccup said, finally managing to pry her hand away from his face. He glared at Toothless, who promptly adopted an innocent expression. She instead moved her hands in circular motions, a very mystical approach. Hiccup raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.

“The. . . energy," Stormfly continued, ignoring his discomfort. "Danger. . . balance.” She paused dramatically between each word, her golden eyes glowing with an unsettling intensity, before summoning a bright yellow ball of divine energy, holding it aloft like a miniature sun. Hiccup yelped, shielding his eyes, as she abruptly threw it on the floor. It kicked up a plume of dust and loose pebbles, causing everyone to cough and sputter, their eyes watering from the sudden cloud of debris.

“Stormfly! What was that!” Toothless yelled, waving a hand in front of his face, still trying to stifle his laughter.

She pouted, her lower lip jutting out slightly, and crossed her arms, her scales shifting and catching the light. “I was trying to do something cool," she huffed, sounding remarkably like a petulant child. "You know, mystical woman, important revelation, oracle. Usually involves a lot of theatrics and smoke.”

Toothless and Hiccup just stared at her, speechless. “Where the Hel did you figure that out?” Toothless finally asked, shaking his head in disbelief.

Stormfly perked up, her eyes lighting up with enthusiasm, and bounced over to Toothless, her movements surprisingly graceful for her size. “I was in this library," she said, gesturing vaguely with a clawed hand, "and reading some of the books that the humans have. It was all in there! So I wanted to try it out myself.”

Hiccup was still confused, rubbing his eyes, trying to clear the dust. “Wait, so all of that was just… a joke ? Demons can make jokes?” He asked, incredulously.

Toothless peeked his head around Stormfly, giving Hiccup a pointed glare. “What about all of my jokes? You laughed at those.”

Hiccup threw his hands up in surrender. “I thought you were special!” He exclaimed, exasperated.

Toothless was letting out a low grumble at this point, his scales bristling slightly. “I AM special,” he muttered, folding his arms across his chest.

Stormfly, seemingly oblivious to the tension, just placed a hand on Toothless’ head, gently stroking his scales. “Yes, you are special,” she said, soothingly.

Despite himself, Toothless closed his eyes in bliss and started purring, a low, rumbling sound that vibrated through the air. After a few moments, he realized what was happening and jerked away, slapping her hand away with a snarl.

“Stop that!” He straightened his robes and wiped off the leftover dust from before. “We have a decorum to maintain.” He grumbled, shooting a glare at Hiccup, who was trying (and failing) to suppress a grin.

Hiccup just sat there, looking between Stormfly and Toothless, completely bewildered. Something about their interaction was off . He couldn’t put his finger on it. It was like watching two siblings bicker, but with an undercurrent of… something else. “So, Stormfly,” Hiccup interrupted their bickering, deciding to address the elephant in the room, when she looked back at Hiccup. “What are you doing here then, other than trying out new tricks?”

She smiled, a flash of sharp teeth, and faced Hiccup, her expression shifting from playful to serious in an instant. “Right! The mission.” Her face fell into a deep solemn. “I heard about what happened between you and your mate.” Her voice dropped to a whisper, filled with a surprising amount of empathy.

Hiccup slowly turned to Toothless. Now his eyes were returning the favor, glaring daggers back at him. “How does she know that? You’ve been with me exclusively for the last few months.” He accused, his voice laced with suspicion.

Toothless, still trying to keep Stormfly’s hands off of him, shrugged, a surprisingly human gesture. “Terror Mail,” he said matter-of-factly.

“Terror Mail?” Hiccup repeated, raising an eyebrow. What in the world was Terror Mail?

Toothless nodded and stepped to the side. He held out his arm to his right and uttered a small chant. A black, swirling void opened in the ground, a tear in the fabric of reality, and out climbed a small demon, Terrible Terror Class. It scurried over to Toothless. He gave a deep bow towards Toothless, causing him to smile widely. The tiny demon, no bigger than a house cat, quivered slightly, its green scales gleaming in the firelight. “What do you require, my master?” it squeaked, its voice surprisingly high-pitched.

“Please deliver this message to Stormfly. ‘Hiccup is an Idiot.’” Toothless said, smirking at Hiccup's indignant expression.

“Hey!” said idiot protested. That was uncalled for!

The Terror nodded in affirmation then jumped into the void behind him. A moment later, a similar void opened up next to Stormfly. The same Terror climbed out and repeated the message, its voice echoing slightly as it emerged from the portal. Stormfly thanked the terror before he disappeared again, the void snapping shut behind him with a soft pop.

Toothless hummed, a smug expression on his face. “It’s a very effective way of communicating over large distances without being able to be intercepted by enemies. We have our sources sending them from inside the Order.” He explained, gesturing with his clawed hands.

Hiccup yelled, “WHAT! You have spies in the Order?” He exclaimed, his voice rising in disbelief.

Toothless looked confused, tilting his head slightly. “I thought you knew that. You even met one of our spies, Meatlug.”

Hiccup felt his forehead, his head starting to pound. Overheating, I must be getting a headache, he thought. “Okay, one thing at a time. Why are you sending Stormfly my personal experiences?” He asked, trying to regain some semblance of control over the rapidly unraveling situation.

“Well,” Toothless shrugged, looking slightly embarrassed, “We send terror mail to each other every day. It’s only natural that we talk about you.” He explained, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Hiccup’s eyes narrowed. He had to do math. Toothless purring, regal attitude like Toothless, his dating advice, his memory, very friendly – too friendly – and sending messages to one another every day. Hiccup’s eyes widened, a sudden realization dawning on him. “You two are mates!” He exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at Toothless and Stormfly.

Toothless balked, his scales flushing a darker shade of black, while Stormfly nearly jumped for joy, clapping her hands together with delight. “I told you he would figure it out!” She squealed, her voice filled with excitement.

“You’ve never met him, how could you possibly know that?” He replied, completely ignoring Hiccup's outburst.

“Well,” she swayed back and forth, her spiked tail swishing playfully, “you are always so descriptive of your brother. It’s almost like he’s my brother too!” She said, her golden eyes sparkling.

Toothless groaned, running a hand over his face. “This all may be my fault.” He muttered, mostly to himself.

Hiccup was staring at Stormfly; her cheery personality was the polar opposite of his grump of a brother. It was a mystery why the two of them were together. “How is this your fault Toothless?” He asked, genuinely curious.

If Hiccup didn’t know any better, it looked like Toothless was… blushing ? His scales had taken on a slightly purple hue. “As you have deduced, Stormfly and I are–"

“Mates!” Stormfly exclaimed, interrupting him with a wide, toothy grin.

“ Courting ,” Toothless finished, shooting her a pointed look. “We share a special bond, similar to the one we share Hiccup, but more romance, and less familial.” He explained, trying to maintain some semblance of dignity.

Hiccup nodded, trying to follow, “So demons form special bonds with family and with romance partners.” Stormfly hummed, a melodic sound that vibrated in the air, Mmhmm! “Then what about us?” He asked, a hint of confusion in his voice.

“I don’t just call you brother in jest. We are family now. Humans have this weird ability to form bonds with demons as if we were related all along.” Toothless explained, his voice serious.

Hiccup started to feel bad. I always thought he did that as a joke. I didn’t realize he meant it quite so literally. “So we are related now, literally brothers?” Toothless nodded. “Wow.” He said, truly surprised.

“I know, it’s quite interesting. But the problem is, demons share their emotions through bonds, hence why we can always feel what the other is thinking.” Toothless continued, his expression turning apologetic.

Hiccup nodded. “I’ve noticed that. I can feel your attachment to Stormfly. I was almost excited to see her although we’ve never met.” This caused Stormfly to smile brightly, her scales shimmering with delight.

“Yea,” Toothless rubbed the back of his neck. A bad habit he’s taken after me? Hiccup wondered. “So your feelings for Astrid. I also felt them. I understood your feelings. And since I’m bonded to Stormfly. . .” He trailed off, letting Hiccup connect the dots.

“Then she also felt it as well, through your bond.” Hiccup finished for him, a sinking feeling in his stomach. Toothless nodded, his expression grim.

“Isn’t this just great!” Stormfly cheered, oblivious to the somber mood.

“No Stormy, it’s not,” Toothless sighed. Stormy? Some kind of pet name? Hiccup thought. “Astrid wants nothing to do with Hiccup.”

Stormfly’s face fell, her cheerful demeanor vanishing instantly. “We can just apologize and everything is okay. I read in some books that all they need is some make-up sex and everything is better!” She suggested, her voice hopeful.

Hiccup started sputtering, his face turning a bright shade of red, as Toothless guffawed , a deep, rumbling sound that shook the ground. “Hiccup is a little too shy for that kind of thing.” Toothless said, wiping a tear from his eye.

“Well, they need to make-up soon. We need Astrid.” Stormfly finished, her voice firm.

Toothless agreed, “We do need her, but that’s going to be up to Hiccup.” He said, his gaze shifting to the young engineer.

“Why do we need Astrid? I admit she’s a great help, but is it to go so far as to say need ?” Hiccup asked, confused.

Stormfly and Toothless shared a look, a silent conversation passing between them. “Stormfly has already partially bonded with Astrid. Just through your relationship with her and subsequently through her relationship with me.” Toothless explained, his voice serious.

Hiccup threw his hands in the air, “What do you want me to do about it!” He exclaimed, exasperated.

Toothless rolled his eyes, a very human gesture that Hiccup found increasingly disconcerting. “Just bring her here and introduce her to Stormfly.” He said, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

Hiccup groaned, “Right! Because that went soooo well last time when I introduced you !” He retorted, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

“Hiccup, this is different. You aren’t hiding anymore.” Toothless insisted, his voice firm.

Hiccup squinted his eyes, trying to come up with a counterclaim. He couldn't think of one. So he relented. “Fine.” He sighed, defeated. These demons have no idea how humans work. This will end badly.

Toothless then repeated the process of summoning a Terror. He did so and the same Terrible Terror hopped out of the portal. He looked up at Toothless expectantly, patiently awaiting his message.

“Send this to Astrid Hofferson and say it’s from Hiccup Haddock: ‘Meet me in the cove. You know the place. I need you and I have answers.’” Toothless said.

The Terror nodded and jumped away. A minute or two later the demon returned, scratched and dirty as if he was in a massive fight. He was breathing heavily and stopped to catch his breath before continuing. “Her response: ‘Hiccup! What the Hel is this thing! Oh, no you don’t. Get back here you slippery-rat!” The terror nodded, his job complete and left, the portal closing behind him with a soft pop.

Toothless looked sheepishly at Hiccup, “This might have been a bad idea.”

Hiccup huffed, “You think !” He threw his hands up in exasperation, pacing back and forth in the small clearing. "A bad idea? Toothless, you sent a demon, a literal demon, to deliver a message to the most skilled knight in the Order, the woman who, as of a few hours ago, wanted me arrested ! And," he added, pointing a finger at Stormfly, who was now meticulously preening her scales, seemingly oblivious to the tension, "you didn't even warn me!"

Toothless winced, his scales shifting slightly. "In my defense," he said, his voice a low rumble, "I did not anticipate her… aggressive … response to the Terror."

"Aggressive?" Hiccup repeated, incredulously. "She chased it through the Order headquarters! She probably thinks I've unleashed a plague of miniature demons upon Berk!"

Toothless had the decency to look slightly ashamed. "Well," he said, with a shrug of his massive shoulders, "it was a rather… startling delivery method."

Hiccup groaned, burying his face in his hands. "This is a disaster. A complete and utter disaster." He looked up at Toothless, his eyes pleading. "What are we going to do?" He gestured wildly at the surrounding area. "She already thinks I'm working with demons! She already saw the memory . She's going to kill me. Or worse, turn me in to the Order."

Toothless met his gaze, his expression surprisingly calm, despite the chaos they'd created. "We wait," he said, his voice firm. "We explain. We show her the rest of the truth."

"And if she doesn't believe us?" Hiccup asked, his voice barely a whisper. "If she attacks you? If she…" He couldn't finish the sentence, the thought of Astrid turning her axe on Toothless too painful to contemplate. Even after everything, the thought of Astrid being hurt was unbearable.

Toothless gave a small, almost imperceptible smile. "Then we… deal with it," he said, with a glint of steel in his acid green eyes. "We're a team, aren't we, brother?"

Hiccup managed a weak smile in return. He had to admit, they had faced worse odds. But this… this was different. This was Astrid. And he had a feeling that no amount of clever inventions or demonic powers would be enough to fix the mess he'd made. He just hoped he could reach her, before it was too late.

Suddenly, a twig snapped in the distance. Then another. And another. The sounds of someone – or something – approaching, and not quietly.

Toothless's head shot up, his eyes narrowing, his body tensing. He turned to Hiccup, his voice urgent. "She's here."

Hiccup's heart leaped into his throat. He could feel the blood draining from his face. He looked around the cove, at the shattered remnants of his training dummies that still littered the area , at the towering form of Toothless, at the elegant but intimidating Stormfly. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing pulse. Showtime.

He heard Astrid’s familiar, battle cry echo through the trees, followed by a string of very un familiar, and very colorful , curses.

"Oh, Hel," Hiccup muttered, bracing himself. "This is definitely going to be fun." He looked at Toothless. "Any last-minute advice?" He asked, his voice a mix of dread and grim determination.

Toothless grinned, a flash of sharp teeth. Sometimes I forget he has teeth. "Try not to die?" he offered, unhelpfully.

The furious blonde appeared, axe in hand, her eyes blazing with fury.

Chapter Text

Astrid dropped into the cove, landing with a thud that sent a small tremor through the ground. Her eyes, narrowed and blazing with fury, were locked on Hiccup, practically trying to melt him with her glare alone. The remnants of the campfire cast flickering shadows across her face, highlighting the sharp angles of her cheekbones and the grim set of her jaw. She looked like a valkyrie descending from Valhalla, ready to deliver judgment.

"Hiccup," she said, her voice dangerously low, each word a carefully aimed accusation. "Is this some kind of joke to you!" She pointed her axe in his direction, the polished metal gleaming menacingly in the firelight. Not at him, not yet, but the threat was implicit.

Hiccup threw his hands up in the air, a gesture of surrender, but his eyes darted nervously around the cove, assessing the situation. "I’m not joking around," he said, his voice surprisingly steady, despite the tremor in his hands.

She widened her arms, as if looking for an explanation, her gaze sweeping across the destroyed remnants of the workshop, the scorch marks on the ground, the two demons standing silently in the shadows. "Really? Then explain this, Hiccup! Explain why a demon . A demon , Hiccup. Visited me in my private training hall." She spat the word "demon" like a curse, her voice laced with disgust and disbelief.

"How else was I supposed to send you a message?" Hiccup retorted, his hands flying around at this point, gesturing wildly. "You said that you needed time alone !" He was trying to communicate something with his hands, some frantic, unspoken plea for understanding.

Astrid scoffed, a harsh, disbelieving sound. "I don’t think you know what alone time means. You could have just, I don’t know, ASKED ME . Like a normal human!" She slowly wiped her hand across her face, a gesture of weary frustration. "Who am I kidding," she muttered, more to herself than to Hiccup, "you are nowhere close to normal."

Hiccup's hands were out in front of him, placating, as if she were a wild animal, a cornered beast ready to strike. "Astrid, please," he said, his voice earnest, pleading. "Listen to what I have to say first , then you can kill me if you don’t like it."

She raised a skeptical eyebrow, her arms crossed, her posture radiating defiance. "Why should I listen to anything you have to say?" she challenged, her voice laced with suspicion.

"Because you want to," Hiccup said, his voice gaining a sudden firmness, a hint of the confidence he'd been trying to cultivate. He stood straighter, his posture rigid, trying to project an image of strength, of certainty. "If you won't listen, then at least let me show you." He knew words wouldn't be enough. He needed something more… tangible.

Astrid stared at him for a long, tense moment, her gaze unwavering, searching his face for any sign of deception. The silence stretched, punctuated only by the crackling of the fire and the distant rustling of leaves. Multiple emotions flickered across her face – anger, confusion, hurt, and… something else. Curiosity? A flicker of the trust that had been so brutally shattered? Each flicker made Hiccup sweat, profusely , patiently waiting for her response. So far Astrid hasn’t beheaded him yet, so this is a good sign, he thought. She’s more of an axe first, ask questions later kinda woman.

"Fine," she said finally, her voice tight, her jaw clenched. She pointed an accusatory finger at Hiccup, her eyes narrowed. "But if you try anything funny…" She left the threat unspoken, but the glint in her eyes, the way her hand tightened on the hilt of her axe, made it perfectly clear.

Hiccup made a gesture over his heart, a solemn vow. "I won’t, on my honor."

She snorted, a humorless sound that sent a shiver down Hiccup's spine. "You are consorting with demons , Hiccup. What honor do you have left?" She asked, her voice laced with bitterness.

Hiccup furrowed his brow and glared. That last statement struck a nerve, a raw, exposed point. He summoned whatever genetic remnants of Stoick's authority he possessed and spoke, his voice low and deep, practically a growl, a scathing accusation. “You know nothing , Astrid. Save your judgment for after I show you the truth.”

Astrid was startled by his tone, her tough exterior cracking, just enough for Hiccup to notice. Good, he thought. Maybe this would work after all. "Ok," she replied, her voice meek, almost a whisper, a stark contrast to her earlier fury. "Show me."

Hiccup took a deep breath, then drew his hand to the right, and pointed to the two other figures in the cove. They were not alone. Toothless and Stormfly, who had been standing silently, just out of the firelight, waiting for Hiccup's signal, stepped forward. Toothless had the decency to look sheepish , his head bowed slightly, his eyes averted. Stormfly, on the other hand, was practically sparkling with anticipation, her golden eyes gleaming, her cerulean and gold scales shimmering in the firelight.

Hiccup cleared his throat, the sound awkward in the sudden silence. "Astrid, this is Toothless," he said, gesturing to the dark-scaled demon, "and Stormfly." He introduced, his voice still lacking its usual confidence when he’s around Toothless.

Astrid rolled her eyes, one hand falling to her hip, her posture a mixture of annoyance and impatience. "Oh, great. Now there’s two of them," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Oblivious to her tone, Stormfly squeaked , a very weird sound, high-pitched and almost bird-like, but maybe that meant happy? And started bouncing over to Astrid, her movements surprisingly graceful for such a large creature. The latter’s eyes widened, fear replacing the annoyance, and she backed up, ready to get into a defensive stance, her hand instinctively reaching for her axe. Before she could, however, Stormfly was already on top of her, grabbing Astrid’s hand delicately with her clawed ones. She shook her hand up and down almost violently, her enthusiasm overwhelming.

"Astrid!" Stormfly exclaimed, her voice a melodic hum, filled with genuine delight. "It is such a pleasure to finally meet you!" She continued to shake the bewildered knight's hand, her grip surprisingly strong.

Astrid, finally regaining control of her extremity, yanked her hand away from the demon, taking a step back, her expression a mixture of confusion and alarm. “Wha— Hiccup! What does she mean, finally ?” She demanded, her gaze darting between Hiccup and the exuberant demon.

Hiccup rubbed the back of his neck, his cheeks flushing slightly. “Well, apparently Toothless has been saying a lot of good things about you,” he admitted, shooting a pointed look at the dark-scaled demon, who merely grinned, unrepentant.

"And, uh, apparently a few bad ones too," Toothless interjected. Earning a glare from Hiccup.

Astrid glared at Hiccup, then back at the two demons. "I still don't understand, Hiccup explain. Everything." She demanded, her voice tight with barely suppressed anger.

Hiccup let out a sigh and walked forward, but kept a cautious distance from Astrid. "Okay, okay. Where to start… As you've, uh, gathered, Toothless is a demon. And… we're… working together."

"Working together?" Astrid repeated, her voice laced with disbelief. "I knew you were friendly or something, but you're working with a demon? The same kind of creature that attacked me in the forest? That destroyed my axe?"

"It's… complicated," Hiccup said, wringing his hands. "He's not like the others. He… he wants to stop the war."

"Stop the war?" Astrid scoffed. "By teaming up with a human? A support engineer?"

Toothless stepped forward, his voice a low rumble. "Hiccup is… more than he appears," he said, his gaze intense. "We are… bonded. It's a connection. It makes us both stronger."

Astrid frowned, her eyes narrowing. "Bonded? What does that even mean ?"

"It means," Toothless said, choosing his words carefully, "that we share… a link. A connection. We can enhance each other's abilities. Humans who bond with demons gain access to powers they wouldn't normally have."

"Powers?" Astrid's hand instinctively went to her axe. "What kind of powers?"

Hiccup intervened quickly. "It's… hard to explain," he said, avoiding Astrid's gaze. "It's different for everyone. But It makes us stronger. More… effective."

Stormfly, who had been relatively quiet, now spoke up, her voice a melodic hum. "The… bond… broken," she said, her gaze shifting between Hiccup and Astrid. "Pain… echoes. Potential… there."

Astrid stared at Stormfly, then back at Hiccup, her confusion growing. "What is she talking about?"

"She’s trying to act mystical ," Toothless explained, causing Stormfly to pout. "She’s saying she feels bad for the… strain… between you two."

Astrid bristled. "There's no strain ," she said, defensively. "There's nothing between us anymore."

Hiccup flinched, but he didn't argue.

"Perhaps," Toothless said, his voice surprisingly gentle. "But there could be. A bond… like ours it could make you both stronger. Strong enough to…" He paused, choosing his words carefully. "Strong enough to fight the red demon we fought, and win."

Astrid remained silent, her gaze fixed on the ground, her mind racing. She was still reeling from the revelations, from the betrayal, from the sheer impossibility of it all. But… she couldn't deny the evidence of her own eyes. She'd seen Hiccup fight. She'd seen his increased speed, his agility, his… power . And she'd seen Toothless, a Night Fury, saving his life.

"Show me," she said finally, her voice barely a whisper, the fight gone out of her, replaced by a desperate curiosity. "Show me what this… bond can do." She still couldn't bring herself to fully trust him, but the seed of doubt – the seed he'd planted with that damned memory – had taken root.

Toothless and Hiccup exchanged a look, a silent communication passing between them. Toothless nodded, almost imperceptibly, a flicker of understanding in his acid green eyes.

"Alright," Hiccup said, his voice hesitant, but firming with resolve. “You are an S-Rank knight?” Astrid nodded, her gaze fixed on him, wary but intrigued. “And I am?” He asked, rhetorically.

She rolled her eyes, a flash of her old self returning, “A support engineer,” she spat, the word dripping with disdain, a reflex more than a genuine insult. “Your point, Hiccup?”

“So clearly, you should wipe the floor with me. I want to see you try.” A small smirk played on his lips, a hint of Toothless' confidence bleeding through. He gestured to her, a 'come at me' motion that was both challenging and… inviting. “I’ll give you the first strike.”

Astrid scoffed, but a flicker of uncertainty crossed her face. “That cockiness sounds just like your cousin. Don’t blame me if I cut your head off.” It was a threat, but a hollow one. She was testing him, probing for weaknesses, for any sign of the boy she thought she knew. Enough of the preamble, Astrid launched at Hiccup. Her movements were a blur, a whirlwind of controlled fury. Clearly she has been training on her own since the fight with the Red Demon, she was already able to partly manifest armored boots, from her excess divine energy. The metal gleamed, reflecting the dying embers of the campfire.

When her axe was nearing Hiccup’s face, in a deft motion, he summoned Inferno. The onyx blade appeared out of thin air in a burst of emerald green energy. He was able to control most of the excess energy and have it slowly form around his heels, creeping up his legs and forming into a dark, obsidian-like armor, the scales intricately detailed, almost alive. With Inferno, he blocked Astrid’s swing, the impact echoing through the cove, a clash of steel and magic. She stared, surprised that he managed to block her strike, expecting him to slink away and dodge like their previous fight. Her eyes widened, not in fear, but in recognition.

She slowly stepped back, watching in horror as this purple and slightly green divine energy flowed at his heels and solidified into a familiar and unsettling armor. Hiccup’s sword lit on fire, the flames a vibrant, unnatural green, licking at the air. She pointed at him up and down, trying to gather her thoughts. “YOU!” She managed, her voice a strangled cry. “You were the one that attacked me, not the Night Fury.” The realization dawned on her, a cold wave of understanding washing over her.

Hiccup nodded, his expression grim, but with a hint of defiance. “That’s right. To be fair, you attacked us first.” He shrugged, a nonchalant gesture that belied the tension in his body.

She clearly was not listening, lost in her own thoughts, her own fury, as she ran at him again, her familiar battle cry, “AaaaaaaGRRRHHHH!”, echoing through the cove. Each of her strikes were more powerful than the last, exploding in crackles of electricity after every swing, her anger was clouding her control, the divine energy was staggering and overflowing, a testament to her raw power, now untamed by discipline.

With ease, Hiccup dodged and blocked each of her strikes, his movements fluid and precise, a dance of controlled power. A few he deemed too weak, and he let get through, only for her axe to bounce off of his armor, the impact jarring her to her bones. Astrid was making no ground, every attack and attempt was futile. The complete opposite of their spar in front of the E-rank knights.

Here she was, an S-Rank knight. The strongest in the order, unable to even get a single blow in on this support engineer. She knew Hiccup was special. She wasn’t blind. But this was beyond her wildest imagination. How could he sell his soul to a demon, to gain this power? This was the very antithesis of what the Order stood for. He was beyond help, he was now an enemy.

Her grip tightened on her axe, her knuckles white with strain. She knew what she had to do. She took a few steps back. Summoned as much divine energy into her axe as she could muster, the air around her crackling with power. She couldn’t see his face behind his armored mask, but she could feel him raising his eyebrow in confusion, a silent challenge. His head tilted to the side in curiosity. He was toying with her, playing a dangerous game. She tightened her core, lifted her axe above her head and with a grunt, flung the axe straight at Hiccup’s head. The electric energy she put into it, made it fly even faster than she has ever thrown an axe before. It was difficult for her eyes to even track it, a blue and gold blur hurtling towards its target.

Hiccup simply sidestepped, with an almost casual grace that infuriated her, reached his hand out to the side and caught her axe mid air. It exploded in blue crackles of lightning which just harmlessly bounced across his armor, the energy dissipating into the night. She stood there, arms extended, catching her breath, defeated. She was helpless against him. There was nothing she could do. She had lost. Utterly and completely.

“That was a good attempt Astrid.” He chuckled, making her even more furious. His voice, even muffled by the helmet, held a note of… amusement? “I can see you have been practicing hard, your growth since getting this axe is tremendous and impressive. I truly applaud your effort. I knew you were the right one for this axe.” He put the axe on the floor, a gesture of respect, despite the circumstances. “But it’s not enough.” He stated, simply.

She looked up at him, her eyes filled with a mixture of anger, frustration, and… defeat. “Clearly," she said, her voice hoarse. "Nothing I can do will even get close to damaging you.”

He smiled underneath the helmet, a hint of sadness in his eyes. “If I am not mistaken, I cannot help but feel like you are actually trying to kill me.”

She snorted, a humorless sound. “Is it that obvious?” She asked, rhetorically.

He nodded, “Yes, but unfortunately for you. That was all Hiccup. I haven’t even started showing you the bond we talked about. You wanted a demonstration. Here it is.” He stated, confidently.

Wings sprouted from Hiccup’s back. Two giant, bat-like wings. They were not solid or made of flesh, but some amalgamation of divine energy, swirling with shades of green and purple, like a nebula captured in physical form. He quickly beat his wings and took to the sky, flying towards Astrid. The air rushed past him, a sensation of freedom he'd only dreamed of. She turned and began to run, trying to get away. But it was futile. He was far too fast for her, he grabbed her around the waist and launched into the air. She started screaming and writhing, trying to hit Hiccup and get out of his hold, her fear a palpable thing.

“HICCUP. ARE YOU CRAZY. LET ME GO THIS INSTANT.” She screamed, trying to scream over the sound of the wind rushing past her, her voice a mixture of terror and outrage.

He came to stop, hovering hundreds of feet over the cove, the ground a dizzying expanse below. “What?” He asked with a playful tone, a hint of mischief in his voice.

She was not in a playful mood. “I SAID LET ME GO.” She demanded, her voice shaking.

He chuckled, “Poor choice of words.” He obliged and let her go, causing her to begin to free-fall down towards the Earth, the wind screaming past her ears.

She tumbled and flailed in the air, screaming and falling completely without control. Between flips she saw Hiccup right next to her, falling beside her with a bored posture, his arms crossed, a smug expression on his face (or, at least, what she could see of it beneath the helmet). It only somehow made her even more angry.

She managed to control her fall, flattening out, and used this moment to throw a glare at Hiccup. “I HATE YOU.” She screamed, the words ripped away by the wind.

He made a gesture towards his ear, acting like he couldn't hear her. She rolled her eyes. Many emotions were going through Astrid right now. Anger, helplessness, embarrassment. One she noticed was missing was fear. Hiccup is an idiot and extremely frustrating. But as much as she doesn’t want to, she can’t help but trust him. Somehow even after all of this, she trusts that Hiccup won’t let her turn into a puddle on the Earth. She trusts that he is going to save her. Even though it was clear he had overwhelming power, she trusted that he wouldn’t kill her. Unlike her, he can actually control it. Her glare slowly softened, replaced by a reluctant acceptance.

Hiccup decided that this was the time to save her. He flew in next to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. In her panic before, she didn’t realize how intimate this position was. His body pressed close to hers, the heat radiating from him a stark contrast to the cold air rushing past them. An embarrassed blush spread on her cheeks. Within seconds, they were on the ground. She fell to her knees, gripping the dirt below her. She had never been so grateful to be on the ground.

She heaved, trying to catch her breath. Hiccup spoke up, “That’s just the beginning of what the bond can do. I can share or even enhance some of Toothless’ powers. This shouldn’t be illegal. This is the way we are meant to be, human and demons working together. Strong apart. Unstoppable together.” He stated, passionately.

He walked up to her, his boots crunching on the gravel at his feet. He reached his hand down and offered it to her, a silent invitation, a plea for understanding. She observed him for a second, judging him and everything he had said, then took his hand, the contact sending another unexpected jolt of warmth through her. She stood, her legs still slightly shaky, her mind still reeling from the events of the past few hours – the fight, the kiss, the reveal, the flight. But as she looked at Hiccup, at his earnest expression, at the hope flickering in his eyes, she knew she couldn't simply dismiss him. Not anymore.

Chapter Text

The walk back to the cove was silent, each step heavy with unspoken questions and unresolved emotions. Astrid kept her distance from Hiccup, her gaze fixed on the path ahead, her hand never straying far from the hilt of her axe – the one Hiccup made. The axe he’d crafted with the help of a demon . The thought still sent a shiver of revulsion through her, a visceral reaction to years of ingrained prejudice, battling with the confusing, undeniable reality of Toothless' actions.

She glanced at Hiccup, walking a few paces ahead of her. He was limping slightly, favoring his injured abdomen, his shoulders slumped with exhaustion and… was it guilt? He looked so… small , so vulnerable, without the demonic armor, without the bravado. It was hard to reconcile this image with the powerful warrior who had fought alongside Toothless, who had held her, hundreds of feet in the air, who had kissed her with such desperate intensity.

And then lied to her. Betrayed her. For months.

The thought was like a punch to the gut, stealing her breath. She stumbled, her hand flying to her chest, as if to physically contain the pain.

Hiccup stopped, turning to look at her, his expression filled with concern. "Astrid? Are you alright?"

She waved him off, forcing a semblance of composure. "I'm fine," she said, her voice sharper than she intended. "Just… thinking." Too much thinking. Too much feeling. Too much… everything.

He hesitated, as if he wanted to say something more, but then he simply nodded and continued walking. Coward. Part of her thought. Or maybe, just maybe, he's giving me space.

They reached the cove, and Astrid paused at the entrance. She'd been here twice before, but she'd never really looked. The first time, she'd been focused on Hiccup, on his strange behavior, on the possibility of a hidden threat. The second time, she'd been overwhelmed by the revelation of Toothless, by the fight, by the shattering of her world.

Now, she saw it with new eyes.

It wasn't just a hidden cove; it was a home . A workshop. A testament to Hiccup's ingenuity… and to his deception. The remnants of his inventions were scattered around, half-finished projects and discarded prototypes, a chaotic jumble of metal, wood, and leather. She recognized some of them – modified cube catchers, the remnants of the Sonicator, strange devices she couldn't even begin to identify. But there were other things, too. Things that spoke of a life lived, of a bond forged. A worn leather satchel, hanging from a tree branch, undoubtedly Hiccup's. A large, flat stone, smoothed and polished by frequent use, that looked suspiciously like a… sleeping spot ? And, most unsettlingly, a series of targets, riddled with scorch marks – probably from the same explosion that killed the red demon , she realized with a jolt. Evidence of countless hours of training, of practice, of a partnership she couldn't comprehend.

Toothless, his scales gleaming in the fading light, his body relaxed but watchful, gave her a small, almost imperceptible nod of acknowledgment. He didn't speak, but his acid green eyes held a surprising depth of… understanding? Or was it pity? Astrid couldn't tell, and she didn't like the uncertainty.

Stormfly, thankfully, didn't bound over with her usual overwhelming enthusiasm. Instead, she approached Astrid slowly, respectfully, her golden eyes filled with a gentle curiosity. "Astrid," she said, her voice a low, melodic hum, much smoother and more articulate than before. "It is good to see you again."

Astrid took a step back, her hand instinctively reaching for her axe again. "I said I'd consider it," she said, her voice tight, reminding all parties. "I didn't agree to anything."

Stormfly tilted her head, a surprisingly avian gesture. "I understand your hesitation," she said. "The bond… It is a powerful thing. A sacred thing. It is not to be entered into lightly." She paused, her gaze shifting to Toothless, a flicker of affection passing between them. "But it is also… a source of great strength. Of great… joy ."

Astrid frowned. "What are you talking about?" Joy? From a demon?

Toothless stepped forward, his voice a low rumble that seemed to vibrate in the very air around them. "She speaks of the connection between human and demon," he explained. "The potential for a partnership that transcends… what you have been taught." He looked at Astrid, his gaze intense. "Like the one Hiccup and I share. A bond that allows us to… enhance each other's abilities. To become… more."

Astrid's eyes widened. "A connection? Like– like you and Hiccup?" The thought was both terrifying and strangely compelling. She'd seen the power they wielded together, the seamless way they moved, the trust that flowed between them, even in the midst of battle. The raw power . Could she… could she have that with Stormfly? Could she want that?

"It is possible," Toothless said, his gaze unwavering. "But it is not easy. It requires trust. Understanding. A willingness to… see … beyond what you have been taught." He looked pointedly at Astrid. "A bond is not forced, Astrid. It is a choice. A joining of souls."

Astrid looked from Toothless to Stormfly, then to Hiccup, who was watching her with a mixture of hope and apprehension. She saw the exhaustion etched on his face, the pain in his eyes, the plea for understanding. She saw the remnants of the boy she'd known, the boy she'd dismissed, the boy she'd… kissed . And she saw something more, something new: a strength, a determination, a… power … that she couldn't ignore. A power born of a forbidden alliance.

She took a deep breath, the cool night air filling her lungs. She didn't know what the future held. She didn't know if she could trust Hiccup, or Toothless, or any of this. But she knew one thing: she couldn't go back. She couldn't unsee what she'd seen, unlearn what she'd learned, unfeel what she'd felt. The world had shifted on its axis, and she had to find her footing in this new, terrifying, reality.

"Explain it to me," she said, her voice firm, her gaze unwavering. "Explain… everything." This wasn't a request; it was a demand. A challenge.

Hiccup and Toothless exchanged a look. A silent conversation passed between them, a shared understanding forged through countless hours of training, of fighting, of living together. It was a language Astrid couldn't understand, a connection she couldn't fathom. And it stung. Hiccup nodded, a slight, almost imperceptible movement. It was time. Past time, really.

"Okay," Hiccup said, turning back to Astrid, his voice steadier now. He took a deep breath, as if preparing for a difficult task. "The bond… it's not just about power, Astrid. It's about… connection." He gestured towards Toothless. "Look at him."

Astrid reluctantly shifted her gaze to the Night Fury. She'd been avoiding looking directly at him, at the creature that represented everything she'd been taught to fear. But now, she forced herself to see .

Toothless was sitting calmly, his head tilted slightly, his acid green eyes fixed on her. He wasn't menacing. He wasn't growling or snarling. He was… observing. And there was something in his eyes, something that surprised her: a depth of intelligence, of… understanding.

"He's not a monster, Astrid," Hiccup said, his voice soft. "He's… a being. With thoughts, feelings, desires… just like us."

"Desires?" Astrid repeated, her voice laced with skepticism. "Like what? To destroy villages? To kill humans?"

"To live," Toothless rumbled, his voice surprisingly gentle. "To be free. To… protect." He glanced at Hiccup, a flicker of something that looked almost like affection passing between them.

Astrid frowned. "Protect? Protect who ? You attacked me in the forest!"

"No he didn't, you attacked us," Hiccup interjected quickly. "Everything else that happened was an accident."

"Accident?" Astrid repeated incredulously.

"We couldn’t just reveal ourselves. You wouldn’t have listened. Hiccup just defended himself and broke your axe by accident." Toothless explained.

"How is that even possible, aren’t divine weapons supposed to be indestructible. They are divine after all?"

"It would be more correct to call them demonic weapons." Hiccup explained. "When I blocked your attack, I was already resonating with Inferno, Toothless' sword. I didn't know that the energy would destroy the divine crystal at the core of your axe. I didn't mean to destroy it, I swear."

"Inferno–"

Stormfly stepped forward, her golden scales shimmering in the firelight. "The… connection," she said, her voice a melodic hum. "Has made both of them stronger." She nodded towards Hiccup and Toothless. "Because of their resonance and compatibility."

Astrid frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Toothless spoke up now, his voice a low rumble that seemed to vibrate in the very air around them. "She speaks of the natural connection between some humans and demons," he explained. "A resonance of energy, of… spirit. It's rare, but it exists. It's why Hiccup was able to wield Inferno, even before we formed our bond. His… frequency… is compatible with mine."

"Frequency?" Astrid repeated, her voice laced with disbelief.

"Think of it like a tuning fork," Hiccup interjected, trying to explain. "When two forks vibrate at the same frequency, they resonate. It's the same with us. My natural divine energy… it resonates with Toothless'. That's why I could wield Inferno, why I can manifest the armor. It's… a natural affinity."

"And the bond enhances the ability." Toothless finished.

Astrid stared at them, at the easy way they stood together, the unspoken understanding that flowed between them. She remembered the fight, the way they'd moved as one, anticipating each other's actions, complementing each other's strengths. It was… unnerving. And yet… also strangely… compelling.

"And this… bond … it gives you power?" Astrid asked, her gaze shifting back to Hiccup.

Hiccup nodded. "It amplifies our natural abilities," he explained. "It allows us to share skills. To learn from each other." He hesitated. "It's also why I can fly. With Toothless' help."

Astrid's eyes widened. "So can anyone who bonds with a demon create the ability to fly?" she repeated, her voice incredulous.

"The bond unlocks potential," Toothless clarified. "It doesn't create abilities out of nothing. It enhances what is already there, and it allows for a sharing of strengths."

Astrid shook her head, still struggling to grasp the concept. "But– the Order– they teach us that demons are evil. That they're… our enemies."

"The Order," Toothless said, his voice low and dangerous, "is… wrong ." He took a step forward, his eyes blazing with a fierce intensity. "The Queen… she is the one who is evil. She is the one who has enslaved my kind, who has twisted us into weapons of war. She is the true enemy."

Astrid flinched at his words, at the raw power in his voice. She wanted to argue, to defend the Order, but… she couldn't. Not after what she'd seen. Not after what she'd felt . The memory was too vivid and terrifying. If that powerful red demon cowered before the Queen. She can only imagine how dangerous she is in person.

"And Stormfly…" Astrid began, turning to the golden demon. "You– you want to bond with me?"

Stormfly nodded, her golden eyes filled with a gentle warmth. "I feel the potential," she said. "The connection. Like a hum, waiting to be amplified. The Queen is growing stronger. We need allies . We need strength ."

Astrid looked at Stormfly, then to Hiccup. She saw the hope in their eyes, the plea for her to understand, to accept. But she also saw the danger, the risk, the unknown .

She took a deep breath, her heart pounding in her chest. She didn't know what to believe anymore. Everything she'd ever known was being challenged, turned upside down. But… she couldn't deny the evidence before her. She couldn't deny the power she'd witnessed, the connection she'd felt, however briefly, during the fight, during the kiss .

"I…" she began, her voice trembling. She closed her eyes, took another deep breath, and then opened them again, her gaze firm, resolute. "I need… time. To think. To… process all of this." She looked at Stormfly, a flicker of something that might have been, hope , in her eyes. "But…" she added, hesitantly, "I'll hear you out. Tell me more about the bond."

Stormfly smiled, a surprisingly gentle expression for a demon. "Of course," she rumbled.

Toothless gave a nod and spoke up. "We also need to start planning. The Queen is gathering an army. It won't be long before she attacks."

"And we will be ready," Hiccup said.

Chapter Text

The dawn light crept into the cove, painting the sky in shades of pale pink and orange. Astrid woke with a start, her heart pounding, her hand instinctively reaching for the axe that wasn't there. She could smell a dying fire and hear the sound of morning birds in the trees above. She was lying on a pile of furs, tucked into a corner of the cove, a safe distance from… them .

She sat up, her muscles stiff and sore, her mind still reeling from the events of the previous night. The revelations. The explanations. The possibility of a bond with a demon . It was all too much, too fast.

She looked around the cove. Hiccup was already awake, sitting near the remains of the campfire, sharpening Inferno with a small whetstone. The rhythmic scrape of metal on stone was the only sound in the stillness of the morning. Toothless was curled up nearby, his form a dark silhouette against the rising sun. He appeared to be asleep, but Astrid knew better. She could feel his gaze on her, even through his closed eyelids. He was aware . Always aware.

Stormfly was perched on a nearby rock, preening her blue and golden scales. She caught Astrid's eye and gave a small, almost imperceptible nod of greeting. There was no overwhelming enthusiasm, no forced friendliness. Just acknowledgement.

Astrid felt a shiver run down her spine. She was surrounded by demons . And she'd chosen to stay. She'd chosen to listen.

She stood up, brushing off the furs, her movements stiff and awkward. She felt… exposed. Vulnerable. Like a rabbit caught in a snare.

Hiccup looked up, his green eyes searching hers, a hesitant question in their depths. He cleared his throat. "Astrid," he said, his voice soft. "How– how did you sleep?"

A loaded question , Astrid thought. How could she sleep, after everything she'd learned? After everything she'd seen?

"Fine," she lied, her voice flat. She looked away, unable to meet his gaze. She walked towards the center of the cove, keeping a deliberate distance between herself and the demons. "So," she said, her tone challenging. "You're going to teach me about this… bond?"

Hiccup nodded, setting aside the whetstone. "We'll try," he said. "It's not something you can really teach , though. It's more… something you feel ."

"Feel?" Astrid repeated, her voice laced with skepticism. "I feel like I'm going insane."

Toothless stirred, his head lifting slightly, his acid-green eyes focusing on Astrid with surprising gentleness. "It is a natural process," he rumbled, his voice low and resonant, the sound vibrating in the quiet air. "A connection between those who are compatible."

"Compatible?" Astrid scoffed. "You mean like… destiny ?"

"No," Hiccup said quickly, leaning forward slightly, his expression earnest. "It's not destiny , Astrid. It's a potential . A possibility. Like two musical instruments that can play in harmony. They might create something beautiful, or they might clash. It’s always a choice."

Stormfly spread her arms, the sunlight catching on her scales, a ripple of iridescent color. She took a few steps towards Astrid, her movements graceful and deliberate. "It is not just about power," she said, her voice a low hum, surprisingly gentle. "It is about understanding. About seeing the world… through another's eyes."

Astrid took a step back, her hand instinctively moving to where her axe should have been. "Stay back," she said, her voice tight.

Stormfly stopped, her head tilted slightly, a hint of sadness flickering in her golden eyes. "I will not hurt you," she said, her voice a gentle hum.

"How can I be sure of that?" Astrid asked, her voice trembling slightly.

Hiccup stepped forward, his hand instinctively reaching out as if to shield her, placing himself between Astrid and Stormfly. "You can't," he said, his voice calm and reassuring. "Not yet. But you can trust me . Can't you?"

Astrid looked at him, at the earnest expression on his face, at the vulnerability in his eyes. She wanted to trust him. She wanted to believe him. But… the doubt, the fear, the ingrained prejudice… it was still there, a cold knot in her stomach.

"I…" she began, her voice faltering.

“It wasn’t like I just woke up one day and started working for the demons.” Hiccup laughed dryly, a humorless sound that echoed faintly in the cove.“I was skeptical too, tried to kill Toothless.”

“Why did you trust Toothless then? Why are you working together now?” She questioned, her voice tight with a mixture of confusion and lingering anger, her hands clenched at her sides.

“At first it was more like Toothless was using me, like a parasite I couldn’t get rid of. Eating my cookies.” Toothless let out an indignant, “Hey!” His eyes narrowed playfully, but a hint of seriousness remained. Hiccup continued. “It started as a mutual benefit, why either of us trusted one another was a mystery, but it eventually became clear. When I met Toothless, it didn’t feel like meeting a stranger, it felt like I was meeting my family, my brother.”

“You don’t have a brother.”

Hiccup shook his head, his gaze drifting towards the still-dark horizon. “Not anymore. Toothless is my brother.” He said it simply, but the weight of years of loss and newfound companionship was evident in his tone. Unable to help himself, Toothless smiled. His usual black maw devoid of any teeth.

“... He’s toothless.” Astrid muttered, not expecting anyone to hear her.

“That’s why we call him that.” Stormfly said, right next to her ear, causing Astrid to jump and spin around, her hand flying to her back again, where her axe would normally be. She glared at the golden demon, her heart hammering in her chest.

Toothless said, nodding with conviction. “Sometimes it’s because your energies are the same, like Hiccup and I, or it is because your frequencies complement each other in a beautiful harmony. Like Stormfly and myself.” He finished, with a soft smile directed at Stormfly, a silent acknowledgment of their bond.

Astrid looked at Stormfly. She was staring back in a hopeful and expectant manner. The fact that she was sitting here having a civil conversation with demons already spoke volumes. And if she was being objective. Astrid was the only one acting aggressive or angry. The so-called mindless beasts she has grown up hating. Are more human than she has been these past few days.

With a resigned sigh, Astrid ran a hand through her tangled braid, her shoulders slumping slightly. “Let’s get this over with,” she muttered, more to herself than to the others.

Stormfly perked up, her golden eyes shining with an almost childlike eagerness. She bounced over to Astrid, her movements surprisingly light for such a large creature. Astrid tried to protest, raising her hands in a defensive gesture, but she was immediately smothered in a hug, the scent of warm scales and something akin to cinnamon filling her nostrils. It wasn’t an unfriendly gesture, and the act was far too human for her tastes, leaving her feeling strangely breathless and overwhelmed.

Toothless walked over and pried Stormfly off of Astrid. “Don’t overwhelm her,” he said, a hint of amusement in his voice. Stormfly drooped, her golden eyes looking momentarily downcast. “The ring is just the beginning," Toothless continued, addressing Astrid directly. "It allows you to feel the connection, to communicate. But a true bond… that takes time, and training.”

For the first time in what felt like months, Astrid smiled. “Training hard is something I can do.”

Stormfly took off her ring. It was a beautifully constructed ring with cerulean and gold scales that matched the demon. In the center, there was a small ocean blue crystal. Astrid could feel the power thrumming from the ring. It felt like Stormfly was handing her an extremely powerful artifact. Astrid stared at the ring for a few moments before she realized they wanted her to wear it. She took it and put it on. When she did, it felt like a jolt of electricity spread throughout her body. Tingling and activating every nerve she had.

It took some adjusting, and she had to blink rapidly to try and clear her vision. Eventually Stormfly that was looking at her, concerned, disappeared. Astrid’s vision cleared and she looked around the cove. Hiccup and Toothless were still there, but Stormfly was nowhere to be seen. “What– what happened to Stormfly?”

“I’m right here. In your mind.” Stormfly squawked.

Astrid jumped, “What do you mean in my mind.” This caused both Hiccup and Toothless to bust out laughing, earning a glare from the blonde.

In between fits, Toothless said, calming down slightly, “It means you are compatible. Which we already knew.”

“Okaaaaay. So now what? Can I fight like you and Hiccup now?”

" We. It's not just you anymore ," Stormfly interjected, her mental voice echoing with a strange resonance in Astrid's mind, a quick glance passing between her and Toothless. " I am here to help you, if you help us stop the Queen ."

A rush of images and sensations flooded Astrid's mind, overwhelming her senses. First, a blinding flash of light, a feeling of warmth and belonging, a glimpse of a hidden world of breathtaking beauty – shimmering waterfalls cascading into crystal-clear pools, luminous plants casting an ethereal glow, hundreds of creatures, full of impossible colors roaming the streets of bustling city-scapes. Then, a sudden shift – the warmth replaced by a chilling cold, the light by a suffocating darkness. She felt a surge of fear, of desperation, of fierce determination. She saw, through Stormfly's eyes, a flickering torch illuminating a worn map, felt Stormfly's frustration and despair as she stared at the overwhelming odds, the creeping red splotches representing the Queen's encroaching control. She felt the weight of responsibility, the burning desire to protect her home, her people, her… friend. Then, a moment of comfort: Toothless, his scales gleaming in the dim light, reaching out to embrace Stormfly, his touch gentle, reassuring. She felt a surge of affection, of trust, of unwavering loyalty – a bond that transcended words, a connection that ran deeper than blood. The feeling quickly subsided. Astrid gasped, stumbling back, her own hand reaching out instinctively trying to grab a comforting hand. Stormfly appeared next to her, trying to help her keep her balance. It felt… familiar. Too familiar. She looked at Stormfly, at the gentle concern in her golden eyes, and for the first time, she saw not a monster, but a reflection of her own struggles, her own fears, her own desperate hope for a better future.

After regaining her composure she looked at Toothless and Hiccup. She wasn’t just watching Toothless now, but analyzing . He didn’t look anything like he did in the memory. Before he was distraught, broken, lost. Much like the young support engineer she used to know. But now he looked confident, hopeful and prepared. It was a stark contrast.

Astrid paced, her mind a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. She’d just agreed, however reluctantly , to consider a bond with a demon. She’d felt a connection with Stormfly, a flicker of understanding, a glimpse of a world beyond her comprehension. But the doubts, the fears, the ingrained prejudices, were still there, a cold knot in her stomach.

She stopped pacing, turning to face Hiccup and Toothless, her expression troubled. "Even if… even if I do this," she said, her voice hesitant, "what happens then? What about the Order? What about Stoick ?"

Hiccup sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I know, Astrid. It's… complicated."

"Complicated?" Astrid scoffed. "It's treason , Hiccup! We're talking about consorting with the enemy! About… about bonding with demons! The Order will–" She trailed off, unable to finish the sentence, the implications too horrifying to contemplate.

"The Order is wrong ," Toothless said, his voice low and firm. "They've been lied to. Manipulated. Just like we were."

"Easy for you to say," Astrid retorted, her voice sharp. "You're a demon . You're not the one who's going to be branded a traitor, hunted down, executed ."

Hiccup stepped forward, his expression earnest. "Astrid, I know it's a risk. A huge risk. But… it's the only way. We can't defeat the Queen alone. We need allies. And– and we need you ."

Astrid looked at him, at the desperation in his eyes, at the unwavering belief in his cause. She wanted to believe him. She wanted to trust him. But…

"What if you're wrong?" she whispered, the question a raw, vulnerable plea. "What if Toothless is lying? What if this is all some– some elaborate trick?"

Toothless met her gaze, his acid-green eyes unwavering. "I understand your fear, Astrid," he said, his voice surprisingly gentle. "But I swear to you, on my life, on my bond with Hiccup, I am telling the truth. The Queen is the enemy. Not us."

Stormfly, who had been silent until now, spoke up, her voice a melodic hum in Astrid's mind. He speaks the truth. 

Astrid closed her eyes, trying to block out the conflicting voices, the doubts, the fears. She needed time. Time to think, to process, to… decide.

"I…" she began, her voice faltering. She opened her eyes, her gaze fixed on Hiccup. "I need to understand. Everything . Before I can even consider this." She gestured vaguely towards the ring, unable to bring herself to say the word "bond." "The Order, the Queen, the war… everything ."

"Then we will answer. Ask us your questions, Astrid."

Stop the Queen. The words echoed in Astrid's mind, a sudden, sharp reminder of the stakes. She looked at Hiccup, then at Toothless, her earlier bravado fading. "Why is the Queen doing this?" she asked, her voice lower now, more serious. "What does she want ? What's her ultimate goal?" It was a question that had been gnawing at her, a question the Order had never truly answered.

Toothless and Hiccup shared a look, Hiccup was curious too. "Revenge," Toothless said, his voice heavy. "She had a bonded once. When they were murdered it drove the Queen insane. Now she has launched a full on war with the humans."

"She had a bonded? What happened to them?"

"Not sure entirely." Toothless shrugged. "She never talked much about them. I don’t even know their name. Just that humans murdered them. So she wants to rid the planet of humans."

Astrid shivered, despite herself. "And this… Keystone," she said, the word unfamiliar on her tongue. "What is it? What does it do?"

"It's an ancient artifact," Hiccup explained. "A source of… concentrated divine energy. It’s the key to the Rift, what the Order calls Helheim’s gate."

"With the Keystone, the Queen can open the Rift between the Hidden World and yours." Toothless added. "Once open, she can launch a full force demonic invasion," He paused, his gaze darkening. "The likes of which you won’t survive."

Astrid frowned, processing this information. "So, the demons who can talk, the ones who aren't, thralls , they're not under her control?" It was a crucial distinction, a fundamental challenge to everything she'd been taught.

Toothless nodded. "They are the strongest among us," he said. "Most have sided with the Queen to save their own scales."

"And the Order," Astrid continued, her voice hesitant. "If they're not protecting us from all demons… what is their purpose?" It was a question that had been lurking in the back of her mind, a seed of doubt that had been steadily growing.

Hiccup sighed. "That's… a more complicated question," he said. "The Order… they believe they're doing the right thing. They've been misled. For generations."

"Misled? By whom?" Astrid pressed, her gaze intense.

"By those who benefit from the war, the Queen and her spies." Toothless said, his voice a low growl. "By those who fear… what we could accomplish together ."

Astrid was silent for a long moment, her mind racing. She looked at Stormfly– rather where Stormfly was. She seems to have disappeared– and then back at Hiccup. "And you–" she began, her voice hesitant, "how can you do… all of this? The armor, the fire, the flying.  Is it all because of Toothless?" She needed to understand. She needed to know .

Hiccup shook his head. "It's… not just Toothless," he said. "It's resonance. Compatibility. I have a natural affinity for his energy. The bond it enhances that. It allows me to channel it, to control it, to use it." He paused, looking at his hands, as if seeing them for the first time. "But it's still my power, too. Just… amplified."

Astrid nodded slowly, trying to make sense of it all. It was a lot to take in, a complete upheaval of her understanding of the world. But… it fit . It explained Hiccup's sudden improvement, his strange abilities, and his connection to Toothless. It explained a lot.

"And Stormfly–" Astrid said, turning her attention to the now-invisible demon. "You want to… bond with me ? Why?" What could a demon possibly want with her?

Stormfly's voice, now a constant presence in her mind, answered, Because I see potential. I feel potential. Strength. Courage. A good heart. In you I see myself.

Before Astrid could finish her train of thought a sound, a distant rumble, cut through the air. Then another, closer this time. And another, and another, until the ground itself seemed to tremble beneath their feet. A cacophony of roars, echoing across Berk, each one filled with a primal rage, a terrifying power.

Toothless muttered under his breath, his eyes darting towards the entrance of the cove, his body tensing with a sudden urgency, “We’re out of time. She found it.”

Chapter Text

The world shook . Not with the gentle tremors of an earthquake, but with a bone-deep vibration that resonated with the force of a thousand screams. A cacophony of roars, echoing from every corner of Berk, ripped through the pre-dawn stillness, tearing Astrid from her uneasy sleep. She sat bolt upright, her heart hammering against her ribs, her hand instinctively preparing to summon her axe.

“What… what was that?” she gasped, her voice hoarse, her eyes darting around the cove, searching for the source of the terrifying sound.

Hiccup was already on his feet, his expression grim, his jaw clenched. He was staring towards the entrance of the cove, his body tense, every muscle coiled tight. “That,” he said, his voice low and strained, “was the sound of the Queen finding the Keystone.”

Toothless stretched his back with a crack of his joints, “Looks like we are going to have to cut short your training session with Stormfly.” He looked over at the blonde, his face sympathetic. “You will have to learn as we go.”

“Go? Go where?” She asked. “I agreed to this bond, but not to join your plans completely.”

Hiccup was scrambling and throwing things into a worn leather bag. “It’s too late for that.” His voice muffled, holding a cube catcher in his mouth to free his hands. “This is far beyond trying to stop the demons from attacking citizens, or burning buildings. Our objective now is to just survive.”

Her face scrunched in concentration. She had an idea of the threat but not the full scale. “Speak to me in terms I will easily understand.”

He paused, removing the cube from his mouth and stared at her straight in the eyes. He was making sure all of her focus was on him. “Code: Ragnarok.”

“You’re joking! That’s not even–” Astrid exclaimed, her hands flying in the air. She was interrupted by a melodic hum, resonating within her head.

Thralls incoming. We need to move. Stormfly’s voice echoed in her mind. Astrid flinched, her hands going to her temple. She could feel her senses sharpening, the sounds of the forest amplified, the scent of pine and damp earth filling her nostrils. She could hear the rustling of leaves and the crunching of branches. Either something huge was coming their way, or a hundred, scratch that thousand small things. Her entire body was alert. The two across from her seemed to sense the same thing.

“We need to leave! NOW!” Hiccup began running towards the entrance to the cove, Astrid instinctively followed him. He might have betrayed her, but he at least seems to know more of what is happening than the Order. She wasn’t sure if she should be impressed or concerned.

As they began climbing out of the cove, many smaller demons, thralls as Stormfly called them, fell into the cove, stumbling their way through seemingly unable to have full faculty of their body. Astrid was following quickly behind Hiccup. The smell of sweat and sawdust brought her back to when they were knights in training doing laps around the Order’s gymnasium. Hiccup would always be trailing the rest of the knight cadets, barely able to make it around the track a few times. Now she was the one struggling to keep up with him.

She undoubtedly felt Stormfly’s influence, her energy slowly flowing into her body. It felt unnatural, yet familiar. It made her muscles sting as if they just finished a massive workout, but without the soreness. She could push herself, further, faster, harder than ever before. She might have been trailing Hiccup Haddock , but she wouldn't be left in the dust.

As they rounded a bend in the narrow path, bursting into a small, barely lit clearing. They stumbled upon two small gronckle class demons, devouring a deer’s carcass. They turned to look at the intruders, their pupils dilated, ready to strike. Astrid immediately summoned her axe, trying to focus the excess divine energy into an armor surrounding her body. Let me help , Stormfly’s voice was urgently laced with a hint of fear. When the excess energy faded, rather than exploding out in cracks of lightning, she noticed that her entire body was covered in light blue armor, matching the color of Stormfly’s scales. 

Astrid did not have time to process this massive improvement in her energy control, when she had two very angry demons looking at her and Hiccup. She lifted her axe, preparing to cut down the demons as they charged, when a loud beeping noise pierced the air. She could feel Stormfly cringe inside of her mind, repulsed by this noise. A split second later, the demons disappeared, getting sucked into two of Hiccup’s devices below them. He didn’t stop to collect them, he just kept running.

“Hiccup!” She shouted, trying to keep her breathing stable. “Where are we going? The Order is the other direction!”

He turned to look back at her his face a mask of grim determination, “We can’t go back to the Order Astrid! We have to use our full power, not be handicapped. We are going for Safehouse Loki.”

“That’s the worst one!” She protested.

“I know,” Hiccup said, his voice grim. “That’s why we are going there, the less likelihood of running into the Order.”

She wanted to disagree, but his logic was sound. It always was. As they journeyed to the Safehouse, they kept running into thralls constantly. Nearly every turn contained a few of them and the further they went from the Order, the more numerous they became.

“I’m running out of cubes.” Hiccup muttered himself, his brow furrowed in concern. “This is bad.”

“I’m sure we can take a few thralls if we work together Hiccup.” Astrid said.

He shook his head, “Remember our deal?” Hiccup said, his voice firm despite the tremor in his hands. “You can only kill the talking demons.”

She threw her hands up in frustration, “Does that still matter? They are invading Hiccup. Killing innocents.”

“They are being controlled . They have no idea what they are doing. Most of them are just bread makers and tailors, not soldiers. Enslaved.” Hiccup finished. His voice was firm, unwavering, his gaze locked on Astrid's. She wanted to protest, but the conviction in his green eyes showed how important this was to him.

Eventually they made it to Safehouse Loki. Safehouse Loki is a hidden sanctuary, a place of refuge and secrets, nestled deep within the heart of the woods, the closest Safehouse to the rift. Its exterior is unassuming, a simple wooden cabin, weathered by time and shrouded by the dense foliage of the surrounding forest. Moss creeps up the walls, and vines twist around the windows, giving it an air of abandonment, a forgotten relic of a bygone era.

Inside, however, Safehouse Loki reveals its true nature. The main room is dimly lit by flickering torches, their flames casting long, dancing shadows across the rough-hewn walls. The air is thick with the scent of old wood, leather, and a hint of something more… otherworldly. Strange symbols, etched into the wooden beams and stone fireplace, glow with a faint, pulsating light, hinting at a hidden power, a connection to the unseen forces that govern this world.

A large, sturdy table dominates the center of the room, scarred by countless battles and strategy sessions. Maps and charts are spread across its surface, marked with cryptic symbols and strategic annotations, a testament to the clandestine operations that have been planned within these walls. Shelves line the walls, overflowing with books bound in leather and strange, shimmering materials, their titles whispered in hushed tones, their contents a repository of forbidden knowledge.

Hiccup wrenched open the door, dust flying in every direction. Astrid coughed, wincing at the smell of stale air and dust, waving a hand in front of her face to clear the dust. “When was the last time this place was used?”

Hiccup scanned the room investigating the strange symbols, their meaning unknown. “Probably when the Order was founded.”

Astrid found a worn, but surprisingly comfortable-looking chair and immediately plopped down into it. She held her head in her hands, trying to stop the throbbing. Her mind was racing a thousand miles and hour and she was trying to make sense of it all. It was happening all so fast and she barely had any time to stop and breathe, process what was happening. She paused and took a deep breath, eying the curious engineer who was inspecting the maps in the safehouse.

As she replayed everything in her mind, something was bubbling up in her chest, until she was unable to contain it any longer. She dropped her axe on the floor, causing a loud crash and drawing the attention of Hiccup and Toothless who were now both reading a book.

“What were you thinking?” She demanded, her voice low and dangerous, laced with a fury that had been simmering beneath the surface.

“Sorry,” he replied, his gaze dropping to the floor, his shoulders slumping slightly.

“You dragged me into this! I didn’t want any part of this- this- demon stuff. I just wanted to live in my ignorance killing demons as I always have!” She could feel Stormfly flinch in her mind, causing a momentary pang of guilt that she quickly washed away. “Have you ever stopped and considered what this would mean? You seem fine committing treason, but not me . I have a place in the Order, I’m top of my class, I was destined for greatness. The Order for me is everything . And you made me throw that away, so now I am stuck in here, hiding from the only thing I care about, with you and two demons !” She spat the word you and demons like it caused her physical pain to even mention. She was on her feet now, the chair toppled over, huffing trying to catch her breath.

Hiccup slowly put down the book he was reading and looked over at her, guiltily. Good , she thought. “You are absolutely right Astrid.” He looked up at her. “I’ve been so focused on my morals and what I wanted to accomplish that I never stopped to think about what you really wanted. I don’t blame you for being angry at me, I did lie to you and keep secrets.”

“Befriending demons and joining their cause is a little more than just keeping secrets Hiccup.” Astrid said.

He was now waving his hands in a placating manner, Toothless was slowly inching his way back, away from the two humans bickering. “I know, I know. It’s treason and I have you wrapped up in it too. The Order. . . doesn’t mean anything to me. I mean it does, Gobber, my dad and . . . you are all there, but other than that. Nothing. I don’t think the Order feels anything for me either.”

“That’s not true.” She protested.

“Give me one example, other than Gobber.” She opened her mouth, but quickly shut it, unable to find an example. Hiccup let out a long sigh, “Exactly. So committing treason could have been on my bingo card. I doubt the other knights would be shocked. I never stopped to think about what it would mean to get you wrapped up in it too, and how much the Order really meant to you. And for that I’m truly sorry Astrid.” He was staring at her, pleading for forgiveness.

Astrid wanted to reject his apology. I mean, how can just saying I’m Sorry make up for treason? “I’m sorry too.” Stormfly said, appearing next to her. She stood awkwardly, unsure of herself which was very different from the playful demon she met in the cove. “I was so focused on the bond, I never realized how big of an impact it would be on your human life.”

Now that is not what she expected. If you went back in time, and told her that a demon would apologize to her, she would have called them crazy. Yet here she was, having a normal almost human conversation with demons. Toothless stepped forward now too, “I apologize as well. I always pushed my motivations on Hiccup, knowing the risk he was taking. I didn’t consider your situation.” He bowed his head in a final submission.

“Why me.” Her voice was small and weak. The fury from before has all but fizzled out. Most knights would argue back and get into a huge fight, Hiccup just took responsibility .

He shrugged, “You were the only one who ever believed in me Astrid. Who gave me the time of day. Everyone else expected that if they spent time near me, something would inevitably explode or combust in flames.”

She laughed despite her circumstances. “Something did explode and we are under a Code: Ragnarok, and a full scale demon invasion. I don’t think this can get any worse.”

His face fell. “Right, chaos follows me wherever I go.”

She watched him. Studied him. She could tell, after all he was wearing his emotions on his sleeve, exactly what he was thinking. She wanted to forgive him, but there was a nagging sensation in the back of her mind. Getting close to the demons can never end well. She looked over at Stormfly who was staring down at her with a hopeful expression. Usually she expected a dangerous or angry glare, but not one that is upset that they can’t be friends. She might be losing her mind, but this is the worst case scenario, if they fail, the Order, and the world, is over.

So she had to take risks, even if that meant throwing away what she thought was correct. Throw away everything she knew, if it meant she could survive. Astrid raised her hand slowly, trying to keep her hand from shaking and failing miserably. She reached over to Stormfly to do something, she wasn’t quite sure. Check if she is real, comfort her, herself? But before she was able to touch the demon, the front door exploded. Slamming against the wall with a thunderous bang, throwing even more dust and debris in every direction. The two demons immediately disappeared in the commotion.

The doorframe groaned in protest as Stoick the Vast squeezed through, his heavy footfalls shaking the floorboards. He held a bloodied hatchet in one hand, the firelight glinting off the crimson-stained blade, and his face was a thundercloud of fury. But the anger vanished in an instant, replaced by a look of stunned disbelief when he noticed the two young adults standing in the room.

“What are you both doing here?” He demanded, his gaze shifting between the two of them like a hawk assessing prey..

Hiccup quickly scanned the room, looking for the two demons, but seeing no sign of them. He quickly made eye contact with Astrid, and she did not like what she saw in his eyes. He turned back to his father. “We are in a Safehouse , dad.” The word 'safehouse' dripped with sarcasm, though Hiccup instantly regretted his tone.

Stoick's eyes narrowed, but instead of exploding, he let out a weary sigh, “I mean, son, what are you doing in the safehouse closest to Helheim’s gate?”

Hiccup threw his hands up, a gesture of both frustration and exasperation, “That’s where the demons are, aren’t they. Where else would we be.” Hiccup retorted, his voice tight with suppressed anger

Stoick looked like he wanted to reply, when another man squeezed in behind him, playing with his mustache with his hooked hand. “Stoick, we have more important things to worry about right now.” Gobber said, standing next to Stoick.

He nodded briefly, his jaw tight, before fixing Astrid with a penetrating stare. “You two will return to the Order. Await my instructions. This is an order.” He barked. 

“No,” Hiccup replied, his voice deceptively calm, his eyes meeting his father's without flinching.

“I’m sorry?” Stoick repeated, his voice a low, dangerous rumble that sent a shiver down Astrid's spine.

“We don’t have time. We can’t return to the order. You need us.” Hiccup said, drawing himself up to his full, albeit unimpressive, height.

Stoick closed the gap, towering over his son. His massive frame dwarfed him in comparison. “I don't need anybody. I managed just fine before you joined the order. Better actually.”

“Nice one dad.” Hiccup said, his voice tight with anger. “Now is not the time for jokes or your pride. I’m the only person here who actually knows what’s going on and how to stop it. Send me back and we won’t survive.”

Stoick casually glanced over to Gobber, to see him as shocked as he was at Hiccup’s defiance. Well, Hiccup was always defiant, but never this… this confident. He looked over to Astrid, shrinking back against the wall, wishing she could disappear into the shadows. “What does he mean by the only one who knows what is going on?”

Astrid cleared her throat , feeling Stoick's gaze like a physical weight, “Hiccup, as you know, has been studying the demons. He has found vital information about their culture and structure.”

Stoick stared at her for a beat, letting what she said process. “I don’t care about their culture .” He said, slamming his hand down on the table. “I want to know how to end this war that has plagued us for generations!” The way he threw his hands around as he spoke and emphasized words, Astrid thought felt identical to his son. A shiver ran down Astrid's spine. The resemblance, in that moment, was terrifying

“Dad, the fact that they have a culture should be a huge red flag!” Hiccup darted in front of Stoick, trying to block his path, his hands held up in a placating gesture. “They aren’t much different from us if they have social classes, society, culture and emotions.”

Stoick stopped pacing, his chest heaving, but his expression softened almost imperceptibly. He placed a hand on Hiccup's shoulder and looked him in the eyes, sympathetic and a little. . . amused? Astrid's mind reeled. Was that… sympathy in Stoick's eyes? It seemed impossible. “Son, I have been fighting these demons for my entire life. I know one thing for certain.” Stoick pulled his hand back, his voice losing its previous booming volume and becoming almost gentle. “They are just mindless demons .”

“Are you sure about that?” Hiccup pressed, his voice unwavering, a flicker of hope in his eyes.

Stoick nodded, “Aye, I am sure. More than anything else in this world.”

If it was even possible, Hiccup stood straighter, a spark of defiance in his gaze, “And if I proved you wrong. What then?”

Stoick gave a dismissive shrug, a smirk playing at the corner of his lips. “That’s not possible, Hiccup.”

Hiccup's fists clenched at his sides, but his voice remained even., “You didn’t answer my question. When I prove you wrong. What then?”

“ If– ” Stoick put emphasis on the word ‘if’.  “ –If somehow you can prove to me that demons are the same as humans, I will not only quit the Order, but personally be responsible for dismantling it. What my father, and his father’s father built. Our legacy.”

“I’m going to hold you to that.” Hiccup’s back was getting sore from trying to match his father’s height. “I will hold you personally responsible.”

Stoick gave a polite, disbelieving smile. “I bet you will. Orders are orders, return back to HQ.” Stoick waved his son off.

“Sorry dad, but we have other things to take care of.” With that Hiccup waved to Astrid to follow and stormed out the door slamming it behind. Astrid immediately followed.

She caught up to him as he was standing by a tree, glaring at the horizon. “That was a close one.” No response, he just stood there, glaring. “Hiccup?”

He shook off his thoughts, “Huh? Yea. Close.”

Astrid crossed her arms and tilted her hip. “I know that look. Last time I saw that, I ended up getting a new axe and a new demon.”

He looked at her, all life seemingly drained from his usually vibrant green eyes. Nothing but what felt like soulless orbs looked back. “I know what we must do, Astrid. And quite honestly, I am not sure how to pull it off.”

“What’s the plan?”

“Something crazy.” Hiccup said.

She laughed, “Hiccup, this whole thing already is crazy.”

“Okay then something insane, reckless and probably going to get me killed.”

“I would expect nothing less.” She smiled slightly, “Now tell me more.”

Chapter Text

“Hiccup, this is madness.” Astrid whispered. Trying to keep them covert and hidden from the surrounding demons. They were hiding in a small fire-blackened cottage, the occupants either fled or died. Outside were hundreds of demons, all shapes, sizes and colors. They were scrambling full speed out of the giant portal in front of them. The rift. The colossal portal stood as a gaping maw between realms. Its frame, weathered by time and shrouded in an eerie mist, hinted at the unfathomable power it possessed. The portal was a testament to the sheer might of the demons, a gateway that dwarfed even the tallest trees, its height reaching beyond the clouds.

Its obsidian surface shimmered with an otherworldly glow, reflecting the vibrant, chaotic colors of the hidden world within. The edges of the rift crackled with energy, emanating an ethereal hum that resonated through the air, a constant reminder of the rift's immense power.

Hiccup and Astrid were trying to stay hidden from the demons patrolling outside. It seemed they were being led by a much larger and stronger demon whose shadow stretched long and menacing across the courtyard that both Toothless and Stormfly knew. He was another general, on par with the Red Demon Toothless killed earlier. If this plan was going to go the way Hiccup wanted it, they would need to avoid that demon at all cost.

Hiccup sat there, studying every movement, realizing that there was a significant period of time between each wave of demons that poured out of the rift. As if they had to prepare before stepping through. This might be the window he was looking for.

“I wonder.” Hiccup thought out loud, counting each demon patrol.

Astrid looked him up and down. “I don’t like that face you are making.”
He huffed, “I am forming a plan Astrid. To solve the war.”

She rolled her eyes, “Knowing you, it’s not a simple solution.”

He shrugged, before he began his count again measuring the time of each wave of enemies rushing the rift. “This might be the simplest solution yet. It wasn’t feasible before, but now. . .” He trailed off.

Astrid watched him, he was hyper focused, really looking for the best way to stop this war. She wouldn’t admit this to anyone, but she was scared. Everyone thought of her as a fearless warrior, but she was still human. A voice echoed in her mind. It’s alright Astrid. I’m scared too. Stormfly said with a gentle persuasion. To Astrid’s surprise, it made her feel better to admit she was afraid to someone who listened and didn’t judge her. Astrid, silently and begrudgingly, thanked the demon.

She looked back to the demon patrols, eyeing the most dangerous looking grunts. “Are you sure this is the right way?” She pondered.

“This is the only way Astrid.” Hiccup affirmed, trying to convince himself and her at the same time. Toothless gave a grunt of agreement in his head.

“I’ve never been so close to the rift before. It feels. . . not as bad as I expected. Minus the hordes of demons flooding into our world.” She said, watching demons fumble their way out of the rift.

“Remember this was built by our ancestors, when demons and humans were on good terms.” Hiccup looked at the intricate carvings on the rift’s border. Hiccup wished he could study them. “This is supposed to be a symbol of peace not war.”

“Too late for that now.” She squatted down next to Hiccup, analyzing the streets looking for constant threats. “Now describe to me your plan, in detail , before I agree to it.”

“Simple.” He clapped his hands together. “The Queen didn’t just open the portal for the Hidden World to come to us–”

Stormfly appeared next to Astrid. “NO! Absolutely not!” She screeched, shaking the building as she yelled, the rafters groaning above them. Toothless appeared, placing a hand over her mouth and muffling the rest of what she said.

“Quiet!” He urged. “We don’t want to make noise.”

Stormfly pulled down his hand, “Sorry, used to talking to Astrid telepathically.”

“As I was saying.” He gave a look at Toothless and Stormfly, annoyed at the interruption. “If demons can cross over through the rift. So can we .”

Astrid raised a brow. “And what good will that do, we are trying to stop the fighting here not in the demon world?”

Toothless shook his head, crouching down to the level of the humans. “Remember the thralls are mind controlled. By the Queen specifically.”

Astrid eyes widened. “You’re not thinking–” Hiccup nodded, confirming her suspicions. “Hiccup! That’s suicide.” She yelled a little louder than she intended.

Hiccup shushed her, “Yea, I know. But this is the only way.”

“Killing the Queen? There has to be some other way.” She said.

Hiccup sighed, “No, unless we capture or kill hundreds of thousands of demons, it’s either kill the Queen or die. It’s our only chance.”

Astrid’s mind was reeling. She saw the Queen. In Toothless’ memory. She knew how strong and powerful she was, plus with hordes of demons. It wasn’t just reckless, it was impossible. But unfortunately, there was no other way. She couldn’t think of an easier solution that didn't involve fleeing. Hiccup was right. They had no other choice.

“I can’t say I like this plan,” She looked at Hiccup, almost blinded by the amount of hope he had in his eyes. “But. . . how are we gonna do this.”

Hiccup beamed, smiling from ear to ear. “Alright, so here’s the plan.” Hiccup pulled out a pen and paper, then began drawing a detailed plan involving intrigue, espionage and guerilla tactics. It felt like something out of a cheezy spy movie. Which made it feel even more thrilling. It was a simple three step plan. Infiltrate – disguised as demons. Locate – Find the Queen in her castle. Eliminate – Self Explanatory. Much easier in theory than reality. 

Hiccup thought it was a brilliant idea, it was Toothless’ after all and he knew the lay of the land the best. He smiled at Astrid and watched her ponder over the plan, her eyes darting back and forth as she scanned the map and routes he drew. He must have been giving her a very hopeful look, because when she looked back up at him she rolled her eyes, a small smile forcing its way onto her face

“Of course this is your plan,” She chuckled slightly. “You are such a dork.”

Toothless whined, “It was actually my plan.”

She looked over at the onyx demon, “It’s brilliant. You and Hiccup are quite similar.”

Toothless perked up, if he was a dog, he would probably be swishing his tail happily.

“I don’t think we want to waste any more time.” Hiccup began to stand up, but was stopped by Astrid. She stood up to meet him eye-to-eye. She watched him looking curious and . . . bashful?

“I have an important question, Hiccup.” She said, taking a deep breath. “We– we, really can die. This is very dangerous. There’s no shame in retreating, this isn’t just our responsibility. We can get the other Order members to join in an attack.”

Hiccup grabbed her hand that was still loosely holding onto his sleeve. “No, it will take too long. The more time we waste, the more innocent people are going to die. If I die, a traitor , it’s not that big of a loss.”

Her brows furrowed, then she pulled back her arm and slugged him in the shoulder. “You are out of your mind!” She shouted, her voice shaking with a mixture of fear and fury. “If you die, it’s over! Done! End of the world! You are the only person who can stop this.”

A small smile played on his lips. “That’s not true, anymore. Now you and Stormfly can stop the Queen. We gave you everything you need.” Astrid turned to look at Stormfly and saw her giving Toothless the same incredulous stare.

This time Stormfly punched Toothless, he stumbled back with an indignant Hey! “Toothless! I won’t let you sacrifice yourself. Either we are all dying or surviving. Together. ” She emphasized the word together. Astrid nodded vigorously in agreement.

“We aren’t your fallback, if things go sour to finish her off after she kills you. We are your partners. Got it?” She said, her arms crossed across her chest, her glare leaving no room for argument.

Both Hiccup and Toothless nodded, “Got it.” they replied in unison, mirroring smirks on their faces

“Good. One last thing.” She said before storming over to Hiccup. Grabbing him by the neck and pulling him down for a kiss. It was very aggressive and very Astrid . As soon as it began she already pulled away, leaving Hiccup with a dumb expression. “If this might be the last time I ever get to see you, I want you to know that I forgive you. For everything.”

Hiccup tried to wipe the grin off his face and failed miserably, “Even the whole, lying thing.”

Astrid shrugged, “Well, everything else I guess.”

He asked, smiling even wider. “So I’m not a traitor anymore.”

She rolled her eyes, “No traitor is stupid enough to risk their lives for the Order. That’s not exactly traitor behavior.” Her face drooped. “I don’t know what I am going to do without you. I assume I would just end up lashing out at everyone like I already was.”

He laughed, “You won’t lose me, on my bond with Toothless, I promise.”

She nodded, “I’ll hold you to that.” Toothless and Stormfly glanced at each other, giving one another a firm nod before disappearing. The true meaning of their glance going unspoken between the two, only truly felt through their bond.

Hiccup and Astrid then both summoned their divine weapons. Making sure to collect the excess divine energy into their complex armors, covering their entire body. Astrid’s armor was slightly modified to include stilts that allowed her to reach Stormfly’s height. She placed her hand on Hiccup’s head trying to balance herself and nearly brought them both tumbling down. With a little bit of Stormfly’s help she got the hang of walking on the stilts.

“Hiccup,” She started, causing him to look up at her. “I’m– Don’t– Please–” She sighed, unable to finish her thoughts.

Hiccup smiled and placed his hand on her’s trying to calm her down, which was extremely awkward considering it was on top of his head. “It’s alright Astrid, I understand. I’m nervous too. Please be careful.” He begged. Astrid nodded with conviction, promising to herself and Hiccup to try to be careful. They eyed the door before opening it and stepping outside.

With chins held high, rigid posture and head on a swivel, they walked with purpose towards the rift. Thralls watched them, but didn’t attack. Toothless and Stormfly were exuding small parts of their divine energy, not enough to be seen, but enough to be sensed . From the thrall’s perspective, they were two demons, heading for the rift.

They walked further and further, trying to avoid as many demons as possible, heading straight for the rift. Their main goal was to avoid one of the smarter demons. The generals. They knew that at least one was around here. Sure enough as luck would have it, their worst fear occurred, when they were nearing the rift.

A tall demon with green scales approached them. The demon towered over the humans, its green scales shimmering ominously in the dim light. Sharp, bony ridges protruded from its back and shoulders, and its long, clawed fingers twitched restlessly. A single curved horn, as long as a human forearm, jutted from its skull, framing one side of a face that was a mask of predatory intensity. Its eyes, glowing with an unsettling inner fire, seemed to pierce the very soul, promising violence and despair. He opened his mouth to speak, showing sharp pointed teeth.

“AIsdj SKkffrtiid Aksfgkkbor.” it rasped, the sound a guttural mix of growls and clicks that Hiccup and Astrid couldn't understand. Some of the syllables were just grunts or the snapping of his teeth. Hiccup slowly let go of his control and let Toothless guide what he would do. Unlike the last time this happened, Hiccup was still in most control of his body, but was just being guided by Toothless. 

Hiccup’s head snapped around to face the demon, he snarled a response in the same guttural tongue, the words foreign to his own mind but filled with unmistakable menace. Hiccup spoke and returned a response that was also in the foreign language. It must have not been a very nice comment as the demon seemed to only get more agitated as he spoke. The green demon grew closer inspecting him from head to toe. Snapping his teeth at him.

Toothless voice echoed in Hiccup’s mind. He doesn’t believe me. I told him it was me! He whined. Hiccup wanted to chuckle, but that would probably give away their disguise. Hiccup replied in his own mind, Then . . . show him. Toothless gave a warble of agreement.

Hiccup walked forward, into the demon’s space, causing the demon to stumble back surprised. Hiccup summoned Inferno again and immediately lit it on fire. Then swept the blazing blade across his body and pointed it at the demon across from him. Hiccup tilted his head to the right in a challenge, the orange flames on his sword, slowly shifted into a purple. The green demon’s eyes widened in surprise, he then promptly fell on his knees and bowed towards Hiccup. Of all the reactions he was expecting, this was not it.

The demon was muttering something into the dirt, bowing deeper as he sat there. Hiccup didn’t need a translator to know what the demon was asking for. Mercy . Hiccup flicked his wrist, the sword and flame both disappeared. He then quickly turned on his heels, and walked back to Astrid, he tried to maintain his aura of authority and snapped at Astrid causing her to follow alongside him. Leaving the green demon behind them, prostrating in the dirt.

Astrid leaned down to Hiccup’s ear level, almost losing her balance. She whispered, “What happened back there?”

Hiccup didn’t make any movements and just kept his face forward towards the rift. He replied, “I used some of Toothless’ authority. He’s pretty high up in the chain of command.”

Astrid hummed, “That must mean our disguises are working.” Hiccup nodded in agreement. “How high up is he?”

Hiccup hesitated. He'd been avoiding this, dreading this conversation. He knew it would change things, maybe even shatter the fragile trust they'd been building. He opened his mouth to answer, but the words caught in his throat. How could he explain the weight of responsibility, the burden of leadership that Toothless carried? How could he make her understand?

He felt a nudge in his mind, a gentle prodding from Toothless. He's… reluctant, Hiccup realized. He doesn't want to reveal this, not yet.

"He's..." Hiccup started, then stopped again. He looked at Astrid, his expression troubled. "He's very high up, Astrid. Very ."

Before Astrid could press him, Stormfly spoke in her mind, her voice laced with a sudden urgency that made Astrid's heart pound. He is second. To the Queen .

Astrid gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "Second?" she whispered, the word barely audible, a mixture of disbelief and… fear? "You mean…" She couldn't even bring herself to say it, the implications were too enormous, too terrifying.

He felt Toothless' resignation, a heavy weight in his mind. He knew this would be difficult. "I am her second-in-command," Hiccup said, relaying Toothless' words, his own voice flat, devoid of emotion. "When the Queen falls, by the laws of our kind, I… I am expected to take her place." He couldn't look at Astrid, couldn't bear to see the accusation, the judgment, that he knew would be there.

Hiccup felt a wave of nausea wash over him. Second-in-command? That… that changed everything. It meant Toothless wasn't just a powerful ally; he was a potential ruler. A potential… threat? He felt for Toothless, searching his friend for any sign of deception, any hint of the ambition he'd always feared. But all he saw was weariness, and a deep, abiding sadness, a reflection of the burden he carried, a burden Hiccup was only now beginning to understand. "Hiccup," Toothless said, his voice a low rumble, cutting through Hiccup's spiraling doubts, "I do not want this. I do not want to rule. But… until we can find another way, until we can change things… I have a responsibility. To my people. To you." His eyes appeared in Hiccup's mind, his acid-green eyes unwavering, a silent plea for understanding, a reassurance of their bond. "I. . ." Hiccup didn't know what to say. He was reeling, trying to process the enormity of Toothless' revelation, the implications for their mission, for their future.

He looked helplessly at Astrid, seeking some kind of reassurance, some kind of guidance, some kind of anchor in the storm of his own confusion. He needed her to understand, to believe him, to trust him. But how could she, when he was barely sure he trusted himself anymore?

He took a shaky breath, trying to regain control. He had to focus. He had to think. "It's… it's kind of like me, actually," he said, a wry, self-deprecating smile flickering across his lips. "With my dad. And the Order."

Astrid frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean… I was supposed to be the next Chief," Hiccup explained. "I was supposed to lead the knights, to follow in Stoick's footsteps. But… I never wanted that. I never asked for that." He thought of Toothless, a shared understanding passing between them. "Just like Toothless never asked to be second-in-command."

Toothless gave a small, almost imperceptible nod. Hiccup couldn’t see it so much as feel it. Well, he rumbled, a hint of dark humor in his voice, I suppose I'll have to find a way to get myself disinherited, then.

Hiccup snorted, despite the gravity of the situation. "I don't think that's quite how it works, brother," he said. 

He looked back at Astrid, feeling her confident blue gaze staring back at him. Looking for guidance. “Here goes nothing,” he muttered, stepping across the threshold into the Hidden World for the first time.

When they crossed over the threshold, the first thing they saw was the back of an extremely large demon. It was looking down at a horde of thralls, giving some command in a demonic language Hiccup could only partially understand. He would have to ask Toothless more on that later .

Astrid immediately grabbed Hiccup and pulled him to the side, barely managing to get him out of the way and behind a large boulder before the giant armored demon turned around. When it saw nothing, it grunted and returned to lecturing the thralls. When Hiccup returned his head, back to look at Astrid, his cheeks started flaring up. When she pulled him aside to hide, she effectively pinned him against the back of the boulder. And with their height difference. . . he was effectively staring at her armored covered chest. It felt– indecent.

He cleared his throat, his voice slightly higher pitched. “Uh– Excuse me Astrid.” He stuttered out. She looked down puzzled, before realizing what she was doing and pushed away from him. She mumbled some apology and quickly tried to shake off the embarrassment. It didn’t help that she had a teasing demon in her head.

“Sorry,” She eked out. “Let’s move toward the castle.” She pointed on the other side of the boulder to what looked to be a large, gated wall leading to some sort of castle. The thralls were forming some semblance of ranks in front of the castle preparing to breach the rift.

Hiccup nodded and they, as stealthily as they could, snuck over to the entrance of the castle. They had to weave in and out, in between different rocks and pillars, trying to stay hidden from the mass of thralls. Which was extremely difficult considering they were not paying much attention to the angry demon yelling at them.

Although they were disguised as demons, Hiccup didn’t want to chance running into another demon, like the Green one before they entered the hidden world. After a few minutes and with bated breath, they managed to get past most of the guards and thralls and made it to the large lattice gate. Thankfully it was pretty terrible as a gate, and they were able to squeeze in between the bars to get through. Astrid, on her stilts, nearly tripped and stumbled through the gate. It was clearly made to stop something much bigger than them from getting through. Hiccup hoped he would never run into whatever that was. 

He was expecting a lot more than what he saw. He was standing in a large courtyard filled with destroyed items and trash riddled all over the place. Pieces of the ornate walls were broken or ripped off, everything looks poorly maintained and worn.

He looked up and saw towering before them, a colossal fortress emerged from the stygian depths. Its imposing structure, cloaked in eternal twilight, evoked a sense of dread and intimidation. Jagged spires, resembling clawed fingers, pierced the oppressive darkness, reaching for a sliver of light far above. The castle's facade was adorned with grotesque gargoyles, resembling different demon classes, their menacing expressions frozen in eternal vigilance. Bioluminescent moss cascaded down its sides, illuminating the labyrinthine corridors and chambers within. This was no ordinary castle; it was a testament to the unyielding power and ancient secrets that dwelled within this mystical realm.

On top of the castle, the very last floor, there was a figure watching the rift and by default, them. It held its clawed finger lazily in the air and gestured for them to come up. A mere moment later, a powerful voice rumbled in his head. I’ve been awaiting your report. It was a loud and booming voice that would have blown out his eardrums if he actually heard it. Come brief me in the throne room. With that, the figure turned and disappeared into the darkness behind it.

Astrid lurched forward, heaving and throwing something up. It splattered onto the floor below her missing Hiccup by a hair. She gasped, “What was THAT? ”

Hiccup was trying to stabilize his breathing, his heart beating out of his chest. He managed to say, “ That was the Queen. Summoning us to the throne room.”

Astrid heaved one more time and chuckled. “At least we don’t have to find her.”

Chapter Text

The castle was empty. Not a single demon in sight. Hiccup and Astrid, walked through the castle halls, with an eerie silence, only the sound of their boots and the clinking of their armor. The whole building seemed to thrum with power, an uneasy feeling began settling in Hiccup’s stomach. He couldn’t get rid of the sneaking suspicion that they were walking to their deaths.

Toothless was constantly sending words of encouragement his way. It became more frequent as they neared the top of the castle, where the Queen was awaiting in her throne room. Hiccup wasn’t sure if this encouragement was for Hiccup, or Toothless trying to convince himself that everything was going to be okay. 

The walls of the castle were bare, no painting, picture or ornate furnishings. Nothing on the walls except weapons and the occasional crack or splatter. It was clear that this entire castle was in disrepair, Hiccup doubted that the queen had any competent servants who took care of the castle, so it was just slowly falling apart.

The climb up the castle was quiet. Not a single word passed, between Astrid and Hiccup. Although no words were needed, they just sent a quick glance to each other, and the meaning behind it was understood. Eventually they stood before the door to the throne room. Like the rest of the castle, its once opulent sheen was lost behind years of abuse and grime. The gold borders looked more like copper. The crimson red coloring, mimicked mud more than safflower. Hiccup stood before the door, his heart pounding. He gave Astrid a quick nod, earning a determined glare in response. With a shaky hand he grabbed the dusty handle, and slid open the door.

Hiccup felt a nudge in the back of his mind. After being with Toothless for this long, he already understood what he was asking. Hiccup slowly let go and let his body be controlled once again. A process that previously would have drained the demon, was now like second nature between the two bonded. Stepping into the room, they saw a long red carpet, ending at the foot of the throne. On the giant seat sat the queen in all her unholy glory. Her legs were kicked up onto the arm rest, crossed and casual. She was closely inspecting her clawed gauntlet on one hand and supporting a massive greatsword in the other. Hiccup felt more of a nuisance than an invited guest by the queen.

Noticing the disturbance, she turned her head toward the intruders. Her red eyes made contact with Hiccup, and she tilted her head in curiosity. Inspecting him, judging him, analyzing him. She stood up, tall and imposing. She grabbed her helmet that was sitting on the armrest behind her, placed it under her arm and strode over toward Hiccup and Astrid, meeting them halfway in the throne room.

She flashed her pointed teeth, “T’louk.” She snarled. Hiccup recognized this name as Toothless’ demonic name. And judging by the groan that escaped his lips, without his permission, Toothless’ didn’t approve.

“My Queen.” He spat. Giving a mock bow. The queen smirked in return, clearly used to this type of behavior,

“Oh, come now.” She waved her hand. “After all we have been through, drop the formalities.”

Hiccup stood straighter rolling his eyes, “Mother.” He drawled.
The queen grinned. A mocking and insidious gesture. “Good.” She crossed her arms, her attitude morphing into anger. “I expected a report months ago. You have been slacking.”

Hiccup wet his lips, letting Toothless direct his movements and conversation, “I have been. . . preoccupied.”

The queen took a step closer, she was now within arms length of Hiccup. She leaned down to be eye level with him. “I don’t care what you were doing.” She whispered.  “You had orders and I expected you to finish them.” She quickly glanced at the woman standing behind him, before her furious gaze flashed back down to him. “Without question.”

Hiccup shrugged, clearly not trying to appease the raging inferno standing in front of him. “Like I said.” He looked up meeting her gaze. “I was occupied.”

She scoffed and backed away. Turning her back on Hiccup. For a moment he placed his hand on the hilt of Inferno, contemplating this chance to strike. He thought better of it. “Doesn’t matter. I found the keystone, our invasion has begun. The humans will finally pay for what they did.” She cast a glance over her shoulder at Hiccup. “I might have to replace you, you have been slacking in your duties.”

Another shrug, “Fine by me. Never wanted to be a part of your ridiculous revenge plot anyways.” Hiccup responded.

She turned on her heel, her mouth falling open, surprised by his audacity to talk back to the queen. “You were always so. . . obedient . What happened to you?”

“My eyes were finally opened.” Hiccup looked over to Astrid for support. “Of what kind of a terrible ruler you have been. The losses we incurred. The state of the Hidden World. Everything terrible that has happened to us, stems back to you . Mother.” He spat the last word with venom.

“Me?” She asked incredulously. “I’m only finishing what they started!” She gestured off in the distance at no one in particular.

“The humans just want peace. To be left alone!” Hiccup was yelling at this point, the tensions rose beyond what should be considered safe for this conversation.

“ Peace .” She spoke the word as if it had a foul taste. “I tried peace and look where that got us.” She opened her arms and gestured to their surroundings.

Hiccup strode forward, his confidence at an all time high. He pointed at the queen accusingly, “This is all due to your incompetence. Nothing else!” He said between heavy breaths. “If there was another ruler, this wouldn’t have been a problem.”

She scoffed. “I see where this is going. I just wanted to scold you.” She waved him off, “Now take your slut and get out of my castle.”

Hiccup’s blood boiled. “Don’t you dare talk about her that way!”

The queen gave him a sickening smile, “Or what are you going to do T’louk?”

“That’s not my name.” He warned.

A laugh followed, “That’s what I named you. That is who you are.”

“No,” Hiccup clenched his fists. “I want no association with you. You are nothing to me. Not my queen, not my mother. My name–” Hiccup drew inferno, lighting it and pointing it directly at the queen. “Is Toothless. So get it right.”

Hiccup watched as the queen slowly put her helmet on, it was a pure black helmet with gold accents. Where her eyes should be, were instead golden grates that had a red glow of her eyes from behind.

Before he could react the Queen was already next to him, slapping his sword out of the way and slicing her clawed hand across his torso. Thankfully his armor blocked most of the cuts, but not the force. It threw Hiccup backwards across the throne room, slamming into the wall shattering it as he made impact.

Astrid screamed, “Hi–” Before she could get a word out, the queen grabbed her by the throat and threw her across the throne room, causing her to slam violently into the throne.

The queen sauntered over to Hiccup, who was on the floor coughing, trying to catch his breath. “Pathetic.” She kneeled in front of him. “What was all that talk? You want to be the king? Then take it from me!” She sliced her greatsword down, cutting the wall behind him as Hiccup barely rolled out of the way in time.

Hiccup stumbled to his feet and ran over to the nearest pillar trying to get support. Toothless’ voice echoed in his mind. We might have made a grave miscalculation. She is far more powerful than I expected.

“You think!” Hiccup screamed. Before he could continue his conversation the queen was already next to him. She leaned forward and launched her sword forward. Hiccup stumbled and got Inferno up in time to barely block the blow. The power behind it sent Hiccup flying backwards, his back colliding with the large stained glass windows. It shattered and he fell off the top floor of the castle, crashing to the hard earth below.

The queen walked over to the shattered window and looked out for her adversary. She glanced over to the blond that was just now getting to her feet, the stilts gone and forgotten. “I’ll be back for you next.” She threatened, before jumping out of the window herself.

Astrid got to her feet and ran over to the window, they were nearly thirty stories high and she saw a small black blob in the distance that surely was Hiccup and Toothless. She had to help them, only if they survived that.

They are alive. A fall like that can’t kill them, they are too stubborn to die from something silly like that. Stormfly affirmed in her mind, causing Astrid to smile.

“Of course not.” Astrid asked, her smile fading. “But what can we do? Did you see how powerful she was?”

What we are going to do is not leave them to fight her alone. Neither will you, I am here. We are a team. Stormfly urged.

Astrid nodded, “I’m regretting not bonding with you sooner.”

As do I. Now trust me. Jump. Stormfly suggested.

Astrid took one last peek over to the dark blob, seeing the queen getting closer to their location. Astrid took a deep breath, got a running start and jumped out of the window. She wasn’t sure what she expected, but Astrid immediately began falling. And screaming, just don’t tell anyone. Completely in an uncontrolled free-fall, Astrid was sure she was going to plummet to her death until a single wing sprouted from her back. It was a mystical blue and gold wing, made of pure divine energy. It burned slightly but not painfully, a strange warmth that both scared and soothed her.

Astrid could feel Stormfly guiding her, a raw power surging through the wing. It was chaotic, yet exhilarating. Her descent slowed, but was anything but controlled, now she began spinning violently. Astrid imagined another wing sprouting from her back, leaning on Stormfly and her expertise. Reaching out through her bond to try and form any connection whatsoever with the demon. Astrid felt Sotrmfly reach back, almost as if she grabbed her hand. A feeling of calmness and warmth spread over her body, before another wing, much smaller than the other sprouted from her back. She was able to at least stop the descent, but her flying was more of a slow, hobbling descent. Astrid let out a laugh.

Meanwhile, Hiccup was gaining consciousness. Hitting the ground had surprisingly little pain. Until he woke up. Toothless was next to him, in his real form shaking Hiccup and trying to wake him up. Inferno and his armor were both missing, probably disappeared when he got knocked out. He sat up groaning and Toothless supported him. They were on the side of a cliff, just next to the castle but on the ground floor. Their backs were to a stream of lava that looked as inviting as the queen herself.

Before they could get their bearings, the sound of gravel alerted them. The queen was walking up to them, her steps crunching rhythmically. She looked between Toothless and Hiccup. “I understand now. You threw your lot in with them.” Toothless rose to his feet, standing in front of Hiccup in a protective manner.

“Yea, I did. Because unlike you, they can see sense.” Toothless growled.

She tightened her grip on her sword, “You lie!” She yelled. “They started this, they killed him!”

“That’s what all of this is about, your bonded!” Toothless threw his hands in the air. “I understand wanting to get revenge if someone killed your bonded, trust me. I would do anything if someone killed him.” He pointed to Hiccup. “But that was a millenia ago, the humans now. . . Are not responsible for your bonded’s death.”

She snarled, still slowly encroaching, “Doesn’t matter. All humans are the same. They wage war on everyone, demons, humans, titans. It doesn’t matter.”

“It does matter!” Toothless exclaimed, “The answer to death and war is not more war!”

She shook her head, her eyes filled with sadness, and pity. The most understandable emotion she has ever shown. “You wouldn’t understand you are too young.”

“Then make me understand!” Toothless challenged.

“It doesn’t matter, they already killed him. Nothing will change that fact.”

Toothless stared at her, “Exactly! Killing humans won’t bring him back.”

Her eyes flared, the red growing more intense. “I don’t care! They killed him! Mine!” She was rambling and gesturing to nothing around her. “He was mine! And they took him from me. ME! I won’t rest until every human lay dead on the streets, until I’ve conquered their home, razed their cities and pillaged their stocks! Maybe then they can atone for killing my Hiccup!”

Toothless gasped, Hiccup squeaked and looked up at the furious queen. Hiccup knew he was named after one of his ancestors. Leave it to the gods to make him also bonded to a powerful demon. “What did you say his name was?” Toothless asked.

“Hiccup! My bonded!” She yelled, her knuckles were white on her sword.

Toothless looked back at Hiccup and pointed. “That’s his name.”

The queen looked down at Hiccup. Really looked. She saw the familiarity in his features, yet the years that have past, left her memory foggy. For a split second, Hiccup saw her falter. Her gaze softened, she looked confused and. . . scared? He had to imagine that. But as quickly as it was there, it vanished.

“Enough of your tricks!” She pushed Toothless backwards, within range of her sword. “I won’t fall for something so asinine.”

Without delaying any further, she placed both hands on her greatsword and prepared to swing it, Toothless spread out his arms to try and protect Hiccup. He closed his eyes, expecting the strike at any moment. Before his head was cut off, a blood curdling battle-cry cut through the air. “YAAaaaaGGhhh”

Hiccup looked up and saw an angel, a valkyrie descending from the heavens. He saw Astrid, with wings made of blue and gold divine energy, her axe held aloft. As if in slow motion, she came crashing down onto the back of the queen and firmly planted, the axe into her spine. Electricity exploded out from the axe and caused the queen to turn rigid and convulse. She kicked her feet and launched the queen violently forward and through the wall of the castle into one of the rooms.

Astrid landed on the floor and wiped her face, “That’s for throwing me across the throne room you munge bucket!” Toothless took this distraction as a moment for him to merge with Hiccup, this allowed his divine energy to flow into him and stabilize some of his wounds. Astrid walked over to the duo and helped them up.

“You showed up at the perfect time. A gift from the gods.” Hiccup complemented, a relieved sigh escaping his lips.

Astrid threw her braid over her shoulder, “I know. Praise me more peasant.” Her smile fell. “But what are we going to do about her?”

Hiccup looked over to the hole in the castle seeing a figure slowly standing up in the room. “It was a long shot, but I doubt she will solve this diplomatically. We stick to the original plan.”

Astrid put her hand on his shoulder, causing Hiccup to look at her, seeing the worry in her gaze. “She’s much stronger than we expected.”

Hiccup squeezed her hand for a fleeting moment. “We have no choice.” He then stepped into the room. It was a large warehouse, where most of the supplies for the castle and kingdom were stored. It was completely empty and barren, all that was there were cobwebs and pillars that supported the roof. Torches hung from each wall, faintly lighting up the room by torchlight.

Hiccup looked around the room, an idea sparking in his mind. “Astrid a new plan.” She looked over to him with a curious gaze. “Don’t attack her, focus on dodging, that way we can beat her.” Astrid looked confused but just shrugged, trusting Hiccup.

Hiccup walked forward getting the queen’s attention, he leaned on the pillar next to him and crossed his arms. “The human’s didn’t kill your bonded. You did.”

“What,” she hissed, the single word a venomous whisper.

He shrugged nonchalantly, “Why else would they have killed him. Because he was bonded to a moron like you.” Hiccup ducked as she swung her greatsword towards him, it got planted into the pillar next to him, allowing Hiccup to land a sharp right cross, directly to her unarmored stomach, knocking her and her sword backwards. She used the edge of it, to push off the ground and keep her balance.

The queen’s eyes were filled with rage and she continued to chase after Hiccup and swing constantly. Her wrath filled strikes were far less controlled and reckless, with no point and just hoping to get lucky. Hiccup being used to this type of fighting had no trouble dodging each of her swings.

Astrid seemed to pick up on Hiccup’s plan and began summoning the worst person she could think of. Snotlout. “Imagine the look on his face if he saw you now, old and wrinkly.” She taunted. “He would want a real woman, like me .” The queen turned to Astrid, leaving Hiccup momentarily forgotten. Astrid also dodged each of her strikes and moved deftly between each swing. A smile graced her lips with the ease of this fight.

Hiccup appeared behind her and stabbed her in the back with Inferno, causing her to cry out. Hiccup quickly retreated into the shadows before she got her bearings. Astrid took this lapse in the fight to also slip away. The queen looked around the room, searching for her opponents. Her head flicked to any noise they made, back and forth as Hiccup and Astrid taunted her.

Eventually the queen had enough, she turned to the last noise she heard and summoned a ball of divine energy. It was a swirling mass of red and black energy that formed into a ball in her hand. She turned and threw it at the last thing she heard in the distance. It made contact with one of the support pillars in the dark and exploded, sending dirt and debris in every direction.

Astrid was unlucky, she just happened to be on the other side of the pillar when it exploded. She got hit in the head by a chunk of the concrete, knocking her down on the floor. Her vision was blurry and her head throbbing. She heard a couple of voices yelling out to her, that only made the headache worse.

Hiccup yelled, “Astrid!” This caused the queen to look his way and launch another fireball and explode in bright red and black flames. He barely managed to duck out of the way. He wanted to help her, but if his plan was to work he needed to run away from Astrid or she might get caught in the cross-fire.

Hiccup kept yelling to grab the queen’s attention as he ran around her. She threw fireball after fireball, each one getting more and more powerful than the last. The last fireball landed in front of Hiccup exploding and launching him a few feet backwards and onto his back. The wind knocked out of him and he started gasping for air.

The queen strode up to him, standing above him her eyes ablaze. “It was a pitiful attempt. You can never be the king of the Hidden World with pathetic skills like that. You are a sorry excuse of a son.”

Hiccup pushed himself up on his elbow. Unlike before, he spoke to the queen himself. Not with Toothless’ influence, just pure Hiccup. “That’s where you are wrong. You underestimate me just like everyone else.”

She raised an eyebrow and her sword. “Humor me, how do I underestimate you. I think it’s you who is overestimating yourself.”

Hiccup laughed despite the circumstances, “Because you think being powerful just means you can win in a fight.” He touched his temple. “Sometimes you have to use your brain.”

The queen smiled, “The only thing that wins wars is power and might.”

“Not if you get outsmarted.” Hiccup pushed up with his elbows and planted a kick square in the queen’s chest causing her to stumble backwards, she swung her sword at the same time, tearing into his calf.

She stumbled backward and crashed into one of the pillars. It cracked and moaned. The pillar was severely damaged from all of the explosions she sent into the darkness. Pieces of concrete were torn away and the integrity was shot. In fact all of the support pillars were heavily damaged. Almost as if it was planned.

Hiccup smiled as the queen looked up, hearing the structure above her crack, the pillar behind her started to tumble and fall apart. She looked back down at Hiccup, screamed and ran in his direction, reaching for him. She didn’t get far before the floor above came crashing down and flattened the queen. Parts of the wall and other bits of the floor also collapsed. Thankfully since Hiccup was away from Astrid, none of that part of the building was collapsing, yet.

A searing pain ran through Hiccup’s leg. The queen might have been sandwiched by the thousands of pounds of basalt, but so was his lower left leg. He was trapped under the rubble. Toothless appeared next to him. Looking at the rubble covering his leg. He quickly ran over and tried to lift the rubble off of his leg. It was a futile effort.

“T–Toothless!” Hiccup gasped, his voice a mixture of pain and relief. “Get the girls. Get them out of here!”

“No! I’m not leaving you!” Toothless protested, his voice a desperate growl.

Hiccup winced in pain, “You need to help them. That hit looked pretty bad.”

Toothless looked over at his brother. He saw the determination on his face and begrudgingly knew he was right. Toothless sighed, “Fine. But I will be back.”

Hiccup shook his head as Toothless limped off. Toothless’ lower left leg was throbbing, he was trying to take as much of the pain away from Hiccup as possible and share the burden, but he could only share so much before the pain made him unable to walk. He hobbled over to Astrid who was now unconscious on the floor on the other side of the collapsed ceiling.

He bent down and picked her up, not sensing Stormfly stirring at all, she seemed to be unconscious as well. Toothless limped towards the front door and pushed it open with his shoulder, trying his best to not hit her head on the door frame as he adjusted Astrid in his arms. He saw the main gate across the courtyard and slowly ambled his way there. Upon exiting the castle he saw hundreds of thralls, now free of their mind control looking around confused. The main general that was leading the invasion of the human’s world was playing stupid and acting the same.

What scared Toothless was the flood of knights that were exiting through the rift. They were capturing and arresting the demons they saw, none of them put up a fight. This seemed to confuse the knights. Toothless looked around trying to find someone who could help, before he saw him. The large tower of a man, Stoick the Vast. Hiccup’s father. Toothless limped his way towards the chief.

The demons, previous thralls, turned and saw Toothless. Holding a knight in his arms and stumbling towards the rift. When they saw him, they all turned one by one before getting down on one knee and bowing towards him. Toothless was spooked and confused at first. Then he began to understand, this was the worst time for this as all it did was direct Stoick’s attention towards himself. Once he spotted Astrid’s limp form in his arms, he charged over.

“You!” He shouted as he ran. “What are yo–”

Toothless cut him off, “NOW IS NOT THE TIME!” He took a deep breath, “Astrid is still alive but she needs medical attention. Take her, I have to go!” He practically threw Astrid into his arms before turning around. Stoick grabbed his arm and held Toothless back.

“Where do you think you are going?” Stoick said through gritted teeth. His voice was laced with malice and venom.

Toothless looked him in the eyes, with a soft and gentle voice said, “To save your son.” Toothless then gestured his head toward the castle.

Stoick’s eyes widened and softened slightly. Enough for Toothless to slip out of his hold and run back to the castle. He was next to Hiccup in no time.

“Toothless?” The castle was groaning even more, small pieces of the ceiling were now starting to fall. “What are you doing here? You need to get to safety.”

Toothless then started trying to lift the rock again, putting as much strength and divine energy into trying to lift it. “No– Not… leaving.. You.” He said between grunts. “Brother.”

Hiccup wanted to protest, but he knew that nothing he could say would let Toothless leave. Hiccup did his best to try and lift the rock off of his leg, but it was no use. They struggled and struggled, but it didn’t move an inch. More of the ceiling began to collapse.

“You need to leave.” Hiccup insisted, his voice strained with pain and urgency.

Toothless ignored Hiccup's protests, settling heavily onto the ground beside him, a low rumble of resignation in his chest. “We face it together, brother, as we always have,” he said, his voice a deep, unwavering growl. The castle groaned, a deafening chorus of cracking stone and splintering wood. Dust and debris rained down as the ceiling began to collapse, massive blocks of stone plummeting towards them. 

From a distance, Stoick watched, frozen in horror, as the entire queen's castle slowly crumbled, a deafening roar accompanying the catastrophic collapse. A massive cloud of dust and debris billowed outwards, obscuring everything in a choking haze. When the dust finally settled, Stoick's heart hammered in his chest. He had to find his son.

Chapter Text

Darkness. Crushing weight. The air was thick, choking with dust that tasted like grit and ages past. Hiccup coughed, a dry, rattling sound that sent spikes of agony through his chest and, impossibly, intensified the blinding pain in his trapped leg. Consciousness was a slippery thing, a wave pulling him under, then spitting him back onto a shore of agony before dragging him out again. He felt stone pressing from every direction, the immense, uncaring weight of the fallen castle. This is it , a distant part of his mind registered. Trapped. Buried.

Then, a faint warmth. A low thrumming, not like the castle's earlier malevolent energy, but something familiar, protective. Through the suffocating blackness, a soft, pulsing purple glow emanated from beside him, pushing back weakly against the suffocating stone. Toothless. He could feel the demon’s presence, a desperate, stubborn warmth pressed against his side. He heard a low growl, strained and weak, followed by a whimper of pain that wasn't Hiccup's own. The purple light flickered, dimmed, then flared slightly brighter, holding back the inevitable. Toothless was still fighting, pouring his dwindling energy into a fragile shield against the tons of rock.

Muffled sounds filtered through the debris. Scraping. Shouting, distant and panicked. Was it the Queen’s forces? Or…? A louder sound, closer – rock shifting. A voice, raw with desperation, cut through the haze.

“HICCUP!”

Dad? The thought was hazy, dreamlike. More scraping, frantic now. A small cascade of dirt fell near Hiccup’s face.

“Hiccup! Answer me! Son!”

Hiccup tried to respond, but only a choked groan escaped. The scraping intensified, becoming the sound of large stones being heaved aside. Suddenly, a crack of light, blinding after the utter dark. Dust motes danced in the beam. A hand, covered in dirt and grime, clawed through the opening.

Stoick’s face appeared in the gap, eyes wide with terror, scanning the small pocket of space. His gaze locked onto Hiccup, relief flooding his features for a fleeting second before turning to horrified confusion as he saw the scene: Hiccup, pale and pinned beneath a massive slab of basalt, and beside him, the source of the faint purple light – the Night Fury, Toothless, slumped and trembling, the glow around them fading rapidly.

Stoick’s training, his ingrained hatred, surged. He reached for his axe, his expression hardening. “Demon! Get away from him!” he roared, his voice echoing in the confined space.

Toothless flinched at the sound, letting out a low, pained whine. He tried to raise his head, to bare his teeth in defiance, but the effort was too much. The last vestiges of the purple shield sputtered and died, plunging the small space back into near darkness, lit only by the beam from Stoick's opening. The great demon slumped fully against the rubble, his breathing shallow, utterly spent.

“Dad… no…” Hiccup gasped, the effort costing him. “He… saved…” His voice trailed off into another pained groan as the weight settled more heavily onto his trapped leg.

Stoick froze, his axe half-raised. He saw the demon, not attacking, not menacing, but utterly depleted, lying protectively beside his injured son. He saw Hiccup, alive, pinned but alive, clearly shielded by the very creature he’d raised his axe against. The demon hadn't harmed Hiccup; it had exhausted itself saving him. The words Hiccup had thrown at him before, the memory of their bet, the promise he'd made – “And if I proved you wrong?” – crashed into his mind.

He lowered his axe slowly, his knuckles white. He looked from the weakened demon to his trapped son, his world tilting on its axis.

“Men!” Stoick bellowed, turning back to the opening. “Dig here! Now! Get him out!” He paused, taking a ragged breath, the next words feeling foreign and heavy on his tongue. “…Carefully. Don’t… don’t touch the demon.”

Knights swarmed the opening, their faces a mixture of grim determination and barely concealed fear. Under Stoick’s watchful eye and frantic directions, they began the arduous task of removing the heavy stone slab pinning Hiccup.  To his utter surprise, not only did his own men start digging, but the demons they held at swordpoint also began frantically digging, trying to save the two trapped under the rubble. All animosity in the demon’s eyes were seemingly non-existent, as if in a flash their centuries of war and hatred was forgotten.

 Every scrape of metal against rock, every grunt of effort, seemed magnified in the tense silence. Stoick knelt beside the opening, peering in, his gaze alternating between Hiccup's pale, pain-drawn face and the still, dark form of the Night Fury lying beside him. The demon hadn't moved, save for the shallow rise and fall of his chest, his acid-green eyes closed. He looked… vulnerable. Defeated. Not like the terrifying monster Stoick had always imagined.

"Almost there, lad," Gobber’s voice, rough but reassuring, came from beside Stoick. He was coordinating the knights, his experience evident in his calm commands. "Just hold on."

Hiccup gritted his teeth against the waves of pain, his vision blurring. He could feel the pressure lessening, but his leg felt numb, cold. He risked a glance at Toothless. Still breathing. That's good.

Finally, with a groan of protesting stone and a collective heave from the knights, the slab was lifted enough for Gobber and Stoick to carefully pull Hiccup free. He cried out as sharp agony shot up his leg, the world dissolving into a gray mist.

“Easy, son, easy,” Stoick’s voice was surprisingly gentle as they laid Hiccup on a makeshift stretcher. “You’re safe now.”

Through the fog of pain, Hiccup saw another stretcher being brought over. Astrid. Her face was pale, streaked with dirt and grime, a nasty gash visible on her temple, but she was conscious, her blue eyes blinking rapidly as she took in the scene. Her gaze found Hiccup, a wave of relief washing over her features, quickly followed by confusion as she saw Stoick hovering near the still form of Toothless.

“Chief…?” Astrid began, her voice weak.

Stoick turned, his expression unreadable. “Save your strength, lass. You’re both injured.” He looked back towards the entrance of the ruined castle, his brow furrowed. “We need to get you out of here.”

As the knights carefully carried Hiccup and Astrid out of the wreckage and into the desolate courtyard, an eerie sight met their eyes. The hundreds of Thralls, the mindless soldiers who had poured from the Rift just hours before, were… wandering. They milled about aimlessly, bumping into walls, looking up at the strange sky, their eyes vacant, their movements sluggish. There was no aggression, no coordinated attack, just… confusion. Like sheep without a shepherd.

The knights formed a protective cordon around the stretchers, their weapons drawn, expecting an attack at any moment. But none came. A young knight, his face pale with fear, nervously raised his sword as a small, dog-sized demon stumbled too close.

“Hold!” Stoick’s voice boomed across the courtyard, freezing the knight in place. Every eye turned to the Chief. Stoick surveyed the scene, his gaze sweeping over the passive demons, then landing on the stretcher carrying the unconscious Night Fury, which was being carried cautiously by a few reluctant knights. His expression was a complex mixture of disbelief, uncertainty, and grudging acceptance.

“Stand down,” Stoick ordered, his voice leaving no room for argument. “Tend to the injured. Secure the perimeter. Monitor these… creatures,” he gestured towards the Thralls, “but do not engage unless provoked. Is that clear?”

A murmur of confusion ran through the ranks, but no one dared disobey. The knights lowered their weapons, their expressions mirroring Stoick’s own bewilderment. Astrid watched from her stretcher, her mind struggling to process the scene. Stoick… ordering his men not to kill demons? The world truly had turned upside down. She felt Stormfly stir faintly in her mind, a shared sense of astonishment passing between them.

“Gobber,” Stoick said, turning to his old friend. “Organize transport back to the Order. Infirmary for these two,” he nodded towards Hiccup and Astrid, “and… find somewhere secure for… him .” He gestured towards Toothless, still unable, or unwilling, to call the creature by name.

Gobber nodded, his one good eye glancing from Stoick to Toothless and back again, a thoughtful expression on his face. “Aye, Chief. Right away.”

As they were carried towards the shimmering, unstable Rift, back towards Berk, back towards the Order, Hiccup drifted in and out of consciousness. He saw Astrid on the stretcher beside him, her eyes closed now, her breathing shallow. He saw Stoick, walking alongside, his face a mask of grim determination, occasionally glancing back at the stretcher carrying Toothless. And he felt a flicker of something he hadn't felt in a long, long time. Hope. A fragile, tentative hope, born amidst the ashes and destruction, that maybe, just maybe, things were finally starting to change.

Hiccup woke to the sterile scent of antiseptic and the muted sounds of the Order's infirmary. White, rough-spun sheets were tucked tightly around him, and a dull throb radiated from his lower leg, now encased in bandages and splinted. He blinked, his eyes adjusting to the dim light filtering through a high window. He was alive. Somehow.

A large figure shifted in the corner of the room, and Hiccup turned his head slowly, wincing at the movement. Stoick. His father stood by the window, his massive frame silhouetted against the gray morning light, his arms crossed, his gaze fixed on the courtyard below. He looked… weary. Older.

"Dad?" Hiccup's voice was raspy, dry.

Stoick turned, his expression unreadable. He walked over to the bedside, his heavy boots silent on the stone floor. He stood there for a long moment, just looking down at Hiccup, his jaw working silently. Astrid had seen guilt and shame in his eyes before; Hiccup saw it now, mixed with a confusion that mirrored his own.

"You're awake," Stoick said finally, his voice gruff, but lacking its usual booming authority.

Hiccup nodded slowly. "Feels like it." He shifted slightly, trying to find a more comfortable position. "How long…?"

"Two days," Stoick answered. "You lost a lot of blood. The healers weren't sure…" He trailed off, clearing his throat awkwardly. "Gobber's been beside himself."

An uncomfortable silence fell between them. Hiccup searched his father's face, looking for the usual disapproval, the disappointment. It wasn't there. Instead, he saw… conflict. Uncertainty.

"The… the demon," Stoick began, stumbling over the word. "The Night Fury. Toothless." He corrected himself, the name sounding foreign on his tongue. "He's… alive. Weak. They have him secured in the lower levels."

Hiccup felt a surge of relief. "He saved me," he whispered. "He used his energy to shield me when the roof came down."

Stoick nodded slowly, his gaze distant. "Aye," he said, his voice barely audible. "I saw." He looked back at Hiccup, his eyes meeting his son's directly. "You said– you said if you proved me wrong… about the demons."

Hiccup held his breath, waiting.

Stoick took a deep, ragged breath. "I've led the Order for decades, son. Fought demons my entire life. Believed… knew … they were mindless beasts, driven only by destruction." He clenched his fists. "To see them… him … protect you… To see the others, the 'Thralls', just wandering, lost, after the Queen fell…" He shook his head, frustration and confusion warring on his face. "It seems I was wrong."

The admission hung in the air, heavy and profound. Hiccup stared at his father, stunned. He'd never heard Stoick admit to being wrong about anything , let alone something so fundamental to his entire worldview.

"Dad, I…" Hiccup began, unsure what to say.

Stoick raised a hand, cutting him off. He stepped closer to the bed and, hesitantly, placed a large, calloused hand on Hiccup's shoulder. The gesture was awkward, unfamiliar, but the warmth of it seeped through the thin infirmary gown, a silent apology, a bridge across years of misunderstanding.

"You were right, Hiccup," Stoick said, his voice thick with emotion he rarely showed. "About the demons. About… a lot of things." He squeezed Hiccup's shoulder gently. "You should have told me. Should have trusted me."

Hiccup felt a lump form in his throat. "I… I was afraid," he admitted, the words tumbling out. "Afraid you wouldn't believe me. Afraid you'd… hate me."

Stoick sighed, the sound heavy with regret. "Aye," he said. "And maybe I would have. Before." He met Hiccup's gaze again, a flicker of pride replacing the confusion. "But you stood up to me. You fought for what you believed in. Even when it meant… treason." He paused. "You're not the boy I thought you were, Hiccup. You're… you're a man. A leader."

Hiccup felt tears welling in his eyes, blurring his vision. He blinked them back, a shaky smile forming on his lips. "Does this mean…?"

Stoick offered a rare, genuine smile in return, crinkling the corners of his eyes. "It means," he said, his voice regaining some of its old authority, but softened with newfound understanding, "that we have a lot to talk about. And a lot of work to do. Dismantling a legacy… it won't be easy." He squeezed Hiccup's shoulder one last time before pulling away. "Get some rest, son. You'll need it."

Later that day, after Stoick had left and Hiccup had managed some broth and more rest, the door to his infirmary room creaked open again. Astrid stood there, leaning heavily on a crutch, her bandaged leg stretched out before her. Her other temple was still bruised, but her eyes were clear, sharp, and focused entirely on him. She offered a small, tired smile.

"Mind if I hobble in?" she asked, her voice quiet.

"Only if you promise not to challenge me to a race," Hiccup quipped, shifting to make room for her to sit on the edge of the bed, though she opted for a nearby stool instead, carefully lowering herself onto it.

They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, the events of the past few days washing over them. The battle, the collapse, the impossible survival, the world turned upside down.

Astrid broke the silence first. "So," she began, looking around the sterile room, "this is… different. Never thought I'd see the day Stoick the Vast ordered his men not to kill a demon."

Hiccup chuckled softly. "Yeah, well, seeing said demon save his son's life tends to change one's perspective."

Astrid's smile faded slightly, her gaze becoming more serious. "Hiccup, about everything. When I first found out…" She hesitated, looking down at her hands. "I was angry. Scared. I felt betrayed. I reacted poorly." She looked up, meeting his eyes, her own filled with sincerity. "I judged you. I judged Toothless. I let fear and everything I thought I knew dictate my actions. I'm sorry."

"Astrid, you don't have to…"

"Yes, I do," she interrupted gently but firmly. "Seeing what happened, seeing Toothless protect you, seeing the Queen. Seeing those Thralls just… empty… after she fell." She shook her head. "And Stormfly," A flicker of wonder crossed her face. "Feeling her, understanding her… it changes everything. You changed everything."

She reached over, tentatively touching the handle of her reforged axe, which leaned against the wall near Hiccup's bed. "And this," she whispered, awe in her voice. "They said it couldn't be done. Reforging a divine weapon… by a human." She looked back at him, her eyes wide. "How?"

Hiccup shrugged, a faint blush rising on his cheeks. "Honestly? I'm not entirely sure. It just… felt right. Like I understood the energy, the connection. Toothless taught me the rest, I even seemed to surprise him." He met her gaze. "Just like I understood you needed it back. I'm sorry I kept secrets, Astrid. So many secrets. But I trust you. Completely."

Astrid’s eyes softened. She reached out, her hand covering his where it rested on the sheets. Her touch sent a jolt, warmer and more potent than any divine energy, straight to his core.

"I trust you too, Hiccup," she said softly. "More than anyone."

The air crackled with unspoken emotions – relief, forgiveness, the terrifying, exhilarating plunge of finally admitting what had been growing between them for so long. Hiccup leaned forward slightly, his gaze dropping to her lips, then back to her eyes, asking a silent question. Astrid answered by leaning in too, closing the distance between them.

Their lips met, tentatively at first, then with more certainty. It wasn't a kiss of desperate passion or stolen moments, but one of quiet understanding, profound relief, and the sealing of a bond forged in secrets, fire, and impossible survival. It tasted of forgiveness, of shared burdens, and the promise of a future faced together.

When they finally pulled apart, breathless, they simply looked at each other, smiles gracing both their faces.

"So," Astrid said, her voice slightly husky, "once we can both walk properly again… think Stormfly and Toothless will be up for some joint training?"

Hiccup grinned, his heart feeling lighter than it had in years. "I think," he replied, squeezing her hand, "they'd love that."

Weeks bled into months. Spring painted Berk and the surrounding islands in vibrant greens and bursts of wildflower color, a stark contrast to the grey desolation of the Queen's fallen kingdom. The immediate chaos following her defeat slowly gave way to a fragile, uncertain new reality.

The Rift, the shimmering tear between worlds, remained a heavily guarded anomaly. Knights of the Order, under Stoick’s direct command, watched it constantly, no longer with outright hostility, but with a cautious vigilance. Exploratory missions were discussed, debated, but for now, it served primarily as a monitored gateway. Many of the freed Thralls, overwhelmed by a world they didn’t understand, had cautiously returned through it to whatever remained of the Hidden World, guided by the surprising emergence of Toothless as a figure of authority amongst them. His shared bond with Hiccup, his defiance of the Queen, and his raw power had earned him a grudging respect, a mantle of leadership he seemed reluctant, yet compelled, to wear. He acted as an intermediary, helping negotiate the peaceful departure of many demons, while a few, more curious or without ties back home, remained near the Order's territory, observed but unharmed.

Within the Order itself, change was a slow, grinding process. Stoick, true to his word, began dismantling the centuries-old doctrine of blind hatred. He faced resistance, arguments, even accusations of betrayal from staunch traditionalists, but his resolve, bolstered by the undeniable truth he had witnessed, held firm. Gobber was often by his side, offering practical advice and occasionally knocking stubborn heads together – figuratively, of course. Mostly. Knights began learning de-escalation tactics alongside combat maneuvers, their fear slowly being tempered by curiosity and Stoick’s unwavering new direction.

Hiccup and Astrid, their injuries mostly healed, became symbols of this new era. Hailed as heroes – the Demon Conqueror and the Daughter of Thor, some whispered – they navigated their new status with a mixture of awkwardness and determination. Hiccup, no longer hiding, worked alongside his father and Gobber, offering insights into demon behavior and bonding dynamics, his inventions now focused on understanding and cooperation rather than capture and control.

Astrid threw herself into training with Stormfly, their bond deepening daily. The single, ethereal wing she could summon was becoming more controllable, its divine energy a familiar warmth rather than chaotic power. She sparred often with Hiccup, her movements faster, sharper, enhanced by Stormfly’s instincts, her reforged axe a gleaming extension of her will – a testament to the impossible bridge Hiccup had built between their worlds.

One crisp evening, they stood on the cliffs overlooking the sea near the Order's fortress. Below, knights patrolled alongside a few curious, non-hostile demons tasked with simple duties, a sight that would have been unthinkable mere months ago. Toothless sat comfortably beside Hiccup, gazing fondly at the horizon, while Stormfly, standing proudly on a nearby outcrop, watched Astrid with affectionate, golden eyes.

"Still feels strange," Astrid murmured, leaning against Hiccup's shoulder, watching the scene below. "Seeing them… just… coexist."

"It's a start," Hiccup replied, wrapping an arm around her. "A long, difficult start, but it's something." He looked out at the horizon, where the sun dipped low, painting the sky in hues of orange and purple. "My dad's actually listening. The Order is questioning things they haven't questioned in centuries. Toothless is…" He glanced at his companion, who nudged him again affectionately. "Well, he's figuring out what it means to lead."

Astrid nodded, resting her head against his chest. "And us?"

Hiccup smiled, tightening his hold. "We're figuring it out too." He looked down at her, his green eyes meeting her blue ones, reflecting the twilight sky. "Together." 

Toothless interrupted their perfect moment, popping his head in between the two. “Together.” He said, smiling his signature gaping black maw, his namesake.

Stormfly approached Toothless from behind and rested her head on top of his. “Together,” she said dreamily, watching the demon below her.

The old world, built on fear and hatred, had crumbled. From the ashes, something new, something fragile but full of potential, was beginning to dawn. It wouldn't be easy, the path forward was fraught with challenges and the shadows of the past, but standing here, side-by-side, human and demon, bonded by trust and the courage to change, they were ready to face it. The age of demons and humans hadn't ended; it had just truly begun.